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NOTES: The Bills claimed guard Ike Boettger off waivers from Kansas City on Wednesday. Boettger joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent this spring but was released as part of final cuts on Sept. 1. Buffalo released cornerback Ryan Lewis to make room for Boettger. ... The Bills also signed Kyle Peko to their practi... |
Seven years since construction began, five years after the cost started ballooning, and two years after the highway repair job completely stalled, the state Department of Transportation took a first step Friday toward firing the contractor tasked with rebuilding a dangerous stretch of State Highway 20. |
The state issued a blistering �notice of default� against Granite Construction of Watsonville, Calif., doing business as Yaquina River Contractors for the purpose of completing the most expensive highway project since the interstates were built in Oregon in the 1950s. Replacing a 10-mile stretch of road between Pioneer... |
Now, the cost has soared to at least $219 million. |
Problems with the job first became public after a series of �unforeseen� landslide risks came to light in 2008. The state initially insisted that the contractor pay the $61 million it would cost to mitigate that issue, because as the �design builder� of the project, the bulk of the responsibility for anticipating probl... |
But the state eventually agreed to pay Granite an extra $47 million, with the contractor kicking in $8 million and the rest scraped together by the state from savings accrued in other projects and programs. |
Then came more landslide problems. This time, the state stuck to its guns. |
Work stopped and the two sides have been battling over who bears responsibility for the job�s extraordinary cost overruns. No significant work has happened on the project since 2010. |
In December, the state released further bad news: because of more landslide problems, the transportation department was proposing to reduce or eliminate four of the project�s 11 bridges and redesign the job in those places. The contractor opposed that plan. |
On Friday, the state sent a letter to Yaquina River project manager Ralph Gleffe, among others, notifying them of the notice of default and listing 26 separate reasons the state believes the company has defaulted, from failing to complete the job to �effectively� abandoning it altogether. |
The state charges that Yaquina River didn�t comply with the project�s schedule, did shoddy work, ignored the contract�s requirements and designed and monitored the job poorly. There was work performed out of sequence, without appropriate engineering oversight and many other failures, according to the state�s letter. |
Yaquina River has 10 days to �correct� the default or submit a satisfactory proposal for doing so to ODOT, after which the state may decide to terminate the contract altogether, effectively firing the contractor. |
�Whatever approach is taken, ODOT intends to hold the design builder and its sureties financially responsible,� according to a state press release issued Friday. |
The department made clear in that announcement that no further information will be released until after a response from Yaquina River has been reviewed. Officials with Granite did not return phone calls on Friday. |
In response to a parliamentary question tabled in the House of Lords, the Department for Education (DfE) has at last conceded that the overwhelming majority of objections submitted to school admission policies by the British Humanist Association (BHA) and Fair Admissions Campaign (FAC) correctly identified breaches of ... |
“The wheels are quite clearly coming off many of the Coalition Government’s education policies. Michael Gove finally listened to sense and scrapped his plans for the English Baccalaureate Certificates, which would have replaced GCSEs in some subjects. This was a victory for all who have campaigned against this ill-thou... |
Southeastern boys basketball defeated West Union 64-56 on Saturday behind 17 and 15 from Reece Wheeler. Chillicothe basketball also defeated Jackson. |
Reece Wheeler scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Southeastern. Lane Ruby scored 14, Aaron Gillum scored 13, and Luke Corcoran added 11. |
Southeastern (4-17) travels to Unioto at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday. |
Jayvon Maughmer scored 23 points for the Cavaliers while Brandon Noel scored 11 points to go with 13 rebounds. |
Chillicothe (16-5) hosts Warren at approximately 7 p.m. on Friday. |
Elijah McCloskey scored 16 points for the Huntsmen while Canaan Knoles scored 10 and Nate Snyder added nine. |
Huntington (8-12) hosts Adena at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. |
Emily Coleman and Jocie Fisher each scored nine for Unioto while Amber Cottrill scored eight and Cree Stulley scored six points. |
Unioto (20-2) plays Logan Elm in the Division II Sectional Final at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Adena High School. |
Julia Hall scored 13 points for Chillicothe while Zoe Ford scored eight. Shawnice Smith added seven points to go with 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers. |
Chillicothe (9-13) plays Hillsboro for their Division II Sectional Semifinal at 7 p.m. on Monday at Adena High School. |
Mahaley Farmer scored 20 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, had seven steals, and six assists for the Mustangs. Marissa Mullins scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had seven blocks and Gabby Patete added 12 points and five assists for Westfall. |
Emily Allen scored 16 points and had 17 rebounds for Zane Trace while Lauren Lane scored 11 and Bri Fetters scored 10 and had seven rebounds. |
Zane Trace (1-20) plays Fairland for their sectional semifinal game at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Jackson High School while Westfall (13-9) plays Valley for their sectional semifinal at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Jackson. |
Kami Knight scored 15 points for the Tigers. |
Waverly (13-8) plays Washington for the Division II Sectional Final at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday at Adena High School. |
Hillsboro won the girls’ event with a 15-0 record while the Cavs had a 2-13 record. The Cavaliers’ Maddy Gilbert made all-league. |
Hillsboro also won the boys’ event with a 15-0 record. Chillicothe went 6-9, earning fourth place above Washington and McClain. |
For the girls, who compete in Division II, Heidi Arth qualified for districts in the 200-medley relay, 50-freestyle, 100-breaststroke, and the 400-freestyle relay. Danielle Fleurima qualified for districts in the 200-medley relay, the 100-butterfly, and the 200-freestyle relay. Alison Grossman qualified for districts i... |
For the boys, who compete in Division I, Clayton Aflen qualified for districts in the 200-medley relay and the 200-freestyle relay. Andy Blum qualified for districts in the 200-medley relay and the 200-freestyle relay. Andrew Dombrowski qualified for districts in the 200-freestyle relay. Evan Siberell qualified for dis... |
Adena's Evan Ater qualifed for Division II districts in the 100-backstroke. Westfall's Peyton Bachstetter qualified for Division II districts in the 100-backstroke. |
ROCKY MOUNT — Police have arrested four teenagers in connection with one of three shooting deaths in a North Carolina town last weekend. |
News sources report Rocky Mount police said 18-year-olds Tracy Lamont Collins Jr. and Khalil Jywon Davis, along with a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old, have been arrested in the Jan. 6 shooting death of 20-year-old Mikel Sheridan. |
According to police, Davis was arrested Wednesday and Collins was arrested on Tuesday. Along with the 17-year-old, they are being held without bond in the Nash County jail. The 15-year-old is being held in the Wake County Juvenile Detention Center. All are charged with first-degree murder. |
The other murders happened Saturday night when two men were shot to death on the same street. There have been no arrests in either case. |
Actor Eric Balfour has announced that he is directing the upcoming adaptation Jesus Hates Zombies. The project will mark his full-length feature directorial debut, although he did direct a segment of the movie Do Not Disturb. Here's what Eric Balfour had to say below. |
"Good morning/afternoon/evening depending where you are in the world. I said I had some cool news so here it is... I have signed on to direct the feature version of Jesus Hates Zombies based on the graphic novel by @StephenRL (Stephen Lindsay) JesusHatesZombies.com. I'm so excited to be a part of this movie!!! The scre... |
It isn't known who the screenwriter is on the project, although Jesus Hates Zombies is based on the graphic novel series by Stephen Lindsay. The official site already has a few concept art photos featuring Jesus, his sidekick Laz and Eli, which you can take a look at below, along with the synopsis for the graphic novel... |
"The zombie plague has swept across the Earth, and Jesus has been sent down to take care of it. Along with Laz, (his loyal zombie sidekick) Jesus must unite the remaining humans to stand up and defeat the zombie menace. A werewolf-slaying Abe Lincoln makes his debut here, fighting in the 19th century while Jesus saves ... |
Note: All quotes in bold below are from Krauthammer’s piece. |
Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald announced in a press conference Wednesday that, swayed by the powerful arguments of an article in The Weekly Standard, he is prepared to torture Vice President Cheney and presidential adviser Karl Rove for information that is “urgently needed” to save American lives. |
Fitzgerald stressed that he is not legally required to explain his decision. |
“As an agent of the executive branch, I am no more legally required to provide my rationale for torturing these suspects than is President Bush. Following the ancient doctrine that ‘might makes right,’ Mr. Bush has taken it upon himself to torture anyone he wishes, without explanation, on the simple assertion that he b... |
Fitzgerald stressed that the vice president could surely have no moral objection to being tortured to save American lives. |
“I am sure that everyone else is as tired as Mr. Krauthammer is of Sen. McCain, who just can’t seem to move beyond having been tortured himself decades before 9/11 changed everything, including the obsolete notion that our country should obey international law and the basic rules of civilized behavior. It should be obv... |
“Only people like Messrs. Krauthammer, Kristol, and Murdoch who in 2002 received a ‘humanitarian of the year‘ award, appropriately presented by Henry Kissinger, perhaps the greatest humanitarian of our age have the necessary objectivity both to promote torture and to make the refined distinctions necessary for the ... |
Fitzgerald addressed the argument that torture usually does not work. |
Fitzgerald also raised an issue that Krauthammer did not directly address: the recent assertion by Sen. Lindsey Graham on Meet the Press that a U.S. endorsement of torture would make it far more likely that American citizens will be tortured in the future. |
have the obligation to tolerate their own sleepless nights.‘ I am deeply moved by this evidence of Mr. Krauthammer’s sensitive nature. And I want to him to know that I do not believe he need endure any sleepless nights himself, because, unlike the elected officials he would have inflict torture in our names, he is only... |
The press conference ended on a somber note. |
“Finally, as Mr. Krauthammer so movingly writes, ‘we must all be prepared to torture‘ when doing so can save American lives. |
“The ‘moral honesty‘ of this statement! Not even Hitler and Stalin dared call upon the entire citizenry to personally and publicly endorse torture. We owe a debt to Messrs. Krauthammer, Kristol, and Murdoch for moving beyond mere ‘moral preening’ to this stark revelation of their inner souls and psyches. And we are ins... |
Several federal agencies with responsibility for counterterrorism opened files two years ago on Ahmad Khan Rahami, the man facing charges for at least two bombings Saturday in New Jersey and New York, according to media reports. Neither the FBI nor Customs and Border Patrol added Rahami’s name to the vast US government... |
Rahami was arrested Monday morning after an exchange of gunfire with police in Linden, New Jersey, after the owner of a local bar saw him sleeping in a doorway. He suffered gunshots to the shoulder and leg and was in critical but stable condition, and was expected to survive. |
Several media outlets reported that Rahami’s father, Mohammad Rahami, had called the FBI in 2014, complaining that his son was acting like a “terrorist.” At the time, Ahmad Rahami had been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after a series of altercations with his brother, sister and mother. |
FBI officials claimed they ran a background check on the son, who had just returned to the United States after an extended stay in Pakistan. The bureau ultimately concluded that there was no security concern in a domestic dispute, which did not lead to formal charges. A grand jury declined to indict Ahmad Rahami after ... |
According to the agency, the same investigative process was applied to Rahami as to Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two brothers responsible for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, after Russian intelligence sources told their US counterparts he had links to Islamist terrorist groups in Daghestan, and to Omar Mateen, the ... |
Rahami came to the United States in 1995 at the age of seven, several years after his father, who had sought asylum as a former soldier in the US-backed mujaheddin guerrillas who had fought the Soviet army and the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul. Ahmad Rahami became a naturalized US citizen in 2011, at the age of 23. |
That same year, he returned to Afghanistan and went on to Pakistan, marrying a local woman. He returned again to Pakistan and Afghanistan from April 2013 until March 2014, as part of a protracted effort to get his wife an entry visa for the US. During much of this period Rahami and his wife lived in Quetta, a Pakistani... |
According to US officials, Rahami was questioned every time he returned from Afghanistan or Pakistan, a standard procedure with travelers to that part of the world. He had extensive contact during this period with the Customs and Border Patrol unit of the Department of Homeland Security, which initially denied a visa t... |
Rahami contacted the offices of his New Jersey congressman, Albo Sires, a Democrat, seeking assistance on the visa. The Pakistani woman, identified as Asia Bibi Rahami, ultimately did join Rahami in New Jersey with their child. She reportedly left the country a week before the bombings to make a visit to Pakistan, and ... |
There were conflicting reports, all emanating from various police sources, about the sophistication of the bombs that wounded 29 people in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and exploded without causing any injuries in Seaside, New Jersey, as well as the explosive devices that were found and disarmed in Chelsea and ... |
Some press reports claimed that the bombs were primitive and poorly constructed, suggesting that Rahami was an amateur using techniques gleaned from the Internet. Other reports claimed the bombs were well-constructed and suggested some training by a terrorist organization. |
No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings in New Jersey and New York, or any ties to Rahami. The Afghan Taliban flatly denied any involvement, and the group is not known to have conducted any operations outside of its home territory in Afghanistan and Pakistan. ISIS was not active in that area until 2015, af... |
Police claim to have recovered a notebook in Rahami’s possession when he was arrested, containing notes praising the Islamic fundamentalist preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, who was assassinated by a US drone missile in 2011, as well as references to the Boston Marathon bombing, which used a pressure-cooker device similar to t... |
Meanwhile, the Chelsea bombing continued to be employed by both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates as a means of demonstrating that they were “tough” on terrorism and on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, although there is no evidence that Rahami had any connections to ISIS. |
Republican Donald Trump continued to denounce the supposedly lax screening of immigrants and refugees, although no terrorist attacks in the United States have involved refugees or asylum-seekers. He called for the harshest possible interrogation of Rahami, including the use of “whatever lawful methods are available to ... |
He also expressed regret that Rahami might receive decent medical care and legal representation, suggesting that these were privileges that no US citizen facing such charges should enjoy. |
Both candidates chose to demonstrate their support for brutality, torture and state killing of prisoners—in the name of fighting “terrorism”—by holding private meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is in New York to address the UN General Assembly. |
Clinton issued no statement, but it is well known that she was the last-ditch defender in the Obama administration of the former dictator Hosni Mubarak, al-Sisi’s predecessor, when mass protests led to the regime’s collapse early in 2011. |
Two in every three Utah voters back the campaign to legalize medical marijuana in the state, according to a new Salt Lake Tribune-Hinckley Institute of Politics poll. |
Support for the measure remains high, though the survey shows some voters have changed their minds in recent months, when a group that included top Republican politicians sounded off against the measure. |
Some 66 percent of voters say they support the initiative, which would legalize marijuana possession and use for approved patients with ailments like cancer and chronic pain. That’s a drop from a Tribune poll in January, when 76 percent said they somewhat or strongly supported the measure. |
It also shows the influence the LDS Church has over Mormons in a state where nearly half of all voters are active members of the religion. |
What remains to be seen is whether the predominant faith will come out more strongly against the measure than its indirect statements of concern so far. |
“This is not a hill they want to die on,” said Matthew Bowman, an associate professor of history at Henderson State University (Arkansas) who also wrote a book on the Mormon faith. |
Bowman recalled the church’s attempts in the 1930s to prevent Utah politicians from ratifying an amendment to repeal alcohol prohibition in the United States. The state cast the deciding vote in favor of allowing alcohol sales after nearly 15 years prohibiting it. |
As the marijuana measure continues to poll well, and as church members continue to believe marijuana should be used for medical — rather than recreational — purposes, Bowman said the church may avoid directly calling on its members to oppose the initiative. |
The LDS Church leadership has expressed concerns with the medical marijuana initiative, while stopping short of directing members to vote against it. |
The Utah Medical Association has come out in opposition to the initiative, as has Gov. Gary Herbert. |
The Tribune asked poll respondents whether the church’s input changed their minds on the initiative. The results show while the feedback changed the minds of 29 percent of voters who consider themselves “very active” Mormons, it had no effect on 58 percent of “very active” LDS voters. |
In fact, 11 percent of respondents said they were more likely to support the initiative because of the statements from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including 8 percent of very active Mormons. |
Sixteen percent of all respondents said they were less likely to support the initiative because of the church’s position, and 61 percent said the stance had no impact. Eleven percent said they didn’t know what the church’s position meant for them. The poll was conducted by the Hinckley Institute between June 11-18 and ... |
Political watchers said it appeared the church would largely stay on the sidelines, without explicitly telling members to oppose the measure, as it did with an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment that California passed in 2008. |
Officials with the LDS Church declined to comment on their statements, the results of the latest poll or whether leadership intended to weigh in and spend money in an attempt to defeat the initiative. |
DJ Schanz, campaign director of the Utah Patients Coalition, conceded the church’s influence is “undeniable,” but said the campaign was “encouraged” by the latest poll. |
Mr. Jason S. Brooks is President, Chief Executive Officer, Director of Rocky Brands, Inc. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Vice President, U.S. Wholesale from August 2010 until March 2011. From September 2001 until August 2010, Mr. Brooks held various Vice President of Sales positions within the Company. He began... |
Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Al-Makura, on Wednesday said the state government had cleared more than N40 billion debt incurred before the inception of his administration in 2011. |
Al-Makura disclosed this in Lafia at the inauguration of the state transition committee for the smooth hand-over on May 29. |
He said as at December 2016, the state government had settled more that N40 billion debt incurred by previous administration. |
He assured that funds would not be an impediment to the new administration in the execution of projects and implementation of policies and programmes. |
Al-Makura said the committee would guide the process and ensure smooth transition to sustain the progress and development of the state. |
He said the appointment of the committee was intended to serve as vehicle for the holistic evaluation of his stewardship and performance since 2011. |
“This course of action has become imperative in view of the need to review the activities of this government to highlight areas that are critical for sustenance and improvement by the in-coming administration,” Al-Makura said. |
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