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Thunderstorms and high winds are expected to roll into the Twin Cities Tuesday afternoon, threatening the St. Paul Saints’ home opener.
The storms should continue into the evening and they could be severe, according to the National Weather Service. Hail and tornados may also accompany the storms in central and southern Minnesota.
On Wednesday, wind gusts — some reaching as high as 55 mph — may be in the mix for the region as well. Scattered snow showers are possible Thursday with chances of low visibility due to failing and blowing snow.
The storm is part of a massive weather system expected to hit eastern North Dakota, northern South Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Forecasters were expecting blizzard conditions with as much as one to two feet of snow in some of the affected areas with lesser amounts elsewhere.
After the storms, temperatures are expected to remain chilly — with highs only rising to the 40s into the weekend. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/minneapolis-st-paul-weather-thunderstorms-high-winds-expected-for-twin-cities-tuesday-wednesday/ | 2022-04-13T10:43:58 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/minneapolis-st-paul-weather-thunderstorms-high-winds-expected-for-twin-cities-tuesday-wednesday/ |
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets won’t be the Miami Heat’s concern in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
With Tuesday night’s 115-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a play-in game at Barclays Center, the Nets secured the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the best-of-seven opening round of the playoffs, starting Sunday at TD Garden.
The Cavaliers fell into Friday’s winner-take-all game for the No. 8 seed against the winner of Wednesday night’s No. 10 Charlotte Hornets at No. 9 Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland will host Friday’s game, with the winner to face the Heat starting Sunday at FTX Arena.
The Heat, in their half of the East bracket, now cannot face the Nets, Celtics, No. 3. Milwaukee Bucks or No. 6 Chicago Bulls until the Eastern Conference finals.
The NBA announced Tuesday that the Heat’s playoff opener will be 1 p.m. Sunday at FTX Arena, against either the Hawks, Hornets or Cavaliers, meaning a quick turnaround for the winner of Friday’s decisive play-in game.
The winner of the Heat’s opening-round series against the Cavaliers, Hawks or Hornets will play the winner of the opening-round series between the No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers and No. 5 Toronto Raptors in the East semifinals.
The Heat have been idle since Sunday’s road loss to the Orlando Magic, resuming practice Wednesday at FTX Arena.
The Heat went 3-1 against the Nets this season, losing the lone game when the Nets had both Irving and Durant available.
Against the Cavaliers, Irving closed with 34 points Tuesday night, Durant 25, with former University of Miami player Bruce Brown adding 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Brooklyn.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/nets-push-past-cavs-move-out-of-heats-half-of-east-playoff-bracket-heat-open-playoffs-1-p-m-sunday/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:04 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/nets-push-past-cavs-move-out-of-heats-half-of-east-playoff-bracket-heat-open-playoffs-1-p-m-sunday/ |
No NFL team should ever be in salary cap hell while picking in the top five of a draft.
Money is only supposed to run out on contenders who load up for Super Bowl runs, not on a 4-13 team tied for the league’s worst record since 2017 at 22-59.
But that’s where the Giants are, hamstrung in constructing their 2022 roster while other rebuilding teams like the Jaguars and Jets are free to spend away.
“If you’re that tight against the cap, usually you’ve either made a lot of mistakes or you’re among the better teams in the league,” former Philadelphia Eagles president Joe Banner (1995-2012) said in a phone interview this week. “It tells you they made a lot of changes in the front office for reasons that aren’t baseless.”
The Daily News spent the last two weeks asking executives, cap specialists and league sources in and around the Giants to explain the causes and severity of this predicament. The point is to understand how they created this dilemma so they can avoid doing it again.
And here is what happened in 2021, according to those sources:
1) The Giants overestimated their chances of winning and overspent in free agency
2) They kicked money down the road by making exceptions to their contract philosophies
3) They incurred more than double their typical cost of injured player money
4) They didn’t follow through on some options to offset those costs
5) And they restructured nine players to delay cap charges that are hitting them now
The cumulative effect was adding around $15-to-20 million onto this year’s 2022 salary cap that Giants brass hadn’t originally planned for.
Kevin Abrams, now the Giants’ senior VP of football operations and strategy, was ultimately the final signoff on all contracts and finances that went to ownership. The buck stopped with Abrams, then the assistant GM.
GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge had visions and voices on what the 2021 team could be and what length of commitment the Giants needed to make to players. Ownership supported all of that.
New GM Joe Schoen is trying to show discipline now, with cuts and pay cuts and frugal spending. The idea is to weather short-term pain in order to yield long-term salary cap health.
“If you take a blind look at the Giants as their new GM,” said Jason Fitzgerald, founder of the leading NFL cap website OvertheCap.com, “you’re just getting through the 2022 season and getting ready to reset the roster in 2023.”
Multiple league sources say the most recent comparison to Schoen’s current strategy is how Houston GM Nick Caserio managed the 2021 Texans: by signing veterans to cost-effective, one-year contracts to simultaneously compete on the field and avoid long-term commitments.
Ten of Schoen’s 12 outside free agent signings since March 11 have been one-year contracts.
Brandon Beane and Schoen did something similar with the Buffalo Bills in 2017. The Giants’ 2022 season will be difficult, but Schoen is doing it in the interest of 2023 and beyond.
“I don’t think they expected to have their record last year, but there are some long-term solutions,” said former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum (2006-2012), who now runs the NFL website and football think tank ‘The 33rd Team.’ “In year one, you’re assessing your team and you want to absorb those cap hits.”
“You don’t want to spend a lot of money to only have four wins,” said Banner, who feels the Giants are showing even more financial restraint than Houston did a year ago. “You’re resetting the organization and preserving as much money for the future while still not wanting to embarrass yourself on the field.”
ALL IN TO WIN
The Giants overestimated their momentum coming out of their 6-10 season in 2020. They saw how weak the NFC East was and thought they could win the division in 2021. Fans were coming back into MetLife Stadium, and the Giants wanted to give them a season to remember.
They set spending limits initially, aware of the NFL’s salary cap plummeting $15.7 million to $182.5 million due to pandemic shortfalls. But a targeted plan to retain Leonard Williams and upgrade the offense grew more aggressive as they built momentum built in their recruitments.
In total, they spent $118.5 million in guaranteed money on Williams ($45 million), wide receiver Kenny Golladay ($40 million), cornerback Adoree’ Jackson ($26.5 million) and tight end Kyle Rudolph ($7 million) alone.
“They overcommitted, which started with the Golladay one, which came out of left field,” Fitzgerald said. “Then they followed it with the Adoree’ one, which came even more out of left field.”
Abrams was the final sign-off on all contract offers. He knew the Giants’ big spending would make 2022 difficult but approved the investments. It was a calculated risk. Gettleman had control of the 90-man roster and oversaw the assessment that the team could win.
Judge wanted to sign the players to multi-year contracts. The head coach believed he had at least a three-year runaway to rebuild the team and get it humming on all cylinders. He didn’t want one-and-done rentals. He wanted to build a program with foundational pieces.
Director of football operations Ed Triggs was involved in contract preparations and negotiations. Head athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes, the club’s senior VP of medical services, relayed medical sign-off from the club’s doctors, as Gettleman described while explaining the Rudolph move.
Those investments required a compromise, though, on the Giants’ contract structure philosophy: They had to reduce the players’ first-year salaries and pay them signing bonuses to keep their first-year cap number down and fit them into 2021.
This inflated future salaries and cap numbers by kicking cash down the road and spreading the signing bonus damage throughout the contract. And outside of Golladay’s deal, the club avoided tacking on empty void years, which concentrated a lot of the cash and cap pain on 2022.
The result: Williams’ three-year, $63 million extension (a $21 million average cap hit in a flat contract) ballooned from a $11 million cap hit in 2021 to $26.5 million this year. Jackson’s three-year, $39 million deal ($13 million on average) skyrocketed from $6.1 million in 2021 to $15.5 million this year.
It was the same with Golladay’s four-year, $72 million deal ($4.4 million in year one, $21.1 million in year two) and Rudolph’s two-year, $12 million contract ($4.75 million in year one, $7.25 million in year two).
The Giants anticipated some of that added cost, because it was never going to be realistic with the NFL salary cap plummeting to keep all contracts flat while building last year’s team.
With those four signings alone, though, the Giants added a total of $70.4 million to their 2022 salary cap, including $12.4 million of extra cap space due to the contracts’ structures.
That was on top of some heavy in-season 2020 investments: a three-year extension for Graham Gano with the second-most guaranteed money ($9.5 million) at signing of any kicker in the NFL; and a three-year extension with $20 million guaranteed for the since-released Logan Ryan.
Finally, while any NFL team can offset costs in a given season by offloading player contracts through trades or releases, the Giants opted to stay the course and found no relief elsewhere.
HURTS SO BAD
The Giants exceeded their estimates on paying injured players at historic levels, too.
They had the sixth-most cap money of all NFL teams sitting on injured reserve for 2021, according to Over The Cap, with 23 players incurring $40 million in charges.
A lot of that is planned for. Many of last year’s players were key, rehabbing contributors who would have been paid on the active roster anyway, for example, such as Daniel Jones ($7.1 million of I.R. cost) and Sterling Shepard ($5 million).
But sources said while the Giants typically see a $3.5-4.5 million of injury impact above expectation per season on their salary cap, their 2021 injured reserve bill went well over $10 million above expectation.
That is basically a measure of what it cost the Giants to replace players with injuries, above anticipated costs, taking into account who was likely to make the team and who wasn’t. And last year’s number was among the highest ever recorded for a team using that internal metric.
Fitzgerald the Giants’ decision to carry so many players on I.R. rather than reaching settlements contributed to the problem.
“Most teams usually come to an agreement with injury settlements,” Fitzgerald said. “The Giants didn’t do that.”
The Giants had several reasons for carrying different players, sources say. For some, there was no financial upside to settling a player who was guaranteed to be out for the rest of the season. The team would have had to pay the full tab on that contract just to get the player off the roster.
In other cases, agents might not have wanted to settle for 90 cents on the dollar if they feared a risk of a setback in rehab past Week 18. And some of the players were guys the Giants were hoping could come back or didn’t want to risk losing to free agency once they settled.
So why was the Giants’ large injured reserve bill a problem? Because it pressed them so close to the 2021 salary cap spending limit that it forced them to do something almost unheard of:
Restructure several contracts late in the season just to stay within the NFL’s rules.
“That’s not something you ever see,” Fitzgerald said.
DELAYING THE PAIN
The Giants restructured nine total contracts to clear cap space, which added $12.7 million to their 2022 books, per Over The Cap. The three that stuck out were the late-season restructures on injured center Nick Gates, punter Riley Dixon and Rudolph.
Gates was out indefinitely with a career-threatening injury, and Dixon and Rudolph since have been released. But the Giants had to convert money in their salaries to signing bonuses just to stay cap compliant late in the year.
Those three restructures only kicked $733,056 of cap damage into 2022. They were an obvious sign of the Giants’ win-now gamble backfiring, however, before the season had even ended.
Fitzgerald said the other six restructures were typical of how teams operate nowadays but called the last three “bizarre.” He said “the only team I ever remember doing that was the Rams” early in Les Snead’s GM tenure, when St. Louis did it intentionally.
Indeed, according to sources, the Rams of that 2013-14 timeframe consciously decided to absorb the cash and cap pain of their contracts simultaneously, rather than pushing it into future years.
Philosophically, like the Giants, the Rams always have tried to match their cash spent with their cap absorbed. Schoen is trying to get the Giants back there now.
It’s hard to ignore the cause and effect of these financial decisions, though:
The Giants’ two largest restructures last year added $4 million onto corner James Bradberry’s 2022 cap and $3.5 million onto Blake Martinez’s. Now this spring, Martinez had to take a pay cut and Bradberry is due to be traded.
Here’s the good news: Schoen’s Giants no longer think they are something they aren’t.
“The new guys are doing the right thing by taking this first year to clean it up and get it in the right position as opposed to fooling themselves,” Banner said. “It’s a hopeful sign to the fans that the new group is not doing that. They’re doing it the way that teams who have had successful turnarounds have done it, where they turn it around in year two.”
Banner cited his Eagles, the 2017 Bills (when Schoen started), the Titans turnaround of the last seven years, and Kyle Shanahan’s 2017 49ers to some extent as clubs who took a smart and long-term view of their team cleanups.
“The Saints believe they’re a good football team so they’re pushing every lever possible to create cap room,” Fitzgerald said. “The Giants probably could have done something like that this year, too, but there’s no benefit because they would be locking themselves into another year.”
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/no-cap-how-giants-2021-actions-landed-them-in-2022-salary-cap-crunch-2/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:10 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/no-cap-how-giants-2021-actions-landed-them-in-2022-salary-cap-crunch-2/ |
After Washington County Commissioner Gary Kriesel was elected in 2004, one of his first sit-down meetings was with then-Washington County Administrator Jim Schug.
Kriesel got to watch Schug interact with employees that day, and “I honest to God thought that I had gone to work for PBS,” he said. “I expected somebody to start singing, ‘It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood,’ I mean, he reminded me so much of Mr. Rogers. I never knew an administrator or someone in public office who had a demeanor like that — just so respectful of people and a 100 percent class act.”
Schug, who served as Washington County administrator from 1994 to 2012, died April 5 at his home in Mahtomedi, from complications of Lewy body dementia. He was diagnosed a few years ago with the disease, which leads to worsening mental and physical complications. He was 72.
Schug’s “greatest strength was his kindness and caring, followed very closely by his gift of humor and storytelling,” said Washington County Administrator Kevin Corbid, who was mentored by Schug. “Everyone who worked with him learned so much from listening to him and watching how he carried himself and made decisions.”
During his 17-year tenure as the county’s chief administrator, Schug helped guide the county through a population increase of 80 percent. He oversaw several major construction projects, including the expansion of the Washington County Courthouse in Stillwater, the construction of the county’s service centers in Forest Lake and Cottage Grove, and the completion of the R.H. Stafford Library in Woodbury.
But what Schug valued most were “the services we provided to the residents of the county who were most in need,” Corbid said. “He cared about people — those who we served and those who worked for the county providing the service.”
Schug grew up in Chaska and attended Guardian Angels Catholic School. During high school, he worked as a caddy at the Hazeltine National Golf Club and was selected to be Hazeltine’s first recipient of the Chick Evans Scholarship for caddies, said his wife, Connie Schug. Evans Scholars receive a full four-year tuition and housing scholarship.
“He always was service-oriented,” Connie Schug said. “He loved people, and he always wanted to bring out the best in everyone.”
After getting a bachelor’s degree in social welfare from the University of Minnesota in 1971, Schug took a year off to travel in Europe and Scandinavia, where he worked as a goat herder in Norway for three months.
In 1973, Schug married Connie Eissler; the couple had three daughters.
Schug got his start in county government in 1974, when he was hired as a social worker for Crow Wing County in Brainerd. After six years, he moved to Redwood Falls, to work as director of social services in Redwood County.
Schug and his family moved to Stillwater in 1986 when he got the job as community-services director in Washington County. He was named county administrator in 1994, besting 120 other applicants in a nationwide search.
“He was one of the most thoughtful people I have ever known,” Kriesel said. “You had to be careful not to let his soft-spoken nature fool you. He was a no-nonsense type of guy. He had 100 percent respect from the employees in the organization — from the bottom all the way to the top. People just had great respect and love for that man.”
Many of his famous “Schug-isms” lived on after he left Washington County. “The office still uses wisdom from Jim to mentor new staff,” said Don Theisen, former director of public works. “The best is when you are discussing an issue with the county board. He always said, ‘If you’re explaining, you ain’t gaining.”
Daughter Emily Hedquist said her father was “kind and caring and took great interest in us and in everything we did and in everyone in our lives.”
“He made everyone feel important,” said Hedquist, who lives in Mahtomedi. “At his core was a love of public service and people and community. He was dedicated to making the world a better place — in big and small ways. He was so good at bringing people together in ways that they could work through difficult and challenging issues. Everyone felt that they were being heard and listened to.”
Schug is survived by his wife, Connie; daughters Emily Hedquist, Mary Young and Anna Clayton; and seven grandchildren.
A funeral mass will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Stillwater, with visitation one hour prior to the service in the church atrium. A private interment will take place at a later date. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/obituary-washington-county-administrator-jim-schug-72-was-a-100-percent-class-act/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:17 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/obituary-washington-county-administrator-jim-schug-72-was-a-100-percent-class-act/ |
Mitch McConnell knew this would happen.
For months, the Senate Republican leader had been telling anyone who would listen — other senators, party donors, even the occasional pundit — that the party should not run on a detailed agenda during the midterm campaign this fall. Republicans were already positioned to do well.
Why hand the Democrats a chance to launch attacks on a Republican agenda?
Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, didn’t agree. He released an “11 Point Plan” that includes, he says, 128 policies. (That number is padded: Treating socialism “as an enemy combatant which aims to destroy our prosperity and freedom,” for instance, is not a policy.)
Sure enough, Democrats found vulnerabilities: chiefly the plan’s insistence that “all Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount.” Since, as the plan notes, “over half of Americans pay no income tax,” that plank sounds like a tax increase for a majority of the country. Another Scott idea the Democrats are happy to publicize is to require all federal legislation to lapse after five years — which, they say, would put Social Security and Medicare in danger.
Democrats have attempted to present Scott’s ideas as a project of the entire Republican Party, a task made easier by the fact that Scott is the chairman of the Republicans’ Senate campaign arm. (He says he released the plan in his capacity as an individual senator, but nobody cares.) White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that “the Senate GOP plan” would be “the biggest tax hike of the century.”
Scott defended his plan in the Wall Street Journal: “Working Americans already pay taxes on their income, and retirees have paid plenty. The change we need is to require those who are able-bodied but won’t work to pay a small amount so we’re all in this together.”
He is not, he says, treating the tens of millions of Americans who are retired, or who pay payroll taxes but not income taxes, as freeloaders. That position is more defensible, politically and intellectually, than his original one, but it is a change. Only by including both groups can you say “over half of Americans” are non-payers.
The upshot: Scott is on defense, Democrats are talking about his plan more than his fellow Republicans are, and the “old Crow” — that’s what Donald Trump calls McConnell — has some reason for crowing.
But Scott also has something important right. A party seeking power has a moral obligation to give voters a sense of how it would wield that power. That doesn’t mean Republicans have to announce a list of 128 policies they want to push for. It does mean that they should, individually or corporately, share their thoughts about their most important priorities for the federal government.
Some, even many, of those priorities could be negative: We’re going to stop the Democrats from raising taxes. (Actually, the Democrats are doing a pretty good job of stopping themselves at the moment.) Others might require more action. Republicans have been curiously quiet about extending the many provisions of their own 2017 tax reform that are set to expire in the next few years. That issue didn’t make Scott’s list; it should have.
Public concern about inflation is rising, and Republicans generally say that Biden’s spending is partly to blame. It’s a reasonable criticism. It’s also reasonable to ask what they would have the government do about inflation, or about spending. They’re mostly not saying. The section of Scott’s plan about the economy does not even mention inflation.
The debate between McConnell and Scott, then, is narrow. McConnell explicitly denies that Republicans need to run on policies; Scott implicitly denies that they need to think much about them. The two sides of the argument bolster each other. McConnell’s stance creates a Republican policy vacuum that individual senators are tempted to fill, even with ill-considered ideas. When the poorly vetted ideas emerge, Republicans conclude that McConnell was right all along.
McConnell is winning this argument, which is probably for the best for his party’s electoral fortunes this year. Whether it’s in the party’s, or the country’s, long-term interest: That’s a different question. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/ramesh-ponnuru-republicans-need-to-tell-voters-what-their-plans-are/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:23 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/ramesh-ponnuru-republicans-need-to-tell-voters-what-their-plans-are/ |
In a letter to the chief executive officer of Fairview Health Services, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell and Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher object to Fairview’s planned closure of adult inpatient mental health beds at St. Joseph’s Hospital in downtown St. Paul.
The letter, issued Tuesday to Fairview CEO James Hereford hours before a Minnesota Department of Health hearing on the proposal, also was signed by Trista MatasCastillo, chair of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi.
The four said they had “serious and timely concerns” with the closure or relocation of the 40 mental health beds from St. Joe’s this summer. They further asked that the plan be suspended “until an adequate plan is in place to provide for the safety and wellbeing of individuals with metal health symptoms and the community.”
They noted that finding adult inpatient mental health beds is already extremely difficult, and losing one-third of the adult inpatient mental health beds in the city and county will be a further blow to an already tenuous system. They are concerned more patients will end up on the street or in jail.
“As partners who encounter those with mental illness daily in our community, our law enforcement and correctional officers and civil commitment attorneys struggle to meet the safety and legal needs of those in crisis as well as the community,” the letter reads. “Having a local and stable mental health care facility partnership is critical to our success in managing these challenging and dynamic needs.”
Fairview officials said they’ve met dozens of times with individual members of the Ramsey County board, the St. Paul City Council and others and not heard strong objection.
“We were blindsided by the letter after having more than 60 meetings with either people on the letter or their staff,” said Joe Campbell, a spokesman for Fairview, on Tuesday. “It raises the question, why are we hearing about this on the eve of a public hearing, and not during one of those meetings?”
ST. JOE’S HOSPITAL CLOSING, WELLNESS HUB OPENING
St. Joe’s — which opened in 1853 — has lost some $65 million annually in recent years, forcing Fairview to re-examine its costs and service model even before patient slowdowns during the pandemic added another financial blow.
Fairview has largely relocated traditional hospital services there, closing its emergency room and most medical services in late 2020, in advance of a planned health and wellness hub at the same location. That includes a planned community clinic for the uninsured and underinsured.
Fairview officials also plan a 144-bed adult mental health facility at the former Bethesda Hospital near downtown St. Paul, which still needs state legislative approval but could potentially open by 2023.
Aimee Jordan, a Fairview spokesperson, said federal Medicare reimbursement to mental health providers has been “abysmal,” and other health networks have shied away from increasing capacity as a result.
Allina and HealthPartners were invited to participate in Fairview’s joint venture with Acadia Healthcare at Bethesda but both health networks declined, she said. After St. Joseph’s closes, Fairview will have approximately 170 staffed mental health beds in its system.
Around the time the adult mental health facility was announced last year, MatasCastillo penned an email to a Fairview executive indicating she was “happy to hear that we will have more mental health beds in the region.”
PLANS FOR MORE MENTAL HEALTH BEDS AT U, REGIONS
Before the Bethesda facility opens, Fairview plans to add 20 inpatient mental health beds at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Regions Hospital in downtown St. Paul also plans to add 20 inpatient adult mental health beds.
“The solution here we’re working toward is a net increase in dozens of mental health beds in the state of Minnesota,” Campbell said. In the interim, “there will be a net neutral impact, with us adding 20 beds and Regions adding 20 beds.”
In their letter, Axtell, Fletcher, MatasCastillo and Choi noted that Acadia Healthcare has drawn scrutiny for not accepting Medicare payments as part of mental health partnerships in other states, raising the ire of many mental health advocates. Fairview officials have said they do not plan to turn away anyone for inability to pay, but they’ve released limited details on their payment model. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/ramsey-county-officials-dont-close-st-joes-mental-health-beds/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:29 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/ramsey-county-officials-dont-close-st-joes-mental-health-beds/ |
The Jets improved at safety in free agency, but must do more in the NFL Draft.
Gang Green addressed the safety position by re-signing Lamarcus Joyner and adding Jordan Whitehead to upgrade the unit. But there will be an opportunity to select a difference maker in the top of the second round with picks No. 35 and No. 38.
Last season, Ashtyn Davis and Elijah Riley led the Jets’ safety position in snaps after Marcus Maye and Joyner suffered season ending injuries.
Riley joined the Jets on Nov. 9 after being on the Eagles practice squad and started the following week against the Dolphins. He was solid at times in the run game, but struggled in coverage. QBs had a passer rating of 143 when throwing in Riley’s direction.
The most notable play was when Tom Brady threw a game-winning touchdown pass in Riley’s direction in Week 17, which spoiled a potential upset over the Bucs.
Davis finished with two interceptions overall but struggled in the run game, giving up explosive runs.
It’s not Davis’ job to stop a 10-yard run; that’s the Jets front seven’s obligation to execute their run fits and penetrate their gaps to prevent longer runs.
But it’s Davis’ responsibility to prevent a 10-yard run from turning into a long run or touchdown. There were multiple times throughout the 2021 season when Davis took a bad angle, leading to explosive scores like Jonathan Taylor’s 78-yard run in Week 9 and Taysom Hill’s 44-yarder in Week 14.
And while Davis was tied for the team lead in interceptions, QBs still completed 84% of their passes when throwing in his direction with a passer rating of 125.
The Jets switched Jason Pinnock’s position from corner to safety in his rookie season and he played well in his first start against the Jaguars. Pinnock finished with a pass deflection and four tackles. Pinnock’s physical play style fits better at safety.
The Jets adding Whitehead and re-signing Joyner improves the run and pass defense. However, Gang Green must add another piece in the draft to eventually bring long-term stability to their safety position.
The Jets aren’t expected to go safety in the first round, but with two picks in the second round there will be an opportunity to snag a difference maker.
Here are three second round options who are expected to be Day 2 picks.
Lewis Cine, Georgia
Cine was a standout safety for the national champion Bulldogs and finished with 73 tackles, two tackles for loss and one interception.
Cine is a good athlete with at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds and ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at the combine. He possesses good instincts and reacts quickly in the run game. He’s an aggressive tackler, which would bring a physicality to the Jets rush defense that was missed in 2021.
In coverage, Cine is more than capable of holding his own in man coverage but has the ability to play deep safety and prevent explosive plays over the top.
Jalen Pitre, Baylor
Pitre is an interesting evaluation because it would require projection. He played mostly in the box as a strong safety or nickel cornerback, not playing much deep safety. But his playmaking skills were undeniable.
Pitre’s football IQ allows him to diagnose and disrupt plays which is why he finished with 18.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and seven pass deflections.
One scout texted that his pro comps are “Budda Baker, Quandre Diggs and Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu).” The scout went as far to say, “He’s better than Kyle Hamilton.”
Notre Dame’s Hamilton is the No. 1 rated safety in this class.
Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety has versatility to play deep and in the box, something required in the Jets’ defensive scheme. In today’s NFL safeties must be able to guard tight ends, which Brisker did well for Penn State.
Brisker finished with 63 tackles, six tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/three-safeties-jets-could-target-on-day-2-of-nfl-draft/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:35 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/three-safeties-jets-could-target-on-day-2-of-nfl-draft/ |
Vikings star Dalvin Cook promised his late father that he was going to make the switch.
If the NFL ever allowed running backs to wear single-digit jersey numbers, Cook, who has become synonymous with No. 33 throughout his NFL career, vowed to continue the family tradition and rock No. 4 once again.
There was one big problem last season when the NFL finally loosened its restrictions.
“They tried to take my money from me,” Cook said with a smile on Tuesday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.
As much as the No. 4 holds significance for Cook and his family, he wasn’t about to pay the estimated $1.2 million it was going to cost to buy out the remaining inventory of his No. 33 jerseys. He decided to play last season in his old jersey number before officially making the switch this season.
“That number means a lot to me,” Cook said. “I started playing football because of my older brother. He wore No. 4, and he was like and hero in my eyes when I seen him play football. I tried to carry the legacy on because he switched sports and started playing basketball.”
Whether it was manhandling opponents at Miami Central High School, or flourishing in college ball at Florida State, Cook wore the No. 4 proudly during his rise up the ranks.
While it might sound silly to some, Cook feels like he’s going to produce at an even higher level now that he can wear that jersey number in the NFL.
“Mentally, I’m better in that number,” said Cook, who has topped 1,000 yards rushing in back-to-back-to-back seasons with the Vikings. “You’re going to see something special.”
In that same breath, Cook acknowledged that he’s going to have to work hard to make good on that promise.
“It just don’t come with putting the number on,” he said. “It comes with putting the work in each and every day, trusting the process that we’ve got going on around here, and going on the attack every day and bringing the energy. Just being me. Not being nothing else except being No. 4.”
Asked about the switch, receiver Justin Jefferson noted how Cook’s nickname in the Vikings locker room is literally his new jersey number. Though many have started to refer to him as “The Chef” throughout his NFL career, Cook has been known simply as “Four” for most of his life.
“I feel like that No. 4 gives him that extra confidence,” Jefferson said. “He’s just feeling comfortable in that number, so I’m definitely excited to see him in it.”
“It’ll be good to see him flying around with that number on,” receiver Adam Thielen added. “I’m sure he’ll be the same old Dalvin.”
While family tradition started with his older brother back in the day, Cook is thrilled he finally gets to carry it on at the highest level.
“He’s the reason I started playing football,” Cook said. “I seen him with that number making plays and said, ‘That’s the number I’m going to wear for the rest of my life.’ Unfortunately, when I got here, I couldn’t. Now is my time. It’s here now.” | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/vikings-star-dalvin-cook-fulfills-promise-to-late-father-by-switching-to-no-4/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:41 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/vikings-star-dalvin-cook-fulfills-promise-to-late-father-by-switching-to-no-4/ |
Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras wants to see more consistency.
Consistency both in how Major League Baseball treats players frequently getting hit by pitches and in how it hands down punishment. Contreras often has been at the center of animosity that has boiled over at times in the Cubs’ recent history with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Right-hander Keegan Thompson is appealing the three-game suspension he received Monday after MLB determined he intentionally hit Brewers outfielder Andrew McCutchen during the top of the eighth inning Saturday at Wrigley Field. The sequence resulted in benches clearing and Thompson getting ejected.
As a result of the ruling that Thompson purposefully hit McCutchen, Cubs manager David Ross was fined and suspended one game, which he served during Tuesday’s 2-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bench coach Andy Green filled in for Ross. Managers cannot appeal suspensions.
Thompson, who also was fined, is available to pitch until a ruling on his appeal.
The Brewers hit three Cubs batters Saturday before McCutchen was on the other end of Thompson’s pitch. Contreras was again among the players drilled — the 12th time in the last four years the Brewers have hit him, including twice in last weekend’s season-opening three-game series.
Dating to his debut season in 2016, Contreras has been hit by 15 pitches against the Brewers.
“If I was Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani that get hit 15 times by one team, MLB would be suspending pitchers from North to South,” Contreras told the Tribune on Tuesday. “To protect players they have to do something about it. I can say that was the end of it, but that doesn’t mean (the Brewers are) going to stop going in on guys and hitting guys.”
Contreras is frustrated there hasn’t been similar punishment for the Brewers hitting Cubs batters so often over the last few years. Since the start of the 2019 season, the Brewers have hit the Cubs 40 times in 51 games — more than any other big-league team, according to Stathead. The St. Louis Cardinals are closest, getting drilled 28 times in 48 games against the Brewers.
Cubs pitchers have hit Brewers hitters 33 times in that span, one more than the Cincinnati Reds have hit the Brewers and two more than the Pirates.
“If we know that a pitcher doesn’t have the right command to go in on guys, we’re not going to put somebody’s health at risk because of erratic command,” Contreras said. “It’s kind of tough seeing only one side getting (suspended).”
Thompson is the second Cubs pitcher to get punished in the last year for throwing at a Brewers hitter. Reliever Ryan Tepera received a three-game suspension, reduced to two games after an appeal, for throwing behind Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff last April. Tepera’s instance also occurred during a game in which Contreras was hit by a pitch.
Ross took a diplomatic stance on Thompson’s suspension amid the brouhaha between the division rivals.
“There’s rules in place that we don’t have a whole lot of control of and some things that make you upset, and you can get mad about it or you can understand what’s the point of wasting my energy on something I can’t control,” Ross said. “Rules are rules. We’re going to continue to try to win ballgames and look out for our group and try to protect us as best we can and keep competing at the highest level.”
Injury updates
Right-hander Alec Mills continues to progress from a lower back strain. Mills threw 77 pitches Sunday and was slated to throw a bullpen session Tuesday in Arizona.
Mills is eligible to come off the injured list Thursday, but there is no timetable for his return. The Cubs want to see how he comes out of his side session before determining his next steps.
The Cubs were optimistic during camp that shortstop Andrelton Simmons (right shoulder inflammation) would not need much time to build up, perhaps requiring a minimum IL stint. However, it’s not clear when Simmons will be ready to join the team.
Simmons threw across the field at the team’s complex in Arizona on Tuesday, Ross said, and is feeling better every day.
“He feels it’s a positive, but we’re starting to ramp up the intensity,” Ross said. “So that’ll get the best feedback the next couple days.”
Left-hander Wade Miley (left elbow inflammation) played catch again Tuesday, getting to more than 100 feet. He will continue to increase the distance, likely to 120 feet next, and if everything goes well, Miley could throw off a mound soon.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/willson-contreras-sees-a-lack-of-consistency-in-punishment-for-the-chicago-cubs-milwaukee-brewers-feud/ | 2022-04-13T10:44:47 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/willson-contreras-sees-a-lack-of-consistency-in-punishment-for-the-chicago-cubs-milwaukee-brewers-feud/ |
TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mostly higher Wednesday after new data showed inflation in the U.S., while still at a 40-year high, was not as bad as some analysts had expected.
Benchmarks finished higher in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia. U.S. futures and oil prices also rose.
France’s CAC 40 inched up less than 0.1% in early trading to 6,538.59, while Germany’ DAX lost 0.5% to 14,055.65. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.1% to 7,583.85. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.5% at 34,291.00. S&P 500 futures rose rose 0.6% to 4,419.00.
Shares fell in Shanghai after the Chinese government reported that exports rose nearly 16% in March from a year earlier while imports were flat.
The easing of a COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghaiwas another encouraging factor. Shanghai released 6,000 more people from the central facilities where they were under medical observation to guard against the coronavirus, the government said Wednesday, though the lockdown of most of China’s largest city was being maintained in its third week.
“The good news is that China will begin to come out of lockdowns at some point, and there will be an injection of stimulus of some form by the authorities to reboot communities and the economy. The light at the end of the tunnel is reasonably bright for China,” Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities, said in a commentary.
But Bennett added: “Do not expect a return to rampant growth, however.”
New Zealand’s share benchmark edged 0.1% lower after the central bank lifted its key interest rate to 1.5%, a sharp increase from the previous 1%, as it tries to tame inflation running at nearly 6%. The increase followed three earlier increases of 0.25%.
The Reserve Bank committee said it’s trying to quickly get back to a more neutral setting after it cut rates to near zero when the coronavirus pandemic hit. It said inflation pressures have been worsened by supply disruptions and the war in Ukraine.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to 26,843.49. Australia’s S&P/AS 200 added 0.3% to 7,479.00. South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.9% to 2,716.49. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.3% to 21,374.37, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.8% to 3,186.82.
In Tokyo trading, shares of Shionogi dropped 11% after the Japanese pharmaceutical company reported that animal tests for its experimental oral drug to treat COVID-19 showed it may be a risk for fetal development. Japanese media reported the drug won’t be prescribed to pregnant people or those who may be pregnant.
Investors have been weighing the inflation datain the U.S. for March, although overall it remained at its highest level in 40 years. Some analysts urged caution.
“”The fact remains that pricing pressures are still elevated at their highest level in 40 years and the near-term outlook for an aggressive tightening of policies to cool demand stays unaltered,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude added 29 cents to $100.89 a barrel. It climbed 6.7% to settle at $100.60 on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 44 cents to $105.08.
The worry is the U.S. Federal Reserve may be so aggressive about hiking interest rates that it forces the economy into a recession. Higher interest rates can discourage all kinds of investments.
More swings may be in store for stocks as companies prepare to report their earnings for the first three months of the year. Delta Air Lines, JPMorgan Chase and other big-name companies will kick off the reporting season on Wednesday.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged up to 126.07 Japanese yen from 125.37 yen, The euro cost $1.0837, up from $1.0827.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/asian-shares-mostly-rise-on-interest-rate-inflation-hopes/ | 2022-04-13T10:49:41 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/asian-shares-mostly-rise-on-interest-rate-inflation-hopes/ |
BEIJING (AP) — China’s exports rose 15.7% over a year ago in March while imports were flat amid disruption due to coronavirus outbreaks as the ruling Communist Party enforces a “zero-COVID” strategy to isolate every case.
Exports rose to $276.1 billion despite anti-virus controls in Shanghai and other industrial centers that are causing factories to reduce production, customs data showed Wednesday. Imports rose less than 1% to $228.7 billion.
China’s infection numbers are relatively low, but the “zero-COVID” strategy has confined most of Shanghai’s 25 million people to their homes since late March and suspended access to other manufacturing centers.
The anti-virus curbs have prompted fears global trade might be disrupted. Chinese officials say they are taking steps to keep ports functioning, but automakers and other factories have cut production due to supply disruptions.
Consumer demand also has been dampened by an economic slowdown triggered by an official campaign to cut debt in China’s vast real estate industry. Economic growth slid to 4% over a year earlier in the final quarter of 2021, down from the full year’s 8.1%.
Exports to the United States rose 22.4% over a year earlier to $47.3 billion despite lingering tariff hikes in a feud over Beijing’s technology ambitions. Imports of American goods rose 11.5% to $15.2 billion.
China’s politically volatile trade surplus with the United States widened by half over a year earlier to $32.1 billion. It was one of the factors that prompted then-President Donald Trump to hike tariffs on Chinese goods in 2019.
With almost no growth in imports, China’s global trade surplus surged by 243% to $47.4 billion.
Imports from Russia, a major gas supplier, fell 26.4% from a year earlier to $7.8 billion. Exports to Russia edged down 7.7% to $3.8 billion.
Beijing has criticized trade and financial sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United States, Europe and Japan over its attack on Ukraine. But Chinese companies appear to be abiding by them and trying to guard against possible losses in dealings with Russia.
Trade and manufacturing appear likely to suffer a bigger impact this month due to the shutdown of most businesses in Shanghai and suspension of access to Guangzhou, a manufacturing and trade center in the south, and industrial centers of Changchun and Jilin in the northeast.
Managers of the port of Shanghai, the world’s busiest, say operations are normal. But the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has said its member companies estimate the volume of cargo handled by the port every day is down 40%.
Exports to the 27-nation European Union fell 9.1% from a year ago to $44.4 billion while imports tumbled 41.6% to $24.3 billion. China’s surplus with Europe jumped 179.3% to $20.1 billion. | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/chinas-march-exports-grow-despite-virus-imports-flat/ | 2022-04-13T10:49:48 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/chinas-march-exports-grow-despite-virus-imports-flat/ |
Delta Air Lines lost $940 million in the first quarter yet bookings surged in recent weeks, setting up a breakout summer as Americans try to put the pandemic behind them.
Shares jumped 3% on Delta’s strong revenue numbers before the opening bell Wednesday.
The Atlanta airline still faces stiff headwinds, including a sharp in fuel and labor costs. And it is not clear whether spiking inflation will throttle travel spending.
On Tuesday, the U.S. reported that inflationin the past year rose at its fastest pace in more than 40 years.
So far, though, neither inflation, the ongoing pandemic nor Russia’s war against Ukraine seem to be having any impact on ticket sales. Delta officials say that bookings started to rise in late February and have kept going.
“The last five weeks have been the highest bookings in our history,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in an interview. “I think that’s an indication that people are through with the virus. They feel they have all the tools and the technology to manage it.”
Bastian said he expects travel demand to remain strong for two to three months — about as far into the future as airlines care to venture.
“Then, when we get to the fall, that will be the next inflection point as to consumer health, what impact inflation has had on them, higher fuel prices, what impact there is from the virus,” he said.
Delta forecast Wednesday that second-quarter revenue will be about 95% of pre-pandemic levels, up from 89% in the first quarter. The trend will be driven by more spending on premium seats and more charging with Delta-branded credit cards.
At the same time, Delta is bracing for much higher costs. It forecast that spending on labor and everything else other than fuel will rise about 17% on a per-seat basis, compared with the same quarter in 2019.
And jet fuel, which cost Delta an average of $2.79 a gallon in the first quarter, is expected to jump to between $3.20 and $3.35. If Delta had paid the higher price in the first quarter, it would have spent an extra $364 million fueling up.
Bastian said travel demand is strong enough to let Delta cover higher fuel costs.
From under 90,000 on some days in April 2020, now more than 2 million people a day on average board planes in the United States. So far in April, airport crowds are down only 9% from April 2019, according to government figures.
Business travel, and in particular international corporate travel, have not recovered yet, however. Airlines are lobbying the Biden administration to drop a requirement that flyers test negative for COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the U.S., which they think is holding back people who are afraid of being stranded far from home if they contract the virus.
It is unclear if administration officials will drop that rule. They are also considering ending or suspending the requirement to wear face masks on planes, in airports and on public transportation.
Bastian favors eliminating the mask mandate. He said some people might start flying if they don’t have to wear a mask, and others might stop flying if other passengers are unmasked. He called both groups “fringe.”
If masks are no longer required, “I think you’ll see a surprising number of people continue to wear masks, and certainly some of our employees will wear masks,” he said. “I may choose to wear a mask once in a while.”
In the first quarter, Delta said its loss, excluding special items, worked out to $1.23 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet expected a loss of $1.27 per share, but they predict profits in each of the next three quarters and the full year.
Revenue was $9.35 billion. Delta is getting nearly the same amount of money per passenger that it got in 2019, but there are more empty seats — the average flight was 75% full, compared with 83% in early 2019.
Like other airlines, Delta has added debt during the pandemic by borrowing from the federal government and private sources. At the end of March, Delta had
At the end of the March quarter 2022, the company had total debt and finance lease obligations of $25.6 billion. It aims to trim about $6 billion in debt by the end of 2024.
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David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/delta-loses-940-million-in-q1-but-bookings-strengthen/ | 2022-04-13T10:49:54 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/delta-loses-940-million-in-q1-but-bookings-strengthen/ |
BERLIN (AP) — A group of leading economic think tanks slashed its forecast for growth in Germany this year, predicting Wednesday that Europe’s biggest economy will expand by 2.7% as Russia’s war in Ukraine weighs on prospects.
The five institutes’ revised outlook compared with a forecast of 4.8% they made last fall. They forecast an even worse performance if Russian gas supplies are cut off suddenly.
They blamed the war and the “worse than expected course” of the coronavirus pandemic over the winter for Wednesday’s outook revision.
It is the latest in a string of downgrades for Germany’s economic outlook, but is still more optimistic than a recent prediction of 1.8% growth in gross domestic product by the government’s panel of independent economic advisers.
For 2023, the think tanks forecast moderately better growth of 3.1%. The baseline predictions for this year and next assume continuing gas deliveries and “no further economic escalation from the war in Ukraine,” they said.
If energy deliveries are cut off, they forecast growth of 1.9% this year and a contraction of 2.2% in 2023. They said “the cumulative loss of GDP in 2022 and 2023 in the event of a supply freeze is likely to be around 220 billion euros,” or $239 billion.
Germany relies on Russia for about 40% of its natural gas deliveries. The government is working to reduce that dependency, but says it needs time to exit Russian gas altogether and has opposed an immediate stop to supplies.
Last year, Germany’s GDP grew by 2.9%. | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/german-economists-lower-growth-outlook-see-worse-if-gas-cut/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:00 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/german-economists-lower-growth-outlook-see-worse-if-gas-cut/ |
LONDON (AP) — British consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in 30 years last month, fueled by soaring prices for household energy and motor fuels, the government statistics agency reported Wednesday.
U.K. inflation accelerated to 7% in the 12 months through March, the highest annual rate since March 1992, the Office for National Statistics said.
The U.S. Labor Department said Tuesday that its consumer price index jumped 8.5% last month.
The U.K. faces what economists say will be the biggest drop in living standards since the mid-1950s as rocketing energy costs, rising food prices and tax increases overshadow rising wages.
Disposable household incomes, adjusted for inflation, are expected to drop by 2.2% this year, according to the government’s independent budget adviser.
Household natural gas prices jumped 28.3% over the last year, and electricity prices rose 19.2% as the global economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing worldwide demand for energy.
Prices will continue to rise after Britain’s energy regulator authorized a 54% increase in gas and electricity bills for millions of households that took effect in April.
Transportation costs are also rising, with the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel rising by an average of 30.7% over the past year, the biggest increase since current records began in January 1989, the Office for National Statistics said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/uk-inflation-rises-at-fastest-pace-in-30-years/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:07 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/uk-inflation-rises-at-fastest-pace-in-30-years/ |
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Critically acclaimed debut albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin’s Latin pop megahit “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” are among the recordings being inducted this year into the National Recording Registry.
The Library of Congress announced on Wednesday the 25 songs, albums, historical recordings and even a podcast that will be preserved as important contributions to American culture and history.
Keys’ “Songs In A Minor,” released in 2001, introduced the young New York musician to the world with her unique fusion of jazz, R&B and hip hop and earned her five Grammy awards. With songs like “Fallin’” the album has been certified as seven-times multiplatinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The Staten Island collective Wu-Tang Clan, including RZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man and more, released their highly influential debut “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” in 1993, which combined East Coast hardcore rap centered around kung fu film storylines and samples.
Other albums that were included were Linda Ronstadt’s “Canciones de Mi Padre,” a musical tribute to her Mexican-American roots, Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning “Nick of Time,” A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory,” and the Cuban musical ensemble’s self-titled debut “Buena Vista Social Club,” which also inspired a film by the same name.
Other songs now in the registry include Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,'” “Walking the Floor Over You” by Ernest Tubb, “Moon River” by Andy Williams and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” by The Four Tops.
The Four Tops song was penned by the songwriting trio of Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier and became a No. 1 song in 1966 known for its unorthodox arrangement and the urgent, operatic vocals of lead singer Levi Stubbs. The last surviving member of the band, Duke Fakir, said he was honored to have their song included in the registry.
“When we recorded ‘I’ll Be There,’ I have to admit (for the first time), we thought of the song as an experiment for the album,” Fakir said in a statement. “We never believed it would even make it on the album, let alone be a hit for all time in ‘The Library of Congress.’ I wish Levi, Obie (Benson), and Lawrence (Payton) were here with me today so we could celebrate this incredible accolade together. And we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Holland Dozier Holland, the tailors of great music, who wrote it.”
Other recordings include public radio station WNYC’s broadcasts from Sept. 11, 2001 and Marc Maron’s interview with Robin Williams on his podcast “WTF with Marc Maron.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/songs-by-wu-tang-alicia-keys-added-to-recording-registry/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:14 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/songs-by-wu-tang-alicia-keys-added-to-recording-registry/ |
GENEVA (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported to the World Health Organization fell for a third consecutive week, a trend likely helped by the dismantling of testing and surveillance programs.
In its latest weekly report on the pandemic, issued late Tuesday, the U.N. health agency said the more than 7 million new cases reported represented a 24% decline from a week earlier. The weekly worldwide number of COVID-19 deaths, was down 18%, at over 22,000.
WHO said the decreases “should be interpreted with caution” as numerous countries where the virus is starting to subside have changed their testing strategies, meaning far fewer cases are being identified.
New cases and deaths are falling in every region of the world, including the Western Pacific, where a surge of infections has triggered severe lockdown measures in China.
WHO said it was monitoring several mutants of the virus descended from the omicron variant, including some recombined forms of existing omicron subvariants.
In a separate statement, the health organization said scientists in Botswana and South Africa have detected new forms of the omicron variant, labeled as BA.4 and BA.5, but aren’t sure yet if they might be more transmissible or dangerous.
To date, the new versions of omicron have been detected in four people in Botswana and 23 people in South Africa. Beyond Africa, scientists have confirmed cases in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom.
WHO said there was so far no evidence the new sub-variants spread any differently than the original omicron variant.
“There is no cause for alarm with the emergence of the new sub-variants,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Africa director, said in a statement. “We are not yet observing a major spike in cases, hospitalizations or deaths.”
The agency called on all countries to sequence at least 5% of their COVID-19 samples; many countries, including Britain, Sweden and the United States, recently scrapped their widespread testing programs as the number of severe cases dramatically declined.
Still, the U.S. will soon mark 1 million COVID-19 deaths, and the virus is continuing to cause concern in China.
Officials warn Shanghaistill doesn’t have its latest surge in omicron-involved cases under control despite a “zero-tolerance” approach that has seen some residents confined to their homes for three weeks or longer.
The lockdown has led to frustration among Shanghai residents about running out of food and unable to get deliveries. Censors have diligently scrubbed complaints from social media.
State-controlled outlets describe a successful campaign to provide food and other supplies and counseled residents that “persistence is victory.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/who-covid-cases-and-deaths-fall-for-3rd-consecutive-week/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:21 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/who-covid-cases-and-deaths-fall-for-3rd-consecutive-week/ |
YAHIDNE, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian soldiers forced more than 300 villagers into a school basement. Then, during weeks of stress and deprivation, some began to die.
Residents of Yahidne, a village 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Kyiv, told The Associated Press about being ordered into the basement at gunpoint after the Russians took control of the area around the northern city of Chernihiv in early March.
In one room, those who survived wrote the names of the 18 who didn’t.
“An old man died near me and then his wife died next,” Valentyna Saroyan, a weary survivor, recalled Tuesday as she toured the darkened basement. “Then a man died who was lying there, then a woman sitting next to me. She was a heavy woman, and it was very difficult for her.”
Village by village, town by town, Ukrainians in areas where Russians have withdrawn continue to unearth new horrors. More are feared.
The residents of Yahidne, which is on the outskirts of Chernihiv, said they were made to remain in the basement day and night except for the rare times when they they were allowed outside to cook on open fires or to use the toilet.
The health of the captives suffered.
“Here’s a chair, and that’s how we were sitting for a month,” Saroyan said, recalling her aching legs.
As people died one by one in the basement, neighbors were allowed from time to time to place the bodies in a mass grave in a nearby cemetery.
Each time, they passed through a doorway marked in dripping red paint with the plaintive words “Attention. Children.” The glare of a flashlight shows bright drawings on the walls.
The Russians could be cruel, surviving villages said.
Svitlana Baguta said a Russian soldier who was “either drunk or high” made her drink from a flask at gunpoint.
“He pointed the gun at the throat, put the flask and said, ‘Drink,’” Baguta said.
Julia Surypak said the soldiers allowed some people to make a short trip to their homes if they sang the Russian state anthem. “But they didn’t allow us to walk much,” she said.
The Russian forces left the village at the beginning of April, part of a regional withdrawal from northern Ukraine Russia’s military ordered in anticipation of after a large offensive in the east.
A message scrawled on a wall of the Yahidne school marked April 1 as “the last day” of their presence.
The soldiers left behind unexploded artillery shells, destroyed Russian vehicles and rubble.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/forced-into-a-basement-in-ukraine-residents-began-to-die/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:27 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/forced-into-a-basement-in-ukraine-residents-began-to-die/ |
IRPIN, Ukraine (AP) — Pounding sounds came from a sixth-floor window, along with the risk of falling glass. For once, it was not destruction in the Ukrainian town of Irpin, but rebuilding. Heartened by Russia’s withdrawal from the capital region, residents have begun coming home, at least to what’s left.
Irpin just weeks ago saw desperate scenes of flight. Terrified residents picked their way across slippery planks of a makeshift bridge after a concrete span was destroyed by Ukrainian forces to slow the Russian advance. But on Monday, a long line of cars waited to cross a recently improvised bridge allowing access between the town and the capital, Kyiv.
The early returnees are among the 7 million Ukrainians displaced inside their country by the war. They are crossing paths with the elderly and others who waited out Russia’s assault in cold, damp basements, numbed by the sounds of shelling, and who have emerged into a landscape of ruined tanks and splintered homes.
In colorful Irpin apartment blocks where cafes and salons are still silent, there are the first signs of life amid the shattered glass and scorched walls. It feels like a turning point, even as police officers with flashlights continue to walk through near-empty buildings, looking for bodies and mines.
Upstairs and down a darkened hallway, Olexiy Planida worked to place a sheet of plastic over a large window facing a damaged playground. This was his first time home since he fled with his wife, two small children and their dog. The remains of breakfast, including a half-eaten bowl on a high chair, were where they left them. Nearby pots of flowers had wilted. A stuffed toy lay amid broken glass.
“It hurts,” the 34-year-old Planida said. The Russians broke open all the apartment doors and took a laptop, iPad and jewelry. He’s sure it was the Russians because local thieves pick the locks instead.
“I think for a couple of years it can’t be fixed,” he said of Irpin’s homes, many of which have suffered similar damage or worse.
He hopes his children, ages 2 and 4, will never see their home the way it is now. He hopes they’ll never remember the war itself, which he and his wife have tried to explain in the gentlest of terms.
“We’re just talking to them like, ‘Hey, some bad guys came to us,’” he said. “They shouldn’t see such things.” Even he was shocked by the ruins in parts of Irpin and in Bucha nearby.
Down the hallway, Oksana Lyul’ka cleared the broken glass from her living room floor, using work gloves to carry pieces as large as dinner plates.
Just months ago the 28-year-old had returned to Ukraine from Cyprus to start a new life closer to home, and she renovated the apartment. Now the structural damage alone is a concern, along with her missing jewelry.
She had arrived at the apartment an hour earlier. Downstairs, she cried.
She fled Irpin on the second day of the war and moved in with her parents. Now she is based in Kyiv, not so far away.
“We can’t make plans for now,” she said. “Our plan is to win the war, and then we will decide what to do with the apartment. It’s not that important now.”
Because the Russians remain in Ukraine they complicate any real recovery, she said. “We all feel pain and it’s hard and it’s terrible, but people are suffering, people are dying, and this is the main problem.”
Near the slowly reviving bridge linking Irpin to the capital, dozens of cars that had been abandoned by fleeing residents were being placed in rows. Some were burned. Some were smashed. Some had the remnants of their owners’ last seconds before giving up and going on foot: a coffee thermos. Face masks. Glove compartments left open, documents scattered.
Now people are showing up at the lot to look for what they left behind.
Not all find it. One man sat on the curb, holding two photographs, and wept. His brother was gone.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/it-cant-be-fixed-in-shattered-irpin-signs-of-homecoming/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:34 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/it-cant-be-fixed-in-shattered-irpin-signs-of-homecoming/ |
Russia says more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops have surrendered in the besieged southeastern port of Mariupol.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said 1,026 troops from the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade surrendered at a metals plant in the city.
Russian forces moved on Mariupol in late February and units in the city have been running low on supplies.
Konashenkov said that the 1,026 Ukrainian marines included 162 officers and 47 female personnel, and that 151 wounded received medical treatment.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych did not comment on the alleged mass surrender, but said in a post on Twitter that elements of the 36th Marine Brigade had managed to link up with other Ukrainian forces in the city as a result of a “risky maneuver.”
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukraine probes claim poisonous substance dropped in Mariupol
— A look at Russia’s military objectives and challenges it faces
— ‘It’s not the end’: The children who survived Bucha’s horror
— Russian war worsens fertilizer crunch, risking food supplies
— Czechs provide free shooting training for local Ukrainians
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
The presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia say they are headed for Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Twitter posts by the leaders on Wednesday showed them standing outside a Ukrainian railroad passenger car, but did not give details about the trip.
“We are visiting Ukraine to show strong support to the Ukrainian people, will meet dear friend President Zelenskyy,“ Estonian President Alar Karis said in his post.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, Lithuania’s Gitanas Nauseda and Egils Levits of Latvia also are on the trip.
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WASHINGTON — The United States and its allies are pushing ahead with sanctions aimed at forcing Vladimir Putin to spend Russia’s money propping up its economy rather than sustaining its “war machine” for the fight in Ukraine, a top Treasury Department official said Tuesday.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, one of the main U.S. coordinators on the Russian sanctions strategy, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the goal is to make Russia “less able to project power in the future.”
On the same day that inflation notched its steepest increase in decades, Adeyemo said reducing supply chain backlogs and managing the pandemic are key to bringing down soaring prices that he related to the ongoing land war in Ukraine, which has contributed to rising energy costs.
Adeyemo discussed the next steps the U.S. and its allies will take to inflict financial pain on Russia — and the complications the war has on rising costs to Americans back home.
Adeyemo said the U.S. and its allies will next target the supply chains that contribute to the construction of Russia’s war machine, which includes “everything from looking at ways to go after the military devices that have been built to use not only in Ukraine, but to project power elsewhere.”
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KYIV, Ukraine — More than 720 people have been killed in Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs that were occupied by Russian troops and more than 200 are considered missing, the Interior Ministry said early Wednesday.
In Bucha alone, Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said 403 bodies had been found and the toll could rise as minesweepers comb the area.
Ukraine’s prosecutor-general’s office said Tuesday it was also looking into events in the Brovary district, which lies to the northeast.
Authorities said the bodies of six civilians were found with gunshot wounds in a basement in the village of Shevchenkove and Russian forces are believed to be responsible.
Vladimir Putin vowed Tuesday that Russia’s bloody offensive in Ukraine would continue until its goals are fulfilled and insisted the campaign was going as planned, despite a major withdrawal in the face of stiff Ukrainian opposition and significant losses.
—
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing yet another, more diverse, package of military support possibly totaling $750 million to be announced in coming days, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced.
The additional aid is a sign that the administration intends to continue expanding its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Delivery is due to be completed this week of $800 million in military assistance approved by President Joe Biden just one month ago.
— reported by Associated Press writer Robert Burns.
—
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say fugitive Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who is both the former leader of a pro-Russian opposition party and a close associate of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has been detained in a special operation carried out by the country’s SBU secret service.
In his nightly video address to the nation Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that Russia could win Medvedchuk’s freedom by trading Ukrainians now held in Russian prisons.
Ivan Bakanov, the head of Ukraine’s national security agency, said on the agency’s Telegram channel that Medvedchuk had been detained.
The statement came shortly after Zelenskyy posted on social media a photo of Medvedchuk sitting in handcuffs and wearing a camouflage uniform with a Ukrainian flag patch.
Medvedchuk was the former leader of the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform – For Life. He was being held under house arrest before the war began and disappeared shortly after hostilities broke out.
Putin is the godfather to Medvedchuk’s youngest daughter.
—
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the world Tuesday to respond to Russia’s use of a poisonous substance in Mariupol.
“Given the repeated threats by Russian propagandists to use chemical weapons against the Mariupol defenders and given the repeated use by the Russian army, for example, of phosphorus munitions in Ukraine, the world must react now,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation Tuesday.
Phosphorus munitions cause horrendous burns but are not classed as chemical weapons.
Zelenskyy said experts were still trying to determine what had been used in Mariupol.
Zelenskyy said in addition to the killings in Bucha, more evidence was appearing of the “inhuman cruelty” of Russian soldiers toward women and children in other Kyiv suburbs and other towns in the north and east. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/live-updates-allied-leaders-going-to-meet-with-zelenskyy/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:41 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/live-updates-allied-leaders-going-to-meet-with-zelenskyy/ |
BEIJING (AP) — Shanghai released 6,000 more people from the central facilities where they were under medical observation to guard against the coronavirus, the government said Wednesday, though the lockdown of most of China’s largest city was being maintained in its third week.
About 6.6 million people in the city of 25 million were allowed to leave their homes Tuesday, but some were restricted to their own neighborhoods. Some housing compounds also appeared to still be keeping residents locked inside, and no further lifting of restrictions was apparent Wednesday.
Officials warn Shanghai still doesn’t have the latest surge in cases of the omicron variant under control, despite its “zero-tolerance” approach that has seen some residents confined to their homes for three weeks or longer.
China also requires anyone who tests positive or is a close contact of such a person to spend at least a week in centralized observation centers in pre-fabricated buildings or gymnasiums and exhibition halls to limit the spread of the virus.
The city’s health bureau said Wednesday that 6,044 people had been allowed the day before to leave observation centers and return home, although health monitoring will continue.
The number of newly detected daily cases in the city edged upward to 26,338, all but 1,189 of them in people showing no symptoms. With more than 200,000 total cases, the ongoing outbreak is China’s biggest of the pandemic. But the mass testing has caught many asymptomatic cases, and no deaths have been reported in Shanghai.
The lockdown has led to frustration among residents in Shanghai about running out of food and being unable to get deliveries. Censors have diligently scrubbed such material from social media, while state-controlled outlets describe a successful campaign to provide food and other supplies and counseled residents that “persistence is victory.”
Shanghai is also home to China’s busiest port and main stock market, and concerns have been rising about the lockdown’s economic impact.
Figures released Wednesday showed China’s exports rose 15.7% in March over a year earlier while imports were flat due to disruptions from coronavirus outbreaks.
Customs data show exports rose to $276.1 billion despite anti-virus controls in Shanghai and other industrial centers that caused factories to reduce output. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/shanghai-releases-more-from-virus-observation-amid-lockdown/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:48 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/shanghai-releases-more-from-virus-observation-amid-lockdown/ |
GENEVA (AP) — Swiss prosecutors are concluding without any charges a decade-long investigation into alleged money laundering and organized crime linked to late former President Hosni Mubarak’s circles in Egypt, and will release some 400 million Swiss francs ($430 million) frozen in Swiss banks.
The office of the Swiss attorney general said Wednesday that information received as part of cooperation with Egyptian authorities wasn’t sufficient to back up the claims that emerged in the wake of Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 that felled Mubarak’s three-decade rule.
A Swiss investigation into claims that banks in Switzerland were used to squirrel away ill-gotten funds had originally targeted 14 people, including Mubarak’s two sons, as well as dozens of other individuals and entities that had assets totaling some 600 million francs frozen.
More than 210 million francs were already released in an earlier phase of the case, which also could not substantiate the allegations, and Wednesday’s announcement means about 400 million more will be “released and returned to their beneficial owners,” the attorney-general’s office said.
The final part of the Swiss investigation centered on five people, it said, without identifying them.
Swiss prosecutors say they didn’t receive a response to a request for information from “commissions” created in Egypt to analyze financial transfers connected to people under investigation in Egypt — notably the Mubarak family, the office said. Mubarak died in 2020, aged 91.
“As a result, in the absence of evidence relating to potential offenses committed in particular in Egypt, it is not possible to show that the funds located in Switzerland could be of illegal origin,” it said. “The suspicion of money laundering cannot therefore be substantiated based on the information available.”
Swiss banks, reputed for their discretion, have been a favored repository over the years for many wealthy foreigners — including Western industrial tycoons, Russian oligarchs, and autocrats and other leaders and their families and cronies in places as diverse as Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Swiss authorities have touted a recent crackdown against money laundering through Swiss banks, but advocacy groups and watchdogs say the effort has not succeeded in completely ending such activities. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/swiss-to-unfreeze-430m-as-egypt-money-laundering-probe-ends/ | 2022-04-13T10:50:55 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/swiss-to-unfreeze-430m-as-egypt-money-laundering-probe-ends/ |
ROME (AP) — A close associate of Pope Francis on Wednesday defended the Vatican’s decision to have a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman carry the cross together during a Good Friday procession that will be presided over by the pontiff.
On Tuesday, both the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See and the archbishop of Kyiv blasted the choice given Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine. The women are both nurses who work together at a Rome hospital.
Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Yurash tweeted that he “understands and shares general concern in Ukraine and many other communities about idea to bring together Ukrainian and Russian women” to carry the cross during part of the procession on Friday.
“Now we are working on the issue trying to explain difficulties of its realization and possible consequences,” the ambassador said.
The torchlit procession at at Rome’s Colosseum is a traditional part of the Vatican’s Holy Week observances.
The Vatican didn’t immediately comment.
Responding to the criticism, the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest in Rome who is close to Francis, defended the pairing of the Russian and Ukrainian women for the solemn procession.
“You have to understand one thing” about the pope, Spadaro told Italian state radio network RAI on Wednesday. “He’s a pastor, not a politician.”
Spadaro ventured that the image of the two women carrying the cross together was upsetting “because they represent something that can’t be obtained” now — “peace.”
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who is based in Kyiv and heads the Greek-Catholic church in Ukraine, also denounced the pairing.
“I consider this idea inopportune and ambiguous,” Shevchuk said, adding that it “doesn’t take into consideration the context of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.”
Shevchuk also decried the wording of a meditation that the Vatican had said would be read aloud as the nurses clutch the tall, lightweight cross. It reads, “We want our life back as before. Why all of this? What wrong did we do? Why have you forsaken us? Why have you forsaken our peoples?”
The words, combined with the cross-carrying gesture, “are incomprehensible and even offensive,” the Greek-Catholic prelate said. .
The meditation was scripted based on the experiences of the families of the Russian and Ukrainian women, whose families also plan to participate in the procession, the Vatican has said.
The women, interviewed on Italian state TV earlier in the week, have expressed satisfaction with their role in the procession and stressed their friendship.
The pope did not mention the controversy during his public audience on Wednesday. But he denounced “the armed aggression of these days” as “an outrage against God.”
Francis has pressed for an Easter cease-fire in Ukraine. Easter falls on April 17 for many Christians this year. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/ukraine-upset-by-vatican-inviting-russian-to-carry-cross/ | 2022-04-13T10:51:02 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/ukraine-upset-by-vatican-inviting-russian-to-carry-cross/ |
CANBERRA, Australia: (AP) — Australia and the United States are stepping up diplomatic outreach to the Solomon Islands after China signed a security deal with the South Pacific island nation that could lead to Beijing establishing a military presence there.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday that his minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja, had flown to the Solomon Islands the day before for talks with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on the April 1 security pact the country agreed to with China.
Seselja said he had asked Sogavare to abandon the Chinese agreement.
“We have asked Solomon Islands respectfully to consider not signing the agreement and to consult the Pacific family in the spirit of regional openness and transparency, consistent with our region’s security frameworks,” Seselja said in a statement.
The trip came the same day that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele about Washington’s plan to reopen an embassy in the capital, Honiara.
The announcement of reopening the embassy, which has been closed since 1993, came in February before the security pact came to light, but amid already growing concerns about Chinese influence in the strategically important country.
A Chinese military presence in the Solomon Islands would put it not only on the doorstep of Australia and New Zealand but also in close proximity to Guam, with its massive U.S. military bases.
At the time he announced the embassy’s reopening, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was seeking to increase its influence in the Solomon Islands before China becomes “strongly embedded.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the call between Sherman and Manele touched on “our joint efforts to broaden and deepen engagement between our countries,” in addition to the embassy plans, but gave no further details.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian defended Beijing’s cooperation with the Solomons as being based on “the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit” and in line with international law and international practice.
“It is conducive to the social stability and lasting peace and safety of Solomon Islands and will help promote peace, stability and development of Solomon Islands and the rest of South Pacific region,” Zhao told reporters Wednesday at a daily briefing.
“The security cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands does not target any third party or work in opposition to the Solomon Islands’ cooperation with other countries, but will complement the exiting regional cooperation mechanism in a positive way,” he said.
He added that other countries “should view this in an objective and reasonable manner, respect the sovereignty and independent decision of China and the Solomon Islands, avoid provoking confrontation and creating division in the region, and do something conducive to regional stability and development.”
According to a draft of the agreement, which was leaked online, Chinese warships could stop in the Solomons for “logistical replenishment” and China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomons “to assist in maintaining social order.”
The draft agreement specifies China must approve what information is disclosed about joint security arrangements, including at media briefings.
The Solomon Islands government have said a draft was initialed two weeks ago and that it would be “cleaned up” and finalized soon.
The Solomon Islands government has said it won’t allow China to build a military base there and China has denied seeking a military foothold in the South Pacific, but the pact set off alarm bells among many Western nations.
Since it was signed, two top Australian intelligence officials — Australian Secret Intelligence Service boss Paul Symon and Office of National Intelligence Director-General Andrew Shearer — have met Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
Australia already has a bilateral security pact with the Solomon Islands and Australian police peacekeepers have been in the capital, Honiara, since riots in November.
Morrison said Australia was respectfully and directly communicating with the Solomon Islands on the Chinese security deal.
“The suggestion that somehow, some seem to be making, that the Solomon Islands is somehow under the control of Australia I think is offensive to the Solomon Islands,” Morrison said.
“They are a sovereign nation. I respect their independence and they will make their own decisions about their own sovereignty,” he said.
“What we have been doing is ensuring that they are fully aware of the risks and the security matters that are not only of concern to Australia but islands, Pacific nations across the Pacific,” he added.
Seselja said Australia also welcomed statements from Sogavare that it remains the Solomon Islands’ “security partner of choice, and his commitment that Solomon Islands will never be used for military bases or other military institutions of foreign powers.”
Morrison announced on Sunday that an election will be held in Australia on May 21. He now leads a caretaker government and must consult the opposition on any policy decisions.
Opposition spokeswoman on foreign affairs Penny Wong said the Australian government had failed on the Solomon Islands.
“This is happening on Mr. Morrison’s watch – the warnings have been there for months, the draft agreement public for weeks – but he has failed to front up and explain how Australia is responding,” Wong said in a statement.
“We need to work with the Pacific family and allies to build a region where sovereignty is respected – and where Australia is the partner of choice,” she added. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/western-pressure-mounts-on-solomons-to-quash-pact-with-china/ | 2022-04-13T10:51:09 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/western-pressure-mounts-on-solomons-to-quash-pact-with-china/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — As the year began, New Yorkers shuddered at a subway crime straight out of urban nightmares — the death of a woman shoved onto the tracks by a disturbed stranger. The city’s new mayor vowed to “make sure New Yorkers feel safe in our subway system.”
But commuters Tuesday morning faced an attack that evoked many riders’ deepest fears. A rush-hour train car filled with smoke as it pulled into a Brooklyn station. Gunshots rang out — at least 33 of them — wounding at least 10 people.
Frightened riders fled, and so did the gunman, who remains at large.
Much is still unknown about the attack, including whether it was an act of terrorism. At a Tuesday evening press conference, authorities said they were looking for Frank R. James, 62, who they say rented a van linked to the shooting.
It was a searing reminder of the city’s unyielding battle with gun violence and the specter of terror-like attacks that hangs over New York City — particularly the subway system that is its transportation backbone.
Police and security officials have made many attempts to harden the city against such attacks, putting officers on trains and platforms, installing cameras and even doing rare spot checks for weapons on passengers entering some stations.
Yet the sprawling system, with its nearly 500 stations, largely remains like the city streets themselves: Too big to guard and too busy to completely secure.
In the hours after the shooting, with the gunman still on the loose, commuters like Julia Brown had little choice but to keep riding the rails.
“It’s the only way to get home — other than the express bus and then another bus and then another bus,” said Brown, who works in Manhattan. “I lived through 9/11. I lived through the blackout. You just have to be as safe as you can, and just be mindful around your environment.”
Mayor Eric Adams vowed after Tuesday’s mass shooting to keep fighting to make the system safe.
“We’re going to double down on our patrol strength,” the mayor told CBS News. Even before Tuesday’s violence, the mayor had vowed to increase subway patrols and launch sweeps of subway stations and trains to remove homeless people using them as shelters.
Gov. Kathy Hochul posted a photo on social media showing her riding a train hours after the shooting.
Public officials say the transportation system is crucial in the city’s recovery from COVID-19. During the height of the pandemic, many New Yorkers avoided mass transit. Typical daily ridership fell from 5.5 million riders to less than a tenth of that.
But as more people return to offices, ridership is increasing. On Monday, estimated ridership was 3.1 million, according to the MTA, which operates the system.
In a rambling video posted on YouTube, James replayed recent speeches by the mayor and governor and mocked their efforts to address violence as weak and futile.
“Their plan is doomed for failure,” James said in the video.
In the 1980s, New York City’s subways were a symbol of urban disorder: graffiti-covered, crime-plagued and shunned by tourists.
Like the rest of the city, though, the subways have cleaned up their act in recent decades. Before COVID-19 hit, the main problem with the trains wasn’t crime but overcrowding and breakdowns related to aging infrastructure.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, New Yorkers learned to live with the worry that the subways or other parts of the city could be a terror target.
In 2017, an Islamic State group sympathizer detonated a pipe bomb strapped to his chest in a subway station near the Port Authority Bus Terminal, injuring several bystanders.
That same year, the city began expanding the use of vehicle-blocking sidewalk barriers after two attacks. In one, a man who prosecutors said was supportive of IS drove a rented truck down a bicycle path along the Hudson River, killing eight people and maiming others. In another, a psychologically disturbed man drove a car at high speed into pedestrians in Times Square, killing one and injuring as many as 20.
In 2016, a man who prosecutors said sympathized with Osama bin Laden set off homemade bombs in Manhattan and New Jersey, injuring some bystanders, before being captured in a shootout with police. And in 2010 a man tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square, only to have it fizzle.
Christopher Herrmann, a former city police officer who is now a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said episodes like Tuesday’s shooting are bound to provoke a new round of anxiety, especially among people who use the subway.
“With 9/11, you have a specific target: the World Trade Center,” Herrmann said. “A lot of people can wrap their heads around that.”
But the seeming randomness of this week’s attack “really invokes a lot of fear and worry,” he said, “because most people don’t consider themselves a target.”
During Tuesday’s evening commute, some subway riders expressed concern while others shrugged it off as an everyday risk.
“Sadly, this is the society we’re in,” said rider Blanca Palacio. “We don’t know when it is going to happen, where it is going to happen. It can happen anywhere. We’re taking a risk every day, and it’s not just in the subway. It’s everywhere.”
Alexi Vizhnay considered boarding a ferry across the East River after work Tuesday afternoon but decided to take his chances on the subway. It was simply the most efficient way to get home to Queens.
“There’s a lot of things that happen out of your control,” he said. “As tragic as it is, all I can do is remind myself to be vigilant and be cautious.”
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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak, and photographer Seth Wenig and video journalist Joseph B. Frederick contributed to this report. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/anxieties-resurface-as-gunfire-erupts-on-nyc-subway/ | 2022-04-13T10:51:16 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/anxieties-resurface-as-gunfire-erupts-on-nyc-subway/ |
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — As search and rescue efforts increased with the arrival of equipment, the death toll has risen to at least 56, with 28 others missing, after a summer tropical depression that unleashed days of pounding rain caused landslides and floods in the central and southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.
Nearly 200 villagers were injured mostly in the landslides in the hard-hit city of Baybay in central Leyte province over the weekend and early Monday, officials said. Army, police and other rescuers were struggling with mud and unstable heaps of earth and debris to find the missing villagers.
More rescuers and heavy equipment, including backhoes, arrived in the landslide-hit villages in Baybay. Its mayor, Jose Carlos Cari, said the weather cleared Wednesday, allowing the search and rescue work to go full force.
“We’re looking for so many more missing people,” Cari said and added that authorities would do a recount to determine how many villagers were really missing and believed buried in the landslides.
Forty-seven of the dead were recovered from the landslides that hit six Baybay villages, military and local officials said. Nine other people drowned elsewhere in floodwaters in four central and southern provinces, they said.
“We are saddened by this dreadful incident that caused an unfortunate loss of lives and destruction of properties,” said army brigade commander Col. Noel Vestuir, who was helping oversee the search and rescue.
Coast guard, police and firefighters rescued some villagers Monday in flooded central communities, including some who were trapped on their roofs. In central Cebu city, schools and work were suspended Monday and Mayor Michael Rama declared a state of calamity to allow the rapid release of emergency funds.
At least 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year, mostly during the rainy season that begins around June. Some storms have hit even during the scorching summer months in recent years.
The disaster-prone Southeast Asian nation also lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/search-and-rescue-efforts-bolstered-in-philippine-disaster/ | 2022-04-13T10:51:23 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/search-and-rescue-efforts-bolstered-in-philippine-disaster/ |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alyssa Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game, and the Giants pounded the San Diego Padres 13-2 on Tuesday night.
The 31-year-old Nakken took over at first base in the third inning afterAntoan Richardson got ejected. When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken was greeted with a warm ovation from the crowd at Oracle Park. She also received a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.
San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said Nakken had “prepared for this moment” while working with Richardson and others.
“So it’s not a foreign spot on the field for her. She does so many other things well that aren’t seen,” he said. “So it’s nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field.”
Nakken is an assistant coach who works heavily with baserunning and outfield defense. She watches games from an indoor batting cage near the steps to the dugout.
Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer highlighting a six-run first inning off Yu Darvish, and it was 10-1 in the second. That was plenty for Alex Cobb (1-0), who struck out 10 to win his San Francisco debut.
Joc Pederson homered for the first time since joining the Giants with an eighth-inning drive.
Wilmer Flores, held out Monday for personal reasons, returned to start at third base for the Giants and his RBI single in the second chased Darvish (0-1). Flores also homered in the eighth.
Pederson and Flores both connected after Padres outfielder Wil Myers moved to the mound to pitch.
Cobb who signed a $20 million, two-year contract ahead of the lockout, gave up two runs on four hits and walked two over five innings.
After Belt connected for his second homer of the year — he hit a career-best 29 last season — Thairo Estrada added a two-run single, Joey Bart singled home a run and Steven Duggar added a sacrifice fly in the big inning.
Darvish was tagged for nine runs on eight hits over 1 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and two walks. He had been looking to build on his season-opening outing last week at Arizona, where he had a no-hitter in progress but was pulled following the sixth inning after throwing 92 pitches.
Yunior Marte made his major league debut pitching the ninth for San Francisco.
NAKKEN’S CHANCE
Nakken, her blonde braid hanging out of her protective orange helmet, had previously coached first in spring training and during a July 2020 exhibition game at Oakland against now-Padres manager Bob Melvin when he was with the Athletics. She then started the game at first the next night back in San Francisco.
The former Sacramento State softball star became the first female coach in the big leagues when she was hired for Kapler’s staff in January 2020. She has worked heavily on baserunning and outfield defense.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: LHP Blake Snell, scratched from his start Sunday with tightness in his left upper leg, played catch but wasn’t able to throw off the mound. He is likely headed to the injured list Wednesday. … San Diego claimed RHP Kyle Tyler off waivers from the Angels and designated RHP Javy Guerra for assignment.
Giants: RHP Tyler Rogers went on the paternity list a day after taking the loss on a night his twin brother, Taylor, earned the save for San Diego. Tyler Rogers left immediately after his outing to go welcome his first child, a boy to be named Jack. The brothers became the fifth set of twins to play in the same game. … RHP Yunior Marte was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
UP NEXT
LHP Sean Manaea (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who pitched seven no-hit innings in his Padres debut Friday at Arizona, starts Wednesday afternoon’s series finale opposite Giants right-hander Logan Webb (0-0, 1.50).
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/giants-nakken-1st-mlb-female-coach-on-field-sf-beat-padres/ | 2022-04-13T10:51:30 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/giants-nakken-1st-mlb-female-coach-on-field-sf-beat-padres/ |
A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
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SWITCHING SIDES
Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodríguez gets a look at his former teammates when he pitches against Boston at Comerica Park.
Rodriguez was 64-39 in six seasons with Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and the Red Sox before signing a $77 million, five-year contract with Detroit as a free agent.
“All in all, I’m going to enjoy having the opportunity to face my old teammates,” he said.
The 29-year-old Rodriguez gave up three runs and four hits in four innings against the White Sox in his Detroit debut.
FIRST ON THE FIELD
One day after suddenly ending up in the spotlight, Alyssa Nakken will be right back at work trying to help the San Francisco Giants beat San Diego.
The 31-year-old Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game Tuesday night during San Francisco’s 13-2 victory over the Padres. She came in to coach first base for the Giants in the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected.
When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken was greeted with a warm ovation from the San Francisco crowd. She also received a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Nakken had “prepared for this moment” while working with Richardson and others.
“So it’s not a foreign spot on the field for her. She does so many other things well that aren’t seen,” he said. “So it’s nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field.”
Nakken is an assistant coach who works heavily with baserunning and outfield defense. She normally watches games from an indoor batting cage near the steps to the dugout — and has a Giants jersey nearby, just in case she needs it.
And in an instant Tuesday night, she did.
Nakken jogged onto the field four days after Rachel Balkovec became the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of a Major League Baseball team. Balkovec guided the New York Yankees’ Class A Tampa club to a win in her first game.
Nakken had previously coached first base in spring training and during part of a July 2020 exhibition game at Oakland. She started at first again a night later against the Athletics in San Francisco as the teams prepared for the pandemic-delayed season.
KWAN WATCH
Remarkable rookie Steven Kwan has reached base at least three times in all five games of his major league career with Cleveland.
The 24-year-old outfielder kept up his super start with a single, two walks and a sacrifice fly Tuesday in a 10-5 win at Cincinnati.
Kwan is 10 for 15 since making his debut on opening day. He has reached base in 18 of 24 plate appearances, the most times for any player in his first five games since 1901.
Kwan also has swung 39 times and not missed a single time, according to Statcast.
The lefty hitter and the Guardians next face left-hander Nick Lodolo, who will make his big league debut. The Reds picked him seventh overall in the 2019 draft.
MANAEA MAGIC
Off to a sensational start, Padres newcomer Sean Manaea is back on the mound at San Francisco.
Traded from Oakland to San Diego in the final week of spring training, the 30-year-old lefty pitched seven hitless innings against Arizona in his Padres debut. Manaea was pulled after 88 pitches with the no-hitter intact.
Manaea pitched six seasons for the A’s before being dealt. He’s still waiting to settle into San Diego — the trade came while he was in Arizona for spring training, then the Padres opened against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix before heading to San Francisco.
A NEW VIEW
Clayton Kershaw gets his first look at Target Field when he faces the Minnesota Twins for the first time in his career.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner makes his season debut for the Dodgers. He chose to stay with Los Angeles rather than sign as a free agent with the Rangers in his home state of Texas.
Now in his 15th season, the 34-year-old Kershaw was sharp in four spring training starts.
While he’s never taken on the Twins, Kershaw will pitch against a familiar opponent. Chris Paddack makes his first start for Minnesota after being acquired in an opening day trade with San Diego.
Paddack was early in his rookie season of 2019 when he lost to Kershaw in an NL West matchup.
GOING MY WAY?
Robbie Ray impressed in his first game for Seattle, showing the stuff that won him the AL Cy Young Award last year with Toronto.
The 30-year-old lefty was in control last week, winning at Minnesota with seven innings of three-hit ball. Ray now takes on José Abreu, Tim Anderson and the White Sox in Chicago.
Dallas Keuchel starts for the White Sox, trying for his 100th career win. The 34-year-old lefty, who won the 2015 AL Cy Young with Houston, struggled last season and was shaky in spring training last month.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/leading-off-rodriguez-vs-former-team-nakken-makes-history/ | 2022-04-13T10:51:37 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/leading-off-rodriguez-vs-former-team-nakken-makes-history/ |
Kenedi Anderson, a front-runner on “American Idol" this season, is leaving the show.
Anderson, 17, announced the news Monday on Instagram, explaining that she made the decision to drop out of the ABC singing competition for "personal reasons."
"For personal reasons, I’m unable to continue on American Idol,” wrote Anderson. “This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but I know it’s necessary.”
She continued, “I’m so grateful to American Idol, the judges, the producers, the amazing contestants, and all the fans who have supported me. Thank you for giving me such an amazing opportunity to share my voice, chase my dreams, feel so much joy and happiness doing what I love, and make lifelong friends along the way."
Host Ryan Seacrest confirmed Anderson’s exit during Monday night’s episode of the show just after Anderson was seen performing Christina Perri’s “Human” during the show’s pre-taped Top 24 segment.
“You might have noticed that there was no voting information during Kenedi’s performance just now,” said Seacrest. “Since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier, Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons.
Entertainment News
“We send her well wishes, and needless to say, we have incredible talent on this historic season, with more iconic ‘Idol’ performances coming up for you right now,” he added.
NBC News reached out to Anderson, who did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The teen singer first wowed judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie during her audition, which found her playing a piano and singing Lady Gaga's "Applause."
All three judges rose to give Anderson a standing ovation, with Perry gushingly branding herself a "KeniCat."
“I don’t know how you haven’t been recruited yet. You check every box and a lot of all of them. Get ready to become your own hero," said Perry.
Richie also told Anderson that she had the makings of a major star.
"You don’t understand. We can sit here all day long and sing songs, but what we're looking for is the next ‘thing’ in the music business. You have graced us because your voice, your look, your sound — if that's 17 years old, congratulations. You've answered our prayers," he said.
In pre-taped footage that aired during her audition segment, Anderson opened up about how she turns to music during tough times.
"Music really is my therapy," she said. "Whenever I'm frustrated, whenever I'm feeling down, music has always been the one thing that has stuck with me no matter what."
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/american-idol-front-runner-kenedi-anderson-leaves-show-for-personal-reasons/3643631/ | 2022-04-13T10:54:10 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/american-idol-front-runner-kenedi-anderson-leaves-show-for-personal-reasons/3643631/ |
President Joe Biden's plan to reduce the price of gas by allowing the sale of higher-ethanol fuel this summer may make corn farmers and their elected representatives happy. But the move also has irked environmentalists who see ethanol as a climate-change villain.
Biden made his announcement Tuesday during a trip to Iowa, where corn — and ethanol — are crucial to the state economy. He said the Environmental Protection Agency would issue an emergency waiver from the Clean Air Act that will permit the sale of gasoline that is 15 percent ethanol, 5 percent more than the typical blend, from June 1 to Sept. 15. The change will lower gas prices by about 10 cents a gallon at the 2,300 gas stations equipped to pump it, the Biden administration says.
To environmentalists, that's a small benefit compared to the damage the decision could do to efforts to reduce the country's carbon emissions.
“What the president is doing is the definition of short-term thinking,” said Carroll Muffett, president and CEO of the Center for International Environmental Law. “The goal here shouldn’t be to bring gas prices down by 10 cents in the near term by increasing emissions that will endanger large parts of the population.”
Although ethanol was embraced more than a decade ago as a renewable fuel, its green reputation has eroded. Scientists have found evidence that increased corn production for ethanol could increase greenhouse gas emissions; a study published in February said ethanol may be worse for the climate than gasoline. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/short-term-thinking-environmentalists-push-back-on-bidens-ethanol-expansion/3643653/ | 2022-04-13T10:54:17 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/short-term-thinking-environmentalists-push-back-on-bidens-ethanol-expansion/3643653/ |
Funeral services for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was killed when he was hit by a dump truck on Saturday, will take place this weekend.
The first memorial will be held Saturday at noon at Christ Church in Rockaway Township, New Jersey. The next day, services will occur at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.
Haskins, 24, was hit by the truck while he was walking on a South Florida highway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Haskins appeared to be in South Florida this week with several teammates, including fellow quarterback Mitch Trubisky, running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
A 2019 first-round draft pick by Washington, Haskins was released by the team after going 3-10 over two seasons. He was signed by Pittsburgh as a developmental quarterback, but he didn’t appear in a game last season. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/funeral-services-dwayne-haskins-nj-maryland/3643659/ | 2022-04-13T10:54:23 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/funeral-services-dwayne-haskins-nj-maryland/3643659/ |
Phil Lovell, Mississippi VFW District 8 Commander (left) and Richard Thornton, Mississippi VFW State Inspector, recently recognized Oliver Franklin and Dixie Ellison for their winning essays in the Voice of Democracy/Patriot’s Pen local scholarship competitions.
COLUMBUS -- Two students from Houston, Miss., were recently honored in the annual, nationwide youth essay contest sponsored by The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Oliver Franklin, a senior at Houston High School, and Dixie Ellison, an 8th grader at Houston Middle School, placed in the top three for their division in District 8 of theMississippi VFW.
The friendly competition, which was designed to support an understanding and appreciation of America, as well as foster patriotism among youth, awards more than $3 million in combined scholarships at the local, state and national levels.
Franklin participated in the Voice of Democracy audio-essay contest, which is open to high school students. This year’s theme was “America: Where Do We Go From Here?”
Franklin placed third and won $50.
Ellison participated in the Patriot’s Pen essay contest, which is open to eligible
middle school students. This year’s theme was “How Can I Be A Good American?”
Ellison placed second and won $100.
The awards program was held Sunday, April 3, 2022, at VFW Post 4272 in
Columbus, Miss., and also honored local teacher winners.
About 300 students competed in District 8, which includes posts in Calhoun,
Chickasaw, Pontotoc, Monroe, and Lowndes counties.
Variable clouds with thunderstorms - possibly severe this afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 82F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Tonight
Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 46F. SSW winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/franklin-ellison-place-top-3-in-local-voice-of-democracy-patriot-s-pen-contest/article_245fa174-7099-5c50-bd17-45a56f5f04d5.html | 2022-04-13T11:11:26 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/franklin-ellison-place-top-3-in-local-voice-of-democracy-patriot-s-pen-contest/article_245fa174-7099-5c50-bd17-45a56f5f04d5.html |
HOUSTON – The Houston Board of Aldermen voted to give each citizen a partial credit on their upcoming water bill due to services not rendered under the previous provider, RES.
Mayor Stacey Parker first broached the issue, and then last month, Ward 2 Alderlady Shenia K. Jones had made a motion to give a full credit, totaling $12.75, on every citizen who paid for trash pickup’s water bill, however, the motion was withdrawn until it could be determined if it was legal to do so.
“Previously I had brought up, in January, about doing this for our citizens, and after Alderlady Kirby had addressed it, I did wind up calling the State Auditor and asked the question, ‘could we do it based off of what had happened during the process of the last few months?’” said Parker. “Mr. Tom Chaney, State Auditor’s Office said that if the board proved a finding of the contractor providing services did not fulfill their obligation, and the customer did not receive services that they were billed for, the board had a right to adjust the cost to their determination. That it was legal to give credit to the customers.”
According to Parker, RES deducted a portion of the final invoice to reflect the problems with service.
He said that the final invoice they were charged was approximately half of what a normal month’s cost would be.
Alderman At Large Barry Springer voiced his opinion on the matter.
“I’ve said from the start, when this first came up, that the city needs to pay any bill that it owes,” he said. “…They did provide a lot of service, they did pick up the garbage, they did pay the fees at the landfill, they did put out a lot of rollbacks that cost them an untold amount of money to try and work through this as business partners and I think in their case, they did their very best with what they had to work with…I am in full support of refunding to our customers, any amount that they refunded us or took off our bill.”
Springer made a motion that the city refund the amount, per customer, that they received refunded on their bill, and Ward 4 Alderlady Willie McKinney seconded the motion.
Variable clouds with thunderstorms - possibly severe this afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 82F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Tonight
Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 46F. SSW winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/houston-aldermen-approve-one-time-garbage-credit-for-citizens/article_419e643a-67ce-570f-a5d0-fa05da8911b5.html | 2022-04-13T11:11:32 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/houston-aldermen-approve-one-time-garbage-credit-for-citizens/article_419e643a-67ce-570f-a5d0-fa05da8911b5.html |
Any church in Houston that displays a purple-draped cross this week is displaying silent but compelling evidence of Holy Week — now under way — and the events leading up to Jesus’ resurrection, which will be celebrated this year on Easter Sunday, April 17.
Purple is used for two reasons: It is associated with mourning -- representing the pain and suffering of the crucifixion -- and also because the color purple is associated with royalty, and celebrates Christ's resurrection and sovereignty.
Holy Week is the annual Christian observance commemorating Jesus' last week on earth and the events leading up to His resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The dates of Holy Week are defined by the date of Easter Sunday, which is a moveable feast, and therefore fall on different dates from year to year.
Holy Week commenced on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday -- often incorrectly referred to as Easter Saturday.
Holy Week begins with the sixth Sunday in Lent. This Sunday observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by welcoming crowds in Jerusalem for Passover.
Ironically, the crowds who welcomed Him would only five days later cry for His execution. It is a sobering reminder of the human tendency to want God on our own terms.
Holy Week does not include Easter Sunday, which is the first day of Easter Week.
Easter is set aside to cherish the memory of Christ dying on a cross, then His miraculous resurrection from the dead.
The Resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christian faith. All the truths and doctrines of Christianity rise or fall on the reality of the Resurrection.
The Old Testament prophets talked of a man, the Messiah, who would come one day and rescue His people.
They talked of Him in detail. Seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah talked of a man who would come and bear the grief of others. In what is called “The Servant’s Song,” Isaiah saw this person “wounded for our transgressions...bruised for our iniquities.”
At Easter, we meditate on the bloody, agonizingly slow death of Christ on the cross. We think of His scourging with a whip, which cut deep gashes into His back. And we remember that He was raised from the dead with a glorious new body, never to die again.
The Bible reflects this: “Because He lives, we can live.” – I Corinthians 15: 55-57.
The Easter story of the Resurrection is one of history’s most studied stories. It’s personal and powerful, and it brings awe to people and offers hope to them as well today as it did over 2,022 years ago. | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/now-as-over-2-022-years-ago-the-easter-story-inspires-awe-and-hope/article_b0e96ce3-ca7b-5ae8-a4eb-2a248b369db7.html | 2022-04-13T11:11:38 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/now-as-over-2-022-years-ago-the-easter-story-inspires-awe-and-hope/article_b0e96ce3-ca7b-5ae8-a4eb-2a248b369db7.html |
I’ve been newspapering across four states for 47 years or so.
Over that time I’ve heard all kinds of stories, from sidesplitting funny to the blackest tragedies.
I thought you’d enjoy this “think and grin” special, which happened a long long time ago, in a galaxy…well, you know the rest of the phrase…
***
This story came from someone of impeccable character, who swears it is true.
Some years ago a superintendent drove his truck to a basketball game at his home high school. He parked it and went inside to oversee the game.
Superintendents are sometimes the first ones at a game, and sometimes the last to leave.
This was one of those superintendents, and this was one of those nights.
The game was played, finally ended. The superintendent speaks to everyone as they leave. "Hi, hello, how are you. I hope you’re doing fine."
Finally he is the last person on the property. He comes out into the deserted night. He walks toward the empty parking lot.
His truck is among all the vehicles that aren't there in the lot.
He is stunned. He looks as high and low as you can look in an empty parking lot.
They say theft is the most sincere form of flattery; he supposes someone must have really admired his truck.
The superintendent goes back inside the school building, calls the Highway Patrol, reports that his truck has been stolen.
Directly a patrolman comes out to the school. The officer fills out a report, sympathizes, says there is a lot of it going around nowadays, finishes up.
The patrolman offers the superintendent a ride back to the superintendent's house. Unhorsed, the superintendent takes him up on the offer.
As they pull in sight of the house, there, sitting on the property, is the superintendent's truck.
And if a truck could have laughed, that one would have been braying. Ever how many horsepower the truck had, all of those horses would have been giving him the, well, horselaugh.
Red-faced, the superintendent shoots out of the patrol car like a bat out of a searchlight. The shirt tail doesn't stick to his back as he hotfoots it into the house. Inside the house is his wife.
She doesn't understand why a patrolman has brought her husband home. She doesn't understand why her husband is so glad to see his truck.
Very soon, she fully and completely understands.
When the racket from her husband dies down, she explains that someone dropped her off at the game to borrow his truck. She picked it up, drove off, didn't tell him.
The superintendent explains the whole thing to the patrolman.
The patrolman is about to drive off. He tells the superintendent, who's hot enough to fry an egg on his forehead, that there's nothing to be embarrassed about.
This sworn officer of the law, of course, is lying. The superintendent knows he is lying.
What's more, the officer knows the superintendent knows he is lying.
The truth of the matter is that there's plenty to be embarrassed about, and the patrolman will soon make sure there will be more.
Another truth of the matter is that the officer can't wait to get out of there, to begin spreading his tale.
The superintendent knows both these truths. The officer undoubtedly knows the superintendent knows.
The only thing which could delay this officer from telling this tale as soon as possible is an ax murder, committed in the officer's sight.
In the officer's mind, he is already polishing this tale to tell every lawman he will see for coffee this week. He will tell his wife, which will put the story on the powdervine.
Soon the whole county will know, and the story will draw good-hearted laughter the way good tales told on prominent people always do.
The superintendent knows all this, knows he has created a legacy of laughter which may well outlive him.
Soon, he will laugh about it too. He knows if you can laugh, you can last.
But he's not laughing yet.
Staring at his wife, he tells the officer: "Don't leave yet. You may have to investigate a homicide."
My source swears the superintendent wasn't smiling when he spoke... | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/superintendent-left-high-and-dry-after-game/article_53da9e53-5aa2-564e-bd91-cdaee30a3056.html | 2022-04-13T11:11:44 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/superintendent-left-high-and-dry-after-game/article_53da9e53-5aa2-564e-bd91-cdaee30a3056.html |
OKOLONA – The Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors approved moving forward with needed repairs and additions to three county voting precincts last week.
The first precinct, Egypt, will be a repair job. The job was awarded to Rodney Beard, who was the lowest quote, for $28,627.
District 1 Supervisor Anderson McFarland made the motion to go with Beard and Interim District 4 Supervisor A.L. Adair seconded it. The motion carried.
The next one was Anchor, which ran into some problems during the last election wherein they did not have enough room to be able hold the election there due to the Covid restrictions, and so the project will be adding on to the existing building as well as a few repairs.
Beard was also the lowest quote at $61,567.
District 2 Supervisor Bill Blissard made the motion and McFarland seconded it. It also passed.
The final precinct was Buena Vista. Beard was once again the lowest quote, and this time it would be repairs and additions as well.
The total cost was $60,567, to which McFarland made the motion and Blissard seconded it. It too passed.
The board approved using ARPA money, which is federal Covid relief money, to fund the projects, as there are strict guidelines of what the money can be used for, and these projects fit the bill.
Supervisors also:
-- Heard from Robby Parman of about the regional rehab program.
-- Heard from Jack Pickens, who came on behalf of New Hope United Methodist Church to inquire about the roads and what exactly was being done because they wanted to return to the church and give a definitive answer. The board explained that they were going to pave the roads in question and gave the specifics, which was satisfactory for the church members present.
-- Approved travel for county D.A.R.E Officer, Jacob Paden, to Biloxi on July 19-22 for training.
-- Approved the meal log.
-- Heard from EMA Director Linda Griffin who informed the board that all the paperwork for the 911 grant had been submitted and they should get reimbursed soon.
-- Approved travel for Coroner Larry Harris to Hattiesburg in April and Biloxi in June for educational workshops.
-- Approved the 90-day solid waste delinquency list.
-- Authorized Three Rivers to flag car tags in other counties for individuals who have a solid waste delinquency of a year or more, making it where they cannot get their tag in any county until they pay their bill. District 3 Supervisor Russel Brooks made the motion and District 5 Supervisor Margaret Futral seconded it.
-- Approved the final pay requests for the projects on County Road 405 and County Road 410.
-- Approved giving Janine Freeman authority to apply for the scenic byway program.
-- Approved the road report.
-- Approved the culvert requests.
-- Gave Purchase Clerk Tommie Morgan the authority to hold a reverse auction for buying one or more used front-end loaders.
-- Approved going with Parker Brothers’ quote to replace the transmission in a county truck.
-- Approved purchasing a new motor for a 2014 Dodge Ram from Eaton Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram for $8,107.98.
-- Received quotes for two new tractors and rotary cutters from John Deere and tabled them until they can hold a work session on the financials to make sure they are able to purchase them.
-- Received the summary of receipts and expenditures through February.
-- Approved the solid waste adjustments.
-- Approved the homestead rejections from DOR.
-- Approved the homestead objection to homestead rejections.
-- Approved claims for payment.
-- Entered into executive session.
-- Adjourned. | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/supervisors-repairing-adding-on-to-three-voting-precincts/article_f66bc1c8-9544-5523-98c0-231d0de4a9c2.html | 2022-04-13T11:11:50 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/chickasaw/supervisors-repairing-adding-on-to-three-voting-precincts/article_f66bc1c8-9544-5523-98c0-231d0de4a9c2.html |
The Itawamba County Board of Supervisors voted against holding a public hearing concerning opting out of the distribution, sale, and processing of medical marijuana during their Monday, April 4 board meeting.
Board attorney, Bo Russell presented a summary of the recently enacted Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act.
District 3 Supervisor Terry Moore made the motion to hold the public hearing with a second from District 2 Supervisor Ike Johnson. District 1 Supervisor Donnie Wood, District 4 Supervisor Eric “Tiny” Hughes, and District 5 Supervisor Bill Sheffield voted against their motion, therefore the process of opting out of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act failed.
State lawmakers passed the medical marijuana legislation in January with the statute going into effect on February 5. Municipalities and counties were given 90 days from the effective date of the passage of the bill to opt-out.
The law allows patients to buy up to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, up to six days a week. More than 20 debilitating conditions including cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzhemiemer's, and austism are eligible for medical marijuana under the program.
Mississippi was the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana.
Variably cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely. Some thunderstorms may be severe this afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 82F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Tonight
Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 48F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/news/board-of-supervisors-votes-against-public-hearing-for-medical-marijuana/article_932f1472-7443-54e3-82c9-83114baa8605.html | 2022-04-13T11:11:56 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/news/board-of-supervisors-votes-against-public-hearing-for-medical-marijuana/article_932f1472-7443-54e3-82c9-83114baa8605.html |
Itawamba Community College will celebrate the Week of the Arts, Apr. 19-22, with several special events at the Fulton Campus, including a ribbon cutting and formal reopening of the newly-renovated W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center.
They first event will be a CenterStage concert, Apr. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Band Hall. The remaining activities, which will be at the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center auditorium, are the ribbon cutting and open house, Apr. 20, 10 a.m.-noon; Fashion Show, Apr. 20, 6 p.m.; Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble concert, Apr. 21, 6:30 p.m.; and Choir and Chamber Choir concert, Apr. 22, 7 p.m.
Renovations began in the fall of 2021 to restore the decades-old 24,000-square-foot facility, which had not received any major renovations since it was built in 1978. With upgrades to almost every inch of the facility, the state-of-the-art auditorium, lecture space, exhibit hall and lobby now boast modern designs that will be more inviting to all guests. The renovations were designed by McCarty Architects.
Variably cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely. Some thunderstorms may be severe this afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 82F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Tonight
Thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 48F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/news/icc-to-celebrate-week-of-the-arts-formally-reopen-w-o-benjamin-fine-arts-center/article_3a6e1be9-f1bf-5a64-9dd7-0ae649353285.html | 2022-04-13T11:12:02 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/news/icc-to-celebrate-week-of-the-arts-formally-reopen-w-o-benjamin-fine-arts-center/article_3a6e1be9-f1bf-5a64-9dd7-0ae649353285.html |
The Toyota Wellspring Education Fund (TWEF) at the CREATE Foundation has been the lead sponsor the last six years for an interactive Imagine the Possibilities (ItP) Career Expo, which is in its second year of a virtual experience. The culmination of the work of tenth grade students learning about 18 career pathways took place with Apple product prize presentations to 30 students across 16 schools in Northeast Mississippi.
In order to incentivize participation in the virtual event, tenth grade students had the opportunity to win points by interacting with the resources and answering simple reflection questions. These students were able to see a live leaderboard with their school and across the counties, and the points allowed students to enter into a drawing for Apple product prizes.
Based on the six Mississippi High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) classifications, winners for each level were drawn for a total of 30 winners. Congratulations to the following lucky winners!
1. Level 1 BeatsX Earphones – 120 points
1. Jamie Vinson, Tremont Attendance Center
2. Taylar Roberson, East Union Attendance Center 3. Holly Edge, Mantachie Attendance Center
4. Emily Sullivan, Shannon High School
5. Quintasia Hodges, Columbus High School 6. Michael Henderson, Tupelo High School
2. Level 2 Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones – 220 points 1. Cadie Clark, Tremont Attendance Center
2. Garrett Weaver, Houston High School
3. Kevin Taboada, Nettleton High School
4. Izzy Park, Pontotoc High School
5. Caroline Ward, Mooreville High School 6. Jake Miller, Tupelo High School
3. Level 3 AirPods Pro – 320 points
1. Jonathan Tesseneer, Smithville Attendance Center 2. Ethan Nelms, Corinth High School
3. Montana Foster, Nettleton High School
4. Shelby Ragsdale, Mooreville High School
5. Dillon Bishop, Saltillo High School
6. Alexander Spearman, Tupelo High School
4. Level 4 iPad Air – 420 points
1. Peyton Stallings, Biggersville High School 2. Luke Hammer, Pontotoc High School
3. Alexis Gann, Nettleton High School
4. Seth Boland, North Pontotoc High School 5. Sydney Palmer, Saltillo High School
6. Desirae Mallard, Tupelo High School
5. Level 5 MacBook Air – 520 points+
1. Ava Lentz, Tremont Attendance Center
2. Landon Johnson, Pontotoc High School
3. Cameron Rickman, Alcorn Central High School 4. Zmon Clay, Shannon High School
5. Kiya Curry, Columbus High School
6. Raymond Zhang, Tupelo High School
The Toyota Wellspring Education Fund team collected data on school participation with the virtual career expo in the seventeen counties served in Northeast Mississippi. The participation data from October 2021-February 2022 revealed a participation rate of 32.41% across approximately 6,551 tenth graders in all participating schools. However, the participation in the school districts that have Career Coaches, also supported by the TWEF, as well as administrative leadership that championed the initiative had a significantly higher participation rate of 59.74% in comparison to 12.88% in schools that did not have a Career Coach.
Jennifer Dale, the Pontotoc High School (PHS) Career Coach, helped all PHS 10th graders participate in the virtual career expo. Additionally, PHS finished in second place for overall points earned across all schools in Northeast Mississippi with a total of 54,046 points, equating to over 900 hours of career pathway resources being viewed by students. "Knowledge is power when it comes to career choice,” said Jennifer. “In order for our students to make superior fit career choices, they must first become aware of options available to them. The Imagine the Possibilities Virtual Career Expo allows them to view role models in various work settings, learn what a day is like in numerous jobs, discover
opportunities they may not have considered for themselves, and visualize how they can develop to their full potential."
The virtual format of the Imagine the Possibilities Career Expo is accessible via the website – www.itpcareerexpo.com – and app throughout the course of the school year even though the competition window ended. Individuals interested in accessing all content create a login that is the same for both avenues. Once logged into the website or app, students are taken to a home screen where they can watch an overview of the interactive experience. They can then access information all eighteen pathways with each pathway including a pathway overview video, pathway resources, a “day in the life” videos, mentor for a minute clips, and a podcast.
“By engaging students in the virtual Imagine the Possibilities Career Expo, we are exposing students to a variety of career options within our region,” shared Kristy Luse, Vice President of the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund. “Additionally, the school-to-community connection is the most essential piece for a successful pipeline linking education to careers. It is therefore imperative ALL stakeholders recognize their responsibility in making an impact on our students across Northeast Mississippi.”
Please learn more about Imagine the Possibilities at https://createfoundation.com. Diamond level sponsors for the expo include the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund, CREATE Foundation, Toyota Mississippi, The People’s Bank of Ripley, North Mississippi Health Services, Caterpillar, Mississippi State University, Franklin Corporation, Renasant Bank, Ross & Yerger, The University of Mississippi, and BNA Bank. In addition to the major sponsors, there are an additional 27 sponsors from around the region. If you would like to sponsor this event or support the expo by creating virtual resources, then please contact Stewart McMillan at stewart@createfoundation.com. | https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/toyota-wellspring-education-fund-names-virtual-career-expo-winners/article_49dc6fcd-040f-5d65-861f-dfe0d566e370.html | 2022-04-13T11:12:08 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/toyota-wellspring-education-fund-names-virtual-career-expo-winners/article_49dc6fcd-040f-5d65-861f-dfe0d566e370.html |
During the second week of the March term of Pontotoc County Circuit Court 26 defendants pled guilty to criminal charges and were sentenced.
The March term is scheduled to conclude on Thursday (April 14).
All defendants pleading guilty and sentenced were ordered to pay court costs and applicable court fees.
Defendanat Christopher Arnez Williams pled guilty to DUI 4th and was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison unless he completes two years of intensive supervision and house arrest. Williams was placed on five years supervision and fined $3,000, $2,000 of which was suspended.
Defendant Malcom Jamal Hogan pled guilty two two counts of statutory rape. On the first count Hogan was sentenced to 30 years in prison, 15 years suspended. On the second count Hogan was sentenced to 30 years, all suspended. The sentences run consecutively. He was placed on five years post release supervision and fined $1,000.
Defendant Jessie Houston Sisco pled guilty to possession of meth and sentenced to three years in prison if he fails to complete one year one year of intensive supervision/house arrest. Sisco was placed on two years post release supervision, fined $1,000 and must pay $60 restitution.
Defendant James Truman Christian III pled guilty to possession of meth and was sentenced to three years in prison, but credited for time served and the balance suspended. Christian was placed on two and a half years supervision, fined $1,000 and must pay $125 restitution. This cause runs concurrently to another cause he is serving.
Defendant Sherry Gay Austin pled guilty to possession of meth and was sentenced to three years in prison. Austin was also fined $1,000.
Defendant Kevin Dewayne McShan pled guilty to possession of marijuana with intent and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, all suspended. McShan was placed on five years supervision, fined $1,000 and must pay $70 restitution.
Defendant Richard L. Salmon pled guilty to taking a motor vehicle and sentenced to 20 years in prison, all suspended. Salmon was put on five years unsupervised post release, fined $1,000 and must pay restitution totaling $13,695.06.
Defendant Quincy B. Jenkins pled guilty to DUI 4th and sentenced to serve 10 years in prison if he fails to complete five years intensive supervision/house arrest. Jenkins was placed on five years supervision and fined $3,000, with $2,000 suspended.
Defendants Joshua Eric Grigsby pled guilty to possession of meth, but the court withheld adjudication of guilt and sentencing pending completion of five years unsupervised probation. Grigsby was fined $1,000.
Defendant Quinton L. Biggs pled guilty to charges of DUI 4th and felon with a weapon. On the DUI charge he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, two years suspended. On the weapon charge Biggs was sentenced to 10 years in prison, all suspended. The two sentences run consecutively. He was placed on five years supervision and must pay a $3,000 fine, $2000 suspended.
Defendant Alisha Gail Walker pled guilty to possession of meth but the court withheld adjudication of guilt and sentencing pending five years probation. Walker was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $70 restitution.
Defendant Shane O’Neal Williams pled guilty to reduced charge of misdemeanor possession of cocaine. Williams was credited for time already served and fined $100, plus $75 restitution.
Defendant Chandler Allen Reeves pled guilty to a reduced charge of DUI 2nd, a misdemeanor. Reeves was fined $250 and credited for time already served.
Defendant Anthony Drew Rodgers pled guilty to charges of possession of hydrocodone and possession of meth. Rodgers was given an eight years suspended prison term on one charge and a three years suspended prison term on the other. He was placed on five years supervision, fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $45 restitution. The sentences will run consecutively.
Defendant Jeannie Senter pled guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of possession of meth and was credited for time already served. She was fined $10 and must pay $70 restitution.
Defendant Norell Glass pled guilty to a reduced charge of burglary of a building and was sentenced to seven years in prison, all suspended. Glass was placed on five years supervision and fined $1,000.
Defendant Michael Alexander Eleopoulos pled guilty to uttering a forgery but the court withheld adjudication of guilty and sentencing pending five years probation. He was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $2,500 restitution. This cause runs consecutively with a Lee County cause.
Jaron Neal Roberson pled guilty to charges of possession of marijuana with intent and possession of MDMA with intent. Roberson was sentenced to a three years suspended prison term on one count and 20 years suspended on the other. The sentences run consecutively. He was placed on five years supervision, fined $1,000 and must pay $625 restitution.
Defendant Benjamin Chad Simmons pled guilty to possession of meth, enhanced firearm but the court withheld adjudication of guilt and imposition of sentence pending five years probation. Simmons was placed on five years probation and fined $1,000.
Defendant Courtney Nicole Tate pled guilty to sale of meth and must serve 20 years in prison if she fails to complete five years of intensive supervision/house arrest. Tate was placed on five years supervision, fined $1,000 and must pay $1,015 restitution.
Defendant Robbie Bejarano pled guilty to grand larceny but the court withheld adjudication of guilt and sentencing pending five years probation. He was fined $1,000.
Defendant Theus Martinez McKinney pled guilty to DUI 4th and was sentenced to 10 years in prison if he fails to complete five years intensive supervision/house arrest. McKinney was placed on five years supervision and fined $3,000, with $2,000 suspended.
Defendant Sylvia Poutoa pled guilty to charges of child endangerment and simple assault of a law enforcement officer. Poutoa was sentenced to 10 years suspended on the child endangerment charge and must complete five years of intensive supervision/house arrest or serve five years in prison on the assault charge. She was placed on five years supervision and pay $1,000 fine. The prison sentences run consecutively.
Defendant Abigail Marie Griffin pled guilty to DUI 4th and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but she was credited for time served and the balance suspended. Griffin was placed on five years supervision and ordered ordered to complete the First District Intervention Court Program. She was fined $500.
Defendant Robert Xandirian Watkins pled guilty to DUI 4th and must serve 10 years in prison if he fails to complete four years of intensive supervision/house arrest. He was placed on five years post release supervision and fined $3,000, with $2,000 suspended.
Defendant David Wayne Whitlow pled guilty to DUI 4th and must serve 10 years in prison if he fails to complete five years intensive supervision/house arrest. Whitelow was placed on five years supervision and fined $3,000, with $2000 suspended.
In other court proceedings Elizabeth Santana Tirado pled not guilty upon arraignment of charges of possession of meth and jail escape. Defendant Zachary Blake Davidson pled not guilty upon arraignment on a felony fleeing charge. | https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/twenty-six-defendants-plead-guilty-sentenced-in-circuit-court/article_6ee5ee9e-54b0-5c5b-b3c2-d93fca623b66.html | 2022-04-13T11:12:14 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/twenty-six-defendants-plead-guilty-sentenced-in-circuit-court/article_6ee5ee9e-54b0-5c5b-b3c2-d93fca623b66.html |
TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were mostly higher Wednesday after new data showed inflation in the U.S., while still at a 40-year high, was not as bad as some analysts had expected.
Benchmarks finished higher in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia. U.S. futures and oil prices also rose.
France’s CAC 40 inched up less than 0.1% in early trading to 6,538.59, while Germany’ DAX lost 0.5% to 14,055.65. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.1% to 7,583.85. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.5% at 34,291.00. S&P 500 futures rose rose 0.6% to 4,419.00.
Shares fell in Shanghai after the Chinese government reported that exports rose nearly 16% in March from a year earlier while imports were flat.
The easing of a COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghaiwas another encouraging factor. Shanghai released 6,000 more people from the central facilities where they were under medical observation to guard against the coronavirus, the government said Wednesday, though the lockdown of most of China’s largest city was being maintained in its third week.
“The good news is that China will begin to come out of lockdowns at some point, and there will be an injection of stimulus of some form by the authorities to reboot communities and the economy. The light at the end of the tunnel is reasonably bright for China,” Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities, said in a commentary.
But Bennett added: “Do not expect a return to rampant growth, however.”
New Zealand’s share benchmark edged 0.1% lower after the central bank lifted its key interest rate to 1.5%, a sharp increase from the previous 1%, as it tries to tame inflation running at nearly 6%. The increase followed three earlier increases of 0.25%.
The Reserve Bank committee said it’s trying to quickly get back to a more neutral setting after it cut rates to near zero when the coronavirus pandemic hit. It said inflation pressures have been worsened by supply disruptions and the war in Ukraine.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to 26,843.49. Australia’s S&P/AS 200 added 0.3% to 7,479.00. South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.9% to 2,716.49. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.3% to 21,374.37, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.8% to 3,186.82.
In Tokyo trading, shares of Shionogi dropped 11% after the Japanese pharmaceutical company reported that animal tests for its experimental oral drug to treat COVID-19 showed it may be a risk for fetal development. Japanese media reported the drug won’t be prescribed to pregnant people or those who may be pregnant.
Investors have been weighing the inflation datain the U.S. for March, although overall it remained at its highest level in 40 years. Some analysts urged caution.
“”The fact remains that pricing pressures are still elevated at their highest level in 40 years and the near-term outlook for an aggressive tightening of policies to cool demand stays unaltered,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude added 29 cents to $100.89 a barrel. It climbed 6.7% to settle at $100.60 on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 44 cents to $105.08.
The worry is the U.S. Federal Reserve may be so aggressive about hiking interest rates that it forces the economy into a recession. Higher interest rates can discourage all kinds of investments.
More swings may be in store for stocks as companies prepare to report their earnings for the first three months of the year. Delta Air Lines, JPMorgan Chase and other big-name companies will kick off the reporting season on Wednesday.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged up to 126.07 Japanese yen from 125.37 yen, The euro cost $1.0837, up from $1.0827.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/asian-shares-mostly-rise-on-interest-rate-inflation-hopes/ | 2022-04-13T11:16:57 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/asian-shares-mostly-rise-on-interest-rate-inflation-hopes/ |
BEIJING (AP) — China’s exports rose 15.7% over a year ago in March while imports were flat amid disruption due to coronavirus outbreaks as the ruling Communist Party enforces a “zero-COVID” strategy to isolate every case.
Exports rose to $276.1 billion despite anti-virus controls in Shanghai and other industrial centers that are causing factories to reduce production, customs data showed Wednesday. Imports rose less than 1% to $228.7 billion.
China’s infection numbers are relatively low, but the “zero-COVID” strategy has confined most of Shanghai’s 25 million people to their homes since late March and suspended access to other manufacturing centers.
The anti-virus curbs have prompted fears global trade might be disrupted. Chinese officials say they are taking steps to keep ports functioning, but automakers and other factories have cut production due to supply disruptions.
Consumer demand also has been dampened by an economic slowdown triggered by an official campaign to cut debt in China’s vast real estate industry. Economic growth slid to 4% over a year earlier in the final quarter of 2021, down from the full year’s 8.1%.
Exports to the United States rose 22.4% over a year earlier to $47.3 billion despite lingering tariff hikes in a feud over Beijing’s technology ambitions. Imports of American goods rose 11.5% to $15.2 billion.
China’s politically volatile trade surplus with the United States widened by half over a year earlier to $32.1 billion. It was one of the factors that prompted then-President Donald Trump to hike tariffs on Chinese goods in 2019.
With almost no growth in imports, China’s global trade surplus surged by 243% to $47.4 billion.
Imports from Russia, a major gas supplier, fell 26.4% from a year earlier to $7.8 billion. Exports to Russia edged down 7.7% to $3.8 billion.
Beijing has criticized trade and financial sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United States, Europe and Japan over its attack on Ukraine. But Chinese companies appear to be abiding by them and trying to guard against possible losses in dealings with Russia.
Trade and manufacturing appear likely to suffer a bigger impact this month due to the shutdown of most businesses in Shanghai and suspension of access to Guangzhou, a manufacturing and trade center in the south, and industrial centers of Changchun and Jilin in the northeast.
Managers of the port of Shanghai, the world’s busiest, say operations are normal. But the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has said its member companies estimate the volume of cargo handled by the port every day is down 40%.
Exports to the 27-nation European Union fell 9.1% from a year ago to $44.4 billion while imports tumbled 41.6% to $24.3 billion. China’s surplus with Europe jumped 179.3% to $20.1 billion. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/chinas-march-exports-grow-despite-virus-imports-flat/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:04 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/chinas-march-exports-grow-despite-virus-imports-flat/ |
Delta Air Lines lost $940 million in the first quarter yet bookings surged in recent weeks, setting up a breakout summer as Americans try to put the pandemic behind them.
Shares jumped more than 6% before the opening bell Wednesday on strong revenue numbers.
The Atlanta airline still faces stiff headwinds, including a sharp rise in fuel and labor costs. And it is not clear whether spiking inflation will throttle travel spending.
On Tuesday, the U.S. reported that inflationin the past year rose at its fastest pace in more than four decades.
So far, though, neither inflation, the ongoing pandemic nor Russia’s war against Ukraine seem to be having any impact on ticket sales. Delta officials say that bookings started to rise in late February and have kept going.
“The last five weeks have been the highest bookings in our history,” CEO Ed Bastian said in an interview. “I think that’s an indication that people are through with the virus. They feel they have all the tools and the technology to manage it.”
Bastian said he expects travel demand to remain strong for two to three months — about as far into the future as airlines care to venture.
“Then, when we get to the fall, that will be the next inflection point as to consumer health, what impact inflation has had on them, higher fuel prices, what impact there is from the virus,” he said.
Delta forecast second-quarter revenue of about 95% of pre-pandemic levels, up from 89% in the first quarter. The trend will be driven by more spending on premium seats and more charging with Delta-branded credit cards.
At the same time, Delta is bracing for much higher costs. It forecast that spending on labor and everything else other than fuel will rise about 17% on a per-seat basis, compared with the same quarter in 2019.
And jet fuel, which cost Delta an average of $2.79 a gallon in the first quarter, is expected to jump to between $3.20 and $3.35. If Delta had paid the higher price in the first quarter, it would have spent an extra $364 million fueling up.
Bastian said travel demand is strong enough to let Delta cover higher fuel costs.
From under 90,000 on some days in April 2020, now more than 2 million people a day on average board planes in the United States. So far in April, airport crowds are down only 9% from April 2019, according to government figures.
Business travel, and in particular international corporate travel, have not recovered yet, however. Airlines are lobbying the Biden administration to drop a requirement that flyers test negative for COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the U.S., which they think is holding back people who are afraid of being stranded far from home if they contract the virus.
It is unclear if administration officials will drop that rule. They are also considering ending or suspending the requirement to wear face masks on planes, in airports and on public transportation.
Bastian favors eliminating the mask mandate. He said some people might start flying if they don’t have to wear a mask, and others might stop flying if other passengers are unmasked. He called both groups “fringe.”
If masks are no longer required, “I think you’ll see a surprising number of people continue to wear masks, and certainly some of our employees will wear masks,” he said. “I may choose to wear a mask once in a while.”
In the first quarter, Delta said its loss, excluding special items, worked out to $1.23 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet expected a loss of $1.27 per share, but they predict profits in each of the next three quarters and the full year.
Revenue was $9.35 billion. Delta is getting nearly the same amount of money per passenger that it got in 2019, but there are more empty seats — the average flight was 75% full, compared with 83% in early 2019.
Like other airlines, Delta has added debt during the pandemic by borrowing from the federal government and private sources. At the end of March, Delta had
At the end of the March quarter 2022, the company had total debt and finance lease obligations of $25.6 billion. It aims to trim about $6 billion in debt by the end of 2024.
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Follow David Koenig on Twitter | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/delta-loses-940-million-in-q1-but-bookings-strengthen/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:11 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/delta-loses-940-million-in-q1-but-bookings-strengthen/ |
BERLIN (AP) — A group of leading economic think tanks slashed its forecast for growth in Germany this year, predicting Wednesday that Europe’s biggest economy will expand by 2.7% as Russia’s war in Ukraine weighs on prospects.
The five institutes’ revised outlook compared with a forecast of 4.8% they made last fall. They forecast an even worse performance if Russian gas supplies are cut off suddenly.
They blamed the war and the “worse than expected course” of the coronavirus pandemic over the winter for Wednesday’s outook revision.
It is the latest in a string of downgrades for Germany’s economic outlook, but is still more optimistic than a recent prediction of 1.8% growth in gross domestic product by the government’s panel of independent economic advisers.
For 2023, the think tanks forecast moderately better growth of 3.1%. The baseline predictions for this year and next assume continuing gas deliveries and “no further economic escalation from the war in Ukraine,” they said.
If energy deliveries are cut off, they forecast growth of 1.9% this year and a contraction of 2.2% in 2023. They said “the cumulative loss of GDP in 2022 and 2023 in the event of a supply freeze is likely to be around 220 billion euros,” or $239 billion.
Germany relies on Russia for about 40% of its natural gas deliveries. The government is working to reduce that dependency, but says it needs time to exit Russian gas altogether and has opposed an immediate stop to supplies.
Last year, Germany’s GDP grew by 2.9%. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/german-economists-lower-growth-outlook-see-worse-if-gas-cut/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:18 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/german-economists-lower-growth-outlook-see-worse-if-gas-cut/ |
LONDON (AP) — British consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in 30 years last month, fueled by soaring costs for household energy and motor fuels — the latest grim figures as inflation surges around the world.
Inflation in the United Kingdom accelerated to 7% in the 12 months through March, the highest annual rate since March 1992, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday.
The U.K. faces what economists say will be the biggest drop in living standards since the mid-1950s as rocketing energy costs, rising food prices and tax increases overshadow higher wages.
People around the world are feeling the squeeze of inflation as demand rapidly bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine further drove up energy costs and squeezed supply chains.
In the United States, consumer prices last month jumped 8.5% from a year earlier, the fastest pace in more than 40 years, the Labor Department said Tuesday. In the 19 European countries using the euro, inflation surged to 7.5% last month, the fifth consecutive month that it has hit a record high.
In the U.K., the toll of rising rising means disposable household incomes, adjusted for inflation, are expected to drop by 2.2% this year, according to the government’s independent budget adviser.
Household natural gas prices jumped 28.3% over the last year, and electricity prices rose 19.2% as the global economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing worldwide demand for energy.
Prices will continue to rise after Britain’s energy regulator authorized a 54% increase in gas and electricity bills for millions of households that took effect in April.
Transportation costs are also rising, with the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel rising by an average of 30.7% over the past year, the biggest increase since current records began in January 1989, the Office for National Statistics said.
Countries are moving to ease the pain from rising food, fuel and other costs by raising interest rates. The Bank of England has raised raised its key interest rate three times since December, and the U.S. Federal Reserve hiked its benchmark short-term rate last month and is expected to keep raising it, possibly aggressively.
The European Central Bank, meanwhile, has sped up its exit from economic stimulus efforts to combat inflation but has not taken more drastic steps. It meets again Thursday. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/uk-inflation-rises-at-fastest-pace-in-30-years/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:25 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/uk-inflation-rises-at-fastest-pace-in-30-years/ |
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Critically acclaimed debut albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin’s Latin pop megahit “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” are among the recordings being inducted this year into the National Recording Registry.
The Library of Congress announced on Wednesday the 25 songs, albums, historical recordings and even a podcast that will be preserved as important contributions to American culture and history.
Keys’ “Songs In A Minor,” released in 2001, introduced the young New York musician to the world with her unique fusion of jazz, R&B and hip hop and earned her five Grammy awards. With songs like “Fallin’” the album has been certified as seven-times multiplatinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The Staten Island collective Wu-Tang Clan, including RZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man and more, released their highly influential debut “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” in 1993, which combined East Coast hardcore rap centered around kung fu film storylines and samples.
Other albums that were included were Linda Ronstadt’s “Canciones de Mi Padre,” a musical tribute to her Mexican-American roots, Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-winning “Nick of Time,” A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory,” and the Cuban musical ensemble’s self-titled debut “Buena Vista Social Club,” which also inspired a film by the same name.
Other songs now in the registry include Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,'” “Walking the Floor Over You” by Ernest Tubb, “Moon River” by Andy Williams and “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” by The Four Tops.
The Four Tops song was penned by the songwriting trio of Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier and became a No. 1 song in 1966 known for its unorthodox arrangement and the urgent, operatic vocals of lead singer Levi Stubbs. The last surviving member of the band, Duke Fakir, said he was honored to have their song included in the registry.
“When we recorded ‘I’ll Be There,’ I have to admit (for the first time), we thought of the song as an experiment for the album,” Fakir said in a statement. “We never believed it would even make it on the album, let alone be a hit for all time in ‘The Library of Congress.’ I wish Levi, Obie (Benson), and Lawrence (Payton) were here with me today so we could celebrate this incredible accolade together. And we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Holland Dozier Holland, the tailors of great music, who wrote it.”
Other recordings include public radio station WNYC’s broadcasts from Sept. 11, 2001 and Marc Maron’s interview with Robin Williams on his podcast “WTF with Marc Maron.” | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/songs-by-wu-tang-alicia-keys-added-to-recording-registry/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:32 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/songs-by-wu-tang-alicia-keys-added-to-recording-registry/ |
GENEVA (AP) — The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported to the World Health Organization fell for a third consecutive week, a trend likely helped by the dismantling of testing and surveillance programs.
In its latest weekly report on the pandemic, issued late Tuesday, the U.N. health agency said the more than 7 million new cases reported represented a 24% decline from a week earlier. The weekly worldwide number of COVID-19 deaths, was down 18%, at over 22,000.
WHO said the decreases “should be interpreted with caution” as numerous countries where the virus is starting to subside have changed their testing strategies, meaning far fewer cases are being identified.
New cases and deaths are falling in every region of the world, including the Western Pacific, where a surge of infections has triggered severe lockdown measures in China.
WHO said it was monitoring several mutants of the virus descended from the omicron variant, including some recombined forms of existing omicron subvariants.
In a separate statement, the health organization said scientists in Botswana and South Africa have detected new forms of the omicron variant, labeled as BA.4 and BA.5, but aren’t sure yet if they might be more transmissible or dangerous.
To date, the new versions of omicron have been detected in four people in Botswana and 23 people in South Africa. Beyond Africa, scientists have confirmed cases in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom.
WHO said there was so far no evidence the new sub-variants spread any differently than the original omicron variant.
“There is no cause for alarm with the emergence of the new sub-variants,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Africa director, said in a statement. “We are not yet observing a major spike in cases, hospitalizations or deaths.”
The agency called on all countries to sequence at least 5% of their COVID-19 samples; many countries, including Britain, Sweden and the United States, recently scrapped their widespread testing programs as the number of severe cases dramatically declined.
Still, the U.S. will soon mark 1 million COVID-19 deaths, and the virus is continuing to cause concern in China.
Officials warn Shanghaistill doesn’t have its latest surge in omicron-involved cases under control despite a “zero-tolerance” approach that has seen some residents confined to their homes for three weeks or longer.
The lockdown has led to frustration among Shanghai residents about running out of food and unable to get deliveries. Censors have diligently scrubbed complaints from social media.
State-controlled outlets describe a successful campaign to provide food and other supplies and counseled residents that “persistence is victory.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic | https://www.wric.com/health/who-covid-cases-and-deaths-fall-for-3rd-consecutive-week/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:38 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/health/who-covid-cases-and-deaths-fall-for-3rd-consecutive-week/ |
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — President Joe Biden said Russia’s war in Ukraine amounted to “genocide,” accusing President Vladimir Putin of trying to “wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.”
“Yes, I called it genocide,” he told reporters in Iowa on Tuesday shortly before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington. “It’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.”
At an earlier event in Menlo, Iowa, addressing spiking energy prices resulting from the war, Biden had implied that he thought Putin was carrying out genocide against Ukraine, but offered no details. Neither he nor his administration announced new consequences for Russia or assistance to Ukraine following Biden’s public assessment.
Biden’s comments drew praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had encouraged Western leaders to use the term to describe Russia’s invasion of his country.
“True words of a true leader @POTUS,” he tweeted. “Calling things by their names is essential to stand up to evil. We are grateful for US assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities.”
A United Nations treaty, to which the U.S. is a party, defines genocide as actions taken with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
Past American leaders often have dodged formally declaring bloody campaigns such as Russia’s in Ukraine as genocide, hesitating to trigger an obligation that under international convention requires signing countries to intervene once genocide is formally identified. That obligation was seen as blocking President Bill Clinton from declaring Rwandan Hutus’ killing of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis in 1994 as genocide, for example.
Biden said it would be up to lawyers to decide if Russia’s conduct met the international standard for genocide, as Ukrainian officials have claimed, but said “it sure seems that way to me.”
“More evidence is coming out literally of the horrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine, and we’re only going to learn more and more about the devastation and let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies,” he said.
Just last week Biden said he did not believe Russia’s actions amounted to genocide, just that they constituted “war crimes.”
During a trip to Europe last month, Biden faced controversy for a nine-word statement seemingly supporting regime change in Moscow, which would have represented a dramatic shift toward direct confrontation with another nuclear-armed country. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said.
He clarified the comments days later, saying: “I was expressing the moral outrage that I felt toward this man. I wasn’t articulating a policy change.”
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Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report. | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/biden-russia-war-a-genocide-trying-to-wipe-out-ukraine-2/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:44 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/biden-russia-war-a-genocide-trying-to-wipe-out-ukraine-2/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mentions of Donald Trump have been rare at the first few trials for people charged with storming the U.S. Capitol, but that has changed: The latest Capitol riot defendant to go on trial is blaming his actions on the former president and his false claims about a stolen election.
Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man charged with stealing a coat rack from the Capitol, doesn’t deny that he joined the mob on Jan. 6, 2021. But his lawyer vowed Tuesday to show that Trump abused his power to “authorize” the attack.
Describing Trump as a man without scruples or integrity, defense attorney Samuel Shamansky said the former president engaged in a “sinister” plot to encourage Thompson and other supporters to “do his dirty work.”
“It’s Donald Trump himself spewing the lies and using his position to authorize this assault,” Shamansky told jurors Tuesday during the trial’s opening statements.
Justice Department prosecutor Jennifer Rozzoni said Thompson knew he was breaking the law that day.
“He chose to be a part of the mayhem and chaos,” she said.
Thompson’s lawyer sought subpoenas to call Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as witnesses at his trial this week. A judge rejected that request but ruled that jurors can hear recordings of speeches that Trump and Giuliani delivered at a rally before the riot.
Thompson’s jury trial is the third among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. The first two ended with jurors convicting both defendants on all counts with which they were charged.
In a February court filing, Shamansky said he wanted to argue at trial that Thompson was acting at the direction of Trump and “his various conspirators.” The lawyer asked to subpoena others from Trump’s inner circle, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, former White House senior adviser Stephen Millerand former Trump lawyers John Eastman and Sidney Powell.
Prosecutors said Thompson can’t show that Trump or Giuliani had the authority to “empower” him to break the law. They also noted that video of the rally speeches “perfectly captures” the tone, delivery and context of the statements to the extent they are “marginally relevant” to proof of Thompson’s intent on Jan. 6.
Thompson’s lawyer argued that Trump would testify that he and others “ orchestrated a carefully crafted plot to call into question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.” Shamansky claimed that Giuliani incited rioters by encouraging them to engage in “trial by combat” and that Trump provoked the mob by saying that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Shamansky said Thompson, who lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, became an avid consumer of the conspiracy theories and lies about a stolen election.
“This is the garbage that Dustin Thompson is listening to day after day after day,” Shamansky said. “He goes down this rabbit hole. He listens to this echo chamber. And he acts accordingly.”
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled in Marchthat any in-person testimony by Trump or Giuliani could confuse and mislead jurors.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes arising from Jan. 6. Over 250 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. Thompson is the fifth person to be tried on riot-related charges.
On Monday, a jury convicted a former Virginia police officer, Thomas Robertson, of storming the Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Last month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.
A judge hearing testimony without a jury decided cases against two other Capitol riot defendants at separate bench trials. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them of all charges and partially acquitted the other.
Thompson has a co-defendant, Robert Lyon, who pleaded guilty to riot-related charges in March.
Thompson, then 36, and Lyon, then 27, drove from Columbus, Ohio, to Silver Spring, Maryland, stayed overnight at a hotel and then took an Uber ride into Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6. After then-President Donald Trump’s speech, Thompson and Lyon headed over to the Capitol.
Thompson was wearing a “Trump 2020” winter hat and a bulletproof vest when he entered the Capitol and went to the Senate Parliamentarian’s Office, where he stole two bottles of liquor and a coat rack worth up to $500, according to prosecutors.
Thompson and Lyon traded text messages during the riot.
“Some girl died already,” Lyon said in one text, an apparent reference to a law enforcement officer’s fatal shooting of a rioter, Ashli Babbitt
“Was it Pelosi?” Thompson replied.
“I’m taking our country back,” Thompson later texted Lyon.
Around 6 p.m. on Jan. 6, Thompson and Lyon were sitting on a sidewalk and waiting for an Uber driver to pick them up when Capitol police officers approached and warned them that they were in a restricted area. As they started to leave, Thompson picked up a coat rack that appeared to be from the Capitol, the FBI said. Thompson ran away when the officers told him to put down the rack, dropping it as he fled. Lyon stayed behind and identified himself and Thompson to police.
That night, Thompson received a text from his wife that said, “I will not post bail.”
The FBI said agents later searched Lyon’s cellphone and found a video that showed a ransacked office and Thompson yelling: “Wooooo! ’Merica Hey! This is our house!” A surveillance video also captured Thompson leaving a Capitol office with a bottle of bourbon, the FBI said.
Thompson is charged with six counts: obstructing Congress’ joint session to certify the Electoral College vote, theft of government property, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Lyon pleaded guilty to theft of government property and disorderly conduct. Both counts are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of 1 year imprisonment. Walton is scheduled to sentence Lyon on June 3. | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-at-capitol-riot-trial-2/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:51 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-at-capitol-riot-trial-2/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — As the year began, New Yorkers shuddered at a subway crime straight out of urban nightmares — the death of a woman shoved onto the tracks by a disturbed stranger. The city’s new mayor vowed to “make sure New Yorkers feel safe in our subway system.”
But commuters Tuesday morning faced an attack that evoked many riders’ deepest fears. A rush-hour train car filled with smoke as it pulled into a Brooklyn station. Gunshots rang out — at least 33 of them — wounding at least 10 people.
Frightened riders fled, and so did the gunman, who remains at large.
Much is still unknown about the attack, including whether it was an act of terrorism. At a Tuesday evening press conference, authorities said they were looking for Frank R. James, 62, who they say rented a van linked to the shooting.
It was a searing reminder of the city’s unyielding battle with gun violence and the specter of terror-like attacks that hangs over New York City — particularly the subway system that is its transportation backbone.
Police and security officials have made many attempts to harden the city against such attacks, putting officers on trains and platforms, installing cameras and even doing rare spot checks for weapons on passengers entering some stations.
Yet the sprawling system, with its nearly 500 stations, largely remains like the city streets themselves: Too big to guard and too busy to completely secure.
In the hours after the shooting, with the gunman still on the loose, commuters like Julia Brown had little choice but to keep riding the rails.
“It’s the only way to get home — other than the express bus and then another bus and then another bus,” said Brown, who works in Manhattan. “I lived through 9/11. I lived through the blackout. You just have to be as safe as you can, and just be mindful around your environment.”
Mayor Eric Adams vowed after Tuesday’s mass shooting to keep fighting to make the system safe.
“We’re going to double down on our patrol strength,” the mayor told CBS News. Even before Tuesday’s violence, the mayor had vowed to increase subway patrols and launch sweeps of subway stations and trains to remove homeless people using them as shelters.
Gov. Kathy Hochul posted a photo on social media showing her riding a train hours after the shooting.
Public officials say the transportation system is crucial in the city’s recovery from COVID-19. During the height of the pandemic, many New Yorkers avoided mass transit. Typical daily ridership fell from 5.5 million riders to less than a tenth of that.
But as more people return to offices, ridership is increasing. On Monday, estimated ridership was 3.1 million, according to the MTA, which operates the system.
In a rambling video posted on YouTube, James replayed recent speeches by the mayor and governor and mocked their efforts to address violence as weak and futile.
“Their plan is doomed for failure,” James said in the video.
In the 1980s, New York City’s subways were a symbol of urban disorder: graffiti-covered, crime-plagued and shunned by tourists.
Like the rest of the city, though, the subways have cleaned up their act in recent decades. Before COVID-19 hit, the main problem with the trains wasn’t crime but overcrowding and breakdowns related to aging infrastructure.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, New Yorkers learned to live with the worry that the subways or other parts of the city could be a terror target.
In 2017, an Islamic State group sympathizer detonated a pipe bomb strapped to his chest in a subway station near the Port Authority Bus Terminal, injuring several bystanders.
That same year, the city began expanding the use of vehicle-blocking sidewalk barriers after two attacks. In one, a man who prosecutors said was supportive of IS drove a rented truck down a bicycle path along the Hudson River, killing eight people and maiming others. In another, a psychologically disturbed man drove a car at high speed into pedestrians in Times Square, killing one and injuring as many as 20.
In 2016, a man who prosecutors said sympathized with Osama bin Laden set off homemade bombs in Manhattan and New Jersey, injuring some bystanders, before being captured in a shootout with police. And in 2010 a man tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square, only to have it fizzle.
Christopher Herrmann, a former city police officer who is now a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said episodes like Tuesday’s shooting are bound to provoke a new round of anxiety, especially among people who use the subway.
“With 9/11, you have a specific target: the World Trade Center,” Herrmann said. “A lot of people can wrap their heads around that.”
But the seeming randomness of this week’s attack “really invokes a lot of fear and worry,” he said, “because most people don’t consider themselves a target.”
During Tuesday’s evening commute, some subway riders expressed concern while others shrugged it off as an everyday risk.
“Sadly, this is the society we’re in,” said rider Blanca Palacio. “We don’t know when it is going to happen, where it is going to happen. It can happen anywhere. We’re taking a risk every day, and it’s not just in the subway. It’s everywhere.”
Alexi Vizhnay considered boarding a ferry across the East River after work Tuesday afternoon but decided to take his chances on the subway. It was simply the most efficient way to get home to Queens.
“There’s a lot of things that happen out of your control,” he said. “As tragic as it is, all I can do is remind myself to be vigilant and be cautious.”
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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Michael R. Sisak, and photographer Seth Wenig and video journalist Joseph B. Frederick contributed to this report. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/anxieties-resurface-as-gunfire-erupts-on-nyc-subway/ | 2022-04-13T11:17:58 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/anxieties-resurface-as-gunfire-erupts-on-nyc-subway/ |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California’s first-in-the-nation reparations task force meets in person Wednesday, the first time members have gathered face-to-face since their inaugural meeting nearly a year ago and mere weeks after the group voted to limit restitution to descendants of enslaved Black people.
The two-day event will be held at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco’s historic Fillmore district, a neighborhood once thriving with African American night clubs and shops until government redevelopment forced out residents. Its pastor is Rev. Amos Brown, task force vice chair and president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation creating the two-year reparations task force in 2020, making California the only state to move ahead with a mission to study the institution of slavery, educate the public about its findings and develop remedies. Reparations at the federal level has not gone anywhere, but cities and universities across the country are taking up the issue.
In a dramatic vote last month, California’s task force voted 5-4 to limit reparations to descendants of people who can show they are descended from enslaved or free Black people in the U.S. as of the 19th century. Those who favor broader eligibility says lineage-based reparations unfairly shuts out Black people who have also suffered systemic discrimination.
Since its inaugural meeting in June, the nine-member panel has dedicated much of its time to hearing from experts in weighty areas such as housing and homelessness, racism in banking and discrimination in technology.
Wednesday’s agenda includes testimony from experts in education, while on Thursday, the committee is scheduled to discuss a report to be made public in June that shows how the institution of slavery continues to reverberate throughout California, including in the form of disparities in household income, health, employment and incarceration.
Task force members were appointed by the governor and the leaders of the two legislative chambers. A plan for reparations is due to the Legislature in 2023. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/california-reparations-panel-to-meet-in-san-francisco/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:05 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/california-reparations-panel-to-meet-in-san-francisco/ |
YAHIDNE, Ukraine (AP) — The Russian soldiers forced more than 300 villagers into a school basement. Then, during weeks of stress and deprivation, some began to die.
Residents of Yahidne, a village 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Kyiv, told The Associated Press about being ordered into the basement at gunpoint after the Russians took control of the area around the northern city of Chernihiv in early March.
In one room, those who survived wrote the names of the 18 who didn’t.
“An old man died near me and then his wife died next,” Valentyna Saroyan, a weary survivor, recalled Tuesday as she toured the darkened basement. “Then a man died who was lying there, then a woman sitting next to me. She was a heavy woman, and it was very difficult for her.”
Village by village, town by town, Ukrainians in areas where Russians have withdrawn continue to unearth new horrors. More are feared.
The residents of Yahidne, which is on the outskirts of Chernihiv, said they were made to remain in the basement day and night except for the rare times when they they were allowed outside to cook on open fires or to use the toilet.
The health of the captives suffered.
“Here’s a chair, and that’s how we were sitting for a month,” Saroyan said, recalling her aching legs.
As people died one by one in the basement, neighbors were allowed from time to time to place the bodies in a mass grave in a nearby cemetery.
Each time, they passed through a doorway marked in dripping red paint with the plaintive words “Attention. Children.” The glare of a flashlight shows bright drawings on the walls.
The Russians could be cruel, surviving villages said.
Svitlana Baguta said a Russian soldier who was “either drunk or high” made her drink from a flask at gunpoint.
“He pointed the gun at the throat, put the flask and said, ‘Drink,’” Baguta said.
Julia Surypak said the soldiers allowed some people to make a short trip to their homes if they sang the Russian state anthem. “But they didn’t allow us to walk much,” she said.
The Russian forces left the village at the beginning of April, part of a regional withdrawal from northern Ukraine Russia’s military ordered in anticipation of after a large offensive in the east.
A message scrawled on a wall of the Yahidne school marked April 1 as “the last day” of their presence.
The soldiers left behind unexploded artillery shells, destroyed Russian vehicles and rubble.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/forced-into-a-basement-in-ukraine-residents-began-to-die/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:12 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/forced-into-a-basement-in-ukraine-residents-began-to-die/ |
IRPIN, Ukraine (AP) — Pounding sounds came from a sixth-floor window, along with the risk of falling glass. For once, it was not destruction in the Ukrainian town of Irpin, but rebuilding. Heartened by Russia’s withdrawal from the capital region, residents have begun coming home, at least to what’s left.
Irpin just weeks ago saw desperate scenes of flight. Terrified residents picked their way across slippery planks of a makeshift bridge after a concrete span was destroyed by Ukrainian forces to slow the Russian advance. But on Monday, a long line of cars waited to cross a recently improvised bridge allowing access between the town and the capital, Kyiv.
The early returnees are among the 7 million Ukrainians displaced inside their country by the war. They are crossing paths with the elderly and others who waited out Russia’s assault in cold, damp basements, numbed by the sounds of shelling, and who have emerged into a landscape of ruined tanks and splintered homes.
In colorful Irpin apartment blocks where cafes and salons are still silent, there are the first signs of life amid the shattered glass and scorched walls. It feels like a turning point, even as police officers with flashlights continue to walk through near-empty buildings, looking for bodies and mines.
Upstairs and down a darkened hallway, Olexiy Planida worked to place a sheet of plastic over a large window facing a damaged playground. This was his first time home since he fled with his wife, two small children and their dog. The remains of breakfast, including a half-eaten bowl on a high chair, were where they left them. Nearby pots of flowers had wilted. A stuffed toy lay amid broken glass.
“It hurts,” the 34-year-old Planida said. The Russians broke open all the apartment doors and took a laptop, iPad and jewelry. He’s sure it was the Russians because local thieves pick the locks instead.
“I think for a couple of years it can’t be fixed,” he said of Irpin’s homes, many of which have suffered similar damage or worse.
He hopes his children, ages 2 and 4, will never see their home the way it is now. He hopes they’ll never remember the war itself, which he and his wife have tried to explain in the gentlest of terms.
“We’re just talking to them like, ‘Hey, some bad guys came to us,’” he said. “They shouldn’t see such things.” Even he was shocked by the ruins in parts of Irpin and in Bucha nearby.
Down the hallway, Oksana Lyul’ka cleared the broken glass from her living room floor, using work gloves to carry pieces as large as dinner plates.
Just months ago the 28-year-old had returned to Ukraine from Cyprus to start a new life closer to home, and she renovated the apartment. Now the structural damage alone is a concern, along with her missing jewelry.
She had arrived at the apartment an hour earlier. Downstairs, she cried.
She fled Irpin on the second day of the war and moved in with her parents. Now she is based in Kyiv, not so far away.
“We can’t make plans for now,” she said. “Our plan is to win the war, and then we will decide what to do with the apartment. It’s not that important now.”
Because the Russians remain in Ukraine they complicate any real recovery, she said. “We all feel pain and it’s hard and it’s terrible, but people are suffering, people are dying, and this is the main problem.”
Near the slowly reviving bridge linking Irpin to the capital, dozens of cars that had been abandoned by fleeing residents were being placed in rows. Some were burned. Some were smashed. Some had the remnants of their owners’ last seconds before giving up and going on foot: a coffee thermos. Face masks. Glove compartments left open, documents scattered.
Now people are showing up at the lot to look for what they left behind.
Not all find it. One man sat on the curb, holding two photographs, and wept. His brother was gone.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/it-cant-be-fixed-in-shattered-irpin-signs-of-homecoming/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:19 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/it-cant-be-fixed-in-shattered-irpin-signs-of-homecoming/ |
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s former No. 2 official John Lee said Wednesday he had formally registered his candidacy in the election for the top job after securing 786 nominations to enter the race.
Lee, who resigned as chief secretary last week before declaring he would run for chief executive, is the only candidate formally entered so far for the May 8 vote. He is considered Beijing’s favored candidate and a sign of the central government further tightening its control over the territory.
Lee’s 786 nominations are well over 50% of the 1,454-member Election Committee that will select the next chief executive. The nomination period ends Saturday and the committee will elect the winner by absolute majority.
“It is not easy, as I have been working very hard to explain to various members what my election platform will be like,” Lee told reporters.
He reiterated that he will focus on a results-oriented approach to solve problems, keeping Hong Kong competitive and setting a firm foundation for the development of Hong Kong.
Current Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam is not seeking a second term, following a rocky five years in power that spanned the COVID-19 pandemic, a crackdown on political freedoms and Beijing’s rapid and growing influence over the territory.
Hong Kong’s leader is chosen every five years, although the selection process is carefully orchestrated behind the scenes by Beijing. The four chief executives selected since Hong Kong’s handover have all been candidates seen as favored by Beijing.
Lee told reporters Tuesday that enacting Article 23 of the Basic Law — which stipulates that Hong Kong enacts its own security law — will be a “priority.” Enacting such a law was temporarily shelved after mass protests against the government in 2003.
Hong Kong’s own security law should prohibit acts of treason and the theft of state secrets, as well as other offences including secession, sedition and subversion.
Beijing in 2020 imposed its own national security law in Hong Kong. Lee is a staunch advocate of the national security law, which has been used against pro-democracy activists, supporters and media, diminishing freedoms promised to Hong Kong during Britain’s handover to China in 1997.
Lee, 64, rose in the civil service ranks after years in the police force. He previously said he was running for the No. 1 position out of his loyalty and love for Hong Kong, as well as a “sense of duty to the Hong Kong people.”
He also said loyalty was the “basic requirement” to run as a leader of the city — comments made after Hong Kong’s electoral laws were amended last year to ensure that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing can hold office.
The new Hong Kong leader will take office on July 1. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/john-lee-secures-nominations-for-hong-kong-leadership-race/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:26 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/john-lee-secures-nominations-for-hong-kong-leadership-race/ |
WARSAW, Poland – A top aide to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda says Duda and the presidents of the three Baltic nations have arrived in Ukraine, ahead of talks about material aid for country invaded by Russia.
Pawel Szrot, chief of Duda’s staff, said Wednesday that Duda, “together with the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, is currently on the territory of Ukraine. They are traveling to Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”
For security reasons he gave no details.
Duda brings “symbolic support, with political support and for talks on material support,“ Szrot said, adding that all four countries are “extending support to Ukraine that is of humanitarian nature and not necessarily of humanitarian nature. “
These countries, all of which border Russia or its exclave of Kaliningrad, have been providing Ukraine with weapons that they call “defensive.”
Pictures of the four presidents getting on a train and then gathered around a table as they travel, have been posted on their social media.
In a twitter post, Estonian President Alar Karis said: “We are visiting Ukraine to show strong support to the Ukrainian people, will meet dear friend President Zelenskyy.“
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Ukraine probes claim poisonous substance dropped in Mariupol
— A look at Russia’s military objectives and challenges it faces
— ‘It’s not the end’: The children who survived Bucha’s horror
— Russian war worsens fertilizer crunch, risking food supplies
— Czechs provide free shooting training for local Ukrainians
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
Russia says more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops have surrendered in the besieged southeastern port of Mariupol.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said 1,026 troops from the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade surrendered at a metals plant in the city.
Russian forces moved on Mariupol in late February and units in the city have been running low on supplies.
Konashenkov said that the 1,026 Ukrainian marines included 162 officers and 47 female personnel, and that 151 wounded received medical treatment.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych did not comment on the alleged mass surrender, but said in a post on Twitter that elements of the 36th Marine Brigade had managed to link up with other Ukrainian forces in the city as a result of a “risky maneuver.”
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ROME — Pope Francis says his contention shortly after he became pontiff in 2013 that a third world war “in pieces” was afflicting the globe is ever more actual. Francis writes in an essay published on Wednesday in Italian daily Corriere della Sera that he would never a thought a year ago, while on a pilgrimage in Iraq, that war would be raging in Europe.
Francis wrote that the many wars being fought throughout the world seem far away until “almost unexpectedly, war explodes near us. Ukraine was attacked and invaded.”
The pope also lamented that people’s memories are short. “Yes, because if we had a memory, we would recall what our grandparents and our parents recounted to us, and we would feel the need for peace like our lungs need oxygen.”
Francis called war “a cancer that feeds itself by engulfing everything.” He decried that women, children and older adults are “forced to live in the belly of the earth to escape bombs.”
Francis said that the way to rip out “hate from the heart” is through “dialogue, negotiations, listening, diplomatic ability and creativity, long-ranged policies capable of constructing a new system of co-existence that isn’t any longer based on weapons, on deterrence.”
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WASHINGTON — The United States and its allies are pushing ahead with sanctions aimed at forcing Vladimir Putin to spend Russia’s money propping up its economy rather than sustaining its “war machine” for the fight in Ukraine, a top Treasury Department official said Tuesday.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, one of the main U.S. coordinators on the Russian sanctions strategy, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the goal is to make Russia “less able to project power in the future.”
On the same day that inflation notched its steepest increase in decades, Adeyemo said reducing supply chain backlogs and managing the pandemic are key to bringing down soaring prices that he related to the ongoing land war in Ukraine, which has contributed to rising energy costs.
Adeyemo discussed the next steps the U.S. and its allies will take to inflict financial pain on Russia — and the complications the war has on rising costs to Americans back home.
Adeyemo said the U.S. and its allies will next target the supply chains that contribute to the construction of Russia’s war machine, which includes “everything from looking at ways to go after the military devices that have been built to use not only in Ukraine, but to project power elsewhere.”
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KYIV, Ukraine — More than 720 people have been killed in Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs that were occupied by Russian troops and more than 200 are considered missing, the Interior Ministry said early Wednesday.
In Bucha alone, Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said 403 bodies had been found and the toll could rise as minesweepers comb the area.
Ukraine’s prosecutor-general’s office said Tuesday it was also looking into events in the Brovary district, which lies to the northeast.
Authorities said the bodies of six civilians were found with gunshot wounds in a basement in the village of Shevchenkove and Russian forces are believed to be responsible.
Vladimir Putin vowed Tuesday that Russia’s bloody offensive in Ukraine would continue until its goals are fulfilled and insisted the campaign was going as planned, despite a major withdrawal in the face of stiff Ukrainian opposition and significant losses.
—
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing yet another, more diverse, package of military support possibly totaling $750 million to be announced in coming days, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced.
The additional aid is a sign that the administration intends to continue expanding its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
Delivery is due to be completed this week of $800 million in military assistance approved by President Joe Biden just one month ago.
— reported by Associated Press writer Robert Burns.
—
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say fugitive Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who is both the former leader of a pro-Russian opposition party and a close associate of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has been detained in a special operation carried out by the country’s SBU secret service.
In his nightly video address to the nation Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that Russia could win Medvedchuk’s freedom by trading Ukrainians now held in Russian prisons.
Ivan Bakanov, the head of Ukraine’s national security agency, said on the agency’s Telegram channel that Medvedchuk had been detained.
The statement came shortly after Zelenskyy posted on social media a photo of Medvedchuk sitting in handcuffs and wearing a camouflage uniform with a Ukrainian flag patch.
Medvedchuk was the former leader of the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform – For Life. He was being held under house arrest before the war began and disappeared shortly after hostilities broke out.
Putin is the godfather to Medvedchuk’s youngest daughter.
—
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the world Tuesday to respond to Russia’s use of a poisonous substance in Mariupol.
“Given the repeated threats by Russian propagandists to use chemical weapons against the Mariupol defenders and given the repeated use by the Russian army, for example, of phosphorus munitions in Ukraine, the world must react now,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation Tuesday.
Phosphorus munitions cause horrendous burns but are not classed as chemical weapons.
Zelenskyy said experts were still trying to determine what had been used in Mariupol.
Zelenskyy said in addition to the killings in Bucha, more evidence was appearing of the “inhuman cruelty” of Russian soldiers toward women and children in other Kyiv suburbs and other towns in the north and east. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/live-updates-allied-leaders-going-to-meet-with-zelenskyy/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:33 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/live-updates-allied-leaders-going-to-meet-with-zelenskyy/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Police hunted late into the night for the gunman who opened fire Tuesday on a subway train in Brooklyn, an attack that left 10 people wounded by gunfire and once again interrupted New York City’s long journey to post-pandemic normalcy.
The search focused partly on a man who police say rented a van possibly connected to the violence.
Investigators stressed they weren’t sure whether the man, Frank R. James, was responsible for the shooting. But authorities were examining social media videos in which the 62-year-old decried the United States as a racist place awash in violence and sometimes railed against the city’s mayor, Eric Adams.
“This nation was born in violence, it’s kept alive by violence or the threat thereof and it’s going to die a violent death. There’s nothing going to stop that,” James said in one video.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell called the posts “concerning” and officials tightened security for Adams.
The gunman sent off smoke grenades in a crowded subway car and then fired at least 33 shots with a 9 mm handgun, police said. Five gunshot victims were in critical condition but expected to survive. At least a dozen people who escaped gunshot wounds were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries.
One passenger, Jordan Javier, thought the first popping sound he heard was a book dropping. Then there was another pop, people started moving toward the front of the car, and he realized there was smoke, he said.
When the train pulled into the station, people ran out and were directed to another train across the platform. Passengers wept and prayed as they rode away from the scene, Javier said.
“I’m just grateful to be alive,” he said.
The shooter fled in the chaos, leaving behind the gun, extended magazines, a hatchet, detonated and undetonated smoke grenades, a black garbage can, a rolling cart, gasoline and the key to a U-Haul van.
That key led investigators to James, who has addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin, said Chief of Detectives James Essig. The van was later found, unoccupied, near a subway station where investigators determined the gunman had entered the train system, Essig said.
Rambling, profanity-filled YouTube videos apparently posted by James, who is Black, are replete with violent language and bigoted comments, some against other Black people.
One video, posted April 11, criticizes crime against Black people and says drastic action is needed.
“You got kids going in here now taking machine guns and mowing down innocent people,” James says. “It’s not going to get better until we make it better,” he said, adding that he thought things would only change if certain people were “stomped, kicked and tortured” out of their “comfort zone.”
Several videos mention New York’s subways.
A Feb. 20 video says the mayor and governor’s plan to address homelessness and safetyin the subway system “is doomed for failure” and refers to himself as a “victim” of the city’s mental health programs. A Jan. 25 video criticizes Adams’ plan to end gun violence.
Adams, who is isolating following a positive COVID-19 test on Sunday, said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual.”
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Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Beatrice Dupuy, Karen Matthews, Julie Walker, Deepti Hajela, Michelle L. Price and David Porter in New York contributed to this report, and Michael Kunzelman contributed from College Park, Maryland. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/police-hunt-gunman-who-wounded-10-in-brooklyn-subway-attack/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:39 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/police-hunt-gunman-who-wounded-10-in-brooklyn-subway-attack/ |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The presidents of four countries on Russia’s doorstep headed to Kyiv on Wednesday in a show of support for Ukraine, after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to continue his bloody seven-week offensiveuntil its “full completion.”
The presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — all NATO countries that worry they may face Russian attack in the future if Ukraine falls — were due to meet the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In one of the most crucial battles of the war, Russia said more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops surrendered in the besieged port of Mariupol. The information could not be verified, and it’s not clear how significant it would be, if true.
Russia invaded on Feb. 24 with the goal, according to Western officials, of taking Kyiv, toppling the government and installing a Moscow-friendly one. In the seven weeks since, the ground advance stalled and Russian forces lost potentially thousands of fighters — and the war has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee, rattled the world economy, threated global food supplies and shattered Europe’s post-Cold War balance.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday called Russia’s actions in Ukraine “a genocide” for the first time, saying “Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.”
Zelenskyy applauded Biden’s use of the word, saying “calling things by their names is essential to stand up to evil.”
“We are grateful for US assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities,” he added in his tweet.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the leaders headed to Ukraine on Wednesday had “a strong message of political support and military assistance.”
Nauseda, Estonian President Alar Karis, Poland’s Andrzej Duda and Egils Levits of Latvia also plan to discuss investigations into alleged Russian war crimes, including the massacre of civilians.
Putin has denied his troops committed atrocities, and on Tuesday insisted Russia “had no other choice” but to invade and that the offensive aimed to protect people in parts of eastern Ukraine and to “ensure Russia’s own security.” He vowed it would “continue until its full completion and the fulfillment of the tasks that have been set.”
He insisted Russia’s campaign was going as planned despite a major withdrawal and significant losses.
Thwarted in their push toward the capital, Russian troops are now gearing up for a major offensive in the eastern Donbas region, where Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014, and where Russia has recognized the separatists’ claims of independence. Military strategists say Moscow believes local support, logistics and the terrain in the region favor its larger, better-armed military, potentially allowing Russia to finally turn the tide in its favor.
Britain’s defense ministry said Wednesday that “an inability to cohere and coordinate military activity has hampered Russia’s invasion to date.” Western officials say Russia recently appointed a new top general for the war, Alexander Dvornikov, to try to get a grip on its campaign.
A key piece to that campaign is Mariupol, which lies in the Donbas and which the Russians have besieged and pummeled since nearly the start of the war. Pockets of the city appeared to be still under Ukraine’s control — but it’s not clear how many forces are still defending it.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said 1,026 troops from the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade had surrendered in the city. It was unclear when the alleged surrenders occurred.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych did not comment on the allegation, but said in a post on Twitter that elements of the same brigade managed to link up with other Ukrainian forces in the city as a result of a “risky maneuver.”″
Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said on Twitter that the city’s defenders were short of supplies but were “fighting under the bombs for each meter of the city. They make (Russia) pay an exorbitant price.”
Ukrainian forces in Mariupol have alleged that a drone dropped a poisonous substance on the city. The assertion by the Azov Regiment, a far-right group now part of the Ukrainian military, could not be independently verified. The regiment indicated there were no serious injuries.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Tuesday officials were investigating, and it was possible phosphorus munitions — which cause horrendous burns but are not classed as chemical weapons — had been used in Mariupol, which has been pummeled by weeks of Russian assaults.
Deliberately firing phosphorus munitions into an enclosed space to expose people to fumes could breach the Chemical Weapons Convention, said Marc-Michael Blum, a former laboratory head at the Netherlands-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Western officials warned that any use of chemical weapons by Russia would be a serious escalation of the already devastating war. Zelenskyy said that while experts try to determine what the substance might be, “The world must react now.”
In Washington, a senior U.S. defense official said the Biden administration was preparing another package of military aid for Ukraine to be announced in the coming days, possibly totaling $750 million. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced.
Biden used the word “genocide” about Russia’s actions during a visit to Iowa. He said it would be up to lawyers to decide if Russia’s conduct met the international standard for genocide, but said “it sure seems that way to me.”
Neither he nor his administration announced new consequences for Russia or assistance to Ukraine following the assessment.
An investigation into war crimes is already underway in Ukraine, including into atrocities revealed afterMoscow’s retreat from cities and towns around Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said evidence of “inhuman cruelty” toward women and children in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv continued to surface, including alleged rapes.
More than 720 people were killed in Kyiv suburbs that had been occupied by Russian troops and over 200 were considered missing, the Interior Ministry said early Wednesday.
In Bucha alone, Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said 403 bodies had been found and the toll could rise as minesweepers comb the area.
In the Chernihiv region, villagers said more than 300 people had been trapped for almost a month by the occupying Russian troops in the basement of a school and only allowed outside to go to the toilet or cook on open fires.
Valentyna Saroyan told The Associated Press she saw at least five people die in Yahidne, 140 kilometers (86 miles) north of Kyiv. In one of the rooms, the residents wrote the names of those who perished during the ordeal — the list counted 18 people.
Ukraine’s prosecutor-general’s office said Tuesday it was also looking into events in the Brovary district, which lies to the northeast of the capital. It said the bodies of six civilians were found with gunshot wounds in a basement in the village of Shevchenkove and Russian forces were believed to be responsible.
Prosecutors are also investigating allegations that Russian forces fired on a convoy of civilians trying to leave by car from the village of Peremoha in the Brovary district, killing four people including a 13-year-old boy. In another attack near Bucha, five people were killed including two children when a car was fired upon, prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said humanitarian corridors used to get people out of cities under Russian attack will not operate on Wednesday because of poor security.
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Stashevskyi reported from Yahidne, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/putin-vows-war-will-continue-as-russian-troops-mount-in-east/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:46 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/putin-vows-war-will-continue-as-russian-troops-mount-in-east/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped blunt Russia’s initial offensive and seems certain to play a central role in the approaching, potentially decisive, battle for Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. Yet the Russian military is making little headway halting what has become a historic arms express.
The U.S. numbers alone are mounting: more than 12,000 weapons designed to defeat armored vehicles, some 1,400 shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to shoot down aircraft and more than 50 million rounds of ammunition, among many other things. Dozens of other nations are adding to the totals.
The Biden administration is preparing yet another, more diverse, package of military support possibly totaling $750 million to be announced in the coming days, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced. The additional aid is a sign that the administration intends to continue expanding its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
These armaments have helped an under-gunned Ukrainian military defy predictions that it would be quickly overrun by Russia. They explain in part why Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army gave up, at least for now, its attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital, and has narrowed its focus to battling for eastern and southern Ukraine.
U.S. officials and analysts offer numerous explanations for why the Russians have had so little success interdicting Western arms moving overland from neighboring countries, including Poland. Among the likely reasons: Russia’s failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has limited its use of air power. Also, the Russians have struggled to deliver weapons and supplies to their own troops in Ukraine.
Some say Moscow’s problem begins at home.
“The short answer to the question is that they are an epically incompetent army badly led from the very top,” said James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral who was the top NATO commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013.
The Russians also face practical obstacles. Robert G. Bell, a longtime NATO official and now a professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech University, said the shipments lend themselves to being hidden or disguised in ways that can make them elusive to the Russians — “short of having a network of espionage on the scene” to pinpoint the convoys’ movements.
“It’s not as easy to stop this assistance flow as it might seem,” said Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. “Things like ammunition and shoulder-fired missiles can be transported in trucks that look just like any other commercial truck. And the trucks carrying the munitions the Russians want to interdict are just a small part of a much larger flow of goods and commerce moving around in Poland and Ukraine and across the border.
“So the Russians have to find the needle in this very big haystack to destroy the weapons and ammo they’re after and not waste scarce munitions on trucks full of printer paper or baby diapers or who knows what.”
Even with this Western assistance it’s uncertain whether Ukraine will ultimately prevail against a bigger Russian force. The Biden administration has drawn the line at committing U.S. troops to the fight. It has opted instead to orchestrate international condemnation and economic sanctions, provide intelligence information, bolster NATO’s eastern flank to deter a wider war with Russia and donate weapons.
In mid-March, a Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said arms shipments would be targeted.
“We warned the United States that pumping weapons into Ukraine from a number of countries as it has orchestrated isn’t just a dangerous move but an action that turns the respective convoys into legitimate targets,” he said in televised remarks.
But thus far the Russians appear not to have put a high priority on arms interdiction, perhaps because their air force is leery of flying into Ukraine’s air defenses to search out and attack supply convoys on the move. They have struck fixed sites like arms depots and fuel storage locations, but to limited effect.
On Monday, the Russians said they destroyed four S-300 surface-to-air missile launchers that had been given to Ukraine by an unspecified European country. Slovakia, a NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine, donated just such a system last week but denied it had been destroyed. On Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said long-range missiles were used to hit two Ukrainian ammo depots.
As the fighting intensifies in the Donbas and perhaps along the coastal corridor to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Putin may feel compelled to strike harder at the arms pipeline, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called vital to his nation’s survival.
In the meantime, a staggering volume and range of war materiel is arriving almost daily.
“The scope and speed of our support to meeting Ukraine’s defense needs are unprecedented in modern times,” said John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary. He said the approximately $2.5 billion in weapons and other material that has been offered to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration is equivalent to more than half of Ukraine’s normal defense budget.
One example: The Pentagon says it has provided more than 5,000 Javelin missiles, which are among the world’s most effective weapons against tanks and other armored vehicles — and can even take down a low-flying helicopter. The missile, shaped like a clunky dumb bell and weighing 50 pounds (23 kilograms), is fired by an individual soldier; from its launch tube it flies up at a steep angle and descends directly onto its target in what its known as a curveball shot — hitting the top of a tank where its armor is weakest.
The specific routes used to move the U.S. and other Western materials into Ukraine are secret for security reasons, but the basic process is not. Just this week, two U.S. military cargo planes arrived in Eastern Europe with items ranging from machine guns and small arms ammunition to body armor and grenades, the Pentagon said.
A similar load is due later this week to complete delivery of $800 million in assistance approved by President Joe Biden just one month ago. The weapons and equipment are offloaded, moved onto trucks and driven into Ukraine by Ukrainian soldiers for delivery.
Kirby said the material sometimes reaches troops in the field within 48 hours of entering Ukraine. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/russia-has-yet-to-slow-a-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T11:18:53 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/russia-has-yet-to-slow-a-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ |
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — As search and rescue efforts increased with the arrival of equipment, the death toll has risen to at least 56, with 28 others missing, after a summer tropical depression that unleashed days of pounding rain caused landslides and floods in the central and southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.
Nearly 200 villagers were injured mostly in the landslides in the hard-hit city of Baybay in central Leyte province over the weekend and early Monday, officials said. Army, police and other rescuers were struggling with mud and unstable heaps of earth and debris to find the missing villagers.
More rescuers and heavy equipment, including backhoes, arrived in the landslide-hit villages in Baybay. Its mayor, Jose Carlos Cari, said the weather cleared Wednesday, allowing the search and rescue work to go full force.
“We’re looking for so many more missing people,” Cari said and added that authorities would do a recount to determine how many villagers were really missing and believed buried in the landslides.
Forty-seven of the dead were recovered from the landslides that hit six Baybay villages, military and local officials said. Nine other people drowned elsewhere in floodwaters in four central and southern provinces, they said.
“We are saddened by this dreadful incident that caused an unfortunate loss of lives and destruction of properties,” said army brigade commander Col. Noel Vestuir, who was helping oversee the search and rescue.
Coast guard, police and firefighters rescued some villagers Monday in flooded central communities, including some who were trapped on their roofs. In central Cebu city, schools and work were suspended Monday and Mayor Michael Rama declared a state of calamity to allow the rapid release of emergency funds.
At least 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year, mostly during the rainy season that begins around June. Some storms have hit even during the scorching summer months in recent years.
The disaster-prone Southeast Asian nation also lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/search-and-rescue-efforts-bolstered-in-philippine-disaster/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:00 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/search-and-rescue-efforts-bolstered-in-philippine-disaster/ |
BEIJING (AP) — Shanghai released 6,000 more people from the central facilities where they were under medical observation to guard against the coronavirus, the government said Wednesday, though the lockdown of most of China’s largest city was being maintained in its third week.
About 6.6 million people in the city of 25 million were allowed to leave their homes Tuesday, but some were restricted to their own neighborhoods. Some housing compounds also appeared to still be keeping residents locked inside, and no further lifting of restrictions was apparent Wednesday.
Officials warn Shanghai still doesn’t have the latest surge in cases of the omicron variant under control, despite its “zero-tolerance” approach that has seen some residents confined to their homes for three weeks or longer.
China also requires anyone who tests positive or is a close contact of such a person to spend at least a week in centralized observation centers in pre-fabricated buildings or gymnasiums and exhibition halls to limit the spread of the virus.
The city’s health bureau said Wednesday that 6,044 people had been allowed the day before to leave observation centers and return home, although health monitoring will continue.
The number of newly detected daily cases in the city edged upward to 26,338, all but 1,189 of them in people showing no symptoms. With more than 200,000 total cases, the ongoing outbreak is China’s biggest of the pandemic. But the mass testing has caught many asymptomatic cases, and no deaths have been reported in Shanghai.
The lockdown has led to frustration among residents in Shanghai about running out of food and being unable to get deliveries. Censors have diligently scrubbed such material from social media, while state-controlled outlets describe a successful campaign to provide food and other supplies and counseled residents that “persistence is victory.”
Shanghai is also home to China’s busiest port and main stock market, and concerns have been rising about the lockdown’s economic impact.
Figures released Wednesday showed China’s exports rose 15.7% in March over a year earlier while imports were flat due to disruptions from coronavirus outbreaks.
Customs data show exports rose to $276.1 billion despite anti-virus controls in Shanghai and other industrial centers that caused factories to reduce output. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/shanghai-releases-more-from-virus-observation-amid-lockdown/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:07 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/shanghai-releases-more-from-virus-observation-amid-lockdown/ |
GENEVA (AP) — Swiss prosecutors are concluding without any charges a decade-long investigation into alleged money laundering and organized crime linked to late former President Hosni Mubarak’s circles in Egypt, and will release some 400 million Swiss francs ($430 million) frozen in Swiss banks.
The office of the Swiss attorney general said Wednesday that information received as part of cooperation with Egyptian authorities wasn’t sufficient to back up the claims that emerged in the wake of Arab Spring uprisings in 2011 that felled Mubarak’s three-decade rule.
A Swiss investigation into claims that banks in Switzerland were used to squirrel away ill-gotten funds had originally targeted 14 people, including Mubarak’s two sons, as well as dozens of other individuals and entities that had assets totaling some 600 million francs frozen.
More than 210 million francs were already released in an earlier phase of the case, which also could not substantiate the allegations, and Wednesday’s announcement means about 400 million more will be “released and returned to their beneficial owners,” the attorney-general’s office said.
The final part of the Swiss investigation centered on five people, it said, without identifying them.
Swiss prosecutors say they didn’t receive a response to a request for information from “commissions” created in Egypt to analyze financial transfers connected to people under investigation in Egypt — notably the Mubarak family, the office said. Mubarak died in 2020, aged 91.
“As a result, in the absence of evidence relating to potential offenses committed in particular in Egypt, it is not possible to show that the funds located in Switzerland could be of illegal origin,” it said. “The suspicion of money laundering cannot therefore be substantiated based on the information available.”
Swiss banks, reputed for their discretion, have been a favored repository over the years for many wealthy foreigners — including Western industrial tycoons, Russian oligarchs, and autocrats and other leaders and their families and cronies in places as diverse as Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Swiss authorities have touted a recent crackdown against money laundering through Swiss banks, but advocacy groups and watchdogs say the effort has not succeeded in completely ending such activities. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/swiss-to-unfreeze-430m-as-egypt-money-laundering-probe-ends/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:14 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/swiss-to-unfreeze-430m-as-egypt-money-laundering-probe-ends/ |
ROME (AP) — A close associate of Pope Francis on Wednesday defended the Vatican’s decision to have a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman carry the cross together during a Good Friday procession that will be presided over by the pontiff.
On Tuesday, both the Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See and the archbishop of Kyiv blasted the choice given Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine. The women are both nurses who work together at a Rome hospital.
Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Yurash tweeted that he “understands and shares general concern in Ukraine and many other communities about idea to bring together Ukrainian and Russian women” to carry the cross during part of the procession on Friday.
“Now we are working on the issue trying to explain difficulties of its realization and possible consequences,” the ambassador said.
The torchlit procession at at Rome’s Colosseum is a traditional part of the Vatican’s Holy Week observances.
The Vatican didn’t immediately comment.
Responding to the criticism, the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest in Rome who is close to Francis, defended the pairing of the Russian and Ukrainian women for the solemn procession.
“You have to understand one thing” about the pope, Spadaro told Italian state radio network RAI on Wednesday. “He’s a pastor, not a politician.”
Spadaro ventured that the image of the two women carrying the cross together was upsetting “because they represent something that can’t be obtained” now — “peace.”
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who is based in Kyiv and heads the Greek-Catholic church in Ukraine, also denounced the pairing.
“I consider this idea inopportune and ambiguous,” Shevchuk said, adding that it “doesn’t take into consideration the context of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.”
Shevchuk also decried the wording of a meditation that the Vatican had said would be read aloud as the nurses clutch the tall, lightweight cross. It reads, “We want our life back as before. Why all of this? What wrong did we do? Why have you forsaken us? Why have you forsaken our peoples?”
The words, combined with the cross-carrying gesture, “are incomprehensible and even offensive,” the Greek-Catholic prelate said. .
The meditation was scripted based on the experiences of the families of the Russian and Ukrainian women, whose families also plan to participate in the procession, the Vatican has said.
The women, interviewed on Italian state TV earlier in the week, have expressed satisfaction with their role in the procession and stressed their friendship.
The pope did not mention the controversy during his public audience on Wednesday. But he denounced “the armed aggression of these days” as “an outrage against God.”
Francis has pressed for an Easter cease-fire in Ukraine. Easter falls on April 17 for many Christians this year. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/ukraine-upset-by-vatican-inviting-russian-to-carry-cross/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:22 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/ukraine-upset-by-vatican-inviting-russian-to-carry-cross/ |
CANBERRA, Australia: (AP) — Australia and the United States are stepping up diplomatic outreach to the Solomon Islands after China signed a security deal with the South Pacific island nation that could lead to Beijing establishing a military presence there.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday that his minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja, had flown to the Solomon Islands the day before for talks with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on the April 1 security pact the country agreed to with China.
Seselja said he had asked Sogavare to abandon the Chinese agreement.
“We have asked Solomon Islands respectfully to consider not signing the agreement and to consult the Pacific family in the spirit of regional openness and transparency, consistent with our region’s security frameworks,” Seselja said in a statement.
The trip came the same day that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele about Washington’s plan to reopen an embassy in the capital, Honiara.
The announcement of reopening the embassy, which has been closed since 1993, came in February before the security pact came to light, but amid already growing concerns about Chinese influence in the strategically important country.
A Chinese military presence in the Solomon Islands would put it not only on the doorstep of Australia and New Zealand but also in close proximity to Guam, with its massive U.S. military bases.
At the time he announced the embassy’s reopening, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. was seeking to increase its influence in the Solomon Islands before China becomes “strongly embedded.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the call between Sherman and Manele touched on “our joint efforts to broaden and deepen engagement between our countries,” in addition to the embassy plans, but gave no further details.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian defended Beijing’s cooperation with the Solomons as being based on “the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit” and in line with international law and international practice.
“It is conducive to the social stability and lasting peace and safety of Solomon Islands and will help promote peace, stability and development of Solomon Islands and the rest of South Pacific region,” Zhao told reporters Wednesday at a daily briefing.
“The security cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands does not target any third party or work in opposition to the Solomon Islands’ cooperation with other countries, but will complement the exiting regional cooperation mechanism in a positive way,” he said.
He added that other countries “should view this in an objective and reasonable manner, respect the sovereignty and independent decision of China and the Solomon Islands, avoid provoking confrontation and creating division in the region, and do something conducive to regional stability and development.”
According to a draft of the agreement, which was leaked online, Chinese warships could stop in the Solomons for “logistical replenishment” and China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomons “to assist in maintaining social order.”
The draft agreement specifies China must approve what information is disclosed about joint security arrangements, including at media briefings.
The Solomon Islands government have said a draft was initialed two weeks ago and that it would be “cleaned up” and finalized soon.
The Solomon Islands government has said it won’t allow China to build a military base there and China has denied seeking a military foothold in the South Pacific, but the pact set off alarm bells among many Western nations.
Since it was signed, two top Australian intelligence officials — Australian Secret Intelligence Service boss Paul Symon and Office of National Intelligence Director-General Andrew Shearer — have met Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
Australia already has a bilateral security pact with the Solomon Islands and Australian police peacekeepers have been in the capital, Honiara, since riots in November.
Morrison said Australia was respectfully and directly communicating with the Solomon Islands on the Chinese security deal.
“The suggestion that somehow, some seem to be making, that the Solomon Islands is somehow under the control of Australia I think is offensive to the Solomon Islands,” Morrison said.
“They are a sovereign nation. I respect their independence and they will make their own decisions about their own sovereignty,” he said.
“What we have been doing is ensuring that they are fully aware of the risks and the security matters that are not only of concern to Australia but islands, Pacific nations across the Pacific,” he added.
Seselja said Australia also welcomed statements from Sogavare that it remains the Solomon Islands’ “security partner of choice, and his commitment that Solomon Islands will never be used for military bases or other military institutions of foreign powers.”
Morrison announced on Sunday that an election will be held in Australia on May 21. He now leads a caretaker government and must consult the opposition on any policy decisions.
Opposition spokeswoman on foreign affairs Penny Wong said the Australian government had failed on the Solomon Islands.
“This is happening on Mr. Morrison’s watch – the warnings have been there for months, the draft agreement public for weeks – but he has failed to front up and explain how Australia is responding,” Wong said in a statement.
“We need to work with the Pacific family and allies to build a region where sovereignty is respected – and where Australia is the partner of choice,” she added. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/western-pressure-mounts-on-solomons-to-quash-pact-with-china/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:29 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/western-pressure-mounts-on-solomons-to-quash-pact-with-china/ |
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court was scheduled to hear arguments Wednesday in a case that will likely determine how extensively absentee ballot drop boxes can be used in the upcoming midterm election where the battleground state’s Democratic governor and Republican U.S. senator are on the ballot.
The court in February barred the use of drop boxesoutside of election clerk offices for the April spring election where local offices such as mayor, city council and school board were decided. But the larger question the court has yet to address is whether to allow the secure ballot boxes going forward in places such as libraries, grocery stores and other locations.
The fight is being closely watched as Republicans push to limit access to absentee ballots following President Joe Biden’s narrow win in Wisconsin over Donald Trump in 2020 by just under 21,000 votes. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson are on the ballot in November.
State law is silent on drop boxes, but the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission has told local election officials they can be placed at multiple locations.
A Waukesha County judge ruled in January that the election commission’s guidance was contrary to the law and that the guidance was actually an administrative rule that was invalid because it was not put in place properly. The state Supreme Court will also be deciding whether to let stand the judge’s ruling that prohibited anyone other than the voter from returning an absentee ballot.
The elections commission rescinded its guidance pending the outcome of the court’s ruling.
Advocates for people with disabilities and others argue that restriction makes it more difficult for some voters who have limited mobility, or other physical impairments, from returning their ballots.
Wisconsin’s top elections official testified last year that at least 528 drop boxes were used by more than 430 communities in the presidential election. The popularity of absentee voting exploded during the pandemic in 2020, with more than 40% of all voters casting mail ballots, a record high.
All eyes in Wednesday’s arguments will be on swing Justice Brian Hagedorn, a conservative who sometimes sides with the court’s liberal minority.
In January, Hagedorn sided with liberals and put on hold a lower court’s ruling barring drop boxes outside of clerks’ offices for the February primary. But in February, Hagedorn reversed and sided with the conservative majority in reinstating the lower court’s ruling that put the ban in effect for the April election and beyond pending the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of two Milwaukee voters by the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. It is opposed by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Disability Rights Wisconsin, Wisconsin Faith Voice For Justice and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.
Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature have also tried to enact laws limiting the use of absentee ballots, but Evers has vetoed them.
Republicans have made similar moves since Trump’s defeat to tighten access to ballots in other battleground states. The restrictions especially target voting methods that have been rising in popularity and erecting hurdles to mail balloting and early voting that saw explosive growth earlier in the pandemic. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/wisconsin-supreme-court-to-hear-arguments-on-ballot-boxes/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:35 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/wisconsin-supreme-court-to-hear-arguments-on-ballot-boxes/ |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell combined for 59 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves overcome a rough night for Karl-Anthony Towns and beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 in a play-in game on Tuesday night.
Edwards scored 30 points with five 3-pointers and Russell had 29 points and six assists to send the Wolves to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round matchup with Memphis.
“Just utilizing what we have,” Russell said. “We’ve got a lot of pieces that complement each other.”
Paul George finished with 34 points after shooting 2 for 10 in the first half for the Clippers, who have a second chance to make the playoffs with a home game on Friday for the No. 8 seed against either New Orleans or San Antonio. Reggie Jackson (17 points) and Norman Powell (16 points) did their part in stretches, but the Clippers failed to put the Timberwolves away when they were struggling through the first half.
Towns had only 11 points on 3-for-11 shooting and fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, but his sidekicks were more than up to the challenge.
“I took what the game gave me, and that’s what they gave me,” Edwards said.
Jackson’s 3-pointer gave the Clippers their largest lead of the game at 93-83 with 8:54 remaining, but about 4 minutes later Russell knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer for a 97-95 advantage the Wolves never relinquished. He saluted the crowd for the punctuation.
Edwards followed with a tomahawk dunk after blowing by Powell at the top of the key.
“I’m one of the best defensive guys on earth, and no one can guard him,” said teammate Patrick Beverley, who was in tears during the spirited celebration afterward as Edwards hopped up on the scorer’s table.
The fans were fired up for this fast-paced, fast-improving team that’s headed to the playoffs for the second time in 17 years, but the buzz wore off a bit in the third quarter while George found his groove with a smooth 15 points.
Then Towns fouled out with 7:34 to go, less than 2 minutes after he had just checked back in.
“They played a lot better without KAT on the floor,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “They got into us defensively. They switched on a lot of stuff. I thought they just made the right plays.”
The Clippers have played all season without star Kawhi Leonard while he recovers from a repaired ACL for the injury he suffered in the second round of the playoffs last year, but the recent return of George and Powell from their long-term injuries have helped them come closer to their form of last summer, when they reached the Western Conference finals. Powell, in a super-sub role, was a trade-deadline acquisition from Portland.
The Clippers had success disrupting Towns during the regular season when they won three of the four matchups, losing only in January when George was out, and they spared no energy attacking the two-time All-Star center from every which way. Nicolas Batum was his primary tormentor, but most of the Clippers had a hand in it.
Towns failed to make a basket in the first half for the first time in more than three years, an 0-for-7 clunker. His only points came on a pair of free throws, and he flashed a sarcastic smile and pumped his first after getting that call.
STICKING WITH IT
The Wolves trailed 45-38 when Towns exited with his fourth foul with 3:48 left before halftime, but there was a delay less than a minute later after a woman from the crowd sneaked onto the court during a dead ball on the other end. Staging an animal rights protest, she glued her hand to the hardwood along the baseline and sprawled out before security was able to pry her away.
The Timberwolves took advantage of the extended pause. Russell hit two mid-range floaters and a 3-pointer over the balance of the half to help stake them to a 53-51 lead at the break.
BEVERLEY ILLS
The most central figure in this matchup might have been Beverley, the relentless defender and ace agitator who spent the last four seasons with the Clippers.
The NBA announced a $25,000 fine for Beverley shortly before tipoff for his “improper conduct” in Minnesota’s last game toward referee David Guthrie, at whom he yelled, “You’re trash!” on his way off the court following his ejection for a second technical foul.
Beverley picked up a technical in the third quarter of this game after tussling with Marcus Morris Sr. Beverley hit an off-balance 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer later in the period, but that crowd-pleaser was later erased by replay review because it came a split-second too late.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Backup guard Luke Kennard, their fifth-leading scorer, stayed home because of a hamstring injury.
Timberwolves: Backup forward Taurean Prince was out with a swollen knee.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the San Antonio-New Orleans winner on Friday night. The Spurs play at the Pelicans on Wednesday night in an elimination game.
Timberwolves: Game 1 in Memphis is on Saturday afternoon.
___
More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/edwards-russell-carry-wolves-past-clippers-in-play-in-game/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:42 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/edwards-russell-carry-wolves-past-clippers-in-play-in-game/ |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alyssa Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game, and the Giants pounded the San Diego Padres 13-2 on Tuesday night.
The 31-year-old Nakken took over at first base in the third inning afterAntoan Richardson got ejected. When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken was greeted with a warm ovation from the crowd at Oracle Park. She also received a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.
San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said Nakken had “prepared for this moment” while working with Richardson and others.
“So it’s not a foreign spot on the field for her. She does so many other things well that aren’t seen,” he said. “So it’s nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field.”
Nakken is an assistant coach who works heavily with baserunning and outfield defense. She watches games from an indoor batting cage near the steps to the dugout.
Brandon Belt hit a two-run homer highlighting a six-run first inning off Yu Darvish, and it was 10-1 in the second. That was plenty for Alex Cobb (1-0), who struck out 10 to win his San Francisco debut.
Joc Pederson homered for the first time since joining the Giants with an eighth-inning drive.
Wilmer Flores, held out Monday for personal reasons, returned to start at third base for the Giants and his RBI single in the second chased Darvish (0-1). Flores also homered in the eighth.
Pederson and Flores both connected after Padres outfielder Wil Myers moved to the mound to pitch.
Cobb who signed a $20 million, two-year contract ahead of the lockout, gave up two runs on four hits and walked two over five innings.
After Belt connected for his second homer of the year — he hit a career-best 29 last season — Thairo Estrada added a two-run single, Joey Bart singled home a run and Steven Duggar added a sacrifice fly in the big inning.
Darvish was tagged for nine runs on eight hits over 1 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and two walks. He had been looking to build on his season-opening outing last week at Arizona, where he had a no-hitter in progress but was pulled following the sixth inning after throwing 92 pitches.
Yunior Marte made his major league debut pitching the ninth for San Francisco.
NAKKEN’S CHANCE
Nakken, her blonde braid hanging out of her protective orange helmet, had previously coached first in spring training and during a July 2020 exhibition game at Oakland against now-Padres manager Bob Melvin when he was with the Athletics. She then started the game at first the next night back in San Francisco.
The former Sacramento State softball star became the first female coach in the big leagues when she was hired for Kapler’s staff in January 2020. She has worked heavily on baserunning and outfield defense.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: LHP Blake Snell, scratched from his start Sunday with tightness in his left upper leg, played catch but wasn’t able to throw off the mound. He is likely headed to the injured list Wednesday. … San Diego claimed RHP Kyle Tyler off waivers from the Angels and designated RHP Javy Guerra for assignment.
Giants: RHP Tyler Rogers went on the paternity list a day after taking the loss on a night his twin brother, Taylor, earned the save for San Diego. Tyler Rogers left immediately after his outing to go welcome his first child, a boy to be named Jack. The brothers became the fifth set of twins to play in the same game. … RHP Yunior Marte was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
UP NEXT
LHP Sean Manaea (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who pitched seven no-hit innings in his Padres debut Friday at Arizona, starts Wednesday afternoon’s series finale opposite Giants right-hander Logan Webb (0-0, 1.50).
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/giants-nakken-1st-mlb-female-coach-on-field-sf-beat-padres/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:48 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/giants-nakken-1st-mlb-female-coach-on-field-sf-beat-padres/ |
A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
___
SWITCHING SIDES
Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodríguez gets a look at his former teammates when he pitches against Boston at Comerica Park.
Rodriguez was 64-39 in six seasons with Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts and the Red Sox before signing a $77 million, five-year contract with Detroit as a free agent.
“All in all, I’m going to enjoy having the opportunity to face my old teammates,” he said.
The 29-year-old Rodriguez gave up three runs and four hits in four innings against the White Sox in his Detroit debut.
FIRST ON THE FIELD
One day after suddenly ending up in the spotlight, Alyssa Nakken will be right back at work trying to help the San Francisco Giants beat San Diego.
The 31-year-old Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game Tuesday night during San Francisco’s 13-2 victory over the Padres. She came in to coach first base for the Giants in the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected.
When she was announced as Richardson’s replacement, Nakken was greeted with a warm ovation from the San Francisco crowd. She also received a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Nakken had “prepared for this moment” while working with Richardson and others.
“So it’s not a foreign spot on the field for her. She does so many other things well that aren’t seen,” he said. “So it’s nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field.”
Nakken is an assistant coach who works heavily with baserunning and outfield defense. She normally watches games from an indoor batting cage near the steps to the dugout — and has a Giants jersey nearby, just in case she needs it.
And in an instant Tuesday night, she did.
Nakken jogged onto the field four days after Rachel Balkovec became the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of a Major League Baseball team. Balkovec guided the New York Yankees’ Class A Tampa club to a win in her first game.
Nakken had previously coached first base in spring training and during part of a July 2020 exhibition game at Oakland. She started at first again a night later against the Athletics in San Francisco as the teams prepared for the pandemic-delayed season.
KWAN WATCH
Remarkable rookie Steven Kwan has reached base at least three times in all five games of his major league career with Cleveland.
The 24-year-old outfielder kept up his super start with a single, two walks and a sacrifice fly Tuesday in a 10-5 win at Cincinnati.
Kwan is 10 for 15 since making his debut on opening day. He has reached base in 18 of 24 plate appearances, the most times for any player in his first five games since 1901.
Kwan also has swung 39 times and not missed a single time, according to Statcast.
The lefty hitter and the Guardians next face left-hander Nick Lodolo, who will make his big league debut. The Reds picked him seventh overall in the 2019 draft.
MANAEA MAGIC
Off to a sensational start, Padres newcomer Sean Manaea is back on the mound at San Francisco.
Traded from Oakland to San Diego in the final week of spring training, the 30-year-old lefty pitched seven hitless innings against Arizona in his Padres debut. Manaea was pulled after 88 pitches with the no-hitter intact.
Manaea pitched six seasons for the A’s before being dealt. He’s still waiting to settle into San Diego — the trade came while he was in Arizona for spring training, then the Padres opened against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix before heading to San Francisco.
A NEW VIEW
Clayton Kershaw gets his first look at Target Field when he faces the Minnesota Twins for the first time in his career.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner makes his season debut for the Dodgers. He chose to stay with Los Angeles rather than sign as a free agent with the Rangers in his home state of Texas.
Now in his 15th season, the 34-year-old Kershaw was sharp in four spring training starts.
While he’s never taken on the Twins, Kershaw will pitch against a familiar opponent. Chris Paddack makes his first start for Minnesota after being acquired in an opening day trade with San Diego.
Paddack was early in his rookie season of 2019 when he lost to Kershaw in an NL West matchup.
GOING MY WAY?
Robbie Ray impressed in his first game for Seattle, showing the stuff that won him the AL Cy Young Award last year with Toronto.
The 30-year-old lefty was in control last week, winning at Minnesota with seven innings of three-hit ball. Ray now takes on José Abreu, Tim Anderson and the White Sox in Chicago.
Dallas Keuchel starts for the White Sox, trying for his 100th career win. The 34-year-old lefty, who won the 2015 AL Cy Young with Houston, struggled last season and was shaky in spring training last month.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/leading-off-rodriguez-vs-former-team-nakken-makes-history/ | 2022-04-13T11:19:56 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/leading-off-rodriguez-vs-former-team-nakken-makes-history/ |
A warm front lifts northward today, allowing winds to veer out of the south. This will draw in the summer-like warmth today and tomorrow. Here is your Wednesday checklist!
So, here are 2 Things 2 Know for the Next 2 Days...
#1: Temperatures will climb into the 80s today and tomorrow. It will also feel a bit muggy thanks to dew point values climbing into the low-60s.
#2: An isolated strong storm is possible today, northwest of the Baltimore metro near the Mason Dixon line. The Storm Prediction Center has placed NW Carroll county under a Marginal Risk (level 1/5) for today. Damaging wind and hail will be the primary threats.
There will be another opportunity for showers and storms and that will take place Thursday afternoon. This is due to cold front crossing the Mid-Atlantic region. Locally strong storms are possible on Thursday. The SPC placed the entire area under a level 1 risk. The biggest threats will be damaging wind gusts, hail, and periods of heavy rainfall.
The cold front will not only produce showers and storms on Thursday, BUT it will knock temperatures down just in time to wrap up the work week. Temperatures will only top out in the low-70s Friday afternoon.
#StayTuned
#StevieDanielsWX
www.facebook.com/StevieDanielsWX
www.twitter.com/StevieDanielsWX
Instagram: @stevie_daniels_ | https://www.wmar2news.com/weather/weather-blogs/a-taste-of-summer | 2022-04-13T11:20:08 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/weather/weather-blogs/a-taste-of-summer |
College View Church raising money for Ukraine families
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - As the war in Ukraine carries on, Nebraskans continue to step up and help. College View Church in Lincoln will raise money to send directly to families in need, and they’re asking for your help.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is worldwide, branching out to more than 600 churches and schools across Ukraine. College View Church in Lincoln is helping out by collecting donations in Nebraska and giving their overseas community some assistance.
Rebecca Kolb is a high school freshman and member at College View Church. After watching the destruction in Ukraine, her desire to help turned into a challenge to the Lincoln community to do more.
On April 24, the church will hold a benefit dinner to raise funds for those in need across Ukraine. The entire banquet has been organized and will be put on by students, with a goal to raise $10,000. The event will have a college professor of World Relations and a Ukrainian church member to tell his story.
“We just need to remember that everyone has a story and everyone is an individual that has gone through things and is struggling,” Kolb said, “We should do whatever we can to help them within our church or community or even within the world, we should try and help people however we can.”
You can reserve a table or simply donate to the churches efforts.
Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/13/college-view-church-raising-money-ukraine-families/ | 2022-04-13T11:24:02 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/13/college-view-church-raising-money-ukraine-families/ |
Salina South's Araceli Rivas throws one-hitter and strikes out 19 batters against Hutchinson
Araceli Rivas has made an immediate impact for the Salina South softball team.
In her third career start at the varsity level, the junior pitcher allowed just one hit and struck out 19 batters in a 4-0 Cougar victory over Hutchinson in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday night at the South diamonds.
Her performance against Hutch came after she recorded 13 strikeouts and allowed just one hit in a 7-1 win over Maize on Friday.
"We knew that she was going to come in and do great things for us," South coach Brea Vidrine said. "She kind of has taken this role and run with it. She's really just embraced her role and been a great teammate, been very supportive and she's just done a really great job for us.
"It's awesome to know that she's only a junior and she's going to be able to come out and dominate not only the rest of this season, but the next season as well."
More:Young and experienced Southeast of Saline softball team driven for more in 2022
Rivas is South's No. 2 pitcher behind senior Chana Wolfe, who will continue her softball career at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City. Wolfe has prior experience after being in the Cougars' pitching staff a season ago.
"It is very comforting to know that I have a second pitcher that's going to come in and lay it down on them," Vidrine said. "Chana has done great for us. She's a great first-game pitcher for us. Then we have Araceli who's learning from that."
More:Experienced Ell-Saline softball team looking for deep postseason run after strong 2021 season
South moved to 4-2 with a split against Hutch and will travel to Newton for a doubleheader on Thursday.
Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2022/04/13/how-araceli-rivas-making-impact-salina-south-softball/7299047001/ | 2022-04-13T11:26:36 | 0 | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2022/04/13/how-araceli-rivas-making-impact-salina-south-softball/7299047001/ |
Young and experienced Southeast of Saline softball team driven for more in 2022
GYPSUM — Pesha Ptacek has a sign that the Southeast of Saline softball team sees every day whether it's a game or a practice.
It states, "Did you leave it all on the field today?"
Ptacek believes her team has done that through the first eight games after sweeping Sacred Heart, 7-2 and 16-1, Tuesday afternoon at Southeast of Saline.
The sweep improved the Trojans' record to 8-0, while Sacred Heart dropped to 6-4.
"I feel good about where we're at," Ptacek said. "I'm certain that there are many things that we need to get better with. We need to clean some things up and we know that."
The Trojans have relied on a young but experienced group. Southeast is comprised of a team that's filled with sophomores and juniors. In 2021, that group finished 16-6 falling in a Class 3A regional semifinal to Smoky Valley.
Southeast sophomore Lexi Jacobson said getting that experience during her freshman season was valuable.
"Just getting to play more (games) together has really helped us bind together and get a little further this year," Jacobson said. "I just feel like all of us work so hard during the offseason. It's really starting to pay off."
Southeast sophomore Brielle Ptacek said the Trojans are solid all-around even being a young team that has five seniors.
"We've always been pretty solid defensively," said Ptacek, who plays shortstop. "Our batting lineup this year, there aren't a lot of weak spots. Everyone can hit the ball and everyone gets on base."
More:Salina South's Araceli Rivas throws one-hitter and strikes out 19 batters against Hutchinson
Southeast has three pitchers it can depend on
Being a team that's solid all around, pitching is a strength the Trojans have. Typically, a softball team has two solid pitchers that can go the duration of the game. For Southeast, it has a pitching staff of three led by Jacobson, Bryna Baird and Carly Commerford. The Trojans just needed 10 innings to sweep the Knights by only using Jacobson and Baird.
Jacobson gave Southeast seven strong innings in game one, allowing two runs on two hits and recording 16 strikeouts. Baird surrendered just one run on four hits and struck out four.
"I just like that I can fully trust any of them," Brielle Ptacek said. "I know all of them are gonna get the job done. They're not gonna allow too much and they're gonna keep us going."
Learning from a season ago
The Trojans have bought into what they want to do.
A majority of the team are multi-sport athletes at Southeast, whether it's playing volleyball in the fall and then basketball in the winter.
"We're just able to contribute in all seasons because all these girls are just so athletic," Jacobson said. "We put in so much time and work during the offseason. We get in the weight room, we practice our sports and during the summer, a lot of us are doing three sports every week."
Having lost six games a season ago, it's lit a fire underneath the Trojans to keep getting better and better on a daily basis. The ultimate goal is to get to state, something Southeast has not done since 2019.
"We're gonna fight harder and I think just with us fighting, we're gonna be there," Brielle Ptacek said.
Southeast hits the midway point of its season with a doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. Thursday against Chapman at Southeast of Saline.
Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2022/04/13/southeast-saline-softball-young-but-experienced-2022/7276577001/ | 2022-04-13T11:26:42 | 0 | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2022/04/13/southeast-saline-softball-young-but-experienced-2022/7276577001/ |
Online puppy scam duped animal lovers, Google claims in lawsuit
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) - Google is going after an alleged fraudster they say is behind several online puppy-selling scams.
The tech giant is suing, saying the responsible party has been “perpetrating a puppy fraud scheme to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for personal gain.”
The promise of purebred puppies had sweet pictures to match, but 20 sites were listed as fraudulent in a lawsuit filed Monday by google.
The tech company said a person in Africa used several Google services in an online puppy scam.
It claims people were sending hundreds of dollars in exchange for puppies that never arrived.
“The damage is actually two parts, the emotional and financial,” said Ahmed Banafa, a San Jose State University tech expert.
Banafa said for any animal lover, especially one in search of canine companionship, one look at a cute face could be enough to let your guard down.
Court documents said Google was tipped off by AARP, which had been contacted by a victim.
“Well, I mean, the statistic is out. Thirty-five percent of the online scam is actually, you know, a puppy scam. So that tells you how bad how bad it is,” Banafa said.
The Google suit points to a study that found puppy scams increased by 165% in the U.S. from January to October 2021, compared to the same period in 2019 before COVID-19 hit.
Such scams are a concern for the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA.
“It’s disappointing that there are people out there taking advantage of, of individuals who want to add an animal to their home. And you know, and that’s really difficult for organizations such as ourselves because we have animals available for adoption,” said Buffy Martin-Tarbox of Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA.
But if you are browsing, experts say be aware that most illegitimate websites will try to avoid any real-time contact.
Fraudsters will talk about payment before the pet. And when it comes to making a purchase, use a method that will protect you.
“It’s good that the tech companies are taking notice of it and understanding that people can abuse the, you know, the excellence of their products and algorithms. Number two, now people know about it,” Banafa said.
Copyright 2022 KGO via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/online-puppy-scam-duped-animal-lovers-google-claims-lawsuit/ | 2022-04-13T11:26:57 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/online-puppy-scam-duped-animal-lovers-google-claims-lawsuit/ |
Taopi devastated by severe weather, town evacuated
TAOPI, Minn. (KTTC) – According to the Adams Volunteer Fire Department the entire town of Taopi has been evacuated because of a possible tornado. No one died in the storm. There were a few non-life-threatening injuries.
As of Tuesday night, a tornado had not been confirmed. We do expect to learn more in the days ahead.
As of Wednesday morning Highway 56 entering town was blocked off because of downed power lines. The town is without power and many homes are destroyed.
“It’s sad, we haven’t seen anything in the daylight yet, but it looks pretty bad right now,” Adams Fire Chief Dillon Heimer said.
Firefighters we spoke with say they had to rescue people from basements. When asked why this was, they responded with “because the houses were gone, and the people were trapped in the basement.”
“Homes are destroyed, grain bins, hog barns, a bit of anything,” Heimer said.
Taopi is a town of just more than 50 people. Most families are spending the night with loved ones elsewhere, some are in a hotel in Austin.
The days ahead will be filled with cleanup and then rebuilding, but for now, restoring power is the main focus.
“I urge everyone to just avoid the area at this time,” Heimer said.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/taopi-devastated-by-severe-weather-town-evacuated/ | 2022-04-13T11:27:04 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/taopi-devastated-by-severe-weather-town-evacuated/ |
Cyntha Bearss is also on the ballot for Wasco County Commission, Position 1. She responded that she was unable to participate in this questionnaire due to a family emergency.
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- Hood River Port brainstorms revenue sources | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/cynthia-bearss/article_650c3d32-baad-11ec-b44d-e3ef63f731c0.html | 2022-04-13T11:28:24 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/cynthia-bearss/article_650c3d32-baad-11ec-b44d-e3ef63f731c0.html |
Ed Weathers
1) What makes you the best choice for Hood River County Commissioner, District 3?
My previous and current roles in city and county government, serving as a member of the Hood River City Council from 2010-2014 as well as the city budget committee. I currently serve on the Hood River County Planning commission as well as the budget committee. My past and current experiences with the city and county I believe make me a highly qualified candidate for HRCC District 3. It would be an honor to represent the residents of District 3 as well as the rest of Hood River County.
2) A lack of affordable housing is a community concern throughout the Gorge. What role do you believe Hood River County is able to play in finding solutions, and what solutions do you support?
I strongly agree that a lack of affordable housing is a major concern in Hood River County. It is vital to the health of our community that we have adequate affordable housing. Hood River County is not able to finance such projects, but we should continue to collaborate with stakeholders and explore ways to facilitate such projects. Finding ways to entice affordable housing projects should be at top priority.
3) Homelessness is also a community concern in Hood River County. Is this a county issue, and if so what solutions do you support?
Homelessness has been until recently more of a regional problem that has grown in communities such as ours. The rising cost of housing in conjunction with the COVID pandemic has accelerated homelessness in our communities. Homelessness is a complex issue and there are number of services that have helped to keep people in their homes when tragic events occur.
Local and regional services such as the warming shelters, rental assistance and transitional housing are helping but we need more. Looking for regional solutions should be our goal.
4) What do you see as the county’s greatest need/priority going forward?
A long-term sustainable budget should be priority one. The voters passed a public safety levy that solidified resources for services that they expect in the short term. This is not a long-term solution. The county has an obligation to the residents to produce a sustainable long-term budget. That long term budget should not be reactionary and must provide a level of service that matches our resource level.
Editor’s note: Ed Weathers is running unopposed for Hood River County Commissioner, District 3. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/ed-weathers/article_49a60c48-baae-11ec-b945-a7e7ac800d6f.html | 2022-04-13T11:28:24 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/ed-weathers/article_49a60c48-baae-11ec-b945-a7e7ac800d6f.html |
Oregon’s new State Forester Calvin Mukumoto thinks a single day or single week is not long enough time to recognize all the great things trees do for people. So he’s asking Oregonians to join him in celebrating all of April as Oregon Arbor Month.
For a second year, Gov. Kate Brown has officially extended by proclamation the period Oregon devotes to recognizing its billions of trees from the first week in April to the entire month.
“Optimal tree-planting weather in eastern Oregon and at higher elevations may not be until the latter half of April, whereas tree planting generally concludes west of the Cascades by mid-April,” said Mukumoto. “Now communities on both sides of the state can schedule their tree events under the same umbrella of Arbor Month.”
Mukumoto points out that last summer’s record-shattering heat wave in Oregon reminded everyone of the vital role the state’s urban and rural forests play in buffering people from climate change impacts. “Trees cool their surroundings through shade and by releasing water vapor into the air, potentially saving lives and reducing energy use during extreme heat events,” said Mukumoto.
He said more Oregonians than ever during the pandemic came to appreciate the trees near where they live. Many people worked from home, homeschooled their children or limited their travel to local parks and nearby forests. “We’ve relied more heavily than ever on these tree-filled spaces as places of respite, joy, spiritual renewal, exercise, and social interaction,” said Mukumoto. “In addition to their importance to our state’s economy, trees are known to have a positive impact on mental health and community resilience.”
Trees are not evenly distributed in cities and towns, with higher-income areas tending to have more trees and parkland. Historic and ongoing inequities have kept lower-income people, people of color, and other vulnerable or marginalized groups from sharing equally in the many benefits provided by trees.
“By planting and caring for trees in underserved areas, we can help address this injustice and spread the benefits community-wide,” said Mukumoto.
In addition to joining tree plantings, Mukumoto suggests people find other fun, tree-related activities to enjoy during April.
“Whether by yourself or with family and friends, read a book about trees. My favorite is one I use to identify Pacific Northwest trees. You can visit a park or arboretum and observe closely the leaves, flowers and bark, the aromas and textures. Just being around trees and slowing down to appreciate them can be good for you,” he said. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/free_news/april-is-oregon-arbor-month/article_0525055c-ba94-11ec-9400-6fcd5335aabd.html | 2022-04-13T11:28:25 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/free_news/april-is-oregon-arbor-month/article_0525055c-ba94-11ec-9400-6fcd5335aabd.html |
The annual Easter Egg Scramble returns at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 16 at Lewis & Clark Festival Park, downtown The Dalles.
The Easter Bunny will signal the start of the scramble for ages 1-2, who will hunt for eggs in a separate area. Then kids in age brackets up to 10 will take their turn with separate times and areas.
Columbia Gorge Honda & Toyota has partnered with Bicoastal Media to produce this long-time community event with other business sponsors.
Bring the kids a little early to get a picture with the Easter Bunny and pick an egg from the Columbia Gorge Honda & Toyota trunk for a chance to find a golden ticket for a prize. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/free_news/easter-egg-scramble-returns-april-16-in-the-dalles/article_64d27786-ba95-11ec-867c-4b85939c6d5e.html | 2022-04-13T11:28:26 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/free_news/easter-egg-scramble-returns-april-16-in-the-dalles/article_64d27786-ba95-11ec-867c-4b85939c6d5e.html |
The Hood River County Library, located at 502 State St., Hood River, celebrates Shakespeare Week with activities suitable for the whole family.
From 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, kids and their grownups are invited to build a famous Shakespeare scene out of Legos; Legos provided. There will be drawings for prizes.
Everyone is invited to the library on Saturday, April 23 from noon to 6 p.m. to celebrate the Bard’s birthday with an Elizabethan scavenger quest.
For more information, call 541-386-2535, email info@hoodriverlibrary.org, or visit hoodriverlibrary.org. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/hood-river-co-library-celebrates-shakespeare-week/article_71e12ab6-ba9b-11ec-8a07-93bdfdeb1b5d.html | 2022-04-13T11:28:32 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/hood-river-co-library-celebrates-shakespeare-week/article_71e12ab6-ba9b-11ec-8a07-93bdfdeb1b5d.html |
Three students from Hood River Valley High School were selected as this year’s winners in the Hood River County Reads poster contest. The posters feature artwork inspired by Brian Fies’ graphic memoir “A Fire Story,” this year’s book. Yesenia Alaniz took first, Hayden Faaborg second and Emilio Silva third. The next Hood River County Reads event takes place April 22, with “Zine Extravaganza: An Exploration into Small Press Publication Culture, Distribution and Commerce” workshop from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Hood River Library or via Zoom. The workshop will be led by Kate Bingaman-Burt and Leland Vaughan. Preregistration is required at 541-386-2535, info@hoodriverlibrary.org, or visit hoodriverlibrary.org.
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- Obituary: Susan Huntington | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/spring-traditions-blossom-craft-show/article_03ca8d26-ba99-11ec-99c6-2be7b9e6b515.html | 2022-04-13T11:28:50 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/spring-traditions-blossom-craft-show/article_03ca8d26-ba99-11ec-99c6-2be7b9e6b515.html |
Some of the devout among us are prone to sharing their beliefs in the battles of good and evil that are waged down the Last Mile, that hallowed ground of the IOOF Cemetery where angels brandish sabers of goodness against the wicked predilections of a horde of imps, both sides of this cosmic battle struggling to corral the souls of the recently departed. Foremost in the struggle, aiding the angels, are the elves Gabe and Mike, the sons of Dan who was the son of Dave. Among themselves, their collective moniker is “the Retributors.” Mostly they wage battle with demoted or fallen angels, spirits who sought to rewrite the episodes of mortality which we in Warhaven live out as characters in a celestial play. These dark spirits would ally themselves with imps, who did the physical dirty work. When they caught or cornered culprits, Gabe and Mike would cudgel the troublemakers until their opponents were black and blue and purple. This practice of theirs kept a kind of balance out at the cemetery. It’s been said that once there were trolls who lived atop the bluff above the Big River, but that generations earlier the elves vanquished the trolls, sending them to wander the West for another home.
In lulls of conflict Gabe and Mike would play practical jokes on the teenagers who snuck out there to smooch or to drink pilfered hootch. With modern cars, things were now different. They used to love to wriggle under the hood of a parked vehicle and steal its rotor from under the distributor cap. That was good for a laugh. The popularity of fuel injection was a real killjoy!
Gnomes are a presence in the Craggies. Up the creeks and runs and branches in the brushy forests beneath the peaks live one clan of a tribe of gnomes. Hunters and gatherers of keen eye have occasionally spotted the red conical felt hats of the males among the ferns and deer brush and huckleberry bushes. If pursued these woodland gnomes are quick to find a near-by blackberry thicket and dive to safety in borrows constructed for this very purpose of evasion, sometimes dislodging foxes, rabbits, or coyotes. The other clans of Warhaven include garden, house, and farm gnomes. A mature male gnome, it is believed, is forbidden to marry within the clan, relocating to the neighborhood of his wife’s parents. Gus Chapman said he once met a farm gnome near the Old Stone Barn.
On Warhaven’s Plateau lives one fairy of distinction, the wee bearded man in tweed coat and porkpie hat who is known as Leprechaun Billy, who as an ageless cobbler, has repaired the oxfords, brogans and galoshes of generations of Warhaveners. He often leaves his calling card, an acorn in the left shoe.
Now pixies, who love to dance and wrestle, have inhabited the Craggies for centuries, and have coexisted peacefully with the Quaish. These small ones arrived in the 1500s due to drought in the south and the invasive snooping of the Spanish for their El Dorado and their Seven Cities of Gold.
City councilor Ike Moseseek tells of Snip Quazilseek, the red headed pixie. “He always has a twinkle in his eye. Maybe it is the evening light I always see him in, up near the boulders where he lives with the marmots and mice. Dusk and dawn are the best times to see him.”
Such ethereal characters among us in Warhaven bring our spirits the sun through the fog, these natural mysteries. They are the rare kind of offering, when one may be gifted with surprise or even genuine awe as we confront monotony or a wavering of tenacity. Some scoff, of course, preferring to hold faith in the 20-point buck or the gigantic lottery win. Maybe it is just the bumper red raspberry crop or raising the perfect student with the right blend of wit, persistence, and humility. We all cling to something beyond logic and science, something at which to marvel, something as small and perennial as the bud swell of spring.
If you can get councilor Debbie Dacnic to tell her tales, she would share experiences walking the river trails, of swift-footed elves. “They gambol and cavort, they stomp and swirl; theirs is a perpetual dance of love to nature. I saw a trio of elves during a sheet lightning storm below the Last Mile along the Big. They were all dressed in sky blue and hunter green. I had to laugh. They looked like refugees from the Mighty Sequoias’ dance team. I don’t know. Maybe they had pilfered some field hockey uniforms.”
•••
The City Council is a work of fiction, written by Jim Tindall, appearing every other week in Columbia Gorge News. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/the-city-council-a-fictional-narrative-of-rural-life-in-the-american-west-episode-185/article_03738a76-ba9e-11ec-9e63-bf7d7e4d5f47.html | 2022-04-13T11:28:56 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/the-city-council-a-fictional-narrative-of-rural-life-in-the-american-west-episode-185/article_03738a76-ba9e-11ec-9e63-bf7d7e4d5f47.html |
She quickly pulled off her sweatshirt, grabbed her No. 92 jersey and found a bright orange batting helmet.
A few minutes later, Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game when she took her spot Tuesday night in a 13-2 win over San Diego.
"I think we're all inspirations doing everything that we do on a day-to-day basis and I think, yes, this carries a little bit more weight because of the visibility, obviously there's a historical nature to it," she said. "But again, this is my job."
Nakken came in to coach first base for the Giants in the third inning after Antoan Richardson was ejected.
When she was announced as Richardson's replacement, Nakken received a warm ovation from the crowd at Oracle Park, and a congratulatory handshake from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer.
"Right now in this moment as I reflect back, I reflect back to somebody needed to go out, we needed a coach to coach first base, our first base coach got thrown out, I've been in training as a first base coach for the last few years and work alongside Antoan, so I stepped in to what I've been hired to do, is support this staff and this team," Nakken said.
The baseball Hall of Fame was ready, too. Her helmet is already on its way to the shrine in Cooperstown, New York.
San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said Nakken had "prepared for this moment" while working with Richardson and others.
"So it's not a foreign spot on the field for her. She does so many other things well that aren't seen," he said. "So it's nice to see her kind of be right there in the spotlight and do it on the field."
Nakken is an assistant coach who works heavily with baserunning and outfield defense. She watches games from an indoor batting cage near the steps to the dugout - and keeps a Giants jersey nearby, just in case she needs it.
And in an instant Tuesday night, she needed it.
The 31-year-old Nakken jogged onto the field four days after Rachel Balkovec became the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of an Major League Baseball team. She guided the New York Yankees' Class A Tampa club to a win in her first game.
Nakken had previously coached the position in spring training and during part of a July 2020 exhibition game at Oakland against now-Padres manager Bob Melvin when he was skipper of the Athletics. She started at first again a night later against the A's in San Francisco as the teams prepared for the pandemic-delayed season.
"You feel a sense of pride to be out there," Nakken said at the time. "Me personally, it's the best place to watch a game, that's for sure."
The former Sacramento State softball star, whose blonde braid hung out from her orange protective helmet Tuesday, became the first female coach in the big leagues when she was hired for Kapler's staff in January 2020.
At Sacramento State from 2009-2012, Nakken was a three-time all-conference player at first base and four-time Academic All American. She went on to earn a master's degree in sport management from the University of San Francisco in 2015 after interning with the Giants' baseball operations department a year earlier.
From Day One with the Giants, Nakken embraced her role as an example for girls and women that they can do anything.
"It's a big deal," she said. "I feel a great sense of responsibility and I feel it's my job to honor those who have helped me to where I am." | https://abc11.com/alyssa-nakken-first-female-coach-on-the-field-in-a-regular-season-game-san-francisco-giants-mlb-history/11743890/ | 2022-04-13T11:28:56 | 1 | https://abc11.com/alyssa-nakken-first-female-coach-on-the-field-in-a-regular-season-game-san-francisco-giants-mlb-history/11743890/ |
1922 — 100 years ago
Under the auspices of the Men’s Club of Asbury M.E. Church, last Sunday evening was devoted to talks by pioneers of this section, J.R. Forden presiding. The principal speaker was Mrs. Alma L. Howe, one of the best known of the surviving pioneers of Oregon, her parents having arrived in the state in a wagon train. Mrs. Howe graphically described the experiences of the men and women who undertook the 2,000-mile journey into the unknown and the untold hardships and misery that was often their lot. — Hood River News
Over-enthusiastic members of The Dalles Country club have been driving cars over the course and cutting deep ruts in it which a year’s rolling will not smooth out. Protest against the practice was made today by C.E. Nichols, who has been employed as the golf professional, and he requests that cars stay on the road and not be taken on the sod at any point within the golf club grounds. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1942 — 80 years ago
The Fourth Registration under the Selective Training and Service Act, requiring the enrollment of all men between the ages of 45-64 years, inclusive, has been proclaimed by President Roosevelt. The proclamation states that every male citizen of the United States, and every other male person residing in the continental United States or in the territories of Alaska and Hawaii or in Puerto Rico, other than persons specifically exempt by law, born on or after April 28, 1877, and on or before Feb. 16, 1897, who have not heretofore been registered under the Act, must register. — Hood River News
With applications to purchase trucks outnumbering the available supply by a ratio of seven to one, the Oregon State Grange, with the cooperation of the Pacific Northwest regional office of the interstate commerce commission, has scheduled a series of six strategically located meetings through the state to determine ways and means by which the farm transportation situation can be alleviated, it was learned here today. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1962 — 60 years ago
The 1962 water supply outlook for the Hood River-Wasco county area has improved slightly and is now fair to average, according to a report released today by W.T. Frost, snow survey supervisor for U.S. Department of Agriculture. The snowpack received greater than average March increases and watershed soils are well primed, he said. The snowpack is still 11 per cent below the April 1 average but is now 30 per cent better than last year at this time. — Hood River News
Groups representing the Wasco County Fruit and Produce League were visiting the four high schools of Wasco County today to select candidates for the title of 1962 Cherry Sweetheart. Wasco County Union High at Maupin, Dufur High, The Dalles High and Mosier High each will have a girl entered in the competition. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
1982 — 40 years ago
Going by the “Don’t start something you can’t finish” philosophy, the city’s street and sewer committee decided Friday to request $400,000 from the county to aid in finishing up the long-awaited 13th Street couplet in the Hood River Heights area. City personnel are anxious to get the couplet project off “hold” and are hoping that county officials will feel the same way. — Hood River News
The Oregon Public Utility Districts today said they were not fighting aluminum companies over BPA power contracts invalidated in court last week, but they felt compelled to protect the traditional preference rights of PUDs. — The Dalles Daily Chronicle
The Mid-Columbia Tree Improvement program is now in its planting stage with 16 test sites and almost 100,000 tiny trees staked and numbered. The project started in 1980 and is designed to provide genetically superior tree seed for future reforestation needs. — White Salmon Enterprise
2002 — 20 years ago
Hood River County School District will take what could be two last-chance steps in opposing redistricting by the Oregon School Activities Association. The district hopes to present its case for staying in the Mt. Hood Conference when the state Board of Education meets in Salem Thursday to ask for at least a delay in shifting Hood River Valley High School out of the Mt. Hood Conference and into the central- and eastern-Oregon based Intermountain Conference. — Hood River News
Perhaps Parks and Recreation board member Ron Ahlberg said it best: “They didn’t really get what they wanted and neither did we.” He was referring to a vote at Wednesday night’s park board meeting that may have broken an impasse between department directors and Wonderworks. Last month, the board rejected a proposal for a large extension to the historic Booth House in City Park. On Wednesday, the board voted to allow Wonderworks to use nearly 5,800 square feet of the park, well under the amount sought. — The Dalles Chronicle
Despite an uncertain future, Golden Northwest Aluminum has taken tentative steps toward reopening the Goldendale Aluminum Co. and Northwest Aluminum at full capacity by hiring back nearly a dozen workers. Mac Seyhanli, vice president of Goldendale Aluminum, said GAC has been working on a power package with the Bonneville Power Administration that would enable both plants to reopen at full capacity. Earlier plans to reopen half the Goldendale plant are simply not feasible with the high cost of power. — White Salmon Enterprise | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/this-week-in-history-april-13-2022/article_e66c3eea-ba99-11ec-a0bd-8f0581ae5b0a.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:02 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/gorge-life/this-week-in-history-april-13-2022/article_e66c3eea-ba99-11ec-a0bd-8f0581ae5b0a.html |
KYIV, Ukraine -- The presidents of four countries on Russia's doorstep headed to Kyiv on Wednesday in a show of support for Ukraine, after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to continue his bloody seven-week offensive until its "full completion."
The presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - all NATO countries that worry they may face Russian attack in the future if Ukraine falls - were due to meet the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In one of the most crucial battles of the war, Russia said more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops surrendered in the besieged port of Mariupol. The information could not be verified, and it's not clear how significant it would be, if true.
Russia invaded on Feb. 24 with the goal, according to Western officials, of taking Kyiv, toppling the government and installing a Moscow-friendly one. In the seven weeks since, the ground advance stalled and Russian forces lost potentially thousands of fighters - and the war has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee, rattled the world economy, threated global food supplies and shattered Europe's post-Cold War balance.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday called Russia's actions in Ukraine "a genocide" for the first time, saying "Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian."
Zelenskyy applauded Biden's use of the word, saying "calling things by their names is essential to stand up to evil."
"We are grateful for US assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities," he added in his tweet.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the leaders headed to Ukraine on Wednesday had "a strong message of political support and military assistance."
Nauseda, Estonian President Alar Karis, Poland's Andrzej Duda and Egils Levits of Latvia also plan to discuss investigations into alleged Russian war crimes, including the massacre of civilians.
Putin has denied his troops committed atrocities, and on Tuesday insisted Russia "had no other choice" but to invade and that the offensive aimed to protect people in parts of eastern Ukraine and to "ensure Russia's own security." He vowed it would "continue until its full completion and the fulfillment of the tasks that have been set."
He insisted Russia's campaign was going as planned despite a major withdrawal and significant losses.
Thwarted in their push toward the capital, Russian troops are now gearing up for a major offensive in the eastern Donbas region, where Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014, and where Russia has recognized the separatists' claims of independence. Military strategists say Moscow believes local support, logistics and the terrain in the region favor its larger, better-armed military, potentially allowing Russia to finally turn the tide in its favor.
Britain's defense ministry said Wednesday that "an inability to cohere and coordinate military activity has hampered Russia's invasion to date." Western officials say Russia recently appointed a new top general for the war, Alexander Dvornikov, to try to get a grip on its campaign.
A key piece to that campaign is Mariupol, which lies in the Donbas and which the Russians have besieged and pummeled since nearly the start of the war. Pockets of the city appeared to be still under Ukraine's control - but it's not clear how many forces are still defending it.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said 1,026 troops from the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade had surrendered in the city. It was unclear when the alleged surrenders occurred.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych did not comment on the allegation, but said in a post on Twitter that elements of the same brigade managed to link up with other Ukrainian forces in the city as a result of a "risky maneuver."
Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said on Twitter that the city's defenders were short of supplies but were "fighting under the bombs for each meter of the city. They make (Russia) pay an exorbitant price."
Ukrainian forces in Mariupol have alleged that a drone dropped a poisonous substance on the city. The assertion by the Azov Regiment, a far-right group now part of the Ukrainian military, could not be independently verified. The regiment indicated there were no serious injuries.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Tuesday officials were investigating, and it was possible phosphorus munitions - which cause horrendous burns but are not classed as chemical weapons - had been used in Mariupol, which has been pummeled by weeks of Russian assaults.
Deliberately firing phosphorus munitions into an enclosed space to expose people to fumes could breach the Chemical Weapons Convention, said Marc-Michael Blum, a former laboratory head at the Netherlands-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Western officials warned that any use of chemical weapons by Russia would be a serious escalation of the already devastating war. Zelenskyy said that while experts try to determine what the substance might be, "The world must react now."
In Washington, a senior U.S. defense official said the Biden administration was preparing another package of military aid for Ukraine to be announced in the coming days, possibly totaling $750 million. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced.
Biden used the word "genocide" about Russia's actions during a visit to Iowa. He said it would be up to lawyers to decide if Russia's conduct met the international standard for genocide, but said "it sure seems that way to me."
Neither he nor his administration announced new consequences for Russia or assistance to Ukraine following the assessment.
An investigation into war crimes is already underway in Ukraine, including into atrocities revealed after Moscow's retreat from cities and towns around Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said evidence of "inhuman cruelty" toward women and children in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv continued to surface, including alleged rapes.
More than 720 people were killed in Kyiv suburbs that had been occupied by Russian troops and over 200 were considered missing, the Interior Ministry said early Wednesday.
In Bucha alone, Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said 403 bodies had been found and the toll could rise as minesweepers comb the area.
In the Chernihiv region, villagers said more than 300 people had been trapped for almost a month by the occupying Russian troops in the basement of a school and only allowed outside to go to the toilet or cook on open fires.
Valentyna Saroyan told The Associated Press she saw at least five people die in Yahidne, 140 kilometers (86 miles) north of Kyiv. In one of the rooms, the residents wrote the names of those who perished during the ordeal - the list counted 18 people.
Ukraine's prosecutor-general's office said Tuesday it was also looking into events in the Brovary district, which lies to the northeast of the capital. It said the bodies of six civilians were found with gunshot wounds in a basement in the village of Shevchenkove and Russian forces were believed to be responsible.
Prosecutors are also investigating allegations that Russian forces fired on a convoy of civilians trying to leave by car from the village of Peremoha in the Brovary district, killing four people including a 13-year-old boy. In another attack near Bucha, five people were killed including two children when a car was fired upon, prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said humanitarian corridors used to get people out of cities under Russian attack will not operate on Wednesday because of poor security.
___
Stashevskyi reported from Yahidne, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
Polish, Baltic presidents head to Ukraine in show of support
By ADAM SCHRECK and OLEKSANDR STASHEVSKYI | https://abc11.com/ukraine-russia-volodymyr-zelenskyy-news/11743910/ | 2022-04-13T11:29:02 | 1 | https://abc11.com/ukraine-russia-volodymyr-zelenskyy-news/11743910/ |
A structure fire was reported in the 3600 block of the Odell Highway April 5. Wy’East Fire District was first on the scene, the station located a short distance away. Fire Chief/CEO Greg Borton reported the structure was fully engulfed on arrival at approximately 9:55 a.m.
The fire began in the kitchen and is believed to be electrical in nature. The investigation is ongoing.
The blaze was knocked down at 10:42 p.m., with mop up complete at 11:44 a.m.
Fire departments responding were Wy’East, West Side, Hood River and Parkdale. Hood River County Sheriff’s deputies assisted with blocking Highway 282/Odell Highway until Oregon Department of Transportation arrived on the scene and took over. Hood River Electric Co-op also responded to disconnect all power from the building. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/odell-home-burns-april-5/article_ef19999e-bab6-11ec-80c3-23d19aa9f406.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:08 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/odell-home-burns-april-5/article_ef19999e-bab6-11ec-80c3-23d19aa9f406.html |
Dufur thrower Jacob Jones finished first in the javelin, second in the discus and third in the shot put to highlight small school performances at the April 7 track and field meet at Hood River Valley.
Two of Jones’ marks were personal bests – 115 feet, 8 inches in the discus and 38-7.5 in the shot. His winning javelin throw was 132-3.5. Teammate Ashley Bailey also won an event for the Rangers. She threw the shot put 32-1.
Dufur Marshal McLaughlin posted sprint times of 11.87 and 24.51, which are the fastest in the Class 1A District 3 this season.
Dufur was joined at the meet by 1A schools Horizon Christian and Trout Lake. Also competing were 5A schools, HRV, The Dalles and Crook County.
Trout Lake also had an individual winner in pole vaulter Gynel Duke, who cleared 8-6. The Mustang vault crew represented well, as frosh Sawyer Dean was second with a PR of 12-6 and Landon Herberling was third at 11-6 in the boys competition.
Horizon was led by seniors Alex Whitaker and Gus Decker. Whitaker was second in the shot put at 41-8.5 and third in the discus. Decker set a school record for the Hawks in the 1500 at 5 minutes, 43.13 seconds. Teammate Caleb Yuan was second in the 110-meter high hurdles and third in the 300 intermediates (46.91). Senior Josiah Sohal was fifth in the 800; his time of 2:14.31 is the fastest in the District 3 distance running rankings.
Two days later, Yuan and Horizon competed at the 14-team St. Paul Buckaroo Invitational. The junior hurdler won both races - the highs in a personal best 18.48. Senior teammate Josh Rogers, last year’s Class 1A state triple jump runner-up, competed in the event for the first time this season and won with a mark of 39-2.5. Rogers also ran a 12.03 100, the second-fastest District 3 time this season.
Horizon’s boys were third in the team competition.
South Wasco County also competed at St. Paul. Frosh Storm McCoy won the high jump at 5-4 and was second in the 3000. Teammate Macy Bell was third in the girls high jump at 4-6, and Julie Hull was second in the 400.
Sherman competed last week in the Prairie City Annual Meet along with 14 other small schools. Kole Martin had a busy day, winning the 400 (57.12), 200 (25.8) and long jump (17-9), and he was third in the 100. Teammate Sophie Hulke matched Martin’s three wins with first-place finishes in the shot (30-11), discus (103-10) and javelin (101-0) – the latter two marks were personal bests. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/dufur-s-jacob-jones-goes-1-2-3-at-hood-river-meet/article_30ff4304-baa8-11ec-8460-8f2ef224f7bf.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:14 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/dufur-s-jacob-jones-goes-1-2-3-at-hood-river-meet/article_30ff4304-baa8-11ec-8460-8f2ef224f7bf.html |
The Dalles junior Zoe Dunn bounded to atop the Intermountain Conference track and field ranks in two events at Saturday’s “Need For Speed” Classic meet in Sherwood.
Dunn had personal-best marks in the triple jump and long jump, winning the latter event and finishing a close second in the triple. She was the leading scorer for the Riverhawks at the meet which included 24, mostly Class 6A, schools. Dunn’s long jump mark was 17 feet, 7.5 inches; she hopped, stepped, and jumped 34-10. She also had a PR in the 100 of 13.52 and ran a leg on The Dalles’ 4x100 relay, which was eighth in 53.0.
The Riverhawks also received other top marks at Sherwood from sophomore Madelyn Harrison, who had personal bests in the 100 (13.73) and 200 (28.02). Distance runner Alaina Cassidy moved to the top of the IMC rankings in the 3000 with her personal best 12:06.43; she also had a PR in the 1500 (5:27.0). Sophomore Hannah Adams cleared 4-4 in the high jump.
On the boys side, senior Taylor Morehouse flirted with the 15-foot mark in the pole vault before winning the event at a personal best 14-10. He was the lone winner for The Dalles boys, but teammate Jaxon Pullen was second in the long jump with a mark of 20-7.
Juan Diego Contreras finished seventh in the 1500 with the second-best time in the IMC of 4:13.0. He also was 13th in a fast 3000 in 8:55.01. Winner Charlie North of Franklin edged James Crabtree of the host Sherwood team, 8:19.3 to 8:19.63. Sophomore Leo Lemann, Contreras’ training partner, ran a personal best 4:24.61 in the 1500.
The Riverhawks competed in a six-team meet at Hood River on April 7, when a number of athletes also moved up the IMC rankings with their performances. Included in that group was Pullen, who took advantage of sunny, 70-degree weather to win the 100 in a lifetime best, 11.22. Senior Tristan Bass made it a Riverhawk sprint sweep when he won the 200 in 24.48. Earlier in the meet, Bass had run a 12.01 100-meter personal best. Later, he cleared a PR 11-0 in the pole vault. Pullen came back after his quick 100 to finish second in the triple jump at 40-1.75.
Senior distance runner Kayden McCavic was second in the 3000 with a PR 10:35.47 time. He led three teammates — Gabriel Castillo Quintana, Josef Lutz, and Gabe Stein — to personal bests, as well.
For The Dalles girls at the HRV meet, Harrison, Dunn and Lily Adams went 1-2-3 in the 200, each with personal bests: 28.02, 28.25, 28.75. Harrison led a similar finish in the 400, this time leading Maisie Bandel-Ramirez and Amyrah Hill to a 1-2-3 sweep.
Hannah and Lily Adams, Harrison and Dunn combined to run the fastest 4x100 in the IMC to date when they won the one-lap race in 52.38.
The Riverhawk boys’ short relay also won. Anthony Jara, Pullen, Andre Niko and Morehouse were clocked in 45.29.
The Dalles next competes at a small school meet Wednesday at Wahtonka. The Riverhawks will also go to the Canby Invitational on Friday. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/dunn-leaps-to-top-of-imc-in-long-and-triple-jump/article_c34bab20-ba9f-11ec-8e5b-df28a60c39c6.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:20 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/dunn-leaps-to-top-of-imc-in-long-and-triple-jump/article_c34bab20-ba9f-11ec-8e5b-df28a60c39c6.html |
A tricky Crooked River Ranch Golf Course and some unsavory weather proved a tough combination for the Hood River Valley boys golf team April 4 in Central Oregon.
The Eagles finished fifth out of the six Intermountain Conference teams at the first of five IMC events this spring.
“This was not what we were looking for ideally, but honestly considering the conditions I was happy with how we played,” Coach Erin Mason said. “We are so close to getting where we want to be. I think we need another week or so and maybe we can start making a run toward the IMC accumulative finish line.”
Crook County, led by medalist Palmer Smith’s 76, won with a 344, 30 strokes better than runner-up Redmond. Hood River shot 420.
HRV frosh Davis Kerr finished fifth overall with a 91. “Davis continues to improve each week and I can’t wait to see his scores by end of season,” Mason said. “I honestly believe Davis Kerr and Keirnan Chown have a legitimate chance as individuals to reach the regional state tourney if they continue to improve.”
Hood River’s younger golfers traveled to Willow Creek Country Club for the annual Heppner Mustang Invitational on April 6. The Eagles won the four-team competition with a 343 over the par-60 course.
“Although we didn’t have any standout individual rounds, we were able to squeak out the team win in the end,” Mason said. Nine strokes separated the top three teams. Chown’s 80 was low score for HRV. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/eagle-boys-compete-in-two-matches/article_cde9f4d6-baa1-11ec-b502-5370d9caf390.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:26 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/eagle-boys-compete-in-two-matches/article_cde9f4d6-baa1-11ec-b502-5370d9caf390.html |
Hood River Valley’s softball team split two games this past week and have one more non-league contest Wednesday before embarking on its 15-game Intermountain Conference season on Friday.
The Eagles were scheduled to host Lakeridge at Westside on Wednesday (weather permitting). Hood River begins IMC play on Friday, when Ridgeview comes to town for a 3 p.m. doubleheader. The two teams play a single game Tuesday in Redmond.
Hood River is 4-5 overall, after a 6-2 win last week against Scappoose on April 7 and a 16-11 loss at Silverton on April 8. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/eagles-open-imc-softball-season-friday-at-home/article_1bb2264a-baa5-11ec-a850-970b14eac307.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:33 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/eagles-open-imc-softball-season-friday-at-home/article_1bb2264a-baa5-11ec-a850-970b14eac307.html |
Hood River Valley’s baseball fortunes turned from good to average in a few days last week, as the Eagles were impressive to start but not so much to finish.
HRV Coach Max Reitz gave his players credit for their 5-2 win over Class 6A Bend on April 5 and fielded the blame in the Eagles’ 9-2 loss at Portland’s Roosevelt on April 7.
“Really tough loss … against a team we should have beat,” Reitz said. “I didn’t have us properly prepared. Time to turn the page and get ready for Ridgeview.”
Ridgeview looms Friday, when the Eagles (5-4) travel to Redmond to face the Ravens (7-2) in a doubleheader — the Intermountain Conference opener for both schools. The two teams play a third game Tuesday in Hood River.
Hood River’s win over visiting Bend — which also lost to Pendleton, 3-1, earlier in the day at Traner Field — was an effort of efficiency. “Bend’s a good team. Their record (3-7-1) does not reflect how good they are,” Reitz said, pointing out that five of Bend’s seven losses were on a five games-in-five days, spring break road trip to Arizona. “When your offensive isn’t clicking (and HRV’s wasn’t at times last week), you’ve got to manufacture some runs.”
For example, against Bend, with two outs, having baserunners get secondary leads (where they take a few extra steps off the bag), can mean the difference between scoring a run or not. That’s what happened in the fifth inning, when the Eagles added a single run to build an insurmountable 5-0 lead. Joe Reitz walked, stole second and scored on a close play at the plate — following Jake Von Lubken’s sharp single to left field.
Coach Reitz said: “We want to put pressure on teams in everything we do — on the mound, at the plate and on the bases. You’ve got to take advantage of that. Joe is just an instinctually good baserunner. On the double (by Mason Spellecy in the fourth inning), he read the ball off the bat and saw it wasn’t going to get caught.”
The fourth inning was the big one, offensively, for the Eagles, and it started like a few others this season with catcher Reitz reaching base — this time on a single. He scored from first on Spellecy’s double and the Eagles would add three more tallies before the inning was over. Hunter Hough hit another double to drive in Spellecy; Ely Kellogg scored on a ground out; and Hough scored on a two-out single from Cole Duckwall.
The lead was more than enough for Von Lubken, who had plenty of help from his defense (although the three Eagle errors in the box score suggested something different). Bend scored in the top of the seventh inning, when a couple of miscues in the Eagle outfield led to two unearned runs. Von Lubken registered a three-hit, five-strikeout, one-walk performance; Bend’s three hits were singles.
Von Lubken, who improved his pitching record to 3-0 on the season, helped his cause with two hits of his own. Hough also was 2-for-3 for the Eagles with two doubles.
Von Lubken had five innings of throwing 15 pitches or less, which is what the Eagles need him to do to keep him on the mound late into games. He has 22 strikeouts and three walks in 22 innings pitched this spring.
“He was great again,” Coach Reitz said of his junior righty. “He’s writing a real cool story for himself this year.”
Although, things didn’t start that smoothly for Von Lubken, who hit the first batter he faced. “I don’t mind establishing inside (part of the plate),” Coach Reitz said. “From there on he was just in total control. And we did some good things behind him.”
Spellecy, who returned to the lineup after nursing a leg injury for a week, started a double play at shortstop to get the Eagles out of an inning. Ryles Buckley “just put on a clinic at first base,” Reitz said. Buckley scooped a few short-hop throws at first and leaped high in the air to snag a line drive and in the same motion, on his way down, tagged out a Bend player who had strayed a little too far off the bag for another double play.
On the other hand, it was Roosevelt who made all the plays against HRV a few days later. The Roughriders (7-5) used a nine-run sixth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit. Roosevelt’s 1-2 hitters, Blaeith Scharp Salter and Izaya Laguardia each homered in the sixth.
Hough had two of HRV’s four hits and scored both of the Eagle runs — one in the second inning, the other in the sixth. Hough took the pitching loss, as Roosevelt held a 4-2 lead when he exited in the sixth. Hough gave way to Cole Duckwall and Keegan Losee to finish the inning. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/hood-river-edges-bend-struggles-vs-roosevelt/article_989315a8-baa4-11ec-884a-47c79d5cd74c.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:39 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/hood-river-edges-bend-struggles-vs-roosevelt/article_989315a8-baa4-11ec-884a-47c79d5cd74c.html |
For the second week in a row, The Dalles High Riverhawks beat a highly regarded team in the top-five of the OSAA Class 5A rankings.
The No. 3-ranked Riverhawks moved up from their previous spot at No. 8 following a 12-1 win over the No. 5-ranked St. Helens High Lions last Thursday at St. Helens High School. It marked the sixth straight win for the Riverhawks. St. Helens, of the Northwest Oregon Conference, was ranked No. 2 prior to the contest.
“It was a great win and it really gets the girls excited and pumped up,” said first-year Coach Danielle Sayres. “It’s very exciting being No. 3 and it’s probably been a few years since The Dalles has been ranked that high. The girls showed up ready to play; they have the talent and as long as they have trust in themselves and each other and play well together, then they can do great things.”
Hawk junior hurler Kennedy Abbas had a remarkable performance in the pitching circle, as she tossed a one-hitter and struck out 10 to help lead The Dalles to the victory. The Hawks had 15 hits, including home runs by Abbas, Sydney Newby, Despina Seufalemua and Kaleyah Crichton-Tunai.
The Hawks recorded two nonleague victories last week; the other was a 6-5 victory over the Class 6A Reynolds High Raiders (7-4) April 5 at 16th Street Ballpark in The Dalles. Freshman Maddie Brock hit the game-winning RBI single to help propel the Hawks to the win. That marked their second win over the Raiders, of the Mt. Hood Conference. The Dalles won 10-0 over Reynolds on March 22.
On March 29, the Hawks won 6-3 over the No. 10-ranked Silverton High Foxes (7-3), who were ranked No. 3 prior to that contest. The Hawks will get another chance to get a win against a highly ranked team Friday, when they’ll face the No. 2-ranked Pendleton High Buckaroos in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Pendleton High School.
“I think the girls definitely have a chance and we can play with Pendleton for sure,” said Sayres, who attended a contest last week between Pendleton and the No. 1-ranked Wilsonville High Wildcats at Wilsonville. “I scouted them, and I definitely learned some things about Pendleton that will be good. They (Pendleton) always have a good program; they’re always a tough team, they have good pitching, and they have good hitting, but so do we. As long as we come ready to play, I think it should be an exciting day. I definitely think we have a shot. It’s going to be exciting and fun to see what the girls can do.”
That matchup is the Hawks’ opening contest of their 15-game Intermountain Conference schedule. Pendleton earned its high ranking following its 10-4 win over Wilsonville. Pendleton is 8-1 this season and has not lost an IMC game since May of 2019. The Buckaroos were 9-0 in league play last spring. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/riverhawk-softball-topples-another-ranked-foe/article_05aebe32-baa8-11ec-810a-e3f168386158.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:45 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/riverhawk-softball-topples-another-ranked-foe/article_05aebe32-baa8-11ec-810a-e3f168386158.html |
The balance of power in high school track and field tends to shift week-to-week during the spring season, as teams juggle training regimens toward season-ending district and state meets. This past week the Intermountain Conference power base tilted toward the Gorge, as Hood River and The Dalles registered some league-leading times and distances.
A number of them came at the April 7 meet hosted by Hood River, where IMC foes The Dalles and Crook County — and three local Class 1A schools (see related story) — enjoyed a 70-degree, low-wind day.
The Hood River’s girls team easily won the meet with 186 points, but the boys competition wasn’t decided until late, when the Eagle boys’ 4x400 relay edged Crook County in a thriller and sophomore Micah Castro cleared his second PR in the pole vault in as many weeks. The 10-point relay win and Castro’s two points gave HRV 155 points, while Crook County was second at 150.5.
The long relay came down to a sprint between HRV distance runner Elliot Hawley, who had won the 1500 meters and 800 earlier, and Crook County’s Kyree Willis. Hawley fought off a late challenge down the final straightaway, as the runners strode neck-and-neck around the last turn through a throng of screaming teammates lining both sides of the track. HRV’s team of Kadin Mitchell, Jackson Bullock, William Bunch and Hawley was timed in 3:42.24 to Crook County’s 3:43.76.
Hawley had about 45 minutes of rest to prepare for his relay leg, as he won the 800 in a personal record 2 minutes, 4.77 seconds. The two-lap win came about 90 minutes after he won the 1500 in a season-best 4:13.69. Hawley’s teammate, Bullock, benefited from the pace as he finished second in both races in 4:16.64 (PR) and 2:06.2.
Hood River also had a double-win day from Titus Grimsley, who clocked in 17.27 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles and 45.44 in the 300 intermediates. Both times were personal bests for the junior.
Shaw Burns matched Hawley and Grimsley with two wins of his own: a personal-best 41-8 effort in the triple jump; and a 19-67 mark in the long jump.
All told, the Eagle boys recorded 59 personal bests on the day. Among them: Frosh Levi Grimsley’s 38-2.25 shot put mark; Burns’ 11.64 in the 100; William Bunch’s 4:21.43 in the 1500; Finn Mikkelsen’s 100-8 discus throw; and Castro’s 10-6 pole vault, registered during the pole vault which was completed under the Henderson Stadium lights.
Hood River’s girls team had a big day from Simone Tillman, who won the 100 meters and 300 intermediate hurdles in personal-best times of 13.08 and 50.12. She also ran a leg on the Eagles’ 4x100 relay, which was second to The Dalles in the one-lap race, 52.38 to 53.54.
Tillman, a sophomore, is arguably the Eagles’ most versatile athlete; she was running the low hurdles for the first time in a race and her time is the third-fastest in the IMC thus far this season. Tillman is leading the conference in the 100, 200 (26.34) and 400 (1:00.32), and she has the third-best javelin mark at 97 feet.
Junior teammate Jacy Johnston leapt up the girls long jump rankings with a PR 16-6 effort for a first-place finish at the home meet. Johnston added a personal best in the triple jump of 27-11. Senior Lauren Griggs won the high jump, clearing a personal-best 5 feet. Sprinter Cristine Kinoshita sprinted to two PRs in the 400 (1:06.56) and the 200 (29.05).
HRV’s female distance crew was most impressive, with 1-2-3 finish in the 1500 and 1-2-3-4 finish in the 800. Maeve Woodruff won both races in personal-best times: 5:12.27 and 2:29.87. In the longer race she edged teammate Phoebe Wood, in a photo finish, and teammate Alex Bronson in the two-lap race by three seconds. Wood doubled back with a third place in the 800. Mieka McKnight earned HRV its third distance win by racing to a season-best 12:24.55 in the 3000.
Wood, Woodruff, Sophie Kaden, and McKnight combined to win the meet’s final event, the 4x400 relay in 4:21.12. Kaden’s individual day included a third place PR in the 1500 (5:24.27) and a fourth in the 800 (2:37.4). | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/temperatures-rise-times-drop-at-hood-river-meet/article_0302f118-baa2-11ec-ad7a-37d36c01716b.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:51 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/sports/temperatures-rise-times-drop-at-hood-river-meet/article_0302f118-baa2-11ec-ad7a-37d36c01716b.html |
Jennifer Euwer
1. What makes you the best choice for Hood River County Commission Chair?
I am the best choice for Hood River County Commission Chair because I have extensive experience and strong leadership and budgetary skills. I will bring fresh ideas, new perspectives and lots of energy to the position. I care deeply about our community and look forward to representing everyone. I currently chair the board of our area’s large agricultural co-op, am serving on our county’s planning commission, and I own and manage a pear and cherry orchard. I conduct business in Spanish as often as in English. Most importantly, I will listen to all Hood River County residents. Better decisions are made when all points of view are considered. Visit my website, EuwerforCountyChair.com, to learn more about why I am the best choice for county chair, and to share your thoughts about Hood River County government and services.
2. A lack of affordable housing is a community concern throughout the Gorge. What role do you believe Hood River County is able to play in finding solutions, and what solutions do you support?
Available and affordable housing should be the priority of all levels of government, including Hood River County. The county will need to work with the city of Hood River and other groups to find solutions to the serious lack of affordable housing in our community. Housing was in short supply when I served on the HOPE board 20 years ago. The situation has only gotten worse. I am well acquainted with the challenges involved in finding land, sourcing funding, and generating the support of the surrounding neighborhood when trying to build affordable housing.
We must identify affordable housing opportunities when establishing boundaries around the communities of Parkdale and Odell.
3. Homelessness is also a community concern in Hood River County. Is this a county issue, and if so what solutions do you support?
Currently, homelessness affects the city more than the county, but we all need to be part of the solution. Homelessness is a challenging, complicated issue. Solutions are most effective if they start with ideas from those affected. We must continue to work with the homeless and with those who serve them to understand clearly what the most acute and long-term needs are, and what are the most helpful solutions. Asking the local homeless individuals about their most pressing needs resulted in discovering that shower facilities were their top priority and local non-profits were able to obtain funding to purchase a shower/laundry/bathroom trailer. The city and county both contributed to the purchase of individual shelter units. Seven individuals exited the shelter program to long term housing placements in 2021-2022. Progress can be made by dedicated individuals and cooperating agencies.
4. What do you see as the county’s greatest need/priority going forward?
Efficient and effective county services must always be the county’s top priority. Residents deserve and should expect nothing less. This includes having adequate funding with tight budgetary controls. The county must coordinate with the state, the cities of Hood River and Cascade Locks, the ports, the school districts and local non-profit organizations to serve our constituents effectively and efficiently. Conducting our business in a transparent, efficient and inclusive manner is critical. I will ensure that we have productive and civil discourse that leads to solutions with wide support. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/jennifer-euwer/article_012593da-baae-11ec-94d7-cf5eaa786149.html | 2022-04-13T11:29:57 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/jennifer-euwer/article_012593da-baae-11ec-94d7-cf5eaa786149.html |
Kathleen Sanders
1. What makes you the best choice for Hood River County Commissioner, District 1?
My roots run deep and wide in Hood River Valley. I had the blessing of growing up here, getting married to a schoolmate, earning a degree, raising my children here and being a businesswoman. I have witnessed the transitions of the fruit, lumber, small business and tourism industries here. This firsthand experience with living in Hood River is what will serve me well in the role of county commissioner. I have much in common with the residents of District 1 who want to take care of their families, earn a living, and thrive in a safe and healthy community. I look forward to being able to listen to their voices and give back and serve in this important position!
2. A lack of affordable housing is a community concern throughout the Gorge. What role do you believe Hood River County is able to play in finding solutions, and what solutions do you support?
Affordable housing is a regional and bi-state issue that is much bigger than Hood River County. Because of this, I don’t believe its an issue that can be quickly “solved,” but there are actions that can be taken locally to improve the current worsening situation.
I believe close collaboration with the City of Hood River is necessary, and a joint response is needed. System Development Charges are increasing rapidly and get passed along into the high cost of housing.
I support taking a fresh look at local zoning in Hood River County and consider where additional housing may be located without compromising high value farmland.
Expansion of services can enable workers to live where its most affordable for them and allow them to access work and recreation. The commission should be doing all it can to support economic development and creating good paying jobs, so more workers can afford quality housing.
3) Homelessness is also a community concern in Hood River County. Is this a county issue, and if so what solutions do you support?
I believe homelessness is also an issue that requires a joint Hood River County and city response. There is some good work being done by local non-profits to provide support for those that want assistance. The county should support these efforts and continue to find ways to help those in need.
Encouraging additional workforce development throughout the county can help more residents remain self-sufficient. Lots of us have hit bumps on our personal roads, and we sometimes need assistance to find the resources to get us successfully back on our personal journeys.
I want to thank local law enforcement and be an encouragement in their efforts to maintain a safe and healthy community for all county citizens.
4) What do you see as the county’s greatest need/priority going forward?
I believe the residents of Commission District 1 want to be able to live in a safe and healthy community where they can provide for themselves and their families, all while enjoying the amazing attractions this beautiful Hood River Valley offers.
The future will have many challenges to this vision. We are a short drive from a major population center, and this brings many pressures to be able to support the fluctuations in service needs here.
Other strains will come from the changing economic conditions that will require clever adaptation to keep us successful. Making sure local residents receive the value they deserve from their county government will need to be an on-going focus, and I am willing to take this on.
Working together, we can meet these challenges and maintain Hood River County as a wonderful place to work, live and play! | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/kathleen-sanders/article_263542dc-baaa-11ec-89ac-cb3a5366bc06.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:03 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/kathleen-sanders/article_263542dc-baaa-11ec-89ac-cb3a5366bc06.html |
Leti Valle Moretti
1. What makes you the best choice for Hood River County Commissioner,
District 1?
I’m here to listen and continue paying it forward. Much of my work and time as a volunteer includes building partnerships across multiple sectors like public transportation, housing, safe routes to school and more. I’ll continue to bring people and organizations together to maximize resources and improve the well-being of our community.
For example, I have served for more than six years on the Hood River County Transportation Board (CAT). As a CAT Board Member, I have prioritized fixed routes throughout the Gorge and expanded transportation access while maintaining a very healthy budget.
I will also bring a fresh perspective to the team as the first Latinx commissioner. One third of the county has a similar experience to mine and we have not yet been represented in county leadership.
I love Hood River County and will stay connected as I listen to our community to make informed decisions as county commissioner.
2. A lack of affordable housing is a community concern throughout the Gorge. What role do you believe Hood River County is able to play in finding solutions, and what solutions do you support?
I serve on the Hood River County Planning Commission, and recognize the importance of thoughtful land-use and other impacts on housing costs. The county should expedite permitting so construction isn’t delayed. We need a comprehensive zoning plan to allow for multi-family and mixed-use development, while protecting agricultural lands and wild spaces.
I believe in investing in stable and safe housing, close to our jobs and other resources. We must leverage partnerships to fund affordable housing. We can find a way to increase tax revenue to contribute to meeting housing needs. I support the county sharing land to make the development of affordable housing on Rand Road economically feasible.
We should also preserve current stock, explore a land trust, and reduce utility costs. I’m eager to explore all possibilities for maintaining and adding affordable housing. I believe everyone who works in Hood River County should be able to live here.
3. Homelessness is also a community concern in Hood River County. Is this a county issue, and if so, what solutions do you support?
We can’t solve it alone, but we can do our part. I’ve been really impressed with the work of the Hood River Warming Shelter and will continue to support this program.
We should collaborate with the planned Navigation Center in The Dalles to support houseless individuals and families. We should also continue to partner with Mid-Columbia Housing Authority and encourage landlords to accept Section 8 vouchers.
As the county we need to increase our investment in public services to help prevent houselessness. During my time with The Blue Zones Project we worked with individuals, agencies, and businesses to build resiliency, prevent crises, and aid people in overcoming barriers. As a former Community Health Worker and member of the Columbia Gorge Health Council, I recognize the link between houselessness and healthcare. We need to continue to strengthen our county’s Health Department’s services in mental health and addiction recovery.
4. What do you see as the county’s greatest need/priority going forward?
We are facing serious issues such as the devastating effects of climate change and rising inequalities. We need to face them together.
The county must have a voice in Blumenauer’s proposal to enhance recreation in the Mt. Hood National Forest. My father is a volunteer firefighter for Odell-Pine Grove and he puts in many hours responding to emergencies and safety risks that come from tourism and recreation.
If we focus on greater public engagement and have a better understanding of how the county operates, we can work together to find solutions to balance our budget and increase our investments in the community.
I can bring more of us together because I’m bilingual, bi-cultural, approachable, and have deep connections as someone born and raised in Hood River County. I’ve worked in diverse sectors and my career has been focused on engagement and community-led solutions to our needs. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/leti-valle-moretti/article_6487fbce-baaa-11ec-881b-437a98ecafd0.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:09 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/leti-valle-moretti/article_6487fbce-baaa-11ec-881b-437a98ecafd0.html |
The 2022 Stevenson Grange No. 121 will begin its “Critical Issues Of Our Times” film series this month, featuring documentaries with the central theme of “Human Resilience” as part of the grange’s Community Resiliency programs. The film discussion will take place on the fourth Tuesday of the month, starting at 6:30 pm.
Films will be available through FVRL’s Kanopy video platform, whose app can be downloaded to any device or accessed via the website. Participants can view each film at their leisure and then pre-register on the library web site at fvrl.librarymarket.com/events/month, according to a press release. Once registered, attendees will get a direct link to the online meeting in their email.
Series details
April 26: The Mindfulness Movement: fvrl.kanopy.com/product/mindfulness-movement.
The Mindfulness Movement profiles the growing number of people who believe mindfulness — a peaceful quality of attention developed by focusing on the present moment in a non-judgmental way — can create a healthier, happier world.
May 24: Walk With Me: A Journey into Mindfulness: fvrl.kanopy.com/product/walk-me.
With unprecedented access, Walk With Me takes us deep inside the world-famous monastery of Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh, and captures the life of a monastic community who have given up all their possessions for one common purpose — to practice the art of mindfulness.
This visceral film is a meditation on a community determined to develop a deep sense of presence, not just for themselves but for all those they love. As the seasons come and go, the monastics’ inner journey is amplified by insights from Thich Nhat Hanh’s early journals, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch (Official Selection at the SXSW Film Festival).
June 28: Voices of Resilience: Insight from Injury: fvrl.kanopy.com/product/voices-resilience.
This short documentary follows the struggles of a diverse group of veterans. Voices of Resilience offers examples of veterans who are opening up to ancient practices of yoga and meditation, warriors who are searching — and finally finding themselves — on a path towards inner peace.
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The Community Resiliency programs are co-sponsored by Stevenson Grange No. 121 and the Stevenson Community Library. All Community Resiliency programs are free and open to the public.
For program information, please Mary Repar at 360-726-7052 or email repar@saw.net.
Call Stevenson Community Library at 509-427-5471 for directions on how to log on, or for more information. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/2022-critical-issues-of-our-times-film-series-begins-april-26/article_11b8d41a-baa8-11ec-a519-0707f73e6874.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:15 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/2022-critical-issues-of-our-times-film-series-begins-april-26/article_11b8d41a-baa8-11ec-a519-0707f73e6874.html |
County tax increase cited as reason
Bingen City officials are predicting a loss of general fund revenue as a new increase in the Klickitat County sales tax rate and a revenue sharing provision at the benefit of the county comes into effect this month.
“Overall, there will be a reduction in the amount of tax the city will receive for the second, third, and fourth quarter of 2022,” City Administrator Krista Loney wrote in a March 25 staff report.
The state of Washington allows cities and counties to charge an additional .5% in sales tax. According to Klickitat County officials, their approval of the tax increase on Jan. 4 marks the last county in the state of Washington to do so, and the county continues to charge the lowest sales tax rate in the state.
The resolution that county commissioners approved Jan. 4, in effect, brings the unincorporated areas of the county up to same tax rate as the cities of White Salmon and Goldendale, according to County Fiscal Manager Jennifer Bartley. Because both cities also approved such optional tax increases, the state provision allowing for the increase requires that the county receive 15% of such taxes.
According to Bartley, the county chose to raise the tax rate following a discussion on how the county can close the current multi-million dollar deficit outside of cutting costs. In order to offset the burden on cities due to the revenue sharing provision, county officials approved a rescinding of a .25% charge on real estate excise taxes collected by cities within the county.
In Washington, sales tax revenue is not restricted, while real estate excise taxes can only be used for capital funding.
As an attempt to estimate the potential impacts to the 2022 budget, Bingen city staff calculated that the city would have lost approximately 6.5% of its unassigned tax revenue, or close to $20,000, in 2021 if the resolution would have been put into effect that year.
However, the city’s sales and tax revenue is outpacing sales and tax revenue this time last year, according to the staff report, but impacts to the city won’t be seen on paper until the end of the year as the city uses year-to-date revenues to create the budget for the following year.
Mayor Catherine Kiewit said the new tax changes were expected to impact Bingen’s neighboring cities in the county.
County Board Chair Jacob Anderson said the decisions were made with inflation in mind, saying that the rate of inflation has risen higher than the county’s revenue. Anderson said the county was required to exchange their ability to earn income through a real estate investment trust to implement the sales tax increase.
Asked what input the City of Bingen was offered to provide, Anderson said that the county held a public hearing and took citizen comment.
“The cities realized that, they ve been better off than every other city in the state,” Anderson said, noting that the county tax rate is still the lowest in the state.
“It is in essence a very small amount of money based off what we subsidize them for court services,” he said. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/bingen-anticipating-revenue-loss/article_dc28897a-bab7-11ec-b931-7b7dcad26eaf.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:21 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/bingen-anticipating-revenue-loss/article_dc28897a-bab7-11ec-b931-7b7dcad26eaf.html |
One local family’s multi-generational love of flying will soon be shared by students from throughout the Mid-Columbia, thanks to a recent donation to Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation.
A Columbia Gorge resident for more than 55 years and long-time pilot, Cary Lowe passed away in November 2021.
He had raised a family and built his career in The Dalles. Among his many interests, flying his 1963 Piper Cherokee 235 was one of his favorites. Cary owned this four-seater airplane for 28 years, and in that time he and his wife MaryEllen and two daughters, Laura and Carly, enjoyed many family vacations to places only the little Piper could take them.
Cary shared his love for flying with his own father, Stan. When the Lowe family met with Wendy Patton, executive director of Columbia Gorge Community College Foundation, one chilly morning on the tarmac at Columbia Gorge Regional Airport in Dallesport, they avidly shared stories of how flying created a bond across the generations.
The occasion? The family had decided to donate Cary’s plane to the college as a teaching tool for the college’s aviation maintenance program, now in final stages of development.
Carly was a baby when the Lowes purchased the plane, so she literally grew up in it. MaryEllen told Patton they would go scouting in it, and even flew to Alaska one year. Laura remembers her father always looking for a place to land should they encounter any issues, the mark of a great pilot. The family always returned home safely and always found adventures together in the little Piper.
“There are many family memories wrapped up in this plane,” says Patton. “CGCC Foundation is honored to keep Cary Lowe’s memory alive by accepting this donation with the knowledge the next generation of aviation mechanics will hone their skills and become part of the very workforce who used to service Cary’s plane for so many years.”
The college is developing its aviation maintenance technician training program with the intention of basing this at Columbia Gorge Regional Airport, which is located near The Dalles Campus. The college’s student residential hall, completed in September 2021, will support students attending this and other instructional programs.
The college’s aviation maintenance associate degree and certificate were approved last summer by the college’s accrediting authority, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; next step is completion of program review by the Federal Aviation Administration, anticipated later this spring. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/donated-plane-passes-on-family-s-love-of-flying/article_9558deb8-baa9-11ec-980d-03341e298a96.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:27 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/donated-plane-passes-on-family-s-love-of-flying/article_9558deb8-baa9-11ec-980d-03341e298a96.html |
In recognition of Earth Month, there are a variety of events planned around the Gorge, ranging from haiku challenges to work parties.
Climate Change in the Gorge webinar
Join wildlife biologist and educator Bill Weiler and Friends Conservation Organizer Denise López for a live webinar Thursday, April 14 at 6 p.m. They’ll be discussing climate impacts on the Gorge and exploring ways you can take action today, according to a press release. Discussion will include updates on local community climate initiatives as well as an update on the Columbia River Gorge Commission’s efforts to develop a new Climate Action Plan.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge is organizing this event in collaboration with the Columbia Gorge Climate Action Network. Register at gorgefriends.org/news-events/events/2022-04-14/climate-change-in-the-gorge.html.
Green Burials seminar
Join Russell Hargrave, Walt Patrick, and Jodie Buller as they discuss the ins and outs of green burials on Thursday, April 14 from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom. “What is a green burial? What are the current trends in the green burial movement? Why is ecological education important when considering green burials? Great River (Mosier), Herland Forest (Wahkiacus, Wash.) and White Eagle Memorial Preserve at Ekone Ranch (Goldendale) are committed to providing inclusive grief support and ecological education to learners of all ages, while honoring the sensitive nature of this complex topic,” said a press release. Join the free seminar at us02web.zoom.us/j/82426973153.
Friends sponsor Spring Gorge Haiku Challenge
In celebration of National Poetry Month, and in advance of International Haiku Poetry Day on April 17, Friends of the Columbia Gorge has launched its third Spring Gorge Haiku Challenge.
To submit a haiku, members of the public can post the poem on Facebook (please tag @gorgefriends); Instagram (tag @gorgefriends with the hashtag #HaikuPoetryDay); Twitter (tag @gorgefriends with the hashtag #HaikuPoetryDay); or email it to friends@gorgefriends.org by Thursday, April 14 (COB, 5 p.m. Pacific).
Friends staff will share a collection of favorite Gorge haikus as part of International Haiku Poetry Day on Sunday, April 17. All writers are urged to please follow the traditional Japanese haiku format which has three lines with 17 syllables (5-7-5 syllable structure). For more information about Friends’ Spring Gorge Haiku Challenge, visit gorgefriends.org/haiku.
‘Advanced Gardening Techniques’
Mt. View Grange, White Salmon, hosts the in-person class “Advanced Gardening Techniques — Sown by Sarah” at the grange on Tuesday, April 19 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Cost is $20.
“Once you understand the basic principles of growing plants, it’s time to take your garden to the next level,” said a grange press release. “Whether managing pests and diseases, diversifying your garden, or extending your season so you enjoy more food and flowers, this class will help you understand how to help your plants thrive.” More at www.sownbysarah.com.
Tool Library opening, sharpening workshop
Mt. View Grange, White Salmon and Underwood Conservation District host the grand opening of UCD’s Farm Tool Library, as well as a tool sharpening workshop, on Wednesday, April 20 from 4-6 p.m. at the grange. “The Underwood Conservation District’s Tool Library is designed to provide conservation-oriented tools to the community of farmers and gardeners,” said a press release. The event will take place outside on the Estes Street side. For more information, visit www.grange.org/mountainviewwa98/earth-month-april-2022/.
Evans Creek Earth Day volunteer work party
Hood River Watershed Group hosts an Earth Day work party on Friday, April 22 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Evans Creek Fish Passage project sight on Hutson Drive, Parkdale.
Volunteers will help mulch around native trees and shrubs planted last fall, hand pull weeds and plant a few additional native shrubs. Tools, gloves, drinks and snacks will be provided. For more information or to register, email or call Alix Danielsen at alix@hoodriverwatershed.org or 541-360-6063.
Sunset Waterfront walk
Columbia Gorge Climate Action Network hosts a free Earth Day Sunset Waterfront Walk on Friday, April 22 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Meet at the amphitheater across from the beach at Hood River Waterfront Park; the group will walk west along the trail to the Hook, arriving in time to watch the sunset at 8:02 p.m. (And in the event of inclement weather, celebrate at home!)
Bingen-White Salmon Community Clean-Up
White Salmon–Bingen Rotary Club and Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce host the annual community cleanup Friday and Saturday, April 22-23. To volunteer for a two-hour shift, call 509-493-3630 or visit communitypartnersbws.org/2022-community-clean-up-april-22-23. “Bring the stuff you no longer want. Leave the usable stuff for others to use. Recycle the stuff that can be recycled,” said a press release. “The goal is to minimize the material going to the landfill.”
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Columbia Gorge Climate Action Network has a listing of events at cgcan.org/calendar/2022-04. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/earth-month-activities-planned/article_2fffff98-ba9e-11ec-af4d-0f69a7b10de7.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:34 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/earth-month-activities-planned/article_2fffff98-ba9e-11ec-af4d-0f69a7b10de7.html |
BINGEN — More than 60 Hispanic women, most of them working in the agricultural sector, were honored in a celebration of their work and community involvement with dinner, music, ceremonies and more during a special event at the Society Hotel in Bingen Saturday evening, April 9, in an event sponsored by Columbia Riverkeepers’ Comunidades, a community outreach organization based in Hood River.
“We wanted to show gratitude for all the Hispanic women who work in agriculture,” explained Ubaldo Hernandez of Columbia Riverkeepers. Their hard work, especially during the COVID pandemic, has made clear how essential their work in the Gorge is, he noted.
Sixty women were individually honored, receiving dinner, gifts and roses during the four-hour ceremony. All those attending have been active in the Comunidades group, which offers classes and training focused on civic engagement and building future leaders in the community, said Hernandez. “All these women have been active in the group, and we wanted to thank them,” he said.
Heading the list of those honored was Carmen Gradzki, who has been active in the Gorge Latino community for 20 years. “I’m surprised and happy,” Gradzki said of the recognition. Gradzki is involved with leadership training, including helping prevent domestic and sexual violence within the community and helping support victims as they recover, as well working on social justice issues impacting the region.
Hernandez noted most of the community work and training takes place in the evenings, and most of the women attended training sessions and other community activities after a hard day working in a fruit packing house or in the orchards.
Claudia Cuentas, a musician, dancer and licensed marriage and family therapist, was on hand to make the evening special.
“We want to celebrate women, their strength and wisdom,” she said. She offered a mix of art performance and group activities, much of it drawn from the culture of Peru, where she is from.
“I want to let them move, and dance, and celebrate,” she said before her performance began. “I love people. I like to make people feel included, part of the community.
“It all has do with healing. Art heals, and empowers.” | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/event-celebrates-hispanic-women/article_27cbb870-bab8-11ec-87f4-13563fc621ce.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:40 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/event-celebrates-hispanic-women/article_27cbb870-bab8-11ec-87f4-13563fc621ce.html |
Starting a new business can be hard. Klickitat County Childcare Committee (KCCC) wants to make it easier and less expensive to help people start a licensed childcare business. The group is offering free supply kits to those working through the steps to open a new at-home or center-based childcare in Klickitat County.
Five kits are available to help reduce startup costs. The committee hopes to inspire people thinking about starting a childcare operation to take the next step and begin working with a local licensing professional.
The kits offer new providers various supplies for caring for children. The kit includes essentials like diapers, wipes, a bottle warmer, child-safe silverware, plates, and bowls.
The addition of equipment like sleeping mats, an activity table, a child-sized toilet seat, and a high chair will help new providers save money.
Safety is an important part of setting up a childcare business. A locked medicine cabinet and a gift certificate to purchase a certified fire extinguisher also come with the kit.
Those actively working on a licensing application with the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) will qualify with KCCC to receive a kit while supplies last. Contact kccc@wagap.org to learn more about how to obtain a supply kit.
In 2019, KCCC started efforts to increase the number of childcare businesses throughout the county, where there is a dire need for providers. The group has been working with DCYF to connect area residents with the resources they need to make the process easier.
“We know it can seem overwhelming to start a new business,” said Leslie Naramore, Washington Gorge Action Programs executive director. “KCCC is here to help link people with resources and supplies to make their goal a reality.”
KCCC released a Childcare Feasibility Study in 2021, highlighting the lack of options for parents across the county. The group continues to engage partners to look for solutions.
Ideas have included the possible conversion of the former Klickitat County Public Works building into a new childcare center or building a new center with some assistance from the City of Goldendale.
Congresswoman Jaime Herrera-Beutler worked to secure $583,390 in funding to renovate or construct a facility in Goldendale in the FY22 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. This week, staff at her D.C. office confirmed that President Biden signed the bill into law on March 15. WAGAP is now talking with her office to receive instructions to access the funds for this vital community development project.
Learn more about the Klickitat County Childcare Committee at www.gorgeearlylearning.com/kccc.html. The site includes helpful links and a quick resource guide for someone starting their journey to become a licensed childcare provider. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/free-kits-offered-to-childcare-startups-essential-supplies-safety-items-helps-reduce-cost/article_8fd1bd5e-ba98-11ec-b3f8-f72ad1000db3.html | 2022-04-13T11:30:46 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/free-kits-offered-to-childcare-startups-essential-supplies-safety-items-helps-reduce-cost/article_8fd1bd5e-ba98-11ec-b3f8-f72ad1000db3.html |