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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Manuel Margot hit a game-ending single during Tampa Bay’s two-run 10th inning, and the Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 9-8.
Wander Franco started the Tampa Bay 10th with an RBI double off Lou Trivino. Josh Lowe was walked intentionally with two out, and Margot then lined his clutch hit down the left-field line.
Billy McKinney’s leadoff single off Ryan Thompson in the 10th put Oakland ahead 8-7. Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe and Brett Phillips homered for the Rays, who improved to 4-1.
The A’s got a homer from Jed Lowrie. Oakland had won two in a row. | https://www.wfla.com/sports/rays/margot-hits-winning-rbi-single-in-10th-rays-beat-as-9-8/ | 2022-04-13T14:39:34 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/sports/rays/margot-hits-winning-rbi-single-in-10th-rays-beat-as-9-8/ |
WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — If you still need to do your Easter shopping, more than 60 vendors will be at the “Off-Broadway Farmers and Artisans Market.”
The market continues at the Eastern Hills Mall Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. through 6 p.m.
The Eastern Hills Mall is located at 4545 Transit Road Williamsville, NY 14221. (716) 633-1600.
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Gabrielle Mediak is a reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here. | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/easter-shopping-at-off-broadway-farmers-and-artisans-market/ | 2022-04-13T14:40:15 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/easter-shopping-at-off-broadway-farmers-and-artisans-market/ |
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Having a green thumb might have more of an impact on your wallet than it seems at first glance. Our environmental and financial needs are the same in many areas: providing ourselves with clean drinking water and healthy food, for example. We also spend money through our own consumption and taxes in support of environmental security.
On top of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the United States also had the third costliest year on record for natural disasters, with damages adding up to $343 billion. While some disasters are completely unavoidable, others are made a whole degree worse by humans. For example, one big factor in the high amount of hurricanes in recent years has been unusually warm Atlantic waters. It’s possible that living more sustainably and using greener energy sources could prevent us from having such a bad hurricane season in the future- and saving a lot of money on repairs as a result.
We should all strive to do our part and save the world for future generations. To highlight the greenest states and call out those doing a poor job in caring for the environment, WalletHub compared each of the 50 states on 25 key metrics.
New York State, according to the study, actually had a greener thumb across the board than most other states in 2021. The Empire State ranked third overall for environmental quality, leading it to a second-place finish in a ranking of the nation’s most environmentally-friendly states. The state was outpaced only by its easterly neighbor- Vermont.
Most environmentally-friendly states
Here is how New York State ranked against other states:
- No. 12 – Air Quality
- No. 5 – Soil Quality
- No. 14 – Water Quality
- No. 13– LEED-Certified Buildings per Capita
- No. 19– % of Renewable Energy Consumption
- No. 3 – Energy Consumption per Capita
- No. 1– Gasoline Consumption (in Gallons) per Capita
In order to determine the greenest states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Environmental Quality, 2) Eco-Friendly Behaviors and 3) Climate-Change Contributions. Those dimensions were evaluated using 25 relevant metrics, which were graded on a 100-point scale with a score of 100 representing the highest level of eco-friendliness. Then, each state’s weighted average across all metrics was used to calculate its overall score and the resulting scores were used to rank-order the states. | https://www.wivb.com/news/new-york/new-york-state-ranks-as-no-2-greenest-state/ | 2022-04-13T14:40:22 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/new-york/new-york-state-ranks-as-no-2-greenest-state/ |
NEW YORK (NewsNation) — John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, in Washington, is playing a sold-out concert in Brooklyn this summer. Hinckley plays guitar and sings.
Hinckley tweeted, “I’m very excited about my upcoming show. Ticket sales are good. July 8, Market Hotel in Brooklyn NY.”
Tickets for the show, at the hotel at 1140 Myrtle Ave. in Bushwick, were going for $20 but recently sold out, according to the website.
“You’re not gonna find this man on a Grammy stage anytime soon,” entertainment attorney Domenic Romano said Tuesday night during an appearance on NewsNatinon’s “Banfield.”
“The federal judge ruled that he’s a low risk for violence, not a high-risk to society, and so finally, the restrictions are coming off, as of June, and so he’ll be allowed to live his life,” Romano added.
Hinckley seriously injured Reagan, as well as three others, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Hinckley was released from psychiatric care in 2016 and later started focusing on a music career.
His YouTube channel, which he started posting videos to in 2020, has more than 26,000 subscribers. | https://www.wivb.com/news/new-york/president-reagans-would-be-assassin-to-play-sold-out-ny-concert/ | 2022-04-13T14:40:28 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/new-york/president-reagans-would-be-assassin-to-play-sold-out-ny-concert/ |
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York’s top prosecutor paid a visit to Buffalo on Tuesday in a show of support for local Starbucks workers.
Attorney General Letitia James was accompanied by Sen. Tim Kennedy and Workers United’s Gary Bonadonna. The three were seen at America’s first unionized Starbucks on Elmwood Avenue.
James has been a strong advocate for Starbucks employees during their fight for unionization, which has been a success at 11 stores across the nation, six of which are local.
- Delaware Avenue and W. Chippewa Street, Buffalo
- Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo
- Genesee Street in Cheektowaga
- Walden Avenue and Anderson Road, Cheektowaga
- Sheridan Drive and N. Bailey Avenue, Amherst
- Transit Road and French Road, Depew
“I fully support Starbucks employees in Buffalo for bravely exercising their fundamental right to unionize,” James said this past November. “They are courageously standing up to a multi-billion-dollar company to demand better pay and protections.”
In all, the Buffalo market has 20 Starbucks stores. To unionize, a store needs a majority vote, which means just over 50 percent.
“I am inspired by the Starbucks employees in Buffalo who are leading a national movement to empower workers. They courageously stood up to a multi-billion-dollar company to demand fairer pay and better workplace conditions — and they won. Their heroic efforts will go down in history as a major milestone in the labor movement. Worker protections are not a luxury — they’re a right — and I will continue to use the power of my office to protect those rights. I am proud to stand with these workers as they continue their fight for fair workplace conditions for Starbucks employees in Buffalo and across the nation.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James
This past October, James came to Buffalo to support another local union, made up of healthcare workers, as they went on strike from Catholic Health. The two sides came to an agreement on a new contract the following month.
Starbucks Unionization Effort
Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. | https://www.wivb.com/starbucks-union-effort-buffalo/ny-ag-letitia-james-meets-with-starbucks-workers-in-buffalo/ | 2022-04-13T14:40:34 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/starbucks-union-effort-buffalo/ny-ag-letitia-james-meets-with-starbucks-workers-in-buffalo/ |
To help the people of Ukraine with supplies you can go to: https://kirstenbloomallen.com/
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BUTNER, NC. (KFOR) – Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic, says he will marry a former fellow inmate, pending his divorce with current husband, Dillon Passage.
TMZ reported in March that Exotic and Passage had filed for divorce, but fans have been aware of the pair’s love troubles for quite some time after Passage announced their plan for divorce a year earlier.
In July 2021, Exotic announced plans for a “Bachelor King” contest to search for a new husband, but apparently he didn’t have to look too far.
This month, Joe Exotic announced his engagement to John Robert Graham, a former fellow inmate Exotic met in federal prison.
“We were together over one year in prison and he is home now with our son,” said Exotic on his social media.
According to court documents, Graham was in prison for burglary of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to more than 12 years in 2012, but was released early in March 2022.
“John is such an amazing man, I can’t wait to get home and share our lives together and with our son,” said Exotic in another post.
In 2018, the former owner of the Greater Wynnewood Animal Park was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of murder-for-hire.
He was sentenced in January 2020 to 22 years in prison. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver determined the trial court wrongly treated two murder-for-hire convictions separately in calculating his prison term.
Maldonado-Passage was resentenced to 21 years in federal prison in January 2022 for his 2020 conviction on 19 counts, including murder for hire.
In November 2021, Joe Exotic announced his ‘aggressive cancer’ diagnosis and was transferred from Ft. Worth Federal Medical Center to the Butner Federal Medical Center.
Now, Exotic says he has 25 more radiation treatments at the Butner medical center to treat his recent diagnosis. | https://www.wfla.com/entertainment-news/celebrity-news/tiger-king-joe-exotic-announces-engagement-to-former-fellow-inmate/ | 2022-04-13T14:43:15 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/entertainment-news/celebrity-news/tiger-king-joe-exotic-announces-engagement-to-former-fellow-inmate/ |
In a bitterly divided Congress, it was a rare measure that had been expected to sail through without a fight.
A bill to name a federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, after Justice Joseph W. Hatchett, the first Black man to serve on the Florida Supreme Court — sponsored by the state’s two Republican senators and backed unanimously by its 27 House members — was set to pass the House last month and become law with broad bipartisan support.
But in a last-minute flurry, Republicans abruptly pulled their backing with no explanation and ultimately killed the measure, leaving its fate unclear, many of its champions livid and some of its newfound opponents professing ignorance about what had happened.
Asked what made him vote against a measure that he had co-sponsored, Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., was brief and blunt.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The real answer is as much an allegory about the state of House Republicans in 2022 as it is about a federal building in Florida. With little notice and nothing more than a 23-year-old news clipping, a right-wing, first-term congressman mounted an eleventh-hour effort on the House floor to convince his colleagues that Hatchett, a trailblazing judge who broke barriers as the first Black State Supreme Court justice south of the Mason-Dixon Line, was undeserving of being honored.
The objector was Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia. Shortly before the House vote, he began circulating an Associated Press article from 1999 about an appeals court decision that Hatchett wrote that year that struck down a public school policy allowing student-approved prayers at graduation ceremonies in Florida. The decision, which overruled a lower court, held that the policy violated constitutional protections of freedom of religion.
“He voted against student-led school prayer in Duval County in 1999,” said Clyde, a deacon at his Baptist church in Bogart, Georgia. “I don’t agree with that. That’s it. I just let the Republicans know that information on the House floor. I have no idea if they knew that or not.”
Since being sworn in last year, Clyde has drawn attention for comparing the deadly Capitol attack to a “normal tourist visit” and voting against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who responded that day. He also opposed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, which made lynching a federal hate crime and explicitly outlawed an act that was symbolic of the country’s history of racial violence. Clyde also voted against recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
The naming of federal buildings is among the more mundane tasks that Congress undertakes, and it is usually a consensus matter. In the Senate, it is often accomplished without debate or even a recorded vote, which is how that chamber passed the measure to honor Hatchett in December. In the House, it is typically considered under a fast-track process reserved for uncontroversial matters that limits debate and requires a two-thirds majority for passage.
But Clyde’s late objection turned the routine ritual into a conservative litmus test for Republicans, who quickly joined him in turning against Hatchett.
The bill failed on a 238-187 vote, falling short of the two-thirds threshold, with 89% of Republicans opposed.
“I was appalled,” said Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., who grew up hearing about Hatchett from her father, a former county court judge. “I was looking around, saying, ‘What is happening?’”
A legal legend in his state, Hatchett could not stay in the hotel where the Florida bar exam was being administered when he took it in 1959 because of Jim Crow laws segregating the South. When he was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Hatchett was the first Black man to serve on a circuit that covered the Deep South.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the bill’s sponsors, said the judge, an Army veteran who died last year at 88, had “lived an inspiring life of service.”
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who co-sponsored the measure, said in a statement after the Senate passed the bill in December that Hatchett “broke barriers that have inspired countless others in the legal profession.”
But Clyde found the school prayer ruling disqualifying, and the vast majority of House Republicans — including many who had initially co-sponsored the legislation — were quick to join him.
“During the vote series, a colleague shared some of the judge’s rulings with me I had not previously read,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said in a statement. “This caused me to withdraw my support for the measure.”
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., who was recuperating at home with broken ribs, voted by proxy against the bill.
“Upon learning of the controversial ruling, Congressman Bilirakis no longer wished to proceed with the building name change,” a spokesperson said. She said he had signed on to the bill only as a “professional courtesy to the bill sponsor to allow for its consideration.” (The entire state delegation must sign off for a naming bill to be considered.)
Other supporters of the bill who ultimately voted against it said they were confused about what was happening on the House floor. Staff members for Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., were scrambling to figure out why the vote had started to go south, calling other offices to determine what was happening.
A spokesperson for Buchanan, who initially did not provide a reason for his vote, clarified that the congressman had opposed the bill “because of the judge’s position against prayer at graduation ceremonies.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the minority leader, also voted “no.” He declined to comment on why he opposed the measure.
Clyde said a legislative aide had unearthed the 1999 ruling while vetting the courthouse naming bill, and he made sure to share it with his colleagues before the vote.
Livid as she watched the red lights signifying “no” fill the vote board on the wall of the House chamber, Castor said she approached one of her Republican colleagues on the floor, searching for answers.
“They didn’t articulate a reason for voting ‘no,’” she said. “It was knee-jerk, herd mentality.”
Some Democrats noted that in the decision in question, Hatchett had followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Lee v. Weisman regarding student prayer in public schools.
They said they saw the episode as the latest example of extremism in the House Republican Conference, where members have weaponized cultural issues against Democrats and pushed back against efforts to grapple with the nation’s history of racism, such as the push to strip Confederate names from military bases.
“If the standard that we use is one ruling out of thousands, then what else could we conclude but that they are not willing to name a courthouse after a Black person,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. “It seems pretty suspect.”
Clyde insisted that race had nothing to do with his opposition to the measure.
“We’re one race — the human race,” he said. “It has everything to do with the decision he made.”
Democrats said the fact that Clyde, one of the most junior Republicans in the House, was able to derail an uncontroversial bill that had already passed the Senate was the latest evidence that McCarthy could not control the most conservative and fringe elements of his conference.
“The inmates are running the asylum, and the minority leader is terrified to do anything but cast his lot with the most extreme and unhinged elements in his party,” said Drew Hammill, a deputy chief of staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A spokesperson for McCarthy declined to comment.
Rep. Al Lawson, D-Fla., who sponsored a House version of the bill, said the last-minute Republican stampede against it during the final seconds of the vote was “abhorrent.”
Rubio has expressed optimism that the setback will be temporary and that Congress will find a way to name the courthouse after Hatchett. House leaders are working on next steps to bring the legislation back to the floor, Hammill said.
Still, the setback has been unsettling for Hatchett’s former colleagues, family members and supporters, who have called on the House to reconsider.
“What a black eye,” Castor said. “What a stain on these folks, who sponsored a bill and then flipped.”
c.2022 The New York Times Company | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ct-aud-nw-nyt-republicans-congress-black-judge-20220413-xvdma7xv3bfz3mgzopr32w7kjm-story.html | 2022-04-13T14:55:12 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ct-aud-nw-nyt-republicans-congress-black-judge-20220413-xvdma7xv3bfz3mgzopr32w7kjm-story.html |
HOUSTON — The trouble started with an argument between two drivers merging in slow traffic after a Houston Astros baseball game last summer. It ended with two gunshots, fired from a moving Buick and exploding through the glass of a fleeing Ford pickup truck.
The bullets missed the truck’s driver, Paul Castro, but one — just one — struck his teenage son, David, who sat in the passenger seat. As Castro drove to get help, a 911 operator told him to apply pressure to the wound at the back of his son’s head. But David did not make it.
The random pointlessness of the killing shocked Houston. But it was one of dozens of similar incidents across the country over the past year amid an explosion of shootings and killings attributed to rage on the road.
These eruptions of sudden violence — a man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, firing repeatedly after an argument at a red light; a Georgia driver shot while on a family road trip — are not unique to any part of America, among a population that is increasingly on edge and carrying guns. But they have been perhaps most pronounced on the roads of Texas.
“In the past, people curse one another, throw up the finger and keep moving,” Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston said. “Now instead of throwing up the finger, they’re pulling out the gun and shooting.”
As more motorists seemed to be firing guns last year, the Dallas Police Department began tracking road rage shootings for the first time. The results were alarming: 45 people wounded, 11 killed.
In Austin last year, the police recorded 160 episodes of drivers pointing or firing a gun; so far this year, there have been 15 road rage shootings, with three people struck. (Two others were stabbed in altercations stemming from road rage.)
The prevalence of such violence, not just in Texas but around the country, suggests a cultural commonality, an extreme example of deteriorating behavior that has also flared on airplanes and in stores. It is as if the pandemic and the nation’s sour mood have left people forgetting how to act in public at the same time as they were buying millions more weapons.
“It’s the same sort of ball of wax: People getting frustrated, feeling strained and acting out toward others,” said Charis E. Kubrin, a criminologist at the University of California, Irvine. “One thing that we do know is that there has been a huge rise in gun sales,” she added.
Last month, a woman driving with her dog shot and wounded another motorist in Oklahoma City. In Miami, a man fired 11 shots from his car on Interstate 95 in what he has said was self-defense. A Los Angeles couple is set to stand trial for firing into a car during morning rush-hour last year, killing a 6-year-old boy on his way to kindergarten.
Criminologists cautioned that any theory of motivation behind road rage shootings is hampered by a lack of data. Most police departments do not keep statistics on road rage episodes, in part because it is not itself a crime category. There is no federal database.
Arizona has tried to get a rough approximation of the number of road rage incidents, adding a box for “possible road rage” to the form filled out by police officers for car crashes in 2018. The data showed an increase in such incidents in 2021 compared with the previous two years, according to Alberto Gutier, the director of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
“It’s going crazy,” he said of road rage. “People are so stupid.”
But, he added, the state does not track the number of episodes that end up in gunfire.
For its report on an increase in road rage shootings, the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety relied on the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit that compiles data from government sources and media reports. The group found that more than 500 people had been injured or killed in reported road rage shootings last year, up from fewer than 300 in 2019.
“The story that it’s telling is a definite and really worrying increase in incidents of road rage involving a gun,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, the senior director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Only in this country is someone shot and injured or killed every 17 hours in a road rage incident.”
Texas accounted for a quarter of the fatal shootings last year that were documented in the study, with 33 people killed in road rage shootings in the state, up from 18 in 2019.
Among them was David Castro, the 17-year-old who died in Houston last July. David played percussion in his high school marching band, wanted to study engineering in college and hoped to get his driver’s license by the end of the summer.
“I was going over lessons with him as we drove,” his father said, recalling a conversation with David before the shooting as they hit heavy traffic after the Astros game downtown. David’s 14-year-old brother was also in the car.
After letting several cars merge into his lane, Castro began to pull forward in his pickup. That’s when a white Buick attempted to edge into the lane, he said. Neither yielded ground; eventually the two cars were touching. There was a “verbal altercation,” according to a court record.
A police officer directing traffic told Castro to let the Buick in. “So I let him in,” he said. “David was nervous. But I was like, whatever that was, it’s over.”
But it wasn’t.
On the highway, the Buick started flashing its lights and honking, Castro said. “I tried to get away and he stayed right behind me,” Castro said. As he took a turnaround lane under a highway, he heard two shots. The rear window shattered. David, seated in the passenger seat, was struck in the back of the head.
“I just started screaming. And he kept chasing us,” Castro said. “This was not a road rage incident — this was a grown man who took the life of a child because his feelings got hurt.”
The police eventually made an arrest in the case, charging Gerald Wayne Williams, 35, with murder. Williams has since been released on bond. “I can’t think of anything more tragic,” an attorney for Williams, Casey Keirnan, said of the killing. But, he said, “my client denies that he is the person who shot him.”
The case drew widespread attention in Texas, as did another in Houston involving a 9-year-old girl, Ashanti Grant, who was shot and seriously wounded in February while riding with her family to a grocery store.
“It is unique to this moment,” Turner said. “I’m a native Houstonian. I’m in my seventh year as mayor. We have just not had it to the point where it has been a noticeable event, except in the last year.”
Turner said that a string of deadly cases had prompted the city to take steps to reconfigure its traffic cameras to preserve recordings, to eventually help catch roadway shooters.
In Texas, drivers have been allowed to carry firearms without a license in their cars since 2007, a law known as the Texas Motorist Protection Act. A new measure, enacted last year, allows most Texans to carry a handgun in public without a license.
Online, there are videos and trainings that offer tips for carrying and using a gun inside of a car.
Jacob Paulsen, who teaches an online course called “vehicle firearm tactics,” said that escaping should always be the driver’s aim. “Your primary objective is your own survival,” Paulsen said. “If your primary objective is to punish someone else, or to make sure that other person is in jail or gets justice, those are not good mindsets.”
The guns used in road rage episodes in Dallas are often legally owned, said Detective Christina Smith of the Dallas Police Department, who investigates such shootings. “But having a legal firearm, you still have a responsibility for what you do with that,” she added.
The cases pose problems for the police because they almost always occur between strangers, on roadways without cameras. “The few that I have been able to find and actually arrest, it boils down to disrespect,” Smith said. “When you reduce it at its core, the reasons are silly.”
The police in Dallas have been compiling a running report on road rage episodes, with data on the time and place of each reported incident as well as whether it involved a gun. They found that events tend to cluster in the afternoon.
“It seems to be happening around rush hour, in traffic, when people are going home,” said Major Mark Villarreal, who is helping lead an effort by the police in Dallas this year to crack down on aggressive driving. “It’s happenstance. It’s a crime of passion.”
That makes each case difficult to solve, said Lieutenant Kyle Cones of the Houston Police Department. Most escalate from a routine indignity, he said.
“I read every report that comes across, and every actual specific maneuver that they said led to it is they say they got cut off,” Cones said.
That was the case, he said, in the shooting of Ashanti, who was placed in a medically induced coma. “It was a cut-off type deal,” he said.
As gunfire erupted, Cones said, Ashanti’s family members in the car got low. But Ashanti, who was watching a video with headphones on, did not.
Castro, David’s father, said having a gun in the car only makes such tragedies more likely.
“What I want people to do,” he said, “is talk to their husband, talk to their brother, talk to their son, and say, ‘Do you really need a loaded weapon in the cab of your vehicle?’”
c.2022 The New York Times Company | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ct-aud-nw-nyt-road-rage-shootings-20220413-65hz5nfjgjf7ff6lut3dbtghju-story.html | 2022-04-13T14:55:19 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ct-aud-nw-nyt-road-rage-shootings-20220413-65hz5nfjgjf7ff6lut3dbtghju-story.html |
KYIV, UKRAINE — The presidents of four countries on Russia’s doorstep visited Ukraine on Wednesday in a show of support for the embattled country, after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to continue his bloody 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 — traveled by train to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In one of the most crucial battles of the war, Russia said more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops had surrendered in the besieged port of Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces have been holding out in pockets of the city. The information could not be verified.
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, Russia has 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 commended 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.
The European leaders visiting Ukraine planned to deliver “a strong message of political support and military assistance,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said.
Nauseda, Estonian President Alar Karis, Poland’s Andrzej Duda and Egils Levits of Latvia also planned to discuss investigations into alleged Russian war crimes, including the massacre of civilians.
An expert report commissioned by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found “clear patterns of (international humanitarian law) violations by the Russian forces in their conduct of hostilities.” The report was written by experts selected by Ukraine and published Wednesday by the Vienna-based organization that promotes security and human rights.
It added that “some violations and problems were also identified regarding practices attributable to Ukraine.”
Ukraine has previously acknowledged that there could be “isolated incidents” of violations and has said it would investigate.
Putin, however, has denied his troops committed atrocities, and on Tuesday insisted Russia “had no other choice” but to invade, saying 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 after its forces failed to take the capital and suffered significant losses.
Following those setbacks, Russian troops are now gearing up for a major offensive in the eastern Donbas region, where Moscow-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. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak tweeted that the city’s defenders were short of supplies but were “fighting under the bombs for each meter of the city.”
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said 1,026 troops from the Ukrainian 36th Marine Brigade had surrendered at a metals factory in the city. It was unclear when this occurred or how many forces were still defending Mariupol.
According to the BBC, Aiden Aslin, a British man fighting in the Ukrainian military in Mariupol, called his mother and a friend to say he and his comrades were out of food, ammunition and other supplies and would surrender.
Russian state television on Wednesday broadcast footage that it said was from the port city showing dozens of men in camouflage outfits walking with their hands up and carrying others on stretchers or in chair holds. One man held a white flag on a staff in one hand and the handle of a stretcher in another. In the background was a tall industrial building with its windows shattered and its roof missing, identified by the broadcaster as the Iliich metalworks.
Another Zelenskyy adviser Oleksiy Arestovych did not comment on the surrender claim, 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.”
Ukraine is investigating a claim 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 it was possible phosphorus munitions had been used in Mariupol. Phosphorus munitions are not formally classed as chemical weapons but they cause horrendous burn, and deliberately firing them into an enclosed space could breach the Chemical Weapons Convention, said Marc-Michael Blum, a former laboratory head at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
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.
While Biden used the word “genocide” about Russia’s actions, he said it would be up to lawyers to decide if the country’s conduct met the international standard for genocide, but said “it sure seems that way to me.”
French President Emmanuel Macron declined to use the word but said “it has been established that war crimes have been committed by the Russian army.”
“We must find those responsible and bring them to justice,” he told France-2 television.
An International Criminal Court investigation into war crimes is underway in Ukraine, including into atrocities revealed after Moscow’s retreat from the Kyiv area, where Ukrainian authorities say more than 720 people were killed, with 403 bodies found in the town of Bucha alone.
Residents in Yahidne, a village near the northern city of Chernihiv, said Russian troops forced them to stay for almost a month in the basement of a school, only allowing them outside to go to the toilet, cook on open fires — and bury those who died in a mass grave.
In one of the rooms, the residents wrote the names of those who perished during the ordeal. The list counted 18 people.
“An old man died near me and then his wife died next,” said resident Valentyna Saroyan. “Then a man died who was lying there, then a woman sitting next to me. ... She died as well. Another old man looked so healthy, he was doing exercises, but then he was sitting and fell. That was it.”
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.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials detained fugitive Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who is both the former leader of a pro-Russian opposition party and a close associate of Putin. Medvedchuk was under house arrest before the war began and disappeared shortly after hostilities broke out.
Stashevskyi reported from Yahidne, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ct-aud-nw-russia-ukraine-20220413-q65kd5woxnepfivsedyqsdebsu-story.html | 2022-04-13T14:55:25 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/ct-aud-nw-russia-ukraine-20220413-q65kd5woxnepfivsedyqsdebsu-story.html |
The company that wants to fly passengers up to the edge of space in a balloon from Kennedy Space Center looks to do it with style.
Space Perspective revealed interior space renderings this week for its Spaceship Neptune, the planned 650-foot-tall balloon that can carry up to eight guests on a relaxing six-hour flight. Trips will lift off from KSC’s former shuttle landing facility, rise over two hours to 20 miles altitude and then float above the Earth for two hours before coming back down.
So instead of strapping in for the G forces of a rocket launch in flight suits, passengers will enjoy the Space Lounge, offering 360-degree views and reclining seats.
“The goal was to create a welcoming interior featuring comfortable lounge chairs, mood lighting, and even plants and herbs such as lavender, basil, and rosemary that can be used in food and drink prep,” reads a post on the company’s website.
The lounge will feature a full-service bar, allow food, offer Wi-Fi and have bathrooms. For those who need to go, even the bathroom will have a window so they don’t have to miss the view.
The look and feel is a stark contrast from competitors like SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, Blue Origin’s New Shepard and Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.
“This creates a calming environment in which to relax, and is the opposite of the bright white utilitarian interiors you find on other spacecraft,” the post reads.
The dark interior aims to reduce reflection and glare from the windows.
As far as the trip, the company is willing to work with customers to make adjustments.
“If you can dream it, our team is ready and waiting to work with you to make it a reality. From the menu and cocktails onboard, to the soundtrack and lighting, your individual preferences can be incorporated into your journey to create your definitive ultimate adventure,” reads the post.
Prices for the flights are $125,000, with deposits starting at $1,000 per person. The company had already sold 500 tickets, including a pair to recent space travelers Mark and Sharon Hagle, who flew with Blue Origin last month to an altitude of nearly 66 miles, but it was only about a 10-minute ride. They said they’ll get to fly on the balloon on its fourth crewed trip.
The company aims to pilot 25 flights in its first year of operation, flying from locations around the world, but with initial operations from Brevard County.
The company already sent up a successful test flight in June 2021 with an unmanned balloon that hit an altitude of 108,409 feet crossing Florida from the east to the west and splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico during a six-hour, 39-minute flight. The company plans a crewed test flight in 2023.
Flights are subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Spaceflight. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-space-perspective-space-balloon-interiors-revealed-20220413-4ta4fh26frgm5egiwitrbvk2i4-story.html | 2022-04-13T14:55:31 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-space-perspective-space-balloon-interiors-revealed-20220413-4ta4fh26frgm5egiwitrbvk2i4-story.html |
LEGALIZED CANNABIS may be good for business, but is it good for people? Decades of prohibition have sent countless thousands of people to prison for possession and trafficking of a drug that many have come to see as benign. And while many White adults consider cannabis use as “casual” or an indiscretion from their youth, the vast majority of those with felony convictions related to cannabis are people of color. You don’t have to be a cynic to see marijuana laws as just another excuse to put Black and Brown people behind bars.
These and other questions are explored on the “NOVA” (9 p.m., PBS, r, TV-14, check local listings) presentation “The Cannabis Question.”
Curiously, the rush to make money in legalized marijuana sales has occurred without a serious scientific study of the effects of marijuana use. Laboratory studies of cannabis are problematic because, while it has been decriminalized in dozens of states, the federal government still considers it a Schedule 1 narcotic — on the same level as heroin. It’s the very definition of a Catch-22. You should study weed before you legalize it, but you can’t study it because it remains illegal.
This “NOVA” documentary presents the most recent research on the relationship between cannabis and human body chemistry, and looks at concerns about the effects of marijuana use on the developing brain. It includes reports from a researcher who scanned the brains of more than 1,000 teenagers to compare cognitive differences between teens who use cannabis and those who do not.
It also reports on experiments in using cannabis to treat afflictions, including anxiety and epilepsy. Outside of the laboratory, claims about the beneficial effects of cannabis oils have sparked a lucrative niche in the “wellness” industry, a largely unregulated realm of hype, unfounded health claims and other goop.
Proof that legalized weed has grown very mainstream can be found on Discovery+. In addition to “Growing Belushi,” which follows actor Jim Belushi and his marijuana farm and business, there’s the new series “High Design,” streaming today.
Host Kim Myles explores the phenomenon of marijuana dispensaries. She helps owners create welcoming spaces and avoid tacky visual cliches in order to grow their business in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
• President Barack Obama hosts, produces and narrates “Our Great National Parks,” streaming on Netflix. Filmed on five continents, the series explores protected natural habitats for plants, birds and animals that have become increasingly endangered as human populations expand into areas once considered wilderness.
Much like cartoons that once allowed nameless actors to flourish as voice-over talent but now rely on boldfaced names, nature documentary narration has become the province of celebrities. From the ubiquitous Richard Attenborough to Morgan Freeman, Tilda Swinton and other movie stars, documentaries depend on recognizable voices. A recent Disney+ documentary about elephants was narrated by Meghan Markle, the “Suits” star who has gone on to appear in Britain’s longest-running soap opera.
Along those lines, Campbell Scott (“House of Cards”) narrates “American Arctic” on “Nature” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-G, check local listings), following the winter migration of musk ox and caribou in Alaska’s northern latitudes.
Other highlights
• Archer and Asher squabble over a patient’s care on “Chicago Med” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
• A colleague is taken hostage on “Chicago Fire” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
• Halstead mentors a rookie on “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
• Glum Gary needs cheering up on “A Million Little Things” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
Cult choice
Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel and Ann Miller star in the 1953 musical “Kiss Me Kate” (3:30 p.m., TCM, TV-G), an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” Originally released in 3-D.
Series notes
“Survivor” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... “The Masked Singer” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) ... Adam enrolls in a Jazzercise class on “The Goldbergs” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) ... Dousing the Black Flame on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) ... Home from the war, Bruce dates an older woman on “The Wonder Years” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
“Domino Masters” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) ... Dan’s generosity irks Louise on “The Conners” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) ... A secret meeting on “Kung Fu” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) ... Tom’s self-imposed deadline on “Home Economics” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) ... “Beyond the Edge” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
Late night
Claire Foy, Paul Bettany and Bright Eyes are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jimmy Fallon welcomes Dua Lipa, Sam Hueghan and Band of Horses on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) ... Holly Hunter, Patti Harrison and Catherine Cohen visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC, r). | https://www.unionleader.com/how-safe-is-cannabis-nova-turns-to-science/article_c35cea6e-9245-538d-9477-913f43331047.html | 2022-04-13T14:56:00 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/how-safe-is-cannabis-nova-turns-to-science/article_c35cea6e-9245-538d-9477-913f43331047.html |
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NEW YORK - Police and federal agents searched into the early hours of Wednesday for a man who set off smoke bombs and sprayed fellow passengers with gunfire aboard a New York City subway car, injuring more than 20 people before he fled the scene.
The attack erupted during the Tuesday morning commuter rush as the Manhattan-bound N line train was pulling into an underground station in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, the latest burst of seemingly random violence that has plagued the city's transit system in recent years.
Police said 10 people were struck directly by gunfire, five of them hospitalized in critical but stable condition, while 13 others suffered respiratory distress or were otherwise injured in the crush of frantic riders fleeing the smoke-filled subway car.
Some injured passengers collapsed as they poured onto the platform of the 36th Street station.
All of the victims were expected to survive their injuries, police said in an evening news conference, in which authorities also offered rewards totaling $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the gunman they believed acted alone.
On Wednesday, New York Police Department said a man identified as Frank James is now a suspect in the shooting. Initially the police said he was viewed only as a "person of interest," having been linked by evidence to the crime scene. Authorities did not say why James was now considered a suspect.
James was first linked to the scene after police found a U-Haul van parked on a Brooklyn street. James was believed to have rented the vehicle in Philadelphia. Police said they recovered the key to the van at the crime scene, and that James had addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin.
Attempts by Reuters to reach any of the phone numbers associated with James were unsuccessful.
Adams, in interviews on Wednesday on MSNBC and CNN, vowed to bring the suspect to justice and told New Yorkers to stay vigilant as they go about their day.
“It's clear that this individual wanted to create terror and violence," he said. "We know that he wanted to bring terror to come on the (subway) system with a gas mask, with a gun, several clips as well as throwing a smoke bomb."
New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters on Tuesday that the shooting was not immediately being treated as an act of terrorism.
"You can’t let one person alter your life, gotta keep on, keep on going,” Michael Torres, a FedEx worker, said to Gothamist, a local news source, as he boarded a train on Wednesday morning at the 36th St. station.
There was no known motive for the attack, but investigators found a number of social media posts linked to an individual named Frank James that mentioned homelessness and the New York City mayor, Sewell said.
The subway assailant was described by police from eyewitness accounts as a man of heavy build, wearing an orange vest, a gray sweatshirt, a green helmet and surgical mask.
The commissioner said the attack began in the train car as it was about to enter the station. The gunman removed two canisters from his bag and opened them, sending smoke throughout the train car.
Police said the man then fired 33 rounds from a Glock 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, which was later recovered along with three extended ammunition magazines, a hatchet, some consumer-grade fireworks and a container of gasoline.
The gun apparently jammed in the midst of the shooting, potentially preventing a higher casualty toll, CNN and local media outlets reported, citing law enforcement sources.
New York City has seen a sharp rise in violent crime during the pandemic, including a string of seemingly random attacks on its subways. The transit violence has included a number of attacks in which passengers were shoved onto the tracks from platforms, including a Manhattan woman whose murder was seen as part of a surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Adams, who has vowed to improve subway safety by increasing police patrols and expanding mental health outreach programs, called Tuesday's incident "a senseless act of violence" and pledged to double the number of officers assigned to subway security.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul pledged "the full resources of our state to fight this surge of crime, this insanity that is feeding our city."
(Reporting by Maria Caspani and Jonathan Allen; additional reporting by Aleks Michalska, Brendan McDermid, Andrew Kelly and Tyler Clifford in New York; Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; David Shepardson, Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; and Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; writing by Rami Ayyub and Steve Gorman; editing by Jonathan Oatis, Cynthia Osterman, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Mark Porter) | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/search-for-new-york-subway-gunman-centers-on-man-who-rented-u-haul-van/article_dc3ba9a8-c40a-5ec0-9aec-693a6194b613.html | 2022-04-13T14:56:12 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/search-for-new-york-subway-gunman-centers-on-man-who-rented-u-haul-van/article_dc3ba9a8-c40a-5ec0-9aec-693a6194b613.html |
The Pentagon says it's monitoring claims that Russian forces deployed a poisonous substance in the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which if confirmed as a chemical weapon could further escalate the war. Yet clarity will be difficult to achieve.
The allegations were made by members of the Azov battalion, a right wing militia folded into Ukraine's National Guard that has been part of Mariupol's defense and has now retreated to the city's vast steel factory, Azovstal, to mount a final stand.
The group posted video footage of some soldiers and a civilian suffering effects they said included flushed faces, heartburn, inflamed mucous membranes and dryness of the eyes.
One soldier said he saw white smoke and immediately suffered tinnitus and extreme weakness, barely making it the 10 meters back to shelter. There, he said, the ventilation system brought the same smoke and symptoms to people below.
Yet, with the factory under fire and cut off by Russian troops, it would be difficult to secure environmental or biomedical samples for testing. Those would be needed to determine what may have poisoned the people, according to Dan Kaszeta, a chemical weapons expert who served in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps and later as adviser to the U.S. President's office on chemical and biological weapons preparedness.
"It's basically impossible to rely on just a witness account and symptoms," Kaszeta said.
Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said in televised remarks that the incident was being investigated, but that a preliminary assumption was that phosphorous bombs -- gruesome weapons not classed as chemical -- may have been responsible.
In his daily video address President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "we take this as seriously as possible." But he added authorities were unable for now to draw clear conclusions about what kind of substance may have been used. "Obviously it is impossible to conduct a full investigation and full analysis in the besieged city," he said.
Confirming a chemical weapons strike could have significant consequences. U.S. and European officials have said that any Russian use of banned substances in Ukraine would meet with an immediate reaction.
"The use of chemical weapons will get a response and all options are on the table for what that response could be," James Heappey, the U.K.'s minister for the armed forces, said Tuesday on BBC radio. He declined to answer whether those options would include direct intervention in the war.
NATO states have said so far they will not send troops into Ukraine, or deploy a no-fly zone over the country, out of concern it could drag them into a direct confrontation with Russia and see the war spiral into a broader conflict.
Having inherited a 40,000 ton chemical weapons stockpile from the former Soviet Union, the Russian government said in 2017 it had destroyed them all. Still, other nations have accused it of deploying chemical weapons several times since, something Moscow has denied.
A senior U.S. defense official told reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. couldn't confirm the use of chemical weapons and was monitoring the situation. The official said any incident may have been as limited as the use of tear gas, or may have been more widespread.
"We have credible information that Russian forces may use a variety of riot control agents" to incapacitate Ukrainian fighters and civilians in the city, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news briefing. But he too said he couldn't confirm allegations that Russia already had used chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Events have been further muddied by a spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic or DNR, Eduard Basurin, who said just hours before the alleged attack that Russian forces should "smoke" the Azov battalion out of the factory.
After the Azov battalion made their claim, Basurin denied any chemical attack had been made. DNR forces are fighting alongside regular Russian troops in the effort to take Mariupol.
Another complicating factor is that Azovstal has numerous toxic substances that, if struck by munitions, could also make people sick.
Azovstal's staff spent the first days of the war shutting down furnaces and removing stocks of ammonia, a particular risk, Yuriy Ryzhenkov, chief executive officer of Metinvest Holding, which owns the plant, said in an interview last month.
Ryzhenkov also said the plant had a number of secure bunkers that, at the time, were housing about 4,000 staff and family members. All had been pre-stocked with food and water in anticipation of a siege.
Some civilians have since been evacuated, while the Azov battalion has turned the plant into a fortress, making use of its bunkers. That could also explain why both soldiers and civilians suffered effects from the same attack, whether with chemical or conventional munitions.
Earlier Tuesday, Kaszeta published a lengthy Twitter thread where he set out reasons for caution in assuming use of chemical weapons.
"Let's look at the place. It's a steelworks. There's lots of scope in an industrial setting for conventional or incendiary weapons to cause chemical problems because of fires and explosions," Kaszeta tweeted, before going on to say he could see little military reason for making such a small chemical weapons strike.
"Surprisingly, regardless of the thousands of civilians killed by the Russians in Mariupol, everyone began to talk about us only after the chemical weapons attack," said an Azov battalion member speaking in the video. "But the city is daily attacked by aircraft, navy, heavy flamethrower systems, artillery and phosphorous munition."
- - -
Bloomberg's Peter Martin, Larry Liebert and Daryna Krasnolutska contributed to this report. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/russia-faces-hard-to-verify-claims-of-chemical-weapons-use-in-mariupol/article_c9ae867b-2a78-5f6f-af33-e0ecbf7f59fd.html | 2022-04-13T14:56:18 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/russia-faces-hard-to-verify-claims-of-chemical-weapons-use-in-mariupol/article_c9ae867b-2a78-5f6f-af33-e0ecbf7f59fd.html |
ODESSA, Ukraine - The fighter pilot known as "Juice" usually just has a few minutes to scramble. When he's on call, which is pretty much always these days, he can't be more than a bathroom break away from his cockpit. When a cruise missile or a Russian fighter is spotted moving toward the area Juice is assigned to by the Ukrainian Air Force, he doesn't even have time to run through standard safety checks before taking off.
"We're ready to be killed," said Juice, who provided only his call sign for security reasons.
"But we don't want this of course," the 29-year-old added. "We want to kill Russians and take down their bombers that are killing our cities and our families."
Juice is one of the pilots helping Ukraine pull off the biggest surprise of this war: Its military has kept the airspace over Ukraine contested despite Russia's more advanced jets and superior numbers. But he and other pilots say that's not enough. While Kyiv's forces have perhaps even outperformed Moscow's on the ground, Russia has continued to inflict heavy losses on Ukraine from the sky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to the United States and other NATO allies to establish a no-fly zone over the country - a step leaders in the military alliance refused to take, citing fears of touching off a world war with Moscow. Now Zelensky is pushing for more advanced air-defense systems and jets.
But Juice and others have said the weapons that countries have discussed transferring to Ukraine - particularly Russian-made MiG-29 fighters and U.S.-made Stinger antiaircraft missiles - won't help Kyiv's Air Force tip the scales in its favor. The gap between the weapons Ukraine wants and what Western countries are willing to supply has become a key tension nearly two months into the fighting.
Nowhere is that divide more evident than in the proposed air materiel transfers. Juice flies MiG-29s, which are a Soviet-era staple of the Ukrainian Air Force. But he said Ukrainian pilots are "just targets" for Russian adversaries who fly far more advanced jets. Obtaining more outdated MiGs would not improve Ukraine's position in the skies, he said.
"We have losses almost everyday in our Air Force," he added. "You won't see this on TV because everything is classified right now, but actually we have a lot of losses. That's why we need to be technically equal with the Russians. Just our mental advantage is not enough to fight with these technologies."
Poland last month offered to send a number of MiG-29 jets to Ukraine via a U.S. air base in Germany, blindsiding U.S. officials. In exchange, Poland requested that the United States send it replacement planes, presumably newer U.S.-manufactured F-16s, which would constitute a major upgrade. Washington rejected the plan.
Then on Monday, Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger told reporters that Slovakia will consider providing Ukraine MiG-29 fighters if alternative protection of its own airspace can be arranged.
But for Ukrainian pilots, more MiG-29s aren't the answer. The jets Poland offered to transfer them are even older - some date back to the late '80s - than their current stock.
"I think the Ukrainians are right - you're basically a target in the air if you don't have any of that modern capability," said Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, a retired U.S. Air Force general. "It's not just an airplane up there. You have to have all of that sophisticated equipment on it to make it really a viable air platform."
Countries have proposed sending Ukrainians MiG-29s in large part because that's what the country's pilots already know how to fly. If they received F-16s, Carlisle said, it's not just the pilots who would have to learn a flight system he described as "significantly different" from Soviet-style jets; personnel on the ground would have to train on how maintain the aircraft and load them with compatible munitions.
But Juice and another Ukrainian pilot, whose call sign is "Nomad," said the learning curve isn't as substantial as it's often made out to be. Nomad, who is in the United States as part of a training program, said it would probably take Ukrainians about two weeks to learn the nuances of the U.S.-made F-series planes.
Many of the pilots already speak English and have participated in joint exercises with the U.S. Air Force, so they're familiar with the terminology of those planes' systems, they said.
The pilots were also critical of the effectiveness of Stinger antiaircraft missiles, which have been part of U.S. aid packages. Nomad said that "it's almost impossible" to hit an agile, fast-moving Russian jet with the missiles. Carlisle agreed, adding that Stingers aren't designed to take down fighters - they're intended to be used against helicopters and other slow-moving, low-flying aircraft.
If Western countries are hesitant to give Ukraine modern jets its pilots haven't trained on, Juice said they should at least consider sending more advanced air-defense systems. He said those are much easier to learn how to operate.
Military analysts expected Russia to wipe out Ukraine's air-defense systems, airfields and aircraft on the very first day of the war, when Moscow still had the element of surprise. But Rob Lee, an expert on the Russian military and a senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said Russia "didn't really go for a death blow," and in some cases, their missiles hit the airfield but missed the runway.
Ukrainian pilots were able to improvise from there. Juice said the fight in the sky doesn't feel fair when he's going up against a more modern Russian jet. He often has to just avoid his adversary entirely to stay alive. Sometimes he and his fellow pilots manage to trick the Russians into flying into an area where the Ukrainians have an air-defense system ready and waiting.
Analysts at the Oryx Blog, which tracks Russian military losses, documented 20 aircraft and 30 helicopters destroyed or damaged in Ukraine.
"We are just trying to do something nonstandard, and sometimes it's successful and sometimes it's not," Juice said. "Sometimes they're just stupid and Russians are just showing their incompetence and underestimating our training.
"But in general, we cannot gain a real air superiority, unfortunately." | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/ukrainian-fighter-pilots-in-old-jets-take-on-better-equipped-russians/article_c400bc42-c225-577f-a64a-2a38c6358747.html | 2022-04-13T14:56:24 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/military/ukrainian-fighter-pilots-in-old-jets-take-on-better-equipped-russians/article_c400bc42-c225-577f-a64a-2a38c6358747.html |
Anthony Todt takes the stand in his Florida murder trial
CELEBRATION, Fla. - After finishing up witness testimony on Wednesday in the murder trial for Anthony Todt, the state rested its case.
The defense is presenting its case with Todt taking the stand. You can watch in the live player above.
Todt is on trial for the 2019 deaths of his wife, three kids, and a family dog inside their Celebration, Florida home. Police discovered the family's remains after an out-of-state family member became concerned and requested multiple welfare checks.
Prosecutors alleged that Todt continued to live in the house weeks after his family was killed.
In a video interview from 2020 between Todt and Osceola County deputies, Todt tells investigators that he and his wife Megan had a so-called apocalyptic death pact and watching videos about the world coming to an end.
Warning: This story mentions details presented in court about how Todt's family was allegedly killed. Some details may be disturbing to some readers.
"It appealed to her and appealed to me as well. Salvation and everlasting life," he told deputies in the video. He said the family was given Benadryl to make everyone drowsy.
Zoe, who was 4 ½ years old, was killed first. "She rolled and started swiveling and I put a hand over her mouth and laid on her to keep her down and put pillow on top," Todt said in the video.
He then told investigators that he killed his 13-year-old son Alexander, according to the video.
"I stabbed him, and he started kicking, was trying to get up and tried rolling. I reached around and held his nose and mouth, and he was rolling and kicking and eventually stopped," Todt said.
Tyler, 11, died next, followed by Todt's wife, Megan.
"'If you love me, you can do this. I want to be with my babies,'" Tody said his wife told him. "I said ‘why don’t you take more Benadryl so you’re not going to fight me.’ She took more Benadryl."
Todt said he also took Benadryl and tried to take his own life.
The Medical Examiner previously said that each of Todt's family members had toxic levels of the drug in their systems.
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Click here for the latest Central Florida news, Florida stories, and local headlines. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/anthony-todt-takes-the-stand-in-his-florida-murder-trial | 2022-04-13T14:57:37 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/anthony-todt-takes-the-stand-in-his-florida-murder-trial |
Brooklyn subway shooting: Suspect Frank James posted racist rants to YouTube for years
NEW YORK - Frank James, the man the NYPD identified as a person of interest in connection with the Brooklyn subway attack Tuesday morning, posted a string of antagonistic video rants to a YouTube channel for years. Wednesday morning New York Mayor Eric Adams announced that James was considered a suspect, and no longer a person of interest, in Tuesday's shooting.
Using titles like "DOMESTICATED AVERAGES" and "SENSIBLE VIOLENCE," James posted hour-long, profanity-laced rants about race, politics and current events. The banner image showed an alarm clock reading "Too Late."
"When you talk to folks [about] what happens to you in prison, it is what it is," he said in the "DOMESTICATED" video. "That’s why I’m never going to prison… I’m not connected, I don’t have nobody, [and] nobody has my m---------ing back."
If he did end up in prison, he predicted, that would be "a wrap."
When police announced James as a person of interest in the subway attack, they shared a still image that appears to have been taken from a video he posted three weeks ago entitled, "STOP ONE COMPLETE."
BROOKLYN SUBWAY SHOOTING: PERSON OF INTEREST IDENTIFIED
At times, he sharply criticized Black Europeans and Americans using strings of slurs and racism, as well as women and the homeless. He joked about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and questioned the existence of civil rights.
He also shared local news reports and movie clips and used them as jumping-off points for his rants. A March 1 video began with a PIX 11 report about rising violence in New York City’s subways. In it, he went on to criticize Mayor Eric Adams, women, social workers and homeless people.
NYPD have identified Frank James as a person of interest in the Brooklyn subway shooting. (NYPD)
"I wanted to kill everything in sight," he says about 12 minutes into the video. "I was planning to kill everything I saw."
In another video, he posted ominous footage of a crowded subway car, which appears to have been taken before coronavirus lockdowns required face masks and dramatically lowered ridership. The title is "THE GOOD OLE DAYS."
He also chronicled an apparent road trip from the Midwest to Philadelphia, where he said he was dropping off items in a storage unit. The videos go back for more than three years but had relatively few views before the subway shooting brought attention to his social accounts. They began as clips taken from elsewhere and reposed to his account to others featuring his own narrations.
James has been linked to addresses in Wisconsin and Philly and lists his hometown as the Bronx on social media.
Police labeled James a person of interest in connection with the attack at the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park Tuesday morning.
RYAN ROGERS MURDER: SUSPECTED KILLER'S APPARENT YOUTUBE CHANNEL REVEALS TROUBLED PAST
An assailant in a bright nylon safety vest and gas mask opened a smoke canister and fired off at least 33 rounds from a 9 mm Glock handgun as the Manhattan-bound N train pulled into the station around 8:25 a.m., police said. They recovered the weapon and other items believed to have been abandoned by the suspect in the car.
Almost 30 people were treated for injuries – with at least 10 suffering from gunshot wounds. Others had symptoms of smoke inhalation or other ailments sustained at the frantic scene. Authorities said no one was killed.
Police also linked James’ credit card, which they said they found at the subway crime scene, to a U-Haul van found parked on Kings Highway later in the day. Police closed several surrounding blocks and called in the bomb squad, hazmat teams and federal authorities to investigate.
Nearby residents said police told them to evacuate until the area was deemed safe.
Police stopped short of naming a suspect but announced a $50,000 reward for information in the case.
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"We are looking to determine if he has any connection to the attack," NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said of James during an evening news conference.
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Anyone with information is asked to call New York City Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/brooklyn-subway-shooting-person-of-interest-frank-james-posted-racist-rants-to-youtube-for-years | 2022-04-13T14:57:43 | 1 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/brooklyn-subway-shooting-person-of-interest-frank-james-posted-racist-rants-to-youtube-for-years |
Florida woman says she will pay off her mother's house after winning $1M from lotto scratch-off
PENSACOLA, Fla. - A Florida woman plans to pay it forward after winning $1 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket.
The Florida Lottery says 41-year-old Tenesia Hollins bought the winning ticket from a Winn-Dixie supermarket in Pensacola.
When asked what she planned to do with her winnings, Hollins told lottery officials that the first thing she wanted to do was pay off her mother's house.
"She's done so much for me growing up, this is the least I can do for her," Hollins said.
RELATED: Baby Grady: Couple names newborn son after Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd
Hollins chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $820,000.
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The ticket she purchased, "500X the Cash," sells for $50 a ticket, and features a top prize of $25 million. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/florida-woman-says-she-will-pay-off-her-mothers-house-after-winning-1m-from-lotto-scratch-off | 2022-04-13T14:57:50 | 1 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/florida-woman-says-she-will-pay-off-her-mothers-house-after-winning-1m-from-lotto-scratch-off |
ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. — State officials said avian influenza has been found at a second duck farm in northern Indiana.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health said tests came back positive at the Elkhart County farm. The results are preliminary and will have to be verified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
This is the second Elkhart County farm to report positive tests, bringing the number of Indiana sites with positive tests to eight.
The issue first arose in February, when the state confirmed a case of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza at a commercial turkey farm in Dubois County. It marked the first report of the virus in commercial poultry in the U.S. since 2020 and the first in Indiana since 2016, the state said.
Later laboratory tests in February and March showed positive results for five more sites in Dubois and Greene counties. The birds in those locations were “depopulated,” meaning the state had them killed. The turkey farms accounted for more than 171,000 birds.
The first Elkhart County duck farm has been depopulated, the state revealed this week. The farm included nearly 4,700 ducks. The state didn’t disclose if the second Elkhart County farm would be depopulated. Population is estimated at about 6,000 ducks.
The state plans to conduct surveillance testing in the surrounding area to monitor the situation and mitigate the spread.
This year, there have been cases of avian influenza reported in 24 states, with the virus affecting chickens, ducks and turkeys.
So far, no human cases of bird flu have been detected in the U.S. And while the CDC said the virus doesn’t present an immediate threat to public health, it is having an impact on egg prices. | https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/state-reports-bird-flu-at-2nd-indiana-duck-farm/ | 2022-04-13T14:57:54 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/state-reports-bird-flu-at-2nd-indiana-duck-farm/ |
Man accused of trying to kidnap boy in Orlando 'likely' to bond out of jail soon, official says
ORLANDO, Fla. - The man accused of trying to kidnap a boy on his way to school in Orlando could bond out of jail on Wednesday.
Vinh Nguyen, 37, is scheduled to go before a judge on Wednesday. However, in an email from Tracy Zampaglione with Orange County Corrections, Nguyen it is "quite likely he could be released before then and not appear in court."
Nguyen reportedly posted $3,250 bond for charges of false imprisonment, luring or enticing a child, and battery, but still has one hold to provide DNA.
He was booked into the Orange County Jail on Tuesday. Deputies say he tried to kidnap a child on Monday who was on his way to school.
Another parent contacted deputies saying the same man approached a 13-year-old last year, so now investigators are worried Nguyen could have interacted with more children.
RELATED: Man accused of trying to kidnap child in Orlando arrested, deputies say
Nguyen was silent as Orange County deputies hauled him off in handcuffs. He's charged with luring a child, false imprisonment, and battery. Deputies say he’s the man seen in a security video recorded Monday morning.
The boy told investigators that Nguyen grabbed his cheeks, put his arm around him, told him he was cute and asked if he wanted a ride to school. Investigators say Nguyen also tried grabbing the child’s behind.
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The boy was able to get away and tell school officials what happened.
Deputies say they identified Nguyen thanks to a community tip. When asked what he would have done with the boy, investigators say he said take him to school.
Nguyen is expected in court on Wednesday afternoon.
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Click here for the latest Central Florida news, Florida stories, and local headlines.
Advertisement | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/man-accused-of-trying-to-kidnap-boy-in-orlando-likely-to-bond-out-of-jail-soon-official-says | 2022-04-13T14:57:56 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/man-accused-of-trying-to-kidnap-boy-in-orlando-likely-to-bond-out-of-jail-soon-official-says |
ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) — Three people were killed in a crash on eastbound U.S. 30 at the Allen-Whitley county line Wednesday morning.
Four vehicles were involved in the crash, including a semi truck. The Whitley County Coroner has confirmed with WANE 15 that two people were killed and three were rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Another victim died later, WANE 15 learned.
All of the victims were in the same vehicle.
The eastbound lanes of U.S. 30 were closed for several hours while police investigated, and the westbound lanes were moving slowly. State police said the highway was reopened around 9:45 a.m. | https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/u-s-30-crash-shuts-down-eastbound-lanes/ | 2022-04-13T14:58:01 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/u-s-30-crash-shuts-down-eastbound-lanes/ |
Potentially life-threatening blizzard pounds Northern Plains with historic snow, high winds
A late-season winter storm is pounding the Northern Plains with heavy snow and high winds and is expected to become a "potentially historic blizzard" for parts of North Dakota and eastern Montana.
This blizzard is part of the same storm system responsible for the ongoing severe weather outbreak across the Plains, Midwest and South.
As much as 47 inches of snow has piled up near Pony, Montana, since Monday, while up to 16 inches has been measured to the east in New England, North Dakota.
Billings, Montana, saw the snow fall at 2 to 3 inches per hour on Tuesday and tallied 13.9 inches for the day, making it the city's snowiest April day since at least 1955. This was also the first time Billings picked up at least a foot of snow in a two-day period since Feb. 23-24, 2014, when 12.8 inches piled up.
Blizzard conditions were observed in many parts of North Dakota on Tuesday afternoon and evening, including in the Bismarck and Grand Forks areas.
No Travel Advisories remain in place across much of North Dakota on Wednesday, as heavy snow and high winds will persist into Wednesday night.
The dangerous combination of snow and wind will cause blowing and drifting snow, making driving conditions extremely dangerous and even life-threatening at times. This includes Interstate 94 between Fargo, North Dakota, and eastern Montana.
Forecast for Wednesday, April 13, 2022. (FOX Weather)
Snow and gusty winds will linger into Thursday before this winter storm finally winds down Thursday night.
Blizzard Warnings remain in effect through Thursday from eastern Montana to much of North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota.
Current winter weather alerts.(FOX Weather)
According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, this winter storm is likely to develop into a "potentially historic blizzard" for portions of the Northern Plains, particularly where Blizzard Warnings are posted.
That's because if current predictions hold, cities such as Bismarck and Minot in North Dakota could experience their biggest snowstorm on record, despite the fact we're in the middle of April.
This storm even has the potential to break the North Dakota state record for the greatest three-day snowfall. The current record is held by Lisbon, which picked up 35 inches from Feb. 13-15, 1915.
Any unprotected livestock, particularly the young, will likely be killed due to the extreme impacts of this blizzard in the Northern Plains.
By the time the storm ends on Thursday, widespread snowfall totals between 1 and 2 feet are expected from eastern Montana to much of North Dakota, with the potential for 2- to 3-foot totals in some locations. Additionally, snowdrifts up to 6 feet high are possible.
Power outages and tree damage are also expected because of the combination of high winds and the weight of the heavy, wet snow.
Additional snowfall forecast through Thursday, April 14, 2022.(FOX Weather)
While it is not unusual to get snow in April in these areas, it is getting late in the season for such a widespread event. Be prepared for major travel disruptions until the winter storm finally exits the region on Thursday night.
Before arriving in the Northern Plains, this system's snow swept across portions of the West on Monday, even accumulating at very low elevations such as Portland, Oregon, where measurable snowfall (at least 0.1 inches) was reported for the first time on record during the month of April. Officially, 1.6 inches was measured in Portland.
Advertisement | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/potentially-life-threatening-blizzard-pounds-northern-plains-with-historic-snow-high-winds | 2022-04-13T14:58:02 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/potentially-life-threatening-blizzard-pounds-northern-plains-with-historic-snow-high-winds |
These iconic songs, albums have just been added to the National Recording Registry
NASHVILLE, Tennessee - 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.
FILE - Singer Alicia Keys poses backstage during the 44th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Feb. 27, 2002, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
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."
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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.fox35orlando.com/news/these-iconic-songs-albums-have-just-been-added-to-the-national-recording-registry | 2022-04-13T14:58:08 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/these-iconic-songs-albums-have-just-been-added-to-the-national-recording-registry |
INDIANAPOLIS – An estimated 4.3 million Hoosiers will get something extra in their bank accounts this summer.
Gov. Eric Holcomb said Hoosiers should start receiving their $125 Automatic Taxpayer Refund “in the coming weeks.”
The governor said the money is effectively a 12% cut in the average Hoosier’s annual income tax liability. Approximately $545 million will be returned to taxpayers after the state ended its fiscal year with a surplus, triggering the automatic refund.
Married couples who filed jointly are expected to receive a one-time $250 refund.
“I’m beyond thrilled that this spring and summer we are returning money back into the hands of Hoosier taxpayers, where it belongs,” Holcomb said in a statement. “Our conservative fiscal leadership and pro-growth policies makes this tax refund possible for all Hoosier households.”
The state revealed back in December that Indiana taxpayers would get the refund after filing their 2021 taxes. The Department of Revenue and Auditor of State’s Office will work together to distribute the money.
Most of the payments are expected to come via direct deposit. Some taxpayers will get a check mailed to them instead.
Direct deposits will start hitting bank accounts at the beginning of May and continue through July, Holcomb said. The state expects to mail checks starting in late July. The checks will continue through August, with the goal of having all payments distributed by Sept. 1.
The refund is separate from any money Hoosiers may have received after filing their individual state income tax return.
Holcomb said no additional action is required for Hoosiers to receive their money. | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/holcomb-gives-timeline-of-125-indiana-tax-refund-payments/ | 2022-04-13T15:07:38 | 0 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/holcomb-gives-timeline-of-125-indiana-tax-refund-payments/ |
ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. — State officials said avian influenza has been found at a second duck farm in northern Indiana.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health said tests came back positive at the Elkhart County farm. The results are preliminary and will have to be verified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
This is the second Elkhart County farm to report positive tests, bringing the number of Indiana sites with positive tests to eight.
The issue first arose in February, when the state confirmed a case of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza at a commercial turkey farm in Dubois County. It marked the first report of the virus in commercial poultry in the U.S. since 2020 and the first in Indiana since 2016, the state said.
Later laboratory tests in February and March showed positive results for five more sites in Dubois and Greene counties. The birds in those locations were “depopulated,” meaning the state had them killed. The turkey farms accounted for more than 171,000 birds.
The first Elkhart County duck farm has been depopulated, the state revealed this week. The farm included nearly 4,700 ducks. The state didn’t disclose if the second Elkhart County farm would be depopulated. Population is estimated at about 6,000 ducks.
The state plans to conduct surveillance testing in the surrounding area to monitor the situation and mitigate the spread.
This year, there have been cases of avian influenza reported in 24 states, with the virus affecting chickens, ducks and turkeys.
So far, no human cases of bird flu have been detected in the U.S. And while the CDC said the virus doesn’t present an immediate threat to public health, it is having an impact on egg prices. | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/state-reports-bird-flu-at-2nd-indiana-duck-farm/ | 2022-04-13T15:07:44 | 1 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/state-reports-bird-flu-at-2nd-indiana-duck-farm/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Severe weather in the forecast Wednesday evening could cause trouble for Hoosiers throughout central Indiana including potentially widespread power outages and damages to homes and structures from strong winds and even a possible tornado.
If you’re faced with a weather emergency — do you know who to call?
Storm resource numbers you should know
AES Indiana: 317-261-8111 Call AES Indiana to report downed power lines or outages.
Duke Energy: 800-343-3525 Duke Energy customers can report outages directly.
Mayor’s Action Center (Indianapolis): 317-327-4622 Call the MAC to report debris or high water.
Hendricks Power Operative: 317-745-5473 For power outages in Hendricks County.
Boone REMC: 800-897-7362 For outages in Boone County.
NineStar Connect: 317-326-3131 opt. 9 For outages in Hancock County.
South Central Indiana REMC: 765-342-3344/800-264-7362 For SCI REMC customers in Brown, Clay, Johnson, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, and Putnam counties.
Storm damage can also be reported to the local National Weather Service Office.
You can also refer to the FOX59 Weather Authority apps: | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/who-to-contact-if-youre-impacted-by-incoming-severe-weather/ | 2022-04-13T15:07:50 | 0 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/who-to-contact-if-youre-impacted-by-incoming-severe-weather/ |
BOONE COUNTY, Ind. — The Boone County Sheriff’s Office is providing an update on a cold case.
While details are scarce, the office said they will discuss updated information in the pending cold case.
The update is taking place at 2 p.m. at the Boone County Fairgrounds. We will stream the update here and will provide additional information as it becomes available. | https://fox59.com/news/boone-county-sheriffs-office-providing-update-in-cold-case/ | 2022-04-13T15:07:56 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/boone-county-sheriffs-office-providing-update-in-cold-case/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Citizens Energy Group and Attorney General Todd Rokita, along with the city of Indianapolis, are suing the owners of three apartment complex over issues that led to past due bills worth more than $1.3 million.
The following apartments are named in the lawsuit:
- Berkley Commons Apartments at 8201 Madison Avenue
- Capital Place Apartments at 4100 Continental Court
- The Woods at Oak Crossing at 3120 Nobscot Drive
Berkley Commons’ owner Berkley Commons IN LLC owes Citizens $344,217 according to court documents.
The owner of Capital Place and Woods at Oak Crossing, JPC Affordable Housing Foundation, has past due bills totaling $956,792.
Court documents showed multiple accounts linked to the three properties with past due accounts ranging from as little as $8.55 to as much as $386,568.88.
According to the Indiana Business Journal, Berkley Commons and JPC Affordable Housing share an address in New Jersey based on tax and business filings — showing a connection between all three apartment properties.
Both Berkley Commons and Capital Place apartments had their water services turned off temporarily in February by Citizens over unpaid bills. The City of Indianapolis paid off a large portion of the unpaid bills.
Back in February, the water shutoff prompted at least one state representative to urge the Indiana Attorney General to investigate JPC Affordable Housing for possible misuses of state, local and federal funding. The apartments accept Section 8 housing vouchers from the Indianapolis Housing Agency.
Citizens says the Berkley Commons and JPC Affordable Housing stopped payment on bills around spring of 2021. Court filings show Citizens attempted to collect on the bills repeatedly and kept up with monthly invoices.
The energy company considers the unpaid bills a breach of contract.
In addition to repayment of the past due utility bills, Citizens is requesting creation of a constructive trust over each of the defendants’ funds being collected from tenants for water, sewer, and natural gas utility services.
“We are hopeful this legal action against Berkley Commons LLC and JPC Affordable Housing will result in the repayment of past-due bills and payment of future bills, so residents of the apartment complexes have continued access to utility service without our remaining customers having to bear the cost of the apartment owners’ unpaid utility bills,” said Jeffrey Harrison, President & CEO of Citizens.
Attorney Genearal Todd Rokita’s suit was filed in conjuction with the City’s and Citizens.
“Despite some fairly weak laws in Indiana for state government involvement in this area, we continue our efforts to protect tenants who are being unfairly treated and who are being subject to downright dangerous conditions,” said Attorney General Rokita.
Tenants who have experienced problems during the course of their lease are encouraged to file a consumer complaint at www.indianaconsumer.com. | https://fox59.com/news/citizens-energy-sues-3-apartment-complexes-over-1-3m-in-unpaid-bills/ | 2022-04-13T15:08:02 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/citizens-energy-sues-3-apartment-complexes-over-1-3m-in-unpaid-bills/ |
Message for New Jersey Democrats: It’s time to ‘walk away’ (Opinion)
If you are a middle-of-the-road person and not that interested in politics then you are exactly who I need to speak with.
Many Democrats and unaffiliated voters don't like politics and don't want to be involved. The problem is that as fewer and fewer people engage in the process, the radicals on both sides are empowered.
One of the biggest consequences of the low turnout during elections and the lack of participation of average people is the poor choices left within the general election.
How often do you hear "the lesser of two evils" or "at least he's a little better than the other guy"? If you are a registered Democrat, then you are likely feeling the heat more than most. To watch the party of your parents and grandparents embrace such radical policies as normalizing porn in grade school and sexualizing the curriculum for kids who still believe in Santa Claus must be especially troubling. Beyond that, it's the Trenton Democrats who have been in charge for two decades in the Legislature, and spending and taxes continue to spiral out of control.
The Republicans are certainly not blameless as former Gov. Christine Whitman sacked the pension system to "pay for" her tax cuts and Gov. Christie empowered the NJEA and blew up the debt all in an effort to run for president and leave Jersey behind.
Truly, the politics in our state are a mess. The answer is to recognize that we do have a two-party system and it's unlikely that the Democrats can shake the radicals anytime soon so that leaves the GOP.
The way to fix the state is to flood the GOP primaries with unaffiliated voters who show up on election day, June 7, and cast a vote for the outsider candidate. If you like, you can immediately return to unaffiliated by filling out this form.
Stay tuned to the show leading up to Election Day and I'll be sure to point out the best candidates. Beyond that, if you are not satisfied with the direction of the Democratic Party as they no longer represent the Party of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy or even Clinton and Obama for that matter.
I was joined by Damien Jarrett from the "Walk Away PAC" offering ideas and opportunities for Democrats who believe that their party has gone way beyond what most average Democrats believe.
While you are deciding, join me and my group www.commonsenseclub.org at an important event to learn more about the movement to return Common Sense to our great state. Our conference is being held at the Palace in Somerset on Thursday, April 28, 2022. Get your tickets HERE.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. | https://nj1015.com/message-for-new-jersey-democrats-its-time-to-walk-away-opinion/ | 2022-04-13T15:10:20 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/message-for-new-jersey-democrats-its-time-to-walk-away-opinion/ |
Police hunt gunman who wounded 10 in Brooklyn subway attack
NEW YORK — A man sought in connection with an attack on a subway train in Brooklyn that left 10 people shot — and once again interrupted New York City’s long journey to post-pandemic normalcy — is now considered a suspect, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.
Investigators had initially been searching for Frank R. James as a person of interest. Police said Tuesday that James rented a van possibly connected to Tuesday's violence, but that they weren't sure whether he was responsible for the shooting itself. Adams, speaking to NPR on Wednesday morning, did not offer details on why officials were now seeking James as a suspect beyond citing “new information that became available to the team.”
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 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, who was already isolating following a positive COVID-19 test Sunday.
Adams said Wednesday that investigators were zeroed in on finding James.
“We are going to continue to close the loop around him and bring him in, and continue the investigation into this horrific act against innocent New Yorkers,” the Democrat said on MSNBC.
33 shots fired with a 9mm handgun
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 all 10 wounded in the shooting were expected to survive. At least a dozen others 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, he said, and he realized there was smoke.
When the train pulled into the 36th Street station in the Sunset Park neighborhood, 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 station was open as usual Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the violence. Commuter Jude Jacques, who takes the D train to his job as a fire safety director some two blocks from the shooting scene, said he prays every morning but had a special request on Wednesday.
“I said, ‘God, everything is in your hands,’” Jacques said. “I was antsy, and you can imagine why. Everybody is scared because it just happened.”
Back to normal with backpack checks
The subway system as a whole was operating normally on Wednesday, with police checking backpacks at some stations, including the Atlantic Avenue/Barclay's Center hub.
Tuesday's 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, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. The van was later found, unoccupied, near a station where investigators determined the gunman had entered the subway 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.
In one video, posted a day before the attack, he 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 safety in 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 said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual."
(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) | https://nj1015.com/police-hunt-gunman-who-wounded-10-in-brooklyn-subway-attack/ | 2022-04-13T15:10:26 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/police-hunt-gunman-who-wounded-10-in-brooklyn-subway-attack/ |
Spadea needs help: How do you clean spilled milk from a computer?
What was I thinking?
I got home late from several events on Tuesday night and I was hungry. My choice after rummaging through the kitchen? Off-brand chocolate-covered cookies and a glass of milk. Bad choice. No, not because of the sugar. No, not because it was 11 p.m. and I get up at 3:30 a.m. It was because as I placed the glass of milk on my desk for one final check on the day's notes and what was in store for the following day.
Unfortunately, I was not paying full attention to the placement of the full, tall glass of delicious cold milk. The napkin that I placed to hold the cookies was covering the wire charging my laptop. So, the surface was uneven and not the ideal location for a glass of liquid. Not seeing it, I placed the glass at the perfect spot so as it toppled over, in slow motion, the milk perfectly cascaded out of the top of the glass directly onto my laptop keyboard.
In my office, instead of a desk, I use a dining room table. It's got way more surface area so it's a lot more functional for me. But since there is a leaf insert available the desk has a sliver of separation in the center. Just enough for the milk to flow through onto the rug beneath. So not only was the desk covered and the laptop keyboard resembling a canal system but the milk soaked into the carpet.
In my haste to save the laptop and get some sleep before the show, I grabbed paper towels and sopped up as much as possible. Then I poured a pound or more of rice into a large bowl and stuck the laptop in. The problem is I was impatient and took it out of the rice at 4 a.m. Did not work.
Any thoughts on whether it can be saved? Hit me up on the free New Jersey 101.5 app and let me know through our chat!
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. | https://nj1015.com/spadea-needs-help-how-do-you-clean-spilled-milk-from-a-computer/ | 2022-04-13T15:10:33 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/spadea-needs-help-how-do-you-clean-spilled-milk-from-a-computer/ |
While it isn't actually happening on 4/20, Buds-A-Palooza is a celebration of that weed-tastic date. This block party is just taking advantage of the opportunity to throw down on a weekend night — Friday, April 15.
Bud's Glass Joint is a local head shop and the host of this event — along with presenting sponsors Trulieve + Harvest — that takes over Fifth Street, just south of Roosevelt Street, in downtown Phoenix. The soiree starts right at, come on — you know what we're gonna say — 4:20 p.m.
Andrew Meister of Bud's says they're expecting a great turnout at this "canna-inspired fest."
"We have been doing a 4/20 party for years, but this new event is the first of its size. We hope to see 5,000 people, and the way it's looking, it should be close."
In addition to a big turnout, he's jazzed about all of it, especially the top-notch Arizona glass blowers who will be on hand. "I can't wait to see which areas of the event that people flock to — there are just so many things happening all at once."
The four city blocks Buds-A-Palooza spans will be loaded, so to speak, with plenty to do. Inhale deeply and prepare to eat, drink, and be entertained. When it comes to the latter, the live band lineup mixes national acts Passafire and Tomorrows Bad Seeds with locals, including The Nutter Tut Band, Snailmate, The Phoenix Funkeros, and the man who is probably Phoenix's weediest performer, HotRock SupaJoint.
In addition to "prob smokin' some weed," SupaJoint gives a clue about how he'll be lighting up the crowd. "OMG, homiez," he tells Phoenix New Times, "Imma be hangin' out at the movies watchin' wit' all the peeps and show' some of my dope weed-themed movie preview hacks in between movie screenings. I'm also gonna be onstage bumpin' my greatest hits for everyone, yo, and I can't wait." Some of the movies scheduled to be shown that night are pot-themed classics like Up in Smoke and Super Troopers.
Comedian Brandi Bigley, part of the production company Do Better Comedy — an anti-racist, anti-misogynist, LGBTQIA+ team — is happy to make Buds-A-Palooza crowds laugh, weed or not. "Is pot what they still call it?" she jokes. "I haven't tried it in probably 20 years," she adds, "but I wanted to do the show because they contacted me and offered me $40 to do five minutes (of material)." What I will talk about is my hair, being queer, and vagina life." Bigley is one of more than 20 comedians slotted for the night.
Pan Loco is among the 18 food trucks on hand to sate any case of the munchies. From the Philadelphia Sandwich Co. to Bao Boyz to Melt Ice Cream, there will be a delicious mix of sweet and savory eats.
Mariel Mendez of Pan Loco is looking forward to it. "I'll be busy getting ready for the event soon," she says. "We will have some of our conchas — our signature bread and Mexican croissants. Everything will be available regular or CBD-infused. It's all homemade and very unique, and I am so excited for the crowd to try our products. I love seeing reactions of delight."
Vendors, boozy bars, and mingling in a Mary Jane-celebratory crowd are more of what you'll find while strolling through Buds-A-Palooza. Bonus: The event is also a benefit. A portion of the proceeds go to Trees Matter, a local environmental education nonprofit.
Full disclosure: Andrew Meister is an executive at New Times.
Buds-A-Palooza. 4:20 p.m. to midnight, April 15, at Garfield Street and Fifth Street. Tickets are $20 to $25. Visit budsapalooza.com. | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/marijuana/buds-a-palooza-cannabis-festival-comes-to-downtown-phoenix-13416052 | 2022-04-13T15:13:13 | 0 | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/marijuana/buds-a-palooza-cannabis-festival-comes-to-downtown-phoenix-13416052 |
BALTIMORE — A 22-year-old man has been charged for the January 24 murder of a beloved Baltimore restaurant manager.
On Wednesday police announced the arrest of Samuel Wise in the killing of 44-year-old Chesley Patterson.
Wise was taken into custody on April 12, and according to police tried escaping while being interviewed by detectives at headquarters.
Patterson was the general manager at La Scala restaurant in Little Italy for 14 years.
Chesco as he was known, was on his way home from work when he stopped at a store on Eastern Avenue and was shot during a robbery attempt.
Investigators reviewed area camera footage, interviewed persons of interest, and examined physical evidence that they say ultimately led to Wise. He's currently awaiting a bond hearing. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/man-arrested-for-january-24-murder-of-beloved-baltimore-restaurant-manager | 2022-04-13T15:15:01 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/man-arrested-for-january-24-murder-of-beloved-baltimore-restaurant-manager |
BALTIMORE — The 7th Annual Walk A Mile In Their Shoes is coming up April 23.
Hosted by GBMC Healthcare, the yearly walk benefits the system's Sexual Assault Forensic Examination and Domestic Violence programs for victims of all ages, at no cost to the patient.
This year's event will take place in-person at the GBMC Healthcare Campus in Towson, but will also have a virtual element mixed in.
Can't or don't wish to attend, you can still donate and have a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Paul McCartney live at Camden Yards on June 12.
Every $7 donated, equals one chance to win.
If you do plan on attending and participating, click here. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/win-a-chance-to-see-paul-mccartney-live-by-donating-to-walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes | 2022-04-13T15:15:07 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/win-a-chance-to-see-paul-mccartney-live-by-donating-to-walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes |
The leaders of Finland and Sweden announced Wednesday that they are looking closely at joining NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Finland shares a border with Russia.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin reportedly said the country would decide “within weeks” whether to join the military alliance.
“Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine,” Marin said, according to CNBC.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Andersson made similar statements, adding that her country would analyze what's best for the Swedish people.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that NATO would welcome Sweden and Finland if they decided to apply.
NATO countries receive security guarantees because of Article 5. It essentially says an attack on one country is an attack on all countries in the alliance.
The move would not be welcomed by Russia, which considers NATO a threat. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/finland-sweden-inch-closer-to-applying-to-join-nato | 2022-04-13T15:15:09 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/finland-sweden-inch-closer-to-applying-to-join-nato |
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.
The 31-year-old Nakken took over at first base in the third inning after Antoan 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.
After the game, Nakken reflected on the moment.
"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, according to ESPN. "But again, this is my job."
The Baseball Hall of Fame also took notice of the historic moment. ESPN reports that her helmet has been sent to be displayed in Cooperstown, New York. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/giants-nakken-becomes-1st-mlb-female-coach-on-field | 2022-04-13T15:15:11 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/giants-nakken-becomes-1st-mlb-female-coach-on-field |
Health officials are monitoring an outbreak of a meningococcal disease in Florida, mostly affecting men.
“Meningococcal disease is a disease that’s caused by a bacterial infection. The bacteria is known as Neisseria meningitidis, and the reason why we’re paying so much attention to this is because it’s a really serious disease,” said Dr. Jill Roberts, an associate professor at USF Health. “Untreated, the disease can result in fatalities about 70% of the time, so it’s incredibly dangerous.”
Up to this point, health officials say the number of cases identified in 2022 surpasses the 5-year average of meningococcal disease cases in Florida. The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) said, so far in 2022, they’ve identified 21 meningococcal disease cases in Florida residents, and half of those have been in people who identify as men who have sex with men.
“This does not spread easily,” said Dr. Roberts. “It does take prolonged contact. Usually what you see with spread are individuals who’ve been together for an extended amount of time, sharing utensils. It’s spread through kissing.”
Dr. Roberts said the most serious symptoms are a sudden onset of a severe headache and a stiff neck. She said you can also look for fever, nausea, vomiting, and a rash.
“It’s an emergency situation. If you have those symptoms of a headache and a stiff neck, you need to seek emergency care right away,” said Roberts.
The FDOH said the following groups should consider vaccination with a meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY) vaccine during this outbreak:
- College and university students;
- Immunocompromised individuals;
- People living with HIV;
- Men who have sex with men;
- People in any groups listed above who received their MenACWY vaccine more than 5 years ago.
“The meningitis vaccines are highly reliable: highly, highly reliable. Plus they actually protect you against multiple types of meningitis,” said Dr. Roberts. “I would definitely recommend it. If you don’t know if you’ve had it, check with your health care provider.”
The FDOH said you can find meningococcal vaccines, including the MenACWY vaccine, by contacting a health care provider, county health department, or pharmacy. It said FDOH County Health Departments offer meningococcal vaccines.
This story was first reported by Mary O'Connell at WFTS in Tampa, Fla. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/health-officials-warn-of-meningococcal-disease-outbreak-in-florida | 2022-04-13T15:15:12 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/health-officials-warn-of-meningococcal-disease-outbreak-in-florida |
TUCSON, Ariz. — A group in Arizona is taking in old broken-down items and giving them, a new life and they’re doing it for free. Tucson Repair Café co-founder Rocky Baier says the project was started last November and it's been going strong ever since.
"I was a journalism student, and I had a lot of climate anxiety and that led me to start getting involved with Sustainable Tucson. When we started, we only had about five people. Now at the events, we have 30 people,” Baier said.
Baier says her education and work with Sustainable Tucson gave her the drive to make it happen. Meanwhile, there are thousands of repair cafés all around the world and now it's the first of its kind in Tucson.
"The goal is to give people a free place to have their items repaired and the goal is to reduce waste, reduce consumption, and stop the consumption of buying something having it break and throwing it away and buying something new," Baier said.
Electronics, clothing and furniture — you name it and teams work together to try to fix what you bring. The group is focused on helping people save money while saving the environment at the same time. Volunteers and visitors set up shop and do the work. So far, about 100 people have had repairs done.
“One of my favorite parts is that it's of community and its fun and you can meet people and talk to people,” Baier said.
Tucson Repair Café is currently working to get nonprofit status.
They do warn that not everything can be fixed.
"We will always try to repair an item, but sometimes we can’t repair items. Some things, they have things that are dangerous. Sometimes people bring in items that are locked behind proprietary software, hardware and those companies don’t like to share how they make their products,” Baier said.
Right now, there are 15 volunteers who donate their time, and more are always needed to help plan events and do repairs.
"For me, it’s really satisfying because I’m always looking at ways to save the environment,” Baier said.
This story was first reported by Shawndrea Thomas at KGUN in Tucson, Ariz. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/repair-cafes-across-the-country-help-communities-fix-electronic-and-other-times-for-free | 2022-04-13T15:15:21 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/repair-cafes-across-the-country-help-communities-fix-electronic-and-other-times-for-free |
After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered additional inspections on trucks entering Texas from Mexico, producers are reporting delays in shipments citing the enhanced inspections.
The enhanced inspections have President Joe Biden’s administration and Abbott pointing the finger at each other.
Dante Galeazzi, president of the Texas International Produce Association, said border security is important, but something needs to be done to improve the flow of trucks crossing the border.
“Warehouses have staff sitting idle, with no trucks to unload,” Galeazzi said. “Buyers in other parts of the country cannot understand why their product is not available. US trucking companies are losing money as they sit around for days with no loads to haul. I have even heard from a member that a trucking company is refusing to send trucks south of San Antonio out of concern there will be no cargo available. This is destroying our business and the reputation of Texas. I foresee companies making plans to move their business to New Mexico and Arizona.”
Abbott tweeted earlier this week that the law is necessary due to federal policies. The enhanced border inspections are among a few initiatives Abbott announced last week, which also include transporting undocumented immigrants to Washington D.C. by charter bus.
"Well we're going to be seeing - based upon the prognostications of the Biden administration itself, is going to be cataclysmic in what happens in border-related regions,” Abbott said this week.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the enhanced inspections “redundant” and causing “significant disruptions to the food and automobile supply chains, delaying manufacturing, impacting jobs, and raising prices for families in Texas and across the country.”
“Local businesses and trade associations are calling on Governor Abbott to reverse this decision because trucks are facing lengthy delays exceeding 5 hours at some border crossings and commercial traffic has dropped by as much as 60 percent,” Psaki said. “The continuous flow of legitimate trade and travel and CBP’s ability to do its job should not be obstructed.”
Abbott’s policy announcements come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier this month it is eliminating Title 42, which was implemented during President Donald Trump’s administration to expel migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. Title 42 was implemented in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the effects of the pandemic are easing, some on both sides of the aisle are urging the Biden administration to continue to provision. The American Civil Liberty Union counters by saying “U.S. law guarantees the right to seek asylum, and prohibits sending people to places they will be persecuted or tortured.” | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/white-house-producers-say-texas-border-crackdown-slowing-down-supply-chain | 2022-04-13T15:15:27 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/white-house-producers-say-texas-border-crackdown-slowing-down-supply-chain |
What’s pink and white, stands on one leg and enjoys trips to the Texas coast? No. 492, aka Pink Floyd, an African flamingo that once lived in a zoo in Kansas.
The bird started life in Tanzania and spent time in South Africa before being shipped to the U.S. and the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, as part of a group of 40 flamingos. However, it was not at the zoo long enough for bloodwork to be done to determine the bird’s gender. In addition, the zoo had not yet clipped the flamingos’ wings, which allowed No. 492 (named for the number on its tag) and another flamingo to escape.
“As soon as he had the chance, he flew out of here,” Scott Newland, curator of birds for the zoo, told Reuters in a 2013 interview. “His instincts are honed to do that.”
The great escape happened all the way back in 2005 and since then, Pink Floyd sightings have been reported around the country. The first was in Wisconsin, although the fugitive bird has apparently spent most of its time in Texas and Louisiana. The bird is easily identifiable by its signature numbered leg band.
“Every year or so we get a call,” Newland told Reuters.
In 2019, the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shared a photo of the bird hanging out with some other feathered friends.
“No surprise here, but the return of our flamingo buddy – Pink Floyd – was a hit,” the department wrote in a Facebook post.
More recently, the bird was also spotted at Rhodes Point in Cox Bay, Texas, near Port Lavaca on the Gulf coast on March 10.
For several years, the bird was reportedly seen with another banded flamingo from a colony on the northern tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Flamingos typically pair for life, although the genders of the two remain unknown. In recent years, however, No. 492 has been sighted alone.
While the bird has become something of a legendary creature, the Sedgwick County Zoo deeply regrets the bird’s escape.
“It is a black eye, to be honest,” Newland told the Wichita Eagle in 2013. “It was basically an error. We are not fond of this story.”
The zoo has not attempted to retrieve the bird, and apparently has no plans to do so. The flamingo is believed to be in its mid-20s and could live to be 50 years old.
“It’s a testament to the adaptability of these animals,” Newland told Reuters.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.wmar2news.com/runaway-flamingo-spotted-17-years-after-zoo-escape | 2022-04-13T15:15:34 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/runaway-flamingo-spotted-17-years-after-zoo-escape |
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Adam Oakes, the Virginia Commonwealth University freshman who died in a hazing incident at a Delta Chi Greek life event, has his name honored on one of 700 bills signed into Virginia law on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk.
‘Adam’s Law‘ passed through both the Virginia House and Senate before sitting under the pen of Gov. Youngkin.
His family said, although they wish Adam was still here, this full-circle moment could help save the life of the next student who could be potentially hazed to death.
“I think it is a moment of joy. To be honest, the past year has been one of the hardest we have ever faced as a family,” Courtney White, Adam’s cousin, said. “To really hone in and focus all of our grief and feelings on making true change, this goes to show that all that hard work really paid off.”
“It is really sad and really happy at the same time,” Adam’s father Eric Oakes said. “Happy there are going to be significant changes in Virginia, but sad that Adam is not going to be here to see it. The change that is coming is going to be well-worth it. It is surreal. Every day, I wake up and I cannot believe Adam is gone. I cannot believe he is not here with us.”
Adam’s Law requires hazing-prevention training and education for all students in college. It mandates that an advisor be present at the training with all new and current members of a fraternity.
The law also provides a huge focus on the transparency of hazing incidents in each fraternal organization. The goal is to give families and students the freedom of knowing every past hazing incident of a chapter and prevent the covering up any information.
“We wanted to prioritize everything Adam did not have at VCU. We thought, how can we ensure that all kids moving forward have these things,” White said. “Nobody called for help. Now we are pushing people to call for help.”
The law requires the past ten years of documented incidents of misconduct to be readily accessible so people can notice patterns and trends within the Greek organization, something Adam’s family wishes they would have been able to access.
The data for all the incidents will be housed in a central location at the Timothy J. Piazza Center to collect hazing information into a database. The center tracks organizations nationally to add on to the transparency of the Greek life websites.
“I like to think that Adam has been watching and has been seeing the work we have been doing to honor him. I think it is absolutely amazing that, when we are long gone, he is always going to have this law in his name moving forward,” White said. “He is always going to be a part of systematic change in the state of Virginia.”
A second bill focused on hazing penalties, co-sponsored by Jennifer Boysko, D- Fairfax, is still in limbo — but a compromise is still hoped to be achieved by the family of Adam Oakes. | https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/moment-of-joy-adams-law-signed-by-gov-youngkin-focused-on-college-hazing-education-transparency/ | 2022-04-13T15:17:34 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/moment-of-joy-adams-law-signed-by-gov-youngkin-focused-on-college-hazing-education-transparency/ |
On the deadliest day of a horrific week in April 2020, COVID took the lives of 816 people in New York City alone. Lost in the blizzard of pandemic data that’s been swirling ever since is the fact that 43-year-old Fernando Morales was one of them.
Two years and nearly 1 million deaths later, his brother, Adam Almonte, fingers Morales’ bass guitar and visualizes him playing tunes. In a park overlooking the Hudson River, he recalls long-ago days tossing a baseball with Morales.
“When he passed away it was like I lost a brother, a parent and a friend all at the same time,” says Almonte, 16 years younger than Morales, who shared his love of books, video games and wrestling, and worked for the city processing teachers’ pensions.
If losing one person leaves such a lasting void, consider all that’s been lost with the deaths of 1 million.
In the next few weeks the U.S. toll from the coronavirus will likely surpass that once unthinkable milestone.
The pandemic has left an estimated 194,000 children in the U.S. without one or both of their parents. It has deprived communities of leaders, teachers and caregivers. It has robbed us of expertise and persistence, humor and devotion.
Through wave after wave, the virus has compiled a merciless chronology of loss -- one by one by one.
When it began, the threat hadn't yet come into focus. In February 2020, an unfamiliar respiratory illness started spreading through a nursing home outside Seattle, the Life Care Center of Kirkland.
Neil Lawyer, 84, was a short-term patient there, recovering after hospitalization for an infection. When he died of COVID-19 on March 8, the U.S. toll stood at 30.
Lawyer, born on a Mississippi farm to parents whose mixed-race heritage subjected them to bitter discrimination, was the family’s first college graduate.
Trained as a chemist, he lived and worked in Belgium for more than two decades. Fellow expats knew him for his devotion to coaching baseball and for his rich baritone.
After Lawyer -- known to family as “Moose” -- and his wife retired to Bellevue, Washington, he and other family members would serenade couples at their weddings in an ensemble dubbed the Moose-Tones.
Last October, when one of his granddaughters married, the Moose-Tones went on without him.
“He would have just been beaming because, you know, it was the most important thing in the world to him late in life, to get together with family,” his son David Lawyer says.
By late spring of 2020 the pandemic seemed to be loosening its grip, until governors moved to reopen their states and deaths spiraled again.
Luis Alfonso Bay Montgomery had worked through the pandemic’s early months, piloting a tractor through the lettuce and cauliflower fields near Yuma, Arizona. Even after he began feeling sick in mid-June, he insisted on laboring on, says Yolanda Bay, his wife of 42 years.
By the time Montgomery, 59, was rushed to a hospital, he required intubation.
He died on July 18, a day that saw the U.S. toll surpass 140,000. And for the first time since they’d met as teenagers in their native Mexico, Bay was on her own.
Driving past the fields her husband plowed, she imagines him on his tractor.
“It’s time to get rid of his clothes, but ...,” she says, unable to finish the sentence. “There are times that I feel completely alone.
On December 14, 2020, cameras jockeyed for position as the nation’s first COVID vaccine was administered to a New York nurse. But the vaccines had arrived too late to save a fellow caregiver, Jennifer McClung.
At Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama, staffers knew McClung, a longtime dialysis nurse, as “Mama Jen.” She took new nurses under her wing, and some nights woke up crying with worry about her patients.
In November, McClung, 54, and her husband, John, also a hospital worker, both tested positive. She died hours before the vaccination campaign began and the U.S. toll passed 300,000.
Today, a decal with a halo and angel’s wings marks the place McClung once occupied at a third-floor nurses’ station. In her mother, Stella Olive’s kitchen, a digital picture frame displays a steady stream of pictures and videos of the daughter she lost.
“I can hear her laugh. I can hear her voice,” McClung’s mother says. “I just can’t touch her. It is the hardest thing in the world.”
___
Even when the delta wave ebbed, the toll continued to rise.
Last September, as Sherman Peebles, a sheriff’s deputy in Columbus, Georgia, lay in the hospital, the U.S. toll topped 675,000, surpassing the number of Americans killed by the Spanish flu pandemic a century ago. He died the following day.
In addition to his work as a lawman, the 49-year-old Peebles spent every Saturday manning a barber chair at his best friend Gerald Riley’s shop.
Riley still arrives at the barber shop each Saturday expecting to see Peebles’ truck. At day’s end, he thinks back to the routine he and his friend of more than 20 years always followed.
“I love you, brother,” they’d tell one another.
How could Riley have known those would be the last words they’d ever share?
The doctors and nurses were fighting for their lives.
So every evening through the spring of 2020, Larry Mass and Arnie Kantrowitz opened the windows to thank them, joining New York’s symphony of air horns and raucous cheers.
Mass worried about his partner, whose immune system was weakened by medication after a kidney transplant. For months, Kantrowitz, a retired professor and noted gay rights activist, took refuge on their couch.
But it wasn't enough. Arnie Kantrowitz died of complications from COVID on January 21, as the toll moved nearer to 1 million.
Kantrowitz’s papers, in the collection of the New York Public Library, preserve a record of his activism. But the 40 years he shared with Mass can only live in memory.
On days when news headlines leave Mass feeling angry about the world, he reaches out to his missing partner. What would Kantrowitz say if he were here?
“He’s still with me,” Mass says. “He’s there in my heart.” | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/covid-one-million-us-deaths/507-e05f9582-be5f-4727-9b6a-6b28d54245e0 | 2022-04-13T15:19:22 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/covid-one-million-us-deaths/507-e05f9582-be5f-4727-9b6a-6b28d54245e0 |
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk’s huge Twitter investment took a new twist Tuesday with the filing of a lawsuit alleging that the colorful billionaire illegally delayed disclosing his stake in the social media company so he could buy more shares at lower prices.
The complaint in New York federal court accuses Musk of violating a regulatory deadline to reveal he had accumulated a stake of at least 5%. Instead, according to the complaint, Musk didn’t disclose his position in Twitter until he’d almost doubled his stake to more than 9%. That strategy, the lawsuit alleges, hurt less wealthy investors who sold shares in the San Francisco company in the nearly two weeks before Musk acknowledged holding a major stake.
Musk's regulatory filings show that he bought a little more than 620,000 shares at $36.83 apiece on Jan. 31 and then continued to accumulate more shares on nearly every single trading day through April 1. Musk, best known as CEO of the electric car maker Tesla, held 73.1 million Twitter shares as of the most recent count Monday. That represents a 9.1% stake in Twitter.
The lawsuit alleges that by March 14, Musk's stake in Twitter had reached a 5% threshold that required him to publicly disclose his holdings under U.S. securities law by March 24. Musk didn't make the required disclosure until April 4.
That revelation caused Twitter's stock to soar 27% from its April 1 close to nearly $50 by the end of April 4's trading, depriving investors who sold shares before Musk's improperly delayed disclosure the chance to realize significant gains, according to the lawsuit filed on behalf of an investor named Marc Bain Rasella. Musk, meanwhile, was able to continue to buy shares that traded in prices ranging from $37.69 to $40.96.
The lawsuit is seeking to be certified as a class action representing Twitter shareholders who sold shares between March 24 and April 4, a process that could take a year or more.
Musk spent about $2.6 billion on Twitter stock — a fraction of his estimated wealth of $265 billion, the largest individual fortune in the world. In a regulatory filing Monday, Musk disclosed he may increase his stake after backing out of an agreement reached last week to join Twitter's board of directors.
Jacob Walker, one of the lawyers that filed the lawsuit against Musk, told The Associated Press that he hadn't reached out to the Securities and Exchange Commission about Musk's alleged violations about the disclosure of his Twitter stake. “I assume the SEC is well aware of what he did," Walker said.
An SEC spokesperson declined to comment.
The SEC and Musk have been wrangling in court since 2018 when Musk and Tesla agreed to pay a $40 million fine t o settle allegations that he used his Twitter account to mislead investors about a potential buyout of the electric car company that never materialized. As part of that deal, Musk was supposed to obtain legal approval for his tweets about information that could affect Tesla's stock price — a provision that regulators contend he has occasionally violated and that he now argues unfairly muzzles him.
Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment posted on Twitter, where he often shares his opinion and thoughts. Alex Spiro, a New York lawyer representing Musk in his ongoing dispute with the SEC, also didn't immediately respond to a query from The Associated Press. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/elon-musk-twitter-stock-lawsuit/507-42797f40-b542-4ca2-b134-7271a8908d2e | 2022-04-13T15:19:24 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/elon-musk-twitter-stock-lawsuit/507-42797f40-b542-4ca2-b134-7271a8908d2e |
NEW YORK — A man sought in connection with an attack on a subway train in Brooklyn that left 10 people shot — and once again interrupted New York City’s long journey to post-pandemic normalcy — is now considered a suspect, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.
Investigators had initially been searching for Frank R. James as a person of interest. Police said Tuesday that James rented a van possibly connected to Tuesday's violence, but that they weren't sure whether he was responsible for the shooting itself. Adams, speaking to NPR on Wednesday morning, did not offer details on why officials were now seeking James as a suspect beyond citing “new information that became available to the team.”
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 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, who was already isolating following a positive COVID-19 test Sunday.
Adams said Wednesday that investigators were zeroed in on finding James.
“We are going to continue to close the loop around him and bring him in, and continue the investigation into this horrific act against innocent New Yorkers,” the Democrat said on MSNBC.
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 all 10 wounded in the shooting were expected to survive. At least a dozen others 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, he said, and he realized there was smoke.
When the train pulled into the 36th Street station in the Sunset Park neighborhood, 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 station was open as usual Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the violence. Commuter Jude Jacques, who takes the D train to his job as a fire safety director some two blocks from the shooting scene, said he prays every morning but had a special request on Wednesday.
“I said, ‘God, everything is in your hands,’” Jacques said. “I was antsy, and you can imagine why. Everybody is scared because it just happened.”
The subway system as a whole was operating normally on Wednesday, with police checking backpacks at some stations, including the Atlantic Avenue/Barclay's Center hub.
Tuesday's 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, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. The van was later found, unoccupied, near a station where investigators determined the gunman had entered the subway system, Essig said.
Federal investigators determined the gun used in the shooting was purchased by James at a pawn shop — a licensed firearms dealer — in the Columbus, Ohio, area in 2011, said a law enforcement official who wasn't authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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.
In one video, posted a day before the attack, he 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 safety in 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 said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual."
___
Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jim Mustian, 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.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/hunt-for-nyc-subway-gunman/507-9d392b57-06e3-441f-b3b0-80a95ee25c2e | 2022-04-13T15:19:26 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/hunt-for-nyc-subway-gunman/507-9d392b57-06e3-441f-b3b0-80a95ee25c2e |
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The city of Hot Springs has pitched in to help business owner Sergiy Polyakov get his family from the war zone in Ukraine.
The journey for Asiia Kochurova hasn't been easy.
She's one of the millions of Ukrainians living through history as the war in their country continues.
Kochurova isn't fluent in English, but her son-in-law was by her side on Tuesday to help share her story.
"There's a lot of death around Ukraine and people are just waiting. There is a lot of suffering," Kochurova and Polyakov said. "The war is very scary for everyone."
Since the beginning of the crisis in her country, Kochurova and her family knew they needed to find a way to get her to safety.
"I took everything at once, because the family called and told her to leave as soon as possible," Kochurova and Polyakov described.
The next four days would be crucial.
After leaving Ukraine, Kochurova and some friends drove to Romania, Hungary, Slovenia and finally Poland for safety.
What usually would be a straight shot turned difficult.
"It's around 600 miles but the war change every hour situation," Polyakov said.
From Poland, Kochurova traveled to Mexico and after quick aid from a U.S. immigration lawyer, she touched down in San Diego, California.
Polyakov drove 26 hours from the Natural State to California and back to bring his mother-in-law to his wife and daughter.
He said they haven't seen her in eight years.
With the help of a local business and countless donations from the community, Kochurova and her family used that aid to get her home to safety.
He now has big plans for the family restaurant.
"Maybe we open another location in Little Rock. Who knows because we have a helper right now," Polyakov said.
Kochurova was granted a humanitarian parole, a policy which allows Ukraine refugees to live and work in the United States without a Visa for one year. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/ukrainian-woman-reunites-family-arkansas/91-43483fe5-f638-4e27-aa85-92e005028dc3 | 2022-04-13T15:19:27 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/ukrainian-woman-reunites-family-arkansas/91-43483fe5-f638-4e27-aa85-92e005028dc3 |
Young drummer doesn't miss a beat amid tragedy thanks to Taunton's Rawkstars
TAUNTON — Word comes from a local music store. A young student has been forced to give up his weekly drum lessons due to financial hardship. The student is heartbroken, but there seems to be no workable solution.
Well, not so fast.
Rawkstars, Inc., based in East Taunton and founded by musician and part-time/full-time philanthropist Jonathan Jacobs, exists precisely and exactly for times like these.
In fact, just such a scenario played out recently. A retired grandmother who had adopted her five grandchildren after the deaths of her son and the children’s father and her own husband could not afford to pay for her 11-year-old grandson’s drum lessons. The owner of the shop alerted Rawkstars. Jacobs says the young drummer did not miss a lesson.
“I told her, ‘We’ll be paying for his lessons from now on. We got it.’ She, and her grandson, is why I founded Rawkstars. This is what we do,” Jacobs said.
Currently, Rawkstars Inc. funds music lessons for 17 financially-disadvantaged young people in various communities in Massachusetts, and Jacobs says since founding the organization in November of 2003, Rawkstars has assisted over 400 young musicians at various stages of their development, most beginners.
In most cases, Rawkstars comes to the aid of young musicians in need of an instrument and teacher to get started. But Rawkstars is there to help existing talents find their way, too, and has helped musicians with recording and music video projects.
“Anything really that involves kids and music, there’s a good change we’ve done it or are interested in doing it,” said Jacobs.
Standout young athletes:Here are the 20 Greater Taunton baseball players to watch this spring
“I founded Rawkstars as a way to help kids get rid of the obstacles in the way of them getting involved with music and for them to then learn the life skills that I learned through music. If they go on to become great players, awesome. If they go on to become hobbyists and have fun with it, that’s awesome too."
Jacobs, who plays bass for a local band and is a lifelong music lover, made a career in music as a sound engineer with several national and world touring rock and hard rock acts, found his way to IT for a while, and then, fittingly, landed with his current employer, Pawtucket, RI-based Hasbro, where he works in Global Philanthropy.
In 2003, he got the itch to get back into music, somehow. He thought about a business venture, but quickly opted to start a non-profit with the power to help young musicians learn to play and pursue their talents.
“Our thing is really scalable,” he said. “We don’t have a set location where you have to come to our facility, and we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. We just act as a conductor. We connect people and we give them the resources to make it happen.”
Finding an instrument, and maybe not just any instrument
“We want the kid to fall in love with the instrument,” Jacobs said.
Sometimes, he says, that first instrument is the first stop in a lifelong love of playing music.
“So we do care about the color, we care about the style and we do try to match the child’s personality with the right instrument.”
Real estate report:Taunton two-family renovated, resold at twice the price in 6 months
Jacobs says Rawkstars does take in a lot of donated instruments, and he tries to make use of them, but quality and playability — which does not have to mean expensive — are as important to new players as the professionals. And in some cases the color and style of the instrument — think of a guitar or drum set — can go a long way towards hooking in a new student. A funny-looking, hard-to-play instrument is not a good place to start for a lot of kids.
When possible, Jacobs says, a new instrument is the way to go.
“We do purchase brand new instruments for a lot of kids. And the reason we do that is, we could save a few bucks by giving them something second hand, but I think it’s really important for them to have a treasured instrument that they can fall in love with. Especially early on, because music is an expression of your personality, so we want it to fit you and want you to feel like it’s an extension of yourself.”
On occasion, Jacobs has taken new students instrument shopping, while setting a budget and presenting a few options.
“It’s like, ‘Which one speaks to you?’… I think it’s important, for the kids to have a personal connection to their instrument.”
Music education is long-term commitment, and not cheap
Once the instrument is in hand, lessons are the gift that keep on giving, and a month-to-month expense that does not end.
“The expenses are pretty significant,” Jacobs says. “To get into it, just to start with an instrument can be a couple hundred bucks, which for a lot of people is a hurdle. But the lessons really are a deal-breaker for a lot of people, even if they can get a second-hand guitar or scrape up enough for a cheap instrument.
“The lessons are an ongoing expense, month over month over month.”
In general, weekly half-hour lesson plans can run in the $125-150 a month range.
“That’s for a month. And say you have two kids, that’s per month, per kid.”
“It’s not something you can do for a couple weeks or a couple months and then you’re all set, right. Often times we have students in our program for years and years. It really is a pretty big expense for them to be expected to cover.”
It’s a daunting expense even for those who can cover it. For some families it is just not feasible.
A musical mentor and more
In many cases, students in the Rawkstar program benefit from having some point of consistency in an otherwise inconsistent home setting. A good teacher and a rewarding music curriculum can boost confidence, instill study skills and focus in other areas of education and provide a role-model.
“It goes way beyond the music lessons. Of course, that’s at the core of it but that music teacher often becomes a real mentor for the kid, not only teaching them piano or guitar or whatever the instrument is… but becomes a friend and a mentor in a lot of ways. Because the kid, they look up to the teacher as being proficient at something they want to learn.
“I’m a 12-year-old kid and I want to play guitar. I see my music teacher once a week and he’s an amazing guitar player… I don’t have a dad around, or life at home is tough, and this guy can kind of play a little bit of that role. It’s consistent, they go every week. A lot of kids don’t have that kind of consistency in their world.”
Get up and play
As part of the program, and part of the fundraising operation, Rawkstars puts on music shows and concerts that encourage kids in the program to take to the stage and perform in front of an audience. Past events have been held at The Narrows in Fall River and Rick’s Music World in Raynham, which has a performance area and stage.
“We like to showcase the kids, give them a chance to perform some music for a crowd,” Jacobs said.
“If you’ve played music and gotten up and performed in front of people it’s prepared you for those moments even if you haven’t realized it. It’s given you self confidence, shown you that it’s okay to make a few mistakes and you’ll be okay. Imagine the boost of confidence that you get from the performance aspect. We think that’s really important, too. It’s not all about practicing and learning scales or learning songs.”
Taunton Daily Gazette staff writer Jon Haglof can be reached at jhaglof@tauntongazette.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Taunton Daily Gazette today. | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/04/13/taunton-rawkstars-nonprofit-provides-kids-free-instruments-lessons/9467756002/ | 2022-04-13T15:23:44 | 1 | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/04/13/taunton-rawkstars-nonprofit-provides-kids-free-instruments-lessons/9467756002/ |
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Activate your digital account | https://www.tauntongazette.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tauntongazette.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fenvironment%2F2022%2F04%2F13%2Ftaunton-pfas-forever-chemicals-water-raynham-dighton-berkley-easton-bridgewater%2F7138530001%2F | 2022-04-13T15:28:04 | 0 | https://www.tauntongazette.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tauntongazette.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fenvironment%2F2022%2F04%2F13%2Ftaunton-pfas-forever-chemicals-water-raynham-dighton-berkley-easton-bridgewater%2F7138530001%2F |
Most proposals involve a bit of bubbly, just not usually this kind.
Jennifer Lopez shared insight on her romantic proposal from Ben Affleck -- which included a green diamond ring and a bubble bath -- in her "On the JLo" newsletter.
She wrote, "Saturday night while at my favorite place on earth (in the bubble bath), my beautiful love got on one knee and proposed."
Lopez said the special moment brought her to tears. "I was taken totally off guard and just looked in his eyes smiling and crying at the same time trying hard to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again," Lopez said. "I was quite literally speechless and he said, 'is that a yes?' I said 'YES of course that's a YES.'"
Lopez noted that while the proposal was "nothing fancy at all," it was "the most romantic thing" she could have ever imagined.
"Just a quiet Saturday night at home, two people promising to always be there for each other," Lopez wrote. "Two very lucky people who got a second chance at true love."
Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck: Romance Rewind
Lopez and Affleck were first engaged in 2002, before calling it quits in 2004. They began seeing each other again in May 2021, after the singer's April breakup with Alex Rodriguez.
This time around, Affleck proposed with a giant green-diamond ring, which Lopez explained "has always been her lucky color."
Following their engagement, a source exclusively told E! News that green is specifically her "favorite-color diamond." The insider shared, "Ben wanted the ring to be sentimental and put a lot of thought into it."
The source added that post-proposal, Lopez has been "giddy and excited" over their next step. "J.Lo is ecstatic and can't wait to be his wife," the insider said. "She believes it's true love and was meant to be." | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/jennifer-lopez-says-she-was-taken-totally-off-guard-by-ben-afflecks-bubble-bath-proposal/3644287/ | 2022-04-13T15:28:05 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/jennifer-lopez-says-she-was-taken-totally-off-guard-by-ben-afflecks-bubble-bath-proposal/3644287/ |
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Activate your digital account | https://www.tauntongazette.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tauntongazette.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2Flacrosse%2F2022%2F04%2F13%2Fhere-16-greater-taunton-boys-lacrosse-players-watch%2F7283491001%2F | 2022-04-13T15:28:10 | 1 | https://www.tauntongazette.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tauntongazette.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2Flacrosse%2F2022%2F04%2F13%2Fhere-16-greater-taunton-boys-lacrosse-players-watch%2F7283491001%2F |
With the rising cost of food, gasoline, housing and everyday necessities squeezing American consumers due to soaring inflation, Krispy Kreme is tapping its "strategic doughnut reserve" to give customers a sweet relief in their wallets.
Starting Wednesday, Krispy Kreme is offering a dozen of its original glazed doughnuts for the price of a gallon of gas.
“While Americans deal with the rising PPG – price per gallon – of gasoline, we’re lowering our PPOG – price per Original Glaze,” said Chief Marketing Officer Dave Skena in a statement. “Inflation and high gasoline prices are serious and forcing families to make tough tradeoffs. We know that despite the high gas prices people have to be out and about anyway. So, for the next several Wednesdays, we hope providing a little doughnut deflation will allow them to share some smiles during a difficult time."
Every Wednesday through May 4, Krispy Kreme will set the price of a dozen original glazed doughnuts based on the national average price of a gallon of regular gas. This week, that's $4.11.
The price of a dozen normally costs about $11, and is priced at up to $18 in some cities.
Guests can get up to two dozen doughnuts, each for the price of a gallon of gas, in participating shops, via the drive-thru or for pick-up by ordering online and through the Krispy Kreme app.
The doughnut purveyor joins a growing list of companies offering gas-related perks as Americans feel the pain at the pump and are forced to make difficult decisions about where to trim back on their budget. Southern fast-food chain Bojangles is dangling a free $10 gas card with the purchase of a family meal and grocers like Kroger and Giant Eagle are touting fuel programs that turn customers' grocery spending into a lower price per gallon, CNBC reports. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/krispy-kreme-tying-price-of-a-dozen-original-glazed-doughnuts-to-cost-of-gas/3644280/ | 2022-04-13T15:28:11 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/krispy-kreme-tying-price-of-a-dozen-original-glazed-doughnuts-to-cost-of-gas/3644280/ |
A four-story hotel under construction in the Camarillo part of Ventura County caught fire Tuesday night, sending flames and smoke billowing into the sky and creating quite the spectacle for drivers on the nearby 101 Freeway.
The fire began around 7 p.m. Tuesday evening. The construction was near the Camarillo Outlets, just off the Las Posas Road exit on the freeway.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the wooden structure became engulfed in flames in a matter of minutes.
High winds in Southern California worsened an already bad situation, causing the flames to blow intensely around the structure.
The wind also blew embers into nearby brush.
As of 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters from the Ventura County Fire Department had put out the majority of the fire, but remained on the scene to put out any hotspots. Roads in the area remained closed Wednesday morning.
Investigators say construction workers were on site when the fire started. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/fire-at-camarillo-hotel-under-construction-visible-from-101-freeway/3644320/ | 2022-04-13T15:28:17 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/fire-at-camarillo-hotel-under-construction-visible-from-101-freeway/3644320/ |
New Jersey is getting close to becoming the 19th state where recreational marijuana is sold.
Seven medical marijuana dispensaries in the Garden State were given the green light to sell recreational pot at 13 locations in a vote by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission on April 11, but the official licenses have not yet been issued.
What does that mean for people looking to buy pre-rolled marijuana joints, edibles or an ounce of "flower"? We asked two experts: longtime legalization advocate Chris Goldstein of NORML, and attorney Rob DiPisa, who represents marijuana companies on real estate and compliance issues.
When Will Recreational Marijuana Be Available in NJ?
New Jersey lawmakers purposefully left deadlines out of marijuana legislation. They were concerned, in part, that a rush to allow legal sales would lead to supply shortages and long lines, Goldstein said. Despite the lack of deadlines, Goldstein as well as officials with the state's CRC expressed optimism following the April 11 approvals that "opening day" for recreational weed could come by early May.
Supply problems create the most worrisome issue for prospective buyers in the months ahead. Also, frustrations for mom-and-pop retail shops could mount if licenses for smaller pot businesses are not issued for awhile, Goldstein and DiPisa said.
Where Can I Buy Weed Legally in NJ?
There are currently only medical marijuana dispensaries operating in New Jersey. Those are run by eight national companies, which combine to have 23 locations throughout the state. Here is a map of the locations.
Seven of those companies received the final approvals for recreational licenses and will be the first to expand into that realm soon. Many more prospective recreational retailers are also trying to open in New Jersey.
In fact, the CRC has issued 102 conditional approvals, which include dozens of small start-up businesses. But DiPisa said significant hurdles remain for start-up retailers, including securing zero- and low-interest loans and gaining local permits from municipalities to open.
Conditional approvals are not the same as the seven approvals handed out April 11 by the CRC, and are just an initial step in the regulatory process toward a state license. DiPisa said a way to improve the process for dozens of smaller prospective retailers is to free up those advantageous loans during the conditional approval phase. That is not currently the case, he said.
Why Are Big Weed Companies Like Curaleaf and Ascend Getting First Dibs on Recreational Pot in NJ?
One part of the 2021 legislation allowing recreational marijuana use stipulated that the existing medical marijuana dispensaries would get the first approvals, Goldstein said.
"The CRC may have wanted to have a broader opening day" that included other retailers, he said, but the commission doesn't really have much wiggle room because of the way the law is written.
The seven medical pot companies, which will sell recreational marijuana at 13 dispensaries, are:
- Acreage CCF New Jersey
- Curaleaf
- Columbia Care
- Verano
- GTI New Jersey
- Ascend New Jersey
- TerrAscend
Those companies are multi-state operators, meaning they have existing marijuana businesses in locations across the United States.
How Much Does Marijuana Cost in NJ?
The first thing to know is that it costs a lot, the experts said, both for medicinal purposes and, eventually, for recreational purposes.
An ounce of "flower," which is the raw bud product, costs between $320 to $480 for New Jersey medicinal patients, according to a recent published report by NJ.com. There is no state-regulated price, but there are state and local sales taxes based on weight that add to prices set by retailers.
The cost is high compared to prices in other states, including Maine, Florida and those in the West Coast. That has a lot to do with supply, real estate costs, and high local and cannabis-specific taxes, the experts said.
Nearby Pennsylvania patients also must pay very high prices for medicinal marijuana, Goldstein said. He mostly blames a system dominated by national corporations and rigid regulatory hurdles.
"A gram of gold is going for $62 these days. A gram of hash oil in Pennsylvania dispensaries sells for $100," Goldstein said. "You're telling me cannabis costs more to produce than the discovery, mining and refining of a precious metal?"
Stories about Legal Marijuana
Both Goldstein and DiPisa are hopeful that New Jersey buyers will eventually see the cost of marijuana go down as supply increases and more locations open.
"There are still a lot of people who say to me, 'Hey Chris, why do you do this?' It’s going to be gobbled up by corporations," Goldstein said of his advocacy for an expansion of the industry in Northeast states. "On a day like this in New Jersey (following the April 11 approvals), it feels like that a little bit. But maybe we’ll learn lessons along the way and it’ll get better."
DiPisa said federal and state marijuana laws don't make it easy on the big or small retailers and cultivators.
"These companies, especially the multi-state operators are dealing with a fragmented approach that isn't usual in other industries," he said. "There is a different set of regulations in every state they're operating in. It's not an efficient way to run a business, but we're dealing with the hands we're dealt." | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/marijuana-in-nj-when-will-legal-weed-become-available-to-everyone/3644184/ | 2022-04-13T15:28:37 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/marijuana-in-nj-when-will-legal-weed-become-available-to-everyone/3644184/ |
WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Providence Health & Services Washington (Providence) has agreed to pay nearly $22.7 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice over unnecessary medical procedures.
According to a statement from U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref, the settlement was aimed to resolve allegations that Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs for medically unnecessary neurosurgery procedures performed by two neurosurgeons.
One of the doctors is believed to be surgeon Jason A. Dryer who in 2021 was accused of pushing for extensive and unnecessary spine surgeries on patients for financial gain while he was a surgeon at the St. Mary's.
A Spokane patient, Dr. Deanette Palmer, filed a lawsuit in May 2021 against Dreyer and Multicare-Deaconess hospital in Spokane County for a September 2020 surgery. The suit claims the hospital stay was expected to last three days but she ended up staying for weeks.
"When I woke up from the surgery, I was in excruciating pain, I was unable to swallow, I wasn't able to move," Palmer said. "I was supposed to be in the hospital for two to three days. I ended up being there for two and a half weeks, went home with a feeding tube for six months. Pain is still extreme."
The settlement, which identified the two surgeons as Dr. A and Dr. B says the two surgeons performed complex spinal surgeries on patients at Providence St. Mary's, from which they received a financial incentive. They conducted more surgeries of greater complexity between 2013 and 2018.
According to the settlement, between 2014 and 2017, Providence paid Dr. A between $2.5 to $2.9 million per year. Providence was aware of the unsatisfactory surgeries both surgeons performed, they didn't report Dr. A and Dr. B the federal or state medical oversight bodies, according to Waldref.
Instead, Providence put them on administrative leave and allowed them to resign, which made them continue performing surgeries on other patients in different hospitals, the statement said.
"Providence’s failure to ensure that Dr. A and Dr. B were performing safe and medically appropriate surgery procedures, despite repeated warnings, put patients’ lives and safety at serious risk," Waldref said.
As part of the settlement, Providence entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, requiring Providence to implement and maintain several quality-of-care and patient safety obligations.
Additionally, the CIA requires Providence to retain outside experts to perform annual claims and clinical quality systems reviews.
"This multi-million dollar settlement holds Providence and its former doctors accountable for dubious actions that endangered patient safety and defrauded various healthcare programs," Bryan D. Denny, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General special agent, said.
According to the settlement, the case began in January 2020, when a whistleblower, the former medical director of neurosurgery at Providence-St Mary’s, filed a qui tam complaint under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.
When a whistleblower files a qui tam complaint, the False Claims Act requires the U.S. to investigate the allegations and elect whether to intervene and take over the action or to decline to intervene and allow the relator to go forward with the litigation on behalf of the U.S.
According to the settlement, the U.S. intervened in the action in January 2022 and reached the $22.7 settlement. Waldref said the whistleblower will receive more than $4 million of the total settlement amount following the agreement. She also said about $10 million will go to restitution for Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs. Three percent of the settlement will help fund enforcement of healthcare fraud and the remainder of the money will go to the federal treasury.
The settlement is the largest health care fraud in the Eastern District of Washington.
"This case is so important because we had an instance where doctors were performing unnecessary surgeries for money. We can't allow that to happen and my office will stand up against healthcare fraud to make sure that our community is safe and our community is strong," Waldref said.
Providence released the following statement related to the settlement on Tuesday:
"After fully cooperating with an investigation into two former spine surgeons at St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, Providence reached a settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Washington. Providence placed the two surgeons on leave after questions about their practices arose, and they left Providence in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Quality and safety are our top priorities at Providence, and we take any allegations relating to quality of care very seriously. Although the events in question occurred at one Providence hospital in the southeast region of Washington state, we initiated a broad and comprehensive internal review of our policies, practices and procedures to ensure robust compliance with government requirements and the delivery of high-quality care.
This unfortunate episode has reinforced our commitment to continuous quality improvement and highlighted the importance of our mission.
We are committed to taking specific, concrete actions to ensure this isolated incident in Walla Walla does not happen again. Providence has strong existing protocols and safeguards to ensure we deliver quality care and make continuous improvements that further enhance those protocols and safeguards. We have already taken swift action to implement the terms of the corporate integrity agreement that we have reached with the U.S. Department of Health’s Office of the Inspector General." | https://www.kgw.com/article/money/providence-to-pay-nearly-23m-settlement-in-unnecessary-medical-surgeries-lawsuit/293-2bc33170-a7de-4c61-a375-8e6acbf15fee | 2022-04-13T15:29:33 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/money/providence-to-pay-nearly-23m-settlement-in-unnecessary-medical-surgeries-lawsuit/293-2bc33170-a7de-4c61-a375-8e6acbf15fee |
PORTLAND, Ore. — A person died in a house fire in northeast Portland on Wednesday morning, Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) reported. A second occupant of the home was outside when firefighters arrived and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. That person is in critical condition.
PF&R has not identified the person who died or the person who was taken to the hospital. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire started at around 4 a.m. Wednesday at a house located on Northeast 57th Avenue between Wygant Street and Going Street.
When firefighters arrived, they saw fire coming from the front of the home and quickly discovered the fire had spread through the entire house.
Initially, crews had difficulty navigating the interior of the home and momentarily had to move back out before returning inside to put out the fire.
Most-read stories on KGW.com (April 13)
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Chan Jatikusuma owns Kin Express, a local food truck specializing in hibachi and sushi. Although it is based in Oxford, the food truck regularly visits neighboring towns, including Alexandria and Jacksonville, as well as festivals. To find out when Kin Express will be at a location near you, like their Facebook page at facebook.com/kinexpressfoodtruck, follow them on Instagram @kin.express or call 256-654-1333. | https://www.annistonstar.com/features/community/spotlight/spotlight-on-chan-jatikusuma-kin-express/article_dec4adec-ba91-11ec-840a-4bdf0872af66.html | 2022-04-13T15:29:40 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/features/community/spotlight/spotlight-on-chan-jatikusuma-kin-express/article_dec4adec-ba91-11ec-840a-4bdf0872af66.html |
PORTLAND, Ore. — After spending 12 hours stuck in Portland's West Hills, a Vancouver couple was rescued by the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) and Portland Police Bureau (PPB) around noon on Monday.
Michael and Lisa Silk's Prius slid off the road and into a hillside ditch on Northwest Germantown Road near Skyline Boulevard as the snow began to the fall early that morning. Trees blocking roads and treacherous conditions in that area made it challenging for first responders to get to them.
"Luckily we were only going 20 miles an hour, but it just went right into a hillside," Michael Silk said.
"Even if we had moved the car [and] got the car out of the ditch, we couldn't go anywhere," said Lisa Silk. "We heard the limbs cracking over our heads and falling and we had snowballs hitting the roof."
The Silks said they stayed in the running car until daylight after calling dispatchers, who told the stranded couple that rescuers were unable to reach them right away. A tow truck company they called couldn't reach them, with the roads closed to all drivers.
"All of our winter stuff was already out of the car, because it was like April," they said. "We didn't want to get stranded outside at 33 degrees, with no winter clothes, so yeah, we'd better stay in the car until we have to get out."
Before noon, the couple said they got a call from Sergeant Jesse Baker with WCSO.
"There was a call holding in our dispatch center saying that Portland police had requested assistance for a couple that was stranded up on Germantown Road," Baker said. "It looked like they had been there overnight. They were surrounded by trees and a lot of snow, but they were okay, they just couldn't get out."
"He said, 'I will get to you,'" Lisa recalled. "And we were thinking, 'No, you will not get to us, there's trees everywhere.'"
Along with a PPB officer and a deputy, Baker made his way to them despite all the obstacles.
"We were going to do everything we could. Even if we had to walk down there to get them, we were going to get them," he said.
After hearing nearby chainsaws, the couple got out of the Prius.
"We knew we were getting close to someone... As we came around, [Baker] said, 'Are you the Prius people?' And we said, 'Yes, that's us!'"
The trek out was just as challenging as the trek in. With the help a neighbor who had a tractor, they were finally in the clear, documenting the occasion with a photo.
"We all look very happy because I think we were all happy," Lisa said. "We got out of there, we had a successful thing happen." | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/vancouver-couple-stuck-snow-west-hills-portland-storm/283-ec2d154a-8211-4153-a854-a642b1c4874e | 2022-04-13T15:29:45 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/vancouver-couple-stuck-snow-west-hills-portland-storm/283-ec2d154a-8211-4153-a854-a642b1c4874e |
April 13, 1947, in The Star: The Southeastern Baseball League, boasting new faces all along the line from umpires to players, opens its second postwar season in two days, hopeful of equaling if not topping last year’s record attendance of nearly 636,000. Also this date: An advertisement announces the opening of a new and used car lot in Anniston being operated by Herbert Borders and W. R. (Bill) Lester. You’ll find them at the corner of 14th and Wilmer Avenue. In other local business news, H. Cooper Crossley, owner of the Crossley Cabinet and Construction Co., has completed negotiations for the sale of a half-interest in the company to Paul L. Pitts. The company will be known as the Crossley-Pitts Cabinet Construction Co.
April 13, 1997, in The Star: All Alabama hospitals, 97 percent of pharmacies and 80 percent of doctors are in the Blue Cross insurance network, we’re told in an in-depth article about the company and its services. Almost $3 billion annually flows through Blue Cross. But its nibbling competitors, primarily the state’s three health maintenance organizations, contend that Blue Cross is too big – that it uses its cash reserves to buy out potential competitors, uses its leverage to keep HMOs from competing, and that it enjoys special favors under state law. And these days, Blue Cross can use its influence in the Legislature to quash bills that work against its interests. “This monster is out there responsible for insuring three-fourths of the people of the state of Alabama, and [it doesn’t] have to abide by the regulations of the state insurance or health departments,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, one of several legislators who have introduced bills to regulate health insurers in Alabama. | https://www.annistonstar.com/features/look-back-to-a-deep-dive-into-blue-cross-1997/article_a09761fa-baf9-11ec-865b-0bfaa0f148cd.html | 2022-04-13T15:29:46 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/features/look-back-to-a-deep-dive-into-blue-cross-1997/article_a09761fa-baf9-11ec-865b-0bfaa0f148cd.html |
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will extend for two weeks the nationwide mask requirement for public transit as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was set to extend the order, which was to expire on April 18, by two weeks to monitor for any observable increase in severe virus outcomes as cases rise in parts of the country. The move was being made out of abundance of caution, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to preview the CDC's action.
When the Transportation Security Administration, which enforces the rule for planes, buses, trains and transit hubs, extended the requirement last month, it said the CDC had been hoping to roll out a more flexible masking strategy that would have replaced the nationwide requirement.
The mask mandate is the most visible vestige of government restrictions to control the pandemic, and possibly the most controversial. A surge of abusive and sometimes violent incidents on airplanes has been attributed mostly to disputes over mask-wearing.
Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January.
There has been a slight increase in cases in recent weeks, driven by an even more contagious subvariant of the omicron strain, with daily confirmed cases nationwide rising from about 25,000 per day to more than 30,000. Those figures are an undercount since many people now test positive on at-home tests that are not reported to public health agencies.
Severe illnesses and deaths tend to lag infections by several weeks. The CDC is awaiting indications of whether the increase in cases correlates to a rise in adverse outcomes before announcing a less restrictive mask policy for travel. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/federal-mask-mandate-for-transportation-extended/507-2c761be1-cc45-4ee7-aa81-1595de786326 | 2022-04-13T15:29:51 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/federal-mask-mandate-for-transportation-extended/507-2c761be1-cc45-4ee7-aa81-1595de786326 |
Anniston police made two arrests last week when separate traffic stops led to the discovery of controlled substances, a press release stated.
APD announced on its social media Saturday that traffic stops last week resulted in the seizure of more than 20 grams of methamphetamine from one stop, and a copious amount of drugs in another — including more than eight grams of crack cocaine, eight grams of ecstasy, methamphetamine and more.
The release stated that much of the drugs seized during the second stop was packaged for sale, in individual “baggies.”
Demetrice Lashaun Lee, 41, was arrested and charged with several crimes, including possession with intent to distribute.
Anniston police Chief Nick Bowles told The Star in a text message that officers searched Lee’s vehicle during the traffic stop when it smelled “heavily of marijuana.” He is being held in Calhoun County Jail on bond.
Claressa Williams, 53, was arrested on a prior warrant, and the drugs were found during the routine search prior to booking into the Calhoun County Jail, according to Bowles.
Williams was charged with multiple charges, including possession with intent to distribute, and is being held on bond.
Bowles said APD has a “Street Crimes Team” whose job is to detect illegal narcotics and firearms.
“Anniston has gotten a bad reputation from the people who buy and sell narcotics,” Bowles said. “Others use violence to further their narcotics sales and we will push back with everything we can.”
Bowles said Tuesday the Major Crimes Unit made use of Anniston’s special response team to conduct four narcotics search warrants on Tuesday alone.
“These are dealers. They are a menace to their neighborhoods and a blight on the name of the City of Anniston,” Bowles said. | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/anniston/anniston-police-department-bust-two-for-drugs-during-traffic-stops/article_734264b4-bac4-11ec-9594-8374dd2a6d6c.html | 2022-04-13T15:29:52 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/anniston/anniston-police-department-bust-two-for-drugs-during-traffic-stops/article_734264b4-bac4-11ec-9594-8374dd2a6d6c.html |
NEW YORK — A man sought in connection with an attack on a subway train in Brooklyn that left 10 people shot — and once again interrupted New York City’s long journey to post-pandemic normalcy — is now considered a suspect, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.
Investigators had initially been searching for Frank R. James as a person of interest. Police said Tuesday that James rented a van possibly connected to Tuesday's violence, but that they weren't sure whether he was responsible for the shooting itself. Adams, speaking to NPR on Wednesday morning, did not offer details on why officials were now seeking James as a suspect beyond citing “new information that became available to the team.”
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 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, who was already isolating following a positive COVID-19 test Sunday.
Adams said Wednesday that investigators were zeroed in on finding James.
“We are going to continue to close the loop around him and bring him in, and continue the investigation into this horrific act against innocent New Yorkers,” the Democrat said on MSNBC.
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 all 10 wounded in the shooting were expected to survive. At least a dozen others 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, he said, and he realized there was smoke.
When the train pulled into the 36th Street station in the Sunset Park neighborhood, 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 station was open as usual Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the violence. Commuter Jude Jacques, who takes the D train to his job as a fire safety director some two blocks from the shooting scene, said he prays every morning but had a special request on Wednesday.
“I said, ‘God, everything is in your hands,’” Jacques said. “I was antsy, and you can imagine why. Everybody is scared because it just happened.”
The subway system as a whole was operating normally on Wednesday, with police checking backpacks at some stations, including the Atlantic Avenue/Barclay's Center hub.
Tuesday's 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, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. The van was later found, unoccupied, near a station where investigators determined the gunman had entered the subway system, Essig said.
Federal investigators determined the gun used in the shooting was purchased by James at a pawn shop — a licensed firearms dealer — in the Columbus, Ohio, area in 2011, said a law enforcement official who wasn't authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
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.
In one video, posted a day before the attack, he 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 safety in 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 said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual."
___
Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jim Mustian, 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.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/hunt-for-nyc-subway-gunman/507-9d392b57-06e3-441f-b3b0-80a95ee25c2e | 2022-04-13T15:29:57 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/hunt-for-nyc-subway-gunman/507-9d392b57-06e3-441f-b3b0-80a95ee25c2e |
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers have finally made it to the most important week of their season and they aren't even playing. They're at home watching the play-in round of the Western Conference postseason because the future of the Blazers franchise will be shaped one way or another this week.
If the New Orleans Pelicans make the playoffs, the Blazers will not get a lottery pick from the Pelicans this year and Portland's quest for a quick summer overhaul will take a massive hit. That's why all of Rip City is invested in the play-in games, starting with Tuesday night's matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers. We recap that game and congratulate the Wolves on celebrating a lot and heading into the playoffs and still really celebrating a lot.
Then we preview the biggest game of the Blazers season: Pelicans-Spurs on Wednesday night at The Blender in New Orleans. If New Orleans loses, Portland can rejoice with a ~90% chance of getting the 11th or 12th pick in the upcoming draft. If New Orleans wins, it's time to sweat because the Pelicans will advance to a winner-take-eighth game against the Clippers on Friday in Los Angeles.
The Clippers losing isn't the worst outcome from a Blazers perspective. The show closes with a look at a potential Clippers-Pelicans matchup and why L.A. dropping its first play-in game might be just fine for those of us rooting for draft picks in Rip City.
WATCH: Locked On Blazers podcast
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About Locked On Blazers
Mike Richman has covered the Portland Trail Blazers in various capacities since 2014 as a beat writer for The Oregonian, a reporter at NBC Sports Northwest and now in the form of the only daily Trail Blazers podcast, Locked On Blazers. The Pass First Point Guard will get you closer to the team with reports from inside the Moda Center and by unpacking the statistics to know and about your favorite team. You will also find regular guests and can get your questions answered with weekly mailbag shows.
If you would like to participate in the weekly mailbag show, submit your questions to @mikegrich on Twitter or email lockedonblazerspod@gmail.com.
Locked On Blazers is the best way to stay up to date on the latest happenings in the Portland basketball world. It’s available wherever you get podcasts and on YouTube with new shows every weekday.
RELATED: Joe Cronin gives the blueprints for the Trail Blazers' offseason | Locked On Blazers podcast | https://www.kgw.com/article/sports/nba/blazers/pelicans-play-in-preview-trail-blazers-impact/283-bae89f49-bcb6-4502-92fb-5dfc939f1901 | 2022-04-13T15:30:03 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/sports/nba/blazers/pelicans-play-in-preview-trail-blazers-impact/283-bae89f49-bcb6-4502-92fb-5dfc939f1901 |
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Posted: Apr 13, 2022 / 09:58 AM EDT
Updated: Apr 13, 2022 / 09:58 AM EDT | https://www.wane.com/contests/enter-for-a-chance-to-win-a-golf-prize-pack-from-trineonline/ | 2022-04-13T15:32:41 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/contests/enter-for-a-chance-to-win-a-golf-prize-pack-from-trineonline/ |
Brockton man was sentenced to life without parole but he will soon be free
BOSTON — Thomas Koonce, one of two Brockton men who received the Bay State's first commutations for murder in a quarter-century, will soon depart prison after 31 years behind bars.
The Parole Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to award parole to Koonce, a decision that will allow him to return to the community, with some conditions in place, nearly three decades after he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for murdering Mark Santos.
In its decision, the board said Koonce has "taken responsibility for the death of Mr. Santos and has spent his incarceration working towards his rehabilitation," describing him as "remorseful and empathetic towards the Santos family and the community."
"He has had an excellent adjustment and has taken extraordinary steps to improve himself and the lives of other incarcerated individuals including initiating Restorative Justice and continuing involvement in the Second Thoughts Program," the board, which is chaired by Gloriann Moroney, wrote.
"He has been a mentor and facilitator to many in the incarcerated population. Mr. Koonce's self-development has also included achieving a bachelor's degree and vocational skills. Much of his rehabilitative work occurred prior to any opportunity for parole."
When he leaves MCI-Norfolk, Koonce will be required to go to the Criminal Resources for Justice program at Boston's Brooke House, a transitional residential home for men departing incarceration, for four months as a condition of his parole.
Real estate report:$13 million multi-family property in Plymouth
He will then be released to an approved family-sponsored or independent living home plan, where he will be subject to electronic monitoring, supervised to ensure he abstains from drugs and alcohol, expected to comply with a substance abuse evaluation plan, and required to remain home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Koonce will not be permitted to have any contact with the victim's family, which has previously opposed his push for release. He must also participate in counseling to help him adjust to life outside prison.
In 1987, during an altercation between groups of people from New Bedford and Brockton, Koonce fired a gun out of a vehicle window, striking and killing the 24-year-old Santos.
Koonce, a U.S. Marine veteran, rejected a proposed deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to manslaughter, which would have carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. A Bristol Superior Court jury in 1992 convicted him of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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At his commutation hearing in January, Koonce, now 55, opened his remarks by apologizing to the Santos family, saying he knows their lives "will never be the same."
"I take full responsibility for taking his life," Koonce said of Santos. "My life will be forever dedicated to giving back to society."
The Santos family unsuccessfully urged the Governor's Council to reject a push to reduce Koonce's sentence, likening their suffering in the wake of Mark's murder to a life sentence.
"If Koonce's sentence is shortened, what board should we go to for our sentence reduction?" the Santos parents wrote to the panel. "Our family is asking your honor not to renege on a promise the state of Massachusetts made to our family in 1992. It was the promise of life in prison without a chance at parole that ensured our family that we deserved justice for our loved one."
Koonce became eligible to seek release on parole after earning support for a commutation bid he launched in 2014. Following the Parole Board's recommendation, Gov. Charlie Baker in January announced he wanted to reduce the sentences of Koonce and 48-year-old William Allen to second-degree murder, which would allow them to petition for parole.
The Governor's Council on Feb. 16 unanimously approved both commutation petitions, representing the first time since 1997 that the elected panel commuted a first-degree murder sentence and only the second time in the past 25 years that it awarded any commutation at all.
"I just want to be clear that I think that both of these men should have been convicted," Councilor Terry Kennedy of Lynnfield said at the time of the commutation vote. "They both committed very, very serious crimes and young men died as a result of their actions. ... It doesn't mean that they're innocent of what they did. And they've paid a very high price for what they did. But I think they've both paid enough." | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/crime/2022/04/12/brocktons-thomas-koonce-granted-parole-after-31-years-prison/7296233001/ | 2022-04-13T15:33:51 | 1 | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/crime/2022/04/12/brocktons-thomas-koonce-granted-parole-after-31-years-prison/7296233001/ |
Man trained in Jiu-Jitsu stops alleged knife attack by Randolph co-worker
CAMBRIDGE. — Two construction workers were seriously injured Monday when they were stabbed by a co-worker before another co-worker at a Cambridge job site stopped the attack.
Carcensky Salvant, 21, of Randolph, allegedly stabbed a male co-worker at the Wheeler Street construction site over an alleged debt that was owed to Salvant by the victim.
The man was stabbed in the leg by Salvant while the victim was on a ladder, officials said.
Another man who tried to stop the attack was stabbed in his back.
A third co-worker, identified only as Lito M., was able to successfully disarm a folding knife from Salvant and restrain him until officers arrived and placed him in handcuffs. He said his training in Jiu-Jitsu helped him take control of the situation.
“My arms were going numb. I was starting to go numb a little bit, but I just kept switching back and forth from being taught. It was tough,” the worker said. “When I had him on the ground, he kept saying, ‘He owes me.’ That's it. We don't know what he owes him for. The kid that he stabbed is a young kid. He's not like that person. He is a good kid and a hard worker.”
All of the men involved in the incident work for Shawnlee Construction – a subcontractor on the job site.
"I had to do it. My co-worker was getting stabbed," Lito said.
Both victims suffered serious injuries. They are not expected to be life-threatening.
A knife was recovered by officers and taken into evidence, officials said.
Salvant was arraigned on two counts of armed assault to murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery to collect a loan. He was ordered held without bail. | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/crime/2022/04/12/randolph-jiu-jitsu-stabbing-cambridge-construction-site-carcensky-salvant/7287476001/ | 2022-04-13T15:33:57 | 1 | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/crime/2022/04/12/randolph-jiu-jitsu-stabbing-cambridge-construction-site-carcensky-salvant/7287476001/ |
Blow-out boot camp: Black Southeastern cosmo teacher wants to close haircare gap
EASTON — Briana Brown, one of the first — if not the first — African-American cosmetology teachers at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, is finding new ways to break down the haircare gap when it comes to servicing clients.
Not only is Brown making history, but Massachusetts is as well. Recently the state Senate passed the CROWN Act banning discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles.
A 2021 study conducted by Dove and the CROWN Coalition found that race-based hair discrimination starts as early as 5 years old and lingers into adulthood.
Brown wants the future hairstylist attending her classes to be well versed in the different wave patterns clients may have so they never feel bad about themselves once they leave a salon.
The same study surveyed 1,000 young female students and 32% of the Black respondents said negative comments about their hair negatively impacted their self-esteem.
In today's society, the industry is becoming more diverse, Brown said, but coily and curly hair is often left on the back burner.
In many states, there isn't a coily or curly hair requirement on the state licensing exams, and some hairstylists aren't required to learn in school how to style, cut or treat coily or curly hair, Brown said.
"The state, for a long time, did not focus their energy on curly or coily hair. It didn't specify you have to use curly or coily hair in the curriculum. So if you are an educator, it was your responsibility to figure that out to incorporate it somehow, but if you didn't know how to do it, how would you be able to incorporate it?" Brown said.
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"I do find that there is a gap, and people are very scared to touch curly hair cause they think it's harder, but it's not. It's what you make, only the technique changes. That's why I do the blow-out boot camp," Brown said.
The blow-out boot camp
The blow-out boot camp teaches students four blow dry methods on manikins with various wave patterns. All blow-outs must come out sleek and straight, no matter the wave pattern.
The four-wave patterns are straight, wavy, curly, and coily or kinky, which gives students different ways to tackle any wave pattern.
"I would love for my students to take the idea that no one should ever be turned away from service or a hair salon because of lack of knowledge. It's your responsibility to find out how to do it. No one should ever be removed or taken from a salon because you haven't figured out the knowledge," Brown said.
At Southeastern, the cosmetology department makes sure students are fully equipped with the knowledge and tools for every hair type.
Real estate report:$2.6M Stoughton apartments, $1M single-family in Easton
When Brown arrived at Southeastern, she was impressed with the school's existing curriculum and its inclusion of coily and curly hair textures. Brown may be the first cosmetology instructor of color in Southeastern's history, but the school was not certain of that.
"The curriculum before I got here had all the things they needed for curly and coily training. They had the manikins and the hot stove. They have everything I could utilize as a teacher to teach my different students techniques, and of course, I could bring my flair and background to it," Brown said.
A pioneer
In honor of Black History Month, the cosmetology department invited a special guest, Sandra Bronson, who visited the school on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.
Bronson's grandmother Elizabeth Newton founded the La Newton School of Beauty Culture in 1949. It was the first Black-owned business that opened in Dorchester.
"The dedication and legacy by Newton has helped to pave the way for black cosmetology educators like Briana Brown, who is one of the first educators of color in the high school cosmetology department at Southeastern. Among the next generation of cosmetologists Brown is helping to teach is sophomore Rhema Heywood, Bronson's granddaughter," Southeastern said in a press release.
A calling
Since a teen, Brown knew she wanted to be a cosmetologist and begged her mother to attend a vocational school.
The Dorchester native attended Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in Malden and graduated in 2012 with a cosmetology license.
After working in the industry for a few years, Brown decided to teach and also run a special events beauty business on the side.
Currently, Brown is working towards an occupational education degree at Fitchburg University and running a small business.
Teaching cosmetology at Southeastern is Brown's livelihood, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.
"I love everything about teaching. It connects and shapes the minds of the next generation," Brown said.
Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss and Instagram at Alishaatv. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today. | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/education/2022/04/12/easton-southeastern-regional-vocational-school-black-cosmetology-teacher-haircare-curly-crown-act/7152895001/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:03 | 1 | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/education/2022/04/12/easton-southeastern-regional-vocational-school-black-cosmetology-teacher-haircare-curly-crown-act/7152895001/ |
Middleboro High baseball finds first win thanks to Tullish twins
ABINGTON – When Middleboro High baseball coach Josh Porter reaches deep into his bullpen, a trusted arm is bound to emerge.
And the odds are pretty good that the arm belongs to a Tullish twin.
That was the case in the Sachems 8-4 win over Abington on Monday, as Porter called on both twin right-hander's, Nate and Justin Tullish, to take the mound. Nate pitched two scoreless innings and Justin followed with a closing appearance in the seventh that he used to lock the win. He struck out three of the four batters he saw.
More:MEET THE TEAM: Middleboro Little Leaguers want to write their own story on biggest stage
“They kind of take my job away from me," senior shortstop Derek Zakrosky joked. "They’re striking out kids, making kids ground out, fly balls – it’s amazing.”
Nate Tullish entered in the fourth inning with Middleboro ahead 6-4. With one out and a man at first, Abington's Drew Donovan drilled a drive to deep center field. Abington's Jon Sellon was given the green light to round third and test his chances at a safe slide across home plate. Middleboro center fielder Nick Marzelli rushed the ball back to the cut-off man at short, Zakrosky, who rifled it to catcher Garrett Butler for a timely tag.
“I trust my fielders all the time. I shouldn’t have let up the hit, but as soon as I saw Derek get the ball, I knew it was over," Nate Tullish said. "And I trusted Garrett to make the tag.”
“I feel like that really got us hyped in the dugout," Zakrosky said. "One big play can get the whole team going, get the whole momentum going and I feel like that was the one thing that really happened for us.”
More:Middleboro High baseball and softball teams swinging for the fences again this season
Justin Tullish entered in the seventh with Middleboro leading 8-4 and slid 2 of his 3 Ks past Abington batters reluctant to take a swing.
“When I come to close, I just try to throw gas and blow right through the bats," said Justin Tullish, who also reached base with three walks, offensively. "But that’s been a problem of mine because I start to lose composure so I've just got to center myself and remember that I’m a pitcher, not a thrower, and I’ve got to be my best self.”
For Porter, the Tullish twins are especially valuable for their junior campaigns as the Sachems bade farewell to 12 players over the course this past offseason. Coming off a 17-1 season in 2021 that featured an appearance in the Division 3 South Final, there were a lot of moving parts in this season's chase to run it all back.
"They were big of us last year as sophomores, I expect them to play the same role this year,” said Porter. “It’s nice to go to those guys because we’re not a young team, but we’re a new team. When I say we’re new, a lot of these guys I haven’t seen play (a lot). This is only the second game being out there so it’s nice and reassuring to have two guys who were big parts of the program last year.”
More:Abington High baseball team fueled by loss in last year's Div. 4 state championship game
Porter added that the team's personality has yet to be found, but it'll come as he finds definite roles for those who win their position battles in the early-going of the season.
“We lost some key players, South Shore League All-Stars, but the guys filling in are doing phenomenal," Justin Tullish said. "You can’t even tell this Middleboro team is different. (There is) a lot of potential for this team and I’m excited for this year.”
After rolling through the regular season perfect a season ago, the first quest of 2022 greeted Middleboro with a 7-2 season-opening loss to Somerset Berkley. The Sachems had the game tied 1-1 heading into the seventh inning, but fell short, 7-2. A week without a game allowed for plenty of reflection, which helped Porter's group find an improved outing in Abington.
“That took the pressure of being 17-0 last season off of us," Zakrosky said of the loss. "I feel like that really humbled us, brought us back down to Earth and now we’re ready to go on from here.”
Middleboro broke open a 6-3 lead in the third inning as Zakrosky, Butler, Justin Tullish, Peter Goodine and Trevor Puryear all came across to score in the frame.
“It feels good to get the first (win)," Porter said. "I told them – I didn’t think we were going to go 20-0, I didn’t think we were going to go 0-20. We’ll see what happens in the next 18 games.” | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2022/04/12/middleboro-high-baseball-team-finds-first-win-over-abington/7285509001/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:09 | 0 | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2022/04/12/middleboro-high-baseball-team-finds-first-win-over-abington/7285509001/ |
West Bridgewater and Abington softball have no rebuilding plans, they're just reloading
ABINGTON — On paper, this spring looks like it should be a pair of rebuilding seasons for the Abington and West Bridgewater High softball teams.
The Green Wave have just one senior and will be without sophomore captain and catcher Katie Bailey, a returning Enterprise All-Scholastic who will miss the season due to a torn ACL.
The Wildcats start a pair of seventh-graders -- McKenzie Craig in the circle and Fallon Smith at first base. WB graduated two All-Scholastics (Alexis Anderson, Kelsey Connors) who led the team to the Division 3 South Sectional final last season.
But programs of Abington and WB’s caliber don’t rebuild, they reload.
More:Abington High baseball team fueled by loss in last year's Div. 4 state championship game
“I think that’s absolutely on the goal list every year,” said Abington coach Jenna Olem when asked if the Green Wave always have a state-title-or-bust mentality. “We’ve really tried to strengthen our non-league schedule this year and just learn through that.”
“We’re building,” said WB coach Mike Hyde following an 11-1 loss to Abington on Tuesday. “It’s fun that there’s a seventh-grade pitcher and there’s a seventh-grader first baseman and all of a sudden we’re building around that. We expect games like this against a program like Abington, who is good year out. And we’re the same kind of program.”
A tide of youth
Saying the Green Wave only have one senior (Meghan McCann) undersells their youth. Eighth-grader Isabella Abrams is batting out of the No. 2 spot. Her classmate, Elsie Testa, who pitched 3 innings of relief while allowing 1 run on Tuesday, will serve as Abington’s No. 2 pitcher behind junior Shannon Varvitsiotis. Testa started the game in right field and scored a run out of the No. 8 spot in the order.
More:Strikeout artists, speed demons and home run hitters: Meet our Softball All-Scholastics
“They don’t shy away from the spotlight,” said Olem of Abington’s youngest players. “They’ve been filling in everywhere. Bella can play anywhere, she’s scrappy. She was the only one (in Monday's loss to Middleboro) that reached base every time. (The young kids are) just all in. Elsie is going to be a great second pitcher to not have Shannon throw that many innings. I have a ton of confidence in her.”
Freshman Brenna Howley plays shortstop and bats leadoff. She went 4 for 4 against WB with a double, triple and 2 runs scored. Starting center fielder Gabby Hockney, who went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, is also a freshman.
Sophomore Calli Pineau and juniors Varvitsiotis, Ava DiPietro and Madison Perry (captain) are the veterans.
More:Calli Pineau fitting in just fine on the Abington High boys hockey team
“It’s very exciting,” said Olem of coaching Abington’s youth and talent. “They show me new things every day. From day one to now we’re four weeks in and they’ve improved every day. There’s still a lot of habits and mental stuff that they’re going to gain through experience, but I mean overall this is a team that’s very deep and we can do a lot.
"Everything is a fluid situation. These girls are fighting for their spots every day, which I think that competition makes nobody sit back. Everyone is bringing it.”
Varvitsiotis had a strong debut season as a sophomore last season, but she’s shown improvement early this season. Through four games, she’s only surrendered 2 walks. Against WB, she pitched four innings of 1-hit ball (a bloop single by WB’s Olivia Razza) while striking out 8. She also went 2 for 3 at the plate with a double, triple and 2 RBI.
“She’s much stronger this year,” said Olem of her pitcher. “She’s more focused and hitting her spots really well.
“Coming in as a junior I see a lot of growth with her, just mentally, and she really wants to win. She wants this team to be good. She trusts her fielders a lot more I feel like, too.”
Keira Howley, a junior, has stepped in at catcher due to Bailey’s injury.
“Keira is doing a really great job, she’s learning back there and getting better game every game,” said Olem.
Bailey is a major loss for the Green Wave. As a freshman, more than half of her hits went for extra bases. With her absence, Abington is looking to utilize its speed and athleticism to manufacture more runs.
Bailey has not disappeared, though, as she’s still a big contributor on the bench.
“She is such big shoes to fill, but she is here every single day before practice, after practice, helping the catchers,” said Olem. “She’s almost like a third coach. I know she’s dying to play and we know we can’t fill her shoes, which is why we’re trying to play more small ball.
"She’s still that vocal leader. We ride and die with her.”
Perry, Abington’s other captain, is currently nursing an injury also. “She’s so positive and she brings everybody together,” said Olem.
McCann, that lone senior, will also be leaned upon for leadership. Olem said she’s a calming presence for Abington’s younger players.
Tuesday’s result was a sign of resiliency for Abington. On Monday, the Green Wave suffered one bad inning and saw a 0-0 game in the sixth inning turn into a 9-0 loss against an always talented Middleboro team.
WB will continue to get better
Craig was faced with the unenviable task of trying to slow down Abington’s high-octane offense. Although her pitching line doesn’t reveal a gem, it left out how impressive her performance was battling against one of the state’s toughest lineups.
After allowing a run in each of the first four innings, she left runners on base in the fifth and sixth innings without allowing any to cross. She left a runner on third base in the second inning with a key strikeout.
“I don’t think she realizes it and everybody is telling her how good (Abington) is and she just thinks, ‘Oh I’m terrible, I’m bad,’” said Hyde of his pitcher. “We’re trying to tell her this is as good as it gets in this division, so if you can go against that and keep it close, they’re there.”
The Wildcats lost on Monday against Southeastern, 6-5. WB rallied to the tie game after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning. The Wildcats plated 2 in the seventh inning but couldn’t find the tying run before the final out.
“We got down early last game against Southeastern and they could have said, ‘Okay, we’re done,’” said Hyde. “The fact is they came back and tied it and then came back and almost took it over in the seventh inning and here they are the very next day, they could have shrugged their shoulders, had their heads down but they’re lifting each other up.”
WB will be led by its four captains.
Natalia Fredericksen is lone senior in that group. She started at second base.
"She’s just been around forever,” said Hyde of his senior captain. “She’s great at second base.”
Center fielder Amanda Jacques, catcher Lilly Martel and third baseman Razza are all junior captains.
Jacques bats leadoff and can cover a ton of ground in the outfield. Martel is solid behind the plate and is helping Craig acclimate to varsity ball. Razza is a vocal leader.
Sophomore shortstop Neala Boyd is off to a stellar start this season. Although she went 0 for 3 against Abington, she played a strong game defensively. Through WB’s first three games, Boyd was a torrid 11 for 13 at the plate with 13 RBI.
“She’s such a good hitter, she’s so disciplined and she’s just as sweet as she can be,” said Hyde. “I have her in class. If I think she’s good at softball, she’s better at algebra.” | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2022/04/13/abington-and-west-bridgewater-high-softball-teams-season-preview/7296924001/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:15 | 1 | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/sports/high-school/softball/2022/04/13/abington-and-west-bridgewater-high-softball-teams-season-preview/7296924001/ |
Experts: Protect backyard flocks against the avian flu
NORTH MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - The avian flu is infecting birds across the country, and experts warn it could spread to flocks in your backyard.
Experts said the best way to keep your birds protected is to avoid attracting wild birds and waterfowl to your home.
You should also limit visitors and avoid traveling with your birds.
In many cases, changes in energy, appetite and water consumption are the first signs of the illness.
Bird owners who suspect the flu is spreading through their flock should contact animal health officials right away.
The flu has caused poultry prices to rise, and it’s causing more people to consider getting flocks of their own.
“Uniquely enough, here we are approaching the Easter season which is a very high demand for eggs, and so that’s why we’re probably motivated from an economic standpoint,” said Brad Schloesser, Dean of Agriculture at South Central College.
Experts said there are some things you should know before you buy.
“If you are thinking of doing it in a small scale just in the backyard, make sure you’re informed about, ok what are the responsibilities and how do we best do this to care for the animal so they can provide for you,” Schloesser added.
The USDA said grocery shoppers shouldn’t be worried about buying poultry products.
Infected birds are prohibited from being sold.
Copyright 2022 KEYC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/experts-protect-backyard-flocks-against-avian-flu/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:20 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/experts-protect-backyard-flocks-against-avian-flu/ |
Amazon: IMDb TV will be renamed Amazon Freevee
(AP) - Amazon announced Wednesday its free streaming service IMDb TV will be renamed Amazon Freevee.
The new name will take effect on April 27, the company said in a news release.
The retailer said the streaming service will also expand its original programming by 70% in 2022, with spinoffs of shows such as “Bosh: Legacy” and other series. It will also add more original movies.
Amazon.com Inc. said the ad-supported service has tripled its monthly active users in the past two years and is expected to launch in Germany later this year.
“We’re looking forward to building on this momentum with an increasing slate of inventive and broadly appealing Originals, and are excited to establish Freevee as the premier AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) service with content audiences crave,” Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said in the news release.
Wednesday’s announcement comes as the retail giant embraces a path to boost its streaming services. Last month, the company closed an $8.5 billion deal to acquire Hollywood studio MGM, making it Amazon’s second-largest acquisition following its $13.7 billion deal with Whole Foods in 2017. That acquisition was targeted to make the company better compete against Netflix and Disney+.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/amazon-imdb-tv-will-be-renamed-amazon-freevee/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:26 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/amazon-imdb-tv-will-be-renamed-amazon-freevee/ |
AP source: CDC to extend travel mask mandate for two weeks
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will extend for two weeks the nationwide mask requirement for public transit as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was set to extend the order, which was to expire on April 18, by two weeks to monitor for any observable increase in severe virus outcomes as cases rise in parts of the country. The move was being made out of abundance of caution, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to preview the CDC’s action. The requirement will now extend through May 3, 2022.
When the Transportation Security Administration, which enforces the rule for planes, buses, trains and transit hubs, extended the requirement last month, it said the CDC had been hoping to roll out a more flexible masking strategy that would have replaced the nationwide requirement.
The mask mandate is the most visible vestige of government restrictions to control the pandemic, and possibly the most controversial. A surge of abusive and sometimes violent incidents on airplanes has been attributed mostly to disputes over mask-wearing.
Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January.
There has been a slight increase in cases in recent weeks, driven by an even more contagious subvariant of the omicron strain, with daily confirmed cases nationwide rising from about 25,000 per day to more than 30,000. Those figures are an undercount since many people now test positive on at-home tests that are not reported to public health agencies.
Severe illnesses and deaths tend to lag infections by several weeks. The CDC is awaiting indications of whether the increase in cases correlates to a rise in adverse outcomes before announcing a less restrictive mask policy for travel.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/ap-source-cdc-extend-travel-mask-mandate-two-weeks/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:32 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/ap-source-cdc-extend-travel-mask-mandate-two-weeks/ |
California lawmakers propose 4-day work week
(KOVR) - A California proposal to shorten the work week is gaining traction.
The measure would implement a four-day work week, dropping from 40 hours to 32 – and require overtime pay beyond that.
The four-day work week would apply to companies with 500 hundred employees or more.
California state Rep. Evan Low co-authored the bill.
“We’re hearing time and time again about greater worker flexibility. That’s what workers are demanding. And this provides us an opportunity to reimagine the workforce, uplifting the voice of workers while also helping to ensure that we can do the type of things in a more efficient manner, and also taking care of our families and our loved ones.”
Workers would still make the same amount of money, despite working less.
The California Chamber of Commerce has pushed back, saying the proposal would be a “job killer” by making hiring more expensive.
Copyright 2022 KOVR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/california-lawmakers-propose-4-day-work-week/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:39 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/california-lawmakers-propose-4-day-work-week/ |
California woman admits she faked her own kidnapping in 2016
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) - The northern California woman accused of faking her own kidnapping in 2016 has signed a plea deal and will confess she made everything up.
Sherri Papini, now 39, said in a statement in part, “I am deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so sorry for the pain I’ve caused.”
Her attorney, William Portanova, confirmed that she signed a plea agreement Tuesday.
Papini’s husband reported her missing in November 2016 after she had gone out for a jog near her home. Three weeks later, on Thanksgiving, she was found alone on an interstate 140 miles from home.
She said she was kidnapped by two women who held her captive, chained in a closet. Her elaborate story included details about her supposed assailants wearing masks, holding her at gunpoint and branding her with a heated tool.
Federal prosecutors said Papini injured herself to back up her false statements.
The Justice Department said Papini had actually stayed with an ex-boyfriend in southern California for the three weeks she was reportedly missing.
Federal prosecutors said Papini received more than $30,000 in fraudulent victim assistance money based on the hoax. She is also facing charges of mail fraud and making false statements to a federal law enforcement officer.
Copyright 2022 KCRA via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/california-woman-admits-she-faked-her-own-kidnapping-2016/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:50 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/california-woman-admits-she-faked-her-own-kidnapping-2016/ |
Steve Stucker
Updated: April 13, 2022 07:56 AM
Created: April 13, 2022 07:52 AM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A cold front has brought cooler temperatures into the area for Wednesday but winds still remain.
Gusts will be upwards of 40 MPH or more in areas northeast of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, especially, where crews continue to battle the Hermits Peak Fire.
In Ruidoso, temperatures will be in the 50s and west winds at 20 to 30 MPH will develop in the afternoon as crews continue to battle the McBride Fire. In Belen, temperatures will linger in the low-60s with WNW winds of 15 to 25 MPH as crews battle the nearby Big Hole Fire.
We are saluting the brave human beings fighting the wildfires across the state as we take a look at conditions for Wednesday.
Click the video above to view Steve Stucker's full Wednesday morning forecast.
Copyright 2022 - KOB-TV LLC, A Hubbard Broadcasting Company | https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/cooler-temps-arrive-for-wednesday-wind-and-fire-danger-remain/6445230/?cat=500 | 2022-04-13T15:34:58 | 1 | https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/cooler-temps-arrive-for-wednesday-wind-and-fire-danger-remain/6445230/?cat=500 |
Children as young as 8 should be screened for anxiety, task force says
(CNN) - Mental health in children and adolescents has only worsened during the pandemic, experts say.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is set to recommend that children ages 8 and older should be screened for anxiety.
The task force is made up of an independent panel of experts who makes recommendations on screenings and preventative medicine.
The decision to recommend early screenings in children for anxiety was based on a review of studies that evaluated screening tests in adolescents and the benefits of early treatment.
The task force found with moderate certainty that screening for anxiety in children older than 8 would lead to improving outcomes.
The draft report was released on the task force’s website on Tuesday.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/children-young-8-should-be-screened-anxiety-task-force-says/ | 2022-04-13T15:34:57 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/children-young-8-should-be-screened-anxiety-task-force-says/ |
Jonathan Fjeld
Updated: April 13, 2022 07:21 AM
Created: April 13, 2022 07:14 AM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A suspected vehicle thief was shot by an Albuquerque police officer at a hotel near Central and Tramway.
A stolen vehicle was located Tuesday night by APD in the area of Pennsylvania and Central. It was tracked to a Motel 6 near Central and Tramway, where at least one officer came into contact with the suspected vehicle thief and shots were fired.
No officers were reportedly injured but the suspect is in critical condition at UNMH.
According to APD, the suspect had two active warrants, including failure to comply with conditions of pretrial release. Other charges may be pressed, pending an investigation.
No firearm was recovered at the scene. The officer who fired the shots was placed on standard administrative leave amid the ongoing investigation.
This is an ongoing active investigation. Stay with KOB.com and KOB 4 Eyewitness News for more updates.
Copyright 2022 - KOB-TV LLC, A Hubbard Broadcasting Company | https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/vehicle-theft-suspect-shot-critically-injured-by-apd-/6445189/?cat=500 | 2022-04-13T15:35:04 | 0 | https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/vehicle-theft-suspect-shot-critically-injured-by-apd-/6445189/?cat=500 |
Chris Tucker donates to high school choir’s Carnegie Hall performance
MCDONOUGH, Ga. (Gray News) - Comedian Chris Tucker surprised a high school choir program invited to perform at Carnegie Hall by helping them reach their goal of $201,579.25.
Tucker showed up at Ola High School on Wednesday to let the students know that the Chris Tucker Foundation was paying off the rest of the balance the choir needed to travel to New York City for their performance.
The program’s director, Mindy Forehand, posted a video on Facebook saying that the comedian “brought my kids a check for the Carnegie Hall balance.” The balance is due Friday.
“His quick action was an answer to prayer,” teacher Melissa Stroup said.
The high school announced their invitation to perform in February 2020. They have worked on raising the money through fundraisers and other events since then but still came up short.
Earlier this week, the choir still needed more than $16,000, according to their GoFundMe page.
Their performance is scheduled for June 20.
“These students will never forget his gift or that very teachable moment to carry with them,” Stroup said.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/chris-tucker-donates-high-school-choirs-carnegie-hall-performance/ | 2022-04-13T15:35:06 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/chris-tucker-donates-high-school-choirs-carnegie-hall-performance/ |
Trucker blockade snarls US-Mexico border over Texas order
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — One of the busiest trade ports on the U.S.-Mexico border remained effectively closed Wednesday as frustration and traffic snarls mounted over new orders by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requiring extra inspections of commercial trucks as part of the Republican’s sprawling border security operation.
Since Monday, Mexican truckers have blocked the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in protest after Abbott last week directed state troopers to stop and inspect trucks coming into Texas. Unusually long backups — some lasting 12 hours or longer — have stacked up elsewhere along Texas’ roughly 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) border.
Not even a week into the inspections, the Mexican government said that Abbott’s order was causing “serious damage” to trade, and that cross-border traffic had plummeted to a third of normal levels. On Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki called Abbott’s order “unnecessary and redundant.”
The gridlock is the fallout of an initiative that Abbott says is needed to curb human trafficking and the flow of drugs. But critics question how the inspections are meeting that objective, while business owners and experts complain of financial losses and warn U.S. grocery shoppers could notice shortages as soon as this week.
Frustration is also spreading within members of Abbott’s own party: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a Republican, called the inspections a “catastrophic policy” that is forcing some trucks to reroute hundreds of miles to Arizona.
“I do describe it as a crisis, because this is not the normal way of doing business,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, whose county includes the bridge in Pharr. “You’re talking about billions of dollars. When you stop that process, I mean, there are many, many, many, many people that are affected.”
The shutdowns and slowdowns have set off some of the widest backlash to date of Abbott’s multibillion-dollar border operation, which the two-term governor has made the cornerstone of his administration. Texas already has thousands of state troopers and National Guard members on the border and has converted prisons into jails for migrants arrested on state trespassing charges.
Abbott warned last week that inspections would “dramatically slow” border traffic, but he hasn’t addressed the backups or port shutdowns since then. His office didn’t reply to a message seeking comment left Tuesday, but the governor planned a press conference for Wednesday afternoon in Laredo.
The disruptions at some of the world’s busiest international trade ports could pose economic and political threats to Abbott, who is seeking a third term in November. Democrat Beto O’Rourke, the former presidential candidate who is running against Abbott for governor, said during a stop in Pharr on Tuesday that the inspections were doing nothing to halt the flow of migrants and were worsening supply chain issues.
He was joined by Joe Arevalo, owner of Keystone Cold, a cold-storage warehouse on the border. He said that although Texas state troopers have always inspected some trucks crossing the border “they’ve never, ever, ever held up a complete system or a complete supply chain.”
An estimated 3,000 trucks cross the Pharr bridge on a normal day, according to the National Freight Transportation Chamber. The Pharr bridge is the largest land port for produce, such as leafy green vegetables, entering the U.S.
Mexico supplies about two-thirds of the produce sold in Texas.
“We’re living through a nightmare, and we’re already suffering through a very delicate supply chain from the pandemic and to try to regrow the business,” Arevalo said.
The additional inspections are conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which said that as of Monday, it had inspected more than 3,400 commercial vehicles and placed more than 800 “out of service” for violations that included defective brakes, tires and lighting. It made no mention of whether the truck inspections had turned up migrants or drugs.
The order’s impact quickly spread beyond Texas: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials confirmed Tuesday that there was another blockade at the Mexican customs facility at the Santa Teresa port of entry in southern New Mexico, not far from El Paso. Those protests are misguided since New Mexico has nothing to do with Texas’ inspection policies, said Jerry Pacheco, executive director of the International Business Accelerator and president of the Border Industrial Association.
He said the protests were costing businesses millions of dollars a day.
“Everybody down here is on a just-in-time inventory system,” Pancheo said. “It’s going to affect all of us, all of us in the United States. Your car parts are going to be delivered late, your computer — if you ordered a Dell or HP tablet, those are going to be disrupted.”
Ed Anderson, a professor at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, compared the disruptions to those caused by February’s trucker blockade in Canada that forced auto plants on both sides of the border to shut down or scale back production. During that protest, trucks looking for other entries to cross into the U.S. wound up causing congestion at other bridges, a scenario that Anderson said might now be repeated on the southern border.
Anderson said consumers would likely begin noticing the effects by the end of this week, if not sooner.
“Either prices are going to spike or shelves are going to be low,” he said.
____
Associated Press reporters Acacia Coronado. Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/frustration-grows-over-truck-backlogs-texas-mexico-border/ | 2022-04-13T15:35:12 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/frustration-grows-over-truck-backlogs-texas-mexico-border/ |
How to tell you’re being phished and 9 other common online scams to watch out for
(Twingate) - The internet can feel packed with scams sometimes, especially for anyone who’s had their credit card or other information stolen. But most scams fall into a small variety of types that are easy to identify and avoid once you know about them.
There are only so many ways to reinvent the wheel—scammers will usually fall into a set number of categories. Twingate assembled a list of common online scams that internet users should be wary of, drawing on research from government organizations, payment processors, and tech companies.
One of the major categories of scamming is called social engineering. An old-fashioned method that still works surprisingly well, social engineering is any fraud where a human being communicates with you to obtain information in person, online, or over the phone. Scammers will use manipulative, deceptive, or psychological tactics to get someone to reveal confidential information.
As our lives increasingly have shifted online, scammers have followed, posing as everything from fake online boyfriends to made-up charities. So the next time you get a voicemail claiming to be from Microsoft, an email that says your antivirus service is out of date, or a pop-up ad from “newy0rktimes.com,” take a few seconds and think about whether it’s a genuine message before doing anything. Continue reading to learn about the most common online scams today.
Phishing
Phishing is one of the most common online scams. It’s a form of social engineering, meaning a scam in which the “human touch” is used to trick people. One offline form of phishing is when you receive a scam phone call where someone claims to be calling from the fraud department at your bank and requests your account number as verification.
With online phishing, scammers do the same kind of thing but use emails and links to fraudulent websites to fool users. In your spam folder, you’ll often see messages claiming to be from Bank of America and others. These links lead to imitation bank sites designed to capture your personal banking information.
Advanced fee scam
These email messages are notorious—and the stuff of internet legend: “Hello sir, I have a huge sum to send you!” In this scam, a forlorn prince, bank manager, church reverend, or otherwise reputable-sounding stranger has a large amount of money that they need you to hold for them. All you have to do is send them several hundred or thousand dollars to cover some kind of transactional cost upfront.
Never believe any stranger who wants to send you money, and listen to your gut. If something sounds too good to be true, it is highly likely that it is a scam.
Romance scam
Romance scams are one of the darkest and most sinister scams because of the time investment and emotions involved. Romance scammers pretend to be regular people, often older people, who are looking for love and want to meet eligible singles in other countries. They’ll build an emotional connection with their target by exchanging romantic messages and pretending to be in love.
The scam comes in when, eventually, a series of misfortunes befall the romantic partner. They might plan a visit to finally meet—but suddenly won’t have money to pay for the plane ticket. Then they’re hospitalized with a mystery illness and need money to pay the bill. This continues until the victim grows suspicious of the mounting costs.
Formjacking
Formjacking is a web scam that works the same way as a credit card skimmer does in real life. You go to a website to place an order and enter your information as usual. The transaction even goes through and seems to be fine, except that some code hacked into the website has copied your financial data to someone else.
The owners of the website may not even realize something is happening because they don’t pay close attention to their infrastructure. Make sure the websites you deal with are secure.
Phony tech support
Phony tech support is a form of social engineering. This scam may come as an email or a phone call, claiming that your computer has been compromised in some way and that you must call a number or visit a website to fix it.
From there, the scammer may install malware like keyboard capture software (or worse). On the phone, they may request remote access to your computer to help you. These scammers often claim to be from Microsoft or Apple as a way to establish legitimacy.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a kind of malicious software that is installed without your knowledge. This is usually from an email or fraudulent site, meaning it also uses phishing to imitate your bank or another institutional website. Someone calls or emails with a link that installs the ransomware on your machine. What makes ransomware different is what comes next.
The software locks certain kinds of information on your machines, like your saved documents, photos, and other files. You have to pay to unlock the data and get your files, although the FBI cautions against actually paying.
Scareware
Scareware is a form of manipulative scamming that threatens users by making them believe they need new software on their machines. One of the common forms is to tell users they need new antivirus software and to offer that software from a fraudulent source.
It’s often easy to tell these websites or emails apart from real ones: Look closely at the URLs or email addresses, which usually have strange spellings or other clues that signal you’re not dealing with legitimate companies.
Sextortion
Sextortion is an especially grim crime that targets minors, although it can also affect adults. Now that so many people meet romantic partners online, it’s common to exchange explicit photos. That’s also true of teenagers or even of younger children, who can find themselves in online relationships with people who ask for personal information and photos.
Once someone has this material, they can use it as a way to demand more and will threaten to share info or post photos publicly if their target refuses. Unlike the other crimes on this list, sextortion doesn’t always have financial goals.
Charity and disaster fraud
Crowdfunding and mutual aid are becoming more common as a way for people to share resources and help others pay for medical bills and other costs, or to donate following natural disasters. Unfortunately, this well-meaning way to help others in the community has also been targeted by scammers through charity and disaster fraud.
Scammers can make fake Twitter accounts to imitate people in need. They’ll even set up bots to make new accounts that look like your friend’s account to reply with Paypal links that redirect to the scammer. If you aren’t sure about the credibility of a group or crowdfunding page, it is always best to seek more information.
Work from home
This scam is simple and it’s a variation of an age-old, real-life scam. Think of those signs you see on street corners that say, “I make $16,000 a month working from home!” When you call, these people want you to buy training materials to become a real estate agent or something similar.
The same is true of many online ads that say you can work from home and make $500 a day or some other attractive amount. The best advice is also the oldest: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This story originally appeared on Twingate and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Copyright 2022 Stacker via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/how-tell-youre-being-phished-9-other-common-online-scams-watch-out/ | 2022-04-13T15:35:19 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/how-tell-youre-being-phished-9-other-common-online-scams-watch-out/ |
No charges in Austin officer involved shooting
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Austin police officer involved in an officer involved shooting back in December, 2021 will not be facing any charges.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified Zachary Gast as the officer who discharged his weapon during a confrontation with a man at an Austin Kwik Trip on December 23.
The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office issued a letter saying evidence does not support charges against any of the officers, including Officer Gast.
You can read the letter below:
The man who died was identified as Kokou Christopher Fiafonou, 38, of Austin.
RELATED STORY: UPDATE: Officer and subject identified in Austin officer involved shooting
RELATED STORY: Protesters gather in Austin in response to officer-involved shooting
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/no-charges-austin-officer-involved-shooting/ | 2022-04-13T15:35:29 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/no-charges-austin-officer-involved-shooting/ |
PHOTO GALLERY: Taopi devastated by overnight storms, Highway 56 remains closed
TAOPI, Minn. (KTTC) – Taopi, a town of just more than 50 people, has suffered severe storm damage from the overnight storms.
As of Wednesday morning, Highway 56 entering town was blocked off because of downed power lines. The town was evacuated early Wednesday morning with the help of Adams Fire Department.
According to Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Highway 56 is still closed and is detoured near Taopi in Mower County as utility crews continue to work to reestablish the power line connections. The highway is expected to reopen to traffic early Wednesday afternoon.
The detour is Mower County Road 7 north to Mower County Road 3 east to Mower County Road 8 south.
The town is without power and many homes are completely destroyed.
There are no casualties from the storm, but there were a few non-life-threatening injuries.
KTTC crews are in Taopi showing the damage after the storms.
RELATED STORY: Taopi devastated by severe weather, town evacuated
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/photo-gallery-taopi-devastated-by-overnight-storms-highway-remains-closed/ | 2022-04-13T15:35:35 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/photo-gallery-taopi-devastated-by-overnight-storms-highway-remains-closed/ |
The President makes short and long-term proposals to curb fluctuating gas prices
Gas companies say no single firm sets the price for a gallon of gas.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - As gas prices fluctuate across the nation, the President has a plan to lower costs in both the long and short term. But, some oil and gas companies claim they need policy stability in Washington to feel confident to invest.
AAA pegs the national average for gas at $4.10. That’s down from one month ago when gas was $4.33. One year ago, the national gas average stood at $2.86.
“We’re coming off a pandemic that really scrambled supply and demand but what we’re seeing right now is Putin’s price hike on gasoline prices,” said Ali Zaidi, White House Deputy Climate Advisor.
The President is focused on increasing supply.
On Tuesday, he announced a plan to expand the sale of E15 gasoline, a 15% ethanol blend, this summer. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to issue the national emergency waiver to increase the fuel supplies. The White House claims E15 can save families 10 cents per gallon on average. It’s currently sold at 2,300 gas stations.
The president also announced a plan that includes a proposed fee on companies that lease federal land but are not producing from the wells. Companies that produce on the leased acres and existing wells would not face the higher fees.
Mike Sommers of the American Petroleum Institute said that fee sounds like an additional tax.
“It certainly would be the first case of someone increasing taxes and expecting more in return. In terms of development, we would have great concerns about an increased tax on American companies that are trying to produce American energy during this time of high oil and gas prices. We’re focused on making sure that there’s long term development here in the United States so that we can provide energy security not just for Americans, but for the world,” he said.
Sommer said, in the long-term, the Biden administration is pushing for a larger reliance on renewable energy and electric cars. However, he noted that idea competes with the notion that companies need to improve production.
“A number of members of Congress that are saying that oil and gas industry here in the United States isn’t producing enough while at the same time they’re saying that we should stop producing and make a faster transition to renewables. This is a huge concern, I think, that we have about what the world should be doing right now to advance oil and gas, because the world is going to continue to consume these products for decades and decades to come,” said Sommers.
Chairmen, CEOs, and presidents of oil and gas companies from bp America, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Devon Energy, Shell, and Pioneer Natural Resources Company testified via teleconference on Capitol Hill in April. They told the Energy and Commerce committee that increasing production on wells that are not currently in use requires more workers and equipment.
They said they are willing to increase production and invest in renewable energy. But, they said they need predictability and stability in the policy-making in Washington in order to feel confident to invest.
They also said they are not hoarding or price gouging gas.
“We know that today’s high prices at the pump are hurting Americans, the impact of high energy costs, underscores the importance of reliable and affordable energy supplies,” said Darren Woods of Exxon. He added, “no single company, sets the price of oil or gasoline, the market establishes the price based on the available supply and the demand for that supply.”
Meantime, the President has moved forward on a plan to increase supply by dipping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In March, he announced the largest release in history, putting one million additional barrels on the market per day for the next six months. Zaidi calls the 6-month release a ‘bridge’ to give oil and gas companies the time needed to increase their production.
“That is just a dramatic exercise of the president’s authority in a way that we’ve never done before in the history of the United States. And, it is directly designed to counter the supply challenges that come from Putin’s war and aggression in Europe,” he said.
Zaidi said the president is also focused on new fuel economy standards, electric car production, and technology to weatherize and retrofit homes.
“The long-term play here, and it’s not a long-term play we start in the long term, it’s something we’ve got to get doing right now is to accelerate the adoption of zero emissions vehicles like electric cars and trucks. And, what we know is that if we do that, that means for the average family, 900 bucks per year that they would have spent on gasoline that they no longer have to. And for the economy, that means over a million barrels per day of oil that won’t need to be consumed or purchased from somewhere else,” said Zaidi.
Republicans held their own press conference in April to discuss gas prices. They raised concern over dipping into the national reserve. They also accuse the President of handcuffing oil and gas companies by not granting more permits and leases for pipelines and pumping on federal land. They say the president should focus on how more American oil and natural gas can be drilled and delivered.
Republicans want the President to once again start construction on the Keystone XL Pipeline. That pipeline was the subject of protest by several environmental groups.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/president-makes-short-long-term-proposals-curb-fluctuating-gas-prices/ | 2022-04-13T15:35:41 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/president-makes-short-long-term-proposals-curb-fluctuating-gas-prices/ |
Rural Mason City suffers storm damage
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 10:28 AM CDT|Updated: 5 minutes ago
MASON CITY, Iowa (KTTC) – Northern Iowa was hit hard by storms Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Among the areas hit, was Mason City and the surrounding rural area.
KTTC has a crew in the Mason City area looking at storm damage.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/rural-mason-city-suffers-storm-damage/ | 2022-04-13T15:35:49 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/rural-mason-city-suffers-storm-damage/ |
BOONE COUNTY, Ind. – A crash involving an overturned semi in Boone County closed the interstate for several hours Wednesday.
The crash happened on I-65 southbound near State Road 47 in the early morning hours, blocking all lanes of the interstate.
According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, lanes remained blocked as of 9 a.m. and would remain that way for at least two more hours.
A photo from INDOT showed the mangled truck had been put upright. Earlier photos from the scene showed the truck on its side
Traffic is being routed off State Road 47 to U.S. 52 and back to I-65 southbound, INDOT said. | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/crash-involving-semi-closes-i-65-in-boone-county/ | 2022-04-13T15:38:13 | 0 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/crash-involving-semi-closes-i-65-in-boone-county/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Thousands of flights have been cancelled or delay over the past two weekends, putting families on Spring Break in a bind. A travel expert shares what travelers should do if they find themselves stuck at the vacation destination.
Posted:
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INDIANAPOLIS — Thousands of flights have been cancelled or delay over the past two weekends, putting families on Spring Break in a bind. A travel expert shares what travelers should do if they find themselves stuck at the vacation destination.
Have a question for Angela? Use the form below! | https://fox59.com/morning-news/angela-answers/angela-answers-spring-break-flight-issues/ | 2022-04-13T15:38:19 | 1 | https://fox59.com/morning-news/angela-answers/angela-answers-spring-break-flight-issues/ |
Posted: Apr 13, 2022 / 10:48 AM EDT Updated: Apr 13, 2022 / 10:48 AM EDT SHARE INDIANAPOLIS — Chef Monica, with Ummi’s Table, puts a unique twist on the classic deviled egg. Close Modal Suggest a Correction Your name(required) Your email(required) Report a typo or grammatical error(required) Submit Δ Suggest a Correction | https://fox59.com/morning-news/elevated-deviled-egg-recipes/ | 2022-04-13T15:38:25 | 0 | https://fox59.com/morning-news/elevated-deviled-egg-recipes/ |
INDIANAPOLIS– He’s known for his iconic pop art images on everything from blankets to billboards. Now you can see some of Andy Warhol’s lesser known work in a traveling art exhibit. Sherman is giving us a glimpse.
Posted:
Updated:
INDIANAPOLIS– He’s known for his iconic pop art images on everything from blankets to billboards. Now you can see some of Andy Warhol’s lesser known work in a traveling art exhibit. Sherman is giving us a glimpse. | https://fox59.com/morning-news/where-is-sherman-eliteljorg-museum/ | 2022-04-13T15:38:31 | 1 | https://fox59.com/morning-news/where-is-sherman-eliteljorg-museum/ |
(WGHP) — Cancers aren’t like coronavirus infections, but fighting them may have a lot of similarities.
For the last several years, researchers have been working with technology based around mRNA — messenger RNA, which is something that complements the work of your DNA — to see if they can utilize it to get your body’s own immune system to fight cancers. At Duke University, they’re working with mRNA technology to create vaccines for cancer.
“It is a product which is RNA nucleic acid which encodes a specific protein and then that can be encapsulated in something we like to call a lipid nanoparticle, which is really a little fat bubble, and that can be injected into your body and sort of teaches your body what to go after immunologically,” said Zachary Hartman, who works in the Lyerly Lab at Duke.
If it all sounds familiar, it should — mRNA vaccines have been in the news quite a bit over the last two years. It’s the type of technology used to create the COVID-19 vaccines.
“Remember, people were expecting that a successful vaccine would provide protective immunity to about 50% of patients, and the first two mRNA vaccines provided over 90% protection, a remarkable achievement,” said Dr. H. Kim Lyerly, who runs the lab at Duke.
Lyerly has been at Duke for nearly 40 years and has seen massive changes in how we can combat cancer going from relatively crude chemotherapy to very targeted immunotherapy.
“Think about that, in my career, a complete reversal of fortune for immunotherapy to be something to being considered an outsider, not likely to ever work, to being the most prominent form of cancer therapy and the development of new cancer therapeutics in the world today,” said Lyerly.
He’s taken note of the people who are skeptical when it comes to the new mRNA vaccines, but he thinks their concern is misplaced.
“You have mRNAs – billions of mRNA copies in your body right now. And so, to be concerned that the introduction of an mRNA coding of a viral protein is going to be harmful to you, again, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, because if you happen to be infected with a coronavirus, you’re going to have a thousand times more mRNAs from the virus invading your body. So, the way to protect yourself from disease-causing mRNAs in your body is to vaccinate yourself,” he said.
Zach Hartman believes this technology will change the way we treat cancers completely.
“I think that within my lifetime, we will see cancer as a more managed disease,” said Hartman. “We’re going to turn the dial and be able to treat more and more of these kinds of cancers in the coming years and decades to where it’s not quite the same sentence it was 20 or 30 years ago. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to rid the world of cancer, but I think we will be able to prevent a lot of cancers, and then a lot of cancers that we’ll be able to catch early and treat, we’ll have very effective treatments.” | https://fox59.com/news/how-close-are-we-to-a-cancer-vaccine-duke-scientists-say-theyre-closing-in/ | 2022-04-13T15:38:37 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/how-close-are-we-to-a-cancer-vaccine-duke-scientists-say-theyre-closing-in/ |
NEWCASTLE upon TYNE, England, (StudyFinds.org) – Tumble dryers are as bad as washing machines for spewing out plastic, scientists are warning. According to a recent study, dryers release microfibers into the air at comparable levels to those that go down the drain during the same load.
The findings are based on experiments involving over 1,200 garments under typical conditions.
“By measuring microfibers released during the whole laundering process we found microfibre loss through domestic drying is a huge concern,” says lead author Dr. Kelly Sheridan, of Northumbria University in England, per South West News Service. “Ours is the first study that has simultaneously quantified microfibers released from clothing during washing alongside that released when the clothing is then tumble dried.”
Wildlife ingest these microfibers as they float in the air, settle on the land and get washed into rivers. Eventually, they end up on our dinner plates as they enter the food chain. The particles also absorb harmful chemicals that leach out into the systems of any person or animal that breathes them in.
Polyester and other artificial fibers do not break down and remain in the environment for a very long time. The international team urged manufacturers to install filter that slashes numbers that get out. The air used in tumble drying passes through a duct, or tube, and is vented directly outdoors. Thousands of tons of air pollution could be reduced by the use of fabric conditioners, tumble dryer sheets and smaller pores in lint filters that trap more particles.
Washing laundry sheds up to a million tons of microfibers annually worldwide, posing potential risks to aquatic ecosystems. Minuscule fragments of clothing are blown out through air vents on tumble dryers also spurring a threat to human health. They have been found in ocean-caught fish, beer, and even placentas of unborn babies. Lab experiments suggest they damage cells.
The research provides convincing reasons to hang-dry clothes and use energy-intensive dryers sparingly — if ever.
“We measured the volume of microfibers released during washing, as well as those captured in lint filters when tumble dried,” says Sheridan. “Our study found domestic dryers produce comparable quantities of microfibers that could be released to the air as we already see going into our water systems from a standard washing cycle. While many microfibers can be captured in lint filters during drying, if the pore size is too large, a significant amount will be released into the air, comparable to the amount released down the drain in washing.”
Tests on 10 polyester and 10 cotton T-shirts found domestic dryers produce far more microfibers than washing. Many are captured in filters, but amounts that get into the atmosphere are similar to those that get into rivers from washing.
“It’s critical to our understanding of the impact of microfibers on human health and the environment that all the potential pathways for microfiber release, including air, are assessed. Airborne fibers are just as concerning as those present in wastewater,” adds Sheridan.
Synthetic materials, such as polyester, are the worst as they biodegrade much more slowly than cotton or wool.
“The recent rises in energy costs have led us all to think carefully about the financial impact of using dryers, but few are aware of their impact on particulate air pollution,” says co-author Dr. Neil Lant, of Procter and Gamble, in a statement. “These latest findings are a call to action for the appliance industry to improve the efficiency of fiber filtration systems in vented dryers and drive the conversion to condenser dryers with no airborne fiber release, especially super energy-efficient heat pump dryers. While we know people in different parts of the world and in different types of households may choose alternative ways to dry their clothing, our findings relate to the impacts of vented tumble drying. Further research would be needed to assess the impacts of other drying methods.”
The U.S. consumer giant has been working with experts at Northumbria for over five years. About 700,000 microfibers from acrylic and polyester clothes are shed during washing in every cycle.
“We’re very pleased with the results from this latest study with Northumbria University, showing how products like liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets can reduce airborne fiber pollution from dryers,” adds Jerry Porter, vice president of research and development at P&G. “This and the other findings from the research will help us partner with the textile and appliance industries to identify long-term solutions to this complex problem.”
The study is published in the journal PLOS One.
South West News Service writer Mark Waghorn contributed to this report. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/tumble-dryers-release-harmful-microfibers-into-air-putting-wildlife-and-environment-at-risk/ | 2022-04-13T15:38:43 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/tumble-dryers-release-harmful-microfibers-into-air-putting-wildlife-and-environment-at-risk/ |
How hot is the real estate market near Eugene? Home prices rise over $391K
The median sales price for a single-family home in Lane County during January was $391,430. That's an increase of 11.8% compared with January 2021, according to a USA TODAY Network localized analysis generated with data from Realtor.com.
On a year-over-year basis, prices have been rising for 70 consecutive months. January prices are down from $413,000 the previous month.
The number of houses sold fell by 23% from a year earlier. A total of 255 houses were sold countywide during the month of January. During the same period a year earlier, 331 single-family homes were sold.
Real estate sales can take weeks or months to be recorded and collected. This is the latest data made available through Realtor.com to the USA TODAY Network.
How hot is Lane County's real estate market in Oregon?
Information on your local housing markets is available through the USA TODAY Network, with more data from Realtor.com.
In Lane County, the top 10% of the properties sold had prices of at least $665,000, up 13.7% from a year before.
For subscribers:What's that development planned for the lot between Q and R streets in Springfield?
In January, nine properties sold for at least $1 million, consisting of seven single-family homes and two other properties.
The median home sale price — the midway point of all the houses or units sold over a period of time — is used in this report instead of the average home sale price because experts say the median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market. In finding the average price, all prices of homes sold are added and then divided by the number of homes sold. This measure can be skewed by one low or high price.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Realtor.com. Localized versions are generated for communities where the data quality and transaction volume meets Realtor.com and USA TODAY Network standards. | https://www.registerguard.com/story/business/real-estate/2022/04/13/lane-county-oregon-average-home-prices-rise-real-estate-2022/65349780007/ | 2022-04-13T15:44:15 | 1 | https://www.registerguard.com/story/business/real-estate/2022/04/13/lane-county-oregon-average-home-prices-rise-real-estate-2022/65349780007/ |
Eugene completes safety improvements at Prefontaine Memorial Park, memorabilia returned
The safety improvements at Prefontaine Memorial Park, often referred to as "Pre's Rock," have been completed, and the city of Eugene has returned the various memorabilia items that had been left at the site honoring the track star Steve Prefontaine to the expanded space.
The changes include a new railing to better separate visitors from the road, new double yellow lines on the road and yellow paint on the curb, and an expanded sidewalk and viewing area.
"I think it's just a much more welcoming and safe space for people to come visit the site," Eugene Parks and Open Space Landscape Architect Emily Proudfoot said Monday.
Oregon22:Sponsorships key part of funding $1.2 million for Eugene's riverfront festival
People often go to his memorial site to honor him, leave memorabilia or gain inspiration for their own athleticism. Since the end of November when construction started, Proudfoot said she stored the memorabilia left at the site in her office, which included things such as running shoes, medals and poems, before returning them to the site when work was completed three weeks ago.
"It's sometimes people who ran in this pair of shoes, and it's like they're giving them to the god of running," she said.
With the completion of the new Hayward Field, Proudfoot said there had been a major increase in people visiting the site, and the city wanted to improve safety to the area that previously had no sidewalk. Prefontaine died in 1975 in a car accident where the memorial is located. The athlete was driving down Skyline Boulevard when his convertible jumped the curb, hit the rock wall and flipped.
The memorial park is a 1.3-acre site off a hairpin turn on the boulevard. There is a stone set at the site of the roadside boulder where he died. At the time of his death, he was regarded as the most popular track and field athlete in the world.
Proudfoot said part of the goal of the expanded site will make it so there isn't danger of people standing in the road when they visit, since before there was no sidewalk and was just a curb next to the rock. The entire project cost an estimated $65,000, and the city had been working on the design for several years, Proudfoot said.
Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Contact him at lkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter @LouisKraussNews. | https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/2022/04/13/prefontaine-memorial-park-pres-rock-safety-upgrades-world-athletics-championships/65349606007/ | 2022-04-13T15:44:21 | 1 | https://www.registerguard.com/story/news/2022/04/13/prefontaine-memorial-park-pres-rock-safety-upgrades-world-athletics-championships/65349606007/ |
Dual-fuel, hybrid-energy the way of the future
If electricity were the cheapest way to heat buildings, we wouldn’t need to ban natural gas and force people to go all-electric. They would willingly do it. But schools, churches, large office buildings, concert halls, libraries, sports arenas, hospitals, laboratories and similar buildings always use natural gas if it’s available.
Before passing a ban, we should consider how much it might discourage the development of good quality commercial and institutional buildings.
To get a clue, please refer to the city of Eugene’s 2017 Facilities Greenhouse Reduction Analysis prepared by SOLARC Energy Group. Section 3.5 proposes the addition of air-to-water heat pumps to serve as primary heating sources for the airport terminal, downtown library, Hult Center, Atrium, Fire Station 1 and the police/fire training building. Table 16 shows estimated cost of retrofitting just the library to be $1,479,400 in 2017. This suggests that electrification of heating systems for large buildings increases construction cost.
The second important point is that SOLARC recommends addingheat pumps, not replacingthe existing natural gas boilers. Here is a direct quote from the report: “The existing natural gas boilers would remain and act as the backup heating source.”
Under the proposed scenario, these buildings would have hybrid heating systems, not 100% electric.
The problem with 100% electric buildings is based on the nature of air-source heat pumps, which draw heat from the outdoor air. They produce heat very efficiently during moderate weather. But as the outdoor temperature drops, and the building needs more heat, the heat pump provides less heat. So, some type of auxiliary heat is required. If the building is 100% electric, that auxiliary heat is electric-resistance heat, which is notoriously inefficient. It’s the same level of efficiency as electric ceiling heat or baseboard heat.
If we insist on 100% electric heat for large buildings, it will greatly increase peak electrical demand during cold weather. That’s a big deal for the Eugene Water & Electric Board, because it will have to buy more power on the wholesale electricity market, which has a much higher percentage of fossil-fuel-generated electricity. It also increases cost and the potential for blackouts, such as those in Texas in 2021.
Hybrid (dual-fuel) buildings would be able to take advantage of the great efficiency of heat pumps during moderate weather, but they would run natural gas boilers during colder weather. This would give EWEB an important demand-side management tool and it would enable using smaller, “right-sized” heat pumps, which would reduce the cost of the heating system.
Hybrid buildings would reduce carbon emissions immediately, and they could eventually approach net zero emissions, because NW Natural is committed to providing an increasing percentage of renewable gas in the pipeline. This is a much more promising path than increasing our reliance on electric-resistance heating.
Heat pump/natural gas hybrid buildings could deliver progress toward our climate recovery goals without greatly increasing peak electrical demand, but they would not be allowed if the City Council passes a ban on natural gas. Instead of a ban on natural gas, we need EWEB, NW Natural and the city to develop financial incentives to encourage dual-fuel buildings.
Jim Ball is retired, having worked 30 years for consulting engineering firms designing HVAC and plumbing systems for large buildings. He lives in Eugene. | https://www.registerguard.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/04/13/dual-fuel-hybrid-energy-way-future-natural-gas-ban-deter-building-nw-natural-eugene-oregon/65349534007/ | 2022-04-13T15:44:27 | 1 | https://www.registerguard.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/04/13/dual-fuel-hybrid-energy-way-future-natural-gas-ban-deter-building-nw-natural-eugene-oregon/65349534007/ |
Softball
Friday
Smithville 17, TCPS 0
The Lady Noles slugged three home runs on the day with one each by Hallie Benson, Chloe Summerford and Olivia Carter. Summerford finished with three perfect innings with eight strikeouts as she, Benson, Kelby Seales and Chloe Reeder had multi-hit games.
Nettleton 21, Ingomar 4
Anna Claire Harris, Nealy Williams, Zion Seals and Addie Bates all had three-hit days. Savannah Harlow hit a home run, while KB Capps hit a triple and drove in four runs. Seals, Williams, Bates, Zyah Gunter, Tamera Martin and Caroline Riley all hit doubles.
Thursday
Amory 16, Aberdeen 0
Karsen Sanders led the way with three hits, while Maggie Kate Cummings, Macie Williams, Emarie Boddie and Laney Howell all added two each. Cummings hit a double and a triple, while Sanders added a triple and Williams had a double. Ella Phillips was the winning pitcher.
Monday
Smithville 14, Vina, Ala. 1
Hallie Benson led the way going 4 for 4 with a pair of triples, a double and four RBIs. Chloe Summerford homered, had a pair of hits and RBIs and struck out six in the circle. Orlandria Smith added three hits, including a triple, and drove in a pair, while Kayleigh Ann Prince, Kelby Seales and Andi Kate Holloway all had multiple hits as well.
Baseball
Saturday
Amory 10, East Webster 5
Bo Rock hit a solo homer in the win. Reed Stanford and Clayton Reese led the way with three-hit days with Reese having a double. Corbin Gillentine hit a pair of doubles, while Walker Maranto also hit a double and finished with a pair of hits. Ethan Kimbrough had a double and a pair of RBIs. Jack Howell picked up the win in relief, allowing an unearned run and striking out a pair. Gillentine and Bryce Glenn finished off the win with a scoreless inning each.
Hamilton 6, West Point 4
Suede Shows and Evan Pounders each finished with a pair of hits. Quinn Pounders hit a double and was the winning pitcher, finishing with six strikeouts.
New Site 13, Smithville 1
Carson Spann had a pair of hits in the loss.
Friday
Hamilton 12, West Lowndes 0
Suede Shows finished with five no-hit innings, striking out seven and walking just one, while also adding a pair of hits. Quinn Pounders homered and drove in three runs, while Joshua West finished with three hits, including a double. Pounders, Drake Pittman, Noah Hester and Ran Honeycutt all had two hits each.
TCPS 17, Smithville 2
Carson Spann and Peyton Nanney hit doubles for Smithville in the loss.
Thursday
Russellville, Ala. 5, Nettleton 2
Evan Smith went 3 for 3 with a double, while Carter Crawley also hit a double. Jackson Cheek, Drew Humble and Jay Hawkin also added a pair of hits each in the loss.
Russellville, Ala. 9, Nettleton 1
Cade Oswalt went 3 for 3 in the loss, while Jackson Cheek went 2 for 3 with a double.
Monday
Hamilton 4, West Lowndes 3
Joshua West struck out nine in the win, while Suede Shows hit a triple.
Smithville 16, TCPS 0
Drew Gideon hit a double in the loss for Smithville. | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/scores-and-roundup/article_bdaa0712-74c8-50c1-b2de-4d9699009889.html | 2022-04-13T15:45:28 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/scores-and-roundup/article_bdaa0712-74c8-50c1-b2de-4d9699009889.html |
Beyond the Tracks, a New Albany museum program, begins the second summer music series on Saturday, May 21, at 6 p.m. on The Bridge Stage in the Crossing on the Green Park.
The music series will kick off season two with a free concert featuring the music of Hill Country blues musician Garry Burnside and the Garry Burnside Band. Burnside is one of the sons of blues legend R. L. Burnside and carries on his blues legacy. Garry Burnside is a resident of Ripley, and in addition to widely performing in the region, he is a guitar teacher.
One of Garry’s current students is a New Albany native and New Albany Elementary School student, Gracey Williams. Gracey is in the fifth grade and is about to turn 11 years old. She began playing guitar at age seven and has been studying under Garry Burnside for two years.
Once Burnside realized Gracey’s gift and potential, he began inviting her to perform with him on stage. She has appeared with him and his band at the Hill Country Picnic, The Alice Mae Festival, Foxfire Ranch and Proud Larry’s. They also play almost weekly at local venues such as Rafters in New Albany and The Sports Grill and Mojos in Ripley.
In addition to playing on stage with Burnside, other prominent musicians Gracey has played with include Mark “Muleman” Massey, Kenny Brown, Luther Dickinson, Eric Dickinson, Eric Deaton and Paul Rogers. If those names aren’t familiar to you, the bands they play with may be. North Mississippi All-Stars, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys and Kingfish may ring a bell. Just this summer, Gracey and Burnside will appear at the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic (June 24-25), New Albany Riverfest (Sept. 24), Ripley Block Party (May 28). Gracey has also been practicing with the local band, Justin Kirk and Company, and will begin playing with them at some local shows.
Gracey, much like Burnside, is also a descendant of a music legend. Her great-great uncle is native New Albanian, Bobby Wood. Wood was a member of the studio group 827 Thomas Street Band as well as the Memphis Boys and played on some of the most vital country records ever released and is credited on a countless number of timeless hits. Wood also had a recording on the pop circuit before a serious wreck derailed his career for a period.
Most recently, Gracey was interviewed on the Radio Memphis Station show “Blue and Booze” where she was promoting the release of singles with Garry Burnside. Their first release can be found on YouTube and Spotify. Gracey, who writes her own solos, is featured on two songs on the album, “A.G.F.” And “Garry’s Groove.”
The museum, with the help of the city, added a stage to the Crossing on the Green Park five years ago when the previous GM&O railroad crossing bridge over Main Street on the Tanglefoot Trail was replaced. Many lovingly remember this bridge as being called “Clerance” due to the misspelled use of the word “clearance” from many years ago. The bridge was placed in the park with the thought that it would become a wonderful viewing deck for the trains passing through, as well as a stage for events and a picnic and green space for the city.
As the school year draws to a close, Gracey looks forward to moving up to sixth grade at New Albany Middle School where she will be joining the marching band, “The Pride of New Albany” where she will be featured as the electric guitarist on the field during marching season.
Gracey is the daughter of Andrea and Korey Parrish and Josh Latham. She is the granddaughter of Betty Williams and the late Rickey Williams, Vicky Latham and Steaven and Mary Latham. Her entire family supports her passion for music and they can all be found in the front row of every show on any given weekend. In addition to her family’s musical heritage influencing Gracey’s musical education, she has also been taught by Buddy Gresham, Anna Bullock and Eric Stronger.
The park is located on the corner of Faulkner Way and Jefferson Street in New Albany. Some may be familiar with the location as being next to the museum’s Art House and some may recognize it as the Northside neighborhood’s corner park that is lit up every night with white twinkle lights.
The performance is free and is sponsored by Sugaree’s. Bring your lawn chairs, listen to the music, eat birthday cake sponsored by Sugaree’s and enjoy the evening. A food truck will be available. Call 662 -538-0014 for more information. | https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/beyond-the-tracks-brings-performers-gracey-and-garry-to-the-museum-stage/article_b47ba4a9-81e1-50cf-9f54-28400163f5da.html | 2022-04-13T15:45:34 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/beyond-the-tracks-brings-performers-gracey-and-garry-to-the-museum-stage/article_b47ba4a9-81e1-50cf-9f54-28400163f5da.html |
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New Albany aldermen voted to opt out of permitting the growing and sale of medical marijuana Tuesday, but heavily stressed this is only a temporary measure.
“We have had a lot of discussion with the attorneys concerning the legality of what we can and can’t do,” Ward Four Alderman Will Tucker said. “The recommendation was to opt out short term, set our regulations and opt back in.”
Aldermen said they are in favor of having regulated marijuana sales, but apparently want to keep any grow farms out of the downtown area and especially only allow dispensaries away from historic downtown, much like liquor and tobacco retailers.
As officials understand it, if they take no action the city or county will automatically fall under the regulations in the 445-page marijuana bill passed by the legislature.
If they want to opt out, that is, not allow sales, they have until May 3 to do so. If a city or county opts out, they can opt back in, but if they don’t opt out now they cannot do so later.
They expect the state to release further regulations May 1, but that will really be too late to make a decision two days later.
Further complicating New Albany’s situation is that the city contracted with Bob Barber and the Orion Group to create a new city comprehensive plan. In connection with that, Barber and the group have been working to revamp city zoning to bring it up to date and make it more citizen-friendly.
Barber was supposed to meet with city officials this past week and the changes he brings about could well affect potential dispensary and farm locations.
Ward One Alderman Parks Smith wanted to delay opting out so the matter could be discussed more but another alderman raised the question of time. An opt out decision must be made by May 3, but it was brought up that a board’s actions do not become official until the minutes are approved – usually 30 days later. Board attorney Regan Russell said he did not think that would be a factor in this case.
Ultimately, the board voted four to one in favor of temporarily opting out with Smith casting the nay vote.
Aldermen said they hope to have regulations settled in the next few weeks and added that grow farms or dispensaries cannot be ready for operation until June or July anyway, due to the permitting process.
Sportsplex lease agreement
Aldermen also settled an issue with the city school board that had been somewhat contentious over the past several months.
The city schools have been using parts of BNA Bank Park for practice for years without paying a rental fee. The city has been using B. F. Ford Gym and Memorial Gym for activities, also at no charge.
When the need arose to recondition some or all of the courts at the tennis complex, aldermen asked the schools for $50,000 now and $20,000 per year thereafter. School officials agreed it would be appropriate to pay some fee, but not that much. They argued that the parents of students are taxpayers and should have access to the facility.
A separate factor was that Blue Mountain College had asked to use the tennis courts as well and agreed to pay $20,000 plus $10,000 per year thereafter. The school board argued that Blue Mountain should pay more than city schools because the college is not located here or supporting the facility with taxes.
Tuesday, aldermen voted to accept the school board’s latest counter-proposal without further discussion.
That five-year agreement will see schools giving the city $20,000 the first year and $10,000 each year after that. City schools can use the sportsplex fields and the city can use the school gyms for park commission basketball and volleyball.
The contract can be cancelled with 180 days notice, the unusually long time so as not to catch a team in the middle of a season.
Each entity will clean the facility after use and internet is to be provided for live internet streaming of sports events.
In public appearances, James Dean spoke about flooding on Bratton Road and drivers sometimes driving at high speed along the road.
He was told that the installation of a large box culvert had eradicated the flooding problem except in instances where several inches of rain fell in a short time. In that case, the water is usually gone in a short time.
Concerning the speeding, Police Chief Chris Robertson said he is adding to his force and asked that Dean call him anytime he sees a problem. He also suggested talking with the Highway Safety Patrol since their office is on the street. They agreed that many of the speeders are actually residents on Bratton or Martintown Road rather than outsiders.
In department business, light, gas and water manager Bill Mattox said that the new wastewater treatment plan is fully operational and in use.
He got approval to pay the treatment plant contractor and also pay Roberts Construction for work on the former Fred’s building, which workers still say should be ready for use this fall.
Mattox also was given permission to advertise for high-voltage transformers and voltage regulators for the new substation under construction off Hwy. 348. The new substation will provide better service and should cut down dramatically on power interruptions.
Finally, Mattox was given permission to negotiate with a second potential source of remote-reading utility meters as a backup. Mattox said the first company that was approved is going through a change of ownership, that may or may not affect its qualifications.
Police Chief Chris Robertson told aldermen that he had a resignation in the narcotics division and recommended hiring Chris Glasson to serve as narcotics officer. He said. Glasson has 24 years’ experience and is certified with state narcotics investigators as well. Glasson was approved.
Park and rec director Chase Jeter got approval to move 14-year part-time veteran Matthew Perry to full time. He also was allowed to purchase a new mower for $9,954.
Building inspector and zoning administrator Eric Thomas told aldermen that the planning and zoning board had granted a variance request from Auto Lube at 402 Carter Ave.
He also got permission to set public hearing on possible condemnation of structures at 604 Booker, 605 Baker, 610 Baker, 614 Baker and 609 Martin. The hearings will be at the next board meeting.
Ward Two Alderman Drew Horn reported that he and Thomas had visited North Pontotoc Attendance Center to examine the storm shelter at the school. Horn said school officials are putting the New Albany board in touch with the architect but cautioned that there is only one company in the entire country that is certified by the Federal Emergency Management Authority for the high-strength domed shelter roofs.
Aldermen are in favor of having community shelters but have no source for the considerable cost and would have to determine how many are needed, how large they need to be and where they should be placed.
Before adjourning, the board went into executive session and voted to agree to grant a 10-year ad valorem tax exemption to an unnamed industry that is considering coming to New Albany. The board also would grant freeport status, meaning items manufactured here but shipped outside the state would not be taxed as personal property.
The exemptions would only come into play if the company fulfills its part of the agreement. Union County supervisors voted to grant the same exemptions at a recent meeting. | https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/city-opts-out-of-medical-marijuana-sales-but-stresses-ban-is-only-temporary/article_6a6cfcc1-b49d-5116-ad55-0d92f0b6efe0.html | 2022-04-13T15:45:53 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/city-opts-out-of-medical-marijuana-sales-but-stresses-ban-is-only-temporary/article_6a6cfcc1-b49d-5116-ad55-0d92f0b6efe0.html |
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