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Car crashes into downtown Lexington restaurant
Published: Jul. 28, 2023 at 9:24 PM EDT|Updated: 54 minutes ago
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A car has crashed into a downtown Lexington restaurant.
The restaurant is Taste of Thai, located at the corner of Main Street and Limestone.
Another vehicle appears to be involved in the scene.
We do not know yet if there are any injuries or how the crash happened.
We have a reporter headed to the scene and are working to learn more information.
Copyright 2023 WKYT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2023/07/29/car-crashes-into-downtown-lexington-restaurant/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:36 | 1 | https://www.wkyt.com/2023/07/29/car-crashes-into-downtown-lexington-restaurant/ |
6-year-old girl dies after being hit by boat propeller at lake, authorities say
PEORIA, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - Authorities in Arizona say a young girl has died after she was hit by a boat propeller at Lake Pleasant Friday morning.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said first responders were called to the lake regarding a boat accident at about 11 a.m.
KPHO reports that a 6-year-old girl was pulled from the lake with a severe leg injury. She was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.
According to Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, two families had arrived at the lake around 7 a.m. for swimming and wakeboarding. All 12 people, reported to be six adults and six children, were on the same boat.
Investigators said the child was injured when no one realized she was still in the water and her mother started to accelerate to pull another family member who was wakeboarding.
The young girl was then run over by the boat.
Because of poor cellphone service in that part of the lake, the family couldn’t reach emergency services.
Other boaters in the area helped get the child out of the water and brought her to the Pleasant Harbor Marina where fire crews were waiting.
Deputies don’t believe impairment was a factor in the accident.
Detectives are investigating and processing evidence, but Enriquez said the girl’s death is being treated as a tragic accident.
Authorities said there appeared to be no safety violations on the boat, which was equipped with proper life jackets, a fire extinguisher and other gear.
Enriquez also said the owners are experienced boat operators who live near the lake.
The families involved were not immediately identified.
Copyright 2023 KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:36 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ |
Consumer Reports: Beware of ‘fake reviews’ online
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Customers are constantly looking for insights into which products, brands or services they can trust before purchasing anything. In a recent survey, 43% of people in the U.S. say that they find customer reviews on the internet to be very helpful, and some even consider them when making a purchase decision. But ever wonder whether those glowing five-star reviews you often see are real?
It’s hard to know for sure. Consumer Reports gives you tips to help you recognize what’s authentic and what’s not. “I don’t trust reviews anymore,” Fake Review Watch founder Kay Dean says. “My personal experience — the reviews that I had relied on in selecting a medical provider were fake.”
After her bad experience, Dean decided to create Fake Review Watch, her own YouTube channel and website, to help create awareness and fight back against online reviews. “The public is been deceived, and it’s a huge problem because consumer experiences are not matching those reviews,” she says.
In fact, research from Fakespot found that 42% of Amazon’s reviews were not real! How can you know? Samantha Gordon with Consumer Reports says, “One major sign that something fishy might be going on is when you see a bunch of very positive reviews all posted on the same day. Fake reviews can be grouped together like this, so it’s better to skip them.”
Another red flag is when you see similar wording or phrasing in multiple reviews. Several reviews from different users that have the same “Wow, this product changed my life!” may not be authentic. “Anyone is allowed to leave reviews on Amazon,” Gordon says. “Even if they didn’t buy the product. So, look for reviews that have the Verified Purchase tag — this means that the reviewer actually bought the product on Amazon.”
It may also help you to look at other reviews from the same user. Click on their profile, and if you see a pattern of five stars and similar language, those reviews may be fake or even paid!
And if you’re still not sure, check Fakespot, which uses an algorithm to evaluate the quality of customer reviews. Paste a product URL into their analyzer and let your good judgment decide!
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
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Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO via Consumer Reports. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/consumer-reports-beware-fake-reviews-online/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:37 | 1 | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/consumer-reports-beware-fake-reviews-online/ |
Iowa man sentenced for 2020 murders of girlfriend and her friend
Iowa prosecutors did not provide Matthew Buford III's motive for killing his girlfriend and her friend in 2020
A 39-year-old Iowa man has been sentenced to back-to-back life sentences for fatally shooting his girlfriend and her friend a few years ago.
The families of 42-year-old Tamica Allison and 41-year-old Andrea Anderson begged Matthew Dee Buford III for an explanation over the February 2020 double-homicide he committed in Waterloo, Iowa.
"If you had any ounce of human decency left, I would just ask you, let us know why," said Anderson’s son, Mohammed Calhoun, in Thursday's sentencing.
Throughout Buford's month long trial, prosecutors did not offer a motive, although they did find the 39-year-old guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and flight to avoid prosecution.
Authorities said that Burford was drinking with his girlfriend, Allison, and Anderson when he allegedly shot the two women. Buford and Allison lived together and Anderson was visiting, police said.
Allison’s teenage daughter testified that she was in her bedroom upstairs and heard her mother's final words and two subsequent gunshots.
"What are you going to do, shoot me in the face? I don’t care, I’m not scared," Allison's teenage daughter testified during the prosecution.
Police said that Buford dropped off the daughter and her younger brother at other homes, and then left the state.
When responding officers with the Waterloo Police Department arrived, they would find the two women dead with gunshot wounds.
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He surrendered in Peoria, Illinois on February 12, 2020, and was transferred back to Waterloo on February 22, 2020. | https://www.foxnews.com/us/iowa-man-sentenced-murders-girlfriend-friend | 2023-07-29T02:20:40 | 0 | https://www.foxnews.com/us/iowa-man-sentenced-murders-girlfriend-friend |
(The Hill) — A federal judge in Montana issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, blocking the state from enforcing a law that bans certain drag performances, writing in an order that the law likely suffers from “constitutional maladies.”
Montana’s House Bill 359, passed by the state’s majority Republican legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, prohibits schools or libraries that receive state funding from hosting a drag story hour or “sexually oriented performance.” Performances are also prohibited from taking place in public or in the presence of a minor.
A group of 10 plaintiffs challenged the law in federal court earlier this month, arguing that the bill is “breathtakingly ambiguous and overbroad.” Plaintiffs include Adria Jawort, a transgender and two-spirit author whose lecture at a public library in Butte was canceled last month after officials determined that having her speak posed “too much of a legal risk” under the new law.
Montana Pride, the host of an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Helena, joined the lawsuit last week, arguing that city officials — as a result of the law — have withheld permits that are needed for this year’s Pride festival, which is slated to run from July 30 to August 6.
“The thirtieth annual Montana Pride is slated to begin in less than two days,” Chief Judge Brian Morris wrote in Friday’s order. “Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability under H.B. 359 in the absence of the extraordinary remedy of a [temporary restraining order.]”
Republicans in the state legislature this session had argued the law was necessary to protect children from “mature themes” and obscene material.
But “Montana law already protects minors from obscene material,” Morris wrote Friday.
On top of that, the state conceded during a July 26 hearing that the statutory text of House Bill 359 regulates speech and expression outside of what is considered “legally obscene.”
The law additionally “contains no carveout for speech or expression with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value,” Morris argued, and the First Amendment protects “at least some of the speech and expression” regulated by the law.
Morris noted in the order that the only two other district courts to have considered First Amendment challenges to similar state drag bans in Tennessee and Florida “have confirmed that those laws constitute facially content-based restrictions” and are therefore discriminatory.
A federal judge in June ruled that a Tennessee law banning drag shows in public or where children could view them is unconstitutional. The same month, a federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a similar ban on drag performances.
Attorneys for the state had sought to distinguish the Montana law from those of Florida and Tennessee on the basis that those laws failed to define “lewd.” But Morris on Friday argued that Montana’s drag ban also failed to define it.
The measure also fails to define “lascivious,” “flamboyant or parodic persona,” “salacious dancing” and “sexual manner,” Morris wrote. “The absence of definitions for these terms raises concerns for the Court about vagueness and overbreadth.”
In a statement to the Montana Free Press following Friday’s order, Montana Pride’s lead organizer, Kevin Hamm, said the court “got it right.”
“As I said throughout the legislature, drag is art. And drag bans not only infringe on free speech, but they are crafted (by design) to be so broad to allow for discrimination against trans & nonbinary people as well,” state Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr posted Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to Morris’s decision.
Zephyr, one of two openly transgender lawmakers in Montana, was censured by House Republicans in April after she said legislators who voted to pass a bill banning gender-affirming health care for transgender minors would have “blood on your hands.”
In a statement to The Hill, Emily Flower, a spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R), who is a defendant in the case, said the state will present its response at an upcoming preliminary injunction hearing.
“We look forward to presenting our written response and full argument at the upcoming preliminary injunction hearing to defend the law and protect minors from sexually oriented performances,” she said. | https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:41 | 0 | https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ |
LOCAL
17-year-old drowns at Triangle Lake after canoe capsizes
Charles Gearing
Eugene Register-Guard
A 17-year-old male drowned Thursday night at Triangle Lake after he fell out of a canoe, according to the Lane County Sheriff's Office.
An emergency call was made at 7:45 p.m., saying a boat had tipped over and an individual had not resurfaced, the sheriff's office said in a release Friday.
Bystanders unsuccessfully searched the area where the teenager was last seen about 50 feet from the main boat ramp, the release said.
Sheriff's divers located his body at 10:45. An investigation, which is ongoing, determined he was not wearing a life jacket. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Charles Gearing is a breaking news reporter. He may be reached at cgearing@gannett.com or at (708)262-7626. | https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/17-year-old-drowns-canoe-capsizes-on-triangle-lake-lane-county-oregon/70488831007/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:41 | 0 | https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/17-year-old-drowns-canoe-capsizes-on-triangle-lake-lane-county-oregon/70488831007/ |
Churchill Downs to resume racing at fall meet with no changes after horse deaths
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Racing will resume at Churchill Downs in September, with no changes being made after a review of surfaces and safety protocols in the wake of 12 horse deaths, including seven in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby in May.
The Louisville track suspended racing operations on June 7 and moved the rest of its spring meet to Ellis Park in western Kentucky at the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the sport’s national overseer.
Training continued at Churchill Downs during the track’s investigation.
Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen called the deaths “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said the review “didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”
“That, in a sense, can sometimes be unsatisfying,” he said. “But that’s business, and that’s sports.”
Two of the horse deaths occurred in undercard races on Derby day. Another five died later.
“The takeaway is, the track is very safe,” Carstanjen said Thursday on an earnings call with CDI investors.
“What we needed to do was spend some of this time in the interim, while we ran the rest of the (spring) meet at Ellis to just go soup to nuts through every single thing we do at the racetrack. There was nothing that jumped out as an apparent cause of the injuries, of the breakdowns; and, as we went through and rebuilt our processes from the ground up to check everything that we do to make extra sure, we didn’t find anything material.”
The track’s fall meet begins Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 1.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/churchill-downs-to-resume-racing-at-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:42 | 0 | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/churchill-downs-to-resume-racing-at-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ |
Nicholas Co. woman loses everything after flash flooding
NICHOLAS COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The deadly flash flooding has left several homes in disrepair along the Harrison-Nicholas county line.
We spoke to a woman who has spent her whole life in the area and says she has lost almost everything.
Homes have mud flooring, and bridges look like waterfalls after overnight flash flooding swept through the Morning Glory community.
Betsy Thomas, her husband, and four children had to escape out the back of their home and up the hill to her daughter’s early Friday morning as their property was submerged by a swollen Little Beaver Creek.
“It’s very dangerous. My grandfather always said when the creek gets up, we usually always try to move the vehicles. The creek rose faster than we could get out,” Betsy said.
Betsy says on any given day, she couldn’t even see the creek from her yard, but the severity of her storms was such that it only took an hour for the water to rise up out of its banks and into her home.
“Within 10 minutes, it was in the creek,” Betsy said. “Mother Nature was done, and you couldn’t even tell it,”
Ten minutes, and it was back to the babbling brook she was so familiar with, but the damage it left them was devastating.
“I mean, everything was in our trailer. It was completely underwater, and then you got four vehicles that were completely underwater, too,” said Betsy.
Betsy doesn’t have the slightest clue when this will all be fixed, but with the help of a loving family, she has faith that they will recover.
“We’re just gonna put one foot in front of the other one, take it one day at a time. We’ve got each other to lean on, and I think it’ll work out,” said Betsy.
Betsy says their family will live with her daughter in the meantime. She believes they lost thousands of dollars worth of farm equipment in addition to the cars and their other belongings, but she is just grateful they are all safe.
Copyright 2023 WKYT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2023/07/29/nicholas-co-woman-loses-everything-after-flash-flooding/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:42 | 0 | https://www.wkyt.com/2023/07/29/nicholas-co-woman-loses-everything-after-flash-flooding/ |
Churchill Downs to resume racing at fall meet with no changes after horse deaths
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Racing will resume at Churchill Downs in September, with no changes being made after a review of surfaces and safety protocols in the wake of 12 horse deaths, including seven in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby in May.
The Louisville track suspended racing operations on June 7 and moved the rest of its spring meet to Ellis Park in western Kentucky at the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the sport’s national overseer.
Training continued at Churchill Downs during the track’s investigation.
Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen called the deaths “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said the review “didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”
“That, in a sense, can sometimes be unsatisfying,” he said. “But that’s business, and that’s sports.”
Two of the horse deaths occurred in undercard races on Derby day. Another five died later.
“The takeaway is, the track is very safe,” Carstanjen said Thursday on an earnings call with CDI investors.
“What we needed to do was spend some of this time in the interim, while we ran the rest of the (spring) meet at Ellis to just go soup to nuts through every single thing we do at the racetrack. There was nothing that jumped out as an apparent cause of the injuries, of the breakdowns; and, as we went through and rebuilt our processes from the ground up to check everything that we do to make extra sure, we didn’t find anything material.”
The track’s fall meet begins Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 1.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/churchill-downs-resume-racing-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:43 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/churchill-downs-resume-racing-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ |
MCSO: Man caught after fleeing murder scene in Youngtown
YOUNGTOWN, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A man is in jail facing multiple felonies after he allegedly shot and killed another man over a stolen backpack in Youngtown on Tuesday. Frank James Harrison was arrested on Thursday around 1 p.m.
According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the 37-year-old showed up in a gray pickup truck to a home near 111th and Missouri avenues around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Harrison has said he was looking for the person he believed took his backpack. Timothy Dewitt, 41, told Harrison the person he was looking for wasn’t there and that he should leave, but Harrison went back to his truck and got his shotgun, deputies said. Harrison returned and confronted Dewitt.
“I’m going to (expletive) shoot you,” a witness heard Harrison say, according to court paperwork. Dewitt fired his handgun just before Harrison fired his shotgun, MCSO said. Harrison then got into his truck and took off with his girlfriend. Dewitt was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Deputies learned Harrison had taken his girlfriend’s mother’s truck a couple of days before and didn’t return it. On Thursday morning, deputies found the truck south of Harrison’s house in El Mirage, and he was arrested that afternoon. After originally denying he was in Youngtown, Harrison reportedly told detectives he went to Dewitt’s place because he left a soda on the porch. Then he refused to answer questions.
When detectives left the interview room, MCSO said Harrison walked out of the Major Crimes Division building at 33rd Avenue and Durango Street and ran northeast. He was caught about a half-mile away from the building. He was booked into jail on charges including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, misconduct involving weapons and second-degree escape.
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Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/mcso-man-caught-after-fleeing-murder-scene-youngtown/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:44 | 1 | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/mcso-man-caught-after-fleeing-murder-scene-youngtown/ |
Second structural issue discovered on Carowinds roller coaster after massive crack forces ride to shut down
The first crack at the Carowinds ride was discovered on June 30
A second structural issue at a Carowinds amusement park roller coaster in North Carolina was discovered just about a month after a major crack was discovered on the ride.
The initial crack on Carowinds' Fury 325 giga roller coaster was discovered on a steel support beam by Jeremy Wagner, a visitor to the amusement park on June 30. He notified park officials of the crack, which was seen while people were on the ride, and it was temporarily closed.
Video of the roller coaster crack shared with Fox News Digital shows the area around the crack shaking, and an air gap could be seen between where the weld should have been.
According to the amusement park, it was in the process of working with the ride manufacturer to install a new support column and testing was underway.
However, the North Carolina Department of Labor said in a statement on Friday that the agency has been informed of a second "weld indication," which "could be either a break or a crack."
Meredith Watson, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Labor, said in a statement that "No certificate of operation has been issued nor do we have a timeline of when the certificate of operation will be issued for the Fury 325."
A certificate of operation is required for the ride to operate.
When contacted by Fox News Digital, a Carowinds spokesperson said that during maintenance reviews, "it is not uncommon to discover slight weld indications in various locations of a steel superstructure. It is important to note that these indications do not compromise the structural integrity or safety of the ride."
CAROWINDS AMUSEMENT PARK ANNOUNCES NEXT STEPS AFTER POTENTIALLY DEADLY ROLLER COASTER CRACK EXPOSED
"We are conducting a full maintenance review of Fury 325 during this testing process. This maintenance review – which is consistent with routine off-season procedures – includes a review of the steel superstructure, the trains, and the ride control system," the spokesperson said. "When such indications are found, we conduct non-destructive testing to determine the appropriate remedy. Once a repair is completed, it undergoes inspection and approval before the ride is deemed operational. Additionally, as is customary, we conduct test cycles to ensure its smooth operation before guests are allowed on the ride."
The spokesperson added that it is continuing to "conduct a comprehensive series of detailed tests and inspections in preparation for the reopening of Fury 325."
North Carolina Department of Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson said earlier in July that "until we're 100% comfortable issuing that new certificate of operation, we will not do so."
"We're going to take as long as it takes," Dobson said.
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The amusement park's website states that Fury 325 is "the tallest, fastest, longest giga coaster in North America."
The roller coaster reaches speeds of up to 95 mph and has a peak height of 325 feet, which is followed by a "dramatic 81-degree drop, the website states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.foxnews.com/us/second-structural-issue-discovered-carowinds-roller-coaster-massive-crack-forces-ride-shut-down | 2023-07-29T02:20:46 | 0 | https://www.foxnews.com/us/second-structural-issue-discovered-carowinds-roller-coaster-massive-crack-forces-ride-shut-down |
(NEXSTAR) – It’s been a rough week for Trader Joe’s after the popular grocery store chain had to notify customers on Thursday and Friday about products potentially containing foreign matter.
On Friday, Trader Joe’s announced it was recalling frozen falafel balls (SKU# 93935) that may contain rocks.
The recalled falafel was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.
One day earlier, Trader Joe’s warned customers that its “Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup” may contain insects. Trader Joe’s says there have not been reported cases of illness from the soup.
The recalled soup (SKU# 68470) has the Use By dates of 07/18/23 – 09/15/23.
A third recall, updated Tuesday to include a sell by date, warns that there may be rocks in the company’s Almond Windmill Cookies and the Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies.
Those cookies have the following dates:
- Almond Windmill Cookies: SELL BY 10/02/23 and 10/19/23 through 10/21/23
- Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies: SELL BY 10/17/23 through 10/21/23
In all of the recalls, anyone who bought or received a donation containing one of the potentially tainted items is urged to throw it away or return it to Trader Joe’s for a refund.
Customers with questions may contact Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817 [Mondays-Fridays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT] or send Trader Joe’s an email. | https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/trader-joes-recalls-falafel-and-broccoli-cheddar-soup-for-possible-rocks-insects/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:47 | 0 | https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/trader-joes-recalls-falafel-and-broccoli-cheddar-soup-for-possible-rocks-insects/ |
What’s that under construction behind Willamette High School?
Project: A new two-story vocational education building.
Location: 1801 Echo Hollow Road
A new two-story vocational education building is taking shape on the Willamette High School campus.
The first floor of the nearly 16,000 square foot building will feature a kitchen and robotics shop as well as corresponding classrooms for each program. Second floor space will house the school’s business finance, graphic design, computer science, drafting and photography programs.
Renderings and plans for the new building can be found on Bethel School District’s website.
Construction on the new building broke ground earlier this year and is expected to be completed in spring 2024.
The building stands on the northeast corner of the school's campus near the end of Dove Lane.
The project is a part of a $99.3 million bond passed by voters in 2020 to rebuild Cascade Middle School, provide vocational education facilities at Kalapuya and Willamette high schools and make major repairs to other district buildings.
Textbooks, computers and school safety improvements across the district are also funded under the bond.
John Hyland Construction is the general contractor for the project while Portland-based Soderstrom Architects designed the new building.
Building size: 15,879 square feet
Architect: Soderstrom Architects
General contractor: John Hyland Construction
Source: Bethel School District construction manager Pat Bradshaw, Bethel School District website, city of Eugene permit records.
Is there something under construction you'd like to tell us about or want to find out more about? Contact multimedia journalist Ben Lonergan atblonergan@registerguard.com or follow him on Twitter or Instagram @lonerganphoto. | https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/whats-that-under-construction-behind-willamette-high-school-eugene-bethel-school-district/70463912007/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:47 | 1 | https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/whats-that-under-construction-behind-willamette-high-school-eugene-bethel-school-district/70463912007/ |
The UFO congressional hearing was ‘insulting’ to US employees, a top Pentagon official says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Pentagon official has attacked this week’s widely watched congressional hearing on UFOs, calling the claims “insulting” to employees who are investigating sightings and accusing a key witness of not cooperating with the official U.S. government investigation.
Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick’s letter, published on his personal LinkedIn page and circulated Friday across social media, criticizes much of the testimony from a retired Air Force intelligence officer that energized believers in extraterrestrial life and produced headlines around the world.
Retired Air Force Maj. David Grusch testified Wednesday that the U.S. has concealed what he called a “multi-decade” program to collect and reverse-engineer “UAPs,” or unidentified aerial phenomena, the official government term for UFOs.
Part of what the U.S. has recovered, Grusch testified, were non-human “biologics,” which he said he had not seen but had learned about from “people with direct knowledge of the program.”
A career intelligence officer, Kirkpatrick was named a year ago to lead the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, which was intended to centralize investigations into UAPs. The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies have been pushed by Congress in recent years to better investigate reports of devices flying at unusual speeds or trajectories as a national security concern.
Kirkpatrick wrote the letter Thursday and the Defense Department confirmed Friday that he posted it in a personal capacity. Kirkpatrick did not return messages seeking comment.
He writes in part, “I cannot let yesterday’s hearing pass without sharing how insulting it was to the officers of the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community who chose to join AARO, many with not unreasonable anxieties about the career risks this would entail.”
“They are truth-seekers, as am I,” Kirkpatrick said. “But you certainly would not get that impression from yesterday’s hearing.”
In a separate statement, Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough denied other allegations made by Grusch and other witnesses before a House Oversight subcommittee.
The Pentagon “has no information that any individual has been harmed or killed as a result of providing information” about UFO objects, Gough said. Nor has the Pentagon discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.”
Kirkpatrick wrote, “AARO has yet to find any credible evidence to support the allegations of any reverse engineering program for non-human technology.”
He had briefed reporters in December that the Pentagon was investigating “several hundreds” of new reports following a push to have pilots and others come forward with any sightings.
Kirkpatrick wrote in his letter that allegations of “retaliation, to include physical assault and hints of murder, are extraordinarily serious, which is why law enforcement is a critical member of the AARO team, specifically to address and take swift action should anyone come forward with such claims.”
“Yet, contrary to assertions made in the hearing, the central source of those allegations has refused to speak with AARO,” Kirkpatrick said. He did not explicitly name Grusch, who alleged he faced retaliation and declined to answer when a congressman asked him if anyone had been murdered to hide information about UFOs.
Messages left at a phone number and email address for Grusch were not returned Friday.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/the-ufo-congressional-hearing-was-insulting-to-us-employees-a-top-pentagon-official-says/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:48 | 0 | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/the-ufo-congressional-hearing-was-insulting-to-us-employees-a-top-pentagon-official-says/ |
‘Our hero is going home’: Police officer released from rehab 3.5 months after Ky. bank shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After 109 days, Louisville Metro police officer Nickolas Wilt has been released from Frazier Rehabilitation Institute and is going home.
Wilt has been hospitalized, receiving medical care for the last three and a half months after the Old National Bank mass shooting on April 10. Wilt was critically injured when he was shot in the head after responding to the shooting that ultimately killed five people.
The victims were identified as Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Josh Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Deana Eckert, 57.
Wilt was listed in critical condition for nearly a month. Officials with the University of Louisville Health said Wilt received multiple surgeries and underwent several procedures at University of Louisville Hospital and Jewish Hospital.
On May 10, one month after the shooting, Wilt was transferred to Frazier Rehabilitation Institute to begin neuro and physical rehabilitation after seeing an improvement in his condition. Over the course of the last three and a half months, doctors and family of Wilt have called his journey remarkable.
On Friday, Governor Andy Beshear shared a photo with Wilt ahead of his release.
“Kentucky, our prayers were heard. @LMPD Officer Nick Wilt is headed home with his family. Officer Wilt is a hero who ran toward danger to save the lives of several of my friends. I am forever grateful for him and his bravery. Let’s keep praying for him.”
Wilt was honored as he left the halls of Frazier Rehab. He was accompanied by family as well as some fellow officers.
After leaving the rehab facility, Wilt was driven to Southeast Christian Church on Blankenbaker Parkway where he was driven past a line of well-wishers. The van then headed for Oldham County where community members were invited to gather along Highway 53 in La Grange to greet Wilt.
LMPD shared their sentiment on their social media, honoring the heroic actions of Wilt.
“Resilience, strength, courage. Those are just a few words to describe Ofc. Nickolas Wilt. April 10th, innocent lives were lost. Ofc. Wilt, just 10 days on the job, answered the call to help stop an active shooter. Today, our hero is going home. He’s ready. #WiltsWarriors”
Louisville Metro Police Foundation has created a donation site to help pay for Wilt’s medical expenses.
To make a donation, click or tap here.
Copyright 2023 WAVE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:48 | 0 | https://www.wkyt.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ |
ND State Fair: a pivotal week for Minot businesses
MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – People from all across North Dakota and other parts of the country come to the Minot area for the ND State Fair.
Kim and Bruce Trueblood of Wausau, Wisconsin, were passing through Minot as part of their vacation. They stopped for a bite at Schatz Crossroads Travel Center and encountered a big crowd.
Kim: “We just saw it along the side of the road, and we were hungry, and truck stops always have good food.”
Interviewer: “And was it good food?”
Kim: “It’s excellent, very good, yes!”
Interviewer: “What did you get?”
Kim: “Biscuits and gravy with eggs.”
Kim and Bruce are some of the many customers taking over locations like the truck stop in Minot, and spending their dollars there.
Operations Manager Krista Marshall said they’ve seen bumps in certain departments from year to year.
“We’ve seen certain departments with increased sales as much as 10 percent over last year at the fair, to 60 percent over last year at the fair, depending on the department,” said Marshall.
Marshall said grab-and-go items in the deli have seen the biggest bump, as well as the late-night shifts after concerts let out.
Her restaurant manager Joann Strobel said this may be their best state fair week since the pandemic.
“We’re picking back up. Like, you know, coming out of covid, this is probably one of our best years,” said Strobel.
Stephanie Schoenrock with Visit Minot said they track the ebb and flow of dollars in and out of the economy, and they’re expecting a great year.
“Even more than normal, we know more from hotels, we know from restaurants, the entire retail sector, we are hearing very good reports on the amount of people in town from outside the area to visit the North Dakota State Fair,” said Schoenrock.
For business owners like Marshall, this week is vital to what they do.
“The increase in business really helps us invest back into the business, back into our employees as well,” said Marshall.
Fair time is a key point in the year for business in the Magic City.
Schoenrock said they won’t know numbers on foot traffic or credit card payments for a few weeks, or maybe even a few months, depending on what they are measuring.
However, in 2020, when the North Dakota State Fair and Norsk Høstfest were both canceled, the area lost somewhere between $70 to $90 million, so it’s fair to say businesses are glad that things have returned to normal.
Copyright 2023 KFYR. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/nd-state-fair-pivotal-week-minot-businesses/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:49 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/nd-state-fair-pivotal-week-minot-businesses/ |
‘Our hero is going home’: Police officer released from rehab 3.5 months after Ky. bank shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After 109 days, Louisville Metro police officer Nickolas Wilt has been released from Frazier Rehabilitation Institute and is going home.
Wilt has been hospitalized, receiving medical care for the last three and a half months after the Old National Bank mass shooting on April 10. Wilt was critically injured when he was shot in the head after responding to the shooting that ultimately killed five people.
The victims were identified as Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Josh Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Deana Eckert, 57.
Wilt was listed in critical condition for nearly a month. Officials with the University of Louisville Health said Wilt received multiple surgeries and underwent several procedures at University of Louisville Hospital and Jewish Hospital.
On May 10, one month after the shooting, Wilt was transferred to Frazier Rehabilitation Institute to begin neuro and physical rehabilitation after seeing an improvement in his condition. Over the course of the last three and a half months, doctors and family of Wilt have called his journey remarkable.
On Friday, Governor Andy Beshear shared a photo with Wilt ahead of his release.
“Kentucky, our prayers were heard. @LMPD Officer Nick Wilt is headed home with his family. Officer Wilt is a hero who ran toward danger to save the lives of several of my friends. I am forever grateful for him and his bravery. Let’s keep praying for him.”
Wilt was honored as he left the halls of Frazier Rehab. He was accompanied by family as well as some fellow officers.
After leaving the rehab facility, Wilt was driven to Southeast Christian Church on Blankenbaker Parkway where he was driven past a line of well-wishers. The van then headed for Oldham County where community members were invited to gather along Highway 53 in La Grange to greet Wilt.
LMPD shared their sentiment on their social media, honoring the heroic actions of Wilt.
“Resilience, strength, courage. Those are just a few words to describe Ofc. Nickolas Wilt. April 10th, innocent lives were lost. Ofc. Wilt, just 10 days on the job, answered the call to help stop an active shooter. Today, our hero is going home. He’s ready. #WiltsWarriors”
Louisville Metro Police Foundation has created a donation site to help pay for Wilt’s medical expenses.
To make a donation, click or tap here.
Copyright 2023 WAVE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:50 | 0 | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ |
HURON, Ohio (WJW) – A suspected bank burglar was busted when he gave new meaning to the term “direct deposit.”
Police in Huron, Ohio watched as the suspected bank thief dropped from the ceiling over the drive-thru, right in front of their eyes.
Police body camera video obtained by the WJW shows the incident. Officers can be heard ordering the suspect on the ground, and then helping get him out of the recycling can. The suspect was not injured.
“In my 35-plus years in law enforcement, this is the first time I ever saw a suspect fall into a garbage can,” said Huron Police Chief Terry Graham.
Graham said around 2:12 a.m. Wednesday, police received an alarm from the VacationLand Federal Credit Union located on University Drive East.
While checking the building, officers could hear noises coming from inside the roof area over the drive-thru.
They also noticed the recycling can positioned in the middle of the drive-thru lane, directly under a roof access door. The officers heard noises coming from inside the bank and patiently waited.
“I am most impressed with our officers’ patience in a very difficult situation,” the chief said. “The tactics they used, I think, substantially contributed to no one being injured and the suspect being taken into custody.”
Tristan Heidl, 27, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools and safecracking.
Police say Heidl had a backpack full of construction tools.
“He did get inside the bank and attempt to open numerous areas in the bank that contain money,” the chief said.
Police say Heidl was unable to get inside the safe and crash-landed with empty pockets.
“He didn’t get a dime,” Graham said.
Heidl is being held in the Erie County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He is due back in court soon. | https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:53 | 1 | https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ |
Sophia Beckmon wins women's long jump at USATF Junior Olympics
Sophia Beckmon, a member of The Inner Circle Track Club, added to her growing list of accolades on Thursday at the U.S. Track and Field National Junior Olympic Championships at Hayward Field.
Beckmon won the women's 17-18 long jump with a personal record jump of 21 feet 2.75 inches.
Topher Gabel of Cedar Ridge Middle School in Sandy jumped 6-05 to win the men's 13-14 high jump.
Lake Oswego's Mia Brahe-Pedersen, also racing with The Inner Circle Track Club, is set to anchor the 4x400 relay on Friday at 9:10 p.m.
Brahe-Pedersen represented the United States at the NACAC U23 Championships in Costa Rica where she set a meet record in the 100-meters in 11.08 seconds and came in first in the 200 in 23.05. She anchored the 4x100 relay to gold with a meet record in 42.74.
Edith Noriega is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at ENoriega@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Noriega_Edith. | https://www.registerguard.com/story/sports/outdoors/2023/07/28/sophia-beckmon-wins-womens-long-jump-gold-medal-usatf-junior-olympic-championships/70479930007/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:53 | 1 | https://www.registerguard.com/story/sports/outdoors/2023/07/28/sophia-beckmon-wins-womens-long-jump-gold-medal-usatf-junior-olympic-championships/70479930007/ |
Aaron Judge lines out in first at-bat after coming off injured list for Yankees at Baltimore
BALTIMORE (AP) — The New York Yankees have been a sub-.500 team since Aaron Judge injured his toe in early June. Now they hope his return can help them rally for a postseason spot.
The Yankees reinstated Judge from the injured list on Friday before the opener of their weekend road series against the Baltimore Orioles. Judge admits he isn’t fully recovered but says he’s healthy enough to play.
“It’s feeling all right, feeling good. It’s not 100%. I don’t think it’ll be 100% until the end of the year,” he said. “I think our biggest goal is just getting to a point where I could play, I could tolerate it.”
The game was delayed 2 hours, 32 minutes by rain, and when Judge finally batted in the top of the first, the New York fans in attendance gave him a big ovation while others at Camden Yards booed. He lined out to right field on the first pitch he saw.
Judge had been out since tearing a ligament in his right big toe June 3 when he crashed into the right-field fence while making a catch at Dodger Stadium.
Judge played a simulated game Wednesday at the team’s complex in Tampa, Florida, and returned to New York after that. The 2022 American League MVP faced live pitching Sunday at Yankee Stadium for the first time since the injury. Manager Aaron Boone said Judge homered during a simulated game Tuesday in Florida. He also played the field and ran the bases.
Judge was penciled into the lineup as the designated hitter, batting second Friday night. Boone said he could have potentially played in the field, but that will be a day-by-day decision.
“Obviously, as much as there’s urgency for us, we’ve got to be smart about that and make sure that in talking to Aaron, making sure he’s honest with his feedback about how he’s recovering, how he’s bouncing back,” Boone said. “Obviously, how the toe’s doing, but how everything else is doing.”
New York is 19-23 since Judge got hurt in Los Angeles. The Yankees are 30-19 with the star outfielder, who also missed 10 games earlier this season with a right hip strain.
Judge set an AL record with 62 home runs last year. He is batting .291 with 19 homers and 40 RBIs in the first season of a $360 million, nine-year contract he signed last offseason.
“I guess he’s back and he’s ready,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “So we’ll have to pitch to him well.”
Baltimore entered this series with a 1 1/2-game lead in the AL East over Tampa Bay. The Yankees were six games over .500 but at the bottom of the ultracompetitive division. New York was eight games behind the Orioles and 2 1/2 behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League’s final wild card.
Judge was asked if the team’s offensive struggles without him made him even more anxious to come back.
“No, I just wanted to get back,” Judge said after a noticeable pause. “Any time you’re sitting out, even if we were winning and we had an eight-game lead in the division, or we were 10 games out of it, I want to be back out there battling with the guys.”
Boone said Judge had an MRI in the last few days, and Judge indicated that was a factor in his return.
“I didn’t want to come back and make it worse, and this is something that leads into the next year and the following year,” he said. “Ligament’s stable. Last couple MRIs didn’t really show much healing, but this one did.”
To make room for Judge, the Yankees optioned infielder Oswald Peraza to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/aaron-judge-lines-out-in-first-at-bat-after-coming-off-injured-list-for-yankees-at-baltimore/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:54 | 1 | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/aaron-judge-lines-out-in-first-at-bat-after-coming-off-injured-list-for-yankees-at-baltimore/ |
2023 Amundi Evian Championship Betting Odds, Favorites & Insights – Round 3
Celine Boutier currently leads the way (-7, +5500 to win) after two rounds of play at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship .
Want to place a bet on the Amundi Evian Championship? Use our link for a special offer when you sign up with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Amundi Evian Championship Third Round Information
- Start Time: 1:00 AM ET
- Venue: Evian Resort Golf Club
- Location: Évian-les-Bains, France
- Par/Distance: Par 71/6,527 yards
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Amundi Evian Championship Best Odds to Win
Hyo Joo Kim
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1400
Kim Round by Round Results
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Nelly Korda
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1600
Korda Round by Round Results
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Rose Zhang
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +1800
Zhang Round by Round Results
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Linn Grant
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Grant Round by Round Results
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Ayaka Furue
- Tee Time: 2:28 AM ET
- Current Rank: 52nd (+3)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Furue Round by Round Results
Click here to bet on Furue at the Amundi Evian Championship with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Amundi Evian Championship Odds (Rest of Field)
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:54 | 0 | https://www.wkyt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ |
‘Our hero is going home’: Police officer released from rehab 3.5 months after Ky. bank shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After 109 days, Louisville Metro police officer Nickolas Wilt has been released from Frazier Rehabilitation Institute and is going home.
Wilt has been hospitalized, receiving medical care for the last three and a half months after the Old National Bank mass shooting on April 10. Wilt was critically injured when he was shot in the head after responding to the shooting that ultimately killed five people.
The victims were identified as Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Josh Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Deana Eckert, 57.
Wilt was listed in critical condition for nearly a month. Officials with the University of Louisville Health said Wilt received multiple surgeries and underwent several procedures at University of Louisville Hospital and Jewish Hospital.
On May 10, one month after the shooting, Wilt was transferred to Frazier Rehabilitation Institute to begin neuro and physical rehabilitation after seeing an improvement in his condition. Over the course of the last three and a half months, doctors and family of Wilt have called his journey remarkable.
On Friday, Governor Andy Beshear shared a photo with Wilt ahead of his release.
“Kentucky, our prayers were heard. @LMPD Officer Nick Wilt is headed home with his family. Officer Wilt is a hero who ran toward danger to save the lives of several of my friends. I am forever grateful for him and his bravery. Let’s keep praying for him.”
Wilt was honored as he left the halls of Frazier Rehab. He was accompanied by family as well as some fellow officers.
After leaving the rehab facility, Wilt was driven to Southeast Christian Church on Blankenbaker Parkway where he was driven past a line of well-wishers. The van then headed for Oldham County where community members were invited to gather along Highway 53 in La Grange to greet Wilt.
LMPD shared their sentiment on their social media, honoring the heroic actions of Wilt.
“Resilience, strength, courage. Those are just a few words to describe Ofc. Nickolas Wilt. April 10th, innocent lives were lost. Ofc. Wilt, just 10 days on the job, answered the call to help stop an active shooter. Today, our hero is going home. He’s ready. #WiltsWarriors”
Louisville Metro Police Foundation has created a donation site to help pay for Wilt’s medical expenses.
To make a donation, click or tap here.
Copyright 2023 WAVE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:56 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ |
Police: Man charged with murder after living with girlfriend’s body in closet for months
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A man accused of killing his girlfriend told investigators that he lived with her body in a closet for months before she was discovered.
KVVU reports that George Bone faces a murder charge in the death of Beverly Ma.
Police said they discovered Ma’s body after the woman’s family located her in a home on July 26.
Bone was reportedly Ma’s boyfriend, and the two were living together.
The family said they went to the house where the two were to check on the air conditioning unit. They had received an expensive bill and the repair man said no one was answering the door.
They arrived at the home, but Ma still did not answer them.
According to an arrest report, they talked to Bone upstairs, and that’s when he told them that Ma was dead.
While a family member was on hold with 911, she asked Bone why he didn’t call the police and why he stayed in the house with her body, the report said.
He reportedly told the family member that he wanted to prolong his arrest. The family described Bone as being casual about the situation and brushing his teeth while speaking to them.
The woman’s family said they were not close but did keep in touch with Ma as she suffered trauma in the past.
They had last seen her in person in April, but she stopped responding to their messages a couple of months ago.
During Bone’s interview with police, he said he had known Ma since high school, and they developed a romantic relationship in 2019 after he left prison.
He started living with Ma in July 2022 and Bone told police they fought often, the arrest report said.
According to authorities, Ma had called 911 on May 4 at about 4:40 a.m. Dispatchers could hear a woman and a man screaming at each other, but Ma never responded to the dispatcher’s questions and the line went dead.
Officers said they did a door knock at the house. However, no one answered.
During his interview with police, Bone reportedly told investigators he found Ma in the closet with a belt around her neck in May. He responded to text messages on her phone so her family would think she was alive.
He also told police that he was keeping the temperature in the home at 60 degrees because of the number of flies in the house.
According to Bone’s arrest report, investigators didn’t find consistent evidence regarding his story about Ma’s suicide attempt. Police pointed out these inconsistencies to Bone and he said he didn’t know how to dispose of a body.
Eventually, Bone requested an attorney and the police interview ended.
Bone was not granted bail in a July 27 hearing. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 1.
Copyright 2023 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:56 | 1 | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ |
LAKE STATION, Ind. — Authorities believe the combination of dangerous temperatures and malfunctioning air conditioning in a box truck led to the deaths of some police K-9s in Lake Station, Indiana.
Police say the driver stopped at the Road Ranger gas station on Ripley Street to get the dogs out of their crates after hearing them bark.
Nicole Lubarski witnessed the K-9 in distress.
MORE NORTHWEST INDIANA: Indiana woman found guilty of chopping up husband with axe, asking kids to help dispose of body
“I saw kennels lined up behind this white box truck and I honestly knew it had to do something with dogs and it was not well,” she said. “It was very chaotic. There were a bunch of people bystanders trying to help these dogs. There were so many people in the gas stations where dogs were cooling off at. A bunch of them had IVs.”
As a dog mom of two, Lubarski said witnessing the K-9s in distress broke her heart.
“It dropped immediately because you have to think how intense that heat must’ve been,” Lubarski said.
Lake County police said the K-9s came from Europe and were being transported from O’Hare Airport to a training facility in Michigan City. Police went on to say that the driver was stuck in traffic for two hours and wasn’t aware the AC wasn’t working in the separated cargo area where the dogs were.
Jennifer Webber of the Humane Society of Hobart said there were 18 German shepherds.
“We know five right now are still hospitalized, four were allowed to leave,” Webber said. “We believe we have lost a total of seven right now, maybe eight.”
Webber feels the dogs went through needless suffering and hopes justice and accountability can be served. | https://wgntv.com/northwest-indiana/several-k-9s-die-from-heat-distress-when-box-truck-a-c-fails/ | 2023-07-29T02:20:59 | 0 | https://wgntv.com/northwest-indiana/several-k-9s-die-from-heat-distress-when-box-truck-a-c-fails/ |
Police: Man charged with murder after living with girlfriend’s body in closet for months
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A man accused of killing his girlfriend told investigators that he lived with her body in a closet for months before she was discovered.
KVVU reports that George Bone faces a murder charge in the death of Beverly Ma.
Police said they discovered Ma’s body after the woman’s family located her in a home on July 26.
Bone was reportedly Ma’s boyfriend, and the two were living together.
The family said they went to the house where the two were to check on the air conditioning unit. They had received an expensive bill and the repair man said no one was answering the door.
They arrived at the home, but Ma still did not answer them.
According to an arrest report, they talked to Bone upstairs, and that’s when he told them that Ma was dead.
While a family member was on hold with 911, she asked Bone why he didn’t call the police and why he stayed in the house with her body, the report said.
He reportedly told the family member that he wanted to prolong his arrest. The family described Bone as being casual about the situation and brushing his teeth while speaking to them.
The woman’s family said they were not close but did keep in touch with Ma as she suffered trauma in the past.
They had last seen her in person in April, but she stopped responding to their messages a couple of months ago.
During Bone’s interview with police, he said he had known Ma since high school, and they developed a romantic relationship in 2019 after he left prison.
He started living with Ma in July 2022 and Bone told police they fought often, the arrest report said.
According to authorities, Ma had called 911 on May 4 at about 4:40 a.m. Dispatchers could hear a woman and a man screaming at each other, but Ma never responded to the dispatcher’s questions and the line went dead.
Officers said they did a door knock at the house. However, no one answered.
During his interview with police, Bone reportedly told investigators he found Ma in the closet with a belt around her neck in May. He responded to text messages on her phone so her family would think she was alive.
He also told police that he was keeping the temperature in the home at 60 degrees because of the number of flies in the house.
According to Bone’s arrest report, investigators didn’t find consistent evidence regarding his story about Ma’s suicide attempt. Police pointed out these inconsistencies to Bone and he said he didn’t know how to dispose of a body.
Eventually, Bone requested an attorney and the police interview ended.
Bone was not granted bail in a July 27 hearing. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 1.
Copyright 2023 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ | 2023-07-29T02:21:02 | 1 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ |
YRMC opens an emergency room in Fortuna Foothills near Yuma
YUMA (3TV/CBS 5) — Fortuna Foothills residents now have an emergency room closer to home, as the Yuma Regional Medical Center opened its doors to their new Foothills Medical Plaza on Wednesday. The two-story facility is near South Fortuna Road and Avenue 12 East and includes a 22-bed emergency room.
Dr. Kieran Lupo, an emergency medicine physician, said patients will receive the same level of care as the main campus hospital. “I live here, and I’m part of this community, and I’m so excited to provide care out here to the people who really need it,” she said.
A YRMC spokesperson said the facility had been in the works for over three years. Community assessments they conducted showed Fortuna Foothills residents wanted access to medical services closer to home. “The alternative prior to this is patients would have to commute from east county to the main campus,” Kristina McNair, YRMC’s director of project management, said. “From the east county regions, it can be upwards to a 30-minute commute, so this is really bringing care close to home for many of our east county residents.”
The facility will also be home to a handful of ambulatory clinics that will open on July 31. They will offer primary care, pediatric care, women’s health services, podiatry and imaging services. A retail pharmacy is also slated to open in the facility in August.
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Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/yrmc-opens-an-emergency-room-fortuna-foothills-near-yuma/ | 2023-07-29T02:21:03 | 0 | https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/29/yrmc-opens-an-emergency-room-fortuna-foothills-near-yuma/ |
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — There was one player that general manager Ryan Poles wanted to compliment during his training camp opening news conference this week.
It makes sense that it’s someone who is at the position he used to play.
“The offseason, he busted his butt,” said Poles of rookie offensive tackle Darnell Wright. “He lost weight, he lost body fat, he absolutely crushed the conditioning test, like didn’t break a sweat.”
On Friday, the first round pick shed a little bit of light as to why he came into camp in incredible shape – and it happened by accident.
“I was looking at the wide receivers running portion of the workout. So I was doing thiers,” said Wright when told about Poles’ comments, who said he dropped around 16 pounds in training. “So then I came back and, obviously, we have different stuff.”
So what would change about a receiver’s conditioning drills compared to that of an offensive lineman?
“More distance and lower time, basically,” said Wright in response.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the tackle who will be expected to join the starting lineup immediately in 2023. Wright hopes to help solidify an offensive line that has a little more stability after a year of the opposite in 2022.
The tackle was a first-team All-SEC at Tennessee last season, playing well against the strong competition the conference brings every year. Hence Poles decided to use his first opening round pick in his time in Chicago on Wright with the intention that he’ll start this fall.
Already, he can feel some benefits on the offensive line of the more intense receiver running training.
“It definitely feels better. It’s a little bit of an adjustment as far as translating power still, so I feel like I’m more powerful because I didn’t lose any muscle mass,” said Wright. “You definitely feel a step quicker.”
Nothing like a minor mistake paying off in a major way for a Bears rookie. | https://wgntv.com/sports/bears-report/a-training-mistake-actually-put-bears-ot-darnell-wright-in-better-shape/ | 2023-07-29T02:21:05 | 1 | https://wgntv.com/sports/bears-report/a-training-mistake-actually-put-bears-ot-darnell-wright-in-better-shape/ |
2023 Amundi Evian Championship Betting Odds, Favorites & Insights – Round 3
Celine Boutier currently leads the way (-7, +5500 to win) after two rounds of play at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship .
Want to place a bet on the Amundi Evian Championship? Use our link for a special offer when you sign up with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Amundi Evian Championship Third Round Information
- Start Time: 1:00 AM ET
- Venue: Evian Resort Golf Club
- Location: Évian-les-Bains, France
- Par/Distance: Par 71/6,527 yards
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Amundi Evian Championship Best Odds to Win
Hyo Joo Kim
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1400
Kim Round by Round Results
Click here to bet on Kim at the Amundi Evian Championship with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Nelly Korda
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1600
Korda Round by Round Results
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Rose Zhang
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +1800
Zhang Round by Round Results
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Linn Grant
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Grant Round by Round Results
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Ayaka Furue
- Tee Time: 2:28 AM ET
- Current Rank: 52nd (+3)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Furue Round by Round Results
Click here to bet on Furue at the Amundi Evian Championship with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Amundi Evian Championship Odds (Rest of Field)
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kfyrtv.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ | 2023-07-29T02:21:08 | 1 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ |
2023 Amundi Evian Championship Betting Odds, Favorites & Insights – Round 3
Celine Boutier currently leads the way (-7, +5500 to win) after two rounds of play at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship .
Want to place a bet on the Amundi Evian Championship? Use our link for a special offer when you sign up with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Amundi Evian Championship Third Round Information
- Start Time: 1:00 AM ET
- Venue: Evian Resort Golf Club
- Location: Évian-les-Bains, France
- Par/Distance: Par 71/6,527 yards
Watch live golf without cable on all your devices with a free trial to Fubo!
Amundi Evian Championship Best Odds to Win
Hyo Joo Kim
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1400
Kim Round by Round Results
Click here to bet on Kim at the Amundi Evian Championship with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Nelly Korda
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1600
Korda Round by Round Results
Click here to bet on Korda with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Rose Zhang
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +1800
Zhang Round by Round Results
Want to place a bet on Zhang in the Amundi Evian Championship? Click here to sign up with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Linn Grant
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Grant Round by Round Results
Think Grant can win the Amundi Evian Championship? Click here to bet with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Ayaka Furue
- Tee Time: 2:28 AM ET
- Current Rank: 52nd (+3)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Furue Round by Round Results
Click here to bet on Furue at the Amundi Evian Championship with BetMGM Sportsbook!
Amundi Evian Championship Odds (Rest of Field)
Put together your best lineup of golfers and you could win cash prizes! Sign up for FanDuel Fantasy using our link for the best first-time player offer.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.azfamily.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ | 2023-07-29T02:21:09 | 0 | https://www.azfamily.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ |
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Subscribe Now | https://wgntv.com/weather/weather-blog/almanac-for-july-29-2023/ | 2023-07-29T02:21:11 | 1 | https://wgntv.com/weather/weather-blog/almanac-for-july-29-2023/ |
The operation involved more than 200 officers and agents from FBI Dallas, the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies. “More than 540 grams of cocaine, more than 1,100 grams of methamphetamine, more than 150 grams of alprazolam, and more than 7 grams of fentanyl, along with nine firearms and over $10,000 in cash” was seized, according to the statement released on Friday afternoon.
“Many of the defendants arrested Friday had extensive criminal histories, including assault, aggravated robbery, arson, deadly conduct with a firearm, and manufacture and delivery of controlled substances,” the statement noted. “Many were allegedly armed, including one who allegedly carried a Glock switch, a dangerous device that converts a regular semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun capable of continuous fire with a single depression of the trigger.”
"This case was almost exactly two years in the making." – U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton
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Glock switches, also known as “auto sears,” are small pieces of metal, usually smaller than a quarter. Because of their miniature size, the conversion devices don’t alter the appearance of the gun much, and they can take less than 90 seconds to install. The past year has seen a number of North Texas arrests for people manufacturing and selling the illegal mechanisms.
Those charged, as listed by Leigha Simonton, the U.S. Attorney for the Norther District of Texas, were:
Alicia Slaughter: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine“Prosecuting these worst-of-the-worst offenders not only holds them accountable for past wrongs, but it also prevents them from committing future crimes. It makes our streets safer, and our communities sleep more soundly at night,” Simonton said at an FBI press conference Friday morning about those charged. Some of those arrested face up to 40 years in federal prison if convicted. “An operation like this takes commitment – commitment of time, commitment of resources, and above all, psychological commitment – knowingly risking one’s own personal safety to ensure the security of the community… This case was almost exactly two years in the making. After yesterday, we’re confident it was worth the effort.”
Courtney Smith: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Edward Williams, aka “Lil ‘E:” conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Xavier Barnes: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Jordan Davis: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Ladarius Holly: convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Quentavis Zikeiy Hawkins, aka “Luddy:” conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Lucis Lugo: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Sebastian Medlock, aka “Blue:” convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Dmarcus Quartez Roderick Moton, aka “Little Cheese:” conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of an unregistered firearm (Glock switch)
Christopher Samuel: convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Perry Taylor: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Anthony Joe Womack: convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Davonia Hart: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
Brandon Bedford: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, convicted felon in possession of a firearm | https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/15-arrested-in-massive-dallas-drug-and-gun-bust-17135571 | 2023-07-29T02:21:30 | 1 | https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/15-arrested-in-massive-dallas-drug-and-gun-bust-17135571 |
RENTON — The Seahawks’ third practice of training camp Friday featured some big plays by receivers (particularly DK Metcalf), a few turnovers, more rotating at center and additional evidence that Jarran Reed will play significantly this year at nose tackle.
Here are some thoughts on those topics and more:
Reed happy wherever he lines up
One of the more intriguing storylines of the first few days of camp has been the rotation at nose tackle, a spot that has been considered one of the team’s biggest question marks after the offseason release of veteran Al Woods in a salary-cap move and with Bryan Mone continuing to rehab from an ACL injury suffered Dec. 15 and no clear ETA for a return.
During the offseason program the Seahawks had rookie Cameron Young of Mississippi State playing with the first unit, and they used veteran Myles Adams.
Coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday that veteran Jarran Reed — listed as an end and generally projected to play that spot in the team’s base 3-4 line — will see significant time at nose tackle.
That has indeed been the case in the first three practices as Reed has often worked with the starters at that spot with Dre’Mont Jones and veteran free agent signee Mario Edwards at the ends with Adams also getting snaps. The Seahawks recently signed free agent Roderick Perry II, who played in two games with the Browns last season and has worked inside.
Reed is listed at 6-3, 306, which makes himlighter than their prototype nose tackle, as is Adams, listed at 6-2, 290, and Perry, who is listed at 6-2, 304. Mone is listed at 345 and Woods was listed at 331.
Carroll said in the spring that Young, listed at 304, had put on weight and was in the 320 range, giving the team the kind of heft inside it desires.
They also hope to get Mone back this season. The Seahawks may be intrigued by a different type of player at the nose after struggling to defend the run last season.
Reed, who signed a two-year contract to return to the team that drafted him in the second round in 2016 after a season each with Kansas City and Green Bay, said Friday that whatever the team asks is fine with him.
“Whatever they need me to play I’m going to play it,’’ he said. “At the end of the day it’s football and I love playing. I can play the nose, three, end. Wherever they need me to play I’m going to play to the best of my ability.”
Lockett still tight with Wilson
After a win last October against the Giants, receiver Tyler Lockett offered a lengthy answer about why he thought the team was surpassing lowly expectations, which included a statement that “it’s amazing what we can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit.’’
Many took that as a veiled shot at former quarterback Russell Wilson.
Lockett took to social media to say that worth noting that he had said similar things often.
Proof that Lockett and Wilson remain close came earlier this month when Lockett invited Wilson to his wedding in Dallas (Lockett had gotten engaged in November to his girlfriend Lauren Jackson; not to be confused with the former Storm great).
“It was great to be able to have Russ there,” Lockett said Friday, noting that he had attended Wilson’s wedding to Ciara in 2016 in Liverpool, England. “We’ve been brothers for this whole entire time. He’s been like my big brother giving me advice, helping me along the way, and was there for me if I ever needed anything. So it was really cool just for him to be able to come out there, to be able to support me and Lauren’s union and like I said, we still talk to this day, we encourage one another and he knows if he ever needs anything he can call me and it’s vice versa.”
Metcalf and Jackson get something started
The highlight of the practice might have been a few battles between Metcalf and Michael Jackson, who continues to start at one cornerback spot with Riq Woolen out and rookie Devon Witherspoon working mostly with the second team.
In one two-play sequence, Jackson batted down a Geno Smith pass intended for Metcalf at the goal line (the ball was a little behind him), getting called for defensive pass interference for grabbing Metcalf on a fade route.
A little later, Jackson batted down a pass intended for Metcalf, who a few plays later got past Jackson to grab a pass in the end zone.
The tete-a-tete continued a strong start for receiving corps in camp, with Metcalf, Lockett (who had about a 45-yard TD thrown by Smith), first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba routinely turning in big plays, and 2021 second-rounder Dee Eskridge also contributing at times.
Not that the defense didn’t have its moments. There were three turnovers — two interceptions by Drew Lock and another by third-team QB Holton Ahlers.
In Lock’s defense, one of his turnovers came on a play when tight end Griffin Hebert had the ball stolen out of his hands by safety Joey Blount, who raced for a touchdown.
Notes, quotes and anecdotes
— The Seahawks continued their rotation at center with veteran free agent Evan Brown getting all the snaps with the first team and rookie Olu Oluwatimi working with the second unit. Brown also got all the first-team snaps Wednesday, while Oluwatimi worked with the first team Thursday. The rest of the offensive line has remained the same — Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas as the starting tackles and Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes at guard.
— Running back Kenneth Walker III sat out for a second straight day. But since Carroll did not talk to the media it was unclear the reason. Walker watched from the sideline with no evident injury. Second-round pick Zach Charbonnet also sat out, leaving the Seahawks shy at running back as DeeJay Dallas and rookie Kenny McIntosh got most of the work with the first unit. They added to the depth by signing undrafted free agent rookie Wayne Tualapapa, who played last year at the University of Washington. Tualapapa took part in the team’s rookie minicamp in May as a tryout player.
— The Seahawks waived rookie cornerback Montrae Braswell to make room on the roster for Tualapapa. That leaves them with 11 cornerbacks, and with all but Riq Woolen healthy and available. | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/seahawks-taking-look-at-jarran-reed-normally-a-defensive-end-at-nose-tackle/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seahawks | 2023-07-29T02:22:06 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/seahawks-taking-look-at-jarran-reed-normally-a-defensive-end-at-nose-tackle/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seahawks |
(The Hill) — A federal judge in Montana issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, blocking the state from enforcing a law that bans certain drag performances, writing in an order that the law likely suffers from “constitutional maladies.”
Montana’s House Bill 359, passed by the state’s majority Republican legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, prohibits schools or libraries that receive state funding from hosting a drag story hour or “sexually oriented performance.” Performances are also prohibited from taking place in public or in the presence of a minor.
A group of 10 plaintiffs challenged the law in federal court earlier this month, arguing that the bill is “breathtakingly ambiguous and overbroad.” Plaintiffs include Adria Jawort, a transgender and two-spirit author whose lecture at a public library in Butte was canceled last month after officials determined that having her speak posed “too much of a legal risk” under the new law.
Montana Pride, the host of an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Helena, joined the lawsuit last week, arguing that city officials — as a result of the law — have withheld permits that are needed for this year’s Pride festival, which is slated to run from July 30 to August 6.
“The thirtieth annual Montana Pride is slated to begin in less than two days,” Chief Judge Brian Morris wrote in Friday’s order. “Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability under H.B. 359 in the absence of the extraordinary remedy of a [temporary restraining order.]”
Republicans in the state legislature this session had argued the law was necessary to protect children from “mature themes” and obscene material.
But “Montana law already protects minors from obscene material,” Morris wrote Friday.
On top of that, the state conceded during a July 26 hearing that the statutory text of House Bill 359 regulates speech and expression outside of what is considered “legally obscene.”
The law additionally “contains no carveout for speech or expression with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value,” Morris argued, and the First Amendment protects “at least some of the speech and expression” regulated by the law.
Morris noted in the order that the only two other district courts to have considered First Amendment challenges to similar state drag bans in Tennessee and Florida “have confirmed that those laws constitute facially content-based restrictions” and are therefore discriminatory.
A federal judge in June ruled that a Tennessee law banning drag shows in public or where children could view them is unconstitutional. The same month, a federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a similar ban on drag performances.
Attorneys for the state had sought to distinguish the Montana law from those of Florida and Tennessee on the basis that those laws failed to define “lewd.” But Morris on Friday argued that Montana’s drag ban also failed to define it.
The measure also fails to define “lascivious,” “flamboyant or parodic persona,” “salacious dancing” and “sexual manner,” Morris wrote. “The absence of definitions for these terms raises concerns for the Court about vagueness and overbreadth.”
In a statement to the Montana Free Press following Friday’s order, Montana Pride’s lead organizer, Kevin Hamm, said the court “got it right.”
“As I said throughout the legislature, drag is art. And drag bans not only infringe on free speech, but they are crafted (by design) to be so broad to allow for discrimination against trans & nonbinary people as well,” state Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr posted Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to Morris’s decision.
Zephyr, one of two openly transgender lawmakers in Montana, was censured by House Republicans in April after she said legislators who voted to pass a bill banning gender-affirming health care for transgender minors would have “blood on your hands.”
In a statement to The Hill, Emily Flower, a spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R), who is a defendant in the case, said the state will present its response at an upcoming preliminary injunction hearing.
“We look forward to presenting our written response and full argument at the upcoming preliminary injunction hearing to defend the law and protect minors from sexually oriented performances,” she said. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ | 2023-07-29T02:22:31 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ |
HURON, Ohio (WJW) – A suspected bank burglar was busted when he gave new meaning to the term “direct deposit.”
Police in Huron, Ohio watched as the suspected bank thief dropped from the ceiling over the drive-thru, right in front of their eyes.
Police body camera video obtained by the WJW shows the incident. Officers can be heard ordering the suspect on the ground, and then helping get him out of the recycling can. The suspect was not injured.
“In my 35-plus years in law enforcement, this is the first time I ever saw a suspect fall into a garbage can,” said Huron Police Chief Terry Graham.
Graham said around 2:12 a.m. Wednesday, police received an alarm from the VacationLand Federal Credit Union located on University Drive East.
While checking the building, officers could hear noises coming from inside the roof area over the drive-thru.
They also noticed the recycling can positioned in the middle of the drive-thru lane, directly under a roof access door. The officers heard noises coming from inside the bank and patiently waited.
“I am most impressed with our officers’ patience in a very difficult situation,” the chief said. “The tactics they used, I think, substantially contributed to no one being injured and the suspect being taken into custody.”
Tristan Heidl, 27, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools and safecracking.
Police say Heidl had a backpack full of construction tools.
“He did get inside the bank and attempt to open numerous areas in the bank that contain money,” the chief said.
Police say Heidl was unable to get inside the safe and crash-landed with empty pockets.
“He didn’t get a dime,” Graham said.
Heidl is being held in the Erie County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He is due back in court soon. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ | 2023-07-29T02:22:37 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ |
SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — A man allegedly stabbed a woman to death in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday and then posted a video of the slaying to Facebook, authorities said.
The footage helped police track down the suspect, who was later identified as 39-year old Mark Mechikoff. He was arrested about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of where the victim was found dead in a San Mateo apartment complex.
“While the motive for stabbing the victim is still under investigation, we do know Mechikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim’s life and posted the video to Facebook, then fled the area,” San Mateo police said in a statement.
Prosecutors identified the victim as Claribel Estrella. The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office on Friday charged Mechikoff with a single count of murder with enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury and the use of a knife.
He appeared in court but did not enter a plea. His arraignment was postponed for a week while his court-appointed attorney is chosen, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said in an email.
Mechikoff knew the victim but the extent of their relationship was unclear and the motive was under investigation, the district attorney said.
The stabbing was first reported to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada when a caller said she saw video of it on Facebook. The sheriff’s office “pinged” the phone number associated with the Facebook page and traced it to a large San Mateo apartment complex.
It was Mechikoff’s cellphone and his Facebook page and the video apparently has been taken down, the district attorney said.
Officers went door-to-door at the San Mateo apartment complex and found Estrella nearly three hours later inside a unit, authorities said.
Mechikoff was arrested two hours later in San Jose. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/a-bay-area-man-fatally-stabbed-a-woman-and-posted-video-of-it-on-facebook-police-say/ | 2023-07-29T02:22:42 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/a-bay-area-man-fatally-stabbed-a-woman-and-posted-video-of-it-on-facebook-police-say/ |
IndyCar’s Marcus Ericsson delivers special surprise to Colts’ Kenny Moore
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Former Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson surprised the Indianapolis Colts at training camp on Friday with a special delivery for cornerback Kenny Moore II.
Ericsson hand-delivered Moore his custom helmet designed by children from Riley Children’s Hospital. The same helmet he wore during this year’s GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After the race in May, Ericsson auctioned it off for charity.
The winning bidder: Kenny Moore.
Moore has a storied history with Riley Children’s Hospital. He was a close friend and longtime supporter of Mason Garvey, one of Riley’s patients. The Center Grove native was diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer in 2018 before passing away in June 2020.
“The connection I have with Riley (Children’s Hospital) and the Garvey family, this one means a lot to put up in the house,” Moore said. “I know when they come over, it will mean a lot to them.”
Moore had his own surprise for Ericsson, giving the Chip Ganassi Racing driver his own helmet worn during Colts practice in return.
Both stars signed their helmets before trading them.
“It means a lot to me,” Ericsson said. “I’ve been here five years in Indianapolis, and I feel more and more like Indianapolis is my home. Getting into the Colts, getting interested into that team and the community as a whole. Kenny is a big part of that.”
“As a fellow athlete, you respect other athletes and what they do in their profession,” Moore said. “It was really good to meet Marcus.”
Both Ericsson and Moore hope to continue their partnership on future projects. | https://www.wishtv.com/sports/indianapolis-colts/indycars-marcus-ericsson-delivers-special-surprise-to-colts-kenny-moore/ | 2023-07-29T02:22:42 | 1 | https://www.wishtv.com/sports/indianapolis-colts/indycars-marcus-ericsson-delivers-special-surprise-to-colts-kenny-moore/ |
As the Chicago Cubs try to find the best ways to deploy left-hander Drew Smyly in the rotation, they have optimized matchups the last two turns through.
Twice Smyly was lined up to start against a right-handed-heavy St. Louis Cardinals lineup, and amid his struggles over his last two outings, the Cubs opted to start a righty and piggyback Smyly in relief. That meant reliever Michael Fulmer serving as a two-inning opener Saturday versus the Cardinals at Wrigley Field and Hayden Wesneski getting the call Friday at Busch Stadium.
The Cubs recalled Wesneski from Triple-A Iowa and optioned reliever Michael Rucker before the game.
“Trying to get the best pitchers as a whole, get our best arms up here,” manager David Ross said of the move. “He’s been throwing the ball really well and we’ve had some some taxing innings on the bullpen a little bit so, just giving (Michael) Fulmer or whoever we would have started today a little bit of a breather before we go to Drew.”
Wesneski on Friday gave up a leadoff home run to Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar on the third pitch in the bottom of the first inning. It was the only run Wesneski allowed in his two innings before Smyly replaced him to start the third. Wesneski gave up two hits and one walk and struck out four Cardinals. Nootbaar also took Smyly deep to put the Cardinals up 2-0 in the third.
Wesneski’s return to the Cubs came five days shy of the one-year anniversary of his trade from the New York Yankees organization. He pitched well in three starts for Iowa — two earned runs, two walks and 19 strikeouts in 11 innings — after getting sent down earlier this month.
Wesneski found consistency and was able to build back up to starter workload, tossing five clean innings in his last outing. He will need to be more effective versus lefties in his return to the majors, an issue that has burned him too often. Nootbaar’s homer Friday night was the 11th by a lefty off Wesneski in 16 big-league games this season.
“The way we’ve played lately, it’s just important we get the best arms up here and that they can help us in any capacity we see fit,” Ross said.
Friday represented a chance for Smyly to end his tough stretch and get back on track. He owns a 6.89 ERA and 6.20 FIP over his last 10 games (nine starts) dating to May 28. The metrics on Smyly’s offspeed stuff remain really good, Ross said, but he needs to more consistently get ahead and be aggressive with his fastball in the zone so he can more effectively use his offspeed stuff.
“He’s not far off,” Ross said. “Had a little bit of bad luck here and there, some defensive miscues behind him, but it’s a long season. He had a really good start. Little bit of a rough patch.”
Over the last two months, only three off the 77 qualified big-league starters have been more unlucky than Smyly and his .348 batting average on balls in play (BABIP). It’s an underlying number that suggests Smyly’s bad luck will turn at some point. He had a career .287 BABIP coming into the season.
“When you’re looking at players and guys that you’re expecting to do better, you look at a lot of those luck metrics and things that are out of the norm, and he’s definitely a guy that’s in that category,” Ross said. “So you hope that continues to even out and show trust in that guy and realize, like, where are the areas where we can maybe be a little bit better and be on the attack?”
() | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/chicago-cubs-recall-hayden-wesneski-to-start-against-the-st-louis-cardinals-as-drew-smyly-tries-to-get-on-track/ | 2023-07-29T02:22:48 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/chicago-cubs-recall-hayden-wesneski-to-start-against-the-st-louis-cardinals-as-drew-smyly-tries-to-get-on-track/ |
‘Obsessed’ Steichen brings renewed energy to Colts training camp
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Shane Steichen’s first training camp as an NFL head coach is closing out its first week at Grand Park Sports Campus.
It’s safe to say, Steichen is settling in just fine.
The Indianapolis Colts new head coach is already putting his fingerprints all over this team, especially on offense.
“Shane is unbelievable,” offensive lineman Bernhard Raimann said. “Every time a play gets installed, he always has three or four extra points on the blocking scheme, the routes, the quarterback timing. You can tell that he’s obsessed with the game, which just makes it that much better for the players to listen to him, to follow a head coach like him.”
For Steichen, success starts in the connections.
“Having fun competitions, team meeting rooms, just doing what we do in there and just always creating that growth,” Steichen said. “I just want guys to have energy. I don’t care if they’re talking trash out there. I want that at practice. I think that brings excitement. I think it brings a lot of tempo, a lot of energy.”
The biggest difference of training camp this year under Steichen has been the energy surrounding this team. Linebacker EJ Speed said after practice Friday, “That was actually kind of fun.”
Friday’s camp was moved indoors after storm morning weather.
The practices have been shorter, but it’s all part of Steichen’s plan.
“We’re way more fast paced here,” rookie wide receiver Josh Downs said. “Even though it’s an hour, it really doesn’t feel like an hour. It feels like you’ve been out here three hours when you’ve been our here running around full speed.”
“It’s a game of like having fun. You can go to work every day and be miserable. Things aren’t going great, this and that, and that’s an awful place to be around, but Shane makes this into competitive fun,” center Ryan Kelly said. “The greatness and excellence he’s going to hold every guy to, calling out everything that’s small, right? That’s how you hold guys accountable. That’s how you get better as a team.”
“These guys are hungry,” Steichen said. “They’re going to bring it every single day, and I’m looking forward to working with these guys and going through the grind of the season.”
The Colts will start practicing in pads Monday. | https://www.wishtv.com/sports/indianapolis-colts/obsessed-steichen-brings-renewed-energy-to-colts-training-camp/ | 2023-07-29T02:22:49 | 0 | https://www.wishtv.com/sports/indianapolis-colts/obsessed-steichen-brings-renewed-energy-to-colts-training-camp/ |
The dust has started to settle in Queens, but these next few days are set to bring more uncertainty and more than likely, more player movement. At some point, it will be time to unpack what comes next for the organization, but right now, with the trade deadline only a few days away, the only thing the Mets can do is continue to play baseball.
After trading closer David Robertson just around midnight Thursday, the mood inside the locker room was a mix of shock, disappointment and relief. What the future holds for the team is unknown. There seemed to be some surprise at the fact that the return for Robertson was two teenagers instead of prospects who are knocking at the door of the big leagues, but ultimately, the Mets understand that it’s out of their hands.
“We can’t really control what’s going on in the front office,” said first baseman Pete Alonso. “The only thing we can control is winning ballgames. We want to win as many games as we can through the rest of the year. Just because we’re selling doesn’t mean we’re not going to put our best foot forward.”
This is the sentiment of the veteran leaders of the clubhouse. Those who are staying say it’s important to continue trying to win because they don’t want to backslide into a bad place. Losing creates bad habits and bad attitudes and acceptance of losses is even worse. The Mets currently have three rookies on the roster that they value highly and they don’t want them to operate under the assumption that losing is fine.
“They can call it selling, but I don’t think it’s one of those things where we’re like, “Oh yeah, we’re done,’” said shortstop Francisco Lindor. “With this group of guys, I don’t see it. Until we are in a position where we are not in reach of the playoffs, it won’t be a part of our mindset. However, you only hope that when they do make trades, we [come out] on the better side.”
Those who are expecting to be traded are still on board with the goal.
“My mindset was always, ‘Well we can still play good baseball if we lose pieces,’” said outfielder Mark Canha. “That’s kind of where my attention is and where it’s been. Keep playing good baseball and let the logistics take care of themselves. I told the guys that regardless of what happens over the next few days, let’s just win a lot of games and see what happens.”
The Mets won’t see the results of this return for years to come. Shortstop Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez for a few years, since Vargas is 18 and Hernandez is only 19. Both are currently playing in the Florida Complex League, a rookie-level league that is often the first stop for foreign prospects in the States.
This has many fans panicked, wondering if it means the club intends to tear down and rebuild over the next five years. It’s likely more of a retool since the club still has so many key players under contract who expect to contend. Lindor isn’t about to waste some of his prime years on a rebuilding team. Edwin Diaz is coming back next year to help the Mets win a title, not to help them gain draft picks. Jeff McNeil signed a long-term contract that kicks in next season over the winter and Starling Marte is still under contract for two more seasons.
The Mets could trade pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, which could mean that this is a larger rebuilding project than anticipated, but some of that might depend on the return. We’ll learn a lot about the Mets’ future plans and their timeline in the coming days.
This will go down as one of the more disappointing seasons in club history and in league history given the expectations and payroll — the highest baseball has ever seen — but the team on the field still has to play out the string and work toward making strides for the future even if they’re without Robertson and will soon be without guys like Canha, Brooks Raley and Tommy Pham.
“Roles change,” Lindor said. “We have to embrace the roles that we have and whoever comes into the clubhouse will know that we have to continue to win moving forward.”
() | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/mets-clubhouse-playing-through-uncertainty-of-trade-deadline-we-cant-really-control-whats-going-on-in-the-front-office/ | 2023-07-29T02:22:54 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/mets-clubhouse-playing-through-uncertainty-of-trade-deadline-we-cant-really-control-whats-going-on-in-the-front-office/ |
By MARY CLARE JALONICK (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has repeatedly said he is “fine” since he froze up midsentence during a press conference on Wednesday. And now his office is trying to tamp down speculation that he might not fill out his term as leader because of his health.
In a statement, his office said McConnell appreciates the continued support of his colleagues and “plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do.”
The statement, first reported by Politico, comes after McConnell, 81, has suffered health problems in recent months. At his weekly press conference this week, he froze and stared vacantly for about 20 seconds before his GOP colleagues standing behind him grabbed his elbows and asked if he wanted to go back to his office. He later returned to the news conference and answered questions as if nothing had happened.
When asked about the episode, he said he was “fine,” a statement he repeated in a hallway to reporters later that day. Neither McConnell nor his office would answer questions about whether he got medical help afterward.
Even as McConnell tried to brush off the concerns, the episode raised new questions among his colleagues about his health and also whether McConnell, who was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and has served as Republican leader since 2007, might soon step aside from his leadership post.
He was elected to a two-year term as leader in January by a large majority of his conference, despite an insurgent challenge from Florida Sen. Rick Scott. He would be up for re-election as leader again after the 2024 elections.
By then, he will have to decide also if he wants to run again for another Senate term. He is up for re-election in 2026.
In March, McConnell suffered a concussion and a broken rib after falling and hitting his head after a dinner event at a hotel. He didn’t return to the Senate for almost six weeks. He has been using a wheelchair in the airport while commuting back and forth to Kentucky. And his speech has recently sounded more halting.
But McConnell, famously reticent and often private about his personal life and health, has said very little about what is going on.
Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said after Wednesday’s episode that McConnell’s job as leader calls for more transparency than it would for others.
“We should find out, you know, fairly soon what happened and how serious it is,” Cramer said. “But I don’t have to tell you, Mitch is also, as an individual, a pretty private guy. So we’ll see.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he talked to McConnell on Wednesday night and he seemed “strong and alert.” But he said what happened at the news conference on Wednesday was disturbing to watch.
“Mitch is strong, he’s stubborn as a mule,” Cruz said. “My prayers are with them. I hope that — we’re going into the August recess — I hope he has time to fully recuperate.”
GOP senators who are seen as potential successors have been cautious in their reaction.
“He’s fine, he’s back to work,” said South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican and one of the senators standing behind McConnell when he froze up.
“I support Senator McConnell as long as he wants to serve as leader,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, another potential replacement.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 3 Senate Republican and a former orthopedic surgeon, guided McConnell back to his office to rest during the news conference. Afterwards, he told reporters that he has been concerned since McConnell was injured earlier this year, “and I continue to be concerned.”
Barrasso then added: “I said I was concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized. And I think he’s made a remarkable recovery, he’s doing a great job leading our conference and was able to answer every question the press asked him today.”
Several other GOP senators projected confidence in the Republican leader.
“I do have confidence in his leadership,” said Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis. “At lunch yesterday, he spoke. He was completely on his game using numbers that were pulled out of his head and he was completely with it. So I don’t know what precipitated the freeze, but he’ll be careful to evaluate his own capabilities.”
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said he was “a little concerned” after the news conference.
“He said that he got a little overheated, a little dehydrated,” said Marshall, who is also a doctor. “That’s what it looks like to me. I can tell you, he’s got a strong, strong voice in our conference. He’s providing steady leadership. And I think he’s doing a great job as leader.”
McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in climbing stairs. In addition to his fall in March, he also tripped and fell four years ago at his home in Kentucky, causing a shoulder fracture that required surgery.
The Republican leader carried on with his full schedule after the episode on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he spoke with his Republican counterpart at an event Wednesday evening for Major League Baseball owners.
“I said I’m so glad you’re here,” Schumer said. “And he made a very good speech.”
The Republican leader is one of several senators who have been absent due to health issues this year. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, 90, was out of the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a bout of shingles. And Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., 53, took leave for several weeks to get treatment for clinical depression.
—-
Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro and AP videojournalist Mike Pesoli contributed to this report. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/sen-mcconnell-plans-to-serve-his-full-term-as-republican-leader-despite-questions-about-his-health/ | 2023-07-29T02:23:00 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/sen-mcconnell-plans-to-serve-his-full-term-as-republican-leader-despite-questions-about-his-health/ |
A Puerto Rican jury on Friday night found former professional boxer Félix Verdejo Sánchez guilty of kidnapping resulting in the death of a pregnant woman who disappeared on April 29, 2021, shortly after her family said she was supposed to meet the former Olympic boxer to share that she was expecting his child, according to court filings.
The family of Keishla Rodríguez, 27, reported her missing after she did not show up to work. Two days later, authorities recovered her body in a lagoon in San Juan.
A jury of three women and nine men took part in the 30-year-old boxer’s nearly one-month trial held at the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico. Verdejo, who was also found guilty of the death of an unborn child, faced a maximum sentence of life in prison for the four felonies he was originally charged with. The jury, who deliberated for three days, could not reach a unanimous verdict for a carjacking charge that resulted in the death of a person and another charge for the possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Gabriela Cintrón, one of Verdejo’s lawyers, declined to comment when reached by The Washington Post on Friday evening. Verdejo’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 3, according to court filings.
Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día reported from inside the courtroom that Verdejo remained expressionless as the jury’s verdict was read, while Rodríguez’s family hugged and cried.
“May he live the rest of his life thinking about what he did to my daughter,” Rodríguez’s father, Tony Rodríguez, told Telemundo Puerto Rico outside the courthouse.
The defense presented nine witnesses including some of Verdejo’s former partners, his ex-coach and sister, who described him as a nonviolent and “excellent” person, Telemundo in Puerto Rico reported. Verdejo, who turned pro in 2012, held a record of 27 wins and 2 losses with 17 knockouts, ESPN reported. Verdejo also represented Puerto Rico in the 2012 Olympics.
Verdejo, who had denied wrongdoing, was arrested by the FBI and charged on May 2, 2021. Authorities said the boxer punched Rodríguez, who was nearly two months pregnant, drugged her and then threw her off a bridge. An autopsy revealed Rodríguez died of drowning after being injected with fentanyl and xylazine, a drug used to sedate animals, a forensic pathologist testified in court.
Rodríguez’s case sparked protests in Puerto Rico and an avalanche of social media posts denouncing violence against women, which remained so rampant on the island that in January 2021, Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi declared a state of emergency over the issue. In 2021, 53 women and girls were killed because of their gender, according to the Observatory of Gender Equality of Puerto Rico. The year prior, the organization recorded 60 such deaths.
Verdejo, who then shared a house with another woman, had kept in touch with Rodríguez since they met in middle school, her parents told El Nuevo Día. She worked at a pet grooming business and owned two cats and two dogs, according to her mother, Keila Ortiz Rivera. She loved animals and whenever she was not at work, she could usually be found rescuing and leaving food for stray animals.
In one of the most vivid moments of the trial, Luis Antonio Cádiz Martínez, who Verdejo was accused of hiring to help in the crime, took the stand to recount how the duo planned the crime, El Nuevo Día reported. Martínez last year pleaded guilty to carjacking resulting in the death of a person and an unborn child. His sentencing is scheduled for August.
On the night of April 28, 2021, Cádiz Martínez testified that they planned to use pieces of wire to restrain Rodríguez, El Nuevo Día reported. He said he also found a cement block nearby that they would use to weigh the body down in the water.
The next day, Cádiz Martínez told the court, the former boxer picked him up early in the morning before driving to Rodríguez’s home. Rodríguez, who arrived at the meeting point in her Kia Forte, got inside Verdejo’s car and showed him her positive pregnancy test, Cádiz Martínez said in court.
Cádiz Martínez said he grabbed her by the hair before Verdejo punched her in the jaw. Then, Cádiz Martínez added, Verdejo drugged the woman using a syringe. Later, both men drove to the Teodoro Moscoso bridge in separate cars, according to court records.
Both men tied Rodríguez’s limbs to the block of cement and threw her body over the bridge, according to court documents. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/28/felix-verdejo-boxer-trial-puertorico-guilty/ | 2023-07-29T02:23:18 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/28/felix-verdejo-boxer-trial-puertorico-guilty/ |
This is the issue laborers in California — and in other states — have dealt with amid weeks of high temperatures. In Sacramento, over-100 degree temperatures broke July records, a phenomenon experienced in other parts of California as well.
Samuel Sandoval, an expert on water resources with UC Davis, frequently provides assistance to farmworkers, including during recent high temperature-days. He said the pressure to keep working leaves outdoor laborers at a higher risk for heat stroke and other illnesses.
“They may want to force themselves to work to get some extra dollars but at the same time, [they’re] putting their life at risk,” he said.
In response to the recent heat across the country, Congressional Legislators introduced a bill requiring protections for laborers during extreme heat. The bill, dubbed the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act, is named after a California farmworker who died in 2004 due to a heatstroke. The heatstroke occurred after Valdivia worked for 10 hours straight in over 100-degree temperatures. Since then, advocates have said his story is an example of a preventable death, had more protections been in place.
If adopted, the bill would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, to establish measures protecting outdoor and indoor laborers during extreme heat. Protections described in the legislation include access to water and paid breaks in cool spaces.
California Senator Alex Padilla is one of the legislators who introduced the bill.
“The problems of extreme heat are only getting worse as climate change is getting worse,” he said. “And so the protections that are overdue are urgently needed across the country.”
While farmworkers are often the first image that comes to mind with this issue, Padilla said heat issues impact other sectors as well.
“It's not just the workers in the fields,” he said. “It's workers in delivery, workers in warehouses and manufacturing plants and workers on construction sites.”
Padilla said California already has heat-related protections for laborers. In California, employers are required to offer breaks in shaded areas once temperatures exceed 80 degrees.
But Sandoval said this doesn’t fix the issue for many laborers. Imagine, he said, working in extreme heat for hours on end. Often, a break just doesn’t cut it.
“When [temperatures] are above 95, above 100, it’s just almost impossible,” Sandoval said.
He added that many laborers are forced to work fewer hours if extreme weather, like intense heat or smoky skies, prevent them from doing so altogether. They often don’t have the luxury of a back up plan.
“We have insurance, crop insurance, to pay a farmer,” he said. “We don't have health risk insurance to pay a farm worker.”
Sandoval said one solution involves offering financial aid to farmworkers when extreme heat makes it impossible to do their work safely. He said many employers often argue against this suggestion and say it’s “economically impossible.”
But Sandoval said in the country’s past, similar arguments were made against child labor laws and requirements for overtime pay. Despite the concerns, the country has still successfully progressed in those directions — so why not here, he asked.
“We should take care of our families, of all the Californians, the ones that are more at risk [because] of their health and of their low income,” he said.
Copyright 2023 CapRadio | https://www.ijpr.org/labor-employment/2023-07-28/as-extreme-heat-threatens-workers-health-california-legislators-activists-push-for-nationwide-protections | 2023-07-29T02:23:21 | 0 | https://www.ijpr.org/labor-employment/2023-07-28/as-extreme-heat-threatens-workers-health-california-legislators-activists-push-for-nationwide-protections |
1923
Panic spreads in Germany as mark hits low levels
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1923
Panic spreads in Germany as mark hits low levels
Example set by Canada and U.S. Cited to Europe
Rat infested Paris in need of pied piper
Ancient statue is found in Rome
1943
Mussolini Reported Captive, Following Resignation
Russian Troops May Circle Orel, In Latest Drive
1963
Thousands Killed In Earthquake
Buried ‘Thing’ Is Meteorite
Was It UFO? Crater In Field Creates Puzzle
Nixon To Talk With Adenauer
1983
Castro: Million Cubans to bear arms
Belgians support missiles
2003
Three killed guarding Iraqi hospital
Israel transfers control of cities
Liberian mortars hit church
Elephants rampage Bangladesh
Taiwanese journalist sentenced
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After five decades, Oregon’s ban on self-serve gas is about to come to a close.
Gov. Tina Kotek on Friday gave notice that she plans to veto two bills and four budget items passed by lawmakers in the frenetic final days of this year’s legislative session.
Most notably, the governor’s veto pen is targeting $600,000 that would fund studies into the sex trade and decriminalizing prostitution. Those expenditures had turned heads in both parties.
Kotek is also signaling she’ll block bills that would create a task force to look into creating a public bank, a goal of some of the most progressive members of her party, and to study a tax credit that would encourage preserving historic properties.
Many Oregonians will be just as interested in what’s not on the list: a proposal that will allow drivers in every corner of the state to pump their own gas rather than relying on attendants.
Self-serve enthusiasts shouldn’t rush to the pump just yet, though. House Bill 2426, which will end Oregon’s status alongside New Jersey as the only states that still ban many drivers from fueling up on their own, won’t go into effect until Kotek signs it or the governor allows it to pass unsigned. Kotek merely signaled Friday that she will not block the policy from going into law.
Not every bill was so fortunate. Under the state constitution, Kotek has until Aug. 4 to veto bills passed in the final days of session. But the governor is required to serve notice of a possible veto at least five business days ahead of time, making Friday her final day to do so.
The items Kotek has singled out for possible veto include:
- Money to study decriminalizing prostitution. House Bill 5506, a wide-ranging spending document, contained two separate expenditures that would fund studies into the sex trade: $100,000 to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission and $500,000 to Oregon Health and Science University. Kotek said she might nix both, believing the studies should be privately funded. The possible spending had become a target of Republican lawmakers when it came to light toward the end of session. “This is not OK,” Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, said in a text message to Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland on June 19.
- Two other study bills. House Bill 2079 would mandate the study of a tax credit for preserving historic property in Oregon. Kotek says that can be accomplished another way. House Bill 2763 would create a task force to study creating a state-owned bank.
- Salem streetcars. Kotek says she’s planning to block $250,000 in state money that would help the city’s Cherriots transit system look into the feasibility of building a streetcar service. That’s “not a top priority,” Kotek said.
- Money for career and technical education. Kotek often talks of the importance of training up the state’s workforce. But the governor says she might ax $1 million to the Willamette Career Academy over concerns the money is not being distributed through the appropriate channels.
- Remove an emergency clause from Senate Bill 1095. The clause would have rejiggered the membership of some state boards. That means the bill would take effect next year rather than upon passage.
While supporters of the items Kotek plans to block will be disappointed, few garnered the interest of the gas pumping bill.
Oregon already allows drivers in some rural areas to pump their own gas, but motorists in densely populated parts of the state still must wait for an attendant. HB 2426 will allow gas stations to designate up to half of their pumps as self-serve, while reserving the remainder for people opting to have their tanks topped up for them. Stations may not charge different amounts for fuel depending on which kind of pump a driver chooses.
Opponents of the policy change worry it will cost Oregonians jobs, and will make it more difficult for people with disabilities to fill up. They say the bill could be flouted by gas stations that might cease employing attendants at all, not fearing enforcement from the state fire marshal. Potential penalties wouldn’t even kick in until March.
Others simply like the fact that Oregon has held onto the quaint practice while nearly every other state allows drivers to pump their own gas.
Station owners supported the bill, arguing they are already having trouble finding people to work as attendants. Polling from 2021 suggested nearly two-thirds of Oregonians supported the addition of self-serve pumps.
The issue has so many impassioned partisans that, when Kotek asked for public feedback on whether she should sign the bill in late June, her inbox was soon brimming with opinions.
“I think we’ve received over 5,000 emails on that,” the governor told reporters Thursday.
But Kotek has been cryptic about her own thinking on the matter. “I grew up in a place where I pumped gas,” she said in June. “I’ve lived here for a long time.”
Asked this week why she would have any misgivings about signing the bill when so many other states have embraced the practice, the governor responded: “‘Just because ‘everybody else does it’ is not a good argument.”
The mystery surrounding her thinking spurred a fresh round of activity from backers of HB 2426, who issued a press release Thursday quoting lawmakers in both parties.
“We heard from Oregon drivers throughout the session who want the freedom to choose whether they pump their own gas or not,” state Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, said in the release. “We also heard from small businesses who need relief from the ongoing labor shortage.”
Copyright 2023 Oregon Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit Oregon Public Broadcasting. | https://www.ijpr.org/politics-government/2023-07-28/self-serve-gas-is-officially-coming-to-oregon | 2023-07-29T02:23:27 | 1 | https://www.ijpr.org/politics-government/2023-07-28/self-serve-gas-is-officially-coming-to-oregon |
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a four-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Hunter Biden's paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president's son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
An attorney for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son, Beau, born by his wife Melissa Cohen in 2020. He was named after the president's late son who died of cancer in 2015, leaving behind two children.
Biden's grandchildren have played a distinctive role in his presidency, often accompanying the president or first lady on trips and making regular visits to the White House. The president has also credited his grandchildren with persuading him to challenge then-President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020.
Biden's statement was first reported by People Magazine. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/biden-acknowledges-seventh-grandchild-hunters-daughter/507-ad6442fa-448f-4603-bb7e-17493e4449f0 | 2023-07-29T02:24:25 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/biden-acknowledges-seventh-grandchild-hunters-daughter/507-ad6442fa-448f-4603-bb7e-17493e4449f0 |
DES MOINES, Iowa — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed “I will get the job done” but shied away from attacking former President Donald Trump as the two top rivals for the Republican presidential nomination were making rare appearances at the same Iowa campaign event on Friday night.
Despite Trump being charged a day earlier with additional counts over his retention of classified documents that could shake up the race, DeSantis stuck to his standard campaign speech, mostly targeting President Joe Biden. The Florida governor also repeated his frequent promise to halt the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, an allusion to Trump's legal troubles, but offered no specific thoughts on the cases against him. That's despite Trump also bracing to be charged soon in Washington over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
“The time for excuses is over. We must get the job done," DeSantis said. "I will get the job done."
Trump frequently avoids attending multicandidate events in person, questioning why he would share a stage with competitors who are badly trailing him in polls. But with Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus less than six months away, the former president joined a dozen other GOP hopefuls in speaking to about 1,200 GOP members and activists at the Lincoln Day Dinner.
He also opened an Iowa campaign office in Urbandale, outside Des Moines, prior to the main event — and wasn't shy about slamming his competitors around the same time DeSantis was taking the stage at the dinner.
“I understand the other candidates are falling very flat ... it’s like death,” Trump said, adding, “There’s no applause, there’s no nothing.”
More than 100 people packed the small office, many wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and shirts. They had waited in 100-degree weather to enter, and the poorly ventilated office quickly became sweltering. Staff handed out water bottles, and people fanned themselves with campaign handouts. Some used paper towels to wipe away sweat.
DeSantis is Trump’s strongest primary competitor but has been trying to reset his stalled campaign for two weeks. He's increasingly focusing on Iowa in its efforts on trying to derail Trump.
The governor's stumbles have raised questions about whether another candidate might be able to emerge from the field and catch the former president. Some evangelicals, who can be determinative in the state’s caucuses, have pointed to South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott’s upbeat message and pulpit-style delivery as strengths that could help him rise there.
Scott, who also spoke Friday night and didn't mention Trump or the cases against him, held a town hall the previous day in Ankeny with Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. Afterward, Scott took a swipe at DeSantis over the Florida governor's support for new standards that require the state's teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.”
The only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott said all Americans should recognize how “devastating” slavery was. “There is no silver lining” to slavery, he added.
DeSantis has also faced criticism from teachers and civil rights leaders, as well as mounting pushback from some of his party's most prominent Black elected officials. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds said he hoped officials might “correct” parts of the curriculum addressing lessons on the developed skills of enslaved people. Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt and Will Hurd, a former Texas congressman now also running in the GOP presidential primary, have also criticized DeSantis.
Still, the governor continued to dig in on the issue, saying at a pre-dinner event in Oskaloosa on Friday, “D.C. Republicans all too often accept false narratives, accept lies that are perpetrated by the left." The governor has defended the new school curriculum, saying, “I think it’s very clear that these guys did a good job on those standards."
John Niemeyer, 52, from Kalona, Iowa, attended DeSantis' event and was impressed. But, as a high school teacher, he’s not a fan of some of the governor's positions on education policy.
“I don’t want to make our classrooms a political battlefield,” he said, adding that it would be a “mistake” to make the issue the forefront of his campaign.
Vice President Kamala Harris made her own Iowa stop on Friday, seeking to draw a contrast with the Republicans as she looked to lift President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. Harris met in Des Moines with activists and discussed abortion rights, after Reynolds recently signed a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
“I do believe that we are witnessing a national agenda that is about a full-on attack on hard won freedoms and hard won rights,” the vice president said.
Hours later, many Lincoln Day Dinner attendees wore “Trump Country” stickers, including 72-year-old Diane Weaver of Ankeny, Iowa.
“I think he makes America great," said Weaver, a retiree who plans to caucus for Trump. “I think he did it once and I think he can do it again.”
West Des Moines resident Jane Schrader chose to wear her “Trump Country” sticker on her pants instead of at eye level. “I’m not quite dyed-in-the-wool. I’m a supporter, but not that kind,” said the retired physician, explaining her sticker placement.
Trump did face criticism from some rivals, including former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison, who in his speech declared, "As a party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP.” The crowd offered only a muted reaction — but refrained from booing, which Trump critics at Republican primary events often face.
DeSantis, meanwhile, ducked chances Friday to criticize Trump over the additional charges he faces even before his speech.
“We have engaged when appropriate,” DeSantis told reporters in Oskaloosa, adding that he's not interested in "relitigating the latest superseding indictment.”
The governor has pledged to eventually visit all of Iowa’s 99 counties and is in the midst of a two-day state bus tour organized by a super PAC supporting his run. But he faces fresh questions about his strategy and path forward.
After his fundraising reports showed him burning through donations, the governor cut more than a third of his campaign staff.
DeSantis' cash crunch seems to be driving the campaign to rely even more on the efforts of the super PAC Never Back Down to take up the work typically done by campaign staff. Super PACs can receive unlimited sums from donors but are barred under federal rules from donating to candidates or coordinating with campaigns on how their money is spent.
While presidential campaigns have been supplemented before by the work of super PACs, which frequently use deeper coffers to run expensive television ads, the work Never Back Down has done to promote DeSantis has been more expansive. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/trump-desantis-republican-iowa-lincoln-day-dinner/507-35b0317a-5fff-4915-b243-aee60a360db2 | 2023-07-29T02:24:26 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/trump-desantis-republican-iowa-lincoln-day-dinner/507-35b0317a-5fff-4915-b243-aee60a360db2 |
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a four-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward," Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgment of the child.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Hunter Biden's paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president's son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
An attorney for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son, Beau, born by his wife Melissa Cohen in 2020. He was named after the president's late son who died of cancer in 2015, leaving behind two children.
Biden's grandchildren have played a distinctive role in his presidency, often accompanying the president or first lady on trips and making regular visits to the White House. The president has also credited his grandchildren with persuading him to challenge then-President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020.
Biden's statement was first reported by People Magazine. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/national/biden-openly-acknowledges-grandchild/91-70fa03e8-e5a1-485c-ac81-bba920ab644c | 2023-07-29T02:24:27 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/national/biden-openly-acknowledges-grandchild/91-70fa03e8-e5a1-485c-ac81-bba920ab644c |
BRUNSWICK, Maine — President Joe Biden touched down in Air Force One at the Brunswick Executive Airport Friday, marking his first visit to Maine since taking office.
The arrival of the massive 747 drew dozens of onlookers, including people you might not expect to see cheering the president on. Holding umbrellas to protect them from the beating sun, onlookers, including families with young children, showed up before 8 a.m. Friday morning, hoping to get a good spot to see Air Force One and the array of military aircraft, including a trio of V-22 Ospreys and two Marine One helicopters.
It was more than a thrill for Jean Shields and her five grandchildren. She says it's a historic moment for all generations.
"It's a great opportunity for the children and the families to come out and see the president's excitement. We love America," Shields enthused.
"You don't get to see stuff here that cool. It's going to be an enjoyable experience to see the U.S. president," Kymani Pagon, a 12-year-old from Brunswick, said.
Biden's arrival was an opportunity for Mainers to show that we are not such a divided nation after all. From her red Trump hat, you can see who Ashley Morrill supports politically—but those differences didn't keep her from bringing her children to cheer on the arrival of the commander-in-chief.
"You respect whoever is in office even if you don't agree with them. You have to respect him, that's the American way," Morrill explained.
From respect to the excitement of seeing Air Force One touch down in your hometown—Gabe Pelletier couldn't believe his eyes.
"I just heard something go by quickly... and I ran over there to see it," the 12-year-old exclaimed.
After the massive aircraft stopped, President Biden walked down the steps with members of Maine's congressional delegation following closely behind. After boarding a Marine One Helicopter, Biden took off for Auburn, escorted by three V-22 Osprey aircraft—another huge thrill for Gabe's brother—nine-year-old Logan.
"The shockwaves hurt my heart, but it was pretty cool," Logan explained.
"They will never experience this again, so it's pretty cool!" Gabe and Logan's mom, Heather, said.
Biden attended a private fundraiser in Freeport and then departed for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware shortly before 6 p.m. Friday. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/politics/bidens-visit-to-maine-on-air-force-one-draws-dozens-to-brunswick-president-joe-biden-maine-visit-executive-order/97-67cb0c9c-41c9-4cf1-91d3-21370b709a8f | 2023-07-29T02:24:29 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/politics/bidens-visit-to-maine-on-air-force-one-draws-dozens-to-brunswick-president-joe-biden-maine-visit-executive-order/97-67cb0c9c-41c9-4cf1-91d3-21370b709a8f |
6-year-old girl dies after being hit by boat propeller at lake, authorities say
PEORIA, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - Authorities in Arizona say a young girl has died after she was hit by a boat propeller at Lake Pleasant Friday morning.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said first responders were called to the lake regarding a boat accident at about 11 a.m.
KPHO reports that a 6-year-old girl was pulled from the lake with a severe leg injury. She was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.
According to Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, two families had arrived at the lake around 7 a.m. for swimming and wakeboarding. All 12 people, reported to be six adults and six children, were on the same boat.
Investigators said the child was injured when no one realized she was still in the water and her mother started to accelerate to pull another family member who was wakeboarding.
The young girl was then run over by the boat.
Because of poor cellphone service in that part of the lake, the family couldn’t reach emergency services.
Other boaters in the area helped get the child out of the water and brought her to the Pleasant Harbor Marina where fire crews were waiting.
Deputies don’t believe impairment was a factor in the accident.
Detectives are investigating and processing evidence, but Enriquez said the girl’s death is being treated as a tragic accident.
Authorities said there appeared to be no safety violations on the boat, which was equipped with proper life jackets, a fire extinguisher and other gear.
Enriquez also said the owners are experienced boat operators who live near the lake.
The families involved were not immediately identified.
Copyright 2023 KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ | 2023-07-29T02:24:38 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ |
What do the Neshoba County Fair political speeches signal about what’s ahead for the hottest races?
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - We’ve been showing you highlights of the political speeches at the Neshoba County Fair this week.
Now, let’s get past the talking points and look at what they may reveal about the direction of two of the hottest races.
With time running out before the August 8 primary, you won’t see Chris McDaniel and Delbert Hosemann square off in a debate. So, we asked Mississippi College political science professor Dr. Glenn Antizzo what he thinks the Neshoba County Fair speeches say about the direction of the race.
“McDaniel is always been a sort of a flame thrower fighter,” said Antizzo. “I sort of expected the fiery rhetoric for him. That’s sort of his MO. Hosemann’s been surprising me, especially given some of the jabs that he took that were very personal at McDaniel.”
But he thinks much of that was designed to be red meat for the fair crowd.
“McDaniel was exactly what you would have expected,” noted Antizzo. “Somebody who is positioning himself as fighting for the soul of the Republican Party. Hosemann, by contrast, you know, hit on his accomplishments... sort of framed himself as the conservative alternative to a more radical, in his opinion, Chris McDaniel, and believes that he is the practical person that is going to be able to get things done.”
And then there was the preview of the expected match-up of Tate Reeves versus Brandon Presley in November.
“I think you definitely now see the battle plan for both sides,” added Antizzo.
Antizzo has some take-aways about those plans.
“Presley is positioning himself as not just a moderate Democrat, but almost a moderate Republican. He hit on a lot of populous themes... he’s sort of emphasizing his small town values,” Antizzo said.
And Antizzo noticed that much of his platform mirrors traditional Republican themes. While Reeves is working to align Presley with national Democrats, he makes this note about Reeves’ campaign:
“He’s got, you know, a good record to stand on,” he said. “But he seems like he’s really leading with the culture war stuff. And I think that he thinks that will rally people to the cause, because those are hot button issues right now that are getting a lot of press.”
Again, the party primaries will be held August 8. And general election day is November 7.
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Copyright 2023 WLBT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/29/what-do-neshoba-county-fair-political-speeches-signal-about-whats-ahead-hottest-races/ | 2023-07-29T02:24:44 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/29/what-do-neshoba-county-fair-political-speeches-signal-about-whats-ahead-hottest-races/ |
BEIJING, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chengdu Universiade officially kicked off Friday night in the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, known as the hometown of giant pandas and one of the most vibrant Chinese cities.
Ahead the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games, Chinese President Xi Jinping has engaged himself in a flurry of face-to-face high-level meetings with foreign leaders attending the ceremony over the past couple of days.
Behind the tight diplomatic schedule, Xi has highlighted the importance of solidarity, cooperation and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, three key messages shared by the visiting leaders of Indonesia, Guyana, Georgia, Mauritania and Burundi.
Solidarity
In a toast at a welcoming banquet on Friday noon, Xi said the Games, since its inception, has always been "a celebration of youth, solidarity, and friendship."
"We should promote solidarity through sports, build up positive energy across the international community, join hands to tackle global challenges such as climate change, food crisis and terrorism, and shape a better future through cooperation," he urged.
Solidarity, unity and togetherness were also one of the hot topics during the Chinese president's separate meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
During the meeting with the Burundian leader, for instance, Xi stressed the importance of solidarity between China and Africa in safeguarding the common interests of developing countries and the international fairness and justice.
Cooperation
During the meetings of the leaders, China and the five countries agreed to further cooperation, such as on trade, infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges.
In a meeting with Xi on Thursday, Widodo said Indonesia is willing to continue to enhance cooperation with China in areas including investment, marine fisheries, food security and healthcare. The leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents following the meeting.
China and Georgia will issue a joint statement and announce the establishment of strategic partnership during Garibashvili's historic visit. Xi hailed the remarkable achievements in cooperation in various fields between the two countries over the past 31 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, while the Georgian prime minister said the elevation of bilateral relations will bring more opportunities to his country.
On Friday, China and Mauritania also signed a cooperation plan on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to enhance bilateral ties.
A community with a shared future for mankind
The term of building a community with a shared future for mankind was repeatedly highlighted during the leaders' meetings, with Indonesia, Guyana, Georgia, Mauritania and Burundi also expressing support for China-proposed initiatives.
While meeting with Xi on Friday afternoon, Ghazouani said Mauritania supports the BRI, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, saying that these initiatives are in line with the norms governing international relations that respect countries' independence and sovereignty and exchanges between different civilizations.
Addressing the welcoming banquet, Xi stressed the importance of deepening exchanges and mutual learning to promote harmony without uniformity in the spirit of inclusiveness and seeing different cultures with an attitude of mutual appreciation and mutual learning.
"The Chengdu Games should be an opportunity for us to champion the common values of humanity and write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind," said Xi.
In an interview with CGTN, Ali, the Guyanese president, said the Games goes beyond the competitions among the young athletes.
"They can share the experiences, they can share culture, [and] they can share who they are in building a stronger family of humanity," he said.
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SOURCE CGTN | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/cgtn-solidarity-vowed-xi-hosts-foreign-leaders-amid-chengdu-universiade/ | 2023-07-29T02:24:51 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/cgtn-solidarity-vowed-xi-hosts-foreign-leaders-amid-chengdu-universiade/ |
Police in Fort Worth are investigating the death of a 77-year-old woman who was shot and killed in her home.
The victim killed in the shooting Friday has been identified by a family member and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office as 77-year-old Ora Griffin.
According to the Fort Worth Police Department, officers responded to the 1400 block of Carol Oaks Lane early Friday morning. Once officers arrived, they found Griffin with gunshot wounds inside her home. She was pronounced dead at 6:18 a.m., the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office reports.
Police said detectives have determined either one or more suspects fired numerous gunshots into Griffin’s home and fled the scene. No other details were immediately available Friday.
Terrence Lawson lives in the same apartment complex and told NBC 5, he didn’t know Griffin on a personal level but saw her walking her dog often.
“I used to see her every morning. About the time I go to work, she would be outside,” Lawson said. “I’m shocked. I mean, it’s scary. I mean, it could have been me and my apartment.”
Lawson said news of the shooting spread quickly amongst neighbors Friday.
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“Disgusted, you know? Disappointed,” he said. “It makes no sense trying to turn 2024 into the wild, wild west again. This isn’t 1800s Texas, this is 2023. It makes no sense.”
Investigators remained on the scene for several hours Friday. David Dombrowski lives in the complex next door and walked past Griffin’s home, initially unclear what was happening.
“I had seen about three or four fire trucks. They had, I guess, a SUV and a caution tape around everything. I was thinking it was an apartment fire,” Dombrowski said. “I wouldn’t have ever thought someone got killed. That just blows me away.”
No arrests have been made as of this writing. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/77-year-old-woman-killed-after-numerous-gunshots-fired-into-fort-worth-home-police-say/3305787/ | 2023-07-29T02:24:52 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/77-year-old-woman-killed-after-numerous-gunshots-fired-into-fort-worth-home-police-say/3305787/ |
The man accused of driving from Tennessee to Dallas to kill his high school girlfriend's husband in a murder-for-hire plot was found guilty of murder Friday and has been sentenced to 62 years in prison with a $10,000 fine.
The sentencing phase of the trial began immediately after the guilty verdict was read Friday morning with 49-year-old Darrin Ruben Lopez facing between five years and life in prison for the murder of Jamie Faith. The same Dallas County jury that determined Lopez's guilt decided his sentencing Friday evening.
Closing remarks in the sentencing hearing wrapped up at about 2:35 p.m., and the jury began deliberations soon after. About a half hour later the jury asked for copies of Lopez's medical records since he was discharged from the Army.
At about 6 p.m., the jury call light illuminated in the courtroom -- which can indicate either a verdict or a question. Judge Brandon Birmingham said the jury had not yet reached a decision and that they had a question about what would happen if they were unable to reach a unanimous decision on a sentence. Birmingham instructed the jury to continue working on a verdict.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday, the jury returned to the courtroom to deliver the sentencing. The 12 jurors unanimously voted on a 62-year sentence in prison with a $10,000 fine.
During jury instruction, the judge advised the jury that Lopez could be eligible for parole after serving half of the years sentenced. Lopez could be eligible for parole in 31 years.
"Obviously we are disappointed in the verdict," defense attorney Juan Carlos Sanchez said after leaving the courtroom. "My client is hanging in there. We fought hard for him.
On Oct 9, 2020, American Airlines employee Jamie Faith was gunned down as he and his wife Jennifer Faith walked their dog near their Dallas home, a day after their 15th wedding anniversary.
Prosecutors said Lopez had been having a torrid love affair with Jennifer Faith, who was his high school ex-girlfriend, and that he drove to Dallas to kill her husband. Defense attorneys argued Lopez killed Jamie Faith only after being deceived by Jennifer into believing she was a victim of sexual and physical abuse and that her husband was going to kill her.
For nearly four hours on Thursday, Lopez took the stand in his own defense and answered questions about his relationship with Jennifer Faith, her husband's murder, and his military service.
Lopez is a Special Forces veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq.
His defense attorneys said he was duped and manipulated by his ex into believing she was being abused by her husband and that only then did he agree to the plot to avenge her.
DARRIN LOPEZ TRIAL - DAY 4
The trial recessed Thursday following the testimony of Dr. John Fabian, a certified forensic and clinical psychologist who testified about Lopez's mental and physical health.
The defense asked Fabian: "Would this have happened if Jennifer Faith had not pushed 'his buttons?'"
Despite an objection by the prosecution, the judge allowed the doctor to respond.
“No,” responded Fabian.
Jennifer Faith pleaded guilty in February 2022 to orchestrating the murder-for-hire plot and enlisting Lopez's help, admitting she manipulated him into believing her husband was sexually and physically abusive through graphic emails and text messages she sent from her account and fake accounts in the names of her husband and a worried friend.
CLOSING ARGUMENTS
During closing arguments Friday, Lopez's defense argued he was in fear of his ex-girlfriend's impeding death and took action in her defense. Defense attorney Juan Carlos Sanchez said Lopez's brain injury disabled him and that he wasn't the solider he was when he first joined the Army.
The defense argued Jennifer Faith took advantage of Lopez's affection and disability to direct him to kill her husband.
Prosecutor Brandi Mitchell said you need more than absurd emails to justify taking someone's life. She suggested both Lopez and Jennifer Faith cooked up the plan to murder her husband and that there was no immediate threat.
Mitchell said many former military members have PTSD and that they don't commit murder.
"That man lost his life within seconds. This good man, dead on the streets. Jennifer Faith is responsible and Darrin Lopez is responsible. We are asking you to find him guilty because that's what he is," Mitchell said.
Following closing arguments Friday morning, the jury was handed the case at about 10:15 a.m. About an hour and 15 minutes later, the jury call light illuminated and the jury told the court they had a verdict.
Lopez was found guilty of murder.
SENTENCING HANDED DOWN FRIDAY EVENING
Jason Snyder took the stand during both the guilt/innocence phase and the punishment phase.
Snyder became friends with Jennifer and Jamie Faith in Arizona and was among the first person Jennifer called to report Jamie’s murder.
“I’m relieved. The jury got it right,” said Snyder following the verdict. “I’m just glad we got justice for [Jamie] and hopefully the jury does the right thing.
Snyder said he hoped Lopez received the most severe punishment possible, which would have been 99 years in prison with the possibility of parole.
As for his former friend Jennifer, Snyder said he’s still trying to wrap his mind around how she managed to manipulate a lot of people.
Snyder described Jamie as, “A great guy. A great friend. A great husband. Funny, intelligent, just compassionate.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-accused-of-driving-from-tennessee-to-dallas-to-kill-ex-girlfriends-husband-sentenced/3305432/ | 2023-07-29T02:24:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-accused-of-driving-from-tennessee-to-dallas-to-kill-ex-girlfriends-husband-sentenced/3305432/ |
NEW YORK, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sooth, an industry-leading strategic marketing insights platform and consultancy, is excited to announce a dynamic partnership with Kestrel Consulting. This collaboration brings Sooth's founder, Ian Baer, and his innovative methodologies and expertise into Kestrel's broad network, promising to enrich Kestrel's client marketing and branding initiatives with fresh perspectives and deeper understanding.
Recognized for its patent-pending method that fuses data, AI, and human intellect, Sooth deciphers the intricacies of human decision-making, mapping emotional drivers and receptivity of diverse consumer and business audiences. Now part of Kestrel's network, Sooth's unique, sophisticated approach will bolster client marketing initiatives, offering a powerful toolset to unlock new avenues for connection, empathy, and understanding that is proven to increase customer lifetime value by four times or more.
As Kestrel's preferred provider of brand strategic services, Sooth will also accelerate its own growth by working on branding and marketing projects for clients and partners within the Kestrel network.
"Kestrel Consultants helps leadership teams, founders, entrepreneurs, and enterprises fly higher and achieve strategic outcomes through its exclusive partnership network of fractional executives and boutique business consultants," the company said in a statement. "We're proud to welcome Sooth into our exclusive partnership and referral network. We've admired Ian Baer's work for years, and his exceptional talent is a real complement to our network's other areas of expertise. We're excited to collaborate on new projects together."
This partnership represents a convergence of Sooth's methodologies and Kestrel's expansive network. By bringing together Sooth's unparalleled insights and Kestrel's team of skilled executives and consultants, they aim to empower Kestrel's clientele with deeper understanding and fresh perspectives, enabling them to achieve their marketing goals.
"Changes in consumer and business culture over the past several years have irrevocably changed how marketing works at an elemental level," said Ian Baer, Founder and Chief Soothsayer at Sooth. "With 90 percent of all decisions now determined by each person's unique emotional priorities, we're able to roadmap success for brands by unlocking an in-depth understanding of the factors that create connection between these brands and the customers they serve. Kestrel's model brings together complementary innovators to help companies elevate their game across a broad spectrum of business and marketing interdependencies. I could not be more excited to align with the talented leaders of Kestrel Consultants to bring clients high-impact business solutions at the speed and efficiency of modern commerce."
About Sooth
Sooth is an industry-leading strategic marketing insights platform and consultancy. Using a unique, patent-pending method that synergizes data, artificial intelligence, and human intellect, Sooth decodes the intricacies of consumer decision-making and maps the emotional motivators of diverse audiences with unparalleled precision. Sooth is committed to making marketing strategies more effective, intuitive, and emotionally engaging, empowering brands with the insights they need. www.SoothBeTold.com
About Kestrel Consultants
Kestrel Consultants helps leadership teams, founders, entrepreneurs, and enterprises fly higher and achieve strategic outcomes through its exclusive partnership network of fractional executives and boutique business consultants. Learn more at KestrelConsultants.com.
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SOURCE Sooth | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/ian-baer-brings-sooths-brand-strategy-mastery-kestrel-consultings-executive-network/ | 2023-07-29T02:24:57 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/ian-baer-brings-sooths-brand-strategy-mastery-kestrel-consultings-executive-network/ |
Top Shasta County official Patrick Jones calls judge in records case to apologize
A judge on Friday denied Shasta County's request to delay turning over hundreds of pages of documents requested by the Record Searchlight. But before issuing his ruling, the judge disclosed that he had been contacted by the chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, who offered him an apology and an invitation.
Superior Court Judge Stephen Baker disclosed during a court hearing on Friday that he received a phone call earlier this month from Patrick Jones.
The judge said he felt the phone call was harmless, but also felt he needed to disclose it because it was unusual and felt the conversation created an "awkward" situation because the county is a defendant in the case.
The newspaper sued the county last year, asking a judge to force the county to relinquish records pertaining to an investigation into management of the sheriff's office under former Sheriff Eric Magrini.
The county and the Record Searchlight were in court Friday for Baker to rule on a request from the county for more time to comply with the judge's order to hand over the documents.
Before issuing his ruling on the proposed delay, Baker began the hearing by disclosing the encounter. He said he wrote out notes from the phone call with Jones, which he read in open court during the hearing.
Recounting his conversation, Baker said Jones initially apologized that the county had taken so long to relinquish the documents to the Record Searchlight. The judge said that at that point he politely interrupted Jones and told him he could not discuss the case.
Jones then changed the subject and went on to invite Baker to a town hall meeting Jones held on July 20 in Redding, Baker said. The town hall featured an election denier who addressed claims of voter fraud in recent elections.
Contacted by the Record Searchlight later Friday, Jones said he was not attempting to influence the judge's decision in the case.
"I just wanted to let him know that I was sorry that it was taking so long for this information to come out. And so I thanked him for being patient with the process that the county is using, because I was upset. I have been upset on this whole this issue from the very beginning that it (the documents) weren't turned over immediately," Jones said.
Was he aware the phone call put the judge in an awkward situation?
"Looking back, I might have done it differently. But part of the problem in a lot of different situations is a lack of communication. And, you know, the judge is talking to our attorneys, and they're not directly in communication with the board (of supervisors), and sometimes a lot is missed. And so I thought that it might be of some help," Jones said.
"And I don't know if it was any help or not. We really didn't discuss anything in any detail whatsoever. He would not go there," he said.
Jones said he has been in favor of giving the documents to the Record Searchlight, but he has voted against releasing the information because the County Counsel's Office has recommended against it.
On July 25, Jones and the rest of the board voted 4-0 to release some of the documents the newspaper has requested. But the supervisors decided not to relinquish what is known as the Ellis Report.
Supervisor Mary Rickert was absent during the vote.
Jones said he wants to release the report, but voted to withhold it because the county's attorneys warned board members that releasing the information and the names included in the report could open the county to possible legal liability.
"County Counsel continues to say that we must protect county workers and not have any legal issues with turning over information that could get the county sued," Jones said.
Baker ruled in April and again in May that the county must turn over the documents the Record Searchlight first requested in August 2021 under the California Public Records Act. After the county refused four times to relinquish the documents, the newspaper sued the county in July 2022, asking a judge to force the county to release the information.
The newspaper has requested copies of the Ellis Report, which consists of the results of an investigation during the spring of 2021 into the management of the sheriff's office while Eric Magrini was sheriff. Lieutenants and captains in the department had requested the investigation.
The newspaper has also sought documents and communications among top county officials regarding Magrini's resignation and appointment as assistant county executive officer in June 2021.
On Monday, Baker ruled the county had 10 days to comply with his ruling to deliver the documents to the paper. As of Friday, the newspaper has not received the records.
The Record Searchlight's attorney, Walt McNeill, said he felt the county could not appeal Baker's ruling at this point because too much time has passed since he issued his order in May.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today! | https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/top-shasta-county-official-calls-judge-in-records-case-to-apologize/70489506007/ | 2023-07-29T02:25:02 | 1 | https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/top-shasta-county-official-calls-judge-in-records-case-to-apologize/70489506007/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-guilty-of-murder-sentenced-to-62-years-in-prison/3305866/ | 2023-07-29T02:25:04 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-guilty-of-murder-sentenced-to-62-years-in-prison/3305866/ |
UPDATE: Vegetation fire burns two people in north Redding
Crews stopped forward progress of a vegetation fire in north Redding on Friday afternoon that was caused by an illegal cooking fire, but not before it burned two people who were taken to the hospital.
The vegetation fire started at 3:20 p.m. at 12286 Witch Way, in the area of Cascade Boulevard and Oasis Road.
Fire crews arrived to find a motor home and pickup truck "fully involved with fire" at a "transient camp" in the area, according to a press release from the Redding Fire Department. The fire had spread to the nearby vegetation.
Crews were able to contain the fire to under one-quarter acre, fire officials said.
Two occupants of the camp who had suffered burns were taken to Mercy Medical Center.
The fire was determined to be caused by an illegal cooking fire, authorities said. In 2022, both burn victims has been warned about illegal fires. One of the burn victims has previously been arrested for having an illegal camp fire, according to Redding fire officials.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. | https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/fires/2023/07/28/vegetation-fire-burns-two-people-in-north-redding/70490008007/ | 2023-07-29T02:25:08 | 1 | https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/fires/2023/07/28/vegetation-fire-burns-two-people-in-north-redding/70490008007/ |
The new prosecutor in Oklahoma's biggest county announced Friday she’s dropping criminal charges against seven police officers in three separate fatal shootings from 2020, including one in which five officers were charged with killing a 15-year-old boy outside a convenience store.
District Attorney Vicki Behenna's predecessor and fellow Democrat, David Prater, had filed criminal charges against the police officers before leaving office. Behenna said she hired a use-of-force expert to examine the evidence, and her office spent hundreds of hours reviewing the three cases.
“Under Oklahoma law, these shootings were justified,” Behenna said at a news conference.
“This was not just a quick, spur-of-the-moment decision. This was a very difficult, very fact-intensive decision and review,” she said.
The charges were dismissed with prejudice, which means they are permanently dismissed and can’t be refiled, she said.
Oklahoma
A former federal prosecutor and defense attorney from the suburb of Edmond, Behenna is the first woman elected top prosecutor in the state’s most populous county. She defeated conservative Republican Kevin Calvey last year to win a four-year term.
The most high-profile case dismissed Friday involved five Oklahoma City officers charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Stavian Rodriguez. The teen was shot on Nov. 23, 2020, by officers responding to reports of an attempted armed robbery at a convenience store.
TV news reports of the shooting showed video of the boy dropping a gun then reaching toward his waist before being shot.
Willard Paige, the investigator for the previous district attorney, said the officers fired live rounds “unnecessarily,” and that an autopsy determined Rodriguez suffered 13 gunshot wounds.
Initially charged in the shooting were officers Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, John Skuta and Brad Pemberton. All five have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.
The teen's mother, Cameo Holland, said in a statement that she intends to work to change the law to make it easier for police to be criminally charged.
“When the district attorney of Oklahoma County apologizes to your face for the justice system failing you, it's clear we need changes in the law,” Holland said.
Behenna said Friday that she does not take these decisions lightly.
“These families are grieving," she said. “No matter what this office does or says, these families are forever changed.”
Holland has a pending civil rights excessive force lawsuit against Oklahoma City and the five officers in federal court.
In another Oklahoma City case, Sgt. Clifford Holman was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 60-year-old Bennie Edward.
Holman, who is white, had responded to a call of a Black man harassing customers at a business in north Oklahoma City, according to a police affidavit by homicide detective Bryn Carter. When he arrived at the scene, Holman encountered Edwards, who was holding a knife and refusing officers’ commands to drop it, the affidavit states.
The shooting sparked days of protests and demonstrations by Black Lives Matter groups and other activists.
The third case involved The Village officer Chance Avery, who was charged with second-degree murder in the July 2020 shooting death of Christopher Pool.
Avery was called to the home by Pool’s wife, who was retrieving personal belongings, when Pool ran inside carrying a bat and was shot by Avery after refusing to drop it, police said.
Gary James, an attorney for Avery and Adams, one of the officers charged in the Rodriguez shooting, said he was “ecstatic” about Behenna's decision.
“We've got seven police officers who were just doing their duty, and were placed in a position by all three of the deceased that they had to use deadly force,” James said.
Although criminal charges against police officers are not common, previous district attorney Prater — himself an ex-cop who served 16 years as the county's top prosecutor — had secured criminal convictions against officers before.
In 2013, Del City police Capt. Randy Harrison was sentenced to four years in prison for second-degree manslaughter after shooting an unarmed teenager in the back as he ran away following a scuffle.
In 2019, another Oklahoma City police sergeant, Keith Sweeney, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in the shooting death of an unarmed, suicidal man.
Behenna said that in future cases involving police shootings, she will present evidence to a multi-county grand jury to make a decision on whether to file criminal charges, rather than making that decision herself.
Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said the department has implemented “significant changes” since the fatal shootings, such as creating a training unit that has worked with every officer on de-escalation strategies. The chief's statement Friday said officers are also provided with additional less-lethal equipment, like stun guns and weapons that deploy bean bags, as well as crisis-intervention training. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/3305861/ | 2023-07-29T02:25:10 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/3305861/ |
A man who hit two protesters with his car, killing one of them, during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020 in Seattle has pleaded guilty to multiple felonies.
Dawit Kelete, 30, pleaded guilty on Thursday to vehicular homicide in the death of 24-year-old Summer Taylor, The Seattle Times reported. He also pleaded guilty to vehicular assault and reckless driving charges. Attorneys as part of the plea deal have agreed to recommend a sentence of more than six years in prison and 18 months of probation. Kelete is set to be sentenced in September.
On July 4, 2020, the Washington State Patrol said Kelete drove the wrong way onto Interstate 5, around a barricade of parked vehicles, and struck Taylor and Diaz Love.
Taylor later died and Love was hospitalized with multiple injuries.
Kelete was arrested shortly afterward and told police he was withdrawing from the narcotic pain medication Percocet and struggled with an “untreated addiction,” court documents said.
Francisco Duarte, Kelete’s attorney, said Kelete asked about the victims from the beginning and has shown remorse. Duarte also claimed authorities were negligent and failed to protect the public and protesters.
U.S. & World
An attorney for Taylor’s family, Karen Koehler, on Thursday lamented the years it’s taken for the case to move through the court system, and said the family is focused on remembering Taylor, KING-TV reported.
“While it was a relief to know they wouldn’t have to go to court, there’s a lot of very sad, grieving people still,” Koehler said. “They are... resigned, that this is the best that can be done.”
Love, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, fractures, lacerations, and other physical wounds, is suing the state, city and Kelete. A trial date has been scheduled for next February.
The lawsuit says Kelete was driving negligently and that state and city agencies failed to block all access ramps to I-5 and refused to protect vulnerable protesters. The State Patrol had closed the freeway during the demonstration, which was part of a run of nightly protests over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Family described Taylor as someone who was dedicated to justice. She had been demonstrating and rallying in support of Black Lives Matter nearly every day of the protests. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-death-of-black-lives-matter-protester-in-seattle/3305870/ | 2023-07-29T02:25:16 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-death-of-black-lives-matter-protester-in-seattle/3305870/ |
(The Hill) — A federal judge in Montana issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, blocking the state from enforcing a law that bans certain drag performances, writing in an order that the law likely suffers from “constitutional maladies.”
Montana’s House Bill 359, passed by the state’s majority Republican legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, prohibits schools or libraries that receive state funding from hosting a drag story hour or “sexually oriented performance.” Performances are also prohibited from taking place in public or in the presence of a minor.
A group of 10 plaintiffs challenged the law in federal court earlier this month, arguing that the bill is “breathtakingly ambiguous and overbroad.” Plaintiffs include Adria Jawort, a transgender and two-spirit author whose lecture at a public library in Butte was canceled last month after officials determined that having her speak posed “too much of a legal risk” under the new law.
Montana Pride, the host of an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Helena, joined the lawsuit last week, arguing that city officials — as a result of the law — have withheld permits that are needed for this year’s Pride festival, which is slated to run from July 30 to August 6.
“The thirtieth annual Montana Pride is slated to begin in less than two days,” Chief Judge Brian Morris wrote in Friday’s order. “Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability under H.B. 359 in the absence of the extraordinary remedy of a [temporary restraining order.]”
Republicans in the state legislature this session had argued the law was necessary to protect children from “mature themes” and obscene material.
But “Montana law already protects minors from obscene material,” Morris wrote Friday.
On top of that, the state conceded during a July 26 hearing that the statutory text of House Bill 359 regulates speech and expression outside of what is considered “legally obscene.”
The law additionally “contains no carveout for speech or expression with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value,” Morris argued, and the First Amendment protects “at least some of the speech and expression” regulated by the law.
Morris noted in the order that the only two other district courts to have considered First Amendment challenges to similar state drag bans in Tennessee and Florida “have confirmed that those laws constitute facially content-based restrictions” and are therefore discriminatory.
A federal judge in June ruled that a Tennessee law banning drag shows in public or where children could view them is unconstitutional. The same month, a federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a similar ban on drag performances.
Attorneys for the state had sought to distinguish the Montana law from those of Florida and Tennessee on the basis that those laws failed to define “lewd.” But Morris on Friday argued that Montana’s drag ban also failed to define it.
The measure also fails to define “lascivious,” “flamboyant or parodic persona,” “salacious dancing” and “sexual manner,” Morris wrote. “The absence of definitions for these terms raises concerns for the Court about vagueness and overbreadth.”
In a statement to the Montana Free Press following Friday’s order, Montana Pride’s lead organizer, Kevin Hamm, said the court “got it right.”
“As I said throughout the legislature, drag is art. And drag bans not only infringe on free speech, but they are crafted (by design) to be so broad to allow for discrimination against trans & nonbinary people as well,” state Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr posted Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to Morris’s decision.
Zephyr, one of two openly transgender lawmakers in Montana, was censured by House Republicans in April after she said legislators who voted to pass a bill banning gender-affirming health care for transgender minors would have “blood on your hands.”
In a statement to The Hill, Emily Flower, a spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R), who is a defendant in the case, said the state will present its response at an upcoming preliminary injunction hearing.
“We look forward to presenting our written response and full argument at the upcoming preliminary injunction hearing to defend the law and protect minors from sexually oriented performances,” she said. | https://who13.com/news/national-news/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ | 2023-07-29T02:25:31 | 0 | https://who13.com/news/national-news/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ |
HURON, Ohio (WJW) – A suspected bank burglar was busted when he gave new meaning to the term “direct deposit.”
Police in Huron, Ohio watched as the suspected bank thief dropped from the ceiling over the drive-thru, right in front of their eyes.
Police body camera video obtained by the WJW shows the incident. Officers can be heard ordering the suspect on the ground, and then helping get him out of the recycling can. The suspect was not injured.
“In my 35-plus years in law enforcement, this is the first time I ever saw a suspect fall into a garbage can,” said Huron Police Chief Terry Graham.
Graham said around 2:12 a.m. Wednesday, police received an alarm from the VacationLand Federal Credit Union located on University Drive East.
While checking the building, officers could hear noises coming from inside the roof area over the drive-thru.
They also noticed the recycling can positioned in the middle of the drive-thru lane, directly under a roof access door. The officers heard noises coming from inside the bank and patiently waited.
“I am most impressed with our officers’ patience in a very difficult situation,” the chief said. “The tactics they used, I think, substantially contributed to no one being injured and the suspect being taken into custody.”
Tristan Heidl, 27, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools and safecracking.
Police say Heidl had a backpack full of construction tools.
“He did get inside the bank and attempt to open numerous areas in the bank that contain money,” the chief said.
Police say Heidl was unable to get inside the safe and crash-landed with empty pockets.
“He didn’t get a dime,” Graham said.
Heidl is being held in the Erie County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He is due back in court soon. | https://who13.com/news/national-news/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ | 2023-07-29T02:25:37 | 0 | https://who13.com/news/national-news/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ |
6-year-old girl dies after being hit by boat propeller at lake, authorities say
PEORIA, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - Authorities in Arizona say a young girl has died after she was hit by a boat propeller at Lake Pleasant Friday morning.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said first responders were called to the lake regarding a boat accident at about 11 a.m.
KPHO reports that a 6-year-old girl was pulled from the lake with a severe leg injury. She was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.
According to Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, two families had arrived at the lake around 7 a.m. for swimming and wakeboarding. All 12 people, reported to be six adults and six children, were on the same boat.
Investigators said the child was injured when no one realized she was still in the water and her mother started to accelerate to pull another family member who was wakeboarding.
The young girl was then run over by the boat.
Because of poor cellphone service in that part of the lake, the family couldn’t reach emergency services.
Other boaters in the area helped get the child out of the water and brought her to the Pleasant Harbor Marina where fire crews were waiting.
Deputies don’t believe impairment was a factor in the accident.
Detectives are investigating and processing evidence, but Enriquez said the girl’s death is being treated as a tragic accident.
Authorities said there appeared to be no safety violations on the boat, which was equipped with proper life jackets, a fire extinguisher and other gear.
Enriquez also said the owners are experienced boat operators who live near the lake.
The families involved were not immediately identified.
Copyright 2023 KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ | 2023-07-29T02:26:27 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ |
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Four air crew members were missing after an Australian army helicopter ditched into waters off the Queensland state coast during joint military exercises with the United States, officials said Saturday.
The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter went down near Hamilton Island, a Great Barrier Reef tourist resort, at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
A search was underway to find the crew, and their families had been notified, officials said.
A rescue helicopter reported spotting debris Saturday morning near Dent Island in the Whitsunday Islands group.
The Taipan was taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial joint U.S.-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland. This year’s exercise involves 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel.
Marles said the helicopter ditched, which refers to an emergency landing on water. He said it was taking part in a mission that involved a second helicopter, which immediately started a search and rescue operation.
“Defense exercises, which are so necessary for the readiness of our defense force, are serious. They carry risk,” Marles told reporters in Brisbane. “As we desperately hope for better news during the course of this day we are reminded about the gravity of the act which comes with wearing our nation’s uniform.”
Defense Force Chief Gen. Angus Campbell said Queensland state authorities, members of the public and U.S. military personnel were taking part in the search.
“Our focus at the moment is finding our people and supporting their families and the rest of our team, “ Campbell said. “This is indeed a terrible moment.”
It is the second emergency involving an Australian Taipan this year, after one ditched into the sea off the New South Wales state coast in March. That helicopter was taking part in a nighttime counterterrorism training exercise when it ran into trouble. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Brisbane for a meeting on Saturday and is due to travel with Marles to north Queensland on Sunday to see the exercise.
The exercise has been paused by the search.
Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid tribute to the missing air crew at the outset of a meeting with their Australian counterparts, Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
“It’s always tough when you have accidents in training, but … the reason that we train to such high standards is so that we can be successful and we can protect lives when we are called to answer any kind of crisis,” Austin said.
“Our guys tend to make this look easy and they make it look easy because they’re so well exercised and rehearsed and trained, and this is unfortunately a part of that, what it takes to get them to where we need them to be,” Austin added.
Blinken said, “We’re so grateful to them for their dedication, for their service, for everything they’ve been doing to stand up for the freedom that we share and that is what unites us more than anything else.”
___
Find more of AP’s Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/4-air-crew-members-are-missing-after-australian-army-helicopter-ditched-off-australias-coast/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-29T02:26:27 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/4-air-crew-members-are-missing-after-australian-army-helicopter-ditched-off-australias-coast/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Racing will resume at Churchill Downs in September, with no changes being made after a review of surfaces and safety protocols in the wake of 12 horse deaths, including seven in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby in May.
The Louisville track suspended racing operations on June 7 and moved the rest of its spring meet to Ellis Park in western Kentucky at the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the sport’s national overseer.
Training continued at Churchill Downs during the track’s investigation.
Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen called the deaths “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said the review “didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”
“That, in a sense, can sometimes be unsatisfying,” he said. “But that’s business, and that’s sports.”
Two of the horse deaths occurred in undercard races on Derby day. Another five died later.
“The takeaway is, the track is very safe,” Carstanjen said Thursday on an earnings call with CDI investors.
“What we needed to do was spend some of this time in the interim, while we ran the rest of the (spring) meet at Ellis to just go soup to nuts through every single thing we do at the racetrack. There was nothing that jumped out as an apparent cause of the injuries, of the breakdowns; and, as we went through and rebuilt our processes from the ground up to check everything that we do to make extra sure, we didn’t find anything material.”
The track’s fall meet begins Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 1.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/churchill-downs-to-resume-racing-at-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-29T02:26:33 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/churchill-downs-to-resume-racing-at-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
Churchill Downs to resume racing at fall meet with no changes after horse deaths
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Racing will resume at Churchill Downs in September, with no changes being made after a review of surfaces and safety protocols in the wake of 12 horse deaths, including seven in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby in May.
The Louisville track suspended racing operations on June 7 and moved the rest of its spring meet to Ellis Park in western Kentucky at the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the sport’s national overseer.
Training continued at Churchill Downs during the track’s investigation.
Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen called the deaths “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said the review “didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”
“That, in a sense, can sometimes be unsatisfying,” he said. “But that’s business, and that’s sports.”
Two of the horse deaths occurred in undercard races on Derby day. Another five died later.
“The takeaway is, the track is very safe,” Carstanjen said Thursday on an earnings call with CDI investors.
“What we needed to do was spend some of this time in the interim, while we ran the rest of the (spring) meet at Ellis to just go soup to nuts through every single thing we do at the racetrack. There was nothing that jumped out as an apparent cause of the injuries, of the breakdowns; and, as we went through and rebuilt our processes from the ground up to check everything that we do to make extra sure, we didn’t find anything material.”
The track’s fall meet begins Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 1.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/churchill-downs-resume-racing-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ | 2023-07-29T02:26:33 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/churchill-downs-resume-racing-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ |
When Robert Mueller, the first special counsel to investigate Donald Trump, concluded his investigation into the ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, his report raised questions about whether Trump had obstructed his inquiry.
Justice Department officials and legal experts were divided about whether there was enough evidence to show Trump broke the law, and his attorney general — chosen in part because he was skeptical of the investigation — cleared him of wrongdoing.
Four years after Mueller’s report was released, Jack Smith, the second special counsel to investigate Trump, added new charges on Thursday to an indictment over his handling of classified documents, setting out evidence of a particularly blatant act of obstruction.
The indictment says that just days after the Justice Department demanded security footage from Mar-a-Lago, his residence and private club in Florida, Trump told the property manager there that he wanted security camera footage deleted. If proved, it would be a clearer example of criminality than what Mueller found, according to Andrew Goldstein, the lead investigator on Mueller’s obstruction investigation.
“Demanding that evidence be destroyed is the most basic form of obstruction and is easy for a jury to understand,” said Goldstein, who is now a white-collar defense lawyer at the Cooley firm.
“It is more straightforwardly criminal than the obstructive acts we detailed in the Mueller report,” he said. “And if proven, it makes it easier to show that Trump had criminal intent for the rest of the conduct described in the indictment.”
The accusation about Trump’s desire to have evidence destroyed adds another chapter to what observers of his career say is a long pattern of gamesmanship on his part with prosecutors, regulators and others who have the ability to impose penalties on his conduct.
And it demonstrates how Trump viewed the conclusion of the Mueller investigation as a vindication of his behavior, which became increasingly emboldened — particularly in regards to the Justice Department — throughout the rest of his presidency, a pattern that appears to have continued despite having lost the protections of the office when he was defeated in the election.
In his memoir of his years in the White House, John Bolton, who served as Trump’s third national security adviser, described Trump’s approach as “obstruction as a way of life.”
In the hours after the new charges became public, Trump, whose advisers have been blunt that he must win the election to overcome his legal challenges, highlighted the stakes for him of the 2024 election.
He suggested in an interview with a right-wing news site that if he is elected, he will use the powers of the presidency to insulate himself from legal accountability on the documents case and the other inquiry being conducted by Smith into Trump’s efforts to retain power after his 2020 election loss.
“I wouldn’t keep him,” Trump told Breitbart, the news site, in response to a question about whether he would fire Smith. “Jack Smith? Why would I keep him?”
The new charges show how even in the face of Justice Department scrutiny into whether he still had classified documents in his possession, Trump has continued to try to find ways to upend its investigation.
In June of last year, amid its efforts to retrieve classified material Trump had taken from the White House upon leaving office, the Justice Department served a grand jury subpoena on Trump’s organization for surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago that would show how boxes of the documents had been handled, especially around a storage room where many of them had been stashed.
Shortly after the Trump Organization received the subpoena, the revised indictment said, the former president called Mar-a-Lago’s property manager and head of maintenance, Carlos De Oliveira. The two men spoke for 24 minutes, prosecutors say.
Two days later, De Oliveira and another defendant in the case, Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, “went to the security guard booth where surveillance video is displayed on monitors, walked with a flashlight through the tunnel where the storage room was located, and observed and pointed out surveillance cameras.”
Days later, De Oliveira had a private conversation with the Mar-a-Lago employee in charge of the surveillance footage. The conversation was supposed to “remain between the two of them,” according to the charging document.
De Oliveira told the employee that “‘the boss’ wanted the server deleted,” the indictment said.
The employee in charge of the footage said “that he would not know how to do that, and that he did not believe that he would have the rights to do that.”
But De Oliveira continued to push, asking, “What are we going to do?” (The Trump Organization ultimately turned over security footage, but, as The New York Times reported in May, investigators became suspicious about whether someone in Trump’s orbit tried to limit the amount of footage given to the government.)
“There are all sorts of ways to obstruct an investigation, but not every one has an equal impact,” said Brandon Van Grack, a former prosecutor on Mueller’s team. “Hiding and lying are damaging, but prosecutors can often still get at the truth. Destruction is often looked at seriously because it’s permanent. It’s permanently deleting or destroying” evidence in the case.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, assailed the investigations into the former president’s conduct, saying “the weaponized justice system along with their Democrat allies have failed at every turn because they are on the wrong side of the facts. History will judge them harshly.”
Over many decades before reaching the White House, Trump engaged in gamesmanship with prosecutors, regulators and officials who had authority in aspects of the industries in which he operated. He lived in a New York City where corruption touched aspects of the political and government establishments and the real-estate construction businesses, and he came to believe that everything could be worked out through some kind of deal, associates and former employees said.
He courted officials who had prosecutorial jurisdiction in New York City, including Rudy Giuliani, then the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, and Robert Morgenthau, the district attorney in Manhattan. Faced with massive amounts of civil litigation, his impulse, former employees said, was to find lawyers who knew the judge.
In April 2018, an aspect of the Russian investigation spun off into a separate one into Michael Cohen, a lawyer for the Trump Organization who also served as a fixer for Trump and knew many of his secrets. After Cohen’s hotel, apartment and office were searched by the FBI that month, Trump called Cohen with a message: stay strong.
He then predicted on Twitter that Cohen would never “flip” on him. Cohen eventually did provide prosecutors with information about Trump’s hush-money payments before the 2016 election to a porn star who said she had a sexual liaison with him. He later said that Trump spoke in “code” to avoid plainly communicating his desires.
Bolton wrote in his book, “The Room Where It Happened,” that Trump repeatedly sought to interfere with law enforcement and other official actions involving foreign leaders.
During an investigation into Halkbank, a state-financed institution based in Turkey that was facing an investigation by U.S. officials for a scheme to evade sanctions on Iran, Trump told the country’s leader that he would “take care of things,” Bolton wrote.
In a brief interview Friday, Bolton pointed to a specific aspect of Trump’s view of how the rules apply to him: his use of government power for his personal and political benefit while in office. He cited Trump’s efforts to solicit damaging information about the Bidens from Ukraine as he withheld military aid to that country.
“It shows as president he had fundamental difficulty distinguishing himself from the government,” Bolton said. “And it’s also why he couldn’t understand why government officials weren’t personally loyal to him.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/new-trump-charges-highlight-long-running-questions-about-obstruction/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-29T02:26:39 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/new-trump-charges-highlight-long-running-questions-about-obstruction/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
‘Our hero is going home’: Police officer released from rehab 3.5 months after Ky. bank shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After 109 days, Louisville Metro police officer Nickolas Wilt has been released from Frazier Rehabilitation Institute and is going home.
Wilt has been hospitalized, receiving medical care for the last three and a half months after the Old National Bank mass shooting on April 10. Wilt was critically injured when he was shot in the head after responding to the shooting that ultimately killed five people.
The victims were identified as Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Josh Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Deana Eckert, 57.
Wilt was listed in critical condition for nearly a month. Officials with the University of Louisville Health said Wilt received multiple surgeries and underwent several procedures at University of Louisville Hospital and Jewish Hospital.
On May 10, one month after the shooting, Wilt was transferred to Frazier Rehabilitation Institute to begin neuro and physical rehabilitation after seeing an improvement in his condition. Over the course of the last three and a half months, doctors and family of Wilt have called his journey remarkable.
On Friday, Governor Andy Beshear shared a photo with Wilt ahead of his release.
“Kentucky, our prayers were heard. @LMPD Officer Nick Wilt is headed home with his family. Officer Wilt is a hero who ran toward danger to save the lives of several of my friends. I am forever grateful for him and his bravery. Let’s keep praying for him.”
Wilt was honored as he left the halls of Frazier Rehab. He was accompanied by family as well as some fellow officers.
After leaving the rehab facility, Wilt was driven to Southeast Christian Church on Blankenbaker Parkway where he was driven past a line of well-wishers. The van then headed for Oldham County where community members were invited to gather along Highway 53 in La Grange to greet Wilt.
LMPD shared their sentiment on their social media, honoring the heroic actions of Wilt.
“Resilience, strength, courage. Those are just a few words to describe Ofc. Nickolas Wilt. April 10th, innocent lives were lost. Ofc. Wilt, just 10 days on the job, answered the call to help stop an active shooter. Today, our hero is going home. He’s ready. #WiltsWarriors”
Louisville Metro Police Foundation has created a donation site to help pay for Wilt’s medical expenses.
To make a donation, click or tap here.
Copyright 2023 WAVE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ | 2023-07-29T02:26:40 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ |
When Florida set out to revamp its standards for teaching Black history this spring, a natural place to turn would have been the state’s African American History Task Force.
The volunteer task force — a group of Black educators, Democratic politicians and community leaders appointed by the commissioner of education — has helped shape African American history instruction in Florida for more than two decades. The group provides an annual training session for teachers and awards “exemplary” status to school districts that meet criteria it sets.
But in updating educational standards to comply with a new law that limits how racism and other aspects of history can be taught, signed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, state officials largely bypassed the task force.
“You would think they would have involved us,” said Samuel L. Wright Sr., who founded the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival and was the task force’s vice chair until last month.
Wright and six other members who were serving this spring while the standards were being written said they had not been consulted. The standards have drawn backlash for saying that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Another contested section said that students should learn about race massacres of the 20th century, including violence perpetrated not just against but also “by African Americans.”
“I would not be a party to standards of African American history that homogenizes our history,” said Brenda Walker, a task force member and an education professor at the University of South Florida whose research has focused on Black students and recruiting male teachers of color.
Few details have been publicly released about how the standards, which lay out concepts that students are expected to learn, were created. Even DeSantis, who has often embraced his role as a warrior against “woke” ideology in schools, sought to distance himself amid a faltering 2024 presidential campaign.
“I wasn’t involved in it,” he told reporters last week.
To craft the 216-page document, his Department of Education created a 13-member work group, which drafted the standards from February to May.
The work group members, whose names the state has not released in full, included Frances Presley Rice, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a staunch conservative who has led the National Black Republican Association; William Allen, a professor emeritus at Michigan State who served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights under Ronald Reagan; and teachers and school district officials from around the state.
Three members of the group were nominated by the African American History Task Force, as representatives from its exemplary school districts.
In the past, the task force had a “robust agenda,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who holds an emeritus role on it. Under Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican who led the state from 1999 to 2007, “we were the ones who dictated to the Department of Education on what should happen with African American history,” Wilson said in an interview.
But in a sign of the task force’s diminished role under DeSantis, several of its members said they did not know who had been selected for the work group until this week, after the new standards were announced.
It is unclear how much agreement there was among the members of the group that wrote the standards.
The Department of Education, which did not respond to questions about the process, previously released a statement from Allen and Presley Rice defending the description of enslaved people using skills for their “personal benefit” as an accurate portrayal of the resiliency shown by enslaved individuals, some of whom excelled in trades like shoemaking and fishing.
One school district representative in the work group appeared to express dissent on social media, resharing a post that called that statement from Allen and Presley Rice “gaslighting.”
The group, which was racially and politically diverse, engaged in vigorous debate during a series of meetings in Tallahassee, Florida, and online. But the group — which originally believed it would have a year to work — also faced a shortened timeline, which resulted in “some mistakes” and unpolished phrasing, such as the line that said enslaved people had used skills to their personal benefit, according to one member who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal.
Allen, whose great-grandfather was enslaved, told ABC News that the standards did not say that slavery itself was beneficial, but meant to portray enslaved people as “resourceful, resilient and adaptive” people.
“It’s only those who don’t take the time to read it who will misstate it,” he said.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for DeSantis posted a link on Twitter to the College Board’s much-debated advanced placement course in African American studies, which makes a similar point but with different language, saying that enslaved people, once free, used their trade skills to provide for themselves and others.
Florida has required the teaching of African American history since 1994.
But under DeSantis, who has helped lead a conservative takeover of several school boards, and whose administration has fought the College Board and textbook publishers over what it sees as liberal indoctrination on the topic of race in schools, education — the teaching of history especially — has become increasingly politicized.
In one of their first acts, the new task force members postponed the group’s annual summer training for teachers, which has in the past included sessions on Florida’s own history with racial violence.
The training, which will now include the new standards, has been rescheduled for next month.
One longtime task force member is not on the list: Wright, the vice chair, resigned last month, in protest of what he saw as a political coup.
“The task force was not aiming at making white kids or nobody feel like people were responsible for slavery,” he said. “The intent of the task force was to ensure that African American and other kids realized that African American people made contributions to America and to this world.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/floridas-new-black-history-standards-have-drawn-backlash-who-wrote-them/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-29T02:26:46 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/floridas-new-black-history-standards-have-drawn-backlash-who-wrote-them/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
Police: Man charged with murder after living with girlfriend’s body in closet for months
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A man accused of killing his girlfriend told investigators that he lived with her body in a closet for months before she was discovered.
KVVU reports that George Bone faces a murder charge in the death of Beverly Ma.
Police said they discovered Ma’s body after the woman’s family located her in a home on July 26.
Bone was reportedly Ma’s boyfriend, and the two were living together.
The family said they went to the house where the two were to check on the air conditioning unit. They had received an expensive bill and the repair man said no one was answering the door.
They arrived at the home, but Ma still did not answer them.
According to an arrest report, they talked to Bone upstairs, and that’s when he told them that Ma was dead.
While a family member was on hold with 911, she asked Bone why he didn’t call the police and why he stayed in the house with her body, the report said.
He reportedly told the family member that he wanted to prolong his arrest. The family described Bone as being casual about the situation and brushing his teeth while speaking to them.
The woman’s family said they were not close but did keep in touch with Ma as she suffered trauma in the past.
They had last seen her in person in April, but she stopped responding to their messages a couple of months ago.
During Bone’s interview with police, he said he had known Ma since high school, and they developed a romantic relationship in 2019 after he left prison.
He started living with Ma in July 2022 and Bone told police they fought often, the arrest report said.
According to authorities, Ma had called 911 on May 4 at about 4:40 a.m. Dispatchers could hear a woman and a man screaming at each other, but Ma never responded to the dispatcher’s questions and the line went dead.
Officers said they did a door knock at the house. However, no one answered.
During his interview with police, Bone reportedly told investigators he found Ma in the closet with a belt around her neck in May. He responded to text messages on her phone so her family would think she was alive.
He also told police that he was keeping the temperature in the home at 60 degrees because of the number of flies in the house.
According to Bone’s arrest report, investigators didn’t find consistent evidence regarding his story about Ma’s suicide attempt. Police pointed out these inconsistencies to Bone and he said he didn’t know how to dispose of a body.
Eventually, Bone requested an attorney and the police interview ended.
Bone was not granted bail in a July 27 hearing. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 1.
Copyright 2023 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ | 2023-07-29T02:26:47 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Pentagon official has attacked this week’s widely watched congressional hearing on UFOs, calling the claims “insulting” to employees who are investigating sightings and accusing a key witness of not cooperating with the official U.S. government investigation.
Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick’s letter, published on his personal LinkedIn page and circulated Friday across social media, criticizes much of the testimony from a retired Air Force intelligence officer that energized believers in extraterrestrial life and produced headlines around the world.
Retired Air Force Maj. David Grusch testified Wednesday that the U.S. has concealed what he called a “multi-decade” program to collect and reverse-engineer “UAPs,” or unidentified aerial phenomena, the official government term for UFOs.
Part of what the U.S. has recovered, Grusch testified, were non-human “biologics,” which he said he had not seen but had learned about from “people with direct knowledge of the program.”
A career intelligence officer, Kirkpatrick was named a year ago to lead the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, which was intended to centralize investigations into UAPs. The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies have been pushed by Congress in recent years to better investigate reports of devices flying at unusual speeds or trajectories as a national security concern.
Kirkpatrick wrote the letter Thursday and the Defense Department confirmed Friday that he posted it in a personal capacity. Kirkpatrick did not return messages seeking comment.
He writes in part, “I cannot let yesterday’s hearing pass without sharing how insulting it was to the officers of the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community who chose to join AARO, many with not unreasonable anxieties about the career risks this would entail.”
“They are truth-seekers, as am I,” Kirkpatrick said. “But you certainly would not get that impression from yesterday’s hearing.”
In a separate statement, Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough denied other allegations made by Grusch and other witnesses before a House Oversight subcommittee.
The Pentagon “has no information that any individual has been harmed or killed as a result of providing information” about UFO objects, Gough said. Nor has the Pentagon discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.”
Kirkpatrick wrote, “AARO has yet to find any credible evidence to support the allegations of any reverse engineering program for non-human technology.”
He had briefed reporters in December that the Pentagon was investigating “several hundreds” of new reports following a push to have pilots and others come forward with any sightings.
Kirkpatrick wrote in his letter that allegations of “retaliation, to include physical assault and hints of murder, are extraordinarily serious, which is why law enforcement is a critical member of the AARO team, specifically to address and take swift action should anyone come forward with such claims.”
“Yet, contrary to assertions made in the hearing, the central source of those allegations has refused to speak with AARO,” Kirkpatrick said. He did not explicitly name Grusch, who alleged he faced retaliation and declined to answer when a congressman asked him if anyone had been murdered to hide information about UFOs.
Messages left at a phone number and email address for Grusch were not returned Friday. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/the-ufo-congressional-hearing-was-insulting-to-us-employees-a-top-pentagon-official-says/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-29T02:26:52 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/the-ufo-congressional-hearing-was-insulting-to-us-employees-a-top-pentagon-official-says/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
2023 Amundi Evian Championship Betting Odds, Favorites & Insights – Round 3
Celine Boutier currently leads the way (-7, +5500 to win) after two rounds of play at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship .
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Amundi Evian Championship Third Round Information
- Start Time: 1:00 AM ET
- Venue: Evian Resort Golf Club
- Location: Évian-les-Bains, France
- Par/Distance: Par 71/6,527 yards
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Amundi Evian Championship Best Odds to Win
Hyo Joo Kim
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1400
Kim Round by Round Results
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Nelly Korda
- Tee Time: 1:11 AM ET
- Current Rank: 28th (+1)
- Odds to Win: +1600
Korda Round by Round Results
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Rose Zhang
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +1800
Zhang Round by Round Results
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Linn Grant
- Tee Time: 2:17 AM ET
- Current Rank: 12th (-2)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Grant Round by Round Results
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Ayaka Furue
- Tee Time: 2:28 AM ET
- Current Rank: 52nd (+3)
- Odds to Win: +2000
Furue Round by Round Results
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Amundi Evian Championship Odds (Rest of Field)
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ | 2023-07-29T02:26:54 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/amundi-evian-championship-lpga-tournament-betting-odds-round-3/ |
(The Hill) — A federal judge in Montana issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, blocking the state from enforcing a law that bans certain drag performances, writing in an order that the law likely suffers from “constitutional maladies.”
Montana’s House Bill 359, passed by the state’s majority Republican legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, prohibits schools or libraries that receive state funding from hosting a drag story hour or “sexually oriented performance.” Performances are also prohibited from taking place in public or in the presence of a minor.
A group of 10 plaintiffs challenged the law in federal court earlier this month, arguing that the bill is “breathtakingly ambiguous and overbroad.” Plaintiffs include Adria Jawort, a transgender and two-spirit author whose lecture at a public library in Butte was canceled last month after officials determined that having her speak posed “too much of a legal risk” under the new law.
Montana Pride, the host of an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Helena, joined the lawsuit last week, arguing that city officials — as a result of the law — have withheld permits that are needed for this year’s Pride festival, which is slated to run from July 30 to August 6.
“The thirtieth annual Montana Pride is slated to begin in less than two days,” Chief Judge Brian Morris wrote in Friday’s order. “Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability under H.B. 359 in the absence of the extraordinary remedy of a [temporary restraining order.]”
Republicans in the state legislature this session had argued the law was necessary to protect children from “mature themes” and obscene material.
But “Montana law already protects minors from obscene material,” Morris wrote Friday.
On top of that, the state conceded during a July 26 hearing that the statutory text of House Bill 359 regulates speech and expression outside of what is considered “legally obscene.”
The law additionally “contains no carveout for speech or expression with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value,” Morris argued, and the First Amendment protects “at least some of the speech and expression” regulated by the law.
Morris noted in the order that the only two other district courts to have considered First Amendment challenges to similar state drag bans in Tennessee and Florida “have confirmed that those laws constitute facially content-based restrictions” and are therefore discriminatory.
A federal judge in June ruled that a Tennessee law banning drag shows in public or where children could view them is unconstitutional. The same month, a federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a similar ban on drag performances.
Attorneys for the state had sought to distinguish the Montana law from those of Florida and Tennessee on the basis that those laws failed to define “lewd.” But Morris on Friday argued that Montana’s drag ban also failed to define it.
The measure also fails to define “lascivious,” “flamboyant or parodic persona,” “salacious dancing” and “sexual manner,” Morris wrote. “The absence of definitions for these terms raises concerns for the Court about vagueness and overbreadth.”
In a statement to the Montana Free Press following Friday’s order, Montana Pride’s lead organizer, Kevin Hamm, said the court “got it right.”
“As I said throughout the legislature, drag is art. And drag bans not only infringe on free speech, but they are crafted (by design) to be so broad to allow for discrimination against trans & nonbinary people as well,” state Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr posted Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to Morris’s decision.
Zephyr, one of two openly transgender lawmakers in Montana, was censured by House Republicans in April after she said legislators who voted to pass a bill banning gender-affirming health care for transgender minors would have “blood on your hands.”
In a statement to The Hill, Emily Flower, a spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R), who is a defendant in the case, said the state will present its response at an upcoming preliminary injunction hearing.
“We look forward to presenting our written response and full argument at the upcoming preliminary injunction hearing to defend the law and protect minors from sexually oriented performances,” she said. | https://www.wfla.com/nextstar-news-wire/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:03 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/nextstar-news-wire/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ |
(NEXSTAR) – It’s been a rough week for Trader Joe’s after the popular grocery store chain had to notify customers on Thursday and Friday about products potentially containing foreign matter.
On Friday, Trader Joe’s announced it was recalling frozen falafel balls (SKU# 93935) that may contain rocks.
The recalled falafel was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.
One day earlier, Trader Joe’s warned customers that its “Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup” may contain insects. Trader Joe’s says there have not been reported cases of illness from the soup.
The recalled soup (SKU# 68470) has the Use By dates of 07/18/23 – 09/15/23.
A third recall, updated Tuesday to include a sell by date, warns that there may be rocks in the company’s Almond Windmill Cookies and the Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies.
Those cookies have the following dates:
- Almond Windmill Cookies: SELL BY 10/02/23 and 10/19/23 through 10/21/23
- Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies: SELL BY 10/17/23 through 10/21/23
In all of the recalls, anyone who bought or received a donation containing one of the potentially tainted items is urged to throw it away or return it to Trader Joe’s for a refund.
Customers with questions may contact Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817 [Mondays-Fridays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT] or send Trader Joe’s an email. | https://www.wfla.com/nextstar-news-wire/trader-joes-recalls-falafel-and-broccoli-cheddar-soup-for-possible-rocks-insects/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:09 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/nextstar-news-wire/trader-joes-recalls-falafel-and-broccoli-cheddar-soup-for-possible-rocks-insects/ |
HURON, Ohio (WJW) – A suspected bank burglar was busted when he gave new meaning to the term “direct deposit.”
Police in Huron, Ohio watched as the suspected bank thief dropped from the ceiling over the drive-thru, right in front of their eyes.
Police body camera video obtained by the WJW shows the incident. Officers can be heard ordering the suspect on the ground, and then helping get him out of the recycling can. The suspect was not injured.
“In my 35-plus years in law enforcement, this is the first time I ever saw a suspect fall into a garbage can,” said Huron Police Chief Terry Graham.
Graham said around 2:12 a.m. Wednesday, police received an alarm from the VacationLand Federal Credit Union located on University Drive East.
While checking the building, officers could hear noises coming from inside the roof area over the drive-thru.
They also noticed the recycling can positioned in the middle of the drive-thru lane, directly under a roof access door. The officers heard noises coming from inside the bank and patiently waited.
“I am most impressed with our officers’ patience in a very difficult situation,” the chief said. “The tactics they used, I think, substantially contributed to no one being injured and the suspect being taken into custody.”
Tristan Heidl, 27, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools and safecracking.
Police say Heidl had a backpack full of construction tools.
“He did get inside the bank and attempt to open numerous areas in the bank that contain money,” the chief said.
Police say Heidl was unable to get inside the safe and crash-landed with empty pockets.
“He didn’t get a dime,” Graham said.
Heidl is being held in the Erie County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He is due back in court soon. | https://www.wfla.com/nextstar-news-wire/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:10 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/nextstar-news-wire/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ |
HURON, Ohio (WJW) – A suspected bank burglar was busted when he gave new meaning to the term “direct deposit.”
Police in Huron, Ohio watched as the suspected bank thief dropped from the ceiling over the drive-thru, right in front of their eyes.
Police body camera video obtained by the WJW shows the incident. Officers can be heard ordering the suspect on the ground, and then helping get him out of the recycling can. The suspect was not injured.
“In my 35-plus years in law enforcement, this is the first time I ever saw a suspect fall into a garbage can,” said Huron Police Chief Terry Graham.
Graham said around 2:12 a.m. Wednesday, police received an alarm from the VacationLand Federal Credit Union located on University Drive East.
While checking the building, officers could hear noises coming from inside the roof area over the drive-thru.
They also noticed the recycling can positioned in the middle of the drive-thru lane, directly under a roof access door. The officers heard noises coming from inside the bank and patiently waited.
“I am most impressed with our officers’ patience in a very difficult situation,” the chief said. “The tactics they used, I think, substantially contributed to no one being injured and the suspect being taken into custody.”
Tristan Heidl, 27, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, possession of criminal tools and safecracking.
Police say Heidl had a backpack full of construction tools.
“He did get inside the bank and attempt to open numerous areas in the bank that contain money,” the chief said.
Police say Heidl was unable to get inside the safe and crash-landed with empty pockets.
“He didn’t get a dime,” Graham said.
Heidl is being held in the Erie County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He is due back in court soon. | https://www.wane.com/news/crime/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:20 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/crime/watch-ohio-bank-burglary-suspect-falls-from-ceiling-lands-in-recycling-can-near-officers/ |
(The Hill) — A federal judge in Montana issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, blocking the state from enforcing a law that bans certain drag performances, writing in an order that the law likely suffers from “constitutional maladies.”
Montana’s House Bill 359, passed by the state’s majority Republican legislature and signed into law by GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, prohibits schools or libraries that receive state funding from hosting a drag story hour or “sexually oriented performance.” Performances are also prohibited from taking place in public or in the presence of a minor.
A group of 10 plaintiffs challenged the law in federal court earlier this month, arguing that the bill is “breathtakingly ambiguous and overbroad.” Plaintiffs include Adria Jawort, a transgender and two-spirit author whose lecture at a public library in Butte was canceled last month after officials determined that having her speak posed “too much of a legal risk” under the new law.
Montana Pride, the host of an annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in Helena, joined the lawsuit last week, arguing that city officials — as a result of the law — have withheld permits that are needed for this year’s Pride festival, which is slated to run from July 30 to August 6.
“The thirtieth annual Montana Pride is slated to begin in less than two days,” Chief Judge Brian Morris wrote in Friday’s order. “Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability under H.B. 359 in the absence of the extraordinary remedy of a [temporary restraining order.]”
Republicans in the state legislature this session had argued the law was necessary to protect children from “mature themes” and obscene material.
But “Montana law already protects minors from obscene material,” Morris wrote Friday.
On top of that, the state conceded during a July 26 hearing that the statutory text of House Bill 359 regulates speech and expression outside of what is considered “legally obscene.”
The law additionally “contains no carveout for speech or expression with serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value,” Morris argued, and the First Amendment protects “at least some of the speech and expression” regulated by the law.
Morris noted in the order that the only two other district courts to have considered First Amendment challenges to similar state drag bans in Tennessee and Florida “have confirmed that those laws constitute facially content-based restrictions” and are therefore discriminatory.
A federal judge in June ruled that a Tennessee law banning drag shows in public or where children could view them is unconstitutional. The same month, a federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a similar ban on drag performances.
Attorneys for the state had sought to distinguish the Montana law from those of Florida and Tennessee on the basis that those laws failed to define “lewd.” But Morris on Friday argued that Montana’s drag ban also failed to define it.
The measure also fails to define “lascivious,” “flamboyant or parodic persona,” “salacious dancing” and “sexual manner,” Morris wrote. “The absence of definitions for these terms raises concerns for the Court about vagueness and overbreadth.”
In a statement to the Montana Free Press following Friday’s order, Montana Pride’s lead organizer, Kevin Hamm, said the court “got it right.”
“As I said throughout the legislature, drag is art. And drag bans not only infringe on free speech, but they are crafted (by design) to be so broad to allow for discrimination against trans & nonbinary people as well,” state Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr posted Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in response to Morris’s decision.
Zephyr, one of two openly transgender lawmakers in Montana, was censured by House Republicans in April after she said legislators who voted to pass a bill banning gender-affirming health care for transgender minors would have “blood on your hands.”
In a statement to The Hill, Emily Flower, a spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R), who is a defendant in the case, said the state will present its response at an upcoming preliminary injunction hearing.
“We look forward to presenting our written response and full argument at the upcoming preliminary injunction hearing to defend the law and protect minors from sexually oriented performances,” she said. | https://www.wane.com/news/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:26 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/federal-judge-halts-montana-ban-on-drag-performances/ |
(NEXSTAR) – It’s been a rough week for Trader Joe’s after the popular grocery store chain had to notify customers on Thursday and Friday about products potentially containing foreign matter.
On Friday, Trader Joe’s announced it was recalling frozen falafel balls (SKU# 93935) that may contain rocks.
The recalled falafel was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.
One day earlier, Trader Joe’s warned customers that its “Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup” may contain insects. Trader Joe’s says there have not been reported cases of illness from the soup.
The recalled soup (SKU# 68470) has the Use By dates of 07/18/23 – 09/15/23.
A third recall, updated Tuesday to include a sell by date, warns that there may be rocks in the company’s Almond Windmill Cookies and the Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies.
Those cookies have the following dates:
- Almond Windmill Cookies: SELL BY 10/02/23 and 10/19/23 through 10/21/23
- Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies: SELL BY 10/17/23 through 10/21/23
In all of the recalls, anyone who bought or received a donation containing one of the potentially tainted items is urged to throw it away or return it to Trader Joe’s for a refund.
Customers with questions may contact Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817 [Mondays-Fridays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT] or send Trader Joe’s an email. | https://www.wane.com/news/trader-joes-recalls-falafel-and-broccoli-cheddar-soup-for-possible-rocks-insects/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:32 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/trader-joes-recalls-falafel-and-broccoli-cheddar-soup-for-possible-rocks-insects/ |
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. (WANE) – Graham Pauley, Carlos Luis, and Nathan Martorella all went deep in early to set the tone in a 8-0 win by the TinCaps at West Michigan on Friday night.
Pauley and Luis both hit solo home runs in the top of the second inning to give the TinCaps a 2-0 lead. It was Pauley’s eighth home run since joining the TinCaps a month ago, while it was the fourth homer of the summer for Luis.
Martorella followed with a 2-run blast of his own in the top of the third to increase the lead to 4-0. It was Martorella’s 16th home run of the season, tops in the Midwest League.
TinCaps starter Austin Krob dazzled on the mound, striking out eight over seven innings of work while yielding just four hits and two walks.
These two play game five of their six-game series on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. | https://www.wane.com/sports/tincaps/tincaps-slug-way-past-whitecaps-on-friday-night/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:38 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/sports/tincaps/tincaps-slug-way-past-whitecaps-on-friday-night/ |
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — Service changes result in detours for riders and improvements to the system.
A big one is taking shape in a busy neighborhood in Queens. The next phase of work at Queensboro Plaza requires some route alterations. The actual station complex for the 7, N, and W trains is more than 105 years old. It’s getting a major remodel, which has needed some weekend closures this year. The next phase begins Monday at 5 a.m. and will require weekday accommodation.
Manhattan-bound 7, N and W trains will bypass Queensboro Plaza for 2 weeks. Queens-bound service will remain the same. Crews are rebuilding the Manhattan-bound platform.
“It is busier,” said Hannah, a Queens commuter. “It’s the right thing to do to make sure more people can use it. It’s important to have more elevators and be more it is a short term and well worth it,” she said on the platform.
The view around the station in Long Island City is always changing. Construction of new residential buildings has been happening continuously for years.
Changes are also coming to the Mezzanine and pedestrian bridges. By mid-2024, two new elevators are set to be in service. That will make the station complex fully accessible. The MTA has dozens of elevator projects set to begin. Three officially opened this past week, including uptown at Dyckman on the 1 train.
“We are advancing accessibility projects at an unprecedented rate, which will have enormous benefits for riders with disabilities, caregivers with strollers, visitors with luggage, and many others who rely on elevators and ramps at accessible stations. This next phase of construction brings us closer to another fully accessible station, and a critical transfer complex at that,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer and Senior Advisor Quemuel Arroyo.
Other parts of the project will require some other service changes in the future.
The two-week closure begins at 5 a.m. Monday and runs until Monday, August 14th.
Manhattan-bound trains skip Queensboro Plaza and continue directly to the next station on the lines. The detour into Manhattan is just a block away at Queens Plaza, with the E, M, and R trains; all accessible stations.
“The demolition, removal, and releveling of this island platform is labor intensive and requires a service outage to allow the concrete to properly set,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer.“
The agency says Queensboro Plaza has high ridership, serving around 97,000 riders on an average weekday as measured in May. That includes customers who swipe in at this station and those transfers between the lines at the busy complex. | https://pix11.com/news/mta-service-brings-changes-to-routes-at-queensboro-plaza/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:39 | 1 | https://pix11.com/news/mta-service-brings-changes-to-routes-at-queensboro-plaza/ |
Smartphone Shipments Have Dropped 24%, Analysts Say
The second quarter saw a year-over-year decline in phones shipped in the US.
Smartphone shipments in the US in the second quarter of 2023 dropped by 24% compared with the same period last year, according to analyst firm Counterpoint Research.
Counterpoint's report, published Friday, said this is the third consecutive quarter of declining US phone shipments.
"Despite inflation numbers falling through the quarter and ongoing strength in the job market, consumers hesitated to upgrade their devices amid market uncertainty," Counterpoint Research Analyst Matthew Orf said in a press release, noting that he expects shipments to keep declining into the next quarter.
Manufacturers were affected to different extents, with makers of Android phones suffering the most: Samsung shipments dropped by 37%, Motorola shipments by 17% and TCL-Alcatel shipments by 69%. Apple's iPhone shipments declined by only 6%, which Counterpoint analysts credited to strong carrier promotions subsidizing costs for the brand's pricey phones -- though it also likely reflects how insulated premium phone sales have been from pandemic shipment shocks. Google's phone shipments increased by 48%, but given that it had only 2% of US phone sales in this period last year, it's a comparatively tame gain.
Despite lower overall phones shipped, that shakeup has led Apple to increase its domination of the US phone market to 55% from 45% in the same period last year. Meanwhile, Samsung dropped to 23% from 28%. Other phone-makers stayed at roughly the same level.
The phone industry has struggled over the last few years as the pandemic slowed demand and supply shortages interrupted availability. Though supply chains have recovered, it isn't totally clear how long it'll take for demand to resume pre-pandemic levels -- the International Data Corporation had predicted that the global phone industry would recover 6% year-over-year in 2024.
If you're looking to upgrade your phone this year, check out CNET's guidance on the best Android phone currently available, which iPhone is best for you, our first look at Samsung's new foldable phones and the best cellphone plans of 2023.
Read more: Best Foldable Phones in 2023: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Z Flip, Moto Razr | https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/smartphone-shipments-have-dropped-24-percent-according-to-analysts/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:39 | 0 | https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/smartphone-shipments-have-dropped-24-percent-according-to-analysts/ |
A New Jersey man has been convicted of murder and related charges for shooting a 10-year-old spectator at a high school football game and wounding two other people.
Alvin Wyatt, 35, of Atlantic City, had argued that he acted in self-defense when he opened fire at Pleasantville High School on Nov. 15, 2019. The shooting left a man and two children wounded. One of the children, Michah Tennant, was shot in the neck while he watched the game with his mother and sister.
Tennant died five days later, just hours before the playoff game was resumed at the Philadelphia Eagles stadium.
All three victims were in the stands during a crowded playoff game between the Camden Panthers and the Pleasantville Greyhounds.
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Besides the murder charge, Wyatt was also convicted Thursday on two counts of attempted murder and three weapons charges. He faces life in prison when he’s sentenced on Sept. 11.
The other injured child, a 15-year-old, was grazed by a bullet.
Authorities have said the wounded man, 27-year-old Ibn Abdullah who was targeted by Wyatt, was among those charged in the case.
Wyatt was captured on the football field moments after the shooting by a Pleasantville officer who was part of the game’s security detail.
During the trial, it was noted that Abdullah had previously shot at Wyatt about three weeks earlier. Wyatt testified that he met some friends at the game and was walking through the stands when he happened to encounter Abdullah, who Wyatt said threatened to shoot him.
Wyatt said he saw a gun in Abdullah's waistband and opened fire to protect himself when he saw him reach for his weapon. Authorities have said Abdullah — who has used a wheelchair since the shooting — did have a weapon but did not fire it.
Abdullah eventually pleaded guilty to attempted murder and a weapons charge. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/atlantic-city-man-convicted-in-shooting-that-killed-10-year-old-at-high-school-football-game/3613884/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:39 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/atlantic-city-man-convicted-in-shooting-that-killed-10-year-old-at-high-school-football-game/3613884/ |
6-year-old girl dies after being hit by boat propeller at lake, authorities say
PEORIA, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - Authorities in Arizona say a young girl has died after she was hit by a boat propeller at Lake Pleasant Friday morning.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said first responders were called to the lake regarding a boat accident at about 11 a.m.
KPHO reports that a 6-year-old girl was pulled from the lake with a severe leg injury. She was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.
According to Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, two families had arrived at the lake around 7 a.m. for swimming and wakeboarding. All 12 people, reported to be six adults and six children, were on the same boat.
Investigators said the child was injured when no one realized she was still in the water and her mother started to accelerate to pull another family member who was wakeboarding.
The young girl was then run over by the boat.
Because of poor cellphone service in that part of the lake, the family couldn’t reach emergency services.
Other boaters in the area helped get the child out of the water and brought her to the Pleasant Harbor Marina where fire crews were waiting.
Deputies don’t believe impairment was a factor in the accident.
Detectives are investigating and processing evidence, but Enriquez said the girl’s death is being treated as a tragic accident.
Authorities said there appeared to be no safety violations on the boat, which was equipped with proper life jackets, a fire extinguisher and other gear.
Enriquez also said the owners are experienced boat operators who live near the lake.
The families involved were not immediately identified.
Copyright 2023 KPHO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:39 | 0 | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/6-year-old-girl-dies-after-being-hit-by-boat-propeller-lake-authorities-say/ |
LOCAL
Weather update: Skies looking good for Friday night events at Hall of Fame Balloon Classic
Robert Wang
Canton Repository
JACKSON TWP. − Afternoon storms across Stark County dissipated, clearing the way for Friday evening's events at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Balloon Classic at the Kent State Stark campus.
Events like the sold-out tethered balloon rides, live music from group New Wave Nation and the Night Glow were on schedule as of 8 p.m..
This is the first year tethered rides where members of the public can go up with a balloon are being offered.
This story will be updated. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/friday-night-events-at-hall-of-fame-balloon-classic-on-schedule/70481058007/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:42 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2023/07/28/friday-night-events-at-hall-of-fame-balloon-classic-on-schedule/70481058007/ |
One local grandmother is full of pride. She graduated from high school Friday at the age of 69.
The group of graduates at One Bright Ray Community High School in Philadelphia was one of all ages and various backgrounds.
One Bright Ray Community High School is an accelerated learning program that gives people a chance to get their high school diploma if they weren't able to.
Betty Williams was the oldest in this graduating class. She delivered a commencement speech, picked up her diploma, and even got an award for her perfect attendance.
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"I thank my family for rooting me on and bringing me to this point in my journey," she said.
Williams told NBC10 that she was one of six siblings raised by a widowed mother in North Philadelphia.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
She told us that she had two kids by the age of 16 and didn't get the chance to finish high school.
Despite working hard to become an independent homeowner, she had to move back in with her mother in her late 20s.
For Williams, this accomplishment is more than just her own, she credits her children for her success.
She's now on her way to community college.
She told NBC10 that she hopes her story will inspire at least one person.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/grandmother-high-school-graduate-philadelphia/3614161/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:46 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/grandmother-high-school-graduate-philadelphia/3614161/ |
Churchill Downs to resume racing at fall meet with no changes after horse deaths
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Racing will resume at Churchill Downs in September, with no changes being made after a review of surfaces and safety protocols in the wake of 12 horse deaths, including seven in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby in May.
The Louisville track suspended racing operations on June 7 and moved the rest of its spring meet to Ellis Park in western Kentucky at the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the sport’s national overseer.
Training continued at Churchill Downs during the track’s investigation.
Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen called the deaths “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said the review “didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”
“That, in a sense, can sometimes be unsatisfying,” he said. “But that’s business, and that’s sports.”
Two of the horse deaths occurred in undercard races on Derby day. Another five died later.
“The takeaway is, the track is very safe,” Carstanjen said Thursday on an earnings call with CDI investors.
“What we needed to do was spend some of this time in the interim, while we ran the rest of the (spring) meet at Ellis to just go soup to nuts through every single thing we do at the racetrack. There was nothing that jumped out as an apparent cause of the injuries, of the breakdowns; and, as we went through and rebuilt our processes from the ground up to check everything that we do to make extra sure, we didn’t find anything material.”
The track’s fall meet begins Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 1.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/churchill-downs-resume-racing-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:46 | 1 | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/churchill-downs-resume-racing-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ |
The new prosecutor in Oklahoma's biggest county announced Friday she’s dropping criminal charges against seven police officers in three separate fatal shootings from 2020, including one in which five officers were charged with killing a 15-year-old boy outside a convenience store.
District Attorney Vicki Behenna's predecessor and fellow Democrat, David Prater, had filed criminal charges against the police officers before leaving office. Behenna said she hired a use-of-force expert to examine the evidence, and her office spent hundreds of hours reviewing the three cases.
“Under Oklahoma law, these shootings were justified,” Behenna said at a news conference.
“This was not just a quick, spur-of-the-moment decision. This was a very difficult, very fact-intensive decision and review,” she said.
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The charges were dismissed with prejudice, which means they are permanently dismissed and can’t be refiled, she said.
Oklahoma
A former federal prosecutor and defense attorney from the suburb of Edmond, Behenna is the first woman elected top prosecutor in the state’s most populous county. She defeated conservative Republican Kevin Calvey last year to win a four-year term.
The most high-profile case dismissed Friday involved five Oklahoma City officers charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Stavian Rodriguez. The teen was shot on Nov. 23, 2020, by officers responding to reports of an attempted armed robbery at a convenience store.
TV news reports of the shooting showed video of the boy dropping a gun then reaching toward his waist before being shot.
Willard Paige, the investigator for the previous district attorney, said the officers fired live rounds “unnecessarily,” and that an autopsy determined Rodriguez suffered 13 gunshot wounds.
Initially charged in the shooting were officers Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, John Skuta and Brad Pemberton. All five have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.
The teen's mother, Cameo Holland, said in a statement that she intends to work to change the law to make it easier for police to be criminally charged.
“When the district attorney of Oklahoma County apologizes to your face for the justice system failing you, it's clear we need changes in the law,” Holland said.
Behenna said Friday that she does not take these decisions lightly.
“These families are grieving," she said. “No matter what this office does or says, these families are forever changed.”
Holland has a pending civil rights excessive force lawsuit against Oklahoma City and the five officers in federal court.
In another Oklahoma City case, Sgt. Clifford Holman was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 60-year-old Bennie Edward.
Holman, who is white, had responded to a call of a Black man harassing customers at a business in north Oklahoma City, according to a police affidavit by homicide detective Bryn Carter. When he arrived at the scene, Holman encountered Edwards, who was holding a knife and refusing officers’ commands to drop it, the affidavit states.
The shooting sparked days of protests and demonstrations by Black Lives Matter groups and other activists.
The third case involved The Village officer Chance Avery, who was charged with second-degree murder in the July 2020 shooting death of Christopher Pool.
Avery was called to the home by Pool’s wife, who was retrieving personal belongings, when Pool ran inside carrying a bat and was shot by Avery after refusing to drop it, police said.
Gary James, an attorney for Avery and Adams, one of the officers charged in the Rodriguez shooting, said he was “ecstatic” about Behenna's decision.
“We've got seven police officers who were just doing their duty, and were placed in a position by all three of the deceased that they had to use deadly force,” James said.
Although criminal charges against police officers are not common, previous district attorney Prater — himself an ex-cop who served 16 years as the county's top prosecutor — had secured criminal convictions against officers before.
In 2013, Del City police Capt. Randy Harrison was sentenced to four years in prison for second-degree manslaughter after shooting an unarmed teenager in the back as he ran away following a scuffle.
In 2019, another Oklahoma City police sergeant, Keith Sweeney, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in the shooting death of an unarmed, suicidal man.
Behenna said that in future cases involving police shootings, she will present evidence to a multi-county grand jury to make a decision on whether to file criminal charges, rather than making that decision herself.
Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said the department has implemented “significant changes” since the fatal shootings, such as creating a training unit that has worked with every officer on de-escalation strategies. The chief's statement Friday said officers are also provided with additional less-lethal equipment, like stun guns and weapons that deploy bean bags, as well as crisis-intervention training. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/3614173/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:52 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/3614173/ |
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Local | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/fire-destroys-long-island-little-league-clubhouse/4546270/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:52 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/fire-destroys-long-island-little-league-clubhouse/4546270/ |
BEIJING, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chengdu Universiade officially kicked off Friday night in the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, known as the hometown of giant pandas and one of the most vibrant Chinese cities.
Ahead the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games, Chinese President Xi Jinping has engaged himself in a flurry of face-to-face high-level meetings with foreign leaders attending the ceremony over the past couple of days.
Behind the tight diplomatic schedule, Xi has highlighted the importance of solidarity, cooperation and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, three key messages shared by the visiting leaders of Indonesia, Guyana, Georgia, Mauritania and Burundi.
Solidarity
In a toast at a welcoming banquet on Friday noon, Xi said the Games, since its inception, has always been "a celebration of youth, solidarity, and friendship."
"We should promote solidarity through sports, build up positive energy across the international community, join hands to tackle global challenges such as climate change, food crisis and terrorism, and shape a better future through cooperation," he urged.
Solidarity, unity and togetherness were also one of the hot topics during the Chinese president's separate meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
During the meeting with the Burundian leader, for instance, Xi stressed the importance of solidarity between China and Africa in safeguarding the common interests of developing countries and the international fairness and justice.
Cooperation
During the meetings of the leaders, China and the five countries agreed to further cooperation, such as on trade, infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges.
In a meeting with Xi on Thursday, Widodo said Indonesia is willing to continue to enhance cooperation with China in areas including investment, marine fisheries, food security and healthcare. The leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents following the meeting.
China and Georgia will issue a joint statement and announce the establishment of strategic partnership during Garibashvili's historic visit. Xi hailed the remarkable achievements in cooperation in various fields between the two countries over the past 31 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, while the Georgian prime minister said the elevation of bilateral relations will bring more opportunities to his country.
On Friday, China and Mauritania also signed a cooperation plan on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to enhance bilateral ties.
A community with a shared future for mankind
The term of building a community with a shared future for mankind was repeatedly highlighted during the leaders' meetings, with Indonesia, Guyana, Georgia, Mauritania and Burundi also expressing support for China-proposed initiatives.
While meeting with Xi on Friday afternoon, Ghazouani said Mauritania supports the BRI, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, saying that these initiatives are in line with the norms governing international relations that respect countries' independence and sovereignty and exchanges between different civilizations.
Addressing the welcoming banquet, Xi stressed the importance of deepening exchanges and mutual learning to promote harmony without uniformity in the spirit of inclusiveness and seeing different cultures with an attitude of mutual appreciation and mutual learning.
"The Chengdu Games should be an opportunity for us to champion the common values of humanity and write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind," said Xi.
In an interview with CGTN, Ali, the Guyanese president, said the Games goes beyond the competitions among the young athletes.
"They can share the experiences, they can share culture, [and] they can share who they are in building a stronger family of humanity," he said.
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SOURCE CGTN | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/cgtn-solidarity-vowed-xi-hosts-foreign-leaders-amid-chengdu-universiade/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:52 | 1 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/cgtn-solidarity-vowed-xi-hosts-foreign-leaders-amid-chengdu-universiade/ |
‘Our hero is going home’: Police officer released from rehab 3.5 months after Ky. bank shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After 109 days, Louisville Metro police officer Nickolas Wilt has been released from Frazier Rehabilitation Institute and is going home.
Wilt has been hospitalized, receiving medical care for the last three and a half months after the Old National Bank mass shooting on April 10. Wilt was critically injured when he was shot in the head after responding to the shooting that ultimately killed five people.
The victims were identified as Tommy Elliott, 63; Jim Tutt, 64; Josh Barrick, 40; Juliana Farmer, 45; and Deana Eckert, 57.
Wilt was listed in critical condition for nearly a month. Officials with the University of Louisville Health said Wilt received multiple surgeries and underwent several procedures at University of Louisville Hospital and Jewish Hospital.
On May 10, one month after the shooting, Wilt was transferred to Frazier Rehabilitation Institute to begin neuro and physical rehabilitation after seeing an improvement in his condition. Over the course of the last three and a half months, doctors and family of Wilt have called his journey remarkable.
On Friday, Governor Andy Beshear shared a photo with Wilt ahead of his release.
“Kentucky, our prayers were heard. @LMPD Officer Nick Wilt is headed home with his family. Officer Wilt is a hero who ran toward danger to save the lives of several of my friends. I am forever grateful for him and his bravery. Let’s keep praying for him.”
Wilt was honored as he left the halls of Frazier Rehab. He was accompanied by family as well as some fellow officers.
After leaving the rehab facility, Wilt was driven to Southeast Christian Church on Blankenbaker Parkway where he was driven past a line of well-wishers. The van then headed for Oldham County where community members were invited to gather along Highway 53 in La Grange to greet Wilt.
LMPD shared their sentiment on their social media, honoring the heroic actions of Wilt.
“Resilience, strength, courage. Those are just a few words to describe Ofc. Nickolas Wilt. April 10th, innocent lives were lost. Ofc. Wilt, just 10 days on the job, answered the call to help stop an active shooter. Today, our hero is going home. He’s ready. #WiltsWarriors”
Louisville Metro Police Foundation has created a donation site to help pay for Wilt’s medical expenses.
To make a donation, click or tap here.
Copyright 2023 WAVE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:52 | 0 | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/our-hero-is-going-home-police-officer-released-rehab-35-months-after-ky-bank-shooting/ |
A man who hit two protesters with his car, killing one of them, during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020 in Seattle has pleaded guilty to multiple felonies.
Dawit Kelete, 30, pleaded guilty on Thursday to vehicular homicide in the death of 24-year-old Summer Taylor, The Seattle Times reported. He also pleaded guilty to vehicular assault and reckless driving charges. Attorneys as part of the plea deal have agreed to recommend a sentence of more than six years in prison and 18 months of probation. Kelete is set to be sentenced in September.
On July 4, 2020, the Washington State Patrol said Kelete drove the wrong way onto Interstate 5, around a barricade of parked vehicles, and struck Taylor and Diaz Love.
Taylor later died and Love was hospitalized with multiple injuries.
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Kelete was arrested shortly afterward and told police he was withdrawing from the narcotic pain medication Percocet and struggled with an “untreated addiction,” court documents said.
Francisco Duarte, Kelete’s attorney, said Kelete asked about the victims from the beginning and has shown remorse. Duarte also claimed authorities were negligent and failed to protect the public and protesters.
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An attorney for Taylor’s family, Karen Koehler, on Thursday lamented the years it’s taken for the case to move through the court system, and said the family is focused on remembering Taylor, KING-TV reported.
“While it was a relief to know they wouldn’t have to go to court, there’s a lot of very sad, grieving people still,” Koehler said. “They are... resigned, that this is the best that can be done.”
Love, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, fractures, lacerations, and other physical wounds, is suing the state, city and Kelete. A trial date has been scheduled for next February.
The lawsuit says Kelete was driving negligently and that state and city agencies failed to block all access ramps to I-5 and refused to protect vulnerable protesters. The State Patrol had closed the freeway during the demonstration, which was part of a run of nightly protests over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Family described Taylor as someone who was dedicated to justice. She had been demonstrating and rallying in support of Black Lives Matter nearly every day of the protests. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-death-of-black-lives-matter-protester-in-seattle/3614181/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:58 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-death-of-black-lives-matter-protester-in-seattle/3614181/ |
The new prosecutor in Oklahoma's biggest county announced Friday she’s dropping criminal charges against seven police officers in three separate fatal shootings from 2020, including one in which five officers were charged with killing a 15-year-old boy outside a convenience store.
District Attorney Vicki Behenna's predecessor and fellow Democrat, David Prater, had filed criminal charges against the police officers before leaving office. Behenna said she hired a use-of-force expert to examine the evidence, and her office spent hundreds of hours reviewing the three cases.
“Under Oklahoma law, these shootings were justified,” Behenna said at a news conference.
“This was not just a quick, spur-of-the-moment decision. This was a very difficult, very fact-intensive decision and review,” she said.
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The charges were dismissed with prejudice, which means they are permanently dismissed and can’t be refiled, she said.
Oklahoma
A former federal prosecutor and defense attorney from the suburb of Edmond, Behenna is the first woman elected top prosecutor in the state’s most populous county. She defeated conservative Republican Kevin Calvey last year to win a four-year term.
The most high-profile case dismissed Friday involved five Oklahoma City officers charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Stavian Rodriguez. The teen was shot on Nov. 23, 2020, by officers responding to reports of an attempted armed robbery at a convenience store.
TV news reports of the shooting showed video of the boy dropping a gun then reaching toward his waist before being shot.
Willard Paige, the investigator for the previous district attorney, said the officers fired live rounds “unnecessarily,” and that an autopsy determined Rodriguez suffered 13 gunshot wounds.
Initially charged in the shooting were officers Bethany Sears, Jared Barton, Corey Adams, John Skuta and Brad Pemberton. All five have been on paid administrative leave since the shooting.
The teen's mother, Cameo Holland, said in a statement that she intends to work to change the law to make it easier for police to be criminally charged.
“When the district attorney of Oklahoma County apologizes to your face for the justice system failing you, it's clear we need changes in the law,” Holland said.
Behenna said Friday that she does not take these decisions lightly.
“These families are grieving," she said. “No matter what this office does or says, these families are forever changed.”
Holland has a pending civil rights excessive force lawsuit against Oklahoma City and the five officers in federal court.
In another Oklahoma City case, Sgt. Clifford Holman was charged with first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of 60-year-old Bennie Edward.
Holman, who is white, had responded to a call of a Black man harassing customers at a business in north Oklahoma City, according to a police affidavit by homicide detective Bryn Carter. When he arrived at the scene, Holman encountered Edwards, who was holding a knife and refusing officers’ commands to drop it, the affidavit states.
The shooting sparked days of protests and demonstrations by Black Lives Matter groups and other activists.
The third case involved The Village officer Chance Avery, who was charged with second-degree murder in the July 2020 shooting death of Christopher Pool.
Avery was called to the home by Pool’s wife, who was retrieving personal belongings, when Pool ran inside carrying a bat and was shot by Avery after refusing to drop it, police said.
Gary James, an attorney for Avery and Adams, one of the officers charged in the Rodriguez shooting, said he was “ecstatic” about Behenna's decision.
“We've got seven police officers who were just doing their duty, and were placed in a position by all three of the deceased that they had to use deadly force,” James said.
Although criminal charges against police officers are not common, previous district attorney Prater — himself an ex-cop who served 16 years as the county's top prosecutor — had secured criminal convictions against officers before.
In 2013, Del City police Capt. Randy Harrison was sentenced to four years in prison for second-degree manslaughter after shooting an unarmed teenager in the back as he ran away following a scuffle.
In 2019, another Oklahoma City police sergeant, Keith Sweeney, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in the shooting death of an unarmed, suicidal man.
Behenna said that in future cases involving police shootings, she will present evidence to a multi-county grand jury to make a decision on whether to file criminal charges, rather than making that decision herself.
Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said the department has implemented “significant changes” since the fatal shootings, such as creating a training unit that has worked with every officer on de-escalation strategies. The chief's statement Friday said officers are also provided with additional less-lethal equipment, like stun guns and weapons that deploy bean bags, as well as crisis-intervention training. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/4546264/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/charges-dropped-against-7-oklahoma-police-officers-in-3-separate-fatal-shootings/4546264/ |
Police: Man charged with murder after living with girlfriend’s body in closet for months
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A man accused of killing his girlfriend told investigators that he lived with her body in a closet for months before she was discovered.
KVVU reports that George Bone faces a murder charge in the death of Beverly Ma.
Police said they discovered Ma’s body after the woman’s family located her in a home on July 26.
Bone was reportedly Ma’s boyfriend, and the two were living together.
The family said they went to the house where the two were to check on the air conditioning unit. They had received an expensive bill and the repair man said no one was answering the door.
They arrived at the home, but Ma still did not answer them.
According to an arrest report, they talked to Bone upstairs, and that’s when he told them that Ma was dead.
While a family member was on hold with 911, she asked Bone why he didn’t call the police and why he stayed in the house with her body, the report said.
He reportedly told the family member that he wanted to prolong his arrest. The family described Bone as being casual about the situation and brushing his teeth while speaking to them.
The woman’s family said they were not close but did keep in touch with Ma as she suffered trauma in the past.
They had last seen her in person in April, but she stopped responding to their messages a couple of months ago.
During Bone’s interview with police, he said he had known Ma since high school, and they developed a romantic relationship in 2019 after he left prison.
He started living with Ma in July 2022 and Bone told police they fought often, the arrest report said.
According to authorities, Ma had called 911 on May 4 at about 4:40 a.m. Dispatchers could hear a woman and a man screaming at each other, but Ma never responded to the dispatcher’s questions and the line went dead.
Officers said they did a door knock at the house. However, no one answered.
During his interview with police, Bone reportedly told investigators he found Ma in the closet with a belt around her neck in May. He responded to text messages on her phone so her family would think she was alive.
He also told police that he was keeping the temperature in the home at 60 degrees because of the number of flies in the house.
According to Bone’s arrest report, investigators didn’t find consistent evidence regarding his story about Ma’s suicide attempt. Police pointed out these inconsistencies to Bone and he said he didn’t know how to dispose of a body.
Eventually, Bone requested an attorney and the police interview ended.
Bone was not granted bail in a July 27 hearing. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 1.
Copyright 2023 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:59 | 0 | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/29/police-man-charged-with-murder-after-living-with-girlfriends-body-closet-months/ |
NEW YORK, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sooth, an industry-leading strategic marketing insights platform and consultancy, is excited to announce a dynamic partnership with Kestrel Consulting. This collaboration brings Sooth's founder, Ian Baer, and his innovative methodologies and expertise into Kestrel's broad network, promising to enrich Kestrel's client marketing and branding initiatives with fresh perspectives and deeper understanding.
Recognized for its patent-pending method that fuses data, AI, and human intellect, Sooth deciphers the intricacies of human decision-making, mapping emotional drivers and receptivity of diverse consumer and business audiences. Now part of Kestrel's network, Sooth's unique, sophisticated approach will bolster client marketing initiatives, offering a powerful toolset to unlock new avenues for connection, empathy, and understanding that is proven to increase customer lifetime value by four times or more.
As Kestrel's preferred provider of brand strategic services, Sooth will also accelerate its own growth by working on branding and marketing projects for clients and partners within the Kestrel network.
"Kestrel Consultants helps leadership teams, founders, entrepreneurs, and enterprises fly higher and achieve strategic outcomes through its exclusive partnership network of fractional executives and boutique business consultants," the company said in a statement. "We're proud to welcome Sooth into our exclusive partnership and referral network. We've admired Ian Baer's work for years, and his exceptional talent is a real complement to our network's other areas of expertise. We're excited to collaborate on new projects together."
This partnership represents a convergence of Sooth's methodologies and Kestrel's expansive network. By bringing together Sooth's unparalleled insights and Kestrel's team of skilled executives and consultants, they aim to empower Kestrel's clientele with deeper understanding and fresh perspectives, enabling them to achieve their marketing goals.
"Changes in consumer and business culture over the past several years have irrevocably changed how marketing works at an elemental level," said Ian Baer, Founder and Chief Soothsayer at Sooth. "With 90 percent of all decisions now determined by each person's unique emotional priorities, we're able to roadmap success for brands by unlocking an in-depth understanding of the factors that create connection between these brands and the customers they serve. Kestrel's model brings together complementary innovators to help companies elevate their game across a broad spectrum of business and marketing interdependencies. I could not be more excited to align with the talented leaders of Kestrel Consultants to bring clients high-impact business solutions at the speed and efficiency of modern commerce."
About Sooth
Sooth is an industry-leading strategic marketing insights platform and consultancy. Using a unique, patent-pending method that synergizes data, artificial intelligence, and human intellect, Sooth decodes the intricacies of consumer decision-making and maps the emotional motivators of diverse audiences with unparalleled precision. Sooth is committed to making marketing strategies more effective, intuitive, and emotionally engaging, empowering brands with the insights they need. www.SoothBeTold.com
About Kestrel Consultants
Kestrel Consultants helps leadership teams, founders, entrepreneurs, and enterprises fly higher and achieve strategic outcomes through its exclusive partnership network of fractional executives and boutique business consultants. Learn more at KestrelConsultants.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Sooth | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/ian-baer-brings-sooths-brand-strategy-mastery-kestrel-consultings-executive-network/ | 2023-07-29T02:27:59 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/ian-baer-brings-sooths-brand-strategy-mastery-kestrel-consultings-executive-network/ |
A man who hit two protesters with his car, killing one of them, during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020 in Seattle has pleaded guilty to multiple felonies.
Dawit Kelete, 30, pleaded guilty on Thursday to vehicular homicide in the death of 24-year-old Summer Taylor, The Seattle Times reported. He also pleaded guilty to vehicular assault and reckless driving charges. Attorneys as part of the plea deal have agreed to recommend a sentence of more than six years in prison and 18 months of probation. Kelete is set to be sentenced in September.
On July 4, 2020, the Washington State Patrol said Kelete drove the wrong way onto Interstate 5, around a barricade of parked vehicles, and struck Taylor and Diaz Love.
Taylor later died and Love was hospitalized with multiple injuries.
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Kelete was arrested shortly afterward and told police he was withdrawing from the narcotic pain medication Percocet and struggled with an “untreated addiction,” court documents said.
Francisco Duarte, Kelete’s attorney, said Kelete asked about the victims from the beginning and has shown remorse. Duarte also claimed authorities were negligent and failed to protect the public and protesters.
U.S. & World
An attorney for Taylor’s family, Karen Koehler, on Thursday lamented the years it’s taken for the case to move through the court system, and said the family is focused on remembering Taylor, KING-TV reported.
“While it was a relief to know they wouldn’t have to go to court, there’s a lot of very sad, grieving people still,” Koehler said. “They are... resigned, that this is the best that can be done.”
Love, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, fractures, lacerations, and other physical wounds, is suing the state, city and Kelete. A trial date has been scheduled for next February.
The lawsuit says Kelete was driving negligently and that state and city agencies failed to block all access ramps to I-5 and refused to protect vulnerable protesters. The State Patrol had closed the freeway during the demonstration, which was part of a run of nightly protests over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Family described Taylor as someone who was dedicated to justice. She had been demonstrating and rallying in support of Black Lives Matter nearly every day of the protests. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-death-of-black-lives-matter-protester-in-seattle/4546309/ | 2023-07-29T02:28:04 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-death-of-black-lives-matter-protester-in-seattle/4546309/ |
Bernard C. (Ben) Nitowski Jul 28, 2023 Jul 28, 2023 Updated 54 min ago 💬 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Mr. Bernard C. (Ben) Nitowski, of Duryea, died Friday at Elan Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, Scranton.Funeral arrangements are pending from the Bernard J. Piontek Funeral Home Inc., 204 Main St., Duryea. Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil. If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted. User Legend: ModeratorTrusted User Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Tags Religion Medicine Ethnology Recent Obituaries Calpin Jr., Walter L. (Wally) Cotter, Michael Delia, Ethel "Etsie" Donlick, Matushka Delores Marie Bowers Egan, Mary C. Gravine, Carmelita Jeffers, Henry Fletcher Kerrigan, Eleanor A. Krall, Veronica Langan, Thomas J. Loftus, Patricia A. McAndrew, Carl McHale, Maureen B. Kenny Nitowski, Bernard C. (Ben) Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Local Obituaries Each day's obituaries, delivered to your inbox. Please enter a valid email address. Sign up Manage your lists Most Popular Eleanor A. Kerrigan Maureen B. Kenny McHale Mary C. Egan Michael Cotter Dona DePaola Ross Walter (Wally) L. Calpin Jr. Mets deal RHP David Robertson to Marlins Funeral Notices Shohei Ohtani leaves twin bill early after shutout, 2 HRs Mizzou track and field and cross country lands Oregon transfer Louw, announces 2023 slate Mothers Day 2023 Mothers Day 2022 Mothers Day 2021 Mothers Day 2020 Mothers Day 2019 Mothers Day 2018 Mothers Day 2017 Mothers Day 2016 Mothers Day 2015 Mothers Day 2014 Mothers Day 2013 Mothers Day 2012 Mothers Day 2011 Mothers Day 2010 Mothers Day 2009 Reader Poll The more comfortable shoe: Sneakers or sandals? You voted: Sneakers Sandals Vote View Results Back Special Sections Community Guide Home Source Home Source Home Source Home Source | https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/zz-dnp/bernard-c-ben-nitowski/article_666528ba-b813-5496-b798-4d31b9a07204.html | 2023-07-29T02:28:47 | 1 | https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/zz-dnp/bernard-c-ben-nitowski/article_666528ba-b813-5496-b798-4d31b9a07204.html |
Carl McAndrew, 71, of Scranton died Tuesday at home following a courageous battle with ALS. He was preceded in death by his wife, the former Bernice Crisafulli, who passed away three weeks ago on July 4.
Born in Scranton, he was the son of the late Carl and Rita Chermak McAndrew. A graduate of Scranton Technical High School, prior to retirement he worked for National Book for over 40 years. From a young age, Carl loved the outdoors. He loved to hunt and fish with his father. As he got older, he developed an affinity for cars, starting with a ’69 Roadrunner, ’29 Model T Ford and two Corvettes. He also enjoyed golfing with friends as much as possible.
Carl loved his family more than anything. He was married to the love of his life for 48 years and they loved to travel together from Alaska to the Caribbean. He also loved skiing with his daughter.
Special thanks to his faithful caregivers, Christy Golden and Jamie Sleboda. He and his family were truly grateful for your time and care during his ALS battle.
Surviving are daughter, Michelle McAndrew and boyfriend Shaun Ande, Scranton; sisters-in-law, Marilyn Damiano, Madison Twp., and Diane Crisafulli, Dunmore; a sister-in-law, Judy Crisafulli; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and cousins.
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He was preceded in death by brother-in-law, Ronald Crisafulli.
The funeral will be conducted on Monday with Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St. Clare’s Church, 2235 N. Washington Ave., Scranton. Interment will follow in Cathedral Cemetery. Friends and family may pay their respects Monday from 10 a.m. until time of Mass in the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to I AM ALS, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, #14135, Washington, DC 20044.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of the Solfanelli-Fiorillo Funeral Home Inc., 1030 N. Main Ave., Scranton. Please visit the funeral home website to leave an online condolence. | https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/zz-dnp/carl-mcandrew/article_70c92596-5264-5d64-a1da-1c4d89b4f23d.html | 2023-07-29T02:28:53 | 0 | https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/zz-dnp/carl-mcandrew/article_70c92596-5264-5d64-a1da-1c4d89b4f23d.html |
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WEST BATH, Maine (AP) — A man who told police he killed his parents and their friends and shot at motorists on a busy interstate highway might try to show he was insane, based on pleas he entered Friday.
The 34-year-old ex-convict Joseph Eaton entered pleas of both not guilty and not criminally responsible, leaving him the option of an insanity defense against charges including four counts of murder.
“At this point we are preserving the ability to move forward with the so-called insanity defense. Once we have more forensic information, full discovery, and are able to view the case as a whole, we will then decide how to proceed,” Andrew Wright, one of his attorneys, told The Associated Press before the hearing in West Bath.
Law enforcement officials say Eaton confessed to the killings at a property in rural Bowdoin, and to wounding three people while shooting at vehicles on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth.
Eaton has been jailed since his arrest on April 18 near the chaotic scene along the highway, where traffic backed up as heavily armed law enforcement searched the area.
The bodies were found in Bowdoin that morning, days after Eaton’s mother picked him up at a prison in Maine where he had done time for violating probation on an aggravated assault conviction, the latest in a long criminal history.
Eaton’s parents, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and David Eaton, 66, were killed along with their longtime friends, Bowdoin homeowners Robert Eger, 72, and Patti Eger, 62, officials said. Also killed was the family dog, resulting in a cruelty to animal charge. He was also charged with stealing weapons.
Police still don’t know Eaton’s motive for the slayings. A criminal affidavit stated that an unsigned note found at the scene mentioned “someone being freed of pain and that the writer of the note wanted a new life.” | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/attorneys-preserve-the-right-to-invoke-insanity-plea-for-man-accused-of-killing-4-people/article_6335ee8e-2dae-11ee-b9c6-57b69b3849e4.html | 2023-07-29T02:28:59 | 0 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/attorneys-preserve-the-right-to-invoke-insanity-plea-for-man-accused-of-killing-4-people/article_6335ee8e-2dae-11ee-b9c6-57b69b3849e4.html |
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Two taxi drivers have been arrested in the Mexican city of Cancun for assaulting a van carrying foreign tourists, prosecutors said Friday.
The events in the Caribbean coast resort on Thursday were the latest in a months-long string of assaults on vehicles that medallion-cab drivers suspect of being operated by ride-hailing apps such as Uber.
Prosecutors in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo said such behavior will not be tolerated.
ALLEGED MACHETE ATTACK ON AMERICAN IN CANCUN HIGHLIGHTS TOURIST DESTINATION RISK
"Strong action will be taken to ensure that the state is a safe destination for local inhabitants and visitors," the state prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Local residents posted video on social media showing at least two uniformed cab drivers bashing a Chevy Suburban with poles and other objects.
The van driver attempts to escape with the vehicle's tailgate open, according to the footage, and the tourists’ luggage spills into the street. Three women can later be seen retrieving their luggage from the street.
"What are you doing?" cries one woman in English as belligerent cabbies mill around the scene, carrying what looked like improvised cudgels. "That is not okay."
A local business owner who filmed the incident invited the women to take refuge in her store. The video shows the taxi drivers chasing the driver of the Suburban down the street until he reached a police officer.
The state prosecutors' office said two taxi drivers were charged with robbery, and causing damage and injuries.
MEXICAN MAN CHARGED IN FATAL BORDER BAR FIRE THAT KILLED 11
Local media reported the Suburban was not run through a ride-hailing app but by a local, non-medallion limousine service. Past incidents of taxi drivers attacking private vehicles in Cancun were based on the mistaken assumption they were Uber cars.
Cancun residents organized a boycott of medallion taxis in January following a week of blockades and violent incidents by drivers protesting the ride-hailing app Uber.
Road blockades, stone throwing and cabbies physically getting in the way had prevented tourists from boarding Uber vehicles. The U.S. issued a travel advisory warning that "past disputes between these services and local taxi unions have occasionally turned violent, resulting in injuries to U.S. citizens in some instances."
Ride-hailing apps were blocked in Cancun until January, when a court granted an injunction allowing Uber to operate. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/national/2-mexican-taxi-drivers-arrested-for-assault-on-tourist-van-in-cancun/article_316d3ea7-f13a-5004-a7f3-484e094ccfba.html | 2023-07-29T02:29:05 | 1 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/national/2-mexican-taxi-drivers-arrested-for-assault-on-tourist-van-in-cancun/article_316d3ea7-f13a-5004-a7f3-484e094ccfba.html |