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(The Hill) – Northwestern is the latest in a long line of universities to come under public scrutiny due to a scandal over hazing, a practice that has refused to go extinct in colleges and high schools despite multiple concerted efforts to end it.
Hazing, which in rare instances has proven fatal, in particular plagues sports teams and Greek Life.
Experts say education on the issue and increased consequences are needed to create a real change, although they are skeptical the dangerous practice will exit school life anytime soon.
“Hazing has always been prevalent in society, not just in colleges. It’s anywhere that you see a different power dynamic between people who are trying to join a group [and] people who are in the group,” said Todd Shelton, executive director of the Hazing Prevention Network. “There’s research that shows that hazing starts long before college and in those younger ages. It’s especially prevalent in athletic teams camps, performing arts groups.”
The latest high-profile hazing incident comes from Northwestern University, where the head football coach was recently let go and a barrage of lawsuits have fallen on the school.
One of the reported rituals of hazing on the school’s football team was younger players getting restrained in the locker room by older ones while others dry humped the individual. Another incident described in a lawsuit against the school was a ritual called “carwash” where players were forced to rub themselves against a line of naked men in the showers.
“Certainly, it is typical hazing activities that we’ve seen before and it’s not unusual that they’re shrouded with secrecy. So I applaud the people who came forward and reported because that’s — that’s key for institutions to be able to make changes,” Shelton said. “I think those acts are horrible and examples of how hazing can quickly escalate from what individuals think is something that’s mild and or funny, to quickly being something that’s dangerous, either mentally or physically, to the victims.”
Experts say preventing hazing incidents has to start by educating people about its warning signs and dangers.
A study in 2008 showed 73 percent of students who have been in a sorority or fraternity said they experienced behaviors that meet the definition of hazing, such as being forced into drinking games or getting screamed at by other members.
The same study showed 74 percent of athletes in athletic programs also experienced behaviors that amount to hazing.
“Hazing is specific to that group context where someone is seeking inclusion or a sense of belonging in a club, team or organization. They’re a newcomer typically coming into this group situation, and because of that group dynamic there can be an incredible amount of peer pressure and sometimes a coercive environment. And so that can impede or be a barrier to recognizing and or reporting hazing because there can be a lot of fear,” Elizabeth Allan, a professor at the University of Maine, said.
These rituals and desires to be part of the in-group have led to some deadly consequences for young people.
In 2019, five Penn State University students were sentenced to jail after a 19-year-old student at a Beta Theta Pi fraternity house died at a party after hazing-based binge drinking.
While most hazing incidents don’t result in incarceration, there are other consequences for students who are caught for the crime.
“Financial, monetary damages. People have lost their jobs. People have gone to jail or had, criminal penalties, fines and so forth. Let’s say sometimes when it’s a student organization or a team so with a student organization, they’re often suspended or lose their recognition with the campus for a period of time, and with an athletic team sometimes a portion of the season is put on hold or canceled entirely sometimes at the high school level, we’ve seen that recently.” Allan, who also leads the organization Stop Hazing, said.
And yet, even as schools ramp up their efforts, hazing persists.
Allan says a multifaceted strategy is needed to tackle the problem, and her group has developed a “Hazing Prevention Framework” for schools to follow.
“They can use it to also do some strategic planning and set some goals for the improvements they want to make, and all this is really … based on a public health approach to organizational change and promoting healthy behaviors in a community setting,” Allan said.
Shelton said his group also advocates for hazing to be treated as a felony, whereas many states look at it as a misdemeanor.
“The problem is it’s not taken seriously in the law, and we’ve seen a lot of hazing cases, even when there’s been a death… [where] prosecutors don’t consider it hazing or don’t consider hazing to be a serious crime to go through the measures of prosecuting,” Shelton said. “And so that’s why we’ve been working hard to strengthen those state laws.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ | 2023-07-30T22:20:30 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ |
PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A man with autism who was in the back seat of an SUV when it was stolen, has now been found.
Brandon Simeon was sitting in the Mercedes SUV when police say the owner left it running on Union Street in Park Slope shortly after 7:30 on Saturday night.
Someone hopped inside and sped off with Simeon.
He was found inside the SUV in Red Hook.
So far, no arrests have been made.
ALSO READ | City investigating 'unique' crane fire, collapse in Manhattan
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Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. | https://abc7ny.com/nyc-stolen-car-brooklyn-park-slope/13574319/ | 2023-07-30T22:20:33 | 1 | https://abc7ny.com/nyc-stolen-car-brooklyn-park-slope/13574319/ |
BLOOMINGTON — A "Sunday Funday" can mean several things at the McLean County Fair.
It could mean going on a carnival ride, enjoying a lemon shake-up, or getting up close to Highland cattle and alpacas at the fair petting zoo. Or, it could mean showing off your favorite goat.
But for young cowboys and cowgirls, tying up a solid weekend at the fair meant strutting stylishly on horseback.
Landon Paucar was one of those cowboys. The Bloomington 6-year-old placed second in the leadline horsemanship 7-and-under class in the Premiere Livestock Classic horse show, sponsored by the McLean County Farm Bureau.
Sunday was Landon’s first time at a horse show, so the award came as a surprise to his father, Wilson Paucar. He said he can tell Landon, who started riding this summer, has built up a relationship with his horse to feel more comfortable and closer to animals.
Taking the lead on a spare set of reins was Emily Embry, mentor and babysitter of Landon’s. She said Landon did so well, and has a natural talent.
“He really cares about animals,” Embry said.
Shannon Killion took over as the fair’s horse director this year. She said around 30 riders entered for the Premier Livestock Classic horse shows, which wasn’t bad for their opening year.
Sunday’s horse, dairy cattle and goat shows of the Premier Livestock Classic followed the McLean County 4-H animal shows, which began Wednesday and continued through Friday. Killion said they had a lot of 4-H kids stay over for the Premier Livestock Classic shows, and then more. She said one lady came to the Sunday horse show from Tennessee.
“I’m very happy with the preparation of our kids here at the fair and at the open show," she said. "Everyone jumps in and helps everyone out.
“The parents are wonderful. They help their kid, they help other kids.”
Since there were so many, Killion couldn’t pick out one favorite memory from this year’s fair. She said she was humbled by the way everyone helped her in her first year as horse director.
After his class was done showing, Landon told The Pantagraph he wanted to have won first place. To get a victory next year, he said he’s going to practice more.
When asked what his horse, named Chief, is like, he spelled out: “L-A-Z-Y.”
Stabled
Spectating the show were Ryan Ritter and his daughter, Caitlan Ritter, 13, of the Colfax-Saybrook area.
Caitlan said she had planned to show her older horse, Anita, but decided against it because of the weekend’s hot temperatures.
She has been riding horses for about 10 years, and currently rides three: Anita, William and Josey. Caitlan said Anita is “just grumpy,” and will follow directions when she feels like it. She said William is a very laid-back horse until food comes into the picture.
Even though she wasn’t on the arena Sunday, Caitlan said she was still happy to be around horses and cheer on her three friends in Sunday’s show.
Learning to ride horseback has taught her how to be nice to all animals, she said.
“They’re really smart — if you train them correctly, they’ll catch on fast,” said Caitlan.
A doe has her day
The fairgrounds goat barn was humming with “maahs” during the Premier Livestock Classic goat show. Boasting his best bucks and does was Beau Steinberg, of Clinton.
Beau, 9, joined his 3-year-old sister Bonnie to show their goat named Snow White, which placed Reserve Grand Champion in the Market Doe class.
Beau told The Pantagraph he’s learned to care for chickens, cows, goats, rabbits, donkeys, horses and ponies. He said he likes working with goats the most.
While Snow White is jumpy and rowdy and takes a lot to handle, he said his buck named Tonto is more chill.
His father, Shane Steinberg, said showing animals at the fair is a great way for kids to learn responsibility.
Bonnie-go-round
Not long after noon Sunday, lines had started to form at the fairgrounds entrance as the fair carnival opened. The carnival is open until 8 p.m. Sunday, with $25 wristband passes going on sale at 5 p.m. during "last blast hours." Full-day passes were $30.
Fair director Mike Swartz said he expected a large crowd of up to 3,000 for the carnival’s “last blast” to help close out the final fair day.
He said overall attendance for the weekend was anticipated to be 10% lower than the previous year. Opening hours at the carnival Friday were delayed until 5 p.m. because of the extremely hot weather.
Guests were able to cool off in three air-conditioned buildings, Swartz noted.
While Friday started off as a warm weekend at the fair, Swartz said the YaBud Music Festival was well attended, and country music star Dylan Scott performed as planned.
With their children’s goat shows all wrapped up Sunday, the Steinberg family was ready to have some fun at the carnival.
Shane Steinberg’s wife, Echo Steinberg, said Bonnie was most excited for the merry-go-round.
“She’s a classic girl,” Echo said. | https://pantagraph.com/life-entertainment/local/events/horses-goats-and-cows-get-hoofing-at-final-mclean-county-fair-day/article_61434098-2f09-11ee-9244-2b00fb01db1f.html | 2023-07-30T22:21:10 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/life-entertainment/local/events/horses-goats-and-cows-get-hoofing-at-final-mclean-county-fair-day/article_61434098-2f09-11ee-9244-2b00fb01db1f.html |
MORE COVERAGE: Inside 4 eclectic Bloomington-Normal Airbnb experiences
A lakeside paradise, a posh loft converted from a mid-20th-century courthouse, and a forested lair inspired by a starring character of the silver screen — all are located less than 40 miles from downtown Bloomington and open for short-term rental.
Whether you prefer to spend your summer vacation embracing the season’s soaring temperatures or hiding away from the heat, chances are good that an area property owner has listed a getaway on Airbnb that may be up your alley.
Here's a look at 20 unique Airbnb vacation properties in our coverage area. For links to each property's online listing, see this story at pantagraph.com.
'The Arcade House,' Bloomington
If you are seeking to live out your childhood and/or adult dreams, look no further than the “fabulous Arcade House.” This two-bedroom home, which features an outdoor hot tub, egg chair and fire pit, as well as a second house well-stocked with games galore, is the ideal destination for any gaming aficionado.
While it would be nearly impossible to run out of activities during your stay, this property’s convenient location grants guests easy access to nearby shops, bars and restaurants in downtown Bloomington’s historic core, located only a short drive away.
Location: Bloomington
Cost: $302/night
Maximum number of guests: 9
Link to book: The Arcade House - Airbnb
'Rocky’s Lakehouse Retreat,' Hudson
This four-bedroom home is built for indoor-outdoor living. Featuring a multi-tiered deck, spacious patio, heated pool, hot tub and two docks, this home is perfect for a luxurious summer stay.
On rainy or chilly days, guests can retreat to the movie room, complete with home theater seating and a popcorn machine, or play games of air hockey and Skee-Ball before visiting the lower level’s bar and wine cellar.
Location: Hudson
Cost: $574/night
Maximum number of guests: 10
Link to book: Rocky’s Lakehouse Retreat - Airbnb
'Tranquil Modern Country Retreat,' Saybrook
Surrounded by 25 acres of prairie, forest and farmland, this secluded, Scandinavian design-inspired oasis allows guests to dissociate from the stressors of the outside world, even if only temporarily. The two-bedroom home’s simultaneously sleek and cozy design invites guests to cuddle up on the couch by the fireplace, while the property’s vast grounds provide adventurers the opportunity to explore the home’s surroundings.
With deer and wild turkeys serving as the only nearby neighbors, this property, complete with a pool house, loft and outdoor fireplace, offers guests the ideal location to peacefully unwind.
Location: Saybrook
Cost: $401/night
Maximum number of guests: 6
Link to book: Tranquil Modern Country Retreat - Saybrook
'The Schoolhouse Cabin,' Hudson
A 100 year-old schoolhouse converted into a cozy, inviting cabin on the lake, this reworked two-bedroom home retains its classic charm.
If the spiral staircase-accessed bookshelf, game room, hot tub and hammock aren’t enough to keep you on the property, guests can bike the Lake Bloomington loop and utilize the homestay’s prime location to explore its surrounding natural areas.
Location: Hudson
Cost: $225/night
Maximum number of guests: 8
Link to book: The Schoolhouse Cabin - Hudson
'House of Arcade,' Bloomington
With an entire floor devoted to arcade, video and classic table games, this three-bedroom property is certain to serve as any gamer’s dream hideaway.
Between group gaming sessions, satisfy your sweet tooth, courtesy of the homestay’s complimentary ice cream and soda coolers, sit outside in a hanging egg chair or hammock, or crash in a Pac-Man-themed bedroom, complete with its own cabinet of the vintage arcade game, of course.
Location: Bloomington
Cost: $253/night
Maximum number of guests: 11
Link to book: House of Arcade - Bloomington
'Wednesday’s Lair,' Lincoln
Fans of “The Addams Family” or the 2022 Tim Burton spinoff “Wednesday” are sure to be left awestruck by this fantastical hideaway, which resembles a figment of Wednesday Addams’ wildest dreams.
Nearly every last detail of this property, from the welcome mat at the door to the “Thing” character seen scaling the two-bedroom home’s spiral staircase, is inspired by the Netflix show, with the octagonal home’s chic indoor décor and enigmatic outdoor appearance transporting guests into the classic TV series-turned-Netflix chart-topper.
Location: Lincoln
Cost: $155/night
Guests: 6
Link to book: Wednesday’s Lair - Airbnb
'The Farmhouse at Red River Farms,' Eureka
If you are looking to get the full farmhouse experience (with much less maintenance), this four-bedroom property, revamped since its construction in the 1940s, may be the perfect rental for you.
Immerse yourself in farm life with hands-on work feeding chickens, cows, pigs and turkeys, or observe operations and livestock in the fields from afar while comfortably seated on the property’s front porch or around the backyard fire pit.
Location: Eureka
Cost: $180/night
Guests: 10
Link to book: The Farmhouse at Red River Farms - Eureka
'The Alice,' Bloomington
Sleek and stylish in nearly every last design element, this three-bedroom A-frame home seems straight out of a carefully curated Pinterest board further proof of its aesthetically pleasing nature, this property even has its own Instagram page.
Guests can take advantage of the rental’s beverage cart, smart TV and high quality sound system, offering infinite opportunities for the ideal at-home movie night, while admiring the natural backyard views visible from the home’s floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor patio.
Location: Bloomington
Cost: $209/night
Maximum number of guests: 6
Link to book: The Alice - Bloomington
'The Courthouse Loft,' El Paso
This historic, picturesque rental in the city of roughly 3,000 offers a charming loft located inside a local landmark.
With a mix of modern décor and original features, including the courthouse railing and gate, guests do not have to sacrifice comfort and style to experience a piece of local history. Located above a coffee shop, guests can wake up to the smell of fresh brews before exploring the heart of El Paso’s business district, and end the day with a trip down the property's spiral staircase to a private hot tub.
Location: El Paso
Cost: $140/night
Maximum number of guests: 7
Link to book: The Courthouse Loft - El Paso
'Arcade House,' Normal
Time travel through the decades, play ping pong in a surf shack, or take a trip to the arcade — it’s all at your fingertips with this home.
Yet another property for gaming enthusiasts and practically anyone looking to have fun, this three-bedroom home allows renters to enjoy a home-cooked meal in the “Coca-Cola Diner,” entertain friends or family on a string light-illuminated outdoor patio, and challenge fellow guests to a game of indoor golf on a mini putting green off the main living room.
After a long day of activity, guests can crash in a bedroom adorned with décor emulating the era of their choice — 70s, 80s or 90s.
Location: Normal
Cost: $199/night
Maximum number of guests: 8
Link to book: Arcade House - Normal
'Carriage House at Vrooman Mansion,' Bloomington
Experience living a relic of Bloomington-Normal history with a stay at this one-of-a-kind renovated carriage house, built in the late 1800s. Roam around the two-bedroom rental’s grounds, gather around the bar area and outdoor fireplace, or stay in and enjoy the home’s honeymoon suite during your visit.
And don't forget to take advantage of one of the property’s most unique luxuries, a gourmet breakfast service, during your stay.
Location: Bloomington
Cost: $587/night
Guests: 6
Link to book: Carriage House at Vrooman Mansion - Bloomington
'Platypus Hills,' Farmer City
Whether you are an outdoor adventurer or prefer to admire nature from a comfortable distance, this two-bedroom rental adjacent to Clinton Lake offers endless opportunities to optimize the property’s surrounding landscape.
Take a kayak or canoe out on the water, or explore 10 miles of forested hiking and horse trails around the property. When warm weather isn’t on your side, retreat to the rental’s heated pool, hot tub and outdoor fire pit.
Location: Farmer City
Cost: $205/night
Maximum number of guests: 6
Link to book: Platypus Hills - Farmer City
'Mod Two-Bedroom Cottage,' Normal
If you are looking for an Instagram-worthy short-term rental, this two-bedroom property is sure to suit your needs. Guests can hide away in one of the home’s stylish bedrooms, enjoy a relaxing bubble bath, or have a photoshoot in the property's picturesque egg chair and green wall room.
For guests looking to get out of the house, the Constitution Trail, as well as both local universities, are only a walk or short drive away.
Location: Normal
Cost: $122/night
Maximum number of guests: 6
Link to book: Mod Two-Bedroom Cottage - Normal
'Two-Acre Wooded Escape,' Heyworth
A forested A-frame retreat with a mix of modern and rustic charm, this two-bedroom rental provides a secluded getaway.
Look no further for an eye-catching, cleverly designed home with outdoor amenities perfect for enjoying a sunrise, sunset or starry night. Lean on the homestay’s fully stocked kitchen to leverage the backyard dining and lounge areas, or grill your own feast with friends or family before winding down in the hammock or hot tub.
Location: Heyworth
Cost: $190/night
Maximum number of guests: 6
Link to book: Two-Acre Wooded Escape - Heyworth
'The Pfaff Haus,' Pontiac
If quaint character is at the top of your list, this Victorian corner property does not fall short. Spend your time at this three-bedroom duplex cooking in a renovated kitchen stocked with appliances and utensils, playing classic board games on the upstairs deck, or relaxing and reading a book on the wrap-around porch.
On a nice day, guests can walk three blocks to Pontiac’s downtown city square and pick up a bite to eat at a local restaurant or bakery, explore a park, or visit a museum.
Location: Pontiac
Cost: $122/night
Maximum number of guests: 6
Link to book: The Pfaff House - Pontiac
'Stylish Vacation Rental,' and 'Ideally Located House,' in Normal
Two separate rentals split down the middle, this five-bedroom home offers guests all the essentials in a lively and energetic setting. With cheerful vintage-inspired touches scattered throughout, including a fire engine red fridge, typewriter and record collection, this home is not lacking in personality.
Location: Normal
Cost: $182/night (for each separate rental)
Maximum number of guests: 12 total between two rentals
'Trendy Tiny Home,' Eureka
Who said all short-term rentals have to be overly spacious? A fun-sized home with warm furnishings and a bedroom loft, this one-bedroom property offers a getaway for travelers who don't need a ton of space.
From curling up on the couch with a book to cooking dinner with a loved one, activities for a cozy night in fit well in this rental, which also can serve as base camp for a weekend on Eureka Lake.
Location: Eureka
Cost: $111/night
Guests: 2
Link to book: Trendy Tiny Home - Eureka
'Howie’s Lakefront Hideaway,' Hudson
This three-bedroom home, located in a fishing cove on Lake Bloomington, is the quintessential summer haven. Make the most of the property’s private dock by grilling with family and friends, hanging out in the hot tub, or even using the lakeside waterslide.
After roasting s’mores by the fire, guests can challenge one another to a game of pool, or gather in the living room for a movie night.
Location: Hudson
Cost: $338/night
Maximum number of guests: 12
Link to book: Howie’s Lakefront Hideaway - Hudson
'The Lexington House on Route 66,' Lexington
A time capsule located along the “main street of America,” this short-term rental is a celebration of the “swinging '60s.”
With a diner-inspired kitchen, retro TV and record player, this one-of-a-kind property transports guests to another era. Host a family game night or use the three-bedroom home’s stocked kitchen to prepare an outdoor patio dinner. If the property’s in-home entertainment options are not enough, guests can bike the oldest portion of Route 66 or explore downtown Lexington’s local bars, restaurants and shops, just a short ride away.
Location: Lexington
Cost: $123/night
Maximum number of guests: 8
Link to book: The Lexington House on Route 66 - Lexington
'Sticks & Stones,' Bloomington
If you are looking to spend the night in a quiet and luxurious log cabin, your ideal homestay may be located just around the corner, nestled in a wooded neighborhood on the outskirts of Bloomington.
Perfect for a family gathering or “glamping” trip, guests can explore the three-bedroom property’s grounds and on-site “squirrel hut,” play games ranging from Skee-Ball to corn hole in the home’s active gaming room and video/card gaming nook, or park themselves in front of a 65-inch TV to watch a sports game on a 4k display.
Location: Bloomington
Cost: $417/night
Maximum number of guests: 14
Link to book: Sticks & Stones - Bloomington
13 unusual or unique Airbnb getaways in St. Louis
Some are cute. Others are unusual. And still others are just confusing. Here's a look at 13 unique Airbnbs in the St. Louis area. | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/business/20-unique-staycation-airbnb-spots-near-bloomington-normal/article_49d2803a-2190-11ee-9289-c38c8d221c93.html | 2023-07-30T22:21:16 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/business/20-unique-staycation-airbnb-spots-near-bloomington-normal/article_49d2803a-2190-11ee-9289-c38c8d221c93.html |
MORE COVERAGE: 20 unique 'staycation' Airbnb spots near Bloomington-Normal
BLOOMINGTON — Five years ago, Marie Poundstone and Andy Battey of Bloomington began constructing their first Airbnb — both from the ground up, and from the inside out — with one theme in mind: “eclectic.”
“Music, movies, vintage arcades, things that you don't normally expect to find in an Airbnb ... we want to offer something different than what others are doing,” Poundstone said.
From the curb, the single-family home largely blends in with the surrounding scenery, with the exception of a bright pink door and revamping renovations livening its exterior.
But with one step inside, guests are transported to the time periods and destinations of their imaginations, from a 1920s movie palace to a scene straight from Super Mario.
The pride and joy of the "Arcade House" owners, though, is a separate structure off the main home that houses a host of arcade and table games, with walls covered in colorful memorabilia and custom décor spanning decades, located just across the Hawaiian resort-inspired backyard.
All of the amenities are intended to create a memorable experience for guests, with the owners suggesting that the space works well for intimate gatherings such as birthdays and bachelorette parties.
The property is among hundreds of short-term rentals listed on Airbnb by owners across Central Illinois. They range from cabins, lakeside cottages and entire homes to single rooms, with prices that range accordingly.
As people seek out post-pandemic travel — or just an opportunity to get out of the house — San Francisco-based Airbnb and the traditional hospitality industry have both reported signs of recovery. Airbnb made the first full-year profit in its history last year with $1.9 billion. The company has also benefited from the remote work opportunities created during the pandemic; listings outside of major metro areas rose by nearly 50% between the second quarter of 2019 and 2022, it said.
For hosts, Airbnb can provide a way to earn extra income by renting out a room in one's own home, a vacation house or an investment property. Some owners, like Poundstone and Battey, take things a step farther, seeking to provide a one-of-a-kind getaway — whether the guests come from out of town or are natives looking for a change of pace.
For Aly and Parker Timmerman, hosts of “The Alice” on Bloomington's southeast side, the vision of what to offer guests was the exact opposite of Poundstone and Battey’s: a “muted and moody” mid-century modern oasis that similarly did not exist in the local Airbnb marketplace.
“We tried to make a little niche there of something that was homey and cozy as a home-away-from-home,” Aly Timmerman said.
The couple, who purchased the property last July, spent around six months renovating the home before listing the rental on Airbnb last January. Viewing the renovation process as a means to expand their horizons, the Timmermans remodeled the property’s floor plan, renovated the bedrooms and bathrooms, and invested in amenities including a work-from-home space and new kitchen appliances, Aly Timmerman said.
“We took the bones and structure that were here, and enhanced it with modern features,” she said.
During the rental’s second month on Airbnb, a guest booked the property for an entire month. Now, Parker Timmerman said, the property is booked almost every weekend, with an overall occupancy rate of around 70%.
“We love this city. It has a lot to offer; there's a lot of attractions here,” Aly Timmerman said. “You've got the colleges, you've got a lot of families that will come to visit, and you've got people coming for weddings, funerals, events like that.”
While the couple was concerned that business would slow down at the end of the school year, the rental’s first summer on the market has instead served as a “big swing,” with an uptick in both renters and revenue.
“Airbnb has been great for us, and we have a ton of people coming to stay,” Aly Timmerman added.
Themes can serve as a draw. Host Ryan Curtis said his themed “House of Arcade” in Bloomington attracts more guests than the other two short-term rentals he offers in the area.
“It’s been pretty much a hit since it started,” Ryan Curtis said. “We've stayed pretty occupied pretty much every single weekend since we've opened, and then also during weekdays as well. Comparing that to just a normal furnished Airbnb that's not themed, you see a little bit less occupancy than you do on something like this.”
The Curtis’ themed rental, which was listed on Airbnb in August, includes a basement arcade with both classic cabinets and a virtual board game table, as well as a video game console room. The property also includes a Pac-Man bedroom and mural designed by a local artist, as well as a restocked classic Coca-Cola cooler and ice cream freezer.
Ryan and Tori Curtis, inspired by their love of gaming and arcades growing up, spent six months renovating the property, and experienced their “best month ever” this past June.
However, hosting a themed Airbnb requires more than an initial idea, investment and renovations, Ryan Curtis said. The role of an Airbnb host differs from that of a typical property owner, he said.
“You're not just a landlord; all of a sudden, now you're in the hospitality business, which is a very different thing,” he said. “Being in the hospitality business, you want to cater to your clients more in-depth and try to make sure they have a great experience overall.”
In addition to maintaining communication with guests throughout their stay, Poundstone, Battey and the Timmermans said their properties require constant upkeep.
“Collectively, we've put a lot of time in here every week to keep it maintained and up to the standards that we would expect in a short-term rental,” Battey said.
With consistent investment required, Poundstone said the “ups and downs” of occupancy, depending on factors including the economy and a property’s seasonality, can shape profits.
Pam Kowalewski, who serves as host of the Vrooman Mansion and Carriage House, in Bloomington, has experienced these fluctuations in demand firsthand.
The mansion, a traditional bed & breakfast, is often rented out as an event space for weddings and other gatherings, Kowalewski said. However, the mansion grounds must be continuously maintained, with staff prepared to welcome the next guests, regardless of the number of bookings, she said.
“We actually have somebody here on staff that would come and greet the guests, show them around, show them some of the amenities we have,” said Kowalewski, who serves as innkeeper at the mansion. “We’re also on staff all night to answer any questions that they might have. So it’s not just a find your way, find the light switches by yourself, lockbox type of a situation.”
The Vrooman Mansion, which has five guest rooms, and the Carriage House, which guests can rent in full on Airbnb, became available for booking around 15 years ago. Built in 1869, the mansion has likely seen visitors including former presidents Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, who are believed to have possibly attended social events hosted at the historic Bloomington mansion, Kowalewski said. The Carriage House, which offers renters a stay in a “less Victorian” and “more cabin-like” setting, features amenities including gourmet breakfast, bath packages and chocolate-covered strawberries with champagne delivered to the door.
“We’ve had people from Bloomington come and stay here that think this is a getaway,” Kowalewski said. “It’s a staycation. They feel like they’re actually getting away from their house.”
In providing guests with thoughtful accommodations and personalized attention, Bloomington-Normal Airbnb hosts are able to provide a “fun-filled, unique experience here in town,” Curtis said, “whether that’s a staycation … or if they’re just traveling through the area.”
Poundstone said the "uniqueness" of the Arcade House sets it apart. They strive to offer guests “a bunch of things that you can do with your family and friends to create memories that will last a lifetime,” she said.
“You wouldn't get that if you were in something like a hotel.” | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/business/inside-4-eclectic-bloomington-normal-airbnb-experiences/article_e3408af8-2cc3-11ee-bcd5-2bb5787c847f.html | 2023-07-30T22:21:22 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/business/inside-4-eclectic-bloomington-normal-airbnb-experiences/article_e3408af8-2cc3-11ee-bcd5-2bb5787c847f.html |
REBECCA JOHNSON
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — An off-duty Chicago firefighter died Sunday morning after he was pulled underwater while swimming in Lake Michigan at 31st Street Beach, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said the firefighter was swimming with his family off the lakefront when he was pulled underwater at around 7:30 a.m. Crews quickly located the man and pulled him out of the water before performing advanced life support.
The 43-year-old was transported to University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, according to CFD. The firefighter’s identity has not been released, but Nance-Holt said he’s been on the job since 2009.
“The loss of any of our members is a loss for the First Responder community and the City as a whole,” Nance-Holt said.
She added that while the incident happened off-duty, CFD is conducting a “a full investigation to determine the status of this tragic loss.”
Firefighters, police officers and paramedics led a procession Sunday afternoon to pay tribute to the man while his body was transported to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has begun his first term leading the nation's third-largest city. Johnson struck a positive tone in his inaugural address after being sworn in Monday, even as he faces an influx of migrants in desperate need of shelter, pressure to build support among skeptical business leaders and summer months that historically bring a spike in violent crime. The former union organizer’s ability to turn many progressive proposals into solutions will be immediately tested. Public safety, economic growth across the city and housing affordability top his list of priorities.
Photos: Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson
Election 2023 Chicago Mayor
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson speaks to supporters after defeating Paul Vallas in the mayoral runoff election, late Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Chicago.
PAUL BEATY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Election 2023 Chicago Mayor
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson celebrates with supporters after defeating Paul Vallas after the mayoral runoff election late Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Chicago.
PAUL BEATY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Election 2023 Chicago Mayor
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson speaks to supporters after defeating Paul Vallas in the mayoral runoff election, late Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Chicago.
PAUL BEATY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Election 2023 Chicago Mayor
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson celebrates with supporters after defeating Paul Vallas after the mayoral runoff election late Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Chicago.
PAUL BEATY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Election 2023 Chicago Mayor
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson celebrates with his family and supporters after defeating Paul Vallas in the mayoral runoff election, late Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Chicago.
PAUL BEATY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Election 2023 Chicago Mayor
Supporters of Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson listen to him speak after he defeated Paul Vallas in the Chicago mayoral runoff election late Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Chicago.
PAUL BEATY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson celebrates with supporters after defeating Paul Vallas after the mayoral runoff election late Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Chicago.
PAUL BEATY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2022
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, right, speaks with owner Bobby Price Chicago during a public listening session at Principle Barbers, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2023
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson participates in a forum with other Chicago mayoral candidates hosted by the Chicago Women Take Action Alliance, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at the Chicago Temple in Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2023
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson participates in a forum with other Chicago mayoral candidates hosted by the Chicago Women Take Action Alliance Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at the Chicago Temple in Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - File
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson participates in a forum with other Chicago mayoral candidates hosted by the Chicago Women Take Action Alliance Jan. 14, 2023, at the Chicago Temple in Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2022
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson speaks to supporters during a public listening session at Principle Barbers, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2022
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson speaks to supporters during a public listening session at Principle Barbers, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2022
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson speaks to supporters during a public listening session at Principle Barbers, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2022
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, right, speaks with owner Bobby Price Chicago during a public listening session at Principle Barbers, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2022
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson speaks to supporters during a public listening session at Principle Barbers, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandon Johnson - 2022
Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson speaks to supporters during a public listening session at Principle Barbers, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.
ERIN HOOLEY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Get local news delivered to your inbox! | https://pantagraph.com/news/state-regional/off-duty-chicago-firefighter-dies-swimming-in-lake-michigan/article_6caf10ec-2f18-11ee-8d21-f34e5d93e849.html | 2023-07-30T22:21:28 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/state-regional/off-duty-chicago-firefighter-dies-swimming-in-lake-michigan/article_6caf10ec-2f18-11ee-8d21-f34e5d93e849.html |
The state needs to pass a short-term capital gains tax cut offered by the governor and the House if lawmakers want Massachusetts to stay competitive, according to the head of the MassGOP.
Amy Carnevale, the chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, on Sunday pointed to the state of business sentiment in the Commonwealth — stressing that proposals to lower the tax, from 12% to 5% offered by Gov. Maura Healey and lawmakers, must pass this year if legislators wish for their constituents to stay in the Bay State.
“We’ve seen business confidence in Massachusetts dip now to under 50% when typically it has been in the neighborhood of 60%. So, that’s an indication that our Legislature should be running to act on measures designed to keep businesses and individuals here in this state,” Carnevale said during an interview with WBZ’s Jon Keller.
Alongside the budget proposal offered at the start of her term, the governor unveiled a $742 million tax cut proposal which would lower the capital gains tax, raise the bar for triggering the estate tax and eliminate the tax for households worth less than $3 million, up the rental deduction by $1,000, and double the so-called senior circuit breaker credit from $1,200 to $2,400.
In April, the House offered a similar plan, but the Senate’s version of a tax cut proposal did not include the estimated $117 million in short term capital gains tax cuts seen in the other plans. The Legislature has been working to iron out the differences between their plans — as well as differences in their budget proposals — since the start of summer.
Last year’s effort to lower the same taxes died in conference committee after it was learned the state would need to send about $3 billion back to taxpayers.
How a state controlled entirely by one party can have so much trouble moving forward on a tax cut plan isn’t hard to explain, according to Carnevale.
“It just points to the fact that we do need accountability for our legislative leaders, whether it’s two party government or, right now certainly we don’t have elections coming, but it’s a chance for individuals to voice their concern to our legislative leaders about the impact of not having tax relief at a time when we desperately need it,” she said.
Business confidence turned negative for the first time in years in May and stayed there through June, according to the Associated Industries of Massachusetts’ monthly Business Confidence Index. Employers cited their concerns about a looming recession and their inability to find new workers as the reason for their pessimism.
Carnevale also spoke to attempts by State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the Legislature. House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka have both maintained that DiZoglio does not have the authority to look into their dealings and refused to comply with requests from the auditor’s office.
Last week, DiZoglio called on Attorney General Andrea Campbell to allow her office to sue legislative leaders for their compliance.
“I think the fact that our legislative leaders are pushing back so hard on this audit is an indication that there are issues there,” she said. “These are taxpayer dollars. Our taxpayers should have every right to an audit.”
When asked what she thought if the lawmakers were hiding something, Carnevale said she didn’t know, but that their resistance to the audit is “all the more reason to go forward” to “find out what they are hiding.” | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/massachusetts-lawmakers-need-to-move-on-tax-cuts-cooperate-with-audit-massgop-chair/ | 2023-07-30T22:22:35 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/massachusetts-lawmakers-need-to-move-on-tax-cuts-cooperate-with-audit-massgop-chair/ |
NEW YORK — Six straight days of 12-hour driving. Single digit paychecks. The complaints come from workers in vastly different industries: UPS delivery drivers and Hollywood actors and writers.
But they point to an underlying factor driving a surge of labor unrest: The cost to workers whose jobs have changed drastically as companies scramble to meet customer expectations for speed and convenience in industries transformed by technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated those changes, pushing retailers to shift online and intensifying the streaming competition among entertainment companies. Now, from the picket lines, workers are trying to give consumers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a show that can be binged any time or get dog food delivered to their doorstep with a phone swipe.
Overworked and underpaid employees is an enduring complaint across industries — from delivery drivers to Starbucks baristas and airline pilots — where surges in consumer demand have collided with persistent labor shortages. Workers are pushing back against forced overtime, punishing schedules or company reliance on lower-paid, part-time or contract forces.
At issue for Hollywood screenwriters and actors staging their first simultaneous strikes in 40 years is the way streaming has upended entertainment economics, slashing pay and forcing showrunners to produce content faster with smaller teams.
“This seems to happen to many places when the tech companies come in. Who are we crushing? It doesn’t matter,” said Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, a screenwriter and showrunner on the negotiating team for the Writers Guild of America, whose members have been on strike since May. Earlier this month, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined the writers’ union on the picket line.
Actors and writers have long relied on residuals, or long-term payments, for reruns and other airings of films and televisions shows. But reruns aren’t a thing on streaming services, where series and films simply land and stay with no easy way, such as box office returns or ratings, to determine their popularity.
Consequently, whatever residuals streaming companies do pay often amount to a pittance, and screenwriters have been sharing tales of receiving single digit checks.
Adam Shapiro, an actor known for the Netflix hit “Never Have I Ever," said many actors were initially content to accept lower pay for the plethora of roles that streaming suddenly offered. But the need for a more sustainable compensation model gained urgency when it became clear streaming is not a sideshow, but rather the future of the business, he said.
"Over the past 10 years, we realized: ‘Oh, that’s now how Hollywood works. Everything is streaming,’” Shapiro said during a recent union event.
Shapiro, who has been acting for 25 years, said he agreed to a contract offering 20% of his normal rate for “Never Have I Ever” because it seemed like "a great opportunity, and it’s going to be all over the world. And it was. It really was. Unfortunately, we’re all starting to realize that if we keep doing this we’re not going to be able to pay our bills.”
Then there's the rising use of “mini rooms,” in which a handful of writers are hired to work only during pre-production, sometimes for a series that may take a year to be greenlit, or never get picked up at all.
Sanchez-Witzel, co-creator of the recently released Netflix series “Survival of the Thickest,” said television shows traditionally hire robust writing teams for the duration of production. But Netflix refused to allow her to keep her team of five writers past pre-production, forcing round-the-clock work on rewrites with just one other writer.
“It's not sustainable and I'll never do that again,” she said.
Sanchez-Witzel said she was struck by the similarities between her experience and those of UPS drivers, some of whom joined the WGA for protests as they threatened their own potentially crippling strike. UPS and the Teamsters last week reached a tentative contract staving off the strike.
Jeffrey Palmerino, a full-time UPS driver near Albany, New York, said forced overtime emerged as a top issue during the pandemic as drivers coped with a crush of orders on par with the holiday season. Drivers never knew what time they would get home or if they could count on two days off each week, while 14-hour days in trucks without air conditioning became the norm.
“It was basically like Christmas on steroids for two straight years. A lot of us were forced to work six days a week, and that is not any way to live your life,” said Palmerino, a Teamsters shop steward.
Along with pay raises and air conditioning, the Teamsters won concessions that Palmerino hopes will ease overwork. UPS agreed to end forced overtime on days off and eliminate a lower-paid category of drivers who work shifts that include weekends, converting them to full-time drivers. Union members have yet to ratify the deal.
The Teamsters and labor activists hailed the tentative deal as a game-changer that would pressure other companies facing labor unrest to raise their standards. But similar outcomes are far from certain in industries lacking the sheer economic indispensability of UPS or the clout of its 340,000-member union.
Efforts to organize at Starbucks and Amazon stalled as both companies aggressively fought against unionization.
Still, labor protests will likely gain momentum following the UPS contract, said Patricia Campos-Medina, executive director of the Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, which released a report this year that found the number of labor strikes rose 52% in 2022.
“The whole idea that consumer convenience is above everything broke down during the pandemic. We started to think, ‘I’m at home ordering, but there is actually a worker who has to go the grocery store, who has to cook this for me so that I can be comfortable,’” Campos-Medina said. | https://www.12news.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 | 2023-07-30T22:24:17 | 1 | https://www.12news.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 |
BURBANK, Calif. — With the summer heat wave in full swing in Southern California, a backyard pool is a tempting place to take a dip.
Even for a bear.
Police in the city of Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement Friday.
Police released a video of the animal in the neighborhood, which is about 10 miles north of Los Angeles and near the Verdugo Mountains.
The Burbank police have issued warnings for residents to avoid bears and to keep all garbage and food locked up to discourage bears from coming to their residences. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-world/bear-spotted-in-california-jacuzzi/507-5f9278de-6918-4d7a-ac90-bff00c664569 | 2023-07-30T22:24:23 | 1 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-world/bear-spotted-in-california-jacuzzi/507-5f9278de-6918-4d7a-ac90-bff00c664569 |
Lori Vallow Daybell will be sentenced Monday morning in the Fremont County Courthouse after victim impact statements are given by four family members.
Sentencing begins at 9am tomorrow morning, we will be covering the live stream.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Found guilty of the murder of her two children and found guilty of conspiring to murder her current husband’s former wife. Lori Vallow Daybell’s sentencing date is Monday in the Fremont County Courthouse, in front of the same judge that heard the trial testimony.
After the six-week trial that captured the attention of much of the nation, Fremont County District Court Judge Steven Boyce will be sentencing Vallow Daybell after hearing victim impact statements from four relatives that were impacted by the murders.Those four will be: Colby Ryan, Lori’s oldest son, Summer Shiflet, Lori’s sister, Kay woodcock, JJ’s grandmother, and Vicki Hoban, Tammy Daybell’s aunt.
Vallow Daybell will not face the death penalty in Idaho, as the state removed that option as part of a deal to get the 6-week trial underway at the beginning of April.
However, Lori’s legal woes don’t stop on Monday, as the state of Arizona has already begun the extradition process to bring Lori back to their state.
The Maricopa County, Arizona Prosecutor is seeking to a conviction in the death of Lori’s previous husband Charles Vallow, and conspiring to kill, and attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux.
Chad Daybell is facing the same charges as Lori, and his trial will be in Boise and is set to begin on April 1, 2024; exactly one year to the day when Lori’s trial began in Boise.
Copyright 2023 KMVT. All rights reserved. | https://www.kmvt.com/2023/07/30/lori-vallow-daybell-will-be-sentenced-monday-morning-fremont-county-courthouse-after-victim-impact-statements-are-given-by-four-family-members/ | 2023-07-30T22:24:47 | 1 | https://www.kmvt.com/2023/07/30/lori-vallow-daybell-will-be-sentenced-monday-morning-fremont-county-courthouse-after-victim-impact-statements-are-given-by-four-family-members/ |
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Tacony-Palmyra bridge closed to traffic after trailer underneath catches fire
The blaze was reported around 5 p.m. and videos from the scene show plumes of smoke clouding over the bridge.
All lanes of the Tacony-Palmyra bridge have closed to traffic after a trailer caught fire underneath it Sunday evening, officials said.
The blaze was reported around 5 p.m. and videos from the scene show black plumes of smoke clouding over the bridge. The Tacony-Palmyra bridge, which opened in 1929, extends over the Delaware River and connects Levick Street in Philadelphia’s Tacony section with Palmyra, N.J.
Firefighters are on the scene.
It was not immediately clear how the trailer caught fire, or when the bridge would reopen.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. | https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/tacony-palmyra-bridge-closed-fire-traffic-philadelphia-new-jersey-20230730.html | 2023-07-30T22:24:55 | 1 | https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/tacony-palmyra-bridge-closed-fire-traffic-philadelphia-new-jersey-20230730.html |
Drier air settles in to kick off the work week
HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - We are tracking isolated showers and storms across the mountains to close out the weekend, but drier air is set to return to the region for the first half of the work week.
Tonight Through Monday Night
A stray shower or storm will be possible during the evening hours, but we are monitoring some drier air to move into the mountains overnight. We remain partly cloudy tonight, and overnight lows fall into the mid-60s.
A beautiful day is on tap on Monday. A stray shower can not be ruled out, but most of the area remains dry and mostly sunny. High temperatures top out near average in the mid-80s. Humidity levels also decrease as we kick off the work week.
Into Monday night, the forecast stays quiet. We remain dry under a mostly clear sky. Overnight lows fall into the lower-60s, but some upper-50s are possible in those cooler pockets.
Mostly Dry For Midweek, Then More Rain Chances
High pressure continues to dominate our forecast on Tuesday. We stay mostly dry under a mix of Sun and clouds. Again, a stray shower can not be ruled out, but the overall chance is low. Highs top out in the mid-80s, while lows fall into the lower-60s.
Most of Wednesday looks dry and warm. Temperatures reach the upper-80s under a partly sunny sky. However, we are tracking some changes in the weather pattern by Wednesday night. Scattered showers look possible as moisture begins to increase across the mountains. Low temperatures fall into the upper-60s.
Rain chances look to continue on Thursday. Scattered showers and storms are possible under a partly sunny sky. Temperatures only top out in the mid-to-lower-80s because of clouds and rain. Lows bottom out in the upper-60s and lower-70s.
Extended Forecast
An unsettled weather pattern looks to linger as we close out the work week.
Spotty showers and storms will be possible on Friday under a mix of Sun and clouds. Highs look to top out in the mid-to-upper-80s, and lows look to dip into the upper-60s and lower-70s.
Models are trending drier on Saturday. An isolated shower or storm can not be ruled out, but the overall chance looks low. Highs top out in the upper-80s, while lows fall into the lower-70s.
Copyright 2023 WYMT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/30/drier-air-settles-kick-off-work-week/ | 2023-07-30T22:24:55 | 1 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/30/drier-air-settles-kick-off-work-week/ |
Free medical clinic wraps up in Wise
WISE, Va. (WYMT) - St. Mary’s Health Wagon offered free dental, eye and veterinary care for more than 1,000 people over a three day span.
The event also offered free testing and screenings.
President and CEO of Health Wagon Dr. Teresa Owens Tyson said, despite bad weather on Saturday and Sunday, they still operated as a team.
She said they are removing barriers for people with and without insurance, and these events make a difference for the Appalachian community.
“It’s really important that we get out in the community, do plenty of outreach and uncover hypertension, diabetes, cancers and get things early so we can turn around this negative trajectory that kind of plague the area,” Tyson added.
Vice President and Clinical Director Paula Hill-Collins said patients saved a lot of money just by using their services.
“So, we have saved hundreds and thousands of dollars this weekend and it’s so important because we did mammograms, pap smears, colposcopies here on site and a lot of people do not go to the doctor because they know they’re going to have a bill,” she explained.
Hill-Collins added the cost of healthcare is one of the main reasons why people do not seek it.
“People do not want to go to the hospital and have a bill that is coming up. They do not want to be turned over to a collection agency because most of us want to pay our bills and they don’t want to be obliged to anyone,” Hill-Collins explained.
She added they will follow up with patients.
“We’ll begin working on those. If they are normal, they’ll be getting the results. It’s not just like, ‘Here we’re doing these and good luck to you,’” Hill-Collins said. “We’re gonna go through those today and start looking at the labs that are already back.”
She said they are planning to hold similar events in the future.
For more information, you can visit the Facebook page below.
Copyright 2023 WYMT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/30/free-medical-clinic-wraps-up-wise/ | 2023-07-30T22:25:01 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/30/free-medical-clinic-wraps-up-wise/ |
NEW YORK — Facing his former team in the ballpark he once called home, Trevor Williams didn’t have his best stuff, and his old teammates made him pay. He allowed seven hits, issued four walks and was charged with five runs over just four innings Sunday afternoon as the Washington Nationals fell, 5-2, to the New York Mets at Citi Field.
With the trade deadline looming Tuesday, the Nationals return home after losing three of four to a National League East rival. Williams was placed on the bereavement list after the game and was not made available to speak with reporters. It’s unclear if he’ll need to be replaced in the rotation while he is away from the team.
“I think he was just trying to find his groove there,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “He started off walking the first two guys, but I think he just took a little bit more time to find himself a little bit. ... But he battled.”
After the Nationals (44-62) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Williams threw eight balls among his first 10 pitches to walk the first two hitters he faced. Pete Alonso followed with a one-out RBI single to knot the score.
In the third, Francisco Lindor doubled before Jeff McNeil tripled to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Five of the first six Mets reached base in the inning, and they scored twice more on sacrifice flies by Alonso and Omar Narváez. Lindor slugged a solo home run in the fourth to give the Mets a 5-1 lead. Williams wouldn’t last much longer, exiting after 89 pitches and just two strikeouts.
In December, the Nationals signed Williams, now 31, to a two-year, $13 million contract. Williams, who had spent the previous two seasons bouncing between the Mets’ rotation and bullpen, wanted an opportunity to be a full-time starter, and retooling Washington had a need for a veteran arm in the back of its rotation. As New York spent big to improve its rotation, Williams headed elsewhere.
After a solid April and May, he has struggled over the past two months — he had a 5.04 ERA in June, and Sunday’s outing left him at 5.97 for July. (For the season, he’s at 4.72.) Williams is a contact-first pitcher, and this season has been no different. But he has gotten swings-and-misses on just 19.5 percent of opponents’ swings, his lowest rate since 2018. That whiff rate ranks in the eighth percentile in the majors. On Sunday, he got just two whiffs on 32 Mets swings.
“When we get him back, he’ll come back and compete again,” Martinez said.
The Mets (50-55) famously have not reaped the rewards of their offseason spending spree. They signed Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and José Quintana to join Max Scherzer in a strong rotation, but a hugely disappointing season has turned them into trade deadline sellers. Scherzer’s move to the Texas Rangers became official Sunday, and Quintana has made just two starts. But Senga was an all-star in his first season after leaving Japan, and Verlander mostly has looked like himself, including Sunday as his name continued to pop up in trade chatter.
CJ Abrams and Jeimer Candelario opened the game with singles, putting runners on the corners, then executed a double steal for the day’s first run. Abrams finished with three stolen bases to give him 24 on the season. He has stolen 21 consecutive bases without being caught, tied for the longest active streak with Philadelphia’s Trea Turner.
“I’m just trying to get to the next base, get in scoring position for my teammates,” Abrams said. “I don’t really pay attention to the number, but that’s a good thing.”
But three straight outs prevented the Nationals from extending their lead, and that was costly. Verlander lasted 5⅓ innings, allowing only that run and striking out five. Ildemaro Vargas’s RBI single in the seventh was all Washington could manage against New York’s relievers.
The silver lining to the loss: The Nationals’ bullpen didn’t allow a run over the final four innings. Joe La Sorsa, pitching in his home state and with family in attendance, followed Williams and tossed two scoreless. Amos Willingham, back from Class AAA Rochester, handled the seventh, and Cory Abbott got through the eighth.
Before the game, the Nationals placed right-handed reliever Rico Garcia on the 15-day injured list with biceps tendinitis and recalled Willingham. Martinez said Garcia felt sore Saturday after throwing 26 pitches a day earlier. The 29-year-old signed a minor league contract July 15 after he was designated for assignment by the Oakland Athletics. Following a brief stint at Rochester, he has a 12.00 ERA in three innings with Washington.
Willingham had been optioned to Rochester on Wednesday in favor of Andrés Machado. The 24-year-old rookie had an 11.00 ERA in his first nine innings but tossed a scoreless seventh Sunday, striking out two. Still, the Nationals never found a way back into the game.
“We came out early; we scored first,” Martinez said. “[Verlander] settled down and kept us off balance throughout the day. We had opportunities to score again. When you’re facing guys like that and you have those opportunities, you got to cash in. We just didn’t do that today.” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/30/nationals-mets-trevor-williams/ | 2023-07-30T22:25:22 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/07/30/nationals-mets-trevor-williams/ |
NEW YORK — Six straight days of 12-hour driving. Single-digit paychecks. The complaints come from workers in vastly different industries: UPS delivery drivers and Hollywood actors and writers.
But they point to an underlying factor driving a surge of labor unrest: The cost to workers whose jobs have changed drastically as companies scramble to meet customer expectations for speed and convenience in industries transformed by technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated those changes, pushing retailers to shift online and intensifying the streaming competition among entertainment companies. Now, from the picket lines, workers are trying to give consumers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a show that can be binged any time or get dog food delivered to their doorstep with a phone swipe.
Overworked and underpaid employees is an enduring complaint across industries — from delivery drivers to Starbucks baristas and airline pilots — where surges in consumer demand have collided with persistent labor shortages. Workers are pushing back against forced overtime, punishing schedules or company reliance on lower-paid, part-time or contract forces.
At issue for Hollywood screenwriters and actors staging their first simultaneous strikes in 40 years is the way streaming has upended entertainment economics, slashing pay and forcing showrunners to produce content faster with smaller teams.
"This seems to happen to many places when the tech companies come in. Who are we crushing? It doesn't matter," said Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, a screenwriter and showrunner on the negotiating team for the Writers Guild of America, whose members have been on strike since May. Earlier this month, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined the writers' union on the picket line.
Actors and writers have long relied on residuals, or long-term payments, for reruns and other airings of films and televisions shows. But reruns aren't a thing on streaming services, where series and films simply land and stay with no easy way, such as box office returns or ratings, to determine their popularity.
Consequently, whatever residuals streaming companies do pay often amount to a pittance, and screenwriters have been sharing tales of receiving single digit checks.
Adam Shapiro, an actor known for the Netflix hit "Never Have I Ever," said many actors were initially content to accept lower pay for the plethora of roles that streaming suddenly offered. But the need for a more sustainable compensation model gained urgency when it became clear streaming is not a sideshow, but rather the future of the business, he said.
"Over the past 10 years, we realized: 'Oh, that's now how Hollywood works. Everything is streaming,'" Shapiro said during a recent union event.
Shapiro, who has been acting for 25 years, said he agreed to a contract offering 20% of his normal rate for "Never Have I Ever" because it seemed like "a great opportunity, and it's going to be all over the world. And it was. It really was. Unfortunately, we're all starting to realize that if we keep doing this we're not going to be able to pay our bills."
Then there's the rising use of "mini rooms," in which a handful of writers are hired to work only during pre-production, sometimes for a series that may take a year to be greenlit, or never get picked up at all.
Sanchez-Witzel, co-creator of the recently released Netflix series "Survival of the Thickest," said television shows traditionally hire robust writing teams for the duration of production. But Netflix refused to allow her to keep her team of five writers past pre-production, forcing round-the-clock work on rewrites with just one other writer.
"It's not sustainable and I'll never do that again," she said.
Sanchez-Witzel said she was struck by the similarities between her experience and those of UPS drivers, some of whom joined the WGA for protests as they threatened their own potentially crippling strike. UPS and the Teamsters last week reached a tentative contract staving off the strike.
Jeffrey Palmerino, a full-time UPS driver near Albany, New York, said forced overtime emerged as a top issue during the pandemic as drivers coped with a crush of orders on par with the holiday season. Drivers never knew what time they would get home or if they could count on two days off each week, while 14-hour days in trucks without air conditioning became the norm.
"It was basically like Christmas on steroids for two straight years. A lot of us were forced to work six days a week, and that is not any way to live your life," said Palmerino, a Teamsters shop steward.
Along with pay raises and air conditioning, the Teamsters won concessions that Palmerino hopes will ease overwork. UPS agreed to end forced overtime on days off and eliminate a lower-paid category of drivers who work shifts that include weekends, converting them to full-time drivers. Union members have yet to ratify the deal.
The Teamsters and labor activists hailed the tentative deal as a game-changer that would pressure other companies facing labor unrest to raise their standards. But similar outcomes are far from certain in industries lacking the sheer economic indispensability of UPS or the clout of its 340,000-member union.
Efforts to organize at Starbucks and Amazon stalled as both companies aggressively fought against unionization.
Still, labor protests will likely gain momentum following the UPS contract, said Patricia Campos-Medina, executive director of the Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, which released a report this year that found the number of labor strikes rose 52% in 2022.
"The whole idea that consumer convenience is above everything broke down during the pandemic. We started to think, 'I'm at home ordering, but there is actually a worker who has to go the grocery store, who has to cook this for me so that I can be comfortable,'" Campos-Medina said.
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DENVER — As Denver neared triple-digit temperatures, Ben Gallegos sat shirtless on his porch swatting flies off his legs and spritzing himself with a misting fan to try to get through the heat.
Gallegos, like many in the nation's poorest neighborhoods, doesn't have air conditioning.
The 68-year-old covers his windows with mattress foam to insulate against the heat and sleeps in the concrete basement. He knows high temperatures can cause heat stroke and death, and his lung condition makes him more susceptible. But the retired bricklayer, who survives on about $1,000 a month largely from Social Security, says air conditioning is out of reach.
"Take me about 12 years to save up for something like that," he said. "If it's hard to breathe, I'll get down to emergency."
As climate change fans hotter and longer heat waves, breaking record temperatures across the U.S. and leaving dozens dead, the poorest Americans suffer the hottest days with the fewest defenses. Air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.
As Phoenix weathered its 27th consecutive day above 110 degrees Wednesday, the nine who died indoors didn't have functioning air conditioning, or it was turned off. Last year, all 86 heat-related deaths indoors were in uncooled environments.
"To explain it fairly simply: Heat kills," said Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington professor who researches heat and health. "Once the heat wave starts, mortality starts in about 24 hours."
It's the poorest and people of color, from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City and beyond, who are far more likely to face grueling heat without air conditioning, according to a Boston University analysis of 115 U.S. metros.
"The temperature differences ... between lower-income neighborhoods, neighborhoods of color and their wealthier, whiter counterparts have pretty severe consequences," said Cate Mingoya-LaFortune of Groundwork USA, an environmental justice organization. "There are these really big consequences like death. ... But there's also ambient misery."
Some have window units that can offer respite, but "in the dead of heat, it don't do nothing," said Melody Clark, who stopped Friday to get food at a nonprofit in Kansas City, Kansas, as temperatures soared to 101, and high humidity made it feel like 109. When the central air conditioning at her rental house went on the fritz, her landlord installed a window unit. But it doesn't do much during the day.
So the 45-year-old wets her hair, cooks outside on a propane grill and keeps the lights off indoors. She's taken the bus to the library to cool off. At night she flips the box unit on, hauling her bed into the room where it's located to sleep.
As far as her two teenagers, she said: "They aren't little bitty. We aren't dying in the heat. ... They don't complain."
While billions in federal funding have been allocated to subsidize utility costs and the installation of cooling systems, experts say they often only support a fraction of the most vulnerable families and some still require prohibitive upfront costs. Installing a centralized heat pump system for heating and cooling can easily reach $25,000.
President Joe Biden announced steps on Thursday to defend against extreme heat, highlighting the expansion of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which funnels money through states to help poorer households pay utility bills.
While the program is critical, said Michelle Graff, who studies the subsidy at Cleveland State University, only about 16% of the nation's eligible population is actually reached. Nearly half of states don't offer the federal dollars for summer cooling.
"So people are engaging in coping mechanisms, like they're turning on their air conditioners later and leaving their homes hotter," Graff said.
While frigid temperatures and high heating bills birthed the term "heat or eat," she said, "we can now transition to AC or eat, where people are going to have to make difficult decisions."
As temperatures rise, so does the cost of cooling. And temperatures are already hotter in America's low-income neighborhoods like Gallegos' Denver suburb of Globeville, where people live along stretches of asphalt and concrete that hold heat like a cast-iron skillet. Surface temperatures there can be roughly 8 degrees hotter than in Denver's wealthier neighborhoods, where a sea of vegetation cools the area, according to the environmental advocacy group American Forests.
This disparity plays out nationwide. Researchers at the University of San Diego analyzed 1,056 counties and in over 70%, the poorest areas and those with higher Black, Hispanic and Asian populations were significantly hotter.
About one in 10 U.S. households have no air conditioning, a disparity compounded for marginalized groups, according to a study by the Brookings Institution. Less than 4% of Detroit's white households don't have air conditioning; it's 15% for Black households.
At noon on Friday, Katrice Sullivan sat on the porch of her rented house on Detroit's west side. It was hot and muggy, but even steamier inside the house. Even if she had air conditioning, Sullivan said she'd choose her moments to run it to keep her electricity bill down.
The 37-year-old factory worker pours water on her head, freezes towels to put around her neck and sits in her car with the air conditioner on. "Some people here spend every dollar for food, so air conditioning is something they can't afford," she said.
Shannon Lewis, 38, lived in her Detroit home for nearly 20 years without air conditioning. Lewis's bedroom was the only place with a window unit, so she'd squeeze her teenager, 8-year-old and 3-year-old-twins into her queen-size bed to sleep, eat meals and watch television.
"So it was like cool in one room and a heat stroke in another," Lewis said. For the first time, Lewis now has air conditioning through a local non-profit, she said. "We don't have to sleep or eat in the same room, we are able to come out, sit at the dining room table, eat like a family."
After at least 54 died during a 2021 heat wave, mostly elderly people without air conditioning, in the Portland area, Oregon passed a law prohibiting landlords from placing blanket bans on air conditioning units. By and large, however, states don't have laws requiring landlords to provide cooling.
In the federal Inflation Reduction Act, billions were set aside for tax credits and rebates to help families install energy-efficient cooling systems, but some of those are yet to be available. For people like Gallegos, who doesn't pay taxes, the available credits are worthless.
The law also offers rebates, the kind of state and federal point-of-sale discounts that Amanda Morian has looked into for her 640-square-foot home.
Morian, who has a 13-week-old baby susceptible to hot weather, is desperate to keep her house in Denver's Globeville suburb cool. She bought thermal curtains, ceiling fans and runs a window unit. At night she tries to do skin-to-skin touch to regulate the baby's body temperature. When the back door opens in the afternoon, she said, the indoor temperature jumps a degree.
"All of those are just to take the edge off, it's not enough to actually make it cool. It's enough to keep us from dying," she said.
She got estimates from four different companies for installing a cooling system, but every project was between $20,000 and $25,000, she said. Even with subsidies she can't afford it.
"I'm finding that you have to afford the project in the first place and then it's like having a bonus coupon to take $5,000 off of the sticker price," she said.
Lucy Molina, a single mom in Commerce City, one of Denver's poorest areas, said her home has reached 107 degrees without air conditioning. Nearby, Molina's two teenage children slurped popsicles to cool off, lingering in front of the open freezer.
For Molina, who bustled around her kitchen on a recent day when temperatures reached 99 degrees outdoors, it's hard to see any path to a cooling respite.
"We're just too poor," she said.
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Actor and singer Inga Swenson, who played Gretchen the cook on the popular ‘80s sitcom “Benson,” died on July 23 in Los Angeles. Swenson died of natural causes, according to TMZ. She was 90.
She was known for starring as Gretchen Kraus in the ABC series “Benson,” which aired for seven years from 1979 to 1986. The show follows Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) who is hired as head of household for a governor; Gretchen was the German cook with whom Benson had a workplace rivalry and friendship. For her role as Gretchen, Swenson was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress. “Benson” was a spin-off of the show “Soap,” in which Swenson also appeared for multiple episodes as the character Ingrid Svenson.
A trained lyric soprano, Swenson also had a successful career on Broadway, performing in lauded starring roles in the 1960s. She starred as Lizzy Curry in “110 in the Shade” and Irene Adler in “Baker Street,” and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for both performances. The former follows a woman living on a ranch in the Southwest and the latter is based on the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Other shows she performed in include “Camelot,” “Peer Gynt” and “The First Gentleman.”
Swenson also acted on the big screen, with film credits including “Advise and Consent” (1962), “The Miracle Worker” (1962), “Lipstick” (1976) and “The Betsy” (1978).
Swenson was born on December 29, 1932 in Omaha, Neb. She later studied drama at Northwestern University. She married sound engineer Lowell Harris in 1953 and the couple had two sons.
Swenson is survived by her husband and her son Mark Harris, a film editor. | https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/ct-ent-obit-inga-swenson-20230730-w4uj3sbcgnagbnhdwgnlctjlgq-story.html | 2023-07-30T22:26:56 | 1 | https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/ct-ent-obit-inga-swenson-20230730-w4uj3sbcgnagbnhdwgnlctjlgq-story.html |
A week later, the "Barbenheimer" boom has not abated.
Seven days after Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" conspired to set box office records, the two films held unusually strongly in theaters. "Barbie" took in a massive $93 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Oppenheimer" stayed in second with a robust $46.2 million. Sales for the two movies dipped 43% and 44%, respectively — well shy of the usual week-two drops.
"Barbenheimer" has proven to be not a one-weekend phenomenon but an ongoing box-office bonanza. The two movies combined have already surpassed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore, called it "a touchstone moment for movies, moviegoers and movie theaters."
"Having two movies from rival studios linked in this way and both boosting each other's fortunes — both box-office wise and in terms of their profile — I don't know if there's a comp for this in the annals of box-office history," said Dergarabedian. "There's really no comparison for this."
Following its year-best $162 million opening, the pink-infused pop sensation of "Barbie" saw remarkably sustained business through the week and into the weekend. The film outpaced Nolan's "The Dark Knight" to have the best first 11 days in theaters of any Warner Bros. release ever.
"Barbie" has rapidly accumulated $351.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, a rate that will soon make it the biggest box-office hit of the summer. Every day it's played, "Barbie" has made at least $20 million.
And the "Barbie" effect isn't just in North America. The film made $122.2 million internationally over the weekend. Its global tally has reached $775 million. It's the kind of business that astounds even veteran studio executives.
"That's a crazy number," said Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. "There's just a built-in audience that wants to be part of the zeitgeist of the moment. Wherever you go, people are wearing pink. Pink is taking over the world."
Amid the frenzy, "Barbie" is already attracting a lot of repeat moviegoers. Goldstein estimates that 12% of sales are people going back with friends or family to see it again.
For a movie industry that has been trying to regain its pre-pandemic footing — and that now finds itself largely shuttered due to actors and screenwriters strikes — the sensations of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" have showed what's possible when everything lines up just right.
"Post-pandemic, there's no ceiling and there's no floor," Goldstein said. "The movies that miss really miss big time, and the movies that work really work big time."
Universal Pictures' "Oppenheimer," meanwhile, is performing more like a superhero movie than a three-hour film about scientists talking.
Nolan's drama starring Cillian Murphy as atomic bomb physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer has accrued $174.1 million domestically thus far. With an additional $72.4 million in international cinemas, "Oppenheimer" has already surpassed $400 million globally.
Showings in IMAX have typically been sold out. "Oppenheimer" has made $80 million worldwide on IMAX. The large-format exhibitor said Sunday that it will extend the film's run through Aug. 13.
The week's top new release, Walt Disney Co.'s "Haunted Mansion," an adaptation of the Disney theme park attraction, was easily overshadowed by the "Barbenheimer" blitz. The film, which cost about $150 million, debuted with $24 million domestically and $9 million in overseas sales. "Haunted Mansion," directed by Justin Simien ("Dear White People," "Bad Hair") and starring an ensemble of LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Rosario Dawson, struggled to overcome mediocre reviews.
"Talk to Me," the A24 supernatural horror film, fared better. It debuted with $10 million. The film, directed by Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou and starring Sophie Wilde, was a midnight premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received terrific reviews from critics (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It was made for a modest $4.5 million.
While theaters being flush with moviegoers has been a huge boon to the film industry, it's been tougher sledding for Tom Cruise, the so-called savior of the movies last summer with "Top Gun: Maverick." "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I," which debuted the week before the arrival of "Barbenheimer," grossed $10.7 million in its third weekend. The film starring Cruise and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, has grossed $139.2 million domestically and $309.3 million oveseas.
Instead, the sleeper hit "Sound of Freedom" has been the best-performing non-"Barbenheimer" release in theaters. The Angel Studios' release, which is counting crowdfunding pay-it-forward sales in its box office totals, made $12.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its haul thus far to nearly $150 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. "Barbie," $93 million.
2. "Opppenheimer," $46.2 million.
3. "Haunted Mansion," $24.2 million.
4. "Sound of Freedom," $12.4 million.
5. "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One," $10.7 million.
6. "Talk to Me," $10 million.
7. "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," $4 million.
8. "Elemental," $3.4 million.
9. "Insidious: The Red Door," $3.2 million.
10. "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani," $1.6 million.
Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
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At the beginning of the 2022 volleyball season, Amory’s Ella Grace Phillips received life-changing news heading into her sophomore year.
She found out that her mom, Amanda, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer that metastasized to her liver.
“Since most people know that my mom is my best friend and is always by my side, hearing that was difficult for me to accept,” Phillips said. “My mom was in the Vanderbilt hospital for the majority of the season, so I played sports for the first time without her being there, and it was hard.”
Despite receiving that devastating news and realizing that her mom would not be able to attend any volleyball games that season, Phillips vowed to not only play hard for her teammates but also for her mom.
“I knew that my mom would want me to be the best that I can be and never settle for anything less than what she knew I could do,” she said. “I also understood that because of my position on the team, I had to support my teammates and keep performing at my highest level. My teammates always expect a lot out of me, so I knew that I couldn’t back down for them. We had a big season this past year, so I wanted to keep my role up for my teammates and everyone else around me.”
Phillips did just that in her sophomore year as she was named the Lady Panthers’ MVP for the second-straight year and was also named the 4-3A Division Player of the Year while reaching the 1,000 kills mark.
Her accolades did not stop there as she also dominated the softball scene, making the all-division team for the second year in a row, posting her highest batting average of .440 and also winning the Division Player of the Year award in softball.
“I was very honored to achieve Player of the Year awards in both sports, and it felt like all my hard work was starting to show,” she said. “Coach (Shay) Ashford and Coach (Jessica) Seger have pushed me very hard, and they know what type of player I am and how I like to be coached. Both of them do a very good job of never letting me settle for less, and they always push me to be better.”
Playing through adversity was challenging at times for Phillips, but her family and coaches kept her motivated throughout the season.
“It was really tough but praying every time I got down and keeping my faith in God really helped me through a lot of it,” she said. “Going to my family and Coach Ashford really kept me on track during the season.”
Phillips also saw a tremendous amount of support from her teammates, Amory supporters and other surrounding communities, which kept her motivated.
“It was very shocking, and I realized how kind people are,” she said. “It really helped keep me going and put a smile on my face when I needed it the most. Our volleyball game against Pontotoc was amazing, and I couldn't have asked for anything better at that time. I was going through a really hard time in my life, and we had a game to honor her. Both teams came around to pray after the game, and everyone individually told me that they’d keep her in their thoughts and prayers. I really think because of them, we are where we are today.”
Phillips credited her mother for inspiring her to push through the volleyball and softball seasons and have a dominant sophomore year.
“I quickly started to understand how grateful I am for the little things like walking, exercising and playing sports after watching my mom endure pain and not being able to do those simple things anymore,” she said. “I was inspired by my mom to work harder each day as she was working harder to heal her body and come home. It was incredibly challenging not having her around to chat and assist with my game during that time period, but God got me through it and had his hands on her the whole time.”
Phillips’s big sophomore year in volleyball has already earned her a pair of scholarship offers from Itawamba Community College and Northeast Mississippi Community College.
“I like both of those schools, and I think they’d both be great choices for me in the future,” she said. “With volleyball season coming up, I think that we have a really good chance of going far in 4A because we have a great team with a lot of chemistry. We have a few kinks to work out, but I’m excited, and I think we’re going to work them out.”
As her mom continues to fight the battle against colon cancer, Phillips’s message to anyone who may be going through a similar situation is to never give up.
“I’d say the person that I look up to the most is my mom because of how determined and fearless she is. During the softball season, she was home and traveling to and from Vanderbilt for chemo, and she rushed home to make it to as many games as possible,” she said. “I think she only missed two games all season, and she would come wearing her chemo pump in 30-degree weather and give me a big smile. If anyone else is going through something like this, I would say never give up and never let yourself settle for anything less. It’s important to always put your faith in God and lean on those that you know you can lean on.”
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For Nicole Chrimes and her son Aiden, closing on their new Habitat for Humanity home still doesn’t quite feel real.
“It stills feels like a dream,” Chrimes said during a dedication ceremony on Friday, July 28, as she thanked everyone who worked on her home.
The Chrimes’ new home represents a first for Habitat for Humanity Powhatan, as this is the first time the organization has made use of modular construction.
On Feb. 23, a huge crane “set” and “married” two halves of the semi-complete house on its foundation, after which local contractors and volunteers completed HVAC, electrical and plumbing connections, painted and installed new landscaping.
Habitat partnered with Tyler Hudgins, whose firm, the Moseley-based Class A Lud Hudgins Inc., has worked with modular housing for more than 30 years. The Chrimes’ home came from Virginia Homes Building Systems.
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Modular homes have been successfully used already by a handful of Habitat’s around the country, providing improved economies of scale and allowing for a shorter build timeline. The homes are constructed to meet or exceed site-build standards and placed on load-bearing masonry foundations. They are also financed, insured and appraised to the same criteria as stick-built homes.
A $3 million regional grant from Virginia Housing helped to fund a portion of this modular home. In 2021, Virginia Housing awarded the grant to the local planning district commission PlanRVA, which partnered with the Partnership for Housing Affordability to distribute funds to local nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity Powhatan.
Additional support for the new Powhatan home came from Envestnet MoneyGuide, WellsFargo, Benchmark Construction, Royall Pump and Well, Reed and Gail Schweickert, Luck Stone, Yard Works, R.C. Goodwyn, Carrington Pump and Irrigation and other donors. | https://richmond.com/news/community/powhatan-today/powhatan-family-celebrates-new-home-new-chapter-for-habitat/article_f6675fb8-2f10-11ee-acb5-dbff254e329f.html | 2023-07-30T22:27:08 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/community/powhatan-today/powhatan-family-celebrates-new-home-new-chapter-for-habitat/article_f6675fb8-2f10-11ee-acb5-dbff254e329f.html |
LISBON, Portugal – Mississippi State men's basketball dialed up 18 three-pointers and dished out 23 assists on 36 baskets in a 100-40 rout of the Portugal All-Stars on Sunday during the second game of its foreign tour.
State clicked on all cylinders from long distance with 10 of its 18 treys coming during a 36-point second quarter barrage en route to a 55-19 halftime advantage.
"That'll make them feel good walking out of the gym (making 18 three's). As a team, it will certainly give them some confidence going forward," head coach Chris Jans said. "When we were here in the gym, they weren't very contested. The team we played today wasn't as talented as the one we played yesterday. We played so many guys and kept coming at them in droves. That was a tough situation for our opponent but certainly was nice to see the ball go through the hole"
The Bulldogs managed another balanced attack with seven players scoring at least seven points ignited by four players in double figures.
Josh Hubbard put together another strong effort with 19 points and six assists. Adrian Myers tacked on 17 points and six rebounds followed by Andrew Taylor's 15 points and three assists. Trey Fort also secured 10 points for the Maroon and White.
"It was kind of cool to see the new guys lead us in scoring," Jans said. "That's kind of why we signed them. We didn't score the ball that well last year. We knew we needed to address it. Again, we can't get ahead of ourselves. Like I said prior to coming here, win or lose or the difference in the score isn't going to have that much bearing on when we get into regular games in November and December. At the same time, for individual confidences and to feel good coming out of the summer, that will be good for some individuals."
KeShawn Murphy nearly secured a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, while Shawn Jones Jr. came away with nine points. Jaquan Scott chipped in seven points and seven rebounds.
The Bulldogs play game three of their foreign tour against the Porto All-Stars on Wednesday. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m. local time/1 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live at YouTube.com/HailState.
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The world's first atomic bomb was tested in New Mexico in 1945, where hundreds of locals are still facing fallout from the test. Many are also fighting for compensation from the federal government.
Copyright 2023 NPR
The world's first atomic bomb was tested in New Mexico in 1945, where hundreds of locals are still facing fallout from the test. Many are also fighting for compensation from the federal government.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-30/people-exposed-to-fallout-from-1st-atomic-bomb-test-still-fighting-for-compensation | 2023-07-30T22:27:15 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-30/people-exposed-to-fallout-from-1st-atomic-bomb-test-still-fighting-for-compensation |
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Jimmy Graham offered a few reasons why — at age 36 and without having played football last year — he could become a playmaker again for the New Orleans Saints.
"I'm feeling better than ever. I'm still 6-(foot)-7 and I like the red zone," the veteran tight end said Saturday in his first public comments since rejoining his first NFL team Tuesday. "I definitely came into this with a chip on my shoulder and with something to prove."
Estimating he weighed as much as 285 pounds in his previous stint with the Saints, when he worked out like "a meathead," Graham said he has been cycling "hundreds of miles a week" and has changed his workout and eating habits to suit to his age.
"I know I'm definitely in shape," said Graham, now listed at 265 pounds. "That's not a problem at all."
Graham, who has caught at least eight touchdown passes in six of his 12 NFL seasons, was a favorite target of former star quarterback Drew Brees and among the most popular players in New Orleans before the club surprisingly traded him to Seattle in 2015.
Many fans were upset, including general manager Micky Loomis' own daughter. So, too, was Graham.
"For me, it was pretty shocking," Graham said. "I thought I would never leave this place. ... I woke up to the part of the business that hurt."
Alluding to a difficult childhood in which he sometimes lived in an orphanage, Graham added, "at first it was very difficult because of my connection with Drew as an 'older brother' and all the people in this building."
"It was family, you know?" Graham continued. "So, for me, a guy who didn't have a lot of family, it was definitely a difficult time."
Graham played three seasons with the Seahawks — where he had a major knee injury 2015, but also his last 10-TD season in 2017 — before spending two seasons each at Green Bay and Chicago. He said he spent several of those seasons avoiding interviews because he "didn't really have a lot to say that was positive."
In recent years, Graham said, he longed for another chance to play in New Orleans.
"I've been trying to come home for a long time," Graham said, adding that by last season, he didn't want to play anywhere else. He said several teams reached out to him in 2022, but he told his agent, Jimmy Sexton, "that if I don't retire as a Saint that I wasn't going to play again."
Sitting out last season was "extremely weird, especially after you spend a whole offseason preparing (to play), working out and making sure you're in shape," he said. "I think everything happens for a reason and I think it'll be to my benefit."
The Saints used a third-round pick to draft Graham in 2010, despite the fact that he'd played just one season of football at Miami after spending four seasons as a basketball power forward for the Hurricanes.
In just his second NFL season, Graham caught 99 passes for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns and was selected to his first of five Pro Bowls. He had another banner season in 2013, with 1,215 yards and a career-high 16 TDs receiving.
Around that time, current Saints tight end Foster Moreau was playing for Jesuit High School in New Orleans and had a signed No. 80 Graham Saints jersey in a shadow box in his room.
"Jimmy was a dog, and he still is. Honestly, he runs great," Moreau said. "So, it's just such a funny situation. You walk into the locker room and, 'Oh my God! Jimmy Graham right there.'"
Graham's production plummeted in his final season with the Bears in 2021, when he caught 14 passes for 167 yards and three TDs in 15 games.
And while the Saints cannot be sure how well he'll play this season, they expressed confidence he'll be a leader in the locker room. Graham sounded ready to embrace that role, noting that he, along with 13th-year defensive end Cameron Jordan, are the only players on the roster who'd once been teammates with most of the stars of the Saints' 2009 championship team.
"I understand what that culture was like and what that looks like, the sacrifice that it takes and the brotherhood – that bond – that needs to be molded," Graham said.
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Error! There was an error processing your request. | https://www.djournal.com/sports/professional/jimmy-graham-is-grateful-to-be-back-with-the-saints-and-confident-he-can-still/article_bd022d5e-2f22-11ee-8f4f-4f3e5321b1b6.html | 2023-07-30T22:27:18 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/sports/professional/jimmy-graham-is-grateful-to-be-back-with-the-saints-and-confident-he-can-still/article_bd022d5e-2f22-11ee-8f4f-4f3e5321b1b6.html |
A federal judge rejected the City of Miami's proposed map of voting districts and ruled in favor of local civic advocacy groups that filed suit charging the city commission with packing Black and Hispanic voters into certain districts.
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore on Sunday issued his ruling siding with plaintiffs, a collection of Miami residents and local advocacy groups that includes Engage Miami, and adopted one of their proposed maps ahead of local elections set for November
The new map makes Miami's five commission districts more compact than they had been under the city's design. Notably, the map puts all of the Coconut Grove neighborhood back together into District 2, a major point of contention. The neighborhood had been split into three separate districts last year, leading to backlash from the civically active residents.
The plaintiffs sued the city late last year, accusing the commission of violating the U.S. Constitution by drawing voting districts based predominantly on race. In commission meetings during the redistricting process, commissioners discussed keeping Districts 1, 3 and 4 Hispanic, while maintaining District 5 mostly Black, and keeping District 2 as the "Anglo" seat.
In May, Moore ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their racial gerrymandering claim, and the city would have to draft a new map for the upcoming elections.
READ MORE: Federal judge throws out Miami district map over allegations of racial gerrymandering
In his order, Moore said the city gave no valid arguments as to why the plaintiffs' proposed maps did not meet the legal requirements under the U.S. Constitution.
"Defendant does not even attempt to rebut Plaintiffs’ claims about the merits and legalities of P4 [(Plaintiffs' Map 4)]. In the Court’s view, rather than contesting P4 as a constitutional remedy, Defendant has proffered a variety of grievances about potential political outcomes that would result from its implementation," Moore wrote. "Such grievances are misplaced when the Court is evaluating a remedy to resolve the unconstitutional aspects of [the City's district map]."
Yanelis Valdes, director of organizing and advocacy at Engage Miami and one of the several named plaintiffs, said the judge's decision is a step in the right direction for fairness in Miami's elections.
"It’s a new day for Miami voters who will finally have a fair say in our elections. The court’s decision to reject the city’s gerrymander and order the plaintiffs’ map means Miami’s communities will get fair representation in government this November," Valdes said in a statement.
The other plaintiffs were Grove Rights and Community Equity (GRACE), the South Dade and Miami-Dade NAACP Branches, and five city residents. They were represented by the ACLU of Florida and Dechert LLP.
The city had appealed Moore's previous ruling that they had to draw a new map, but dropped their appeal earlier this month after Miami commissioners voted to adopt a new one, which plaintiffs said was largely similar to the one they accused of being racially gerrymandered.
Moore ordered the city to deliver the plaintiffs' map to the Miami-Dade Elections Department on Monday and implement it for the November 2023 municipal election. | https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2023-07-30/federal-judge-sides-with-voting-groups-in-drawing-new-miami-election-map | 2023-07-30T22:27:21 | 0 | https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2023-07-30/federal-judge-sides-with-voting-groups-in-drawing-new-miami-election-map |
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I want to extend a great big thank you to the Boise Police Department and all who worked tirelessly to solve the murder of Mrs. Joyce Casper. At the time of the murder, we lived on Day Drive and could see Casper’s Hallmark from our front yard. We often visited with Mrs. Casper at her store. I often told her that she was welcome at our house if she needed a safe place. She worked late hours and I was concerned about her. I was horrified when a detective knocked on my door asking questions about the murder. Over the years I have wondered what news there was about her murder. I am so grateful that these police worked so hard to discover the mystery. Thank you so much.
Betty Turner
Boise
GRAND JURIES, NOT BIDEN, INDICTED TRUMP
Dorothy Moon believes that President Biden is "allowing" the Department of Justice to prosecute Donald Trump. Presidents do not indict, grand juries do. Trump's first indictment, a 34 count felony charge was handed down by a grand jury in Manhattan, not Joe Biden. A member of Congress from North Carolina said this following Trump's second indictment..."Donald Trump is accused of revealing national security secrets that could put the men and women who serve our country in harm's way. "Again, a grand jury, not the President. made the decision that the evidence supported the indictment. Mrs. Moon compares the United States to a banana republic because of a former president's indictments. In America, the accused is presumed to be innocent until proved guilty. Mr. Trump will have his days in court and will be judged by juries of his peers in fair and speedy trials. We are not like a banana republic, because the Constitution guarantees justice to be dispensed "without fear or favor. No one, not even former presidents are above the law.
Linda Steele
Emmett
HUNTER BIDEN GETTING 'SPECIAL' TREATMENT
Hunter Biden is not a citizen of the United States. He is a Special Citizen of the, United States. It’s a new category developed by the, DOJ. FBI and the Secret Service. This category is designed to let a so called, Special Citizen who doesn’t have to get elected, but who can throw his weight around the world, use Air Force 1 or Air Force 2 for free anywhere he wants to go. He also gets, Special Secret Service vehicles to use whenever he needs ground transportation at no charge.
This new category of citizen has been developed by the, Swamp in secret meetings with no communication to the, Swamp news system. These so called honest news media put on blinders and shut off their hearing aids so they never can be accused of dodging important news.
The, Democratic Robots are programmed to never agree with anything that threatens their power. It looks like it is finally turning to believe honest, politicians and honest media.
Time to get, Rotor Rooter into D.C.
Dave Silva
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Boise
MOON MISPLACES BLAME FOR UPHEAVAL
Dorothy Moon’s recent guest commentary bemoaning present day cultural and political upheaval proffered several examples, including the firing of Tucker Carlson and the alleged weaponization of the DOJ. Predictably, she blamed “the left” instead of her own party.
No, Dorothy, Fox News did not succumb to a left-leaning narrative when they fired Tucker Carlson; he was canned because his election fraud lies exposed Fox to a huge defamation judgment. As for the DOJ being weaponized, ever notice how many Trump advisors and followers have pled guilty or been convicted of serious crimes by juries? Yeah, a lot. Let’s not confuse weaponization with accountability, or censorship with limiting liability for defamation. In court, the differences are inescapable.
But Dorothy’s statement that the left embraces governing by force was the absolute topper. I dare her to show me one Biden-Harris sign among the mob that violently attacked Capitol police.
Republicans today embrace the immorality, serial hypocrisy and lies of Trump. These are the values that you unfortunately hold dear, Dorothy. Look no further to explain the upheaval.
Russ Comstock
Boise
TENANT PROCTECTIONS OVERDUE
Thanks to the City of Boise for considering a Tenant Protection Package consisting of fair and common-sense measures to protect renters from harmful practices. I look forward to seeing the finished product rolled out with effective marketing to ensure that new renters’ rights are easily accessed and understood by renters.
While the Tenant Protections Package can have a positive impact on preventing some evictions, there is still a long way to go to ensure everyone in Boise has access to decent, affordable housing. Speaking on behalf of the Boise/Ada County Homeless Coalition, we urge you to continue to push for measures that expedite development of a variety of affordable housing projects.
I understand there are many programs competing for funding from the city. Still, money and support infused into affordable housing is not only good for our city and its economy, it also radically changes for the better the lives of those who directly benefit. Please prioritize housing programs that assist our neighbors who are struggling to afford just their basic needs.
Peter Schroeder
Boise
To submit a letter to the editor, a guest column, or an item for Cheers and Jeers, go to op-ed@idahopress.com and click on the appropriate "Submit" link. | https://www.idahopress.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-to-the-editor-july-30/article_3aee3234-2d71-11ee-adaf-3716f8f18844.html | 2023-07-30T22:29:08 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-to-the-editor-july-30/article_3aee3234-2d71-11ee-adaf-3716f8f18844.html |
Indiana Fever move to tie for last place in WNBA with loss to Seattle Storm
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever lost their fourth straight game on Sunday, falling to the Seattle Storm, 85-62.
The Fever, who beat the Storm 80-68 on June 22, and Seattle now hold identical 6-19 records, tied for last place in the WNBA. The Phoenix Mercury also have six wins, but they are 11th with 18 losses.
Here are three thoughts from the Fever’s loss:
Attempting a comeback
As they have before, the Fever fell behind quickly. Seattle outscored Indiana, 24-17, in the first quarter and went on a 15-2 run in the second for a 25-point lead.
As the second quarter wound down, the Fever found some fire, going on an 8-2 run to lead them into halftime. That run continued into the third quarter, going on a 12-4 run to open the second half and cutting the deficit to 12 points.
The Fever got within nine late in the third quarter, but couldn't get closer. Seattle bolstered the lead with a 15-5 run throughout the first 7 minutes of the fourth quarter, and the Fever’s hopes for a comeback fell apart.
Victaria Saxton has first career basket
With NaLyssa Smith on the bench with a foot injury for the past few weeks, the Fever have been operating without a true power forward. At times, the four-guard lineup with Fever rookie Aliyah Boston at center worked well.
But with the sizable Seattle lineup — including four players over 6-3 — Indiana desperately needed a true power forward.
Enter Victaria Saxton.
Saxton, who played in her eighth game of the season on Sunday afternoon, entered in the second quarter. She played over 7 1/2 minutes, a season-high, and capped off the Fever’s 8-2 run at the end of the first half with a 3-pointer — her first WNBA basket.
Saxton shared minutes with Emma Cannon for most of the game. Cannon played 13 minutes with four points.
Berger plays sparingly on IU night
Fever rookie and Indiana University alum Grace Berger played in front of her former teammates, as the Fever hosted IU night — complete with free IU-colored Fever hats for fans.
“To kind of you know, just have these relationships still, you know, whether it's a good day or a bad day, they still have that feedback and are right there,” Berger said pregame. “They're always gonna be there for me, always going to be my biggest fans. You know, it definitely makes things a little easier for me.”
Berger came in at the 5-minute mark of the first quarter to loud cheers from the IU contingent, including a standing ovation from her former teammates. When she returned to the game at the 6-minute mark of the fourth, she garnered another loud cheer.
The IU alum played sparingly, however, compared to her recent outings. She registered just 13 minutes with no points and three turnovers. | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2023/07/30/indiana-fever-tied-for-last-place-in-wnba-after-loss-to-seattle-storm/70469500007/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:16 | 0 | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2023/07/30/indiana-fever-tied-for-last-place-in-wnba-after-loss-to-seattle-storm/70469500007/ |
A lawsuit filed by Donald Trump against the news network CNN has been dismissed by a federal judge.
In a federal lawsuit filed last year in Florida, the former president claimed that some news articles and on-air statements from a host on the network created a "false and incendiary association" between him and Adolf Hitler. Trump also said that the use of the phrase "the Big Lie," used in reference to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, was defamatory, as it allegedly generated feelings of "hate, contempt, distrust, ridicule, and even fear" towards Trump among readers and viewers.
Ultimately, Trump sought punitive damages amounting to $475 million in the lawsuit.
But in a ruling on Friday, U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal stated that Trump's defamation claims lacked merit because the references made were opinions and not statements of fact.
The judge further emphasized that it would be a stretch to believe that the phrase "the Big Lie" would link Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 election results with Nazi propaganda in the minds of viewers.
"CNN’s use of the phrase "the Big Lie" in connection with Trump’s election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people. No reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference," Judge Singhal wrote in the filing, first obtained by the Washington Post.
According to the filing, Trump's lawsuit cited various instances, including opinion pieces by former CNN Editor-at-Large Chris Cillizza and one episode of CNN's "State of the Union," hosted by Jake Tapper, where the phrase "the Big Lie" was used.
SEE MORE: Trump's 2024 rivals ignored legal cases against him at Iowa GOP event
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kgun9.com/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-s-defamation-lawsuit-against-cnn | 2023-07-30T22:29:17 | 0 | https://www.kgun9.com/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-s-defamation-lawsuit-against-cnn |
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s no surprise that the summer heat can do significant damage to your vehicle. But as cities around the country continue to break temperature records and endure long heat waves, some car technicians are finding unusual vehicle issues.
Doc Watson, a national training manager with Bosch Diagnostics, said typical summertime issues include dead car batteries and flat tires. However, he said technicians in Texas and along the West Coast have also been recording more unusual vehicle complications due to the extensive heat waves.
In Texas, Arizona and California, technicians are reporting an emergence of “brake fade” cases in cars. When the temperature outside tops 100 degrees for extended periods of time, temperatures under the hood of vehicles during the summer can reach up to 230 degrees.
Brake fluids inside the cylinder under the hood of the car can absorb moisture, as the heat causes that moisture to expand within the fluid. When that happens, stepping on the brake pedal can feel “mushy.” That means the vehicle owner will need to take the car in for maintenance.
Both heat and humidity can add extra wear and tear to the windshield wiper blades, which have a typical lifespan between 12 and 18 months.
“People don’t stop to think about wiper blades — they don’t need them until it rains, right?” Watson said. “You’re driving around in 112-degree temperature, you’ve got heat reflecting off the glass, and that causes the rubber components of a wiper blade to break down.”
The plastic parts of the blades can also suffer.
“With these extreme temperatures that you guys are seeing, it’s the plastic breaking down off the wiper blade itself, and people not realizing that that’s happened until it’s too late,” he said. “The wiper blade breaks and then you’ve got this metal arm scratching the glass.”
Watson recommended car owners keep a checklist of key vehicle parts to monitor during the summer months. Those include:
- Car batteries: Traditionally, car batteries last between three and five years. Amid excessive heat spells, temperatures under the hood of a vehicle reach up to 230 degrees, which can lead to battery fluid evaporations and dead batteries. Watson suggests car owners have their batteries tested by a technician during the summer to get a condition status.
- Tires: Low tire pressure is exacerbated by hot asphalt on roadways. Watson encouraged car owners to purchase a tire pressure gauge and to test their vehicle’s tire pressure early in the morning while it’s still cool to ensure an accurate reading.
- Engine overflow tank: During the summer months, cooling an engine is critical. Watson said when car owners check underneath the hood, they’ll find a plastic overflow tank with a graduated scale. If it looks low, he suggested adding antifreeze to aid your engine.
- Wiper blades: Check wiper blades during dry spells (and before rain storms) to make sure they’re properly working and not deteriorating. If they show signs of wear and tear, replace them and make sure they’re upgraded every 12-18 months.
- Oil changes: Most newer vehicles require an oil change every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. However, remote starting a vehicle and running the air conditioning works the engine without adding any mileage to the vehicle. As a result, Watson suggested not waiting until you hit that 5,000 to 7,000-mile range if you often use remote start on your vehicle during the summer or winter months.
“People aren’t changing oil regularly like they think they are,” he said. “People need to pay more attention to them because these engines will go many miles — 200,000, 300,000 miles — as long as they’re maintained correctly. That’s big with this extreme heat.” | https://www.ksn.com/news/the-weird-car-issues-mechanics-are-seeing-during-heat-waves/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:17 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/the-weird-car-issues-mechanics-are-seeing-during-heat-waves/ |
(The Hill) – A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee say a high-profile hearing on UFOs is just the start of their push for answers.
And they are threatening to use heavier handed tactics if the Pentagon and intelligence agencies stand in their way.
Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) want more information on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) — commonly referred to as UFOs — beginning with new laws, a classified hearing and the possible creation of a select committee.
The lawmakers said they are willing to use subpoena power if needed to get the answers they’re seeking from the federal government.
“If there’s not a cover up, the government and the Pentagon are sure spending a lot of resources to stop us from studying it,” Burchett told The Hill.
He added that they hope House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) can aid them in setting up a select committee to study the issue of UAPs — as well as any government program that addresses them. If they don’t get leadership approval, they’ll “just start holding field hearings because the public is demanding that we have transparency,” Burchett said.
The effort comes after three former military officials earlier this week and under oath gave bombshell testimony on the unexplained aerial objects, telling lawmakers that for years they’ve been kept in the dark about the mysterious sightings and encounters.
David Grusch, a former Air Force intelligence officer, gave the most shocking testimony when he said he was told of a “multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program,” accusing the military of misdirecting funds to keep such operations secret.
The shocking testimony now has committee members questioning how Congress should begin to investigate the witness claims and demand more answers from the executive branch on programs it claims doesn’t exist.
Lawmakers hope to start with obtaining additional information and documents that Grusch said he submitted to the Pentagon’s inspector general after serving on two Defense Department task forces looking into UAPs.
To get the information from Grusch — who said he was unable to discuss specifics on what he told the Pentagon’s watchdog arm — lawmakers want to sit down with the former official in a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) to get additional information from him.
The group has been blocked, however, by officials that have informed them that Grusch doesn’t currently have security clearance to discuss the issues in a SCIF, according to Burchett.
“I think we’ll get there eventually, it’s just frustrating. I’m ready to go and the American public are ready to go,” he said.
Luna argued the SCIF with Grusch would help lawmakers better understand the type of legislation they need to write regarding UAPs. She said she supports legislation that would declassify information on the phenomena.
With a growing amount of bipartisan interest for more government transparency surrounding the issue, a need for reporting procedures for UAP’s both in the miliary and commercial airspace, and “stronger and stricter punishment for those that try to silence whistleblowers,” the topic is more important than ever, she said.
There is currently a provision in the Senate’s version of the annual defense authorization bill, inserted by Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), which would force federal government agencies to hand over UAP records to a review panel with the power to declassify them. The bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, was passed by the Senate on Thursday and now must be reconciled with the House’s version, so the initiative could still be stripped out.
Burchett also made an attempt to put an amendment into a Federal Aviation Administration bill to improve air travel, passed July 20, that would have required UAP sightings be reported to Congress. The initiative was blocked, which Luna said was an indication that “we clearly have a battle ahead of us.”
Another avenue for lawmakers should they not receive access to a SCIF would be invoking the Holman rule.
During Wednesday’s hearing Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) vowed to do just that, saying that he would “personally volunteer to initiate the Holman rule against any personnel, or any program, or any agency that denies access to Congress.”
The Holman rule is a House power through which they can strip the salary of a specific government position, fire civil servants or cut a particular program.
Ogles’s pledge came after Grusch told lawmakers that the federal government for decades has secretly funded a “UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program” and that he believes the government is in possession of non-human crafts, based on interviews with 40 witnesses.
Moskowitz told The Hill that while it’s too early to use the Holman rule — as Congress must first “figure out where these positions exist and then examine whether or not they should be funded” — he hopes that by discussing the rule it will create more transparency with the federal government.
“This is about government transparency. I’m all for protecting national security, but that can’t just be a shield to deny the American people the basics of what we know about UAPs,” he said.
And Burchett said if lawmakers “start getting stonewalled” by the Pentagon and intelligence agencies, he will have “no hesitation,” to invoke the rule.
Luna, meanwhile, said whether lawmakers use the rule depends on the response they receive from various agencies, programs and appointees.
That process could start as soon as September when lawmakers consider the Defense Appropriations bill on the House floor.
“We know that enormous sums of money are being spent on UAP related activity, whether it’s retrieval/recovery, research and reverse engineering, or just security for whatever the government is hiding,” she told The Hill. “But none of that is on the books, so from a basic governance perspective, Congress needs to know where money is being misappropriated.”
The Hill’s Sarakshi Rai contributed reporting. | https://www.ksn.com/news/ufo-curious-lawmakers-brace-for-a-fight-over-government-secrets/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:23 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/ufo-curious-lawmakers-brace-for-a-fight-over-government-secrets/ |
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pima County Sheriff's Department is investigating a death connected street racing, as well as two related injuries.
Public Information Officer Deputy Adam Schoonover told KGUN 9 it began Sunday at about 2:30 a.m. when the department first heard about people street racing off of South Nogales Highway and Aerospace Parkway.
While on their way, he said, deputies learned of gunshots fired.
"Upon their arrival, deputies found three people who had been shot," Deouty Schoonover confirmed. "One person was pronounced deceased on scene."
Emergency crews took the two injured people to a local hospital. According to Deputy Schoonover, one of them had "life threatening" injuries.
The department is asking anyone with information to call 911. Tucsonans may also remain anonymous through texting/calling 88crime (520-822-7463) or online.
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Caleb Fernández is a digital content producer for KGUN 9. After earning his bachelor's degree from Penn State in Advertising/Public Relations, Caleb went to New York where he learned production assistance, photography and art direction. Share your story ideas and important issues with Caleb by emailing caleb.fernandez@kgun9.com or by connecting on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. | https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/street-racing-leads-to-gunshots-ending-one-life-injuring-two | 2023-07-30T22:29:23 | 1 | https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/street-racing-leads-to-gunshots-ending-one-life-injuring-two |
NEW YORK (AP) — A week later, the “Barbenheimer” boom has not abated.
Seven days after Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” conspired to set box office records, the two films held unusually strongly in theaters. “Barbie” took in a massive $93 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Oppenheimer” stayed in second with a robust $46.2 million. Sales for the two movies dipped 43% and 44%, respectably — well shy of the usual week-two drops.
“Barbenheimer” has proven to be not a one-weekend phenomenon but an ongoing box-office bonanza. The two movies combined have already surpassed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore, call it “a touchstone moment for movies, moviegoers and movie theaters.”
“Having two movies from rival studios linked in this way and both boosting each other’s fortunes — both box-office wise and it terms of their profile — I don’t know if there’s a comp for this in the annals of box-office history,” said Dergarabedian. “There’s really no comparison for this.”
Following its year-best $162 million opening, the pink-infused pop sensation of “Barbie” saw remarkably sustained business through the week and into the weekend. The film outpaced Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” to have the best first 11 days in theaters of any Warner Bros. release ever.
“Barbie” has rapidly accumulated $351.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, a rate that will soon make it the biggest box-office hit of the summer. Every day it’s played, “Barbie” has made at least $20 million.
And the “Barbie” effect isn’t just in North America. The film made $122.2 million internationally over the weekend. Its global tally has reached $775 million. It’s the kind of business that astounds even veteran studio executives.
“That’s a crazy number,” said Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. “There’s just a built-in audience that wants to be part of the zeitgeist of the moment. Wherever you go, people are wearing pink. Pink is taking over the world.”
Amid the frenzy, “Barbie” is already attracting a lot of repeat moviegoers. Goldstein estimates that 12% of sales are people going back with friends or family to see it again.
For a movie industry that has been trying to regain its pre-pandemic footing — and that now finds itself largely shuttered due to actors and screenwriters strikes — the sensations of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have showed what’s possible when everything lines up just right.
“Post-pandemic, there’s no ceiling and there’s no floor,” Goldstein said. “The movies that miss really miss big time, and the movies that work really work big time.”
Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer,” meanwhile, is performing more like a superhero movie than a three-hour film about scientists talking.
Nolan’s drama starring Cillian Murphy as atomic bomb physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer has accrued $174.1 million domestically thus far. With an additional $72.4 million in international cinemas, “Oppenheimer” has already surpassed $400 million globally.
Showings in IMAX have typically been sold out. “Oppenheimer” has made $80 million worldwide on IMAX. The large-format exhibitor said Sunday that it will extend the film’s run through Aug. 13.
The week’s top new release, Walt Disney Co.’s “Haunted Mansion,” an adaptation of the Disney theme park attraction, was easily overshadowed by the “Barbenheimer” blitz. The film, which cost about $150 million, debuted with $24 million domestically and $9 million in overseas sales. “Haunted Mansion,” directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Bad Hair”) and starring an ensemble of LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Rosario Dawson, struggled to overcome mediocre reviews.
“Talk to Me,” the A24 supernatural horror film, fared better. It debuted with $10 million. The film, directed by Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou and starring Sophie Wilde, was a midnight premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received terrific reviews from critics (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It was made for a modest $4.5 million.
While theaters being flush with moviegoers has been a huge boon to the film industry, it’s been tougher sledding for Tom Cruise, the so-called savior of the movies last summer with “Top Gun: Maverick.” “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I,” which debuted the week before the arrival of “Barbenheimer,” grossed $10.7 million in its third weekend. The film starring Cruise and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, has grossed $139.2 million domestically and $309.3 million oveseas.
Instead, the sleeper hit “Sound of Freedom” has been the best performing non-“Barbenheimer” release in theaters. The Angel Studios’ release, which is counting crowdfunding pay-it-forward sales in its box office totals, made $12.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its haul thus far to nearly $150 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Barbie,” $93 million.
2. “Opppenheimer,” $46.2 million.
3. “Haunted Mansion,” $24.2 million.
4. “Sound of Freedom,” $12.4 million.
5. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” $10.7 million.
6. “Talk to Me,” $10 million.
7. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” $4 million.
8. “Elemental,” $3.4 million.
9. “Insidious: The Red Door,” $3.2 million.
10. “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,” $1.6 million. | https://www.ksn.com/news/while-barbie-bonanza-continues-at-the-box-office-oppenheimer-holds-no-2-spot/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:36 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/while-barbie-bonanza-continues-at-the-box-office-oppenheimer-holds-no-2-spot/ |
FRISCO, Texas (CNN) — The Frisco, Texas, police chief issued an apology on Friday after a family from Little Rock, Arkansas, who were headed to a basketball tournament in Grapevine, was mistakenly pulled over in a “high-risk stop,” after a Frisco officer ran the car’s plates as being from Arizona, instead of Arkansas, leading police to believe it was stolen, according to body camera video and information released by police.
On July 23, a Frisco police officer saw a black Dodge Charger with an out-of-state license plate leave a hotel and ran a check of the vehicle’s license plate. According to a news release from Frisco Police, when entering the information, the officer mistakenly entered the plate as being from Arizona, instead of Arkansas, causing an incorrect registration return and leading the officer to believe that the vehicle was possibly stolen.
The officer then initiated a “high-risk traffic stop” on the Dallas North Tollway and waited for backup officers to arrive, the release said. Police closed the southbound lanes of the tollway and conducted the high-risk stop, which the department said is “standard procedure for stolen vehicles.”
Body camera video from two officers, released by the department on Friday, shows the mother who was driving and her 6th grade son, who was in the back seat, being ordered out of the vehicle.
“Slowly exit the vehicle. Face away from us. (…) Turn around. Do not face us,” says one officer who has his gun drawn toward the car. “Everybody in the car – hands outside the window. (…) Driver, slowly lift up your shirt, only for us to see your waistband. Slowly spin around.”
“If you reach in that car, you may get shot so be careful. Do not reach in the car,” the officer shouts once they have been told, by the driver, that her licensed handgun is locked in the glove compartment.
Police say an incident review is underway.
“We made a mistake,” Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said in a statement Friday. “Our department will not hide from its mistakes. Instead, we will learn from them. The officer involved quickly accepted responsibility for what happened, which speaks to integrity. I’ve spoken with the family. I empathize with them and completely understand why they’re upset.”
The body camera video shows the officer who initiated the stop taking the mother aside and questioning her about her car’s tags. The woman tells the officer that the children in the back of the car are her son and nephew. Meanwhile, body camera video shows the driver’s husband talking to a second officer, saying “Listen sir, this is my wife’s car. We’re just in a basketball tournament.”
“I’m a basketball coach. Look at this bro,” he continues, as his son can be heard crying.
“I got conceal carry … Y’all put a gun on my son for no reason.”
A Frisco police sergeant then arrived, and officers realized a mistake had been made.
One officer explains that it was an honest mistake.
“That’s a terrible experience,” responds the father. “You all got to do your job, but we’re all legit,” he said.
“It looks like I made a mistake,” the officer tells the family after her sergeant ordered officers to stand down and called off the high-risk stop. “So I ran it AZ for Arizona, instead of AR – and that’s what happened.”
The father then responds, “It could have gone all wrong for us.”
Distraught, the driver’s husband can then be seen turning away from the officers and breaking down in tears.
“We’re so sorry that happened like this. We had no intent on doing this, you know?” another officer tells the family. “We’re humans as well and we make mistakes. I’m not justifying anything, I’m just saying, like, it wasn’t a computer that ran it. It was our human error that did this. So please forgive us.”
According to police, the incident review was initiated that day to determine “what happened, how it was managed, and to evaluate what needed to be addressed to prevent this from happening in the future.” Police said an ongoing review would identify further changes to the department’s “training, policies, and procedures” needed.
“I apologized on behalf of our department and assured them that we will hold ourselves accountable and provide transparency through the process. This incident does not reflect the high standard of service that our officers provide on a daily basis to our residents, businesses and visitors,” the chief added in his statement.
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- Follow us on Youtube | https://www.kgun9.com/news/national/weve-made-a-mistake-frisco-police-mistakenly-pull-over-family-with-guns-drawn | 2023-07-30T22:29:39 | 1 | https://www.kgun9.com/news/national/weve-made-a-mistake-frisco-police-mistakenly-pull-over-family-with-guns-drawn |
(The Hill) – Northwestern is the latest in a long line of universities to come under public scrutiny due to a scandal over hazing, a practice that has refused to go extinct in colleges and high schools despite multiple concerted efforts to end it.
Hazing, which in rare instances has proven fatal, in particular plagues sports teams and Greek Life.
Experts say education on the issue and increased consequences are needed to create a real change, although they are skeptical the dangerous practice will exit school life anytime soon.
“Hazing has always been prevalent in society, not just in colleges. It’s anywhere that you see a different power dynamic between people who are trying to join a group [and] people who are in the group,” said Todd Shelton, executive director of the Hazing Prevention Network. “There’s research that shows that hazing starts long before college and in those younger ages. It’s especially prevalent in athletic teams camps, performing arts groups.”
The latest high-profile hazing incident comes from Northwestern University, where the head football coach was recently let go and a barrage of lawsuits have fallen on the school.
One of the reported rituals of hazing on the school’s football team was younger players getting restrained in the locker room by older ones while others dry humped the individual. Another incident described in a lawsuit against the school was a ritual called “carwash” where players were forced to rub themselves against a line of naked men in the showers.
“Certainly, it is typical hazing activities that we’ve seen before and it’s not unusual that they’re shrouded with secrecy. So I applaud the people who came forward and reported because that’s — that’s key for institutions to be able to make changes,” Shelton said. “I think those acts are horrible and examples of how hazing can quickly escalate from what individuals think is something that’s mild and or funny, to quickly being something that’s dangerous, either mentally or physically, to the victims.”
Experts say preventing hazing incidents has to start by educating people about its warning signs and dangers.
A study in 2008 showed 73 percent of students who have been in a sorority or fraternity said they experienced behaviors that meet the definition of hazing, such as being forced into drinking games or getting screamed at by other members.
The same study showed 74 percent of athletes in athletic programs also experienced behaviors that amount to hazing.
“Hazing is specific to that group context where someone is seeking inclusion or a sense of belonging in a club, team or organization. They’re a newcomer typically coming into this group situation, and because of that group dynamic there can be an incredible amount of peer pressure and sometimes a coercive environment. And so that can impede or be a barrier to recognizing and or reporting hazing because there can be a lot of fear,” Elizabeth Allan, a professor at the University of Maine, said.
These rituals and desires to be part of the in-group have led to some deadly consequences for young people.
In 2019, five Penn State University students were sentenced to jail after a 19-year-old student at a Beta Theta Pi fraternity house died at a party after hazing-based binge drinking.
While most hazing incidents don’t result in incarceration, there are other consequences for students who are caught for the crime.
“Financial, monetary damages. People have lost their jobs. People have gone to jail or had, criminal penalties, fines and so forth. Let’s say sometimes when it’s a student organization or a team so with a student organization, they’re often suspended or lose their recognition with the campus for a period of time, and with an athletic team sometimes a portion of the season is put on hold or canceled entirely sometimes at the high school level, we’ve seen that recently.” Allan, who also leads the organization Stop Hazing, said.
And yet, even as schools ramp up their efforts, hazing persists.
Allan says a multifaceted strategy is needed to tackle the problem, and her group has developed a “Hazing Prevention Framework” for schools to follow.
“They can use it to also do some strategic planning and set some goals for the improvements they want to make, and all this is really … based on a public health approach to organizational change and promoting healthy behaviors in a community setting,” Allan said.
Shelton said his group also advocates for hazing to be treated as a felony, whereas many states look at it as a misdemeanor.
“The problem is it’s not taken seriously in the law, and we’ve seen a lot of hazing cases, even when there’s been a death… [where] prosecutors don’t consider it hazing or don’t consider hazing to be a serious crime to go through the measures of prosecuting,” Shelton said. “And so that’s why we’ve been working hard to strengthen those state laws.” | https://www.ksn.com/news/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:39 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ |
SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. — The St. Joseph heat affects a lot of people in the summer during Kansas City Chiefs training camp.
The Chiefs have had several scuffles over the first three days of full pads during training camp. Tight end Travis Kelce was at the center of two of them punching defensive teammates who were fighting for the ball.
On Sunday, wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette and cornerback Jaylen Watson got into a scuffle that resulted in Watson getting his helmet knocked off.
Several players and head coach Andy Reid downplayed the skirmishes as just training camp incidents.
“We got new guys, and everybody’s competing. I’m okay with chippy,” Reid said. “You got to have an edge, and you got to maintain that.”
Kelce expressed publicly that he needed to be a better leader, and he told Reid the same after Saturday’s incident.
“He’s one of our team leaders,” Reid said. “I’m just glad that old dude’s got some juice in him.”
Teammates may argue and fight on the field but will come together after the tensions die down.
“I would just say people are competing,” cornerback Joshua Williams said. “Everybody still loves each other at the end of the day.
“When we go in the locker room, we’re hugging and laughing.”
The summer heat and spending a month in college dorms can be hard on NFL players fighting for a spot, so scuffles pop up throughout the league during this time of year.
For the Chiefs, it’s just aggression being showcased in different ways. | https://www.ksn.com/sports/chiefs/chiefs-hc-andy-reid-shoos-away-practice-scuffles/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:41 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/sports/chiefs/chiefs-hc-andy-reid-shoos-away-practice-scuffles/ |
SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. (WDAF) — The Kansas City Chiefs have made some roster moves early in training camp.
Second-year safety Nazeeh Johnson and rookie linebacker Isaiah Moore have been placed on injured reserve with leg injuries that will require surgery.
Johnson tore his ACL on Saturday after the Chiefs moved inside to Missouri Western State’s indoor facility during a storm.
The Marshall alum was a pivotal special teams player as starting gunner on the punt team and began rotating in the starting lineup at cornerback during camp.
Rookies CB Anthony Witherstone (Merrimack) and TE Izaiah Gathings (Middle Tennessee) were at practice on Sunday to fill those spots.
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said losing Johnson would be a big blow to the unit.
“It’s difficult to see anybody go down,” Toub said. “It’s unfortunate.”
“He’s really developed over the years. It’s too bad that it happened,” head coach Andy Reid said. “He’s got a good attitude about it.”
Johnson is a member of the Fab Five, the rookie defensive backs from last season’s draft class. One of the esteemed members, Joshua Williams, is very close with Johnson and said he’s been a great person in the locker room.
“It hurt to see that.”
“I spoke to him this morning, and he’s just telling me use him as inspiration. And that’s what I tried to do.”
The team is optimistic about players stepping up to fill his role.
Toub named rookie defensive backs Chamarri Conner and Nic Jones as players who have done well so far on special teams.
Other Fab Five members Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson along with L’Jarius Sneed have had many reps at corner last season and during this training camp. | https://www.ksn.com/sports/chiefs/chiefs-place-safety-nazeeh-johnson-on-injured-reserve/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:43 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/sports/chiefs/chiefs-place-safety-nazeeh-johnson-on-injured-reserve/ |
WHITE EARTH, Minn. — At least two tribal nations are expected to open Minnesota’s first recreational marijuana dispensaries in August as recreational marijuana becomes legal to possess and grow in the state on Tuesday.
Weeks earlier, NativeCare — a tribal-run medical marijuana provider — announced a recreational marijuana dispensary expected to open shortly on Red Lake Nation once the new law takes effect, the Star Tribune reported. The nation is also in northwestern Minnesota.
The band could’ve started selling recreational marijuana at that time but decided to wait until Minnesota’s new marijuana law legalizes possession statewide.
“Our intention is to be a good partner and ultimately fill the void for people who intend to use cannabis,” Red Lake tribal secretary Sam Strong told the Star Tribune.
The state’s Democratic-controlled Legislature approved a massive marijuana legalization bill this year, which Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed in May.
White Earth Nation and Red Lake Nation plan to take advantage of their sovereignty and allow sales right away. But the state projects most legal retail sales won’t begin until early 2025, while it creates a licensing and regulatory system for the new industry.
Minnesota is the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana, more than a decade after Colorado and Washington did so. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/30/native-american-recreational-marijuana-dispensary-minnesota-legalization/6fb1c1f6-2f1b-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:29:43 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/30/native-american-recreational-marijuana-dispensary-minnesota-legalization/6fb1c1f6-2f1b-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
Brittney Griner will miss at least 2 games to focus on her mental health
Brittney Griner will skip an upcoming road trip with the Phoenix Mercury “to focus on her mental health,” the team announced on Saturday. The WNBA star is going to miss at least two games that her team is scheduled to play during the trip to Chicago and Indiana this week, although the Mercury said it is still finalizing “a timeline for her return” to the court.
“Mercury center Brittney Griner will not travel with the team on its upcoming two-game road trip to Chicago and Indiana (July 30-August 1) to focus on her mental health. The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return,” the team wrote on social media Saturday afternoon.
Griner, an Olympic gold medalist and seasoned WNBA all-star, originally returned to the league earlier this year after being released from custody in Russia. The professional athlete had been detained in Russian prisons for nearly 10 months on drug charges before she was freed in a high-profile prisoner swap last December for an arms dealer previously imprisoned in the United States.
Griner re-signed a contract with the Phoenix Mercury, the team where she had played for years prior to the detainment, in the months following her arrival back home. She made her first official game-time appearance this season when the Mercury played against the Los Angeles Sparks in May. About a month later, Griner played in her first All-Star game since her return.
“It meant everything to me,” Griner told the crowd after the All-Star game, CNN reported. “I didn’t think that I would be here today, honestly but everybody sending letters, sending love, posting. I’m still seeing it to this day everything that everybody did. It really meant a lot to me, it gave me hope it made me not want to just give it up for anything, so it was this league that helped me out.” | https://www.wsgw.com/brittney-griner-will-miss-at-least-2-games-to-focus-on-her-mental-health/ | 2023-07-30T22:29:52 | 1 | https://www.wsgw.com/brittney-griner-will-miss-at-least-2-games-to-focus-on-her-mental-health/ |
DENVER — Ty Blach tossed five strong innings, Ryan McMahon had two hits and drove in both runs, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Oakland Athletics 2-0 on Sunday to salvage the final game of the three-game series.
Ramón Laureano had two hits and Luis Medina (3-8) allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Athletics.
Oakland, which entered the weekend series averaging 3.22 runs, put up a total of 19 runs in its wins Friday and Saturday nights against traditional starters. The Athletics’ bats went silent against Blach, a reliever and designated opener.
Blach (1-0), making his second straight start, went a season-high five innings and threw just 11 balls in his 52 pitches. He allowed three hits and only one runner past first base.
McMahon provided the run support with an RBI single in the third inning and a two-out double in the fifth to bring home Ezequiel Tovar.
The Athletics’ best chance to score was against Suter in the seventh, when they loaded the bases with two outs. Suter got Nick Allen looking with a 78 mph changeup to end the inning.
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
Colorado continued its season-long 30th anniversary celebration by honoring four key figures in franchise history. Clint Hurdle, Pedro Astacio, Jorge De La Rosa and Carlos González were in attendance and recognized for their major contributions to the Rockies.
Hurdle managed the team to the 2007 World Series, Astacio holds team record for complete games with 14, De La Rosa has the most strikeouts in franchise history with 985, and González was a Gold Glove outfielder and NL batting champion. He also hit a walk-off homer to complete a cycle, which occurred on July 30, 2010.
González, Astacio and De La Rosa threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
UP NEXT
Athletics: Have not announced a starter for Monday night’s game at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rockies: LHP Austin Gomber (8-8, 5.83) will start the opener of a three-game series against San Diego on Monday night. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/athletics-rockies/ec6e928a-2f22-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:29:53 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/athletics-rockies/ec6e928a-2f22-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
ATLANTA — Matt Olson drove in five runs with two homers, including a go-ahead, two-run blast in the eighth, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 on Sunday to cap their sweep of the high-scoring series.
Kirby Yates (5-0) pitched a scoreless eighth. Raisel Iglesias earned his 20th save by striking out the side in the ninth.
Atlanta rookie AJ Smith-Shawver, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett before the game, allowed three runs on four hits and four walks in five innings. Collin McHugh blew the 5-3 lead by giving up three runs in the sixth.
RAYS 8, ASTROS 2
HOUSTON — Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Josh Lowe capped a four-run first with a three-run double and Tampa Bay beat Houston.
The Rays got to Houston starter Brandon Bielak (5-6) for four runs in the first, with Yandy Díaz scoring on a fielding error by José Abreu before Josh Lowe hit his three-run double. Bielak allowed six runs — three earned — on eight hits with four strikeouts in five innings.
Zack Littell (1-2), making his fourth start of the season, yielded two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in a career-high five innings.
ANGELS 3, BLUE JAYS 2, 10 INNINGS
TORONTO — Hunter Renfroe hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning and Los Angeles beat Toronto to avoid a three-game sweep.
Renfroe’s 17th home run of the season came off Blue Jays right-hander Yimi García (3-4). It was the Angels’ first hit with a runner in scoring position in the series. Renfroe went 3 for 4 and drove in all three runs.
Carlos Estévez (5-1) pitched the final two innings for the win. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in automatic runner Bo Bichette with a leadoff single in the 10th, but the Blue Jays couldn’t tie it.
PIRATES 6, PHILLIES 4, 10 INNINGS
PITTSBURGH — Josh Palacios hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning, and Pittsburgh rallied twice from two runs down to clinch the three-game series.
With Jared Triolo on as the automatic runner, Palacios led off the 10th by driving a slider from Andrew Vasquez (2-1) 367 feet to right. He celebrated his 28th birthday with his second homer of the season as the Pirates took two of three from the Phillies.
Alec Bohm singled to start the 10th for Philadelphia and went to second on a throwing error by Triolo, putting automatic runner Bryce Harper on third. Harper hesitated to run when Trea Turner flew out to right, ultimately charging home when catcher Endy Rodriguez threw to second with Bohm scrambling back to the base. Nick Gonzales’ throw back to Rodriguez beat Harper for the second out. Angel Perdomo (2-1) struck out Edmundo Sosa to end the threat.
MARLINS 8, TIGERES 6
MIAMI — Garrett Cooper and Jean Segura homered, newly acquired relievers Jorge López and David Robertson played key roles and Miami beat Detroit.
López (5-2) got the last two outs in the seventh and Robertson closed with a perfect ninth in his Marlins debut for his 16th save.
Tigers star slugger Miguel Cabrera doubled and walked in his last appearance in Miami. The 40-year-old Cabrera, who will retire at the end of the season, played his first five seasons with the Marlins. He was replaced for a pinch-runner after reaching on a walk in the seventh and received one final round of cheers.
Cooper’s two-run shot in the seventh put the Marlins ahead 7-6. He drove a 1-2 pitch from Tigers’ reliever Tyler Holton (0-2) over the wall in left-center for his 13th homer.
ROYALS 2, TWINS 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Freddy Fermin hit a homer, Maikel Garcia had an RBI double, Ryan Yarbrough gave up one run over seven innings and Kansas City completed a sweep of Minnesota.
Yarbrough (4-5) had his best start of the season going seven innings, allowing one earned run and giving up seven hits while fanning five.
Kenta Maeda (2-6) went five innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits and struck out seven. It’s the first time in over a month that the Twins lost a game he started.
Carlos Hernandez shut down the Twins in the ninth for the first save of his career.
CARDINALS 3, CUBS 0
ST. LOUIS — Steven Matz and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, and St. Louis snapped Chicago’s eight-game winning streak.
Tyler O’Neill, Andrew Knizner and Paul Goldschmidt drove in runs in the first two innings for the Cardinals before the pitchers took it from there.
Matz (2-7) allowed four hits in six innings with two strikeouts and no walks. He has not allowed an earned run over his last two starts, covering 12 innings. Giovanny Gallegos tossed two hitless innings. JoJo Romero threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save.
St. Louis salvaged the final game of the four-game set and had lost its previous six home games to the Cubs.
Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks (4-5) allowed three runs on eight hits over seven innings. He entered the contest with a 13-3 career mark against St. Louis.
GUARDIANS 5, WHITE SOX 0
CHICAGO — José Ramírez homered twice and drove in three runs, helping Aaron Civale and Cleveland earned a split of the four-game series.
Steven Kwan also homered in manager Terry Francona’s 1,927th win, breaking a tie with Casey Stengel for 13th on the career list.
Civale (5-2), a potential trade target ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, pitched six innings in his second straight win. He allowed three hits, struck out four and walked two. Enyel De Los Santos, Trevor Stephan and Emmanuel Clase each pitched an inning after Civale departed, completing a four-hitter.
White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech (4-10) allowed three runs and four hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked five.
METS 5, NATIONALS 2
NEW YORK — Justin Verlander earned his 250th career victory in what could be his final start for New York.
Francisco Lindor homered and had three hits for the fourth-place Mets, who took three of four from last-place Washington. Pete Alonso drove in two runs.
Verlander (6-5) allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings to become the 49th major league pitcher to reach 250 wins.
Alonso had an RBI single and lifted one of New York’s two sacrifice flies in a three-run third against former teammate Trevor Williams (5-6).
Lindor homered in consecutive games for the fourth time this year. He reached base four times. Jeff McNeil hit a go-ahead triple and Omar Narváez also had a sacrifice fly in the third.
ROCKIES 2, ATHLETICS 0
DENVER — Ty Blach tossed five strong innings, Ryan McMahon had two hits and drove in both runs, and Colorado salvaged the final game of the three-game series.
Matt Koch, Brent Suter and Daniel Bard each pitched an inning before Justin Lawrence capped the shutout with a clean ninth to earn his eighth save.
Ramón Laureano had two hits and Luis Medina (3-8) allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Athletics.
Blach (1-0), making his second straight start, went a season-high five innings and threw just 11 balls in his 52 pitches. He allowed three hits and only one runner past first base.
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CHICAGO — José Ramírez homered twice and drove in three runs, helping Aaron Civale and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 5-0 on Sunday.
“Early on his curveball was really working and then he got comfortable with his cutter and threw his fastball,” Francona said. “He just really knows how to pitch.”
The 28-year-old right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last seven starts.
Enyel De Los Santos, Trevor Stephan and Emmanuel Clase each pitched an inning after Civale departed, completing a four-hitter.
Cleveland (53-53) earned a split of the four-game series.
White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech allowed three runs and four hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked five.
Kwan led off the fifth with his fifth homer of the season. After Andrés Giménez struck out swinging, Ramírez hit a drive deep to right field for his 17th homer on the year.
Following a two-out walk by Giménez in the seventh, Ramírez hit another shot to right to give Cleveland a 5-0 lead.
“A game like today is the game everyone wants to get,” Ramírez said through a translator. He added he talked Francona out of giving him a day off.
“The days I have off are the days we’re not playing.”
The Guardians got their first run when Giménez walked with the bases loaded with two outs in the second. Kopech issued four walks and threw a wild pitch in the inning.
“Walks got him,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said of Kopech, who has just one win in his last 10 starts.
Chicago (43-64) had runners at second and third with one out in the sixth but Civale escaped after inducing a pair of flyouts.
WHO’S UP?
Chicago pitching coach Ethan Katz said the club’s fifth starter likely will come from the current roster. Relievers Tanner Banks and Jesse Scholtens could get chances after the White Sox traded Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn to contenders.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: RHP Cal Quantrill (shoulder inflammation) threw a bullpen session. He has been on the injured list since July 6.
White Sox: C Seby Zavala needed a moment with a trainer after catching a bouncing pitch under his hockey-style mask in the fifth. He remained in the game.
UP NEXT
Guardians: Noah Syndergaard (1-4, 7.16 ERA), acquired last week in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, makes his Guardians debut Monday night at Houston against fellow RHP J.P. France (6-3, 2.87 ERA).
White Sox: The White Sox haven’t named a starter for Tuesday night’s series opener at Texas. RHP Jon Gray (6-5, 3.66 ERA) is scheduled to go for the AL West-leading Rangers.
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TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays strengthened their depleted bullpen Sunday by acquiring right-hander Jordan Hicks in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.
A five-year veteran who had spent his entire career with the Cardinals, Hicks is 1-6 with a 3.67 ERA and eight saves in 11 chances. The hard-throwing Hicks has struck out 59 batters in 41 2/3 innings while walking 24.
Toronto put closer Jordan Romano on the 15-day injured list Saturday because of a sore back. Romano left the July 11 All-Star Game in Seattle because of back pain and did not pitch for the Blue Jays again until July 20. He left with two outs in the ninth inning of Friday’s 4-1 win over the Angels and was replaced by Yimi García.
Toronto lost Sunday’s series finale when García, who was pitching for the third straight day, gave up Hunter Renfroe’s two-run homer in the 10th. It was the first time this season García had pitched on three consecutive days.
The Blue Jays could get more relief help when right-hander Chad Green returns from Tommy John surgery. Green, who had elbow surgery last May, signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with Toronto in January. The former Yankee made his third rehab appearance with Class-A Dunedin on Saturday and is expected to move up to Triple-A Buffalo next.
Kloffenstein was 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA in 17 starts at Double-A New Hampshire. Robberse, who is from the Netherlands, was 3-5 with a 4.06 ERA in 18 starts for the Fisher Cats.
Right-hander Mitch White was designated for assignment to make room for Hicks on Toronto’s 40-man roster.
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MIAMI — Garrett Cooper and Jean Segura homered, newly acquired relievers Jorge López and David Robertson played key roles and the Miami Marlins beat the Detroit Tigers 8-6 on Sunday.
“I’m trying to continue doing what I’ve been doing all season long,” said Robertson, acquired from the New York Mets late Thursday.
Garrett Hampson had a double, two singles and two RBIs, while Avisáil García tripled and singled for the Marlins. Miami’s Luis Arraez went 0-for-3 with a walk and his major league-leading batting average dropped to .377.
Tigers star slugger Miguel Cabrera doubled and walked in his last appearance in Miami. The 40-year-old Cabrera, who will retire at the end of the season, played his first five seasons with the Marlins. He was replaced for a pinch-runner after reaching on a walk in the seventh and received one final round of cheers.
“Oh, it’s unbelievable,” Cabrera said of the ovations throughout the series. “I want to appreciate everybody, want to say thank you because they gave me something special in my career to remember all my life. It’s gonna be in my top-five moments of my career.”
Cooper’s two-run shot in the seventh put the Marlins ahead 7-6. He drove a 1-2 pitch from Tigers reliever Tyler Holton (0-2) over the wall in left-center for his 13th homer.
“He threw a curveball that kind of laid in there with two strikes,” Cooper said. “I kind of sped up my bat and put a good swing on it.”
The Marlins increased their lead on Segura’s solo blast in the eighth.
The series win was the Marlins’ first since the All-Star break, when they had an NL wild card-leading 53-39 record. The Marlins returned from the break and lost eight straight before winning four of their last six.
“We needed to win that series,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “I never say ‘must win’ but heading into a big series against Philly and a 13-game stretch, this is a big homestand. Getting on track of winning the first series was important.”
Detroit squandered an early four-run lead and regained the advantage on Kerry Carpenter’s two-run single in the seventh to make it 6-5.
The Marlins erased a 4-0 deficit with a four-run fifth against Tigers starter Tarik Skubal. Yuli Gurriel hit an RBI-single and scored on Nick Fortes’ double. Hampson then added a game-tying two-run double that culminated a nine-pitch plate appearance.
Skubal’s outing ended after he retired Arraez on groundout for the second out in the fifth. The left-hander had faced the minimum through the first 4 1/3 before he gave up four runs and six hits.
“Overall, up and down the lineup, a really good job by the offense to come back after what looked like might be a long day,” Schumaker said.
Cabrera hit a two-RBI double that capped a four-run third against Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo and put Detroit ahead 4-0. Spencer Torkelson and Javier Báez had run-scoring singles in the early outburst.
Luzardo was lifted after 4 2/3 innings. He gave up four runs, seven hits, walked three and struck out three.
BUSQUETS THROWS FIRST PITCH
Former Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets threw the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Busquets joined Inter Miami FC shortly after the MLS club signed his ex-Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.
ROSTER MOVE
The Marlins activated García from the injured list and optioned OF Dane Myers to Triple-A Jacksonville. García had been inactive because of left back tightness since April 28.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: OF-DH Jorge Soler was given the game off. Soler, who leads the club in homers with 24, is on a 12-game homerless skid that includes 18 strikeouts.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Have not announced a starter for the first of a three-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
Marlins: RHP Edward Cabrera (5-6, 4.74) will start the opener of a four-game home series against Philadelphia on Monday. The Phillies will go with Taijuan Walker (11-4, 4.06). | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/marlins-tigers-robertson-lopez/4eaae890-2f1e-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:30:03 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/marlins-tigers-robertson-lopez/4eaae890-2f1e-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
NEW YORK — Justin Verlander earned his 250th career victory in what could be his final start for the New York Mets, who beat the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Sunday after trading Max Scherzer to Texas.
After news of the agreement broke Saturday evening, the Mets and Rangers announced their deal involving Scherzer about 35 minutes before the first pitch Sunday at Citi Field.
New York also sent cash to Texas and received one of the Rangers’ top prospects in infielder Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr. New York said he will be optioned to Double-A Binghamton.
With Scherzer and closer David Robertson traded away in the past few days, it’s possible Verlander could be next as the disappointing Mets look to get younger and improve their farm system. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is signed through next season and has a no-trade clause.
Verlander (6-5) allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings to become the 49th major league pitcher to reach 250 wins.
Alonso had an RBI single and lifted one of New York’s two sacrifice flies in a three-run third against former teammate Trevor Williams (5-6).
Lindor homered in consecutive games for the fourth time this year. He reached base four times. Jeff McNeil hit a go-ahead triple and Omar Narváez also had a sacrifice fly in the third.
Making his 498th career start, Verlander gave up five hits in his third straight win. He walked off the mound to a nice ovation and tipped his cap to the crowd of 33,861 before accepting handshakes from teammates in the dugout.
The Mets signed Verlander to an $86.7 million, two-year contract in December shortly after Jacob deGrom signed a $185 million, five-year deal with Texas. That reunited Verlander and Scherzer, a pair of three-time Cy Young Award winners who were teammates in Detroit from 2010-14.
David Peterson, a candidate to fill Scherzer’s rotation spot, allowed an unearned run in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Adam Ottavino got the final two outs in the eighth and Brooks Raley struck out three for his third save.
The Mets finished 14-8 in July after going 7-19 in June.
Washington opened the game with singles by CJ Abrams and Jeimer Candelario. The Nationals scored when Abrams stole home as the Mets threw to second.
Alonso’s RBI single tied it in the first, and Lindor scored on McNeil’s triple into the right-field corner to put New York ahead in the third. Lindor hit a solo homer to right for a 5-1 lead in the fourth after ending his 15-game homerless drought Saturday.
Williams allowed five runs and seven hits in four innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: RHP Rico Garcia (right biceps tendinitis) was placed on the injured list and RHP Amos Willingham was recalled from Triple-A Rochester.
Mets: RF Starling Marte (migraines) took batting practice. He is feeling better and is expected to join the team on the upcoming road trip.
UP NEXT
Nationals: RHP Jake Irvin (3-5, 4.96 ERA) opens a three-game series Monday in Washington against Milwaukee RHP Corbin Burnes (9-6, 3.46).
Mets: LHP José Quintana (0-2, 3.27 ERA) opposes RHP Zack Greinke (1-11, 5.49) in the opener of a three-game series Tuesday in Kansas City
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(NewsNation) — As in decades past, the question of whether aliens exist continues to captivate Americans. Following Wednesday’s widely-watched Congressional hearing on UAPs and UFOs, people flocked to social media — many proclaiming the government confirmed aliens exist.
But that’s not actually what happened at the hearing. While witnesses and lawmakers discussed the issue of UFOs, the government has not issued any official confirmation of alien life and what was said at the hearing, by witnesses and even a lawmaker, remains unverified.
As lawmakers continue to probe the issue, join NewsNation’s Brian Entin at 9 p.m. ET Sunday night for a two-hour special report on the hearing, including analysis from UFO experts. Find out how to tune in to NewsNation on your local channel lineup.
Here’s what we do (and don’t) know after the hearing:
- Whistleblower David Grusch largely recounted second-hand testimony and provided no evidence to support his claims. Grusch is a former member of the UAP Task Force.
- Former Navy Commander and pilot David Fravor recounted a first-hand experience with the so-called Tic Tac UFO but said he was never briefed on the object or its potential origins.
- Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, who founded the Americans for Safe Aerospace, also recounted an encounter he had with an object he described as a black sphere floating inside a clear cube. Graves indicated such encounters were extremely common among pilots. There was no evidence presented to support this claim.
- While lawmakers seemed largely accepting of the witness testimony, only Rep. Matt Gaetz, R.-Fl., said he had seen any evidence of alien life firsthand.
- Grusch was unable to answer a number of inquiries regarding specific evidence or proof in an open setting, though he indicated he would be willing to say more in a secure, classified briefing.
- All three witnesses agreed these unidentified objects constituted a potential national security threat.
- Official government bodies, including the White House, Pentagon, and NASA have all stated they have no reason to believe unexplained objects are extraterrestrial in nature.
- National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby said after the hearing there are “no hard and fast” answers to the question but that the administration is taking it seriously.
This wasn’t the first time the U.S. government undertook investigations to address the question of UFOs, nor is it the first time the official response was that there was nothing “alien” going on.
However, at the heart of Grusch’s whistleblower complaint is his claim that the government, specifically the Department of Defense, is operating programs to retrieve material from crashes that are extraterrestrial in nature and are keeping those programs secret from the public while also operating without appropriate Congressional oversight.
Grusch spoke exclusively to NewsNation regarding his experiences, which he said include the U.S. government recovering the “non-human” pilots of downed craft.
In light of his claims, lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee have vowed to continue to hold more hearings, including classified briefings where Grusch could speak more freely. Members have also vowed to seek the power to subpoena documents and images that Grusch says back up his claims.
Lawmakers have also called for a centralized reporting system for both military and civilian reports of UFOs, to better analyze and understand the possible threat.
There is also the possibility of the creation of a new committee to specifically investigate UAPs/UFOs. It’s not entirely clear how Congress could compel the DoD or military to release information on any secret programs, should they exist, though, in the past, lawmakers have attempted to work UFO reporting into funding requirements for the Pentagon. | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/did-the-government-confirm-aliens-exist/ | 2023-07-30T22:30:12 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/did-the-government-confirm-aliens-exist/ |
(The Hill) – Northwestern is the latest in a long line of universities to come under public scrutiny due to a scandal over hazing, a practice that has refused to go extinct in colleges and high schools despite multiple concerted efforts to end it.
Hazing, which in rare instances has proven fatal, in particular plagues sports teams and Greek Life.
Experts say education on the issue and increased consequences are needed to create a real change, although they are skeptical the dangerous practice will exit school life anytime soon.
“Hazing has always been prevalent in society, not just in colleges. It’s anywhere that you see a different power dynamic between people who are trying to join a group [and] people who are in the group,” said Todd Shelton, executive director of the Hazing Prevention Network. “There’s research that shows that hazing starts long before college and in those younger ages. It’s especially prevalent in athletic teams camps, performing arts groups.”
The latest high-profile hazing incident comes from Northwestern University, where the head football coach was recently let go and a barrage of lawsuits have fallen on the school.
One of the reported rituals of hazing on the school’s football team was younger players getting restrained in the locker room by older ones while others dry humped the individual. Another incident described in a lawsuit against the school was a ritual called “carwash” where players were forced to rub themselves against a line of naked men in the showers.
“Certainly, it is typical hazing activities that we’ve seen before and it’s not unusual that they’re shrouded with secrecy. So I applaud the people who came forward and reported because that’s — that’s key for institutions to be able to make changes,” Shelton said. “I think those acts are horrible and examples of how hazing can quickly escalate from what individuals think is something that’s mild and or funny, to quickly being something that’s dangerous, either mentally or physically, to the victims.”
Experts say preventing hazing incidents has to start by educating people about its warning signs and dangers.
A study in 2008 showed 73 percent of students who have been in a sorority or fraternity said they experienced behaviors that meet the definition of hazing, such as being forced into drinking games or getting screamed at by other members.
The same study showed 74 percent of athletes in athletic programs also experienced behaviors that amount to hazing.
“Hazing is specific to that group context where someone is seeking inclusion or a sense of belonging in a club, team or organization. They’re a newcomer typically coming into this group situation, and because of that group dynamic there can be an incredible amount of peer pressure and sometimes a coercive environment. And so that can impede or be a barrier to recognizing and or reporting hazing because there can be a lot of fear,” Elizabeth Allan, a professor at the University of Maine, said.
These rituals and desires to be part of the in-group have led to some deadly consequences for young people.
In 2019, five Penn State University students were sentenced to jail after a 19-year-old student at a Beta Theta Pi fraternity house died at a party after hazing-based binge drinking.
While most hazing incidents don’t result in incarceration, there are other consequences for students who are caught for the crime.
“Financial, monetary damages. People have lost their jobs. People have gone to jail or had, criminal penalties, fines and so forth. Let’s say sometimes when it’s a student organization or a team so with a student organization, they’re often suspended or lose their recognition with the campus for a period of time, and with an athletic team sometimes a portion of the season is put on hold or canceled entirely sometimes at the high school level, we’ve seen that recently.” Allan, who also leads the organization Stop Hazing, said.
And yet, even as schools ramp up their efforts, hazing persists.
Allan says a multifaceted strategy is needed to tackle the problem, and her group has developed a “Hazing Prevention Framework” for schools to follow.
“They can use it to also do some strategic planning and set some goals for the improvements they want to make, and all this is really … based on a public health approach to organizational change and promoting healthy behaviors in a community setting,” Allan said.
Shelton said his group also advocates for hazing to be treated as a felony, whereas many states look at it as a misdemeanor.
“The problem is it’s not taken seriously in the law, and we’ve seen a lot of hazing cases, even when there’s been a death… [where] prosecutors don’t consider it hazing or don’t consider hazing to be a serious crime to go through the measures of prosecuting,” Shelton said. “And so that’s why we’ve been working hard to strengthen those state laws.” | https://www.wfla.com/news/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ | 2023-07-30T22:30:18 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ |
HOUSTON (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Josh Lowe capped a four-run first with a three-run double and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros 8-2 on Sunday.
Brandon Lowe, who finished with three hits, hit his homer to right in the sixth to increase Tampa Bay’s lead to 8-2. He also had an RBI single in the fourth.
The Rays got to Houston starter Brandon Bielak (5-6) for four runs in the first, with Yandy Díaz scoring on a fielding error by José Abreu before Josh Lowe hit his three-run double.
Díaz had an RBI single in the fourth as the Rays built a 6-0 lead.
Zack Littell (1-2), making his fourth start of the season, yielded two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in a career-high five innings.
Houston got their runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Kyle Tucker and an RBI groundout by Alex Bregman. Jose Altuve had three hits.
Bielak allowed six runs — three earned — on eight hits with four strikeouts in five innings. Bielak has allowed six runs in consecutive starts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: Zach Efflin (right knee discomfort) is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday after being injured Wednesday. “We need him to pitch,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We don’t want to put him in harm’s way, but I think he’s checked a lot of boxes here. We are very encouraged with how he’s responded day-to-day, and he still has another day or two of rest.”
Astros: RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder) allowed five runs on nine hits in five innings of a rehabilitation start with Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday. Urquidy threw 76 pitches in his fourth rehab start. … OF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) took batting practice on the field prior to Sunday’s game.
ROSTER MOVE
Tampa Bay selected RHP Erasmo Ramírez from Triple-A Durham and optioned RHP Calvin Faucher to Durham.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.36 ERA) starts Monday in the first of a three-game series at the Yankees.
Astros: Houston starts a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday, but the Astros have yet to announce their starter. | https://www.wfla.com/sports/rays/brandon-lowe-josh-lowe-lead-rays-past-astros-8-2/ | 2023-07-30T22:30:20 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/sports/rays/brandon-lowe-josh-lowe-lead-rays-past-astros-8-2/ |
Cougar attacks 8-year-old camper at Olympic National Park
An 8-year-old camper survived being attacked by a cougar at Washington’s Olympic National Park on Saturday evening, officials said.
The attack happened around 6:30 p.m. local time at Lake Angeles, the National Park Service said. The cougar “casually abandoned its attack” after the child’s mother yelled at the animal, leaving the 8-year-old with minor injuries, according to the National Park Service.
All other campers in the area were evacuated after the attack and access to the area was shut down “due to the extreme nature of this incident,” Olympic National Park wildlife biologist Tom Kay said in a statement.
Law enforcement and wildlife personnel went into the park early Sunday morning to find the cougar, authorities said. The cougar will be euthanized and removed from the park for a necropsy if it’s located.
“This may provide clues as to why the animal attacked since cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare,” the National Park Service said.
Since 1924, state authorities have recorded around two dozen cougar-human encounters that resulted in a documented injury, including a deadly attack in 2018, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. A 9-year-old girl survived a cougar attack in Washington last year.
All of Olympic National Park is considered cougar territory. Visitors to the park are advised not to hike or jog solo. Adults should keep children within sight and pets should be left at home.
Park visitors who spot a cougar should not run because it may trigger the animal’s attack instinct. Experts advise that people should instead group together to appear as large as possible and make lots of noise/
“The idea is to convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential danger,” according to state Department of Fish and Wildlife guidelines.
Cougars are the largest members of the cat family found in Washington, with adult males weighing an average of 140 pounds. Adult females rarely weigh more than 110 pounds. They are most active from dusk until dawn. | https://www.wsgw.com/cougar-attacks-8-year-old-camper-at-olympic-national-park/ | 2023-07-30T22:30:22 | 1 | https://www.wsgw.com/cougar-attacks-8-year-old-camper-at-olympic-national-park/ |
PITTSBURGH — Josh Palacios hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied twice from two runs down to beat the Phillies 6-4 on Sunday and clinch the three-game series.
Palacios, who went 3 for 5, is the first Pirates player to hit a walkoff home run on his birthday, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“After I hit that ball, I think I blacked out,” Palacios said. “I don’t know. I still might be blacked out right now. ... Best birthday I can ask for, aside for probably my first birthday, coming into this Earth.”
Alec Bohm singled to start the 10th for Philadelphia and went to second on a throwing error by Triolo, putting automatic runner Bryce Harper on third. Harper hesitated to run when Trea Turner flew out to right, ultimately charging home when catcher Endy Rodriguez threw to second with Bohm scrambling back to the base. Nick Gonzales’ throw back to Rodriguez beat Harper for the second out. Angel Perdomo (2-1) struck out Edmundo Sosa to end the threat.
“I’ve seen us play better, that’s for sure,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We have to clean it up. We made some fundamental mistakes. ... We have to clean it all up and we will.”
With two outs in the seventh, Harper bounced a 2-2 pitch down the first-base line that kicked off the glove of Connor Joe, who attempted a diving stop at first. Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs scored to break a 2-2 tie before Bohm tacked on another run with an RBI single.
“When talent doesn’t play well or play smart, you get beat,” Harper said. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, it’s still professional baseball.”
Bryan Reynolds cut the deficit to 4-3 on a single in the seventh, with Joe scoring on an error by rookie Johan Rojas in center. Triolo singled off Yunior Marte to start the eighth before advancing to third on Palacios’ double and scoring the tying run on a sacrifice to right from Nick Gonzales.
Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez did not allow a hit in five innings, lowering his ERA to 2.66 this season. The 26-year-old left-hander struck out three, walked two and hit three others before being pulled after 73 pitches (46 strikes) with an upset stomach.
“I had a little stomachache going on. I didn’t feel like I had much energy today,” Sánchez said. “I think I did a good job. Even if I don’t feel well because I have something going on, I’m going to go out and compete.”
After Sánchez exited, Joe sent a leadoff single trickling through the right side of the infield off Seranthony Domínguez. Reynolds followed with his 12th home run of the season, belting a fastball 418 feet to right-center field to tie it 2-all.
“Our guys kept going,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We were getting no-hit through five. We get the base hit, Bryan gets the homer. We just continued to play and made good plays.”
Bohm had three RBIs, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the fourth that went 396 feet to right-center field off a first-pitch changeup from Rich Hill, who gave up five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in five innings.
UP NEXT
Phillies: RHP Taijuan Walker (11-4, 4.06) will be called upon Monday to start a four-game road series against the Marlins. Walker is 0-1 in his past two starts since winning seven straight.
Pirates: RHP Johan Oviedo (4-11, 4.60) will take the mound Tuesday in the first of a two-game series against the Tigers. Oviedo has allowed one run in two of his past three starts after surrendering 13 combined his previous two outings.
___ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/palacios-phillies-pirates/06fb984e-2f20-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:30:24 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/palacios-phillies-pirates/06fb984e-2f20-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
SAN DIEGO — The AL West-leading Texas Rangers continued to load up on pitching by acquiring left-hander Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.
The Rangers sent left-hander John King, minor league infielder Tommy Saggese and Double-A right-hander T.K. Roby to the Cardinals. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rangers designated right-hander Joe Barlow for assignment.
Montgomery is 6-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts for last-place St. Louis, with 108 strikeouts against 35 walks. He can become a free agent after this season.
Stratton is 1-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 42 relief appearances, with 59 strikeouts and 17 walks.
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HOUSTON — Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer and drove in three, Josh Lowe capped a four-run first with a three-run double and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros 8-2 on Sunday.
Since the All-Star break, he has four home runs and nine RBIs.
Brandon Lowe, who came off the injured list July 4, credited his work while on the injured list for his resurgence at the plate.
“There were a few things we figured out on the IL,” he said. “Just some subtle swing tips, just thought processes and things that I have to do off the field to make sure I stay in there. … All sorts of different things that really made my body feel good, and when you feel good, you play at your best.”
The Rays got to Houston starter Brandon Bielak (5-6) for four runs in the first, with Yandy Díaz scoring on a fielding error by José Abreu before Josh Lowe hit his three-run double.
“It was something we needed early in the game there to get us started,” Josh Lowe said. “More than that, I’m just glad we were able to keep it going throughout the game. It wasn’t like we had one big inning. We put up multiple runs in multiple innings, so that was really encouraging to see.”
Díaz had an RBI single in the fourth as the Rays built a 6-0 lead.
“We had some big at-bats with some guys on base,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Probably none bigger than Josh’s. Coming up there, it could have been somewhat frustrating had we not capitalized in that moment, but Josh got a pitch he could drive and cleared the bases.”
Zack Littell (1-2), making his fourth start of the season, yielded two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in a career-high five innings.
Littell said mixing pitches played a role in his success.
“I tend to get a bit fastball happy,” Littell said. “The goal today was to go out there and eat as many innings as I could. Mixing pitches and trying to keep them off-balance was the goal.”
Houston got their runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Kyle Tucker and an RBI groundout by Alex Bregman. Jose Altuve had three hits.
Bielak allowed six runs — three earned — on eight hits with four strikeouts in five innings. Bielak, who also walked three, has allowed six runs in consecutive starts.
“It was a combination of walks, and that club over there, you can’t give them a whole bunch of walks and errors because they can score,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “It was a pretty uneventful day for us. Things didn’t start off well, and they didn’t end well.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: Zach Efflin (right knee discomfort) is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday after being injured Wednesday. “We need him to pitch,” Cash said. “We don’t want to put him in harm’s way, but I think he’s checked a lot of boxes here. We are very encouraged with how he’s responded day-to-day, and he still has another day or two of rest.”
Astros: RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder) allowed five runs on nine hits in five innings of a rehabilitation start with Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday. Urquidy threw 76 pitches in his fourth rehab start. … OF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) took batting practice on the field prior to Sunday’s game.
ROSTER MOVE
Tampa Bay selected RHP Erasmo Ramírez from Triple-A Durham and optioned RHP Calvin Faucher to Durham.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Tyler Glasnow (4-3, 3.36 ERA) starts Monday in the first of a three-game series at the Yankees.
Astros: Houston starts a three-game series against the Guardians on Monday, but the Astros have yet to announce their starter.
___ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/rays-astros-lowe-littell-bielak/e9a359d8-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:30:36 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/rays-astros-lowe-littell-bielak/e9a359d8-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Freddy Fermin hit a homer, Maikel Garcia had an RBI double, Ryan Yarbrough gave up one run over seven innings and the Kansas City Royals completed a sweep of the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Sunday.
“You see it every day, these guys work, come out and play hard and to be rewarded with some wins is something that’s really nice to see,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Especially going into an off day, these guys deserve it.”
Yarbrough (4-5) had his best start of the season going seven innings, allowing one earned run and giving up seven hits while fanning five. It’s his third quality start of July and he lowered his ERA to 2.19 in the month of July with 15 strikeouts and just two walks.
“I think Freddy called a great ball game and we had some good back and forth between innings of what we’re trying to do,” Yarbrough said. “We had a good game plan and made really good adjustments as we went.”
Fermin hit a 420-foot homer to left field in the second inning to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. He has a team high six-game hitting streak. Kansas City scored first in every game of the series.
“The home run was on an 0-2 splitter, and Freddy has been doing a great job of staying on the off-speed stuff,” Quatraro said. “Just to be in a position to stay back and hit that ... that can be tough.”
Matt Wallner tied the game in the third with a 445-foot homer to right field, which was his fifth on the season.
The Royals took back the lead for good in the third with Garcia’s double, scoring Nicky Lopez.
Kenta Maeda (2-6) went five innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits and struck out seven. It’s the first time in over a month that the Twins lost a game he started.
“As a whole it was a good outing for him. He found himself when he needed,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “His stuff was good. He gave us a chance to win the game.”
Carlos Hernandez shut down the Twins in the ninth for the first save of his career.
The win marks the first time this season Kansas City has won three games in a row.
“It’s been a bit of a tough go and you don’t get many opportunities to sweep teams so you want to take full advantage there,” Yarbrough said. “I was just trying to keep us in the ball game personally and go deep. This is just something to really build off of.”
This is the fourth time Minnesota has been swept since June 8.
“There are a lot of things we need to do better,” Baldelli said. “We’ve mixed some really good baseball in with some really bad baseball and it has evened out to being not good enough. Hopefully we can recapture that a little bit of that going to St. Louis.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
The Twins placed OF/1B Alex Kiriloff on the 10-day IL (right shoulder inflammation) and reinstated LHP Caleb Thielbar off the 15-day IL.
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Pablo Lopez (5-6) will start the first of three games at St. Louis on Tuesday.
Royals: RHP Zach Greinke (1-11) takes the mound as Kansas City hosts the Mets on Tuesday for a three-game series.
___ | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/twins-royals/62c738e0-2f1b-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:30:42 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2023/07/30/twins-royals/62c738e0-2f1b-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After ending last season with no healthy quarterbacks, the San Francisco 49ers are starting this season trying to juggle practice time for four of them.
Fourth-stringer Brandon Allen has gotten a good share of snaps during team drills so far, working mostly with the third team as the Niners were impressed with his play in the offseason and want to keep him in the mix even though there are three QBs ahead of him on the depth chart.
San Francisco’s reluctance to pare down the QB room comes after injuries at the position derailed the Niners 2022 season. Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 and was replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo then started the next 10 games before breaking his foot, giving Purdy the shot to start as a rookie after being drafted last overall.
Purdy won his first seven starts before injuring his elbow on the opening drive of the NFC title game loss at Philadelphia. Backup Josh Johnson came in and got a concussion, forcing the Niners to play most of the second half with Purdy unable to throw the ball more than a few yards downfield.
While the shuffling might seem to make it harder for receivers to find a rhythm, Brandon Aiyuk said that hasn’t been a concern.
“If I’m getting to my spots, the quarterback is supposed to get it to the exact same spot whether it’s Brock or (Brandon), it doesn’t really matter. What matters is getting to a spot and finding the ball,” he said. “As a receiver you like going out there when you have four guys who can put it right were it needs to be.”
This wasn't the spot Lance expected to be in after San Francisco traded three first-round picks to draft him third overall in 2021. But Lance started only two games as a rookie behind Garoppolo and played less than five quarters a year ago.
Now he is battling just to be the backup and is uncertain how big a role he will play this season.
“We haven’t had any conversations,” he said. “I find out right before practice or whatever, what the rep count is going to be. I just take advantage of every rep.”
Lance got the first snaps with the starters at practice Sunday with Darnold also working his way in with the first-team offense.
The passing game looked good with the offense taking advantage of a few blown coverages and blitzes. Lance hit tight end George Kittle on a nice deep strike early in practice, found Chris Conley on a TD in the red zone and also had a scramble for a score.
Darnold formed a good chemistry with Aiyuk on some crossing patterns that would have been big plays and also hit Deebo Samuel on a big pass as he tries to live up to the billing that made him the No. 3 overall pick by the Jets in 2018.
Darnold’s 78.2 career passer rating with the Jets and Carolina is the lowest among the 36 QBs with at least 1,000 attempts since he entered the league but he has never had the opportunity to play on an offense as skilled as the 49ers.
“Very talented guy,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Everyone has really liked working with him. The team loves him. He’s doing some good things out there and getting more and more comfortable every day.”
Purdy will be back with the first team on Monday when the Niners practice in pads for the first time. He took part in practices last Thursday and Friday but is being eased back in after the surgery.
The plan is for Purdy to practice Monday and Tuesday and then get the off day on Wednesday and Thursday’s practice to rest his arm before getting back into practice on Friday.
“I think he’s done great,” Shanahan said. “He’s come back, had no arm troubles. He’s been totally healthy. He’s getting all his timing back and rhythm. I was really impressed with him those first two practices.”
NOTES: Shanahan had no update on the status of Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, who is holding out in search of a long-term contract. ... LT Trent Williams got a veteran day off and CB Charvarius Ward sat out team drills with tightness in his groin. ... Frank Gore, who recently joined the front office, was at practice with 2005 draft class teammate Alex Smith.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/49ers-nfl-quarterbacks-purdy-lance-darnold/9af74270-2f1e-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:30:48 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/49ers-nfl-quarterbacks-purdy-lance-darnold/9af74270-2f1e-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
GOP talk of Trump pardon is “inappropriate,” Asa Hutchinson says
▶ Watch Video: Asa Hutchinson calls Trump pardon discussions “inappropriate” during campaign
Washington — Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said it’s “inappropriate” for his GOP rivals to talk about pardoning former President Donald Trump if he is convicted in federal court.
The Justice Department unveiled new charges against Trump last week in a superseding indictment related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House and his alleged attempts to obstruct the investigation. Trump pleaded not guilty when he was initially charged.
Hutchinson told “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Trump should not be pardoned for the good of the country.
“That should not be any discussion during a presidential campaign. You don’t put pardons out there to garner votes,” he said. “…Anybody who promises pardons during a presidential campaign is not serving our system of justice well, and it’s inappropriate.”
Before Trump was arraigned in the documents case, biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy vowed to pardon the former president if he’s convicted as soon as he’s sworn in.
Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the U.N. in the Trump administration, has previously said she would be “inclined” to pardon Trump. She suggested to “Face the Nation” on Sunday that a pardon would be “in the best interest of the country.”
“I don’t want there to be all of this division over the fact that we have a president serving years in jail over a documents trial,” she said.
Hutchinson said people who are angry about the Trump indictment and are attacking the U.S. justice system in response are “putting his personal good above the public good and above the common good.”
“They see differences as to how cases are handled,” Hutchinson said. “But that is not a defense in a case that’s been brought against Donald Trump.”
Hutchinson, who is 72, also criticized Haley’s calls for mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75.
“As a practical matter, you want a president to be in good health and … in a good mental state, but the tests are not constitutional,” he said. “It really is something that’s a throwaway line that catches people’s attention.”
Hutchinson said he trusted voters “to make the right decisions.”
“There’s a mental acuity test every time you go to Iowa and there’s a town hall meeting with the questions from the voters, they do a pretty good job of assessing those issues,” he said. | https://www.wsgw.com/gop-talk-of-trump-pardon-is-inappropriate-asa-hutchinson-says/ | 2023-07-30T22:30:52 | 0 | https://www.wsgw.com/gop-talk-of-trump-pardon-is-inappropriate-asa-hutchinson-says/ |
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari are seemingly inseparable on the field for the New York Giants.
That was the plan last year, too. The young bookend backers and edge rushers were going to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and offenses playing in coordinator Wink Martindale’s aggressive defense.
It didn’t happen.
The fifth pick overall in the draft, Thibodeaux sustained a knee injury in the preseason, missed the first two regular-season games and started 14 of the next 15 games and two in the playoffs. He finished with four sacks, 49 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and two recoveries, including a strip-sack for a TD against Washington in December.
“Last year’s film kind of disgusts me a little bit when I look at myself,” Thibodeaux said. “I get a little cringe feeling. But it definitely is, like I said, a platform to continue to grow.”
Last season was a struggle with injuries for Ojulai.
Coming off a team-high eight sacks as a rookie in 2021, he was limited to seven regular-season games by a hamstring pull, two calf injuries and ankle problems.
Still, the Georgia product had 14 tackles, seven quarterback hits and 5 1/2 sacks, second only to Dexter Lawrence’s 7 1/2 sacks.
“Most important goal for me this season is to play all 17 games, stay healthy,” Ojulari said. “That’s my main goal for me.”
Both players have adjusted their offseason workout programs in looking to get the Giants back to the playoffs. Ojulari dropped weight. Thibodeaux became a gym rate, a health nut and more of a professional in his training.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Thibodeaux said of playing again with Ojulari. “For him on paper, you know how many sacks he had to how many plays he had, if you can get him 17 games, who knows how many sacks you’ll get? Yeah, he’s definitely one of the most talented pass rushers I’ve ever played with.”
Thibodeaux not only can rush the passer, but he has instincts and speed to play sideline to sideline.
“He has all the tools and the sky’s the limit for him,” Ojulari said.
The two are pushing each other.
“We’re always competing in our room or whatever,” Ojulari said. “Everything we do, we always compete. Every single thing, every rep, even if it’s a get-off competition, we try to see who’s going to get off the fastest and who going to make the most plays. I feel like as we keep that competition up, every single day is going to translate to the game.”
Thibodeaux would not talk about goals for his second season in numerical terms.
“I just want to be great,” the Oregon product said. “I want to help my team win. I want to be a guy who can make plays and make the plays when they count.”
NOTES: Veteran Sterling Shepard was taken off the physically unable to perform list and fellow receiver Jamison Crowder was activated off the non-football injury list. Shepard is attempting a comeback from an ACL injury in September. Nine months earlier his 2021 season ended with an Achilles tendon injury. ... The Giants longest-tenured player, Shepard will have to work hard to earn a roster spot. New York signed Crowder, Parris Campbell and Cole Beasley as free agents, drafted Jalin Hyatt, and have Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins returning. “Whatever decision or however it shakes out, that’s just the way it shakes out,” the 30-year-old Shepard said. “It isn’t anything that I can do about it but do what I do, so that’s the way that I approach it. Every day.” Safety Jason Pinnock intercepted Daniel Jones’ red zone pass on the final play of practice to give a defense a win on a sudden-death play. The result was the offense had to run a wind sprint. ... Beasley returned to practice after missing a workout on Friday because of a quad injury. ... Defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches was on the field with a non-contract red jersey. He was injured in a car accident on Tuesday and missed the first three practices. Outside linebacker Jihad Ward (undisclosed) and tight end Ryan Jones (knee) did not practice.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/new-york-giants-kayvon-thibodeaux-azeez-ojulari/20f8610c-2f23-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:30:54 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/new-york-giants-kayvon-thibodeaux-azeez-ojulari/20f8610c-2f23-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
TAMPA, Fla. — Ronde Barber never doubted he’d wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Barber, 48, played much of his career in the shadow of twin brother Tiki, who garnered far more attention as a star running back for the New York Giants.
That is until Ronde turned himself into a household name with a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown that sealed the 2002 NFC championship game and propelled the once hapless Bucs to their first Super Bowl appearance.
“It took a long time to get where I am, but I truly believed I was going to get there,” Barber said, looking back on a 16-year career in which he set an NFL mark for consecutive starts by a defensive back and never missed a game because of injury.
“I’ve been (to Canton) five times. I’ve never gone through the Hall,” he added. “I was purposely waiting until I had my opportunity to go in.”
Barber becomes the fourth member from a defense that dominated the league in the late 1990s and early 2000s to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch. He struggled early, only to persevere and become every bit as important to Tampa Bay’s success as the others.
“We wouldn’t have been as great without him,” Brooks said.
“He’s the best nickel corner who’s ever played. It ain’t even close,” Sapp offered. “That only begins to tell the story.”
Barber, a self-described perfectionist, blossomed in the Tampa 2 defensive scheme Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy brought to the Bucs in the mid-1990s. He excelled outside in base formations and revolutionized the nickel role when he moved inside to cover slot receivers and disrupt opposing offenses as a run-stopper and pass rusher.
Barber especially had a knack for delivering when the Bucs seemed to need him most, fully embracing opportunities to step up and help himself, Brooks, Sapp and Lynch change the perception of a franchise once referred to as the “Yucks.”
“I wanted to be that guy,” Barber said.
“Most teams used their third-best corner in nickel. Ronde was our best, and the best to ever do what he did,” Sapp noted. “Nobody else was versatile enough, durable enough to play at that level outside and inside. He wasn’t a big guy, but he wasn’t afraid of anything. He wanted perfection and prepared to do anything necessary to help us win.”
A three-time, first-team All-Pro, Barber is the only player in NFL history with at least 40 interceptions (47) and 25 sacks (28). He scored 14 non-offensive touchdowns, fourth most all time behind Devin Hester and Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson.
After appearing in just one game — and playing poorly — as a rookie, the 1997 third-round draft pick out of Virginia appeared in 240 consecutive games over the final 15 years of his career. He started the last 215, the longest-ever streak by a defensive back.
“I never wanted to see anybody else do my job,” Barber said.
“He worked hard to perfect that position. He knew what it took to earn that job,” Brooks, who had a streak of 208 consecutive starts at linebacker, said. “When we got on the field it was going to take something drastic to get us out of there.”
For all his accomplishments, including the long interception return against the Philadelphia Eagles that clinched Tampa Bay’s first trip to the Super Bowl, Barber may be most proud of his streak of consecutive games played.
He appreciates the impressive numbers he compiled, as well as winning a Super Bowl. But there’s just something about defying the odds of not missing a game in 15 years.
Especially for a guy who appeared much smaller than his listed playing size of 5-foot-10, 184 pounds.
“With perseverance and hard work, really dedication to doing things uncommon ... you can be special,” Barber said. “There was a lot that went into that, and I’m glad it’s now being appreciated.”
Barber, Sapp and Brooks also think it’s pretty cool that long after their playing careers have ended, the Tampa 2 defense lives on.
Numerous teams have adopted variations of the scheme, though without the level of success the Bucs enjoyed in their defensive heyday.
“That’s because it’s not the system, it’s the players in the system,” Brooks said. “Ronde, with his ability, allowed our defense to expand to all areas of the field. That’s hard to duplicate.”
Pittsburgh’s defense was nicknamed the “Steel Curtain” in the 1970s. Minnesota’s defense was once known as the “Purple People Eaters.”
The Bucs Hall of Famers take pride that the scheme they flourished in carries the name of the city wherever it’s implemented.
“We compared favorably to everybody over the years,” said Barber, who will be inducted on Aug. 5, along with DeMarcus Ware, Darrelle Revis, Joe Thomas, Zach Thomas, Joe Klecko, Chuck Howley, Don Coryell and Ken Riley.
Tiki, a six-time 1,000-yard rusher who ran for 10,449 yards and scored 67 TDs over 10 seasons with the Giants, will present Ronde to the Hall.
“Telling him was one of the highlights of my life,” said Ronde, who hopes one day Tiki will be enshrined in Canton, too. “He said, ’Now that you’re in, I’m in.’”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/ronde-barber-hall-of-fame-buccaneers/0380a4a6-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:31:04 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/ronde-barber-hall-of-fame-buccaneers/0380a4a6-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
TAMPA, Fla. — First-round draft pick Calijah Kancey of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was carted off the practice field Sunday with what coach Todd Bowles described as a right calf strain.
Kancey was the 19th overall pick in the draft and is expected to be an immediate starter after drawing comparisons in college to another former Pitt standout, three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
The injury occurred on the fourth day of camp with the Bucs.
“He’s adapting to the scheme, mentally, and then he was adding his physical part to it,” Bowles said. “He was putting it together quicker than normal rookies do. Hopefully it’s not that bad and he can get back.”
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was also carted off the field on Thursday with a calf strain. Bengals coach Zac Taylor has said that Burrow will be out “several weeks.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/tampa-bay-buccaneers-calijah-kancey/93d6b40a-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:31:10 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/07/30/tampa-bay-buccaneers-calijah-kancey/93d6b40a-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Allisha Gray tied her career high with 27 points, Nia Coffey had a season-high 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Washington Mystics 80-73 on Sunday.
Parker hit a mid-range jumper and Gray followed with a pull-up 3-pointer to make it 53-48 midway through the third quarter and the Dream led the rest of the way. Cyesha Goree made a jumper that trimmed Washington’s deficit to 58-57 with 8:38 to play but Coffey answered with a 3-pointer 19 seconds later to spark a 10-4 spurt — including five points by Gray — to make it 68-61 with 4:57 remaining.
Brittney Sykes made a driving layup to pull the Mystics within three points with 25.1 seconds left but the Mystics were called for a take foul before the inbounds pass. Aari McDonald made the ensuing technical free throw and the Dream hit 4-of-4 foul shots thereon to seal the victory.
Washington (12-13) has lost three games in a row and five of its last six. Regular starters Elena Delle Donne (ankle), Ariel Atkins (ankle) and Shakira Austin (hip) as well as reserve Kristi Toliver (plantar fasciitis) did not play for the Mystics.
Sykes had 25 points and season-high six steals and Tianna Hawkins added 17 points and 10 rebounds — her second double-double this season — for the Mystics. The duo made 13 of 31 (42%) from the field while the rest of the team shot 24% (10 of 41).
Gray, who went into the game averaging a career-best 17.9 points per game, has scored 20-plus points eight times this season. The No. 4 overall selection out of South Carolina in the 2017 draft, Gray scored at least 20 points in a game 12 times during six seasons with the Dallas Wings
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wnba/2023/07/30/mystics-dream-wnba/140b254c-2f23-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:31:16 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wnba/2023/07/30/mystics-dream-wnba/140b254c-2f23-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
INDIANAPOLIS — Jewell Loyd scored 26 points with eight assists, Jordan Horston made 7 of 11 from the field and finished with 15 points to help the Seattle Storm beat the Indiana Fever 85-62 on Sunday.
Indiana (6-19) has lost four games in a row and 12 of its last 13 to fall into a tie with the Storm for last in the WNBA standings — a half-game behind the Phoenix Mercury.
Loyd made 4 of 6 from the field, 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line in the first half and had 15 points and four assists as the Storm took a 47-27 lead into halftime. Indiana went scoreless for six-plus minutes in the second quarter as Seattle scored 15 points to open its biggest lead of the game at 44-19 with 2:32 left in the first half.
Kelsey Mitchell hit a 3-pointer to cap a 9-2 spurt that trimmed Indiana’s deficit to 57-51 late in the third quarter but Loyd answered with a three-point play and then hit two free throws and the Fever trailed by double figures throughout the fourth.
The Storm had 23 assists on 31 made field goals and shot 53.4% from the field, made 12 of 24 from behind the arc and hit 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. Indiana was 25-of-66 (38%) shooting and made just 4 of 16 from 3-point range.
Mitchell hit three 3s and led the Fever with 19 points. Alliyah Boston added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wnba/2023/07/30/storm-fever-wnba/695f65b8-2f27-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:31:22 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wnba/2023/07/30/storm-fever-wnba/695f65b8-2f27-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
Over the past two seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts leads NFL quarterbacks with 304 rushing attempts. He’s also been sacked 64 times.
With that much contact, it might have been a cause for concern when the QB reported to training camp looking a little slimmer. But the former Alabama signal-caller said he’s as sturdy as ever.
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“I’m around the same weight,” Hurts said on Sunday when NFL Network visited the Eagles’ training camp. “Weigh in around 222 (pounds) every day when we step on the scale. The difference is the 7.1 (percent) body fat.”
Hurts said he didn’t approach his offseason workouts with a target weight or body-fat number in mind.
“It’s just something that happened,” Hurts said. “I think conditioning and running and just pushing myself in those areas. And then I always find ways to clean up my diet. I think there’s a time in the offseason to really focus on that and then maintain it throughout the year.
“I’m still a young guy trying to figure out my way and learn what it is that I want to do and what my process is, so that’s a journey in itself.”
Hurts is preparing for his third season as Philadelphia’s No. 1 quarterback. Last season, the Eagles set a franchise record for victories, won the NFC championship and played in Super Bowl LVII.
RELATED: EAGLES QB JALEN HURTS STARTS TRAINING CAMP WITH ‘A PASSION TO PROVE’
Even though Hurts became the only player to have at least 300 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and three touchdown runs in the same game – not just the Super Bowl, but any NFL game – Philadelphia lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 in the final game of the NFL’s 2022 season.
“After that game, I said you either win or you learn,” Hurts said. “And I think people look at failures or things like that as a negative thing. It’s about how you respond to it. But there’s a sense of urgency around here.”
The Eagles are working toward their season-opening game on Sept. 10 against the New England Patriots. Before that, Philadelphia has preseason games against the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 12, Cleveland Browns on Aug. 17 and Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 24.
“We’re all eyes forward and optimistic for what’s to come,” Hurts said, “so it’s just about that grind. You put the work in, just be diligent with it, be persistent and let it handle itself.”
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1. | https://www.al.com/sports/2023/07/how-low-is-jalen-hurts-body-fat-percentage.html | 2023-07-30T22:31:26 | 0 | https://www.al.com/sports/2023/07/how-low-is-jalen-hurts-body-fat-percentage.html |
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s no surprise that the summer heat can do significant damage to your vehicle. But as cities around the country continue to break temperature records and endure long heat waves, some car technicians are finding unusual vehicle issues.
Doc Watson, a national training manager with Bosch Diagnostics, said typical summertime issues include dead car batteries and flat tires. However, he said technicians in Texas and along the West Coast have also been recording more unusual vehicle complications due to the extensive heat waves.
In Texas, Arizona and California, technicians are reporting an emergence of “brake fade” cases in cars. When the temperature outside tops 100 degrees for extended periods of time, temperatures under the hood of vehicles during the summer can reach up to 230 degrees.
Brake fluids inside the cylinder under the hood of the car can absorb moisture, as the heat causes that moisture to expand within the fluid. When that happens, stepping on the brake pedal can feel “mushy.” That means the vehicle owner will need to take the car in for maintenance.
Both heat and humidity can add extra wear and tear to the windshield wiper blades, which have a typical lifespan between 12 and 18 months.
“People don’t stop to think about wiper blades — they don’t need them until it rains, right?” Watson said. “You’re driving around in 112-degree temperature, you’ve got heat reflecting off the glass, and that causes the rubber components of a wiper blade to break down.”
The plastic parts of the blades can also suffer.
“With these extreme temperatures that you guys are seeing, it’s the plastic breaking down off the wiper blade itself, and people not realizing that that’s happened until it’s too late,” he said. “The wiper blade breaks and then you’ve got this metal arm scratching the glass.”
Watson recommended car owners keep a checklist of key vehicle parts to monitor during the summer months. Those include:
- Car batteries: Traditionally, car batteries last between three and five years. Amid excessive heat spells, temperatures under the hood of a vehicle reach up to 230 degrees, which can lead to battery fluid evaporations and dead batteries. Watson suggests car owners have their batteries tested by a technician during the summer to get a condition status.
- Tires: Low tire pressure is exacerbated by hot asphalt on roadways. Watson encouraged car owners to purchase a tire pressure gauge and to test their vehicle’s tire pressure early in the morning while it’s still cool to ensure an accurate reading.
- Engine overflow tank: During the summer months, cooling an engine is critical. Watson said when car owners check underneath the hood, they’ll find a plastic overflow tank with a graduated scale. If it looks low, he suggested adding antifreeze to aid your engine.
- Wiper blades: Check wiper blades during dry spells (and before rain storms) to make sure they’re properly working and not deteriorating. If they show signs of wear and tear, replace them and make sure they’re upgraded every 12-18 months.
- Oil changes: Most newer vehicles require an oil change every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. However, remote starting a vehicle and running the air conditioning works the engine without adding any mileage to the vehicle. As a result, Watson suggested not waiting until you hit that 5,000 to 7,000-mile range if you often use remote start on your vehicle during the summer or winter months.
“People aren’t changing oil regularly like they think they are,” he said. “People need to pay more attention to them because these engines will go many miles — 200,000, 300,000 miles — as long as they’re maintained correctly. That’s big with this extreme heat.” | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/the-weird-car-issues-mechanics-are-seeing-during-heat-waves/ | 2023-07-30T22:31:26 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/the-weird-car-issues-mechanics-are-seeing-during-heat-waves/ |
EL-ARISH, Egypt — A shooting Sunday at a heavily fortified security facility in the restive part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula killed at least four police, including a senior officer, two security and health officials said.
A list of casualties obtained by The Associated Press showed that some forces suffered from gunshots and others faced breathing difficulties from tear gas that was fired inside the facility. There were eight officers among the wounded, the list showed.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately clear, and there was no immediate comment from the Interior Ministry, which oversees police forces.
North Sinai is the scene of a yearslong battle against an insurgency led by Islamist militants who have carried out scores of attacks, mainly targeting security forces and Christians.
The pace of militant attacks in Sinai’s main theater of operations and elsewhere has slowed to a trickle since February 2018, when the military launched a massive operation in Sinai and parts of the Nile Delta as well as desert areas along the country’s western border with Libya. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/30/egypt-sinai-shooting-militants/d70cc494-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html | 2023-07-30T22:31:28 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/30/egypt-sinai-shooting-militants/d70cc494-2f1c-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html |
The Baltimore Orioles host the New York Yankees in MLB 2023 action Sunday, July 30, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV.
Luis Severino will start on the mound for the Yankees vs. fellow right-hander Dean Kremer for the Orioles. New York is 55-49 this season, while Baltimore is 63-41.
The Yankees-Orioles game starts at 6:10 p.m. Central (7:10 p.m. Eastern) and will be live streamed on fuboTV, which now includes Bally Sports channels and offers a 7-day free trial. ESPN will broadcast the game nationally, with Spanish-language feed available via ESPN Deportes.
Preview
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Orioles -129, Yankees +109; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees meet on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.
Baltimore is 31-21 at home and 63-41 overall. The Orioles have the sixth-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .417.
New York has a 23-25 record in road games and a 55-49 record overall. The Yankees have a 36-10 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.
The teams play Sunday for the 13th time this season. The season series is tied 6-6.
TOP PERFORMERS: Adley Rutschman has 17 doubles and 14 home runs while hitting .267 for the Orioles. Ryan Mountcastle is 10-for-31 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.
Aaron Judge has 10 doubles, 20 home runs and 42 RBI while hitting .298 for the Yankees. Harrison Bader is 9-for-33 with a double over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Orioles: 6-4, .194 batting average, 3.98 ERA, outscored by two runs
Yankees: 5-5, .217 batting average, 4.02 ERA, outscored by two runs
INJURIES: Orioles: Aaron Hicks: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Cedric Mullins: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Mychal Givens: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Keegan Akin: 15-Day IL (back), Austin Voth: 15-Day IL (elbow), Dillon Tate: 60-Day IL (elbow), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Yankees: Jose Trevino: 10-Day IL (wrist), Josh Donaldson: 60-Day IL (calf), Nestor Cortes Jr.: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Weber: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jonathan Loaisiga: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lou Trivino: 60-Day IL (elbow), Frankie Montas: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Luis Gil: 60-Day IL (elbow), Scott Effross: 60-Day IL (elbow)
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.al.com/sports/2023/07/yankees-orioles-mlb-2023-live-stream-730-how-to-watch-online-tv-info-time.html | 2023-07-30T22:31:32 | 0 | https://www.al.com/sports/2023/07/yankees-orioles-mlb-2023-live-stream-730-how-to-watch-online-tv-info-time.html |
NEW YORK (AP) — A week later, the “Barbenheimer” boom has not abated.
Seven days after Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” conspired to set box office records, the two films held unusually strongly in theaters. “Barbie” took in a massive $93 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Oppenheimer” stayed in second with a robust $46.2 million. Sales for the two movies dipped 43% and 44%, respectably — well shy of the usual week-two drops.
“Barbenheimer” has proven to be not a one-weekend phenomenon but an ongoing box-office bonanza. The two movies combined have already surpassed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore, call it “a touchstone moment for movies, moviegoers and movie theaters.”
“Having two movies from rival studios linked in this way and both boosting each other’s fortunes — both box-office wise and it terms of their profile — I don’t know if there’s a comp for this in the annals of box-office history,” said Dergarabedian. “There’s really no comparison for this.”
Following its year-best $162 million opening, the pink-infused pop sensation of “Barbie” saw remarkably sustained business through the week and into the weekend. The film outpaced Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” to have the best first 11 days in theaters of any Warner Bros. release ever.
“Barbie” has rapidly accumulated $351.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, a rate that will soon make it the biggest box-office hit of the summer. Every day it’s played, “Barbie” has made at least $20 million.
And the “Barbie” effect isn’t just in North America. The film made $122.2 million internationally over the weekend. Its global tally has reached $775 million. It’s the kind of business that astounds even veteran studio executives.
“That’s a crazy number,” said Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. “There’s just a built-in audience that wants to be part of the zeitgeist of the moment. Wherever you go, people are wearing pink. Pink is taking over the world.”
Amid the frenzy, “Barbie” is already attracting a lot of repeat moviegoers. Goldstein estimates that 12% of sales are people going back with friends or family to see it again.
For a movie industry that has been trying to regain its pre-pandemic footing — and that now finds itself largely shuttered due to actors and screenwriters strikes — the sensations of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have showed what’s possible when everything lines up just right.
“Post-pandemic, there’s no ceiling and there’s no floor,” Goldstein said. “The movies that miss really miss big time, and the movies that work really work big time.”
Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer,” meanwhile, is performing more like a superhero movie than a three-hour film about scientists talking.
Nolan’s drama starring Cillian Murphy as atomic bomb physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer has accrued $174.1 million domestically thus far. With an additional $72.4 million in international cinemas, “Oppenheimer” has already surpassed $400 million globally.
Showings in IMAX have typically been sold out. “Oppenheimer” has made $80 million worldwide on IMAX. The large-format exhibitor said Sunday that it will extend the film’s run through Aug. 13.
The week’s top new release, Walt Disney Co.’s “Haunted Mansion,” an adaptation of the Disney theme park attraction, was easily overshadowed by the “Barbenheimer” blitz. The film, which cost about $150 million, debuted with $24 million domestically and $9 million in overseas sales. “Haunted Mansion,” directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Bad Hair”) and starring an ensemble of LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Rosario Dawson, struggled to overcome mediocre reviews.
“Talk to Me,” the A24 supernatural horror film, fared better. It debuted with $10 million. The film, directed by Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou and starring Sophie Wilde, was a midnight premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received terrific reviews from critics (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It was made for a modest $4.5 million.
While theaters being flush with moviegoers has been a huge boon to the film industry, it’s been tougher sledding for Tom Cruise, the so-called savior of the movies last summer with “Top Gun: Maverick.” “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I,” which debuted the week before the arrival of “Barbenheimer,” grossed $10.7 million in its third weekend. The film starring Cruise and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, has grossed $139.2 million domestically and $309.3 million oveseas.
Instead, the sleeper hit “Sound of Freedom” has been the best performing non-“Barbenheimer” release in theaters. The Angel Studios’ release, which is counting crowdfunding pay-it-forward sales in its box office totals, made $12.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its haul thus far to nearly $150 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Barbie,” $93 million.
2. “Opppenheimer,” $46.2 million.
3. “Haunted Mansion,” $24.2 million.
4. “Sound of Freedom,” $12.4 million.
5. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” $10.7 million.
6. “Talk to Me,” $10 million.
7. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” $4 million.
8. “Elemental,” $3.4 million.
9. “Insidious: The Red Door,” $3.2 million.
10. “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,” $1.6 million. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/while-barbie-bonanza-continues-at-the-box-office-oppenheimer-holds-no-2-spot/ | 2023-07-30T22:31:32 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/while-barbie-bonanza-continues-at-the-box-office-oppenheimer-holds-no-2-spot/ |
(The Hill) – Northwestern is the latest in a long line of universities to come under public scrutiny due to a scandal over hazing, a practice that has refused to go extinct in colleges and high schools despite multiple concerted efforts to end it.
Hazing, which in rare instances has proven fatal, in particular plagues sports teams and Greek Life.
Experts say education on the issue and increased consequences are needed to create a real change, although they are skeptical the dangerous practice will exit school life anytime soon.
“Hazing has always been prevalent in society, not just in colleges. It’s anywhere that you see a different power dynamic between people who are trying to join a group [and] people who are in the group,” said Todd Shelton, executive director of the Hazing Prevention Network. “There’s research that shows that hazing starts long before college and in those younger ages. It’s especially prevalent in athletic teams camps, performing arts groups.”
The latest high-profile hazing incident comes from Northwestern University, where the head football coach was recently let go and a barrage of lawsuits have fallen on the school.
One of the reported rituals of hazing on the school’s football team was younger players getting restrained in the locker room by older ones while others dry humped the individual. Another incident described in a lawsuit against the school was a ritual called “carwash” where players were forced to rub themselves against a line of naked men in the showers.
“Certainly, it is typical hazing activities that we’ve seen before and it’s not unusual that they’re shrouded with secrecy. So I applaud the people who came forward and reported because that’s — that’s key for institutions to be able to make changes,” Shelton said. “I think those acts are horrible and examples of how hazing can quickly escalate from what individuals think is something that’s mild and or funny, to quickly being something that’s dangerous, either mentally or physically, to the victims.”
Experts say preventing hazing incidents has to start by educating people about its warning signs and dangers.
A study in 2008 showed 73 percent of students who have been in a sorority or fraternity said they experienced behaviors that meet the definition of hazing, such as being forced into drinking games or getting screamed at by other members.
The same study showed 74 percent of athletes in athletic programs also experienced behaviors that amount to hazing.
“Hazing is specific to that group context where someone is seeking inclusion or a sense of belonging in a club, team or organization. They’re a newcomer typically coming into this group situation, and because of that group dynamic there can be an incredible amount of peer pressure and sometimes a coercive environment. And so that can impede or be a barrier to recognizing and or reporting hazing because there can be a lot of fear,” Elizabeth Allan, a professor at the University of Maine, said.
These rituals and desires to be part of the in-group have led to some deadly consequences for young people.
In 2019, five Penn State University students were sentenced to jail after a 19-year-old student at a Beta Theta Pi fraternity house died at a party after hazing-based binge drinking.
While most hazing incidents don’t result in incarceration, there are other consequences for students who are caught for the crime.
“Financial, monetary damages. People have lost their jobs. People have gone to jail or had, criminal penalties, fines and so forth. Let’s say sometimes when it’s a student organization or a team so with a student organization, they’re often suspended or lose their recognition with the campus for a period of time, and with an athletic team sometimes a portion of the season is put on hold or canceled entirely sometimes at the high school level, we’ve seen that recently.” Allan, who also leads the organization Stop Hazing, said.
And yet, even as schools ramp up their efforts, hazing persists.
Allan says a multifaceted strategy is needed to tackle the problem, and her group has developed a “Hazing Prevention Framework” for schools to follow.
“They can use it to also do some strategic planning and set some goals for the improvements they want to make, and all this is really … based on a public health approach to organizational change and promoting healthy behaviors in a community setting,” Allan said.
Shelton said his group also advocates for hazing to be treated as a felony, whereas many states look at it as a misdemeanor.
“The problem is it’s not taken seriously in the law, and we’ve seen a lot of hazing cases, even when there’s been a death… [where] prosecutors don’t consider it hazing or don’t consider hazing to be a serious crime to go through the measures of prosecuting,” Shelton said. “And so that’s why we’ve been working hard to strengthen those state laws.” | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ | 2023-07-30T22:31:38 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/why-is-hazing-so-hard-to-eliminate/ |
Damakant Jayshi
A Wausau East counselor’s complaint against the school’s principal has been dismissed, a decision that was upheld in closed session last week by the Wausau School Board.
Manee Yang-Vongphakdy filed a discrimination complaint against Principal Deb Foster earlier this year after the counselor’s son raised red flags about the school’s band director, who resigned in June under fire. Details of Yang-Vongphakdy’s complaint, which was dismissed June 15 by Superintendent Keith Hilts, have not been released.
Yang-Vongphakdy appealed Hilts’ decision and on July 24 the Wausau School Board heard the appeal. When the board emerged from closed session, the group took no action, saying only there was “insufficient evidence” to reverse the outcome.
The counselor’s husband, Twan Vongphakdy, told Wausau Pilot & Review the family was not immediately informed of the board’s decision.
Foster, in an email to Wausau Pilot & Review, declined to comment and referred questions to District Communications Director Diana White.
A long-time staffer at Wausau East, Yang-Vongphakdy is the mother a Hmong student who formed the basis of a complaint against former band director Rob Perkins. The student, who has since graduated, complained of harassment and the use of homophobic and racist language in the classroom.
Perkins resigned last month. Two investigations, one by a state agency, are ongoing.
Monday’s closed session was set under a board policy that outlines processes in filing complaints and related protections for complainants. On Wednesday, a second closed session was held to meet with the superintendent to discuss the allegations and findings.
Board President James Bouche and Communications Director White, in emails to Wausau Pilot & Review, confirmed the board’s findings but had no additional comment.
Wausau Pilot & Review has requested a copy of the complaint. | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/complaint-against-wausau-east-principal-dismissed/ | 2023-07-30T22:31:43 | 1 | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/complaint-against-wausau-east-principal-dismissed/ |
By Doug Milnes
Now that summer’s officially started, many people are looking forward to much-needed vacations. However, with travel costs on the rise, finding an affordable Airbnb has become both a puzzle and an art. To help you in your search for cost-saving summer rentals, MoneyGeek analyzed data for over 200,000 Airbnb listings across 19 U.S. vacation hotspots and explored how location, party size, amenities and room type impact costs.
Key findings
- Among the 19 U.S. travel destinations analyzed, the median price of an Airbnb is $154 per night. Hawaii listings have the highest median nightly cost ($294), while Portland, Oregon, offers the most affordable accommodations ($100).
- By choosing a private room, instead of a full home or apartment, you could cut your costs in half. A little extra privacy will cost you an additional $70 in a one-bedroom rental.
- While higher-capacity rooms tend to be more expensive, larger groups may experience more savings overall. When pitching in to rent a unit with a group of four, expect to save around 17% per person compared to a group of two.
- Access to fitness equipment or a pool will increase the cost of your stay by nearly 50%. In cities like New York, you could even pay double for rentals that offer these amenities.
MoneyGeek
How Airbnb prices vary across top tourist destinations
The research found that the median cost of an Airbnb across 19 popular U.S. travel destinations is $154 per night. However, where you travel significantly impacts the cost of your vacation accommodations. The price of a room on the sun-soaked shores of Hawaii is the highest among the locations the study analyzed at $294. Nashville was home to the second-most expensive rentals, with a median nightly cost of $198, followed by San Diego ($186).
The analysis also found that the way prices fluctuate based on the total capacity of rentals differs depending on your location. For example, while Nashville took the second spot for the highest overall Airbnb costs, San Francisco and New Orleans tied for the second-most expensive accommodations for 1-2 travelers; in New Orleans and San Francisco, renting a smaller-sized Airbnb will typically set you back $110 per night, while it costs just $90 in Nashville.
Across the U.S., Airbnbs that accommodate 3-4 people are typically 66% more expensive than those that accommodate 1-2 guests. This price increase is highest in Las Vegas’ Clark County, where travelers pay twice as much for these larger accommodations.
The table compares Airbnb prices across 19 major U.S. tourist destinations by median nightly cost overall and for different unit capacities.
MoneyGeek
Most expensive Airbnb neighborhoods in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago
The study also broke down nightly median accommodation costs for the three most populated cities in the country: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
MoneyGeek
The premium for personal space is $70: How less privacy can lead to more savings on Airbnb
Imagine having an entire Airbnb to yourself — a private retreat where you can spread out, enjoy uninterrupted relaxation and experience the luxury of complete solitude. While the appeal is undeniable, this level of personal space comes with a premium price tag, often leading guests to pay more for the privilege of privacy.
For more personal space in a one-bedroom Airbnb rental, visitors can expect to pay roughly $70 more. The study calculated this expense by comparing the median prices of entire homes or apartments ($145 per night) and private rooms ($75 per night). By giving up a little privacy, you could see savings of nearly 50%. If you’re seeking even cheaper alternatives, rentals with shared bathrooms are available at just $60 a night.
MoneyGeek
Planning to swim or work out? Expect to pay nearly 50% more
Airbnb pricing doesn’t just hinge on location — amenities like beach, pool and gym access also wield considerable influence.
Our analysis compared median prices of rentals with specific amenities to those without and found that listings with beach access are 61% more expensive.
Pool availability is the second-most expensive amenity, costing vacationers 48% more. But this cost increase isn’t the same everywhere: for instance, the cost of rentals with pool access skyrockets to more than twice the usual rate (125%) in New York City.
Fitness enthusiasts looking for gym access can expect around a 47% increase in booking costs. In Portland, Oregon, the price tag on rentals with gym access goes up by 84%.
You’ll also likely pay a premium if there’s a dishwasher in your rental unit; Airbnbs with dishwashers typically cost 21% more than those without them.
Tips to save on your Airbnb bookings
It’s no secret that traveling today is expensive. The researchers recommend following these cost-saving tips when looking for Airbnb accommodations to enjoy the vacation you want without breaking the bank.
1. Boost your party size.
A group of four can anticipate 17% savings per person compared to pairs. On average, a 2-person unit charges $105 per night, while accommodating four nudges the price up by 65% to $173 — letting you entertain twice as many folks for less.
2. Opt for private rooms or units with shared bathrooms.
The cost of renting a full home averages $185 per night, while a private room or a shared-bathroom unit only costs $79 or $60 per night, respectively.
3. Embrace washing dishes by hand.
Dishwasher-equipped units demand a 21% premium. In Hawaii, you may even find yourself paying 85% more for rentals with dishwashers. Opting for accommodations without a dishwasher could lead to significant savings.
4. Utilize credit cards.
Familiarize yourself with the benefits of travel credit cards and reward credit cards to make your money work for you. Between welcome offers, cash back rewards and opportunities to accumulate points and miles, there are many ways you can utilize credit cards to make your vacation cost-effective.
Methodology
The study analyzed data from Inside Airbnb to provide insights on Airbnb costs in 19 U.S. tourist destinations and offer tips for maximizing savings on Airbnb bookings.
The study examined several data points, such as price, location, unit capacity, available amenities and room type. Then, the study calculated median rates across these variables to demonstrate how prices vary by location.
The study also applied a linear regression model to the data and used Shap feature importance to identify the amenities with the highest impact on price. To calculate the percentage impact of amenities on price, the study compared the median prices of listings with a specific amenity to those without it.
This story was produced by MoneyGeek and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/heres-why-some-airbnb-rentals-are-so-expensive-and-tips-to-save-on-your-next-trip/ | 2023-07-30T22:31:49 | 0 | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/heres-why-some-airbnb-rentals-are-so-expensive-and-tips-to-save-on-your-next-trip/ |
We hope you’ve enjoyed this quiz from our quizmaster, Fritz Holznagel, a past winner of the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. If you have feedback on the quiz, please send us an email at us.quiz@theconversation.com.
Fritz Holznagel, Quizmaster, The Conversation
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/the-conversation-u-s-weekly-news-quiz-33/ | 2023-07-30T22:31:55 | 1 | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/the-conversation-u-s-weekly-news-quiz-33/ |
Today in History
Today is Sunday, July 30, the 211th day of 2023. There are 154 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 30, 1945, the Portland class heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, having just delivered components of the atomic bomb to Tinian in the Mariana Islands during World War II, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine; only 317 out of nearly 1,200 men survived.
On this date:
In 1619, the first representative assembly in America convened in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.
In 1729, Baltimore, Maryland, was founded.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces tried to take Petersburg, Virginia, by exploding a gunpowder-laden mine shaft beneath Confederate defense lines; the attack failed.
In 1916, German saboteurs blew up a munitions plant on Black Tom, an island near Jersey City, New Jersey, killing about a dozen people.
In 1918, poet Joyce Kilmer, a sergeant in the 165th U.S. Infantry Regiment, was killed during the Second Battle of the Marne in World War I. Kilmer is remembered for his poem “Trees.”
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure making “In God We Trust” the national motto, replacing “E Pluribus Unum.”
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a measure creating Medicare, which began operating the following year.
In 1980, Israel’s Knesset passed a law reaffirming all of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.
In 1982, the film “Night Shift” was released in theaters. #80s Starred Henry Winkler but was also the film debut of Michael Keaton.
In 2008, ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic (RA’-doh-van KA’-ra-jich) was extradited to The Hague to face genocide charges after nearly 13 years on the run. (He was sentenced by a U.N. court in 2019 to life imprisonment after being convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.)
In 2010, the Afghan Taliban confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and appointed his successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.
In 2016, 16 people died when a hot air balloon caught fire and exploded after hitting high-tension power lines before crashing into a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, about 60 miles northeast of San Antonio.
In 2020, John Lewis was eulogized in Atlanta by three former presidents and others who urged Americans to continue the work of the civil rights icon in fighting injustice during a moment of racial reckoning.
Ten years ago: U.S. Army Pfc. Chelsea Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy — the most serious charge she faced — but was convicted of espionage, theft and other charges at Fort Meade, Maryland, more than three years after she’d spilled secrets to WikiLeaks. (The former intelligence analyst was later sentenced to up to 35 years in prison, but the sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in his final days in office.) Harry F. Byrd, a newspaper publisher who served as governor of Virginia then Senator for the state for more than 30 years, leading the Senate’s conservative coalition in opposition to the New Deal policies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, died at age 98.
Five years ago: Zimbabwe voted for the first time without Robert Mugabe on the ballot; there were long lines at some polling stations. President Donald Trump said he’d be willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “anytime” with “no preconditions.” More than 27,000 people remained evacuated because of a Northern California wildfire that ranked as the ninth most destructive blaze in the state’s history; the fire in the area of Redding had destroyed more than 800 homes and left two firefighters and four civilians dead. Ron Dellums, an anti-war activist who championed social justice as Northern California’s first black congressman, died of cancer at his home in Washington at the age of 82.
One year ago: At least 25 people died — including four children — when torrential rains swamped towns across Appalachia. A ticket bought in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, Illinois beat the odds and won a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot. Samuel Sandoval, one of the last remaining of hundreds of members of the Navajo Nation to serve as Code Talkers for the U.S. military during World War II, died in Shiprock, New Mexico at age 98.
Today’s Birthdays: Former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is 89. Blues musician Buddy Guy is 87. Feminist activist Eleanor Smeal is 84. Singer Paul Anka is 82. Jazz musician David Sanborn is 78. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is 76. Actor William Atherton is 76. Actor Jean Reno is 75. Blues singer-musician Otis Taylor is 75. Actor Frank Stallone is 73. Actor Ken Olin is 69. Actor Delta Burke is 67. Law professor Anita Hill is 67. Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 65.
Country singer Neal McCoy is 65. Actor Richard Burgi is 65. Movie director Richard Linklater is 63. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 62. Actor Lisa Kudrow is 60. Bluegrass musician Danny Roberts (The Grascals) is 60. Country musician Dwayne O’Brien is 60. Actor Vivica A. Fox is 59. Actor Terry Crews is 55. Actor Simon Baker is 54. Actor Donnie Keshawarz is 54. Movie director Christopher Nolan is 53. Actor Tom Green is 52. Rock musician Brad Hargreaves (Third Eye Blind) is 52. Actor Christine Taylor is 52. Actor-comedian Dean Edwards is 50. Actor Hilary Swank is 49. Olympic gold medal beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor is 46. Actor Jaime Pressly is 46. Alt-country singer-musician Seth Avett (AY’-veht) is 43. Actor April Bowlby is 43. Former soccer player Hope Solo is 42. Actor Yvonne Strahovski is 41. Actor Martin Starr is 41. Actor Gina Rodriguez is 39. Actor Nico Tortorella is 35. Actor Joey King is 24. | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/today-in-history-president-lyndon-b-johnson-signs-medicare-into-law/ | 2023-07-30T22:32:01 | 1 | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/today-in-history-president-lyndon-b-johnson-signs-medicare-into-law/ |
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) — Sam Mayer moved from Wisconsin to North Carolina as a teenager to pursue his racing dreams more seriously with JR Motorsports.
A return to his home state Saturday ended with the 20-year-old’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.
Mayer pulled ahead for good in the next-to-last lap of a wild second overtime session to win at Road America, about an hour’s drive from his hometown of Franklin, Wisconsin. That elusive first victory came in his 72nd Xfinity start.
“It took coming all the way back here to win one,” Mayer said. “It’s super cool to have that happen, obviously. The fans and everyone in the stands and in victory lane, they were congratulating me non-stop, chanting my name. Stuff like that, you don’t see that very often. And to have that happen today at home, it almost leaves you speechless.”
Mayer won by 0.368 seconds over Parker Kligerman on the sprawling 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course. They were followed in order by Austin Hill, Sage Karam and Riley Herbst.
The race included eight caution flags, tying a track record. The final restart occurred during a second overtime session and followed a red flag to clean up oil on the track.
Justin Allgaier, Mayer’s JR Motorsports teammate, took the lead on the sixth lap of the scheduled 45-lap race and stayed in front through all those restarts.
“He hauled the mail today,” Mayer said. “He was definitely the best car in the field. I think he set the pace for all for us.”
Then everything went haywire on the last one.
Karam passed Allgaier from the right. Mayer then took the lead as those cars briefly went three wide. Karam pulled back ahead soon thereafter. Kligerman then moved in front.
Then Mayer came from the right and passed Kligerman to regain the lead. Mayer stayed in front the rest of the way.
“It was definitely hectic — going back and forth, back and forth,” Mayer said. “Ending on top, thank God.”
The finish was so frantic in part because so many drivers were chasing milestones. Mayer, Karam and Kligerman all were seeking their first career Xfinity victories.
“We’ve been close multiple times,” Kligerman said. “If we keep putting ourselves in position like this, even leading for half a corner, one of these days we’re going to get that checkered flag. Oh, I really, really wanted this one.”
Allgaier spun out soon after getting passed and faded to 18th place.
Other notable drivers in the field also had tough afternoons.
John Hunter Nemechek, who entered the day as the series’ points leader, got knocked out of the race about two-thirds of the way through after he went off course and damaged the nose of his car.
Hill now leads the standings by 14 points over Nemechek.
AJ Allmendinger took the pole position after setting a track record with his average lap speed of 111.666 mph during Friday’s qualifying. He separated from the pack as soon as the race started, but Allgaier passed him around the sixth lap and stayed in the lead until those frantic final moments.
Allmendinger ended up in ninth.
The day instead belonged to Mayer, who had plenty of history on this track after growing up so close to and having so many memories of this place. His father, Scott Mayer, won a Grand-Am race at Road America in 2013.
“It was super-cool to be a part of that and then, obviously, all the way up to now — to be the better Mayer,” Sam Mayer quipped after the race Saturday.
Until that dramatic finish, it seemed this race would be remembered primarily for all the cautions.
Near the race’s halfway point, an apparent brake failure caused Chandler Smith to go off course and crash into the wall.
With about seven laps left, Alex Labbe had an apparent brake issue that caused him to slam into the wall in Turn 1.
Both Smith and Labbe got out of their cars and were examined and released from the care center. | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/wisconsin-driver-sam-mayer-wins-on-home-state-track-for-1st-xfinity-series-victory/ | 2023-07-30T22:32:08 | 0 | https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2023/07/30/wisconsin-driver-sam-mayer-wins-on-home-state-track-for-1st-xfinity-series-victory/ |
More than 70 North Port Businesses Open in Last Three Months
NORTH PORT, Fla. (WWSB) - The City of North Port continues to grow at an incredible pace.
Dozens of the 71 businesses that opened their doors in the city last quarter attended a welcome event at City Hall over the weekend.
“The city of North Port is in the midst of an incredible economic transformation,” said the city’s Economic Development Manager Vinnie Mascarenhas.
The population is now over 85,000 people, and Mascarenhas expects that to grow to six figures in three to five years, eventually capping out at 250,000 when the municipality reaches its full buildout.
The city is also planning to build another exit off Interstate 75 at Yorkshire Street and Raintree Boulevard in the next ten years, something Mascarenhas expects to spark even more opportunity.
“It’s going to really activate that area,” said Mascarenhas.
Businesses throughout the area have been taking full advantage of the growth, including Antonio Pereira, who owns Savor 100x35.
“When I started out, I was in fear, I was in doubt, I was unsure,” said Pereira, who has been able to turn his lone food truck into two, and a brick-and-mortar restaurant with the help of hard work and the support from an entrepreneur-friendly city.
“We have felt the love and the support from every city employee. That’s how we started building from the heart out,” said Pereira, adding, “In the next 5,6,7, 10 years, we are going to truly see what the city of North Port is all about. The plans, the amount of people moving in- the growth is great.”
But Pereira is making sure to enjoy the journey along the way.
“I’m able to do things that I was only able to dream about.”
Copyright 2023 WWSB. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/07/30/more-than-70-north-port-businesses-open-last-three-months/ | 2023-07-30T22:32:59 | 0 | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/07/30/more-than-70-north-port-businesses-open-last-three-months/ |
MUNCIE, Ind. — A street party on the south side of Muncie turned into the scene of a deadly shooting early Sunday morning.
One man died, 19 others were treated at Ball Memorial Hospital’s emergency room and four were taken to other hospitals. Thirteen victims remain hospitalized in stable condition.
After the mass shooting, police announced that there is no current danger to the general public.
”Stranger comes up and decides to take it personal on somebody he knows in the crowd,” said one anonymous man who claimed his nephew was the block party’s disc jockey. “And you can’t fight against an AR. He let loose in the crowd. Everywhere in the crowd.”
The Delaware County coroner identified the deceased victim as 30-year-old Joseph Bonner. There’s no indication if Bonner played an active role in the shooting, whether any other victims are suspected of firing guns or if any firearms were recovered.
A witness at IU/Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie described a scene of emergency department chaos with more than a hundred people descending on the facility — many of which were victims that were transported by private vehicles.
Officers from several agencies — including a Muncie-based FBI agent — secured the crime scene and collected evidence at South Hackley and East Willard streets while doctors and nurses treated the wounded from the mass casualty event.
By midday, detectives were still walking the debris-strewn street and parking lot with brown bags filled with collected evidence. A tow truck was also seen hauling away a bullet-riddled red Buick that appeared to have crashed during an attempt to leave the scene.
The Muncie Homecoming Festival committee issued a statement on the shooting, noting that the street party where the shooting happened was not part of the official MHF celebration going on this week.
“The Muncie Homecoming Festival committee, organizers and volunteers are saddened to hear of the senseless tragedy that occurred in our great city just shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 30, 2023 at Hackley and Willard streets.
“The loss of life and multiple injuries occurred at a local block party that was not a part of the official MHF weeklong celebration events and programming, but has certainly left us all bereft as our community mourns together.
“We are praying for the families of the young man who passed away as well as the families who have relatives who were injured and remain hospitalized.
“This tragedy will not stop the hard work and dedication of those who endeavor to make Muncie a peaceful and loving community. Acts of violence will not be tolerated here, and we are united and moving forward in a positive manner, even in grief.”
Muncie Parks Superintendent Carl Malone told FOX59 he chaired a neighborhood crime watch meeting last Thursday, and residents expressed fear that this weekend could turn volatile.
”We was a little concerned about violence that we thought might happen,” said Malone, who described Muncie Homecoming as a city-wide welcome home celebration held once every four years for former residents and family members to reconnect with their hometown. ”You had a lot of people congregating in one area, just hanging out and wanting to be part of the neighborhood activities. And then, at that point at time, it got into late night, and when you get into late nights, you usually have some sort of curfew violations, alcohol, guns and drugs seem to be a problem.”
Malone said Muncie has not had a community-wide gun violence initiative since 2015.
”We’ve always had concerns about this area and teenagers involved with handguns,” said Malone, whose niece attended the party. ”She just got out of surgery. She’s doing well. She’s whole. And then my godson was being treated out at Ball Hospital.”
Malone said he will meet with the city’s police leadership Monday morning to review the shooting and plans for keeping Muncie streets safe the rest of the summer.
”The mayor knows my push for gun violence, the lack of gun violence education, the lack of gun violence awareness, the lack of how to report gun violence in and out of our homes,” Malone said. “There’s a way to report crime, there’s a way to report guns, and we just have to report guns in and out of our backpacks and homes.”
The disk jockey’s uncle, whose sister was wounded, said there used to be certain unspoken rules about taking a personal beef into the streets.
”So, my sister, even though she was a gunshot victim, she was an innocent stand-by, and she was out here trying to help people,” he said. ”I know one thing … it shouldn’t have happened like this. You got a personal beef with someone, you take that with somebody’s person. You don’t take it up with other people’s kids and families. This ain’t that. I don’t understand what the rules are of this year’s game, but these ain’t the rules we live by.” | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/one-dead-more-than-a-dozen-wounded-after-muncie-street-party-shooting/ | 2023-07-30T22:33:00 | 1 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/one-dead-more-than-a-dozen-wounded-after-muncie-street-party-shooting/ |
OWEN COUNTY, Ind. — The Owen County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s assistance in locating a missing woman.
Officials are looking for Shelby L. Melton, who is described as a 5’1″ white female weighing 130 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. OCSO said that Melton was last seen Saturday morning driving her blue 2014 Chevrolet Sonic in Owen County.
Those with information on Melton’s whereabouts are encouraged to contact the Owen County Communications Center at 812-829-4874. | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/owen-county-sheriffs-office-requesting-assistance-in-locating-missing-woman/ | 2023-07-30T22:33:06 | 1 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/owen-county-sheriffs-office-requesting-assistance-in-locating-missing-woman/ |
MARION COUNTY, Ind. — A man has been arrested and preliminarily charged with Resisting Law Enforcement and Criminal Recklessness following a police pursuit in Marion County.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office confirmed its deputies were involved in a chase near 75th Street and Allisonville Road on Sunday. Officials said the suspect, 34-year-old Robert J. Grant, struck several cars, including a police vehicle, before the pursuit ultimately ended with a vehicular collision.
MCSO deputies arrested Grant and reported that one civilian was transported to Eskenazi Hospital for examination. Officials are still investigating the incident, and final charging decisions will be made by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. | https://fox59.com/news/marion-county-man-arrested-after-police-pursuit-ends-with-vehicular-collision/ | 2023-07-30T22:33:12 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/marion-county-man-arrested-after-police-pursuit-ends-with-vehicular-collision/ |
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(CNN) — It’s a tale of two movies and a box office triumph: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” maintained incredible momentum into their second weekends.
“Barbie” wore several hats this weekend, with domestic “Barbie” impressing with $93 million in gross revenue and international “Barbie” bringing in around $122 million, making it the No. 1 release worldwide.
It is the largest domestic second weekend performance ever for Warner Bros., which produced the movie. (CNN and Warner Bros. are both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.)
“Oppenheimer” also had a blowout weekend, with a domestic total of $46 million, according to estimates from media analytics company Comscore, bringing its worldwide total to almost half a billion dollars. Universal, which distributed the movie, estimated Oppenheimer will be Nolan’s biggest non-superhero film of all-time in 40 regions, and his biggest film ever in 28.
Crucially, these numbers reflect that not only is there high energy and excitement for movies, but an appetite for the movie theater experience.
“Barbenheimer was never going to happen on your TV, it’s just not,” said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners in the United States. “You have to go into the theater to experience it.”
Repeat viewings are also fueling box office earnings. Midwest-based chain B&B Theaters estimated that across its 55 theaters, more than 2,100 people saw “Barbie” both opening weekend and this weekend, and almost 500 returned to see “Oppenheimer.”
According to O’Leary, there has always been a strong movie theater culture in the United States – we need look no further than “Hollywood” being interchangeable with “the movie industry.”
But after the pandemic ravaged theaters and public screenings, people are now looking forward to “sitting in a theater with world-class projection and sound systems, having an immersive experience alongside other people,” he said.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” will trigger more and more people going to the movies by reminding them “the best of what the theatrical experience can be. It’s a reawakening,” he added.
O’Leary expects the movies to perform well for weeks to come, noting there’s been a rise over the past several years in very strong holdover weekends. That could be partly due to energetic word-of-mouth stoked by social media.
“At their core, consumers want to go see a compelling story, they want to be entertained,” he said. “If stories resonate with people… they tell other people.”
The overwhelming appreciation for these creative projects means that the ongoing Writers Guild of America and actors union SAG-AFTRA strikes could be a dark cloud over the these financial successes, according to some analysts.
“There’s pressure to resolve (these labor disputes) because the possibility of revenue is built on the foundation of having movies and actors to promote them,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “For now we have high-profile films, but that pool will be drying out.”
The production limbo caused by a lack of negotiations on the part of studios are leading to a ripple effect where the release dates for those projects will also be postponed. According to Boxoffice Pro chief analyst Shawn Robbins, this means that in the second half of 2023 and throughout 2024, theater chains will need “to keep a weather eye on the horizon for problems beyond their control.”
“While it’s important to celebrate the good times right now and realize they can be a barometer for the future, it’s just as important to recognize the fight for equality by so many who play a part in creating the content we see on our screens, large and small,” he added. | https://www.channel3000.com/news/money/barbenheimer-box-office-success-has-reawakened-america-s-moviegoing-muscle/article_85b599a5-463b-5666-af87-8580168c74a0.html | 2023-07-30T22:33:44 | 0 | https://www.channel3000.com/news/money/barbenheimer-box-office-success-has-reawakened-america-s-moviegoing-muscle/article_85b599a5-463b-5666-af87-8580168c74a0.html |
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United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.channel3000.com/news/southbound-traffic-moving-again-along-i-39-90-north-of-poynette-after-crash/article_37540490-2f16-11ee-918c-9f8058e6b5d4.html | 2023-07-30T22:33:49 | 0 | https://www.channel3000.com/news/southbound-traffic-moving-again-along-i-39-90-north-of-poynette-after-crash/article_37540490-2f16-11ee-918c-9f8058e6b5d4.html |
WHAT WE'RE TRACKING: Other than a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday as humidity levels increase for a few days, dry weather is expected for the next 10 days. Temperatures will be seasonably warm for the most part, although very warm weather is expected from Wednesday through Friday of this week. Humidity levels will be a little higher on those days, with afternoon heat index readings in the upper 80s to the middle 90s possible.
PLANNING THE NEXT 24 HOURS: Tonight will be mostly clear and comfortable. Temperatures will fall to the upper 60s by late evening; overnight low temperatures will be in the middle 50s by morning. Monday will be mostly sunny and warm. Temperatures will climb to the upper 70s by noon; afternoon high temperatures will be in the lower 80s.
EXTENDED FORECAST: It will be very warm and a little more humid from Wednesday through Friday, with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and evening. Heat index readings could reach the lower to the middle 90s in the afternoon. The humidity will move out and temperatures should return to seasonably warm levels beginning Saturday and lasting through Wednesday of next week. As of now, the weather should stay dry.
TONIGHT: Mostly clear and comfortable. Low: 55 Wind: Light N
MONDAY: Mostly sunny and warm. High: 82 Wind: Light N
MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly clear and comfortable. Low: 58 Wind: Light and Variable
TUESDAY: Becoming partly sunny and very warm. High: 85 Wind: SE 5-10 MPH
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny, very warm, and becoming more humid with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Low: 62 High: 86; Heat Index: 87 to 92
THURSDAY: Partly sunny, very warm, and humid with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Low: 65 High: 87; Heat Index: 89 to 94
FRIDAY: Partly sunny, very warm, and humid. Low: 65 High: 86; Heat Index: 88 to 93
SATURDAY: Partly sunny, not as warm, and less humid. Low: 60 High: 82
SUNDAY: Partly sunny and warm. Low: 58 High: 82
MONDAY: Partly sunny and warm. Low: 62 High: 82
TUESDAY: Partly sunny and warm. Low: 60 High: 80
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny and warm. Low: 58 High: 82
COPYRIGHT 2023 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED. | https://www.channel3000.com/weather/forecast/temperatures-will-become-very-warm-and-humidity-levels-will-rise-by-wednesday-but-will-that/article_a1211afa-86c8-5443-b891-835dd6b621fd.html | 2023-07-30T22:33:49 | 1 | https://www.channel3000.com/weather/forecast/temperatures-will-become-very-warm-and-humidity-levels-will-rise-by-wednesday-but-will-that/article_a1211afa-86c8-5443-b891-835dd6b621fd.html |
Updated July 29, 2023 at 11:35 AM ET
Two Supreme Court decisions are changing the way students, educators and even the Biden administration are approaching higher education.
The first ruling ended affirmative action for public and private colleges. It declared that race conscious admissions programs at both Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The second put a halt to President Biden's student loan cancellation plan. Now the Biden administration is trying to find new ways to make college more accessible. The administration recently unveiled a new student loan repayment plan that will save borrowers thousands of dollars by keeping monthly payments low and preventing interest from accumulating.
This week, the administration's focus is on affirmative action: The U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into the practice of legacy admissions at Harvard University, and on Friday, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Wesleyan University, which recently got rid of legacy admissions.
Legacy admissions are on the chopping block
The federal inquiry comes after to three Boston-based groups — the Chica Project, the African Community Economic Development of New England and the Greater Boston Latino Network — filed a complaint with the Education Department against Harvard. It accuses the university of discriminating against Black, Hispanic, Asian and other non-white undergraduate applicants by showing preference for those who have family relationships with donors or alumni.
In a statement to NPR, Harvard spokesperson Nicole Rura said the university is reviewing its admissions policy to ensure it is "complying with the law and to carry forward Harvard's longstanding commitment to welcoming students from a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences."
Ivory Toldson, the national director of Education Innovation and Research at the NAACP, said that legacy admissions compromise a university's ability to create a diverse student body. He said if colleges are committed to diversity, they should not be favoring applicants from wealthier backgrounds.
"Now that race conscious admissions has been outlawed by the Supreme Court, you have to look at other ways to achieve diversity," Toldson said during an interview for Morning Edition.
Toldson said legacy admissions should be abolished.
The impact of legacy admissions policies on a student body
A study released this week by the Harvard School of Economics showed that richer applicants are getting a leg up in the college admissions process. Students from affluent backgrounds are twice as likely to get into top colleges than students from more middle class backgrounds, even if the students have similar GPAs and SAT scores.
Admissions data cited in documents that were part of the affirmative action case revealed that nearly 70% of the university's legacy applicants were white — including applicants who have relationships with donors, those who are children of faculty or staff, and athletes applicants. And while legacy applicants make up less than 5% of applicants to Harvard, the data showed they constitute around 30% of the applicants admitted each year, the ruling cited.
Some schools have gotten rid of legacy admissions altogether.
Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts college in Connecticut that has a 16% acceptance rate, recently eliminated its legacy admissions policy. Wesleyan President Michael Roth told NPR's Leila Fadel, during an interview for Morning Edition, the decision to end the policy was a direct response to the Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended affirmative action as part of college admissions.
"It became clear to me that any advantage you give to incumbents, to people who already have advantages, is a glaring sign of unfairness," Roth said.
Other schools have done the same. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities also ended legacy admissions this month, and Colorado passed a state law banning the practice at all public colleges and universities.
"Not getting in" is just one concern for students
Whitney Gouche is vice president of a nonprofit called EMERGE that serves high-achieving students from low-income areas in Texas. She said her students feel discouraged by the recent Supreme Court decision.
"We've explained to our students, that regardless of the decision, you still belong here, she said. "You have the merits to be a successful student at this campus."
Convincing students to apply isn't the easiest task — concerns about high cost are also on students' minds. Even if they get in, it could cost about $70,000 in tuition for an elite college like Wesleyan.
Roth said that while admitted students who qualify for financial aid will receive it at Wesleyan, the university has to do more to convince students to apply in the first place.
"We have to be very aggressive in recruiting students from places that haven't typically looked at schools like Wesleyan," Roth said.
Roth said that ending legacy admissions won't solve the more widespread problem of education disparities in the United States.
"Legacy admissions is attractive to talk about, but the real issues are elsewhere," Roth said.
This story was edited by Erika Aguilar.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kbia.org/2023-07-26/colleges-are-ending-legacy-admissions-to-diversify-campuses-post-affirmative-action | 2023-07-30T22:34:29 | 0 | https://www.kbia.org/2023-07-26/colleges-are-ending-legacy-admissions-to-diversify-campuses-post-affirmative-action |
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — A pilot is dead after his helicopter struck power lines, lost control and crashed in a field Saturday afternoon near Springfield, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Troopers were called to the area of East Possum Road near Interstate 70 on reports of a helicopter crash in a field. When they arrived, they located the aircraft deep in a cornfield, WHIO reports.
In a statement to 10TV, the National Transportation Safety Board said that preliminary information shows the crash involving a Bell 206 helicopter happened around 12:10 p.m. The helicopter reportedly struck power lines during aerial application of a corn field.
A preliminary investigation by the NTSB found the helicopter, which belonged to Helicopter Applicators, Inc., then lost control and crashed into a field, bringing the power lines onto the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-70, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Only the pilot, now identified as 36-year old Isaac Lee Santos of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was on board when the helicopter crashed, according to OSHP. Santos was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers say if took crews approximately five hours to remove the high voltage power lines from I-70 and Ohio Edison is still working to restore power to the area.
NTSB continues to investigate the incident.
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📺 10TV+ is available for free on Roku & Amazon Fire TV: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/helicopter-crash-springfield-ohio/530-ef789d84-2deb-4c55-b5dc-46014b7adece | 2023-07-30T22:35:30 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/helicopter-crash-springfield-ohio/530-ef789d84-2deb-4c55-b5dc-46014b7adece |
Prattville police are investigating the death of an unnamed 7-year-old boy who died on Sunday while apparently handling a gun in his home.
The child lived in a Prattville apartment home, said Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson.
His department is handling it as a homicide until the case reaches a grand jury, he said.
He said he had no further information to share, given the active investigation. | https://www.al.com/crime/2023/07/prattville-child-dies-after-finding-gun-in-home.html | 2023-07-30T22:35:46 | 1 | https://www.al.com/crime/2023/07/prattville-child-dies-after-finding-gun-in-home.html |
Updated July 30, 2023 at 5:02 PM ET
KHAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber blew himself up at a political rally in a former stronghold of militants in northwest Pakistan bordering Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 44 people and wounding nearly 200 in an attack that a senior leader said was meant to weaken Pakistani Islamists.
The Bajur district near the Afghan border was a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban — a close ally of Afghanistan's Taliban government — before the Pakistani army drove the militants out of the area. Supporters of hardline Pakistani cleric and political party leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, whose Jamiat Ulema Islam generally supports regional Islamists, were meeting in Bajur in a hall close to a market outside the district capital. Party officials said Rehman was not at the rally but organizers added tents because so many supporters showed up, and party volunteers with batons were helping control the crowd.
Officials were announcing the arrival of Abdul Rasheed, a leader of the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, when the bomb went off in one of Pakistan's bloodiest attacks in recent years.
Provincial police said in a statement that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosives vest close to the stage where several senior leaders of the party were sitting. It said initial investigations suggested the Islamic State group — which operates in Afghanistan and is an enemy of the Afghan Taliban — could be behind the attack, and officers were still investigating.
"There was dust and smoke around, and I was under some injured people from where I could hardly stand up, only to see chaos and some scattered limbs," said Adam Khan, 45, who was knocked to the ground by the blast around 4 p.m. and hit by splinters in his leg and both hands.
The Pakistan Taliban, or TTP, said in a statement sent to The Associated Press that the bombing was aimed at setting Islamists against each other. Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that "such crimes cannot be justified in any way."
The Afghan Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan in mid-August 2021 emboldened the TTP. They unilaterally ended a cease-fire agreement with the Pakistani government in November, and have stepped up attacks across the country.
The bombing came hours before the arrival of Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Islamabad, where he was to participate in an event to mark a decade of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a sprawling package under which Beijing has invested billions of dollars in Pakistan.
In recent months, China has helped Pakistan avoid a default on sovereign payments. However, some Chinese nationals have also been targeted by militants in northwestern Pakistan and elsewhere.
Feroz Jamal, the provincial information minister, told The Associated Press that so far 44 people had been "martyred" and nearly 200 wounded in the bombing.
The bombing was one of the four worst attacks in the northwest since 2014, when 147 people, mostly schoolchildren, were killed in a Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar. In January, 74 people were killed in a bombing at a mosque in Peshawar. n February, more than 100 people, mostly policemen, died in a bombing at a mosque inside a high-security compound housing Peshawar police headquarters.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Arif Alvi condemned the attack and asked officials to provide all possible assistance to the wounded and the bereaved families. Sharif later, in a phone call to Rehman, the head of the JUI, conveyed his condolences to him and assured him that those who orchestrated the attack would be punished.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad also condemned the attack. In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, it expressed its condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims killed in the attack..
Maulana Ziaullah, the local chief of Rehman's party, was among the dead. JUI leaders Rasheed and former lawmaker Maulana Jamaluddin were also on the stage but escaped unhurt.
Rasheed, the regional chief of the party, said the attack was an attempt to remove JUI from the field before parliamentary elections in November, but he said such tactics would not work. The bombing drew nationwide condemnation, with the ruling and opposition parties extending condolences to the families of those who died in the attack.
Rehman is considered to be a pro-Taliban cleric and his political party is part of the coalition government in Islamabad. Meetings are being organized across the country to mobilize supporters for the upcoming elections.
"Many of our fellows lost their lives and many more wounded in this incident. I will ask the federal and provincial administrations to fully investigate this incident and provide due compensation and medical facilities to the affected ones," Rasheed said.
Mohammad Wali, another attendant at the rally, said he was listening to a speaker address the crowd when the huge explosion temporarily deafened him.
"I was near the water dispenser to fetch a glass of water when the bomb exploded, throwing me to the ground," he said. "We came to the meeting with enthusiasm but ended up at the hospital seeing crying, wounded people and sobbing relatives taking the bodies of their loved ones."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.apr.org/2023-07-30/a-bombing-at-a-political-rally-in-pakistan-has-killed-at-least-44-and-wounded-some-200 | 2023-07-30T22:35:47 | 0 | https://www.apr.org/2023-07-30/a-bombing-at-a-political-rally-in-pakistan-has-killed-at-least-44-and-wounded-some-200 |
The world's first atomic bomb was tested in New Mexico in 1945, where hundreds of locals are still facing fallout from the test. Many are also fighting for compensation from the federal government.
Copyright 2023 NPR
The world's first atomic bomb was tested in New Mexico in 1945, where hundreds of locals are still facing fallout from the test. Many are also fighting for compensation from the federal government.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.apr.org/2023-07-30/people-exposed-to-fallout-from-1st-atomic-bomb-test-still-fighting-for-compensation | 2023-07-30T22:35:53 | 1 | https://www.apr.org/2023-07-30/people-exposed-to-fallout-from-1st-atomic-bomb-test-still-fighting-for-compensation |
A woman is in critical condition after she was set on fire Sunday morning in Kenosha County.
Deputies from the county and firefighters were dispatched just before 5:00am to a home on 86th place in the village of Salem Lakes. They found a woman with severe burns and she was rushed to a hospital shortly after.
An investigation shows the woman was in an argument with her boyfriend, who has been identified as Myron Faith Bowie. Bowie stated he would kill the woman and her entire family before setting her on fire and speeding away.
The Sheriff’s Department now has a warrant out for Bowie’s arrest and believes he may be in the Chicago area, in the Logan Square and Wicker Park neighborhoods. They describe him as a Black male in his mid-30s, standing around 6 feet tall and weighing around 200 pounds. They also believe he is driving a Cadilac SRX with Illinois license plate: DQ46996.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department Detective Bureau at 262-605-5102 or Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333 or 800-807-TIPS(8477). | https://wtmj.com/news/2023/07/30/man-wanted-after-setting-girlfriend-on-fire-in-kenosha-county/ | 2023-07-30T22:36:18 | 1 | https://wtmj.com/news/2023/07/30/man-wanted-after-setting-girlfriend-on-fire-in-kenosha-county/ |
Review: Colorful and zippy, ‘The Beanie Bubble’ ultimately feels understuffed
‘The Beanie Bubble’
The rise and fall of the 1990s Beanie Baby craze is seen through the eyes of three women in “The Beanie Bubble,” a kaleidoscopic dramedy loosely based on Zac Bissonnette’s book “The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute.” Writer-director Kristin Gore and her husband and co-director, Damian Kulash (the lead singer of the band OK Go), bounce back and forth between the 1980s and ‘90s, spending just as much time revisiting the fashions, music, politics and cultural trends as they do telling their version of the story of the Ty Inc. toy magnate Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis).
In the film’s first half-hour, all the zooming around adds excitement, re-creating some of the buzz of the Beanie Baby frenzy. The early scenes paint Warner as a benign genius, with a flair for presentation and a knack for making everyone around him feel like a part of a winning team. The scrambled chronology lets Gore and Kulash quickly introduce their three leading ladies: Robbie (Elizabeth Banks), Warner’s on-again-off-again girlfriend and business partner; Sheila (Sarah Snook), a single mother whose kids inspire some of Warner’s best ideas; and Maya (Geraldine Viswanathan), a bright college student who helps Ty Inc. become an internet presence.
Co-directors Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash, along with book author Zac Bissonnette, explain how the ‘The Beanie Bubble’ was shaped from real-life events.
All three women eventually become disillusioned, as Warner proves pathologically unable to share anything — not shares in the business, not the credit for its success, and not his life. At its best, “The Beanie Bubble” is a cautionary tale about how wealth, power and prestige can foster delusions of grandeur, and can insulate people from the their most damaging failures.
“The Beanie Bubble” eventually runs out of steam. The snappy pace and colorful style — so attractive at first — later become alienating, keeping nearly all the characters locked into one dimension. (The lone exception, ironically, is Warner himself, who shows a lot of different facets.) The performances are so lively that not until the second hour is it clear that these women are all going to be defined by how they relate to Warner. There’s still a lot of nostalgic appeal and some enlightening economic theory threaded through this film. But overall, it feels understuffed.
‘The Beanie Bubble.’ Rated R for language. 1 hour, 50 minutes. Available on Apple TV+
‘Susie Searches’
The darkly comic mystery “Susie Searches” starts as an overly broad spoof of true crime podcasters, but it soon deepens into something more twisty and suspenseful than the average satire. Kiersey Clemons plays Susie, a socially awkward college student who escapes from her dreary fast-food job — and the stress of taking care of her sickly mother — by investigating local crimes as an unofficial assistant to the sheriff (Jim Gaffigan). Susie becomes a celebrity when she locates a missing classmate, Jesse (Alex Wolff). The two of them soon begin to bond, and the more they talk, the clearer it becomes that both are hiding secrets.
Writer-director Sophie Kargman (adapting her own short film with screenwriter William Day Frank) uses comedy to misdirect the audience. Early on, Susie — with her prominent braces and her inability to relate to her peers — is made to look silly, as are the various authority figures around her, played by veteran comic actors like Ken Marino and Geoffrey Owens. But about a third of the way through the movie, Kargman and company introduce their first big twist. From there on, the characters become more fleshed-out and grounded.
It’s best to leave that twist unspoiled, except to say that it does complicate any initial impression the audience may have of Susie as an adorable dork. Once we know she’s a less-than-reliable narrator, the time we spend following her amateur sleuthing and podcasting becomes more complicated and tense. The insights into influencer culture and the thirst for fame in “Susie Searches” aren’t exactly fresh. But as a Hitchcockian thriller with a slippery hero, this film can be ruthlessly effective.
‘Susie Searches.’ Not rated. 1 hour, 45 minutes. Available on VOD
‘Sharksploitation’
In the summer of 1975, moviegoers around the world flocked to “Jaws,” a masterfully crafted, big-budget studio version of the kind of “when nature attacks” horror films that had been drive-in staples since the 1950s. In the years that followed, B-movie producers took the “Jaws” phenomenon as a challenge, and saturated the market with cheap movies about killer fish. Decades later, nostalgia for this “skarksploitation” era inspired a wave of winking meta-trash like “Sharknado” and “Sharktopus.”
Stephen Scarlata’s documentary “Sharksploitation” is a fun and far-reaching look back at the history of these movies, including shark-adjacent pictures like “Piranha” and structurally similar land-bound adventures like “Grizzly.” Scarlata strings together interviews with cinema scholars, fans and some of the people who made the films (like the great Roger Corman). They all have the right attitude: They understand the history of schlock and they respect the pleasures of the ridiculous.
There’s perhaps not quite enough meat on the subgenre’s bones to gnaw on for 108 minutes. As is often the case with these kinds of all-encompassing retrospectives, the people Scarlata’s team could persuade to be interviewed end up dictating what gets talked about the most — which for “Sharksploitation” means longer and more repetitive reflections about the recent proliferation of tongue-in-cheek monster movies than coverage of the ‘70s and ‘80s post-“Jaws” boom.
Still, every time this film feels like it’s exhausted all there is to say about goofy shark stuff, Scarlata finds another wild and gory clip, or he gathers another keen insight about why we love being terrified by sea beasts. Like the movies covered within, “Sharksploitation” is undeniably entertaining — especially at its most preposterous.
‘Sharksploitation.’ Not rated. 1 hours, 48 minutes. Available on Shudder
Australian YouTubers-turned-directors Danny and Michael Philippou reveal the secrets of their A24 horror hit ‘Talk to Me’ in three spoiler-laden scenes (VIDEO)
‘After the Bite’
Ivy Meeropol’s documentary “After the Bite” is set in and around a Cape Cod town that was rocked by a fatal shark encounter in 2018, and which has since been divided over how best to respond. The answer isn’t as simple as a hiring a crusty old fisherman to track and kill a great white, à la “Jaws.” There are ecological and economic factors at play, and no amount of angry demands at town meetings can thwart the deeper-rooted environmental changes that have brought these sharks to the Massachusetts shores.
“After the Bite” isn’t an overtly activist documentary; it’s more quietly observational. Meeropol and her crew formally interview a lot of people with strong opinions — including fishing boat crews, scientists, historians and lifeguards. But most of the film consists of gentle scenes of these people’s daily lives, peppered with their musings about the state of the planet.
Are the sharks threatening the coastline because they’re hunting for seals, which are a protected species? Are those same seals responsible for devouring all the local fish, at the expense of the fishing business? Or is a warming planet and decades of rapacious human industry to blame for everything? If “After the Bite” ultimately has more questions than answers, it’s only because the film is reflecting the people it’s about, who see existential dangers everywhere and no easy way back to safety.
‘After the Bite.’ Not rated. 1 hour, 28 minutes. Available on Max
‘The Golden Boy’
Of all the types of sports documentaries, boxing ones tend to lean hardest into tragedy and heartache. That’s often the case with Fernando Villena’s “The Golden Boy,” which doesn’t shy away from the darker side of its subject, the Olympic gold medalist, multi-time pro champion and entrepreneurial boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya. Born in East Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants, De La Hoya was a star at an early age, not just because of his prowess in the ring but because he was a stunningly handsome, charming kid who dedicated his career to his late mother. But with wealth and fame came scandals, including substance abuse and accusations of sexual assault. (His company, Golden Boy Promotions, issued a statement at the time denying the allegations.)
Villena’s film is ostensibly about the disconnect between De La Hoya’s initial public image and his later reputation; but that’s a tricky dichotomy to explore, and “The Golden Boy” often seems at a loss for how to encapsulate both everything fans loved about De La Hoya and everything he was alleged to have done wrong. De La Hoya himself is interviewed extensively throughout this two-part documentary, and though he talks openly about his struggles and his shame, he always keeps his guard up a little.
So “The Golden Boy” will likely appeal most to boxing fans, due to the wealth of vintage footage Villena has of De La Hoya in action — both beating up his competition and looking fabulous on TV. There’s not a lot of nuts-and-bolts boxing strategy discussed here, but there is much about how difficult it can be to manage huge sums of money, a complicated family life, and the hopes and dreams of millions of Mexican Americans, all at once.
‘The Golden Boy.’ Not rated. 2 hours, 35 minutes. Available on Max
‘Happiness for Beginners’
In writer-director Vicky Wight’s adaptation of Katherine Center’s novel “Happiness for Beginners,” Ellie Kemper plays Helen, a recent divorcée who tries to forget her troubles by signing up for a “hiking for beginners” tour of the Appalachian Trail. When the trek turns out to be longer and tougher than she expected, the perpetually fussy Helen is pushed to let go of her hang-ups, find some inner strength and learn to trust other people — especially Jake (Luke Grimes), a sweet guy she’s always resented, because he’s her obnoxious brother’s friend.
In other words, “Happiness for Beginners” is a little like the Cheryl Strayed “lessons learned in the woods” biopic “Wild” — and a lot like one of those made-for-cable movies where an uptight woman finds her true passion after spending time with a down-to-earth man. Ultimately, the film’s formulaic qualities are too much of a drag. Wight and her cast generate some good comic chemistry at the start of the hike, when Helen and Jake join a band of good-natured misfits who have little in common but learn to work together. Later though, the comedy dissipates as character after character experiences some personal revelation — complete with a maudlin monologue. This movie’s heart is in the right place, and its company is pleasant enough. But by its final half-hour, it starts to feel too much like a rote recitation from a rom-com to-do list.
‘Happiness for Beginners.’ Rated TV-14 for language. 1 hour, 43 minutes. Available on Netflix
Available now on DVD and Blu-ray
“Soundies: The Ultimate Collection” is a treat for fans of cinema and music history, collecting 200 of the short musical films that used to play in special jukeboxes at bars and arcades across the country in the 1940s. These early music videos showcased icons like Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Liberace and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Kino’s four-disc set (produced in cooperation with the Library of Congress) includes introductions and interviews that help explain and enhance a unique moment in American popular culture. Kino Classics
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U.S. Facebook users have one more month to apply for their share of a $725 million privacy settlement that parent company Meta agreed to pay late last year.
Meta is paying to settle a lawsuit alleging the world's largest social media platform allowed millions of its users' personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Anyone in the U.S. who had a Facebook account at any time between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022, is eligible to receive a payment. To apply for the settlement, users can fill out a form and submit it online, or print it out and mail it. The deadline is Aug. 25.
It's not clear how much money individual users will receive. The larger the number of people submitting valid claims, the smaller each payment will be since the money has to be divided among them.
The case sprang from 2018 revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a firm with ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon, had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million users of the platform. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign that culminated in Trump's election as the 45th president.
Uproar over the revelations led to a contrite Mark Zuckerberg being grilled by U.S. lawmakers and spurred calls for people to delete their Facebook accounts.
Facebook's growth has stalled as more people connect and entertain themselves on rival services such as TikTok, but the social network still boasts more than 2 billion users worldwide, including an estimated 250 million in the U.S.
Beyond the Cambridge Analytica case, Meta has been under fire over data privacy for some time. In May, for example, the EU slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion fine and ordered it to stop transferring users' personal information across the Atlantic by October.
The tech giant's new text-based app, Threads, has not rolled out in the EU due to privacy concerns.
The video in the player above is from a previous report on the Facebook settlement. | https://abc11.com/facebook-privacy-settlement-meta-lawsuit-deadline-to-apply-cambridge-analytica/13574403/ | 2023-07-30T22:37:04 | 0 | https://abc11.com/facebook-privacy-settlement-meta-lawsuit-deadline-to-apply-cambridge-analytica/13574403/ |
Getting Warmer Into the Week, Still Trending Dry
After a couple days over the weekend where temperatures were in the low-80s locally, we’re going to see a slow increase in temperatures heading into the work week. By Wednesday and Thursday, we have highs in the mid-80s. The humidity won’t be as high this week, making it feel less hot than what we had last week.
Rain chances are still looking very low this week. Our best opportunity is early Wednesday, but not all of us will get these storms. In terms of location, northern Iowans are more likely to see these storms.
Outside of some heat (but nothing compared to last week) and that one opportunity for rain, we have a quiet week ahead of us. By next weekend, it’s a return to what we’ve been experiencing this weekend. | https://www.kaaltv.com/kaal-weather/getting-warmer-into-the-week-still-trending-dry/ | 2023-07-30T22:37:04 | 0 | https://www.kaaltv.com/kaal-weather/getting-warmer-into-the-week-still-trending-dry/ |
Austin man injured in motorcycle crash in Clear Lake
(ABC 6 News) – An Austin man was thrown off of his motorcycle after colliding with a pickup truck in Clear Lake, Iowa, Saturday afternoon.
It happened around 4:42 p.m. at the intersection of 265th St. and Jonquil Ave, according to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Dept.
According to a press release, 21-year-old Brice Cody of Mason City was driving his pickup truck failed to yield at the intersection, colliding with 58-year-old motorcyclist Jim Royer.
Royer was thrown from his motorcycle.
The CGCSO says that Cody did stop at the stop sign but did not yield to Royer.
Royer was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and the sheriff’s dept. credits the helmet with preventing major head injuries in the crash.
Royer was taken to Mercy One North Iowa’s Medical Center for treatment.
Cody was cited for failure to obey a stop sign and yield right of way. | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/austin-man-injured-in-motorcycle-crash-in-clear-lake/ | 2023-07-30T22:37:10 | 1 | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/austin-man-injured-in-motorcycle-crash-in-clear-lake/ |
Two tribal nations to open Minnesota’s first legal recreational marijuana dispensaries
WHITE EARTH, Minn. (AP) — At least two tribal nations are expected to open Minnesota’s first recreational marijuana dispensaries in August as recreational marijuana becomes legal to possess and grow in the state on Tuesday.
Following a council vote on Friday, the White Earth Nation in northwestern Minnesota legalized recreational cannabis and will begin selling it sometime in the first half of August, Minnesota Public Radio reported. Both tribal members and non-tribal adults 21 years and older would be able to purchase from the nation’s dispensary.
Weeks earlier, NativeCare — a tribal-run medical marijuana provider — announced a recreational marijuana dispensary expected to open shortly on Red Lake Nation once the new law takes effect, the Star Tribune reported. The nation is also in northwestern Minnesota.
The band could’ve started selling recreational marijuana at that time but decided to wait until Minnesota’s new marijuana law legalizes possession statewide.
“Our intention is to be a good partner and ultimately fill the void for people who intend to use cannabis,” Red Lake tribal secretary Sam Strong told the Star Tribune.
The state’s Democratic-controlled Legislature approved a massive marijuana legalization bill this year, which Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed in May.
White Earth Nation and Red Lake Nation plan to take advantage of their sovereignty and allow sales right away. But the state projects most legal retail sales won’t begin until early 2025, while it creates a licensing and regulatory system for the new industry.
Minnesota is the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana, more than a decade after Colorado and Washington did so.
For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Minnesota Public Radio News. | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/business-news/two-tribal-nations-to-open-minnesotas-first-legal-recreational-marijuana-dispensaries/ | 2023-07-30T22:37:16 | 1 | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/business-news/two-tribal-nations-to-open-minnesotas-first-legal-recreational-marijuana-dispensaries/ |
Iconic ‘Sopranos’ boat, a piece of NJ history, is up for sale
So you want to own a part of Jersey history?
Well for $299,900 you can because the original season one "Stugotz" from "The Sopranos" is up for sale, according to unitedyacht.com.
According to the website, the current name of this boat is no longer "The Stugotz" and it's now named "Never Enough."
Here is what the boat looked like on set.
This seems fitting considering that many New Jerseyans can never get enough of the show. I, for one, am one of those people. I can rewatch the show over and over again and never get sick of it.
It's important to note that this boat up for sale was Tony's boat in season one of the show. Not the famous boat that was infamously used in the "Whitecaps" episode when Little Paulie and Christopher Moltisanti blared music in front of the Sapinsly home to make him give Tony his money back.
A lot of people would do anything they can to make sure they get their hands on this boat. They say the best days of being a boat owner are the day you buy it and the day that you sell it.
I don't think this would be the case though. You'd be owning a part of history if you are able to buy the infamous Stugotz. It would become a talking point. You could be sailing on a boat that was in the most popular TV show arguably of all time. I think it would be a great investment.
Well, if you have almost $300,000 to spend, that is.
Gorgeous views: 13 NJ lake house rentals in North Jersey
21 of the most expensive homes for sale at the Jersey Shore (North)
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kyle Clark. Any opinions expressed are his own.
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. | https://nj1015.com/iconic-sopranos-boat-a-piece-of-nj-history-is-up-for-sale/ | 2023-07-30T22:37:50 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/iconic-sopranos-boat-a-piece-of-nj-history-is-up-for-sale/ |
SAN FRANCISCO — Russian propaganda is spreading into the world’s video games.
In Minecraft, the immersive game owned by Microsoft, Russian players reenacted the battle for Soledar, a city in Ukraine that Russian forces captured in January, posting a video of the game on their country’s most popular social media network, VKontakte.
A channel on World of Tanks, a multiplayer warfare game, commemorated the 78th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in May with a re-creation of the Soviet Union’s parade of tanks in Moscow in 1945. On Roblox, the popular gaming platform, a user created an array of Interior Ministry forces in June to celebrate the national holiday, Russia Day.
These games and adjacent discussion sites such as Discord and Steam are becoming online platforms for Russian agitprop, circulating to new, mostly younger audiences a torrent of propaganda that the Kremlin has used to try to justify the war in Ukraine.
In this virtual world, players have adopted the letter Z, a symbol of the Russian troops who invaded last year; embraced legally specious Russian territorial claims in Crimea and other places; and echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to denigrate Ukrainians as Nazis and blame the West for the conflict.
“Glory to Russia,” declared a video tutorial on how to construct a flagpole with a Russian flag on Minecraft. It showed a Russian flag over a cityscape labeled Luhansk, one of the Ukrainian provinces that Russia has illegally annexed.
“The gaming world is really a platform that can impact public opinion, to reach an audience, especially young populations,” said Tanya Bekker, a researcher at ActiveFence, a cybersecurity company that identified several examples of Russian propaganda on Minecraft for The New York Times.
Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, disclosed in April that the company’s security teams had identified recent Russian efforts “basically to penetrate some of these gaming communities,” citing examples in Minecraft and in Discord discussion groups. He said Microsoft had advised governments, which he did not name, about them, but he played down their significance.
“In truth, it’s not the No. 1 thing we should worry about,” Smith said at an economic conference in Washington organized by Semafor, the news site. “They’re going to publish information somewhere. You know, it just happens to be a good place for them to get the information into circulation.”
The head of Microsoft’s threat analysis team, Clint Watts, told researchers at New York University’s Stern School of Business that the Russian paramilitary force known as the Wagner Group promoted “malign narratives” on Discord and Steam to support the Kremlin’s views. It may have also sought to encourage enlistments when Russian combat casualties were taking an enormous toll.
“The propaganda mainly seeks to make Wagner and the Russian military look cool and menacing,” Watts told the researchers, who were examining extremism in video games.
Microsoft declined to elaborate on its executives’ comments or to respond to questions about the Russian examples except to say in a statement that the company reviews content that violates its community standards.
Although some of the material reflects the views of ordinary Russians, other examples suggested government involvement. The Kremlin’s reach into video games shows how tenaciously Putin’s government has sought to bolster its political goals by using Western social media and consumer products despite diplomatic and economic isolation.
In June, celebrities, musicians and at least one Russian government official staged a concert on Minecraft celebrating Russia Day. The official, Ekaterina Mizulina, is a member of the Civic Chamber, an advisory body, and the head of the Russian Internet Safety League. Her mother, Yelena, serves in the upper house of parliament and has been a prominent ally of Putin’s, sponsoring conservative legislation targeting, among other things, homosexuality.
Other memes appearing in games are sympathetic to the Wagner Group, which was led by Yevgeny Prigozhin until a mysterious military mutiny unraveled last month. Prigozhin, once a close ally of Putin’s, is a veteran of information operations, having founded the Internet Research Agency, the St. Petersburg, Russia, company that interfered in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.
This month, Putin underscored the Kremlin’s interest in the gaming industry as a potential tool for the government to instill values. He called it “a colossal business” in remarks to a civic organization he founded in 2018 to focus on youth social and economic issues. One in four Russians plays games online, according to a deputy prime minister who spoke at the same meeting. Putin said games “should be at the intersection of art and education.”
“A game should help a person develop, help him find himself, should help educate a person both within the framework of universal human values and within the framework of patriotism,” Putin said in remarks in the Kremlin.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Microsoft announced that it would suspend new sales of products and services to Russia to comply with sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe, but Russians have continued to find ways to use its games and sites such as Discord and Steam to reach broader audiences. Many of the examples are in Russian, suggesting that the intended audience is at home or among Russian speakers in neighboring countries, including Ukraine.
“Russian propaganda is trying new things to promote its regime,” said Artem Starosiek, the head of Molfar, a Ukrainian consultancy that analyzes online threats.
Molfar’s researchers identified more than a dozen instances of pro-Kremlin propaganda in Minecraft, Roblox, World of Tanks, World of Warships, Fly Corp, Armored Warfare and War Thunder. Almost all extolled the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, a theme Putin and his advisers have used to build support for today’s war. Some of it had explicit links to political parties or government agencies.
It is not clear what steps, if any, Microsoft or other companies have taken to block Russian efforts. Wargaming Group, the Cyprus-based creator of World of Tanks and other games, spun off its Russian and Belarusian business last year to Lesta Studio, a subsidiary in St. Petersburg.
Jacob Davey, the head of research of far-right and hate movements at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London, said Minecraft and other games could be useful tools for those looking to influence vulnerable young people, especially if those people had already sorted themselves into private groups where they were eager to discuss fringe ideologies.
“We know that hostile actors who are seeking to shape minds and influence people are opportunistic,” said Davey, who has studied the gamification of extremist content online. “They go where they think they might find a receptive audience, and they adopt a wide range of tech platforms to push their messaging out.”
Given the martial nature of many games, it is not surprising that the war in Ukraine would have an influence on content, but in some cases, the games have become a battleground.
A company in Germany made a video game, Death From Above, that simulates Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian forces. The company’s owner called it “a propaganda game.” A newspaper in Finland, Helsingin Sanomat, used the video game Counter-Strike to create a conduit for factual information about the war to a Russian audience largely shielded from it.
“Could we create a place in Counter-Strike where the millions of young Russian men playing this first-person shoot game would be forced to face the terrors of the war in Ukraine?” the newspaper asked in an interactive feature.
Joseph Brown, an assistant professor at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, spent five years teaching about video game development in Russia, and said he had seen firsthand the country’s commitment to propaganda through video games and other forms of media.
“They need to get everybody back on board with the war,” Brown said. “It’s another piece of this whole puzzle of constant propaganda, all the time. In every single medium they can get to you with, they will get to you.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/russia-takes-its-ukraine-information-war-into-video-games/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-30T22:37:50 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/russia-takes-its-ukraine-information-war-into-video-games/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
New Jersey beaches are perfect for a late day trip
Everyone always seems to flock to the beaches to see the sunrise. It's a talked about tradition that makes it seem like it's a necessity for everyone at some point in their lives.
And I agree, it is an amazing experience. I've done it, and I wrote about it on nj1015.com.
What people don't talk enough about though is how amazing the beach is at night. I've gotten into a habit of trying to go at least once a week during the 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. hours when it's still light out but the sun isn't as brutal. And let me tell you it's equally as peaceful as the early morning sunrise.
☀️ First of all, predictably, the beach isn't as crowded as it is during the day. Sure, there are still people there, but instead of seeing thousands of people around you on the beach, you might only see 40 to 50 in your general area.
☀️ The weather is so much better at this time of day too. The 1 p.m. heat has worn off and when you couple that with the beach breeze it makes for some comfortable chair sitting.
☀️ If you want to go in the water guess what... you still can! It won't have cooled off enough to feel cold. The lifeguards will be off-duty so swim at your own risk.
☀️ You'll also be able to find great parking because the beach will be so empty. Forget about having to park five blocks down the road, you might be able to get front row parking.
☀️ If you don't like the feeling of having sunscreen all over your body at the beach, fear not because you won't be getting any sunburn this late in the day.
So check it out for yourself. Try going to the beach after work. You'll find it's an awesome experience.
Stunning Jersey Shore rentals, steps from the beach
LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kyle Clark. Any opinions expressed are his own.
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. | https://nj1015.com/new-jersey-beaches-are-perfect-for-a-late-day-trip/ | 2023-07-30T22:37:56 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/new-jersey-beaches-are-perfect-for-a-late-day-trip/ |
A non-verbal autistic man was taken for a wild ride when the Mercedes-Benz he was sitting in was stolen from outside Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Coop by an opportunistic car thief, cops said Sunday.
Brandon Simeon, 54, was waiting inside an idling 2010 Mercedes-Benz outside the well-known grocery on Union St. when a crook hopped into the driver’s seat about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
The keys were in the ignition and the thief sped off, making a turn onto Seventh Ave. and fleeing south, police said.
Cops found the abandoned car, with Simeon still inside, about five hours later just two blocks away on Mill and Clinton Sts., police sources said. Simeon was unharmed.
The crook was nowhere to be found and has not been caught. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/autistic-nyc-man-taken-for-wild-ride-when-mercedes-benz-he-was-sitting-in-was-stolen/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-30T22:37:56 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/autistic-nyc-man-taken-for-wild-ride-when-mercedes-benz-he-was-sitting-in-was-stolen/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden dispatched his national security adviser Jake Sullivan to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for talks with the kingdom's de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the White House pushes for a normalization of relations between the country and Israel.
The White House in a brief statement said that Sullivan arrived in Jeddah on Thursday for talks with the crown prince, who is often referred to by his initial MBS, and other Saudi officials. The wide-ranging talks covered initiatives to “advance a common vision for a more peaceful, secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East," and efforts to find a permanent end to the years-long conflict between the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen, according to the White House.
Sullivan and MBS also discussed the Biden administration's hopes to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to a White House National Security Council official familiar with the matter. The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The effort to strengthen the historically fraught relationship between the Middle East's two significant powers comes after the Trump administration helped usher in the “Abraham Accords," normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
A normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthy Arab state, has the potential to reshape the region and boost Israel’s standing in historic ways. But brokering such a deal is a heavy lift as the kingdom has said it won’t officially recognize Israel before a resolution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sullivan's visit comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the kingdom last month in part to promote normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
During Blinken's recent visit, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that normalization with Israel would have “limited benefits” without “finding a pathway to peace for the Palestinian people.”
The Saudis have also shown hesitance to proceed with normalizing relations with Israel at a time when it is led by the most right-wing government in its history, and when tensions have soared with the Palestinians.
The Saudis have repeatedly called for the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza, territories Israel seized in the 1967 war.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/ap-top-news/2023/07/27/biden-dispatches-top-adviser-for-talks-with-saudi-crown-prince-on-normalizing-relations-with-israel | 2023-07-30T22:37:58 | 0 | https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/ap-top-news/2023/07/27/biden-dispatches-top-adviser-for-talks-with-saudi-crown-prince-on-normalizing-relations-with-israel |
Madonna thanks her children for support as she recovers from health scare: ‘It made all the difference’
The ‘Material Girl’ singer was hospitalized in June for a ‘serious bacterial infection'
Madonna is grateful for friends and family amid her recovery from a ‘serious bacterial infection,’ especially the support of her children.
In a new Instagram post, the singer shared photos of herself with two of her children, son David Banda and daughter Lourdes Leon, as she shared her thoughts on her health scare. Madonna is also mom to son Rocco Ritchie and Chifundo "Mercy" James.
"Love from family and friends is the best Medicine. One month out of the hospital and I can reflect," she began the post.
"As a Mother you can really get caught up In the needs Of your children and the seemingly endless giving………..," Madonna continued. "But when the chips were down my children really showed up for me. I saw a side to them I had never seen before. It made all the difference."
MADONNA’S KIDS REPORTEDLY BY HER SIDE AMID HOSPITALIZATION: WHO ARE LOURDES, ROCCO, DAVID AND MERCY?
The music icon was hospitalized and in the ICU in June for a "serious bacterial infection," according to her longtime talent manager, Guy Oseary.
Earlier this month, Madonna spoke out about her health after she returned home.
"Thank you for your positive energy, Prayers and words of healing and encouragement," she wrote in a statement while sharing a photo of herself. "I have felt your love. I'm on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life."
She also shared that she would have to postpone the North American leg of her Celebration World Tour, which was set to kick off in July.
MADONNA 'RECOVERING AT HOME' AFTER ICU SCARE, LONGTIME FRIEND ROSIE O'DONNELL SAYS
"My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children," she wrote. "My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour. I also didn't want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show."
The 64-year-old added that she is currently focusing on her health and "getting stronger" and plans to go ahead with the start of her tour in Europe in October.
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In her most recent post, Madonna also shared an image of a gift she received from Oseary, a polaroid taken by Andy Warhol of artist Keith Haring wearing a jacket with Michael Jackson painted on it, that moved her to tears.
"I sobbed when I opened this gift because I realized how lucky I am to be alive," she wrote. "And how fortunate I am to have known these people and so many others who are also gone."
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She concluded the caption, writing, "And Thank you to all my angels who protected me and let me Stay to finish doing my work!" | https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/madonna-thanks-her-children-support-she-recovers-from-health-scare-made-all-difference | 2023-07-30T22:38:01 | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/madonna-thanks-her-children-support-she-recovers-from-health-scare-made-all-difference |
Families of those killed on Delta Flight 723 gathered at Logan International Airport’s chapel Sunday morning for a memorial Mass, marking the the 50th anniversary of the worst plane crash in New England’s history.
The crash, which killed all 89 on board, occurred July 31, 1973. Despite the passage of a half-century, the grief remains fresh, and Sunday’s service offered a rare opportunity to meet others who share a lasting pain.
The Rev. Christopher O’Connor, the Catholic chaplain of Our Lady of the Airways chapel, began the morning by reading out the names of each victim, just before 9 a.m.
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“Look at this crowd here, this beautiful legacy of people,” O’Connor said of the more than 100 people seated before him. “What a great testimony to your love for your deceased loved ones to be here.”
Visitors continued trickling in as O’Connor recited the names. The chapel — minutes earlier filled with footsteps and whispered greetings — was quiet, save for the shutter of cameras, the cooing of a baby, and the muffled bustle of fliers picking up their bags just a few steps out the door.
Following the Mass, O’Connor stepped to the back of the chapel, where a granite plaque dedicated to the victims was recently installed on a brick wall. He sprinkled holy water on the plaque engraved with the words “You shall remain forever in our hearts.”
O’Connor said many he spoke with were so overcome by tragedy that they barely recalled the funeral services held five decades ago.
“But they’ll remember this,” he said. “This was their opportunity to grieve and to be comforted.”
Michael Fuller, whose aunt and uncle, Peggy and Joe Fuller, were killed in the crash, said Sunday’s service was “an acknowledgement” of his and other families’ pain and an opportunity to finally say goodbye.
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He wore a black and white photo of Peggy and Joe on his right breast, as did other members of the Fuller family. After the crash, “we went from a family of two to a family of four,” he said, as Fuller’s parents adopted his orphaned cousins.
“This is really the first time that I think that we’ve addressed this, truly addressed it,” Fuller said. “It just happened, and everybody moved on. And I don’t believe that we really brought closure until now.”
Andrea Norwood, 79, flew in from Texas with her son, Albert Holzscheiter, to honor their husband and father, Albert J. Holzscheiter, killed in the crash. She said it seemed impossible that 50 years had passed.
“I hate the word ‘closure.’ It doesn’t exist,” Norwood said. “You go on. You find out that you have to get out of bed, and you have to do things, and you have to eat. It just goes on.”
Still, she said O’Connor’s remarks “struck all the right notes” to make getting out of bed a little easier moving forward.
For Michelle Brennen, who organized the service after years connecting with other families touched by the tragedy, the morning brought a sense of community and shared understanding.
“I’m hoping that other people felt that,” Brennen said. “There were a lot of emotions. So it was hard to really read people, if this was a good thing or not a good thing.”
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Holzscheiter, 53, said he was on the verge of skipping the service on Saturday night. Thinking toward Sunday morning summoned a surge of “feelings I hadn’t ever processed,” he said. He cited anger, saying it felt like he was beginning the five stages of grief anew.
But as he stood and admired the plaque with his mother, Holzscheiter said the service had brought him a long-awaited feeling of solace.
“I was 3, so I didn’t [understand] a funeral,” he said. “I think we’re going to get some peace out of it.”
Daniel Kool can be reached at daniel.kool@globe.com. Follow him @dekool01. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/30/metro/feelings-i-hadnt-ever-processed-families-mark-50th-anniversary-logan-crash-with-memorial-service-airport-chapel/ | 2023-07-30T22:38:01 | 1 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/30/metro/feelings-i-hadnt-ever-processed-families-mark-50th-anniversary-logan-crash-with-memorial-service-airport-chapel/ |
Comer questions timing of DOJ's letter requesting ex-Hunter Biden business partner report to prison: 'Odd'
Devon Archer is set to testify before Congress about the Biden family's foreign business dealings
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said he believes the Department of Justice is trying to obstruct the GOP’s investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings and President Biden’s alleged involvement.
Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, sent a letter Saturday to Judge Ronnie Abrams asking her to set a date and a time for longtime Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer to surrender and begin his one-year prison sentence, days before his testimony on Capitol Hill.
Archer is set to testify Monday behind closed doors about President Biden’s alleged involvement in his son’s business dealings.
He is expected to detail the meetings he witnessed that both Bidens attended—either in person or via telephone. Archer will reportedly testify that Hunter would specifically introduce his father to foreign business partners or prospective investors.
Archer was sentenced in February 2022 to one year and one day in prison for defrauding a Native American tribe. He lost an appeal in June to have his sentence and conviction for securities fraud and conspiracy charges overturned.
HUNTER BIDEN'S BUSINESS PARTNER DEVON ARCHER IN ‘HIDING’ AHEAD OF BOMBSHELL TESTIMONY: REPORT
Comer told "Sunday Morning Futures" the timing of the DOJ’s letter was "odd."
"It's odd that it was issued on a Saturday, and it's odd that it's right before he's scheduled to come in to have an opportunity to speak in front of the House Oversight Committee and tell the American people the truth about what really went on with Burisma," he said.
"The lengths to which the Biden legal team has gone to try to intimidate our witnesses, to coordinate with the Department of Justice, and to certainly coordinate with the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee to encourage people not to cooperate with our investigation, to encourage banks not to turn over bank records, to encourage Treasury not to let us have access to those suspicious activity reports. It's very troubling. And I believe that…this is another violation of the law. This is obstruction of justice," Comer continued.
HUNTER BIDEN'S FOREIGN BUSINESS DEALINGS: 4 COUNTRIES WITH FINANCIAL LINKS TO PRESIDENT'S SON
Matthew Schwartz, Archer’s attorney, told Politico that his client doesn’t agree with the characterization that the DOJ is attempting to intimidate Archer before his scheduled testimony by sending a letter requesting he report to prison.
"We are aware of speculation that the Department of Justice’s weekend request to have Mr. Archer report to prison is an attempt by the Biden administration to intimidate him in advance of his meeting with the House Oversight Committee," Schwartz said in a statement. "To be clear, Mr. Archer does not agree with that speculation. In any case, Mr. Archer will do what he has planned to do all along, which is to show up on Monday and to honestly answer the questions that are put to him by the Congressional investigators."
Comer told host Maria Bartiromo that Archer has an opportunity to "be a hero" when he testifies before Congress.
"He has an opportunity to be a hero, like the two whistleblowers were, like the judge in Delaware was who rejected the sweetheart plea deal from the Department of Justice to Hunter Biden. Devon Archer could be in that category of Americans that just come and tell the truth. That's all we want," the GOP lawmaker explained.
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"We know that Devon Archer was on the board of Burisma with Hunter Biden. We know that Devon Archer has met and communicated many, many times with Joe Biden about Burisma and other things. So this is going to be an opportunity for Devin Archer, just to tell the truth."
Fox News' Brooke Singman and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report
For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media | https://www.foxnews.com/media/comer-questions-timing-dojs-letter-requesting-ex-hunter-biden-business-partner-report-prison-odd | 2023-07-30T22:38:02 | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/media/comer-questions-timing-dojs-letter-requesting-ex-hunter-biden-business-partner-report-prison-odd |
A 29-year-old man from Mattapan has been charged with vehicular offenses after an alleged hit-and-run crash involving a police cruiser in Randolph on Saturday evening, officials said.
The man, whose name was not released because a criminal complaint has not been issued, is facing charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle, according to a statement released by the Randolph Police Department.
He will be summonsed to address the charges in Quincy District Court at a later date, police said.
At around 8 p.m., a Randolph police officer traveled to North Main Street to help the driver of a vehicle that had run out of fuel. While the officer helped the stranded motorist, a black 2014 Jeep traveling northbound crossed the double yellow line and hit the parked cruiser with the officer inside, according to the statement and a dashboard camera video released by police. The suspect then fled the scene and continued driving northbound.
The officer was evaluated at the scene for injuries and declined further treatment, according to the statement.
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Another officer initially tried to stop the Jeep, but police decided not to pursue the driver out of concern for their safety and that of other drivers, police said.
Using photo evidence, officers obtained the license plate number of the suspect’s vehicle. About a half hour later, police located the Jeep, unoccupied, near the registered owner’s home in the area of Wellington Hill Street, according to the statement. Detectives found the Jeep to have damage consistent with the crash, according to the statement. It was taken to the Randolph Police Department and impounded.
The alleged driver and registered owner of the vehicle turned himself in on Sunday morning, according to the statement.
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Collin Robisheaux can be reached at collin.robisheaux@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ColRobisheaux. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/30/metro/mattapan-man-charged-after-hit-and-run-crash-involving-randolph-police-cruiser/ | 2023-07-30T22:38:02 | 0 | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/30/metro/mattapan-man-charged-after-hit-and-run-crash-involving-randolph-police-cruiser/ |
Alfredo Ramirez became a police officer for noble reasons. He was a law-and-order man, who spoke about the ravages of gun violence. He was a compassionate man, known to cry for victims and pray with their distraught families. He was a humble man, son of Cuban exiles, who worked long hours to protect Miami-Dade County from crime. In a place with a history of bad cops, killer cops, corrupt cops, his spotless record gleamed like the eight gold stars on his collar.
As Ramirez rose through the ranks, from patrolling suburban streets to arresting drug dealers, gang leaders and money launderers, to leading the fourth-largest police force in the country, the respect of colleagues and citizens only grew. He remained steadfastly Freddy, the opposite of the cynical, traumatized, volatile, trigger-happy TV cop show stereotype.
And then, he snapped.
The rage of Ramirez’s breakdown has left those who thought they knew him searching for explanations: How and why did his 28-year-career come to a bloody end Sunday night by the side of a highway with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head?
Ramirez, recovering from two surgeries at Tampa General Hospital, has lost sight in his right eye but the angle of the shot and the trajectory of the bullet did not cause brain damage, doctors said. Ramirez, 52, has not not yet addressed his 2024 candidacy for the new position of county sheriff, but political observers say his campaign can’t survive what happened in Tampa. Voters would find it difficult to reconcile Ramirez’s public image with descriptions of dangerous, despondent behavior so out of character he seemed to be possessed.
Panicked 911 call from Tampa hotel
What caused the even-tempered Ramirez to get into a heated argument with his wife of 30 years, Jody, in the lobby of the Tampa JW Marriott on the first evening of the Florida Sheriffs Association summer conference in full view of his stunned law-enforcement peers? Why did Ramirez shove his wife against a wall and put his hands around her throat, according to three attendees? As the couple moved outside, shouting at each other, why did Ramirez, the lauded peacemaker, pull out his gun — at one point, aiming it at himself — alarming guests, and prompting a panicked 911 call that summoned Tampa police to the hotel? Police questioned Ramirez and his wife about their “domestic dispute,” which they said was over, no harm done, no fear of harm, and Ramirez denied brandishing his gun.
Kicked out of the Marriott by management, Ramirez and his wife began the trip to their West Kendall home. He called Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and his campaign manager, told them about the mortifying scene at the conference, and offered to resign as chief. Levine Cava, who described Ramirez as “very remorseful,” reassured him they would talk about it Monday.
And then, did Ramirez crack again? What about the emotional state of his wife, Jody? As they drove south, enveloped inside their car by anger, despair and shame, what provoked the next violent outburst?
Ramirez had his gun in his right hand when he shot himself but the details are unclear, the obvious questions unanswered. Who can understand the tests to a marriage except the partners themselves? Did Ramirez make a suicidal threat and Jody tried to wrestle the gun away? Did Ramirez take the gun from Jody? The Herald has requested the incident report, 911 call recordings and body camera footage from authorities who responded to the scene on I-75 near mile marker 244 but the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol have not released those records.
Nor has Ramirez made any statements. The main concern is his recuperation.
“We are shaken and hurt, and can’t stop thinking about Freddy,” said Tangela Sears, an anti-violence activist who has known Ramirez for 25 years, since he worked at the Northside station near her home in Liberty City. “I had lunch with him last week and talked to him on Sunday afternoon about the campaign and the conference. I’m asking myself if I saw any red flags. I don’t know what may be going on with him in his personal life, but he was under a lot of pressure.”
Sears is a founder of Miami-Dade Mothers of Murdered Children. Her 29-year-old son was shot and killed in 2015.
“I’ve been in Freddy’s shoes before, where you are in so much pain and feel so hopeless that you consider ending your life,” Sears said. “I’ve been through tragedy after tragedy with family and friends. We’re human, we’re not as strong as people think. Freddy was always by my side and I’ll stay by his side.”
It’s not the time to judge Ramirez, but to support him, said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle.
“I have witnessed him personally, innumerable times, where he’s tried to console a grieving victim,” she said at a press conference. “He’s given a great deal to this community, to our community. And now it’s our turn.”
Levine Cava, who flew by county helicopter to the Tampa hospital at 2:30 a.m. Monday, said she can’t speculate on what led to the shooting. She can only empathize with Ramirez and his wife.
“I love Freddy. He is an amazing human being,” she said at a Wednesday press conference, her eyes red, her voice halting. “He is the best of what law enforcement means. I have total trust in his leadership.”
A reassuring presence at crime scenes, memorials
In announcing an interim police director and interim chief safety officer — Ramirez’s job was expanded by the mayor in 2022 when he assumed both roles — Levine Cava emphasized the toll of police work on officers’ mental health.
“This incident is also a tragic reminder of the critical role that mental health plays in our law enforcement officers,” Levine Cava said, flanked by police administrators and commanders in their taupe uniforms. “The reality is that these jobs are very demanding, they’re stressful and they’re emotionally taxing.”
County Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert, who joined Levine Cava in Tampa on Monday, said seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
“We never want to be this sad again,” he said. “We never want to be this broken.”
Ramirez has been an outspoken advocate of mental health treatment for police officers, who suffer disproportionately high rates of suicide, depression, domestic violence, divorce and stress-related illnesses.
Alex Piquero, a professor of criminology at the University of Miami and director of the Department of Bureau Statistics for the U.S. Department of Justice, praised Ramirez’s “rare” one-on-one connection with people. They have worked together on the county’s Peace and Prosperity Plan since the mass shooting at El Mula banquet hall in 2021.
One of the biggest stress multipliers for cops is their inability to leave work behind at the station. Witnessing gore, addiction, death and the worst side of human beings for years on end leads to fractured relationships at home, Piquero said.
“It’s not like cops can punch out and say ‘I’m done for the day,’” Piquero said. “It’s really, really hard for them to turn the toggle off.”
Ramirez had trouble compartmentalizing the pain he saw because even as an administrator managing 4,600 employees from a big office, he was a constant, earnest presence in Miami-Dade’s neighborhoods, at crime scenes, memorials, charity events.
“You can’t take things personally and to the heart, but he did,” said Charles Nanney, who retired from the Miami-Dade police department in 2018 after 36 years. “He’s very energetic. Very quiet. But always working. And everyone liked him. More importantly, everyone wanted him in their units.”
Sears said Ramirez was a collaborator who welcomed community input. They have worked together to organize violence-prevention forums and programs to get guns off the streets. They have marched together at rallies.
“Any time you met with Freddy about a problem, you walked away with a solution,” said Sears, who has consulted with politicians on reforms in law enforcement policies. “He was out here making sure detectives maintained close contact with the neighborhoods, with the people. He took a zero-tolerance stand against gun violence and we’re going to continue that work.”
Ramirez met with family members of the 98 people killed in the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo. He drove to Surfside almost daily during the month-long search and rescue operation that turned into a search mission after it was determined there would be no survivors pulled from the rubble. Ramirez talked with anguished, anxious relatives, prayed with them for a miracle and promised that the remains of all victims would be found and identified.
When robbery detective Cesar “Echy” Echaverry was killed last year in a Liberty City shootout with a felon, Ramirez treated Echaverry’s relatives and colleagues like family, Nanney said.
“He cares so much. He’s always worried. So when Echy got killed, it hurt him. It’s just the way he’s built,” Nanney said.
Ramirez participated in an annual fundraiser picnic for juvenile diabetes patients at ZooMiami every year without fail, Nanney said. Another example of Ramirez’s caring nature came after a major drug bust in Liberty City. It was around Christmas, and a group of young kids watched as Ramirez and his unit handcuffed suspects. Ramirez was worried residents would see the cops as “occupiers” of the neighborhood, so he told the kids he’d make it up to them. The next day he brought toys to give away, Santa with a badge.
“I kept saying this guy’s going to be director one day,” Nanney said. “He’s very simple. He was raised the way everyone should be raised.”
Met his wife at Sunset High
Before moving to Miami, Ramirez lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with his parents and grandparents, who left Cuba when Fidel Castro took power. He graduated from Sunset Senior High School, where he met Jody, and earned a sociology degree from the University of Miami in 1995. They have four children; one son is a Miami-Dade police sergeant and a daughter is in medical school. Ramirez’s favorite hobbies? Playing guitar and working out at the gym.
After a few years of street patrols in the south end of the county, Ramirez became a sergeant in the Hammocks in 2002. By 2003, he was overseeing narcotics and search warrants. When he worked under Nanney, “Freddy was the tip of the spear when it came to getting bad guys, and I got almost zero complaints on him, which is hard to do,” Nanney said. In 2006, Ramirez was promoted to lieutenant.
As a captain he supervised investigations of narcotics, money laundering, kidnapping, organized crime, human trafficking, gangs and murder.
In 2012 he became a major in homicide and later chief of criminal investigations. Then it was on to senior leadership. He spent the next five years beside Director Juan Perez until he was named deputy director in 2018. When Perez left in 2020, then-Mayor Carlos Gimenez appointed Ramirez to succeed him.
The top job becomes an elected sheriff position in 2024, which has made Ramirez somewhat uncomfortable. Shy and soft-spoken, he’s not one for schmoozing and self-promotion.
Among Ramirez’s campaign emails is an endorsement from Jody:
“Things weren’t always easy for us,” she writes to voters. “When we were first married, Freddy was working full time while finishing school — all while we were raising our first child. But hard work, dedication and family are Freddy’s defining values. Those principles make him a great husband and father — and an outstanding leader in our community. Freddy and I have raised our kids here in Miami-Dade County. We know how important it is for our neighborhoods to be safe for all residents. I’m so proud of what our community has accomplished under Freddy’s leadership and I know that he’ll protect that progress as our first elected sheriff in over 50 years.”
On Friday, a Miami-Dade police officer was parked outside their home, saying the family was not talking.
The biggest setback for Ramirez occurred in December 2021, when Miami-Dade prosecutors were forced to drop murder charges against Warneric Buckner, a suspected gunman in the Memorial Day mass shooting at the El Mula banquet hall in Northwest Miami-Dade, where 23 people were shot, three of them killed, as they left a record release party.
Prosecutors said two detectives — who would later be demoted — got an improper confession from Buckner after he asked for an attorney. Buckner reportedly admitted he fired into the crowd from the front seat of an SUV.
Ramirez said he was “disappointed and saddened” by the decision and promised to continue investigating.
In June, Buckner, who had been imprisoned for six months on an identity theft conviction, was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in the 2021 drive-by shooting death of 6-year-old Chassidy Saunders, known as the Tik-Tok Princess. She was attending a birthday party.
In his three years as chief, Ramirez has dealt with only one controversial firing of an officer: A cop at Miami International Airport who got caught on video slapping a woman after she got into his face.
But even the person most likely to be at odds with a police chief —the head of the police union — had nothing but glowing praise for Ramirez.
“He was making a decision and I had a guy to defend,” said Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association. “It’s been our only open disagreement in public.
“It’s never been contentious. That’s unusual, but nope, not with him. He’s just a really great guy at all levels. He seems to navigate all waters.”
Is Ramirez finished? Nanney, his close friend, has a different prediction than most who think the chief, beloved for his steady, gentle leadership, cannot repair the reputation he shredded during a devastating night in Tampa.
“I wouldn’t count him out.”
Sears said Ramirez’s leadership is more essential than ever.
“I know he will heal and be a major voice on policing and mental health. I still believe he has a bright future preventing the gun violence that is destroying our country,” she said. “We didn’t lose Freddy because we need Freddy.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/freddy-ramirez-was-known-for-being-an-even-tempered-and-compassionate-cop-then-he-snapped/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-30T22:38:03 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/freddy-ramirez-was-known-for-being-an-even-tempered-and-compassionate-cop-then-he-snapped/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Four months after a fire at an immigration detention center near the United States border, eight badly burned survivors are stuck in their rooms at a Mexico City hotel.
They eat in the hotel restaurant and have regular medical check-ups and make calls home.
The Mexican immigration agency covers the daily costs and medical care for survivors of the fire that killed 40 migrants. Advocates call that a conflict of interest for an agency whose officials now face criminal charges, including negligence and even homicide, in Mexico’s worst migrant detention center fire.
Before the fire, some migrants incurred large debts to the smugglers who were supposed to deliver them to the United States. There, the migrants were supposed to immediately begin working to pay off the debts and support their families.
The survivors of the March 27 fire now feel trapped, with no money to move. Seeking U.S. asylum is a lengthy process but the migrants say that none of them want to return to home. They have humanitarian visas from Mexico, but their injuries don't allow them to work.
Among the eight survivors is a 25-year-old Guatemalan former security guard. He requested anonymity because he fears the Mexican government could cut off his assistance.
He had been picked up by immigration agents as soon as he arrived to Ciudad Juarez on the day of the fire.
Packed into a large holding cell with dozens of others, a small group of migrants began to protest the conditions. Two have been charged with lighting the highly flammable foam mattresses in the cell and security video showed that the area filled with thick smoke in a matter of seconds.
Despite their cries for help, the guards fled and no one opened the cell. Authorities have also filed criminal charges against Mexican officials and a private security guard over their involvement in the case.
“It looked like it was out of a movie,” the young Guatemalan said, a mask covering part of his burned face, and bandages wrapped around his right forearm. His hand was amputated.
“From one moment to the next your life was changing,” he said.
He tried to escape the smoke and flames with other migrants in the bathroom. The trickle of water from the shower didn’t allow them to fill even a bucket to fight the fire. He only managed to wet his shirt before he saw the ceiling ignite and felt flames touch his face.
Firefighters eventually opened a hole in the wall where he was. He remembers seeing the opening and running toward a man with a mask who was pulling someone else out, but then lost consciousness.
“Thank God, I fell in front of him,” he said. He only remembered the sound of sirens and not being able to breathe.
He was hospitalized for a month and half, intubated for some of that time and fighting an infection. He regained consciousness in Mexico City. His father had come and was relieved to see him even in that state, because initially his son’s name was on the list of fatalities, and he thought he was coming to recover his remains.
The head of Mexico’s immigration agency, Francisco Garduño, is among eight officials charged in relation to the fire. He has remained in his post pending the outcome. The Guatemalan and some, but not all, of the other survivors from Honduras, El Salvador and Venezuela have been called to give statements to prosecutors.
Garduño and another high-ranking agency official were charged with illicitly carrying out their duties and not protecting those in their custody. Others, including guards at the facility, face homicide charges. After the fire, the agency closed a number of its detention centers and transferred migrants out of others. While there was early talk of reforming how the agency operates, nothing else concrete has happened.
Eduardo Rojas, a lawyer from the Foundation for Justice, which is providing legal counsel to the survivors said it is a blatant conflict of interest because, “the same institution connected to the crime is the one directly in charge of attending to the victims.”
The migrants could leave the hotel, but they felt like they were under constant surveillance. If they went out (authorities) were immediately looking for them,” Rojas said. Some survivors were pressured by authorities to not accept representation from NGOs like his, warning them in front of lawyers that they would lose compensation for their injuries, he said.
A spokesperson for the agency denied that the survivors were under surveillance. In total, the agency has provided 21 humanitarian visas to survivors and 26 more to their relatives. About $5 million has initially been budgeted for reparations to the victims and their families, but that could be increased, the spokesperson said.
Rojas' Guatemalan client avoids criticizing anyone. He was not initially told about the prosecutions when he got out of the hospital in May. He wasn’t called to give a statement until June. He feels like his life has been put on pause.
“We can move, but it isn’t a normal life,” he said. His father – among the relatives the government brought to Mexico to be with the victims – has had his own life interrupted, removing another breadwinner from the family.
Now the young Guatemalan waits for a prosthesis and practices writing with his left hand.
“Not being complete changed my life,” he said. He worries that he won’t be able to find work in Guatemala and that it would be difficult in the United States too, even though he still wants to try.
He wants to see his wife and their 9-month old daughter, whom he left behind in April.
He had quit his job as a security guard and paid $19,000 to a smuggler who promised to get him to Chicago without any problems.
“When you leave your country you know about the dangers in the street, the kidnappings, but not the dangers from the people guarding you. I never, never imagined that,” he said.
He keeps replaying the last conversation he had with his mother before the fire. He called her from the detention center to tell her he had been caught, but told her not to worry because he was in immigration custody.
“The most mistaken word in my life was to say I was OK there,” he remembers.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/ap-top-news/2023/07/27/survivors-of-mexicos-worst-migrant-detention-center-fire-stuck-in-limbo-unable-to-support-families | 2023-07-30T22:38:04 | 0 | https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/ap-top-news/2023/07/27/survivors-of-mexicos-worst-migrant-detention-center-fire-stuck-in-limbo-unable-to-support-families |