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Two LPD investigators receive Mayoral Award of Excellence for solving two-year homicide investigation
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -Two members of the Lincoln Police Department were honored for their work by the mayor on Monday.
It has to do with a two-year homicide investigation. The officers were given the Mayor’s Award of Excellence.
Jessica Brandon was murdered in a home invasion gone wrong on July 31, 2018. Two LPD investigators, Matthew Franken and Tim Cronin, were honored for their work in providing closure to Brandon’s family.
Brandon was killed during a home invasion when multiple suspects entered her home, restrained her children and fatally shot her.
“It was motivated by marijuana, where a mother lost her life,” said Assistant Police Chief Jason Stille. “It shouldn’t have happened, but it did happen. And to put the pieces together and give closure to the family, we fortunately have two investigators, like Tim and Matt, that do this job and they do it very very well.”
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird described how Franken and Cronin got a break in the case with home surveillance video showing the suspects breaking in.
She said the two were able to track down leads, find the five suspects and collaborate with other agencies and Brandon’s family.
“First and foremost, we’re just thankful there was resolution for Jessica Brandon’s family and friends, and we’re thankful for not only what they did and how patient they were with us, but we’re thankful for the United States Attorneys Office,” Franken said. “And we’re thankful for the citizens of Lincoln doing what they always do which is help when we need it.”
Investigators Franken and Cronin said the job wouldn’t have been possible without all of that help.
“It goes from hunting the suspects back down in Texas, to Omaha, to writing search warrants in Lincoln, writing search warrants in Texas, talking with the family sitting down with the family,” Cronin said. “There’s multiple things that need to be done that two people just can’t handle by themselves.”
Cronin and Franken were nominated by LPD Sergeant Mike Ripley. All five homicide suspects were convicted, two of them are serving life sentences.
Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/two-lpd-investigators-receive-mayoral-award-excellence-solving-two-year-homicide-investigation/ | 2022-04-12T04:53:37 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/two-lpd-investigators-receive-mayoral-award-excellence-solving-two-year-homicide-investigation/ |
Verge earns invite to Portsmouth Invitational
LINCOLN, Neb. (Press Release) - Nebraska senior guard Alonzo Verge Jr. has been selected to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT) taking place this week.
The four-day pre-draft camp features 64 of the top seniors in the country and scouts from both the NBA and overseas. The event runs from Wednesday, April 13 to Saturday, April 16, and is the first PIT since 2019 because of COVID-19.
Verge started 31 games for the Huskers in the 2021-22 season after transferring from Arizona State, averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He led the Big Ten Conference in assists per game and ranked among conference leaders in steals (1.6, third), free throw percentage (.770, 10th), field goal percentage (.450, 12th) and points per game (16th).
Verge, who ranked 21st nationally in assists, finished the year in fifth place on NU’s single-season assist chart with 169. He played his best basketball down the stretch, averaging 16.6 points on 51 percent shooting, including 35 percent from 3-point range, along with 6.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game over NU’s final nine games. He had 21 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals in the Huskers’ Big Ten Tournament game against Northwestern and keyed NU’s win over No. 10 Wisconsin with 26 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Verge totaled 1,156 in his three-year Division I career along with over 300 assists and 300 rebounds in just 81 contests.
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament dates back to 1953 as the oldest pre-draft camp. Recent Huskers who have played in the event include James Palmer Jr. (2019), Tai Webster (2017) and Shavon Shields (2016).
Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/verge-earns-invite-portsmouth-invitational/ | 2022-04-12T04:53:43 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/verge-earns-invite-portsmouth-invitational/ |
BEAVERTON, Ore. — A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Beaverton Monday night, according to police.
The Beaverton Police Department reported that a potentially intoxicated driver hit someone on Southwest Barrows Road between Southwest 154th and 157th Avenues around 6 p.m., then left the scene.
The pedestrian was described as a middle-aged man. His name was not immediately released.
Police said the driver who hit him was a middle-aged woman. Investigators have spoken to her, but she was not taken into custody right away. However, she could be facing charges of hit-and-run and driving under the influence of intoxicants.
Washington County's Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team is assisting police with their investigation. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/beaverton-pedestrian-killed-hit-and-run/283-3ed7cfca-703c-432f-9fa8-0c8ac2e95149 | 2022-04-12T04:55:08 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/beaverton-pedestrian-killed-hit-and-run/283-3ed7cfca-703c-432f-9fa8-0c8ac2e95149 |
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A family from the Tampa Bay area is seeking answers about the hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a 31-year-old father as he was riding his bicycle.
Adam Kaplan was wearing a helmet, reflective gear and red flashing light in the early morning of Saturday, March 19, his sister Madyson Pate told News Channel 8.
Three weeks later, Florida Highway Patrol is still trying to figure out who struck his bicycle and fled.
“We sure do miss having him home with us,” Pate said of her brother.
Pate said her brother would “bike over 100 miles a day” as he was training for a triathlon.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, a vehicle struck Kaplan on the southbound side of Dale Mabry Highway near the split with US-41. Troopers responded to the crash around 5:10 a.m.
After the initial collision, troopers said a 57-year-old man on a motorcycle hit Kaplan’s bike in the road.
Pate said that man “looked around and actually saw there’s a body laying here and they were able to get help to him.”
Pate said her brother suffered serious brain injuries.
“We’re very thankful that he’s still with us,” she said, “but we are very much looking forward to god willingly being able to talk to him again.”
FHP does not have a description of the vehicle that hit Kaplan and Pate said there has been no luck looking for surveillance video near the scene of the crash.
“I could keep going on with all the negatives as to how difficult it would be to find this person,” Pate said, “but ultimately we know someone saw something or the person themselves is gonna watch this and realize how much we just really want them to come forward. I’m sure it’s weighing on their heart.”
Pate said her family is pleased with the care her brother is receiving at a long-term treatment facility in Pasco County. The family set up a fundraiser to help with medical expenses.
“Ultimately, finding the person that hit him would help because hopefully we could go after their insurance and help him keep him in the facility he’s in right now,” she said, “which is our hope and our prayer to get him back to that conscious state. That is our number one goal for him.”
Anyone with information about this hit and run case from March 19 should contact Florida Highway Patrol or submit a tip through Crime Stoppers. | https://www.wfla.com/news/pasco-county/family-seeks-answers-for-pasco-co-hit-and-run/ | 2022-04-12T04:55:10 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/pasco-county/family-seeks-answers-for-pasco-co-hit-and-run/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. — Police have identified the suspect in last week's deadly shooting on Northwest Naito Parkway underneath the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland.
Rizo Eonte Lucas, 18, is charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of 33-year-old Fars Gebrehiwot.
The shooting happened in broad daylight just before noon on Friday, April 8.
Officers responded and found Gebrehiwot with a gunshot wound to the neck. Paramedics took him to the hospital, where he later died from his injury. The state medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
Benito Zurita was nearby when the shooting happened on Naito Parkway. He told KGW that he had his headphones on, but a loud "bang" made him stop and take notice.
"As fast as that shot rang out I turned around and saw the other guy run to Couch Street and took a left," Zurita said.
The man that Zurita believed to be the shooter was wearing a ski mask and flipflops, he said. At the same time, he saw the victim suddenly begin bleeding profusely before dropping to the ground.
"He did drop right there next to the bridge, and when I saw him drop to the ground I said 'stay awake, don't just lay down,'" Zurita recalled.
Meanwhile, the Lucas was taken into custody soon after the shooting and was booked at the Multnomah County jail. He's being held without bail.
The shooting happened a few blocks away from a separate fatal shooting less than 24 hours earlier near the intersection of West Burnside Street and Northwest 6th Avenue. A 33-year-old woman was found with a fatal gunshot wound.
Coming off a record-high number of shootings in 2021, gun violence has continued to surge in Portland. There have been more than 100 injury shootings and more than two dozen homicides in the city so far this year.
At this rate, 2022 is on track to be Portland's deadliest year on record. In many cases, there have been no arrests.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Travis Law Travis.Law@portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0395 or Detective Ryan Foote Ryan.Foote@portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0781 and reference case number 22-93596.
Editor's note: The above video attached to this story aired on April 8, 2022. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/burnside-bridge-shooting-victim-identified/283-1a0b1f0a-3358-4ee8-8b6b-75a9fd206bae | 2022-04-12T04:55:14 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/burnside-bridge-shooting-victim-identified/283-1a0b1f0a-3358-4ee8-8b6b-75a9fd206bae |
PORTLAND, Ore — Oregon’s top judge for settling disputes between citizens and state agencies is facing child pornography allegations.
Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mann, 56, was booked into Washington County Jail last month on ten counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. He was released on bail hours later.
A spokesperson for the Beaverton Police Department, which investigated the case, said Mann was arraigned Monday in Washington County Circuit Court. Charles Boyle, a spokesperson for Gov. Kate Brown, said Mann had been placed on unpaid administrative leave amid the investigation.
Copies of the charges weren’t yet available Monday on the state’s electronic court information system, the newspaper reported.
It wasn’t immediately known if Mann has a lawyer to comment on his behalf and efforts to find contact information for the judge weren't immediately successful.
“These are incredibly serious allegations,” Boyle said in a statement, adding that Mann had been appointed by Brown in 2017. “We are continuing to monitor the situation and will take further action as warranted.”
Mann oversaw roughly 60 judges who adjudicate thousands of cases each year brought by residents or businesses that disagree with state agency rulings mostly involving unemployment insurance, child support payments or the Department of Human Services, according to a newsletter published by the Oregon State Bar. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/judge-arrested-child-porn-allegations/283-43d91dcd-e736-4e8b-bf8c-c6c7169c6e39 | 2022-04-12T04:55:20 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/judge-arrested-child-porn-allegations/283-43d91dcd-e736-4e8b-bf8c-c6c7169c6e39 |
HILLSBORO, Ore. — Intel is expanding its Oregon campus with the grand opening of a new factory in Hillsboro.
Intel's Dr. Ann Kelleher cut the ribbon Monday, alongside state and city leaders, to the sound of excited applause.
"Absolutely a great Oregon success story," Gov. Kate Brown said of Intel's Hillsboro campus.
Mod3 is Intel's $3 billion expansion to its D1X facility, adding 270,000 square feet of cleanroom space for the research, development and production of semiconductor technologies.
"Every aspect of human existence is becoming more digital," said Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger. "The entire world benefits from the advancements that we do in Hillsboro."
Intel recently announced it is also adding factories in Ohio and Arizona, raising questions about the company's future in Oregon. However, Gelsinger said most of Intel's multibillion-dollar investments remain in Oregon, with nearly 22,000 employees and about 3,500 new ones added last year.
Both Oregon senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden attended Monday's grand opening ceremony and said they are working on federal tax incentives to keep high-paying semiconductor production jobs local.
"For Oregon and our country to be poised at the front of the line," Wyden said.
"We want the United States of America to be the world leader in producing the electronic chips here on planet Earth," Merkley added.
The new factory means Intel is hiring. It did not specify how many new jobs will result from Mod3, but said it is competing for labor.
"There are so many shortages," said Intel chief people officer Christy Pambianchi. "And we know some industries are at a standstill because they can't get enough chips."
Pambianchi announced two new recruitment programs to help bridge the labor gap.
The Quick Start Program will train and certify people over a two-week period to become entry-level semiconductor technicians.
She said that type of manufacturing job typically takes an Associate's Degree and can pay about $75,000 per year.
The second pilot program would work in collaboration with Hillsboro School District. Starting this fall, 10-30 high school students will be selected for Intel apprenticeships to learn about semiconductor jobs.
"The goal is to start it here and hopefully scale it across the state," Pambianchi said.
These programs play into Intel's broader goals of diversifying its workforce. It wants to recruit more women, people from rural areas and other underrepresented minorities into the tech sector.
Part of its initiatives includes offering millions of dollars in grants to colleges and universities nationwide to incentivize pathways to the semiconductor field.
"To inspire students and families with access to STEAM education," described congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici at the event.
Oregon lawmakers recently started a new task force aimed at boosting semiconductor production in the state. They have their sights set on Intel and collaboration to create future expansion.
"I can't wait to see what we will achieve next," Gov. Brown said. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/intel-expanding-oregon/283-859410f1-e681-498e-bfec-ed53c2ce8b47 | 2022-04-12T04:55:26 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/intel-expanding-oregon/283-859410f1-e681-498e-bfec-ed53c2ce8b47 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — Day five of the murder trial of Nancy Brophy, romance novelist accused of shooting and killing her husband at the Oregon Culinary Institute in 2018, got to a late start due to inclement weather.
With a late start, the state called just three witnesses on Monday. The first was a former student of victim Dan Brophy, the husband of the accused, Nancy Brophy, and an instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute. Adam Johnson had kind things to say about Dan Brophy as an instructor.
“He was one of my favorite instructors of all time, just because of how hands-on he was,” said Johnson.
Next, the state called a former coworker of Dan Brophy, Kenneth Narcavage. He worked with Dan Brophy for a number of years after being a student of Dan Brophy’s in the 90s. He said they spoke very little of their personal lives but that Dan Brophy was very knowledgeable about food and foraging.
RELATED: Tearful testimony from woman who performed CPR on Dan Brophy in second day of murder trial
The witness the state spent the most time speaking to was Portland Police Bureau (PPB) homicide detective Anthony Merrill. Merrill has taken the stand before and will take the stand again in the future.
Merrill was the lead investigator on Dan Brophy’s case. He spoke about canvassing the area around the Oregon Culinary Institute in the days after the murder. Law enforcement collected surveillance video from several nearby businesses as part of the investigation process.
Merrill detailed PPB’s process of contacting all the students who had arrived at the culinary school and reaching out to those who were turned away by police and those who did not show up at all. He said none of the students rose to the level of a suspicious person.
In conducting interviews, a couple of homeless people in the area were mentioned by various interviewees. Police were able to make contact with them and they were excluded as people of interest after that.
The jury listened to a 45-minute long recording of detectives, including Merrill, interviewing Nancy Brophy. This included them telling her it was Dan Brophy who had been shot and killed.
Immediately following this interview, Merrill said he viewed surveillance video that had been collected from a nearby business, Bellagios Pizza. In that video, he said he saw a van that looked like Nancy Brophy’s. It appears first at around 7:08 a.m. and again at 7:28 a.m. This was originally revealed in court documents that were released in 2019.
This was interesting to detectives because it was inconsistent with what Nancy Brophy had told detectives she was doing that morning. She had said that she woke up to Dan Brophy coming to shower between 6:45 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. She said that Dan Brophy had left for work around 7 a.m. and 7:05 a.m. and it would take him roughly ten minutes to get to the school.
Detectives know Dan Brophy disabled the alarm at the culinary institute at 7:21 a.m. or 7:22 a.m.
Merrill said he had to double-check the footage because he had been surprised to see a van that looked just like Nancy Brophy’s on the surveillance footage after they had just interviewed her and she hadn’t mentioned being in the area earlier that morning.
The state closed by asking Merrill about how Nancy Brophy seemed during her interview. He said she seemed scatter-brained, as someone who had just learned their loved one was killed might be, but she was lucid about timings and her movements from that morning.
He said she seemed to have a good sense of a lot of details, even more than some might given the news she had received.
Court will resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday with Merrill coming back to the stand. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/nancy-brophy-murder-trial-day-5/283-8db0f560-c5a1-4161-bb90-d8aaab21956a | 2022-04-12T04:55:32 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/nancy-brophy-murder-trial-day-5/283-8db0f560-c5a1-4161-bb90-d8aaab21956a |
PORTLAND, Ore. — On Monday, a group of dedicated Portland Audubon employees hiked into work to care for animals despite a historic April snowstorm that downed trees, closing an access road.
“We were there for the pandemic. We’re there during snow days. We’re there regardless of what's going on and today there were a lot of downed tree branches and things like that that were blocking the road, along with the slushy conditions,” said Stephanie Herman, manager of the Wildlife Care Center, as she described a photo that was posted on the Portland Audubon Twitter account.
The photo shows two staff members walking in the snow with a tree behind them that had fallen over the road.
“There's been other snowstorms in Portland that have prevented us from getting up using the roads and our cars, and we've hiked them before and we'll do it again,” Herman said.
She said for those who work with animals, and those involved in wildlife rehabilitation specifically, the work becomes more than a job.
“Right now. We have a fleet of baby hummingbirds in here and they need to be fed every 30 minutes all day, every day and they can't miss feedings. That's our responsibility to them,” said Herman.
“We care about the animals and we want to see them succeed and be released back into the wild and we can’t just skip a day. We can’t just not be there for them,” she said.
Herman said three team members hiked in on Monday in order to take care of 41 animals. For a portion of the day, they did their jobs without electricity as the snow storm knocked out power to thousands.
Founded in 1902, Portland Audubon is a nonprofit that advocates for wildlife and conservation efforts while also helping injured or orphaned birds and other wildlife. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-audubon-animals-snow/283-b83ac336-3eb1-41ce-9322-56976249f2c3 | 2022-04-12T04:55:38 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-audubon-animals-snow/283-b83ac336-3eb1-41ce-9322-56976249f2c3 |
MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — An April snowstorm caused road closures, power outages, and shut down schools, but it also brought smiles to Mount Hood.
"This is a great pick-me-up for April. I mean, here we are talking about spring skiing and our spring pass – and we are full on winter at Mount Hood Meadows," said Dave Tragethon.
Tragethon is the vice president of marketing and sales at Mount Hood Meadows. He played double duty Monday morning, pitching in to clear out overnight snow.
"In order to get our lifts operating today they had to call on the VP of sales and marketing to come move snow at the bottom of Mount Hood Express and put up rope line," he said. "So, that's what it's like up on Mount Hood Meadows with this storm."
As of 12:30 p.m. Monday, Tragethon said they'd already accumulated around 3 feet of snow from the April snowstorm.
That means plenty of powder on the slopes. But Tragethon says, with great powder comes great responsibility. You need to be prepared and that starts before you even get on the mountain. Be ready for winter driving conditions. Tragethon suggests visitors look at TripCheck and the Mount Hood Meadows website before traveling.
Pack accordingly for the weather. Tragethon says you'll want to bring a shovel if you're parking in the lots.
"You may need that shovel to help you get out of the parking space that you pulled into this morning," he said.
He says the recent snow is a great opportunity for skiers and snowboarders to try out powder skiing, but you need to know your limits and use caution.
"When you're out on the slopes, these are the types of conditions that we tell everybody: you ride with a buddy and you keep them in sight," he said.
Tragethon says Mount Hood Meadows averages about 430 inches of snow each year. Snow totals were well below that heading into April, but he says we'll exceed that average thanks to this storm.
Mount Hood Meadows will continue the spring season into May. Closing day is scheduled for May 7. | https://www.kgw.com/article/weather/spring-snowstorm-mt-hood-resorts/283-267d244c-0e3c-436f-89f7-8c29e156cd96 | 2022-04-12T04:55:45 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/weather/spring-snowstorm-mt-hood-resorts/283-267d244c-0e3c-436f-89f7-8c29e156cd96 |
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Paul Blackburn allowed three hits in five scoreless innings, Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus both hit three-run homers, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Rays 13-2.
It was Tampa Bay’s first loss after opening the season with a three-game sweep of Baltimore. Blackburn struck out seven and walked one.
The rebuilding A’s won their second straight after beginning the season with two losses.
Outfielder Brett Phillips pitched the final two innings for the Rays and gave up Sheldon Neuse’s first career grand slam with two out in the ninth. | https://www.wfla.com/sports/rays/rays-suffer-first-loss-of-2022-phillips-steals-show/ | 2022-04-12T04:56:30 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/sports/rays/rays-suffer-first-loss-of-2022-phillips-steals-show/ |
Posted: Apr 11, 2022 / 11:12 PM EDT Updated: Apr 11, 2022 / 11:12 PM EDT SHARE Close Modal Suggest a Correction Your name(required) Your email(required) Report a typo or grammatical error(required) Submit Δ Suggest a Correction | https://fox59.com/hoosier-lottery/daily-3-daily-4-evening-drawing-april-11-2022/ | 2022-04-12T05:03:41 | 0 | https://fox59.com/hoosier-lottery/daily-3-daily-4-evening-drawing-april-11-2022/ |
“We’ve got one person down.” It started with reports of an unconscious person on the highway, not far from the Fort Lauderdale airport as the sun was about to rise. Then came the realization that the man, NFL star Dwayne Haskins, was dead.
Radio transmissions archived by the audio streaming website Broadcastify provide some extra details on how officers and paramedics responded to Haskins’ death on Saturday. The recordings offer a timeline of how the events unfolded after Haskins was struck by a dump truck on Interstate 595.
The sun was just minutes away from rising. Still dark out, Haskins — for reasons that are still unknown — was crossing I-595 in the westbound lanes when a dump truck struck and killed him. About 6:40 a.m., a Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue dispatcher said, “This appears to be a vehicle versus pedestrian.”
A couple minutes later, a dispatcher said, “Caller advising that there was a male hit by a dump truck at this time on 595 westbound at the I-95 off ramp, 6:41.″
By this point, paramedics and firefighters were responding. “Engine 6 arrived,” one firefighter or paramedic said on the dispatch line about 6:45 a.m. “It’s on 595 westbound before the exit. We’ve got one person down.”
Less than three minutes later, a first responder announced on the dispatch line, “Engine 6, signal seven. 6:47.″ On police and fire rescue radio codes, “signal seven” means someone is dead. Haskins died at 24, less than a month before his 25th birthday.
He was in South Florida training for the upcoming NFL season with several Pittsburgh Steelers players.
Neither a full crash report, nor audio from 911 calls, have been released to the public yet.
A driver ‘was already concerned’
One passer-by told NBC 6 he thought he saw Haskins on the highway and that he had called 911. “I was dropping off my daughter to an airline at the Fort Lauderdale Airport in the morning,” the man, identified as Chris Stanley, told the TV station.
“And what I noticed was a Mack truck, or a big tractor-trailer, with also another vehicle that started moving a little bit to the left,” he said.
“I was in the left lane and then there was the right lane. And then I noticed an individual there starting to make their way onto the road,” Stanley continued. “He was about halfway, to a quarter way in the right lane, already onto the highway and I was already concerned that somebody was going to strike him right there at that moment.”
Stanley couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Haskins was walking on I-595 “for unknown reasons,” FHP said in a statement. “He was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 when there was oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, he collided with an oncoming dump truck.”
The Broward Sheriff’s Office referred questions to the Florida Highway Patrol, which is leading the traffic homicide investigation into the crash. That agency said no more information will be released until they conclude that investigation, which can take approximately 90 days or more.
An outpouring of shock and condolences flooded the sports world from the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ohio State University, where he played college ball, and elsewhere.
“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken.”
Austen Erblat can be reached at aerblat@sunsentinel.com, 954-599-8709 or on Twitter @AustenErblat.
Brooke Baitinger can be reached at bbaitinger@sunsentinel.com, 954-422-0857 or on Twitter @bybbaitinger. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/fl-ne-dwayne-haskins-dispatch-audio-20220411-wz5ld5fo2rgzrcldek7newaj4q-story.html | 2022-04-12T05:04:25 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/fl-ne-dwayne-haskins-dispatch-audio-20220411-wz5ld5fo2rgzrcldek7newaj4q-story.html |
This report was first published at Orlandosentinel.com. Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
Baseball
East River 9, Orlando University 3
Buzz: Noah Moritz went 3-for-3 with 3 runs scored for the Falcons (11-5) while Tyler Marczak had 8 strikeouts in 4 innings and Ty Kennedy added 2 RBI. Manny Reyes had a 3-run home run for the Cougars in the loss.
Legacy Charter 12, Master’s Academy 2
Buzz: Adonis Stewart went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI for Legacy (11-7) while Austin Wimberly was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. Andy Hartin was 2-for-3 with a double for Master’s (10-6).
Freedom 12, Colonial 7
Buzz: Derick Ujaque went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI for the Patriots (8-5) while Christian Duarte was 2-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI, and Joel Tapia added a hit, 2 walks, 3 runs scored, 3 stolen bases and a RBI.
Apopka 9, Olympia 5
Buzz: Lucas Ramos had a hit, run scored and 2 RBI for the Blue Darters (13-3) while Phillip DeVita added a hit and RBI. Tyler McClanahan went 3-for-4 with a RBI for the Titans (8-9) while Samuel Taveras added a hit and 2 RBI in the loss.
Lake Nona 3, Winter Park 2
Buzz: Bryan Figueroa went 4-for-4 for the Lions while Carlos Celta added 2 hits and Zack Hopper pitched 6 innings to notch the win.
Edgewater 5, Ocoee 2
Buzz: Brady Appel went 2-for-4 with a double for the Eagles (12-5) while Shane Kuehler had 2 hits, a run scored and RBI.
Orange City University 2, Mount Dora Christian 1
Buzz: Andrew Korkus went 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Titans (12-4) while Todd Kniebbe was 2-for-3 with a double. Dominic Jones went 1-for-1 with 2 walks and a RBI for the Bulldogs (8-8-1) in the loss.
Windermere 10, Wekiva 0
Buzz: Jack Waddingham had a hit and 2 RBI for the Wolverines (15-3) while Gustavo Mendez added a hit, walk and RBI, and Mason Evers had 5 strikeouts in 4 innings pitched.
Osceola 3, East Ridge 0
Buzz: Edwin Melendez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run for the Kowboys (14-4) while Jason Ramos was 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Antonio Melendez notched the pitching win with 6 strikeouts in 6 innings.
Umatilla 15, Crescent City 5
Buzz: Connor Adkins went 3-for-4 with a walk, 5 runs scored and a RBI for Umatilla (10-6) while Trey Craft was 2-for-2 with 2 walks, a double and 7 RBI.
South Lake 3, Leesburg 1
Buzz: Dawson Kirkland went 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored for the Eagles (6-10) while Stephen Bennett added 2 hits and a RBI.
West Orange 4, Dr. Phillips 2
Buzz: Cory Chamberland had a double, run scored and RBI for the Warriors (12-6) while Justin Frias added a walk and a hit.
Foundation Academy 12, Celebration 0
Buzz: Tyler Cannon went 3-for-4 with a run scored and RBI for the Lions (12-4-1) while Nathan Andrews and Jonathan Davila each added 2 RBI.
Orangewood Christian 2, Deltona Trinity 0
Buzz: Josue Figueroa went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI for Orangewood (11-6) while Robert McClarnon added 2 hits and a run scored, and Austin Waring pitched the complete game shutout with 12 strikeouts. Colten Privett had 4 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched for Trinity (7-6).
Other scores:
Timber Creek 2, Boone 1
Holy Trinity Episcopal 12, Cornerstone Charter 7
New Smyrna Beach 4, Deltona 3
Softball
West Orange 2, Windermere 0
Buzz: Ailey Schyck had a double and RBI for the Warriors (10-5) while Zoe Calvez added a hit and run scored and Gabriella Lindsey had the complete-game shutout with 15 strikeouts and just 1 hit and 1 walk given up.
Lake Howell 15, Geneva School 1
Buzz: Mia Terito went 4-for-4 with a double, home run, 3 runs scored and 6 RBI for the Silverhawks (8-7) while Melody Bullock added 3 hits and 3 runs scored. Emmanuel Bastian had 2 hits and a run scored for Geneva (6-3).
Tavares 4, Seven Rivers Christian 3
Buzz: Jasmine Lawrence went 3-for-5 with a double, home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI for the Bulldogs (10-7) while Sara White added a double and 2 RBI.
Horizon 12, Wekiva 0
Buzz: Addison Lamb went 2-for-2 with a triple, run scored and 2 RBI for the Hawks (10-5) while Lidia Gilfry added 2 hits, 2 runs scored and a RBI. Lamb also notched the pitching win in the circle with 5 strikeouts in 2 innings. Emy Castillo had a triple for the Mustangs (3-10).
Winter Park 6, Colonial 5
Buzz: Lauren Allen went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI for the Wildcats (9-5) while Camille Hawkins added 2 hits, a walk and 2 runs scored in the win.
Eustis 2, Lake Brantley 0
Buzz: Jaiden Griffith went 2-for-3 for the Patriots (12-4) in the loss.
Other scores:
Lake Nona 6, Timber Creek 4
Lake Highland Prep 5, Clearwater Central Catholic 3
Pine Ridge 15, Altamonte Christian 0
Hernando Christian 17, First Academy-Leesburg 7
Holy Trinity Episcopal 14, Master’s Academy 13
Boys lacrosse
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 7
Olympia 6, Tohopekaliga 4
Celebration 16, Freedom 2
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 6
Timber Creek 20, East River 0
Lake Howell 8, Edgewater 6
Buzz: Steven Wheeler had 4 goals for the Silverhawks (10-9) in the district-opening win over the Eagles (9-8).
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 5
East Ridge 8, Ocoee 4
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 4
Oviedo 18, Lyman 2
Hagerty 14, Seminole 3
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 5
Lake Highland Prep 19, Foundation Academy 0
Bishop Moore 17, The First Academy (Orlando) 0
Trinity Prep 20, Lake Minneola 10
Buzz: Ryder Meinhart had 3 goals for the Hawks (10-8) while Gannon Johnson and Michael Berko each added a goal and 4 assists in the loss to the Saints (11-5).
Girls lacrosse
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 8
Melbourne 14, Tohopekaliga 5
Viera 32, Cypress Creek 0
Sebastian River 18, Lake Nona 3
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 7
Dr. Phillips 12, Freedom 11
Buzz: Charlize Benenati and Bailey Hughes each had 4 goals for the Panthers (9-5) while Marianni Ramirez added 2 goals.
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 6
Olympia 8, Evans 5
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 5
Timber Creek 12, Colonial 2
Boone 22, East River 0
Buzz: The Braves (13-1) had 11 different players score at least 1 point (goal or assists) in the district-opening win.
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 4
Winter Springs 10, Apopka 7
Lake Mary 21, Wekiva 3
Oviedo 19, Lyman 1
Buzz: Avery Anderson had 5 goals to lead the Lions (15-3) while Kendall Trimble had 4 goals, Payton Pagan added 3 goals, and Carly O’Donnell chipped in with 3 goals and 3 assists. Taylor Booth had the goal for Lyman (1-13).
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 7
Trinity Prep d. Lake Buena Vista
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 6
Windermere Prep 14, South Lake 3
Boys water polo
REGION 1 SEMIFINAL
At Oviedo Aquatic Center
Oviedo 9, Seminole 5
Buzz: The No. 2 seed Lions (12-2) advance to the region final on Wednesday against No. 5 seed Lake Mary with the win over the Seminoles (15-10). Ben LeClair and Voncenzo Micciche each had 2 goals for Oviedo.
Boys tennis
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 7
At Sylvan Park
Team scores after Day 1 – Bishop Moore 10, Lake Highland Prep 10, Lake Buena Vista 6, Horizon 4, Pine Ridge 4, Davenport 0.
Girls tennis
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 7
At Sylvan Park
Team scores after Day 1 – Bishop Moore 9, Lake Highland Prep 9, Lake Buena Vista 7, Horizon 6, Davenport 2, Deltona 1, Pine Ridge 1
Boys volleyball
Lake Nona 3, Dr. Phillips 0
Buzz: Sebastian Almanzia Lopez had 7 kills for the Lions (10-7) in the 25-20, 25-22, 25-19 win while Spencer Renejane added 5 kills.
Girls flag football
Winter Park 18, Evans 12
Colonial 32, Lake Buena Vista 0
Jones 21, Edgewater 0
Pine Ridge 8, Gateway 6
Liberty 19, Lake Nona 0
Orlando area high school scores and top performers from Monday. You can go to SentinelVarsity.com for more news and look here for previous nightly scores collections: | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/highschool/scores/os-sp-hs-scores-0411-20220412-dthvsthcjfewtj7cv42qkn36lq-story.html | 2022-04-12T05:04:32 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/highschool/scores/os-sp-hs-scores-0411-20220412-dthvsthcjfewtj7cv42qkn36lq-story.html |
ST. PETERSBURG — The outcome was ugly, but these type of games — where Brett Phillips comes off the mound to make a running and sliding catch is the only highlight — are going to happen, even to a team that opened the season with three crisp wins in a row.
But it is the circumstances the Rays find themselves in after the 13-2 loss to Oakland that are concerning.
Specifically, it’s the status of their starting pitching.
Luis Patino left Monday’s game after just 13 pitches with a left oblique strain that, depending on the severity, could keep him out for two months. Ryan Yarbrough already had gone on the injured list earlier Monday due to left groin tightness. Plus, Shane Baz is shelved until at least late May because of a spring elbow issue.
Those three being hurt — although Yarbrough supposedly will only miss a week — leaves the Rays a bit short on starters.
“We’ve had two starters go down pretty quick lately,” manager Kevin Cash said. “But we’ll regroup and we’ve got enough pitching that should be able to cover us.”
Or at least they hope they should.
Tommy Romero, a 24-year-old with 13 games above the Double-A level, is being called up to make his big-league debut and start Tuesday.
Josh Fleming, who made the roster as a multi-inning reliever, is slated to step into the rotation and start, or work behind an opener, Thursday. The Rays, being cautious due to the abbreviated spring and for other health reasons, want to give Drew Rasmussen, who was lined up to pitch Thursday, and the other starters an extra day’s rest.
With Patino’s early departure, and an ineffective and shorter than hoped outing by Chris Mazza, who allowed eight runs (six earned) in allowing seven hits (three homers) over three innings, the Rays had to use three other relievers — J.P. Feyereisen, Ryan Thompson and Jason Adam — before bringing in Phillips, who worked the final two innings.
And there is a possibility JT Chargois is headed to the injured list Tuesday, which could lead to Ralph Garza Jr., who was at Triple-A after being claimed off waivers from Boston last week, being called up.
It all seems to add up to bit of an early test.
“I don’t know,” Cash said. “It feels like we’ve kind of grown accustomed to that over the years. We’ll mix and match, we’ll rely on our depth and try to find ways to get creative to help us prevent runs from scoring.”
They certainly didn’t do that Monday.
Patino was limited to two spring outings due to some shoulder discomfort, but he said he felt great warming up and starting the game.
But after a groundout, a double and a flyout, he felt something grab or tug on his first pitch to cleanup hitter Sean Murphy and stepped behind the mound, squatting in obvious discomfort. He threw another pitch, looked even worse, then was removed. A Tuesday morning MRI will be most telling, but oblique injuries tend to sideline pitchers six to eight weeks.
“It’s a little saddening,” Patino said via team interpreter Manny Navarro. “But for now, I’ll try to take all the negative stuff out of my head and try to think a little more positive and see what happens [Tuesday].”
Mazza, who made the team with an impressive spring, got knocked around, hitting Murphy, then allowing a three-run homer to Seth Brown and a solo shot to Chad Pinder. He allowed four more runs in the second, though two were unearned as a Taylor Walls error factored in.
Offensively, the only thing noteworthy was Wander Franco’s third three-hit game (in four) as he is now hitting .600 (9-for-15).
But the only real highlight was Phillips — who brought his usual energy and enthusiasm to the mound, zipping through a five-pitch eighth inning (helped by a double-play grounder) before giving up a grand slam in the ninth — making the amazing catch of Brown’s pop-up in front of the A’s dugout.
“That was unbelievable,” Cash said. “We’re going to see that play on the highlight reel for the rest of the year.” | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-sp-tampa-bay-rays-oakland-as-0412-20220412-wu3kjsikkzenreuhuh5kzmftse-story.html | 2022-04-12T05:04:38 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-sp-tampa-bay-rays-oakland-as-0412-20220412-wu3kjsikkzenreuhuh5kzmftse-story.html |
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We’ve wrapped up the final #TBTXPN special of 2020, but if you’re hoping for more, you’re in luck. This Labor Day, we’ll spend all day recapping the highlights of each TBTXPN, hour by hour. Check out the schedule below, and listen along with us on Monday, September 7th.
Labor Day #TBTXPN schedule6 a.m. – “1970”
7 a.m. – “Live from New York” (SNL Day)
8 a.m. – “Go Live!”
9 a.m. – “Love, Love, Love Day” – songs with the word “love” in the title
10 a.m. – “1980”
11 a.m. – #1 Hits
12 a.m. – “Top of the Pops”
1 p.m. – Title Tracks Day
2 p.m. – “Taking It To the Streets” – songs about highways, avenues, streets, etc.
3 p.m. – “1990”
4 p.m. – “1969”
5 p.m. – “Beatles vs. Stones”
6 p.m. – “Reggae / Ska”
7 p.m. – “2000”
Related Content | https://xpn.org/2020/09/04/want-to-revisit-the-best-of-tbtxpn-for-labor-day-heres-your-schedule/ | 2022-04-12T05:08:50 | 0 | https://xpn.org/2020/09/04/want-to-revisit-the-best-of-tbtxpn-for-labor-day-heres-your-schedule/ |
PELL CITY — The Pell City Council spent much of its Monday meeting hearing citizens' thoughts on short-term rental properties.
This type of rental, normally done through services such as Airbnb or VRBO, allow for the rental of an entire house or single room for a short period of time. Such rentals are not currently allowed in Pell City under most circumstances, according to the zoning ordinance passed in 2015.
Despite this, City Manager Brian Muenger said, in a memo to the council, that the rentals have been becoming more common in Pell City in recent months, and the city has received some noise and trespassing complaints related to them.
Mobile Resident David Secor, whose company Francor Properties operates two short-term rental properties in the city, asked to address the council during the meeting on possibly changing the city’s ordinance to allow for short-term rentals. He was opposed during the meeting by several citizens who are against allowing such rental arraignments in their neighborhoods.
Before either side spoke, City Attorney John Rea said short-term rentals, called tourist homes in the zoning ordinance, are allowed as a conditional use for certain types of residential or office districts, but only with express permission from the city’s planning and zoning commission. He added that they are not allowed in the residential 1 or residential 2 zones, which are usually used for higher density neighborhoods like subdivisions. Rea also advised that the council could not take any action on the matter during the meeting either way as changes to the zoning ordinance must originate from the planning and zoning commission, which, of the council, only City Councilman Jason Mitcham sits on.
Secor said that he had no idea he violated a city ordinance by operating the property along with other people operating short-term rentals. He said the renters at his properties simply want to visit the city and bring money into the community. Secor said that none of his guests had any issues with the police department.
“All of our guests are fine folk, they are here visiting the lake or whatever,” he said. “We had no earthly idea that we were doing anything incorrectly.”
Secor said he simply wanted to know what he needed to do to move forward and stay in business.
Local Eddy Collier of Tucker Drive said Secor operates a rental on his street, and he feels the rental causes an unnecessary traffic risk on an already very small residential road. He said the subdivisions' own bylaws also state all houses must be single-family dwellings, with no mention of a commercial property. Collier and another resident said they also worried about extra traffic on the lake and renters not following property safety rules.
Collier was followed by Local Elizabeth Thomason, who manages properties for Francor. She said the property on Tucker Drive is actually a year-long rental not a short term. Thomason also ran over the guidelines that she requires renters to follow, such as no parties. She also said she has not received any complaints about the properties she manages.
One resident also said they felt the rentals could be fine if the ordinance was specific enough.
Ultimately Council President Jud Alverson said he was open to listening, but he didn’t feel like most residents wanted to allow such rentals. He said beyond the business owners, he hadn’t heard from anyone in support of it.
“We are going to have to probably take a look at it and see if there is any change that can be made,” Alverson said. “But it has not gotten any traction.
Mitcham seemed to agree. He said he had some residents reach out in support but that he finds the idea that the city should make a hyper-specific ordinance unworkable.
“The city's job is not to manage short-term rentals,” Mitcham said.
Alverson said ultimately, the council answers to the people, and if they want change, change will come, but he had yet to see where anyone wanted any change on this issue.
In other matters, the council:
— Approved a user agreement with the Pell City Chamber of Commerce for the 2022 Hometown Block Party;
— Approved an agreement with Lake Front Motel for sewer service;
— Approved setting a public hearing for redistricting on May 9, the council did not, however, approve a plan for redistricting, which the city manager said they would need to do before the first public notice date on April 21;
— Approved setting a public hearing on an amendment to the Pell City Land Use Regulations for May 9;
— Approved an agreement with Auburn University’s Government & Economic Development Institute to develop a new Classification and Compensation Plan for the city; and
— Approved an interim pay scale, which will remove the first five steps of the pay scale and add two steps to the end. It will also move every employee two steps up this new scale, which is equivalent to a six percent raise. | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_news/pell-city-council-looks-at-short-term-rentals-during-regular-meeting/article_0f8ce40e-ba14-11ec-a802-c3389e8623b9.html | 2022-04-12T05:08:56 | 0 | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_news/pell-city-council-looks-at-short-term-rentals-during-regular-meeting/article_0f8ce40e-ba14-11ec-a802-c3389e8623b9.html |
BUFFALO N.Y. (WIVB) – The White House is taking new steps to crack down on ‘ghost guns.’ These weapons are homemade, unregistered and untraceable.
The White House announced a new federal rule to tackle ghost gun violence, the rule would change the current definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts. The rule, expected to go into effect in four months, also requires firearms dealers to run background checks before they sell ghost gun kits that contain parts needed to assemble a firearm.
“It’s nice to see an announcement coming out today that is at least addressing the problem, we need to keep going though,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia told News 4.
Local law enforcement aims to remove ghost guns from the streets of Buffalo, but say they have a long ay to go.
According to Gramaglia, the department has collected 18 ghost guns so far in 2022. At this time last year, only five were collected. He says the city is on track to beating last year’s total, where they collected 70 ghost guns.
“When someone is buying these, they’re buying them in in kits of 10 and 20, and then they’re getting those guns manufactured and getting them out on the streets. We’re only scratching the surface with the amount of ghost guns,” Gramaglia said.
“It’s very concerning — I mean that’s 70 weapons that may or may not have been used in a crime, because they’re not traceable, that were more than likely in the hands of someone not legally allowed to possess a weapon,” said retired Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo. “It’s a very serious problem and needs to be addressed. It’s basically a way to cheat the system.”
Officials say ghost guns are becoming more accessible because of companies that sell kits to assemble guns.
“Basically everything that you need, the most difficult parts of these things to manufacture, you’re getting in a kit, along with the instructions of how to put it together,” Rinaldo said.
“Obviously these ghost gun kits exist for a reason, and it’s for illegal possession of these weapons so that they can conduct illegal crimes, violent crimes,” Gramaglia said. “The work-around is that these gun kits need to be serialized. They need to have background checks, permits, you have to go through the same process that you do now to purchase any other gun.”
News 4 also caught up with Leonard Lane, the president of the anti-violence organization Buffalo Fathers. He said he is concerned with how many ghost guns might be still in the community. He’s working with other anti-violence groups to help law enforcement tackle this.
“We know the numbers, as scary as it is, that it’s going to go up, and we have to educate as many members of our community on the ghost guns, and has they’re still guns and they have easy access,” he said.
Sarah Minkewicz is a reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here. | https://www.wivb.com/news/crime/buffalo-police-attempt-to-crack-down-on-ghost-guns/ | 2022-04-12T05:10:41 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/crime/buffalo-police-attempt-to-crack-down-on-ghost-guns/ |
(WSYR-TV) — Can I get some beers to-go? Well, as of today, April 9, you can in New York State… if you also buy some food.
The state defines substantial food to permit to-go alcohol as…
…sandwiches, soups or other foods, whether fresh, processed, precooked or frozen. Other foods are foods which are similar in quality and substance to sandwiches and soups; for example, salads, wings, or hotdogs would be of that quality and substance; however, a bag of chips, bowl of nuts, or candy alone are not. Obvious efforts to circumvent the law, for example an unreasonably small portion of soup, a serving of canned beans, a handful of lettuce, or charging a small extra fee for an alcoholic beverage in lieu of a food item not actually ordered or delivered will be treated as a violation of the law.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced legislation allowing takeout drinks as part of the 2023 State Budge Saturday.
During the pandemic, when restaurants were not allowed in-house patrons, to-go drinks were crucial in helping businesses achieve their revenue goals. Now, thanks to this new law, for the next three years bars and restaurants can sell to-go alcoholic beverages.
“New York’s nightlife and hospitality industry is second to none, and by allowing the sale of to-go drinks we will continue to support the industry’s recovery from the pandemic,” Governor Hochul said. “Cheers to both Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie for their help in making this change, which will drive business for the hospitality industry and be a lifeline, helping them comeback stronger than before.”
Open container laws must be followed when bars and restaurants sell to-go beverages, the Governor says. Also, over the next three years, the law will be closely monitored to ensure businesses are following the procedures closely, and if there are any recommended improvements for businesses and/or consumers.
A commission, consisting of 21 members, including the Chairman of the State Liquor Authority who shall serve as the Chair of the Commission, the Commissioner of the Department of Tax and Finance or their representative, the Superintendent of the State Police or their representative, the Director of the Division of the Budget or their representative, the Chief Executive Officer of the Empire State Development or their representative, and 16 additional members appointed by the Governor and Legislature, will tasked to address issues including but not limited to:
- The industry’s economic impact on the state
- Changes in the law and/or SLA resources to speed license application processing
- Laws addressing underage consumption
- Industry reform and modernization proposals as voted on by industry stakeholders
In addition, the FY 2023 State Budget also includes a number of common-sense changes to modernize the ABC Law, including:
- Allowing liquor stores to be open Christmas day, should they choose
- Allowing veteran’s organizations, such as Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion Posts, to obtain licenses when a police officer serves as an officer of the organization
- Allowing applicants to provide required notice to their municipality or community board via email, if the municipality or community board elects to accept notice that way; and
- Permitting farm manufacturers more flexibility by allowing food trucks or other such businesses to operate on their premises
Below is the state’s guidance on the sale of to-go drinks.
Advisory 2022-2 – Sale of Wine and Liquor to-go by on Premises Retail Licensees by NewsChannel 9 on Scribd | https://www.wivb.com/news/new-york/alcohol-to-go-is-now-good-to-go-in-new-york-state/ | 2022-04-12T05:10:47 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/new-york/alcohol-to-go-is-now-good-to-go-in-new-york-state/ |
Joy Wang
Updated: April 11, 2022 10:22 PM
Created: April 11, 2022 04:03 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Many more New Mexicans have relied on food pantries since the pandemic, but nonprofits also need more help in the meantime.
At the Storehouse New Mexico, one volunteer has done just that, in fact she's shown up for years to help feed New Mexicans.
To give you an idea of just how often Juanita Higareda is at the Storehouse, just look at the store schedule. Every week for the last seven years, she's shown up to volunteer.
“She's super dedicated to the Storehouse and our mission of feeding those in need in our community,” said Kevin Cochran Storehouse New Mexico operations manager.
So dedicated, she was still volunteering even with two broken ankles.
“She is really passionate about getting people with who they need,” said Cochran.
And over the last two years, this nonprofit has needed that help.
“We saw a lot of new clients who had never been in the Storehouse before. With the pandemic,” Cochran said.
Each year they feed 40,000 New Mexicans, giving away a cart full of food. We're talking 1.7 million meals.
“The Storehouse is one of the largest food pantries in New Mexico,” said Cochran.
And Higareda knows this place in and out.
“She cares about us. She cooks for us. She does, she knows how to do everything around the Storehouse,” said Cochran.
So on a cold, gloomy day, KOB 4 helped Pay It 4ward.
Watch the video above to see Higareda’s reaction.
Copyright 2022 - KOB-TV LLC, A Hubbard Broadcasting Company | https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-community/pay-it-4ward-nonprofit-volunteer-earns-400-for-yearslong-dedication/6443762/?cat=500 | 2022-04-12T05:16:53 | 0 | https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-community/pay-it-4ward-nonprofit-volunteer-earns-400-for-yearslong-dedication/6443762/?cat=500 |
Athlete of the Week - Beau Zimmerman, Cannon Falls Baseball
CANNON FALLS, Minn. (KTTC) – It’s been a pretty great week for Beau Zimmerman.
As the Cannon Falls senior threw a five-inning no-hitter on Monday, striking out 11 of the 17 batters he faced.
“I feel unstoppable like every pitch that I throw its always working. I can mix up my speeds pretty good,” Beau Zimmerman said.
With an arsenal that includes a fastball, change up, curveball and slider, Zimmerman has been electric.
However, there’s something he likes a little more than strikeouts.
“Probably a homer,” Zimmerman said.
“People that have been around this program a long time they said have you ever had a guy it a home run in the first game,” Cannon Falls Head Baseball Coach Bucky Lindow said.
“Then after the second game they said for sure that’s never happening and I said not in my memory.”
That second homer came on Monday too and it was a grand slam the first in Zimmerman’s career.
“Right away I swung and it was gone right away, I just started jogging the bases,” Zimmerman said.
A rare two-players its taken a lot of work for Zimmerman to get here.
“I’ve been putting a lot in the weight room and stuff and I’ve gotten a lot stronger and I feel like that has showed out for hitting-wise.”
“He’s just a very versatile all-around player. I probably could play him at any place defensively. He’s caught before, he’s played every infield position,” Lindow said.
Its his mentality more than his physicality, that has Coach Bucky Lindow impressed.
“I’ve enjoyed watching him grow into that maturity of knowing, ‘Hey I’m going to go out there and compete, but I’m also going to keep it under control, going to keep my composure and be the best I can be.”
That drive has him competing on the mound and in the box. He’s hoping it turns into success for his team.
“I want to get everyone right. Hopefully win the section championship,” Zimmerman said.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/athlete-week-beau-zimmerman-cannon-falls-baseball/ | 2022-04-12T05:37:04 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/athlete-week-beau-zimmerman-cannon-falls-baseball/ |
GRAPHIC: Mayor: More than 10,000 civilians dead in Ukraine port city
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Six weeks of brutal Russian siege have left more than 10,000 civilians dead in the southern port city of Mariupol and corpses “carpeted through the streets,” the mayor of that cut-off city said, as the West warned that a Russian convoy and other troops and weapons were on the move for a suspected planned Russian assault in Ukraine’s east.
Mariupol has been the site of some of the heaviest attacks and civilian suffering in the 6-week-old war, but the land, sea and air assaults by Russian forces fighting to capture it have increasingly limited information on circumstances inside the city.
Speaking by phone Monday with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of having blocked weeks of attempted humanitarian convoys into the city in part to conceal the carnage there from the outside world. Boychenko said the death toll there could surpass 20,000.
WARNING: Images and videos used could be graphic to some audiences. Viewers discretion advised.
Boychenko also gave new details of allegations by Ukrainian officials in recent weeks that Russian forces have brought mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the corpses of victims of the siege.
Russian forces have taken many bodies to a huge shopping center where there are storage facilities and refrigerators, Boychenko said.
“Mobile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks: You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned,” he said.
Boychenko spoke from a location in Ukrainian-controlled territory but outside Mariupol. The mayor said he had several sources for his description of the alleged methodical burning of bodies by Russian forces in the city, but did not further detail the sources of his information.
The discovery of large numbers of apparently executed civilians after Russian forces retreated from cities and towns around the capital, Kyiv, this month already has prompted widespread condemnation and charges from Ukrainians and from Western leaders that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
Elsewhere, U.S. officials point to new signs that Russia’s military is gearing up for a major offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, switching its focus after Russian forces failed in their initial drive to capture Kyiv.
Donbas has been torn by fighting between Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and separatists there have declared independent states. Military strategists say Russian leaders appear to hope for more local support and logistics and terrain in Donbas that favor Russia’s larger and better-armed military, potentially allowing Russian troops to gain more territory and weaken Ukraine’s fighting forces.
Russia has appointed a seasoned general to lead its renewed push in the eastern Donbas region.
A senior U.S. defense official on Monday described a long Russian convoy now rolling toward the eastern city of Izyum with artillery, aviation and infantry support, as part of redeployment for what appears to be the looming Russian campaign.
More artillery is being deployed near the city of Donetsk, while ground combat units that withdrew from around the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas appear destined for refitting and resupplying before they position in Donbas, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. military assessments.
With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities — a strategy that has flattened many urban areas and killed thousands of people.
The U.N. children’s agency said nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion began. The United Nations has verified that 142 children have been killed and 229 injured, though the actual numbers are likely much higher.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of committing atrocities, including a massacre in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, airstrikes on hospitals and a missile attack that killed at least 57 people last week at a train station.
In Bucha, the work of exhuming bodies from a mass grave in a churchyard resumed.
Galyna Feoktistova waited for hours in the cold and rain in hopes of identifying her 50-year-old son, who was shot and killed more than a month ago, but eventually she went home for some warmth. “He’s still there,” her surviving son, Andriy, said.
In Mariupol, about 120,000 civilians are in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said.
Only those residents who have passed the Russian “filtration camps” are released from the city, Boychenko said.
Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are confiscating passports from Ukrainian citizens, then moving them to “filtration camps” in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled east before sending them to distant, economically depressed areas in Russia.
Boychenko said Monday that those who did not pass the “filtering” have been moved to improvised prisons. He put the number of people taken to Russia or separatist territory in Ukraine at 33,000 or more.
Russian has denied moving people against their will.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Ukrainians that Russia might use chemical weapons in Mariupol. “We take this as seriously as possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday.
Western leaders warned even before Russian troops moved into Ukraine that Russia could resort to unconventional weapons there, particularly chemical agents.
A Russia-allied separatist official, Eduard Basurin, appeared to urge their use Monday, telling Russian state TV that Russian-backed forces should seize a giant metals plant in Mariupol from Ukrainian forces by first blocking all the exits out of the factory. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” he said.
A Ukrainian regiment, without evidence, also claimed Monday that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance in Mariupol. It indicated there were no serious injuries.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the U.S. could not confirm the drone report out of Mariupol. But Kirby noted the administration’s persistent concerns “about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine.”
Russian forces will likely try to encircle the Donbas region from the north and the south as well as the east, said retired British Gen. Richard Barrons, co-chair of the U.K.-based strategic consulting firm Universal Defence & Security Solutions.
The ground in that part of Ukraine is flatter, more open and less wooded — so the Ukrainian ambush tactics used around Kiev may be less successful, Barrons said.
“As to the outcome, it’s finely balanced right now,” Barrons said. If the Russians learned from their previous failures, concentrated more force, connected their air force to ground forces better and improved their logistics, he said, “then they might start to overwhelm the Ukrainian positions eventually, although I still think it would be a battle of enormous attrition.”
Questions remain about the ability of depleted and demoralized Russian forces to conquer much ground, after determined Ukrainian defenders repelled their advance on Kyiv.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Monday that Ukraine has already beaten back several assaults by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — they make up the Donbas — resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery.
Western military analysts say Russia’s assault increasingly is focusing on an arc of territory stretching from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in the north, to Kherson in the south.
A residential area in Kharkiv was struck by incoming fire on Monday afternoon. Associated Press journalists saw firefighters putting out the fire and checking for victims following the attack, and saw that at least five people had been killed, including a child.
Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, said earlier Monday that Russian shelling had killed 11 people over the last 24 hours.
___
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/graphic-mayor-more-than-10000-civilians-dead-ukraine-port-city/ | 2022-04-12T05:37:11 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/graphic-mayor-more-than-10000-civilians-dead-ukraine-port-city/ |
Iowa rejected Biden, but president back to sell rural plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa has never been fertile ground for Joe Biden.
His 1988 presidential bid imploded in a plagiarism scandal sparked by comments he made at a debate there. He abandoned his 2008 White House run after a fifth-place Iowa caucus finish. And his 2020 campaign limped to a fourth-place finish in the state’s technologically glitchy caucus.
After bouncing back to win the Democratic nomination, Biden returned for a rally at the Iowa state fairgrounds four days before Election Day 2020, only to see Donald Trump win the state by 8 percentage points.
Biden heads back to Iowa for the first time as president on Tuesday at a moment when he’s facing yet more political peril. He’s saddled with sagging approval ratings and inflation at a 40-year high while his party faces the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress.
The president is set to promote his economic plans to help rural families struggling with higher costs at the gas pump and elsewhere, while highlighting the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall. It includes money to improve internet access, as well for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.
Proponents of an emergency waiver that would allow year-round sales of gasoline mixed with 15% ethanol are hopeful Biden will use his trip to announce the move, which they say would help ease rising gas prices.
Biden will be visiting a biofuel company in Menlo, a farming community west of Des Moines, Iowa’s capital. It is in Guthrie County, which backed Trump over Biden by 35 percentage points in 2020.
“Part of it is showing up in communities of all sizes, regardless of the results of the last election,” said Jesse Harris, who was a senior adviser to Biden’s 2020 campaign in Iowa and directed get-out-the-vote and early voting efforts for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Harris said most presidents who come to Iowa typically visit the state’s largest cities. Hitting an area like Menlo “does speak to the importance the administration places on infrastructure broadly, but also infrastructure in rural and smaller communities.”
The Biden administration plans to spend coming weeks pushing billions in funding for rural areas. Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel the country to help communities get access to money available as part of the infrastructure package.
“The president is not making this trip through a political prism,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “He’s making this trip because Iowa is a rural state in the country that would benefit greatly from the president’s policies.”
Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt said part of Biden’s trouble is that key social issues that are driving the national Democratic agenda — including gay rights and combating institutional racism — can turn off moderate voters in the heartland.
“Iowa’s a traditional, rural state, and even Democrats are middle-of-the-roaders,” he said.
To win over voters more focused on pocketbook issues, administration officials have long suggested that Biden travel more to promote an economy that is rebounding from the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Americans collecting unemployment has fallen to the lowest levels since 1970, for example.
But much of the positive jobs news nationally has been overshadowed by surging gas, food and housing prices that have pushed consumer inflation to 7.9% over the year ending in February. That’s the sharpest spike since 1982. Inflation figures for March, due out Tuesday, are likely to bring more bad news for the Biden administration.
“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.
After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Psaki blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for helping to drive up gas prices, and said the administration expects the consumer price index for March to be “extremely elevated” in large part because of it.
Members of Congress from both parties have urged Biden to issue the ethanol waiver.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He and eight Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. Farmers in corn-rich Iowa have pushed for widespread sale of a 15% ethanol blend. That product is banned in the summer because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
The Environmental Protection Agency has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for selling E15 in the summer months two years later, but saw the rule struck down by a federal appeals court.
The price of ethanol peaked in December but has been falling more recently. Wholesale ethanol has traded about $1.20 per gallon cheaper than gasoline, though not all savings are passed on to drivers.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ | 2022-04-12T05:37:18 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ |
Shooting challenges downtown Sacramento’s rebuilding efforts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The mass shooting that police say was a gun battle between rival gangs that left six dead and 12 wounded earlier this month shook the downtown core of California’s capital — and created another challenge for a city trying to redefine itself as a destination for more than just government workers.
In recent years, downtown Sacramento has benefited from billions of dollars of development but has been rattled by rising crime, protests resulting in property damage and an economic drubbing caused by the pandemic. Now, the city is reeling from the aftermath of the April 3 shooting, when at least five gunmen fired 100 shots as people left bars and nightclubs.
The violence just blocks from the Capitol highlights the successes and challenges many U.S. urban centers are facing as struggles with crime and homelessness persist despite revitalization efforts.
Though Sacramento is home to more than 500,000 people, it’s considered sleepy by California standards. The derisive nickname “Cowtown” grew out of its agricultural roots.
Today, downtown is at the center of the city’s efforts to become an entertainment and food destination. Local officials have worked to rebrand the city as “America’s Farm to Fork Capital,” a nod to a large number of well-regarded restaurants that get ingredients from the region’s many farms.
A major part of the revitalization is a six-block strip of K Street anchored by a renovated convention center and the Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and a regular stop for major concert tours. The shooting happened on a block that’s home to high-end nightclubs but also dotted by vacant buildings that once housed coffee shops and restaurants.
Police have made two arrests connected to the shootings, but no one has been charged with homicide. The violence “came at a really pivotal moment for downtown,” said Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area.
“It’s causing me to sort of reflect on where we go from here — and as a city, not just as downtown,” she said.
A century ago, K Street was a bustling, diverse center of activity. But the strip struggled as people moved into the suburbs — giving way to decades of failed revival efforts, including the construction of a mall in the late 1960s and the launch of a light rail commuter line in the 1980s.
A fresh wave of investment came to the area about a decade ago, with new businesses opening on K Street as part of an effort to revive downtown after the financial crisis. The Golden 1 Center’s 2016 opening sought to build on that, helping generate $6.7 billion in nearby investment and spurring the opening of 150 new businesses, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership business group.
Then the pandemic hit, sending many of downtown’s 100,000 workers home and forcing some businesses closed. Now about 45,000 people work downtown daily, according to the partnership.
As employment fell, crime rose. Aggravated assaults, burglaries and vandalism were up in 2020 and 2021 compared to the five previous years for a roughly 100-square block area that includes the Capitol and the arena, according to Sacramento police crime data.
The city’s central hub has also served as the epicenter for protests focusing on racial justice and police misconduct. Protesters in 2018 shut down a downtown freeway entrance and blocked fans from entering the arena after Sacramento police shot and killed a young Black man. Then demonstrations in 2020 over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis swept the city. Many downtown properties were vandalized and some were ransacked.
“We’ve had a lot of different realities kind of hit downtown in different waves,” said Dion Dwyer, director of public space services for business partnership.
Now Sacramento is among the ranks of cities recovering from recent mass shootings. Since 2017, there have been 133 mass shootings in the U.S., according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Dayton, Ohio, in 2019 was shaken when a gunman killed nine people and wounded 17 just after midnight at a bar in the main entertainment district for the city of 140,000. Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said officials mounted an “intentional strategy to reclaim the district” after the shooting.
Within three weeks of the violence, there was a free performance by Dave Chappelle, who lives outside the city. The community rallied to support local businesses, but it took time for people to feel comfortable returning to nightlife. The pandemic hit just as that activity was rebounding, Gudorf said.
“In people’s minds and hearts they knew that this did not define who we are. It was an incident, it was a tragic incident where we lost lives and people were inured,” she said. “I think it just took time to process all of that.”
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg repeatedly said people should continue to feel comfortable going downtown.
“It’s not one or the other” when it comes to enjoying the city’s entertainment offerings and feeling safe,” he said last week.
Rachel Muro, a manager at the locally owned Capital Books several storefronts away from the shooting, said downtown has problems like any city but that people should not avoid it. The bookstore’s owners recently opened a board game cafe just around the corner.
“We believe in this part of town enough to continue to help make it thrive,” Muro said.
Elsewhere on the block, the area’s troubles are obvious, with many office and restaurant spaces vacant. Homelessness downtown and elsewhere in Sacramento has been a vexing problem.
Last week the City Council voted to place a measure on the November ballot requiring the city build to more shelter beds and ban encampments on public land. Valenzuela, the councilwoman, opposed the plan and said it was inappropriate to debate that proposal so soon after the tragedy.
Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, said homeless people live downtown because the area has street lighting and lots of activity and plenty of alcoves near businesses where they can shelter.
“People are here because there are coves for protection,” Sanchez said.
At a brewery a few blocks from the shooting site, co-workers enjoying a drink reflected on whether the shooting changed their view of the city.
Braden Kolb, who was at a downtown bar for a friend’s 30th birthday the night before the shooting, said he patronizes downtown about once a month and that the shooting “is not going to change my behavior.”
But his friend Jason Slieter said the incident made him wonder if Sacramento is the right place to raise his family, saying he felt a sense of heaviness downtown when coming to work after the six people were killed.
“It definitely felt like something had changed,” he said.
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Associated Press journalists Adam Beam in Sacramento and Camille Fassett in Oakland contributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ | 2022-04-12T05:37:25 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ |
Motorcyclist, 17, killed in crash near Boca Raton
A 17-year-old motorcyclist was killed Monday in a crash with another vehicle west of Boca Raton, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
The wreck occurred at 3:03 p.m. near The Oaks at Boca Raton subdivision, on State Road 7 and Bridgebrook Drive just north of Clint Moore Boulevard.
The crash closed U.S. 441/State Road 7 for a few hours, but the road has since reopened.
PBSO identified the victim as a male teen, and the family has enacted Marsy's Law to protect the identity.
A 79-year-old resident of the Oaks community was driving a 2020 Audi SUV west on Bridgebrook Drive, preparing to turn south onto U.S. 441/State Road 7.
The 2009 Honda motorcycle was traveling northbound in the left lane on U.S. 441/State Road 7.
PBSO said the driver of the Audi violated the motorcyclist's right of way and entered the roadway, causing the collision.
The motorcyclist struck the vehicle and the rider was ejected. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sheriff's office report said charges are pending in the case.
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GRAPHIC: Mayor: More than 10,000 civilians dead in Ukraine port city
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Six weeks of brutal Russian siege have left more than 10,000 civilians dead in the southern port city of Mariupol and corpses “carpeted through the streets,” the mayor of that cut-off city said, as the West warned that a Russian convoy and other troops and weapons were on the move for a suspected planned Russian assault in Ukraine’s east.
Mariupol has been the site of some of the heaviest attacks and civilian suffering in the 6-week-old war, but the land, sea and air assaults by Russian forces fighting to capture it have increasingly limited information on circumstances inside the city.
Speaking by phone Monday with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of having blocked weeks of attempted humanitarian convoys into the city in part to conceal the carnage there from the outside world. Boychenko said the death toll there could surpass 20,000.
WARNING: Images and videos used could be graphic to some audiences. Viewers discretion advised.
Boychenko also gave new details of allegations by Ukrainian officials in recent weeks that Russian forces have brought mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the corpses of victims of the siege.
Russian forces have taken many bodies to a huge shopping center where there are storage facilities and refrigerators, Boychenko said.
“Mobile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks: You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned,” he said.
Boychenko spoke from a location in Ukrainian-controlled territory but outside Mariupol. The mayor said he had several sources for his description of the alleged methodical burning of bodies by Russian forces in the city, but did not further detail the sources of his information.
The discovery of large numbers of apparently executed civilians after Russian forces retreated from cities and towns around the capital, Kyiv, this month already has prompted widespread condemnation and charges from Ukrainians and from Western leaders that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
Elsewhere, U.S. officials point to new signs that Russia’s military is gearing up for a major offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, switching its focus after Russian forces failed in their initial drive to capture Kyiv.
Donbas has been torn by fighting between Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and separatists there have declared independent states. Military strategists say Russian leaders appear to hope for more local support and logistics and terrain in Donbas that favor Russia’s larger and better-armed military, potentially allowing Russian troops to gain more territory and weaken Ukraine’s fighting forces.
Russia has appointed a seasoned general to lead its renewed push in the eastern Donbas region.
A senior U.S. defense official on Monday described a long Russian convoy now rolling toward the eastern city of Izyum with artillery, aviation and infantry support, as part of redeployment for what appears to be the looming Russian campaign.
More artillery is being deployed near the city of Donetsk, while ground combat units that withdrew from around the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas appear destined for refitting and resupplying before they position in Donbas, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. military assessments.
With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities — a strategy that has flattened many urban areas and killed thousands of people.
The U.N. children’s agency said nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion began. The United Nations has verified that 142 children have been killed and 229 injured, though the actual numbers are likely much higher.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of committing atrocities, including a massacre in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, airstrikes on hospitals and a missile attack that killed at least 57 people last week at a train station.
In Bucha, the work of exhuming bodies from a mass grave in a churchyard resumed.
Galyna Feoktistova waited for hours in the cold and rain in hopes of identifying her 50-year-old son, who was shot and killed more than a month ago, but eventually she went home for some warmth. “He’s still there,” her surviving son, Andriy, said.
In Mariupol, about 120,000 civilians are in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said.
Only those residents who have passed the Russian “filtration camps” are released from the city, Boychenko said.
Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are confiscating passports from Ukrainian citizens, then moving them to “filtration camps” in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled east before sending them to distant, economically depressed areas in Russia.
Boychenko said Monday that those who did not pass the “filtering” have been moved to improvised prisons. He put the number of people taken to Russia or separatist territory in Ukraine at 33,000 or more.
Russian has denied moving people against their will.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Ukrainians that Russia might use chemical weapons in Mariupol. “We take this as seriously as possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday.
Western leaders warned even before Russian troops moved into Ukraine that Russia could resort to unconventional weapons there, particularly chemical agents.
A Russia-allied separatist official, Eduard Basurin, appeared to urge their use Monday, telling Russian state TV that Russian-backed forces should seize a giant metals plant in Mariupol from Ukrainian forces by first blocking all the exits out of the factory. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” he said.
A Ukrainian regiment, without evidence, also claimed Monday that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance in Mariupol. It indicated there were no serious injuries.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the U.S. could not confirm the drone report out of Mariupol. But Kirby noted the administration’s persistent concerns “about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine.”
Russian forces will likely try to encircle the Donbas region from the north and the south as well as the east, said retired British Gen. Richard Barrons, co-chair of the U.K.-based strategic consulting firm Universal Defence & Security Solutions.
The ground in that part of Ukraine is flatter, more open and less wooded — so the Ukrainian ambush tactics used around Kiev may be less successful, Barrons said.
“As to the outcome, it’s finely balanced right now,” Barrons said. If the Russians learned from their previous failures, concentrated more force, connected their air force to ground forces better and improved their logistics, he said, “then they might start to overwhelm the Ukrainian positions eventually, although I still think it would be a battle of enormous attrition.”
Questions remain about the ability of depleted and demoralized Russian forces to conquer much ground, after determined Ukrainian defenders repelled their advance on Kyiv.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Monday that Ukraine has already beaten back several assaults by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — they make up the Donbas — resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery.
Western military analysts say Russia’s assault increasingly is focusing on an arc of territory stretching from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in the north, to Kherson in the south.
A residential area in Kharkiv was struck by incoming fire on Monday afternoon. Associated Press journalists saw firefighters putting out the fire and checking for victims following the attack, and saw that at least five people had been killed, including a child.
Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, said earlier Monday that Russian shelling had killed 11 people over the last 24 hours.
___
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/graphic-mayor-more-than-10000-civilians-dead-ukraine-port-city/ | 2022-04-12T05:48:27 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/graphic-mayor-more-than-10000-civilians-dead-ukraine-port-city/ |
Iowa rejected Biden, but president back to sell rural plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa has never been fertile ground for Joe Biden.
His 1988 presidential bid imploded in a plagiarism scandal sparked by comments he made at a debate there. He abandoned his 2008 White House run after a fifth-place Iowa caucus finish. And his 2020 campaign limped to a fourth-place finish in the state’s technologically glitchy caucus.
After bouncing back to win the Democratic nomination, Biden returned for a rally at the Iowa state fairgrounds four days before Election Day 2020, only to see Donald Trump win the state by 8 percentage points.
Biden heads back to Iowa for the first time as president on Tuesday at a moment when he’s facing yet more political peril. He’s saddled with sagging approval ratings and inflation at a 40-year high while his party faces the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress.
The president is set to promote his economic plans to help rural families struggling with higher costs at the gas pump and elsewhere, while highlighting the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall. It includes money to improve internet access, as well for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.
Proponents of an emergency waiver that would allow year-round sales of gasoline mixed with 15% ethanol are hopeful Biden will use his trip to announce the move, which they say would help ease rising gas prices.
Biden will be visiting a biofuel company in Menlo, a farming community west of Des Moines, Iowa’s capital. It is in Guthrie County, which backed Trump over Biden by 35 percentage points in 2020.
“Part of it is showing up in communities of all sizes, regardless of the results of the last election,” said Jesse Harris, who was a senior adviser to Biden’s 2020 campaign in Iowa and directed get-out-the-vote and early voting efforts for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Harris said most presidents who come to Iowa typically visit the state’s largest cities. Hitting an area like Menlo “does speak to the importance the administration places on infrastructure broadly, but also infrastructure in rural and smaller communities.”
The Biden administration plans to spend coming weeks pushing billions in funding for rural areas. Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel the country to help communities get access to money available as part of the infrastructure package.
“The president is not making this trip through a political prism,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “He’s making this trip because Iowa is a rural state in the country that would benefit greatly from the president’s policies.”
Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt said part of Biden’s trouble is that key social issues that are driving the national Democratic agenda — including gay rights and combating institutional racism — can turn off moderate voters in the heartland.
“Iowa’s a traditional, rural state, and even Democrats are middle-of-the-roaders,” he said.
To win over voters more focused on pocketbook issues, administration officials have long suggested that Biden travel more to promote an economy that is rebounding from the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Americans collecting unemployment has fallen to the lowest levels since 1970, for example.
But much of the positive jobs news nationally has been overshadowed by surging gas, food and housing prices that have pushed consumer inflation to 7.9% over the year ending in February. That’s the sharpest spike since 1982. Inflation figures for March, due out Tuesday, are likely to bring more bad news for the Biden administration.
“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.
After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Psaki blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for helping to drive up gas prices, and said the administration expects the consumer price index for March to be “extremely elevated” in large part because of it.
Members of Congress from both parties have urged Biden to issue the ethanol waiver.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He and eight Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. Farmers in corn-rich Iowa have pushed for widespread sale of a 15% ethanol blend. That product is banned in the summer because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
The Environmental Protection Agency has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for selling E15 in the summer months two years later, but saw the rule struck down by a federal appeals court.
The price of ethanol peaked in December but has been falling more recently. Wholesale ethanol has traded about $1.20 per gallon cheaper than gasoline, though not all savings are passed on to drivers.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ | 2022-04-12T05:48:34 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ |
Shooting challenges downtown Sacramento’s rebuilding efforts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The mass shooting that police say was a gun battle between rival gangs that left six dead and 12 wounded earlier this month shook the downtown core of California’s capital — and created another challenge for a city trying to redefine itself as a destination for more than just government workers.
In recent years, downtown Sacramento has benefited from billions of dollars of development but has been rattled by rising crime, protests resulting in property damage and an economic drubbing caused by the pandemic. Now, the city is reeling from the aftermath of the April 3 shooting, when at least five gunmen fired 100 shots as people left bars and nightclubs.
The violence just blocks from the Capitol highlights the successes and challenges many U.S. urban centers are facing as struggles with crime and homelessness persist despite revitalization efforts.
Though Sacramento is home to more than 500,000 people, it’s considered sleepy by California standards. The derisive nickname “Cowtown” grew out of its agricultural roots.
Today, downtown is at the center of the city’s efforts to become an entertainment and food destination. Local officials have worked to rebrand the city as “America’s Farm to Fork Capital,” a nod to a large number of well-regarded restaurants that get ingredients from the region’s many farms.
A major part of the revitalization is a six-block strip of K Street anchored by a renovated convention center and the Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and a regular stop for major concert tours. The shooting happened on a block that’s home to high-end nightclubs but also dotted by vacant buildings that once housed coffee shops and restaurants.
Police have made two arrests connected to the shootings, but no one has been charged with homicide. The violence “came at a really pivotal moment for downtown,” said Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area.
“It’s causing me to sort of reflect on where we go from here — and as a city, not just as downtown,” she said.
A century ago, K Street was a bustling, diverse center of activity. But the strip struggled as people moved into the suburbs — giving way to decades of failed revival efforts, including the construction of a mall in the late 1960s and the launch of a light rail commuter line in the 1980s.
A fresh wave of investment came to the area about a decade ago, with new businesses opening on K Street as part of an effort to revive downtown after the financial crisis. The Golden 1 Center’s 2016 opening sought to build on that, helping generate $6.7 billion in nearby investment and spurring the opening of 150 new businesses, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership business group.
Then the pandemic hit, sending many of downtown’s 100,000 workers home and forcing some businesses closed. Now about 45,000 people work downtown daily, according to the partnership.
As employment fell, crime rose. Aggravated assaults, burglaries and vandalism were up in 2020 and 2021 compared to the five previous years for a roughly 100-square block area that includes the Capitol and the arena, according to Sacramento police crime data.
The city’s central hub has also served as the epicenter for protests focusing on racial justice and police misconduct. Protesters in 2018 shut down a downtown freeway entrance and blocked fans from entering the arena after Sacramento police shot and killed a young Black man. Then demonstrations in 2020 over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis swept the city. Many downtown properties were vandalized and some were ransacked.
“We’ve had a lot of different realities kind of hit downtown in different waves,” said Dion Dwyer, director of public space services for business partnership.
Now Sacramento is among the ranks of cities recovering from recent mass shootings. Since 2017, there have been 133 mass shootings in the U.S., according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Dayton, Ohio, in 2019 was shaken when a gunman killed nine people and wounded 17 just after midnight at a bar in the main entertainment district for the city of 140,000. Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said officials mounted an “intentional strategy to reclaim the district” after the shooting.
Within three weeks of the violence, there was a free performance by Dave Chappelle, who lives outside the city. The community rallied to support local businesses, but it took time for people to feel comfortable returning to nightlife. The pandemic hit just as that activity was rebounding, Gudorf said.
“In people’s minds and hearts they knew that this did not define who we are. It was an incident, it was a tragic incident where we lost lives and people were inured,” she said. “I think it just took time to process all of that.”
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg repeatedly said people should continue to feel comfortable going downtown.
“It’s not one or the other” when it comes to enjoying the city’s entertainment offerings and feeling safe,” he said last week.
Rachel Muro, a manager at the locally owned Capital Books several storefronts away from the shooting, said downtown has problems like any city but that people should not avoid it. The bookstore’s owners recently opened a board game cafe just around the corner.
“We believe in this part of town enough to continue to help make it thrive,” Muro said.
Elsewhere on the block, the area’s troubles are obvious, with many office and restaurant spaces vacant. Homelessness downtown and elsewhere in Sacramento has been a vexing problem.
Last week the City Council voted to place a measure on the November ballot requiring the city build to more shelter beds and ban encampments on public land. Valenzuela, the councilwoman, opposed the plan and said it was inappropriate to debate that proposal so soon after the tragedy.
Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, said homeless people live downtown because the area has street lighting and lots of activity and plenty of alcoves near businesses where they can shelter.
“People are here because there are coves for protection,” Sanchez said.
At a brewery a few blocks from the shooting site, co-workers enjoying a drink reflected on whether the shooting changed their view of the city.
Braden Kolb, who was at a downtown bar for a friend’s 30th birthday the night before the shooting, said he patronizes downtown about once a month and that the shooting “is not going to change my behavior.”
But his friend Jason Slieter said the incident made him wonder if Sacramento is the right place to raise his family, saying he felt a sense of heaviness downtown when coming to work after the six people were killed.
“It definitely felt like something had changed,” he said.
__
Associated Press journalists Adam Beam in Sacramento and Camille Fassett in Oakland contributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ | 2022-04-12T05:48:41 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ |
Salina Central baseball swept by Goddard Eisenhower: 3 takeaways
The Salina Central baseball team looked to bounce back on Monday against Goddard Eisenhower.
With it being their only games of the week, the Mustangs wanted to enter their upcoming break on a high note.
However, the Tigers proved to be too much handing the Mustangs two more losses, 13-5 and 4-0.
Central fell to 3-5 overall and 0-4 in AVCTL-II play.
Here's some takeaways from Monday's doubleheader at Dean Evans Stadium.
More:Sisters Giselle, Julissa and Anahyssa Nash making an impact for Salina South girls soccer
Gunnar Gross provided a spark at the plate
Gunnar Gross might be a sophomore for Central, but he's playing at a high level for the Mustangs.
In Monday's opener, he recorded three of Central's five hits and had an RBI batting in the No. 5 spot in its lineup.
"He's hit it well all year," Central coach Dee Kolzow said. "He gets good at-bats. When he gets hits, it doesn't surprise me a bit."
Garrett Kvasnicka's outing on the mound gave Central a chance
After falling in the opener, Central sent Garrett Kvasnicka out to the mound to try and salvage a split.
The Central junior gave the Mustangs six strong innings, allowing three runs on three hits.
"We gave up 17 or 18 free passes in that first game and we've been doing that," Kolzow said. "Garrett came in and threw strikes and gave us a chance to win the game. We (had) bases loaded, (and) hit a ball (to) the first baseman. We've got to get the other pitchers to throw strikes and from what Garrett did today."
A chance to reevaluate
Nearly the halfway point of its season, Central now has a chance to clean things up and work on some things before its next doubleheader. The Mustangs will return to action on April 19 when they'll travel to Newton.
"I thought we made some moves (in the) second game that helped us out," Kolzow said. "Hopefully we'll get Jaxon (Kolzow) back full time (and) play some defense. Others have got to do the job and some of them are."
Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2022/04/12/salina-central-baseball-swept-goddard-eisenhower/7276559001/ | 2022-04-12T05:52:41 | 0 | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2022/04/12/salina-central-baseball-swept-goddard-eisenhower/7276559001/ |
Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean were the big winners, the Judds reunited and Kelsea Ballerini turned a tough break into a one-woman house party at Monday night's CMT music awards.
Underwood and Aldean won video of the year and collaborative video of the year for their duet “If I Didn't Love You” on the show that uses fan votes to honor the best in country music videos.
"This one’s all about the fans man," Underwood said as she accepted the belt-buckle CMT trophy for video of the year, a record 25th win for her.
“I’m pretty sure I picked the perfect partner for this song,” Aldean said.
The Judds made their first major awards show performance in over two decades, with 76-year-old Naomi and her 57-year-old daughter Wynonna singing their signature 1990 classic “Love Can Build a Bridge.”
They were joined by a gospel choir in the performance that was pre-recorded outside the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The show from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee made the best of the last-minute absence of co-host Kelsea Ballerini, who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days earlier.
More CMT Awards 2022 Coverage
Her co-host, “Avengers” actor Anthony Mackie, took the stage alone at the start of the live CBS telecast and introduced a “backup KB,” Kane Brown, to help with hosting duties. Brown was also the night's most-nominated artist but came up empty.
But Ballerini wouldn't be left out. She appeared on a big screen from home, decked out in a full awards-show dress in her living room.
“This is my normal Monday night, in full glam, with lighting I set up myself, and a remote truck outside,” Ballerini said. “I would so much rather be there with you, but I will be popping in all night long.”
Later in the show, Ballerini performed from her backyard, singing her new single “Heartfirst” alone with a white guitar while standing on the grass with images of her band projected onto a curtain hung behind her.
She made constant costume changes, appearing in a new dress for each appearance and ending the night in her pajamas.
Miranda Lambert won her eighth CMT award, for female video of the year, for “If I Was a Cowboy,” which she also performed.
“I am so happy to be a part of the women of country music today,” Lambert said.
Cody Johnson won male video of the year for ”′Til You Can’t.”
Maddie & Tae won best group or duo video for “Woman You Got.” Tae Kerr, who recently went through a difficult pregnancy and premature birth, appeared on a screen from home during their acceptance, holding her new baby.
“I've missed you, I’ve missed you so much, and I’ve been drinking because I’m so nervous," Maddie Font said to her musical partner during an acceptance speech where she went from laughs to tears and back again. “Tell that baby girl I love her.”
At age 69, George Strait won his first-ever CMT award, taking CMT performance of the year for “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone?” from “CMT Giants: Charley Pride’.”
Performances came fast and furious during the three-hour show.
Keith Urban opened the telecast with his single “Wild Hearts,” followed immediately by the duet “Never Say Never” from Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson, who stepped out to the front of an outdoor stage to let the Nashville rain hit them as they sang.
Underwood sang her song “Ghost Story” in a pre-taped performance from her Las Vegas residency, taking flight mid-song Cirque du Soleil-style on a cloth swing hung from the ceiling.
Jimmie Allen, Monica and Little Big Town gave the first live performance of their collaboration “Pray.” All wore all white and stood on a smoke-covered stage as inspirational images from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine were shown behind them.
The hosting change-up wasn't the only hiccup the show faced: lightning forced the closure of the CMT's pink carpet before most stars arrived to have their photos taken and be interviewed.
Dalton reported from Los Angeles. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/carrie-underwood-jason-aldean-win-big-adaptive-cmt-music-awards/3641241/ | 2022-04-12T05:59:51 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/carrie-underwood-jason-aldean-win-big-adaptive-cmt-music-awards/3641241/ |
Police are investigating after a pair of thieves allegedly swiped a box of gold bars, collectibles and cash from a coin show on Long Island.
The dastardly duo struck after a vendor at the Melville Coin, Stamp and Collectable Show left the box with an acquaintance around 2 p.m. on Sunday while packing up. A woman then pulled the man to the side and distracted him, while another man approached the table, took the box and walked out of the room, according to Suffolk County police.
The man and woman then left the building together, driving away in a small black SUV, which was waiting outside the venue with a man behind the wheel, police said. The alleged bandits drove away north on Broadhollow Road.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Suffolk County Police Department's Second Squad Detectives at (631)-854-8252 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-229-TIPS. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/thieves-walk-off-with-box-of-gold-bars-and-collectibles-at-long-island-coin-show/3641239/ | 2022-04-12T05:59:57 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/thieves-walk-off-with-box-of-gold-bars-and-collectibles-at-long-island-coin-show/3641239/ |
Police in the Bronx arrested a woman accused in the deadly shooting of a 24-year-old Jamaican immigrant who she claimed stood too close to her inside a Dunkin' Donuts in March.
Two senior NYPD officials said the woman, later identified as Santiana Rodriguez, got into a dispute around 1:30 p.m. inside the Dunkin' on East Gun Hill Road in Williamsbridge with 24-year-old Stephaun Stuart. They reportedly got into an argument when Rodriguez accused him of standing too close and "disrespecting her."
Stuart and a friend left the shop but were tracked down by the woman near Holland Avenue and East 212th Street, the senior officials said. Shortly after, investigators believe Rodriguez's boyfriend shot Stuart.
Video released by the NYPD showed the 18-year-old Rodriguez picking up her order inside the store and walking on a nearby sidewalk. She was seen leaving while wearing a black hooded sweater, black pants and white sneakers
Police said that Rodriguez, of Brooklyn, was arrested on Monday and charged with murder. Police are still searching for her boyfriend.
Sources said the victim had only been in the city for a few months and had been sending money back to family in Jamaica. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-arrested-in-killing-connected-to-dunkin-donuts-dispute-over-standing-too-close-ny-only/3641175/ | 2022-04-12T06:00:03 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-arrested-in-killing-connected-to-dunkin-donuts-dispute-over-standing-too-close-ny-only/3641175/ |
Iowa rejected Biden, but president back to sell rural plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa has never been fertile ground for Joe Biden.
His 1988 presidential bid imploded in a plagiarism scandal sparked by comments he made at a debate there. He abandoned his 2008 White House run after a fifth-place Iowa caucus finish. And his 2020 campaign limped to a fourth-place finish in the state’s technologically glitchy caucus.
After bouncing back to win the Democratic nomination, Biden returned for a rally at the Iowa state fairgrounds four days before Election Day 2020, only to see Donald Trump win the state by 8 percentage points.
Biden heads back to Iowa for the first time as president on Tuesday at a moment when he’s facing yet more political peril. He’s saddled with sagging approval ratings and inflation at a 40-year high while his party faces the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress.
The president is set to promote his economic plans to help rural families struggling with higher costs at the gas pump and elsewhere, while highlighting the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall. It includes money to improve internet access, as well for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.
Proponents of an emergency waiver that would allow year-round sales of gasoline mixed with 15% ethanol are hopeful Biden will use his trip to announce the move, which they say would help ease rising gas prices.
Biden will be visiting a biofuel company in Menlo, a farming community west of Des Moines, Iowa’s capital. It is in Guthrie County, which backed Trump over Biden by 35 percentage points in 2020.
“Part of it is showing up in communities of all sizes, regardless of the results of the last election,” said Jesse Harris, who was a senior adviser to Biden’s 2020 campaign in Iowa and directed get-out-the-vote and early voting efforts for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Harris said most presidents who come to Iowa typically visit the state’s largest cities. Hitting an area like Menlo “does speak to the importance the administration places on infrastructure broadly, but also infrastructure in rural and smaller communities.”
The Biden administration plans to spend coming weeks pushing billions in funding for rural areas. Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel the country to help communities get access to money available as part of the infrastructure package.
“The president is not making this trip through a political prism,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “He’s making this trip because Iowa is a rural state in the country that would benefit greatly from the president’s policies.”
Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt said part of Biden’s trouble is that key social issues that are driving the national Democratic agenda — including gay rights and combating institutional racism — can turn off moderate voters in the heartland.
“Iowa’s a traditional, rural state, and even Democrats are middle-of-the-roaders,” he said.
To win over voters more focused on pocketbook issues, administration officials have long suggested that Biden travel more to promote an economy that is rebounding from the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Americans collecting unemployment has fallen to the lowest levels since 1970, for example.
But much of the positive jobs news nationally has been overshadowed by surging gas, food and housing prices that have pushed consumer inflation to 7.9% over the year ending in February. That’s the sharpest spike since 1982. Inflation figures for March, due out Tuesday, are likely to bring more bad news for the Biden administration.
“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.
After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Psaki blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for helping to drive up gas prices, and said the administration expects the consumer price index for March to be “extremely elevated” in large part because of it.
Members of Congress from both parties have urged Biden to issue the ethanol waiver.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He and eight Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. Farmers in corn-rich Iowa have pushed for widespread sale of a 15% ethanol blend. That product is banned in the summer because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
The Environmental Protection Agency has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for selling E15 in the summer months two years later, but saw the rule struck down by a federal appeals court.
The price of ethanol peaked in December but has been falling more recently. Wholesale ethanol has traded about $1.20 per gallon cheaper than gasoline, though not all savings are passed on to drivers.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ | 2022-04-12T06:11:30 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ |
Shooting challenges downtown Sacramento’s rebuilding efforts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The mass shooting that police say was a gun battle between rival gangs that left six dead and 12 wounded earlier this month shook the downtown core of California’s capital — and created another challenge for a city trying to redefine itself as a destination for more than just government workers.
In recent years, downtown Sacramento has benefited from billions of dollars of development but has been rattled by rising crime, protests resulting in property damage and an economic drubbing caused by the pandemic. Now, the city is reeling from the aftermath of the April 3 shooting, when at least five gunmen fired 100 shots as people left bars and nightclubs.
The violence just blocks from the Capitol highlights the successes and challenges many U.S. urban centers are facing as struggles with crime and homelessness persist despite revitalization efforts.
Though Sacramento is home to more than 500,000 people, it’s considered sleepy by California standards. The derisive nickname “Cowtown” grew out of its agricultural roots.
Today, downtown is at the center of the city’s efforts to become an entertainment and food destination. Local officials have worked to rebrand the city as “America’s Farm to Fork Capital,” a nod to a large number of well-regarded restaurants that get ingredients from the region’s many farms.
A major part of the revitalization is a six-block strip of K Street anchored by a renovated convention center and the Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and a regular stop for major concert tours. The shooting happened on a block that’s home to high-end nightclubs but also dotted by vacant buildings that once housed coffee shops and restaurants.
Police have made two arrests connected to the shootings, but no one has been charged with homicide. The violence “came at a really pivotal moment for downtown,” said Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area.
“It’s causing me to sort of reflect on where we go from here — and as a city, not just as downtown,” she said.
A century ago, K Street was a bustling, diverse center of activity. But the strip struggled as people moved into the suburbs — giving way to decades of failed revival efforts, including the construction of a mall in the late 1960s and the launch of a light rail commuter line in the 1980s.
A fresh wave of investment came to the area about a decade ago, with new businesses opening on K Street as part of an effort to revive downtown after the financial crisis. The Golden 1 Center’s 2016 opening sought to build on that, helping generate $6.7 billion in nearby investment and spurring the opening of 150 new businesses, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership business group.
Then the pandemic hit, sending many of downtown’s 100,000 workers home and forcing some businesses closed. Now about 45,000 people work downtown daily, according to the partnership.
As employment fell, crime rose. Aggravated assaults, burglaries and vandalism were up in 2020 and 2021 compared to the five previous years for a roughly 100-square block area that includes the Capitol and the arena, according to Sacramento police crime data.
The city’s central hub has also served as the epicenter for protests focusing on racial justice and police misconduct. Protesters in 2018 shut down a downtown freeway entrance and blocked fans from entering the arena after Sacramento police shot and killed a young Black man. Then demonstrations in 2020 over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis swept the city. Many downtown properties were vandalized and some were ransacked.
“We’ve had a lot of different realities kind of hit downtown in different waves,” said Dion Dwyer, director of public space services for business partnership.
Now Sacramento is among the ranks of cities recovering from recent mass shootings. Since 2017, there have been 133 mass shootings in the U.S., according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Dayton, Ohio, in 2019 was shaken when a gunman killed nine people and wounded 17 just after midnight at a bar in the main entertainment district for the city of 140,000. Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said officials mounted an “intentional strategy to reclaim the district” after the shooting.
Within three weeks of the violence, there was a free performance by Dave Chappelle, who lives outside the city. The community rallied to support local businesses, but it took time for people to feel comfortable returning to nightlife. The pandemic hit just as that activity was rebounding, Gudorf said.
“In people’s minds and hearts they knew that this did not define who we are. It was an incident, it was a tragic incident where we lost lives and people were inured,” she said. “I think it just took time to process all of that.”
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg repeatedly said people should continue to feel comfortable going downtown.
“It’s not one or the other” when it comes to enjoying the city’s entertainment offerings and feeling safe,” he said last week.
Rachel Muro, a manager at the locally owned Capital Books several storefronts away from the shooting, said downtown has problems like any city but that people should not avoid it. The bookstore’s owners recently opened a board game cafe just around the corner.
“We believe in this part of town enough to continue to help make it thrive,” Muro said.
Elsewhere on the block, the area’s troubles are obvious, with many office and restaurant spaces vacant. Homelessness downtown and elsewhere in Sacramento has been a vexing problem.
Last week the City Council voted to place a measure on the November ballot requiring the city build to more shelter beds and ban encampments on public land. Valenzuela, the councilwoman, opposed the plan and said it was inappropriate to debate that proposal so soon after the tragedy.
Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, said homeless people live downtown because the area has street lighting and lots of activity and plenty of alcoves near businesses where they can shelter.
“People are here because there are coves for protection,” Sanchez said.
At a brewery a few blocks from the shooting site, co-workers enjoying a drink reflected on whether the shooting changed their view of the city.
Braden Kolb, who was at a downtown bar for a friend’s 30th birthday the night before the shooting, said he patronizes downtown about once a month and that the shooting “is not going to change my behavior.”
But his friend Jason Slieter said the incident made him wonder if Sacramento is the right place to raise his family, saying he felt a sense of heaviness downtown when coming to work after the six people were killed.
“It definitely felt like something had changed,” he said.
__
Associated Press journalists Adam Beam in Sacramento and Camille Fassett in Oakland contributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ | 2022-04-12T06:11:36 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ |
Underwood, Aldean win big at CMT Music Awards
Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean were the big winners, the Judds reunited, and Kelsea Ballerini turned a tough break into a one-woman house party at Monday night's CMT music awards.
Related video above: CMT Awards host Anthony Mackie talks giving back to his hometown
Underwood and Aldean won video of the year and collaborative video of the year for their duet "If I Didn't Love You" on the show that uses fan votes to honor the best in country music videos.
"This one's all about the fans man," Underwood said as she accepted the belt-buckle CMT trophy for video of the year, a record 25th win for her.
"I'm pretty sure I picked the perfect partner for this song," Aldean said.
The Judds made their first major awards show performance in over two decades, with 76-year-old Naomi and her 57-year-old daughter Wynonna singing their signature 1990 classic "Love Can Build a Bridge."
They were joined by a gospel choir in the performance that was pre-recorded outside the Country Music Hall of Fame.
The show from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee made the best of the last-minute absence of co-host Kelsea Ballerini, who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days earlier.
Her co-host, "Avengers" actor Anthony Mackie, took the stage alone at the start of the live CBS telecast and introduced a "backup KB," Kane Brown, to help with hosting duties. Brown was also the night's most nominated artist but came up empty.
But Ballerini wouldn't be left out. She appeared on a big screen from home, decked out in a full awards-show dress in her living room.
"This is my normal Monday night, in full glam, with lighting I set up myself, and a remote truck outside," Ballerini said. "I would so much rather be there with you, but I will be popping in all night long."
Later in the show, Ballerini performed from her backyard, singing her new single "Heartfirst" alone with a white guitar while standing on the grass with images of her band projected on to a curtain hung behind her.
She made constant costume changes, appearing in a new dress for each appearance and ending the night in her pajamas.
Miranda Lambert won her eighth CMT award, for female video of the year, for "If I Was a Cowboy," which she also performed.
"I am so happy to be a part of the women of country music today," Lambert said.
Cody Johnson won male video of the year for "'Til You Can't."
Maddie & Tae won best group or duo video for "Woman You Got." Tae Kerr, who recently went through a difficult pregnancy and premature birth, appeared on a screen from home during their acceptance, holding her new baby.
"I've missed you, I've missed you so much, and I've been drinking because I'm so nervous," Maddie Font said to her musical partner during an acceptance speech where she went from laughs to tears and back again. "Tell that baby girl I love her."
At age 69, George Strait won his first ever CMT award, taking CMT performance of the year for "Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone?" from "CMT Giants: Charley Pride'."
Performances came fast and furious during the three hour show.
Keith Urban opened the telecast with his single "Wild Hearts," followed immediately by the duet "Never Say Never" from Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson, who stepped out to the front of an outdoor stage to let the Nashville rain hit them as they sang.
Underwood sang her song "Ghost Story" in a pre-taped performance from her Las Vegas residency, taking flight mid-song Cirque du Soleil-style on a cloth swing hung from the ceiling.
Jimmie Allen, Monica and Little Big Town gave the first live performance of their collaboration "Pray." All wore all white and stood on a smoke covered stage as inspirational images from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine were shown behind them.
The hosting change-up wasn't the only hiccup the show faced: lightning forced the closure of the CMT's pink carpet before most stars arrived to have their photos taken and be interviewed. | https://www.koat.com/article/carrie-underwood-jason-aldean-win-big-cmt-music-awards/39697124 | 2022-04-12T06:12:53 | 1 | https://www.koat.com/article/carrie-underwood-jason-aldean-win-big-cmt-music-awards/39697124 |
US orders consular staff to leave Shanghai amid COVID-19 surge
The U.S. has ordered all non-emergency consular staff to leave Shanghai, which is under a tight lockdown to contain a COVID-19 surge.
The State Department said the order is an upgrade from the "authorized" departure issued last week that made the decision voluntary.
The order covers "non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members from U.S. Consulate General Shanghai."
In its late Monday announcement, the department said, "Our change in posture reflects our assessment that it is best for our employees and their families to be reduced in number and our operations to be scaled down as we deal with the changing circumstances on the ground."
The department also issued a series of advisories for Americans in Shanghai, including that they ensure they have a "sufficient supply of money, medication, food, and other necessities for your family in the event of sudden restrictions or quarantine."
Many residents in the city of 26 million have been confined to their homes for up to three weeks. Many describe an increasingly desperate situation, with families unable to leave their homes or obtain supplies of food and daily necessities, while people who test positive for the virus have been forced into mass quarantine centers where conditions have at times been described as crowded and unsanitary.
Despite the complaints, China has stuck to its "zero-COVID" strategy of handling outbreaks with strict isolation and mass testing.
China's government and the entirely state-controlled media are growing increasingly defensive about complaints over the COVID-19 prevention measures.
Beijing responded angrily to last week's voluntary departure advisory, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian saying China was "strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the U.S. side's groundless accusation against China's epidemic response."
In that announcement, the State Department advised Americans to reconsider traveling to China due to "arbitrary enforcement" of local laws and COVID-19 restrictions, particularly in Hong Kong, Jilin province and Shanghai. U.S. officials cited a risk of "parents and children being separated."
Despite that, and indications the hardline policy is being dictated by head of the ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping, China has rejected any notion that its response is political in nature. Xi has demanded social stability above all else in the runup to a key party congress later this year at which he is expected to bestow on himself an unprecedented third-term as party leader.
Shanghai authorities also say they have secured daily supplies for residents, following complaints about deliveries of food and other necessities.
Residents have resorted to group buying of groceries because they are not allowed to leave their buildings, with only partial success in obtaining needed items.
Shanghai says it will gradually lifted some restrictions on neighborhoods where no new infections have been reported over the past two weeks. Residents will be able to travel around their districts but not meet in groups. Others will be restricted to their immediate neighborhoods.
The capital, Beijing, has seen relatively few restrictions, although the Erjiefang neighborhood including the famed 798 art district has been cordoned off and classified as high risk after eight infections were reported there over the past two weeks.
China is facing one of its worst local outbreaks since the pandemic began. China is still mostly closed to international travel, even as most of the world has sought ways to live with the virus. | https://www.koat.com/article/us-consular-staff-leave-shanghai-covid-surge/39697060 | 2022-04-12T06:13:03 | 1 | https://www.koat.com/article/us-consular-staff-leave-shanghai-covid-surge/39697060 |
Fire in Valencia County forces evacuations for homeowners and nursing home residents
The Big Hole fire caused evacuations throughout the Rio Communities and Belen’s community center was turned into an evacuation center for families. The community center also housed nursing home residents who were evacuated.
The Big Hole fire caused evacuations throughout the Rio Communities and Belen’s community center was turned into an evacuation center for families. The community center also housed nursing home residents who were evacuated.
The Big Hole fire caused evacuations throughout the Rio Communities and Belen’s community center was turned into an evacuation center for families. The community center also housed nursing home residents who were evacuated.
The Big Hole fire caused evacuations throughout the Rio Communities, and Belen's community center was turned into an evacuation center for families. The community center also housed nursing home residents who were evacuated.
KOAT talked to a few people at the center. Some were picking their kids up after school, while others were waiting to learn the fate of their homes. One of those was a mother who was forced to leave her home with her family. She wanted to remain anonymous.
"You could already start to feel the flames as we were leaving. We got out safely and all of our pets out safely, but we don't know what we're coming back to. It's definitely scary, and it's not enjoyable to watch your kids standing in his bedroom picking which is belongings."
The woman said some were unable to get their belongings to safety before the evacuation.
"I know some of my neighbors weren't home and couldn't get their animals out to safety."
Lt. Joseph Rowland from the Valencia County Sheriff's Office said 70% of those who were threatened by the fire have evacuated as of Monday afternoon.
"We have two evacuation teams, we have a perimeter established, on the east side, we have highway 47 shut down," said Lt. Rowland.
Lawrence Sanchez is the Superintendent for Belen consolidated schools. Sanchez said the district had students that lived in the evacuation zone, so the city brought them to the community center on a bus. Tia Stephens is one of the many parents who picked their kids up from the center.
"Her bus route goes directly through the evacuation area and where the highway is shut down," Stephens said.
Superintendent Sanchez said the evacuation is just one step toward ensuring everyone is safe.
"We're going to have students, and we're going to have families affected by this. Our next step is finding out who's been greatly affected and how we can support them," Sanchez said. | https://www.koat.com/article/valencia-county-fire-forces-evacuations/39697155 | 2022-04-12T06:13:13 | 1 | https://www.koat.com/article/valencia-county-fire-forces-evacuations/39697155 |
It’s the 1930s gas station building that could and still can.
The longtime Gulf station at Washington Avenue and Marcy Street pumped its last gasoline in 1994 as an Exxon station, then continued as a bank branch until U.S. Bank closed in January 2021.
Now the revered Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque will restore the historic Sinclair Oil look from the 1930s at the station as it plans to open a retail store for its branded spa products and gin, as well as have a gin tasting room.
“That building has a beautiful outdoor space,” said Matthew Rembe, executive director of Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, which his family acquired in 1976. “We feel we can energize that corner [Marcy and Washington] with people outside.”
Los Poblanos in coming months will expand into gin production from botanicals and lavender grown at its farm on Rio Grande Boulevard, just north of Montaño Road. It will have three gin tasting rooms — in Albuquerque, in Santa Fe and at the farm, said Sara Sheesley, marketing director at Los Poblanos.
“We will keep it to that and see where it goes,” Sheesley said about the three planned outlets.
The distillery and Albuquerque tasting room will be in the same Fourth Street building. Gin production has not started, she said.
“The gin is still in development,” she said.
The Santa Fe outpost fits precisely into the era when the Los Poblanos hacienda was built in 1932, designed by Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem. The Santa Fe Historic Preservation Division determined the gas station was built around 1935 to 1937, and the same structure has stayed in place ever since.
“This is our second attempt to remodel a historic building in Santa Fe,” Rembe said. “We put in a bid on a midcentury motel on Old Santa Fe Trail several years ago. We were waiting for the right building to come up. We have a love for historic preservation. We love old buildings. We love the idea of adaptive reuse.”
The gas station has retained its 1930s pump island-and-canopy look nearly 30 years after the station closed.
“This seems to be the right fit in the right era,” Sheesley said. “The Rembe family waited for just the right fit. When that property came up [for lease], it was an ‘Aha, this is it.’ ”
Matthew Rembe grew up on the Albuquerque property and since 2004 has been its executive director. It was a family farm until 1999 when the main hacienda was converted into a six-room bed-and-breakfast.
The business has evolved continually since then, with gin distillation the latest addition. Los Poblanos expanded to 20 rooms in 2009 with the Meem Suites added near the hacienda and more rooms built near the farmhouse.
These additional business components make the property profitable, Rembe said.
“It’s a market-driven preservation effort,” Rembe said. “We want to make sure to make it a viable business.”
In 2017, Los Poblanos expanded the guests-only dinner in the hacienda by creating a public restaurant, Campo, in a former dairy building on the property. Campo has earned local and national acclaim for its use of locally sourced ingredients.
More rooms followed in 2017 near the 25-acre lavender fields to bring the room count to 45. The original six rooms in the hacienda were converted into a spa that opened in July 2021.
“They started with a small B&B that struggled to keep employees year-round,” Sheesley said. “We can now have year-round employees in different business under one umbrella.”
A spa had been under consideration, but the pandemic drove it to reality.
“We did 75 weddings a year,” Rembe said. “The pandemic did away with that. The income from the spa replaced the income from the weddings. Now we do only about 24 weddings a year.”
Los Poblanos has applied in Santa Fe for a craft distiller off-site location license and has leased the 0.121-acre gas station property with a 2,073-square-foot main building and 304-square-foot adjoining building on the Marcy Street side. The desire is to open the gin tasting room and retail shop in late summer, Sheesley said.
“We are facing challenges, supply challenges, construction challenges,” Sheesley said. “Apparently, it’s really difficult to get bottles right now.”
Los Poblanos will start with two variations of gin, lavender and a botanical blend with lavender — all distilled from plants grown at Los Poblanos, she said.
Los Poblanos is among the most lauded hotels in the state, with recent plaudits in Condé Nast Traveler, Sunset, Fodor’s and Outside. Sunset magazine in March described Los Poblanos as “one of the country’s last distinctive places.”
Fodor’s recently picked Campo and Market Steer in Santa Fe as two of 11 hotels that have “some of the best restaurants in the country.” Wine Spectator in 2021 gave Campo the Best of Award of Excellence, the second of three levels; it was one of only two restaurants in New Mexico attaining that level, along with The Compound in Santa Fe.
Condé Nast Traveler ranked Los Poblanos at No. 5 of “Top 15 Hotels in the Southwest and West” in its Readers’ Choice Awards in October. Inn of the Five Graces in Santa Fe ranked No. 7 on the same list.
After the Sinclair gas station opened the Santa Fe structure in about 1937, Conrad’s Super Service Station operated the site until 1953. At that time, Reyes Padilla brought in Gulf for his Rey’s Gulf station.
Gulf remained the standard bearer at 201 Washington Ave. until Chevron absorbed Gulf in 1987, but Padilla left in 1957 and rose high in the ranks of the Santa Fe and New Mexico real estate world. A number of operators had short stints with the Gulf station until Bennie Maestas took over in 1968 and operated the station until 1987.
Rudy Martinez then had a brief run with Rudy’s Downtown Exxon from 1988 to 1994.
A string of banks followed from 1998, starting with First State Bank to 2005, then First Community Bank from 2005-11, at which time U.S. Bank took over First Community and U.S. Bank remained in the gas station until January 2021. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/1930s-era-service-station-in-santa-fe-to-become-los-poblanos-retail-store-gin-tasting/article_7d7332c4-b506-11ec-9dbb-67c0a274ec9a.html | 2022-04-12T06:14:58 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/business/1930s-era-service-station-in-santa-fe-to-become-los-poblanos-retail-store-gin-tasting/article_7d7332c4-b506-11ec-9dbb-67c0a274ec9a.html |
Electric companies seeking to merge in New Mexico blasted the state Public Regulation Commission’s denial of the move, claiming in a court filing last week it was unfair and based on inadmissible evidence.
Public Service Company of New Mexico, Avangrid of Connecticut and Iberdrola of Spain filed a 74-page argument with the state Supreme Court, contending the commission drew faulty conclusions and emphasized the wrong information when it rejected the merger.
The three companies appealed the commission’s decision to the state Supreme Court and now request a chance to give oral arguments. PNM and Avangrid announced their desire to merge in late 2020, but a contentious year for the merger proposal in the commission’s discovery and hearing processes ended in December with the PRC’s rejection of the plan.
Last week, the companies filed numerous arguments with the court, including the contentions the commission’s hearing examiner, Ashley Schannauer, wasn’t always neutral and commission members used comments and information that didn’t belong in the record.
The commission also “disregarded the presumption of innocence” as it considered an investigation of Iberdrola executives in Spain — which, the applicants said, “is a core safeguard of fairness in our legal system.” Iberdrola is the parent company of Avangrid.
Commission Chairman Joseph Maestas of Santa Fe declined to comment, saying he would have to recuse himself if he stated an opinion and the state Supreme Court later kicked the case back to the commission.
PNM spokesman Ray Sandoval said in a statement the three companies would like an “oral argument to ensure that the Court and the parties have every opportunity to address any questions not resolved by the briefs.”
Mariel Nanasi, head of New Energy Economy, a frequent PNM critic and an opponent of the merger plan, said in a statement Monday the commission made the right call. The commission “found that the risks and harms are significantly outweighed by any benefits of the merger. This was a factual determination based on the evidence before them.”
New Energy Economy, a Santa Fe nonprofit, was the only organization that still opposed the merger proposal after months of evidence collection and hearings.
The merger applicants “wrote a persuasive brief but [it wasn’t] good enough to overcome the real risks of the merger as a whole,” Nanasi wrote Monday.
The companies’ brief criticized Schannauer and the five-member commission. Hearing examiners act as recommending judges to the commissioners. Schannauer and the commission expressed concern about the service record of Avangrid subsidiaries in the Northeast U.S.
Schannauer wrote in his recommendation on the merger if the company’s performance in New Mexico were similar to that in the Northeast, “the quality of PNM’s service is likely to be diminished.”
The merger applicants also objected to a $10,000 fine against them for withholding information.
Schannauer called out the merger applicants 11 months ago for not divulging information about electric service problems and penalties in the Northeast. The applicants wrote last week there is no rule, regulation, precedent or requirement that applicants disclose such information.
They added the information was available in public documents, such as filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
They accused Schannauer of exceeding his role as a detached and neutral judge when he looked for and found information about the Avangrid subsidiaries’ service problems and fines.
They also said Schannauer and the commission chose to overlook the public benefits of a merger, including $67 million in ratepayer credits and more than $200 million in jobs and state economic development benefits. The PRC and hearing examiner “improperly placed their thumbs on the risk side of the scale,” the companies said.
They also relied on hearsay from a consultant’s report in Maine, a Maine state representative’s opinion and comments from a man who now is an administrative law judge with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, all of which should have been inadmissible, the companies said.
The consultant’s report wasn’t published by a government agency, they argued, and the comments of the state representative and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission judge were not given under oath.
Nor did the two men face cross-examination, the companies said. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/applicants-in-pnm-merger-allege-unfair-treatment-in-state-high-court-filing/article_79e293ce-b99e-11ec-9924-a39eb0c3dcd5.html | 2022-04-12T06:15:04 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/applicants-in-pnm-merger-allege-unfair-treatment-in-state-high-court-filing/article_79e293ce-b99e-11ec-9924-a39eb0c3dcd5.html |
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pulled in $2.67 million for her reelection campaign in the last six months, topping the $2.53 million she raised in the previous campaign finance reporting period.
The governor has about $3.8 million in cash as she prepares for the November general election, according to a news release issued Monday by her campaign manager, Kendall Witmer.
Candidates for public offices faced a deadline at midnight Monday to file their finance reports with the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office. The governor’s report was not yet posted on the agency’s website by 9 p.m., but Witmer said it had been filed earlier in the day.
Lujan Grisham will face the winner of a five-way GOP race in the June 7 primary election.
Former TV weatherman Mark Ronchetti of Albuquerque reported he raised an impressive $2.15 million in the most recent reporting period, after announcing his bid for governor in October. He has more than $1.5 million in cash remaining, his finance report says, and spent $583,686.
He had a wide lead over three Republican rivals whose finance reports were publicly available by 9 p.m. Monday evening.
Still, Lujan Grisham maintains one advantage over Ronchetti and the other four GOP candidates: She doesn’t face a Democratic challenger, so she won’t have to spend as heavily before the primary.
State Rep. Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences came in second in fundraising, according to the reports. She raised $751,250 in the past six months and spent $406,063, leaving her with almost $684,000 in cash on hand.
Dow had a head start on Ronchetti, announcing her plan to run for governor in early July.
Republican contender Greg Zanetti, an investment adviser and West Point graduate, raised $169,396 and spent over $237,000 in the past six months. His cash balance is $172,118, according to his campaign finance report.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ethel Maharg, a former mayor of the village of Cuba who now serves as executive director of the Albuquerque-based Right to Life Committee of New Mexico, came in last among the four candidates whose campaign finance reports were available for review.
She raised not quite $13,000 and spent a little more than that in the same time period. Her campaign finance report said she has about $770 in cash.
The campaign finance report for Republican contender Jay Block, a Sandoval County commissioner and retired Air Force officer, was not yet available for public view. A spokesman for his campaign said they were still working to get the report finalized before the midnight deadline.
Block jumped into the race first, announcing his bid for governor about a year ago.
The winner of the Republican primary will have less than five months to raise money and campaign against a sitting governor in a state where registered Democratic voters outnumber registered Republicans by close to 15 percentage points.
Enrique Knell, a spokesman for Ronchetti, indicated he believes Lujan Grisham faces a tough fight, despite her campaign war chest. Knell wrote in an email, “Given this Governor’s disastrous record, she’s going to need every dime in the general election.”
Dow said she does not see Lujan Grisham as having an advantage. "I believe Republicans in mid-term (elections) are picking the next governor of New Mexico," she said.
"The dollars are going to flow in, just like she (Lujan Grisham) is going to get," Dow said. "We are going to raise plenty of money after the primary."
Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Karen Bedonie raised $24,309 and spent about $45,781. She has about $900 in a cash balance, her campaign finance report said. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/candidates-for-public-office-in-new-mexico-submit-campaign-finance-reports/article_7e85cb98-b99f-11ec-a0f6-d7daead07e59.html | 2022-04-12T06:15:10 | 1 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/candidates-for-public-office-in-new-mexico-submit-campaign-finance-reports/article_7e85cb98-b99f-11ec-a0f6-d7daead07e59.html |
The City Council's Finance Committee will hold hearings this week as it begins crafting the 2023 fiscal year budget.
During the hearings, city department heads will present their requested budgets to members of the Finance Committee, who in turn will vet and discuss the proposals.
The hearings are scheduled to stretch over the next two weeks, before concluding with another public hearing on the budget at the council's April 27 meeting, followed by a vote.
The meetings will be held Tuesday through Thursday this week, April 19 through April 21 and on April 26. Each hearing will be held from 1-4 p.m.
The city already held its first public meeting on the budget in February, during which the council gathered input. Workers from the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees advocated for pay increases for city employees, specifically requesting the city use American Rescue Plan Act funds to support the wage increase.
Both union and non-union city employees received pay increases in the current budget, 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
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On the surface, the city of Santa Fe’s proposed budget for the 2023 fiscal year doesn’t look much different than the mid-year budget for the current fiscal year.
But if you’re a city employee, the gold is in the details.
Mayor Alan Webber late Monday afternoon announced the highlights of the city’s
$382.8 million budget proposal, highlighted by what could be a nearly double-digit raise for union and non-union city employees.
“It is a very robust budget, and it is a very progressive budget,” Webber said in an interview. “It really combines the vision of the city with what it means to realize that vision.”
The budget is nearly a 7 percent increase compared to the 2020 fiscal year. But it represents a nearly 1 percent decrease compared to the current mid-year budget due to a drop in one-time funds, according to a summary within the budget document.
The proposed budget, which will go through several hearings before the City Council, recommends an additional $2.25 million for the Santa Fe Police Officers Association’s collective bargaining reserve — which the city says is equivalent to a 16 percent pay raise for officers. However, the final raise figure will depend on collective bargaining negotiations. The budget calls for an 8 percent salary increase for non-union and exempt employees within the department.
The police department’s budget increased by $3.3 million, or nearly
13 percent, from the current fiscal year.
The local chapters of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, as well as non-union city employees, are also in line for the equivalent of 8 percent pay raises. Like the police, the employees’ and firefighters’ unions also will have to go through collective bargaining negotiations.
AFSCME, which has been highly critical of the Webber administration since he took office in 2018, requested a 10 percent pay increase during a public hearing in February to gather input on the budget.
“We are trying to really be on our toes in demonstrating that Santa Fe is a great place to work and you will be paid well for your hard work,” Webber said.
Other highlights include:
- $3 million for fixed costs, including health insurance increases.
- $2.4 million for $2,000 annual retention incentives.
- $300,000 to offer $1,000 signing incentives to help fill city positions.
- $15,000 incentives for lateral police department hires.
- A $750,000 mortgage downpayment assistance fund to help city public safety personnel buy homes in Santa Fe.
On the later point, Webber said the proposal was one of many in the budget meant to help improve public safety outcomes in the city and ensure more public safety workers live in the city.
Other public safety highlights include:
- $100,000 to create a police department substation at City Hall.
- Funding for four police department evidence locker technicians.
- $1.2 million for 30 hybrid police vehicles and an additional $619,000 for fuel costs.
- $1.1 million for new body-worn and in-car officer cameras, evidence room cameras and management software.
- $1.2 million in security contracts.
- Funding for a new health and safety captain and a training captain. A new fire inspector for the city fire department is also proposed.
Webber said he was unsure at the moment whether the budget represented an increase or decrease in the total number of city employees, noting a number of positions have been unfrozen since the coronavirus pandemic, while others were outright discarded or reclassified.
“There is a lot of talk about downsizing city government or rightsizing government. Our model is neither of those,” Webber said. “It was, ‘How can we put those positions where the people of Santa Fe have the greatest priority?’ ”
To that end, Webber said the budget is prioritizing the addition of new and updated technology and bolstering some key departments to help further streamline city government.
To that end, the city’s Planning and Land Use departments received a considerable amount of attention, with a budget increase of 7.7 percent or about $510,000.
The budget calls for $300,000 for a growth management/chapter 14 code update, and Webber said the growth management study should get underway this year.
The Finance Department is slated to receive a 10 percent increase over 2022, including $1 million to assist with updating the city’s financial and payroll system, as well as new accounting positions.
The Finance Department, which is responsible for the city’s yearly state-mandated audits, has missed the submission deadline the past three years.
With Santa Fe in the midst of a crippling housing crisis and apartment vacancy rates hovering near zero, the city is proposing to add $3 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for a third year in a row.
Some housing experts have said
$3 million is a good starting point but have advocated for a bigger commitment.
Asked why the city didn’t go bigger, Webber said officials within the city’s Affordable Housing Department felt the figure matched what the agency would be able to spend.
“Three million is a good floor,” he said. “And we need to continue to build on our ability to deliver to make sure that the money is being put to good use.”
Other notable items in the budget include:
- $1.9 million for tourism advertising and to fund employees for the city’s Water Street Visitor Center.
- $200,000 for the midtown redevelopment project.
- $50,000 for a community development growth management plan.
- $125,000 to continue the Culture, History, Art, Reconciliation and Truth process, spurred by simmering tensions exacerbated by the 2020 felling of the Plaza obelisk.
- $250,000 for neighborhood-based planning.
- $150,000 for affordable housing planning assistance.
- $500,000 to explore a “green bank” to help homeowners solarize their homes. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/city-of-santa-fe-releases-draft-of-2023-budget/article_94d89afe-b9ec-11ec-b501-4b12dfa0e01d.html | 2022-04-12T06:15:22 | 1 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/city-of-santa-fe-releases-draft-of-2023-budget/article_94d89afe-b9ec-11ec-b501-4b12dfa0e01d.html |
A hazardous blend of erratic winds, low humidity and dry conditions have stoked several New Mexico wildfires in the past week, portending what could lie ahead as the weather warms in a state already parched from prolonged drought.
And with fearsome winds predicted for Tuesday, many communities throughout the state are holding their collective breath.
Scattered wildfires continued to burn Monday near Las Vegas, N.M., Roswell and Belen as well as the Gila National Forest, with two of the blazes started by prescribed burns that went amiss.
Winds have played havoc with the Hermits Peak Fire, which has scorched about 1,280 acres since a prescribed burn went out of control on April 6 after unexpected gusts blew embers onto dense, dry debris.
The San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office has ordered residents evacuated from Las Dispensas, San Ignacio, Pendaries and Las Tusas in response to the growth of fire. So far, about 100 have taken shelter at the old Memorial Middle School in Las Vegas.
The fire is only 10 percent contained.
Some people have questioned the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to conduct a prescribed fire during a week of high-wind and red flag warnings in the area. Officials have said conditions were calm most of the day before unforeseen winds sparked spot fires outside containment lines.
“We are fully focused on suppressing the Hermits Peak fire as safely and as quickly as possible,” Forest Service spokeswoman Julie Anne Overton wrote in an email. “Once we have met that objective, we’ll complete an internal review of the decisions and conditions that contributed to this situation.”
In the meantime, the prescribed burn planned for the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed has been indefinitely postponed so the agency can focus on quelling this wildfire, Overton wrote.
The Hermits Peak firefighting response has involved four Hotshot crews, one specialized crew, eight engines, three helicopters, one rapid extraction module and one tactical water tender. More fire engines, personnel and other equipment are on the way, officials said at an online news conference Monday night.
The Southwest Type 2 Incident Management Team took over operations Monday from the Type 3 Team, which handled the initial response.
A Type 2 Team brings additional resources and capabilities in fighting a more protracted wildfire.
In Valencia County, authorities called for evacuations of communities on both sides of the Rio Grande in response to a wildfire that started Monday in the bosque.
“It is a rapidly moving fire due to the winds,” said Matt Propp, the county fire chief.
Residents were directed to a shelter at a community center in Belen, just south of Albuquerque.
An unknown number of structures were reported as lost, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether they were homes, barns or other outbuildings.
The fire’s cause and the number of acres burned so far is unknown, Propp said.
In Roswell, the 1,900-acre Overflow Fire was 80 percent contained Monday.
The Bureau of Land Management was conducting a prescribed burn Thursday when extreme heat caused a “fire whirl” or vortex that carried embers across the planned boundaries, igniting dry grasses, agency spokeswoman Jill Aragon said.
Flames spread onto private and state lands, burning through grassy areas along the Pecos River, Aragon said.
“They’re dry; they’re overgrown,” Aragon said. “Which is why we attempted to do a prescribed burn.”
High winds make suppressing a wildfire more a challenge, but so far the teams have kept the flames from spreading further, Aragon said.
Three fire engines and two Hotshot crews are on the scene, along with bulldozers digging fire breaks around the lines, she said.
Meanwhile, the 3,030-acre Collins Fire in the Gila National Forest was fully contained Monday.
The fire’s cause is unknown, other than a human is behind it in some way, Forest Service spokesman Andrew Mitchell said, adding lightning tends to be the main natural cause of a forest fire.
“There wasn’t any lightning in the area, so it kind of narrows it down,” Mitchell said.
Strong winds are forecasted to blow through the region all week, with a slight letup on Wednesday. But even then they’ll pose hazards for ongoing fires, said Bryan Guyer, National Weather Service meteorologist in Albuquerque.
“This is typically the windy time of year,” Guyer said.
Still, Tuesday’s forecasted winds will be unusually fierce, even for New Mexico. Peak gusts are expected to reach
57 mph near Las Vegas, 45 in Albuquerque and 60 in Raton, making those areas and many others vulnerable.
The low humidity is exacerbating the dry conditions created by the years-long drought and the La Niña, Guyer said, referring to the Pacific Ocean event that pushes precipitation northward, making the Southwest more arid than normal.
All of that makes the debris and vegetation, known as fuels, more flammable, Guyer said.
In a phone interview, Overton said last summer monsoons quelled what could have been a severe and extended wildfire season. But the rains also thickened grass and vegetation, which dried out over the La Nina winter, turning into wildfire fuel that is now causing this wildfire season’s early start, she said.
The best scenario is to have summer rainstorms and hope for a reasonably wet winter, Overton said, adding with climate change you can never count on that. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/communities-near-las-vegas-evacuate-dry-as-dry-conditions-fuel-fires-across-state/article_15ae62ee-b9ac-11ec-b914-93a17877cf24.html | 2022-04-12T06:15:28 | 1 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/communities-near-las-vegas-evacuate-dry-as-dry-conditions-fuel-fires-across-state/article_15ae62ee-b9ac-11ec-b914-93a17877cf24.html |
New Mexico has made strides in increasing voter turnout, expanding access to the polls and ensuring voter integrity, officials and advocates told members of Congress on Monday.
But they said the state still faces challenges in maintaining fair voting practices.
Chief among the concerns: the potential for voter intimidation tactics and the spread of false information to discourage people from going to the polls.
“That is the biggest battle of our generation,” said U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat.
She was one of several U.S. House members who took part in an elections subcommittee field hearing at the state Capitol.
She and fellow Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico attended the hearing and called for changes to Senate filibuster rules that have been instrumental in blocking voting rights legislation in Washington.
In January, Senate Democrats fell short of the 60 votes needed to push past a Republican filibuster of the House-approved Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which would make Election Day a national holiday, ensure access to early voting and mail-in ballots, and enable the Justice Department to intervene in states with a history of voter interference, among other changes.
The issue of voter rights has been at the front and center of national politics following the 2020 presidential election, in which then-President Donald Trump and his supporters alleged the election results putting Joe Biden ahead were fraudulent.
Monday’s hearing, which included testimony from New Mexico-based voter advocacy groups and Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, addressed ways to improve voter access to the polls, especially on tribal lands.
Native American residents have a number of Election Day obstacles, said Ahtza Dawn Chavez, executive director of the nonprofit Native American Voters Alliance Education Project. She listed “geographical isolation, poor or nonexistent roads, technological problems, homelessness” and nontraditional mailing addresses — as well as discrimination.
She urged congressional leaders to help alleviate these problems and to clarify and strengthen election laws to help voters in tribal communities.
Toulouse Oliver asked subcommittee members to help increase funding for the Secretary of State’s Office to improve election cybersecurity and security at polling sites.
She also cited some of the initiatives the state has taken to improve voter access and participation: online voter registration, same-day voter registration and allowing 17-year-olds to register to vote if they will turn 18 before the next general election.
Two recent efforts to strengthen voter rights in the state failed during this year’s regular legislative session. One of the bills would have restored felons’ right to vote upon their release, allowed voters to receive an absentee ballot for every election without having to request one each time and would have allowed New Mexicans without a state-issued identification to register to vote online with a Social Security number. It also would have allowed 17-year-olds to vote in local elections.
When it comes to the spread of election misinformation, Toulouse Oliver told the congressional subcommittee more can be done at the federal level “to collectively figure out how to make sure these lies are not tolerated and they do not continue to propagate. That is the most dangerous piece of what we are dealing with here.”
Heather Ferguson, executive director of the nonprofit Common Cause New Mexico, spoke of an October 2020 incident her organization investigated in which a caravan of vehicles blocked access to early voting polling sites in Albuquerque. She said similar reports emerged in Farmington and Santa Fe.
“We can anticipate more,” Ferguson said, adding, “We need greater protection, specific criminal legislation that will make it a crime.”
Monday’s hearing was chaired by U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from North Carolina, who spoke of voter suppression tactics dating to at least the 1960s.
Only Democratic members of the subcommittee participated in the hearing. Toulouse Oliver and Leger Fernández both said Republican members were invited but declined.
Butterfield offered to allow Republican members to weigh in on the hearing virtually, but that wasn’t enough for one New Mexico woman in the audience, who stood up to protest the lack of Republican input.
Marcie May of Albuquerque said as a poll challenger she had concerns about voter intimidation and election fraud that could hurt Republicans. She said she worries the state might eliminate poll challenger positions and argued Democrats are making an issue out of it because they “know people don’t like their failed policies.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/elections-subcommittee-talks-about-voting-in-new-mexico/article_746b25de-b843-11ec-9522-2fb66c7f4368.html | 2022-04-12T06:15:34 | 1 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/elections-subcommittee-talks-about-voting-in-new-mexico/article_746b25de-b843-11ec-9522-2fb66c7f4368.html |
Santa Fe police arrested a man suspected of attempting to use a power drill to break into a Guadalupe Street business Sunday morning.
A series of burglaries in recent weeks have frustrated business owners in the Guadalupe and Railyard districts downtown.
While some business owners said they were glad to hear a suspect had been jailed, they were skeptical about whether the break-ins would stop and disheartened to hear the man had been arrested several times on suspicion of burglaries in and around the city in the past four months.
According to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court, a security guard had apprehended Edgar Guzman, 26, of Santa Fe, after finding him and another man trying to break a lock at the Double Take consignment shop on South Guadalupe Street.
Guzman faces charges of aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon and possession of burglary tools. He was still held in the Santa Fe County jail Monday, jail logs showed.
It’s unclear if police suspect he is tied to any of the other recent costly downtown break-ins.
The Santa Fe Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Cindy Cornelson, who owns Smash Bangles on Montezuma Street, said she was happy to hear about an arrest being made but was a “little concerned” about whether it would lead to a lull in break-ins.
She said her business is one of two at Guadalupe Station that has not yet suffered a break-in.
“What is interesting is that their M.O. for all of these robberies, from Canyon Road to here, [is] they are just going around using a crowbar to get in,” she said.
In Guzman’s case, the criminal complaint says a security guard with Asset Solutions saw him and another man using a power drill to break into the lock at Double Take. Guzman also was carrying a large black knife, about $400 in cash and other “burglary tools,” according to the complaint.
Guzman admitted to trying to break into Double Take to get money or find items to sell, the complaint says, but told police he was not involved with other break-ins reported in downtown over the “past few days.”
He also refused to tell police who was with him when he was apprehended. The unknown suspect was able to escape on foot.
Double Take was closed Monday, and owners could not be reached for comment.
Patrick Lambert, who co-owns the Cowgirl BBQ restaurant next door, said he was frustrated to learn Sunday’s arrest was the third for Guzman since December.
Despite a diligent effort to safeguard the restaurant from break-ins, Lambert said, thieves continue to try find “new ways” to burglarize it, causing over $5,000 in damages in recent months.
He said a “stronger message” has to be sent to deter similar crimes.
“They are arrested, and they are on the street the next day,” Lambert said.
Guzman was arrested in December on suspicion of trying to steal over $200,000 worth of jewelry from the Momeni Gallery off Old Santa Fe Trail.
He was found in the gallery’s courtyard around 3:15 a.m. with a black backpack holding Southwestern-style jewelry and cash, and a large “bayonet-style knife,” a criminal complaint says.
The case was dismissed in February without prejudice, which means it could be refiled, court records show.
Later in February, Guzman was arrested again, this time on suspicion of using a piece of metal to break into a store on Johnson Street and fleeing on a bike with a safe, according to court records.
Police were able to follow bike tracks in the snow to a tent near the Guadalupe District, where they found Guzman, the complaint says.
Guzman confessed to breaking into the store and taking the safe, according to the complaint. He later took police to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he had dumped the safe, the complaint said.
He was booked and released the same day.
A month later, a bench warrant was issued for Guzman’s arrest because he was accused of failing to appear for hearing.
Michael Motley, who runs a graphic design business in a studio above Double Take, was baffled by Guzman’s criminal background and quick releases from jail.
“You hear it all the time — some guy with 70 DWIs and the judge lets him go,” he said. “I just don’t understand sometimes. Why?”
Lambert said he’s most concerned about the people he has worked with over the past 25 to 30 years.
“There has been a lot of financial damage, but what we are talking about more is having a healthy business district for all of us,” he said. “It’s not just about the money.” | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/suspect-arrested-in-guadalupe-street-break-amid-surge-of-burglaries-in-area/article_364fc1f4-b9b2-11ec-bc44-d704d45d6955.html | 2022-04-12T06:15:40 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/suspect-arrested-in-guadalupe-street-break-amid-surge-of-burglaries-in-area/article_364fc1f4-b9b2-11ec-bc44-d704d45d6955.html |
April 11, 1922: Santa Fe lake, previously ordered closed as spawning grounds to supply trout eggs to the Lisbos Springs hatchery, was reopened by the game and fish commission at a meeting Saturday afternoon at Game and Fish Warden Gable’s office.
April 11, 1947: State police headquarters said three patrolmen with state prison bloodhounds were sent early today to aid in a search for a 3½-year-old Mora county boy, Celestino Trujillo Jr., who has been missing from his home near Ledoux since Wednesday.
Request for state police aid came from the Mora county sheriff’s office, which reported that it might be necessary to drag a small lake near the home of the child’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Celistino Trujillo.
April 11, 1972: The Santa Fe County Commission ignored a request by its own county manager Monday night and rammed through approval of the development of 884 lots at AMREP Corp’s Eldorado at Santa Fe project.
April 11, 1997: New Mexico’s tribes moved a step closer to having legal casinos Thursday, as Gov. Gary Johnson signed a bill authorizing casino gambling on reservations and slot machines at off-reservation veterans and fraternal cubs and racetracks.
Some tribal representatives were less than jubilant about the action, however. For one thing they aren’t happy with the requirement that they pay stiff regulatory fees and give the state 16 percent of gambling profits.
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ALBUQUERQUE
The last time Fenyx Morningdove ran the 300-meter hurdles, he had to do it twice.
He needed just one try Monday to stake his claim as the best distance hurdler in the state against some of New Mexico's top prep track and field athletes in the Marilyn Sepulveda Meet of Champions at Great Friends of UNM Track and Field Complex.
The Santa Fe Indian School senior came away with a first-place finish in the 300 hurdles with a season- and personal-best 40.68 seconds to beat Albuquerque High's Frederick Ford by 0.48 seconds for the top spot.
It capped a day in which he also grabbed third in the javelin with a throw of 149 feet, 9 1/2 inches into a prevailing 30 mph wind.
The Meet of Champions brings together the state's top performers in all individual events, but was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Morningdove, who won the 300 hurdles in the Class 4A state meet in June, found his performance encouraging as he approaches the final three weeks of the regular season. He solidified himself as the No. 2 seed thanks to a 41.54 effort at the West Las Vegas Invitational in which he ran the race twice in a 5-minute span.
Morningdove posted a 43.24 on the first try, but the redo, which he said happened because one hurdle was adjusted higher than the rest, was even better.
The scary part is, Morningdove feels he has plenty left in the gas tank to improve upon his times in both events.
"I'm not at 100 percent," Morningdove said. "Still working hard so that my legs have all the strength in the world to really run a full 400 or even a 500, if I needed to."
The downside to the windy weather was that it affected his ability to continue to chase the school's javelin record of 164 feet. After throwing 151-1 at Capital's meet over the weekend, he had his sights set on pushing 160 feet. However, throwing into the gust proved problematic, especially on his first throw of the finals when the wind held up what looked like a sure-fire toss in the 150-foot range that feel well short of that.
In disgust, Morningdove stepped over the scratch line to nullify the effort. However, he followed it with his third-place throw, which showed him he can duplicate his current efforts despite less-than-ideal conditions.
"If I could throw 150 with the wind going against me, when the wind isn't against me, I'm gonna be able to launch that 170," Morningdove said.
Morningdove was one of three Northern athletes to leave the complex with individual titles. Freshman Raylee Hunt of St. Michael's continued to show she is one of the top runners in the state, winning the 1,600 and 800. Meanwhile, Los Alamos senior Keith Bridge won the 1,600, outkicking Albuquerque Sandia's Isaac Tucker Scott over the final 50 meters to win in 4:29.48, which was .99 faster than Scott.
Hunt dominated the 1,600 almost from the start, pulling away from the pack after one lap and beating Academy for Technology and the Classics senior Josette Gurule by more than 11 seconds in 5:20.11.
The 800 proved to be more challenging, as she held a roughly 5-meter lead through much of the second lap, but Hobbs' Bhret Clay surged to Hunt's right flank just as she hit the stripe in 2:22.31. Clay was .44 in arrears, with Albuquerque Volcano Vista's Liliana Sanchez taking third and Gurule fourth.
"I could feel her on my shoulder, but I didn't realize how close she was until she was right here [almost beside her], and I was like, 'Oh, shoot! I better go!'" Hunt said.
Gurule, meanwhile, was among seven Northern athletes who ended up in second place, including Los Alamos' Nyla Lee, who was runner-up in the 100 and 200. Gurule said it had been a dream of hers to compete in the Sepulveda meet since she was an eighth grader, and said learning she was going to compete in the 800 and 1,600 brought her to tears.
"I remember [former ATC head coach Tim Host] telling me, 'That's the elite meet, that's the meet you want to get into,'" Gurule said. "Now that I'm here, it's a little crazy for me."
Los Alamos sophomore Angelina Passalacqua grabbed a second and a third in the long jump and 400, respectively, but almost came away with the 400 title. She pulled into the lead round the final turn and held on it it until the final 10 meters.
That's when Sandia's Francesca Federici and Volcano Vista's Angela Korte caught her just as they crossed the finish line. Still, Passalacqua broke the 1-minute barrier for the first time this season, with a time of 59.19. She said she feels like she hasn't been getting in enough longer workouts to get her endurance where she needs it to be.
That can be understood, though, because she holds the fastest times in 4A in the 100 and 300 hurdles, plus the 200. Oh, and she is the best long jumper in the class, to boot.
"In previous years, I was in better shape than I am now," Passalacqua said. "They're in a little better shape than I am right now, but I gave it my all."
Santa Fe Prep's Finn Coles gave his all, even though he felt a little fatigued after posting his best height — 6-4 1/4 — in the high jump at the Rio Rancho Cleveland Storm Relays on Friday.
He engaged Albuquerque Eldorado's Gabriel Ball in a duel for the top spot, which Ball won when he cleared 6-6 on his final try to win the event. Coles said he was trying a new approach to the bar — a seven step technique, as opposed to the normal 10-step he has used.
It was just enough to keep him from clearing 6-6, but Coles said he feels like he is in good position heading into the final part of the season to accomplish that goal.
"I'm liking where I am at, but you can never get too comfortable because you can have an off meet," Coles said. "So that's just me staying motivated." | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/sports/santa-fe-indian-schools-morningdove-cements-his-place-as-states-best-distance-hurdler/article_af01dc46-ba06-11ec-a073-4f929bedf21a.html | 2022-04-12T06:15:53 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/sports/santa-fe-indian-schools-morningdove-cements-his-place-as-states-best-distance-hurdler/article_af01dc46-ba06-11ec-a073-4f929bedf21a.html |
The AFC possesses more than half a dozen of the NFL’s upper echelon quarterbacks, so don’t be surprised if this conference is the most competitive in 2022.
Especially after the improvement made by such teams as the Buffalo Bills (Von Miller), Denver Broncos (Russell Wilson), Los Angeles Chargers (Khalil Mack, J.C. Jackson), Las Vegas Raiders (Davante Adams), Cleveland Browns (Deshaun Watson) and Miami Dolphins (Tyreek Hill) have made this offseason.
Take a look at the key additions and departures from every AFC team, analyzing what teams improved the most, and which ones remain stagnant. We also break down the top four position needs for each team heading into the NFL draft.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
Additions: Added pass rushers Von Miller and Shaq Lawson and defensive tackles DaQuan Jones, Tim Settle and Jordan Phillips, who should improve the defensive front of a unit that finished as a top-five defense in 2022. Offensive tackle Rodger Saffold was signed to replace Jon Feliciano. Tailback Duke Johnson and tight end O.J. Howard were added to complement the offense.
Departures: Slot receiver Cole Beasley got waived, and Emmanuel Sanders remains a free agent. Buffalo re-signed Isaiah McKenzie and added Jamison Crowder as their replacements, but that’s a lot of veteran savvy lost. The Bills also lost defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to the Vikings, and cornerback Levi Wallace to the Steelers.
Top Needs: CB, LB, OG, RB
Miami Dolphins
Additions: Miami traded three 2022 draft picks and two 2023 selections to acquire Pro Bowl receiver Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins also signed offensive tackle Terron Armstead and offensive guard Connor Williams to improve last year’s troublesome offensive line. And Miami added tailbacks Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert to replace Duke Johnson, Malcolm Brown and Phillip Lindsay. Receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. was signed to man the slot, and Teddy Bridgewater was added as Miami’s veteran quarterback.
Departures: DeVante Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick were traded to the New England Patriots for a 2023 third-round selection. Offensive guard Jesse Davis and receiver Allen Hurns were waived to create cap space. Davis signed with the Vikings. Cornerback Justin Coleman signed with Seattle and veteran defensive back Jason McCourty remains a free agent.
Top Needs: ILB, EDGE, C, CB
New England Patriots
Additions: Cornerback Malcolm Butler returned to New England after spending three seasons with the Titans. The Patriots acquired receiver DeVante Parker and linebacker Mack Wilson in offseason trades, and signed safety Jabrill Peppers. New England also re-signed offensive tackle Trent Brown, safety Devin McCourty, kicker Nick Folk and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley.
Departures: Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson signed with the Chargers. Offensive linemen Ted Karras signed with the Bengals and Shaq Mason was traded to the Buccaneers for a 2022 fifth-round pick. Linebackers Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins, who were all starters last season, remain free agents. And Chase Winovich was traded to the Browns.
Top Needs: CB, Edge, ILB, WR
New York Jets
Additions: The Jets added guard Laken Tomlinson and re-signed offensive tackles Conor McDermott and Dan Feeney. C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin were signed to upgrade the tight end position. And the Jets also added defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, linebacker Jacob Martin, cornerback D.J. Reed and safeties Jordan Whitehead and Lamarcus Joyner.
Departures: Receiver Jamison Crowder signed with the Bills, further depleting a lackluster receiver unit. Starting right tackle Morgan Moses signed with the Ravens. Safety Marcus Maye signed with the Saints, and linebacker Jarrad Davis signed with the Lions.
Top Needs: OT, WR, LB, CB
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Additions: Safety Marcus Williams signed a massive five-year, $70 million deal to join the Ravens. Offensive tackle Morgan Moses was added to compete with a rehabbing Ja’Wuan James to become Baltimore’s starting right tackle. And nose tackle Michael Pierce was re-signed after spending one season with the Vikings.
Departures: Aged veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell remains a free agent, as does defensive tackle Brandon Williams, edge players Pernell McPhee and Justin Houston and receiver Sammy Watkins. Center Bradley Bozeman signed with the Panthers and cornerback Anthony Averett signed with the Raiders.
Top Needs: Edge, IOL, DL, CB
Cincinnati Bengals
Additions: The Bengals beefed up their troublesome offensive line by adding right tackle La’el Collins, offensive guard Alex Cappa and interior player Ted Karras, who has started 49 games the past six seasons. Cincinnati also signed defensive tackle B.J. Hill, tight end Hayden Hurst, re-signed cornerback Eli Apple, and used the franchise tag to retain safety Jessie Bates.
Departures: Starting tight end C.J. Uzomah signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Jets. And receiver Auden Tate signed with the Falcons. Offensive linemen Trey Hopkins, Riley Reiff and Quinton Spain remain free agents. Cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves III, Trae Waynes and Tre Flowers are also still free agents, and safety Ricardo Allen retired.
Top Needs: CB, OL, DT, Edge
Cleveland Browns
Additions: Cleveland acquired Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson in a trade with Houston that sent the Texans three first-round picks (2022-24), a third-round pick (2024) and two fourth-round selections. The Browns also traded a 2022 fifth-round pick and swapped sixth-round selections with the Cowboys for receiver Amari Cooper, and signed receiver and return specialist Jakeem Grant. Cleveland also acquired pass rusher Chase Winovich from the Patriots for linebacker Mack Wilson.
Departures: Tight end Austin Hooper signed with the Titans and quarterback Case Keenum was traded to the Bills. The Browns released starting center J.C. Tretter and receiver Jarvis Landry, who each are still free agents. Defensive linemen Jadeveon Clowney, Takkarist McKinley and Malik Jackson all remain free agents, as do safety Ronnie Harrison and linebacker Malcolm Smith.
Top Needs: Edge, DT, WR, S,
Pittsburgh Steelers
Additions: Pittsburgh signed former Bears starter Mitch Trubisky to a two-year deal worth $14.25 million and will have him compete with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins for the starting quarterback job. To improve the Steelers’ troublesome offensive line, guard James Daniels signed a three-year, $26.5 million deal, and center Mason Cole was added. The Steelers also added linebackers Myles Jack and Genard Avery, and cornerback Levi Wallace.
Departures: Ben Roethlisberger retired, and three of his former receivers — Juju Smith-Schuster (Chiefs), James Washington (Cowboys) and Ray-Ray McCloud (49ers) — left as free agents. Offensive linemen Trai Turner and Zach Banner, tight end Eric Ebron, cornerback Joe Haden, linebacker Joe Schobert and safety Terrell Edmunds remain free agents.
Top Needs: CB, S, OL, QB
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
Additions: Marlon Mack was added to a backfield that already had Rex Burkhead and Royce Freeman, who was re-signed. Linebacker Blake Cashman was acquired from the Jets for a 2023 sixth-round pick, and will work alongside newcomers Obo Okoronkwo and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and holdovers Neville Hewitt, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Christian Kirksey, who were all re-signed.
Departures: Deshaun Watson was traded to the Browns for a bounty of picks, and veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor signed with the Giants. The Texans signed veteran quarterback Kyle Allen to compete with Davis Mills, who had a 88.8 passer rating in his 11 starts as a rookie, for the starting quarterback job. Cornerback Terrance Mitchell signed with the Patriots and safety Justin Reid signed with the Chiefs. Tailback David Johnson, receiver Danny Amendola and offensive tackle Marcus Cannon are still free agents.
Top Needs: Edge, OT, CB, TE
Indianapolis Colts
Additions: The Colts acquired 37-year-old quarterback Matt Ryan from the Falcons for a 2022 third-round pick after trading Carson Wentz to Washington for a swap of second-round picks, a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 third-round selection. Indianapolis also acquired pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Raiders for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, and re-signed tight end Mo Alie-Cox.
Departures: Indianapolis must rebuild its secondary because of the trade that sent Ya-Sin to the Raiders, and the fact corners Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie and safeties Andrew Sendejo, Jahleel Addae and George Odum are all free agents. Tight end Jack Doyle retired and pass rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad signed with the Bears as a free agent. Starting right guard Mark Glowinski signed with the Giants. Offensive tackle Eric Fisher and receiver T.Y. Hilton remain free agents.
Top Needs: OT, WR, Edge, CB
Jacksonville Jaguars
Additions: Jacksonville remade their offense by adding two front-line receivers, signing Christian Kirk to an eye-opening four-year, $72 million deal, Zay Jones to a three-year deal that could be worth as much as $30 million, and tight end Evan Engram to a one-year deal worth $9 million. The Jaguars also used the franchise tag to retain left tackle Cam Robinson and signed offensive guard Brandon Scherff to a three-year deal worth $49.5 million. On defense, Jacksonville signed cornerback Darius Williams, linebacker Foye Oluokun, defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi and pass rusher Arden Key.
Departures: The Jaguars lost three starting offensive linemen this offseason. Starting center Brandon Linder retired, and starting guards A.J. Cann (Texans) and Andrew Norwell (Commanders) signed elsewhere. Receiver D.J. Chark signed with the Lions. Linebacker Myles Jack, who was released, signed with the Steelers, and fellow starting linebacker Damien Wilson signed with the Panthers. Defensive lineman Jihad Ward signed with the Giants, and defensive line cohort Taven Bryan signed with the Browns.
Top Needs: Edge, S, OT, IOL
Tennessee Titans
Additions: The Titans acquired receiver Robert Woods from the Rams for a 2023 sixth-round pick, re-signed tight end Geoff Swaim and added veteran tight end Austin Hooper this offseason. Tennessee also re-signed pass rusher Harold Landry, center Ben Jones, cornerback Buster Skrine, and tailback Dontrell Hilliard, keeping some of the nucleus of the 2021 team intact.
Departures: Julio Jones, whose 2021 season was hindered by injuries, was released. As was starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Neither of these veteran starters have signed elsewhere yet. Offensive guard Rodger Saffold signed with the Bills, linebackers Jayon Brown (Raiders) and Rashaan Evans (Falcons) left Tennessee. David Quessenberry, who started all 17 games at right tackle last season, remains a free agent.
Top Needs: WR, LB, OT, CB
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
Additions: The Broncos acquired Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick from the Seahawks for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round selection and three veterans. Pass rusher Randy Gregory signed a five-year, $70 million deal, and the Broncos signed linebacker Josey Jewell, defensive tackle D.J. Jones and offensive linemen Billy Turner and Tom Compton.
Departures: Quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive tackle Shelby Harris were the three veterans who were traded to Seattle for Wilson. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater signed with Miami. Receiver DaeSean Hamilton signed with the Texans. Tailback Melvin Gordon, cornerback Kyle Fuller, safety Kareem Jackson, and offensive linemen Cameron Fleming and Bobby Massie remain free agents.
Top Needs: Edge, LB, TE, RB
Kansas City Chiefs
Additions: Kansas City added JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Corey Coleman to replenish a receiver unit that has been depleted by trades and free agent defections. The Chiefs also signed tailback Ronald Jones to a one-year deal that’s worth up to $5 million and linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr.
Departures: The Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for a treasure chest of draft picks, but also lost receivers Byron Pringle (Bears) and Demarcus Robinson (Raiders) this offseason. Pro Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu remains a free agent, but likely won’t return because of the signing of Justin Reid and Deon Bush.
Top Needs: WR, CB, Edge, S
Las Vegas Raiders
Additions: The Raiders reunited Davante Adams with Derek Carr, his college quarterbacks, by trading a 2022 first- and second-round pick to Green Bay for the Pro Bowl receiver. Las Vegas also signed receiver DeMarcus Robinson and tight end Jacob Hollister to provide new coach Josh McDaniels some weaponry. The Raiders also signed pass rusher Chandler Jones to pair him with Maxx Crosby, who signed a four-year, $99 million extension.
Departures: The Raiders traded Yannick Ngakoue, who registered 10 sacks last season, to the Colts in exchange for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Quarterback Marcus Mariota signed with the Falcons. Zay Jones signed with the Jaguars. Defensive linemen Quinton Jefferson signed with the Seahawks. Solomon Thomas signed with the Jets, and Gerald McCoy and Carl Nassib are free agents. Linebackers Cory Littleton signed with the Panthers, and Nicholas Morrow signed with the Bears. Cornerbacks Casey Hayward (Falcons) and Brandon Facyson (Colts) signed elsewhere, and cornerback Desmond Trufant, linebacker K.J Wright, receiver DeSean Jackson and offensive guard Richie Incognito remain free agents.
Top Needs: OL, DT, CB, WR
Los Angeles Chargers
Additions: The Chargers acquired Khalil Mack from the Bears for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round selection, and signed Pro Bowl cornerback J.C. Jackson to a five-year deal worth $82.5 million. The Chargers also signed tight end Gerald Everett, who has caught 175 passes for 1,867 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first five seasons, to potentially replace Jared Cook, who remains a free agent.
Departures: Linebackers Uchenna Nwosu (Seahawks), Kyler Fackrell (Raiders) and Kyzir White (Eagles) signed elsewhere. Offensive linemen Oday Aboushi, Bryan Bulaga and Michael Schofield, cornerback Chris Harris and defensive tackle Linval Joseph are still free agents.
Top Needs: OT, DT, LB, WR
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/afc-offseason-moves-summary-2022-nfl-draft-primer-2/ | 2022-04-12T06:18:45 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/afc-offseason-moves-summary-2022-nfl-draft-primer-2/ |
St. Paul’s History Theatre announced Tuesday that artistic director Ron Peluso will retire effective Jan. 1.
“I’ve been here 27 years,” said Peluso, 71. “It’s been a good run. I’m very proud of what I’ve done over the course of time. But I feel like this is a good time for younger, smarter, new history makers to come in with fresh ideas. It is time for new eyes.”
The theater’s board of directors plans to work with a search firm to conduct a national search for its next artistic director. Peluso will remain in the position for the fall and holiday shows this year, with the new leader assuming artistic duties for the remainder of the season.
Peluso began his career spending eight years teaching high school in Pennsylvania. He went on to pursue an MFA in directing at the University of Minnesota and soon found directing opportunities around the Twin Cities, including regular work at the History Theatre, which was founded in 1978.
When the artistic director position opened up in 1995, Peluso got the job. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he said.
Peluso began thinking about retirement when he turned 65. But after the pandemic hit, he stayed on to help ensure the theater’s survival.
“I wanted to help guide the company through these difficult times, not walk away in the middle of it,” he said. “Now, we’re in a really good financial place, with a good lineup of plays. I can hand over the keys and have a full tank of gas going forward.”
During his tenure, Peluso has closely followed the theater’s motto, “real stories about real people,” and commissioned more than 100 plays and musicals, including 96 world premieres. He also worked to elevate the theater’s national profile as an incubator for new work.
The History Theatre has won Ivey Awards for best production (Jeffrey Hatcher’s “Tyrone and Ralph”) and overall excellence (“Glensheen,” by Hatcher and Chan Poling).
Peluso’s longstanding commitment to bringing diverse stories to the stage has included works about labor and peace activists Mary Pat Laffey (“Stewardess!”), Nellie Stone Johnson (“Nellie”) and the McDonald sisters (“Sisters of Peace”); politicians Hubert Humphrey (“Favorite Son”) and Paul Wellstone (“Wellstone!”); and artists Gordon Parks (“Parks”) and Bobby Vee (“Teen Idol: The Bobby Vee Story”).
He has also commissioned work that captures and shares personal and unique stories of Minnesotans, including the first Chinese woman to immigrate to Minnesota (“100 Men’s Wife”), a young Somali man’s journey to find himself in America (“A Crack in the Sky”) and a young woman’s life negotiating between her Indian Muslim heritage and her American Christian surroundings (“American as Curry Pie”).
“Under Peluso’s artistic leadership, History Theatre has served as a vital keeper of America’s and Minnesota’s historical legacy by bringing to light stories of people and events that range from little-known local heroes to nationally recognized icons,” said John Sebastian, president of the History Theatre’s board of directors. “We can’t thank him enough for his dedication to the theatre and all the artists who brought history to life.” | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/history-theatre-artistic-director-ron-peluso-to-retire-after-27-years-on-the-job/ | 2022-04-12T06:18:51 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/history-theatre-artistic-director-ron-peluso-to-retire-after-27-years-on-the-job/ |
More than half-dozen teams in the NFC are in some phase of a rebuilding project, overhauling their rosters to get younger and cheaper.
That means the teams with upper-echelon quarterbacks — Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Arizona and the Los Angeles Rams — should all be able to lock up their division with little resistance if they can keep their rosters relatively healthy, and stack up wins in the regular season.
Take a look at the key additions and departures from every NFC team, analyzing what teams improved the most, and which ones remain stagnant. We also break down the top four position needs for each team heading into the NFL draft.
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
Additions: The Cowboys retained defensive end Damarcus Lawrence by restructuring his deal, placed the franchise tag on Dalton Schultz and re-signed receiver Michael Gallup and safeties Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse. The Cowboys also added linebacker Dante Fowler and receiver James Washington.
Departures: Dallas lost two members of the starting offensive line in La’el Collins (Bengals) and Connor Williams (Dolphins) and two wide receivers, Amari Cooper (Browns via trade) and Cedrick Wilson Jr. (Dolphins). Pass rusher Randy Gregory (Broncos), safety Keanu Neal (Buccaneers) and kicker Greg Zuerlein (Jets) also left as free agents.
Top Needs: Edge, S, WR, OL
New York Giants
Additions: Tyrod Taylor was signed to a two-year deal worth a base of $11 million to replace Mike Glennon as Daniel Jones’ backup heading into Jones’ important fourth season. Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones was signed to replace Evan Engram, who joined the Jaguars. And guards Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano were added to fortify the offensive line.
Departures: Starting free safety Logan Ryan signed with the Buccaneers, leaving a glaring hole in the Giants defense. Jabrill Peppers joined the Patriots and linebacker Lorenzo Carter signed with the Falcons. Offensive lineman Will Hernandez signed with the Cardinals, while Nate Solder, Billy Prince and Matt Skura remain free agents.
Top Needs: OT, Edge, S, LB
Philadelphia Eagles
Additions: The Eagles re-signed center Jason Kelce, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, safety Anthony Harris and pass rusher Derek Barnett, and added pass rusher Haason Reddick, linebacker Kyzir White and receiver Zach Pascal, who has started 44 games in his first four seasons.
Departures: Linebackers Genard Avery (Steelers) and Alex Singleton (Broncos) signed elsewhere, and reserve defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway joined the 49ers. Two members of the Eagles starting secondary — cornerback Steven Nelson and safety Rodney McLeod — remain free agents.
Top Needs: CB, Edge, S, OL
Washington Commanders
Additions: Washington traded for Carson Wentz, hoping he’s an upgrade over Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke. Washington signed offensive guard Andrew Norwell, and re-signed tailback J.D. McKissic, offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas and safety Bobby McCain.
Departures: The Commanders must find two new starting guards because Brandon Scherff signed with the Giants, and Ereck Flowers was released. Washington’s usually deep defensive line was thinned out because Matthew Ioannidis (Panthers) and Tim Settle (Bills) left as free agents. Safety Landon Collins was released so Washington could avoid paying him his bloated contract.
Top Needs: WR, CB, S, TE
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
Additions: The Bears signed receivers Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown to help ease the departure of Allen Robinson (Rams), Damiere Byrd (Falcons) and Jakeem Grant (Browns). Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, defensive tackle Justin Jones and linebacker Nicholas Morrow were signed to add some bite to the Bears defense.
Departures: The Bears traded Khalil Mack to the Chargers, and must find replacements for linebackers Danny Trevathan, Alex Ogletree and Bruce Irvin, and defensive linemen Eddie Goldman and Akiem Hicks, who are all still free agents. Three starting offensive linemen — Jason Peters, James Daniels (Steelers) and Germain Ifedi (Falcons) — need to be replaced. Tight ends Jimmy Graham and Jesse James remain free agent.
Top Needs: OT, WR, Edge, RB
Detroit Lions
Additions: Detroit added receiver D.J. Clark, re-signed receivers Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond, and added tight end Garrett Griffin, who started nine of the 20 games he played in his four seasons with the Saints. The Lions also added linebackers Chris Board and Jarrad Davis.
Departures: Pass rusher Trey Flowers was released and remains a free agent. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin signed with the Texans, safety Dean Marlowe and receiver KhaDarel Hodge signed with the Falcons.
Top Needs: Edge, QB, S, WR
Green Bay Packers
Additions: The Packers retained Aaron Rodgers, signing him to a three-year, $150 million extension, and re-signed linebacker Preston Smith to a four-year extension worth $52.5 million, and linebacker DeVondre Campbell. Green Bay also re-signed cornerback Rasul Douglas and added defensive tackle Jarran Reed and punter Pat O’Donnell.
Departures: Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams was traded to the Raiders, and receivers Equanimeous St. Brown (Bears), and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Chiefs) left as free agents. So did linebacker Za’Darius Smith (Viking), and offensive lineman Billy Turner (Broncos) and Lucas Patrick (Bears). Defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster remains a free agent.
Top Needs: WR, Edge, OT, DL
Minnesota Vikings
Additions: Linebacker Za’Darius Smith signed a three-year deal worth a base of $42 million. Linebacker Jordan Hicks, defensive lineman Harrison Phillips and offensive linemen Jesse Davis and Chris Reed joined the Vikings. Cornerback Patrick Peterson and backup quarterback Sean Mannion also re-signed.
Departures: Linebacker Nick Vigil signed with the Cardinals, tight end Tyler Conklin joined the Jets, safety Xavier Woods joined the Panthers, and defensive tackle Michael Pierce joined the Ravens. Linebacker Anthony Barr, defensive end Everson Griffen, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and cornerback Mackensie Alexander are still free agents.
Top Needs: S, DT, CB, TE
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons
Additions: Receiver Calvin Ridley is suspended for the 2022 season for allegedly gambling on NFL games, and the Falcons added Demiere Byrd, KhaDarel Hodge and Auden Tate to fill out a thin receiver unit. Marcus Mariota signed a two-year deal that will have him viewed as the Falcons’ bridge quarterback. Cordarrelle Patterson was re-signed and Atlanta added tailback Damien Williams.
Departures: Quarterback Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts for a 2022 third-round pick, ending his 14-year tenure with the Falcons. Receiver Russell Gage signed with Tampa Bay, linebacker Dante Fowler joined the Cowboys, tight end Hayden Hurst signed with the Bengals, linebacker Foye Oluokun signed with the Jaguars, and safety Duron Harmon joined the Raiders.
Top Needs: QB, Edge, WR, S
Carolina Panthers
Additions: The Panthers signed offensive guard Austin Corbett to a three-year, $29 million deal, and added center Bradley Bozeman to replace Matt Paradis, who remains a free agent. Carolina also added safety Xavier Woods, cornerback Rashaan Melvin, defensive linemen Matthew Ioannidis and Marquis Haynes, linebackers Damien Wilson and Cory Littleton, and tailback D’Onta Foreman.
Departures: Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones signed with the Bills, and linebackers Jermaine Carter Jr. (Chiefs) and Haason Reddick (Eagles) left as free agents. Cornerbacks Stephen Gilmore and A.J. Bouye are still free agents.
Top Needs: QB, OT, OL, CB
New Orleans Saints
Additions: Jameis Winston, whose season ended prematurely because of a knee injury, was re-signed to a two-year deal worth $28 million, and the Saints also added veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. Safety Marcus Maye was signed to a three-year deal worth $28.5 million to replace Marcus Williams, who joined the Ravens.
Departures: Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead signed with the Dolphins. Williams signed with the Ravens and his fellow starting safety Malcolm Jenkins retired. Tailback Ty Montgomery signed with the Patriots. Tight end Garrett Griffin joined the Lions, and starting inside linebacker Kwon Alexander remains a free agent.
Top Needs: OT, WR, QB, LB
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Additions: Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady unretired, committing to play one more season for new coach Todd Bowles, who replaced the abruptly retired Bruce Arians. Chris Goodwin signed a three-year, $60 million deal, but is coming back from a season-ending knee injury. That explains why the Buccaneers added receiver Russell Gage to fill out the receiver unit. Safety Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal were added to improve Tampa Bay’s secondary. And tailbacks Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard re-signed.
Departures: The Buccaneers acquired guard Shaq Mason from the Patriots to address the retirement of Ali Marpet, and Alex Cappa’s departure to Cincinnati. Ronald Jones signed with the Chiefs, and safety Jordan Whitehead joined the Jets. Tight end O.J. Howard signed with Buffalo and Rob Gronkowski hasn’t decided if he’ll play in 2022. Veteran defenders Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh, Kevin Minter and Richard Sherman remain free agents.
Top Needs: OG, CB, S, DT
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals
Additions: The Cardinals re-signed tailback James Connor, and tight ends Zach Ertz and Maxx Williams, keeping things somewhat consistent on offense. Arizona also added cornerback Jeff Gladney, a 2020 first-round pick, signing the troubled cornerback to a two-year, $6.5 million deal, and added offensive guard Will Hernandez and linebacker Nick Vigil.
Departures: Receiver Christian Kirk signed with the Jaguars, tailback Chase Edmonds signed with Miami, and A.J. Green remains a free agent. Four key defenders — Chandler Jones (Raiders), Jordan Hicks (Vikings), Jordan Phillips (Bills) and Malcolm Butler (Patriots) — left Arizona, and defensive tackle Corey Peters and cornerback Robert Alford remain free agents.
Top Needs: CB, Edge, WR, RB
Los Angeles Rams
Additions: The Super Bowl champs got a three-year, $129 million extension done with Matthew Stafford, and signed receiver Allen Robinson to a three-year deal worth $46.5 million to enhance his receiver unit. The Rams also added Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Departures: Elite pass rusher Von Miller signed with Buffalo. Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth retired, offensive guard Austin Corbett and punter Johnny Hekker signed with the Panthers, and receiver Robert Woods got traded to the Titans for a 2023 sixth-round pick. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and tailback Sony Michel remain free agents.
Top Needs: OT, S, Edge, CB
San Francisco 49ers
Additions: The 49ers signed Charvarius Ward, who started 43 games for the Chiefs the past four seasons, seemingly moving on from Josh Norman and Jason Verrett, who remain free agents. And San Francisco added safety George Odum and receiver and return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud.
Departures: Offensive guard Laken Tomlinson joined the Jets and offensive tackle Tom Compton signed with the Broncos. Tailback Raheem Mostert and receiver Trent Sherfield signed with the Dolphins, and receiver Richie James Jr. signed with the Giants. On defense D.J. Jones (Broncos), Arden Key (Jaguars) and Kentavius Street (Saints) all left as free agents.
Top Needs: OG, WR, CB, LB
Seattle Seahawks
Additions: The Seahawks acquired quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive tackle Shelby Harris from the Broncos in the trade that sent Denver quarterback Russell Wilson. Seattle also signed defensive linemen Quinton Jefferson, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and cornerback Artie Burns, and re-signed tailback Rashaad Penny, tight end Will Dissly and offensive lineman Kyle Fuller.
Departures: Replacing Wilson, a Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowler, won’t be easy. And neither will replacing linebacker Bobby Wagner, who joined the Rams after being waived. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap remains a free agent. Tight end Gerald Everett joined the Chargers and offensive tackles Duane Brown and Brandon Shell are still free agents.
Top Needs: OT, QB, Edge, CB
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/nfc-offseason-moves-summary-2022-nfl-draft-primer-2/ | 2022-04-12T06:18:58 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/nfc-offseason-moves-summary-2022-nfl-draft-primer-2/ |
WASHINGTON — With ever-rising costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing consumers and threatening the economy, inflation in the United States likely set yet another four-decade high in March.
The government's consumer price index being released Tuesday is expected to show that prices shot up 8.4% from 12 months earlier, according to economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet. That would mark the fastest year-over-year inflation since December 1981. And it would surpass the 7.9% 12-month increase in February, which itself set a 40-year high.
Economists have also forecast that from February to March, consumer prices jumped 1.1%. That would be the sharpest month-to-month jump since 2005.
The March numbers will be the first the capture the full surge in gasoline prices that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow's brutal attacks have triggered far-reaching Western sanctions against the Russian economy and have disrupted global food and energy markets. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gasoline — $4.11 — is up 44% from a year ago, though it has fallen back in the past couple of weeks.
The escalation of energy prices has led to higher transportation costs for the shipment of goods and components across the economy, which, in turn, has contributed to higher prices for consumers.
“The war in Ukraine has complicated the inflation outlook,’’ noted Luke Tilley, chief economist at Wilmington Trust.
Economists point out that since the economy emerged from the depths of the pandemic, consumers have been gradually broadening their spending beyond goods to include more services. A result is that high inflation, which at first had reflected mainly a shortage of goods — from cars and furniture to electronics and sports equipment — has been gradually emerging in services, too, like travel, health care and entertainment.
If the March price figures come in as expected, they will solidify expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates aggressively in the coming months to try to slow borrowing and spending and tame high inflation. The financial markets, in fact, now foresee much steeper rate hikes this year than Fed officials had signaled as recently as last month.
The central bank’s rate increases will make loans sharply more expensive for consumers and businesses. Mortgage rates, in particular, though not directly influenced by the Fed, have rocketed higher in recent weeks, making home buying more expensive. Many economists say they worry that the Fed has waited too long to begin raising rates and might end up acting so aggressively as to trigger a recession.
For now, the economy as a whole remains solid, with unemployment near 50-year lows and job openings near record highs. Still, rocketing inflation, with its impact on Americans' daily lives, is posing a political threat to President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies as they seek to keep control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Economists generally express doubt that even the sharp rate hikes that are expected from the Fed will manage to reduce inflation anywhere near the central bank's 2% annual target by the end of this year. Tilley, Wilmington Trust economist, said he expects year-over-year consumer inflation to still be 4.5% by the end of 2020. Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he had forecast a much lower 3% rate.
In Tuesday’s government report, even excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation for the past 12 months is expected to have hit 6.6%, according to the FactSet survey. That would be the biggest such year-over-year jump since August 1982.
Inflation, which had been largely under control for four decades, began to accelerate last spring as the U.S. and global economies rebounded with unexpected speed and strength from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession that began in the spring of 2020.
The recovery, fueled by huge infusions of government spending and super-low interest rates, caught businesses by surprise, forcing them to scramble to meet surging customer demand. Factories, ports and freight yards struggled to keep up, leading to chronic shipping delays and price spikes.
Critics also blame, in part, the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion March 2021 stimulus program, which included $1,400 relief checks for most households, for helping overheat an already sizzling economy.
Many Americans have been receiving pay increases, but the pace of inflation has more than wiped out those gains for most people. In February, after accounting for inflation, average hourly wages fell 2.5% from a year earlier. It was the 11th straight monthly drop in inflation-adjusted wages. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/march-inflation-report/507-54c1c371-57b5-41c7-9fb4-74ab44c98a38 | 2022-04-12T06:20:11 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/march-inflation-report/507-54c1c371-57b5-41c7-9fb4-74ab44c98a38 |
KYIV, Ukraine — Corpses are now “carpeted through the streets” of Mariupol after Russian troops killed more than 10,000 civilians over the past six weeks in their unsuccessful fight to capture the strategic southern port, the mayor said, while Western powers warned a convoy was on the move for a suspected Russian assault in Ukraine's east.
Mariupol has been the site of some of the heaviest attacks and civilian suffering in the 6-week-old war, but the land, sea and air assaults by Russian forces fighting to capture it have increasingly limited information on circumstances inside the city.
Speaking by phone Monday with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of having blocked weeks of attempted humanitarian convoys into the city in part to conceal the carnage. Boychenko said the death toll in Mariupol alone could surpass 20,000.
Boychenko also gave new details of allegations by Ukrainian officials that Russian forces have brought mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the corpses of victims of the siege.
Russian forces have taken many bodies to a huge shopping center where there are storage facilities and refrigerators, Boychenko said.
“Mobile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks: You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned,” he said.
Boychenko spoke from a location in Ukrainian-controlled territory but outside Mariupol. The mayor said he had several sources for his description of the alleged methodical burning of bodies by Russian forces in the city, but did not further detail the sources of his information.
The discovery of large numbers of apparently executed civilians after Russian forces retreated from cities and towns around the capital, Kyiv, already has prompted widespread condemnation and assertions that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
U.S. officials also point to further signs Russia's military is gearing up for a major offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, switching its focus after Russian forces failed in their initial drive to capture Kyiv.
Donbas has been torn by fighting between Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and Russia has recognized the separatists' claims of independence. Military strategists say Russian leaders appear to hope local support, logistics and terrain in Donbas favor Russia's larger and better-armed military, potentially allowing Russian troops to gain more territory and weaken Ukraine's fighting forces.
Russia has appointed a seasoned general to lead its renewed push in the eastern Donbas region.
A senior U.S. defense official on Monday described a long Russian convoy now rolling toward the eastern city of Izyum with artillery, aviation and infantry support, as part of redeployment for what appears to be the looming Russian campaign.
More artillery is being deployed near the city of Donetsk, while ground combat units that withdrew from around the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas appear destined for refitting and resupplying before they position in Donbas, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. military assessments.
With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities — a strategy that has flattened many urban areas and killed thousands of people.
The U.N. children’s agency said nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion began. The United Nations has verified 142 children have been killed and 229 injured, though the actual numbers are likely much higher.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of committing atrocities, including a massacre in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, airstrikes on hospitals and a missile attack that killed at least 57 people last week at a train station.
In Bucha, the work of exhuming bodies from a mass grave in a churchyard resumed.
Galyna Feoktistova waited for hours in the cold and rain in hopes of identifying her 50-year-old son, who was shot and killed more than a month ago, but eventually she went home for some warmth. “He's still there,” her surviving son, Andriy, said.
In Mariupol, about 120,000 civilians are in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said.
Only those residents who have passed the Russian “filtration camps” are released from the city, Boychenko said.
Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are confiscating passports from Ukrainian citizens, then moving them to “filtration camps” in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled east before sending them to distant, economically depressed areas in Russia.
Boychenko said Monday that those who did not pass the “filtering" have been moved to improvised prisons. He said 33,000 people or more have been taken to Russia or separatist territory in Ukraine.
Russian has denied moving people against their will.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Ukrainians that Russia might use chemical weapons in Mariupol. “We take this as seriously as possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday.
Western leaders warned even before Russian troops moved into Ukraine that Russia could resort to unconventional weapons there, particularly chemical agents.
A Russia-allied separatist official, Eduard Basurin, appeared to urge their use Monday, telling Russian state TV that Russian-backed forces should seize a giant metals plant in Mariupol from Ukrainian forces by first blocking all the exits out of the factory. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” he said.
A Ukrainian regiment, without evidence, also claimed Monday that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance in Mariupol. It indicated there were no serious injuries.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the U.S. could not confirm the drone report out of Mariupol. But Kirby noted the administration’s persistent concerns “about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine.”
Russian forces will likely try to encircle the Donbas region from the north and the south as well as the east, said retired British Gen. Richard Barrons, co-chair of the U.K.-based strategic consulting firm Universal Defence & Security Solutions.
The ground in that part of Ukraine is flatter, more open and less wooded — so the Ukrainian ambush tactics used around Kiev may be less successful, Barrons said.
“As to the outcome, it’s finely balanced right now,” Barrons said. If the Russians learned from their previous failures, concentrated more force, connected their air force to ground forces better and improved their logistics, he said, “then they might start to overwhelm the Ukrainian positions eventually, although I still think it would be a battle of enormous attrition.”
Questions remain about the ability of depleted and demoralized Russian forces to conquer much ground, after determined Ukrainian defenders repelled their advance on Kyiv.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Monday that Ukraine has already beaten back several assaults by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — they make up the Donbas — resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery.
Western military analysts say Russia’s assault increasingly is focusing on an arc of territory stretching from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in the north, to Kherson in the south.
A residential area in Kharkiv was struck by incoming fire on Monday afternoon. Associated Press journalists saw firefighters putting out the fire and checking for victims following the attack, and saw that at least five people had been killed, including a child.
___
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/russia-ukraine-war-tuesday/507-850004c3-d872-4059-860e-9b201d50dd3d | 2022-04-12T06:20:18 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/russia-ukraine-war-tuesday/507-850004c3-d872-4059-860e-9b201d50dd3d |
The Honor Network honors fallen fire chief
Elwood Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Darren Krull, honored
ELWOOD, Neb. (KNOP) - The family, friends, and community of fallen Fire Chief Darren Krull of Elwood gathered Monday in Krull’s honor. At the Elwood Civic Center in Elwood, at a 10 a.m. ceremony, the community stood in silence as local law enforcement and The Honor Network founder and president Chris Heisler shared the very special story behind the U.S. Honor Flag, before presenting it for Chief Krull’s family to see.
The U.S. Honor Flag has been at ground zero to honor the victims of 9/11. It has been to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. It has traveled millions of miles, including several trips around Earth in 2011 aboard the Spaceshuttle Atlantis. And now, it has been to Elwood, Nebraska. While it has been hand-delivered to thousands of funerals and memorial services, it has only done so for very special occasions, and only for American Heroes in Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, and the U.S. Armed Forces.
And while the reason for its visit is devastating, it is important, says Heisler, and even necessary, to honor the service and sacrifice of these men and women who rush fearlessly into the face of danger.
Fire Chief Darren Krull spent years rushing toward danger to keep others safe. His time as a firefighter numbered over 37 years. Most recently, he was a firefighter in Gosper County for the Elwood Volunteer Fire Department. Chief Krull’s aunt said she is grateful to The Honor Network for bringing the U.S. Honor Flag to honor her nephew.
Deb Wells said a man came through the receiving line Monday at the ceremony. She said he told her that Chief Krull had saved his life. The man told her he knew he had to come so he could tell the family just what Chief Krull had meant to him. Deb Wells said the ceremony was very special.
Two of Chief Krull’s uncles traveled to Elwood to witness the ceremony and attend their nephew’s funeral, scheduled for Wednesday. They say they are “very proud of Darren.” Bob Wells of Arizona is grateful for everyone remembering his nephew in such a special way. Chuck Wells of Omaha hopes others will recognize those who “run toward trouble” to help others.
Chuck Wells shared a memory of Chief Krull as a child.
Heisler said it is an incredible opportunity to honor Chief Krull. This man served as a firefighter for 37 years, serving his community in a selfless way for years, and then going to Elwood with that same selfless service without any hesitation.
During the ceremony, Gosper County law enforcement removed the flag from its case. They took turns gently holding it above their hearts. The officers showed it to those present, turned the flag, saluted the flag, and replaced the flag upright on its case for all to see. Special gloves are worn each time it is handled as part of the ceremony, and to keep oils off the flag. The gloves are only worn once. After the presentation, the gloves are often given to the family as a keepsake memento of the honorable occasion. Chief Krull’s wife was given two sets of gloves.
Funeral services for Fire Chief Darren Krull are being planned for Wednesday, April 13 at 10:30 a.m., at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elwood.
Copyright 2022 KNOP. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/honor-network-honors-fallen-fire-chief/ | 2022-04-12T06:24:46 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/honor-network-honors-fallen-fire-chief/ |
Shooting challenges downtown Sacramento’s rebuilding efforts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The mass shooting that police say was a gun battle between rival gangs that left six dead and 12 wounded earlier this month shook the downtown core of California’s capital — and created another challenge for a city trying to redefine itself as a destination for more than just government workers.
In recent years, downtown Sacramento has benefited from billions of dollars of development but has been rattled by rising crime, protests resulting in property damage and an economic drubbing caused by the pandemic. Now, the city is reeling from the aftermath of the April 3 shooting, when at least five gunmen fired 100 shots as people left bars and nightclubs.
The violence just blocks from the Capitol highlights the successes and challenges many U.S. urban centers are facing as struggles with crime and homelessness persist despite revitalization efforts.
Though Sacramento is home to more than 500,000 people, it’s considered sleepy by California standards. The derisive nickname “Cowtown” grew out of its agricultural roots.
Today, downtown is at the center of the city’s efforts to become an entertainment and food destination. Local officials have worked to rebrand the city as “America’s Farm to Fork Capital,” a nod to a large number of well-regarded restaurants that get ingredients from the region’s many farms.
A major part of the revitalization is a six-block strip of K Street anchored by a renovated convention center and the Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and a regular stop for major concert tours. The shooting happened on a block that’s home to high-end nightclubs but also dotted by vacant buildings that once housed coffee shops and restaurants.
Police have made two arrests connected to the shootings, but no one has been charged with homicide. The violence “came at a really pivotal moment for downtown,” said Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area.
“It’s causing me to sort of reflect on where we go from here — and as a city, not just as downtown,” she said.
A century ago, K Street was a bustling, diverse center of activity. But the strip struggled as people moved into the suburbs — giving way to decades of failed revival efforts, including the construction of a mall in the late 1960s and the launch of a light rail commuter line in the 1980s.
A fresh wave of investment came to the area about a decade ago, with new businesses opening on K Street as part of an effort to revive downtown after the financial crisis. The Golden 1 Center’s 2016 opening sought to build on that, helping generate $6.7 billion in nearby investment and spurring the opening of 150 new businesses, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership business group.
Then the pandemic hit, sending many of downtown’s 100,000 workers home and forcing some businesses closed. Now about 45,000 people work downtown daily, according to the partnership.
As employment fell, crime rose. Aggravated assaults, burglaries and vandalism were up in 2020 and 2021 compared to the five previous years for a roughly 100-square block area that includes the Capitol and the arena, according to Sacramento police crime data.
The city’s central hub has also served as the epicenter for protests focusing on racial justice and police misconduct. Protesters in 2018 shut down a downtown freeway entrance and blocked fans from entering the arena after Sacramento police shot and killed a young Black man. Then demonstrations in 2020 over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis swept the city. Many downtown properties were vandalized and some were ransacked.
“We’ve had a lot of different realities kind of hit downtown in different waves,” said Dion Dwyer, director of public space services for business partnership.
Now Sacramento is among the ranks of cities recovering from recent mass shootings. Since 2017, there have been 133 mass shootings in the U.S., according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Dayton, Ohio, in 2019 was shaken when a gunman killed nine people and wounded 17 just after midnight at a bar in the main entertainment district for the city of 140,000. Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said officials mounted an “intentional strategy to reclaim the district” after the shooting.
Within three weeks of the violence, there was a free performance by Dave Chappelle, who lives outside the city. The community rallied to support local businesses, but it took time for people to feel comfortable returning to nightlife. The pandemic hit just as that activity was rebounding, Gudorf said.
“In people’s minds and hearts they knew that this did not define who we are. It was an incident, it was a tragic incident where we lost lives and people were inured,” she said. “I think it just took time to process all of that.”
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg repeatedly said people should continue to feel comfortable going downtown.
“It’s not one or the other” when it comes to enjoying the city’s entertainment offerings and feeling safe,” he said last week.
Rachel Muro, a manager at the locally owned Capital Books several storefronts away from the shooting, said downtown has problems like any city but that people should not avoid it. The bookstore’s owners recently opened a board game cafe just around the corner.
“We believe in this part of town enough to continue to help make it thrive,” Muro said.
Elsewhere on the block, the area’s troubles are obvious, with many office and restaurant spaces vacant. Homelessness downtown and elsewhere in Sacramento has been a vexing problem.
Last week the City Council voted to place a measure on the November ballot requiring the city build to more shelter beds and ban encampments on public land. Valenzuela, the councilwoman, opposed the plan and said it was inappropriate to debate that proposal so soon after the tragedy.
Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, said homeless people live downtown because the area has street lighting and lots of activity and plenty of alcoves near businesses where they can shelter.
“People are here because there are coves for protection,” Sanchez said.
At a brewery a few blocks from the shooting site, co-workers enjoying a drink reflected on whether the shooting changed their view of the city.
Braden Kolb, who was at a downtown bar for a friend’s 30th birthday the night before the shooting, said he patronizes downtown about once a month and that the shooting “is not going to change my behavior.”
But his friend Jason Slieter said the incident made him wonder if Sacramento is the right place to raise his family, saying he felt a sense of heaviness downtown when coming to work after the six people were killed.
“It definitely felt like something had changed,” he said.
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Associated Press journalists Adam Beam in Sacramento and Camille Fassett in Oakland contributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ | 2022-04-12T06:24:53 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ |
Disney Family Member Comes Out Publicly as Transgender, Family Pledges Support to Human Rights Campaign
Charlee Corra — a member of the Disney family and a great-grandchild of the co-founder of Walt Disney Co. — publicly came out as transgender, and their family pledged support to the Human Rights Campaign.
Corra, the 30-year-old son of Roy P. and Sheri Disney, appeared at last month's Human Rights Campaign Dinner, according to Variety. At the time they pledged to match donations upwards of $250,000 to the organization.
"As members of the Disney family, standing up for equality has always been what we do," they said at the event.
The Disney family later decided to raise the size of their donation to $500,000, according to the Los Angeles Times.
They stressed their dedication to the LGBTQ+ community, and Roy spoke about their personal connection in a statement. "Equality matters deeply to us," he said. "Especially because our child, Charlee, is transgender and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community."
The LA Times noted that Corra came out as trans to the family four years ago. The HRC dinner was something of a public coming out.
Corra teaches biology and environmental science in high school. They spoke candidly about the passing of Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law and their own limited experiences with advocacy in an interview with the LA Times.
“I feel like I don’t do very much to help,” Corra explained. “I don’t call senators or take action. I felt like I could be doing more.”
Corra added that it was hard growing up without many LGBTQ+ role modes. "I didn’t see myself reflected in anyone, and that made me feel like there was something wrong with me.”
They commented on Florida's recently passed law, which the Disney family and corporation have both come out against. Corra spoke about how it might negatively effect young members of the LGBTQ+ community living in Florida.
“[T]o put something like this law on top of that [feelings of depression and increased rates of bullying and suicide]? They can’t learn about their community and their history at school, or play sports or use the bathroom they want to use?”
Sheri told the publication that Corra identified as "a boy on the inside" from a very young age.
The Daily Mail noted that Roy's sister, Abagail Disney, voiced support for the family's donation. Abagail gushed that she was "so proud so proud so proud" of her brother and sister-in-law on Twitter.
Walt Disney Co. also pledged to donate $5 million to the HRC, according to the LA Times. However, the organization stated that it would not accept the donation unless the company publicly voiced support for the LGBTQ+ community in meaningful ways. | https://nj1015.com/disney-relative-comes-out-as-transgender-family-pledges-support-to-human-rights-campaign/ | 2022-04-12T06:25:40 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/disney-relative-comes-out-as-transgender-family-pledges-support-to-human-rights-campaign/ |
Man does all-beer diet after giving up food for Lent
A Cincinnati, Ohio man is getting much attention after giving up food for Lent, opting for an all-liquid diet that consists of only beer.
For the fourth year in a row, Del Hall has made the all-beer diet his Lent ritual. He's even claimed the 46-day fast makes him feel healthier and allows him an opportunity to raise money for charity.
"It's a way to get back into a healthy mindset, to look at food in a healthy way," Hall told WCPO. "I decided I'm going to turn this into a beer diet to show people that you can use beer in a healthy way and not vilify it as this evil alcohol."
The observance of Lent will end on Easter Sunday (April 17). Hall says he has lost 25 pounds on his liquid diet and insists he's feeling great in the process.
While an all-beer diet sounds like something that only college freshman would attempt, Hall said he strides into the Lent season with pride, after initially consulting his doctor.
"She said, 'You're an idiot if you do this,' but she knows how strong-willed I am," Hall said. "Once she knew I was determined to see this through, she recommended I take multi-vitamins, stay hydrated, and she told me not to do anything stupid."
Hall confirmed that he drinks water to stay hydrated, but all his calories come from beer.
Drinking only beer sounds like it would be a challenge for the palate. However, according to WCPO, Hall's passion for craft beer keeps things interesting.
"We're in for the artistry, the love, and passion of beer, (I'm) not into it just to get drunk," Hall explained, sharing how there are countless varieties of beer, so he isn't stuck drinking the same beer every single day.
"Sweet? I'll drink a milk stout or pastry stout," he said.
"If I want something fruity, I'll drink one with raspberries in it. There's so many things that can fill your cravings when you're hungry."
WPOC reports that Dr. Steve Feagins, Chief Clinical Officer of Mercy Health Cincinnati, does not recommend an all-beer diet.
"There are famously liquid diets of all types. You don't see any books about the beer diet. It's not sustainable," Feagins said. "Thankfully, this is a Lent thing. Not a forever thing. Certainly not going to become a best seller book."
Feagins also warned people who are tempted to attempt the diet for themselves of the dangers of alcohol-use disorder.
"14 drinks a week for men, and seven drinks a week for women, is the difference between moderate drinking and too much," Feagins explained.
This year, Hall is using his liquid diet to give back to the Ken Anderson Alliance, a nonprofit organization that helps adults with disabilities find work and other opportunities.
"I have a 15-year-old daughter who has cerebral palsy," Hall told WPOC. "Even though she's a juvenile now, she'll be an adult with a disability. The Ken Anderson Alliance is an amazing foundation that supports adults with disabilities. I feel like someday my daughter will want to use these services that Ken Anderson provides."
Hall aims to raise $25,000 and is planning a unique bar crawl backed by local breweries on April 24. | https://nj1015.com/man-does-all-beer-diet-after-giving-up-food-for-lent/ | 2022-04-12T06:25:46 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/man-does-all-beer-diet-after-giving-up-food-for-lent/ |
Man Accidentally Submits STD Results Instead of Cover Letter for ‘Dream Job’
Epic fail! A man was mortified after he realized while applying for his "dream job" he made a giant error.
Jacques Paul took to TikTok explaining he accidentally uploaded a copy of his STD test results instead of a cover letter.
The 27-year-old had spent hours completing the online application, quickly realizing he had sent over his STD results to the prospective employer.
After a slight panic, Jacques realized he couldn't retract his application without having to explain to the recruiter the mishap.
"That time I was applying for my DREAM job at my DREAM company but accidentally submitted a pdf of my STD results as my cover letter," he captioned the post via TikTok.
Watch the clip here:
Jacques explained he quickly got a rejection letter from the company.
Luckily, he found another job and wanted to share his story as a way of 'destigmatizing mistakes," as well as addressing the stigma around sexual health.
"It was horrible at the time, but it's a funny story now. I was applying for this job while listening to music, checking the news, I was looking at covid rates, and doing something else on the side — I was multitasking," he explained in a separate TikTok, adding: "I'd just got my PDF [of my STD test results] downloaded, and I was all negative thankfully. But then I accidentally attached it to the job application and sent it in."
"You get an email confirmation of your application and it said to log in to see the status, which I did. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Then I saw the PDF of the STD results and freaked out," he continued. "I freaked out and just waited hoping there was a very nice, sensible human on the other side seeing it and knowing it was an honest mistake and they'd reach out for the actual cover letter. But that obviously did not happen. Within 72 hours I got a standard message saying they weren't proceeding with the application. I figured I could follow up and ask for feedback, but I think I knew what it was."
The now-viral video has clocked over 1.3 million views, with many users commenting on the embarrassing mishap.
"I mean if anything it shows responsibility," one person wrote, while another commented: "HAHAHAHAHA I would simply need to move to another country."
"Hopefully your resume doesn’t say 'detail oriented,'" a third said, while a fourth scoffed: "The real crime is asking people for a cover letter!" | https://nj1015.com/oops-he-submitted-std-results-instead-of-cover-letter-for-dream-job/ | 2022-04-12T06:25:52 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/oops-he-submitted-std-results-instead-of-cover-letter-for-dream-job/ |
Dear Amy: My stepdaughter, “Serena,” and her husband, “Ned,” have two small children, ages 2 and 4. They also both have demanding, stressful jobs.
During the pandemic, in order to help out, I offered to cook dinner four nights a week for her family.
Serena very much appreciates my help and almost always enjoys what I cook—soup, chili, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, stews, chicken enchiladas, and the like. All dishes that transport easily.
The problem is that Ned does not like onions. I put onions in almost every entrée I prepare!
His mother apparently catered to this aversion and never used onions in her cooking. Of course, I could leave out the onions in the portions I give her family, but Sarah wouldn’t find the dishes so palatable.
In addition, their two children might develop the same aversion, so omitting onions would only perpetuate the problem.
Also, to me, leaving out onions deprives this family of the opportunity to try new tastes.
Do you have any words of wisdom?
– Bay Area Stepmom Cook
Dear Cook: My basic reaction is – if this is you “helping out,” then I wonder what service you would perform if you were deliberately trying to disrespect someone.
I think it’s unkind to deliberately provide someone a food containing an ingredient that you know they have an adverse reaction to (or simply don’t eat), with no option on their part to remove the ingredient.
Onions can make some people ill. They tend to add a strong flavor to foods, and so if you merely hate the taste of onions, it’s not like you can just eat around them.
It would be kindest to leave them out of your cooked foods – or include two versions of these dishes. Every time your son-in-law witnessed this thoughtfulness, he would think: “She remembered me!”
Is this “catering” to someone? Yes! If your stepdaughter had a similar aversion, wouldn’t you cater to it?
You don’t want someone’s aversion to control your cooking, but another way to look at it is – if you did recognize this man’s challenge and did your best to work around it – you’d be demonstrating to this family that you are performing an act of service as a way to convey your love and respect for each of them, not just for the onion-eaters.
You should not be in charge of (or worrying about) the palettes of these young children. That’s their parents’ job.
Dear Amy: I’ve had a girlfriend of 13 years, but I am wondering if I should break up with her.
We are both in our late-30s and have lived together for about two years (the rest of the time we lived on different continents).
Because of some cultural differences, we can’t get married or disclose our relationship to our friends and family.
I am wondering about this because I have recently met someone from my own culture (she likes me, and we would be able to get married and live openly).
One problem is that this person is about 11 years younger than me.
I feel ashamed of my feelings for this new girl (I haven’t cheated on my girlfriend, but I have hidden my relationship with this new person).
I keep thinking about my girlfriend. I think that I should break up to make it easier for my girlfriend to find someone else, but I also think that I am creating issues for no reason.
I’d really appreciate your advice.
– Torn
Dear Torn: I’m trying to imagine the circumstances that would require you essentially living a completely secret life. I assume that maintaining this secret requires that you and your girlfriend consistently lie to your family, friends, and colleagues.
I assume your love for each other is very strong, but – because of your current misgivings – you should have a frank and honest conversation about the reality of your situation, and whether this is the best way for you both to live.
I cannot tell you to break up. It is obviously time for you to consider all the consequences of staying together, especially if you want to have children.
Dear Amy: Regarding the recent conversation in your column about Barbies.
I have loved Barbies since I was a kid. I would invent stories, with lots of pretend play.
When my own daughter was little, I hesitated. But she wanted one so bad!
Her first Barbie was a Dr. Barbie.
Guess who’s starting medical school in August 2022?
– Proud Mom
Dear Proud: I love it!
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©2021 Amy Dickinson. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/advice/ct-aud-ask-amy-0412-20220412-gmvtjz7hfrdrdkwd6a7ykfq46a-story.html | 2022-04-12T06:35:22 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/advice/ct-aud-ask-amy-0412-20220412-gmvtjz7hfrdrdkwd6a7ykfq46a-story.html |
General Daily Insight for April 12, 2022
Creativity and spirituality are everywhere today! The sensitive Moon moves into detailed Virgo, analyzing our feelings with greater clarity. Jupiter and Neptune, creative powerhouses, conjoin in their home sign of Pisces at 10:42 am EDT and put us in touch with our souls through art, spirituality, and love. The Moon trines productive Mercury, giving us good ideas and concrete ways to express them, while the independent Sun in Aries sextiles focused Saturn to encourage our individuality. Let's put judgment away and express ourselves!
Aries
March 21-April 19
The path to healing doesn't have to be linear at this time. Allow yourself to set down any logic-based thought process that you've been using to soothe yourself. Instead, take a more creative approach. Listening to music that speaks to your soul and articulates emotions that you don't know how to put into words can help you to grow without you even really understanding how. Meditation and prayer could also be a beneficial way to tap into your inner self and get ready to heal.
Taurus
April 20-May 20
Luck is on your side today. Openings are appearing where there were once blockages, and your attempts to create a positive experience for others in the past can directly benefit you now. They could remember how you treated them compassionately when they needed it and be ready to return the favor. Let your good luck, which may be facilitated by a friend or two, cover any worries that you're still holding onto from the past. It's OK to be on the receiving end of kindness!
Gemini
May 21-June 20
You can consciously improve with less resistance today. An improved version of yourself could fill your thoughts, but you may be afraid to embrace that new outlook and bring it to the outside -- especially if it doesn't fit every category that others use to define you. At the end of the day, the person who has to live with your choices is you, and you know who you really want to be! Feel free to be true to yourself before anything else.
Cancer
June 21-July 22
Your attempts to make improvements could be noticed at any moment. You may not have realized the impact that your little acts of kindness have had, such as any small ways in which you've tried to be a better friend or coworker. However, your attempts have likely impressed others -- you may receive respect, praise, or even an easier workload due to your efforts. The actions you take are not in a vacuum, and small steps can snowball into big changes. Job well done!
Leo
July 23-August 22
The next step on your journey is now ready for you! Something that you've been working on, possibly for quite a long time, is finally about to come to fruition. You may feel tempted to take this moment in stride and quickly try to jump to the steps following it, but you're meant to take your time and savor this part of the process before you try to move on. Milestones like this deserve to be appreciated and celebrated appropriately.
Virgo
August 23-September 22
Your cooperation may be about to pay off. Someone that you've helped could be in a position to help you out in a major way. It'll be much easier to pick up any slack together. Joint efforts are more likely to be successful right now. The more willing you are to work with others as a team, the better your results will be! Even though you've got the skills to do it alone, a helping hand can make things move so much more smoothly.
Libra
September 23-October 22
Your workload could feel like a breeze today, leaving you much more time to do some fun stuff. If that's not happening, your tasks should at least be more enjoyable than they usually are. It could feel like there's a catch and you're going to get hit with harsh reality at any moment, but don't worry! You've got permission from the universe to rest and recharge before you try to catch up on anything that got left by the wayside when you were busy.
Scorpio
October 23-November 21
This could be a beneficial and downright magical day for you! Life runs more smoothly when you know the right thing to say -- and your quick and creative mind will help you charm everyone around you with ease. You may notice that the people you encounter seem kinder than normal strangers, and that you're supported by many people that you never expected would be a source of help. Jupiter and Neptune's conjunction makes everything possible, so stay open to all the wonderful possibilities.
Sagittarius
November 22-December 21
Your roots can reinvigorate your heart and soul at this time. Lately, you may have been trying to make it on your own or far from the people who love you, and today could mark a return to the people who supported you when no one else was there for you. This doesn't have to be family -- it could be a nurturing mentor or a consistent friend from your school days. Either way, meeting up with them will likely be wonderfully refreshing.
Capricorn
December 22-January 19
Freedom awaits you now! An opportunity to shake off the dust and take a day to have fun could be about to appear. It might be a little outside your comfort zone or require some traveling in order to reach it, the emotional release it may bring should be more than worth it. Even if the grind never stops, human beings need to have fun and break up the monotony. You can only work so much -- give yourself an opportunity to let loose!
Aquarius
January 20-February 18
Something shifting internally can invite a greater sense of security today. Feelings of uncertainty or imposter syndrome may cloud your view, but when the fog clears, you could be left with a better picture of yourself and what you have to be grateful for. This could be someone's outside perspective boosting your sense of self, or your actions proving something to yourself by completing a goal. This security can ease any anxiety about the future and remind you that you're right where you're supposed to be.
Pisces
February 19-March 20
Your Pisces powers are at their peak! The co-rulers of your sign, generous Jupiter and psychic Neptune, are conjoining in your 1st House of the Self to heighten your creativity, intuition, and compassion toward your fellow person. You can project a more clear image of yourself to others now, so this could also be an excellent time to market yourself to a potential employer or school that you're interested in impressing. The sky is the limit, so don't hold yourself back! | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/horoscopes/sns-daily-horoscopes-04122022-20220412-v4rb5x6lbrg5pmekosta62ij7m-story.html | 2022-04-12T06:35:28 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/horoscopes/sns-daily-horoscopes-04122022-20220412-v4rb5x6lbrg5pmekosta62ij7m-story.html |
Students at Talladega’s Salter Elementary School recently had a chance to see some aspects of police work up close.
Talladega Police Officer Corey Phillips recently visited students at the school and showed the children his patrol car, and let them talk to dispatch on the radio. The students asked questions and chatted with Phillips, who serves as the school resource officer (SRO) for the city system.
City Manager Seddrick Hill stressed the importance of Phillips’ role.
“The Talladega Police Department’s partnership with city schools is among our chief priorities. Our SRO helps foster this partnership while providing informal mentorship for youth; building mutual respect between police officers and community members and instilling in citizens a sense of trust and pride in our police department,” Hill said.
“While relationship building between our officers and our city schools is nothing new, it is a priority that we will continue to expand upon for the overall safety of our youth,” he added. “I am sure the new chief (Diane Thomas of Prattville, who starts later this month) will bring forth many additional opportunities to further strengthen this relationship.” | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/talladega-police-priortize-relationship-with-elementary-students/article_1f4d5d48-ba22-11ec-94d3-bfb5e7a7e48b.html | 2022-04-12T06:49:14 | 0 | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/talladega-police-priortize-relationship-with-elementary-students/article_1f4d5d48-ba22-11ec-94d3-bfb5e7a7e48b.html |
SCOOBA • Cade Davis’ 11-inning, complete-game victory helped lift East Mississippi Community College to a home doubleheader split with Mississippi Gulf Coast during Saturday’s MACCC baseball action played at Gerald Poole Field. After letting an eight-run lead slip away en route to dropping a 15-9 decision in the opening game, the home-standing Lions rebounded to earn the split in extra-inning, walk-off fashion with a 3-2 nightcap win.
Bouncing back from scoring only two runs earlier in the week at Northeast Mississippi, EMCC exploded for eight runs with three homers in the opening inning of game one against Gulf Coast. Zack Griffith’s three-run home run – his second of the year – was followed by Coby Holmes’ solo shot and Ethan Medlin’s two-run blast – their respective fourth and fifth homers of the season.
After the teams traded solo scores in the third inning, the Lions continued to hold an eight-run lead in the scheduled nine-inning opening contest.
East Mississippi’s bats then cooled off considerably once MGCCC’s JC Stogner settled in after replacing starting pitcher Noah Nicholson in the first inning. While EMCC went to the bullpen three times after starter Kylan Stepter threw the first 3 2/3 innings, Stogner held the Lions in check for the last 8 2/3 innings of the contest by striking out 11 and not allowing a runner to reach third base over the final five frames.
With the exception of a scoreless sixth inning with EMCC reliever Grant Johnson on the mound, the Bulldogs scored in six of the last seven innings during their comeback journey. Following a four-run fourth and another run an inning later that cut the deficit to 9-6, the visitors posted three straight three-run innings to close out the come-from-behind victory. Jesse Johnson’s three-run homer off Gabe Garner in the seventh inning knotted the score at 9-9, while Alex McWhorter’s three-run blast in the ninth off Andrew Lewis provided the final winning margin for Gulf Coast.
Offensively for the Lions in the opener, Holmes led the way with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate. Medlin and Blayze Berry added two hits apiece, as eight of the nine EMCC starters had at least one hit.
After the teams totaled 25 hits between them in the opening contest, the scheduled seven-inning nightcap proved to be a pitchers’ duel between EMCC’s Davis and the combined mound effort of starter Matthew DeLano and Johnson for Gulf Coast.
The Bulldogs grabbed a 2-0 lead by plating an unearned run in the third inning on Cade Crosby’s RBI double and then manufacturing another score the following frame.
The Lions got on the board in the fifth inning on David Dickerson’s leadoff home run – his first of his career. EMCC then knotted the score two frames later when pinch runner Austin Garrison scored on a wild pitch after Dickerson led off the seventh with a walk.
The score stayed tied at 2-2 for the first three extra frames. After Davis stranded a potential go-ahead run at second base in the top of the 11th, the Lions opened the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back singles by Trey Trosclair and Griffith. Kade Shannon was then called on to bunt over the runners. His perfectly placed bunt to the left side of the infield was thrown away at first base allowing the winning run to score.
While the Lions evenly spread out their eight hits among eight different players, the unquestioned standout for EMCC in the second game was Davis. The sophomore right-hander from Ripley threw 148 total pitches during his 11-inning stint on the mound to improve to 3-1 on the year. Davis scattered eight hits, while striking out nine and walking five, to earn the complete-game victory.
Coach Brett Kimbrel’s EMCC Lions, 16-13 overall and 11-5 in MACCC play, are scheduled to continue their current baseball home stand by playing host to the Coahoma Tigers in a scheduled Tuesday (April 12) doubleheader on the Scooba campus. | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/cade-davis-11-inning-complete-game-win-gives-emcc-a-dh-split-with-gulf-coast/article_73fb1ca1-c59a-555a-a053-9c18757905ff.html | 2022-04-12T07:16:44 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/cade-davis-11-inning-complete-game-win-gives-emcc-a-dh-split-with-gulf-coast/article_73fb1ca1-c59a-555a-a053-9c18757905ff.html |
The Hickory Flat boys golf team secured its spot in the MHSAA Class I Golf State Tournament in Brookhaven by winning the Region 3 Tournament in Booneville on Monday with a team-low 338.
BOONEVILLE • Hickory Flat punched its ticket to the 2022 MHSAA Class I State Golf Tournament and took home a trophy to boot.
The Rebels scored a tournament-low 338 to claim the Class I-Region 3 Tournament championship on Monday afternoon at the Booneville Country Club.
Leading the way was Mississippi State signee Drew Wilson with a 3-under par 69 over the 18-hole event.
Alex Tatum’s 6-over 78 was good enough to land in third place individually behind Myrtle’s Parker Owens, who bested Tatum by two strokes.
Landen Wilkerson (82) and Will Coker (109) completed the Rebels’ total on the scorecard for a 10-stroke win over second place Myrtle.
Walnut failed to qualify for the state tournament as a team with a four-man total of 357. Brantley Porterfield will represent the Wildcats though as an individual with his 10-over 82 for a tie of fourth place at the event.
Falkner’s Darren Binkley led the Eagles by steering clear of triple digits with a score of 99 to complete his round.
The Class I state tournament is set for May 2-3 at the Brookhaven Country Club hosted by Loyd Star. | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/rebels-take-class-i-region-3-golf-title-advance-to-state-tournament/article_d1f6e5f9-4cf7-5f27-8152-173e8647569b.html | 2022-04-12T07:16:47 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/rebels-take-class-i-region-3-golf-title-advance-to-state-tournament/article_d1f6e5f9-4cf7-5f27-8152-173e8647569b.html |
Hickory Flat's Emma Wilson chips onto the green at the Par 4 11th at Kirkwood National Golf Club on Thursday. Wilson earned medalist honors with a 53 to lead the Lady Rebels to a team tournament win.
Ripley's Craig Bullock takes a swing near the cart path on Hole 10 at Kirkwood Nation Golf Club on Thursday. Bullock won medalist honors after a three-way tiebreaker at 2-over 38.
Hickory Flat's Emma Wilson chips onto the green at the Par 4 11th at Kirkwood National Golf Club on Thursday. Wilson earned medalist honors with a 53 to lead the Lady Rebels to a team tournament win.
Ripley's Craig Bullock takes a swing near the cart path on Hole 10 at Kirkwood Nation Golf Club on Thursday. Bullock won medalist honors after a three-way tiebreaker at 2-over 38.
HOLLY SPRINGS • Ripley golf continued its winning ways on the greens Thursday at Kirkwood National Golf Club in Holly Springs.
The Tigers shot a tournament-low 157 to best second place Hickory Flat (176) and third place Walnut (188) in the 9-hole event to win their fourth event in a row.
“We’re playing really good golf across the board right now,” said Ripley golf coach Chad Brown. “These boys are being consistent with their approach and it’s leading us to some big wins in the tournaments we’ve been at.”
Ripley’s Craig Bullock, Jake Moffitt and Hickory Flat’s Drew Wilson all tied at a 2-over par 38 atop the leaderboard. Bullock was named the medalist after the tiebreaker went to a playoff hole on the scorecard, with Hole 14 – the course’s second-highest handicap hole, and the top on the back-nine – being the deciding hole. Bullock birdied his look on the 476-yard Par 4 that lifted him to the win.
“It’s good to have good two guys on our team right there with a golfer of Wilson’s caliber,” Brown said. “I’m proud of Craig and Jake for playing well. And sometimes things come down to how you play on one hole, and Craig was able to pull it out today.”
Following Bullock and Moffitt was brothers Clay Adams (40) and Cole Adams (41) to round out the Tigers’ score. Those scores were good enough for fourth and fifth individually in the field.
For Hickory Flat, Landen Wilkerson shot a 42, Alex Tatum a 44, and Minor Hopper a 52 for its top scores.
Walnut’s Brantley Porterfield and Grant McCoy led the Wildcats with an 8-over 44 apiece on their scorecards. Drew Jackson tallied a 48 and Jack Pulse a 52.
On the girls side of the tournament, Hickory Flat pulled out a close victory with a combined 110 from medalist Emma Wilson (53) and Anna Reese Woods (57).
Myrtle landed in second with a score of 117, edging Walnut by one stroke as Amber Grace Mills (56) and Chloe Delashmit (62) fell just short of the Lady Hawks.
On Monday
Ripley returned to the course Monday, hosting rival New Albany and Booneville at Pine Hill Country Club in Ripley.
The Tigers took a comfortable 11-stroke win to move their streak to five straight tournament wins as they inch closer to the Division 1-4A Tournament at Shiloh Ridge Athletic Club in Corinth on April 20. | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/tigers-golf-continues-streak-lady-rebels-pick-up-tournament-win/article_f06661d8-51fa-504f-bb41-742d7df1f58b.html | 2022-04-12T07:16:49 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/tigers-golf-continues-streak-lady-rebels-pick-up-tournament-win/article_f06661d8-51fa-504f-bb41-742d7df1f58b.html |
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A.K. Willingham is blurring the line between real and virtual.
In 52 innings this season, the Saltillo pitcher is 5-0 with a 0.67 ERA. She’s allowed 19 hits, struck out 103 batters and walked … two.
She struck out 19 against DeSoto Central on March 10.
“It’s like a Nintendo game. I don’t think you can even do that on RBI Baseball,” Saltillo coach Lee Buse said.
The numbers for Willingham, a hard-throwing sophomore, would be even more ridiculous if not for the fact Saltillo has two other ace-level hurlers in Caitlyn Carnathan (3-0, 1.05 ERA) and Shelby Payne (6-0, 1.77). That rotation means Willingham typically pitches just once a week.
“The luxury is we do have other kids that are super-competitive and really good, so we can do that,” Buse said. “Those other two kids give her the ability to stay fresh.”
It’s the same rotation Saltillo had last season, when Willingham was 8-2 with a 2.39 ERA, 91 strikeouts and seven walks in 67 1/3 innings. The biggest reason for her continued improvement: a pursuit of perfection.
“I am a perfectionist, for sure, in everything,” Willingham said.
That’s reflected in the way she pitches. Willingham’s fastball can reach 60 mph, and she also has a curveball, a screwball, a changeup and a riseball. And she’s always working to get better.
“It’s so much attention to detail and wanting to be perfect,” Buse said. “We talk about that a lot, and there are some times that people have been perfect, so there’s no reason not to try to be perfect, and that’s the way she plays.”
Saltillo (16-2-1, 4-0 Division 1-5A), ranked No. 3 by the Daily Journal, has been able to complement its stellar pitching with a deep batting order. Carnathan is batting .375, while Payne and Willingham are both hitting .339. And then there’s freshman Chloe Skelton, who leads the team with a .440 average and 22 RBIs.
“We thought coming in on Day 1 she would immediately hit in the middle of the lineup, and she has. She’s given us some power from the left side, but she’s also hit for average,” Buse said.
With the playoffs approaching, Saltillo is eyeing a run to the state championship series. The main obstacle to that will be perennial powerhouse Neshoba Central, which has won eight-straight state titles and beat Saltillo in the North finals last season.
“I feel like this year, with the way we have a power arm and the way she’s throwing the ball, it’s by far our best shot to get over our hump with them,” Buse said. “Of course, everybody’s trying to get over that hump.” | https://www.djournal.com/sports/high-school/willingham-putting-up-nintendo-numbers-for-saltillo/article_8da630b5-1916-58df-b8e0-05886cf81b28.html | 2022-04-12T07:16:50 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/sports/high-school/willingham-putting-up-nintendo-numbers-for-saltillo/article_8da630b5-1916-58df-b8e0-05886cf81b28.html |
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Border agents in the El Paso Sector this week turned up four stash houses and apprehended 53 migrants held there by smugglers.
The Border Patrol’s Anti-Smuggling Unit got a tip from Las Cruces, New Mexico, that an apartment complex in El Paso was being used to conceal unauthorized migrants until the smugglers could move them deeper into the United States.
The agents on Wednesday located 15 migrants from Mexico and Honduras inside several apartments near Fred Wilson Avenue in Northeast El Paso, the Border Patrol said.
The Information the agents gathered in Las Cruces also led Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations nine migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua in apartments near the corner of Piedras Street and Texas Avenue in South-Central El Paso.
The Border Patrol found another 19 migrants in a motel in nearby Paisano Drive; another 10 were apprehended in a motel on Alameda Avenue, also in the same South-Central El Paso/Lower Valley area.
Some of the migrants were expelled to Mexico under the Title 42 public health rule and others were routed to the Border Patrol’s Central Processing Center.
“These events highlight the importance of partnerships between agencies within the Department of Homeland Security and exemplifies our commitment to disrupt human smuggling,” said El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “Our Border Patrol Stations work as a team and have seamless partnerships with other agencies in an effort to combat illegal human smuggling activity in our community.”
During the first six months of fiscal year 2022, Border Patrol agents in the El Paso Sector have discovered more than 93 stash houses, leading to the rescue of 893 migrants. Citizens can report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol while remaining anonymous by calling 1-800-635-2509. | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/4-stash-house-busts-yield-arrest-of-53-migrants-in-el-paso/ | 2022-04-12T07:25:26 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/4-stash-house-busts-yield-arrest-of-53-migrants-in-el-paso/ |
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – With $150 million in the bank, El Paso stands a good chance of having an expanded Veteran Affairs health care center by 2026, a top administration official said.
The goal of the expansion is to serve a growing veteran population in El Paso and increase mental health services, said Dennis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
“We believe El Paso is a groundbreaking new way for us to get construction done more quickly (and) we want to hold ourselves to those timelines,” McDonough said. “We’re anticipating beginning in April 2023 and then we anticipate finishing in 2026 with the new facility. That’s 51 months soup to nuts.”
Speaking at a House Appropriations subcommittee meeting this week, McDonough said site preparation is ongoing thanks to the initial appropriation. But full-fledged construction is pending on approval of a $550 million budget request for fiscal year 2023.
“We think that’s kind of a pilot for us to be able to speed to market the kind of care that we need in a growing community like El Paso, where we’re seeing significant demand from new veterans,” the secretary said.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who represents portions of Northeast and Far East El Paso, has been pushing for the expanded VA health care funding.
“Last year, I secured initial funds for an updated VA healthcare center in El Paso but the work doesn’t stop there. While the first phase of funding is underway, I will push for full funding for this project in next year’s budget. As a veteran myself, providing for our military — both active duty and retired — is a top priority,” he said.
Some 46,000 veterans live in El Paso County, according to the Census Bureau.
Project update
- In FY2022, $150 million for the project was allocated to build on the existing VA healthcare center, expanding to additional care like mental health services.
- The VA will request an additional $550 million in FY2023 to complete construction and anticipated the project to take 51 months.
- Updates to the current facility will finish in April 2023 with the full project and new facility completed in 2026.
Source: Veterans Administration | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/el-paso-closer-to-getting-bigger-healthcare-center-for-veterans/ | 2022-04-12T07:25:33 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/el-paso-closer-to-getting-bigger-healthcare-center-for-veterans/ |
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Juarez police are holding self-defense classes and sharing safety tips with migrant women staying at a government shelter.
The training led this week by uniformed officers at the Leona Vicario shelter primarily included moves to break away from an attacker and run. The officers also distributed common-sense safety brochures and talked to the women and girls staying at the shelter.
“It’s not that we are afraid they will be victimized,” Juarez Police Chief Cesar Omar Munoz told Border Report. “This is part of our efforts to get close to them, so they feel they are part of the community.”
Still, migrant advocates on both sides of the border say migrants – including women and children – are vulnerable to and often the target of criminals on the streets of border cities like Juarez and Tijuana.
At a House Homeland Security subcommittee meeting this week, U.S. migrant advocates testified that thousands expelled under the soon-to-be-terminated Title 42 public health order have been victims of robbery, kidnapping, rape and sometimes murder in Mexico.
The Leona Vicario shelter in Juarez sits inside a former factory on a gated lot with soldiers patrolling the entrance.
Santiago Gonzalez, head of the Human Rights Office in Juarez, told local media migrant women staying at the Kiki Romero shelter in Central Juarez also received self-defense classes.
“(They) received training on techniques to repel an attack, including with a knife, attempts at people holding them or trying to get them to submit,” Gonzalez told El Diario. | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/mexican-police-teaching-migrant-women-self-defense/ | 2022-04-12T07:25:40 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/mexican-police-teaching-migrant-women-self-defense/ |
McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A pledge by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to use state resources to light up the border region as part of sweeping new border security measures due to the end of Title 42 is angering environmentalists who worry about light pollution on wildlife, especially in the Rio Grande Valley.
“The border region is going to be lit during night in prominent smuggling areas to make it far easier to detect any activity that is taking place,” Abbott said during a news conference Wednesday in Weslaco, Texas, where he outlined several new border security plans.
Plans include putting up razor wire and boat blockades in the Rio Grande, inspecting commercial trucks from Mexico, busing migrants to Washington, D.C., and outfitting Texas National Guard troops with riot gear.
It’s unclear where or how Abbott plans to light up the border, especially when the majority of borderlands in Texas are privately owned.
But Abbott’s announcement comes as conservation groups are asking all Texans, especially those along the Rio Grande Valley border, to dim their lights overnight to help birds during spring migration season.
The Lights Out for Wildlife campaign runs through May and is important to help millions of birds that fly at night and are currently migrating north, Texas Conservation Alliance Executive Director Ben Jones recently told Border Report.
“Birds migrate every spring and fall and this is a campaign we push to get our night sky as dark as dark as possible for migrating birds,” Jones said.
More than 70% of all birds migrate at night, Jones said.
Light pollution can confuse birds, which navigate by using stars, memory and geomagnetic forces, wildlife experts say.
Excessive artificial light in the South Texas border region of the Rio Grande Valley is especially concerning to environmentalists who say millions of birds are funneled into this area as they make their way along the Gulf Coast en route to and from Central and South America.
The South Texas border is “a major very important area for migrating birds,” Jones said. “It’s like a superhighway for migrating birds so taking action to limit lights is not only important for your area, or the state of Texas, but for entire populations of birds.”
Some birds travel thousands of miles from Alaska and the Arctic, said David Newstead, director of the Coastal Bird Program for Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program based in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“Lights can be disorienting and attracting and can confuse birds as to where they’re supposed to be headed and also drawn into light,” Newstead recently told Border Report.
“Floodlights cause tremendous disruption to nocturnal wildlife. Some are attracted to the lights, others avoid them. Wildlife that is adapted to dark nights do not know what to do when humans light up the dark,” Scott Nicol, an environmentalist from McAllen, Texas, told Border Report Friday.
This could hurt endangered ocelots, and bats, which are nocturnal.
Nicol called Abbott’s recent border security plans “an election-year political stunt.”
“Abbott is pretending that he is going to seal off the border but the state doesn’t own much of that land so they can’t do anything on it without the owners giving their OK. Same as his busing announcement that he’ll bus everyone to D.C. The migrants must volunteer to go,” Nicol said.
Abbott, a Republican, is running for his third term to lead the Lone Star State.
There are some state-owned land tracts along the border, like Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, where Abbott can put up and do whatever he wants with state resources.
But Jim Chapman, vice president of Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, worries that the park is near a federal wildlife refuge land tract, and lights in such close proximity would affect wildlife at the refuge.
Roughly one-third of riverfront borderlands in the Rio Grande Valley is designated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a wildlife refuge, said Chapman, whose nonprofit works to safeguard and protect these refuge areas.
“The consequences for wildlife are almost all bad. There’s already lighting in a lot of areas along the wall,” Chapman told Border Report on Friday.
Chapman points out that many sections of the 400-mile-long border wall built during the Trump administration have lights that disrupt the habitat of nocturnal animals and species. Adding more lights would make it worse, he said.
“Unfortunately, with the border wall, they had a waiver so they didn’t have to look at the environmental impacts but Gov. Abbott doesn’t have a waiver. If he’s serious about lighting up the border there’s going to have to be some kind of environmental review,” Chapman said.
When an area is lighted, it can drive insects to it in heavy numbers, lowering the number of insects for animals to feed on elsewhere. It also can disrupt their sleep and roaming patterns, Chapman says.
“There’s a lot of nocturnal species that need darkness and when they don’t have darkness they abandon that area. So you basically start eliminating habitat for nocturnal species,” Chapman said.
Chapman said he also thinks Abbott’s recent announcements were political theater.
“It makes me wonder if he’s just blowing smoke. What authority does he have to land not owned by the state?” Chapman said.
But Abbott has already proven to be serious in fulfilling some of his new border security plans.
On Thursday, at least 100 troops began “mass migration rehearsals,” south of Mission, Texas, on the banks of the Rio Grande just outside of Anzalduas Park.
Similar exercises also are to be held in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo and Zapata, Texas, Abbott said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/texas-governors-pledge-to-light-up-border-at-night-comes-amid-effort-to-keep-it-dark-for-migrating-birds/ | 2022-04-12T07:25:47 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/texas-governors-pledge-to-light-up-border-at-night-comes-amid-effort-to-keep-it-dark-for-migrating-birds/ |
(NEXSTAR) – Two airline passengers accused of assaulting crew members and fellow passengers face two of the largest fines ever proposed, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday.
The FAA said it will levy penalties of $81,950 and $77,272, respectively, against the unnamed passengers.
The first passenger was flying from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina on July 7, 2021 when the FAA says the woman fell while she was out of her seat during the flight. She then allegedly threatened to hurt a flight attendant who offered help, shoved the flight attendant aside and tried to open the cabin door.
When two other flight attendants tried to restrain her, she allegedly struck one on the head repeatedly. The crew managed to get her in zip-tie style restraints, but the woman “spit at, headbutted, bit and tried to kick the crew and other passengers,” the FAA said. Officers arrested her after the plane landed in Charlotte.
Another female passenger, who faces a $77,272 fine, was flying Delta from Las Vegas to Atlanta on July 16, 2021 when the FAA says she tried to hug and kiss the passenger next to her. She’s also accused of walking to the front of the aircraft and trying to leave the airplane mid-flight.
The crew had to restrain her after she allegedly bit another passenger multiple times.
“If you are on an airplane, don’t be a jerk and don’t endanger the flight crews and fellow passengers. If you do, you will be fined by the FAA,” U.S. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg told The View Friday.
The passengers must respond within 30 days after receiving the FAA’s letter.
The fines are part of the roughly $2 million in proposed penalties the FAA announced Jan. 1. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/faa-proposes-combined-159k-fine-the-most-ever-against-two-unruly-passengers/ | 2022-04-12T07:25:54 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/faa-proposes-combined-159k-fine-the-most-ever-against-two-unruly-passengers/ |
Kokomo's boys golf team had a nice season opener Monday as the Wildkats beat North Central Conference rival McCutcheon 153-195 on the Kokomo Country Club's back nine.
Two-time state qualifier Brandon Hansen fired a sizzling 4-under 31 to lead the Kats. Karson Parrott and Ty Lauderbaugh backed Hansen with solid scores of 36 and 37, respectively, and William Nelson, playing in his first varsity match, carded a 49 for the Kats' fourth score.
Kokomo hosts Eastern on Thursday at KCC.
BASEBALL
EASTERN 14, PRAIRIE 0, 5 INNINGS
Corbin Snyder fired a one-hitter to lead Eastern past visiting Clinton Prairie in a Hoosier Heartland Conference game. Snyder struck out 12 and walked one.
Cayden Calloway led the Comets offensively. He went 2 for 3 with a double, three RBI and three runs. Levi Mavrick, Carson Bugher and Owen Taylor drove in two runs apiece. Mavrick also scored two runs.
Eastern (3-0, 2-0 HHC) visits Tri-Central at 5 p.m. today for another conference game.
NW 8, LAFAYETTE CC 3
Northwestern jumped to a 6-0 lead after two innings and kept control the rest of the way in beating Class A No. 2-ranked Lafayette Central Catholic in a non-division matchup of Hoosier Conference teams.
Cole VanNatter and Tate Mullens led the Tigers with multi-hit games. VanNatter went 3 for 3 with a double and Mullens was 2 for 3 with a double and three RBI. A.J. Burkhalter was 1 for 2 with a double.
Burkhalter pitched four sharp innings for the win. He started and held the Knights scoreless. He struck out five and walked one. Eastin Whaley pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two runs and Koen Berry pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed one run.
"A.J. Burkhalter gave us a big start on short days rest to get us a win and set the rest of our rotation up for the rest of the week," Northwestern coach Ryan Ward said. "Over the first three games, I feel like the depth of our pitching has been the biggest separator for us, and we will continue to need that depth this week with three more games."
Northwestern (3-0) hosts Peru at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
WESTERN 9, FRANKFORT 3
After Frankfort scored a single run in the top of the sixth inning to draw even at 2-2, Class 3A No. 6-ranked Western scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to break it open. Parker Dean delivered the big blow with a three-run double.
“We struck out just once [Monday], but were a little too anxious early in counts. We made good contact, but had nothing to show for it," Western coach Ryan Berryman said. "We challenged the guys in the sixth to be more patient and change their approach. Zach Gilbert led off that inning with a full-count walk, Mitchell Knepley followed with a single on a 3-1 count and we ended up plating seven runs. Our timing was better the more pitches we took.”
Knepley finished 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs.
With a busy week ahead, Berryman tapped into his team's depth. On the mound, Deaglan Pleak started and pitched four innings. He allowed one run and four hits and struck out two. Evan Stout relieved and pitched the final three innings for the win. He allowed two runs and three hits and struck out four.
“It was a good team win. We got Pleak and Stout on the mound, [Bret] Echelbarger started behind the plate and Kyler Norman played well at shortstop as a freshman," Berryman said.
SOFTBALL
WESTERN 13, LAF. JEFF 3, 5 INNINGS
Chloe Linn slugged a grand slam and an RBI double to lead the Panthers past the visiting Bronchos. Braylee Acord and Kylie Miller added two hits apiece and Hadley Hummer had a two-run double.
Linn was the winning pitcher. She worked the first three innings, allowed one run and two hits, and struck out four. Jacey Leisure pitched the last two innings and allowed two runs and four hits. She struck out four. Neither pitched walked a batter and the Panthers backed their pitchers with an error-free game.
Western (3-1) visits Hamilton Heights today for a Hoosier Conference East Division game.
PERU 13, TAYLOR 3
Down 3-2 after three innings, Peru scored five runs in the top of the fourth to take control.
The Bengal Tigers finished with 13 hits. Emily Ream went 3 for 5 and drove in four runs, Ava Caldwell went 3 for 4, winning pitcher Jaylah Harlan was 2 for 4 with a triple and an RBI and Abby Martin was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI. | https://www.kokomotribune.com/sports/prep-roundup-for-tuesday-april-12/article_3a88992e-ba0e-11ec-be27-e306c4652525.html | 2022-04-12T07:29:47 | 1 | https://www.kokomotribune.com/sports/prep-roundup-for-tuesday-april-12/article_3a88992e-ba0e-11ec-be27-e306c4652525.html |
NEW YORK — Moments before Rhyne Howard went to Atlanta with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league is working very hard to help bring Brittney Griner back to the United States.
Griner, one of the league’s biggest stars, has been detained in Russia since arriving at a Moscow airport in mid-February. Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges that allegedly contained oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
“I want to take a moment to reiterate the WNBA’s support for Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner,” Engelbert said before the draft started. “Please know that getting her home safely continues to be our top priority and while we are facing an extraordinarily complex challenge, there is strength in community, especially the WNBA.”
Engelbert said there will be a league-wide charity initiative spearheaded by the Mercury to support Griner’s philanthropic project, called BG’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive. The drive has gathered new or gently used shoes for homeless people in the Phoenix area.
“This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in,” Engelbert said. “She continues to have our full support. Certainly, we’re trying everything we can, every angle, working with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders, the administration. Just everybody in our ecosystem to try and find ways to get her home safely and as quickly as we can.”
Howard, who was the first Kentucky player to go No. 1 in the draft, will be close to home, having grown up about 90 minutes from Atlanta.
“For it to be so close is huge. A lot of family and close friends can come and support me,” Howard said. “To go first, I don’t have words for it right now. Still shaking. Super exciting and proud of myself and thankful for everyone that has been on this journey with me and helped me get here.”
The Dream traded up two spots last week to acquire the No. 1 pick from the Washington Mystics.
Atlanta finished 8-24 last season and has missed the playoffs four of the past five years. The franchise got new ownership last year and brought in a new coach in Tanisha Wright and new general manager Dan Padover. The Dream also had the No. 1 pick in 2009 and used it to draft Angel McCoughtry.
Indiana, which had four picks in the first round, drafted NaLyssa Smith from Baylor with the No. 2 pick and her Bears teammate Queen Egbo at 10. The Fever also snagged Louisville's Emily Engstler at No. 4 and Lexie Hull of Stanford at 6.
“We have four top picks, so there is the opportunity for this team to grow tremendously," Smith said.
The Fever had the worst record in the league last year at 6-26. Indiana hasn't had much luck in the draft the past couple years, with none of the team's first-round picks from the last three seasons still on the roster.
The Mystics chose Shakira Austin from Ole Miss third and New York drafted Oregon's Nyara Sabally in between Indiana's top two selections.
Sabally got to practice with New York point guard Sabrina Ionescu when the two were at Oregon and she is excited to have a chance to play with her on the Liberty.
“Sab is such an amazing point guard,” Sabally said. “I saw her in practice every day and am excited to share the court with her.”
Dallas took Veronica Burton of Northwestern with the seventh pick. Las Vegas, which made a trade with Minnesota on Sunday, drafted Mya Hollingshed of Colorado eighth.
The Aces then took Florida Gulf Coast's Kierstan Bell at 11. She's the first player from that school ever to get drafted into the WNBA.
Bell won the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award the last two years and now will get a chance to play for her.
Los Angeles drafted Tennessee's Rae Burrell ninth and Connecticut finished off the first round by picking Nia Clouden of Michigan State.
The WNBA season tips off on May 6, with training camps opening later this week.
Here are other tidbits from the draft:
WAITING THEIR TURNS
Naz Hillmon, Elissa Cunane and Destanni Henderson were invited to the draft in New York. All three went in the second round, with Hillmon going to Atlanta (15th), Cunane to Seattle (17th) and Henderson to Indiana (20th). Hillmon was the highest picked Michigan player ever.
PAC-12 SUPREMACY
For the sixth consecutive year the Pac-12 had multiple first-round picks. Sabally, Hull and Hollingshed all went in the first seven picks. No other conference can match that streak.
SECOND-ROUND HUSKIES
UConn seniors Christyn Williams (Washington), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Los Angeles) and Evina Westbrook (Seattle) were drafted in the second round. UConn alumni have had a lot of success in the pros, including having Crystal Dangerfield win Rookie of the Year honors as a second-round pick in 2020.
SELECT COMPANY
Jackson State's Ameshya Williams-Holiday became the first player selected from a historically black college or university since the 2002 draft. Williams-Holiday was selected 25th by the Indiana Fever. In all, Williams-Holiday is the sixth player from an HBCU to be picked. | https://www.kokomotribune.com/sports/support-for-griner-at-wnba-draft-as-howard-goes-to-atlanta/article_f7ab0c8c-ba16-11ec-9d54-dfeb470fc1b5.html | 2022-04-12T07:29:54 | 0 | https://www.kokomotribune.com/sports/support-for-griner-at-wnba-draft-as-howard-goes-to-atlanta/article_f7ab0c8c-ba16-11ec-9d54-dfeb470fc1b5.html |
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow returned to the air Monday with some bad news for her fans: Starting next month, she will be doing her prime-time show only once a week.
After working her customary five nights a week for the rest of April, Maddow said, she will work on Monday nights only starting in May. The network said it will rotate guest hosts the other four weeknights on a show called “MSNBC Prime.”
“For big news events, for things like the leadup to the election, I will of course be here more than that, but that is the general plan,” Maddow said on her show Monday.
The cable news network's most popular personality had been on hiatus for the past two months, working on a new podcast and a movie adaptation of her book “Bag Man.” She said the weekly schedule will give her “more time to work on some of this other stuff I've got cooking for MSNBC and NBC.”
She heaped praise on Ali Velshi, who had filled in frequently for her while she was away, calling him a “prince among men.”
Yet MSNBC's ratings in her time slot tumbled in her absence, even with coverage of a gripping news event, the Ukraine war. MSNBC is not alone in questions about its 9 p.m. Eastern hour: CNN hasn't named a full-time replacement for its former ratings leader, Chris Cuomo, since he was fired in December.
The plan leaves MSNBC executives in an awkward spot. While it has been reported that MSNBC signed a new contract with Maddow that gives her additional flexibility, executives have not publicly addressed that deal, or Maddow's announcement Monday. It seems, at least for the time being, the network will be happy to get as much as it can from Maddow and leave the light on if she someday decides to do more.
Entertainment News
Maddow said she had originally thought she might need another hiatus from her show this year but has determined that she won't. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/rachel-maddow-returns-msnbc-will-switch-once-a-week/3641322/ | 2022-04-12T07:31:07 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/rachel-maddow-returns-msnbc-will-switch-once-a-week/3641322/ |
The future is here, and it has everybody talking.
Video surfaced on social media showing a self-driving car, a Cruise vehicle, getting pulled over by police in San Francisco, and it's getting a lot of reaction.
Cruise is a San Francisco-based company that focuses on self-driving cars.
The interaction in the video appears like an ordinary traffic stop as the officer gets out to speak with the driver — until he realizes there isn't one. In fact, there were no humans in the car at all.
"Ain't nobody in it," the officer said.
Brandon Melim captured video of the futuristic traffic stop and said he was "super surprised because one, I've never seen one of those cars actually drive autonomously."
In the video, after the officer peers in the driver's side window for a few seconds and then returns to his cruiser, the car pulls away, passing through an intersection just ahead and again returning to the side of the road.
Melim and others thought he was seeing the Cruise car evade police after getting pulled over.
Everyone, including police, were laughing.
"I think they might have been embarrassed because a lot of people were looking at them at the time," Melim explained. "Or they just thought the entire situation was funny."
It turns out police had pulled the car over because its headlights were off.
Cruise said in a statement that the vehicle yielded to police, then pulled over to the nearest safe location for a traffic stop.
The company also said they work closely with the San Francisco Police Department on how to interact with these vehicles, and have dedicated phone numbers for them to call.
However, experts think the clear confusion in the video shows that better protocols are needed.
"Clearly the police were confused they didn’t know what to do," said Stanford University professor Ronjon Nag. "We need to have processes and protocols and standards where cars can communicate. Maybe there's a switch where the cars can be stopped by the police."
Nag also said there should be a bigger effort in training officers and other first responders on what to do with these self-driving vehicles in different scenarios.
Cruise first started offering free nighttime rides in San Francisco earlier this year. Those who have ridden in them say they are safe.
"I did not feel like I was being driven around by a computer," said Aditya Mukherji. "I felt like it was a real human."
He said they went up hills and passed jaywalkers and Muni buses. He was really surprised by how well the car maneuvers.
"The experience was magical," he said.
NBC Bay Area reached out to the San Francisco Police Department for comment, but have not heard back. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/driverless-car-traffic-stop-san-francisco/3641284/ | 2022-04-12T07:31:13 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/driverless-car-traffic-stop-san-francisco/3641284/ |
Heavy rains caused by a summer tropical depression killed at least 25 people in the central and southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides, officials said Monday.
Twenty-two villagers died in landslides in four villages in Baybay city in central Leyte province on Sunday and Monday, city police chief Lt. Col. Joemen Collado said. At least six other people were reported missing in the landslides and a search was underway, he said.
Three other storm-related deaths were reported by the government’s main disaster-response agency in the southern provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental.
“In one village, a landslide occurred and other victims, unfortunately, were also swept away by the surge of water,” Collado told the DZBB radio network. “There were at least six missing but there could be more.”
Nearly 200 floods were reported in different areas in central and southern provinces over the weekend, displacing about 30,000 families, some of which were moved to emergency shelters, officials said.
Coast guard, police and firefighters rescued some villagers in flooded communities, including some who were trapped on their roofs. In central Cebu city, schools and work were suspended Monday and Mayor Michael Rama declared a state of calamity to allow the rapid release of emergency funds.
At least 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year, mostly during the rainy season that begins around June. Some storms have hit even during the scorching summer months in recent years.
U.S. & World
The disaster-prone Southeast Asian nation also lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/flooding-landslides-kill-at-least-25-people-in-philippines-displace-30000-families/3641297/ | 2022-04-12T07:31:19 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/flooding-landslides-kill-at-least-25-people-in-philippines-displace-30000-families/3641297/ |
The National Urban League released its annual report on the State of Black America on Tuesday, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9 percent of the American pie white people enjoy.
While Black people have made economic and health gains, they’ve slipped farther behind whites in education, social justice and civic engagement since this index was launched in 2005. A compendium of average outcomes by race in many aspects of life, it shows just how hard it is for people of color to overcome systemic racism, the civil rights organization says.
"These numbers change so little and so slowly. What it tells me is that this institutional disparity based on race seems to be built into American society,” National Urban League President Marc Morial said in an interview.
The index shows not only that the median household income for Black people, at $43,862, is 37% less than that of white people, at $69,823. Black people also are less likely to benefit from home ownership, the engine of generational wealth in America. Census data shows Black couples are more than twice as likely as whites to be denied a mortgage or a home improvement loan, which leads to just 59% of the median home equity white households have, and just 13% of their wealth.
“In that area of wealth, we’ve seen almost no change, none, since the civil rights days,” Morial said. “The wealth disparity has gotten wider.”
Among dozens of health measures, one stands out: Life expectancy has declined slightly for African Americans, so a Black child born today can expect to live to 74.7, four years less than a white baby. And lifelong inequities loom: Black women are 59% more likely to die as a result of bearing a child, and 31% more likely to die of breast cancer. Black men are 52% more likely to die of prostate cancer.
More Racial Inequality Coverage
Overdoses afflict the races about equally, while white people are 55% more likely to drink themselves to death through cirrhosis or chronic liver disease. Among people 15-24, white people are more than twice as likely to commit suicide, while Black men are nine times more likely to die by homicide.
Educational gaps abound: Black and white preschoolers are roughly equally prepared, but the classrooms they enter are starkly different. Schools with more minority students are more likely to have inexperienced, less trained and even uncertified teachers. Fewer of these students are enrolled in the STEM classes that can lead to higher-paying jobs. Black students are less likely to graduate college.
The index uses U.S. Justice Department statistics to chart social justice differences, noting that Black people have been more than twice as likely as white people to experience threats or uses of force during police encounters, and three times more likely to be jailed if arrested. In 2020, they were 93% more likely to be victims of hate crimes.
Measuring civic engagement, the index cites 2020 Census data showing that white people are about 5% more likely to be registered and to actually vote than Black people.
Morial chose to release the report in Atlanta, where a concentration of historically Black colleges have long represented high achievement among African Americans, in part because its survey shows a declining faith among young people that voting can make a difference. The Urban League is responding by launching a “Reclaim Your Vote” campaign.
“Georgia is ground zero for voter suppression. The legislature’s actions after Jan. 6 have been sweeping in their aggressiveness to suppress the vote,” Morial said. “We've got to remain resolute, to push back against this. We cannot give in. We cannot give up.” | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/national-urban-league-finds-slow-gains-and-broader-gaps-for-black-americans/3641314/ | 2022-04-12T07:31:25 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/national-urban-league-finds-slow-gains-and-broader-gaps-for-black-americans/3641314/ |
Jury to hear opening statements in Johnny Depp libel case
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia is scheduled to hear opening statements Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp says Heard libeled him when she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp is never mentioned by name, but he says the article implicates him nonetheless because it refers to past accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him. Depp denies the abuse allegations.
A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Heard’s lawyers had sought to have the case tried in California, where the actors reside. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post’s computer servers for its online edition are located in the county.
The trial is expected to last for more than a month. A lengthy witness list includes actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Some witnesses are slated to appear in person, while others are scheduled to appear via video link.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ | 2022-04-12T07:42:50 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ |
Jury to hear opening statements in Johnny Depp libel case
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia is scheduled to hear opening statements Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp says Heard libeled him when she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp is never mentioned by name, but he says the article implicates him nonetheless because it refers to past accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him. Depp denies the abuse allegations.
A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Heard’s lawyers had sought to have the case tried in California, where the actors reside. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post’s computer servers for its online edition are located in the county.
The trial is expected to last for more than a month. A lengthy witness list includes actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Some witnesses are slated to appear in person, while others are scheduled to appear via video link.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ | 2022-04-12T07:56:18 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ |
Dorothy Molstad, a pillar of the Twin Cities literary community known for her warmth, kindness and varied talents, died Friday. The announcement was made in a Facebook posting by her daughters Jennifer Geisler and Kathy Cote Rogers.
Molstad, who passed away four days before her 80th birthday, was living in a senior residence in Brooklyn Park. She had been challenged by a host of physical difficulties in the past several years, but fought back each time. Her daughters wrote that she died without pain and “left knowing how very loved she was.”
Molstad, a past president of Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA), was known in the book community for joining with Pat Morris and Linda Strommer to create Book Architects in 2009. The business was devoted to helping first-time authors navigate the complicated paths to getting a book published in the days when self-publishing was just grabbing hold of the publishing industry and writers didn’t know where to go for information.
The partners told the Pioneer Press at the time they didn’t know of any other business like Book Architects in the Twin Cities.
Molstad was also a kindergarten teacher in Burnsville and director of visitor programs at the Minnesota Zoo. She served as marketing manager for Voyageur Press, Waldman House Press and Pfeifer-Hamilton Press, all based in Minnesota. For 12 years, ending in 1996, she was director of corporate communications for West Publishing in Eagan.
Always up for a challenge, Molstad was 54 when she left West to do product placement for Creative Entertainment Services in Burbank, Calif. Her credentials included getting West’s law books and computerized legal services into movies and TV shows such as “Law and Order.”
By 1997 Molstad was working for Waldman House Press, finding ways to introduce the Minneapolis-based press’s books to the national market.
Among her successes was PEEF, a stuffed patchwork teddy bear that was a character in a companion picture book. Molstad got the bear in a brief scene in the “George and Leo” TV show in which Bob Newhart, as a bookstore owner, sat at his desk. PEEF was perched on the shelf behind Newhart, right next to 10 copies of “A Cup of Christmas Tea,” also published by Waldman. Both books were written by Minneapolitan Tom Hegg and illustrated by St. Paul artist Warren Hanson.
Molstad, who was twice divorced, was a Belle Plaine homemaker until her two children began school. Then, she took a job as a dental assistant and soon after started college at age 30.
“I would work from eight to four, then drive an hour on Highway 169 to Mankato State, then go to class from five to 10, then drive an hour home,” she recalled in a 1996 Pioneer Press interview. “I played the role of a supermom and got a degree in 3 1/2 years with a 3.97 GPA.”
Funeral arrangements will be announced when they are completed. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/09/obituary-dorothy-molstad-pioneered-self-publishing-twin-cities/ | 2022-04-12T08:03:03 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/09/obituary-dorothy-molstad-pioneered-self-publishing-twin-cities/ |
Athletics can’t hang on against St. Clair
Published 7:28 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Lyle-Pacelli softball team wasn’t able to hold on to a big lead as it lost to Saint Clair 11-8 in Todd Park Monday.
The Athletics (1-1 overall) led 7-1 after three innings as the team drew six walks in the first two innings. SC took the lead when it scored four runs in the top of the seventh to go up 11-7. LP committed a pair of errors to start the rally.
The Athletics loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, but they went down in order after Heather Wilde knocked in a run on a groundout.
LP eighth grader Kenzie Schaefer struck out nine and she allowed just one infield single in the first three innings.
“She did a great job,” LP head coach I know she was nervous but she did a wonderful job so I’m proud of her,” LP head coach Kathy Neve said. “we’re optimistic about this team. They battle and they’re only going to get better.”
LP had two of its three hits in the final inning as it had a tough time making connections at the plate.
“We just need to stay confident and not get down when we’re at the plate,” Neve said.
SC 0 1 0 2 3 1 4 — 11 8 2
LP 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 — 8 3 6
LP pitching: Kenzie Schaefer (L) 7 IP, 8 H, 6 BB, 11 R, 9 K
LP hitting: Kearah Schaefer, 0-for-3, 2 R, SB, 2 BBs; Lisandra Oritz, 0-for-5, R, SB; Alana Rogne, 1-for-3, 2 R, BB; Lily VaDeer, 0-for-2, R, HBP, BB; Kenzie Schaefer, 0-for-2, R, 2 BBs; Sarah Douglas, 1-for-3, double, R, BB; Hailey Schaefer, 1-for-2, RBI, BB, HBP, SB; Bella McMahon, 0-for-1, 3 BBs; Tayla Minto, 0-for-2; Heather Wilde, 0-for-2, RBI | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/athletics-cant-hang-on-against-st-clair/ | 2022-04-12T08:13:34 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/athletics-cant-hang-on-against-st-clair/ |
BP boys take third and Hayfield girls take first in golf opener
Published 2:57 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Blooming Prairie boys took third at the 10-team Hayfield Tournament Saturday.
The BP boys were led by Garrett Farr, who shot an 82.
Keegan Bronson took fifth for the Hayfield boys with a score of 79 and Taylor Glynn of GMLO took sixth with a 79.
The Hayfield girls won the meet as Avery Towey shot a 103 to take fourth and Carly Bronson shot a 112 to take fifth.
Ailiani Thravong of Austin took first with a 91.
The Austin boys finished fourth with a 352 and the Austin girls took third with a 362. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/bp-boys-take-third-and-hayfield-girls-take-first-in-golf-opener/ | 2022-04-12T08:13:40 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/bp-boys-take-third-and-hayfield-girls-take-first-in-golf-opener/ |
Bruins sweep Wings, set up big weekend finale in Aberdeen
Published 2:38 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Austin Bruins completed a weekend sweep over Aberdeen when they beat the Wings (30-23-3-2 overall) 3-2 in Riverside Arena Saturday.
The Bruins (30-23-2-3 overall) are now deadlocked with the Wings at 65 points apiece for second place in the NAHL Central Division. Austin will be at Aberdeen this weekend to decide who will have home ice advantage when the two teams will square off in the playoffs.
SCORING SUMMARY
Aberdeen 0 1 1 — 2
Austin 0 2 1 — 3
First period
No scoring
Second period
(A) Ocean Wallace (Sutter Muzzatti, John Larkin) (power play) 4:06
(AB) Kevin McKay 10:31
(A) Braidan Simmons-Fischer (Nick Catalano, Anthony Menghini) 14:36
Third period
(A) Carson Riddle (Muzzatti, Jens Richards) 3:47
(AB) Cade Neilson (Hugo Gustafsson, Adam Schuchart) 8:57
Power plays: Austin — 36; Aberdeen — 26
Shots: Austin — 1-for-3; Aberdeen — 0-for-3 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/bruins-sweep-wings-set-up-big-weekend-finale-in-aberdeen/ | 2022-04-12T08:13:46 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/bruins-sweep-wings-set-up-big-weekend-finale-in-aberdeen/ |
Carlson pitches Blossoms to a win over Waseca
Published 3:00 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Blooming Prairie softball team opened up its season with a 10-0 win over Waseca in five innings Monday.
Haven Carlson struck out four to get the shutout for BP (1-0 overall).
BP pitching: Haven Carlson (W) 5 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 4 K
BP hitting: Macy Lembke, 3-for-4, 3 RBIs, 3 R; Addison Doocy, 2-for-2, RBI, R; Alivia Schneider, 1-for-2, R, BB; Lily Schammel, 1-for-2, RBI, R, BB; Rachel Winzenburg, 1-for-3, RBI, R; Layla Lembke, 1-for-3, RBI, R | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/carlson-pitches-blossoms-to-a-win-over-waseca/ | 2022-04-12T08:13:52 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/carlson-pitches-blossoms-to-a-win-over-waseca/ |
Hanna hurls Rebels to a win
Published 9:51 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Southland baseball team beat Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons 9-1 on the road Monday.
Harrison Hanna struck out nine for the Rebels (2-0 overall).
Southland pitching: Harrison Hanna (W) 5 2/3 IP, 1 BB, 9 ER, 9 K; Riley Jax 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 2 K
Southland hitting: Gavin Nelson, 2-for-4, R, 3 RBIs, SB; Hanna, 1-for-3, R, RBI, HBP, SB; Eli Wolff, 0-for-3, R, BB; Travis Kirtz, 1-for-3, HBP; Jonas Wiste, 1-for-3, R, RBI, SB; Isaac Felten, 0-for-3, RBI, BB; Riley Jax, 1-for-3, 2 RBIs, SB; Connor Edland, 1-for-2, R; Jack Bruggeman, 0-for-1, BB; Tyson Stevens, 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/hanna-hurls-rebels-to-a-win/ | 2022-04-12T08:13:58 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/hanna-hurls-rebels-to-a-win/ |
Hayfield baseball team hits three homers in win over WEM
Published 7:32 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Hayfield baseball team pounded out 19 hits and three home runs as it beat Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 29-0 in Hayfield Monday.
Easton Fritcher had a homer and eight RBIs for the Vikings (2-1 overall), Karver Heydt had a homer and six RBIs and Isaac Watson had a homer and two RBIs.
Hayfield pitching: Karver Heydt (W) 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 0 R, 4 K; Isaac Watson, 1 IP, 0 R
Hayfield hitting: Easton Fritcher, 3-for-3, HR, double, 8 RBIs, 5 R, 2 SB; Nolan Klocke, 1-for-2, 2 RBIs, 4 R, 3 SB; Karver Heydt, 2-for-4, HR, 6 RBIs, 3 R; Isaac Watson, 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs, 3 R; Kobe Foster, 3-for-3, 2 Rbis; Ethan Pack, 1-for-2, RBI; Aidan Nelson, 3-for-5, RBI, 2 R; Zander Jacobson, 1-for-5, RBI, R; Isaac Nelson, 2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 4 R | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/hayfield-baseball-team-hits-three-homers-in-win-over-wem/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:05 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/hayfield-baseball-team-hits-three-homers-in-win-over-wem/ |
Hayfield baseball team splits a pair in Gustavus
Published 3:06 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Hayfield baseball team lost to Jackson County Central 4-2 and it topped Springfield 8-2 in Gustavus Saturday.
Karver Heydt had three RBIs in the win over Springfield for the Vikings (1-1 overall).
Jackson County Central 4, Hayfield 2
Hayfield pitching: Easton Fritcher (L) 4 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 K; Karver Heydt, 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER; Isaac Watson, 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 1 K
Hayfield hitting: Nolan Klocke, 3-for-4, 2 doubles, RBI, R; Kayden Jacobson, 1-for-3; Aidan Nelson, 1-for-3; Zander Jacobson, 1-for-3; Kevin Hodge, 0-for-1, R
Hayfield 8, Springfield 2
Hayfield pitching: Nolan Klocke (W) 5 IP, 1 H, 6 BB, 1 ER, 7 K; Ethan Pack, 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K; Kobe Foster, 1 IP, 1 BB, 0 R
Hayfield hitting: Easton Fritcher, 3-for-5, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 RBIs, 2 R, 3 SB; Nolan Klocke, R, SB; Karver Heydt, 4-for-5, double, 3 RBIs, 3 R, 3 SB; Kobe Foster, 1-for-4, R; Pack, 1-for-3; Kayden Jacobson, R; Aidan Nelson, 2-for-3, 2 RBIs; Zander Jacobson, 2-for-4, RBI | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/hayfield-baseball-team-splits-a-pair-in-gustavus/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:11 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/hayfield-baseball-team-splits-a-pair-in-gustavus/ |
Knapp named star of the week
Published 7:36 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
Bruins goalie Klayton Knapp was named star of the week for the NAHL Central Division on Monday.
Knapp, 18, had a big weekend as he helped his team move into a tie for second place in the Central Division with a weekend home sweep of the Aberdeen Wings. The native of Waterville, Ohio, stopped 49 of 51 shots in the two wins. On Friday, Knapp stopped all 25 shots that came his way in a 3-0 shutout win over the Wings. On Saturday, he made 24 saves in a 3-2 win.
For the season, the NAPHL grad has a 16-13-1 record in 30 games played with a 2.74 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
“Klayton was big for us last weekend and has been all year. He had to make a few key saves in both games or the results could have gone the other way. We expect Klayton to stay focused and follow it up again this weekend,” said Bruins head coach Steve Howard. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/knapp-named-star-of-the-week-2/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:17 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/knapp-named-star-of-the-week-2/ |
Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, Austin named best hospitals by Newsweek
Published 1:14 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin have again been named one of the best hospitals in the U.S. according to Newsweek. Meanwhile, Mayo Clinic in Rochester has been ranked again the No. 1 hospital in the world on the Newsweek list of the “World’s Best Hospitals.”
On the list of the “Best Hospitals in the United States,” the Albert Lea and Austin location was ranked among the top 5% of hospitals in the U.S. (named in the top 250). Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin is joined on this list by Mayo Clinic Health System locations in Eau Claire and La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“Being named as one of the ‘World’s Best Hospitals 2022’ is a remarkable accomplishment with all that has occurred over the course of the past year,” said Robert Albright, Jr., D.O., regional vice president of Mayo Clinic Health System’s Southeast Minnesota region. “Our patients can rest assured their medical care in Albert Lea and Austin is being handled by some of the best not only locally, but worldwide.”
The Newsweek rankings are based on patient satisfaction survey results, hospital recommendations from peers gathered through an international survey of more than 80,000 health care professionals, and key performance metrics, such as patient safety, hygiene measures and quality of care.
“This recognition is a testament to the hard work, devotion, expertise and teamwork our entire staff at Mayo Clinic Health System demonstrates each day,” said Sumit Bhagra, M.D, site physician leader at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin. “This accomplishment could never take place without the tireless efforts and dedication of each and every staff member. They take pride in the patients they care for and the communities that we serve. We can’t thank them enough.”
Newsweek shares that the hospitals named in the list stand out for their consistent excellence, including distinguished physicians, top-notch nursing care and state-of-the-art technology. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/mayo-clinic-health-system-in-albert-lea-austin-named-best-hospitals-by-newsweek/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:23 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/mayo-clinic-health-system-in-albert-lea-austin-named-best-hospitals-by-newsweek/ |
Packer boys tennis team drops two
Published 2:50 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Austin boys tennis team opened its season with a pair of losses in Rochester Saturday.
The Packers (0-2 overall) lost to JM 6-1 and Austin fell to Rochester Mayo 7-0.
Rochester John Marshall 6, Austin 1
Singles
No. 1 Joey Schammel (A) def. Marko Jokic (JM) 7-6 , 6-1
No. 2 Milan Lecic (JM) def. Cole Hebrink (A) 6-1 , 6-2
No. 3 Nathan Moos (JM) def. Thomas Garry (A) 6-1 , 6-2
No. 4 Philip Dahlen (JM) def. Timothy Perez (A) 6-0 , 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 Zachary Moos and Arjun Khurana (JM) def. Michael Garry and Owen Carroll (A) 6-2 , 6-2
No. 2 Alex Younk and Krish Khurana (JM) def. Marcos Castro and Quinton Grimley (A) 6-0 , 6-0
No. 3 Riley Hillesheim and Alex Shabestari (JM) def. Micah Peterson and Laythan Stenzel (A) 6-1 , 6-0
Mayo 7, Austin 0
Singles
No. 1 Tej Bhagra (M) def. Joey Schammel (A) 6-0 , 6-0
No. 2 Zach Thomas (M) def. Cole Hebrink (A) 6-2 , 6-1
No. 3 Noah Wisniewski (M) def. Thomas Garry (A) 6-0 , 6-0
No. 4 Max Rivera (M) def. Michael Haag (A) 6-0 , 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 Philip Wisniewski and Ben Erickson (M) def. Michael Garry and Owen Carroll (A) 6-0 , 6-0
No. 2 Caleb Neisen and David Teng(M) def. Marcos Castro and Quinton Grimley (A) 6-0 , 6-0
No. 3 Caleb Kennel and Blake Thackery (M) def. Micah Peterson and Laythan Stenzel (A) 6-0 , 6-0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/packer-boys-tennis-team-drops-two-2/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:29 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/packer-boys-tennis-team-drops-two-2/ |
Packer girls edged out by Scarlets in Mankato
Published 9:49 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Austin girls golf team lost at Mankato West 418-423 Monday.
The Packers were led by Ailani Thiravong, who shot a meet low score of 85. Thiravong made an eagle 2, with a hole-out from 120 yards.
Austin scoring: Aliani Thiravong, 85; Izzy Sellers, 104; Anita Rao, 115; Anna Kossman, 115 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/packer-girls-edged-out-by-scarlets-in-mankato/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:35 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/packer-girls-edged-out-by-scarlets-in-mankato/ |
Play-in-bound Wolves coach Finch signs multi-year extension
Published 1:17 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch signed a multi-year contract extension on Monday, after guiding the team to seventh place in the Western Conference and a play-in game berth.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Timberwolves also announced contract extensions for Finch’s assistants, the day before they host the Los Angeles Clippers for a spot in the playoffs.
“It’s been a season that all of us, including our fans. can be proud of,” Finch said in a statement distributed by the team. “I’m grateful that my staff will continue to lead us forward.”
Executive vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta said Finch’s leadership is “unmatched and was evident by this year’s team success.”
Hired midway through the 2020-21 season to replace the fired Ryan Saunders, Finch has a 62-61 record for the second-best winning percentage (.504) by a head coach in Timberwolves history. The late Flip Saunders (.521) is first. Minnesota went 46-36 this season, the second-best record for the long-languishing franchise over the past 18 years.
The 52-year-old Finch has been an assistant with Toronto, New Orleans, Denver and Houston. The Timberwolves led the NBA in scoring this season at 115.9 points per game, a first in franchise history. Their defense also forced a league-leading average of 16.3 turnovers per game. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/play-in-bound-wolves-coach-finch-signs-multi-year-extension/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:41 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/play-in-bound-wolves-coach-finch-signs-multi-year-extension/ |
Rebel softball team falls to WK
Published 2:52 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Southland softball team lost to Wabasha-Kellogg 13-3 in five innings Saturday.
Olivia Mathies hit a two-run homer in the loss for the Rebels (0-2 overall).
Published 2:52 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Southland softball team lost to Wabasha-Kellogg 13-3 in five innings Saturday.
Olivia Mathies hit a two-run homer in the loss for the Rebels (0-2 overall). | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/rebel-softball-team-falls-to-wk/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:47 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/rebel-softball-team-falls-to-wk/ |
Rebel softball team wins big as Wiste knocks in five
Published 9:52 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Southland softball team beat Glenville-Emmons/Alden-Conger 16-1 on the road Monday.
Hattie Wiste had a homer, a double and five RBIs for the Rebels (1-2 overall).
Southland pitching: Bria Nelsen (W) 4 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 10 K
Southland hitting: Bailey Johnson, 20for-3, triple, RBI, 2 R; Hattie Wiste, 2-for-3, HR, double, 5 RBIs; Kiyanna Meyer, 3-for-3, triple, 2 RBIs, 3 R; Lynsey Wilson, 1-for-3, RBI, R; Bria Nelsen, 3-for-3, 2 RBIs, 3 R | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/rebel-softball-team-wins-big-as-wiste-knocks-in-five/ | 2022-04-12T08:14:54 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/rebel-softball-team-wins-big-as-wiste-knocks-in-five/ |
Wingers take two from Packer softball team
Published 10:07 pm Monday, April 11, 2022
The Austin softball team opened its season with a pair of losses by scores of 13-0 and 6-3 in Red Wing Monday.
Abby VanPelt allowed four earned runs, while striking out seven in the nightcap for the Packers (0-2 overall).
RW 13, Austin 0
Austin pitching: Ava Denzer, 3 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 13 R, 10 ER
Austin hitting: Ava Denzer, 0-for-1, BB; Alia Retterath, BB; M. Kirby, BB; Avery Wempner, 1-for-2
RW 6, Austin 3
Austin pitching: Abby VanPelt (L) 6 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 6 R, 4 ER, 7 K
Austin hitting: Abby VanPelt, 1-for-3, BB; Wempner, 1-for-4, R; Peyton Squier, 1-for-1; Herrick, 1-for-3, R; Denzer, 1-for-3, R; Retterath, 2-for-3, RBI; Kirby, 0-for-2, RBI | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/wingers-take-two-from-packer-softball-team/ | 2022-04-12T08:15:00 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/wingers-take-two-from-packer-softball-team/ |
BEIJING, China — The U.S. has ordered all non-emergency consular staff to leave Shanghai, which is under a tight lockdown to contain a COVID-19 surge. The State Department said the order is an upgrade from the “authorized” departure issued last week that made the decision voluntary.
The order covers “non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members from U.S. Consulate General Shanghai."
In its late Monday announcement, the department said, “Our change in posture reflects our assessment that it is best for our employees and their families to be reduced in number and our operations to be scaled down as we deal with the changing circumstances on the ground."
The department also issued a series of advisories for Americans in Shanghai, including that they ensure they have a “sufficient supply of money, medication, food, and other necessities for your family in the event of sudden restrictions or quarantine."
Many residents in the city of 26 million have been confined to their homes for up to three weeks. Many describe an increasingly desperate situation, with families unable to leave their homes or obtain supplies of food and daily necessities, while people who test positive for the virus have been forced into mass quarantine centers where conditions have at times been described as crowded and unsanitary.
Despite the complaints, China has stuck to its “zero-COVID” strategy of handling outbreaks with strict isolation and mass testing.
China’s government and the entirely state-controlled media are growing increasingly defensive about complaints over the COVID-19 prevention measures.
Beijing responded angrily to last week's voluntary departure advisory, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian saying China was “strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the U.S. side’s groundless accusation against China’s epidemic response.”
In that announcement, the State Department advised Americans to reconsider traveling to China due to “arbitrary enforcement” of local laws and COVID-19 restrictions, particularly in Hong Kong, Jilin province and Shanghai. U.S. officials cited a risk of “parents and children being separated.”
Despite that, and indications the hardline policy is being dictated by head of the ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping, China has rejected any notion that its response is political in nature. Xi has demanded social stability above all else in the runup to a key party congress later this year at which he is expected to bestow on himself an unprecedented third-term as party leader.
Shanghai authorities also say they have secured daily supplies for residents, following complaints about deliveries of food and other necessities.
Residents have resorted to group buying of groceries because they are not allowed to leave their buildings, with only partial success in obtaining needed items.
Shanghai says it will gradually lifted some restrictions on neighborhoods where no new infections have been reported over the past two weeks. Residents will be able to travel around their districts but not meet in groups. Others will be restricted to their immediate neighborhoods.
The capital, Beijing, has seen relatively few restrictions, although the Erjiefang neighborhood including the famed 798 art district has been cordoned off and classified as high risk after eight infections were reported there over the past two weeks.
China is facing one of its worst local outbreaks since the pandemic began. China is still mostly closed to international travel, even as most of the world has sought ways to live with the virus. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/us-consular-leaves-shanghai-covid-outbreak/507-2f763e6e-342f-4dcf-a9ae-349dadaed225 | 2022-04-12T08:17:54 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/us-consular-leaves-shanghai-covid-outbreak/507-2f763e6e-342f-4dcf-a9ae-349dadaed225 |
NISQUALLY INDIAN COMMUNITY, Wash. — Growing up on the Nisqually River, Willie Frank, III, has seen the river change, and not for the better.
“The bank is rotting away, the sandbars in the middle of the river, those never used to be there,” said Frank, III, chair of the Nisqually Tribal Council.
Instead of building Interstate 5 on piers above the river, the state used landfill for some of the foundation, permanently changing the route of the river.
Decades later, the changes could lead to catastrophic problems, economically and for commuters in the state. A U.S. Geological Survey predicts the bridge over the river could be wiped out by floods within 20 years, cutting off a vital portion of I-5.
Monday morning Frank, III, led a boat tour of the Nisqually River with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland, and Gov. Jay Inslee.
“It’s necessary we do this now,” said Inslee. “This river is fast and it’s moving sand by the ton fast ... and we have some long-term risk, so I'm glad we're moving on this.”
State lawmakers have authorized nearly $80 million to look at replacing or repairing the stretch of highway, but those projects could cost more than $4 billion.
Sen. Cantwell said federal infrastructure funding could cover some of the costs.
"We're hoping to get a game plan of how the state and federal partners can work together to try to look at those numbers and see how they might be used for this project,” said Cantwell.
Rep. Strickland said the federal government and the state need to take action.
"We typically are responding to crises,” said Strickland. “We have to get ahead of this." | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/nisqually-river-bridge-tribe-funding-federal-governor-inslee/281-06093b3e-6289-4dca-83f7-12630bb285df | 2022-04-12T08:17:55 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/nisqually-river-bridge-tribe-funding-federal-governor-inslee/281-06093b3e-6289-4dca-83f7-12630bb285df |
WASHINGTON — With ever-rising costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing consumers and threatening the economy, inflation in the United States likely set yet another four-decade high in March.
The government's consumer price index being released Tuesday is expected to show that prices shot up 8.4% from 12 months earlier, according to economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet. That would mark the fastest year-over-year inflation since December 1981. And it would surpass the 7.9% 12-month increase in February, which itself set a 40-year high.
Economists have also forecast that from February to March, consumer prices jumped 1.1%. That would be the sharpest month-to-month jump since 2005.
The March numbers will be the first the capture the full surge in gasoline prices that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow's brutal attacks have triggered far-reaching Western sanctions against the Russian economy and have disrupted global food and energy markets. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gasoline — $4.11 — is up 44% from a year ago, though it has fallen back in the past couple of weeks.
The escalation of energy prices has led to higher transportation costs for the shipment of goods and components across the economy, which, in turn, has contributed to higher prices for consumers.
“The war in Ukraine has complicated the inflation outlook,’’ noted Luke Tilley, chief economist at Wilmington Trust.
Economists point out that since the economy emerged from the depths of the pandemic, consumers have been gradually broadening their spending beyond goods to include more services. A result is that high inflation, which at first had reflected mainly a shortage of goods — from cars and furniture to electronics and sports equipment — has been gradually emerging in services, too, like travel, health care and entertainment.
If the March price figures come in as expected, they will solidify expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates aggressively in the coming months to try to slow borrowing and spending and tame high inflation. The financial markets, in fact, now foresee much steeper rate hikes this year than Fed officials had signaled as recently as last month.
The central bank’s rate increases will make loans sharply more expensive for consumers and businesses. Mortgage rates, in particular, though not directly influenced by the Fed, have rocketed higher in recent weeks, making home buying more expensive. Many economists say they worry that the Fed has waited too long to begin raising rates and might end up acting so aggressively as to trigger a recession.
For now, the economy as a whole remains solid, with unemployment near 50-year lows and job openings near record highs. Still, rocketing inflation, with its impact on Americans' daily lives, is posing a political threat to President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies as they seek to keep control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Economists generally express doubt that even the sharp rate hikes that are expected from the Fed will manage to reduce inflation anywhere near the central bank's 2% annual target by the end of this year. Tilley, Wilmington Trust economist, said he expects year-over-year consumer inflation to still be 4.5% by the end of 2020. Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he had forecast a much lower 3% rate.
In Tuesday’s government report, even excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation for the past 12 months is expected to have hit 6.6%, according to the FactSet survey. That would be the biggest such year-over-year jump since August 1982.
Inflation, which had been largely under control for four decades, began to accelerate last spring as the U.S. and global economies rebounded with unexpected speed and strength from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession that began in the spring of 2020.
The recovery, fueled by huge infusions of government spending and super-low interest rates, caught businesses by surprise, forcing them to scramble to meet surging customer demand. Factories, ports and freight yards struggled to keep up, leading to chronic shipping delays and price spikes.
Critics also blame, in part, the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion March 2021 stimulus program, which included $1,400 relief checks for most households, for helping overheat an already sizzling economy.
Many Americans have been receiving pay increases, but the pace of inflation has more than wiped out those gains for most people. In February, after accounting for inflation, average hourly wages fell 2.5% from a year earlier. It was the 11th straight monthly drop in inflation-adjusted wages. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/march-inflation-report/507-54c1c371-57b5-41c7-9fb4-74ab44c98a38 | 2022-04-12T08:17:59 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/march-inflation-report/507-54c1c371-57b5-41c7-9fb4-74ab44c98a38 |
KYIV, Ukraine — Corpses are now “carpeted through the streets” of Mariupol after Russian troops killed more than 10,000 civilians over the past six weeks in their unsuccessful fight to capture the strategic southern port, the mayor said, while Western powers warned a convoy was on the move for a suspected Russian assault in Ukraine's east.
Mariupol has been the site of some of the heaviest attacks and civilian suffering in the 6-week-old war, but the land, sea and air assaults by Russian forces fighting to capture it have increasingly limited information on circumstances inside the city.
Speaking by phone Monday with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of having blocked weeks of attempted humanitarian convoys into the city in part to conceal the carnage. Boychenko said the death toll in Mariupol alone could surpass 20,000.
Boychenko also gave new details of allegations by Ukrainian officials that Russian forces have brought mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the corpses of victims of the siege.
Russian forces have taken many bodies to a huge shopping center where there are storage facilities and refrigerators, Boychenko said.
“Mobile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks: You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned,” he said.
Boychenko spoke from a location in Ukrainian-controlled territory but outside Mariupol. The mayor said he had several sources for his description of the alleged methodical burning of bodies by Russian forces in the city, but did not further detail the sources of his information.
The discovery of large numbers of apparently executed civilians after Russian forces retreated from cities and towns around the capital, Kyiv, already has prompted widespread condemnation and assertions that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
U.S. officials also point to further signs Russia's military is gearing up for a major offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, switching its focus after Russian forces failed in their initial drive to capture Kyiv.
Donbas has been torn by fighting between Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and Russia has recognized the separatists' claims of independence. Military strategists say Russian leaders appear to hope local support, logistics and terrain in Donbas favor Russia's larger and better-armed military, potentially allowing Russian troops to gain more territory and weaken Ukraine's fighting forces.
Russia has appointed a seasoned general to lead its renewed push in the eastern Donbas region.
A senior U.S. defense official on Monday described a long Russian convoy now rolling toward the eastern city of Izyum with artillery, aviation and infantry support, as part of redeployment for what appears to be the looming Russian campaign.
More artillery is being deployed near the city of Donetsk, while ground combat units that withdrew from around the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas appear destined for refitting and resupplying before they position in Donbas, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. military assessments.
With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities — a strategy that has flattened many urban areas and killed thousands of people.
The U.N. children’s agency said nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion began. The United Nations has verified 142 children have been killed and 229 injured, though the actual numbers are likely much higher.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of committing atrocities, including a massacre in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, airstrikes on hospitals and a missile attack that killed at least 57 people last week at a train station.
In Bucha, the work of exhuming bodies from a mass grave in a churchyard resumed.
Galyna Feoktistova waited for hours in the cold and rain in hopes of identifying her 50-year-old son, who was shot and killed more than a month ago, but eventually she went home for some warmth. “He's still there,” her surviving son, Andriy, said.
In Mariupol, about 120,000 civilians are in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said.
Only those residents who have passed the Russian “filtration camps” are released from the city, Boychenko said.
Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are confiscating passports from Ukrainian citizens, then moving them to “filtration camps” in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled east before sending them to distant, economically depressed areas in Russia.
Boychenko said Monday that those who did not pass the “filtering" have been moved to improvised prisons. He said 33,000 people or more have been taken to Russia or separatist territory in Ukraine.
Russian has denied moving people against their will.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Ukrainians that Russia might use chemical weapons in Mariupol. “We take this as seriously as possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday.
Western leaders warned even before Russian troops moved into Ukraine that Russia could resort to unconventional weapons there, particularly chemical agents.
A Russia-allied separatist official, Eduard Basurin, appeared to urge their use Monday, telling Russian state TV that Russian-backed forces should seize a giant metals plant in Mariupol from Ukrainian forces by first blocking all the exits out of the factory. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” he said.
A Ukrainian regiment, without evidence, also claimed Monday that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance in Mariupol. It indicated there were no serious injuries.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the U.S. could not confirm the drone report out of Mariupol. But Kirby noted the administration’s persistent concerns “about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine.”
Russian forces will likely try to encircle the Donbas region from the north and the south as well as the east, said retired British Gen. Richard Barrons, co-chair of the U.K.-based strategic consulting firm Universal Defence & Security Solutions.
The ground in that part of Ukraine is flatter, more open and less wooded — so the Ukrainian ambush tactics used around Kiev may be less successful, Barrons said.
“As to the outcome, it’s finely balanced right now,” Barrons said. If the Russians learned from their previous failures, concentrated more force, connected their air force to ground forces better and improved their logistics, he said, “then they might start to overwhelm the Ukrainian positions eventually, although I still think it would be a battle of enormous attrition.”
Questions remain about the ability of depleted and demoralized Russian forces to conquer much ground, after determined Ukrainian defenders repelled their advance on Kyiv.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Monday that Ukraine has already beaten back several assaults by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — they make up the Donbas — resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery.
Western military analysts say Russia’s assault increasingly is focusing on an arc of territory stretching from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in the north, to Kherson in the south.
A residential area in Kharkiv was struck by incoming fire on Monday afternoon. Associated Press journalists saw firefighters putting out the fire and checking for victims following the attack, and saw that at least five people had been killed, including a child.
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/russia-ukraine-war-tuesday/507-850004c3-d872-4059-860e-9b201d50dd3d | 2022-04-12T08:17:59 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/russia-ukraine-war-tuesday/507-850004c3-d872-4059-860e-9b201d50dd3d |
A hazardous blend of erratic winds, low humidity and dry conditions have stoked several New Mexico wildfires in the past week, portending what could lie ahead as the weather warms in a state already parched from prolonged drought.
And with fearsome winds predicted for Tuesday, many communities throughout the state are holding their collective breath.
Scattered wildfires continued to burn Monday near Las Vegas, N.M., Roswell and Belen as well as the Gila National Forest, with two of the blazes started by prescribed burns that went amiss.
Winds have played havoc with the Hermits Peak Fire, which has scorched about 1,280 acres since a prescribed burn went out of control on April 6 after unexpected gusts blew embers onto dense, dry debris.
The San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office has ordered residents evacuated from Las Dispensas, San Ignacio, Pendaries and Las Tusas in response to the growth of fire. So far, about 100 have taken shelter at the old Memorial Middle School in Las Vegas.
The fire is only 10 percent contained.
Some people have questioned the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to conduct a prescribed fire during a week of high-wind and red flag warnings in the area. Officials have said conditions were calm most of the day before unforeseen winds sparked spot fires outside containment lines.
“We are fully focused on suppressing the Hermits Peak fire as safely and as quickly as possible,” Forest Service spokeswoman Julie Anne Overton wrote in an email. “Once we have met that objective, we’ll complete an internal review of the decisions and conditions that contributed to this situation.”
In the meantime, the prescribed burn planned for the Santa Fe Municipal Watershed has been indefinitely postponed so the agency can focus on quelling this wildfire, Overton wrote.
The Hermits Peak firefighting response has involved four Hotshot crews, one specialized crew, eight engines, three helicopters, one rapid extraction module and one tactical water tender. More fire engines, personnel and other equipment are on the way, officials said at an online news conference Monday night.
The Southwest Type 2 Incident Management Team took over operations Monday from the Type 3 Team, which handled the initial response.
A Type 2 Team brings additional resources and capabilities in fighting a more protracted wildfire.
In Valencia County, authorities called for evacuations of communities on both sides of the Rio Grande in response to a wildfire that started Monday in the bosque.
“It is a rapidly moving fire due to the winds,” said Matt Propp, the county fire chief.
Residents were directed to a shelter at a community center in Belen, just south of Albuquerque.
An unknown number of structures were reported as lost, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether they were homes, barns or other outbuildings.
The fire’s cause and the number of acres burned so far is unknown, Propp said.
In Roswell, the 1,900-acre Overflow Fire was 80 percent contained Monday.
The Bureau of Land Management was conducting a prescribed burn Thursday when extreme heat caused a “fire whirl” or vortex that carried embers across the planned boundaries, igniting dry grasses, agency spokeswoman Jill Aragon said.
Flames spread onto private and state lands, burning through grassy areas along the Pecos River, Aragon said.
“They’re dry; they’re overgrown,” Aragon said. “Which is why we attempted to do a prescribed burn.”
High winds make suppressing a wildfire more a challenge, but so far the teams have kept the flames from spreading further, Aragon said.
Three fire engines and two Hotshot crews are on the scene, along with bulldozers digging fire breaks around the lines, she said.
Meanwhile, the 3,030-acre Collins Fire in the Gila National Forest was fully contained Monday.
The fire’s cause is unknown, other than a human is behind it in some way, Forest Service spokesman Andrew Mitchell said, adding lightning tends to be the main natural cause of a forest fire.
“There wasn’t any lightning in the area, so it kind of narrows it down,” Mitchell said.
Strong winds are forecasted to blow through the region all week, with a slight letup on Wednesday. But even then they’ll pose hazards for ongoing fires, said Bryan Guyer, National Weather Service meteorologist in Albuquerque.
“This is typically the windy time of year,” Guyer said.
Still, Tuesday’s forecasted winds will be unusually fierce, even for New Mexico. Peak gusts are expected to reach 57 mph near Las Vegas, 45 in Albuquerque and 60 in Raton, making those areas and many others vulnerable.
The low humidity is exacerbating the dry conditions created by the years-long drought and the La Niña, Guyer said, referring to the Pacific Ocean event that pushes precipitation northward, making the Southwest more arid than normal.
All of that makes the debris and vegetation, known as fuels, more flammable, Guyer said.
In a phone interview, Overton said last summer monsoons quelled what could have been a severe and extended wildfire season. But the rains also thickened grass and vegetation, which dried out over the La Nina winter, turning into wildfire fuel that is now causing this wildfire season’s early start, she said.
The best scenario is to have summer rainstorms and hope for a reasonably wet winter, Overton said, adding with climate change you can never count on that. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/communities-near-las-vegas-evacuate-as-dry-conditions-fuel-fires-across-state/article_15ae62ee-b9ac-11ec-b914-93a17877cf24.html | 2022-04-12T08:23:41 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/communities-near-las-vegas-evacuate-as-dry-conditions-fuel-fires-across-state/article_15ae62ee-b9ac-11ec-b914-93a17877cf24.html |
Jury to hear opening statements in Johnny Depp libel case
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia is scheduled to hear opening statements Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp says Heard libeled him when she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp is never mentioned by name, but he says the article implicates him nonetheless because it refers to past accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him. Depp denies the abuse allegations.
A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Heard’s lawyers had sought to have the case tried in California, where the actors reside. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post’s computer servers for its online edition are located in the county.
The trial is expected to last for more than a month. A lengthy witness list includes actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Some witnesses are slated to appear in person, while others are scheduled to appear via video link.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ | 2022-04-12T08:39:48 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ |