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New York (CNN) — Manchester United and Adidas are extending their apparel-sponsorship contract in a colossal £900 million ($1.2 billion) deal that lasts for another decade.
The German sportswear company will continue making kits and other apparel for the British football team, in one of the biggest Premiere League sponsorships that began in 2015, following the team’s defection from Nike.
Manchester United said on its website that the Adidas partnership has “excited fans around the world with forward-thinking initiatives, iconic designs on the pitch and fan-favorite culturewear off of it” and that new deal “increases the focus” on its women’s team for new apparel.
“We are extremely proud to announce the extension of the contract with Manchester United,” Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden said. “Adidas and Manchester United are two of the most important brands in international football and it is very natural for us to continue our cooperation.”
Monday’s deal is a marked increase from the previous deal, which was worth around £750 million. Commercial deals like these can be lucrative for sports teams as their international appeal grows and selling fashionable clothing becomes an additional revenue stream.
The deal comes as the world-famous club is possibly up for sale. Last year, its American owners, the Glazer family, said it has begun a “process to explore strategic alternatives,” which might include a total sale. That was welcome news to the team’s fans as its ownership is deeply unpopular with them since the leveraged buyout of Manchester United left the club burdened with a net debt of $626 million, according to the organization’s latest accounts.
Forbes ranks Manchester United as the world’s second most valuable team, assessing the 145-year-old team at to be worth $6 billion. Shares of the team perked up 2% in trading following the news.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wtva.com/sports/adidas-signs-1-2-billion-partnership-with-manchester-united/article_d6ce336d-59fa-5b46-8eaa-383dd90d6e64.html | 2023-07-31T17:38:40 | 1 | https://www.wtva.com/sports/adidas-signs-1-2-billion-partnership-with-manchester-united/article_d6ce336d-59fa-5b46-8eaa-383dd90d6e64.html |
The U.S. State Department has selected an Indigenous artist to represent the country at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
Jeffrey Gibson, a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, will be the first such artist to have a solo exhibition in the U.S. Pavilion at the prestigious international arts event.
That's according to a statement this week from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the government body responsible for co-curating the U.S. Pavilion, alongside Oregon's Portland Art Museum and SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico.
The State Department's records of the U.S. Pavilion exhibitions date back to when it was built, in 1930.
Although Indigenous artists have shown work more broadly in Venice over the years, the last time Indigenous artists appeared in the U.S. Pavilion at the Biennale was in 1932 — and that was in a group setting, as part of a mostly Eurocentric exhibition devoted to depictions of the American West.
"In 1932, one of the rooms was devoted to Native American art, but it was done in what I would say was a very ethnographic type of presentation," said Kathleen Ash-Milby, curator of Native American Art at the Portland Art Museum, and one of the co-commissioners of Jeffrey Gibson's work in the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. "It grouped native people together and didn't really focus on their individuality as much. There were Navajo rugs on the floor. There were displays of jewelry. Many of the artists were not named."
Ash-Milby, who is also the first Native American curator to co-commission and co-curate an exhibition for the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, told NPR her team selected Gibson because of the artist's wide-ranging, inclusive and critical approach to art-making.
"His work is multifaceted. It incorporates all sorts of different types of media," the curator, a member of the Navajo Nation, said. "But to me, what's most important is his ability to connect with both his culture and different communities, and bring people together. At the same time, he has a very critical lens through which he looks at our history as Americans and as world citizens. Pulling all those things together in the practice of an American artist is really important for someone who's going to represent us on a world stage."
Born in Colorado and based in New York, Gibson, 51, focuses on making work that fuses together American, Native American and queer perspectives. In a 2019 interview with Here and Now, Gibson said the art world hasn't traditionally valued Indigenous histories and artistic representations.
"There's this gap historically about these histories existing on the same level and being valued culturally," Gibson said. "My goal is to force them into the contemporary cannon of what's considered important."
A MacArthur "Genius" Grant winner, Gibson has had his work widely exhibited around the country. Major solo exhibitions include one at the Portland Art Museum last year and, in 2013, at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art. His work is in the collections of high-profile institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Art. Gibson participated in the 2019 Whitney Biennial.
"Having an Indigenous artist represent the United States at the Venice Biennale is a long overdue and very powerful moment," San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Director Christopher Bedford said in an email to NPR. "Centering the perspectives of contemporary indigenous artists is a critical component of fostering inclusivity and equity in museums, and in our world."
The details of Gibson's contribution for the 2024 Biennale are mostly under wraps. Curator Ash-Milby said the artist is working on a multimedia installation with the title "the space in which to place me" — a reference to a poem by the Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier.
According to the organizers of the U.S. Pavilion, the upcoming Biennale will enable international audiences to have the first major opportunity to experience Gibson's work outside of the U.S. It will be on view April 20 through Nov. 24, 2024.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-a-first-the-u-s-picks-an-indigenous-artist-for-a-solo-show-at-the-venice-biennale | 2023-07-31T17:38:44 | 0 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-a-first-the-u-s-picks-an-indigenous-artist-for-a-solo-show-at-the-venice-biennale |
Nine state residents and the Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee filed a lawsuit on Monday to stop the nation’s first openly religious charter school from operating.
Oklahoma’s Statewide Virtual Charter School Board had voted 3-2 last month to approve the application of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.
The plaintiffs, represented by organizations including Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union, are arguing the board violated the Oklahoma Constitution, the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act and several of its own regulations when it approved St. Isidore.
Among the reasons the lawsuit says the school is unlawful are policies that could deny students admissions for sexual orientation or a difference in beliefs. It says St. Isidore will provide a religious education “and indoctrinate its students in Catholic religious beliefs.”
“A school that claims to be simultaneously public and religious would be a sea change for American democracy. It’s hard to think of a clearer violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers and public-school families than the state establishing a public school that is run as a religious school,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“We’re witnessing a full-on assault on church-state separation and public education – and religious public charter schools are the next frontier. America needs a national recommitment to church-state separation,” Laser added.
The residents filed in the District Court of Oklahoma County to stop funding to St. Isidore and block the charter school board from doing business with the school.
The Hill has reached out to St. Isidore for comment.
The lawsuit had been expected as the proposed school caused quite a stir when it was approved, even among other charter school advocates.
“This decision runs afoul of state law and the U.S. Constitution. All charter schools are public schools, and as such must be non-sectarian. Charter schools were conceived as, and have always been, innovative public schools that provide an alternative for families who want a public school option other than the one dictated by their ZIP code,” Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools, had said after the board voted.
St. Isidore went through a months-long process to get approved, with its application originally rejected by the charter school board. The school has already indicated it is ready to take a lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court.
“We’re not surprised by the threat of a suit, but we will be preparing if they choose to file one,” Brett Farley, the executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, said back in June. “This is a question that ultimately needs to be answered by the courts, perhaps by the US Supreme Court.” | https://www.wane.com/hill-politics/lawsuit-seeks-to-block-first-religious-charter-school-in-the-us/ | 2023-07-31T17:38:46 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/hill-politics/lawsuit-seeks-to-block-first-religious-charter-school-in-the-us/ |
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) — Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins have been named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award.
The award is given annually to the most outstanding player in college football.
Rogers is entering his senior year with the Bulldogs. He’s 2,478 yards shy of becoming the SEC’s all-time leading passer.
Judkins is coming off a historic freshman season for the Rebels.
Eighty-five players made the preseason watch list, including Mississippi native and Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson, Alabama running back Jase McClellan and Southern Miss running back Frank Gore Jr.
Open this link to view all the players named to the watch list. | https://www.wtva.com/sports/college/rogers-judkins-named-to-maxwell-award-watch-list/article_955d0488-2fb6-11ee-ad68-9f278e4be013.html | 2023-07-31T17:38:46 | 1 | https://www.wtva.com/sports/college/rogers-judkins-named-to-maxwell-award-watch-list/article_955d0488-2fb6-11ee-ad68-9f278e4be013.html |
UTV crash leads to Marinette County’s third traffic fatality this year
LAKE, Wis. (WBAY) - A 54-year-old Porterfield man died when his utility vehicle rolled over Sunday in Marinette County.
The sheriff’s office says the crash was reported just after 4:30 on Right of Way Road in the town of Lake. The investigation indicates Joseph La Pierre and a female passenger were going north when he crossed the center line and went into the gravel shoulder on the other side of the road near Maple Crest Rd., overcorrected, came back across Right of Way Road and rolled over in the ditch.
La Pierre was wearing a seat belt but was fatally injured in the crash and died before he could be taken to a hospital. His passenger, who was not publicly identified, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the crash; the sheriff’s office says her injuries aren’t life-threatening.
The sheriff’s office believes alcohol and a failure to maintain control of the vehicle were factors in the crash. This is Marinette County’s third traffic death this year.
Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/2023/07/31/utv-crash-leads-marinette-countys-third-traffic-fatality-this-year/ | 2023-07-31T17:38:48 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/2023/07/31/utv-crash-leads-marinette-countys-third-traffic-fatality-this-year/ |
The first time Nicola Veitch went to a soccer game, she danced on the field in a white lab coat alongside a colleague inside a giant tsetse fly costume. Most of the fans applauded. Some were baffled.
Neither was auditioning to be the new team mascot.
Rather, Veitch, who's a lecturer in parasitology at the University of Glasgow, put on this somewhat weird performance as a pilot for sleeping sickness street theater — using a theatrical event to teach people about a disease that affects about 1,000 people each year in Africa.
In Malawi's two endemic districts where the disease is spread by local tsetse flies, the number of people falling ill from sleeping sickness has declined in recent years, but cases still persist. Last year, there were only 40 cases across the country. But Veitch points out the disease is "often unpredictable," which means that the possibility of resurgence remains a persistent threat.
More than a year after that Scottish match, the group brought the theatrical event to soccer games in Malawi where people cheered while learning about how to protect themselves from this tiny killer. Veitch calls it an innovative intervention in remote, hard-to-reach communities with few smartphones.
At the time of the performance, she says a clinical trial was underway for a new drug that "seems to be very promising in terms of treating sleeping sickness." If successful, people with the disease could take the medicine at home instead of relying on the current method of treatment for late-stage sleeping sickness — the intravenous administration of a toxic drug that often leads to complications and is occasionally fatal itself. The new drug would represent "a massive change," she says. But in the meantime, knowledge is one of the best ways to fight the disease, and the performance seemed to offer the spectators important information.
Sleeping sickness is found in communities in Malawi that border nature or game reserves. Those areas were where the performances were held. "So we are targeting the people that are really affected," says Janelisa Musaya, a parasitologist involved in the project and the associate director of the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research Programme, instead of "just throwing the message all over the country." In other words, she says, it's a way of allocating resources wisely.
Targeting a 'hypnotic' parasite
Sleeping sickness, also called African trypanosomiasis, is caused by a parasite. "It almost looks like a worm," says Veitch. But it's not a worm. It's a single-celled protozoan of the genus Trypanosoma.
The parasite relies on the tsetse fly to shuttle it around. When an infected fly bites someone, the parasite can slip into their bloodstream. It causes a little trouble there, says Musaya, "but when it crosses the blood-brain barrier and goes to the central nervous system, it can affect your sleeping cycle. That's why it's called the sleeping sickness." (The disease is often confused with malaria since the symptoms of fever and lethargy are similar.)
When Veitch looks down the microscope at the parasite that causes sleeping sickness, she says, "it's very hypnotic the way it moves and quite beautiful. I think that only a parasitologist can say that."
That beauty was what got her thinking several years back about alternative ways to inform people about the disease — which many people in Malawi are still not aware of, Veitch says. She has a family member who works for SURGE, a Scottish art, theater and circus organization that runs an annual performance festival that brings cutting edge work to the streets and spaces of Glasgow. The sketches tend to be short, sharp, and interactive, she says.
One year, Veitch was drawn to an outside act that had repurposed an ambulance to teach people how to respond to someone having a cardiac arrest through engaging movement and comical water balloon antics. "And I thought to myself, we could be using street theater to engage people with parasitology," she says. So she approached SURGE and said, "We could maybe work together on something to do with parasites. I think we could create something really cool."
Veitch isn't alone in her thinking. A few years back, the World Health Organization published a report on the role that the arts — including theater — can play in improving our physical, social, and psychological health and well-being, a particular concern in under-resourced countries.
Arts activities facilitate social interaction, says Nisha Sajnani, the co-director of the Jameel Arts and Health Lab at New York University, who wasn't involved in the sleeping sickness project. She adds that performance is just the right platform and artform to "increase a sense of self-efficacy — a feeling of being able to do something about a problem."
Veitch's conversation with SURGE kickstarted a multiyear effort for her and her colleagues in Scotland and Malawi, including an arts and theater group called Voices Malawi that educates people about various illnesses, including COVID-19 and malaria and that uses street theater as a teaching mode.
First, the team had to dream up a way to depict sleeping sickness through street theater. Musaya was excited to get involved. After studying sleeping sickness for 15 years, there was still a missing link for her — "how do we educate the community not to get infected?" She hoped this theatrical foray might provide an answer.
Bwanalori Mwamlima, senior health promotion officer in the Rumphi district of Malawi, says that developing the performance was an act of co-creation among scientists, health workers, performing artists and individuals who'd survived the disease. He explains that the messages they wanted to communicate were, "How is it transmitted? What are the [symptoms]? How can it be prevented? And what are the current interventions?"
Tsetse fly theater has its Malawi premiere
When the show rolled out in Malawi in the fall of 2022, here's what it looked like.
Communities were told that local football and netball teams would descend upon a particular field to play. Then, the day of the event, the performers (a team of nurses, clinicians, students and researchers) drove through town in a truck with music blaring. That got people to leave their homes and follow the truck to the edge of a soccer field. "We wanted to gather a crowd," says Veitch.
Before the soccer game, they offered their theatrical vision of sleeping sickness — mainly visual with some narration. They gave red t-shirts to the audience and asked them to put them on to simulate the human bloodstream. The performers who were dressed as scientists in white lab coats waded into the crowd, each one carrying a giant net. "They were supposed to be scientists looking for infection," says Veitch.
Once the crowd was sufficiently warmed up, the person dressed as the tsetse fly emerged. (The fly costume was made in Scotland by the costume designer regularly employed by SURGE. She'd made outfits for "all sorts of weird and wonderful performances," says Veitch, but this was her first tsetse fly — which had massive wings and limited vision for the person inside the fly's head, so you "need someone to be at your side when moving around.")
The fly threw beach balls into the crowd, representing the infectious parasite, which audience members batted around.
The beach balls were different colors, a metaphor for the way in which the parasite changes its outer protein coat to evade the human immune system. "It's very difficult to create a vaccine to something that undergoes this variation," says Veitch.
The people dressed as scientists ran around to catch the balls of infection in their nets. And finally, they brought out a large net, enveloping the giant fly, escorting it offstage and bringing the performance to a close. In reality, this net is highly effective at attracting tsetse flies because of its blue color and the bottle of urine-smelling liquid placed beside it. "It's just a simple bit of material that has insecticide" in it, Veitch says.
But sometimes people in nearby villages take down the nets stationed in game reserves because they don't know what they are or why they're there. Therefore, "one of the ideas behind the performance," says Veitch, "was to get people to really consider they're very effective at catching tsetse. And if you leave them up, it's beneficial to everybody and that will prevent disease." In addition, by showing researchers helping to capture the parasites, the performers hoped to demonstrate to the public that scientists and their work can be trusted.
Afterward, spectators received additional guidance during a question and answer session. They asked what differentiates a tsetse fly from a housefly (its size, color, and resting wing position), how long it takes for symptoms to appear (typically 2 to 4 weeks) and perhaps most important, how to prevent getting bitten in the first place (avoid nature reserves; don't wear blue or black, which attracts the flies; wear long sleeves; apply insect repellent).
Musaya hopes the audiences walked away with an improved understanding of the disease and how they would contract it. "Many people who attended the performance said they didn't know about the disease," Veitch says. "They had heard of tsetse, but didn't know of the disease it carried, and didn't know of the symptoms to look out for."
"There's something about the dramatizing of the concept that increases the understanding," she explains.
Mwamlima, who dressed up as the tsetse fly for one of the performances in Malawi, was surprised by the success of the theatrical approach, "considering that this is the first time to bring theater performances to teach science," he says. "So I wasn't sure whether it would work," but he's glad that it seemed to. Evaluations showed the audiences were engaged and felt confident asking questions. But long-term, Veitch says they'll know if the performance was successful "if more tsetse nets are left in place and if more people come forward for diagnosis and treatment."
In addition, the medical professionals and researchers, many of whom had never done anything like this before, found this to be a meaningful way to connect with communities. "It really improved people's confidence in terms of thinking about public engagement," Veitch says, "and they would do it again."
"It's a great example of how participatory theater offers a compelling, energizing, pleasurable way of bringing people together to clarify community concerns, feel empowered to make a difference, problem solve," says NYU's Sajnani.
"I think it's a remarkable approach," agrees Kartik Sharma, the founder of the organization Public Arts Health & Us, which translates health and environment research into film and art, including theater pieces. He wasn't associated with the sleeping sickness project. Sharma argues that a performance "converts research into something which people can see and feel in a more personalized way." The result, he says, is that "you can actually use it the next day in your life. So I think it's a very powerful strategy."
For those who missed the show, Veitch says that video recordings will be used as part of Malawi's mobile cinema program, which ranges from big televisions on the back of land rovers to large screens set up next to marketplaces and other public gatherings. It's a common way to publicize health messages in Malawi. The goal, says Veitch, is to "extend the legacy of what we've been doing."
However, despite all the fanfare and promise of the program, Veitch, who says she wasn't into soccer when this program began, admits that she's still not a football fan.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-30/a-man-dressed-as-a-tsetse-fly-came-to-a-soccer-game-and-he-definitely-had-a-goal | 2023-07-31T17:38:50 | 1 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-30/a-man-dressed-as-a-tsetse-fly-came-to-a-soccer-game-and-he-definitely-had-a-goal |
Former President Trump predicted Monday that he would be indicted “any day now” as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his conduct after the 2020 election.
“I assume that an Indictment from Deranged Jack Smith and his highly partisan gang of Thugs, pertaining to my ‘PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY Speech, will be coming out any day now, as yet another attempt to cover up all of the bad news about bribes, payoffs, and extortion, coming from the Biden ‘camp,’” Trump posted on Truth Social. “This seems to be the way they do it. ELECTION INTERFERENCE! PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!”
Smith is investigating Trump’s attempts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election, which culminated with Trump delivering a speech Jan. 6, 2021, in which he repeated false claims about the election being rigged. Trump supporters then violently stormed and ransacked the Capitol in a bid to halt the certification of the election results.
Anticipation over a potential indictment of Trump has been building for weeks after the former president shared that he had received a letter from the Justice Department notifying him he was a target of their investigation.
Target letters typically indicate prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to bring charges against an individual.
In addition, a handful of former Trump officials have reportedly testified in recent weeks as part of Smith’s investigation into the former president’s actions after the 2020 election. Prosecutors are said to have been interested in whether Trump acknowledged that he lost the election despite his public claims that it was fraudulent and could be overturned.
Trump pursued a multi-pronged plan to remain in office following the 2020 election, turning to the DOJ, state officials and even his own supporters, who violently ransacked the Capitol after then-Vice President Mike Pence refused Trump’s request to overturn the results.
The former president’s attorneys met last week with officials from Smith’s office. Trump called it a “productive” meeting, and he indicated his representatives sought to make the case against bringing charges.
A federal grand jury hearing evidence in the case meets Tuesdays and Thursdays. | https://www.wane.com/hill-politics/trump-expects-to-be-indicted-on-jan-6-charges-any-day-now/ | 2023-07-31T17:38:52 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/hill-politics/trump-expects-to-be-indicted-on-jan-6-charges-any-day-now/ |
TOPPENISH, Wash. — By 6 in the morning, Paola Mendoza has pulled her hair back under a baseball cap and donned a long-sleeved sweatshirt to report to her summer job on a farm in Washington's Yakima Valley, known for its apples, pears and hops.
Mendoza is not there to pick fruits or vegetables. She's a research intern working on a project to improve irrigation systems. She spends her days staking the fields and collecting samples alongside her boss, Alan Schreiber, who also employs her mother.
Patricia Mendoza has worked on Schreiber's farm for more than 20 years. She spends her days weeding, thinning, planting and hand-harvesting crops. During peak harvest, she used to work as many as 70 hours a week.
Her earnings have helped provide the family with a decent living. But from the time Paola was young, both her mom and her dad — also a farmworker — were clear about one thing: They did not want her future to be on a farm.
"They were working so hard to provide us with what they didn't have," says Paola, now 20. "They wanted better for me and my siblings."
Her research internship is as close as her parents want her to get to agriculture. In the fall, she'll start her senior year in college, where she's studying to become an elementary school teacher.
Farmers worry about finding enough workers
For farmers across America, finding enough labor has become a top concern. Decades ago, whole families of migrant farmworkers, the majority of them from Mexico, would travel around the U.S., following a route from Texas, through California, and eventually making their way to Washington. Back then, the U.S.-Mexico border was quite porous. Older workers described to NPR crossing through a fence that was no more than chicken wire. Gaping holes were common.
But times have changed. After Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. stepped up enforcement of the border, and crossing it became a risky endeavor. Farmworkers who were already in the U.S. began to settle. And now, many of them are aging out.
"My workforce is a little like me," says Schreiber. "It's getting a little heavier, and it's getting a little stiffer, and it's starting to have some medical issues."
That's left him worried about where he's going to find enough workers to keep his farm going.
A farmer in Congress raises the alarm
From his farm in the Yakima Valley, Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican and third-generation farmer, can see the domestic labor force shrinking.
With farms unable to complete tasks in a timely manner, he says yields may be lower, the quality of the produce may be lower, and farmers will shift away from labor-intensive crops. Already, some farmers in his state have stopped planting asparagus, for instance.
Food is also going to get more expensive, Newhouse warns.
"So it's impacting not just the farmers ... but American consumers as well," he says.
Breaking the cycle of farm work
No single factor has led to the labor shortages farms are experiencing today. But in communities across rural America, a generational shift is contributing.
Consider the life story of Delores Gonzalez, a third-generation farmworker born in Glendale, Ariz. Her childhood is filled with memories of the annual migration from Texas to Washington, working alongside her parents and grandparents from a very young age.
"This was in the 1960s, when we could miss school ... and I could still pick cherries and everything at the age of 9," she says.
Eventually, the family settled in Washington. She married another farmworker and continued to travel to Montana in the summers, bringing her own children to the fields.
Looking back, she says the migrant life instilled in her great morals, values and work ethic, qualities she wanted to pass on to her children. But she also wanted to give them a better life.
"I planted the seed since they were little that they were going to go to college," says Gonzalez.
At 40, when her oldest child was graduating from high school, Gonzalez says something clicked. She wanted something better for herself, too.
"I'm tired of the cycle. I want to break it," she says. Gonzalez and her daughter entered college the same year.
Now, Gonzalez works as a migrant advocate at Grandview High School in the Yakima Valley, helping migrant students and their families get what they need to finish high school.
Jazmin Corona met Gonzalez at the high school four years ago. Corona was 15 at the time and spoke no English. She'd come from Mexico with her father, a farmworker, and joined him in the fields whenever school was out. In the summers, they made the same trek to Montana to pick cherries that Gonzalez had done years before.
Seeing promise, Gonzalez made sure Corona finished high school on time, enrolling her in fast-track summer programs. Corona worked on thick math packets after long days in the fields. As she neared graduation, she recalls her father laying out a choice for her.
"He told me one day, 'I already taught you how to work in the fields outside, under the sun. Now it's your time. You've got to decide if you want to continue here,'" she says.
She thought about how tired her dad has been all these years.
"I want to try something new," she said.
Corona is now 19 and a college student. For the first time in several years, she did not travel to Montana with her dad for the summer cherry harvest. Instead, she returned to the Grandview School District, where she landed a summer job.
"I want to work in the high school, hopefully here in the community," she says. "I feel that I have this connection with people."
Congressman looks to workers from other countries
The farm labor shortage is a concern that has reached the halls of Congress.
The H-2A visa program allows employers to bring in foreign workers for seasonal work, provided they cannot find workers locally to do the job, among other requirements. Use of the program has risen at a fast clip. Washington state alone has seen a nearly 1,700% increase in guest workers over the last 14 years.
But a common complaint is that the program is too expensive and comes with too much red tape.
Newhouse was one of several lawmakers to recently reintroduce a bill, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would cap H-2A wage increases. The bipartisan measure would also allow a limited number of year-round visas for nonseasonal labor, such as picking mushrooms or milking cows.
In addition, the bill would come with some protections for guest workers, including the right for workers to sue their employers. That's something labor advocates have been calling for given the large number and severity of civil rights and wage violations that state and federal investigations have uncovered in recent years.
"I want to make sure that there are fewer obstacles in front of our ability to produce food in this country and to make sure that the American people continue to have an abundant and safe food supply," Newhouse says. "And if we don't have an adequate labor force for the agricultural industry, that's in jeopardy."
Prior versions of the bill failed to gain enough support in Congress. The current version also faces an uphill climb. Moving any immigration-related bill through the Republican-controlled House is difficult.
"But that doesn't mean that the urgency of the problem is any less. In fact, it's greater," says Newhouse.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/as-these-farmworkers-children-seek-a-different-future-who-will-pick-the-crops | 2023-07-31T17:38:54 | 0 | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/as-these-farmworkers-children-seek-a-different-future-who-will-pick-the-crops |
Updated July 31, 2023 at 11:18 AM ET
The sentencing hearing for Lori Vallow Daybell began in Idaho at 9 a.m. MT (11 a.m. ET) Monday, as she faces punishment for murdering two of her children and conspiring to murder a romantic rival — crimes of which she was found guilty in May.
Vallow Daybell, 50, faces a punishment ranging up to life in prison without parole. The sentencing hearing is being livestreamed from the Fremont County Courthouse — you can watch video of the hearing below (The court announced a 30-minute recess just before 1 p.m. ET).
The lengthy trial was full of strange and shocking moments. Prosecutors say Vallow Daybell was motivated by arcane religious beliefs about "dark energy" and the "end times," and by her desire to pursue a life with her new husband, Chad Daybell — including conspiring to kill his late wife.
The sentencing hearing includes four main phases: five victim impact statements; the prosecution's sentencing recommendation; the defense's sentencing recommendation; and the chance for Vallow to address the court.
"Ms. Vallow may speak," her defense team said in court on Monday.
Judge Steven Boyce will hand down his sentence after the court hears victim impact statements from relatives of Tylee Ryan and Joshua Jaxon "JJ" Vallow, Vallow Daybell's children whose bodies were found in 2020; and from relatives of Tammy Daybell, the previous wife of Chad Daybell, who also faces charges in all three deaths.
Prosecutor Rob Wood asked for the maximum sentence — several fixed life terms without the possibility of parole — saying Vallow Daybell had betrayed her children's trust in a horrific manner.
The children's bodies were found in 2020
A jury found Vallow Daybell guilty of killing her two youngest children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua Jaxon "JJ" Vallow. Tylee was nearly 17 when she and JJ, 7, were last seen alive in September 2019. The children's bodies were found in June 2020, buried on property in Rexburg, Idaho, owned by Chad Daybell.
Even before the remains were found, Vallow Daybell was charged with felony desertion of a child and obstruction. Prosecutors said she didn't report her children missing so she could keep collecting benefit payments.
Vallow Daybell was also found guilty of conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, Chad's then-wife, who was found dead in her home in October 2019 — less than one month before he and Vallow got married in Hawaii. He is Vallow Daybell's fifth husband.
'Zombie' beliefs arose during trial
In court documents, Vallow Daybell's close friend Melanie Gibb described hearing her say that Tylee had become a zombie — a concept Vallow Daybell had picked up from Daybell.
Gibb said she heard Vallow Daybell call Tylee a zombie after Tylee had refused to babysit JJ — to which Tylee replied, "Not me, mom," according to a police affidavit. Gibb said Vallow Daybell later concluded that JJ had also become a zombie.
Prosecutors also said Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell portrayed themselves as religious figures called "James and Elaina." And they purported to be able to "rate" people, detecting whether they might be under the thrall of an evil spirit's dark energy.
The case depicted a love affair that turned deadly
Prosecutors say Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell's relationship was entwined in a deadly criminal conspiracy they sought to justify with fantastical beliefs. Rather than simply starting a new life together after they met in October 2018, the prosecution said, the couple plotted to kill their closest relatives and benefit from their deaths through insurance payouts and Social Security benefits.
Vallow Daybell's defense attorney, James Archibald, has said his client was in the thrall of a man she sees as a messiah and her eternal soulmate. He has also argued that the prosecution has produced little direct evidence to tie Vallow Daybell to her children's deaths.
Other criminal cases are still pending
Chad Daybell is expected to undergo his own murder trial for the same three deaths in the spring of 2024.
Other criminal cases are also pending for Vallow Daybell in Arizona, where she previously lived.
She's under indictment there on conspiracy murder charges for allegedly arranging for one of her brothers to shoot and kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in July 2019. That brother, Alex Cox, died in December 2019, of what was determined to be natural causes. She's also accused of conspiring with Alex to murder her niece's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, who was shot at in 2019 but who survived.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-31/watch-lori-vallow-daybell-is-sentenced-for-killing-her-children-in-zombie-murders | 2023-07-31T17:38:56 | 1 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-31/watch-lori-vallow-daybell-is-sentenced-for-killing-her-children-in-zombie-murders |
Living Local 15 host Jessica Williams visits Trinity English Lutheran Church and is joined by Rev. Dr. Gary Erdos, the Senior Pastor at the church, as they explore the Icons in Transformation art installation. The exhibit runs through September 10th at Trinity English Lutheran Church. Learn more at trinityenglish.org/icons.
Icons in Transformation Art Exhibit at Trinity English Lutheran Church
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Updated July 31, 2023 at 11:18 AM ET
The sentencing hearing for Lori Vallow Daybell began in Idaho at 9 a.m. MT (11 a.m. ET) Monday, as she faces punishment for murdering two of her children and conspiring to murder a romantic rival — crimes of which she was found guilty in May.
Vallow Daybell, 50, faces a punishment ranging up to life in prison without parole. The sentencing hearing is being livestreamed from the Fremont County Courthouse — you can watch video of the hearing below (The court announced a 30-minute recess just before 1 p.m. ET).
The lengthy trial was full of strange and shocking moments. Prosecutors say Vallow Daybell was motivated by arcane religious beliefs about "dark energy" and the "end times," and by her desire to pursue a life with her new husband, Chad Daybell — including conspiring to kill his late wife.
The sentencing hearing includes four main phases: five victim impact statements; the prosecution's sentencing recommendation; the defense's sentencing recommendation; and the chance for Vallow to address the court.
"Ms. Vallow may speak," her defense team said in court on Monday.
Judge Steven Boyce will hand down his sentence after the court hears victim impact statements from relatives of Tylee Ryan and Joshua Jaxon "JJ" Vallow, Vallow Daybell's children whose bodies were found in 2020; and from relatives of Tammy Daybell, the previous wife of Chad Daybell, who also faces charges in all three deaths.
Prosecutor Rob Wood asked for the maximum sentence — several fixed life terms without the possibility of parole — saying Vallow Daybell had betrayed her children's trust in a horrific manner.
The children's bodies were found in 2020
A jury found Vallow Daybell guilty of killing her two youngest children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua Jaxon "JJ" Vallow. Tylee was nearly 17 when she and JJ, 7, were last seen alive in September 2019. The children's bodies were found in June 2020, buried on property in Rexburg, Idaho, owned by Chad Daybell.
Even before the remains were found, Vallow Daybell was charged with felony desertion of a child and obstruction. Prosecutors said she didn't report her children missing so she could keep collecting benefit payments.
Vallow Daybell was also found guilty of conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, Chad's then-wife, who was found dead in her home in October 2019 — less than one month before he and Vallow got married in Hawaii. He is Vallow Daybell's fifth husband.
'Zombie' beliefs arose during trial
In court documents, Vallow Daybell's close friend Melanie Gibb described hearing her say that Tylee had become a zombie — a concept Vallow Daybell had picked up from Daybell.
Gibb said she heard Vallow Daybell call Tylee a zombie after Tylee had refused to babysit JJ — to which Tylee replied, "Not me, mom," according to a police affidavit. Gibb said Vallow Daybell later concluded that JJ had also become a zombie.
Prosecutors also said Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell portrayed themselves as religious figures called "James and Elaina." And they purported to be able to "rate" people, detecting whether they might be under the thrall of an evil spirit's dark energy.
The case depicted a love affair that turned deadly
Prosecutors say Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell's relationship was entwined in a deadly criminal conspiracy they sought to justify with fantastical beliefs. Rather than simply starting a new life together after they met in October 2018, the prosecution said, the couple plotted to kill their closest relatives and benefit from their deaths through insurance payouts and Social Security benefits.
Vallow Daybell's defense attorney, James Archibald, has said his client was in the thrall of a man she sees as a messiah and her eternal soulmate. He has also argued that the prosecution has produced little direct evidence to tie Vallow Daybell to her children's deaths.
Other criminal cases are still pending
Chad Daybell is expected to undergo his own murder trial for the same three deaths in the spring of 2024.
Other criminal cases are also pending for Vallow Daybell in Arizona, where she previously lived.
She's under indictment there on conspiracy murder charges for allegedly arranging for one of her brothers to shoot and kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, in July 2019. That brother, Alex Cox, died in December 2019, of what was determined to be natural causes. She's also accused of conspiring with Alex to murder her niece's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, who was shot at in 2019 but who survived.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-31/watch-lori-vallow-daybell-is-sentenced-for-killing-her-children-in-zombie-murders | 2023-07-31T17:39:01 | 0 | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-31/watch-lori-vallow-daybell-is-sentenced-for-killing-her-children-in-zombie-murders |
Living Local 15 host Jessica Williams is joined by Andreas Lohmar, and Austin Jacoby from Summit Physical Therapy, to discuss the phases of healing after an injury. importance of ergonomics when it comes to the workplace. Learn more at summitptfw.com or call 260-484-9491
Phases of Healing with Summit Physical Therapy
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Subscribe Now | https://www.wane.com/lifestyle/living-local-15/phases-of-healing-with-summit-physical-therapy/ | 2023-07-31T17:39:04 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/lifestyle/living-local-15/phases-of-healing-with-summit-physical-therapy/ |
CHICAGO (AP) — Officers searching the apartment of a Chicago man accused of fatally stabbing a man on a restaurant’s roof discovered the body of a young woman in his refrigerator earlier this month, authorities said.
Brandon Sanders, 33, has not been charged in the death of Iman Al-Sarraj, 18, whose beaten body was found in early July in a refrigerator at his apartment in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood.
But he was arrested June 29 and charged with murder, robbery and burglary in the May killing of Rasim Katanic, a 69-year-old who was a Bosnian War refugee, WLS-TV reported.
Prosecutors said surveillance footage shows Sanders climbing a stairwell on May 12 to a rooftop where Katanic was working on a cooler compressor atop Tahoora Sweets & Bakery. Katanic was later found stabbed to death on that roof.
At his bail hearing, Sanders’ attorney said, “There are some issues with a mental state.” Sanders remains held without bail.
Katanic’s daughter, Aida Sutardio, told the Chicago Sun-Times her father had retired at 66 but continued doing maintenance work for longtime clients of his heating, ventilation and air conditioning business, including the restaurant where he was found on the roof.
She said she is having a difficult time grasping “that he was slaughtered on top of a roof.”
“We never thought that this is how his life would end,” Sutardio said.
The Associated Press left telephone messages Friday with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office seeking comment on the status of the investigation into Al-Sarraj’s death.
Al-Sarraj’s father, Khalil Sarraj, said his daughter was born in Chicago after he came to the United States from Israel. “My heart is shattered in a million pieces,” he said. | https://www.wane.com/news/crime/police-searching-apartment-of-chicago-man-charged-in-mans-killing-find-woman-dead-in-refrigerator/ | 2023-07-31T17:39:10 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/crime/police-searching-apartment-of-chicago-man-charged-in-mans-killing-find-woman-dead-in-refrigerator/ |
10 injured after 2 boats collide off Anna Maria Island: Officials
ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is investigating a boat crash that sent 10 people to the hospital on Sunday.
According to officials in Manatee County, a 50-foot racer-style boat with one person on board and a 24-foot bow runner boat with 10 people, including six children, on board collided in the Intercoastal off Anna Maria Island shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Authorities say of the 10 people taken to the hospital, nine sustained minor injuries while one was critically injured in the crash.
West Manatee County Fire Rescue says a 41-year-old woman suffered multiple lacerations to her head and face.
READ: Child dies following dirt bike crash at Dade City Motocross, police say
West Manatee Fire Rescue, Manatee County Marine Rescue, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Manatee County EMS, North River Fire District, and Holmes Beach Police Department all responded to the crash.
While crews were off-loading patients involved in the boat crash at the Kingfish Boat Ramp on Holmes Beach, officials say a boat arrived at the ramp with one person on it who had been bitten by a shark.
Rodney Kwiatkowski, Fire Marshal at West Manatee Fire Rescue District, said the man had been bitten while on the north end of the island. He added that the man was taken to Blake Hospital with critical injuries.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/10-injured-after-2-boats-collide-off-anna-maria-island-officials | 2023-07-31T17:39:12 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/10-injured-after-2-boats-collide-off-anna-maria-island-officials |
(WFLA) — Paul Reubens, known for his role in the Pee-wee Herman films, has died at age 70, according to posts on the Pee-wee Herman social media pages.
According to a statement on Facebook, the actor died Sunday night after a six-year battle with cancer.
“Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” his team said in the statement.
The statement added that Reubens had “bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit.”
The post also quoted Reubens apologizing for not going public with his condition.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” he said. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Calling the actor “gifted and prolific talent,” the actor’s team said, “He will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”
This is a developing story. | https://www.wane.com/news/pee-wee-herman-star-paul-reubens-dies-at-age-70/ | 2023-07-31T17:39:16 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/pee-wee-herman-star-paul-reubens-dies-at-age-70/ |
Venice-based ministry vows to continue sending weekly aid to Haiti despite U.S. warning amid violence
VENICE, Fla. - The U.S. state department has officially ordered non-emergency government personnel to leave Haiti, as the Caribbean nation continues to reel under widespread gang violence, kidnappings and political instability.
This travel advisory was issued around the same time an American nurse and her child were kidnapped while volunteering there.
Agape Flights is a nonprofit Christian aviation ministry that flies critical supplies to Caribbean nations and disaster areas, including Haiti.
Its CEO tells FOX 13, these warnings and the worsening humanitarian crisis, are exactly why they will continue their operations as normal.
Agape responded on Twitter to the U.S. travel advisory.
U.S. officials are now urging Americans in Haiti to leave "as soon as possible" and warning people not to travel there.
RELATED: 'We won't be deterred': Agape Flights crew returns after plane set on fire during protests in Haiti
Agape flights reacted to the latest advisory on social media this weekend, asking for prayers for the people of Haiti and their own pilots and volunteers because they do plan on sending out their weekly cargo flights, which range from tires on cars or medicine to non-perishable foods, this Thursday and Friday.
Agape has been sending supplies to Haiti for the past 40 years.
"They don't have accessibility to the necessities, the very basic things," Agape Flights CEO, Allen Speer, explained. "Especially if you're in an outside area, if you try to drive to Port au Prince, it's an impossibility because the gangs rule the roadways. So, you will either be intimidated, you'll be charged an extravagant amount of money or a lot worse."
Last year, an Agape Flight plane was actually set on fire and destroyed during protests against the Haitian government over gang violence when locals thought the plane belonged to a politician.
Speer says they've been flying to Haiti for more than 40 years and witnessing the needs of the people firsthand, which is why he and his team will continue to support them in any way they can.
RELATED: Venice-based ministry’s plane destroyed as political violence breaks out in Haiti
"They are remarkable people," Speer added. "If you were to go with me, even into Port-au-Prince, you would find a warmth. The everyday Haitian is a wonderful person. Many, Haitians are my good friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. I would just say to you that they want this to end. They want help and they need help. And I would just say, your listeners, to make a call to their senator, make a call to their congressmen, and to say, ‘Listen, this violence has to stop.’"
File: Protesters in Haiti.
Gang violence has surged in Haiti, especially in the capital of Port-au-Prince, after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
They've forced thousands of residents out of their homes and onto the streets.
There's increased crime, unrest, poor healthcare, and widespread kidnappings where U.S. citizens are often the targeted victims.
File: An Agape plane was burned in Haiti during a period of unrest.
The state department is now working to find a nurse from New Hampshire, Alix Dorsainvil and her young daughter, who were kidnapped the morning of July 27 on the campus that belongs to the non-profit they were working for, called El Roi Haiti.
Haiti has also been ravaged this century by two devastating earthquakes — including one shortly after Moïse's assassination — and has struggled with political chaos, violence and poverty.
El Roi Haiti said it would keep pressing for the safe return of Alix and her child. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/bay-area-ministry-vows-to-continue-sending-weekly-aid-to-haiti-despite-u-s-warning-amid-violence-on-island | 2023-07-31T17:39:18 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/bay-area-ministry-vows-to-continue-sending-weekly-aid-to-haiti-despite-u-s-warning-amid-violence-on-island |
Clearwater man dies after being thrown from motorcycle during crash, FHP says
LARGO, Fla. - A man was thrown off his motorcycle during a fatal accident in Pinellas County on Sunday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers say a 22-year-old Largo woman was driving north on State Road 688 around 8:53 p.m. At the intersection of 130th Avenue North, she turned left under a yellow flashing turn signal.
READ: Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run crash; Police searching for driver
A 20-year-old motorcyclist from Clearwater was driving south when the woman made the turn and hit him, according to FHP.
Troopers say he was thrown of the motorcycle.
READ: St. Pete pedestrian killed in crash on US-19, police say
Officials say that man was taken to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.
The woman only had minor injuries. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/clearwater-man-dies-after-being-thrown-from-motorcycle-during-crash-fhp-says | 2023-07-31T17:39:24 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/clearwater-man-dies-after-being-thrown-from-motorcycle-during-crash-fhp-says |
Exterior of Largo hotel catches on fire, officials say
LARGO, Fla. - A hotel in Largo was on fire early Monday morning, according to firefighters.
Around 5:35 a.m., Largo Fire Rescue arrived at Home2 Suited Extended Stay Hotel at 10145 Ulmerton Rd. Firefighters say that they found a fire on the outside of the building.
READ: Body found after St. Pete woman presumed dead in Florida Keys yacht fire: Investigators
Crews say they evacuated the hotel and extinguished the fire.
Firefighters found a fire on the outside of the building.
One person was taken to a nearby hospital after the fire, according to officials.
Largo Fire Rescue says the incident was turned over to hotel management and the cause and origin of the fire is under investigation. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/fire-crews-put-out-fire-at-largo-hotel | 2023-07-31T17:39:30 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/fire-crews-put-out-fire-at-largo-hotel |
The magic of McDonald’s? You always know what you’re going to get. No matter which one you walk into — whether in Islip, New York, or Istanbul, Turkey — you can order a Big Mac and fries. And it will taste the same.
But will it cost the same? No.
Recently, a man named Sam Learner was traveling on the Connecticut Turnpike when he discovered just how variable the prices can be. After pulling into a rest stop in Darien, Connecticut, he was astounded by the prices he saw on the McDonald’s menu. A Big Mac combo meal with fries and a soft drink costs $17.59. So he snapped a photo and posted it to Twitter.
This was at a rest stop, but these McDonald’s prices are nuts right??? pic.twitter.com/0qq8Ima3ZA
— Sam Learner (@sam_learner) July 18, 2023
MORE: McDonald’s Indonesia launches wedding packages with McNuggets
Why so expensive? Since about 90% of McDonald’s franchises are independently operated, the owners can set their own prices. If you own a McDonald’s at a rest stop along a highway (where people are hungry and in unfamiliar territory), you can charge more for the same product. And franchise owners in areas with a high per-capita income also tend to charge higher prices.
Learner did some more sleuthing and quickly followed this tweet up with a second one:
Ok, I did a little digging and I think I might have stumbled into the country’s most expensive McDonald’s. Its $8.29 Big Mac is missing from this map, which lists $8.09 in Lee, MA as the country’s most expensive (though from a few months ago to be fair): https://t.co/SjbQh2N1UF pic.twitter.com/q3zvTFHJuv
— Sam Learner (@sam_learner) July 19, 2023
Unsurprisingly, Learner’s tweets sparked a lively Twitter debate about the economics of fast food.
“I downloaded the mcdonald’s app to check – same items are just about half the price less than 2 miles away at a different store,” commented Bad Gibbon @Mostlymonkey. “Wow, that is a hell of a convenience premium!”
Many people commented on the injustice of price gouging, with others urging people not to eat at McDonald’s anymore.
“Rest stops are literally highway robbery,” wrote Bella @imbellawonder.
But the most depressing response came from ednycinc44, who shared what McDonald’s prices were in 1972, when a Big Mac cost $.65 cents:
Those were the days…. Hamburger, Fries, & a Coke plus change back from you pic.twitter.com/yhhshDSMRP
— ednycinc44 (@ednycinc44) July 21, 2023
MORE: This recipe features McDonald’s Big Mac flavors in a salad
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.kxlf.com/a-nearly-18-big-mac-meal-is-creating-a-stir-on-social-media | 2023-07-31T17:39:30 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/a-nearly-18-big-mac-meal-is-creating-a-stir-on-social-media |
Anna resident wins $4 million lottery prize
ANNA, Texas - A lucky North Texan won big in the Mega Millions drawing last week.
According to the Texas Lottery Commission, someone who lives in the Collin County city of Anna won a $4 million prize for the July 25 drawing.
The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven store located on White Street in Anna.
It matched all five of the numbers drawn but not the Mega Ball number.
That usually means a $1 million prize but, in this case, the winner paid extra for the Megaplier option. The prize was multiplied four times.
The winner has chosen to remain anonymous. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/anna-resident-wins-4-million-lottery-prize | 2023-07-31T17:39:32 | 0 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/anna-resident-wins-4-million-lottery-prize |
MASON CITY, Iowa - A Mason City man who entered an Alford Plea to second-degree murder in the death of Tonette Wolfe has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Dominick Degner was sentenced on Monday and was also ordered to pay $150,000 to the adoptive parents of Wolfe.
Degner was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree arson for beating Wolfe, 24, to death and then using gasoline to set fire to Wolfe’s body and a home in the 100 block of N. Tennessee Avenue in Mason City.
Court documents state Wolfe was killed on September 4, 2021, and the house was set fire three days later. Law enforcement found Wolfe’s body after the fire was put out.
Court documents detail that a Mason City man charged with first-degree murder attacked his victim prior to starting a residence on fire in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Police say victim and suspect both lived in the home. | https://www.kimt.com/news/cerro-gordo-county/mason-city-man-sentenced-to-50-years-in-prison-for-death-of-24-year-old/article_4154e1dc-2fbe-11ee-9206-efab24410b59.html | 2023-07-31T17:39:32 | 1 | https://www.kimt.com/news/cerro-gordo-county/mason-city-man-sentenced-to-50-years-in-prison-for-death-of-24-year-old/article_4154e1dc-2fbe-11ee-9206-efab24410b59.html |
Leanne Morgan remembers the moment she realized she could make it in comedy: She was at a party, telling jokes, and a woman "peepeed on the couch."
"That was a 'God' moment for me ... " Morgan says. "I thought, 'OK, I can make it in stand-up.'"
Morgan took a roundabout route to professional comedy: She was a young mother living in Bean Station, Tenn., in the 1990s — and she started selling jewelry in women's houses two or three nights a week as a way to make a bit of extra money.
"It was like Mary Kay and Tupperware, those kinds of companies," Morgan says. "Somebody makes a dip, or a pan of brownies, and then I would schlep that big case of jewelry and put all that jewelry out on a kitchen table."
Morgan was supposed to be talking up the jewelry, but instead she found herself making her customers laugh with stories about breastfeeding and hemorrhoids.
Morgan was 32 with three young children at home when she started performing stand-up in clubs on the weekend. Every few years, someone from Hollywood would call to offer her a sitcom deal — but each time the deal would fall through.
In 2018, she nearly gave up, but she decided to make one more push. She hired two brothers in Plano, Texas, to help promote her material on social media. One clip, in which she joked about going to a Def Leppard/Journey concert with her husband, went viral.
"That [video] blew up, and I started selling out all over the United States," Morgan says. "People would see those videos ... and start calling comedy clubs and ask them to book me."
Now 57 with three grown children and two grandchildren, Morgan has her own self-produced Netflix special, Leanne Morgan: I'm Every Woman. In it, she makes fun of everyday life, from marriage and motherhood to menopause and dating apps.
"It took me a long time to find my audience ... but I always knew they were out there," she says. "I think Hollywood forgets us, and I think a lot of comedians that are cool and edgy and all of that, just forget about my demographic and I think we're the best. I think we're the people that make decisions to go buy tickets and want to get out and have a good time."
Interview highlights
On connecting to her audience
I'm nurturing. If I make fun, it's of myself, it's not of anybody else. I'm not confrontational. And so I think people find comfort with me. ... I was in LA doing The Comedy Store, which was a dream of mine, and it was all these edgy comedians that were getting up and talking about all kinds of stuff. And then I got up and talked about how somebody made me a meatloaf at my children's school the day that I got my IUD replaced. And young people came out of The Comedy Store and said, "Can I hug you?" I think that even though ... in my mind I'd have a chip on my shoulder over the years and think, Oh, I'm not edgy enough there. I'm not a cool kid in the business in the industry and all that, I do think that people were enjoying what I did.
On calling herself the "Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia"
Comedy is hard. ... It's a hard business. I resonated with that character because she was fearless and she had those babies and her husband was a ding dong. My husband's not a ding dong, but she overcame so much and kept going and men would say, "Oh, women aren't funny," and all that kind of stuff, and trying to sabotage her. I've been through all that. When young people ask me, "Do you think I should do stand-up?" I don't want to squash somebody's dreams. But it's hard for me as a mother not to say, "Listen, you're going to be driving in a car for 300 miles to make $50 and you won't have a hotel room." I mean, it's a hard, hard business. But when I saw that series, I thought, that's what I did: I had three babies. I was in the Appalachian Mountains. I didn't have a comedy club near me, and I just had to pave out another way than the traditional way that people do stand-up. And I did. I don't know how, but I did.
On the four television sitcom deals over the years that fell through
I would be devastated at the time. But those little nuggets would give me the encouragement to keep going. For one thing, because I was in Knoxville. ... I was not living in LA or New York. I was raising these children and I got to raise them in Knoxville, Tennessee, and they became who they're supposed to be. If I'd have gone to LA, they probably wouldn't be who they are. And I would be devastated [when the series fell through], but then it always kept me encouraged, like, I've got something. I know I'm not crazy. I can do this.
On ignoring her ex-husband when he advised her to get rid of her Tennessee accent
[He] said to me, "Your accent and your diction, you need diction lessons. People are making fun of me. People think you're stupid." And I remember at the time, I don't know how I had the sense to think, "No, you're wrong." And I didn't change anything. I could have. I had pretty low self-esteem and was pretty beat down at the time, but I felt like ... you're not going to change me. This is who I am. And I think now, going forward, 40 years later, that is what has made this happen for me, is I am who I am. .... I'm authentic. I feel like at my age now, it's like this is who I am. You either like it or you don't. It's OK if you don't. ... I do find humor in hard things, but I think a lot of comedians do. That's how we cope.
Lauren Krenzel and Seth Kelley produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.knkx.org/2023-07-31/leanne-morgan-the-mrs-maisel-of-appalachia-jokes-about-motherhood-and-menopause | 2023-07-31T17:39:32 | 1 | https://www.knkx.org/2023-07-31/leanne-morgan-the-mrs-maisel-of-appalachia-jokes-about-motherhood-and-menopause |
Man critically injured after being bitten by shark off Anna Maria Island: Officials
ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. - A man is recovering in the hospital after he was bitten by a shark off Anna Maria Island, according to West Manatee Fire Rescue.
Authorities say while they were offloading nearly a dozen people, including six children, to the Kingfish Boat Ramp, another boat arrived with a man who said he had been bitten by a shark.
Officials did not release many details but say the man is in his early 20s and he was bitten in the lower leg off the north end of the island.
READ: Video shows large shark swimming eerily close to people at Florida beach: 'That sucker came close!'
Rodney Kwiatkowski, Fire Marshal at West Manatee Fire Rescue District, said someone with the man had applied a tourniquet, which may have saved his extremity.
He added that the man was taken to Blake Hospital with critical injuries.
"It’s rare. This might be the third incident that I am aware for here since 2008. It’s a natural body of water and it’s a natural habitat for that body of water and there is a risk associated with the things that we do but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Statistically, I think you are safe, " Rodney Kwiatkowski, Fire Marshal at West Manatee Fire Rescue District said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/man-critically-injured-after-being-bitten-by-shark-off-anna-maria-island-mcso | 2023-07-31T17:39:36 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/man-critically-injured-after-being-bitten-by-shark-off-anna-maria-island-mcso |
A woman behind the wheel of a self-driving Uber that hit and killed a pedestrian has pleaded guilty to endangerment in what is the first fatal collision involving a fully autonomous test vehicle.
After years of legal limbo, 49-year-old Rafaela Vasquez was sentenced to three years of supervised probation Friday for the 2018 crash that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg in suburban Phoenix. Vasquez, who was behind the wheel of the car, told police that Herzberg "came out of nowhere" on the dimly lit Tempe street.
Vasquez had originally been charged with negligent homicide, a felony that carries a minimum one year prison sentence. However, she entered a plea agreement with prosecutors that would reclassify the charge as a misdemeanor if she completes the probationary requirements.
SEE MORE: Are self driving cars safe?
Authorities said Vasquez was streaming a television show on her phone and not watching the road when her SUV struck Herzberg as she was crossing the street with her bicycle. But Vasquez's attorneys claim she was looking at an Uber messaging app that's used by employees while they work, and that the corporation should share some of the blame for the collision.
Herzberg's death was the first involving a fully autonomous test vehicle, but was not the first from a car with some self-driving features. Two years prior, an Ohio driver was killed after crashing into semi-truck while his Tesla was operating in autopilot mode.
In 2022, automakers reported nearly 400 crashes over a 10-month period involving semi-autonomous or fully-autonomous vehicles, according to U.S. regulators. A majority of those crashes involved Teslas.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxlf.com/backup-driver-in-self-driving-uber-that-killed-woman-pleads-guilty | 2023-07-31T17:39:36 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/backup-driver-in-self-driving-uber-that-killed-woman-pleads-guilty |
'Pee-wee Herman' star Paul Reubens loses battle to cancer at 70
LOS ANGELES - Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon through films and TV shows, has died.
"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," a post read from his Instagram page. "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."
Reubens rose to fame as Pee-Wee Herman in the live stage show, "The Pee-wee Herman Show" in 1980. After that, a movie was made followed by a television show.
Actor Paul Rubens poses for a portrait in July 1995 in Los Angeles, California. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
The premise involved following Herman as he played in his playhouse with various gadgets and lively puppets.
However, off-camera Reubens had a bout with legal troubles.
In 2015, Reubens was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor obscenity charge involving photographs seized from his erotica collection. He agreed to register as a sex offender for the duration of his probation.
The charge resulted from a search of Reubens' home in November 2001. Police seized about 30,000 images from his photography collection and personal computers.
In 1991, Reubens pleaded no contest to an indecent exposure charge after his arrest in Sarasota, Fla., for allegedly exposing himself in a movie theater.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/pee-wee-herman-star-paul-reubens-loses-battle-to-cancer-at-70 | 2023-07-31T17:39:38 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/pee-wee-herman-star-paul-reubens-loses-battle-to-cancer-at-70 |
ALBERT LEA, Minn. - Four people from Albert Lea were hurt following a two-vehicle crash on Sunday in Steele County.
The Minnesota State Patrol said Richard Anderson, 75, Betty Lou Anderson, 72, David Anderson, 51, and Teresa Raatz, 48, were all taken to Mayo Clinic Health Systems-Owatonna following the crash. All injuries are considered non-life-threatening.
The occupants of the other vehicle were not hurt, and the crash happened at mile marker 35 in the southbound lane. | https://www.kimt.com/news/freeborn-mower-counties/4-from-albert-lea-hospitalized-after-crash-on-i-35/article_225daae2-2fba-11ee-b453-4f291127fb9f.html | 2023-07-31T17:39:38 | 1 | https://www.kimt.com/news/freeborn-mower-counties/4-from-albert-lea-hospitalized-after-crash-on-i-35/article_225daae2-2fba-11ee-b453-4f291127fb9f.html |
With the 2023 Women's World Cup taking place on the other side of the world in Australia and New Zealand, it's not easy to sort out what time the teams are playing.
The U.S. has a crucial game against Portugal on Tuesday and it's particularly challenging to determine when the teams take the field. Why? The U.S. broadcaster Fox Sports touts its coverage begins at 1 a.m. ET — two hours earlier than the kickoff — but doesn't explicitly tell viewers what time the game actually begins.
Fox Sports paid a lot of money for the rights to broadcast the tournament and obviously wants as many people watching for as long as possible.
The first two U.S. World Cup games started at 9 p.m. ET — and the Fox Sports coverage started much earlier. With an evening kickoff, that's no problem. You probably were already awake.
But everything changes with a middle-of-the-night game. You need a plan. Stay up late? Get up early? There's a big circadian difference staying up for what you think is a 1 a.m. kickoff when the opening whistle happens hours later.
Just so we're clear — the final U.S. match in group play kicks off at 3 a.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports and Telemundo.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.knkx.org/2023-07-31/what-time-is-the-u-s-playing-portugal-in-the-womens-world-cup-not-when-you-think | 2023-07-31T17:39:38 | 0 | https://www.knkx.org/2023-07-31/what-time-is-the-u-s-playing-portugal-in-the-womens-world-cup-not-when-you-think |
Celebrate summer at the Downtown Tacoma Block Party on Sunday, August 6 from 12 to 8 p.m. at 9th & Broadway and discover the vibrant culture and diverse community that make Downtown Tacoma special!
This event is free to the public featuring fun for all ages. Activities include vendors, a beer garden, a food area, live music, stand-up comedy, line dancing, skateboarding, art, pop-up performers, a kid's area and free parking. And don't forget to stop by KNKX's booth in front of our Tacoma studios on Broadway! | https://www.knkx.org/events/2023-07-31/join-knkx-at-the-downtown-tacoma-block-party-this-sunday | 2023-07-31T17:39:40 | 0 | https://www.knkx.org/events/2023-07-31/join-knkx-at-the-downtown-tacoma-block-party-this-sunday |
Reds minor league team pulls new t-shirt after fans say graphic draws close resemblance to racial slur
A minor league baseball team discontinued selling a t-shirt it was after fans criticized the graphic for looking like a racial slur.
The Chattanooga Lookouts, the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, tried to combine its "Nooga" nickname and its logo of two eyes, and it did not go well.
The team replaced the two O's with their eyes logo, and fans thought it closely resembled the n-word.
"Oh no, chattanooga this isn’t gonna work," a Twitter user named "Dre" wrote.
"Hilariously bad," added @GratefulKeg.
Another user said that the shirt "cannot be real."
The team pulled the shirt, but other sites were quick to copy the logo and sell it on their own.
Some users, though, defended the graphic, simply because it's the city's nickname combined with the team's logo.
The Lookouts were founded in 1885 and adopted the moniker after a fan vote in 1909.
A Cincinnati Reds cap and glove in the dugout during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park on July 3, 2021, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
They have used the same nickname since then, except for 1943, when they were known as the Montgomery Rebels while spending that year playing in Montgomery, Alabama.
Great American Ball Park during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees on May 20, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio. New York defeated Cincinnati 7-4 in ten innings. (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
This is the second stint being an affiliate of the Reds. They were a part of the club's farm system from 1988 to 2008, before time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins up until 2018. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/reds-minor-league-team-pulls-new-t-shirt-fans-racial-slur | 2023-07-31T17:39:40 | 0 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/reds-minor-league-team-pulls-new-t-shirt-fans-racial-slur |
AUSTIN, Minn. - Multiple people were hospitalized, including one person was who unresponsive, and one person was arrested following a two-vehicle crash on Saturday night.
Police said it happened just before 9 p.m. at 2nd Ave. SW. and 4th St. SW. when two vehicles collided.
Witnesses said that some occupants of a silver SUV had fled the scene, and it led to Jeffer Lorenzo, 23, of Austin, being apprehended. He was found lying down next to a house, and he later admitted to driving one of the vehicles.
The driver of the other vehicle, a 16-year-old from Austin, was found unresponsive and was taken by ambulance from the scene.
One passenger in Lorenzo’s car was also taken by ambulance while a third person was later found passed out on a sidewalk, police said.
Lorenzo is being held in the Mower County Jail and is facing charges of Criminal Vehicular Homicide - Operate Motor Vehicle in Grossly Negligent Manner. | https://www.kimt.com/news/freeborn-mower-counties/austin-police-multiple-injuries-1-arrested-after-multi-vehicle-crash/article_e1d0efc8-2fb1-11ee-9c34-1ffaec47448f.html | 2023-07-31T17:39:40 | 0 | https://www.kimt.com/news/freeborn-mower-counties/austin-police-multiple-injuries-1-arrested-after-multi-vehicle-crash/article_e1d0efc8-2fb1-11ee-9c34-1ffaec47448f.html |
Here's how hot and extreme summer 2023 has been, and it's only halfway over
At about summer's halfway point, the record-breaking heat and weather extremes are both unprecedented and unsurprising, hellish yet boring in some ways, scientists say.
Killer heat. Deadly floods. Smoke from wildfires that chokes.
And there’s no relief in sight.
Expect a hotter than normal August and September, American and European forecast centers predict.
A pedestrian carries an umbrella to shade himself from the sun during a heat wave in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Friday, July 28, 2023. Heat advisories have been posted across the region from eastern Pennsylvania to Massachusetts as oppressive
"We are seeing unprecedented changes all over the world," said NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt. "The heat waves that we’re seeing in the U.S. and in Europe, in China are demolishing records left, right and center. This is not a surprise."
Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto said examining what's causing heat waves is "boring" in a way since it keeps happening. Yet she added that it matters "because it shows again just how much climate change plays a role in what we are currently experiencing."
"This story, these impacts, are going to continue," Schmidt said. "We’re going to be seeing this pretty much this year and into next year" with a natural El Nino warming of the Pacific adding to the overwhelming influence of human-caused climate change largely from the burning of coal, oil and gas.
Here’s a rundown of the summer of Earth's discontent.
RECORD-SHATTERING HEAT
Globally, June this year was the hottest June on record — and scientists say July has been so hot that even before the month was over they could say it was the hottest month on record. But it’s individual places where people live that the heat has stuck around and killed.
Phoenix, where the last day of June and each day of July has been at least 110 degrees (43 degrees Celsius), set records for the longest mega-heat streak and longest stretch when the temperatures didn’t go below 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius) at night.
El Paso, Texas, had 44 days of 100 degree (37 degree) heat. Schools closed in Nuevo Leon state in northern Mexico a month earlier than usual as temperatures reached 113 degrees (45 Celsius).
Farther east, Miami added humidity to high heat for 46 straight days of feels-like temperatures of 100 or more.
Beijing had its own record streak with at least 27 days of 95 degrees (35 Celsius) in July, after a three-day streak of at least 104 (40 Celsius) in June. And the country set it’s all-time highest temperature on July 16 in remote Sanbao township with 126 degrees (52.2 Celsius).
Heat records fell all over southern Europe. Sardinia, Italy, hit 117 (47 Celsius). Palermo in Sicily broke a record that goes back to 1791 by a whopping 3.6 degrees (2 degrees Celsius). Temperatures hit 115 (46 Celsius) in Gytheio, Greece.
Spain reported nearly 1,000 excess deaths from the heat, mostly among the elderly, by mid July.
In Argentina, where it's mid-winter, temperatures were above 89.6 (32 Celsius) four straight days in June in the northern part of the county. One July night in Buenos Aires didn’t get below the 70s (low 20s Celsius).
TOO MUCH RAIN
More than 10,000 people had to be evacuated in central Hunan province in China where heavy rainfall caused at least 70 houses to collapse. In Yichang, rain triggered a landslide that buried a construction site and killed at least one person.
Australia’s Queensland outback got 13 times its normal monthly July rain in just one day.
Thousands of people were evacuated from Delhi in India as rains caused flash floods and landslides. Elsewhere in the country at least 100 people were killed by the downpours.
In the United States, sudden heavy rain killed people in Vermont, Connecticut and Pennsylvania with tragic stories of children washed away in flooding.
WILDFIRES AND SMOKE
Too little rain in Greece and Spain fed wildfires that proved difficult to fight. In the Canary Islands, a fire caused 4,000 people to evacuate, others to wear face masks and had 400 firefighters battling it.
Hot and dry conditions caused about 160 wildfires to break out in Israel in early June.
But what really brought fires home happened in parts of Canada where few people live. Rare far northern Quebec wildfires triggered nasty smoke that inflicted the world’s dirtiest air on cities like New York and Washington, then switched to the Midwest.
As of late July more than 600 wildfires were out of control in Canada. A record 47,490 square miles (123,000 square kilometers) burned, and fire season isn’t near done. That’s an area larger than the state of Pennsylvania or North Korea.
WATER TEMPERATURES
Water temperatures in the Florida Keys and off the Everglades hit the high 90s (high 30s Celsius) with Manatee Bay breaking 100 degrees twice in what could be an unofficial world record for surface water temperature, although that’s in dispute.
The North Atlantic had hot spots that alarmed scientists. The world’s oceans as a whole were their hottest ever in June and got even hotter in July. In Antarctica, sea ice smashed record-low levels.
Ocean temperatures take a long time to warm up and cool down, said University of Northern Illinois meteorology professor Victor Gensini. So it doesn’t look good for the rest of the summer, he said.
A HOT FORECAST
"We are favoring above normal temperatures for the next three months," said NOAA Climate Prediction Center meteorologist Matt Rosencrans.
The only potential relief he sees, especially in the hot Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, is if a hurricane or tropical storm moves through.
The peak of hurricane season in September hasn’t even started.
RELATED: July on track to be Earth's hottest month on record
When going through the litany of this summer's weather extremes so far, University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann had one question: "How on God’s Earth are we still burning fossil fuels after witnessing all this?"
___
Researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report from New York. ___
Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
___
Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/weather-hot-extreme-summer-2023-only-halfway-over | 2023-07-31T17:39:41 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/weather-hot-extreme-summer-2023-only-halfway-over |
Non-profit spreading awareness about driving boats while drunk
TAMPA, Fla. - There are more than a million registered boats in the state, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and within the first half of 2023, more than 300 Floridians got busted for being drunk while driving a boat.
"If you’re behind the wheel of that boat, keep it dry, the whole rest of the boat can enjoy some adult beverages, but if you’re behind the wheel, stand up, be responsible, and make sure everybody gets back to the dock safely," said Marks Watts, the founder of Drive Dry.
Local law enforcement, FWC and the founder for Drive Dry are trying to prevent alcohol-related accidents.
Drive Dry is a non-profit organization aimed at spreading awareness about the dangers of driving a boat while intoxicated. It’s something that’s very personal to him.
READ: Bradenton boat burglar steals from vessels at marina, deputies say
"I myself was involved in a boating accident where I was the driver, so I made it my mission to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else," Watts shared.
About six years ago, Watts said he got into a pretty bad accident while driving his boat intoxicated. He hit a dock and had passengers on board.
The Florida-based non-profit is spreading awareness about drunk boat drivers.
"I wanted to turn this around and do a 180, saying, hey listen guys, I know what I’m doing, I’m a great operator, but I made the wrong decision that evening, and now I want to make sure that you don’t make the same decision I did," explained Watts.
FWC officers and local law enforcement helped Watts host a fundraiser at Rick’s On The River on Sunday, aimed at raising money to help expand his non-profit across the country.
READ: Singing boat captain entertains, educates while exploring Dunnellon rivers
Former law enforcement officers are also supporting the cause. A retired lieutenant tells FOX 13, Florida’s hot summers make drinking while driving a boat even more dangerous, because the heat can increase your sensitivity to alcohol.
The founder of Drive Dry wants everyone to have a designated driver when out on the water.
"They have a few beers in that heat, they want to have another beer, another drink, and they’re impaired, they hurt somebody, and you don’t want to live with that," said Art Serig, a former lieutenant in Miami-Dade County.
For more information on Drive Dry, click here. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/non-profit-spreading-awareness-about-driving-boats-while-drunk | 2023-07-31T17:39:42 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/non-profit-spreading-awareness-about-driving-boats-while-drunk |
The moon will seem extra big and bright and thus be quite a sight this August, with a sturgeon supermoon visible on Tuesday and then a rare blue supermoon coming at the end of the month.
Two of the four supermoon events of 2023 will take place in August, with the first happening on Tuesday. On Aug. 30 there will be a blue supermoon, which won't happen again until 2032. Here's what you need to know so you can catch this summer's lunar double feature.
What is a supermoon?
A perigean full moon, better known as a supermoon, happens when the moon is full during its closest orbits to Earth. This gives its appearance an extra pop, making it look up to 8% bigger and 16% brighter than a typical full moon, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
According to NASA, the moon's typical orbit ranges between 226,000 and 251,000 miles from Earth, but variances can bring it a bit closer or farther away. Only the closest three or four approaches each year qualify as supermoons. The last one was on July 3.
Up first is the sturgeon supermoon on Tuesday
The sturgeon moon got its name from Native American tribes that found that the giant sturgeon from the Great Lakes were "most readily caught" at this time of the summer, according to Farmer's Almanac. It's also known as a green corn moon, grain moon, flying up moon, harvest moon, ricing moon, black cherries moon and the mountain shadow moon.
This spectacle will hit peak illumination at 2:32 p.m. ET. "That evening, look toward the southeast after sunset to catch a glimpse of the Sturgeon Moon rising," Farmer's Almanac says.
A sturgeon, for non-anglers, is an enormous fish with roots in the Jurassic period that spends its life — up to 150 years — in both fresh and saltwater. The white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America, reaching as long as 20 feet and nearly 2,000 pounds, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. But most of the sturgeon inhabiting the Great Lakes measure about 6 feet in length and weigh approximately 200 pounds.
The second show is a rare blue supermoon
While a supermoon references the moon's orbit in relation to Earth, a blue moon has to do with frequency, referring to when there's a second full moon in a single calendar month, NASA says. It's also used to describe the third of four full moons in an astrological season.
The moon takes 27.3 days to orbit the Earth, but because of how the sun's light hits the satellite, it takes 29.5 days to complete its lunar cycle from one new moon to the next.
The term "once in a blue moon" is an idiom used to describe a rare but nonetheless recurring event. But according to NASA they're not actually all that rare, recurring every two-and-a-half years or so.
A blue supermoon, however, happens far less frequently. According to the website Time and Date, the last blue supermoon was in December 2009, and the next one won't be until August 2032.
This year's blue supermoon will peak at 9:36 p.m. ET on Aug. 30, Farmer's Almanac says, but you can use their moonrise calculator to see when it will be visible in your area.
The end of August supermoon will be the biggest and brightest of 2023 because the moon will be "exceptionally close" to Earth at 222,043 miles, nearly 17,000 miles closer than average.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.knkx.org/science/2023-07-31/if-you-miss-augusts-super-blue-moon-youll-have-to-wait-9-years-for-your-next-chance | 2023-07-31T17:39:42 | 1 | https://www.knkx.org/science/2023-07-31/if-you-miss-augusts-super-blue-moon-youll-have-to-wait-9-years-for-your-next-chance |
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Police are investigating the theft of two Kia Sportage vehicles recently.
One happened last week when an owner saw glass on the ground where it was parked. A second theft occurred Friday in the 2600 block of 15th Ave. NW.
The car renter had it parked while they were inside a residence, and the vehicle was locked and the key was in the renter's possession.
No arrests have been made. | https://www.kimt.com/news/olmsted-county/rochester-police-investigation-thefts-of-kia-motor-vehicles/article_50e99320-2fac-11ee-b4bf-77e9386d694d.html | 2023-07-31T17:39:42 | 1 | https://www.kimt.com/news/olmsted-county/rochester-police-investigation-thefts-of-kia-motor-vehicles/article_50e99320-2fac-11ee-b4bf-77e9386d694d.html |
Jerry Jones: Cowboys roster is 'best complementary team' he can remember
OXNARD, Calif. - Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is hopeful that this year could be the year that the Cowboys end their Super Bowl drought.
He answered questions from FOX 4's Mike Doocy and Sam Gannon from Cowboys camp in Oxnard to talk about what makes this season different.
Jerry Jones on Cowboys Super Bowl Hopes
The Cowboys have not won a Super Bowl since the 1996 season.
In fact, the team hasn't even been to an NFC Championship Game since '96.
After a strong season last year, the Cowboys suffered another disappointing early exit in last year's playoffs.
Jones is still optimistic about the team's chances this year.
"This is the best complementary team we've had going into camp that I can remember," said Jones.
Jones noted that the team still needed to find a kicker to complete the roster.
Unlike past years, Jones says this team does not have any glaring holes.
"On both sides of the ball, offense and defense, and frankly most special teams things we do, this is the most balance. We've got the best athletes, best skills," he said.
Jerry Jones on Cowboys Coaching Changes
One of the biggest changes the Dallas Cowboys made this offseason was allowing offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to leave for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jerry said he is a big fan of head coach Mike McCarthy taking over the play-calling duties this season.
He says the change will allow defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to have complete control of the defense.
"It will create a great dynamic there that I think gets the most out of our talent," he said. "I think we've really made some adjustments with who is coaching what and who is coaching along with some of the additional talent we've added."
McCarthy called plays for much of his tenure with the Green Bay Packers, but Moore, a leftover piece of Jason Garrett's staff, has been the play-caller for his entire time in Dallas.
Jerry Jones on Zack Martin Contract
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 08: Dak Prescott #4 and Zack Martin #70 of the Dallas Cowboys talk before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 08, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachu
One of the biggest storylines at Cowboys camp this season is who is not there.
All-Pro offensive guard Zack Martin is holding out for a new contract.
Jones says the team admires Martin and his contributions as a player and person, but that doesn't mean the Cowboys can afford to pay the lineman what he is asking for.
"We just have so many dollars to go around," said Jones. "The dollars that aren't committed are committed to people such as [pass rusher Micah] Parsons in the future and [wide receiver CeeDee] Lamb."
Jones says that restructuring Martin's deal could put other players future deals at risk.
"Look, we've gotta keep this thing like we've got it designed, like we've got it contracted to keep this team on the field and keep it going forward," he said.
Jerry Jones on Dak Prescott
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made some noise earlier this offseason when he promised that he would not throw as many interceptions this season.
Jones believes Prescott can stick to that promise.
"I'm in the camp that saw a few of those interceptions that weren't necessarily interceptions that he needs to improve on," he said.
Jones brought up a story about how Prescott's mom stressed the importance of not turning the ball over every time he would leave the house.
"She would holler at him and say ‘Dak, remember, no interceptions,'" he said. "He's indoctrinated to no interceptions, and he's not fragile about being talked to, coached and have it emphasized to him."
Jerry Jones on Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys Ring of Honor
Football: Super Bowl XXVIII: (L-R) NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, head coach Jimmy Johnson and Jim Lampley in locker room with Vince Lombardi Trophy during media interview after win vs Buffalo Bills. Atlanta, GA 1/
Super Bowl-winning head coach Jimmy Johnson has been suspiciously absent from the Cowboys Ring of Honor.
Bad blood between Jones and Johnson ended the coach's Cowboys tenure, but in recent years both men have seemingly buried the hatchet, according to statements they have made publicly.
Yet, the Cowboys are not adding Johnson or any new members to the Ring of Honor this year.
"We've talked about that before. Jimmy was a great coach, we've got two or three coaches that need to go in there, candidly," Jones said. "We'll make something along those lines happen."
Jones said he took the advice from former Cowboys president Tex Schramm to make the Ring of Honor a very exclusive club of players and coaches who are cornerstones of the franchise.
Jones said he does plan to add former Cowboys pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, who is going into the Hall of Fame this year, into the Ring of Honor at some point in the future.
"DeMarcus Ware is a no-brainer. He is the definition that Tex Schramm had in mind," said Jones.
Jones would not say when he plans to induct Ware. | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/jerry-jones-dallas-cowboys-super-bowl-jimmy-johnson-dak-prescott-zack-martin | 2023-07-31T17:39:42 | 0 | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/jerry-jones-dallas-cowboys-super-bowl-jimmy-johnson-dak-prescott-zack-martin |
As extreme heat events are expected to increase in the coming years due to man-made climate change, the costs associated with a warming globe are expected to skyrocket.
This will be especially evident in Texas, according to Ray Perryman, CEO of economic research company the Perryman Group.
According to his analysis, the state's gross product is expected to decline by about $9.5 billion this summer due to extreme heat.
Almost $2 billion of the losses will come from reductions in real estate, while another $1.8 billion is expected to be lost in the insurance sector.
Agriculture is also expected to be hit with major losses, losing 5.7% of its annual revenue.
SEE MORE: Advocates rush to help those living with homelessness in record heat
But these losses, Perryman warns, could just be the tip of the iceberg. An average summer temperature increase of 1 degree would result in over $396 billion in losses by 2050.
"Extreme weather events such as heat waves cost the economy billions. Over a long period of time, persistent temperature increases will have even larger and more profound economic consequences," Perryman writes.
Perryman is not the only one warning of climate change's costs. Last month,the Center for American Progress issued a report suggesting extreme heat has caused health care costs to go up $1 billion per year in the U.S.
The group said heat-related illnesses are responsible for 235,000 emergency department visits and more than 56,000 hospital admissions annually.
The reports come as data from the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization released last week indicates that July 2023 will go down as the hottest month ever recorded in human history.
The U.N. said July has already recorded the hottest three-week period, the three hottest days on record, and the highest-ever sea-surface temperatures for this time of year.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxlf.com/extreme-heat-expected-to-be-costly-especially-in-texas | 2023-07-31T17:39:42 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/extreme-heat-expected-to-be-costly-especially-in-texas |
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Astrud Gilberto
Jazz
Astrud Gilberto, 'The Girl from Ipanema' singer, dies at 83
Elizabeth Blair
One of the shining voices of bossa nova, the Brazilian artist made both herself and the song world famous with her beguiling rendition, kicking off an illustrious career.
Listen
•
4:33 | https://www.knkx.org/tags/astrud-gilberto | 2023-07-31T17:39:42 | 0 | https://www.knkx.org/tags/astrud-gilberto |
After months of warnings from tech executives about the dangers of artificial intelligence, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has a new list of concerns.
The agency has issued a stark warning to Americans about cybercriminals using AI tools, like ChatGPT, to create malicious code and launch attacks that had previously required much more effort.
The agency detailed its concerns on a phone call with journalists and explained that AI chatbots have been used to help criminals carry out various types of illicit activity. One FBI official said bad actors are using it as a tool to supplement criminal activities by utilizing things like AI voice generators to impersonate trusted individuals in order to defraud people.
The bottom line is there are fewer people, less expertise, and less time needed for a lot of these threats, ultimately lowering the barrier for entry, according to officials. Furthermore, the agency said it is working with private companies to identify synthetically generated content online that's made with the help of AI.
SEE MORE: Cybersecurity firm finds compromised ChatGPT accounts on dark web
It's not the first time an alarm has been sounded about the potential threats of AI. Cybersecurity firm Group-IB reported that more than 26,000 compromised ChatGPT accounts were detected on the dark web in may and were being offered for sale. According to the firm, more employers are using tools like ChatGPT to optimize their work, but entries into the chatbot could include sensitive or proprietary information that could be exploited by hackers.
However, some companies have been wary to jumping on the chatbot train. Apple has already restricted employees from using ChatGPT. Other companies, like Verizon and JPMorgan Chase, have taken similar measures.
SEE MORE: Musk, tech leaders call for pause on 'out-of-control' AI race
Earlier this month, President Joe Biden hosted seven major tech companies at the White House to discuss ways to protect the public from the potential harms of AI. The companies — Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI — all made voluntary commitments to ensure their products are safe for consumers prior to launch.
One of those promises is a commitment to internal and external security testing—meaning allowing third-party, independent experts to review AI cybersecurity.
"I think that's a very important step," said Dr. Arati Prabhakar, lead science adviser to the president. "There are other fields where that happens [where] it's been very helpful, but I think it's going to be very constructive for AI."
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxlf.com/fbi-warns-of-hackers-using-artificial-intelligence-to-create-malware | 2023-07-31T17:39:48 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/fbi-warns-of-hackers-using-artificial-intelligence-to-create-malware |
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In the 1960s, a lyrical Brazilian style of music lent a sweet touch to jazz. Robin Lloyd has the story of the bossa nova for the KNKX and Jazz24 A History of Jazz project.
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The landmark Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd album Jazz Samba was recorded 60 years ago. The influential recording introduced the uniquely Brazilian 'Bossa Nova' style of music to jazz fans in the United States. Here's how it happened.
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Vibist Susan Pascal invited saxophonist Pete Christlieb to join her group at Tula's in a celebration of Stan Getz and some of his collaborations with… | https://www.knkx.org/tags/stan-getz | 2023-07-31T17:39:52 | 0 | https://www.knkx.org/tags/stan-getz |
'Pee-wee Herman' star Paul Reubens loses battle to cancer at 70
LOS ANGELES - Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon through films and TV shows, has died.
"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," a post read from his Instagram page. "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."
Reubens rose to fame as Pee-Wee Herman in the live stage show, "The Pee-wee Herman Show" in 1980. After that, a movie was made followed by a television show.
Actor Paul Rubens poses for a portrait in July 1995 in Los Angeles, California. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
The premise involved following Herman as he played in his playhouse with various gadgets and lively puppets.
However, off-camera Reubens had a bout with legal troubles.
In 2015, Reubens was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor obscenity charge involving photographs seized from his erotica collection. He agreed to register as a sex offender for the duration of his probation.
The charge resulted from a search of Reubens' home in November 2001. Police seized about 30,000 images from his photography collection and personal computers.
In 1991, Reubens pleaded no contest to an indecent exposure charge after his arrest in Sarasota, Fla., for allegedly exposing himself in a movie theater.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/pee-wee-herman-star-paul-reubens-loses-battle-to-cancer-at-70 | 2023-07-31T17:39:52 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/pee-wee-herman-star-paul-reubens-loses-battle-to-cancer-at-70 |
$1 ticket leads to $740k+ prize for Charlotte man
The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598.
Published: Jul. 31, 2023 at 1:24 PM EDT|Updated: 14 minutes ago
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Ehab Mayy of Charlotte won a $742,366 jackpot off a $1 Cash 5 ticket.
Mayy bought his Quick Pick ticket using Online Play. His numbers matched all five white balls in the July 7 drawing.
He arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $528,937.
[Read also: Charlotte woman wins $1 million from a $2 lottery ticket]
Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in North Carolina in which players have the option of buying their tickets through a retail location or with Online Play. The odds of winning a Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 962,598. Monday’s jackpot is $224,000.
For more information, visit nclottery.com.
Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/1-ticket-leads-740k-prize-charlotte-man/ | 2023-07-31T17:39:54 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/1-ticket-leads-740k-prize-charlotte-man/ |
KALISPELL – Authorities are investigating a Friday morning shooting in Flathead County.
Law enforcement was called to investigate a report of a shooting in Marion near Moose Crossing, shortly before 10:45 a.m.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino says deputies arrived on the scene to find a 15-year-old male had been shot.
The teen was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment.
Sheriff Heino says there is “no concern for public safety” as a result of the incident. | https://www.kxlf.com/investigation-underway-after-teen-found-shot-in-marion | 2023-07-31T17:39:55 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/investigation-underway-after-teen-found-shot-in-marion |
Police: Murder suspect lived with dead roommate for 'extended period of time'
LAS VEGAS - A Nevada man is accused of killing his roommate and living with her deceased body for an extended period of time.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said 31-year-old George Anthony Bone was arrested and booked on a murder charge.
Officers said on July 26, they responded to a home after getting a report that a deceased woman was inside.
Police said her death appeared to be suspicious and classified her death as a homicide but provided no other details about the circumstances.
According to FOX 5 Vegas, the victim has been identified as Beverly Ma. The outlet reported that the Ma's sister reached out to authorities to conduct a welfare check.
RELATED: 2 female hikers found dead in Nevada park as heat scorches parts of US
She also told the outlet that her sister had been dead inside the master bedroom closet for two months.
The family also said Ma suffered trauma and was not close to the family. They last saw here in April and had supposedly received subsequent texts from Ma's phone saying she couldn't make a family trip. The family texted her again but didn't get a response.
FOX 5 also reported that recently, the family went to go check on Ma, but Bone had told them she was dead. Bone also told the family that he didn't call the police because he knew he would be arrested.
The outlet also reported that when one of Ma's relative went to go check on her, Bone reportedly said, "Why do you have to see? If you want to see, I can show her to you," then led her to the master bedroom.
This story was reported from Los Angeles. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/police-murder-suspect-lived-with-dead-roommate-for-extended-period-of-time | 2023-07-31T17:39:58 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/police-murder-suspect-lived-with-dead-roommate-for-extended-period-of-time |
On Saturday, champion swimmer Katie Ledecky won her 16th gold medal in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Ledecky is already a seven-time Olympic gold medalist, but this particular swim made history, because she’s now won more individual world swimming gold medals than anyone else — including Michael Phelps.
Ledecky’s record-breaking 16th individual win was in her best event, the 800-meter freestyle, with a time of 8:08.87. She beat the second-place swimmer, Li Bingjie of China, by 4.44 seconds.
She also enters the history books as the first swimmer to win six consecutive world championships in the same event. But it’s the fact that she overtook Phelps’ record that has people talking.
“It’s special,” she told CNN. “I really didn’t even know I was going to achieve that until people started telling me. It’s cool … I’m happy with that swim. I wanted it to be a little better, but I’ll take it. I’m really pleased with how the week went.”
Ledecky tied Phelps’ record on July 25 when she won her 15th gold medal at the world championships, in the 1,500 freestyle. She also took silver medals in the 400-meter freestyle and the 4-by-200-meter free relay that day.
MORE: Simone Biles returns to gymnastics competition after 2-year break
What’s next for this superstar athlete? She’ll be going for gold at the Summer Olympics next summer, which is happening in Paris. On the Olympic gold medal count, Phelps’ record will be harder to beat: He has 23 of them, the most of anyone who’s competed. Four other Olympians (American swimmer Mark Spitz, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, and American runner Carl Lewis and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi) have nine gold medals each. So, if Ledecky wins three or more gold medals, she’ll come in second place behind Phelps.
No doubt she will train hard to do it. While she was happy about Saturday’s award-winning race, she also acknowledged her drive to do even better.
“I’m just always trying to think of new ways to improve,” she told the Associated Press. “I kind of wanted to be better than I was tonight.”
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.kxlf.com/katie-ledecky-breaks-michael-phelps-record-for-world-championship-wins | 2023-07-31T17:40:01 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/katie-ledecky-breaks-michael-phelps-record-for-world-championship-wins |
Snoop Dogg launches new ice cream line at Walmart
Snoop Dogg is expanding his business portfolio and is stepping into the frozen dessert space.
The "Drop it like it’s Hot" rapper is releasing a new ice cream line called Dr. Bombay, named after his cryptocurrency non-fungible token name.
RELATED: Snoop Dogg collabs with Dunkin for new plant-based sandwich
Snoop’s new ice cream brand is available in seven flavors which are Sherbert Swizzle, Cocoa Cream Cookie Dream, Bonus Track Brownie, Syrupy Waffle Sundaze, S’more Vibes, Iced Out Orange Cream, and Rollin’ in the Dough.
Snoop Dogg launches his new Dr. Bombay Ice Cream. (Photo courtesy of Happi Co.)
Shoppers can get pints of these delicious flavors for $4.98 at 3,500 Walmart stores, according to a release.
"Ice cream is more than just a snack to me; it's a way to chill, relax, and get happy. That's exactly what I want Dr. Bombay Ice Cream to do—bring a smile to your face and ease your mind, Snoop said in a statement. "I've poured my heart and soul into perfecting these first seven flavors, and I can't wait for my fans and the world to experience what I've created.
The acclaimed rapper teamed up with Happi Co., a consumer packaged goods company, to launch Dr. Bombay.
This story was reported from Washington, D.C. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/snoop-dogg-new-ice-cream-line | 2023-07-31T17:40:04 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/snoop-dogg-new-ice-cream-line |
Trump's defamation lawsuit against CNN over 'the Big Lie' dismissed
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit Donald Trump filed against CNN in which the former U.S. president claimed that references in news articles or by the network's hosts to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election as "the Big Lie" were tantamount to comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
Trump had been seeking punitive damages of $475 million in the federal lawsuit filed last October in South Florida, claiming the references hurt his reputation and political career. Trump is a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination in what is his third run for the presidency as a major-party candidate.
RELATED: Trump digs in on election lies, attacks accuser during CNN town hall event
U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal, who was appointed by Trump, said Friday in his ruling that the former president's defamation claims failed because the references were opinions and not factual statements. Moreover, it was a stretch to believe that, in viewers' minds, that phrase would connect Trump's efforts challenging the 2020 election results to Nazi propaganda or Hitler's genocidal and authoritarian regime, the judge said.
"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," the judge wrote in his decision.
RELATED: Can Donald Trump still run for president despite indictment?
Email messages seeking comment were sent to Trump's attorneys in South Florida and Washington. CNN declined to comment on Sunday. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/trump-defamation-lawsuit-cnn-dismissed | 2023-07-31T17:40:10 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/trump-defamation-lawsuit-cnn-dismissed |
Lori Vallow Daybell, whose children's 2019 reported disappearance sparked a nationwide search before their bodies were discovered buried on her husband's Idaho property months later, is set to be sentenced Monday in the murders of 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow.
In the weekslong trial that stretched from April into mid-May, she was also found guilty of conspiracy in their murders and the murder of her husband Chad's first wife, Tammy Daybell, along with other charges related to the theft of Social Security payments for the children.
Daybell, 50, faces 10 years to life in prison on the first-degree murder charges.
Judge Steven Boyce ruled that immediate family members of the victims could testify at the sentencing hearing, including Daybell's son Colby Ryan, her sister, Summer Shiflet, JJ Vallow's grandmother Kay Woodcock and Tammy Daybell's aunt Vicki Hoban.
Ryan and Shiflet each testified against Vallow Daybell during the trial, and the jury heard emotional jailhouse phone calls of each of them confronting her about the children's murders.
The defense called no witnesses. Vallow Daybell, who had pleaded not guilty, did not take the stand in her own defense.
Some testimony centered on the extreme and apocalyptic religious beliefs of the couple, including in "zombies" and casting out of "evil spirits," while other witnesses recounted gruesome details of the children's deaths and burials.
While Boyce blocked video recordings and live broadcast of the trial, the verdict was livestreamed. He ordered in May that the sentencing hearing in the Fremont County Courthouse, set to begin at 11 a.m. ET, will also be livestreamed.
Vallow Daybell also faces separate charges in the July 2019 death of her husband, Charles Vallow, who was shot by her brother Alex Cox. Cox claimed he shot Vallow in self-defense and was not charged in the shooting. He died in December 2019, after the children had been reported missing but before their bodies were found on Chad Daybell's property.
Vallow Daybell has been charged in Arizona for conspiracy to commit murder in his death. She has also been charged in Arizona for conspiracy for the 2019 attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux, who was married to Vallow Daybell's niece. Boudreaux testified in the Idaho trial.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office told CBS News in May it would begin extradition proceedings following her sentencing in Idaho.
Chad Daybell also faces first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in Idaho the deaths of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and Vallow Daybell's children, but he waived his right to a speedy trial and is scheduled to be tried April 1, 2024. Unlike his wife, he faces the death penalty.
The two were not permitted to meet or coordinate their defense. | https://www.kxlf.com/news/crime-and-courts/lori-vallow-daybell-to-be-sentenced-in-doomsday-mom-murder-case-of-children | 2023-07-31T17:40:10 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/crime-and-courts/lori-vallow-daybell-to-be-sentenced-in-doomsday-mom-murder-case-of-children |
Video: Tampa jewelry store employee shoots at armed robbery suspects
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Police Department is trying to identify and arrest three people involved in an armed robbery Friday afternoon.
According to police, a gray Nissan Altima with a white paper tag attached was seen driving around the parking lot outside the Liberty Jewelers, located at 1957 W. MLK Boulevard around 1 p.m.
Video shows a black woman entering the store around 1:21 p.m., walking around for a few minutes, and then leaving.
A woman is seen on video entering the store and moment later exiting and returning with two armed men. Image is courtesy of the Tampa Police Department.
She is seen on surveillance video returning a few minutes later and holding the door open as two black men entered the store.
READ: Florida women arrested after fight in which woman's ear was bitten off
In the video, a man wearing a black hoodie and armed with a hammer approaches the display case and smashes the glass before grabbing multiple items.
A man in a hoodie is seen on video smashing a display case at the store. Imae is courtesy of the Tampa Police Department.
The second man, who police say was armed and wearing a yellow jacket, stayed at the doorway with the female and pointed the gun toward the interior of the store.
As the armed suspect was pointing the gun toward employees and customers, video shows an armed employee firing a gun at the suspects, causing the trio to flee.
Video shows a man smashing a display case. Image is courtesy of the Tampa Police Department.
They left in a car with the tag OTX4425.
Police say the bullet struck an uninvolved, unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Tampa police at 813-231-6130 or contact Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/video-tampa-jewelry-store-owner-shoots-at-armed-robbers-smashing-display-case | 2023-07-31T17:40:12 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/video-tampa-jewelry-store-owner-shoots-at-armed-robbers-smashing-display-case |
MISSOULA - The man accused of a Thursday morning stabbing in Midtown Missoula made his initial appearance in Missoula Justice Court on Friday.
Jathan Moreno, 24, is facing charges of attempted deliberate homicide and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, according to court documents.
Moreno is accused of stabbing a man on a bus after what police describe as a "verbal interaction."
Once kicked off the bus, Moreno is accused of continually stabbing the victim again while near the Montana Rail Link Park.
Police arrived on the scene Thursday morning to find one man on the ground and Moreno walking north on Johnson Street.
Moreno was arrested and court documents detail that blood was found on his shirt and hands and a knife was in his pocket.
The victim remains hospitalized with significant injuries to his head, arms, and side. | https://www.kxlf.com/news/crime-and-courts/man-facing-attempted-deliberate-homicide-charge-following-missoula-stabbing | 2023-07-31T17:40:16 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/crime-and-courts/man-facing-attempted-deliberate-homicide-charge-following-missoula-stabbing |
Watch: Amusement park ride spins out of control for 10-plus minutes
RYE, N.Y. - Screams were heard and witnesses watched in terror as riders of an amusement park ride in New York were stuck spinning backward for several minutes.
Video recorded by Giovanni Martinez shows the Music Express ride at Rye Playland spin out of control as riders scream and passersby film the ordeal.
In the video, technicians eventually arrive and get the ride to stop, prompting applause from concerned people standing by.
No injuries were reported.
A ride worker tries to calm riders as an amusement park ride spins out of control (Credit: Giovanni Martinez via Storyful)
The amusement park released the following statement to local media:
READ MORE: Oklahoma officials announce $2 billion theme park, resort
"Safety is our number one priority and as such, the Music Express ride is currently closed as we work closely with the manufacturer."
No injuries were reported. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/watch-rye-playland-amusement-park-ride-spins-out-of-control | 2023-07-31T17:40:18 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/watch-rye-playland-amusement-park-ride-spins-out-of-control |
Piles of debris and driftwood have washed ashore at Yellowtail Dam, making it challenging for boaters to get in and out of the water safely.
The debris is a lasting impact of heavy rainfall in June, which brought the water level at the dam up while sweeping pieces of wood into the water.
For longtime boater Angela Fuller, she said she's never seen anything like it.
"It was unreal. Honestly, it was crazy," Fuller said. "I mean, there's always wood when we go to Yellowtail, but I've never seen it blocking one side of the boat dock, let alone the entire boat loading dock. It felt otherworldly."
Fuller was boating at the dam with her family last weekend. She said when they first arrived, one side of the boat dock was cleared of wood so that boats could be dropped into the water safely.
But at the end of their day, when they arrived at the dock to pull their boat out of the water, the entire loading dock was covered in driftwood.
"That was wild," Fuller said. "There was literal tree logs that were up under our boat, and so my husband had to hop in the water and was pulling out trees from underneath our boat so that we could safely get our boat on the trailer."
Fuller said that while her family did their best to be cautious, she knows the massive amount of debris could cause serious harm to boats and their passengers.
"We're not going to let it deter us because we take boat safety very seriously," Fuller said. "My dad actually works on boats and he said there's been a lot of people coming in with boat problems this year."
Yellowtail Dam Division Manager Christopher Curtis said that the massive amounts of rainfall in June gave them no choice but to hold the water, which brought the level up higher than in year's past.
"So, what that really comes down to is the increased rain that we had this June," Curtis said. "This year was very unique."
Curtis said their primary purpose is to prevent flooding downstream and the added water gave them no choice.
"We had a lot of water coming in and we had to hold that because it would do massive damage downstream," Curtis said.
Superintendent of Big Horn Canyon Recreation Area James Hill said part of the delay is due to an equipment shortage.
"We had some issues with some equipment shortages, but essentially we've been doing the same thing we've always done," Hill said. "Given those confined spaces, we really can't get more equipment there, so it's really just a patient, day by day thing."
Hill said that this year has been different and that usually the driftwood has already been cleared out by this point in the summer. Still, he said progress is being made and he's hopeful the water will clear up for visitors by the end of the season.
"By this time in the summer, the driftwood is kind of over," Hill said. "We are making progress. As we move here into August, and we don't see a lot of torrential downpours, I think we're going to be okay."
The clean up process is one that Fuller knows is strenuous, but she's appreciative and excited for when the water is clear once again.
"Those guys are out there all day and it's almost an impossible chore for them right now," Fuller said. "They just need that water to go down and it'll be easier for them, but we are really appreciative. We're excited to get out there again and see the progress they've made." | https://www.kxlf.com/news/local-news/otherworldly-heavy-rainfall-brings-piles-of-driftwood-to-yellowtail-dam | 2023-07-31T17:40:22 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/local-news/otherworldly-heavy-rainfall-brings-piles-of-driftwood-to-yellowtail-dam |
Co-host Australia advances, knocking Canada out of the Women's World Cup
MELBOURNE, Australia - Haley Raso scored her first career Women’s World Cup goals at just the right time, with a first-half brace in Australia's 4-0 win over Canada in Monday's pivotal group-stage finale.
The Matildas, who also got goals from Mary Fowler and Steph Catley in the second half, clinched the top spot in Group B and a place in the round of 16 at the expense of the Olympic champion.
Australia needed a win to guarantee progression to the next round. The co-hosts secured a resounding win. Canada, needing to avoid defeat to avoid elimination, is out of the tournament after slipping from the lead to third place in the group behind Australia and Nigeria.
After missing two group-stage matches with a calf injury sustained on the eve of the tournament, Australia's star striker Sam Kerr was available and on the bench but did not play in the match. The closest she got to the pitch was carrying drinks for her teammates.
RELATED: Women’s World Cup: Australia, Zambia, Japan win their matches on Day 11 | July 31, 2023
In front of a vocal, pro-Australia crowd of 27,706 in Melbourne, Canada became the first reigning Olympic champion to be eliminated in group play in the subsequent Women’s World Cup.
Australia’s progression ensured this year’s Women’s World Cup would not be the first without a host nation in the knockout stage.
Key moments
Australia jumped out to an early lead in the ninth minute with Raso’s first goal: a shot from the back post off a cross from Catley. Initially ruled offside, the goal held up under VAR review, and Raso fell to her knees to celebrate.
The Matildas responded to a disallowed goal from Australia forward Mary Fowler – ruled offside by VAR in the 34th minute – when Raso poked in a failed clearance after Kyra Cooney-Cross’ corner, doubling Australia’s lead in the 39th.
RELATED: Despite lack of time together, USA expects more cohesive unit vs. Portugal
Off another left-wing cross from Catley, Fowler added Australia’s third goal in the 58th. She returned to the Matildas’ starting lineup after missing their upset 3-2 loss to Nigeria last week with a mild concussion.
After two assists, Catley scored in stoppage time, burying her second penalty kick of the tournament after Canada midfielder Jessie Fleming fouled Katrina Gorry at the edge of the area.
Canada forward Adriana Leon, who scored Canada’s clincher in a 2-1 win over Ireland, came off in the 64th minute with a head injury.
Why it matters
With its win over Canada and Nigeria’s 0-0 draw with Ireland, Australia finished first in Group B with six points. Nigeria finished second with five points.
The Matildas, as hosts, stay alive in a tournament that has seen record-breaking ticket sales, especially in Australia’s host cities and for the Matildas’ matches. Home fans will look to see if Kerr will make her tournament debut in the round of 16.
Co-host New Zealand’s 0-0 draw on Sunday with Switzerland eliminated the Football Ferns from knockout-round contention.
In their own words
"Proud, and privileged. These players, the way they performed tonight … and all the talk about Sam (Kerr). The way they went out and played the game, stayed true to who they are, the pressing game, the attacking game. To beat Canada, the Olympic champions, 4-nil, in a do-or-die game." — Tony Gustavsson, Australia coach.
"The reality is setting in that this is the end of our World Cup road, but all credit to Australia. They were the better team tonight, a magnificent crowd. I’ve got no criticism of my players." Bev Priestman, Canada coach.
WHAT’S NEXT Australia will face the second-place finisher in Group D in the round of 16 next in Sydney. Tuesday’s simultaneous matches between first-place England and China and Denmark against Haiti will determine Australia and Nigeria’s round of 16 opponents. The Australians have seven days to prepare for their next match, giving captain Kerr more time to fully recover.
Canada returns home unable to win medals in back-to-back tournaments. Canada forward Christine Sinclair, 40, the leading international goal-scorer with 190, finishes her World Cup campaign without a goal in Australia.
Cassidy Hettesheimer is a student at the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute. | https://www.fox13news.com/sports/co-host-australia-advances-knocking-canada-out | 2023-07-31T17:40:24 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/sports/co-host-australia-advances-knocking-canada-out |
Top stories from today's Montana This Morning, Monday, July 31, 2023 - Latest local news and headlines from across the world.
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Mother of slain brothers responds after hung jury in trial of suspected killer | https://www.kxlf.com/news/local-news/top-stories-from-todays-montana-this-morning-july-31-2023 | 2023-07-31T17:40:29 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/local-news/top-stories-from-todays-montana-this-morning-july-31-2023 |
Despite lack of time together, USA expects more cohesive unit vs. Portugal
AUCKLAND, New Zealand - The United States women's national team players are fully aware they haven't played anywhere near their best yet at this World Cup.
Players have said it to each other, and Vlatko Andonovski has admitted it himself.
"That's a fair statement," the U.S. head coach said after a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
"Part of the reason," he continued, "is because this team has not had time together. The first time we've seen this team [play] together is Game 1. And now we've seen them in Game 2. So in Game 3, we expect to grow from there.
"The baseline is the second half of [the Netherlands match], and as we move forward, we're going to see a better and better U.S. team."
That's quite the promise, and one the USWNT hopes to fulfill in a pivotal group stage showdown against Portugal on Tuesday at Eden Park (coverage begins at 1 a.m. ET with kickoff at 3 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
The 23 players Andonovski selected for this roster were not the original group he imagined he'd bring when he was first hired in 2019. As he embarked on a four-year cycle that would culminate this summer, he assumed he'd have veteran weapons such as Catarina Macario, Sam Mewis, Becky Sauerbrunn and Mallory Swanson. Maybe even Christen Press and Abby Dahlkemper, too. But injuries (some new, others recurring) kept many star players with major tournament experience out of contention.
Andonovski has had to adapt and tinker with lineups to try to build a cohesive winning group. The challenge is that national teams aren't club teams. The players aren't training together regularly except for a few weeks out of the year.
"You're in and out all the time," midfielder Andi Sullivan said. "So you're constantly adjusting."
That's OK sometimes. The squad that won it all four years ago in France didn't necessarily play more pre-tournament matches together, but they also didn't have quite as many national team newbies. There weren't significant injuries to playmakers in the lead up, either.
This time, though, there are 14 newer faces, some of whom only earned their first senior national team caps last year (Naomi Girma, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson). Savannah DeMelo made her USWNT debut at the send-off game July 9 and has started the first two matches in the central midfield.
So, how can this team jell quickly when they are still getting used to playing with each other? Especially in a game with nervy implications. The U.S. currently sits atop Group E based on goal differential and advances to the knockout round with a win or draw. A loss would mean the dream of making history and winning three consecutive titles is over. The Americans have never not made it out of the group stage at a World Cup.
"We're very direct when something is not going the way that we want it to go," Sullivan said, explaining how the team gets in sync with each other. "You have to be direct and clear and honest and loud."
There's a history of having direct conversations on this team. It comes with the high standards and expectations set by previous generations.
Before the Netherlands match, Carli Lloyd shared a story on the FOX Sports pregame show about being forthright with Julie Ertz during the 2015 World Cup semifinal match against Germany.
Ertz, then 23 years old and playing in her first World Cup, committed a foul in the box that led to a German penalty kick.
"In that moment, Julie Ertz started crying and getting emotional," Lloyd said. "And I turned to her — I'm not going to use the language that I used on the pitch — but I told her to snap out of it. It was blunt, it was direct, but in that moment you can't dwell on what's happened, and it's important to move on."
German forward Celia Sasic missed that spot kick, and the U.S. ultimately won 2-0 to clinch a spot in the final.
Sullivan said there were pointed conversations in the locker room during halftime against the Dutch because the Americans knew they could play better. It started as player-to-player discussions, including substitutes telling starters at their respective positions what they were seeing from their vantage point on the bench. Then it evolved to coaches giving their perspective.
Younger players, Sullivan said, have gotten used to this kind of feedback and handle these moments with "grace and confidence."
"It was very direct, knowing that we could do better and sorting out what the issues were," Sullivan said. "This is what we didn't do, this is what went well, this is what we need to do better, let's execute."
However, as clear and succinct as this team is willing to be with each other, that doesn't change the fact the USWNT hasn't looked the part of the ruthless, do-anything-to-win team yet.
It showed a glimpse after the break when Rose Lavelle came in and co-captain Lindsey Horan scored an equalizer following a skirmish with Dutch midfielder and Lyon teammate Danielle van de Donk in the 62nd minute. Only then did the USWNT look more dangerous.
But as Andonovski said, that second-half performance is the baseline now.
And with a World Cup elimination game looming, now is the time for the U.S. to get on the same page, no matter how many minutes they've played together.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman. | https://www.fox13news.com/sports/usa-expects-cohesive-unit-vs-portugal | 2023-07-31T17:40:30 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/sports/usa-expects-cohesive-unit-vs-portugal |
GREAT FALLS — When I was young, like other kids, I always wanted to be a cowboy. Sure, I was built like Hoss Cartwright from Bonanza, and lived in town, but a kid could dream, right? That dream started when I watched the feature film "8 Seconds" starring Luke Perry, depicting an Oklahoma cowboy. It led me down a path of research and some might say an obsession, but it was a connection that was closer to home than I realized.
Growing up in Red Bluff, California - two hours south of the Oregon border - I was raised around the Western lifestyle and the values of Western life didn’t stop at our front door. A community nestled along the Sacramento River, with extensive farmland from nut trees to cattle ranches.
A notable family ranch, about two miles from my childhood home, the Growney Bros. Rodeo Company. John Growney was a well-known figure in our town and the Growney name always stood out because of the longtime family auto dealership. That family name is deeply rooted in rodeo, John’s contributions to the sport of course, but being the owner of the 1987 World Champion Buckin’ Bull, Red Rock.
Red Rock is a legend in my hometown - you could argue our Tehama County Sheriff's Office seal bears the image of his face, except Red Rock lacked the Hereford face. The bottle-calf bull which was known for being a gentle giant outside of the chute, was a fierce competitor in the area.
The legend of Red Rock would be nothing without the help of Lane Frost.
“In the world of bull riding, it was Jim Sharp, Cody Lambert, Tuff Hedemen, and Lane Frost,” said Flint Rasmussen, iconic and now-retired PBR Rodeo Clown.
“He had a great personality, probably a lot like Flint Rasmussen… You felt like you had known him forever.” John Growney recalled.
At 25 years old, I’m not old enough to have had the chance to watch Lane Frost in the arena, but through modern media and the stories that run around my hometown, he made a lasting impact across the nation.
Montana may not be “The Cowboy State” but it is a cowboy state. Cowboys are the backbone of what makes Montana what it is today, and it’s not only the guys and gals that perform in your weekend rodeo, but those in the fields moving cattle and the farmers swathing hay.
When you look at rodeo in the late 1980s and its evolution into the multi-million-dollar industry, Lane Frost is a key player in how cowboys participate in the sport.
“I think God gave him a special personality that drew people to him because God knew the what the whole plan was. You know, we certainly didn't know that” said Elsie Frost, mother of Lane.
Lane was born October 12, 1963, and grew up in the footsteps of his father inside the arena. His father Clyde was a three-event rodeo cowboy and if you ask Lane’s mother, Elsie, he wasn’t too interested in the sport.
“He never was interested. He wouldn't even hardly watch the rodeo til I’d tell him your dad's getting ready to ride, and then he'd watch. The rest of the time he'd be playing in the dirt.”
As soon as Bull Riding geared up, Lane’s focus shifted and as a young boy, if Clyde and Elsie were to leave before that event, he’d cry; when they sat back down to watch, he’d hush up.
It’s fitting that he would grow up to be one of the best bull riders in the history of rodeo.
His talent in the sport aside, his mom Elsie says that God gave him a gift to connect with people and I’d say he was given a big heart.
Lane was the cowboy who talked to everyone, signed every autograph, and made time for those that took any interest in what he was doing.
Talking with Flint and John about their memory of Frost, Flint recalls his time with the PBR.
“One of the things that in the PBR we used to do is after the show it was required of all the bull riders to walk around the inside of the fence and the PBR and people could come to the fence, and they had to sign autographs, or they got fined $500. The one guy that was the last guy there and signed every single autograph was tough for me. And where do you think he learned that?”
The PBR was founded and operated for a period by two traveling partners of Frost – Tuff Hedeman and Cody Lambert.
Rasmussen admits that he started the business after Lane Frost passed away in 1989. His memory from his college days is clear, that Frost along with others was untouchable. In the world of rodeo, it seems that everybody knows everybody, and Flint knew cowboys that were alongside Lane.
Growney and Rasmussen both say that Lane Frost was one of the most marketable cowboys, through his talent and personality. For Flint, his take on the Lane Frost story and how he propelled rodeo was through the movie, 8 Seconds.
“A lot of people think I maybe go too deep in it. If you look back, 8 Seconds is still this cultural phenomenon of a movie, that people still refer to. There are little kids that tell me, they watch 8 Seconds every week… Wherever you go across the country to a rodeo, you don’t have to be what we consider a cowboy or an "ag" person to go to a rodeo, but we do need to live up to a standard of what we present to people… after his death, he’s brought positivity to our world and attention to it that’s really helped it take off.”
Lane was named the 1987 World Champion Bull Rider and that same year, Red Rock was named the World Champion Buckin’ Bull. The following year in 1988, John Growney called his friend Lane and set up a series of rides between Frost and Red Rock called, “The Challenge of the Champions.” Lane would go on to be victorious in the battle against Red Rock and is the only cowboy to stay on for a full eight seconds on the legendary bull.
“The Lane Frost and Red Rock Challenge played out, so those kids realized there was something to this, that bull riding could be a standalone event. It didn't need rodeo to be a part of its life. Cody and those guys ended up coming up with an event that is showing rodeo how to do their business,” explained Growney.
His last ride would come at the Cheyenne Frontier Days as “Takin’ Care of Business” jabbed Lane in the ribs with his horn and his rib pierced his heart - a day in rodeo history that lives in infamy.
“A guy like that, a World Champion who everybody knew was just that to us, such an untouchable, unfathomable thing,” said Rasmussen.
Growney added, “Everybody all together became aware of protecting a bull rider. Then about that same time, some great bullfighters started showing up. Joe Bumgarner, for one. It was more about a guy who knew how to protect the bull rider from the bull.”
A wreck that changed the sport forever and later into the 1990s, Frost’s friend Cody Lambert created the initial design for a protective vest and now riders wear helmets.
“When we look at that now, with what I've seen through my career and see what bull riders wear, I don't think he would have been injured at all,” explained Flint Rasmussen, he went on to add, “There are some real cowboys now wearing helmets because they're riding for a million dollars.”
As time marches on, the legend of Lane lives on in the hearts of cowboys. Leaving an imprint in the lives of those who remember him each day.
I'd be selfish not to add, that upon speaking with Lane's mother Elsie, she told me he accepted himself as a Christian. Lane and his wife Kellie, were having marital problems, and she encouraged him to accept Jesus as his savior. In Lane's memory, she created the Cowboy Bible, a tribute to her son's dedication to his faith. Mrs. Frost distributes those Bibles to kids all across the country for free. Growney also attributes Mrs. Frost for helping keep Christianity as a pillar in rodeo.
She also shared that she has two other children, that in the shadow of a brother like Lane, don't go unnoticed. Stetson Frost, Lane's nephew, is the founder of the "Lane Frost Brand", marketing the cowboy way of life through merchandise sporting the late World Champion.
As I write this article, I might just be a kid living in Great Falls, Montana, working for a television station. Playing six total years of college baseball, I had the chance to be looked at as a role model by the youth in the various states I played in. Lane Frost left a mark on me as an athlete and now a news reporter. I vowed myself to every day be more like Lane.
In the world we live in today, our values are sometimes masked by social media and political division. We can learn something from our past and what they left for us in the future. Lane Frost has been a role model in how to interact with those around us and sometimes the world needs a little more compassion.
On July 30, 2023, 34 years after the tragic death of Lane Frost, his story will never be forgotten. If it means anything, he will live on forever as my role model. | https://www.kxlf.com/news/montana-ag-network/montana-ag-network-how-the-death-of-lane-frost-changed-rodeo | 2023-07-31T17:40:35 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/montana-ag-network/montana-ag-network-how-the-death-of-lane-frost-changed-rodeo |
BILLINGS — From homecoming queen to world queen, a girl from the first-ever graduating class at the brand new high school Lockwood is already making a very big name for herself.
Guinevere Cusak was recently crowned as the reigning 2024 World’s Universal Girl, and she’s the very first ever to hold this title in Montana.
The title is part of the natural beauty pageant competition called Our Little Miss. Gwyn placed first place in the world in the 16 to 20-year-old age category.
“We leave all the fake add-ons at home. We don’t promote fake hair teeth, it’s natural, who you are from the inside out. When I met her in January, I knew that she was going to go far. Talent is a big portion of the points for the contestants. She just has the voice of an angel. She looked like she belonged in a movie, she’s very contagious, very happy,” says Lily Aimone, Montana State Our Little Miss Director. “To bring home the first world queen in our natural pageant system is huge for us, it's huge for the community. Our Little Miss has been around for 63 years, and we finally have our first world queen out of the state of Montana.”
It’s no question that 18-year-old Gwyneivere Cusak has talent, and now she’s back in Montana from her recent world stage appearance in Houston, Texas.
Gwyn certainly has a long list of accomplishments from her days at Lockwood High School, class of 2022.
“I did a lot of things in high school. I was homecoming queen, I got the Heart of the Lion award, I started a show choir, me and my friends started the Jr. Optimist Club, I did cheer, I was president of FCCLA, I was district vice president of FCCLA, I was senior class president, I was student body president, I was choir president,” says Gwyn.
Now she adds to her list another accomplishment: 2024 World’s Universal Girl ages 16 to 20, and she already has big plans for her reigning year.
“I plan on doing many, many community service hours. I'm excited to go to events and represent Montana. I’m just really excited to get the word out about what we can do as women and how we can be beautiful but still represent important things,” she said.
State director Lily Aimone says pageantry isn’t big in Montana yet, but this win is a big start for a program she just took over this past year, that’s open to ages 0 to 99.
"I encourage anyone of all ages; young, old, middle age, it's just fun. Pageantry is growing in Montana, so please stay tuned, message the Our Little Miss Facebook page if you are interested," Aimone said.
Anyone can participate at the local level for free, with no experience necessary, and with a coach like Lily and natural beauty and talent like Gwyn's you could go far too.
“All of these girls have been doing it their whole lives and this is my first pageant,” says Cusak. “You just have to be yourself and that's what is going to get you places.”
Click this link for more information on Montana’s Our Little Miss Program. | https://www.kxlf.com/news/montana-news/montana-teen-takes-world-beauty-queen-title | 2023-07-31T17:40:51 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/montana-news/montana-teen-takes-world-beauty-queen-title |
In recent week, people driving along Ninth Street South have seen a young woman with a friendly face, waving and spreading good cheer, eliciting honks and people waving back at her.
That's Karsyn Dahlke, a recent graduate from C.M. Russell High School and a Special Olympics athlete.
She waves to passer-by in front of her mother’s insurance office, where she works.
A wage and a tasty lunch is all it takes to keep Karsyn happy day to day, but when it comes to her job, that honk and wave from drivers is everything.
Dahlke’s sign reads, “You are perfect to me,” and she hopes the message matters to people driving by.
She takes pride in her wall of medals for various Special Olympics events, including the 50- and 100-meter walk and Bocce ball
But she is even more proud of making her community a brighter place.
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FOLLOW KRTV: Instagram | TikTok | X (Twitter) | https://www.kxlf.com/news/positively-montana/young-woman-spreads-good-cheer-in-great-falls | 2023-07-31T17:40:57 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/positively-montana/young-woman-spreads-good-cheer-in-great-falls |
It’s a universal conundrum: You want to look stylish and put-together. But you don’t want to spend more than 10 minutes figuring out your outfit. What to do? Try outfit sandwiching.
What’s that?
“It’s basically a style hack to make getting dressed easier,” says Heather Pollard, a stylist and founder of The Swanky Boho. “It’s a way to streamline your outfit — an easy formula to follow that makes you look put together.”
And that formula works just like it sounds: as you choose your outfit, think: bread on bottom, filling in the middle and bread on top.
“You’ve got two elements going on that relate to elements of design,” Pollard says. “That could be color, proportion, pattern or texture. You take one of those elements and repeat it on top and bottom. Then you contrast it in the middle.”
The easiest way to follow the sandwich dressing rule is with the element of color. Don’t stray beyond your chosen two colors, and balance them so the outfit looks cohesive.
“You might pair a toffee-colored tank top with a different color pant, and then toffee-colored shoes,” says Hallie Abrams, a stylist and founder of The Wardrobe Consultant.
In the outfit pictured below, the model’s racerback tank and Birkenstock sandals work as the bread, while the utility pants fill in the middle with a different color. Even when she adds the blazer (which matches the pants), her look will be cohesive.
MORE: I’ve worn these white sneakers everywhere for the past two years
Buy the Maeve Cropped Racerback Tank at Anthropologie for $28; the Relaxed Utility Pants at Anthropologie for $148 and the Birkenstock Arizona Big Buckle Sandals at Anthropologie for $160.
Another option is to start with a solid color dress, which grounds the outfit. Then add another color through accessories like a necklace, purse, scarf or shoes. In the photo below, the model pulls together a simple mini dress with black platform heels and a black handbag.
Buy the Out From Under ’90s Tank Top Mini Dress at Urban Outfitters for $29; the Melissa Party Platform Heel at Urban Outfitters for $139 and the UO Lizzie Mini Duffle Bag at Urban Outfitters for $39 (currently on sale for $29).
“A belt is another way to do a sort of reverse sandwich,” Abrams says. “If you’re wearing a column of color, you’ll wear a belt of a different color in the middle.” She adds that this works well for people who tend to gravitate toward neutral colors. It’s a way to add interest without being overwhelmed — it’s merely a pop of color.
“Sandwich dressing is very often for those who are a little pattern-averse, too,” Abrams says. You might use patterns or prints as the glue of an outfit, but surround it with two solids that match one of its colors.
The model below has paired a floral patterned skirt with a fitted T-shirt, which is the neutral eggshell color of the skirt’s flowers. The matching neutral sandals work with the shirt to ground the skirt and bring the outfit together.
MORE: This top-selling women’s blazer on Amazon is a must-have for the office
Buy the Reformation Arie Silk Skirt at Shopbop for $198; the LNA Fitted Rib Crew Tee at Shopbop for $75 (currently on sale for $45) and the Schutz Mindy Pin Heels at Shopbop for $148 (currently on sale for $103.60).
“If you want to take the sandwich rule to the next level, you can use it to plan multiple outfits for one day,” Pollard says. If you are going to work and then out on a date, she says, plan your base colors to make switching outfits easy. “Say you wear a black blazer, skinny black pants and a bright blue cami under the jacket,” she says. “For your date, keep the cami but ditch the jacket and trade out the pants for a short black skirt.”
The model below might be dressed for a casual Friday at work. But if she was heading out for a date later, she could keep the pretty pink blouse and pink sandals but swap out the jeans for a solid skirt in a different color, or a patterned skirt that includes some pink.
Buy this Dobby Top at JustFab (price varies based on membership but is $8.74 for VIP members); these Reagan High Rise Wide Leg Button Jeans for $11.74 (for VIP members) and this Lana Espadrille Sandal at JustFab for $8.74 (for VIP members).
You can also use the outfit sandwich rule to play with proportion. “So, maybe you would pair a big-volume, fuzzy sweater with platform sandals or thick-soled Converse sneakers,” Pollard says. “Then, add skinny jeans or a pencil skirt in the middle.” In that case, two of your elements are out of proportion, while the other is not.
The model below has one oversized element, and the other two are not. She’s wearing a long, draping sweater blazer, but she’s paired it with a fitted tank and slim shorts.
Buy the Juliette Collarless Sweater-Blazer at J Crew for $158; the High-rise Suit Short at J Crew for $118 and the FormKnit High-Neck Cutaway Tank Top at J Crew for $39.50 (currently on sale for $19.99).
Sandwich dressing is also a great way to incorporate the latest trends. For example, Abrams says, right now a lot of people are carrying crocheted raffia bags or sandals. “So you could wear a brightly-colored, printed cotton dress, then add a raffia sandal and a matching woven raffia bag,” she says. In this example, you are grounding a print with two solid-colored accessories. And you are sandwiching with texture as well.
The model below is already wearing two woven elements —a crocheted top and skirt — so adding woven sandals would be overkill. But if she was wearing the crocheted top with a cotton skirt, a nice raffia sandal would balance out the textures beautifully.
As is, she is already pulling off a sandwich outfit — just with color (black hat and black shoes with off-white in the middle).
Buy the Crochet Mini Skirt at Gap for $29.99; the Crochet Tank Top at Gap for $39; the Nylon Bucket Hat at Gap for $29.95 (currently on sale for $14) and the Strappy Lace-Up Sandals at Gap for $44.95.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.kxlf.com/outfit-sandwiching-trend-lets-you-simplify-getting-dressed | 2023-07-31T17:41:03 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/outfit-sandwiching-trend-lets-you-simplify-getting-dressed |
Paul Reubens, the actor who played Pee-wee Herman, died late Sunday at the age of 70, according to a post from his official Facebook page.
The post revealed that Reubens had been quietly battling cancer for the last six years. Reubens left a message for fans prior to his death.
"Please accept my apology for not going public with what I've been facing the last six years," he said. "I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you."
Although Reubens had a prolific acting career, he was best known for his portrayal of Herman. The character appealed to children and adults alike through shows like "The Pee-wee Herman Show" and "Pee-wee's Adventures."
SEE MORE: Biden announces advanced research project to reduce cancer mortality
But his career took a hit in 1991 when he was reportedly arrested for exposing himself while attending a pornographic film.
"It was kind of like a mortifying kind of situation, where I felt like you know people are laughing at me," Reubens said in a 2004 interview with NBC News."I'm a professional comedian. I've never claimed to be able to take it as good as a dish it out, ever. I mean I'm just sensitive.”
Although he never regained his popularity before his arrest, Reubens continued acting in several comedic rules, including occasional portrayals of Herman.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxlf.com/paul-reubens-actor-who-played-pee-wee-herman-dead-at-70 | 2023-07-31T17:41:09 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/paul-reubens-actor-who-played-pee-wee-herman-dead-at-70 |
Horse racing is returning to Churchill Downs. The racetrack will host its September and Fall Meet.
Churchill Downs suspended racing operations in June, following the deaths of 12 horses.
Several of the horses were euthanized after suffering serious injuries on the track.
Upon suspending races, officials said the racetrack would undergo a top-to-bottom review of all safety and surface protocols.
Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said the review "didn't find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years," according to The Associated Press.
SEE MORE: Officials hold emergency meeting over horse deaths at Churchill Downs
Noting that the deaths of horses were "a series of unfortunate circumstances," Carstanjen added that it's part of the business of horse racing.
There will be no obvious changes at the track when racing resumes. Carstanjen reportedly told investors that track is "very safe."
However, behind the scenes, the track will implement several protocols that are aimed at protecting the safety of the horse. That includes increased veterinary oversight and establishing a committee that can provide real-time feedback about track conditions.
Live racing at the track will resume on Sept. 14 and end for the year on Nov. 26.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxlf.com/racing-to-resume-at-churchill-downs-following-horse-deaths | 2023-07-31T17:41:15 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/racing-to-resume-at-churchill-downs-following-horse-deaths |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The 83rd Arkansas State Fair is back in October and fair-goers can already get ahead of the curve.
State fair officials announced the Fair Frenzy promotion and the main stage concert lineup ahead of this year’s fair.
The Fair Frenzy promotion gives fair-goers a chance to get discounts on admissions and ride bands. Advance gate admissions can be bought for $5 and advance ride bands will be $30.
Officials said the promotion starts Aug. 1 and ends Aug. 14.
State Fair General Manager Tiffany Wilkerson said this discount was worth getting while it’s there.
“The Fair Frenzy promotion is a great way for our fair patrons to get tickets for this year’s event at a huge discount,” Wilkerson said.
Also listed was this year’s lineup of stage performances.
- Fri, Oct 13 Phil Vassar with special guest Mat Stell
- Sat, Oct 14 Morris Day and the Time
- Sun, Oct 15 La Cultura Nortena with Enigmatico
- Mon, Oct 16 Jettway Music School with Zac Dunlap Bank
- Tue, Oct 17 Amplify presents Faith and Family Night ft. Crowder & Nick Hall
- Wed, Oct 18 Artist to be revealed
- Thu, Oct 19 All-4-One
- Fri, Oct 20 Uncle Kracker
- Sat, Oct 21 Night Ranger
- Sun, Oct 22 La Fuerza Del Rio Conchos with La Tropa Del Nortea
“This year’s fair will be one for the ages,” Wilkerson said. “Our entertainment line-up, free attractions, and carnival midway are shaping up to be better than ever.”
The Arkansas State Fair will start on Friday, Oct. 13 and go through to Sunday, Oct. 22. All tickets can be bought starting Aug. 1 at ArkansasStateFair.com. | https://www.fox16.com/entertainment-news/arkansas-state-fair-announces-2023-concert-lineup-discounts/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:29 | 1 | https://www.fox16.com/entertainment-news/arkansas-state-fair-announces-2023-concert-lineup-discounts/ |
Charlotte man pleads guilty to wire fraud in $5.3M investment scheme
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A Charlotte man has pleaded guilty to scheming investors out of millions of dollars that went to “Ponzi-style payments” and personal expenses like luxury travel, prosecutors said.
Wynn A.D. Charlebois, 53, pleaded guilty to wire fraud Monday, according to U.S. Attorney Dena J. King.
From 2015 through October 2022, Charlebois used companies he owned and controlled, including WC Private, Wilcox Hybrid, Damon Investments and others, to perpetrate an investment scheme that caused at least 39 investors and entities to lose over $5.3 million, according to court documents.
He recruited friends, family members and social acquaintances by falsely promising their money would be invested in risk-free investments, subscription agreements and loans, according to the U.S. attorney.
Charlebois put in the investment agreements to the victims that he and his entities held stock options for particular companies and the investors could purchase the options and gain specified profits, court documents showed.
“Contrary to the defendant’s claims, instead of using the investors’ money as promised, Charlebois used the funds to make Ponzi-style payments to other investors, and on personal expenses including to pay private school tuition, make mortgage payments, and pay for luxury travel and meals at restaurants,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Charlebois was released on bond after his plea hearing, prosecutors said. A sentencing date has not been set.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Watch continuing live coverage here:
Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/charlotte-man-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-53m-investment-scheme/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:29 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/charlotte-man-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-53m-investment-scheme/ |
Leanne Morgan remembers the moment she realized she could make it in comedy: She was at a party, telling jokes, and a woman "peepeed on the couch."
"That was a 'God' moment for me ... " Morgan says. "I thought, 'OK, I can make it in stand-up.'"
Morgan took a roundabout route to professional comedy: She was a young mother living in Bean Station, Tenn., in the 1990s — and she started selling jewelry in women's houses two or three nights a week as a way to make a bit of extra money.
"It was like Mary Kay and Tupperware, those kinds of companies," Morgan says. "Somebody makes a dip, or a pan of brownies, and then I would schlep that big case of jewelry and put all that jewelry out on a kitchen table."
Morgan was supposed to be talking up the jewelry, but instead she found herself making her customers laugh with stories about breastfeeding and hemorrhoids.
Morgan was 32 with three young children at home when she started performing stand-up in clubs on the weekend. Every few years, someone from Hollywood would call to offer her a sitcom deal — but each time the deal would fall through.
In 2018, she nearly gave up, but she decided to make one more push. She hired two brothers in Plano, Texas, to help promote her material on social media. One clip, in which she joked about going to a Def Leppard/Journey concert with her husband, went viral.
"That [video] blew up, and I started selling out all over the United States," Morgan says. "People would see those videos ... and start calling comedy clubs and ask them to book me."
Now 57 with three grown children and two grandchildren, Morgan has her own self-produced Netflix special, Leanne Morgan: I'm Every Woman. In it, she makes fun of everyday life, from marriage and motherhood to menopause and dating apps.
"It took me a long time to find my audience ... but I always knew they were out there," she says. "I think Hollywood forgets us, and I think a lot of comedians that are cool and edgy and all of that, just forget about my demographic and I think we're the best. I think we're the people that make decisions to go buy tickets and want to get out and have a good time."
Interview highlights
On connecting to her audience
I'm nurturing. If I make fun, it's of myself, it's not of anybody else. I'm not confrontational. And so I think people find comfort with me. ... I was in LA doing The Comedy Store, which was a dream of mine, and it was all these edgy comedians that were getting up and talking about all kinds of stuff. And then I got up and talked about how somebody made me a meatloaf at my children's school the day that I got my IUD replaced. And young people came out of The Comedy Store and said, "Can I hug you?" I think that even though ... in my mind I'd have a chip on my shoulder over the years and think, Oh, I'm not edgy enough there. I'm not a cool kid in the business in the industry and all that, I do think that people were enjoying what I did.
On calling herself the "Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia"
Comedy is hard. ... It's a hard business. I resonated with that character because she was fearless and she had those babies and her husband was a ding dong. My husband's not a ding dong, but she overcame so much and kept going and men would say, "Oh, women aren't funny," and all that kind of stuff, and trying to sabotage her. I've been through all that. When young people ask me, "Do you think I should do stand-up?" I don't want to squash somebody's dreams. But it's hard for me as a mother not to say, "Listen, you're going to be driving in a car for 300 miles to make $50 and you won't have a hotel room." I mean, it's a hard, hard business. But when I saw that series, I thought, that's what I did: I had three babies. I was in the Appalachian Mountains. I didn't have a comedy club near me, and I just had to pave out another way than the traditional way that people do stand-up. And I did. I don't know how, but I did.
On the four television sitcom deals over the years that fell through
I would be devastated at the time. But those little nuggets would give me the encouragement to keep going. For one thing, because I was in Knoxville. ... I was not living in LA or New York. I was raising these children and I got to raise them in Knoxville, Tennessee, and they became who they're supposed to be. If I'd have gone to LA, they probably wouldn't be who they are. And I would be devastated [when the series fell through], but then it always kept me encouraged, like, I've got something. I know I'm not crazy. I can do this.
On ignoring her ex-husband when he advised her to get rid of her Tennessee accent
[He] said to me, "Your accent and your diction, you need diction lessons. People are making fun of me. People think you're stupid." And I remember at the time, I don't know how I had the sense to think, "No, you're wrong." And I didn't change anything. I could have. I had pretty low self-esteem and was pretty beat down at the time, but I felt like ... you're not going to change me. This is who I am. And I think now, going forward, 40 years later, that is what has made this happen for me, is I am who I am. .... I'm authentic. I feel like at my age now, it's like this is who I am. You either like it or you don't. It's OK if you don't. ... I do find humor in hard things, but I think a lot of comedians do. That's how we cope.
Lauren Krenzel and Seth Kelley produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-07-31/leanne-morgan-the-mrs-maisel-of-appalachia-jokes-about-motherhood-and-menopause | 2023-07-31T17:41:29 | 0 | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-07-31/leanne-morgan-the-mrs-maisel-of-appalachia-jokes-about-motherhood-and-menopause |
CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — Maine is home to two different types of blueberries: highbush and lowbush.
Gardening with Gutner met with University of Maine Cooperative Extension fruit and vegetable expert David Handley in a blueberry patch at Jordan's Farm in Cape Elizabeth to learn more about Maine's iconic berry.
"The lowbush blueberry is what we consider the wild blueberry of Maine. So when we're talking about those classic cans of Maine wild blueberries for your pies or nowadays the frozen berries, those are coming from the lowbush, which is a different species, mostly grown in the Down East area, harvested mechanically or with rakes. The highbush blueberry is a different species, although it is also native to Maine. This one is largely used for pick-your-own farms or retail stands," Handley explained.
To grow your own blueberries the UMaine expert emphasized doing your homework.
"There's only a hand full that are really hardy enough to make it in most parts of Maine," Handley said.
Maine Hardy Varieties:
The first step, Handley stressed is to get a soil test.
"Blueberries are in the same family as rhododendrons, azaleas, Mountain Laurel. So if you've got a place in your yard where those are happy, chances are your blueberries are going to be happy too," the fruit and vegetable expert stated.
Blueberries prefer acidic soil:
To fix soil that is not acidic enough, sulfur is added and worked in. This needs to be done the fall before planting because it takes time Handley explained.
To promote growth, for the first three years, Handley recommends rubbing off the flower clusters.
"If I let it fruit every year it's going to stay small. It's going to be unhappy. It's going to take a long time to get up to full production," the UMaine expert said.
RELATED: How to grow raspberries
Once the bush is productive it should be pruned every year in late winter or early spring before leaves appear.
Pruning guidelines:
Finally, knowing when the berries are ready to pick is important. If you pick too soon, the berries can be tart.
"If you want to make sure your blueberry is going to taste good when you pick it. You want to make sure it's blue all the way around that stem mark. If it's still white, if it's still red it's going to be tart," Handley instructed. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/home-garden/gardening-with-gutner/blueberries-gardening-with-gutner/97-2b626b4c-7547-40ee-b21a-f7087f3fc11b | 2023-07-31T17:41:29 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/home-garden/gardening-with-gutner/blueberries-gardening-with-gutner/97-2b626b4c-7547-40ee-b21a-f7087f3fc11b |
A Georgia judge has rejected former President Trump’s efforts to quash an investigation into his efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
“The movants’ asserted ‘injuries’ that would open the doors of the courthouse to their claims are either insufficient or else speculative and unrealized,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in the nine-page ruling.
“They are insufficient because, while being the subject (or even target) of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere with or halt the investigation.”
The ruling is the second roadblock for Trump in his efforts to dismiss the probe, after the state’s Supreme Court earlier this month rejected another suit seeking to block it.
That court had in part rejected Trump’s arguments while noting the matter before McBurney.
McBurney presided over the grand jury who were presented evidence by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) who has advised court officials she could bring charges in the high-profile case the second or third week of August.
Trump has also sued Willis and McBurney in another third suit filed alongside his petition to the state supreme court — an additional attempt to nix the investigation beyond the matter McBurney addressed Monday.
“Petitioner’s every attempt to seek redress in the normal course have been ignored, and the District Attorney has given every indication that the injury is imminent,” Trump wrote in the petition earlier this month.
McBurney also determined that Trump didn’t have standing to sue to quash the investigation, noting that the former president can only “theorize” that he will be named in an indictment.
“The professed injuries are also speculative and unrealized because there is, as of yet, no indictment that creates the genuine controversy required to confer standing,” McBurney wrote.
—Updated at 12:04 p.m. | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/georgia-judge-rejects-trump-effort-to-quash-fulton-county-investigation/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:30 | 0 | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/georgia-judge-rejects-trump-effort-to-quash-fulton-county-investigation/ |
BATH, Maine — Marine 1st Lt. Harvey “Barney” Barnum jumped to the ground when he came under fire during an ambush in Vietnam that killed his radio operator and commander.
Collecting himself, Barnum realized he was now the highest-ranking officer of a rifle company he'd just joined. He called in artillery and, amid gunfire, dragged the commander to safety, where he died in Barnum’s arms. Then he proceeded to mount a counterattack, oversee evacuation of the wounded and lead the unit’s eventual break out to rejoin the battalion.
The Medal of Honor recipient, now 83, watched Saturday as his wife smashed a bottle of sparkling wine against the bow to christen the future U.S. Navy destroyer that'll bear the name Harvey C. Barnum Jr.
He said he was speechless when he learned that a warship would bear his name. "As anybody that knows Barney Barnum knows, I’ve never been speechless,” he joked before the event.
The ceremony on Saturday at Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works was a tribute to the Vietnam War hero who during his first firefight was foisted into leadership of Marines who didn’t yet know his name because he’d just joined them a few days earlier.
Dignitaries included Maine's governor and senators, as well as Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who praised Barnum's humility and generosity, in addition to being a war hero who inspired fellow Marines.
Gen. Eric Smith, the acting Marine Corps commandant whose nomination to lead the Marine Corps is being blocked by a Republican senator, called Barnum “an icon, a legend, a Marine.”
In an interview, Barnum said the combat was harrowing on that day, Dec. 18, 1965, during Operation Harvest Moon. His unit was outnumbered, caught off guard, and separated from the larger battalion outside the village of Ky Phu in Quang Tin Province.
The ship's namesake said he was scared like everybody else but he tried not to show it. The other Marines were looking to him, an artillery spotter, after their commander died, he said.
To launch a counterattack, he brandished a .45-caliber handgun and told the others to follow him. They did.
“It’s a tough business. But when it gets tough, the tough get going and that’s what Marines do,” he said. “We came together as a team. And, you know, there’s no fury unleashed that's greater than that of a bunch of Marines that know that their buddies have been shot.”
Barnum later became the first Medal of Honor recipient in the Vietnam conflict to return for another tour. He retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel after nearly three decades of service and served the secretary of defense as principal director of drug enforcement policy, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs, and acting assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs.
Barnum, of Reston, Virginia, was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, and studied at Saint Anselm College, a Benedictine college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. The school’s abbot, Mark Cooper, delivered the invocation on Saturday.
The event was a family affair for Barnum, who now lives in Virginia.
His wife, Martha Hill, served as the ship’s sponsor. At the event Saturday, she was in a wheelchair; Barnum has been her care provider since she had a stroke about five years ago. Her daughter; two granddaughters, one of whom sang “God Bless America;” and an 11-year-old great-granddaughter were also participants at the event. Other family and friends were present.
Displacing 9,500 tons, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is built to simultaneously wage war against submarines, aircraft and missiles, and other warships. The newest versions are being equipped for ballistic missile defense.
The 510-foot (155-meter) guided-missile destroyer was in dry dock for the ceremony as work continues to prepare the ship for delivery to the Navy. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/medal-of-honor-recipient-watches-as-warship-bearing-his-name-christened-in-maine-harvey-barnum/97-21b655cd-02e6-400e-88ab-321e698e2b58 | 2023-07-31T17:41:30 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/medal-of-honor-recipient-watches-as-warship-bearing-his-name-christened-in-maine-harvey-barnum/97-21b655cd-02e6-400e-88ab-321e698e2b58 |
As federal student loan borrowers prepare for repayments to begin after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus, the federal government has launched a websitefor borrowers to begin applying for income-driven repayment plans.
Interest on student loan payments begins in September with payments expected to resume in October, but many might find their payments to be lower than prior to the pandemic.
The website was scheduled to launch Aug. 1, but was up a day early. The website automatically imports income information from the Internal Revenue Service. A Scripps News reporter was able to import all of the needed information within five minutes. Those who apply for income-driven repayment plans will need to have their income re-certified yearly.
The Department of Education is encouraging borrowers who might struggle with payments to explore its new income-driven repayment plans.
SEE MORE: Worry sets in as federal student loan payments are set to restart
The White House has touted the new plans as a response to its failed attempt to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt among low and middle-income borrowers.
The newest income-driven repayment plan implemented by the Biden administration means most borrowers will have lower monthly payments than before the pandemic.
Previously, borrowers using income-driven repayment plans on undergraduate loans were expected to pay 10% of their discretionary income. Discretionary income was previously considered any dollar made above 150% of the poverty level.
Now, borrowers with only undergraduate loans will be expected to pay 5% of their discretionary income. The amount considered discretionary income increased to 225% of the federal poverty level.
SEE MORE: Here's who qualifies for Biden's student loan forgiveness programs
Previously, a borrower with undergraduate loans with a family of four with an income of $70,000 living in the continental U.S. would have been expected to pay about $2,500 a year — or $208 a month — in payments. Under the revised plan, that person would pay about $125 a year — or just over $10 per month — in student loan payments.
Under changes made by the Biden administration, those using income-driven repayment plans could have the rest of their balance eliminated after a period of time.
Those who initially borrowed less than $22,000 will have their outstanding balance forgiven after 10 to 20 years in repayment, depending on the amount borrowed. Undergraduates who borrowed more than $22,000 can have their remaining debt erased after 20 years. Those with grad school debt would not be required to make payments after 25 years.
The plan also ensures balances won't increase as a result of unpaid interest.
While Congressional Republicans previously objected to these changes, they relented in the debt ceiling deal.
"Income-driven repayment plans usually lower your federal student loan payments. However, whenever you make lower payments or extend your repayment period, you will likely pay more in interest over time — sometimes significantly more. In addition, under current Internal Revenue Service rules, you may be required to pay income tax on any amount that's forgiven if you still have a remaining balance at the end of your repayment period," the Department of Education said.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxlf.com/student-loan-borrowers-can-begin-applying-for-lower-payments | 2023-07-31T17:41:31 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/student-loan-borrowers-can-begin-applying-for-lower-payments |
A former Connecticut state representative who was sentenced to 27 months in prison for stealing more than $1.2 million in coronavirus relief funds was allowed by a federal judge Monday to delay his prison sentence.
Michael DiMassa was ordered to report to authorities on Sept. 7. A federal judge granted the extension Monday due to the expected birth of DiMassa's child in the coming weeks.
DiMassa plead guilty in 2022 and was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to steal more than $1.2 million from the city of West Haven.
Most of that money was coronavirus relief aid, which DiMassa used to fund his gambling addiction.
DiMassa's wife, Lauren DiMassa, was also convicted for her role in the fraud case. She is currently serving her sentence in Texas and is expected to be released on Nov. 21.
The couple is expecting their baby to be delivered in two-to-four weeks. DiMassa, according to Judge Omar A. Williams, plans on having the child live in Connecticut.
West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi’s office was reached for comment, but Rossi did not respond.
Gov. Ned Lamont issued a statement Monday saying "Michael DiMassa betrayed the public’s trust, stole from taxpayers, and disgraced his office. Today, he will rightfully begin paying the consequences for his actions,” Lamont said.
Lamont’s office was reached for follow up comment when it was confirmed DiMassa would surrender at a later date, but did not immediately respond.. | https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2023-07-31/former-ct-lawmaker-michael-dimassa-who-stole-coronavirus-aid-sees-his-prison-sentence-delayed | 2023-07-31T17:41:31 | 1 | https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2023-07-31/former-ct-lawmaker-michael-dimassa-who-stole-coronavirus-aid-sees-his-prison-sentence-delayed |
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies from cancer at 70
Published: Jul. 31, 2023 at 1:05 PM EDT|Updated: 7 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian whose character Pee-wee Herman became a cultural phenomenon through films and TV shows, has died.
Reubens died Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens said in a statement released with the announcement of his death. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/paul-reubens-best-known-pee-wee-herman-dies-age-70/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:31 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/paul-reubens-best-known-pee-wee-herman-dies-age-70/ |
As the NFL season approaches, almost all the pieces are in place for the 32 NFL franchises that await kickoff. However, one star remains on the open market: Dalvin Cook. The four-time pro bowl running back is still unsigned, but Cook visited the New York Jets’ practice on Sunday. Despite Cook leaving without a deal, there is mutual interest on both sides.
A New Situation for No. 4
Expensive play 4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/y8640R4xRi
— 4️⃣ (@dalvincook) June 8, 2023
Since entering the league, Dalvin Cook quickly established himself among the league’s elite running backs. Cook was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft, and immediately became a massive piece for the Vikings offense. In 2020, the Vikings rewarded Cook with a five-year, $63 million extension, making him one of the league’s highest paid running backs.
Despite his continued success post-extension, Minnesota decided to cut costs at the replaceable running back position. The Vikings released Cook on June 8 after six years with the team, making the 27-year-old a free agent. With Cook hitting the open market for the first time, he is looking to join a team with a chance to win.
The Jets Fly Into Cook Contention
The busiest team during the offseason may not be done adding pieces yet. After acquiring franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets have been interested in adding Dalvin Cook to the mix. The Jets cleared cap for a potential move, as the team and Rodgers worked out a contract restructure last week. After facing Rodgers in the NFC North for the past six years, Cook demonstrated his interest to play alongside the former four-time MVP.
Cook headed to Jets practice on Sunday, where he mingled with potential teammates and coaches, and underwent a medical examination. Jets fans attending the practice were excited to see their potential new star up-and-close, starting loud chants for Cook among his arrival. Jets head coach Robert Saleh spoke about Cook on the Up and Adams Show Monday morning.
"Yesterday was awesome, had a really good meeting with him… He turned me into a believer."
Robert Saleh loves @dalvincook.. so @heykayadams wants to know when he's taking the field 👀
📺 Watch the full interview on YouTube https://t.co/WZ282zIBdY pic.twitter.com/xa74hIz2tu
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 31, 2023
While the two sides did not agree on a deal during the visit, the possibility of a deal being reached eventually is likely. Cook even said on Good Morning Football Friday that the “possibility is high” of him joining up with Gang Green. When asked about potentially joining the Jets, Cook had nothing but praise for his potential new organization.
Dalvin Cook’s Up a Potential Market
Despite Cook visiting the Jets, his market is wide open with multiple teams having reported interest. The New England Patriots have been looking for potential backfield additions, and have been connected with Cook, as well as fellow free-agent back Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott’s former team, the Dallas Cowboys, could also be in the market for a back to pair up with the franchise-tagged Tony Pollard. When asked, Cook seemed interested in potentially pairing with an elite back, which could happen on America’s Team.
Another team in the mix for Cook is his hometown team, the Miami Dolphins. Miami has a running back committee in place, but could use an alpha to lead the pack. On Good Morning Football Friday, Cook said joining the Dolphins “would mean so much to me” and that it would be “a Cinderella story.” When asked about the Cook rumors, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel commented while speaking to the media on Friday.
Offered without commentary, here is Mike McDaniel on the Dolphins level of interest in Dalvin Cook. 🤐 #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/878KRCeLVA
— I Ain't Him (@Phincane) July 28, 2023
Cook is in No Rush
Despite interest from multiple teams league-wide, Dalvin Cook is remaining patient. He has no other meetings currently scheduled, but is not ruling out one in the future.
No matter where Cook ends up, he has the potential to be a massive piece to an eventual Super Bowl winning puzzle, and he is intent on showing he has a lot left in the tank. | https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2023/07/31/dalvin-cook-visits-jets-practice-leaves-without-deal/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:29 | 1 | https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2023/07/31/dalvin-cook-visits-jets-practice-leaves-without-deal/ |
Former Hunter Biden associate Devon Archer is sitting for a closed-door transcribed interview with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday, in an appearance that is expected to fuel Republican attempts to link President Biden to his son’s business dealings.
The interview follows a letter from the Department of Justice over the weekend regarding Archer’s sentencing for an unrelated matter that is adding to GOP claims of government obstruction of their investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings — even as Archer’s attorney beat down the speculation.
The Justice Department (DOJ) in its letter requested that a judge set a date for Archer to start his one-year prison sentence for his conviction for defrauding a Native American tribe, despite Archer’s counsel saying it was “premature” to do so because of an anticipated appeal and an “error” in sentencing.
That set off alarm bells in the GOP.
“I don’t know if this a coincidence, or if this is another example of the weaponization of the Department of Justice,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said Sunday on Fox News.
Other Republicans went further, accusing the DOJ of explicit interference in the GOP-led investigation. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said lawmakers should return from an August recess for emergency hearings if Archer did not show up.
But Archer’s attorney stressed the letter would not impact his planned interview, which had been rescheduled multiple times since Comer subpoenaed him in June.
“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 on Monday,” Acher’s lawyer Matthew Schwartz said in a Sunday statement, first provided to Politico. “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.”
The DOJ said in a subsequent letter that it was not requesting that Archer surrender before his expected congressional testimony.
His appearance went on as scheduled. A smiling Archer did not answer shouted questions as he arrived at the interview with his lawyer Monday morning.
The interview will comprise four hours of questioning divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and it is expected to end midafternoon. Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) were in attendance.
“I believe he can tell us things we haven’t heard before,” Biggs said.
Goldman cast doubt on the GOP attempts to link the president to his son’s business dealings.
“We’re all waiting for any pin, whether it be a linchpin or other pin, to figure out how this is connected at all to President Biden,” Goldman said. | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/hunter-biden-associate-devon-archer-gives-closed-door-interview/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:32 | 0 | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/hunter-biden-associate-devon-archer-gives-closed-door-interview/ |
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.newscentermaine.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 | 2023-07-31T17:41:32 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 |
On this episode of Audacious, you’ll meet two people who broke world records while underwater.
Budimir Šobat won a world record for holding his breath underwater for almost 25 minutes! What advice on breathing does he have for the rest of us?
Then, we connect with Dr. Joe Dituri, first as he was living in a hotel 30 feet below sea level for 100 days… And then after he resurfaces, setting the world record for the longest time living underwater.
GUESTS:
- Budimir Šobat: Beat the Guinness World Record for Longest time breath held voluntarily underwater (male). He used 100% oxygen and went 24 minutes and 37.36 seconds without breathing
- Dr. Joseph Dituri: To research the effects of long-term compression on the human body, he lived 30 feet underwater for 100 days at the Jules’ Undersea Lodge. This made him the Guinness World Record-holder for longest time spent living underwater
Dive into all of the nautical themed stories airing this week on Connecticut Public's original talk shows by visiting ctpublic.org/nautiweek.
Melody Rivera, Jessica Severin de Martinez, Khaleel Rahman, Meg Fitzgerald, Meg Dalton, Carol Chen, Stacey Addo, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.
Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. | https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-07-31/below-the-surface-the-stories-behind-underwater-world-records | 2023-07-31T17:41:33 | 1 | https://www.ctpublic.org/show/audacious-with-chion-wolf/2023-07-31/below-the-surface-the-stories-behind-underwater-world-records |
Former President Trump predicted Monday that he would be indicted “any day now” as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his conduct after the 2020 election.
“I assume that an Indictment from Deranged Jack Smith and his highly partisan gang of Thugs, pertaining to my ‘PEACEFULLY & PATRIOTICALLY Speech, will be coming out any day now, as yet another attempt to cover up all of the bad news about bribes, payoffs, and extortion, coming from the Biden ‘camp,’” Trump posted on Truth Social. “This seems to be the way they do it. ELECTION INTERFERENCE! PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!”
Smith is investigating Trump’s attempts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election, which culminated with Trump delivering a speech Jan. 6, 2021, in which he repeated false claims about the election being rigged. Trump supporters then violently stormed and ransacked the Capitol in a bid to halt the certification of the election results.
Anticipation over a potential indictment of Trump has been building for weeks after the former president shared that he had received a letter from the Justice Department notifying him he was a target of their investigation.
Target letters typically indicate prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to bring charges against an individual.
In addition, a handful of former Trump officials have reportedly testified in recent weeks as part of Smith’s investigation into the former president’s actions after the 2020 election. Prosecutors are said to have been interested in whether Trump acknowledged that he lost the election despite his public claims that it was fraudulent and could be overturned.
Trump pursued a multi-pronged plan to remain in office following the 2020 election, turning to the DOJ, state officials and even his own supporters, who violently ransacked the Capitol after then-Vice President Mike Pence refused Trump’s request to overturn the results.
The former president’s attorneys met last week with officials from Smith’s office. Trump called it a “productive” meeting, and he indicated his representatives sought to make the case against bringing charges.
A federal grand jury hearing evidence in the case meets Tuesdays and Thursdays. | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/trump-expects-to-be-indicted-on-jan-6-charges-any-day-now/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:33 | 0 | https://www.fox16.com/hill-politics/trump-expects-to-be-indicted-on-jan-6-charges-any-day-now/ |
UNC Health doctor shot and killed in domestic incident at North Carolina park
Police said Gwendolyn Riddick was killed Sunday afternoon.
EDEN, N.C. (WBTV) - A physician within the UNC Health system was shot and killed at a park in North Carolina on Sunday.
The shooting happened about 2:45 p.m. at Freedom Park in Rockingham County, the Eden Police Department said.
Police said they were called to the park for a shooting and found 40-year-old Gwendolyn Lavonne Riddick next to her car, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
She was taken to a local hospital where she died shortly after.
Police said the suspect, 35-year-old John Michael Powell, attempted to drive away from the scene but was taken into custody. He is charged with first-degree murder and discharging a weapon into occupied property.
Powell was not given bond and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 8.
Investigators determined the fatal shooting was an isolated incident between Riddick and Powell, who share a child. They said Sunday’s incident was the latest in a string of domestic issues between the two.
UNC Health Rockingham confirmed that Riddick was a doctor within the system, having worked as part of the UNC Women’s Health at Eden team as an OB/GYN since 2021.
“Dr. Riddick was an extraordinary woman who made a difference in the lives of everyone she touched,” UNC Health said in a Facebook post. “We will remember her and the legacy of resilience and compassion she leaves behind. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. We will continue to provide support for our teammates and patients in the days to come.”
Eden Police Chief Clint Simpson called the incident a “senseless and tragic loss of life.”
Anyone with information about the shooting should call Eden Police at 336-623-9755 or Rockingham County Crime Stoppers at 336-349-9683.
Related: Charlotte tech CEO killed in shooting
Watch continuous live news coverage below:
Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/unc-health-doctor-shot-killed-domestic-incident-north-carolina-park/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:33 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/unc-health-doctor-shot-killed-domestic-incident-north-carolina-park/ |
LEWISTON, Maine — Police are investigating the death of two people after a shooting on Sunday in the area of Knox Street in Lewiston.
One person died on Knox Street, while the second individual was transported to Central Maine Medical Center where they later died, according to a release from Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Lewiston Police responded to the scene shortly after 10:18 a.m., according to the release.
Maine State Police is assisting Lewiston police with the death investigation.
Moss said the Maine Medical Examiner's Office will determine the two victims' identity, and determine the cause, and manner of death.
This story will be updated with more information when it becomes available.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/crime/lewiston-maine-shooting-knox-street/97-b8bd7a55-d168-47d7-a58d-cdf4b8eba14f | 2023-07-31T17:41:33 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/crime/lewiston-maine-shooting-knox-street/97-b8bd7a55-d168-47d7-a58d-cdf4b8eba14f |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — More than 80 private and parochial schools in Arkansas have so far applied to participate in the state’s new school voucher program that allows eligible students to use taxpayer funds to help pay tuition, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The newspaper said that dozens of schools and more than 4,900 students have so far applied to participate in the program.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in March signed an education bill that included the creation of the new school voucher program. Over three years, it will phase in an “education freedom account” to pay for private- and home-schooling costs equal to 90% of the state’s per-student funding for public schools, which is currently $7,413.
The legislation came as part of a renewed push for such voucher programs following the COVID-19 pandemic and fights over school curriculum.
The newspaper reports that eligibility this year is limited to those who either will be entering kindergarten, attended a state F-graded school last year, have a disability, are children of active military personnel or have experienced homelessness or foster care. The student eligibility criteria will expand over the next two years.
The newspaper reported that more than 4,900 students had opened applications for the vouchers of $6,672 to be used this school year. The student number includes approved applications, those in review, and those in the draft process, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education spokesperson Kimberly Mundell said. | https://www.fox16.com/news/state-news/more-than-80-private-parochial-schools-apply-to-participate-in-new-voucher-program/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:34 | 1 | https://www.fox16.com/news/state-news/more-than-80-private-parochial-schools-apply-to-participate-in-new-voucher-program/ |
AUGUSTA, Maine — As the number of Mainers dying from drug overdoses appeared to be going down in the first half of the year, recovery experts and state officials are increasingly looking to harm reduction strategies to aid efforts aimed at overdose prevention and treatment availability.
While “cautiously optimistic” that drug deaths are down this year — a decrease of about 6% for the first six months compared with the same period last year — there is still much to be done, said Gordon Smith, Gov. Janet Mills’ director of opioid response.
From January to May of this year, there were 253 confirmed and suspected fatal overdoses, according to the latest monthly overdose report from the Maine Office of the Attorney General and the University of Maine.
The June overdose report, not yet publicly available, will show that more than 300 people have died through June, Mills said at her fifth annual Opioid Response Summit in Portland last week.
Smith cautioned that it is too early to point to a trend or declare success, but the decrease in deaths remains significant considering that for the past four years Maine has seen a year-over-year increase in drug fatalities.
Still, the 723 deaths recorded last year were “too many,” Smith said.
“In a state with 1.3 million people, that is a lot of hardship and family agony and hurt. And it’s not acceptable to the governor or I,” he said.
The May overdose report shows that nonfatal overdoses in the first five months of the year were about level with the same period in 2022. Experts generally understand the actual number of nonfatal overdoses to be higher than the reported number because many overdoses may occur in private.
At last week’s summit, Mills introduced an updated strategic plan for Maine’s opioid response. Among other focus areas, the plan points to harm reduction as a critical strategy for reducing overdoses.
Harm reduction is a broad term that encompasses “evidence-based” approaches to engaging and equipping people who use drugs with “life-saving tools and information” to save lives and ultimately connect people with resources to set them on a path to long-term recovery, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
It’s not clear what role harm reduction efforts in Maine played in this year’s decrease in drug deaths. But with the growing prevalence of contaminants in Maine’s illicit drug supply, programs such as the federal-grant funded Project DHARMA continue to be essential, Smith and other experts told The Maine Monitor.
Last summer, MaineHealth and several partner organizations launched Project DHARMA (“Distribution of Harm Reduction Access in Rural Maine Areas”) with the support of a $1.2 million, three-year federal grant. The grant is one of 25 SAMHSA awarded to organizations nationwide last year in a first-of-its-kind harm reduction grant program.
DHARMA is focused on expanding syringe service programs by embedding “harm reduction outreach specialists” in programs across the state. They will distribute safer use supplies, such as the opioid-overdose reversing drug naloxone, fentanyl test strips and clean syringes, as well as connect clients to treatment providers, the project’s directors said.
DHARMA is also working on training providers and students from a variety of disciplines, including medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, on topics ranging from how to prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, an antiretroviral therapy for HIV prevention, to discussions on the language and stigma surrounding substance use disorder in healthcare.
The first year of the project has mostly focused on the “logistics” of hiring the outreach specialists, who are the “heart of this grant,” said Dr. Kinna Thakarar, DHARMA’s lead researcher, and an infectious disease and addiction medicine physician at MaineHealth.
In the first two quarters of this year, the specialists had more than 6,000 “service encounters” with clients in the field or at “brick-and-mortar” locations statewide of syringe service programs, such as Church of Safe Injection, Maine Access Points and commonspace, Thakarar said.
“I think that has been one of the biggest accomplishments, and just seeing the collaboration among our syringe service program partners,” she said.
While that is well underway, another significant part of DHARMA, its drug checking program, had to overcome legal hurdles that required a legislative fix, according to Thakarar and Dr. Kristen Silvia, DHARMA’s medical director, and physician and director of the addiction medicine fellowship at MaineHealth.
DHARMA has partnered with Dr. Dasan Thamattoor, a chemistry professor at Colby College, and other academic partners to conduct drug checking, which is the process of “chemically (analyzing) street drug residue to understand what is actually in the local drug supply,” Thakarar said in testimony earlier this year.
Mills signed L.D. 1745, sponsored by Rep. Reagan LaRochelle, D-Augusta, into law late last month, which allowed “certain individuals” to possess, receive, transport or store “nominal amounts” of illicit or prescription controlled substances for the purposes of drug checking, LaRochelle testified.
Though there was an emergency preamble attached to the bill so that it went into effect immediately, the year-long setback means the drug checking program is still in preliminary stages, Silvia said.
Chasity Tuell, the Northern Maine Harm Reduction Director for Maine Access Points, said this program will be crucial because “with so many different contaminants, people don’t really know what they’re using.”
“Like they might have an idea of what they’re using but they don’t really know. And it’s hard to treat wounds if you don’t know what they’re from, it’s hard to detox off of something if you don’t know what you’re detoxing off of,” she said.
Thakarar said without the testing, it’s unclear what’s in the drug supply right now but “at this point, based on the wounds that we’re seeing and reports from the field, you know, xylazine is definitely in Maine.”
Xylazine is an animal tranquilizer that first appeared in toxicology reports in Maine in 2021, usually in combination with the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Not only is xylazine unresponsive to naloxone, it is not meant for human consumption and can cause necrotic wounds regardless of how it’s ingested, Silvia said.
“I think that’s why the drug checking program is going to be so helpful, because xylazine is not going to be the only contaminant, you know, that we see in this decade,” Thakarar said.
Fentanyl, which can be up to 50% more potent than heroin, continues to be present in about 70-80% of all drug deaths, according to overdose reports.
Mills announced at last week’s summit that her administration is using $1 million in federal funds to purchase and distribute xylazine test steps to syringe services providers, such as Tuell’s group.
DHARMA, via grants from the Office of Behavioral Health, is also looking to purchase handheld mass spectrometers for on-the-ground drug checking, Thakarar and Tuell said.
Tuell said she assumes there are other contaminants in the drug supply, such as another class of synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called “Frankenstein opioids” in a public health warning issued last year.
“But without being able to, like, really do comprehensive testing it’s hard to say for sure,” Tuell said.
“No one in the state is getting that information (right now) until really after a person dies and they do a toxicology.”
This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from the Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/health/maine-overdose-statistics-data-opioid-report/97-d3bf3ae0-04f6-4b32-b953-7a57f5766361 | 2023-07-31T17:41:34 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/health/maine-overdose-statistics-data-opioid-report/97-d3bf3ae0-04f6-4b32-b953-7a57f5766361 |
Changes to pet food and specialty pet food packaging will provide consistency and transparency
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pet owners will soon find updated packaging and labels when shopping for pet food and specialty pet food products, including treats and supplements -- the first major update in more than 40 years. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) approved the new suggested labeling guidelines that include standardized nutrition information, clear ingredient statements, and storage and handling instructions. The modern design and updated information will ensure consistency and transparency, so consumers can easily make more informed buying decisions for their pets.
The passage of the revised Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food sets a new standard for pet food manufacturers and distributors to follow. Feed regulatory professionals across the United States and Canada worked cooperatively with consumers and professionals within the pet food industry on a strategic course to ensure pet food labels provide a more comprehensive view of the product.
"The feedback we received from both consumers and industry advisors throughout this process was an important part of our collaboration to make improvements. We sought public comment to learn more about how pet food label changes would enhance transparency and provide clearer information in a consumer-friendly format. New packaging and labels will be well-defined and easy to understand. And that's good news for all of us, from pet owners and manufacturers to pets themselves," said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO.
Major Label Changes
As states begin the rulemaking process of adopting and enforcing the Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food, AAFCO recommends a transition period of six years for manufacturers to fully incorporate the label and packaging changes to their products. Pet owners will see some changes before that date, but all packaging should be consistent by the end of the six-year period. Below is a snapshot of what to expect from label updates in four key areas:
- Nutrition Facts Box – Updated to resemble human-food labeling more closely.
- Intended Use Statement – Updated to new location on the lower-third of the front display panel to help consumers easily identify the purpose of the pet food.
- Ingredient Statement – Updated to clarify the use of consistent terminology and allow parentheticals and common or usual names for vitamins.
- Handling and Storage Instructions (optional) – Updated and standardized with optional icons for greater consistency.
About Pet Food Label Modernization (PFLM)
AAFCO and its key stakeholders have worked together since 2015, to develop the revised Pet Food Model Regulations. Multiple rounds of consumer research were conducted to understand how pet food labels can better communicate important information. AAFCO used the feedback from consumers and industry officials to develop this new update and to support uniform state implementation of the new regulations. This initiative has been a key example of the benefit of industry and consumer collaboration to solve challenges and make improvements to pet food labels. For more information about PFLM, visit http://www.aafco.org/pflm.
About AAFCO
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has been guiding state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards and laboratory standards for more than 110 years, while supporting the health and safety of people and animals. Its members are charged by their state or federal laws to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of animal feeds and feed ingredients. Learn more at aafco.org.
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SOURCE The Association of American Feed Control Officials | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/aafco-membership-approves-new-model-pet-food-specialty-pet-food-regulations/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:33 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/aafco-membership-approves-new-model-pet-food-specialty-pet-food-regulations/ |
A small but mighty prehistoric creature somehow emerged alive from a chunk of ancient permafrost extracted from Siberia.
This might sound like the start of a science fiction blockbuster movie, but a study recently released by scientists provides evidence that a nematode maintained a state of suspended animation since the days of the Neanderthals.
The July 27 study published by PLOS Genetics discussed how the worm-like creature surprised scientists by moving after the permafrost thawed.
“Nobody had thought that this process could be for millennia, for 40,000 years — or even longer,” Philip Schiffer, one of the study’s authors, told NPR. “It’s just amazing that life can start again after such a long time, in the stage between life and death.”
MORE: Post-menopausal orcas protect their sons
Previously, the longest-known resuscitation for a frozen nematode was from an Antarctic species known as Plectus murryi.
Through genetic testing, the scientists labeled this new species Panagrolaimus kolymaensis.
The study team determined the nematode’s age by performing radiocarbon dating on the permafrost sample. The results showed the frozen soil was around 46,000 years old.
Scientists explained that the nematode was buried in the permafrost about 130 feet deep in an Arctic gopher burrow. Once there, it coped with the freezing temperatures by slowing its metabolism through a process known as cryptobiosis. This deep sleep allows an organism to stay alive in extreme conditions.
“We need to know how species adapted to the extreme through evolution to maybe help species alive today and humans as well,” Schiffer told The Washington Post.
Scientists learned soon after the nematode started moving that they had a female in the lab. She reproduced in the petri dish asexually, bringing this family’s first of many new generations into the world.
The original nematode to emerge from the permafrost died; however, with hundreds of generations still maintained by the scientific team, much more can be learned about this species and its impact on our modern world.
“You might learn a lot about how and what’s happening right now on Earth, and maybe even inform protection of endangered species,” Schiffer told NPR.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.kxlf.com/this-worm-woke-up-after-being-frozen-for-46000-years | 2023-07-31T17:41:37 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/this-worm-woke-up-after-being-frozen-for-46000-years |
Former Florida football wide receiver and University of Florida Athletics Hall of Famer Cris Collinsworth was named to the 2023 class of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Thursday. He joins broadcasters Val Ackerman, Lance Borrow, Tom Fletcher, Steve Hellmuth, Ernie Johnson, Andrea Joyce, Tony Petitt and Jeff Zachary.
The next man to slide into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame is one of the great analysts.
A nine-time Emmy winner, he first joined an NFL booth in 2005 at FOX before taking the job we know him for best: NBC Sunday Night Football.
Welcome to the HOF, Cris Collinsworth! pic.twitter.com/CWNzwpZIzE
— Sports Video Group (@sportsvideo) July 27, 2023
Career on the Field
Collinsworth, after his freshman season at Florida in 1977, switched from quarterback to wide receiver. He immediately shined in his new role. Collinsworth recorded 745 receiving yards, rushed 100 yards and grabbed nine touchdowns through his sophomore season.
He would go on to make the College Football All-American team in his senior year at UF. Then, Collinsworth would be drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-4-inch lanky receiver finished his career with the Bengals a three-time Pro Bowler and tallied four 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He also appeared in Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XXIII.
Life in the Broadcasting Booth
Collinsworth started his sports broadcasting career as a sports radio host on the Cincinnati Station WLW after his retirement in 1989. Since then, the Ohio native has worked for HBO, NBC Sports and NFL on FOX. Additionally, he took over the color commentator role from NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden for NBC’s Sunday Night Football in 2009.
Furthermore, Collinsworth worked alongside fellow Hall of Fame sports broadcaster Al Michaels. The two worked together until 2022, when Michaels departed NBC for NFL on Prime Video.
Collinsworth still works at NBC, now with play-by-play broadcaster Mike Tirico, broadcasting NFL games throughout the Fall season.
The 24-year sports broadcasting veteran is the only NFL analyst other than Madden to receive a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Event Analyst — an award he’s claimed nine times. | https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2023/07/31/former-gator-cris-collinsworth-elected-to-sports-broadcasting-hall-of-fame/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:38 | 1 | https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2023/07/31/former-gator-cris-collinsworth-elected-to-sports-broadcasting-hall-of-fame/ |
US customers can now experience Angel Aligner with over two decades of superior aligner technology, transforming a million healthy smiles
SANTA ANA, Calif., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With over 20 years of experience and a commitment to research and digital innovation, Angelalign Technology Inc., is excited to announce the launch of its custom-made clear aligners into the U.S. market. Angelalign Technology is a leading global provider of clear aligner dental technology and evidence-based clinical expertise. With 1 million smiles treated,1 the company is now expanding its expertise and global footprint.
Since 2003, Angelalign Technology has maintained productive scientific collaborations with orthodontists and universities around the world, enabling the company to build a large database of complex orthodontic cases. State-of-the-art research and development (R&D) and customized production facilities are now globally positioned to bring a fresh perspective and technological advancements to clear aligner manufacturing and customer service.
The company is dedicated to research and development, with an average of 11% of annual revenue invested into R&D every year. Innovative highlights include:
- angelButton™ – Manufactured directly into the aligner to provide an additional anchorage point to support the use of elastics and TADs, these buttons can be added and/or adjusted anywhere on the arch and are designed with high structural integrity to facilitate efficient tooth movement via elastics.
"Angel Aligner solved the problems of having buttons. The buttons are built into the aligners, which will reduce emergencies, and additional appointments can be avoided."
Dr. Amanda Cheng, Orthodontist, California
- iOrtho™ – A secure cloud-based service platform housing patient management data for Angel Aligner™ treatments. The treatment planning software has user-friendly 3D controls, allowing doctors to customize and review Angel Aligner case designs.
"Working with the iOrtho software has been amazing and the turnaround time has been great in our practice."
Dr. Stephen Bradford, Orthodontics by Bradford, Florida
- Intelligent Root System (IRS) – Get an accurate 3D digital representation of the patient's tooth, root and jawbone relationship that uses CBCT data and IO scans and adjusts throughout the course of treatment via an Intelligent Root System (IRS).
- masterControl S (MCS) – A soft multi-layered polymer material with gentle but long-lasting orthodontic force design for more efficient tooth movement. MCS exhibits enhanced tear and stain resistance, mechanical stability and unique reflective properties.
- angelAttach – Optimized and conventional attachments are designed for better orthodontic force and more effective and accurate tooth movement.
Angel Aligner™ has a large specialized team of technicians with over 3.5 years of tenure, orthodontically attuned to precision case designs with specialized knowledge in complex malocclusions. They're ready to support treatment planning needs with high-quality case designs and 10-day turnaround times.
"The treatment plans coming back are excellent. I don't have to do a lot of modifying."
Dr. James Crouse, The Brace Place, Maryland
Angel Aligner™ delivers a simple approach, innovative products and tools and experienced customer support to continuously push the edge of technology, product development and service to better serve orthodontic professionals and ultimately, their patients.
"We're excited to combine two decades of research, development and clinical expertise in clear aligner technology with the seasoned experience of our leadership, sales and integration specialists in the North American market," said Jason Tabb, General Manager, North America.
About Angel Aligner™
Angelalign Technology Inc., a leading global provider of clear aligner technology and clinical expertise, has announced the launch of its custom-made clear aligners into new markets worldwide. With over 20 years of experience and a commitment to research and digital innovation, Angelalign Technology has treated 1 million smiles and offers unparalleled customer service and state-of-the-art production facilities.
1As of June 30, 2023, the total number of cases of any and all the products and services provided by all entities owned or controlled by Angelalign Technology Inc. has exceeded one million.
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SOURCE Angel Aligner | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/angel-aligner-launches-game-changing-clear-aligner-technology-us-markets/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:40 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/angel-aligner-launches-game-changing-clear-aligner-technology-us-markets/ |
UPDATE: 8:15 A.M. JULY 31, 2023
The Montana Department of Transportation website shows Highway 28 remains closed Monday morning.
The highway is closed from the junction of Highway 93 near Elmo to north of Hot Springs due to fire activity in the area.
The highway was closed Sunday after the Niarada fire jumped the road.
FIRST REPORT
Highway 28 near the Niarada wildfire west of Elmo is closed Sunday afternoon.
According to CSKT Division of Fire, the Niarada fire has crossed Highway 28 to the west. The road is closed from mile marker 20 to 46.72.
The Niarada fire is burning 11 miles west of Elmo. It was sparked by lightning Sunday morning. Two additional fires, near Dixon and Charlo, were also sparked by this same storm.
Four single-engine air tankers, one helicopter for air support, three fire boss single-engine air tankers, and 18 smokejumpers are currently attached to this fire.
For updates on the road closure click here. | https://www.kxlf.com/weather/fire-watch/highway-28-closed-near-elmo-due-to-wildfire-that-jumped-road | 2023-07-31T17:41:43 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/weather/fire-watch/highway-28-closed-near-elmo-due-to-wildfire-that-jumped-road |
The college football regular season is slowly approaching. As the Florida Gators report for fall camp, Gators football head coach Billy Napier is settling into year two. It was a below average season for the Gators in 2022. Especially considering the high expectations that the fan base has year after year. However, as Napier continues to put his footprint on the program, there is a new buy in from the team that was not previously there.
Blocking out the outside noise will be crucial for the team this year. Many members of the media are picking the Gators to finish towards the bottom of their division. Nevertheless, the expectations of others cannot and will not be higher than those of Napier and his players.
Integrity. #GoGators | #jOURney pic.twitter.com/aAcyu55LpJ
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) July 30, 2023
A New Opportunity
Florida will have its first official Fall camp practice on Monday, July 31. With the kickoff to the season around the corner, different storylines will be created around this team by the media. But the media is not what is going to determine the fate of the Gators in 2023. On Sunday, Napier addressed the media about the progression of his squad throughout 2023 and how that will translate to the field this season.
Roster Decisions
Depth is something that every elite college football program in the country possesses. As Napier enters year two, he has added players to his depth chart that will help contribute to the team in different roles. However, many of these roles have yet to be determined and will be settled during Fall camp. Position battles will occur and starting spots will either be earned or taken away. This is simply the most crucial time of year for the team throughout the offseason. Napier was asked about the depth of his team in 2023.
To conclude, the Gators will open regular season play on August 26 as they travel to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Utes. Kickoff for the game will be at 8 p.m. The contest will be a rematch of last year’s game, where the Gators came out victorious. | https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2023/07/31/napier-talks-start-of-gators-football-fall-camp/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:46 | 1 | https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2023/07/31/napier-talks-start-of-gators-football-fall-camp/ |
Wildfires sparked by a Sunday lightning storm expanded across the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Extreme fire activity was observed Sunday with high gusting winds up to 35mph. Wind gusts are expected Monday from the west with gusts 10-20 mph.
According to the CSKT Division of Fire Monday update, the Niarada Fire west of Elmo is now estimated at 5,000 acres. The fire crossed Highway 28 Sunday and made a large push to the northeast. Highway 28 remains closed in that area. Crews and equipment are staffing the fire with air support as weather allows.
The Middle Ridge Fire west of Sloan’s Bridge and Ronan is estimated at 7,000 acres. Firefighters are staffing the fire and aircraft will continue to support the fire.
The Communication Butte Fire north of Dixon in Ferry Basin is estimated at 400 acres. The terrain is very steep and difficult to access. Firefighters and aircraft will continue to assess and engage where they can safely do so.
The Big Knife Fire east of Arlee experienced extreme fire behavior Sunday night. It grew to an estimated 3,000 acres. Crews have been focusing on securing line on the west edge of the fire, near homes and making good progress. A Complex Incident Management team has been ordered and will assume command of the fire August 1.
The Mill Pocket Fire west of Niarada is estimated to be 100 acres.
Infrared mapping is not available at this time. Maps are rough estimates of fire perimeters. CSKT Division of Fire will share more accurate maps when available. | https://www.kxlf.com/weather/fire-watch/wildfires-advance-across-flathead-indian-reservation | 2023-07-31T17:41:49 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/weather/fire-watch/wildfires-advance-across-flathead-indian-reservation |
MAINE, USA — After they struggled with COVID-19 symptoms for two weeks, Joel Mahoney drove his parents to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, where his mother, Nancy Mahoney, was admitted on Dec. 19, 2021 for complaints of labored breathing, fatigue and a cough. She was treated for COVID pneumonia that required supplemental oxygen.
She told the hospitalist treating her that a doctor, Ellsworth internist Meryl Nass, had diagnosed her with COVID “over the phone” earlier that month and prescribed a five-day supply of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin.
The proponents of using the drug to treat COVID have been roundly criticized, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned it should not be used to prevent or treat the virus.
The hospitalist reported Nass to the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine the same day Nancy Mahoney was hospitalized, according to disciplinary documents, and the board subsequently suspended Nass’ license.
In the 18 months since, Nass and her disciplinary case have become a cause for anti-vaccination advocates, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and far-right publications. She’s vigorously fighting her suspension, and RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine advocacy group is paying Nass’ legal fees, she said.
She appears to welcome the publicity.
At one point, when Nass informed Joel Mahoney in a text message that the board subpoenaed his mother’s medical records, Nass wrote, “I know some crack attorneys. I certainly was hoping to make a public spectacle of an investigation.”
On Friday, Nass’ adjudicatory hearing wrapped up its sixth full day. The first hearing date was over nine months ago. Closing arguments and board deliberations will be scheduled for a later date.
The board’s grounds for disciplinary actions — which have been amended three times, with some allegations removed — include 13 violations related to patient care and competence, medical recordkeeping, “truth-telling and misrepresentation” and failure to comply with the board’s complaint notification and subpoenas in a timely manner.
The violations are based on her care of three patients, including Nancy Mahoney. Each was prescribed ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, to prevent or treat COVID-19. In each instance, disciplinary records say, Nass never met the patients and only conducted care via telehealth, in which, among other allegations, Nass failed to establish a proper physician-patient relationship, and maintain complete medical records and documentation.
She is also accused of “fraud, deceit or misrepresentation” for allegedly lying to a pharmacist that a prescription for hydroxychloroquine was to treat Lyme disease; the patient was not diagnosed with Lyme disease. Nass told the board in a Dec. 11, 2021, email that she was “forced” to lie “as this was the only way to get a potentially life-saving drug for my patient.” She repeated that she lied in a virtual hearing with state lawmakers days later.
Despite her displeasure with the length of the proceedings, Nass said following Friday’s hearing that she has succeeded in making her case a “spectacle.”
Each day of the hearing has been live streamed on the website and YouTube channel of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine advocacy group chaired by Kennedy, which Nass said has garnered 180,000 viewers on at least one occasion. Kennedy, a longshot candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, has been sharply denounced for spreading anti-vaccine misinformation.
The Epoch Times, a far-right international media company, made a documentary claiming Nass is “one of many doctors whose medical license is being threatened for deviating from official COVID guidelines.”
Earlier this year she appeared on media personality Drew Pinsky’s podcast and YouTube show, “Ask Dr. Drew,” where she claimed the complaints the board received about her “were fabricated by activists using targeted harassment to censor her freedom of speech.”
The Washington Post included the Nass case in an article last week that analyzed disciplinary records from medical boards in all 50 states. “Across the country, doctors who jeopardized patients’ lives by pushing medical misinformation during the pandemic and its aftermath have faced few repercussions,” the Post reported.
Nass’ practice has alarmed healthcare professionals. For example, Renata Moise, a certified nurse-midwife in Ellsworth, told the board that one of her pregnant patients was taking hydroxychloroquine prescribed by Nass.
In an email to the board, a copy of which she shared with The Post, Moise wrote: “When Dr. Nass promotes, prescribes, or advises treatments for COVID-19 which are not among the approved or recommended treatments, it hampers our ability here … to promote the public health factors necessary for controlling the pandemic.”
Nass said Friday that she has treated “hundreds” more patients with ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Ivermectin is most commonly used to treat worm infections in humans but also has veterinary applications, primarily for horses. Hydroxychloroquine is similarly an antiparasitic drug, and is typically used for malaria treatment and prevention, and to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The FDA has not approved ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19 and issued a warning against using hydroxychloroquine outside of hospital settings or clinical trials due to serious heart risks.
Mike Balos, a pastor at Maine Street Church in Brunswick, and Sarah Bishop, a mother of four in Ellsworth and Moise’s patient, said at Friday’s hearing they found Nass’ name in a provider directory on Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance’s website. FLCCCA was founded in the early days of the pandemic and endorses widely discredited “treatment protocols” for COVID.
Nass’ team called Mahoney, Balos and Bishop, identified as patients 1, 2 and 3, respectively, in the disciplinary documents, to testify Friday. Each said they were satisfied with Nass’ care.
Balos, like Mahoney, sought Nass for an ivermectin prescription to use “prophylactically” and he, too, was hospitalized in December 2021 with severe COVID. According to patient records subpoenaed by the board, Balos was admitted to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick on Dec. 16. He was intubated two days later and was on mechanical ventilation for 13 days. He was discharged Jan. 4.
Nass said the allegations against her have “no legal justification” and is a “spurious, illegal, unjustified, without-grounds prosecution” to go after her license.
The medical board did not respond to a request for comment Friday evening.
This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from the Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/health/meryl-nass-maine-covid-robert-f-kennedy-jr-us-fda-ivermectin/97-a611d052-b764-4f3a-be5e-cb6e5a4caad2 | 2023-07-31T17:41:49 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/health/meryl-nass-maine-covid-robert-f-kennedy-jr-us-fda-ivermectin/97-a611d052-b764-4f3a-be5e-cb6e5a4caad2 |
Multifamily Lender Strives to Leverage Strong Performance to Attract Top Boston Talent
BOSTON, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) announces a new and larger office location at 501 Boylston St., a historically significant Class A property close to Copley Square in Boston's lively Back Bay neighborhood.
Arbor, which has 15 offices in cities across the United States, moved its 88-member Boston team from 1 Lincoln St. in expectation of the team's expansion and growth, and with the recognition that Boston's thriving economy and talent pool is also creating opportunities in our core business of multifamily lending. Boston has had 8.5% annual rent growth through April 2023 and is presently the third-tightest multifamily rental market in the United States, our proprietary research reveals.
This past Friday, Arbor Realty Trust reported an outstanding second quarter and a dividend increase to $0.43, reflecting a 12th increase in the last 14 quarters.
Join Us - Arbor is Hiring in Boston and Nationally
Are you interested in a career in multifamily lending? Arbor is hiring in Boston and at many other locations. Advance your career at a firm that encourages entrepreneurial drive, collaborative spirit, and the quest for excellence.
Browse our current job openings.
About Arbor
Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ABR) is a nationwide real estate investment trust and direct lender, providing loan origination and servicing for multifamily, single-family rental (SFR) portfolios, and other diverse commercial real estate assets. Headquartered in Uniondale, New York, Arbor manages a multibillion-dollar servicing portfolio, specializing in government-sponsored enterprise products. Arbor is a leading Fannie Mae DUS® lender, Freddie Mac Optigo® Seller/Servicer, and an approved FHA Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender. Arbor's product platform also includes bridge, CMBS, mezzanine, and preferred equity loans. Arbor is rated by Standard and Poor's and Fitch. In June 2023, Arbor was added to the S&P SmallCap 600® index. Arbor is committed to building on its reputation for service, quality, and customized solutions with an unparalleled dedication to providing our clients excellence over the entire life of a loan.
CONTACT: press@arbor.com
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SOURCE Arbor Realty Trust | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/arbor-realty-trust-expands-presence-boston-opening-office-historically-significant-building/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:49 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/arbor-realty-trust-expands-presence-boston-opening-office-historically-significant-building/ |
WNBA star Brittney Griner is taking a break from basketball to focus on her mental health.
Griner did not travel with her team, the Phoenix Mercury, on its two-game road trip to Chicago and Indiana this week.
"The Mercury fully support Brittney and we will continue to work together on a timeline for her return," the Mercury said in a statement.
The team did not reveal whether Griner's mental health issues are related to her 10-month stay in a Russian prison.
SEE MORE: Griner confronted at Dallas Airport by 'provocateur'
The basketball star was convicted last year in a Russian court on drug charges, months after police found cannabis oil in her luggage the Moscow airport. Despite Griner maintaining that she had been prescribed the oil to treat pain, she was sentenced to nine-years in prison.
She was released in December in a surprise prisoner swap with notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner spent about 18 months away from competitive basketball before returning to action with the Mercury at the beginning of the season.
The star picked up where she left off, averaging 18 points and six rebounds per game. However, the Mercury are struggling to win games.
They are currently 6-18 this season, putting them in 10th place in the 12-team league.
SEE MORE: WNBA players launch 3-on-3 league as attendance rises
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxlf.com/wnba-s-brittney-griner-taking-time-off-to-focus-on-mental-health | 2023-07-31T17:41:55 | 0 | https://www.kxlf.com/wnba-s-brittney-griner-taking-time-off-to-focus-on-mental-health |
BOULDER, Colo. — A 17-year-old National Team bicyclist was hit and killed by a car while training in Boulder County this weekend, USA Cycling said.
Magnus White was preparing to compete in the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships in Scotland on Aug. 10, and was set to start his senior year of high school in a few weeks.
According to Colorado State Patrol (CSP), the crash happened at about 12:33 p.m. on southbound Highway 119 past North 63rd Street. A Toyota Matrix, driven by a 23-year-old woman, was driving southbound when the vehcile went onto the shoulder, hitting the back of White's bike.
White was injured and taken the hospital where he later died, according to Trooper Gabriel Moltrer with CSP.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Drugs, alcohol and excessive speed are not factors in the crash, Moltrer said.
White is survived by his parents Jill and Michael, his brother Eero "and countless friends worldwide," the USA Cycling's website says.
"White fell in love with cycling at an early age through Boulder Junior Cycling. He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community," USA Cycling said.
"We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time," the organization said.
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SAN FRANCISCO, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), with support from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity, today announced the launch of The AAPI Nonprofit Database. This interactive database addresses the historical inequity of funding directed towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by providing a platform where anyone looking to donate, volunteer, or get involved can more easily locate and support AAPI nonprofit organizations across the country.
With less than 0.2% of philanthropic giving going to AAPI nonprofits and causes, the community remains underfunded and under-resourced. TAAF is working to help fill this critical gap, and the database is a necessary first step to meeting the need. The database will feature nonprofits of all sizes, giving visibility and driving donations to grassroots organizations who have been working tirelessly to support underrepresented AAPI communities throughout the country.
"In the face of continued Anti-Asian hate and rhetoric, it is now more important than ever to invest in resources to support the diverse needs of AAPI communities," said Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF. "We know people want to support AAPI causes, especially following the horrific events impacting our community, but they may not always know where to begin or which organizations are aligned with their interests. Impactaapi.org will make AAPI nonprofits and causes accessible through one interactive tool to remove the barriers to entry and help combat the chronic underfunding and under-resourcing that AAPI organizations have faced."
At launch, the database will feature over 600 nonprofit organizations focused on serving AAPI communities. The AAPI Nonprofit Database will allow users to filter by location, focus area, population served, budget size or years in service, among others. Users will have the opportunity to make donations directly to the nonprofit of their choice or learn how to get more involved. If users need help to get started, a feature will allow visitors to take a short quiz, matching them to a curated list of organizations based on their interests.
Nonprofits have the opportunity to opt-in, get listed, and update their profile pages, including linking directly to their donation pages or website. Organizations whose data has been updated in the past year will have "verified" status indicating current data.
"Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have been long-time supporters of the AAPI community and are thrilled to support The Asian American Foundation in launching The AAPI Nonprofit Database," said Kimberly McGee, Senior Manager for the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity. "As a founding AAPI Giving Challenge supporter, we are focused on driving access and resources to advance equity in the AAPI nonprofit community. The AAPI Nonprofit Database brings us closer to that goal by putting power into the hands of the broader public, whether by driving donations or getting more involved."
The AAPI Giving Challenge was launched in May 2021 with over 130 corporations, foundations, and individual donors committed $1.1 billion in funding and in-kind resources directly to AAPI communities, organizations, and relevant causes over five years. The AAPI Nonprofit Database highlights the commitment of corporate partners to work with the AAPI community to drive towards solutions together.
TAAF acknowledges Asian Pacific Fund and AAPI Data for their collaboration in providing guidance on the creation of this database.
The AAPI Nonprofit Database can be found at https://impactaapi.org. Nonprofit organizations interested in being listed can submit a request here.
ABOUT THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION (TAAF)
The Asian American Foundation serves the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in its pursuit of belonging and prosperity that is free from discrimination, slander, and violence. Founded in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and address the long standing underinvestment in AAPI communities, TAAF funds best in class organizations working to mobilize against hate and violence, educate communities, and reclaim our narratives through our core pillars of Anti-hate, Education, Narrative Change, and Resources & Representation. Through our grants, high-impact initiatives and events, we're creating a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for millions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. For additional information about TAAF, please visit www.taaf.org.
Media Contact:
Joy Moh
joy.moh@taaf.org
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SOURCE The Asian American Foundation | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/asian-american-foundation-launches-interactive-aapi-nonprofit-database-unlock-resources-support-aapi-focused-organizations/ | 2023-07-31T17:41:56 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/asian-american-foundation-launches-interactive-aapi-nonprofit-database-unlock-resources-support-aapi-focused-organizations/ |
MAINE, Maine — Dozens of Mainers met up on Bailey Island to support fisheries and to show opposition to offshore wind development as legislation signed into law this week moves the project forward.
LD 1895 "An Act Regarding the Procurement of Energy from Offshore Wind Resources," signed by Gov. Janet Mills, works to lay out a plan to develop the offshore wind project responsibly, add strong standards for workers, both on and off the water, as well as avoid disruption of important fishing grounds.
The New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association held a Save Our Fisheries fundraiser to show their disapproval of the bill and project.
More than 50 local businesses and stakeholders were in attendance, along with a lobster boat parade to show solidarity on the water.
"There's not a man or woman fisherman on the coast that agrees that offshore wind development is a good idea," NEFSA Founder Jerry Leeman said.
But not everyone is opposed. Backing the bill is the president of the Maine Building and Construction Trades Council, Jason Shedlock. He said he thinks the project is inevitable, and the recent legislation will lay out protections for project workers and fishermen.
"We did all we could as the state of Maine to make sure that these structures as the federal government sites them, are sited outside of areas that have the most impact to people that earn their livings on the water," Shedlock said. "Rather than cross our arms and say no, we don't want this, we said how do we want it to happen."
However, Leeman said the project could be invasive for fishermen's proprietary fishing areas, and it is hard to predict the fishing values of the Gulf of Maine for the project site.
"How do we pick the least impactful place when you...can't tell me the parameters of what we're looking for," Leeman said. "You can't tell a fisherman to stop fishing but what you can do is over-regulate them to a point where they can't financially go anymore." | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/fisheries/maine-fishermen-gather-in-opposition-to-the-push-for-offshore-wind-development/97-d0789ddb-c492-45ca-b400-a4a89c3837de | 2023-07-31T17:42:01 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/fisheries/maine-fishermen-gather-in-opposition-to-the-push-for-offshore-wind-development/97-d0789ddb-c492-45ca-b400-a4a89c3837de |
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Ridge Bankshares, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE American: BRBS), the holding company of Blue Ridge Bank, National Association ("Blue Ridge Bank" or the "Bank") and BRB Financial Group, Inc. ("BRB Financial Group"), announced today financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023.
For the second quarter of 2023, the Company reported net loss from continuing operations of $19.5 million, or $1.03 per diluted common share, compared to net income from continuing operations of $1.6 million, or $0.09 per diluted common share, for the first quarter of 2023, and net income from continuing operations of $1.1 million, or $0.06 per diluted common share, for the second quarter of 2022.
A Message From Blue Ridge Bankshares, Inc. President and CEO, G. William "Billy" Beale:
"The net loss for the quarter was driven primarily by higher provision expense and the associated reversal of interest income related to loans that were placed on nonaccrual during the quarter. This group of loans, totaling $58.1 million at quarter-end, were sourced by a former lender, and is best described as specialty finance that we deemed to be not in keeping with our desired risk profile. I don't believe this asset quality matter is pervasive within our loan portfolio, and excluding these loans, measures of asset quality were generally stable as compared to the prior quarter.
Having recently joined the organization in May 2023, I am pleased to have found Blue Ridge to be a quality bank providing exceptional service to its customers. My foremost priority, and that of our team, is to remain focused on our regulatory remediation efforts, as we continue to work diligently to bring the Bank's fintech policies, procedures, and operations into conformity with regulatory directives. At the same time, we want to re-energize the core banking franchise by attracting new customers from within our footprint, while supporting our fintech partners that continue to gain momentum."
Q2 2023 Highlights
(Comparisons for Second Quarter 2023 are relative to First Quarter 2023 unless otherwise noted)
Formal Written Agreement:
- As previously disclosed, Blue Ridge Bank entered into a formal written agreement (the "Agreement") with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") on August 29, 2022. The Agreement principally concerns the Bank's fintech line of business and requires the Bank to continue enhancing its controls for assessing and managing the third-party, BSA/AML, and IT risks stemming from its fintech partnerships. A complete copy of the Agreement was filed as an exhibit to the Company's Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on September 1, 2022 and can be accessed on the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) and the Company's website (www.mybrb.com). The Company continues to actively work to bring the Bank's fintech policies, procedures, and operations into conformity with OCC directives. The Company reports that, although work is progressing, many aspects of the Agreement require considerable time for completion, implementation, validation, and sustainability. Remediation costs related to regulatory matters were $2.4 million in the second quarter of 2023 compared to $1.1 million in the prior quarter.
Asset Quality:
- Nonperforming loans totaled $86.1 million, or 2.68% of total assets, compared to $30.7 million, or 0.92% of total assets, at the prior quarter-end. The increase reflects the migration of a group of specialty finance loans to nonaccrual status during the quarter. These loans had a 1.79% impact on the nonperforming loans to total assets ratio for the second quarter.
- The Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $20.5 million, compared to $3.7 million last quarter. Net loan charge-offs were $8.0 million in the quarter, representing an annualized net charge-off rate of 1.29% of average loans, compared to $1.1 million, representing an annualized net charge-off rate of 0.17% of average loans, for the prior quarter. Net loan charge-offs in the quarter were primarily attributable to one loan.
- The allowance for credit losses ("ACL") as a percentage of total loans held for investment was 1.76% at quarter-end, compared to 1.22% at the prior quarter-end. Specific reserves associated with the aforementioned specialty finance loans totaled $14.1 million at June 30, 2023.
Capital:
- As previously announced, on July 12, 2023, the Board of Directors determined to forego the declaration and payment of a cash dividend on the Company's common stock in the third quarter of 2023. The decision was based on the desire to preserve capital and available cash.
- The ratio of tangible stockholders' equity to tangible total assets was 6.3%1, compared to 6.8%1 at the prior quarter-end. Tangible book value per common share was $10.551, compared to $11.931 at the prior quarter-end.
- For the quarter ended June 30, 2023, the Bank's tier 1 leverage ratio, tier 1 risk-based capital ratio, common equity tier 1 capital ratio, and total risk-based capital ratio were 7.86%, 9.27%, 9.27%, and 10.77%, respectively, compared to 8.50%, 10.06%, 10.06%, and 11.12%, respectively, at the prior quarter-end. Capital ratios at quarter-end were within regulatory guidelines to categorize the Bank as well capitalized.
Net Interest Income / Net Interest Margin:
- Net interest income was $20.4 million, a decline of $7.0 million from the prior quarter, primarily reflecting the reversal of $4.7 million in interest income, related to the aforementioned group of specialty finance loans, and higher funding costs. These impacts were partially offset by increasing loan yields in the quarter, which increased 5 basis points excluding the effect of the interest income reversal.
- Net interest margin was 2.67% compared to 3.58% for the prior quarter. The reversal of interest income noted above had an approximate negative 60 basis points impact on second quarter net interest margin.
- Cost of deposits and total cost of funds were 2.21% and 2.49%, respectively, compared to 1.74% and 2.11%, respectively, for the prior quarter. Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta ("FHLB") and Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond ("FRB") advances were $284.1 million at June 30, 2023, compared to $239.1 million at the prior quarter-end. Deposit costs and overall funding costs increased during the second quarter of 2023 due primarily to the impact of higher average balances of wholesale funding secured in late first quarter in response to then market events, as well as interest rates on deposits that adjust with changes in federal funds rates.
Balance Sheet:
- Total deposit balances declined $148.0 million, or 5.4%, from the prior quarter-end, due primarily to a decrease of $93.8 million in wholesale funding, primarily time deposits and interest-bearing demand balances. Excluding wholesale funding, total deposits during the second quarter of 2023 declined by 2.1% from the prior quarter-end.
- Deposits related to fintech relationships were $708 million at June 30, 2023, compared to $716 million at the prior quarter-end. These deposits represented 27.1% of total deposits at June 30, 2023, compared to 25.9% of total deposits at the prior quarter-end. Excluding wholesale funding, deposits related to fintech relationships represented 30.1% and 29.8% of total deposits at June 30, 2023 and March 31, 2023, respectively.
- Loans held for investment, excluding Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans, were $2.45 billion, essentially level with the prior quarter-end.
- The held for investment loan to deposit ratio measured 94.1% at quarter-end, compared to 89.0% at the prior quarter-end. The increase was primarily due to the reduction in wholesale deposits.
Noninterest Income / Noninterest Expense:
- Noninterest income was $9.7 million, compared to $7.3 million for the prior quarter, due primarily to fair value adjustments to mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs"), reported in residential mortgage banking income, which were a positive $0.8 million, compared to a negative $2.1 million in the prior quarter.
- Noninterest expense was $34.1 million, compared to $28.8 million for the prior quarter. Increased expenses primarily reflected higher other contractual services, legal, regulatory remediation, and FDIC insurance costs, partially offset by lower salaries and employee benefits costs. Higher other contractual services expense was primarily due to outsourced BSA/AML compliance services as the Bank continues to augment its compliance staff, while higher legal expense was primarily attributable to corporate, employee benefit plans, and other employment matters. Higher FDIC insurance cost relative to the prior quarter was primarily due to balance sheet growth, while lower salaries and employee benefits cost was primarily due to continued headcount reduction in the mortgage division. During the quarter, the Company sold its wholesale mortgage business operating as LenderSelect Mortgage Group.
Income Statement:
Net Interest Income
Net interest income was $20.4 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $27.4 million for the first quarter of 2023, and $24.1 million for the second quarter of 2022. Relative to both the prior quarter and year-ago periods, net interest income declined due to a lower net interest margin resulting primarily from the aforementioned reversal of interest income related to the specialty finance loans moved to nonaccrual status during the second quarter of 2023, the impact of higher interest rates on the Company's deposits and overall funding costs, and actions taken to add balance sheet liquidity following the market events of March 2023. Relative to the prior year period, these developments were partially offset by an increase in average interest-earning asset balances, and relative to both prior periods, higher loan yields.
Total interest income was $39.0 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $43.1 million for the first quarter of 2023, and $26.2 million for the second quarter of 2022. The decline relative to the prior quarter reflects the aforementioned reversal of interest income related to loans placed on nonaccrual status during the second quarter of 2023. The increase relative to the prior year reflects higher average balances of and yields on interest-earning asset balances, partially offset by the reversal of interest income on loans moved to nonaccrual status during the second quarter of 2023, and lower income from purchase accounting adjustments. The yield on average loans held for investment, excluding PPP loans, was 5.54% for the second quarter of 2023, compared to 6.24% for the first quarter of 2023, and 4.97% for the second quarter of 2022. The reversal of interest income noted above had an approximate negative 75 basis points impact on the yield on average loans held for investment, excluding PPP loans, for the second quarter of 2023.
Total interest expense was $18.6 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $15.7 million for the first quarter of 2023, and $2.2 million for the second quarter of 2022. The increase relative to the prior quarter and the year-ago period reflects higher deposit costs and overall funding costs due to higher market interest rates and a shift in the mix of average interest-bearing liabilities, primarily to higher cost wholesale funding sources.
Average balances of interest-earning assets increased $3.6 million, or 0.1%, to $3.06 billion, in the second quarter of 2023, relative to the prior quarter, and increased by $582.0 million, or 23.5%, from the year-ago period. Relative to the prior quarter, average interest-earning asset balances were relatively flat, reflecting a slight decline in average total securities and loans held for investment balances, offset by higher average balances of loans held for sale and interest-earning deposits in other banks. Relative to the prior year-ago period, average interest-earning asset balances increased due primarily to higher balances of loans held for investment and interest-earning deposits at other banks, partially offset by lower average securities balances.
Average balances of interest-bearing liabilities increased $177.1 million, or 8.2%, to $2.35 billion, in the second quarter of 2023, relative to the prior quarter, and increased $719.3 million, or 44.2%, relative to the year-ago period. Relative to the prior quarter, the increase reflected higher average interest-bearing deposits, primarily higher average wholesale time deposits, partially offset by lower average FHLB borrowings. Relative to the prior year, the increase reflected higher average interest-bearing deposits and higher average FHLB borrowings.
Cost of funds was 2.49% for the second quarter of 2023, compared to 2.11% for the first quarter of 2023, and 0.36% for the second quarter of 2022, while cost of deposits was 2.21%, 1.74%, and 0.26%, for the same respective periods. Higher deposit costs and overall funding costs reflect the impact of higher market interest rates, higher average balances and related interest costs of FHLB borrowings, and a shift in the mix of funding, including an increase in higher cost time deposits, which includes an increase in wholesale funding average balances and a decline in average noninterest-bearing deposits.
Net interest margin was 2.67% for the second quarter of 2023, compared to 3.58% for the first quarter of 2023, and 3.89% for the second quarter of 2022. The decline in net interest margin relative to both prior periods primarily reflects the aforementioned reversal of interest income related to loans placed on nonaccrual status during the second quarter of 2023, the impact of higher interest rates on funding costs, and less benefit from purchase accounting adjustments. These declines were partially offset by higher yields on loans, excluding the reversal of interest income.
Provision for Credit Losses
The Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $20.5 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $3.7 million for the first quarter of 2023, and $7.5 million for the second quarter of 2022. Relative to both prior periods, the increase in provision is primarily attributable to specific reserves and charge-offs on the aforementioned group of specialty finance loans.
Noninterest Income
Noninterest income was $9.7 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $7.3 million for the first quarter of 2023, and $10.2 million for the second quarter of 2022. Relative to the prior quarter, the increase reflected higher residential mortgage banking income, primarily due to the aforementioned fair value adjustments to MSRs, and, to a lesser extent, higher bank and purchase card income, partially offset by lower other noninterest income and negative fair value adjustments of other equity investments. Relative to the year-ago period, the decline reflected lower residential mortgage banking income, partially offset by higher other noninterest income and higher gain on sale of government guaranteed loans.
Noninterest Expense
Noninterest expense was $34.1 million for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $28.8 million for the first quarter of 2023, and $25.3 million for the second quarter of 2022. Relative to the prior quarter and year-ago period, the increase primarily reflects higher other contractual services, legal, regulatory remediation, and FDIC insurance costs, partially offset by lower salaries and employee benefits costs.
Balance Sheet:
Loans
Loans held for investment, excluding PPP loans, were $2.45 billion at June 30, 2023, compared to $2.45 billion at March 31, 2023, and $2.05 billion at June 30, 2022. Loan balances were flat with the prior quarter level, while the Company selectively replaced the amortization of balances with higher yielding loans. The increase in loan balances relative to the year ago period reflected the high level of growth, particularly in the second half of 2022.
Deposits
Total deposits were $2.61 billion at June 30, 2023, a decline of $148.0 million, or 5.4%, from the prior quarter-end, and an increase of $277.4 million, or 11.9%, from the year-ago period. Relative to the prior quarter, the decrease reflected a decline in wholesale funding, primarily time deposits, and, to a lesser extent, declines in other deposit types. Relative to the year-ago period, the increase reflected higher wholesale funding balances, interest-bearing demand and money market deposits, partially offset by lower noninterest-bearing demand deposits. Noninterest-bearing deposits declined 3.1% and 26.7% relative to the prior quarter and year-ago periods, respectively, and represented 22.0%, 21.5%, and 33.6% of total deposits at June 30, 2023, March 31, 2023, and June 30, 2022, respectively. The change from the year-ago period was primarily due to certain fintech-related balances shifting to interest-bearing accounts.
The held for investment loan to deposit ratio was 94.1% at June 30, 2023, compared to 89.0% at the prior quarter-end, and 88.4% at the year-ago period-end. The increase on a linked quarter basis was due primarily to lower wholesale funding at second quarter-end 2023, while the increase from the year-ago period end was due to second half 2022 loan growth.
Fintech Business:
Interest and fee income related to fintech partnerships represented approximately $3.4 million, $2.9 million, and $1.8 million of total revenue for the Company for the second quarter of 2023, the first quarter of 2023, and the second quarter of 2022, respectively.
Deposits related to fintech relationships were $708 million at June 30, 2023, compared to $716 million at the prior quarter-end. These deposits represented 27.1% of total deposits at June 30, 2023, compared to 25.9% of total deposits at the prior quarter-end. Included in deposits related to fintech relationships were assets managed by BRB Financial Group's trust division of $37.2 million as of June 30, 2023.
Other Matters:
On May 15, 2023, the Company sold its wholesale mortgage business operating as LenderSelect Mortgage Group ("LSMG") to a third-party for $250 thousand in cash. The Company recorded a loss on the sale of LSMG of $553 thousand, which is reported in other noninterest income in the consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023.
In the first quarter of 2022, the Company sold its majority interest in MoneyWise Payroll Solutions, Inc. ("MoneyWise") to the holder of the minority interest in MoneyWise. Income statement amounts related to MoneyWise are reported as discontinued operations for all periods presented.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures:
The accounting and reporting policies of the Company conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and prevailing practices in the banking industry. However, management uses certain non-GAAP measures to supplement the evaluation of the Company's performance. Management believes presentations of these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful supplemental information that is essential to a proper understanding of the operating results of the Company's core businesses. These non-GAAP disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP measures are included at the end of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This release of the Company contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent plans, estimates, objectives, goals, guidelines, expectations, intentions, projections, and statements of the Company's beliefs concerning future events, business plans, objectives, expected operating results and the assumptions upon which those statements are based. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and are typically identified with words such as "may," "could," "should," "will," "would," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "aim," "intend," "plan," or words or phases of similar meaning. The Company cautions that the forward-looking statements are based largely on its expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on factors which are, in many instances, beyond the Company's control. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
The following factors, among others, could cause the Company's financial performance to differ materially from that expressed in such forward-looking statements: (i) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which it conducts operations; (ii) changes in the level of the Company's nonperforming assets and charge-offs; (iii) management of risks inherent in the Company's real estate loan portfolio, and the risk of a prolonged downturn in the real estate market, which could impair the value of collateral and the ability to sell collateral upon any foreclosure; (iv) the effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary, and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve, inflation, interest rate, market, and monetary fluctuations; (v) changes in consumer spending and savings habits; (vi) the Company's ability to identify, attract, and retain experienced management, relationship managers, and support personnel, particularly in a competitive labor environment; (vii) technological and social media changes impacting the Company, the Bank, and the financial services industry in general; (viii) changing bank regulatory conditions, laws, regulations, policies, or programs, whether arising as new legislation or regulatory initiatives, that could lead to restrictions on activities of banks generally, or the Bank in particular, more restrictive regulatory capital requirements, increased costs, including deposit insurance premiums, increased regulations, prohibition of certain income producing activities, or changes in the secondary market for loans and other products; (ix) the impact of changes in financial services policies, laws and regulations, including laws, regulations and policies concerning taxes, banking, securities and insurance, and the application thereof by regulatory bodies; (x) the Company's involvement, from time to time, in legal proceedings and examination and remedial actions by regulators; (xi) the impact of, and the ability to comply with, the terms of the formal written agreement between the Bank and the OCC; (xii) the impact of changes in laws, regulations, and policies affecting the real estate industry; (xiii) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted from time to time by bank regulatory agencies, the SEC, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or other accounting standards setting bodies; (xiv) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the adverse impact on our business and operations and on the Company's customers which may result, among other things, in increased delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures and losses on loans; (xv) the occurrence of significant natural disasters, including severe weather conditions, floods, health related issues, and other catastrophic events; (xvi) geopolitical conditions, including acts or threats of terrorism and/or military conflicts, or actions taken by the U.S. or other governments in response to acts or threats of terrorism and/or military conflicts, which could impact business and economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad; (xvii) the timely development of competitive new products and services and the acceptance of these products and services by new and existing customers; (xviii) the willingness of users to substitute competitors' products and services for the Company's products and services; (xix) the Company's inability to successfully manage growth or implement its growth strategy; (xx) reputational risk and potential adverse reactions of the Company's customers, suppliers, employees or other business partners; (xxi) the effect of acquisitions the Company may make, including, without limitation, disruption of employee or customer relationships, and the failure to achieve the expected revenue growth and/or expense savings from such acquisitions; (xxii) the Company's participation in the PPP established by the U.S. government and its administration of the loans and processing fees earned under the program; (xxiii) the Company's involvement, from time to time, in legal proceedings, and examination and remedial actions by regulators; (xxiv) the Company's potential exposure to fraud, negligence, computer theft, and cyber-crime; (xxv) the Bank's ability to effectively manage its fintech partnerships, and the abilities of those fintech companies to perform as expected; (xxvi) the Bank's ability to pay dividends to the Company; and (xxvii) other risks and factors identified in the "Risk Factors" sections and elsewhere in documents the Company files from time to time with the SEC.
1 Non-GAAP financial measure. Further information can be found at the end of this press release.
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SOURCE Blue Ridge Bankshares, Inc. | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/blue-ridge-bankshares-inc-announces-second-quarter-2023-results/ | 2023-07-31T17:42:02 | 1 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/blue-ridge-bankshares-inc-announces-second-quarter-2023-results/ |
One of the small boulders being dragged out from the culvert. A dozen or so had already been removed, some larger than this, with still more yet to be removed.
One of the small boulders being dragged out from the culvert. A dozen or so had already been removed, some larger than this, with still more yet to be removed.
In continuing efforts to control recent severe flooding of Camp Creek Branch that runs under Main Street at the Tanglefoot Trail bridge, a crew from M and M Underground Video Inspection Service was at the site Monday morning.
They used their specialized equipment to vacuum out silt that had built up in the culverts under the street, reported to be as much as a couple of feet deep in spots.
Also, the crews found a number of large rocks and small boulders, some two feet long or more, that were impeding water flow as well.
Mayor Tim Kent said this past week that plans include adding grates at culverts farther upstream, probably at North Central and Camp, to catch debris before it can accumulate at Main Street. Adding to the problem was that some timber had been cut on property between Bankhead Street and the railroad a year or two ago and it had washed down the hill as well, contributing to the blockage and flooding.
The effectiveness of the cleanup won’t be clear until the next unusually heavy rain.
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MAINE, USA — She didn’t drive.
She couldn’t schedule appointments on her own.
She wouldn’t be able to hold a job and was dependent on others to get through the day.
The petition filed in the Hancock County Probate Court by Julie Thielen-Montgomery in 2011 painted a helpless picture of her daughter, Cindy Thielen.
Thielen-Montgomery was asking the court to make her the guardian of her 19-year-old daughter, who was diagnosed with autism at 13. That meant the mother would have complete control of her daughter’s life choices for years to come.
Cindy Thielen didn’t want this. She knew she needed some help but wanted to control her own life.
She was soft spoken and kept her eyes downcast when a court-appointed assessor, known as a “visitor,” met her to prepare a report for the judge. Her autism was a “pervasive developmental disorder” that may require Thielen to have a guardian for the rest of her life, the visitor wrote, urging that the guardianship be approved.
On the day of the hearing, Thielen wasn’t in the courtroom even though she wanted to be, she said later. A case manager told the judge it would cause Thielen too much anxiety to attend the hearing.
Thielen-Montgomery, in an interview, didn’t recall her daughter asking to be at the court, although she said her memory has faded in the 12 years since then. Thielen signed a court notice of the hearing, and she went to school that day like it was any other Tuesday. By the time she got home to their Ellsworth apartment that afternoon, her mother had the guardianship paperwork.
Thielen-Montgomery said guardianship was the right choice, “at the time, but I should have given her a chance.”
“I felt afraid of her getting used by somebody, (and them) taking advantage of her in regards to money,” Thielen-Montgomery said in a recent interview.
Everyone in Thielen’s life, at the time, was saying she couldn’t be on her own.
“I don’t think they felt like I was going to amount to much or have the chance to live on my own,” said Thielen, now 31 and living independently in Bangor. “It made me feel sad, because I knew that there was more that I could do to try to do good things in the world.”
For decades in Maine, when someone with an intellectual or developmental disability has turned 18, the decision by the courts often has been to put them in a guardianship — one that can last a lifetime.
Laws that went into effect in Maine in late 2019 require judges to first consider a less restrictive alternative called “supported decision-making,” a nationally recognized tool used by people with disabilities to help them assess the consequences of big and small decisions.
The person picks supporters and talks through a decision — like any adult might consult a friend in the medical profession before agreeing to surgery, or a group of friends would discuss ways to save money for a car.
Guardians are supposed to be a last resort to make medical, financial and housing decisions for an adult whom a judge deems cannot make or communicate their own choices.
But in the nearly four years since the law passed, Maine’s probate judges have infrequently gone for supported decision-making. A limited amount of training has been offered to probate judges on this alternative, and some say they are unsure how to apply it.
No court or state entity has tracked the use of supported decision-making. Nor does anyone track guardianships statewide.
Some of Maine’s 16 independent county probate courts only recently began tracking adult guardianships, a survey sent by The Maine Monitor in April found. Among the probate courts that responded to the survey, several didn’t know the number of active guardianships in their counties. A few courts said they don’t know if the people in guardianships are still alive, the Monitor reported in June as part of an ongoing investigation of the state’s part-time probate courts.
Supported decision-making avoids the severe restrictions of guardianship. The judge decides the adult can make choices, with help, and retains the right to make decisions without any further court involvement. But it may not work for everyone.
Some family members of adults with a range of disabilities say a full guardianship is essential to protect their relatives, who are vulnerable to scams, exploitation or abuse. They say having legal status as a guardian allows them to make decisions about medical care, education, housing and how fixed Social Security incomes are spent.
They are at odds with the state’s top disability advocacy organization, Disability Rights Maine, which has taken a hard-line stance against guardianship. The disability rights group contends that guardianships are overused in Maine. The organization has represented people with disabilities in probate court to end their guardianships.
Too often attorneys with the organization said they find that people were not assigned a lawyer when a petition for guardianship was first filed with the probate court, said Lauren Wille, a disability rights attorney who used to be a criminal defense lawyer.
“If the same percentage of criminal defendants did not have attorneys as people coming under guardianship — which is really just as restrictive — I think people would be flabbergasted,” said Wille.
One Topsham mother, Debbie Dionne, agonized about whether guardianship was necessary for her daughter, Kate Riordan, who has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability following a traumatic birth four decades ago. Dionne ultimately decided Riordan needed a guardian.
Now 43, Riordan can select quickly on an iPad the people she wants to be with — Nancy, Kristi and Matt, who are friends she grew up with or lives with at a Brunswick group home. But she doesn’t know how long she has lived at her home or how to describe her medical needs.
Many are pushing supported decision-making, Dionne said, but she doesn’t see it as the right choice for everyone.
“You know in your heart what is best for your son or daughter, and I would never presume to make decisions for her,” Dionne said.
“Yeah!” Riordan said immediately.
Judges unsure
Probate judges considering less restrictive alternatives to a guardianship said there is little direction in the law. This has left some of them unsure about how to apply “supported decision making.” Yet the law requires probate judges to rule it out before appointing a guardian.
Judge William Avantaggio said he made supported decision-making a part of an order for limited guardianship in a few cases at the Lincoln County Probate Court.
The most successful supported decision-making cases are among family members who were already using it before coming to court, Avantaggio said.
“It is difficult to blend with a court order,” Avantaggio said. “I’ve tried … in cases where it’s warranted to use more language like ‘obtain,’ ‘consider’ — that sort of stuff — but ultimately someone has to make a decision.”
The American Bar Association adopted a resolution in 2017 that urged states to amend their guardianship laws, and for courts to recognize supported decision-making as an alternative to guardianship.
About one-third of states have a definition of supported decision-making in state law, according to a 2022 analysis by the American Bar Association.
Fifteen states have taken an additional step to define what a supported decision-making agreement entails or how it can be terminated, but Maine law does not.
For example, Rhode Island has strict rules about having written, signed and dated supported decision-making agreements that authorize certain people to help with specific decisions. The law also disqualifies an employer or a person paid to provide direct support services from helping with those decisions.
There is disagreement among guardianship experts about whether detailed laws about supported decision-making are necessary, said David English, a University of Missouri law professor and chair of the national committee that wrote the revised guardianship laws Maine adopted.
These laws can formalize the supported decision-making process and potentially give banks or medical providers more confidence in a person’s capacity to make their own choices, English said. But the laws various states passed are very detailed and are all different.
“There’s a serious debate whether these detailed statutes are useful or effective,” said English.
There are also options other than full guardianship that already give another person the right to make limited decisions for another adult, such as a power of attorney or an advanced health-care directive. There are also arrangements that allow someone to manage the Social Security benefits of an adult who needs help.
The test
A probate judge in any adult guardianship case ultimately decides whether a person can safely make their own decisions or whether they need someone else to make them.
Families in all walks of life find themselves in the courtroom to make this decision for parents with dementia, people in early adulthood with schizophrenia or teens with disabilities approaching their 18th birthdays.
Resisting a petition for guardianship can be particularly challenging for young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They are in the unique position of having to prove to a judge at age 18 that they are capable of making “good choices.” Complex family dynamics are often at play and teens don’t realize the rights they are giving up when they agree to let a parent be a guardian, legal experts said. And the outcome can be permanent.
“Guardianship takes away your civil rights. It takes away your civil liberties and formally — not in some abstract way — is the court taking away your rights and giving those rights to someone else to hold on your behalf or exercise on your behalf,” said Zoe Brennan-Krohn, an attorney with the national ACLU Disability Rights Program.
Guardianship can be hard to undo. It is not a simple matter of a guardian agreeing to relinquish their decision-making power, she said. A judge needs to be convinced that the adult has regained the capacity to make their own decisions. The judge can assign another guardian if the judge thinks the person still lacks a decision-making capacity. It’s a monumental task for any adult, whether they have a guardian because of illness, injury, age or disability.
“Very often, people end up staying in guardianships because they still have a disability,” Brennan-Krohn said. “You don’t stop having most types of disabilities.”
Brenda Clough has worked as a case manager for Special Children’s Friends in Hancock County for more than 15 years. She starts advising parents about guardianship when their children reach high school. It all comes down to safety, she said. Together they go in detail through the teen’s skills, such as their ability to use a stove or a toaster oven without catching themselves or the kitchen on fire, she said.
“Most of my kids have gone to full guardianship with the intent that supported decision-making will be reconsidered in the future once the skills are learned,” Clough said.
But reconsideration of a guardianship for supported decision-making has not happened with her clients, Clough acknowledged. In fact, the opposite has happened, with some parents seeking full guardianships, she said.
Disability Rights Maine trained 2,000 family members, case workers, lawyers and probate judges about supported decision-making as the law was coming into effect. The group also wrote a user guide and provided copies to each probate court.
“The default in Maine used to be full guardianship at 18,” said Staci Converse, a managing attorney with Disability Rights Maine.
Maine’s new guardianship law is a leap forward in progressive thinking about guardianship, she said.
Still, some forms the probate courts rely on to evaluate the need for a guardian are skewed toward finding the adult lacks the ability to make decisions on their own, she said.
For example, a doctor’s report is required with every guardianship petition. The two-page form asks the medical professional to check boxes on a list of skills the person is incapable of doing, such as finding a home, pursuing medical care or appropriately spending money.
“It leads almost to a determination that a person needs a guardian as written,” Converse said.
A court-appointed visitor also is assigned during every adult guardianship case to advise the person of their rights and make a recommendation to the probate judge. There is no formal training program for the visitors, and they had limited training after the guardianship law changed in 2019.
Susan Mauro, a visitor contracted with the Kennebec County Probate Court, said adding supported decision-making to the law made her job more difficult and “clouded” the choice between guardianship or not.
Mauro’s recommendations are based on an interview with the adult and proposed guardian. She watches their behavior to see if they’re aware of their surroundings, she said. For example, when she asks a teen with an intellectual disability about their date of birth or hobbies and they look to their parents, “you can see that they’re not ready to be a fully independent adult,” Mauro said.
Judge Elizabeth Mitchell, who assigns Mauro to cases, said she makes her own determination and doesn’t always follow a visitor’s recommendation.
“(The) probate court does not order supported decision-making. We ask on all our forms that petitioners and visitors explore that as a possibility,” Mitchell said.
‘Kate is thriving’
Kate Riordan wants to know when certain workers will be at the house. She wants the pictures, plush bears and flowers on her nightstand arranged a certain way. And she wants to spontaneously call family members on FaceTime. Riordan is a strong-willed woman living with cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability, and she relies on her mother, who is also her guardian, to make major decisions.
Riordan’s mother, Debbie Dionne, struggled to decide whether to seek guardianship when Riordan turned 18. Dionne decided it was the best option to ensure Riordan’s medical and housing needs were met while leaving Riordan in control of her daily social decisions.
A barrier to Dionne and Riordan using supported decision-making is that Riordan does not initiate decision-making. She does not have the language tools to ask for advice, Dionne said. When a decision needs to be made, Dionne starts their discussions.
Riordan has used sign language since she was in preschool, but because she has cerebral palsy, she lacks the fine motor skills to spell words with her fingers. She fills in the gaps with gestures, spoken words, and an iPad filled with icons and programmed responses representing her favorite foods, family members and critical information like her full name and address.
Dionne fills in the missing details during an interview on a recent Tuesday, asking Riordan, “Can I add a little bit to that? Is that OK?”
Riordan’s life is full of choices at the home she shares with other adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities run by the Independence Association in Brunswick. She moves freely around the one-story building, eating meals in the large central kitchen, watching Animal Planet in the living room, and making crafts from the beads, paper and paints that are always available.
Riordan is Dionne’s only child. Dionne labored for more than 14 hours at the Parkview Adventist Medical Center, now Mid Coast Hospital, in Brunswick on Oct. 28, 1979. The fetal monitor strapped across her full-term abdomen showed a flat line. Riordan arrived in the world without a sound.
“It seemed like forever, but it was 10 minutes,” Dionne said. “She was resuscitated by the pediatrician. He just kept working on her and working on her. And she didn’t cry and she didn’t cry; then finally, it was this horrid cry.”
Doctors said Riordan would be tube-fed the rest of her life, wouldn’t sit up, wouldn’t walk and would be blind. Dionne was advised soon after birth to send Riordan to live at the Pineland Center, the state’s institution for the disabled. Pineland closed in 1996.
Only one doctor offered a different opinion: “You should take her home and love her just like you would have if this never happened. Just love her.”
Riordan rose above the doctors’ expectations. She started walking when she was 8 years old and still uses a rolling walker for balance. She wears lavender glasses over attentive blue eyes. She loves to eat lobster – like a true Mainer.
Her favorite hobby is “bowling,” she says, using an iPad. She navigates to the “people in my life” and selects Matt, or “Hubba Hubba,” who she plays Wii bowling with, and is her longterm boyfriend. There’s a framed picture of them on her dresser.
“I’m a very different person than I was when she was born,” said Dionne. “Sometimes you don’t always get what you want, but it’s actually better. You have all these dreams.”
Dionne, 71, trails off at the end of her thought. She, like many parents, dreams of a day that their child could be independent. She worries about who will take over as guardian when she is gone.
Dionne has seen Riordan shut down when she can’t tell people what she likes. During one particularly difficult period, “she retreated, got depressed, lost 10 pounds,” said Dionne. Riordan started seeing a counselor who uses sign language and has improved.
Riordan’s life is the best and most stable it has been in a long time, and that is because she’s had a guardian intervening. Riordan pats a spot on the bed beside her, inviting her mother to sit. Together, with gentle suggestions from Dionne, Riordan finds the answers to questions on her iPad. When asked, Riordan knows that her mother is her guardian. She doesn’t have the words to say what a guardian does.
“Kate is thriving and happy and flourishing,” Dionne said, “because I’m in her life and making sure that happens.”
Overuse of guardianship?
Maine adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities who receive state services appear to be subjected to full guardianship much more often than the national average, although that may be changing.
Maine contracts with providers of group homes, day programs and shared living arrangements to meet people’s needs, which are funded by MaineCare. Two major programs are the Section 21 and Section 29 waivers.
There are 1,985 adults waiting for the Section 21 waiver, which supports people who need near-constant supervision, according to state data.
People with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation are the state’s top priority for any opening in the Section 21 waiver program, according to state rules. Those with a lower priority level can wait years for a spot to open. The state is in the process of creating a new “lifetime waiver” to eliminate the wait lists, the Monitor reported in January.
A survey of 400 adults in Maine receiving Section 21 and Section 29 waiver services found 60% had a full guardianship. The finding, part of the 2018-2019 National Core Indicators survey, is above the national average of 33% of surveyed adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities having full guardianships.
The Maine Developmental Disabilities Council testified to state lawmakers in 2019 that they did not know why Maine’s use of guardianship is so high, and would welcome legislation “that has the potential to impact guardianships.”
Current state data indicates that 495 adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities are subject to guardianship in Maine, making up 8% of individuals in the state’s Sections 21 and 29 waiver programs, said Jackie Farwell, a spokeswoman with the Department of Health and Human Services.
Disability Rights Maine, the state’s designated Protection and Advocacy agency for people with disabilities, has taken the stance that guardianship is not justified if a person can communicate, even minimally.
There are people within the disability community who may never be able to use supported decision-making. And attempts to remove guardianship as an option in Maine have frightened parents of adults with complex needs.
One of those parents, Kim Humphrey of Auburn, gave up a career in public health to advocate for her son, Dan Humphrey.
At age 2, Dan was diagnosed with congenital dysphagia with the possibility of autism, which was later confirmed to be autism. He requires around-the-clock support from multiple people to get through the day. He communicates with head nods, and has an iPad but only limited capacity to navigate it. He was enrolled at an out-of-state school specializing in students with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities from ages 11 to 20, where he received one-to-one support.
With the right help, Dan, now 34, can help deliver food through Meals on Wheels with his support team, be better understood by those who help care for him, and care for his basic hygiene. Without support, those skills diminish. And when there are not enough direct support professionals or if the people don’t understand Dan, or if he’s in pain, he can also become aggressive, his mother said.
“If you say that ‘nobody’ needs a guardian and then you meet somebody like him, well then, is he nobody?” Kim said.
Kim explored 10 provider agencies that operate group homes that could possibly meet her son’s needs when it was time to move Dan back to Maine. Without the full authority of guardianship, she doesn’t think she could have gotten him into the right home. Dan was approved for a Section 21 waiver in 2009.
None of the nine guardians interviewed by the Monitor said they wanted to take away decisions from their relative with a disability. Their fears were of fires – set in kitchens when unattended – food eaten in excess, to the point they became sick, or situations where sexual exploitation was possible.
Maine is transitioning from all guardianships to some supported decision-making, said Margaret Cardoza of Portland, an adult living with a developmental disability.
“Just like any law that gets changed. It may be the law, but the lifestyle, the culture, the traditions, the attitudes take longer to adjust. And attitudes are the most difficult part that needs to change,” Cardoza said. “It’s about time.”
Cardoza is married and owns a home. She is also a vocal self-advocate and has pushed for the state to make supported decision-making available to people with disabilities since 2013. Through her advocacy she’s met other people with disabilities who have not been allowed to get married, live in places that allow them to come and go freely, or even vote.
Under guardianship, adults retain only three privileges — the right to marry, vote and retain a lawyer. Still, probate judges have the discretion to take away the privileges to marry and vote.
People with disabilities, such as Cardoza, who are visibly “on the front lines” advocating for themselves for self-determination, choice, independence and civil rights, have the potential to do a lot of good to eliminate the stigma of people with disabilities, Kim said.
But people like her son, and some people with higher needs, are not among them and may never be, she said.
The strong opposition to anything other than supported decision-making risks cutting services, policies, money and resources for people who need guardianship. The stigmatization of guardians also has the risk of dividing the disability community between the people who need guardians and those who don’t — making the people in guardianship invisible, Kim said.
A journey to be free
As Cindy Thielen tells it, no one would listen when she spoke about her future.
A curtain of long brown hair covers Thielen’s profile, and she speaks softly with a unique rhythm. Years of speech therapy fixed what she describes as “gibberish” she spoke as a young child. She also spent a long time working on making eye contact with people.
One of her special education teachers in high school said she “sounded like a 5-year-old,” Thielen recalled.
How a person speaks can be a flawed measure of their ability to make decisions, especially people with disabilities who may speak in an unconventional way.
“A lot of our clients communicate in sort of non-traditional ways,” said Wille, the lawyer with Disability Rights Maine. “You spoke with Cindy (Thielen); her voice is not a traditional voice. People hear her voice and they jump to all sorts of conclusions about her. And then when you hear what she’s actually saying, she breaks apart those notions.”
Thielen, who uses supported decision-making informally, said people see her differently because of her autism. With her disability, it was assumed she couldn’t attend college, even with good grades and after taking the SAT.
The special education teachers recommended Thielen do two more years of high school and not graduate when she was 18. Instead, her mom suggested a compromise, Thielen recalled. She would complete an additional year at the Hancock County Technical Center, where she was already attending half of the school day.
“I would say what I wanted, and it seemed like it would go their way anyway,” Thielen said. “They wanted me to stay back and graduate essentially with a blank diploma cover, and I didn’t want that. I got so upset, I wanted to almost walk out the door.”
Most parents pursue guardianship of a child with disabilities, said Linda Henderson, who was Thielen’s case manager and who filled out much of the guardianship petition and plan that was submitted to the probate court in 2011. Parents often want help going through the court process, she said.
Henderson said she did not remember Thielen, and that she was not the typical client if she was able to attend college. Thielen clearly had strengths, Henderson said.
“I don’t think she quite understood the legality of what guardianship meant,” Thielen said of her mother, who went to probate court in 2011 to gain guardianship of Thielen, “because I don’t think she really understood what was involved and what she had to do.”
Thielen told The Maine Monitor that her life was far less stable than the one described on paper to the probate court.
Thielen-Montgomery struggled to get approved for Social Security disability benefits for more than three years following a workplace injury, she said. The checks were not enough to cover all their living expenses.
They were forced out of their apartment in Ellsworth because the electricity was shut off, and they briefly lived in a homeless shelter in late 2011, Thielen said. Her mother abandoned another apartment and moved into a private residence where Thielen said she didn’t feel safe. In 2015, her mother withheld two months of Thielen’s Social Security disability payments — worth $1,466, a probate judge ruled.
Thielen doesn’t believe her mother was ill-intended with the guardianship. But it meant Thielen-Montgomery controlled the bank account where her Social Security disability payments were deposited. Thielen-Montgomery said Thielen had a debit card and they would discuss what to buy.
Thielen also could not sign paperwork at the doctor’s office on her own, and the physician would speak directly to her mother — even when Thielen was in the room, she said. Thielen-Montgomery said this was true, and that the doctors should have spoken to Thielen.
During those tumultuous years, Thielen had applied and was accepted into college. From her dorm room in 2015, Thielen emailed the probate court and asked to terminate her mother’s guardianship.
By then, she was about halfway to graduating from the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in studio art. She’d lived on campus, and had navigated the social and academic demands of college.
She was immediately appointed an attorney, which Thielen had not been afforded when she was 19 and her mom was first seeking to be made Thielen’s guardian.
After one hearing, the judge suspended the guardianship.
Adults subject to a guardianship petition are advised they have the right to hire a lawyer, but are also told that the cost of paying for a lawyer may come out of their own pockets.
A state bill proposed in 2019 would have required lawyers for all adult guardianship cases. Probate judges were among the stakeholders to object, in part because of the added cost to county budgets. The bill did not pass.
“This is another unfunded mandate, mostly unnecessary. Now if the State agrees to pay for all those attorneys, I might be OK with it even though I’m not convinced that it is totally necessary,” Somerset County Probate Judge Robert Washburn wrote in an email to the other judges at the time.
All 10 probate courts that responded to a Monitor survey said they will assign an attorney if the person opposes a guardianship. Probate courts are separate from the rest of Maine’s judiciary and are funded by county governments.
In Thielen’s situation, the guardianship suspension left her case in limbo. She graduated from college in 2017, started working in the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies at the university, and moved into her own apartment, but technically she was not free.
In November 2021, Disability Rights Maine intervened to finish the termination of her mother’s guardianship. Thielen-Montgomery didn’t fight the request, she said.
“I felt as though she could handle it and I knew my daughter well enough — she still calls me on a daily basis. We do that. She communicates with me what she needs and what she might get and she asks me, ‘what do I think?’ ” Thielen-Montgomery said.
It had been nearly 11 years since the day Thielen came home from school and her mom had those guardianship papers.
Eleven years since she lost control of her own life.
Eleven years since she could make almost any significant decision on her own.
On April 12, 2022, a probate judge gave Thielen her life back.
“There’s a lot of us out there that want to prove — yes we can,” she said.
This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from the Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/guardianship-maine-laws-process-the-decision-that-can-last-a-lifetime/97-12f5e706-b91c-440a-997f-0f84c827c13c | 2023-07-31T17:42:07 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/guardianship-maine-laws-process-the-decision-that-can-last-a-lifetime/97-12f5e706-b91c-440a-997f-0f84c827c13c |
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Damar Hamlin took another step in his comeback as he donned pads for a Buffalo Bills practice for the first time since his cardiac arrest, CNN reported.
Bills players put on the pads Monday for the first time during training camp as they prepare for the upcoming NFL season.
SEE ALSO: Damar Hamlin opens up about his 'remarkable' recovery in GMA interview
On Jan. 2, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle and appearing to be hit with a helmet in his chest during the first quarter of the Bills' Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
CPR was performed on Hamlin when he lost his pulse and needed to be revived through resuscitation and defibrillation.
RELATED: 'Fear is a choice': Damar Hamlin talks about being cleared to play
Hamlin was cleared to resume football activities after it was determined that his cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, which can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart's electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations.
Last week, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that Hamlin would be a "full go" at the team's training camp and that the Bills would go at his cadence.
SEE THIS: NFL player Damar Hamlin's collapse highlights importance of knowing CPR
The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://6abc.com/news-about-damar-hamlin-condition-cardiac-arrest-buffalo-bills/13577621/ | 2023-07-31T17:42:09 | 1 | https://6abc.com/news-about-damar-hamlin-condition-cardiac-arrest-buffalo-bills/13577621/ |
Provides DUI/DWI Solutions and Free Virtual Continuing Education
DES MOINES, Iowa, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Safety Technology, a leader in safety and detection products and services, announced today it has been named the Official DUI/DWI Services Sponsor for The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL). The expanded partnership will provide continuing education seminars and exclusive benefits to support FACDL attorneys and their clients.
FACDL is the only statewide organization in Florida dedicated solely to criminal defense attorneys. A not-for-profit corporation, FACDL was formed for scientific and educational purposes and is affiliated with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
"Expanding our partnership with FACDL reinforces our commitment to supporting criminal defense attorneys across the state," said Kathy Boden Holland, CEO, CST. "By offering members valuable continuing legal education content and access to products and services for every step in the DUI process, we aim to enhance their expertise and effectiveness in representing clients."
CST's suite of comprehensive alcohol and impairment solutions includes Intoxalock, the leading ignition interlock brand in the US, and trusted partner to attorneys and monitoring authorities. Through the partnership, FACDL members can easily address multiple client needs with products and services covering the entire DUI process, not just one area.
- Intoxalock – Intoxalock devices are approved in Florida and meet all state criteria for court-ordered devices. With VIP support from Intoxalock, FACDL member's clients will receive expedited assistance. www.intoxalock.com
- Breathe Easy - High-risk insurance coverage is often a requirement following a DUI or DWI conviction. Breathe Easy insurance brokerage works with several providers, and FACDL members can rely on Breathe Easy representatives to find the best coverage for the lowest price on behalf of their clients. https://www.breatheeasyins.com/
- New Directions - Assessments that DUI and DWI defendants can use to strengthen their case in court. As part of the partnership, FACDL members will receive priority scheduling for assessments. All clients will receive a customized assessment tailored to their unique situation and needs. New Directions also offers a money-back guarantee if the assessment is not accepted in court. https://www.ndsbs.com/
Key FACDL event dates:
- October 4, 2023 - Ignition Interlock 101: The 5 Most Common Mistakes Clients – FACDL members will learn more about ignition interlock devices and the benefits, requirements, and technical aspects of the device.
- November 16-17, 2023 - CST will serve as the top-tier sponsor for the DUI Defense Seminar, Blood, Breath & Tears, at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville, Florida.
For more information on how FACDL attorney members can join the Intoxalock Select Attorney Network and get instant access to client savings materials visit the FACDL and Intoxalock Partner page.
About Consumer Safety Technology
Consumer Safety Technology (CST) is a leader in safety and detection products and services that help people live responsibly and make communities safer. A force for good for more than 30 years, CST and its family of leading brands serve as a trusted partner to both individuals and authorities. CST's portfolio features comprehensive alcohol and impairment solutions that uniquely cover the entire DUI process and include: Intoxalock, the number one ignition interlock brand in the US; Breathe Easy, specialized and low-cost insurance; and New Directions, virtual court and employer accepted assessments. Driven by a commitment to delivering reliable and exceptional service, combined with innovative technology that makes positive change, CST has achieved sustained growth and success. CST is a portfolio company of L. Catterton and was named Best Place to Work for Working Parents in 2022 and 2023. For more information visit www.consumersafetytechnology.com or via LinkedIn.com.
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SOURCE Intoxalock | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/consumer-safety-technology-announces-expanded-partnership-with-florida-association-criminal-defense-lawyers/ | 2023-07-31T17:42:09 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/consumer-safety-technology-announces-expanded-partnership-with-florida-association-criminal-defense-lawyers/ |
Mississippi continues to rank first in the nation in fetal deaths, according to 2021 data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.
The report examined deaths of fetuses in utero that occurred after 20 weeks’ gestation, also known as stillbirths, in the United States. Mississippi led the nation with a rate of 10 deaths per 1,000 live births, almost twice the national rate of 5.73.
Mississippi has also long led the nation in infant mortality, or the death of babies up to one year of age.
State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said “the time for study and evaluation has passed,” and it is time for action.
“We’ve been working for the past year to implement the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program for high-risk moms and babies on Medicaid,” Edney continued. “We’ve also just been given the endorsement of the state Board of Health to develop the best OB system of care that we possibly can, following the models of national organizations and the other 10 states that have mandatory maternal levels of care for hospitals.”
Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies is a partnership between the state’s Health Department and the state Division of Medicaid that places registered nurse case managers in the homes of mothers undergoing high-risk pregnancies and who have recently given birth.
Similar to the Health Department’s trauma, ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and stroke systems of care, the OB system will facilitate transferring high-risk pregnant women and their babies to the right level of care at the right time. The system of care is not yet in place — the state Board of Health just authorized staff to start working on it at its board meeting earlier this month.
Nationally, more than 21,000 stillbirths occurred in 2021, or about six for every 1,000 live births.
For Black women nationally, the fetal mortality rate declined by 4% from 10.34 (2020) to 9.89 (2021). However, Black women still had the highest fetal mortality rate compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. — nearly double the national rate of 5.74 per 1,000 live births.
According to the report, most fetal deaths were associated with an “unspecified cause.” Other common causes were complications of the placenta, cord and membranes; maternal conditions unrelated to pregnancy; maternal complications of pregnancy; and congenital malformations.
The fetal mortality rate for women who smoked during pregnancy was almost twice that of nonsmokers — 9.62 compared to 5.08, respectively.
“The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics confirms what we currently know, stillbirth prevention needs to remain a priority. While the stillbirth rate from 2020 to 2021 essentially remained unchanged, any fetal deaths that could have been prevented are unacceptable,” Dr. Christopher Zahn, interim CEO and chief of clinical practice and health equity and quality for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told Mississippi Today.
Samantha Banerjee, executive director of PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy and a mom whose daughter Alana was stillborn in 2013, said the “numbers are shameful” but “not shocking to those of us in the stillbirth community.”
“We have fallen far behind our international peers when it comes to ending preventable stillbirth, and averting these tragedies has never been made a priority in the U.S. It is beyond time for change, and we hope that the recent CDC report serves as a wake-up call to our medical and public health leaders,” Banerjee told Mississippi Today.
PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing the rate of stillbirth in the U.S., empowers pregnant women and their providers to recognize warning signs of stillbirth. PUSH also closely coordinates with Black maternal health and maternal mortality communities on patient-centered solutions addressing stillbirth.
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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.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/bear-spotted-in-california-jacuzzi/507-5f9278de-6918-4d7a-ac90-bff00c664569 | 2023-07-31T17:42:13 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/bear-spotted-in-california-jacuzzi/507-5f9278de-6918-4d7a-ac90-bff00c664569 |
Paul Reubens, who found fame as the quirky man-child character Pee-wee Herman, has died, according to an announcement on his verified social media.
He was 70.
Reubens died Sunday night after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public, his publicist said in a statement.
"Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness," the statement reads. "Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit."
CNN has reached out to a representative for Reubens for further comment.
This story is developing and will be updated. | https://6abc.com/pee-wee-herman-peewee-paul-reubens-dead-died/13577923/ | 2023-07-31T17:42:15 | 0 | https://6abc.com/pee-wee-herman-peewee-paul-reubens-dead-died/13577923/ |
GENEVA, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fractal, a shipping company developed to enhance global energy security, reiterates its unwavering commitment to strict adherence to international law and rigorous safety standards. The company diligently monitors the global price of crude and faithfully abides by the rules established by the price cap mechanism. This dedication to ethical business practices and full compliance, including adhering to the price cap regulations set by the EU, US, and other international regulatory bodies, reinforces Fractal's responsible approach in the energy sector.
"Our mission at Fractal is not just to ensure the smooth transportation of goods globally, but also to uphold the highest standards of safety, compliance, and respect for international law," stated Mathieu Philippe, Chief Executive Officer and Ultimate Beneficial Owner of Fractal. "We are proud to contribute to the world's energy security while adhering to the legal boundaries and fostering sustainable practices in the shipping industry."
Fractal's expertise lies in efficiently transporting crude oil and petroleum products worldwide, serving a diverse and global clientele with a primary focus on customers seeking reliable access to energy products. Each client relationship is built on the foundation of mutual respect for international law, further emphasizing Fractal's commitment to responsible and transparent business conduct.
To ensure the utmost level of compliance, Fractal has implemented a robust "Know Your Customer" process, enhancing its ability to meet regulatory requirements and maintain the highest ethical standards. Additionally, the company strictly adheres to international sanctions and compliance regimes, including in operations involving trade with Russia crude, in pursuit of conducting business responsibly and ethically.
Fractal's fleet consistently meets the industry's most stringent safety standards. Every vessel in the fleet undergoes regular inspections under the Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE), guaranteeing compliance and top-notch maintenance.
Every vessel in our fleet is certified by world-renowned certification bodies, members of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), such as DNV, BV, Lloyd's Register, ABS, NKK. Additionally, our ships are insured by prominent international groups of P&I clubs, including the West of England and American Club. This is a testament to our commitment to maintaining not only regulatory compliance but also the highest safety standards.
"At Fractal, safety, compliance, and respect for international law are at the core of everything we do. Our strategic and efficient shipping operations differentiate us in the global shipping industry, and we are steadfast in our commitment to contributing to the world's economy responsibly," said Mathieu Philippe.
About Fractal:
Fractal is an international shipper with a focus on the global transportation of crude oil and petroleum products. The company is dedicated to upholding the principles of international law, safety, and compliance while contributing to the world's energy security. Fractal's commitment to ethical business practices and safety sets it apart in the global shipping industry.
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SOURCE Fractal | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/fractal-reaffirms-its-commitment-ethical-business-practices-compliance-safety-global-shipping-industry/ | 2023-07-31T17:42:16 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/fractal-reaffirms-its-commitment-ethical-business-practices-compliance-safety-global-shipping-industry/ |