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On April 4, New York Magazine published an article that claimed the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF), a tax-exempt nonprofit that serves as the national hub of the Black Lives Matter movement, secretly purchased a nearly $6 million luxury property in Los Angeles in 2020 with funds donated to the organization.
In the days following the report, some Republican lawmakers, including Texas state Rep. Lance Gooden, California state Rep. Darrell Issa, and several others on Twitter questioned how the national organization is really using its donated funds. VERIFY viewers Matthew and Rhoda also sent VERIFY an email asking if Black Lives Matter really purchased a multimillion-dollar mansion.
THE QUESTION
Did Black Lives Matter purchase a multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles?
THE SOURCES
- Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
- Patrisse Cullors, co-founder, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
- Shalomyah Bowers, board member, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
- Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor
- Los Angeles County Property Records
- California Secretary of State Business Entities
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
THE ANSWER
Yes, Black Lives Matter’s national nonprofit purchased a multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles in 2020.
WHAT WE FOUND
The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman confessed to fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was Black, in Sanford, Florida. Nearly nine years later, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) has grown into a prominent racial justice organization with a mission to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes,” according to its website.
On April 5, Patrisse Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter but stepped down from her role as BLMGNF's executive director in May 2021, shared a post on her Instagram page stating that the organization purchased the property mentioned in the New York Magazine article as a space where those within BLMGNF and the broader movement could “work, create content, host meetings and foster creativity.”
“Although I cannot speak to how BLMGNF uses the property currently as I left the organization last year in May, it was purchased to be a safe space for Black people in the community,” Cullors wrote, explaining that the property was not purchased “secretly” like the headline of the New York Magazine article implies.
Cullors' resignation from her role as executive director followed controversy over BLMGNF's finances and over Cullors’ personal wealth, according to the Associated Press.
Los Angeles County property records obtained by VERIFY show a Studio City mansion was sold for $5,888,800 on Oct. 27, 2020. The 6,785 square foot home, which was originally built in 1936, includes seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, a pool, a guest house, a sound stage and a music studio, according to multiple real estate listings and photos. VERIFY also found a public business record of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) registered in Delaware that uses the property’s address in the LLC’s name. It was established a few days before the mansion’s purchase.
Shalomyah Bowers, a BLMGNF board member, told VERIFY in a statement that the LLC is associated with BLMGNF. The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office also confirmed in an email that the property owner is recorded as the LLC. Since the LLC uses the property’s address in its name, VERIFY is not publishing it because of privacy concerns.
Bowers explained that Perkins Coie, a law firm that previously worked with BLMGNF, and an associate named Dyane Pascall, “were engaged to assist with the closing of the acquisition” of the property.
“BLMGNF formed an LLC to take ownership of the property, which is customary in real estate transactions to avoid exposing BLM’s assets to any litigation or liability,” Bowers said.
Bowers said the organization purchased the property “with the intention for it to serve as housing and studio space for recipients of the Black Joy Creators Fellowship.” He also said the property does not serve as a personal residence. BLMGNF officially announced the fellowship on April 1.
“The fellowship provides recording resources and dedicated space for Black creatives to launch content online and in real life focused on abolition, healing justice, urban agriculture and food justice, pop culture, activism, and politics. Providing housing is an established practice for creators and artists,” Bowers said.
In February 2021, BLMGNF told the Associated Press that the organization took in over $90 million in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd. The foundation said it ended 2020 with a balance of more than $60 million, after spending nearly a quarter of its assets on operating expenses, grants to Black-led organizations and other charitable giving.
Critics of BLMGNF say more of the donated money should have gone to the families of Black victims of police brutality who have been unable to access the resources needed to deal with their trauma and loss. The Associated Press also reported that Cullors was previously targeted by several conservative-leaning publications that alleged she took a large annual salary from the foundation.
New York magazine reported BLMGNF used donated money to purchase the LA mansion. VERIFY has not independently confirmed that claim. VERIFY asked BLMGNF if donations were used to purchase the house but did not get a response at the time of publishing. Cullors said in her Instagram post that she “never misappropriated funds.”
According to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records, BLMGNF was awarded federal tax-exempt status in 2015. A tax-exempt organization must file an annual information return or notice with the IRS (form 990) unless an exception applies. However, IRS records show BLMGNF has not filed a form 990 since 2019.
Cullors and Bowers both said the organization plans to submit the latest tax form 990 in May, which will include information about the LA property.
“I have never misappropriated funds, and it pains me that so many people have accepted that narrative without the presence of tangible truth or facts." Cullors wrote in her April 5 Instagram post. "Nevertheless, this will soon be made clear upon the release of the BLM 990s."
Bowers also told VERIFY that the organization “always planned” to disclose the property on the upcoming 990 due May 15 “as part of BLMGNF’s ongoing transparency efforts.”
As of April 13, BLMGNF is no longer collecting donations on the organization’s official website. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/verify/social-justice/black-lives-matter-global-network-foundation-bought-los-angeles-california-mansion-fact-check/536-d92e2522-3872-43ae-b27e-e332a44aaeea | 2022-04-14T00:01:46 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/verify/social-justice/black-lives-matter-global-network-foundation-bought-los-angeles-california-mansion-fact-check/536-d92e2522-3872-43ae-b27e-e332a44aaeea |
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis is likely to get his way next week with the recalcitrant Florida Legislature in a high-stakes dispute over congressional boundaries that could help determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives after November.
If so, DeSantis’ victory will help to advance the political ambitions of the governor and make him a hero within the party by adding as many as four GOP seats in Florida, at the expense of Black voters in at least two of Florida’s congressional districts.
Just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, DeSantis released a new version of his map for the congressional districts, holding to his promise to increase the number of Republican districts and eliminate what his legal staff called “racially gerrymandered versions of District 5” in North Florida.
Senate leaders immediately backed the plan.
“After thoroughly reviewing the Governor’s submission and a discussion with our legal counsel, I have determined that the Governor’s map reflects standards the Senate can support,” said Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, the chair of the Senate Reapportionment Committee.
Matt Isbell, a Tallahassee-based election data analyst who has worked for Democrats, told the Orlando Sentinel that the governor’s map raises the number of Republican-held congressional seats from the current 16 to 20, based on 2020 voting data.
Democrats would wind up with just eight seats that voted for Biden in 2020, down from the current 11. They would have have advantages in one district in Tampa, two in Orlando and five in South Florida.
Orlando’s majority Black District 10 currently held by Val Demings, who’s running for U.S. Senate, would still lean Democratic, but with a white majority, he said.
Also, he said, Stephanie Murphy’s District 7 seat would turn Republican.
The maps DeSantis vetoed last month would have led to 18 Republican-friendly districts.
In response, Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, tweeted that the redistricting process has gone “from nonpartisan to extreme partisan.”
Whatever map is approved by the Legislature next week will likely be challenged in federal court almost as soon as it is signed into law, elections experts said. But before the courts can resolve the matter, the GOP-tilted congressional map likely will be used in the midterm elections and possibly in 2024, they said.
“There’s no moral hazard here … no accountability,” said Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political scientist who’s testified in many election law cases in Florida and Washington, D.C., over the years.
Under pressure from the Trump wing of the GOP to push for more congressional seats, DeSantis made the unprecedented decision to inject himself into the redistricting process, threatening to veto anything the Legislature came up with that doesn’t eliminate what he calls “racial gerrymandering.”
Republicans need to flip just six seats nationwide to regain control of the U.S. House.
DeSantis has been particularly critical of the Black majority District 5 seat occupied by Al Lawson that connects Black neighborhoods from Jacksonville to Tallahassee.
“I mean, we are not going to have a 200-mile gerrymander that divvies up people based on the color of their skin,” he said at a press conference Tuesday. “That is wrong. That is not the way we’ve governed in the state of Florida.”
Legislative leaders this week made the unusual decision to cede its constitutional duty to DeSantis. In a letter, they asked him to submit a map and supporting information for their review.
Asked about that, DeSantis told reporters Tuesday, “I thought that my legal office had been working with the House and Senate to try to kind of have a compromise that everyone would agree on.”
Standoff disrupts process
The three-month standoff has disrupted the reapportionment process, which occurs every 10 years after the release of U.S. Census data to determine whether states gain or lose congressional seats. Florida picked up one new seat, bringing its total to 28.
But it’s also pushed the process to the brink of deadlines to get ballots drawn up and sent out to voters. There likely won’t be time for the courts to draw new maps in time for this year’s elections.
“The choice they’ve made here is to delay,” McDonald said. “They produced maps back in February, which gave them ample time to put forward legislative maps, have them vetoed and discussed.”
State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, laughed when asked if the Legislature and DeSantis planned for things to turn out this way.
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say this was their plan all along, but they’re scrambling to accommodate the governor,” Smith said. “There is definitely a pattern where DeSantis comes out with a wildly unconstitutional idea, and the Legislature scrambles to find a way to make it legal.”
For example, DeSantis called for a special session on vaccine requirements and mask mandates, Smith said, and the legislative leaders jumped to it.
“He’s trying to do the same with redistricting,” Smith said. “It’s his wild idea to eliminate majority black districts. Republican lawmakers can’t find a way to make that legal without running afoul of the Fair Districts amendments and Voting Rights Act, and so they gave up.”
Fair Districts are a pair of amendments to the Florida Constitution overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2010 to stop lawmakers from drawing election districts favoring incumbents and the ruling party.
Lawmakers ignored those amendments when lines were drawn in 2012, resulting in legal challenges that ultimately led to District 5 being redrawn in its current configuration and approved by the Florida Supreme Court in 2015.
Work began in January
The Senate first approved its congressional map January 20, two days after DeSantis submitted his own map carving up two black congressional districts on the eve of Martin Luther King Day. Unfazed, the Senate approved its first congressional map, and the House continued working on its own plans.
DeSantis submitted a map Feb. 18 that also created 20 Republican districts that voted for Trump in 2020 and said he’d veto any map that preserved Congressional District 5.
That sent the House and Senate scrambling back to the drawing board. What they came up with was a primary map and a secondary map if the first one didn’t pass muster with the courts. But at most, those maps called for a 18-10 GOP-to-Democrat split.
Seeing that an impasse was likely, Common Cause and Fair Districts filed a suit in federal court asking to intervene if a map couldn’t be approved. Several voters filed a similar suit in state court, which they have since dropped after some got permission to join the federal lawsuit.
The maps were approved March 4 but not sent to DeSantis until March 29. He vetoed the bill immediately and called for a special session.
“If he didn’t call a special session when he did, the courts would be drawing plans right now,” McDonald said.
A three-judge panel appointed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a hearing on May 12 to select or draw a map if the Legislature cannot agree on a map, said Ellen Freidin, CEO and general Counsel for the Fair Districts Coalition.
And if the Legislature and governor approve a map that doesn’t follow the Fair Districts amendments, they can expect to be mired in litigation for months if not years, she said.
“It’s not possible for them to eliminate one, potentially two performing minority districts and still follow the Fair Districts amendments,” Freidin said.
An eye toward 2024
It’s still uncertain what is happening behind the scenes, he said, but one thing is clear. DeSantis has the incentive to be included because of his potential national ambitions in 2024.
“For the most part congressional districts don’t matter to states so much … but because DeSantis has presidential ambitions, he wants to support GOP interests, and signing onto something that gives Florida fewer seats would make him seem weak,” McDonald said.
The easiest way to add GOP seats is to dismantle majority Black districts, and make sure the new district is pro-GOP. And when a court challenge arises, Republicans will have to explain why they voted the way that they did, he said.
That path will likely bring the entire matter before the U.S. Supreme Court, he said.
But that court has already demonstrated that in a recent Alabama case overturning a decision by the 11th Circuit to reject the state’s congressional map because it only had one predominantly Black district in a state where Blacks make up 27% of the population.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh said there wasn’t enough time to draw new maps and doing so would create chaos.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court ruled there was plenty of time to draw new maps in a Wisconsin case where the maps tilted blue.
“The Supreme Court will allow whatever plan is beneficial to Republicans, and it will stay in place for at least one cycle,” McDonald said.
News Service of Florida contributed to this report. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-congressional-districts-special-session-20220414-slvzfawmlnhntlz6b2okqrldrm-story.html | 2022-04-14T00:02:37 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-congressional-districts-special-session-20220414-slvzfawmlnhntlz6b2okqrldrm-story.html |
Running off at the typewriter …
During a conversation earlier this week with Orlando Magic super fan Dennis Salvagio — aka “The Fat Guy” — this fantastic idea popped into my head:
Because Magic fans have endured so much misery and malaise over the last decade, wouldn’t it be great if the team honored them by sending a longtime, loyal supporter to represent them at the NBA Draft Lottery?
That’s right, send the Fat Guy to Chicago and let him try his lottery luck on May 17.
Nothing against Jeff Weltman, the Magic’s president of basketball operations who represented the team at last year’s lottery, but coming home with the fifth and eighth pick in 2021 was pretty disappointing. Sorry, Jeff, but you need to bench yourself.
The Magic have had team executives, players and coaches represent them at the draft lottery over the years, so why not a fan? Salvagio, a retired attorney, put down his first deposit for season tickets in 1986 — three years before the team even started playing. And, of course, he has been entertaining fellow fans for decades with his rousing, rollicking, dancing, prancing support of the team.
The Fat Guy once was so adamant about trying to persuade Dwight Howard to stay in Orlando that he commissioned the help of the Down Brothers, a renowned local rock band, to record a music video that Salvagio financed and starred in.
Who knows? Maybe the Fat Guy can resurrect the famous lottery luck of Magic co-founder and team executive Pat Williams, who miraculously helped Orlando win the draft lottery in 1992, 1993 and 2004 when the Magic won the rights to select Shaq, Penny and Dwight.
The Fat Guy and Williams have many similarities. They both are showmen, they both went to Wake Forest and they both moved from Philadelphia to make Orlando their home.
What about it, Fat Guy, do you think you can bring home the No. 1 overall pick?
“You can count on it,” the Fat Guy says without hesitation. “I am a very lucky man.”
Sounds like a guarantee to me.
Forget that old saying, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”
When comes to the Magic’s buzzard’s luck in recent draft lotteries, it will be over when the Fat Guy dances. ...
Short stuff: Speaking of Orlando Magic draft picks, did you see what Mario Hezonja said the other day to a news outlet in Russia where he is now playing professionally? “I am not going to return to the NBA; I didn’t get the respect I deserved,” railed Hezonja, the Croatian who was drafted 5th overall by Orlando in 2015 and quickly showed everyone that the Magic had made a monumental mistake. Memo to Mario: Of course you’re not going to return to the NBA because the NBA hasn’t invited you to return. You were a bust, remember? The NBA cut you; you didn’t leave voluntarily! ... Hugh Hathcock, a very wealthy Florida Gators booster, just donated a record $12.6 million to UF’s athletic program. Hey, that’s just about enough to pay off Dan Mullen’s buyout! … Reason No. 935 why I hate the Los Angeles Lakers: Nice-guy coach Frank Vogel had to find out he was getting fired on Twitter rather than hearing it first from the team’s president of basketball operations LeBron James. In the days before Twitter, the Magic avoided a similar embarrassment when immediately after a televised game between Orlando and Chicago in 1997, NBC’s league insider Peter Vecsey went on the post-game show and reported that Penny Hardaway and other Magic players were orchestrating a revolt that would cost Brian Hill his job. On his way to the locker room after the game, Hill was whisked into a mop closet at the arena by former Magic general manager John Gabriel, who briefed the coach on Vecsey’s report. A few days later, Hill was fired. …
Can you believe Cam Newton actually said he wants women to get back to cooking, being quiet and letting men lead? In related news, Newton just bought his significant other a new butter churn for her birthday. Has anybody informed Cam that it’s 2022, not 1952? … How much have purses grown in golf over the years? Here’s all you need to know: Over the last two months Ted Scott, the caddie of Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, has made almost half as much as the great Arnold Palmer won during his entire golf career. … I’m not saying I am completely uninspired by the kickoff of the new USFL season this weekend, but here are five things I’d rather do than watch the New Jersey Generals play the Birmingham Stallions: (1) Read my junk mail. (2) Trail behind my ex-wife at a clothing store. (3) Take the company’s mandatory “Code of Business Conduct and Ethics” on-line training course. (4) Read the complete anthology of Mel Kiper Jr.’s greatest mock drafts. (5) Look at the countless photos from friends who Instagram their food. … From Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “MLB suspended Brewers catcher Pedro Severino after he tested positive for clomiphene, a drug to treat infertility — in women. He’ll miss 80 games, or well into the season’s second trimester.”…
Stat of the week comes from Jon Heyman of the MLB Network: The Oakland A’s led the majors with the biggest payroll ($33 million) in 1991. They have the same payroll today. … In addition to some disgusting charges of sexual misconduct and harassment among team executives, the NFL’s Washington Commanders now are being accused of withholding ticket revenue from visiting teams and refundable deposits from fans. Congratulations, Dan Snyder, you and your team have won the Triple Crown for Creepiness. … Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune, on the Browns making a trade for QB Deshaun Watson despite 22 sexual-misconduct allegations against him: “Seems Deshaun’s baggage got lost on its way to Cleveland.” … Not sure I buy the reports that the Miami Dolphins were thisclose to signing Tom Brady as quarterback and Sean Payton as the head coach only to have the plan foiled by ex-coach Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the team. That would be like me saying, I was thisclose to winning the Pulitzer Prize until some dumb editor wrote a bad headline on my column. ... There are only three Kmarts left in the entire continental United States. Sigh. …
Last word: With Thursday being National Ex-Spouse Day, we bring you this from the late, great Zsa Zsa Gabor: “I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.”
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on Twitter @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and HD 101.1-2 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/mike-bianchi-commentary/os-sp-orlando-magic-fan-fat-guy-lottery-mike-bianchi-commentary-20220413-zgeskzknczaa3mogtgpo3jupby-story.html | 2022-04-14T00:02:43 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/mike-bianchi-commentary/os-sp-orlando-magic-fan-fat-guy-lottery-mike-bianchi-commentary-20220413-zgeskzknczaa3mogtgpo3jupby-story.html |
MINNEAPOLIS — Clayton Kershaw was in prime form — call it perfect — in his season debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving no concern about his health after facing no resistance from the Minnesota Twins.
When the time came for manager Dave Roberts to relieve him, Kershaw didn’t put up a fight either.
Kershaw took a perfect game through seven innings until he was pulled after 80 pitches, dominating the Twins with 13 strikeouts in 21 batters during a 7-0 victory Wednesday.
“Those are selfish goals,” Kershaw said. “We’re trying to win. That’s really all we’re here for.”
Roberts consulted with Kershaw after the sixth, and the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner told him his preference: one more inning with an 85-pitch limit.
“I would have loved to have stayed, but bigger things, man, bigger things,” Kershaw said.
So on a gray, windy, 38-degree afternoon at Target Field, Alex Vesia entered for the eighth to boos from the blue-clad Dodgers fans in the crowd of 17,101. Vesia gave up the Twins’ only hit, a one-out single by Gary Sánchez.
Cody Bellinger, Gavin Lux and Austin Barnes hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the eighth against reliever Dereck Rodriguez, who made his Twins debut.
Chris Paddack had a rough first start with the Twins, too, less than a week after he was acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres. He lasted four innings with six hits and three runs allowed.
Justin Turner hit a two-run single in the first, Trea Turner had a sacrifice fly in the second and Max Muncy went deep in the ninth for the Dodgers, who won a 7-2 game the night before that was paused for 1½ hours because of rain and ended after midnight.
Kershaw was plenty refreshed.
Having re-signed with the Dodgers for $17 million this year after missing more than two months in 2021 with inflammation in his left forearm, Kershaw was slotted fifth in the rotation. That unusual assignment was to give his arm more time to build up strength in light of the limited spring training schedule.
“Blame it on the lockout. Blame it on me not picking up a baseball until January,” said Kershaw, who threw a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies on June 18, 2014. “My slider was horrible the last two innings. It didn’t have the bite. It was time.”
The breaking ball was awfully good before that, though. Kershaw threw 41 sliders — with 17 swinging strikes — with a fastball that never topped 91 mph. He struck out the side in the sixth and fanned every Twins batter at least once except Gio Urshela, who grounded out to third and flied out to right in his first two at-bats.
“He’s been pitching like that for years. He’s been having a lot of success. So he knows how to do it,” said Urshela, who hit a sharp grounder up the middle with two outs in the seventh that skidded under Kershaw’s glove as he tried to backhand the ball.
Lux, shifted to the shortstop side of second base, made a slick pickup and throw for the inning-ending out.
“Every decision I make is for the best interest of the player, their health and the ballclub,” Roberts said, “because there’s a lot of people that are cheering for the Dodgers, not only just for today and Clayton to throw a no-hitter, but for the Dodgers to win the World Series. For us to do that, we need him healthy.”
Roberts has pulled a starting pitcher with a no-hitter before. Walker Buehler came out after six innings in May 2018, Rich Hill left with a blister after seven perfect innings in September 2016 and Ross Stripling was removed after 7⅓ innings in April 2016.
“Those guys make it tough on me,” Roberts said.
According to ESPN research, Kershaw and Hill are the only pitchers in major-league history to be pulled after seven-plus innings with a perfect game intact.
This was Kershaw’s 66th career double-digit strikeout game in 380 regular-season appearances. The Twins became the 27th major-league team he faced, missing only the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. He did pitch against the Red Sox in the 2018 World Series.
Kershaw hugged his catcher Barnes in the dugout after his day was done.
Latest National Sports
“He said, ‘Sorry,’” Barnes said. “I knew it was the right call and stuff like that, but I thought we could get it done. That’s baseball.” | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/national-sports/ct-clayton-kershaw-pulled-perfect-game-20220413-iirkokj5bfejng5wwj2e22n7za-story.html | 2022-04-14T00:02:50 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/national-sports/ct-clayton-kershaw-pulled-perfect-game-20220413-iirkokj5bfejng5wwj2e22n7za-story.html |
Midfielder Cesar Araujo has played just seven games so far in his debut season for Orlando City, but the U-22 Initiative player is one booking away from serving a one-game suspension.
That’s a cause for concern for coach Oscar Pareja, who has relied heavily on the Uruguayan since the start of the season and heading into Saturday’s game against the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field.
But Pareja reaffirmed that Araujo still is adjusting to the league’s competitiveness, but the team is being cautious on how it’s managing the player.
“Looking into the yellow cards, in MLS they’re more strict regarding fouls,” Pareja told reporters on Wednesday. “In some cases, normal fouls that are seen in other leagues are sanctioned here with yellow cards, and he’s still trying to understand that.”
Araujo, 21, has racked up four yellow cards in seven games — one booking away from a one-match suspension and a $250 fine, according to the league’s competition guideline.
Things could get more interesting, however. Should Araujo get booked again and serve the game suspension along with paying the fine, three more yellow cards after the fifth will warrant a $500 fine and another suspension.
The league does have an incentive for good behavior, though. Should Araujo or any player in danger of facing suspension go five consecutive games without being booked, one yellow card will be reduced.
Araujo is aware of the scenarios but mentioned he goes into each game looking to compete.
“I do have four yellow cards already, but I play in the center of the field, I play in central midfield,” Araujo told reporters. “I can’t think of not trying to get a yellow card. I just have to go out there and play my game and make sure that I leave it out there on the field during the game for my teammates.
“I’ve got four yellow cards and if I pick up another one, then I’ll spend a game suspended because those are the rules,” he added. “If I don’t, I’ll continue giving everything I have.”
Araujo is also the most fouled player in the team with 25 fouls suffered since the start of the season, but that’s also part of the player adapting to the league’s competitiveness, said Pareja.
“We have found in Cesar a guy with a lot of talent and with a lot of responsibility and he’s adapting to our own code of conduct,” Pareja said. “This is a very demanding league, it has a distinct rhythm and the players that have arrived will continue adapting little by little. He’s doing a good job regarding all that; he’s recognizing how this league is different to where he used to play.” | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-soccer/os-sp-orlando-city-os-sp-orlando-city-cesar-arujo-0414-20220413-bsx35l5h75gtzebq5mwldew6zi-story.html | 2022-04-14T00:02:56 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-soccer/os-sp-orlando-city-os-sp-orlando-city-cesar-arujo-0414-20220413-bsx35l5h75gtzebq5mwldew6zi-story.html |
OLYMPIA, Wash. — E-cigarette giant Juul Labs will pay Washington state $22.5 million and has agreed to a variety of reforms to prevent underage use and sales under a settlement announced Wednesday by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit in September 2020, saying the country’s largest e-cigarette company targeted underage consumers and deceived consumers about the addictiveness of its product.
“Juul’s conduct harmed Washingtonians,” Ferguson said at a news conference in Seattle. “They harmed the youth of our state.”
Ferguson said that upon the product's launch in 2015, the company flooded social media with colorful ads, fueling a spike in use and nicotine addiction among teenagers. The percentage of vaping high school sophomores in Washington rose from 13% in 2016 to nearly 21% by 2018, according to Ferguson’s office.
Under the consent decree filed in King County Superior Court, Juul Labs admitted no wrongdoing in settling the case. in an email after the announcement, the company called it “another step in our ongoing effort to reset our company and resolve issues from the past.”
It’s the fourth such settlement with states by the company within the past year. In November, Juul settled for $14.5 million with state prosecutors in Arizona, just months after agreeing to pay $40 million in North Carolina. As in Washington, the company promised not to market to minors in those states to and boost enforcement of retailers who sell its products.
Lawsuits in a handful of other states remain. In its statement Wednesday, the company said it has also settled with Louisiana.
“We will continue working with federal and state stakeholders to advance a fully regulated, science-based marketplace for vapor products,” the company wrote.
Under the settlement announced in Washington state, Juul must stop all advertising that appeals to youth and is prohibited from marketing its products on social media, including Facebook and Instagram. It must also monitor for and report social media content about Juul products posted by underage users, and must implement practices to prevent underage youth from buying Juul products online, including requiring an ID-verified adult signature upon delivery of the products.
The company must also confirm the age of people who file warranty claims for a Juul product.
According to Juul’s website, the company had stopped all advertising before Ferguson sued in 2020 and ended sales of all flavored products except menthol and tobacco.
The company is also required to implement a secret shopper program that Ferguson says is more robust than those in previous settlements. Under the agreement, Juul must send secret shoppers on at least 25 compliance checks per month at Washington-based Juul retailers for at least two years. Those checks must be performed across the state, with at least one check in each of the state's 39 counties per year.
Ferguson's office said the secret shoppers must confirm that retailers are complying with the requirement to verify a purchaser’s age, and that they are complying with the requirement to limit the purchase of Juul products to one Juul device and 16 Juul pods per transaction. Juul is required to report the results of the program to Ferguson's office every three months.
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Under the consent decree, Juul is ordered to pay the $22.5 million total over the next four years. Ferguson said that money will be used to establish a new health equity unit at this office to respond to deceptive and discriminatory health care practices that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities and communities of color.
A national survey released last fall found that teen vaping plummeted while students were learning from home during the pandemic. In the national survey, 11% of high school students and less than 3% of middle school students said they were recent users of e-cigarettes and other vaping products, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
That was a roughly 40% drop from 2020, when nearly 20% of high school students and 5% of middle schoolers said they had recently vaped.
Data for 2022 has not yet been released. Schools were fully reopened in Washington in the fall of 2021. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/juul-225-million-settle-washington-vaping/281-6a8a72dc-6cc9-4bd4-add7-34d8e6fe96e0 | 2022-04-14T00:05:05 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/juul-225-million-settle-washington-vaping/281-6a8a72dc-6cc9-4bd4-add7-34d8e6fe96e0 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — An attempt to check on a stolen car led Portland police officers to pursue an armed suspect to Hayden Island Wednesday morning.
According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), officers from the Neighborhood Response Team found a car that had been reported stolen. Inside was a man who was initially "unresponsive," the agency said.
The driver then tried to get away, but officers were able to spike the vehicle's tires. It wound up on Hayden Island, where officers caught up with the driver as he tried to get away on foot.
PPB identified the suspect as 39-year-old Gregory Walker. He was found with a handgun and more than 200 rounds of ammunition, the agency said. Walker was charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle, attempting to elude, felon in possession of a firearm and other charges.
According to PPB's North Precinct, this was the second occasion in a 24-hour period where an armed suspect in a stolen vehicle fled from officers on the north side of Portland.
"These situations are dangerous," the agency said. "We remind the public if they see their own stolen vehicle to call dispatch and not attempt to contact a suspect independently."
In a similar incident on Wednesday, officers in Southeast Portland went to recover a stolen vehicle in the 11500 block of Southeast Foster Road. The officers were trying to arrest someone when the person's gun discharged.
A PPB spokesman did not immediately know if the gunshot was intentional or not, but no one was injured. The suspect was taken into custody pending further investigation. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-police-recover-stolen-car-handgun-ammo-wednesday-chase/283-5b0f9998-14d9-4cf1-897c-f0410a3f8e9c | 2022-04-14T00:05:11 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-police-recover-stolen-car-handgun-ammo-wednesday-chase/283-5b0f9998-14d9-4cf1-897c-f0410a3f8e9c |
Amazon is taking a step to offset its rising costs, announcing Wednesday it will add a 5% “fuel and inflation surcharge” to fees it charges third-party sellers who use the e-commerce giant's fulfillment services. The Seattle-based company said on its website that the added fees, which take effect April 28, are “subject to change” and will apply to both apparel and non-apparel items.
Black Label Advisor CEO Jon Elder, a consultant for third-party sellers, told Business Insider he expects his clients will also raise prices and that it will lead to a "slight increase in prices" for consumers.
The latest fee hike follows one announced in November and went into effect in January. Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for further details on the recent move. But in a notice sent to sellers Wednesday, the company said its costs had gone up since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic due to increases in hourly wages, the hiring of workers and construction of more warehouses.
It said it had absorbed costs whenever possible, and only increased fees to address permanent costs and to be competitive with other providers. Amazon competitors FedEx and UPS both have fuel surcharges.
“In 2022, we expected a return to normalcy as COVID-19 restrictions around the world eased, but fuel and inflation have presented further challenges,” the company said in the notice.
Federal data released Tuesday showed inflation jumped 8.5% in March, its fastest pace in more than 40 years. Gasoline prices have rocketed 48% in the past 12 months.
Though the company is blaming inflation and rising fuel costs for the surcharge, Stacy Mitchell, co-director for the anti-monopoly group Institute for Local Self-Reliance, criticized Wednesday's announcement, saying Amazon was taking advantage of the moment.
“Amazon keeps increasing its fees on the sellers that have to depend on its platform,” Mitchell said, adding the new fees are a way “to take more money out of the pockets of independent businesses and put it into Amazon’s coffers.”
Amazon's third-party marketplace, where independent merchants list millions of their products, is a huge part of its business. It has about 2 million sellers, and more than half the goods sold on Amazon.com come from these sellers.
Last year, sellers paid Amazon about $103 billion in fees, which made up about 22% of the company's revenue. The online retailer said the new fees will apply to products ordered before April 28 but shipped and delivered after that date. Amazon is also expected to release its earnings report from the first three months of this year on April 28.
Amazon has long faced accusations of undercutting merchants that sell on its platform by making “knock-offs,” or very similar products, and boosting their presence on the site.
The news also comes weeks after Amazon completed a Prime membership subscription price increase. An annual membership went from $119 to $139, an increase of $20. The monthly fee went from $12.99 to $14.99, which amounts to $24 more per year. It was the second Prime subscription hike in the last four years.
Associated Press journalist Manuel Valdes in Seattle contributed to this report. Travis Pittman also contributed. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/amazon-fuel-surcharge-seller-fees/507-92e68491-32b0-461f-a70b-789a02bcbc00 | 2022-04-14T00:05:17 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/amazon-fuel-surcharge-seller-fees/507-92e68491-32b0-461f-a70b-789a02bcbc00 |
The next full moon is Saturday, April 16, and according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, is called the “pink moon.”
Sandra texted the VERIFY team to ask: “What is the pink moon and when is it?” When the pink moon came around in both 2020 and 2021, viral social media posts shared photos that made the moon look literally pink.
THE QUESTION
Does the pink moon look pink?
THE SOURCES
- NASA
- Old Farmers’ Almanac
- Farmers’ Almanac
- Jackie Faherty, senior scientist and senior education manager jointly in the Department of Astrophysics and the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History
- Noah Petro, project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission
THE ANSWER
No, the pink moon does not look pink. It gets its name from a flower that blooms in April called creeping phlox.
WHAT WE FOUND
NASA says the next full moon will appear between Friday and Monday, from April 15 to April 18. Every April, the month's full moon is known as the pink moon, NASA says.
“The most important thing to know is that the moon’s not turning pink,” said Jackie Faherty, a scientist and educator in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.
NASA says the nickname for each month’s full moon, including April’s pink moon, was popularized by farmers’ almanacs. The two most well-known farmers’ almanacs — the Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers’ Almanac — say the nickname was inspired by a pink springtime flower called creeping phlox, or moss phlox.
“Although we wish this name had to do with the color of the Moon, the reality is not quite as mystical or awe-inspiring,” the Old Farmers’ Almanac says. “In truth, April’s full Moon often corresponded with the early springtime blooms of a certain wildflower native to eastern North America: Phlox subulata — commonly called creeping phlox or moss phlox — which also went by the name ‘moss pink.’”
Despite its name, the pink moon will not look pink to stargazers. The only reason the moon would ever appear to be a different color, Faherty said, is because of the way light passes through particles in the Earth’s atmosphere.
“So that's part of why I would also encourage people to look at the moon when it's close to the horizon — when it's rising or when it's setting — because at that point, you'll be looking at it through the most amount of the Earth's atmosphere, which is gonna have all sorts of things in it,” Faherty said. “And so unfortunately, the things that are going to make it look the prettiest are things that are super not great for humans.”
Faherty used volcanic eruptions and wildfires as an example, both of which launch ash and other small particles into the air, which can make the moon appear red or orange while close to the horizon. She said that, typically, the air would have to be particularly smoggy for the moon to appear a different color than normal while high in the sky.
The one exception to this rule, added Noah Petro, a lunar geologist at NASA, is during a lunar eclipse. That’s when the full moon passes into the shadow of the Earth.
“The moon changes color because the light from the sun is going through the Earth's atmosphere. And that light going through the Earth's atmosphere is that same brilliant color that we see at sunsets — that red, orange light — and that's reflected back off to us,” Petro said.
The Old Farmers’ Almanac says two full moons can happen twice in the same month once every two and a half years. This is possible because the moon cycles through its phases every 29.5 days, and can happen in any month, including April. The second full moon of the month is always a blue moon no matter what month it happens in, the Old Farmers’ Almanac says.
Both almanacs say the tradition of nicknaming every month’s moon in North America began with Native American lunar calendars and was then adopted by early Colonial American settlers. Neither almanac has confirmed where the pink moon nickname originated.
Other cultures call April’s full moon by other names, such as Bak Poya in Sri Lanka, the frog moon by the Cree tribe and the sugar-making moon by the Ojibwe tribe. If April’s full moon is the first full moon of the spring season, it becomes the Paschal Moon in the Christian ecclesiastical calendar.
More from VERIFY: No, cold or rainy weather cannot make you sick | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/verify/science-verify/pink-full-moon-april-wont-actually-look-pink-named-after-creeping-phlox/536-0c2bba55-e764-4cf7-8c33-1dd95938090a | 2022-04-14T00:05:23 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/verify/science-verify/pink-full-moon-april-wont-actually-look-pink-named-after-creeping-phlox/536-0c2bba55-e764-4cf7-8c33-1dd95938090a |
On April 4, New York Magazine published an article that claimed the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF), a tax-exempt nonprofit that serves as the national hub of the Black Lives Matter movement, secretly purchased a nearly $6 million luxury property in Los Angeles in 2020 with funds donated to the organization.
In the days following the report, some Republican lawmakers, including Texas state Rep. Lance Gooden, California state Rep. Darrell Issa, and several others on Twitter questioned how the national organization is really using its donated funds. VERIFY viewers Matthew and Rhoda also sent VERIFY an email asking if Black Lives Matter really purchased a multimillion-dollar mansion.
THE QUESTION
Did Black Lives Matter purchase a multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles?
THE SOURCES
- Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
- Patrisse Cullors, co-founder, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
- Shalomyah Bowers, board member, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
- Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor
- Los Angeles County Property Records
- California Secretary of State Business Entities
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
THE ANSWER
Yes, Black Lives Matter’s national nonprofit purchased a multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles in 2020.
WHAT WE FOUND
The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman confessed to fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was Black, in Sanford, Florida. Nearly nine years later, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) has grown into a prominent racial justice organization with a mission to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes,” according to its website.
On April 5, Patrisse Cullors, who co-founded Black Lives Matter but stepped down from her role as BLMGNF's executive director in May 2021, shared a post on her Instagram page stating that the organization purchased the property mentioned in the New York Magazine article as a space where those within BLMGNF and the broader movement could “work, create content, host meetings and foster creativity.”
“Although I cannot speak to how BLMGNF uses the property currently as I left the organization last year in May, it was purchased to be a safe space for Black people in the community,” Cullors wrote, explaining that the property was not purchased “secretly” like the headline of the New York Magazine article implies.
Cullors' resignation from her role as executive director followed controversy over BLMGNF's finances and over Cullors’ personal wealth, according to the Associated Press.
Los Angeles County property records obtained by VERIFY show a Studio City mansion was sold for $5,888,800 on Oct. 27, 2020. The 6,785 square foot home, which was originally built in 1936, includes seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, a pool, a guest house, a sound stage and a music studio, according to multiple real estate listings and photos. VERIFY also found a public business record of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) registered in Delaware that uses the property’s address in the LLC’s name. It was established a few days before the mansion’s purchase.
Shalomyah Bowers, a BLMGNF board member, told VERIFY in a statement that the LLC is associated with BLMGNF. The Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office also confirmed in an email that the property owner is recorded as the LLC. Since the LLC uses the property’s address in its name, VERIFY is not publishing it because of privacy concerns.
Bowers explained that Perkins Coie, a law firm that previously worked with BLMGNF, and an associate named Dyane Pascall, “were engaged to assist with the closing of the acquisition” of the property.
“BLMGNF formed an LLC to take ownership of the property, which is customary in real estate transactions to avoid exposing BLM’s assets to any litigation or liability,” Bowers said.
Bowers said the organization purchased the property “with the intention for it to serve as housing and studio space for recipients of the Black Joy Creators Fellowship.” He also said the property does not serve as a personal residence. BLMGNF officially announced the fellowship on April 1.
“The fellowship provides recording resources and dedicated space for Black creatives to launch content online and in real life focused on abolition, healing justice, urban agriculture and food justice, pop culture, activism, and politics. Providing housing is an established practice for creators and artists,” Bowers said.
In February 2021, BLMGNF told the Associated Press that the organization took in over $90 million in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd. The foundation said it ended 2020 with a balance of more than $60 million, after spending nearly a quarter of its assets on operating expenses, grants to Black-led organizations and other charitable giving.
Critics of BLMGNF say more of the donated money should have gone to the families of Black victims of police brutality who have been unable to access the resources needed to deal with their trauma and loss. The Associated Press also reported that Cullors was previously targeted by several conservative-leaning publications that alleged she took a large annual salary from the foundation.
New York magazine reported BLMGNF used donated money to purchase the LA mansion. VERIFY has not independently confirmed that claim. VERIFY asked BLMGNF if donations were used to purchase the house but did not get a response at the time of publishing. Cullors said in her Instagram post that she “never misappropriated funds.”
According to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records, BLMGNF was awarded federal tax-exempt status in 2015. A tax-exempt organization must file an annual information return or notice with the IRS (form 990) unless an exception applies. However, IRS records show BLMGNF has not filed a form 990 since 2019.
Cullors and Bowers both said the organization plans to submit the latest tax form 990 in May, which will include information about the LA property.
“I have never misappropriated funds, and it pains me that so many people have accepted that narrative without the presence of tangible truth or facts." Cullors wrote in her April 5 Instagram post. "Nevertheless, this will soon be made clear upon the release of the BLM 990s."
Bowers also told VERIFY that the organization “always planned” to disclose the property on the upcoming 990 due May 15 “as part of BLMGNF’s ongoing transparency efforts.”
As of April 13, BLMGNF is no longer collecting donations on the organization’s official website. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/verify/social-justice/black-lives-matter-global-network-foundation-bought-los-angeles-california-mansion-fact-check/536-d92e2522-3872-43ae-b27e-e332a44aaeea | 2022-04-14T00:05:30 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/verify/social-justice/black-lives-matter-global-network-foundation-bought-los-angeles-california-mansion-fact-check/536-d92e2522-3872-43ae-b27e-e332a44aaeea |
WARNING: The following story contains graphic details that may not be suitable for all readers
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Both her eyes were swollen and bruised.
So was the woman’s face, and her skin was pale.
When Fort Wayne firefighters and medics arrived at a near southwest side home to find her this past February, the woman – previously diagnosed with a mental disability and cerebral palsy – was unconscious and on the floor.
She was still breathing, but doctors at the time did not give her much of a chance to live.
Allen County prosecutors on Wednesday charged the woman’s caregiver with a felony count of neglect of a dependent in connection to the woman’s injuries, which included brain hemorrhages and were so severe she needed to be placed on a ventilator and life support.
Her caregiver, 76-year-old Judy A. Baughman, claimed in Allen Superior Court documents the woman suffered her injuries from falling multiple times over the course of a few days. Still, it took a behavioral consultant assigned to the woman to get medics involved, according to court documents.
Firefighters and medics were called to Baughman’s home, where the woman lived, on Feb. 15 after the behavior consultant went there and found her lying on the floor.
The behavior consultant would later tell detectives in court documents she became suspicious when Baughman told her the woman had become “out of control.” She told detectives Baughman also claimed the woman had been throwing herself on the floor.
She also told detectives Baughman said the woman first fell on Feb. 10 and had been falling ever since.
The behavior consultant asked to speak with the woman, who she had known for years. Baughman denied that request, according to court documents.
The consultant began to think the woman might be in trouble and went to the home to find her on the floor. The consultant knew the woman could use the bathroom on her own, but she was wearing an adult diaper, according to court documents.
She called 911.
The woman was taken to the Intensive Care Unit at Lutheran Hospital where doctors told medics she was “not expected to live at the time,” according to court documents.
Fort Wayne police became involved in the case on Feb. 22.
By then, the woman had been taken off her ventilator but was still in the Intensive Care Unit. She still had bruises on her eyes, according to court documents, and told a detective Baughman was her mother.
The woman said she remembered falling, but did not remember the day. She also said she remembered falling “a lot,” according to court documents. She said at one point she fell outside in front of Baughman, but that Baughman laughed at her and did not help her up.
During an interview with a detective, Baughman claimed in court documents the woman had suffered “most” of her injuries from falling. She then admitted at one point the woman was on the ground and would not open her eyes or talk, but that she was breathing.
The detective pointed out in court documents the woman had to be placed on a ventilator and life support.
Baughman was booked into Allen County Lockup on Wednesday morning but soon released, according to jail records.
A court date for her initial hearing has yet to be scheduled. | https://www.wane.com/news/court-docs-caregiver-charged-with-neglect-after-woman-put-on-life-support/ | 2022-04-14T00:05:49 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/court-docs-caregiver-charged-with-neglect-after-woman-put-on-life-support/ |
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. district court judge on Wednesday declined to throw out a criminal case against Michael Sussmann, a Democratic Party-linked lawyer accused of lying to the FBI, setting the stage for a jury trial scheduled for May 16.
Sussmann was charged as part of U.S. Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI inquiry of suspected ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Sussmann is a former lawyer for the Perkins Coie firm who previously worked for 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign against Republican Trump, who became president.
In a written order, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in the District of Columbia denied a motion to dismiss the criminal case filed by Sussmann's legal team.
Sussmann had argued as grounds for dismissal that he never made a "material," or consequential, misstatement to the FBI. But Cooper said he needed to hear the government's evidence before resolving the "materiality" issue.
"The battle lines thus are drawn, but the Court cannot resolve this standoff prior to trial," Cooper wrote.
Sussmann has pleaded not guilty and denies that he lied to the FBI.
Sussmann is accused of lying to the FBI about who he was representing when he met with the agency in September 2016.
Sussmann gave the FBI evidence of potential cyber links between the Trump Organization and Russia's Alfa Bank. The FBI eventually investigated the Alfa Bank matter but decided the suspicions were unfounded.
According to Durham's indictment, Sussmann lied by saying he was not passing along information about Trump on behalf of any specific client.
The indictment said Sussmann turned over that information to the FBI not as a "good citizen" but as an attorney representing a U.S. technology executive, Rodney Joffe, and Clinton’s presidential campaign.
The case is the second criminal prosecution Durham has filed since Trump-era U.S. Attorney General William Barr tapped him in 2019 to investigate U.S. officials who probed the Trump-Russia contacts. Trump portrayed the 2016 FBI investigation as part of a political witch hunt.
The administration of President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 election, has allowed Durham to continue his work as special counsel. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/clinton-aligned-lawyer-charged-by-u-s-prosecutor-loses-bid-to-toss-case/article_e3b7d048-98ad-500a-9c4f-fba8e7410d9f.html | 2022-04-14T00:07:24 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/national/clinton-aligned-lawyer-charged-by-u-s-prosecutor-loses-bid-to-toss-case/article_e3b7d048-98ad-500a-9c4f-fba8e7410d9f.html |
CONCORD — A proposed $100 million InvestHousing Fund will support building “thousands and thousands” of new affordable housing units across the state, Gov. Chris Sununu said Wednesday.
Flanked by business leaders, housing advocates and state officials, Sununu urged the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee on Friday to endorse using federal American Rescue Plan Act money for the plan so it could be ready to begin this June.
“Even $100 million is really only getting us started to where we need to be, but this is an awesome start,” Sununu said at a news conference in the Executive Council chambers.
Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell said projects with at least an “affordable housing component” will be eligible to seek support.
“This is a once-in-a–lifetime investment that is to deal with the crux of the workforce issues we face right now,” Caswell said.
Brien Murphy, co-owner of Boyce Highlands Inc. in Concord, said the maker of hardwood moldings is down 10 employees and that he plans to further add staff because the firm bought a second business, Highland Hardwoods in Brentwood.
“With very limited housing, it is very difficult to attract workers,” Murphy said.
Over in Jaffrey, MilliporeSigma employs 1,200 making pharmaceutical production equipment.
Senior Director David Nichols said the company has gone to great lengths to find housing for workers.
“We have had as high as 80 people in temporary housing for months and months at a time to find (permanent living) space for them,” Nichols said. “Hopefully this will be a catalyst for the entire region to try and find some solutions.”
Sununu recalled that as CEO of the Waterville Valley resort in 2016 he canceled some campaign events during his first run for governor so he could buy a dormant hotel to turn it into temporary housing for workers.
“I have lived that exact situation. We took it off the rental market,” Sununu said, adding that new stick-built homes and apartments are what New Hampshire needs rather than projects that shoehorn housing into vacant, less ideal spaces.
Sununu: Money will go fast
Sununu has no doubt this money will go out fast. With a 0.6% vacancy rate statewide, these new housing units won’t stay unoccupied for long once they're built.
“When you develop these properties, they will be filled,” Sununu said. “They will be waiting maybe hours to fill out all of these units.”
The plan is to use $40 million of the grant for communities and $60 million for developers, including $10 million for the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.
Caswell said the authority is working on supporting 1,200 to 1,500 new affordable housing units.
“Hopefully we can get this stood up quickly enough to help make those a reality,” Caswell said.
The grants will be to provide the “last money in” needed to complete a project, he said.
Since becoming president and CEO of the Business & Industry Association, Mike Skelton has been crisscrossing the state, meeting with BIA members.
“Housing is the first or second thing that comes up with everyone, regardless of the industry, size of the company or where they are located in New Hampshire,” Skelton said during an interview. “We used to talk about this as a challenge; it’s a crisis now, and it’s going to take many creative efforts like this one to really make a difference.”
Cities and towns will compete for $30 million to receive aid of $10,000 per unit up to a total of $1 million for each community.
This will support 3,000 new affordable housing units, the governor said.
Caps for towns, developers
Another $5 million would help local officials update their planning or zoning ordinances, and $5 million could be used to demolish buildings to make way for new housing.
Sununu spoke of an exchange he had with local officials in Warren at the recent ribbon cutting of a Dunkin' Donuts franchise there.
“They said, ‘We’ve heard there’s going to $100 million for affordable housing. What about that?’ and they pointed to a vacant lot that is their prime spot to build affordable housing,” Sununu said. “I believe in local control, and I want this tailored to meet each individual community’s needs."
For-profit and not-for-profit developers would compete for part of the $50 million to build projects with at least five units of multifamily housing that are at or near construction.
These grants will be capped at $3 million per project.
The developer must at least match the state grant with their own spending.
Housing for disabled a priority
A spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Democratic Party said Sununu is trying to claim as his own the work of the all-Democratic congressional delegation that got the ARPA money.
“Sununu said he would have voted ‘no’ on the American Rescue Plan, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking credit for this funding,” Venizke said.
“No matter how he tries to spin this to the press today, one thing is clear — Sununu has failed to alleviate New Hampshire’s housing crisis, and Granite Staters are paying the price,” she said.
Sununu said another priority is to support construction so that more individuals with disabilities can live on their own.
“Independent living opens up all those doors, not just for the individual but the entire family,” Sununu said.
ABLE-NH, an advocacy group for the disabled community, wasn’t impressed with the lack of specifics in the plan.
“Gobbledygook talk. No “experiments” with once-in-a-lifetime $100 million for housing which should be dedicated to affordable housing, not for market rate housing. Unconscionable!” the group said in a statement posted on social media.
The group pressured the housing authority to create set-asides for housing accessible to those with disabilities.
Caswell said he’s hiring staff who will soon flesh out details for how each grant program would operate. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/gov-sununu-hypes-100-mil-housing-plan/article_1b3dccdd-d51b-5678-befc-13e4dae3b6ce.html | 2022-04-14T00:07:30 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/gov-sununu-hypes-100-mil-housing-plan/article_1b3dccdd-d51b-5678-befc-13e4dae3b6ce.html |
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., took a two-day tour to the southern border and called upon the Biden administration to come up with a comprehensive plan to control crossings by illegal immigrants. Here, she meets with John R. Modlin, chief border patrol agent
CONCORD — The executive team of the New Hampshire Democratic Latino Caucus has resigned after U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., went to the southern border last week and pushed for additional resources to deal with increased crossings by illegal immigrants.
In a joint statement, the four officers wrote Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley that they were leaving in protest of views from Hassan and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, both D-N.H.
They have signed on in opposition to President Biden ending Title 42, a measure adopted during the pandemic that allows for quick expulsion of migrants.
State Rep. Maria Perez, D-Milford, chairs the caucus.
“The dangerous rhetoric and the accompanying attitude is something we expect from the New Hampshire Republican Party and their fear-mongering slew of candidates, but when one of our Democratic leaders acts in the same way, we must draw a line,” wrote the four officers, including Eva Castillo of Manchester, a leading advocate for immigrants.
The group said they felt these views were a betrayal of their political activism.
“We spent countless volunteer hours making sure we elect allies to our community. We knocked (on) doors for you and, in return, you build walls for us. No more.”
Through a spokesman, Buckley declined comment.
A spokesperson for Hassan said her trip to the border underscored to her more oversight at the border was needed.
“At the border, Senator Hassan heard directly from law enforcement about the urgent need for additional resources, including personnel, technology, and, in some places, physical barriers, to address an expected increase in border crossings,” said Laura Epstein.
“As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, Senator Hassan will continue to push the Biden administration not to end Title 42 until it has provided a comprehensive plan to ensure a safe, secure, and humane border.” | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/national/democratic-latino-caucus-team-resigns-in-protest-of-hassan-immigration-views/article_2ce0908b-1e0e-5aa7-b47b-d5551705376b.html | 2022-04-14T00:07:36 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/national/democratic-latino-caucus-team-resigns-in-protest-of-hassan-immigration-views/article_2ce0908b-1e0e-5aa7-b47b-d5551705376b.html |
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WRIC) — Chesterfield County wants to hear from you — and a good deal of money may be on the line.
The county has issued a survey on pedestrian safety, biking and traffic congestion on Huguenot Road, specifically focusing on the portion near its intersection with Robious Road.
“Your feedback will help your local leaders determine whether or not to pursue future funding opportunities,” the county wrote in a Facebook post.
The area is the focus of a VDOT improvement study, which could mean state funding to help the county revamp the roadway.
The intersection is included in the county’s Bikeways and Trails plan as well, where it’s been marked for future construction of dedicated bike infrastructure.
The survey will be available between now and April 22, and will help the county determine what improvements, if any, to pursue on the road. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/chesterfield-seeks-input-on-huguenot-road-improvements/ | 2022-04-14T00:13:37 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/chesterfield-seeks-input-on-huguenot-road-improvements/ |
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Plans for a new George Wythe High School are moving forward after the school board agreed to Mayor Levar Stoney’s latest proposal.
Richmond City Council members plan to transfer $7.3 million so construction can start on the new high school. The confirmation of the transfer comes after Richmond School Board members voted Monday night to agree with Stoney’s latest proposal: a new high school that seats 1,800 students.
The school board and city council members disagreed on the size of the school for almost a year. Jenny Aghomo, a Richmond Public Schools parent, said she watched the contention go on for several months.
“It’s kind of insane to think about, that you would want a school on the Southside smaller when there’s so much growth,” she said.
She added that it is a relief the attention is put back on the students and said she hopes the students are able to get the facility they deserve.
City council members will vote on the proposed agreement on April 25.
The process is similar to what other school districts are doing to build their own new schools.
In Hanover County, the school district is preparing to build a new $40 million elementary school in July.
The John M. Gandy Elementary School will seat 800 students. The new school will consolidate two of the county’s current elementary schools into one school.
Prince George County Schools is building a new $32 million dollar elementary school, which will seat 850 students. The new school will replace William A. Walton Elementary School. The school plans to open its doors to students in 2023.
While Henrico County Schools is not building any new schools this year, the county is planning to remodel some educational centers, including the Hermitage ACE Center this year.
Henrico’s next new building project will be the HCPS Environmental Education Living Building, if, approved in the proposed 2022 bond referendum. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/wythe-plans-move-forward-as-other-area-districts-build-new-schools/ | 2022-04-14T00:13:43 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/wythe-plans-move-forward-as-other-area-districts-build-new-schools/ |
DeWITT, Va. (WRIC) — The widow of a local Vietnam War veteran has been fighting for her husband’s benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for roughly a decade. Now, she reveals she is starting to get answers.
Air Force veteran Joseph Wilkins passed away in 2018, but his medical problems predated his death by more than a decade. His widow, Carolyn Fields-Wilkins, an Army veteran herself, has since been fighting for the recognition of his claims.
8News interviewed her on April 5, shortly after she received a FedEx shipment of documents that had been sent overnight to her address in her husband’s name. The documents stated that Joseph needed to come in to a VA Medical Center for a C&P Exam, which, according to the VA, is something the department may require after a claim is filed to help rate their disability.
“How does this make any of that better, when you send me something for my deceased husband, that I know is deceased because I’m missing him?” Carolyn told 8News at the time. “I know he’s deceased. He gave me purpose. I took care of him like he was my baby because that’s what I wanted to do. But how does this help?”
Then, about a day after 8News’ Taking Action piece aired, Carolyn said she received a call from the VA that her claim was being processed.
“The package would be mailed out to me, and it takes seven to 10 business days, or days that I should get it,” she said on Wednesday. “Well, I haven’t gotten it.”
The call left Carolyn even more confused, as she had received a notice in November of 2021 stating, “There are no additional VA benefits available for the Veteran or yourself.” But less than a month later, she received another notice, also from the VA, which stated:
We are conducting a special review of the above Veteran’s claims folder in accordance with Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). You may be entitled to additional compensation if you previously submitted a claim for Veteran’s or Survivor’s benefits for a covered condition and were denied for that condition.”
Department of Veterans Affairs
8News first reached out to the VA for clarification on Joseph’s case last week. After following up again on Monday, the department responded on Wednesday.
We are sorry to hear about the passing of Mr. Wilkins and we wish to express our sincere condolences.
VA confirms Carolyn Fields-Wilkins is an Army veteran and was married to Joseph Wilkins, an Air Force Veteran, who passed away on Sept. 27, 2018. VA records indicate that the veteran previously filed a claim for a disability that is presumptively connected to exposure to herbicide; the claim was subsequently denied in August 2011 due to the condition not being diagnosed.
In June 2021, VA conducted a special review of Mr. Wilkin’s claims file as mandated by federal court order in Nehmer v. Department of Veterans Affairs. Review of the file showed no diagnosis of any of the three new presumptive conditions. VA was unable to grant additional service connection benefits based on this review. Appeal rights were provided as part of the April 6, 2022, notification letter regarding the decision which outline potential next steps.
During this process, an automated notice was sent addressed to Mr. Wilkins on March 30, 2022, advising of a records review, including review of compensation and pension exams and that reporting for an exam was not needed. While the intent was to inform, we understand and regret that this and any other correspondence was upsetting to Mrs. Field-Wilkins.
Mrs. Field-Wilkins received the Veteran’s final benefit payment as well as burial benefits.”
Department of Veterans Affairs
Carolyn continues to question what will happen to her husband’s claim, setting aside those of her own. She said that regardless of the outcome, she will continue to fight for veterans.
“All I think about is what’s not fair to veterans — wounded, maimed, some were killed,” she said. “What if their loved ones can’t get what they need? Do you know the stress that that puts on a body, a person who has lost a loved one?”
More recent documentation Carolyn received from the VA stated that review of a burial claim was completed on April 6, 2022. The claim included benefits associated with bladder cancer, among other things. However, Carolyn said that she was never made aware that Joseph had bladder cancer, despite several months of him being in and out of treatment at VA Medical Centers.
“Veterans need this attention,” she said. “There’s a lot going on in the world. But should that call to go to another war [come], who you going to send? When they come back, how will they be treated?”
Carolyn said that she hopes to turn her property into a place for veterans moving forward, in an effort to give back to service members.
“I want to make this place a place that veterans, in my husband’s name and his honor, they can use this spot for picnics, for family reunions, for weddings,” she said. “I think that there should be a way with community involvement to have sessions that enlighten veterans. These are the people that fight the wars and defend the democracy in the country. Shouldn’t they have an opportunity to fight and know what their benefits are supposed to be?” | https://www.wric.com/news/taking-action/dinwiddie-widow-of-vietnam-war-veteran-continues-fight-for-benefits/ | 2022-04-14T00:13:50 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/taking-action/dinwiddie-widow-of-vietnam-war-veteran-continues-fight-for-benefits/ |
Josh Peck says he made less than $100,000 a year on 'Drake & Josh'
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Updated: 5:31 PM MDT Apr 13, 2022
friends between bells and cheddar news, I'm baker machado and new york and from childhood actor to influencer, right back to your television screens, Our next guest has cemented himself as one of Hollywood's elite in his new memoir. Happy people are annoying. The actor, writer, Youtuber and television star reflects for the very first time on his late teens and early twenties being raised by a single mother and also coming of age in the spotlight and actor and author josh peck joining us right now here on cheddar news, josh, great to have you back here, thank you so much for having me, this is great, Okay, so a lot of us know you and grew up watching you on Nickelodeon's drake and josh, so we all know that side of you, but what were things like behind the camera that fans finally will learn about you in this book here? Well, I think that you're right, a lot of people grew up with me and I, you know, my awkward adolescent years, a lot of people, they go through that and then they burn their yearbooks and swear their families to secrecy, but mine are in reruns. So I basically just talk a lot about what it was like being in the public eye at that age, feeling deeply insecure because you know, I was overweight and sort of the challenges that I faced in an effort to kind of say, listen maybe if you watch me and thought I was living this specific, unique, privileged life and in many ways I was but I was also going through a very human experience and I want to share that as well. Yeah, you and you definitely did throughout the book and there's a couple of really big passages, I think that really stood out to me. I want to read one. This particular one in this chapter was called Too Fat for commercials in it. You right, The beautiful byproduct of my appearance, the silver lining to it all was that I had developed a finely tuned sense of humor, like a consolation prize the world said you're going to be massively overweight. So, here be funny, was it difficult almost in a sense, to sort of relive some of these dark moments growing up, especially you're in the Hollywood spotlight, you're in a public spotlight. People are obsessing and combing through every detail of your life here. Certainly, I think that I you know, obviously it would have been easier for me to sort of just sort of put that away. But it was that that willingness to be vulnerable and to write something that I think is funny, but also to get raw and honest and tell my story and express the things I've gone through, I think that was just really important. And um you know, it could have gone unsaid, but then, you know, my experience couldn't serve others and I have so benefited from people being willing to be vulnerable and transparent with their stories. So I hoped I could do the same what the other thing, I think that's really great about you is sort of, we get different generations of you throughout our lives as well. I mean I mentioned drake and josh the Amanda show but you know we now have you on the Helen show, how I Met your Father, how do you sort of feel like you're almost sort of growing older with your audience here? I you know, I think that I've been lucky enough to stay in this business, you know, I think Chris Rock has a joke about like if you're in the business for 10 years, I like 20 years, I respect you in 30 years, I love you. Like sometimes it's it's truly not about having the huge hit or or having a moment of frustration in your career because that's unavoidable for many of us, but it's about like long term, if you can keep on keeping on on the topic of How I Met your Father, you know, the big debate is is this a reboot or is this a sequel? Like what is this? Which is also sort of kind of amazing here, What do you think? Is this show a review and does it kind of fit into reboot culture that we're seeing right now, I think I don't know I've done four reboots in the last two years, so if I'm on it, it's probably a reboot but I think how I Met Your father uniquely has done such a great job of sort of setting the stage for a new environment, these new characters, everyone so incredibly talented on the show. Um and led by Hillary who's like the Ultra Pro and while also paying homage to this thing that's really this nostalgic show that people so loved. So I think uniquely there's certainly some reboots that aren't, don't quite live up to the original, but I think how I Met certainly does Colby's mothers is in is in this and she was obviously Robin and how I Met Your Mother, Are we going to be seeing more original cast members coming to this show also? I hope so. I I think, you know, the writers, they're good dude, they know what the people want, they got their finger on the fandom pulse. So I think you can totally expect to see some some great easter eggs. Um so I wanted to go back to your memoir because there's another passage I think is really interesting and you talked about your time as a child actor on drake and josh and here is basically the passage that I thought was interesting. It said it was worse to have been on television in the past five years because producers had an image of who they thought you were until someone was willing to take a chance on you. That image was sort of impossible to break. You have basically now been announced and I don't think this is so amazing. You're in this new Christopher Nolan movie called World War Two movie called Oppenheimer? This is with matt Damon. It's got a huge cast in it. What does it mean for you to sort of join this a list cast and coming from sort of child acting to now basically being part of an a list movie here. I think it's, it's um, I mean it is a very small part, but it's such a cool thing to be a part of. And I've always sort of been lucky enough to to stay consistently working. It's just, you know, something like drake and josh entered the zeitgeist at a time where people were really ready for something like that and you can't pick your hits. So you know, you have this body of work and then inevitably there will always be like as an actor, your singles, those one or two things that rose to the top of the charts. So I feel lucky that with Oppenheimer and how I Met Your Father and my show Turner and Hooch last year and this and plus that I've been able to continue to challenge myself in new roles. Um you also really talk about Addiction in this book also and I think it's really amazing how open you are about this and I read somewhere you're celebrating 13 years of sobriety, is that correct? 14 yeah, congratulations, mazel tov. That is so amazing. How has sobriety really sort of in many ways saved your life and changed your life and and and and how is sober living right now, um you know what for me, I realized that it started with food and then it sort of morphed in the sort of substance and then it became prestige and fame and ego and I realized that nothing can fill up that hole in the soul, anything of the outside world that I try to use to make me feel okay will never work. And so it's an embracing, you know, when I started to get into recovery and when I sort of embraced this life of a good life, being the result of good living um was where I finally found that contentment and peace and a little bit of that happiness that I talked about in the book. The other thing I love about sort of the revelations you have is when you know, acting roles weren't coming, you went back and went to acting school, you basically were like, if I'm gonna, if I'm gonna be on the sidelines, I'm gonna be the best and most prepared I possibly can for a lot of people if they're not working in the industry, they probably think, okay, I'm done. I I there's nothing more for me here. What kept you going that you wanted to say that this is what I love and I'm passionate about and I'm going to make it work if I can. Well I've always sort of just been a journeyman actor with these ups and downs and I think when you start with something as big as, as drake and josh, you think that it's only gonna be like one long sort of apex, but inevitably the life of most actors is sometimes you work really consistently and you can easily go a year or two where where it's just not quite connecting. So it was in those times that I realized that if I wanted to play at the level of something like an Oppenheimer or, or even how I Met Your Father, like really well done stuff, I needed to be totally ready and I knew I had some talent and I knew that things had worked out to a certain point, but I really had to have some fine craft if I was gonna, if I was going to be able to play at that level. Well, josh, congratulations on all the success, Congratulations on this book. It's really, really well done josh peck. The new memoir, Happy People are annoying and it is available everywhere. You buy your books
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Josh Peck says he made less than $100,000 a year on 'Drake & Josh'
"Drake & Josh" was a huge hit for Nickelodeon, but one of its stars says he didn't become a millionaire off of it.Josh Peck, who played Josh Nichols on the series, recently appeared on the "Trading Secrets" podcast.The former child star talked about being on the show from 2004 to 2007."It's quite public that if you were on a show like 'Two and a Half Men' or 'Modern Family,' and you were the kid on a massive network syndicated show, the case could be made that you'd have enough money to last you for the rest of your life," Peck said.But that wasn't how it was for him."The reality is that when we were making the show, we did 60 episodes and we made about $15,000 an episode," he said. "So, when all is said and done, we were sort of left, after agents and managers and taxes, with about $450,000 over five years, which breaks down to a little less than $100,000 a year."He was raised by a single mother and while the money allowed them to have a better life, Peck said it was "not enough to set you up for life."Peck, who starred opposite Drake Bell as Drake Parker, is now 35 and continues to act, most recently in "How I Met Your Father."
"Drake & Josh" was a huge hit for Nickelodeon, but one of its stars says he didn't become a millionaire off of it.
Josh Peck, who played Josh Nichols on the series, recently appeared on the "Trading Secrets" podcast.
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The former child star talked about being on the show from 2004 to 2007.
"It's quite public that if you were on a show like 'Two and a Half Men' or 'Modern Family,' and you were the kid on a massive network syndicated show, the case could be made that you'd have enough money to last you for the rest of your life," Peck said.
But that wasn't how it was for him.
"The reality is that when we were making the show, we did 60 episodes and we made about $15,000 an episode," he said. "So, when all is said and done, we were sort of left, after agents and managers and taxes, with about $450,000 over five years, which breaks down to a little less than $100,000 a year."
He was raised by a single mother and while the money allowed them to have a better life, Peck said it was "not enough to set you up for life."
Peck, who starred opposite Drake Bell as Drake Parker, is now 35 and continues to act, most recently in "How I Met Your Father." | https://www.koat.com/article/josh-peck-says-he-made-less-than-100-000-a-year-on-drake-josh/39715542 | 2022-04-14T00:14:09 | 0 | https://www.koat.com/article/josh-peck-says-he-made-less-than-100-000-a-year-on-drake-josh/39715542 |
Juul to pay $22.5 million to settle Washington vaping lawsuit
E-cigarette giant Juul Labs will pay Washington state $22.5 million and has agreed to a variety of reforms to prevent underage use and sales under a settlement announced Wednesday by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
Related video above: E-Cigarettes less helpful in quitting smoking, study says
Ferguson filed a consumer protection lawsuit in September 2020, saying the country’s largest e-cigarette company targeted underage consumers and deceived consumers about the addictiveness of its product.
“Juul’s conduct harmed Washingtonians,” Ferguson said at a news conference in Seattle. “They harmed the youth of our state.”
Ferguson said that upon the product's launch in 2015, the company flooded social media with colorful ads, fueling a spike in use and nicotine addiction among teenagers. The percentage of vaping high school sophomores in Washington rose from 13% in 2016 to nearly 21% by 2018, according to Ferguson’s office.
Under the consent decree filed in King County Superior Court, Juul Labs admitted no wrongdoing in settling the case. In an email after the announcement, the company called it “another step in our ongoing effort to reset our company and resolve issues from the past.”
It’s the fourth such settlement with states by the company within the past year. In November, Juul settled for $14.5 million with state prosecutors in Arizona, just months after agreeing to pay $40 million in North Carolina. As in Washington, the company promised not to market to minors in those states to and boost enforcement of retailers who sell its products.
Lawsuits in a handful of other states remain. In its statement Wednesday, the company said it has also settled with Louisiana.
“We will continue working with federal and state stakeholders to advance a fully regulated, science-based marketplace for vapor products,” the company wrote.
Under the settlement announced in Washington state, Juul must stop all advertising that appeals to youth and is prohibited from marketing its products on social media, including Facebook and Instagram. It must also monitor for and report social media content about Juul products posted by underage users, and must implement practices to prevent underage youth from buying Juul products online, including requiring an ID-verified adult signature upon delivery of the products.
The company must also confirm the age of people who file warranty claims for a Juul product.
According to Juul’s website, the company had stopped all advertising before Ferguson sued in 2020 and ended sales of all flavored products except menthol and tobacco.
The company is also required to implement a secret shopper program that Ferguson says is more robust than those in previous settlements. Under the agreement, Juul must send secret shoppers on at least 25 compliance checks per month at Washington-based Juul retailers for at least two years. Those checks must be performed across the state, with at least one check in each of the state's 39 counties per year.
Ferguson's office said the secret shoppers must confirm that retailers are complying with the requirement to verify a purchaser’s age, and that they are complying with the requirement to limit the purchase of Juul products to one Juul device and 16 Juul pods per transaction. Juul is required to report the results of the program to Ferguson's office every three months.
Under the consent decree, Juul is ordered to pay the $22.5 million total over the next four years. Ferguson said that money will be used to establish a new health equity unit at this office to respond to deceptive and discriminatory health care practices that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities and communities of color.
A national survey released last fall found that teen vaping plummeted while students were learning from home during the pandemic. In the national survey, 11% of high school students and less than 3% of middle school students said they were recent users of e-cigarettes and other vaping products, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
That was a roughly 40% drop from 2020, when nearly 20% of high school students and 5% of middle schoolers said they had recently vaped.
Data for 2022 has not yet been released. Schools were fully reopened in Washington in the fall of 2021. | https://www.koat.com/article/juul-to-pay-22-5-million-to-settle-washington-vaping-suit/39717723 | 2022-04-14T00:14:10 | 0 | https://www.koat.com/article/juul-to-pay-22-5-million-to-settle-washington-vaping-suit/39717723 |
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The Mexican Foreign Ministry is asking Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to “find alternatives” to additional border truck inspections that have reduced binational commerce to one-third of its normal flow.
Abbott last week directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to step up inspections of trucks coming across from Mexico; this has resulted in delays of up to 12 hours for manufactured goods, parts and produce crossing the border.
“The Foreign Ministry opposes this state measure that does significant harm to the trade between our two countries. As an unavoidable consequence of this measure, businesses in Mexico and the United States are losing competitiveness and significant revenues,” the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
Abbott ordered enhanced border inspections, concerned that an immigration crisis – unauthorized migrant flows are reaching record levels at the Southern border – is straining the resources of Texas communities and putting citizens at risk. The last straw was the Biden administration announcing the end of Title 42, a public health order allowing border agents to immediately expel newly arrived migrants.
In Juarez, where 330 factories produce billions of dollars in parts and manufactured goods for U.S., European and Asian countries, traffic snarls at border crossings are “holding hostage” $100 million in cargo per day, according to the Chamber of Industry and Manufacturing.
The trade association’s president, Thor Salayandia, on Wednesday urged its members to write to Abbott explaining the economic harm DPS inspections are causing and demanding they be scaled back.
“This will hurt investment. The bottlenecks (at commercial ports of entry) could stymie new investment. Juarez’s attraction is its production and logistics […] this is a crisis because deliveries are delayed,” Salayandia said, adding that in a worst-case scenario, “this could lead to work stoppages” at the factories.
The trade group and the foreign ministry said the additional inspections (U.S. Customs and Border Protection already inspects every truck coming over from Mexico) threaten a $440 billion regional trade relationship.
“Strengthening supply chains in North America is a top foreign policy priority for both countries,” the ministry said. “The Mexican government has entered into communication with the U.S. Embassy, the Department of State, Homeland Security and the office of the Governor of Texas to fully restore trade and find alternatives that ensure security in our shared border without harming binational trade.”
Abbott on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Samuel Garcia, the governor of Nuevo Leon, to cut back on DPS inspections at a shared border crossing. Abbott said the stepped-up truck checks would continue elsewhere until Mexican governors follow Garcia’s lead and enact enhanced security measures south of the border to prevent human trafficking and drug smuggling and ensure Mexican trucks are safe to drive.
The enhanced checks continued in El Paso, where the average wait for trucks to cross over from Mexico was between four and five hours on Wednesday.
Chihuahua Gov. Maru Campos earlier in the day said her state has made substantial public safety improvements in the past few months and plans to deploy 4,000 “smart” cameras that, among other things, would be able to track trucks from industrial parks to ports of entry.
Meantime, Mexican truckers have no choice but to endure the waits.
“I’ve been stuck in the same place for 90 minutes,” one trucker said while idling in line. “It’s a bad situation. There’s no place to go to the bathroom and the burrito sellers already left.” | https://www.wane.com/border-report-tour/mexico-calls-on-texas-to-end-stepped-up-border-inspections/ | 2022-04-14T00:14:11 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/border-report-tour/mexico-calls-on-texas-to-end-stepped-up-border-inspections/ |
(NEXSTAR) – Potentially-contaminated popcorn that hit grocery store shelves in a number of U.S. states is now under recall, the Food and Drug Administration warns.
Snak King Corporation issued the voluntary recall after discovering that certain five-ounce packages of O Organics Sea Salt Organic Popcorn may have an undeclared milk allergen.
The recalled items were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Idaho.
Popcorn bags, which all have the “best by” dates of 9/24/2022 – 9/25/2022, landed on shelves in ACME, Safeway, King’s, Balducci’s, Jewel-Osco, Andronico’s Community Markets, Vons, Pak ‘N Save, Albertsons, Eagle, Carrs-Safeway, Haggen and Pavilions locations.
The UPC number for the recalled items is 079893 403038.
While a milk allergen may be seriously harmful and even life-threatening for people who are allergic, as of Tuesday there were no reports of illness.
Anyone who bought a now-recalled O Organics bag of popcorn is urged not to eat it, and to return it to the store where it was purchased for a full refund.
Consumers can call the company with any questions at (626) 363-7711. | https://www.wane.com/news/popcorn-sold-in-more-than-a-dozen-states-recalled-over-allergen-concerns/ | 2022-04-14T00:14:18 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/popcorn-sold-in-more-than-a-dozen-states-recalled-over-allergen-concerns/ |
Mark Meadows removed as North Carolina registered voter
Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff to President Donald Trump, has been removed from North Carolina's list of registered voters after documents showed he lived in Virginia and voted in that state's 2021 election, officials said Wednesday.
Questions arose about Meadows last month, when North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein’s office asked the State Bureau of Investigation to look into Meadows’ voter registration, which listed a home he never owned — and may never have visited — as his legal residence.
A representative for Meadows, a former congressman from the area, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meadows frequently raised the prospect of voter fraud before the 2020 presidential election, as polls showed Trump trailing Joe Biden, and in the months after Trump’s loss, to suggest Biden was not the legitimate winner. In his 2021 memoir, he repeated the baseless claims that the election was stolen.
Judges, election officials in both parties and Trump’s own attorney general has concluded there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Experts point to isolated incidents of intentional or unintentional violations of voter laws in every election.
Under North Carolina general statutes, “If a person goes into another state, county, municipality, precinct, ward, or other election district, or into the District of Columbia, and while there exercises the right of a citizen by voting in an election, that person shall be considered to have lost residence in that State, county, municipality, precinct, ward, or other election district from which that person removed.”
Public records indicated Meadows had been registered to vote in Virginia and North Carolina, where he listed a mobile home he did not own as his legal residence weeks before casting a 2020 presidential election ballot in the state.
Meadows listed a mobile home in Scaly Mountain, North Carolina, as his physical address on Sept. 19, 2020, while he was serving as Trump’s chief of staff in Washington. Meadows later cast an absentee ballot for the general election by mail. Trump won the battleground state by just over 1 percentage point.
The New Yorker spoke to the former owner of the Scaly Mountain property, described as a 14-foot by 62-foot mobile home with a rusty metal roof, who indicated that Meadows does not own the home and never has. The previous owner said Meadows’ wife rented the property “for two months at some point within the past few years” but only spent one or two nights there. Neighbors said Meadows was never present, The New Yorker reported.
The New Yorker story doesn’t identify the former owner’s name, saying she requested that her name not be used.
In announcing his removal from the voter rolls, the Macon County Board of Elections said it had received no formal challenge and was referring the matter to the SBI, the state elections board said Wednesday.
Macon County District Attorney Ashley Welch had asked the attorney general’s office to handle any investigation into Meadows’ voter registration, recusing herself from the matter because Meadows contributed to her campaign for DA and appeared in political ads endorsing her. | https://www.koat.com/article/mark-meadows-removed-as-nc-registered-voter/39719841 | 2022-04-14T00:14:21 | 1 | https://www.koat.com/article/mark-meadows-removed-as-nc-registered-voter/39719841 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – After a perfect night for the home opener on Tuesday, Mother Nature was not quite as generous to baseball fans in the Summit City on Wednesday as the second game of the TinCaps-Cubs series was rained out.
South Bend and Fort Wayne will now play two 7-inning games at Parkview Field on Thursday. Game one is set to start at 6:05 p.m. | https://www.wane.com/sports/tincaps/tincaps-game-rained-out-on-wednesday-night/ | 2022-04-14T00:14:24 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/sports/tincaps/tincaps-game-rained-out-on-wednesday-night/ |
Video shows Michigan officer on Black man's back before fatally shooting him
A Black man face-down on the ground was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer, the violent climax of a traffic stop, foot chase and fight over a stun gun, according to videos of the April 4 incident released Wednesday.
Patrick Lyoya, 26, was shot outside a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The white officer repeatedly demanded that Lyoya "let go" of his Taser. At one point, the officer demanded, "drop the Taser!"
Police Chief Eric Winstrom released four videos, including critical footage of the shooting recorded by a passenger in Lyoya's car on that rainy morning.
Warning: The video contains violent and/or disturbing images. Discretion is advised.
"I view it as a tragedy. ... It was a progression of sadness for me," said Winstrom, a former high-ranking Chicago police commander who became Grand Rapids chief in March.
Video shows Lyoya running from the scene after an officer stopped him for driving with a license plate that didn't belong to the vehicle. They struggled on the front lawn of a few homes while Lyoya's passenger got out and watched.
In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to try to subdue him.
"From my view of the video, Taser was deployed twice. Taser did not make contact," Winstrom told reporters. "And Mr. Lyoya was shot in the head. However, that's the only information that I have."
State police are investigating the shooting. Kent County's chief medical examiner, Dr. Stephen Cohle, said he completed the autopsy on the day of Lyoya's death, but that toxicology tests haven't been completed.
The traffic stop was tense from the start. Video shows Lyoya, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, getting out of the car before the officer approached. He ordered Lyoya to get back in the vehicle but the man declined.
The officer asked him if he spoke English and demanded his driver's license. The foot chase began soon after, video shows.
Winstrom didn't identify the officer, a seven-year veteran who is on paid leave during the investigation.
"Me being from Chicago for the last 20 years, I've handled many police shootings myself, so I do have a lot of experience in this," the chief said. "I was hoping to never have to utilize that experience here."
Video was collected from Lyoya's passenger, the officer's body-worn camera, the officer's patrol car and a doorbell camera.
City Manager Mark Washington warned that the videos would lead to "expressions of shock, of anger and of pain." Some downtown businesses boarded up their storefronts, and concrete barricades surrounded police headquarters.
More than 100 people marched to Grand Rapids City Hall before a City Commission meeting Tuesday night, chanting "Black lives matter" and "No justice, no peace."
Winstrom last week said he met Lyoya's father, Peter Lyoya, and that they both cried.
"I get it as a father. ... It's just heart-wrenching," the chief told WOOD-TV.
As in many U.S. cities, Grand Rapids police have been occasionally criticized over the use of force, particularly against Black people, who make up 18% of the population.
In November, the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit over the practice of photographing and fingerprinting people who were never charged with a crime. Grand Rapids said the policy changed in 2015.
A downtown street has been designated Breonna Taylor Way, named for the Black woman and Grand Rapids native who was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, during a botched drug raid in 2020.
___
White reported from Detroit. AP reporters Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; and John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed to this story. | https://www.koat.com/article/patrick-lyoya-police-shooting/39718833 | 2022-04-14T00:14:41 | 0 | https://www.koat.com/article/patrick-lyoya-police-shooting/39718833 |
Crews responding to large fire near Portales
Crews responding to large fire near Portales
LIBRARY. WE HAVE BREAKING NEWS COMING IN. WE ARE LEARNING AT THE MOMENT THERE IS A WILDFIRE THAT IS JUST STARTED IN PORTALES. PEOPLE SHALL AVOID RURAL RTEOU 3 HEADED TOWARDS U.S. 70 RAILROAD TRACKS. A WILDFIRE JUST STARTING AND RURAL ROUTE 3 HEADING TOWARDS U.S. 7
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Crews responding to large fire near Portales
Fire officials in Portales are responding to a large fire burning near the city. According to city officials, a fire started on Roosevelt Road 3 at State Highway 467 north of Portales. The fire is burning in the direction of the railroad tracks near U.S. Highway 70. Some traffic is being stopped in the area.Crews are advising everyone to avoid the area as they fight the fire. Stay with KOAT for the latest information.
PORTALES, N.M. —
Fire officials in Portales are responding to a large fire burning near the city.
According to city officials, a fire started on Roosevelt Road 3 at State Highway 467 north of Portales. The fire is burning in the direction of the railroad tracks near U.S. Highway 70. Some traffic is being stopped in the area.
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Crews are advising everyone to avoid the area as they fight the fire.
Stay with KOAT for the latest information. | https://www.koat.com/article/portales-wildfire-new-mexico-april/39719900 | 2022-04-14T00:14:51 | 0 | https://www.koat.com/article/portales-wildfire-new-mexico-april/39719900 |
Speed cameras coming to Albuquerque this month
Three cameras have been installed so far.
Three cameras have been installed so far.
Three cameras have been installed so far.
The city of Albuquerque is cracking down in excessive speeders and they're implementing new technology to do that.
"This morning, I stopped the vehicle for doing 92 down the freeway. She said, I didn't even pay attention. I was going to get my grandkids," said Lt. Nick Wheeler with Albuquerque police. "On Gibson last week, we had a vehicle that was traveling 122 miles an hour at 10:30 in the morning."
To curb the speeding issue, the city is rolling out an automated speed enforcement program, comprised of several speed cameras. So far, three have been installed and many more are on the way.
The goal is to crack down on drivers who are excessively going above the posted speed limit.
"When we started hitting the 11 to 12 miles an hour, that's when we start getting involved in more serious injuries. Then we start hitting 20 to 30 over the speed limit, that's when we start seeing a lot more death," Wheeler said.
The cameras will also give officers the chance to target other problem areas throughout the city and proactively deter crime at the same time.
"The guys and gals that are traveling in upwards of 100 miles an hour on these city streets need to start getting arrested or cited in the court, so they can face the consequences on the criminal side," Wheeler said.
The location of the cameras is based on recent data. Some of the mobile speed cameras can be moved to other locations. if needed.
Right now, two cameras are along Gibson Boulevard and one is on Montgomery Boulevard.
The cameras can all license plates, including those with plate protectors, any obscure plates, temp tags in windows and licenses plates put in the back windshield.
If caught speeding, you'll get a $100 citation. If you do not pay it, your information will be given to a collection agency, which can ruin your credit. If you are unable to pay your citation, you have the option of community service. Four hours need to be completed within 90 days.
The speed cameras will start issuing warnings to drives on April 24th. Citations will begin on May 25th. | https://www.koat.com/article/speed-cameras-coming-to-albuquerque-this-month/39718349 | 2022-04-14T00:15:01 | 0 | https://www.koat.com/article/speed-cameras-coming-to-albuquerque-this-month/39718349 |
Updated April 12, 2022 at 7:51 AM ET
BEIJING — Some residents of Shanghai were allowed out of their homes as the city of 25 million eased a two-week-old shutdown Tuesday after a video posted online showed what was said to be people who ran out of food breaking into a supermarket.
About 6.6 million people can go outdoors, but some must stay in their own neighborhoods, the online news outlet The Paper reported, citing city officials. The government said some markets and pharmacies would reopen.
A health official warned Shanghai doesn't have the coronavirus under control despite easing restrictions.
"The epidemic is in a period of rapid growth," said Lei Zhenglong of the National Health Commission at a news conference. "Community transmission has not been effectively contained."
The abrupt closure of most businesses starting March 28 and orders to stay home left the public fuming about lack of access to food and medicine. People who test positive for the virus are forced into sprawling temporary quarantine facilities criticized by some as crowded and unsanitary.
Meanwhile, the American government announced all "non-emergency U.S. government employees" would be withdrawn from its Shanghai Consulate. A foreign ministry spokesman defended China's handling of the outbreak and accused Washington of politicizing its evacuation.
Also Tuesday, the government of Guangzhou, a manufacturing and trading center northwest of Hong Kong, announced a new round of virus testing for its 19 million people. Most access to the city was stopped after 27 infections were found Monday.
The unusual severity of Shanghai's shutdown appeared to be driven as much by politics as by public health concerns.
The struggle in China's richest city is an embarrassment during a politically sensitive year when President Xi Jinping is expected to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party.
China's case numbers are relatively low, but the ruling party is enforcing a "zero-tolerance" strategy aimed at isolating every case. Some officials have been fired for failing to act aggressively enough, which gives others an incentive to impose extreme measures.
The government reported 24,659 new cases through midnight Monday, including 23,387 with no symptoms. That included 23,346 in Shanghai, only 998 of whom had symptoms.
In Shanghai, more than 200,000 cases but no deaths have been reported in the latest wave of infections.
The government eased restrictions by announcing residents of areas with no cases for at least two weeks can leave their homes starting Tuesday. It said they could go to other areas that also had no new cases during that time but were urged to stay home when possible.
Such "prevention areas" have about 4.8 million people, The Paper reported, citing city officials. It said all but 500,000 of those were in less crowded suburbs.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-12/shanghai-eases-2-week-shutdown-letting-some-residents-out | 2022-04-14T00:17:59 | 0 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-12/shanghai-eases-2-week-shutdown-letting-some-residents-out |
Updated April 13, 2022 at 7:55 PM ET
It's official: Iowa and New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation status as the caucus and primary openers of the presidential campaign season is no longer guaranteed after the Democratic National Committee approved a resolution that significantly changes the way the party picks its presidential candidates.
"I personally believe, and I think I'm not speaking just for myself, that this is a powerful resolution of a thoughtful process that is going to be inclusive of all Democrats," said Jim Roosevelt Jr., who c0-chairs the Rules and Bylaws Committee, after the measure passed Wednesday night. "That's our goal."
The resolution upends the traditional presidential nominating calendar for Democrats, which has seen the Iowa caucuses go first, followed by primaries in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Iowa and New Hampshire have been first and second since 1972.
Instead, the newly adopted resolution will require states or territories to make the case for themselves to be included in a batch of states to have early contests ahead of Super Tuesday in early March.
Committee members say the change will ensure a nominating process that is more reflective of the party's values.
The measure lays out a roadmap for states that wish to go towards the beginning of the calendar, taking into account the demographic diversity of the state, its use of primaries over caucuses, and how competitive it will be in the general election.
"Does the state contribute to the party's ability to win in the general election?" Roosevelt said. "It might well be that you could pick a state where someone will be overwhelmingly popular, but they're an outlier from the rest of the country. You pick somebody who's really good with sled dogs for an Alaska early primary...that's not going to create a candidate that necessarily resonates nationally."
He added that electoral history is also an integral factor.
"Has the state chosen candidates in the past in either the primaries or caucuses who went on to win both the nomination and election?"
States that are interested must submit a formal application in early June and give a presentation to the committee later that month. The committee will announce its proposed schedule in July and then the full DNC will vote to approve it in August.
The new proposed state lineup will be announced in July.
Clear preference for primaries, not caucuses
Discussion among the committee members ahead of the vote made it clear there is a strong preference against approving a caucus state in the early window.
"I will say it right now, caucus states are going to be a hard sell for me," said committee member Mo Elleithee of Washington, D.C.
But Elleithee didn't want to go as far as saying that caucus states "need not apply."
"I think we want to give every state the chance to make the most compelling case and then we as committee members will know which of these factors are most important to us," he said. "States that don't offer some form of diversity are going to be a hard sell for me. But there may be states that can convince me that I'm willing to overlook some of that because the rest of their case is so compelling as to how they fit into the framework."
Scott Brennan, a member from Iowa, added he preferred to keep the language flexible.
"Let's be general and let's let everyone make their case and we'll let the chips fall where they may," he said.
The changes come after years of criticism for Iowa and New Hampshire
In 2020, neither of the first two states' winners went on to win the Democratic presidential nomination. And many have argued that neither state, both of which are largely white, is diverse enough to lead the nominating process.
Ross Wilburn, the chair of Iowa's Democratic Party, pushed back against this in an interview with NPR, arguing Democrats must show they can address the needs of a diversifying rural America.
"Nationally, if Democrats can't figure out how to talk to Iowans, then we're in big trouble as a party," he said. "It's no secret that the national Democratic Party has been losing seats across the country because of its weakened appeal to rural working class Americans. Small rural states like Iowa must have a voice in our presidential nominating process."
Wilburn said he plans to make the case for why Iowa's caucuses remain first when the DNC finalizes its process. He also pointed to the fact that his state has given flight to upstart politicians, like the winner of Iowa's 2008 caucuses.
"Again, don't forget there would not be a President Obama without Iowa. There simply wouldn't," he said.
When states and territories apply to become a part of the early nominating window, the DNC is considering prioritizing states that can show they have a diverse electorate, competitiveness in the general election, and hold primaries instead of caucuses.
Michigan and New Jersey Democrats want to move to the front of the calendar
"Iowa showed the disaster of a caucus in the last election," said Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell, referencing various logistical and technological challenges in 2020 that made it difficult for Iowa to name the winner of its caucuses.
Dingell is already pushing for her state to get early status. Dingell's involvement was first reported by The Washington Post.
She said Michigan's status as a closely divided purple state is one of the reasons it is well positioned to be part of the early window. President Biden won Michigan by a narrow margin in 2020. In 2016, former President Donald Trump did so by an even slimmer margin.
"It's a state that reflects the great diversity of our country. We have urban areas, we have rural areas. We have manufacturing, we have farming. We have rich, different cultures, all types of backgrounds," Dingell told NPR prior to the committee's vote on Wednesday.
Similar efforts are already underway in states like New Jersey, where state party Chair LeRoy Jones has been pushing the Democratic Party to consider his state, which normally votes in June.
"We have to use the past as a barometer on how effectively we can move forward. We saw some interesting things occur in the Iowa caucuses that kind of left folks with a little eyebrows raised," Jones told NPR. "And the whole notion of the caucuses may have had its day, at least in the beginning part of the presidential primary. We think that New Jersey offers an enhanced benefit to voter engagement."
Jones said that New Jersey's diversity, as well as its relatively compact size, make it a good fit.
"You have a collaboration of population, of diversity, of tourism, of transportation ease. I think that has particular value added to the process."
Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire have argued that their size allows presidential candidates to have a chance to break through before moving on to larger states in major media markets where campaigning is more expensive.
Rules and Bylaws Committee member David McDonald of Washington state raised that issue at the committee's last virtual meeting.
"I hope that we will continue to have the upfront window be as accessible as possible to candidates and not slide into a situation where essentially we end up with four large states up front in an election decided based on mass media markets," he said.
Asked about arguments that the process should be led by small states, Dingell of Michigan pushed back.
"Why should two disparate small states that don't reflect the diversity of this country be the ones that presidential candidates go into their homes?" Dingell said. "I think presidential candidates should have to home into a state like ours and do retail politics, not hide behind an ad on TV."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-13/iowa-and-new-hampshire-are-not-guaranteed-to-be-first-contests-for-democrats-in-2024 | 2022-04-14T00:18:05 | 1 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-13/iowa-and-new-hampshire-are-not-guaranteed-to-be-first-contests-for-democrats-in-2024 |
Elementary school teacher arrested for possession of ecstasy, police say
OCALA, Fla. (Gray News) – An elementary school teacher in Florida has been taken into custody for possession of MDMA, also known as ecstasy or Molly, after school administrators noticed her acting strangely during school hours, according to police.
The School Resource Officer at Hammett Bowen Elementary School in Ocala told the Marion County Sheriff’s Office he was notified by school administrators Tuesday about first-grade teacher Hiromi Adams. They reportedly told him she was exhibiting concerning behavior, and she was sent to the school’s clinic for a health checkup.
Other teachers reportedly said they had seen Adams going toward the bathroom before leaving the school and believed she may have been attempting to hide something in the bathroom before leaving.
The SRO and school administrators conducted a search of the bathroom, which is also used by students.
During the search, the SRO found a pill bottle with Adams’ name on it. The contents of the pill bottle included a red straw, half of a green pill and a small plastic baggie of green powder. When it was tested, police say the powder proved to be MDMA.
Adams was found off-campus by a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy and placed under arrest. When police searched Adams’ person, they said they also found Suboxone.
Adams was then taken to the Marion County Jail.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/elementary-school-teacher-arrested-possession-ecstasy-police-say/ | 2022-04-14T00:27:32 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/elementary-school-teacher-arrested-possession-ecstasy-police-say/ |
Police: Man arrested for sexually assaulting disabled teen over four-year period
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN/Gray News) - Police in Nebraska have arrested a man for sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled teen over the course of several years.
KOLN reports Lancaster County deputies were called to a Lincoln-area school on Tuesday following a report from a student who said they’d been sexually assaulted by someone they knew.
Police said the teenager was interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center, and a search warrant was then produced to inspect a man’s home.
Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said the teen explained to investigators that the assaults had been happening over the last three to four years.
Police searched a 53-year-old man’s home before arresting him Tuesday evening. Sheriff Wagner said the man is a convicted felon and had two firearms in his home.
The man was arrested for first-degree sexual assault, abuse of a vulnerable adult, strangulation and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Wagner said the 53-year-old had been arrested in Texas back in 2005 for indecency with a child but the charge was later dismissed in 2006.
KOLN reports it is not releasing the name of the man arrested to better protect the teen’s identity.
Copyright 2022 KOLN via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/police-man-arrested-sexually-assaulting-disabled-teen-over-four-year-period/ | 2022-04-14T00:27:39 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/police-man-arrested-sexually-assaulting-disabled-teen-over-four-year-period/ |
VIDEO: 68-year-old woman rescued after her car plunges off cliff
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 6:47 PM CDT|Updated: 38 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (KABC) - A woman in Southern California was rescued Wednesday morning after her car went over the side of a cliff in Griffith Park.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, rescuers were called to assist a 68-year-old woman whose car went off the side of the road at about 7:20 a.m.
The extent of her injuries was not immediately known but she was airlifted from the scene in a helicopter for medical attention, according to emergency crews.
Police did not immediately release the details on how the woman’s car ended up at the bottom of the hill.
Copyright 2022 KABC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/video-68-year-old-woman-rescued-after-her-car-plunges-off-cliff/ | 2022-04-14T00:27:46 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/video-68-year-old-woman-rescued-after-her-car-plunges-off-cliff/ |
WATCH: Taopi man wakes up to destroyed home
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 6:18 PM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
TAOPI, Minn. (KTTC) – A Taopi man shares his experience waking up to a tornado destroying his girlfriend’s home Tuesday night.
Bill Lukes shared his story with Chief Meteorologist Nick Jansen.
His home now resembles a doll house - most of the outer walls are completely gone. See attached video for what he had to say.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/watch-taopi-man-wakes-up-destroyed-home/ | 2022-04-14T00:27:52 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/13/watch-taopi-man-wakes-up-destroyed-home/ |
'You did a really great job': Florida boy honored for calling 911 to help with grandma
CASSELBERRY, Fla. - An 11-year-old from Casselberry who called 911 to help his grandmother with a medical emergency was honored along with the dispatcher who took the call.
Elijah Alba had just gotten out of school and walked inside his grandmother’s house when he discovered she was having trouble breathing. So, he picked up the phone and called 91
Dispatcher: "Does she have difficulty talking between breaths?"
Elijah: "Yeah she’s just breathing right now. She’s sitting on the ground right now. She’s breathing right now."
Dispatcher: "Stay on the line I’m going to tell you exactly what to do.
Alba followed the dispatcher’s instructions by telling his grandmother to use her inhaler. He then locked up the dog and opened the door for the paramedics.
Dispatcher: "You did a really great job, OK."
Alba was recognized at Station 25 in Casselberry for his quick thinking with an honorary "firefighter for the day" badge and certificate.
"I was trying to help her and I saw her on the ground so I had to call 911 operator," Alba said. "So I was a little scared and nervous."
His grandmother, who has COPD and Emphysema, is doing much better now.
"I’m here because of him," grandma Denise Diomede said.
"If I was alone things might be different."
She also has the 911 dispatcher to thank for helping her grandson in those moments
."He did a wonderful job," 911 dispatcher Jehn Moriarty said. "He stayed calm. He was very helpful and you could tell he was raised amazingly."
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"I want to say thank and thank you all for helping me," Alba told the dispatcher and paramedics. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/you-did-a-really-great-job-florida-boy-honored-for-calling-911-to-help-with-grandma | 2022-04-14T00:31:49 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/you-did-a-really-great-job-florida-boy-honored-for-calling-911-to-help-with-grandma |
A Norman city councilor has filed for a county seat months after his reelection to Ward 8.
Matt Peacock will face incumbent Rod Cleveland for the Cleveland County Commissioner District 1 seat, and former Norman Mayor Ron Henderson, the Cleveland County Election Board confirmed Wednesday. The councilor was reelected to a second term on Feb. 8 when he defeated Scott Dixon.
The commissioner election will be held in November, but Peacock said if he wins, he would not be sworn in until February 2023. The filing period for county election seats opened Wednesday and ends Friday at 5 p.m.
“I likely will stay on through the election,” he said. “I plan on honoring that responsibility that Ward 8 voters put on me and would like to be a good steward of the position. I've got some plans on what I'd like to see the transition process look like and I'll be happy to discuss those with Mayor [Breea] Clark and Mayor-Elect Larry Heikkila.”
Peacock is an architect; he said those skills as an urban designer and his knowledge of road engineering would be of use to better the county.
“I really, really love the work I do on council, but I wanted to do similar work on a larger scale,” Peacock said. “The opportunity to make all the cities in Cleveland County the most vibrant cities in Oklahoma was really appealing to me.”
Peacock said he is a registered Independent and plans to find “common ground” with voters and not rely on partisan politics.
Cleveland and Henderson are registered Republicans. | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/matt-peacock-to-seek-county-commissioner-seat/article_87882004-bb6d-11ec-a922-d38238394c3b.html | 2022-04-14T00:32:53 | 0 | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/matt-peacock-to-seek-county-commissioner-seat/article_87882004-bb6d-11ec-a922-d38238394c3b.html |
Norman police’s initial investigation into an April 7 vehicle pursuit and shooting shows police shot an uninvolved passenger before killing a man who matched the description of a suspect.
Norman police on April 7 shot and killed James Wesley Morrison, 49, after he led them on a vehicle pursuit through east Norman and shot at one of the officers.
Police nonfatally shot a 61-year-old woman, who was in the car with Morrison and a 30-year-old man. The passengers were not criminally involved in the pursuit or shooting, according to an NPD news release.
Master police officers Brian Browning, Aaron Deese and Jonatan Kieft and Sgt. Michael Lauderback are on administrative assignment as NPD investigates the pursuit and shooting, the release states.
NPD spokesperson Sarah Jensen did not specify how far NPD is into its investigation, but said Friday the department will turn the results over to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s office, which will determine if charges will be filed.
Morrison initiated the chase around 8:42 p.m. April 7 in the 1600 block of Alameda Street. Police tried to stop him because he, his car and type of license plate matched the description of a suspect in “a domestic disturbance with injury involving a possible weapon” and a warrant for possession of a firearm after felony conviction, the release states.
Jensen said NPD later determined Morrison was not the sought suspect. Detectives determined in the investigation that Morrison had warrants for possession of a firearm after former felony conviction and driving under suspension, the release states.
Detectives also learned he had told family members he wouldn’t go back to prison and that he would have to shoot law enforcement if he encountered them, the release states.
Morrison reportedly led police onto State Highway 9, where officers used multiple tactical maneuvers to try to stop his vehicle. Morrison was traveling “at a high rate of speed, at times in the lanes of oncoming traffic,” the release says.
The NPD handbook says officers should take the seriousness of the suspected crime and immediate need to arrest the suspect into consideration when pursuing a driver. It also says officers should take the safety of the area into consideration.
Jensen said Friday that officers didn’t hit any uninvolved drivers or run them off the roadway.
They eventually stopped him near 60th Avenue SE and Highway 9, the release states.
One officer’s body cam video of the chase and shooting show the officer yelling “open the f—ing door” and “show your f—ing hands” with his gun drawn. Morrison’s car is briefly seen and heard revving its engine before the officer returns to his cruiser and pursues him further.
The release says officers at this stop tried to speak to the three people in the car, but Morrison kept trying to get away and hit an officer’s cruiser. An officer fired at the car, and the bullet grazed the woman.
NPD did not provide video of the officer firing his weapon at the first stop to The Transcript.
When asked why the officer fired into the car, Jensen referred The Transcript back to the news release.
In the video, the officer then re-enters his cruiser, drives for about 45 seconds, gets out and approaches Morrison’s wrecked vehicle with his gun drawn. He and another officer order him to put his hands up.
When Morrison raises his arm, the officers shoot him.
A slowed-down segment of the video indicates a gunshot and a muzzle flash from Morrison before the officers fire their weapons.
Officers and EMS gave medical aid to Morrison, but he died from his gunshot wounds, the release states. In a different video, an officer is heard screaming “stay with us” and “you should not have raised that god—— gun, damn it.”
The woman was treated and released for injuries from the pursuit and shooting. | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/npd-shoots-uninvolved-passenger-in-vehicle-pursuit-shooting/article_c879bf96-bb6d-11ec-b657-53663801e368.html | 2022-04-14T00:32:59 | 0 | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/npd-shoots-uninvolved-passenger-in-vehicle-pursuit-shooting/article_c879bf96-bb6d-11ec-b657-53663801e368.html |
A variety of dance works from classical ballet to contemporary dance will be featured in the Oklahoma Festival Ballet production opening at 8 p.m. April 22 on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus.
Presented by University Theatre and the School of Dance, additional performances are set for 8 p.m. April 23, 29 and 30 and 3 p.m. April 24 and May 1.
All performances will be hosted in the Reynolds Performing Arts Center, 560 Parrington Oval. The production is suitable for all audiences.
Guest choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams will create a dance work "Strand" to set on the Oklahoma Festival Ballet company.
The performance includes "Falling Angels" by choreographer Jiří Kylián. The final ballet in the program is Boyko Dossev’s restaging of the classical ballet "The Sleeping Beauty, Act 3."
Williams’ work, "Strand," is a reflection of the artists in the studio and a special “something" that they share.
Williams is a director, multi-disciplinary artist and producer. Following a 17-year career as a dancer at River North Dance Company and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, she shifted her focus to artistic creation and collaboration.
As a dance maker, she has choreographed commissions for Pacific Northwest Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Malpaso Dance Company, Charlotte Ballet, and others. She has created and coached movements for an array of projects including music videos, art installations, theater productions and films.
Kylián’s choreography for "Falling Angels" complements the music composition in its rhythmical structure. The dance piece will be accompanied live by Colour Me Crimson, the resident graduate student chamber percussion ensemble at OU, directed by Andrew Richardson.
The musicians are Vivienne Boudreaux, Carlos Ibarra, Richardson and Jordan Shippy. The ensemble advocates for new music and searches for ways to encourage creativity and innovation in percussion performance. The group frequently performs at universities and conducts clinics across the Midwest.
Dossev, an OU School of Dance faculty member, restaged and reimagined choreography for "The Sleeping Beauty Suite, Act III," a story of love triumphing over evil. The third act, also called "The Wedding," takes the audience on an journey with some characters from the ballet. It features lavish costumes by faculty designers and a storybook setting enhanced by students, faculty and staff of the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.
Oklahoma Festival Ballet is composed of the following students from the School of Dance: Jessica Anderson, Allison Ansinn, Carolyn Ansinn, Ava Aube, Avery Bennett, Cecilla Benoit, Dionne Bracey, Gabrielle Brown, Ellie Bush, Jodie Cone, Lexie Conley, Vitoria Correia, Julian Cottrell, Blaise Dagnen, Lina David, Stephanie Eggers, Keeleigh Everett, Caylee Farni, Tessa Fungo, Christian Garcia, Hanna Golden, Delaney Gondo, Abigail Gorham, Emma Hallin, Eliza Harden, Glenne Harvell, Harry Hefner, Riley Henderson, Michaela Hillman, Anna Huffman, Holley Johnson, Emma Lozano, Darcey Lynn, Jessica Lynn, Kel Martin, Keyveontae’ Martin, Molly McGuerty, Carson McHugh, Annie Medich, Bethany Montalvo, Amari Norman, Kendell Oelschlaeger, Taylor Petrowski, Kiley Price, Sofia Redford, Mia Robbins, Kira Robinson, Bethey Ruble, Maggie Schoenfeld, Hunter Sheehan, Brooke Strachan, Randi Tucker, Brittany Vahalik, Anna Vega, Sarah Marcus Westbrook, Corinne White and Alayna Wong.
Three additional OU students taking part in the production are Joseph Hoffman and Justin Marlow, students from the Helmerich School of Drama, and Riggs Gorman, a psychology major from the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences.
The design staff consists of Michael Buchwald, Lloyd Cracknell and guest Joke Visser, costume designers; and Harrison Best, guest Joost Biegelaar, Ian Evans and Kait Stapp, lighting designers.
The production staff includes Boyko Dossev, artistic director; Michael Bearden, Jan Clark Fugit, Maria Solara Guevara, Mary Margaret Holt and Mary Ann Mayer, ballet masters; Glenn Edgerton and Fiona Lummis, répétiteurs; Clarissa Cozoni, dramaturg; Zaryah Forde and Christopher Sadler, stage managers; Ashley Hungerford, technical director; Kasey Allee-Foreman, associate producer; and Holt, producer.
Advance purchase tickets for Oklahoma Festival Ballet are $30 for adults; $25 for senior adults, OU employees and military; and $12 for students, plus a processing fee. Tickets at the door are $35 for adults and $15 for students.
Tickets may be purchased online at theatre.ou.edu, by calling 325-4101, or by visiting the OU Fine Arts Box Office in the Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd St. For accommodations, call the box office at 325-4101.
OU’s dance program was founded in 1963 by Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov, former principal dancers with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. The department became the School of Dance in 1998 with Holt as director. Undergraduate and graduate dance majors, along with general education students, total approximately 1000 students in dance classes per semester. The School of Dance’s facility in the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Art Center was completed in 2005. | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/oklahoma-festival-ballet-set-to-take-the-stage/article_e7203c6a-bb6b-11ec-8460-e77841152705.html | 2022-04-14T00:33:05 | 1 | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/oklahoma-festival-ballet-set-to-take-the-stage/article_e7203c6a-bb6b-11ec-8460-e77841152705.html |
With just a few weeks left in the regular season, Norman High has put together a remarkable turnaround season.
The Tigers (17-6, 7-3 6A-2) knocked off No. 2-ranked Mustang on Tuesday to remain one place behind the Broncos in the district standings. They’ve won four of their last five games and are one win away from doubling their total number of district wins from last season.
Nothing came easily for the Tigers in 2021, and the team dropped 12 of their first 14 games of the season. With just two weeks left in the regular season, the buzz surrounding Norman High is bigger than its been in a while.
“We’re happy with the way it’s going, but we want it to keep getting better,” NHS head coach Cody Merrell said. “There’s plenty of room for improvement, and these guys took it on the chin last year for a while, and they learned the hard way. They want to keep it going and end the year the way everyone wants to end the year.”
The Tigers' win on Tuesday gives them a split with the Broncos as the team prepares for two important games against top-ranked Edmond Santa Fe early next week.
The Wolves have only lost one district game so far this season, but if Norman High can find a way to win in one or two of those games, it would leave the doors open for the top spot in the district.
After playing Norman High, the Wolves will have to play two games against Mustang to close out their district schedule.
"I guess consistency is what we’re looking for as the season [winds] down," Merrell said. "We’ve got another big district matchup the next two weeks, (the COAX tournament) is coming up, we’re gonna be facing some good teams, and we want to play and hang with them and see what we’ve got.”
A deep postseason run would be a historical achievement for a program that's looking for it's first state tournament appearance since 1996. But simply using this season as a stepping stone into next year just isn’t an option with this squad.
Norman High has 11 seniors on its 20-man roster. The Tigers have benefitted from a senior-heavy lineup, but the team has found ways to elevate their game beyond what they were able to do last year.
Senior Ben Huntley is batting .492 on the year with 29 hits and 32 RBIs. Last season, he batted .250 with 24 hits and 16 RBI.
Harrison Smith, another senior, is also having a big year at the plate in the No. 2 spot with a .429 batting average. He was below .300 at the plate last season.
“These guys, I’ve been here for three years, they’ve been here for three years,” Merrell said. “They’ve been working hard since July, this didn’t just happen. They got in the weight room and they’ve been working hard, and they stay late. It’s a good group of guys and it’s a big group of guys.”
Sophomore Dax Noles has also taken a big step up from last season. He’s had hits in all but four games this season with a .375 batting average. The Tigers have had a variety of different players step up in big situations both on offense and defense, which is a positive sign as the end of the season approaches.
Hunter Hayes, Connor Goodson and Trace Redwine have all shown improvement on the mound.
“We try to use everybody so that the situations never too big," Merrell said. "It’s a team effort, we’ve got a lot of options this year which is easy as a coach and difficult as a coach.”
Norman High will take on Westmoore in a road non-district game on Friday at 6:30 p.m. | https://www.normantranscript.com/sports/norman-high-baseball-tigers-looking-to-make-most-of-turnaround-season/article_5b5236d8-bb67-11ec-9490-0b959746d190.html | 2022-04-14T00:33:12 | 1 | https://www.normantranscript.com/sports/norman-high-baseball-tigers-looking-to-make-most-of-turnaround-season/article_5b5236d8-bb67-11ec-9490-0b959746d190.html |
College enrollment has declined in NJ — just a blip, or the start of a trend?
The number of students attending college in New Jersey is down significantly compared to fall 2019, right before the coronavirus pandemic moved in.
Many colleges and universities in the Garden State experienced a dip in student-body sizes in both 2020 and 2021, but they don't expect this to be the start of a long-term trend.
"We are optimistic that the decline we experienced in both fall of '21 and fall of '20 is a blip," said Bob Heinrich, chief enrollment management officer for Stockton University. "We're seeing an applicant pool for the fall of '22 that is higher than pre-pandemic levels."
According to figures from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, total enrollment at public colleges and universities in the state fell by 3.1% in fall 2021, compared to 2020, after dipping by 0.7% the year prior. Private institutions experienced a dip of more than 3.5% over the two years, while community colleges saw their enrollment numbers drop by more than 18%.
The pandemic not only impacted the appeal or availability of college life; it cut into schools' ability to recruit students at remote events, or invite prospective students and families onto campus.
"Last year, students were so overwhelmed with remote learning that they really didn't know what their first year was going to look like," said Chris Romano, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at Ramapo College.
Applications from wannabe freshmen are up 5% at Ramapo compared to last year, Romano said. And the demand for in-person tours and visits is at an all-time high.
Georgian Court University has already sent out 300 more acceptance letters this year compared to last. May 1 has been designated nationally as the deadline for students to choose which school they'd like to attend and make a deposit.
"We're expecting to rebound with steady enrollment growth beginning in the fall of 2022," said Chris Krzak, GCU's vice president for enrollment management and retention.
The number of applications and deposits is higher right now compared to a year ago for Montclair State University. MSU actually experienced increases in its freshmen population over the past couple of years, but undergraduate enrollment overall was down, as the pandemic prompted many of the university's students to pause or end their postsecondary education.
Numbers released this month by the New Jersey Department of Education show that 72% of high-schoolers who graduated in 2019 attended a postsecondary school in the fall after graduation. The rate was 67.3% for the Class of 2020, and 67.7% for the Class of 2021.
Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, suggests the share of high-school grads who attend college will remain fairly constant. And New Jersey's numbers may see a boost from generous financial aid programs that offer up to 4 years tuition-free for students of a certain income.
"The financial barrier's not there anymore," Van Horn said.
Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. | https://nj1015.com/college-enrollment-has-declined-in-nj-just-a-blip-or-the-start-of-a-trend/ | 2022-04-14T00:35:22 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/college-enrollment-has-declined-in-nj-just-a-blip-or-the-start-of-a-trend/ |
Food costs in NJ experience biggest jump since 1987
You're not crazy; your total at the cash register is much higher than it used to be.
And new figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal just how much more you're paying for common purchases.
Compared to March 2021, the consumer price index increased by 6.1% in March 2022 in the New York Metropolitan area: Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Union counties.
"That's noteworthy because we haven't seen an increase like that since back in the time of the Gulf War, since 1991," Bruce Bergman, regional economist for BLS, told New Jersey 101.5.
The 1.3% jump in prices since February 2022 is the biggest one-month jump for the region since 2005, Bergman added. Much of that spike is linked to gasoline prices, which have come down a bit for Garden State drivers in recent days.
Food prices in the region are up 8% compared to a year ago, the statistics show. Specifically, the cost of food you'd buy at the supermarket jumped 9.4% in a year's time — the largest year-over-year increase since June 1987.
"The top of the line is meats, poultry, fish and eggs. That was up about 14% over the year," Bergman said.
The category of cereals and bakery products experienced an increase of more than 11% since last March.
Bergman noted that price increases don't originate at the consumer level — many commodities have increased largely in price at the producer level. For the 12 months ended in March, final demand prices moved up 11.2% for producers, according to a separate new report from BLS.
Price increases are not expected to be a regular monthly occurrence. The cost of dairy and related products, for example, is up 3.3% from a year ago, but it's down half a percent from a month ago. Used cars and trucks cost 37% more than a year ago, but 2% less than a month ago.
Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. | https://nj1015.com/food-costs-in-nj-experience-biggest-jump-since-1987/ | 2022-04-14T00:35:28 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/food-costs-in-nj-experience-biggest-jump-since-1987/ |
Frontier Airlines has settled a discrimination lawsuit brought by a group of flight attendants who claimed the carrier discriminated against them during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Denver-based Frontier agreed to keep or change several policies to address the needs of pregnant and lactating personnel in settling the litigation, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, which represented the employees, announced Wednesday.
In their 2019 federal lawsuit, the four employees alleged that Frontier forced them to take unpaid leave for pregnancy-related absences and did not make it possible for them to pump breast milk while working.
Frontier at the time insisted that it offered "a number of accommodations for pregnant and lactating pilots and flight attendants within the bounds of protecting public safety, which is always our top priority.”
Under the settlement, Frontier agreed to clarify that pregnancy-related absences are not subject to disciplinary action, The Denver Gazette reported.
Flight attendants unable to fly because of pregnancy or lactation will be provided the same accommodations as those with other medical conditions, including medical leave or temporary ground duty.
The airline also will keep in place a recent change allowing flight attendants to use wearable breast pumps during flight, provide lactation facilities at its base locations and provide information on lactation facilities at other airports.
U.S. & World
“Future flight attendants won’t have to worry about how they are going to fit in pumping between flights or wonder where they will be able to pump safely," plaintiff Melissa Hodgkins said in a statement released by the ACLU. "I gave up breastfeeding to provide for my family, and no one should have to make that choice again.”
“We’re proud to be at the forefront of accommodating the needs of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in the airline industry,” said Jacalyn Peter, Frontier’s vice president of labor relations.
Two lawsuits originally were filed in 2019 by a New York law firm, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Colorado and the Women's Rights Project of the ACLU Foundation.
Attorneys filed two lawsuits because Frontier’s policies for flight attendants and pilots were different, according to the ACLU. The litigation involving the four female pilots continues in federal court in Denver. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/flight-attendants-settle-frontier-discrimination-suit/3645287/ | 2022-04-14T00:35:53 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/flight-attendants-settle-frontier-discrimination-suit/3645287/ |
A Donald Trump supporter who admitted he stormed the Capitol and stole a bottle of liquor and a coat rack on Jan. 6 testified during his trial Wednesday that he was "following presidential orders."
Dustin Thompson — a married, college-educated, 38-year-old Ohio resident — told jurors he didn't have any strong male role models in his life and was hoping to gain the “respect” and “approval” of former President Donald Trump when he entered the Capitol amid the Jan. 6 riot.
Thompson, the third Jan. 6 defendant to face a jury, has adopted a very different defense strategy than the two others: trying to convince jurors that Trump is ultimately responsible for the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
For more on this story, go to NBC News. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/jan-6-defendant-who-stole-liquor-coat-rack-says-he-was-following-presidential-orders/3645238/ | 2022-04-14T00:36:06 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/jan-6-defendant-who-stole-liquor-coat-rack-says-he-was-following-presidential-orders/3645238/ |
A call for support: Legion commander asks for more members and support of veterans
Published 4:15 pm Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Austin American Legion Post 91 had a special guest Wednesday morning, who gave a speech to inspire growth in the Legion and support for veterans.
American National Commander Paul E. Dillard made his first-ever visit to Austin and was up front about his concern in declining numbers of younger veterans in the Legion and the safety of veterans, who have returned back home from duty.
Dillard’s speech focused on the importance of making veterans of the Gulf War and the War on Terror feel at home with the Legion. He implored local officers to get out and recruit those veterans, who can benefit from being part of the Legion.
“Some of our vets are wondering if their service was worth it,” Dillard said in his speech. “You tell them, it was worth it. Because while they were over there, we were safe back here.”
Dillard cited that membership in the Legion has decreased over the past few years. There were 5,400 members who did not renew their membership from last year. The Legion was founded in 1999 and it has almost two million wartime veterans as members. There are nearly 13,000 posts across the nation and overseas, including 538 in Minnesota.
After his speech, Dillard quoted Abraham Lincoln when showing his compassion for veterans and how they should be taken care of when they get back home.
“Take care of those who bore the battle, the widow and the orphan,” Dillard said. “That’s what we should do. They need it.”
Dillard is also adamant about the health of veterans and urged for the support of the PACT act 2021 in the United States Senate. The bill, which deals with toxic exposure, has already passed in the House of Representatives.
“We want full support of it passing,” Dillard said. “We don’t want another Agent Orange.”
Dillard was elected national commander of the nearly two-million member American Legion on Sept. 21, 2021, at the organization’s 102nd national convention in Phoenix, Arizona. His theme is “No Veteran Left Behind.”
Dillard’s speech on Wednesday drew about 30 attendees from the community and he was presented with a gift of SPAM. A breakfast was served after the speech.
Dillard is a native Texan who served in Vietnam through four campaigns, including the Tet Offensive. Dillard later received an honorable discharge as a radarman second class petty officer from the Navy Reserve and he went on to work as an engineer, plant manager and director of manufacturing in Tennessee.
Dillard’s other stops on the tour included Fort Snelling, Red Wing, Dodge Center, Owatonna, Blue Earth, Fairmont, Brewster, Luverne and Pipestone. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/a-call-for-support-legion-commander-asks-for-more-members-and-support-of-veterans/ | 2022-04-14T00:41:30 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/a-call-for-support-legion-commander-asks-for-more-members-and-support-of-veterans/ |
Cleo A. Grebin, 88
Published 4:23 pm Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Cleo Ann Grebin, 88, passed peacefully into the presence of Jesus on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Cedars of Austin. Cleo was born in 1933, the only daughter to parents Ed and Rita Jirele. Growing up with four brothers, Ed, Al, Neil and Orrie, she learned to love fishing at an early age during regular expeditions to nearby lakes with her family. She worked briefly as a switchboard operator at Hormel and loved dancing, singing, and the big band scene in her twenties. She met and married Tom in 1957 and their three daughters soon followed, with son Jim coming along 5 years later. Cleo would make the raising of their family her life’s vocation. Cleo opened the safe space of their home to all of her kids’ friends and was a mom to all of them.
Cleo was a woman who understood the beauty in life’s simple pleasures: daily reading of the Star-Tribune and Daily Herald, morning coffee or walks with friends, bridge club gatherings, yearly extended family reunions (complete with her home-made potato salad, shrimp and veggie dips, and brownies), regular phone calls or lunches with loved ones, long drives out in the country, and of course her nightly ritual of ice cream enjoyed in her favorite Lazy Boy rocking chair! She treasured her family’s annual “Up North” summer fishing vacations with kids and grandkids. Relationship building was of utmost importance to Cleo. The decades-long friendships that were formed from Tom & Cleo living in the same neighborhood for 50+ years, the biannual getaways up to Island Lake, and winter get-aways to New Braunfels, TX were so special to her.
Cleo made people her priority. She had a heart for others and emulated the servanthood of Jesus to the community she served and to her family; in any job that needed doing, she always did so as a cheerful giver. Cleo served for many years with Meals on Wheels and her church. She was a woman devoted to prayer; her prayer lists and devotionals were always close to her bedside. Cleo understood what it meant to live a life that radiated joy, even after losing her son and 2 grandchildren, and could brighten any room she walked into. Later in life even as dementia set in, she nevertheless was full of joy and her infectious smile brightened her neighbors’ days. Her family will always cherish the many memories and life-shaping experiences that resulted from Cleo being intentional about building relationships. We are better people for having lived lives impacted by the love, joy, kindness, and goodness of Cleo Ann, and we rejoice that she is with Jesus. Thanks, Cleo, for a lifetime of love, dearest wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend.
Cleo is survived by her husband of 64 years, Tom, and three daughters: Cathy (Tim) Duren of Austin, Mary (Scott) Ovick of Pine City, and Joan (Todd) Hazen of Burnsville; daughter-in-law Sheri (Patrick) Thesing of St. Charles; brothers Al and Neil; sisters-in-law Mary Jirele and Marie Jirele and friend Jan Murphy; brother-in-law Jerry (Diane) Grebin; grandchildren: Brian (Winona) Duren, John (Anna) Duren, Mary Anne Duren, and Matt (Brianna) Duren; Aundrea (Matt) Sandfort and Todd (Laura) Grantham; Brooks (Rosa) Grebin; Dana, Jenna, Tori, and Micah Thesing; great-grandchildren: Leo, Ollie, James, Patrick and Betsy; nieces and nephews (Jeff, Pam, Deb, Jane, Dave, Ted, Pat, John, Jenifer, Joe, Jim, Jane, Julianne, Connie, Tom and Bob; David, Mike, Lisa, and Julie). Cleo was preceded in death by: son Jim and two grandchildren Mark and Marie, brothers Ed and Orrie, sisters-in-law Marge & Shirley, and parents Ed & Rita.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Wednesday, April 20th at St. Augustine Catholic Church with Father Jim Steffes officiating. Visitation will be at the church one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in the Minnesota State Veteran’s Cemetery in Preston, Minnesota.
Clasen-Jordan Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/cleo-a-grebin-88/ | 2022-04-14T00:41:36 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/cleo-a-grebin-88/ |
Minnesota man recounts imprisonment during escape from Ukraine
Published 4:31 pm Wednesday, April 13, 2022
By Peter Cox
Tyler Jacob, a Minnesota man who was detained by Russian forces as he tried to leave embattled Ukraine, recounted his ordeal Tuesday as he met with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who helped secure his release.
“Thank you very much for all of the hard work you both put in,” Jacob said to Klobuchar and one of the senator’s staff members, Clara Haycraft, as he sat alongside them to speak to the media in Klobuchar’s Minneapolis office. “I definitely don’t believe I would be here if it wasn’t for you guys vouching for me. Because they thought I was a spy.”
Jacob, a 28-year-old from Winona, met a woman from Ukraine and moved there last November. By January they’d married and were living in southern Ukraine, where she ran a school and Jacob taught English.
There were hints war might be coming, but they didn’t know when.
“We kind of discussed before I moved (that) something was going on,” Jacob said. “But she said there was nothing special, it’s just day-to-day, like, nothing out of the ordinary. So when I moved there, I didn’t expect anything.”
It turned out to be a whirlwind of love, a new language, marriage, war and imprisonment in Russian custody — all in the span of a five months.
When the war started in late February, Jacob said he didn’t know what to do, or where to go. He spoke with other foreigners in Ukraine. They heard about a bus that would take them to a train, that would in turn take them to safety in Turkey. One afternoon, they got notice the bus was leaving in an hour.
“We had a total of 50 minutes to grab everything and make that trip,” he said.
He called his mother and his father to let them know what was happening, and then hopped on the bus.
But at a checkpoint in Russian-controlled Crimea, he ran into trouble. They checked the passports of everyone on board, but he was pulled off the bus twice for questions and scans. Around 11:30 at night, they said there were problems, took him off the bus again and sat him down in a room.
“I just sat there and waited, doing nothing until six o’clock in the morning,” he recounted Tuesday. “And then at that point, they’re like, ‘Well, it’s morning. … You need to go and sleep.’ So they took me to a detention center.”
They told him he wasn’t a criminal and left his door open, but the next morning he was taken to court where he was sentenced to 10 days in prison.
Jacob said he was more upset than fearful; he’d seen several other foreigners let go without any trouble. But he recounted that a few days later, Russian officials found a resume on his laptop — a resume he was using as a template. The document had government experience listed on it. Russian authorities began to suspect he might be a spy. That’s when Jacob began to get scared.
“And the guy’s like … ‘Keep lying to me about this (and) we’re gonna keep you here for a lot longer.’ And at that point, I was like, ‘Cool,’ ” Jacob recalled — now able to laugh a little at the memory. “Then the following morning, he comes and picks me up at 10. And he’s like, ‘hey, everything’s fine.'”
By that point, Klobuchar’s office had started working on his case at the request of his mother, Tina Hauser.
“I got involved in this, of course, when Tina called our office and said that her son, she hadn’t heard from him, from Tyler, for several days, and that she knew something was wrong,” Klobuchar said.
Her office had been working with the State Department, U.S. embassies and Jacob’s family to secure his freedom. She said Tuesday that they feared his imprisonment might become part of a larger international entanglement.
“We were trying to find some kind of a middle ground between calling attention to it, but then not making it some kind of cause celebre for them wanting to keep you in custody,” she said to Jacob as he sat next to her.
Within days, Jacob was on a plane back to the United States. He flew into La Crosse, Wis., and drove to Winona, where he surprised his mother by knocking on her door, which he filmed and sent to CNN.
His mother wept Tuesday as Klobuchar told them about the ups and downs of trying to get Jacob back to the U.S.
“It’s been a huge relief. It’s been a joy every day, talking to him and seeing him and spending time with him. It’s the biggest gift I could have ever asked for,” Tina Hauser said.
Her son said he’s been keeping an ear on what’s happening in Ukraine, but he said it’s felt too raw to watch the images of the war.
“When they start showing videos and stuff on the TV, I walk away,” Jacob said. His wife, who’s now safe in a NATO country, keeps him updated. “Her parents are still there. And she communicates with them on a daily basis.”
Jacob said he’s hoping to find a job and move to Florida, where his wife and her son can join him. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/minnesota-man-recounts-imprisonment-during-escape-from-ukraine/ | 2022-04-14T00:41:42 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/minnesota-man-recounts-imprisonment-during-escape-from-ukraine/ |
HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A six-year-old girl saved her mother’s life with one phone call, a brave act that caught the attention of community leaders.
Jordynn Etheridge found her mom lying on the floor unresponsive on March 14. Her mother, Deja Etheridge, is a military veteran with a disability. She said she took some medicine the night before, but the next morning she felt lightheaded, dizzy and groggy.
“I think I made it up maybe two or three stairs and the next thing I know, it was like I felt myself going down,” Deja said. “I actually heard myself hit the ground, but by that point, I didn’t feel anything else, and everything just went black.”
Her daughter, Jordynn, ran outside while on the phone with 911 operators, so she could confirm their home address.
“My mom, I think she just passed out,” said Jordynn in the 911 call.
She greeted Hanover EMS crews outside as they arrived at their home. Deja’s mother and best friend also went to the home.
Deja said her life was saved with just one phone call, and it’s because she taught her two kids how to call for help in case of emergencies.
“I don’t think she fully knew what happened, but when we talked about it afterward that’s when she realized how great of an effort she did to get me all the help that I needed,” she said.
Cheryl Buchanan, the director of Hanover County’s Emergency Communications Department said it’s important for families to plan ahead.
“It isn’t too soon. I would say as soon as there’s an opportunity to present itself, educate them,” she said.
She added that people can reach out to their local 911 center to help their family form an emergency plan and have conversations about emergencies.
Hanover County leaders honored Jordynn on Wednesday, April 13 by presenting her the 911 Lifesaver Award. She was also made an honorary communications officer. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/6-year-old-rescues-her-mom-honored-by-hanover-county-leaders/ | 2022-04-14T00:42:04 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/6-year-old-rescues-her-mom-honored-by-hanover-county-leaders/ |
The Grand Rapids Police Department has said Lyoya was killed after an officer's gun "discharged" during a "lengthy struggle." But a representative for Lyoya's family tells CNN he saw video of the shooting and believes the 26-year-old was killed "execution-style."
Speaking during a news conference, City Manager Mark Washington offered his condolences to the family of Patrick Lyoya and referred to the video as "painful to watch."
The department released police body camera, dashcam, cell phone, and home surveillance system footage of the deadly incident.
Police said before the news conference that neither the videos nor audio were edited. Some video images were redacted or blurred to ensure privacy.
Police Chief Eric Winstrom said the officer will not be identified publicly unless there are criminal charges. The officer is on paid leave and his police powers were suspended, the chief said. Michigan State Police are conducting a criminal investigation.
Winstrom, a former Chicago police commander, made headlines when he publicly criticized the state's attorney's office not to file charges in the high-profile murder of a 7-year-old girl last fall. He left the Chicago Police Department and was named chief of Grand Rapids police in February.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump -- who has represented high-profile victims of police violence -- has been retained by the Lyoya family and pushed for the officer to be fired and charged.
"The video clearly shows that this was an unnecessary, excessive, and fatal use of force against an unarmed Black man who was confused by the encounter and terrified for his life," Crump said.
The incident began just after 8 a.m. on April 4 when police say they pulled over a vehicle for a traffic stop. The driver, now known to be Lyoya, got out of the vehicle and at some point ran, Grand Rapids Police said at the time.
Not long after, "There was a lengthy struggle, I'm told it was over a minute and a half or two minutes of fighting," Winstrom said previously.
"During the struggle, the officer's weapon discharged, killing the man," he added.
The Lyoya family moved from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the US in 2014, and has been working with their representative, Pastor Israel Siku, since Patrick's death. Siku's first language is Swahili and he also acts as an interpreter for the Lyoyas.
He told CNN he was with Lyoya's father, just days after the shooting, when they were invited by police to review the video of the shooting.
Siku described the father's reaction to seeing the video: "He melt(ed) down, he didn't have anything to say. He almost passed out."
At a community forum Sunday, Siku told a church full of people, "I saw the video, I could not sleep."
"The boy was on the floor, the cop as he lays on him, pulls up the gun and shoots him in the head and back up. Patrick did not move," he added.
There have been multiple protests and rallies on behalf of Lyoya. On Tuesday evening, dozens of people called for justice as they rallied outside a City Commission meeting. Inside the nearly five-hour meeting, 74 of the 75 members of the public who spoke expressed outrage and sorrow over Lyoya's death.
In a statement to CNN, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said in part, "We are all working through a range of emotions from anger to confusion to grief but I'm confident as a community that we're also patient and steadfast in our commitment to get to the truth."
Michigan State Police investigating
Michigan State Police said once the investigation is completed, the evidence will be turned over to the county prosecutor who will decide on charges.
Kent County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Becker told CNN no decision has been made regarding the officer as the investigation isn't complete. As for the impending release of video, he said, "They have to do what they think best and I'm not going to criticize that." In a statement on April 7, he said, "To maintain the integrity of this investigation, I have requested that involved police agencies do not release any evidence until the investigation is complete."
The Grand Rapids Police Department said both Michigan State Police and Becker are aware of the vid release. The results of the ongoing investigation will also be provided to the Grand Rapids police chief and the department's internal affairs, Winstrom said in a statement.
"This is a use of deadly force. The test for deadly force is that the officer is entitled to use deadly force when defending himself against a reasonable threat of death or great bodily harm," Winstrom said not long after the shooting.
"That'll be the test the Michigan State Police use when they look at it initially. And that'll be the same test I use to review it after their investigation is handed off to us."
WLS-TV contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
& 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://abc7ny.com/patrick-lyoya-shooting-video-grand-rapids-mi-criminal-history/11744700/ | 2022-04-14T00:44:38 | 0 | https://abc7ny.com/patrick-lyoya-shooting-video-grand-rapids-mi-criminal-history/11744700/ |
Javier Rodriguez of Irvine spoke with our sister station in Los Angeles KABC-TV on Tuesday and said it happened last Thursday while he was heading westbound on the 10 Freeway through Cabazon.
VIDEO: Tesla drivers seen seemingly asleep behind the wheel
He said the car was stuck going 83 mph and the main screen was frozen.
He said all of the buttons and switches - including turn signals and hazard lights - were not working.
"I noticed that it started to get hot in the car and there started to be a weird scent coming," recalled Rodriguez. "I was nervous that if I were to brake a whole lot that I wouldn't be able to gain the speed again to keep up with traffic and get around cars. I was nervous somebody was going to slam into me."
VIDEO: Tesla jumps hill, crashes into parked cars in dangerous high-speed car stunt
Even though the accelerator wasn't responding, fortunately Rodriguez said the brakes did work, but said that didn't make him any more comfortable when he was trying to stop.
He was able to make it off the road, and a few minutes later, the car rebooted. That's when everything seemed normal.
An officer with the California Highway Patrol helped Rodriguez get off the freeway, where he eventually had the car towed.
He said Tesla later told him they fixed the vehicle, but all they would say about what happened was what he said they wrote in the report.
TIMELINE: ABC7 investigates deadly Tesla crash on Hwy 101 in Mountain View
"Diagnosed and found poor communication from charge port door causing power conversion system to shut off in order to protect on board components during drive," Rodriguez recalled.
Now, Rodriguez is worried that some kind of safety feature on the car could cause the onboard computer to shut itself down with no warning.
Eyewitness News has reached out to Tesla for a response but has not received a response.
VIDEO: Tesla car battery likely caused devastating house fire
"I need more explanation," said Rodriguez. "I'm on the freeway and this happens at 83 miles an hour. Everybody is trying to say, 'Well we fixed it. We fixed it,' but I need an explanation." | https://abc7ny.com/tesla-model-3-screen-freezes-tech-issues-while-driving/11745808/ | 2022-04-14T00:44:50 | 0 | https://abc7ny.com/tesla-model-3-screen-freezes-tech-issues-while-driving/11745808/ |
4/14 Day deals, specials, events
4/14 is Milwaukee Day and there are plenty of ways you can celebrate
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4/14 Day deals, specials, events
4/14 is Milwaukee Day and there are plenty of ways you can celebrate
Here's a look at some of the things going on in and around Milwaukee on Thursday for 4/14:The debut of a "414" song, 414 poem performance with Mayor Cavalier Johnson10 a.m. at Milwaukee City HallMilwaukee Brewers home opener vs. St. Louis CardinalsFormal introductions start at 4:14 p.m.US Cellular Brewers tickets giveaway414 game tickets will be given away at stores in West Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Glendale, and GreendaleThe giveaway will last until tickets run out at each storeTasting for new playoff menus at Fiserv Forum, The MECCATasting starts at 11 a.m. at The MECCAThe first Bucks playoff game starts at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday414 Milwaukee offering free 414 beer with the purchase of a t-shirtStarts at 10 a.m. at 207 East BuffaloHistoric Milwaukee sale kicks off; special pricing for posters, new productsAlso includes a food drive and free lecture9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 235 East MichiganContinues Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-3Harley Davidson Museum 4/14 Day celebrationReduced rate ($4.14) tickets available online onlyThe Museum campus is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.Potawatomi t-shirt giveawayStarting at Noon at Bar 360 on the casino floor (while supplies last)$5 beers and 414 burgers are available at Fire Pit Sports Bar & GrillIrish Fest BOGO ticket saleAvailable online all-day Final online BOGO sale4/14 Beer deals:Ray's Growler Gallery (8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa) - In-store samples of Enlightened Brewing from 1-4 p.m.Gathering Place Brewing (811 E. Vienna Ave., Milwaukee) - $4.14 pintsThird Space Brewing (1505 W. St. Paul Ave., Milwaukee) - Paint Night: beer-themed watercolor class; Ticket includes beer, class, painting to take home; 6-8 p.m.Historic Pabst Brewery (917 W. Juneau Ave., Milwaukee) - Beer History Tour; 1-hour tours including beer or soda; starting at 4 p.m.Sprecher Brewery (701 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale) - Brewery tour including free commemorative tour glass, 4 complimentary craft beers, unlimited craft sodas on tap
MILWAUKEE —
Here's a look at some of the things going on in and around Milwaukee on Thursday for 4/14:
- The debut of a "414" song, 414 poem performance with Mayor Cavalier Johnson
- 10 a.m. at Milwaukee City Hall
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- Milwaukee Brewers home opener vs. St. Louis Cardinals
- Formal introductions start at 4:14 p.m.
- US Cellular Brewers tickets giveaway
- 414 game tickets will be given away at stores in West Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Glendale, and Greendale
- The giveaway will last until tickets run out at each store
- Tasting for new playoff menus at Fiserv Forum, The MECCA
- Tasting starts at 11 a.m. at The MECCA
- The first Bucks playoff game starts at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday
- 414 Milwaukee offering free 414 beer with the purchase of a t-shirt
- Starts at 10 a.m. at 207 East Buffalo
- Historic Milwaukee sale kicks off; special pricing for posters, new products
- Also includes a food drive and free lecture
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 235 East Michigan
- Continues Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-3
- Harley Davidson Museum 4/14 Day celebration
- Reduced rate ($4.14) tickets available online only
- The Museum campus is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Potawatomi t-shirt giveaway
- Starting at Noon at Bar 360 on the casino floor (while supplies last)
- $5 beers and 414 burgers are available at Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill
- Irish Fest BOGO ticket sale
- Available online all-day
- Final online BOGO sale
- 4/14 Beer deals:
- Ray's Growler Gallery (8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa) - In-store samples of Enlightened Brewing from 1-4 p.m.
- Gathering Place Brewing (811 E. Vienna Ave., Milwaukee) - $4.14 pints
- Third Space Brewing (1505 W. St. Paul Ave., Milwaukee) - Paint Night: beer-themed watercolor class; Ticket includes beer, class, painting to take home; 6-8 p.m.
- Historic Pabst Brewery (917 W. Juneau Ave., Milwaukee) - Beer History Tour; 1-hour tours including beer or soda; starting at 4 p.m.
- Sprecher Brewery (701 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale) - Brewery tour including free commemorative tour glass, 4 complimentary craft beers, unlimited craft sodas on tap | https://www.wisn.com/article/414-day-deals-specials-events/39719006 | 2022-04-14T00:46:39 | 1 | https://www.wisn.com/article/414-day-deals-specials-events/39719006 |
Josh Peck says he made less than $100,000 a year on 'Drake & Josh'
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Updated: 6:31 PM CDT Apr 13, 2022
friends between bells and cheddar news, I'm baker machado and new york and from childhood actor to influencer, right back to your television screens, Our next guest has cemented himself as one of Hollywood's elite in his new memoir. Happy people are annoying. The actor, writer, Youtuber and television star reflects for the very first time on his late teens and early twenties being raised by a single mother and also coming of age in the spotlight and actor and author josh peck joining us right now here on cheddar news, josh, great to have you back here, thank you so much for having me, this is great, Okay, so a lot of us know you and grew up watching you on Nickelodeon's drake and josh, so we all know that side of you, but what were things like behind the camera that fans finally will learn about you in this book here? Well, I think that you're right, a lot of people grew up with me and I, you know, my awkward adolescent years, a lot of people, they go through that and then they burn their yearbooks and swear their families to secrecy, but mine are in reruns. So I basically just talk a lot about what it was like being in the public eye at that age, feeling deeply insecure because you know, I was overweight and sort of the challenges that I faced in an effort to kind of say, listen maybe if you watch me and thought I was living this specific, unique, privileged life and in many ways I was but I was also going through a very human experience and I want to share that as well. Yeah, you and you definitely did throughout the book and there's a couple of really big passages, I think that really stood out to me. I want to read one. This particular one in this chapter was called Too Fat for commercials in it. You right, The beautiful byproduct of my appearance, the silver lining to it all was that I had developed a finely tuned sense of humor, like a consolation prize the world said you're going to be massively overweight. So, here be funny, was it difficult almost in a sense, to sort of relive some of these dark moments growing up, especially you're in the Hollywood spotlight, you're in a public spotlight. People are obsessing and combing through every detail of your life here. Certainly, I think that I you know, obviously it would have been easier for me to sort of just sort of put that away. But it was that that willingness to be vulnerable and to write something that I think is funny, but also to get raw and honest and tell my story and express the things I've gone through, I think that was just really important. And um you know, it could have gone unsaid, but then, you know, my experience couldn't serve others and I have so benefited from people being willing to be vulnerable and transparent with their stories. So I hoped I could do the same what the other thing, I think that's really great about you is sort of, we get different generations of you throughout our lives as well. I mean I mentioned drake and josh the Amanda show but you know we now have you on the Helen show, how I Met your Father, how do you sort of feel like you're almost sort of growing older with your audience here? I you know, I think that I've been lucky enough to stay in this business, you know, I think Chris Rock has a joke about like if you're in the business for 10 years, I like 20 years, I respect you in 30 years, I love you. Like sometimes it's it's truly not about having the huge hit or or having a moment of frustration in your career because that's unavoidable for many of us, but it's about like long term, if you can keep on keeping on on the topic of How I Met your Father, you know, the big debate is is this a reboot or is this a sequel? Like what is this? Which is also sort of kind of amazing here, What do you think? Is this show a review and does it kind of fit into reboot culture that we're seeing right now, I think I don't know I've done four reboots in the last two years, so if I'm on it, it's probably a reboot but I think how I Met Your father uniquely has done such a great job of sort of setting the stage for a new environment, these new characters, everyone so incredibly talented on the show. Um and led by Hillary who's like the Ultra Pro and while also paying homage to this thing that's really this nostalgic show that people so loved. So I think uniquely there's certainly some reboots that aren't, don't quite live up to the original, but I think how I Met certainly does Colby's mothers is in is in this and she was obviously Robin and how I Met Your Mother, Are we going to be seeing more original cast members coming to this show also? I hope so. I I think, you know, the writers, they're good dude, they know what the people want, they got their finger on the fandom pulse. So I think you can totally expect to see some some great easter eggs. Um so I wanted to go back to your memoir because there's another passage I think is really interesting and you talked about your time as a child actor on drake and josh and here is basically the passage that I thought was interesting. It said it was worse to have been on television in the past five years because producers had an image of who they thought you were until someone was willing to take a chance on you. That image was sort of impossible to break. You have basically now been announced and I don't think this is so amazing. You're in this new Christopher Nolan movie called World War Two movie called Oppenheimer? This is with matt Damon. It's got a huge cast in it. What does it mean for you to sort of join this a list cast and coming from sort of child acting to now basically being part of an a list movie here. I think it's, it's um, I mean it is a very small part, but it's such a cool thing to be a part of. And I've always sort of been lucky enough to to stay consistently working. It's just, you know, something like drake and josh entered the zeitgeist at a time where people were really ready for something like that and you can't pick your hits. So you know, you have this body of work and then inevitably there will always be like as an actor, your singles, those one or two things that rose to the top of the charts. So I feel lucky that with Oppenheimer and how I Met Your Father and my show Turner and Hooch last year and this and plus that I've been able to continue to challenge myself in new roles. Um you also really talk about Addiction in this book also and I think it's really amazing how open you are about this and I read somewhere you're celebrating 13 years of sobriety, is that correct? 14 yeah, congratulations, mazel tov. That is so amazing. How has sobriety really sort of in many ways saved your life and changed your life and and and and how is sober living right now, um you know what for me, I realized that it started with food and then it sort of morphed in the sort of substance and then it became prestige and fame and ego and I realized that nothing can fill up that hole in the soul, anything of the outside world that I try to use to make me feel okay will never work. And so it's an embracing, you know, when I started to get into recovery and when I sort of embraced this life of a good life, being the result of good living um was where I finally found that contentment and peace and a little bit of that happiness that I talked about in the book. The other thing I love about sort of the revelations you have is when you know, acting roles weren't coming, you went back and went to acting school, you basically were like, if I'm gonna, if I'm gonna be on the sidelines, I'm gonna be the best and most prepared I possibly can for a lot of people if they're not working in the industry, they probably think, okay, I'm done. I I there's nothing more for me here. What kept you going that you wanted to say that this is what I love and I'm passionate about and I'm going to make it work if I can. Well I've always sort of just been a journeyman actor with these ups and downs and I think when you start with something as big as, as drake and josh, you think that it's only gonna be like one long sort of apex, but inevitably the life of most actors is sometimes you work really consistently and you can easily go a year or two where where it's just not quite connecting. So it was in those times that I realized that if I wanted to play at the level of something like an Oppenheimer or, or even how I Met Your Father, like really well done stuff, I needed to be totally ready and I knew I had some talent and I knew that things had worked out to a certain point, but I really had to have some fine craft if I was gonna, if I was going to be able to play at that level. Well, josh, congratulations on all the success, Congratulations on this book. It's really, really well done josh peck. The new memoir, Happy People are annoying and it is available everywhere. You buy your books
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Josh Peck says he made less than $100,000 a year on 'Drake & Josh'
"Drake & Josh" was a huge hit for Nickelodeon, but one of its stars says he didn't become a millionaire off of it.Josh Peck, who played Josh Nichols on the series, recently appeared on the "Trading Secrets" podcast.The former child star talked about being on the show from 2004 to 2007."It's quite public that if you were on a show like 'Two and a Half Men' or 'Modern Family,' and you were the kid on a massive network syndicated show, the case could be made that you'd have enough money to last you for the rest of your life," Peck said.But that wasn't how it was for him."The reality is that when we were making the show, we did 60 episodes and we made about $15,000 an episode," he said. "So, when all is said and done, we were sort of left, after agents and managers and taxes, with about $450,000 over five years, which breaks down to a little less than $100,000 a year."He was raised by a single mother and while the money allowed them to have a better life, Peck said it was "not enough to set you up for life."Peck, who starred opposite Drake Bell as Drake Parker, is now 35 and continues to act, most recently in "How I Met Your Father."
"Drake & Josh" was a huge hit for Nickelodeon, but one of its stars says he didn't become a millionaire off of it.
Josh Peck, who played Josh Nichols on the series, recently appeared on the "Trading Secrets" podcast.
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The former child star talked about being on the show from 2004 to 2007.
"It's quite public that if you were on a show like 'Two and a Half Men' or 'Modern Family,' and you were the kid on a massive network syndicated show, the case could be made that you'd have enough money to last you for the rest of your life," Peck said.
But that wasn't how it was for him.
"The reality is that when we were making the show, we did 60 episodes and we made about $15,000 an episode," he said. "So, when all is said and done, we were sort of left, after agents and managers and taxes, with about $450,000 over five years, which breaks down to a little less than $100,000 a year."
He was raised by a single mother and while the money allowed them to have a better life, Peck said it was "not enough to set you up for life."
Peck, who starred opposite Drake Bell as Drake Parker, is now 35 and continues to act, most recently in "How I Met Your Father." | https://www.wisn.com/article/josh-peck-says-he-made-less-than-100-000-a-year-on-drake-josh/39715542 | 2022-04-14T00:46:49 | 0 | https://www.wisn.com/article/josh-peck-says-he-made-less-than-100-000-a-year-on-drake-josh/39715542 |
Mark Meadows removed as North Carolina registered voter
Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff to President Donald Trump, has been removed from North Carolina's list of registered voters after documents showed he lived in Virginia and voted in that state's 2021 election, officials said Wednesday.
Questions arose about Meadows last month, when North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein’s office asked the State Bureau of Investigation to look into Meadows’ voter registration, which listed a home he never owned — and may never have visited — as his legal residence.
A representative for Meadows, a former congressman from the area, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meadows frequently raised the prospect of voter fraud before the 2020 presidential election, as polls showed Trump trailing Joe Biden, and in the months after Trump’s loss, to suggest Biden was not the legitimate winner. In his 2021 memoir, he repeated the baseless claims that the election was stolen.
Judges, election officials in both parties and Trump’s own attorney general has concluded there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Experts point to isolated incidents of intentional or unintentional violations of voter laws in every election.
Under North Carolina general statutes, “If a person goes into another state, county, municipality, precinct, ward, or other election district, or into the District of Columbia, and while there exercises the right of a citizen by voting in an election, that person shall be considered to have lost residence in that State, county, municipality, precinct, ward, or other election district from which that person removed.”
Public records indicated Meadows had been registered to vote in Virginia and North Carolina, where he listed a mobile home he did not own as his legal residence weeks before casting a 2020 presidential election ballot in the state.
Meadows listed a mobile home in Scaly Mountain, North Carolina, as his physical address on Sept. 19, 2020, while he was serving as Trump’s chief of staff in Washington. Meadows later cast an absentee ballot for the general election by mail. Trump won the battleground state by just over 1 percentage point.
The New Yorker spoke to the former owner of the Scaly Mountain property, described as a 14-foot by 62-foot mobile home with a rusty metal roof, who indicated that Meadows does not own the home and never has. The previous owner said Meadows’ wife rented the property “for two months at some point within the past few years” but only spent one or two nights there. Neighbors said Meadows was never present, The New Yorker reported.
The New Yorker story doesn’t identify the former owner’s name, saying she requested that her name not be used.
In announcing his removal from the voter rolls, the Macon County Board of Elections said it had received no formal challenge and was referring the matter to the SBI, the state elections board said Wednesday.
Macon County District Attorney Ashley Welch had asked the attorney general’s office to handle any investigation into Meadows’ voter registration, recusing herself from the matter because Meadows contributed to her campaign for DA and appeared in political ads endorsing her. | https://www.wisn.com/article/mark-meadows-removed-as-nc-registered-voter/39719841 | 2022-04-14T00:46:59 | 1 | https://www.wisn.com/article/mark-meadows-removed-as-nc-registered-voter/39719841 |
Video shows Michigan officer on Black man's back before fatally shooting him
A Black man face-down on the ground was fatally shot in the back of the head by a Michigan police officer, the violent climax of a traffic stop, foot chase and fight over a stun gun, according to videos of the April 4 incident released Wednesday.
Patrick Lyoya, 26, was shot outside a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The white officer repeatedly demanded that Lyoya "let go" of his Taser. At one point, the officer demanded, "drop the Taser!"
Police Chief Eric Winstrom released four videos, including critical footage of the shooting recorded by a passenger in Lyoya's car on that rainy morning.
Warning: The video contains violent and/or disturbing images. Discretion is advised.
"I view it as a tragedy. ... It was a progression of sadness for me," said Winstrom, a former high-ranking Chicago police commander who became Grand Rapids chief in March.
Video shows Lyoya running from the scene after an officer stopped him for driving with a license plate that didn't belong to the vehicle. They struggled on the front lawn of a few homes while Lyoya's passenger got out and watched.
In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times to try to subdue him.
"From my view of the video, Taser was deployed twice. Taser did not make contact," Winstrom told reporters. "And Mr. Lyoya was shot in the head. However, that's the only information that I have."
State police are investigating the shooting. Kent County's chief medical examiner, Dr. Stephen Cohle, said he completed the autopsy on the day of Lyoya's death, but that toxicology tests haven't been completed.
The traffic stop was tense from the start. Video shows Lyoya, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, getting out of the car before the officer approached. He ordered Lyoya to get back in the vehicle but the man declined.
The officer asked him if he spoke English and demanded his driver's license. The foot chase began soon after, video shows.
Winstrom didn't identify the officer, a seven-year veteran who is on paid leave during the investigation.
"Me being from Chicago for the last 20 years, I've handled many police shootings myself, so I do have a lot of experience in this," the chief said. "I was hoping to never have to utilize that experience here."
Video was collected from Lyoya's passenger, the officer's body-worn camera, the officer's patrol car and a doorbell camera.
City Manager Mark Washington warned that the videos would lead to "expressions of shock, of anger and of pain." Some downtown businesses boarded up their storefronts, and concrete barricades surrounded police headquarters.
More than 100 people marched to Grand Rapids City Hall before a City Commission meeting Tuesday night, chanting "Black lives matter" and "No justice, no peace."
Winstrom last week said he met Lyoya's father, Peter Lyoya, and that they both cried.
"I get it as a father. ... It's just heart-wrenching," the chief told WOOD-TV.
As in many U.S. cities, Grand Rapids police have been occasionally criticized over the use of force, particularly against Black people, who make up 18% of the population.
In November, the Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit over the practice of photographing and fingerprinting people who were never charged with a crime. Grand Rapids said the policy changed in 2015.
A downtown street has been designated Breonna Taylor Way, named for the Black woman and Grand Rapids native who was killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky, during a botched drug raid in 2020.
___
White reported from Detroit. AP reporters Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; and John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed to this story. | https://www.wisn.com/article/patrick-lyoya-police-shooting/39718833 | 2022-04-14T00:47:09 | 1 | https://www.wisn.com/article/patrick-lyoya-police-shooting/39718833 |
2 mini horses euthanized after dog attack, authorities investigating incident
THOMAS TWP., Mich. (WNEM) - Two mini horses are dead, and investigators are looking for dogs connected to the mauling.
This man, who doesn’t want to be identified, lost both of his mini horses after a dog attacked them on his property Sunday morning in the Saginaw County community of Thomas Township.
“I will tell you it starts out with shock, and then anguish, and it ends up with anger,” the horse owner said.
Duker and Kacee were alive after the attack but had to be put down as a result of their injuries.
“I think the most horrible thing about it was Duker laying on the ground kind of crying to me to help me, and not being able to do anything about it,” the owner said.
The horse owner said one dog, who investigators say was not involved in the attack, stayed behind. The other dog, believed to be the aggressor, got away. Authorities are still looking for it.
Bonnie Kanicki is the director of Saginaw County Animal Care and Control.
“It’s a white and black dog, medium weight, believed to be a mix of Pitbull and unknown mix, but a medium size dog, they estimate it about 50 pounds,” Kanicki said.
She is not sure where the dog is from, but if anyone sees a dog on the loose matching that description they should act quickly.
“Call 911, call Saginaw County Animal Control at our number, call the Thomas Township Police Department. But we really are looking to find this dog if at all possible,” Kanicki said.
Now, the horse owner is mourning the loss of his pets he had for 20 years. He hopes this dog is found soon.
“Please find that dog before it attacks some kid and injures it real badly,” the owner said.
Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/2-mini-horses-euthanized-after-dog-attack-authorities-investigating-incident/ | 2022-04-14T00:49:12 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/2-mini-horses-euthanized-after-dog-attack-authorities-investigating-incident/ |
VIDEO: 68-year-old woman rescued after her car plunges off cliff
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 7:47 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES (KABC) - A woman in Southern California was rescued Wednesday morning after her car went over the side of a cliff in Griffith Park.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, rescuers were called to assist a 68-year-old woman whose car went off the side of the road at about 7:20 a.m.
The extent of her injuries was not immediately known but she was airlifted from the scene in a helicopter for medical attention, according to emergency crews.
Police did not immediately release the details on how the woman’s car ended up at the bottom of the hill.
Copyright 2022 KABC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/video-68-year-old-woman-rescued-after-her-car-plunges-off-cliff/ | 2022-04-14T00:49:19 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/video-68-year-old-woman-rescued-after-her-car-plunges-off-cliff/ |
Flint man found guilty in 2019 triple homicide
FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton announced on Wednesday a jury found a Flint man guilty on all counts related to a 2019 triple homicide that left three teens dead.
Quatrail Smith, 30, was convicted on three counts of first-degree premediated murder, four counts of felony firearm, one count of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of a felon carrying a concealed weapon.
On Sept. 20, 2019, before about 7 a.m., officers from the city of Flint, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and Michigan State Police were sent to a home on Illinois Avenue for reports of a shooting. When they arrived, officers found three dead bodies, according to trial testimony.
One body was in the backyard, another was on the steps by the back door, and the third body was in the bedroom. The three victims ranged in age from 16 to 18-years-old.
Smith was arrested and taken into custody the next day. Investigators say a search warrant executed at his home provided important evidence linking him to the homicides.
“This is yet another tragic incident where gun violence in our community cut short the lives of three young men and will put another in prison for the rest of his life,” Leyton said.
Smith’s sentencing is scheduled for May 16. He could face life in prison without parole.
Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/flint-man-found-guilty-2019-triple-homicide/ | 2022-04-14T00:49:25 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/flint-man-found-guilty-2019-triple-homicide/ |
Kentucky lawmakers override governor’s veto of abortion ban
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — New abortion restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers over the Democratic governor’s veto will force the only two abortion clinics in Kentucky to stop providing the procedures for women, at least temporarily, while the new law is challenged in court, abortion-rights activists said Wednesday.
The law will draw immediate federal lawsuits, and attorneys for the clinics will seek a ruling to block the measure to allow the clinics to resume abortions while the case is litigated, the activists said. The two abortion clinics in Kentucky are in Louisville, the state’s largest city.
Immediately after the GOP-led legislature finished overriding Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes, the activists said the clinics will be unable to comply with the new restrictions because the state hasn’t set up a now-mandated regulatory process. The measure takes effect immediately.
“Because the law is impossible to comply with, it amounts to a de facto abortion ban, thus violating patients’ federal right to abortion under Roe v. Wade,” abortion-rights groups said in a news release.
Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union will file suit challenging the measure, the release said.
The chants of abortion-rights supporters echoed through Kentucky’s Capitol as the legislature swept aside the governor’s veto. The bill calls for regulating the dispensing of abortion pills, but the state hasn’t yet set up the registration process, the groups said. It would require women to be examined in person by a doctor before receiving the medication.
That section of the bill is part of a nationwide push by anti-abortion groups to limit the ability of physicians to prescribe abortion pills by telemedicine, and comes in response to the increased use of pills rather than surgery to terminate early pregnancies.
About half of all abortions performed in Kentucky are the result of medication procedures.
The measure also requires new reporting requirements that violate patient privacy, the abortion-rights groups said.
Another key part of the bill bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Kentucky law currently bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The proposed 15-week ban is modeled after a Mississippi law the Supreme Court is considering in a case that could dramatically limit abortion rights. By taking the preemptive action, the bill’s supporters say Kentucky’s stricter ban would be in place if the Mississippi law is upheld.
About two dozen abortion-rights supporters chanted “bans off our bodies” at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Kentucky House chamber earlier Wednesday as the lawmakers debated the abortion measure. Lawmakers on both sides of the debate mentioned the demonstrators, whose voices could be heard in the chamber as the emotional debate continued.
“It absolutely makes me sick to have to listen to what’s going on out there,” Republican Rep. Norma Kirk-McCormick said.
The House overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto on a 76-21 vote. That sent the measure to the Senate for the final vote. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers. The demonstrators moved to the other side of the Capitol Wednesday evening and chanted as the Senate debated the measure. The Senate overrode the veto on a 31-6 vote.
Opponents also condemned the bill for failing to exclude pregnancies caused by rape or incest.
“Those are violent crimes,” Democratic Rep. Rachel Roberts said. “This bill forces those women to be violated again.”
In pushing for the override, Kirk-McCormick said: “The abortion of a baby is plain wrong. And I pray that God would have mercy on anyone that would take the life of a child. There’s no mercy for that baby in abortion.”
The strict limits on abortion weren’t the only social issues legislation taken up by Republican lawmakers during the frenzied veto session. They also used their lopsided majorities to finish overriding a Beshear veto of their effort to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. The override votes won by wide margins in both chambers over the objections of opponents.
“This bill is discrimination in search of children,” Democratic Rep. Josie Raymond said.
The measure would bar transgender girls and women from playing on sports teams matching their gender identity from sixth grade through college. Supporters say it would ensure girls and women compete against other “biological females.”
“The athlete wants a fair playing field,” Republican Sen. Donald Douglas said. “They don’t care about all this other social stuff.”
Republican-led states increasingly have adopted such prohibitions on transgender girls or women, though the culture war-related bans have been challenged in several states as violations of federal law. Opponents of the Kentucky measure predicted the measure also will end up in court.
“The fight won’t stop here,” said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/kentucky-lawmakers-override-governors-veto-abortion-ban/ | 2022-04-14T00:49:31 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/kentucky-lawmakers-override-governors-veto-abortion-ban/ |
State: Jobless rate is third lowest in decades
Mich. (WNEM) - Michigan’s unemployment decreased by .3 percentage points in March to 4.4 percent, according to data by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.
The total number of employed residents increased by more than 29,000 in March. The number of unemployed residents decreased by 14,000, making a statewide monthly labor force gain of 15,000.
“The Michigan labor market has been positive this year,” said Wayne Rourke, associate director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives. “Michigan’s jobless rate has averaged 4.7 percent so far in 2022, and the state has only recorded a lower annual rate twice in recent decades, the periods from 1997 to 2000 and 2017 to 2019.”
The nation’s unemployment rate decreased by .2 percentage points in March to 3.6 percent.
You can read more about Michigan’s unemployment status here.
Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/state-jobless-rate-is-third-lowest-decades/ | 2022-04-14T00:49:40 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/state-jobless-rate-is-third-lowest-decades/ |
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Protecting local Boy Scouts of America councils and troop sponsoring organizations from future liability for child sex abuse claims is critical to the national group’s reorganization plan, BSA attorneys told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Tuesday.
Attorneys opposing the plan countered that liability releases for non-debtor third parties are neither fair nor necessary, and that they infringe on the rights of abuse survivors to seek compensation for their abuse.
The Boy Scouts, based in Irving, Texas, petitioned for bankruptcy protection in February 2020, seeking to halt hundreds of individual lawsuits and create a settlement trust for abuse victims. Although the organization faced about 275 lawsuits at the time, more than 82,000 sexual abuse claims have been filed in the bankruptcy case.
The reorganization plan calls for the Boys Scouts and its 250 local councils, along with settling insurance companies and troop sponsoring organizations, to contribute some $2.6 billion in cash and property and assign their insurance rights to a settlement trust fund for abuse victims. More than half that money would come from the BSA’s two largest insurers, Century Indemnity Co. and The Hartford. Those companies would contribute $800 million and $787 million, respectively.
In exchange, the parties contributing to the settlement trust would be released from further liability for sexual abuse claims dating back decades.
The local BSA councils are not debtors in the bankruptcy, but Boy Scouts attorney Jessica Lauria argued that they are inextricably intertwined with the national organization and deserve to be protected from future lawsuits in exchange for contributing to the compensation fund.
“There can be no doubt that there is an identity of interests, and frankly an extreme interconnectedness, between the local councils and the national organization,” Lauria said. Sponsoring organizations similarly are closely tied to BSA and local councils and critical to their operations, she added.
Richard Mason, an attorney for the local councils, told Judge Laura Selber Silverstein that without the liability releases, the compensation fund “basically evaporates.”
Absent approval of the BSA’s plan, the local councils would face “massive litigation” and would be forced to seek bankruptcy protection themselves, endangering the future of Scouting and the ability of abuse survivors to obtain compensation, Mason added.
But opponents questioned why the liability releases for local councils and sponsoring organization are needed in order for the BSA to emerge from bankruptcy. They noted that the Boy Scouts proposed a plan last year under which the settlement trust would be funded only by the national organization, and only for claims made against it. Under that plan, the councils and local sponsoring organizations would make no contribution and would have no protection from liability for abuse claims.
“Debtors said that was workable, feasible,” Silverstein noted. “So why is it necessary to have this elaborate, interconnected, intertwined plan for the Boy Scouts?”
Lauria replied that “BSA-only plan” may have been feasible when first proposed, but that it was never “optimal.” She also noted that the BSA has spent some $100 million more on professional fees in the bankruptcy since then and can’t afford to fund a settlement trust on its own at this point.
Edwin Caldie, an attorney representing scores of alleged abuse victims in Guam, argued that the BSA’s current plan unfairly strips them of their rights to pursue abuse claims against Catholic church officials.
The Guam group includes creditors with claims against the Archdiocese of Agana, which sought bankruptcy protection in 2019 amid a flood of child sex abuse claims. Many of those claims involve the late priest Louis Brouillard, who was also a BSA Scoutmaster and who was accused of molesting more than 100 children.
The BSA plan would channel claims against the Guam diocese into the proposed BSA settlement trust without the consent of survivors and unfairly deprive them of the ability to pursue BSA insurance policies, Caldie said.
Caldie accused the settling insurers of using “extortionist” tactics in negotiations with the Boy Scouts to obtain liability releases to which they would not be entitled under the policies they issued.
He also rejected the notion that a relatively small number of survivors should not be allowed to interfere with approval of a reorganization plan supported by tens of thousands of other claimants.
“From a common sense perspective, the BSA made a decision to shun and silence survivors of child sexual assault for decades and did not report their perpetrators for decades,” Caldie said. ”…. The Guam survivors are not terribly comfortable with ‘greater good’ arguments now, especially made buy the BSA.”
Closing arguments on whether the judge should approve the BSA plan are expected to conclude Wednesday. | https://www.wivb.com/news/business/future-liability-releases-at-center-of-boy-scouts-bankruptcy/ | 2022-04-14T00:50:52 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/business/future-liability-releases-at-center-of-boy-scouts-bankruptcy/ |
DALLAS (AP) — Union officials say pilots of Southwest Airlines pilots are suffering through an epidemic of fatigue due to poor scheduling practices by the airline, and that it is raising safety concerns.
Union leaders said in an open letter Tuesday to Southwest CEO Robert Jordan and other executives that problems started last summer when the number of travelers returned nearly to normal pre-pandemic levels, and have gotten worse.
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which is currently negotiating with the airline for a new contract, said the number of pilots asking to be relieved from a flight assignment because of fatigue jumped 330% in March compared with the same month in pre-pandemic years.
“April is already setting fatigue records,” they said. “Fatigue, both acute and cumulative, has become Southwest Airlines’ number-one safety threat.”
Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said the airline saw “a significant and steady decline” in pilots calling in fatigued after the airline made schedule changes in November. She said the March increase was expected, as weather-related flight cancellations disrupted schedules.
King said the rise in fatigue calls in March shows that the system works and that the airline lets pilots determine if they are too tired to fly.
Last summer, Dallas-based Southwest, the nation’s fourth-largest airline, was plagued by flight cancellations due partly to staffing shortages. The airline responded by hiring several thousand workers, executives have said.
Airlines persuaded thousands of employees to quit during the worst of the pandemic after air travel plummeted and airline revenue collapsed. Since then, travel has picked up — the number of people flying in the U.S. topped 2 million a day in March, nearly 90% of pre-pandemic numbers. Unions at Southwest and other airlines have called on their companies to hire more pilots.
In recent days, JetBlue Airways said it would trim some flights this summer because of staffing issues, and Alaska Airlines has blamed a pilot shortage for a surge in cancellations and delays. | https://www.wivb.com/news/business/southwest-pilots-union-says-fatigue-is-a-safety-problem/ | 2022-04-14T00:50:59 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/business/southwest-pilots-union-says-fatigue-is-a-safety-problem/ |
10-year-old boy saves little cousin from dog attack
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/Gray News) – Family members are calling 10-year-old Miloe Burgess a hero after he protected his 3-year-old cousin, Rylee Foreman, during a dog attack.
Rylee, Miloe and their other cousins were playing outside at their grandparents’ house in Florida when a dog started attacking Rylee.
“I don’t know what happened, but I know she was screaming,” Miloe told WJHG.
“He laid on top of me,” Rylee said of her cousin.
Miloe called for help as he protected his cousin, and his grandma was able to get the kids inside and away from the dog.
Rylee needed 24 stitches in her arms, legs and feet, but family members said they believe things could have been much worse.
“I don’t know if she’d be here today,” Miloe’s mom Doria Andersen said.
Officials said they don’t see kids as young as Miloe doing things this brave very often: “Just to show that they were brave,” animal control officer Cary Miller said. “Being their age, as young as they were, to step up and take those steps.”
Miloe, who loves to fish, was honored Monday for his actions. A business in the area and the Walton County Sheriff’s Office gave the 10-year-old a new fishing pole, tackle box and lures.
Copyright 2022 WJHG via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/10-year-old-boy-saves-little-cousin-dog-attack/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:03 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/10-year-old-boy-saves-little-cousin-dog-attack/ |
VIDEO: 68-year-old woman rescued after her car plunges off cliff
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 7:47 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES (KABC) - A woman in Southern California was rescued Wednesday morning after her car went over the side of a cliff in Griffith Park.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, rescuers were called to assist a 68-year-old woman whose car went off the side of the road at about 7:20 a.m.
The extent of her injuries was not immediately known but she was airlifted from the scene in a helicopter for medical attention, according to emergency crews.
Police did not immediately release the details on how the woman’s car ended up at the bottom of the hill.
Copyright 2022 KABC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/video-68-year-old-woman-rescued-after-her-car-plunges-off-cliff/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:03 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/video-68-year-old-woman-rescued-after-her-car-plunges-off-cliff/ |
4-year-old found dead in pond after wandering off from apartments, police say
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 8:02 AM MST
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. (WGCL/Gray News) - A frantic search for a 4-year-old Georgia boy ended early Tuesday morning after his body was recovered from a pond, police confirm.
The DeKalb County Police Department said Kyuss Williams wandered away from an apartment complex and was reported missing Monday evening. A search led investigators to discover the young boy’s body in a pond just behind the residence around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Police say they do not suspect foul play at this time and believe Kyuss may have drowned.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Copyright 2022 WGCL via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/4-year-old-found-dead-pond-after-wandering-off-apartments-police-say/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:05 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/4-year-old-found-dead-pond-after-wandering-off-apartments-police-say/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has denied the government’s request to detain two men accused of posing as federal Homeland Security agents, tricking actual U.S. Secret Service officers and offering them free gifts and apartments at a luxury apartment building in Washington.
Federal prosecutors have argued the two men — Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 35, — had posed as fake agents and offering the gifts in an effort to “ingratiate” themselves and integrate with law enforcement agents, including a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the first lady.
The men were arrested last week when the FBI raided the building in southwest Washington and have been charged with impersonating federal officers. Prosecutors said the agents found body armor, gas masks, zip ties, handcuffs, equipment to break through doors, drones, radios and police training manuals during a search of five apartments in the building.
Prosecutors allege Taherzadeh and Ali had falsely claimed to work for the Department of Homeland Security and work on a special task force investigating gangs and violence connected to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Taherzadeh is accused of providing Secret Service officers and agents with rent-free apartments — including a penthouse worth over $40,000 a year — along with iPhones, surveillance systems, a drone, a television, a generator, a gun case and other policing tools, according to court documents. In one instance, Taherzadeh offered to purchase a $2,000 assault rifle for a Secret Service agent who is assigned to protect the first lady, prosecutors said.
“They tricked people whose job it is to be suspicious of other people and to ask these questions,” prosecutor Josh Rothstein said.
Rothstein revealed that the men “inadvertently” learned they were under investigation when a Secret Service investigator had tipped them off, forcing the FBI to move ,pre quickly than expected to arrest them.
Prosecutors had alleged that Ali was a flight risk and that he had told a witness in the casethat he had ties to the Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, a claim the government later said it hadn’t substantiated. The Pakistani embassy forcefully denied the assertion, saying it “categorically rejects this false claim.” They had also raised his travel history, saying he had visas from Pakistan and Iran.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey had intensely questioned prosecutors about the case in a hearing that spanned over three days. He ultimately decided on Tuesday that he would release the men on Wednesday, subjecting them to supervision that includes GPS monitoring.
Harvey agreed to stay his order until Wednesday morning while the government decides whether to appeal. The judge pointed out that the charge is not a violent crime and neither of the men faces a significant prison sentence, if they are convicted. He said there have been “significantly worse and more dangerous impersonation cases.”
“Nevertheless, I still find that the government has sufficient evidence here to convict both the defendants of the crimes they have been charged with,” Harvey said.
The plot unraveled when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service began investigating an assault involving a mail carrier at the apartment building and the men identified themselves as being part of a phony Homeland Security unit they called the U.S. Special Police Investigation Unit.
The defendants were tipped off on April 4 after the Secret Service began investigating four of its employees who were put on leave for allegedly accepting gifts from the men. As part of that internal probe, a Secret Service investigator reached out and Taherzadeh responded, Rothstein said in court.
Taherzadeh’s lawyer, Michelle Peterson, argued that he had no intention of compromising the agents and had provided the luxury apartments and lavish gifts because he wanted to be friends with them.
She said her client had previously been licensed in Washington as an unarmed special police officer – a private guard to protect people or property – and was also a licensed private detective. In an extensive interview with investigators after his arrest, Taherzadeh she had made “an embarrassing misrepresentation that got out of control.”
“When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” Peterson said during one of the hearings. “They have jumped to the wildest conspiracy theories imaginable over the most scant of evidence.”
The two men also had surveillance equipment and a high-power telescope, prosecutors said. The FBI found evidence that they may have been creating surveillance devices and also found a binder with information on all the residents in the luxury apartment building, which is home to law enforcement officers, defense officials and congressional staffers.
Prosecutors say the men had also set up surveillance in the building and had been telling residents there that they could access any of their cellphones at any time. The residents also told investigators they believed the men had access to their personal information.
The FBI also found several firearms — including handguns and ammunition — and disassembled rifle pieces and sniper scopes, Rothstein said.
Ali’s lawyer, Greg Smith, has argued his client didn’t know Taherzadeh was lying about a connection to Homeland Security and genuinely believed he was working on behalf of the government. He said his client is a naturalized U.S. citizen and has no ability to obtain a Pakistani passport. | https://www.wivb.com/news/judge-wont-jail-men-accused-of-impersonating-federal-agents/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:06 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/judge-wont-jail-men-accused-of-impersonating-federal-agents/ |
Kentucky lawmakers override governor’s veto of abortion ban
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — New abortion restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers over the Democratic governor’s veto will force the only two abortion clinics in Kentucky to stop providing the procedures for women, at least temporarily, while the new law is challenged in court, abortion-rights activists said Wednesday.
The law will draw immediate federal lawsuits, and attorneys for the clinics will seek a ruling to block the measure to allow the clinics to resume abortions while the case is litigated, the activists said. The two abortion clinics in Kentucky are in Louisville, the state’s largest city.
Immediately after the GOP-led legislature finished overriding Gov. Andy Beshear’s vetoes, the activists said the clinics will be unable to comply with the new restrictions because the state hasn’t set up a now-mandated regulatory process. The measure takes effect immediately.
“Because the law is impossible to comply with, it amounts to a de facto abortion ban, thus violating patients’ federal right to abortion under Roe v. Wade,” abortion-rights groups said in a news release.
Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union will file suit challenging the measure, the release said.
The chants of abortion-rights supporters echoed through Kentucky’s Capitol as the legislature swept aside the governor’s veto. The bill calls for regulating the dispensing of abortion pills, but the state hasn’t yet set up the registration process, the groups said. It would require women to be examined in person by a doctor before receiving the medication.
That section of the bill is part of a nationwide push by anti-abortion groups to limit the ability of physicians to prescribe abortion pills by telemedicine, and comes in response to the increased use of pills rather than surgery to terminate early pregnancies.
About half of all abortions performed in Kentucky are the result of medication procedures.
The measure also requires new reporting requirements that violate patient privacy, the abortion-rights groups said.
Another key part of the bill bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Kentucky law currently bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The proposed 15-week ban is modeled after a Mississippi law the Supreme Court is considering in a case that could dramatically limit abortion rights. By taking the preemptive action, the bill’s supporters say Kentucky’s stricter ban would be in place if the Mississippi law is upheld.
About two dozen abortion-rights supporters chanted “bans off our bodies” at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Kentucky House chamber earlier Wednesday as the lawmakers debated the abortion measure. Lawmakers on both sides of the debate mentioned the demonstrators, whose voices could be heard in the chamber as the emotional debate continued.
“It absolutely makes me sick to have to listen to what’s going on out there,” Republican Rep. Norma Kirk-McCormick said.
The House overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto on a 76-21 vote. That sent the measure to the Senate for the final vote. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers. The demonstrators moved to the other side of the Capitol Wednesday evening and chanted as the Senate debated the measure. The Senate overrode the veto on a 31-6 vote.
Opponents also condemned the bill for failing to exclude pregnancies caused by rape or incest.
“Those are violent crimes,” Democratic Rep. Rachel Roberts said. “This bill forces those women to be violated again.”
In pushing for the override, Kirk-McCormick said: “The abortion of a baby is plain wrong. And I pray that God would have mercy on anyone that would take the life of a child. There’s no mercy for that baby in abortion.”
The strict limits on abortion weren’t the only social issues legislation taken up by Republican lawmakers during the frenzied veto session. They also used their lopsided majorities to finish overriding a Beshear veto of their effort to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. The override votes won by wide margins in both chambers over the objections of opponents.
“This bill is discrimination in search of children,” Democratic Rep. Josie Raymond said.
The measure would bar transgender girls and women from playing on sports teams matching their gender identity from sixth grade through college. Supporters say it would ensure girls and women compete against other “biological females.”
“The athlete wants a fair playing field,” Republican Sen. Donald Douglas said. “They don’t care about all this other social stuff.”
Republican-led states increasingly have adopted such prohibitions on transgender girls or women, though the culture war-related bans have been challenged in several states as violations of federal law. Opponents of the Kentucky measure predicted the measure also will end up in court.
“The fight won’t stop here,” said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/14/kentucky-lawmakers-override-governors-veto-abortion-ban/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:11 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/14/kentucky-lawmakers-override-governors-veto-abortion-ban/ |
Boy bitten by shark in shallow water in Florida
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 2:30 AM MST
(CNN) - A young boy was bitten by a shark in south Florida.
It happened in shallow water in Palm Beach County on Monday, officials said.
He said he saw the shark before it bit his foot and estimates it was about 4 feet long.
Paramedics bandaged the wound and took him to the hospital.
Sharks are not uncommon in shallow water, but unprovoked attacks are rare.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:13 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ |
FERNLEY, Nev. (AP) — A Navy veteran who served as an engineer on a nuclear submarine is on an even more important mission now — seeking a way to help others in the name of his little sister, who was kidnapped, killed and buried last month in northern Nevada’s high desert.
“At the end of the day, I just don’t want this to happen to any other families,” Casey Valley told The Associated Press. “I want to do everything I can to make sure no one ever has to go through any of this.”
Hundreds of townspeople turned out for a weekend celebration of the life of 18-year-old Naomi Irion at a park in rural Fernley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Reno.
The daughter of U.S. State Department workers, Irion moved there from South Africa last summer to live with her brother. She disappeared after video surveillance in a Walmart parking lot showed a man get into her car and drive them away early in the morning on March 12.
Troy E. Driver, a 41-year-old from nearby Fallon with a violent criminal history, was arrested and jailed on a kidnapping charge March 25. Driver previously served more than a decade in a California prison.
Four days after his arrest, a tip led investigators to a remote gravesite more than 60 miles (96 km) away, where Irion’s body was found in neighboring Churchill County. On Friday, Driver was arraigned in Fernley on an amended criminal complaint and ordered held without bail on first-degree murder, kidnapping, destruction of evidence and other charges.
Valley, a soft-spoken man with a bushy red beard, said he was frustrated that sheriff’s deputies didn’t act quickly enough to file a missing persons report when he first contacted them March 13.
He went the next day to the Walmart near U.S. Interstate 80 where Irion had gone to wait for a shuttle bus to take her to her job at a Panasonic plant. Signs posted in the parking lot alert shoppers “cameras in use.”
Valley knew he had to find out if there was surveillance video of his sister, so he tracked downed a store security officer.
“At first he didn’t take me seriously. But finally he said, ‘What do you want?’” Valley said. “We sat in the security office and watched the tape and became convinced it showed the suspect enter her car. I called the sheriff, and they were there in 15 or 20 minutes.”
Valley said he then spent “probably two hours” reviewing the footage with a deputy.
Prosecutors say in the amended complaint that Driver shot Irion northeast of Fernley, where he took her “for the purpose of committing sexual assault and/or purpose of killing her.” In addition to burying Irion’s body, Driver disposed of tires from his truck in an effort to eliminate incriminating evidence, according to prosecutors.
Driver’s public defender, Richard Davies, said Driver maintains his innocence.
“We are prepared to generate an aggressive defense,” he told reporters Friday. “Right now, everybody is jumping to conclusions.”
While initially critical of the investigation, Valley told reporters outside Justice Court on Friday that finding his sister’s body was “some amazing detective work.” He said the family went to the remote gravesite, which “looks like any other part of the Nevada desert.”
“It’s one drop of water in the Pacific Ocean,” he said. “It truly is a miracle that we have closure” and “Naomi is not suffering.”
“We need to take whatever peace we can get from that,” he said.
Sunday’s gathering was surrounded by ribbons in rainbow colors — Irion’s favorite — which continue to flutter from sign posts along main street just off I-80. The town was founded more than a century ago along a canal that was built as part of the U.S. West’s first irrigation project, intended to help “make the desert bloom” and attract settlers.
Valley, 42, served as a Navy submarine nuclear machinist mate stationed in Bangor, Washington, from 2009-16 and now works as a critical facilities engineer for Apple.
He has emphasized from the start Driver is a “human being” who is innocent until proven guilty. He said after the initial arrest for kidnapping he was concerned for Driver’s safety if released from jail.
Davies said prosecutors have not declared whether they will seek the death penalty but acknowledged “all options are on the table.”
For now, Irion’s family isn’t advocating for Driver’s execution, Valley said.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said, adding he knows death penalty cases can drag on with years of appeals.
“It complicates the process. That being said, it is the DA’s decision. If this guy is tried and found guilty, I just don’t want the perpetrator to be able to do this to any other person.”
Irion lived with her parents at U.S. embassies around the world growing up. When she was 13, they moved to Moscow, then Frankfurt, Germany, then South Africa, where she graduated from high school before moving last summer to Fernley.
Valley, who was 14 when his sister was born, changed her diapers and became her de facto babysitter, said family and friends already have begun work to create a scholarship in her name.
“I would like people to know Naomi would want positive change to come from this. We want to let people know this can happen to anyone,” he said.
“Naomi was my responsibility. I’m her big brother. It’s my job.” | https://www.wivb.com/news/u-s-headlines/slain-nevada-womans-brother-seeks-a-positive-from-her-death/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:13 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/u-s-headlines/slain-nevada-womans-brother-seeks-a-positive-from-her-death/ |
Bus driver charged in student’s death
WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) - A Michigan bus driver is facing charges following the death of a 13-year-old boy last week.
Zyiar Harris was being dropped off on Wednesday when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
“It’s the bus driver’s fault,” his mother Cassandra Jones said.
Investigations revealed that the incident unfolded when 65-year-old bus driver Deborah White allegedly did not activate the bus’s stop sign and lights.
“My son was autistic,” Jones said. “When he got hit, she pulled off. She seen him get hit, and she pulled off.”
Zyiar later died in the hospital due to complications.
White, who worked for ABC Student Transportation, has been charged with second-degree child abuse and failure to stop at the scene, resulting in death.
White is being held on a $50,000 bond.
Copyright 2022 WXYZ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/bus-driver-charged-students-death/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:20 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/bus-driver-charged-students-death/ |
Key members of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council said Tuesday that the Biden administration hadn’t done enough to make good on its promise that 40% of all benefits from climate investment go to disenfranchised communities.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the HBCU Climate Change Conference in New Orleans, the council members said they’ve secured $14 million from the Bezos Earth Fund for a program called Engage, Enlighten and Empower to hold the Biden administration accountable for carrying out its Justice40 initiative.
President Biden made the commitment in a sweeping executive order on his first day in office. The initiative has been held up as an unprecedented push to bring environmental justice to communities long plagued by pollution and climate inaction.
The three members of the federal environmental justice council leading the $14 million-dollar effort, Beverly Wright, Peggy Shepard and Robert Bullard, have been working closely with the administration on Justice40.
But Wright told members of the press that more needs to be done to “turn a novel idea into a project that works.”
The trio are combining philanthropic grants from the Bezos Earth Fund, $6 million from Shepard’s WE ACT for Environmental Justice, $4 million from Wright’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and $4 million from the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, to ensure federal funding from Justice40 “goes where it’s intended,” Shepard said.
The effort should “ensure equitable implementation of the Justice40 initiative at the state and local level and empower local communities to participate in the policy-making” that comes as a result of the initiative, a press release said.
The funds will go to educate grassroots organizations on the resources available to them through Justice40, inform state and local governments on how the money should be used, and develop a screening tool to determine where Justice40 funds are needed most, one that includes racial demographic data. Controversially a federal screening tool used by the administration does not take into account the racial makeup of communities.
There has been little change on the ground yet from the Justice40 pledge because the federal government is still trying to figure out which communities are most in need of the investment. In recommendations to the Biden administration, many reputable environmental justice advocates pushed for a methodical, intentional process for identifying disadvantaged communities and disbursing funds.
At the briefing, Wright and Bullard said they’ve seen past federal social and infrastructure projects fail to deliver on promises to disadvantaged communities and don’t want to see it happen again.
“There’s been a lot of really novel approaches at changing the lives of Americans in general that have worked out” benefitting just white Americans, Wright said.
Bullard pointed todiscrimination in how flood relief was distributed in Texas, where the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice is located, as an example.
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Follow Drew Costley on Twitter: @drewcostley.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wivb.com/news/wh-environmental-justice-advisors-press-for-justice40/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:21 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/wh-environmental-justice-advisors-press-for-justice40/ |
A desert treasure in Arizona is threatened by climate change
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Ouitobaquito Springs is a small, one acre oasis near the Mexican border in the Organ Pipe National Monument in the Southwest deserts of Arizona.
It has a history going back 12,000 to 16,000 years, most recently used by ingenious tribes, such as the Tohono O’odham, for ceremonies and burials for many generations.
A man made pond, dating back to the early 20th century, collects the water from a natural spring and is the home of two endangered aquatic species, the Sonoyta mud turtle and the Quitobaquito pupfish. The pond is their only home in the US.
Now, the spring and the pond are being threatened.
“We do have threats from increasing temperatures due to climate change,” said Danny Martin, who in charge of protecting endangered and threatened species in the park “And along with that we get longer and more severe droughts.”
In 2020, a prolonged drought slowed the flow from the spring to a trickle, causing the pond to dry up with mudflats and cracked earth.
The flow has come back but much less than before causing concern about the possibility of losing it altogether.
“I think we all thought it’s a possibility but I don’t think we are so concerned about it happening right now,” Martin said. “We are all concerned it may happen in the future if the trend continues.”
Now the National Park Service has begun an effort to save it starting with installing a new clay and rubberized liner in the pond, as well as making it a bit smaller and deeper.
Quitobaquito will close from April 11 until the work is finished sometime in May.
The International Sonoran Desert Alliance in Yuma has helped raise the money for the project.
“I think the work we’re doing now will definitely preserve it for my kids and grandkids, in that intermediate term,” said Aaron Cooper, the Executive Director of the Alliance. “To say much beyond that would be very challenging.”
But it’s a challenge the National Park Service has take up and it taking very seriously.
“I think everybody is worried about hat it would mean to lose an incredible place like Quitobaquito, so were doing everything we can to sustain this place, to make it resilient in face of those threats,” said Jessica Pope of the National Park Service. “We have to do it.”
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/desert-treasure-arizona-is-threatened-by-climate-change/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:26 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/desert-treasure-arizona-is-threatened-by-climate-change/ |
TOKYO (AP) — As millions of Ukrainians fled their country, a longtime Tokyo resident did the opposite. Sasha Kaverina left her life in Japan and rushed to Ukraine to rescue her parents after a Russian missile hit their apartment building.
Kaverina’s main goal in returning was to get her parents out of their hometown of Kharkiv, the second-largest city in battered eastern Ukraine, to a safer place in western Ukraine. But Kaverina, who had organized fund-raising and antiwar rallies in Japan for her homeland, also delivered medicine, first-aid kits and other relief goods.
Like many Ukrainian expats around the world, the war in her homeland has upended her life. Despite reports of horrendous Russian attacks, she said she is not afraid for herself, but for her parents and relatives.
Because of her antiwar and pro-Ukraine activities in Japan, she fears that the Russians could persecute or kill those close to her if they return to Kharkiv, which is now under fierce attack and may fall under Russian control.
“A lot of Ukrainians are worried (that) if Russians occupy us, pro-Ukrainian people would be killed,” as they were in Bucha and other cities, she said in an online interview from Chernivtsi, a city in southwestern Ukraine near the border with Romania where she took her parents.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since then, more than 4 million Ukrainians have fled the country and millions more have been displaced internally.
Kaverina’s parents narrowly survived in early March when a Russian missile badly damaged their eighth-floor apartment in a 16-story building and forced them to evacuate to their relatives’ home in the suburbs.
After nearly two days on planes and buses, Kaverina made it to Chernivtsi, where she reunited with her parents, who had driven across the country from Kharkiv to meet her.
She is renting an apartment in Chernivtsi for her parents while she does remote work for her job at an IT company in Japan, where she intends to return, and volunteers as an aid worker with the help of her parents.
Ukrainian officials have urged residents in eastern Ukraine to evacuate to the west. But even in Chernivtsi the family can hear air-raid warning sirens at night, though they haven’t experienced actual bombings, she said.
Some people go to shelters every night, and the place may not be safe any more, Kaverina said.
Whenever a door bangs or they hear footsteps, her parents immediately jump, apparently because of trauma from the missile attack on their apartment.
Kaverina worries about more Russian atrocities.
“If Kharkiv is occupied, people who have been mentioned in the media or known for their pro-Ukrainian positions, they may be targeted. I have no problem … but I’m worried about my parents,” she said, requesting anonymity for her parents. “My parents will be targeted for being with me and for their pro-Ukrainian activities.”
Several times a day, her parents call their relatives, friends and colleagues in Kharkiv to make sure everyone is safe and alive. They worry whenever anyone is unreachable.
One of her father’s acquaintances was taken to “a filtering camp” where Russians forced residents to remove their shirts to look for any tattoos indicating a pro-Ukrainian stance, Kaverina said.
Her father can’t leave the country because of local laws, she said, and she hasn’t been able to persuade her mother to fly back to Tokyo with her. Her parents want to return as soon as possible to their hometown, where her father’s 89-year-old mother has stayed behind because of old age.
“My parents ask me every day when they can go back to Kharkiv, and I say, ‘No, you cannot,’” she said. “They want to go back to get their photos, not TV, money or documents. … It’s so sad and maybe stupid, but for them it’s their whole life.”
Kaverina said their apartment in Kharkiv is uninhabitable, but her parents, like many others, still hope to rebuild. To her, their determination seems linked to Ukraine’s strong resistance to the Russians.
Kaverina, who has been in Japan for five years, said she has seen a lack of tolerance for foreign residents and diversity in Japan. So she was surprised by Tokyo’s quick pledge to accept displaced Ukrainians, even though Japan does not expect many will come. Rather than going to a faraway, unfamiliar Asian country, most Ukrainians are turning to Europe, hoping to return home at some point.
About 400 war-displaced Ukrainians have arrived in Japan, where a number of municipalities and companies are offering to provide housing, language lessons and jobs.
The biggest hurdle for many Ukrainians is to get plane tickets to Japan, she said, because they have lost their jobs, homes and money since the invasion.
Japan was quick to join the United States and other leading economies in imposing sanctions against Russia and providing support for Ukraine. Tokyo has also sent nonlethal defense equipment such as helmets and bulletproof vests to Ukraine as an exception to its arms equipment transfer ban to countries in conflict.
Japan can also contribute to disaster relief, including sending construction equipment, Kaverina said. Because many people died under rubble while awaiting rescue, Kaverina said that she plans to reach out to Komatsu or other Japanese construction machine makers for help.
“I had been just an ordinary long-time resident in Japan until a month ago, but what happened changed not only the lives of Ukrainians (in the country) but also the lives of Ukrainians abroad,” she said. | https://www.wivb.com/news/world/ukrainian-in-japan-returns-home-to-help-parents-country/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:28 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/world/ukrainian-in-japan-returns-home-to-help-parents-country/ |
Fentanyl behind doubling of teen overdose deaths over past decade, study says
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 11:44 AM MST
(CNN) – More and more teens are overdosing on fentanyl, according to new research.
Adolescent drug overdose deaths doubled from 2010 to 2021, according to a study published Tuesday in the Medical Journal JAMA.
The research says there were about 500 adolescent overdose deaths in 2010 and more than 1,100 in 2021.
Fentanyl was involved in more than 75% of deaths in 2021.
Researchers say the increase isn’t because more teens are using drugs. It’s because drug use is becoming more dangerous.
Annual drug overdose deaths for all ages have reached record highs in the U.S. recently.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/fentanyl-behind-doubling-teen-overdose-deaths-over-past-decade-study-says/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:32 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/fentanyl-behind-doubling-teen-overdose-deaths-over-past-decade-study-says/ |
Firefighters put out oil fire in Alejandro’s Tortilla Factory
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 12:45 PM MST
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Firefighters from the Tucson Fire Department extinguished an oil fire in Alejandro’s Tortilla Factory on Tuesday, April 12.
According to information from TFD, the fire happened at 10:39 a.m. in the building at 5330 S. 12th Avenue, near West Nebraska Street.
They used suppressing foam to extinguish the fire, which was called under control at 11:07 a.m.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/firefighters-put-out-oil-fire-alejandros-tortilla-factory/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:39 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/firefighters-put-out-oil-fire-alejandros-tortilla-factory/ |
Hungry javelina gets stuck in car, goes for ride in Arizona
CORNVILLE, Ariz. (AP) — A hungry javelina in Arizona ended up going for a drive when it became trapped inside an empty car and bumped it into neutral.
Deputies in Yavapai County responded to a call last week in Cornville, a community 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Sedona, about a javelina stuck in a Subaru station wagon. Javelinas are pig-like animals that are native to desert environments.
After speaking with the car’s owner and other residents, they determined the car’s hatchback had been left open overnight.
The javelina jumped in to get to a bag of Cheetos. The hatch then closed, trapping the animal inside.
Authorities say the javelina ripped off a portion of the dashboard and the inside of a door in an attempt to escape.
The animal then managed to knock the car into neutral, causing it to roll down the driveway and across the street. The Subaru came to a rest, and the javelina was not injured.
A deputy opened the hatch, and the javelina was able to run back into the wilderness.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/hungry-javelina-gets-stuck-car-goes-ride-arizona/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:47 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/hungry-javelina-gets-stuck-car-goes-ride-arizona/ |
Judge: Lori Vallow, charged with killing her children, now fit for trial
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho judge ruled Monday that a mother accused of conspiring to kill her children, her estranged husband and a lover’s wife is now mentally competent to stand trial on some of the charges in Idaho.
Daybell and her new husband, Chad Daybell, face numerous charges in the complicated case involving allegations of bizarre spiritual beliefs involving “zombies” and doomsday predictions.
Prosecutors have said that Lori and Chad Daybell espoused the religious beliefs in an effort to encourage or justify the murders.
The case against her had been hold for months after Judge Steven Boyce ordered her committed to a mental facility so she could undergo treatment in an effort to make her mentally fit enough to assist in her own defense.
Boyce’s new order said Lori Vallow Daybell “is restored to competency and is fit to proceed” in the Idaho murder case. He did not provide other details about her treatment or mental condition.
She is scheduled to be formally arraigned in court next week and both Lori and Chad Daybell are set to stand trial together early next year.
Tare charged withconspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Lori Daybell’s children 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell.
Lori Daybell is also charged in Arizona with conspiring to kill her former estranged husband, Charles Vallow, with the help of her now-deceased brother, Alex Cox.
Chad Daybell has pleaded not guilty to the charges and Lori Daybell has not yet had an opportunity to enter a plea. Chad Daybell’s attorney, John Prior, declined to comment on the case. Lori Daybell’s attorney, Jim Archibald, did not immediately respond to voice and email messages requesting comment.
An indictment said Chad and Lori Daybell in 2018 while still married to other people began espousing an apocalyptical system of religious belief.
Lori Daybell’s brother Alex Cox shot and killed her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in suburban Phoenix, according to an indictment in Arizona.
Cox asserted the shooting was in self-defense, and he was never charged. At the time, Charles Vallow was seeking a divorce, saying his wife believed she had become a god-like figure responsible for ushering in the biblical end of times. Cox later died of an apparent blood clot in his lung.
Shortly after Charles Vallow’s death, Lori Daybell — who then had the last name Vallow — and her children moved to the rural eastern Idaho community of Rexburg, near where Chad Daybell lived. At the time, Chad Daybell was married to Tammy Daybell. She died in October of 2019, and her obituary said the death was from natural causes.
Authorities grew suspicious, however, when Chad and Lori Daybell got married just two weeks later, and investigators had Tammy Daybell’s body exhumed for an autopsy. Authorities have not released her cause of death.
Police began searching for Lori Daybell’s youngest two children in November after relatives raised concerns. The Daybells quickly left town, and were found months later in Hawaii without the children.
Investigators later found the bodies of JJ and Tylee buried in Chad Daybell’s yard back in Idaho. They have not disclosed causes of death but court documents said Tylee’s body was partially burned.
Friends of the Daybells told investigators that the couple believed people could become “zombies” if they were possessed by evil spirits, a state in which their soul was trapped in limbo, according to police reports. The couple reportedly believed that the only way to rid a person of a zombie was for their body to die, according to police reports.
A friend of the couple, Melanie Gibb, told investigators that Lori Daybell referred to her youngest children as “zombies,” and police in Arizona said the couple exchanged text messages saying that Tammy Daybell had been possessed by a dark spirit.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/judge-lori-vallow-charged-with-killing-her-children-now-fit-trial/ | 2022-04-14T00:51:54 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/judge-lori-vallow-charged-with-killing-her-children-now-fit-trial/ |
Alabama guard JD Davison declared Wednesday evening for the 2022 NBA draft, saying he is “done with college” after one season in Tuscaloosa.
The state’s two-time high school Mr. Basketball winner in 2020 and 2021 made the announcement in an Instagram post that thanked his family, teammates and coaches while expressing his desire to pursue his “lifelong dream” of playing in the NBA.
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Davison’s statement did not say whether he would hire an NCAA-certified agent during the pre-draft process, which would allow him to withdraw from the draft by June 1 and maintain college eligibility. When reached by ESPN for a clarification, Davison told the outlet Wednesday evening he was “done with college.”
Davison arrived at Alabama last year as a five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American with projections of being an early first-round pick in the 2022 draft. Davison was named to the SEC’s all-freshman team but saw his draft stock fall to where he is now ESPN’s No. 38 overall draft prospect.
The NBA’s two-round, 60-pick draft will be held June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.
Davison had until April 24 to declare for the draft, which Alabama coach Nate Oats expected. Oats said at the Final Four earlier this month that NBA teams still projected Davison as a “second half of the first round, early second-[round]” pick after his one season of college.
“To be honest with you, a kid like him is going to get drafted on his upside,” Oats said. “Could he have played better as a freshman? Yeah, but can’t most freshmen play better? That’s the whole thing.
“My gut feeling is that he stays in the draft because he’s got such ridiculous upside and his best basketball is years down the road. He’s showed that he can do enough that he’s going to be drafted. That’s a family decision and I’m not making it for him.”
Davison, who played at The Calhoun School in Letohatchee, averaged 8.5 points and 4.3 assists per game as a freshman. He only started six games but finished fourth on the team in averaging 25.8 minutes.
Davison declaring for the draft is the latest clarity for Alabama as it continues to rebuild its roster for next season. He will be joined in the draft by departing senior Keon Ellis, a projected second-round pick, and junior guard Jaden Shackelford, who declared earlier this month. Junior guard Jahvon Quinerly was expected to depart before tearing his ACL in the Tide’s NCAA tournament loss to Notre Dame and has not made any official statement about his future.
Although Alabama has seen five players enter the NCAA transfer portal since the end of last season, it will add four freshmen, including two McDonald’s All-Americans in guard Jaden Bradley and forward Brandon Miller, as well as Ohio transfer guard Mark Spears. Alabama will also return guard Nimari Burnett, another former McDonald’s All-American who missed last season with a knee injury after transferring from Texas Tech.
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak. | https://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/2022/04/jd-davison-declares-for-nba-draft-says-he-is-done-with-college.html | 2022-04-14T00:52:00 | 1 | https://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/2022/04/jd-davison-declares-for-nba-draft-says-he-is-done-with-college.html |
Local nonprofits hit by inflation and more people seeking help
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Organizations that help the Tucson community are being hit hard by inflation.
Many are seeing a decrease in donations, but a big increase in people seeking help.
Interfaith Community Services is seeing close to 100 families come by their food bank each morning, about a 20% increase compared to last year. Volunteers say it’s getting harder to keep up with the increase in families and prices.
Interfaith foodbank was looking a little empty on Monday, April 11. That’s because close to 100 families came by this morning, about a 20% increase compared to last year.
“We’ve seen a lot of new people come through our lines at the food bank over the last number of months. We’ve increased dramatically over the last two months especially,” said Tim Kromer, director of outreach and partnerships at Interfaith Community Services.
Inflation has made it even harder for people who are struggling to make ends meet. Food price increases are stretching their budget.
“We are always in need of extra food here because we are seeing more people and because of the higher food prices, we are also seeing that it’s hard for us to purchase as much food as we have been able to in the past. So those donations are critical at this time,” he said.
The nonprofit also has logged a large increase in calls for eviction prevention services as residents see their rent increase along with the price of necessities.
At non-profit “More than a Bed,” they’ve also had an increase in families seeking their help. Executive director, Grace Stocksdale says they saw about 35 new families in the last month.
80% of their inventory is from donations, but they’ve had to limit some items that families can take.
“We only limit those items that we have very little of and that’s certain sizes of clothing, shoes, we haven’t been able to buy any decent priced shoes lately” Stockdale saod.
At More than a Bed, it’s Grace’s mission to give every child who needs a bed a brand new one, but those prices have gone up significantly.
“The prices that we buy items for like twin beds, bunk beds, toddler beds, and mattresses, all those things have gone up anywhere between $20-$30. So, you take that times a couple hundred, and that mounts up,” she explains.
Both of these nonprofits are in need of donations. More Than a Bed needs more socks, underwear, and diapers. At Interfaith Community Services, they’re looking for more family friendly foods.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/local-nonprofits-hit-by-inflation-more-people-seeking-help/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:00 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/local-nonprofits-hit-by-inflation-more-people-seeking-help/ |
The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Board of Control approved several changes at its meeting in Montgomery on Wednesday, including moving baseball, softball and soccer from area to region play for the 2023 seasons.
With the change, the top four teams in each region in baseball will advance to the state playoffs. Currently in area play, the top two teams from each area advance. In 2023, the top four teams in regional standings in softball will advance to the softball regional tournament. Currently softball teams play area tournaments with the winner and runners-up advancing to regional tournaments.
All soccer divisions will compete in regions with the top four teams advancing to the state playoffs beginning with the 2023 season, a change from the top two teams advancing from each area in Classes 7A, 6A, 4A/5A and 1A/3A.
The board also approved an NFHS recommendation for football to extend team boxes on the sidelines from each 20-yard-line. Previously, the team box extended from the 25-yard-lines.
Also, regular season bowling matches will include one traditional and three Baker matches beginning next season. Last season, matches were the best of 4-of-7 Baker matches.
In other action:
– Pike Liberal Arts of Troy was approved for membership. The school’s football team will not be eligible for the playoffs until the 2024-25 school year due to the timing of the school’s application. Pike athletic director Rush Hixon told the Board that the football program has 10 games scheduled with AHSAA or NFHS member schools for next season. Pike’s other programs will be eligible for the playoffs for the 2022-23 school year.
– The board accepted the resignation of president Van Phillips, who has retired from his position as principal at Center Point High School, and vice president Farrell Seymore, who has been promoted from principal of Opelika High to superintendent of education for the city school system. He will remain on the board, but gave up the vice president role due to time constraints from his new job. Mike Welsh, Superintendent of Cherokee County Schools, was elected new board president, and Jamie Chapman, Superintendent of Pickens County Schools, was elected vice president.
– AHSAA Assistant Director Jamie Lee announced he would be leaving his position to become Director of Parks and Leisure for the city of Vestavia Hills. Lee joined the AHSAA staff in 2017 after 22 years as a teacher and basketball coach.
– The board approved Proposal 19, which changes Section 21 of the Summer Practice Rule concerning summer practice completion to omit the word “in-state” in item 2 regarding attending college or university camps. The rule will now read: “Outside the allowable three weeks, a school team may choose to participate two days (TOTAL) at a college or university camp.” No other proposals received the two-thirds vote required for approval. | https://www.al.com/sports/2022/04/ahsaa-board-approves-changes-for-baseball-softball-soccer-bowling.html | 2022-04-14T00:52:06 | 1 | https://www.al.com/sports/2022/04/ahsaa-board-approves-changes-for-baseball-softball-soccer-bowling.html |
Murder charge over self-induced abortion dismissed in Texas
DALLAS (AP) — A Texas judge formally dismissing a murder charge Monday against a 26-year-old woman over a self-induced abortion did not quiet outrage or questions surrounding the case, including why prosecutors ever brought it to a grand jury.
A woman who ends her own pregnancy cannot be charged with a crime under Texas law. Officials in rural Starr County, along the U.S.-Mexico border, have not released details about why they decided to pursue a case against Lizelle Herrera after being contacted by a hospital.
“There should have been no reason for a report to have been made. There should have been no reason for a criminal investigation to take place,” said Farah Diaz-Tello, senior counsel and legal director at If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice.
News of Herrera’s arrest on Thursday raised alarms for abortion rights advocates, and sparked people to gather in protest outside the jail where she was being held on $500,000 bond. Her March 30 indictment alleges she “intentionally and knowingly” caused the death of “an individual ... by a self-induced abortion” in early January.
Authorities have not described what exactly Herrera allegedly did, and it wasn’t clear if she was accused of giving herself an abortion or assisting in someone else’s self-induced abortion.
An attorney for Herrera, who was released from jail Saturday after posting bond, did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
Starr County District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez said in a Sunday statement that he would file the motion to dismiss the charge, saying, “it is clear that Ms. Herrera cannot and should not be prosecuted for the allegation against her.”
But he did not explain why the case was presented to a grand jury, nor did he reply Monday to an email from AP seeking additional information. A woman who answered the phone at his office said Sunday’s statement was “the only thing he’s going to say on the subject” and hung up before identifying herself.
“These were choices that did not have to be made because losing a pregnancy or ending a pregnancy or self-managing an abortion is not a crime in the state of Texas,” Diaz-Tello said.
Texas last year passed a law known as Senate Bill 8, or SB8, that bans abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy. The law leaves enforcement to private citizens who can sue doctors or anyone who helps a woman get an abortion.
Another new Texas law prohibits doctors and clinics from prescribing abortion-inducing medications after seven weeks and prohibits the delivery of the pills by mail.
Neither law authorizes any action against the woman who ends her pregnancy, Diaz-Tello said.
“The problem is, though, when you have this heightened situation of suspicion and fear and the chilling effect that this all creates, that is going to make it much more likely that health care providers are going to improperly err on the side of reporting — err on the side of violating their patient’s confidentiality and bringing in law enforcement,” Diaz-Tello said.
Diaz-Tello said actions taken by the hospital and law enforcement in this case could lead women to be fearful of seeking health care after an abortion.
Joanna Grossman, professor at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in Dallas, said SB8 could be “indirectly playing a lot of roles here.” For one, there has been an increase since SB8 in women going online to get abortion pills, she said.
Also, she said, the law sends a message “that there’s just a war on abortion.”
“It certainly changed access but it’s also I think just changed the whole context in which people evaluate abortion care,” Grossman said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/murder-charge-over-self-induced-abortion-dismissed-texas/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:07 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/murder-charge-over-self-induced-abortion-dismissed-texas/ |
Newborn surrendered to hospital staff under ‘safe haven’ law
GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina/Gray News) – A newborn was handed over to officials in South Carolina under protection of the state’s Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act.
The Greenwood County Department of Social Services is caring for the baby, who was given to medical professionals at Self Regional Medical Center.
According to social services, the baby boy was born April 8 weighing 6 pounds and 3 ounces.
The child was turned over to hospital staff two days after he was born. Social services officials said the baby will be placed in a foster home.
South Carolina’s Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, also known as Daniel’s Law, allows a mother to surrender her unharmed newborn baby at a designated location without punishment. Babies up to 60 days old can be surrendered under this law.
“Daniel’s Law is intended to save babies,” the website of the South Carolina Department of Social Services reads. “It is not intended to hurt or punish anyone. It provides a safe option for mother and baby.”
Copyright 2022 WHNS via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/newborn-surrendered-hospital-staff-under-safe-haven-law/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:14 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/newborn-surrendered-hospital-staff-under-safe-haven-law/ |
Portillo’s to open restaurant in Tucson by end of year
TUCSON, Ariz. (AZ Weekend) - Tucson will have a new Chicago-style restaurant by the end of the year.
On Tuesday, April 12, Portillo’s announced it will open up shop at the El Con Center near Broadway and Dodge.
The company said the restaurant will be “designed with a Southwest diner theme (with) seating for more than 180 diners as well as a double drive-thru lane.”
It will be the company’s first location in Tucson and it will also be adding a restaurant in Gilbert this year. Portillo’s already has restaurants in Scottsdale, Tempe, Avondale and Glendale.
“We’ve loved serving our fans in the beautiful state of Arizona since we first opened in Scottsdale in 2012,” said Portillo’s CEO Michael Osanloo. “We could not be more thrilled to be expanding in the Phoenix area with a new restaurant in the town of Gilbert while simultaneously bringing our unrivaled Chicago street food to the bustling city of Tucson.”
The chain is well-known for its menu featuring Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, hamburgers, salads and chocolate cake.
Portillo’s said it is hiring managers and shift leaders for its Tucson location and people can apply at https://www.portillos.com/careers/
Fans can sign up for a “free sneak peek training meal prior to the opening” at https://www.portillos.com/tucson/
Portillo’s started in 1963 when Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a small trailer to open his first hot dog stand in Villa Park, IL, which he called “The Dog House.” The company now has more than 70 restaurants in nine states.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/portillos-open-restaurant-el-con-by-end-year/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:21 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/portillos-open-restaurant-el-con-by-end-year/ |
Rincon Valley Fire District warns public to be fire aware at home and on the road
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - As fire crews deal with numerous wildfires in southern Arizona, Rincon Valley Fire District is reminding you to be fire aware.
So far this year, Rincon Valley Fire has responded to 10 brush fires.
William Barber, RVFD firefighter and paramedic, said the public can be the difference in a good or bad fire season by following a few steps.
“As the season progresses, the fires will become more frequent and more intense, so it’s very important to focus on prevention,” Barber said.
Barber said prevention not only includes trimming trees and getting rid of dry vegetation on your property but also being aware while driving on the roads.
“If you’re pulling a trailer, please ensure your chains are not dragging,” Barber said. “Make sure you dispose of all burning materials, such as cigarettes, appropriately. Don’t just throw it out the window.”
Crews advise not to drive or park in tall grass. Barber said the heat from under your car can set grass on fire, so if you’re having car trouble pull over in a safe spot.
He said you can do your part by calling 911 as soon as possible if you see a fire burning.
“We always recommend people be in a safe location, away from the fire. Please call 911,” Barber said. “Give a good description of what they are seeing so we can send the most appropriate resources and the right amount.”
RVFD said the key is not only preventing fires from sparking but being prepared in case they do.
Register with your county emergency notification system. Build an emergency kit and make a family evacuation plan.
Because southern Arizona saw so much rain last monsoon, Barber said this fire season could be worse because there’s just so much dry grass and fire fuel out there.
“These fires are a part of nature and we will deal with it for the rest of time,” Barber said. “So prevention is very important, but preparedness is also important.”
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/rincon-valley-fire-district-warns-public-be-fire-aware-home-road/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:27 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/rincon-valley-fire-district-warns-public-be-fire-aware-home-road/ |
Russia’s war worsens fertilizer crunch, risking food supplies
KIAMBU COUNTY, Kenya (AP) — Monica Kariuki is about ready to give up on farming. What is driving her off her 10 acres of land outside Nairobi isn’t bad weather, pests or blight — the traditional agricultural curses — but fertilizer: It costs too much.
Despite thousands of miles separating her from the battlefields of Ukraine, Kariuki and her cabbage, corn and spinach farm are indirect victims of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. The war has pushed up the price of natural gas, a key ingredient in fertilizer, and has led to severe sanctions against Russia, a major exporter of fertilizer.
Kariuki used to spend 20,000 Kenyan shillings, or about $175, to fertilize her entire farm. Now, she would need to spend five times as much. Continuing to work the land, she said, would yield nothing but losses.
“I cannot continue with the farming business. I am quitting farming to try something else,’’ she said.
Higher fertilizer prices are making the world’s food supply more expensive and less abundant, as farmers skimp on nutrients for their crops and get lower yields. While the ripples will be felt by grocery shoppers in wealthy countries, the squeeze on food supplies will land hardest on families in poorer countries. It could hardly come at a worse time: The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said last week that its world food-price index in March reached the highest level since it started in 1990.
The fertilizer crunch threatens to further limit worldwide food supplies, already constrained by the disruption of crucial grain shipments from Ukraine and Russia. The loss of those affordable supplies of wheat, barley and other grains raises the prospect of food shortages and political instability in Middle Eastern, African and some Asian countries where millions rely on subsidized bread and cheap noodles.
“Food prices will skyrocket because farmers will have to make profit, so what happens to consumers?’’ said Uche Anyanwu, an agricultural expert at the University of Nigeria.
The aid group Action Aid warns that families in the Horn of Africa are already being driven “to the brink of survival.’’
The U.N. says Russia is the world’s No. 1 exporter of nitrogen fertilizer and No. 2 in phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Its ally Belarus, also contending with Western sanctions, is another major fertilizer producer.
Many developing countries — including Mongolia, Honduras, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Mexico and Guatemala — rely on Russia for at least a fifth of their imports.
The conflict also has driven up the already-exorbitant price of natural gas, used to make nitrogen fertilizer. The result: European energy prices so high that some fertilizer companies “have closed their businesses and stopped operating their plants,’’ said David Laborde, a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute.
For corn and cabbage farmer Jackson Koeth, 55, of Eldoret in western Kenya, the conflict in Ukraine was distant and puzzling until he had to decide whether to go ahead with the planting season. Fertilizer prices had doubled from last year.
Koeth said he decided to keep planting but only on half the acreage of years past. Yet he doubts he can make a profit with fertilizer so costly.
Greek farmer Dimitris Filis, who grows olives, oranges and lemons, said “you have to search to find’' ammonia nitrate and that the cost of fertilizing a 10-hectare (25-acre) olive grove has doubled to 560 euros ($310). While selling his wares at an Athens farm market, he said most farmers plan to skip fertilizing their olive and orange groves this year.
“Many people will not use fertilizers at all, and this as a result, lowers the quality of the production and the production itself, and slowly, slowly at one point, they won’t be able to farm their land because there will be no income,’’ Filis said.
In China, the price of potash — potassium-rich salt used as fertilizer — is up 86% from a year earlier. Nitrogen fertilizer prices have climbed 39% and phosphorus fertilizer is up 10%.
In the eastern Chinese city of Tai’an, the manager of a 35-family cooperative that raises wheat and corn said fertilizer prices have jumped 40% since the start of the year.
“We can hardly make any money,” said the manager, who would give only his surname, Zhao.
Terry Farms, which grows produce on 2,100 acres largely in Ventura, California, has seen prices of some fertilizer formulations double; others are up 20%. Shifting fertilizers is risky, vice president William Terry said, because cheaper versions might not give “the crop what it needs as a food source.’’
As the growing season approaches in Maine, potato farmers are grappling with a 70% to 100% increase in fertilizer prices from last year, depending on the blend.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty expensive crop, no matter what you’re putting in the ground, from fertilizer to fuel, labor, electrical and everything else,” said Donald Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board.
In Prudentopolis, a town in Brazil’s Parana state, farmer Edimilson Rickli showed off a warehouse that would normally be packed with fertilizer bags but has only enough to last a few more weeks. He’s worried that, with the war in Ukraine showing no sign of letting up, he’ll have to go without fertilizer when he plants wheat, barley and oats next month.
“The question is: Where Brazil is going to buy more fertilizer from?” he said. “We have to find other markets.’’
Other countries are hoping to help fill the gaps. Nigeria, for example, opened Africa’s largest fertilizer factory last month, and the $2.5 billion plant has already shipped fertilizer to the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.
India, meanwhile, is seeking more fertilizer imports from Israel, Oman, Canada and Saudi Arabia to make up for lost shipments from Russia and Belarus.
“If the supply shortage gets worse, we will produce less,” said Kishor Rungta of the nonprofit Fertiliser Association of India. “That’s why we need to look for options to get more fertilizers in the country.”
Agricultural firms are providing support for farmers, especially in Africa where poverty often limits access to vital farm inputs. In Kenya, Apollo Agriculture is helping farmers get fertilizer and access to finance.
“Some farmers are skipping the planting season and others are going into some other ventures such as buying goats to cope,” said Benjamin Njenga, co-founder of the firm. “So these support services go a long way for them.”
Governments are helping, too. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last month that it was issuing $250 million in grants to support U.S. fertilizer production. The Swiss government has released part of its nitrogen fertilizer reserves.
Still, there’s no easy answer to the double whammy of higher fertilizer prices and limited supplies. The next 12 to 18 months, food researcher LaBorde said, “will be difficult.’’
The market already was “super, super tight” before the war, said Kathy Mathers of the Fertilizer Institute trade group.
“Unfortunately, in many cases, growers are just happy to get fertilizer at all,’’ she said.
___
Asadu reported from Lagos, Nigeria, and Wiseman from Washington. Contributing to this story were: Tatiana Pollastri in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Debora Alvares in Brasilia, Brazil; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Lefteris Pitarakis in Athens; Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Joe McDonald and Yu Bing in Beijing; Lisa Rathke in Marshfield, Vermont; Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota; Kathia Martínez in Panama City; Christoph Noelting in Frankfurt; Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City; Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria; Tarik El-Barakah in Rabat, Morocco; Tassanee Vejpongsa and Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok; Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem; Edie Lederer at the United Nations; and Aya Batrawy in Dubai.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/russias-war-worsens-fertilizer-crunch-risking-food-supplies/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:34 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/russias-war-worsens-fertilizer-crunch-risking-food-supplies/ |
Target announces dates for its car seat trade-in recycling program
(Gray News) - Target has announced when people can trade in their old, expired or damaged car seats for a discount on new items.
The retailer announced its next car seat trade-in promotion will take place from April 18-30.
People can bring the car seats to a Target location, and in return, they can claim a 20% discount online or on the Target app toward a car seat, stroller or other baby items.
The coupon is valid through May 14.
The materials from the car seats traded in are recycled, and Target has received 1.7 million of them since 2016.
Target works with Waste Management to recycle the items. The retail giant said it has recycled 25.4 million pounds of car seat materials since the promotion began.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/target-announces-dates-its-car-seat-trade-in-recycling-program/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:41 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/target-announces-dates-its-car-seat-trade-in-recycling-program/ |
Umpire recovering after being punched in the face at kids’ softball game
LAUREL, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) – An umpire in Mississippi is recovering after being punched in the face following a softball game for 12-year-old children.
According to WLBT, Kristie Moore was filling in for an umpire who got sick. She has been calling games for 10 years.
During the game, the coach asked one of the athlete’s mothers to leave the game for excessive cursing. Instead of going home, the woman is accused of waiting to confront Moore after the game, punching her and then running away.
The mother, Kiara Thomas, was arrested and charged with simple assault.
Moore said some parents are out of control and make it harder and harder for umpires to do their jobs.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “The verbal abuse. And even now, the physical abuse now, at this point, and enough is enough.”
Moore, who finds umpires for tournaments in Mississippi, said it is difficult to find people willing to officiate the games.
“No one wants to listen to the verbal abuse and run the risk of what happened to me happening to them,” Moore explained.
Moore said most umpires do the job because they love the game and the kids, not for the money as they get paid $40 a game at most.
A bill was introduced in the legislature earlier this year that would make assaulting a referee or umpire a felony as aggravated assault. That bill, however, died on the calendar.
Moore said she hopes that, after this, lawmakers will take a second look.
Copyright 2022 WLBT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/umpire-recovering-after-being-punched-face-kids-softball-game/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:47 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/umpire-recovering-after-being-punched-face-kids-softball-game/ |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Jack Love forked over $25,000 to buy a boat and went through now-defunct Gulf Coast Boat Sales in Palm Harbor. The boat was to be made by Beachcat Boats in Oldsmar.
Five years later, Love still doesn’t have the boat and never got his money back.
“Finally the attorney said, ‘he doesn’t have any money to pay you, but he’ll get you the money someday,'” Love said.
So needless to say, he was pleased to see Better Call Behnken’s report last week that owner John Hartnett was arrested on charges of scheme to defraud and money laundering.
“I was immediately like, ‘it’s about time,’ because a lot of people lost money with him,” Love said.
Love is one of the 56 customers that the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office says Hartnett defrauded. Hartnett quickly posted his $350,000 bail and is still running Beachcat Boats – the very business investigators claim he used to launder money.
You read that right — investigator Shannon Behnken found Beachcat Boats open. Better Call Behnken went there looking for Harnett, but workers said he wasn’t there and shut the garage door. They did claim they were working on boats.
(Better Call Behnken/WFLA photo) (Better Call Behnken/WFLA photo) (Better Call Behnken/WFLA photo)
Love said he hopes the criminal charges will be bring restitution for customers who investigator say lost around $800,000.
“I wish the court would make him refund the money to all the people that he took it from,” he said. “I’m sure he’s got money. With all those boats and money that was collected, he has to have some money somewhere.”
Want more 8 On Your Side investigations? Sign up to receive our weekly 8 On Your Side email newsletter. | https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/better-call-behnken/customers-who-lost-tens-of-thousands-in-boat-deals-question-why-tampa-bay-company-is-still-open/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:54 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/better-call-behnken/customers-who-lost-tens-of-thousands-in-boat-deals-question-why-tampa-bay-company-is-still-open/ |
VIDEO: Officer injured after metal luggage rack goes through patrol car’s windshield
MESA, Ariz. (KNXV) - A detective in Arizona is recovering after a scary incident over the weekend while he was behind the wheel.
Part of a metal luggage rack went through Mesa Police Department Det. Nick Cureton’s patrol car’s windshield as he was driving on the highway.
“I saw the item coming through the windshield and didn’t really have a lot of time to react,” Cureton said.
The officer said he didn’t know what item initially came through his windshield, but the piece of metal sent glass flying into his eyes.
“It hit me in the ribs as it ended up wedging itself between my left arm and my ribs,” Cureton said.
The luggage rack ended up bruising Cureton, who said he had to bring his car to a stop during the incident immediately.
“I tried to slow my car down as best as I could. After a while came to a complete stop, I threw my lights on, put my car in park, took a couple of deep breaths and then just tried to figure out if that item had actually gone into me or was just resting alongside me,” Cureton said.
Officials with Arizona’s Department of Transportation report debris on the roads is a problem and something the team continues to combat.
“It is so important for safety’s sake to ensure that any large items you’re hauling somewhere are safely secured and strapped to your vehicle,” said Ryan Harding, with ADOT.
Representatives with Arizona’s Department of Public Safety said driving with an unsecured load is illegal, and drivers can face citations and hefty fines.
According to the department, more than 300 drivers have been cited each year for failing to secure their load over the last three years, but nearly 150 yearly collisions have still occurred.
“It comes to those questions: ‘Would I feel safe driving behind my vehicle as it is, or would I be nervous?’” Harding said.
Cureton said he was taken to the hospital after last week’s incident, but he is recovering and hopes his story can help prevent future issues.
“I think it’s definitely a responsibility of all the drivers that are going to be out there to make sure that they secure whatever is in their vehicles to try and stop this from happening,” Cureton said.
Copyright 2022 KNXV via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/video-officer-injured-after-metal-luggage-rack-goes-through-patrol-cars-windshield/ | 2022-04-14T00:52:54 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/video-officer-injured-after-metal-luggage-rack-goes-through-patrol-cars-windshield/ |
You can find the latest on the investigation involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie here. Download the WFLA app for breaking news push alerts and sign up for breaking news email alerts.
VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) — A jury trial has been ordered and scheduled for the lawsuit filed by the parents of Gabby Petito against the parents of Brian Laundrie.
The suit filed by Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt last month claims Laundrie’s parents knew all along their son murdered 22-year-old Petito. The attorney for Chris and Roberta Laundrie has already filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it “baseless.”
The jury trial, if it does happen, won’t begin anytime soon.
According to court documents obtained by WFLA.com, a trial in front of a jury has been set for the week of Aug. 14, 2023, at the South County Courthouse in Venice, Florida. The trial’s term window doesn’t begin until next year due to scheduling in the Sarasota County court system.
The jury trial, barring dismissal, is expected to be open to the public, which could draw international media attention. It would mark the first time the Petito case reaches a courtroom and, while it would be a civil case instead of a criminal one, it could reveal the highly-anticipated evidence Petito and Schmidt claim to have to support their accusations that the Laundries were told their son murdered Gabby Petito and sought to help him flee the United States.
While a date has been set, the case still faces the possibility of being dismissed after the Laundries’ attorney filed the motion for dismissal on the grounds their clients exercised their constitutional right to refrain from speaking and have “continuously relied on counsel to speak for them.”
Judge Hunter W. Carroll responded to the motion for the lawsuit’s dismissal by allowing the attorneys for Petito and Schmidt 20 days to file an amended complaint he says was necessary due to a “perceived procedural deficiency” in the lawsuit.
“To be clear, the Court in today’s order is not passing on Defendants’ arguments that this lawsuit should be dismissed with prejudice,” Carroll wrote in his response. “The Court’s intent is to address the perceived procedural deficiency before addressing the merits of Defendants’ motion.”
Pat Reilly, the attorney for Petito and Schmidt, says he is preparing to file the amended complaint to state “separate causes of action on behalf of the Petito family against the Laundries.”
A ruling on whether the lawsuit will be dismissed is expected after Judge Carroll reviews the revisions. Steven Bertolino, the Laundries’ attorney in New York, tells WFLA.com his clients will still seek dismissal regardless of the changes made to the amended complaint.
“We are prepared for everything,” Bertolino said.
Reilly says he has a “high confidence level” the lawsuit will reach a jury trial, if it doesn’t get settled out of court.
“The court will have to decide whether the motion to dismiss has any merit, which I don’t believe it does,” said Reilly.
Petito and Schmidt are suing on the grounds of intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging that the Laundries were told by their son of Petito’s murder “on or about” Aug. 28 and, rather than tell them of Gabby’s death, chose to remain silent. The lawsuit accuses the Laundrie family of acting “with malice or great indifference to the rights of” Petito’s family. Petito and Schmidt are seeking damages of at least $100,000, stating that they suffered pain and mental anguish as a result of the “willfulness and maliciousness” of the Laundries.
The Laundries, through their legal team, have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The big question that looms ahead of a potential jury trial is the evidence Petito and Schmidt claim to have to back up claims made in the lawsuit.
“They’ll have to wait and see,” said Reilly when asked about the evidence. “If we didn’t believe it was true, we wouldn’t have put them in the complaint.” | https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/jury-trial-ordered-in-petito-lawsuit-against-laundries-next-year-court-documents-show/ | 2022-04-14T00:53:00 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/jury-trial-ordered-in-petito-lawsuit-against-laundries-next-year-court-documents-show/ |
Which industries get the most (and least) time off?
(Timetastic/Stacker) - Most private industry workers in the United States receive paid time off, but it is not required under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Timetastic used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, last updated in September 2021, to illustrate which industries offer the best access to paid vacation time. We’ve ranked industries according to the percentage of workers who have access to paid vacations, with ties broken by the number of days off a person receives after working in the industry for a year.
Data is available for workers who have consolidated leave plans (CLP), which are blanket time-off policies that do not distinguish between vacation, illness, or personal business days, and those who do not.
Nationwide, about three-quarters of all private industry workers receive paid time off, or PTO. Two weeks is the average offering for companies with CLP. More full-time workers get paid-time-off than part-time workers: 46% and 35%, respectively.
Larger companies tend to be more generous. At companies with 500 workers or more, 92% of workers have access to paid vacations. That compares to 71% at smaller companies of up to 49 employees.
Union members were also found to get 26.6% more vacation time than nonunion workers as more PTO is typically negotiated when settling union contracts.
Companies such as Netflix have even turned to an entirely different model: unlimited PTO. This gives employees the opportunity to take time off at will within reason.
But with U.S. workers already leaving 4.6 vacation days unused in 2021 on average, unlimited PTO may result in employees taking even less time off than average.
#10. Leisure and hospitality
- Workers with access to PTO: 43%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 9 days (CLP) 6 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 13 days (CLP), 9 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 15 days (CLP), 12 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 16 days (CLP), 12 days (no consolidated leave)
The leisure and hospitality industry—made up of hotel clerks, restaurant cooks, casino workers, and a host of other positions—was hit exceptionally hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Hotel and Lodging Association found it lost as many jobs as government, health services, construction, retail, manufacturing, and education combined.
While workers in this industry tend to accrue more PTO after being with a company for more than a year, the turnover rate works against employees here: BLS data shows turnover in the hospitality industry hovers as high as 80% annually. versus 10%-15% across all industries.
The unemployment rate for this industry in February 2022 was 6.6%, compared to the national jobless rate of 3.8%.
#9. Trade, transportation, and utilities
- Workers with access to PTO: 81%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 11 days (CLP), 7 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 16 days (CLP), 12 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 19 days (CLP), 15 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 23 days (CLP), 18 days (no consolidated leave)
The trade, transportation, and utilities industry is large and varied, from jobs in lumber yards to hauling cargo. Paid leave—which includes vacation time, holidays, sick leave, and personal leave—can cost employers up to 8.5% of a workers’ total compensation.
In Texas, these jobs contributed nearly 20% of the state’s GDP in 2016, at $317.3 billion; making trade, transportation, and utilities among the highest-grossing in the state.
#8. Professional and business services
- Workers with access to PTO: 81%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 14 days (CLP), 10 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 18 days (CLP), 13 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 20 days (CLP), 16 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 22 days (CLP), 18 days (no consolidated leave)
Paid vacations are available to the vast number of employees in this field, which include advertising, law, accounting firms, architecture companies, management consulting companies, and others.
Americans often don’t always take the time they are entitled to. Some 70% of owners of small businesses, in particular, do not view holidays as a time to take away from work. According to the U.S. Travel Association, U.S. workers left 4.6 days unused in 2021, and 5.6 days unused in 2020, which contributed largely to burnout.
A 2016 Harvard Business Review article cited a study finding that for the first time more than half of Americans did not take all of their vacations. The article also noted workers who used more than 10 of their days off had a 65.4% chance of getting a raise or a bonus.
#7. Construction
- Workers with access to PTO: 82%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 8 days (CLP), 7 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 11 days (CLP), 10 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 13 days (CLP), 12 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 14 days (CLP), 13 days (no consolidated leave)
Some construction companies have over the last decade moved away from the traditional way they allot time off, with separate categories for paid vacation, personal days and sick leave. They have instead adopted what is known as a PTO benefit. Vacation time, personal days, and sick leave are rolled into one plan for a consolidated-leave plan model.
Construction officials have largely been against other changes in paid leave. When former President Barack Obama signed an executive order in 2015 requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to provide up to seven days for sickness or other uses, the Associated General Contractors of America objected, citing long periods of layoffs because of weather and other variables in the industry.
#6. Education and health services
- Workers with access to PTO: 82%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 16 days (CLP), 10 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 20 days (CLP), 14 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 23 days (CLP), 16 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 25 days (CLP), 17 days (no consolidated leave)
On average, teachers have about 12 days for sick time or personal leave during the school year. Amid COVID-19, however, teachers across the country are running out of sick days and a federal requirement that schools offer paid time off for COVID-19 illness or exposure has expired.
Similarly, many nurses, doctors, and other health professionals across the country have been under enormous stress during the pandemic. Adding to the pressure for some, they have recently been told to take sick leave or personal days if they test positive for COVID-19.
#5. Real estate and rental and leasing
- Workers with access to PTO: 86%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 12 days (CLP), 10 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 15 days (CLP), 14 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 17 days (CLP), 16 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 18 days (CLP), 17 days (no consolidated leave)
With about 106,500 real estate brokerage firms in the country, a competitive benefits package with paid time off can help companies recruit and retain employees.
Brokers can classify their real estate salespeople as either employees or independent contractors, and those independent contractors have far more flexibility to take time away from the office. Independent contractors, not bound to rules and regulations of the company or companies they’re signed onto, are able to more freely create their own hours and schedules. Other companies in this category are primarily in the business of renting or leasing properties or goods or in related services.
#4. Information
- Workers with access to PTO: 90%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 17 days (CLP), 11 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 22 days (CLP), 15 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 25 days (CLP), 17 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 27 days (CLP), 20 days (no consolidated leave)
Netflix, Oracle, LinkedIn, and Twitter are all companies in the information business sector—and all offer unlimited vacation days. The open vacation policy was originated by Netflix, whose CEO Reed Hastings says he takes at least six weeks each year. He attributes employee loyalty at the company in large part to Netflix’s generous vacation and parental leave policies.
Workplace management software company Kronos (now merged with Ultimate Software to become UKG) began an unlimited or open vacation policy in 2016. In a Harvard Business Review article, its CEO Aron Ain said changes in technology led professionals at every level to work after business hours. He added that vacation policies clearly delineating between time off and vacation seemed antiquated.
#3. Manufacturing
- Workers with access to PTO: 95%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 11 days (CLP), 8 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 15 days (CLP), 12 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 18 days (CLP), 15 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 21 days (CLP), 18 days (no consolidated leave)
Among all non-agricultural workers, manufacturing’s share of U.S. employment peaked during World War II to 38% but cratered from 32% in 1955 to 8% in 2019 just prior to the advent of COVID-19. The sheer number of manufacturing employees hit an all-time high in the 1970s with around 20 million workers. Many of these jobs have since become automated or been shipped overseas.
The Congressional Research Service in 2017 warned the industry’s wages and benefits were under pressure from cost-cutting, plant closures, and the loss of jobs to other countries. The manufacturing industry was not spared from the Great Resignation, leading employers to rethink hiring incentives in a post-COVID-19 employment landscape.
#2. Financial activities
- Workers with access to PTO: 95%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 17 days (CLP), 12 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 21 days (CLP), 15 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 24 days (CLP), 17 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 26 days (CLP), 19 days (no consolidated leave)
The financial services sector is key to the country’s security, but it faces a number of risks, including cyberattacks, says the federal Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.
Professional services network Deloitte predicted a pivotal opportunity for financial services in 2022, pointing to banking, capital markets, financial services firms, and others to lead the industry’s future. Deloitte urged the industry to invest in talent while rethinking the workplace, and paid time off plans may be a place to begin.
#1. Insurance carriers
- Workers with access to PTO: 97%
- Average PTO after 1 year: 17 days (CLP), 11 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 5 years: 22 days (CLP), 15 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 10 years: 24 days (CLP), 17 days (no consolidated leave)
- Average PTO after 20 years: 27 days (CLP), 19 days (no consolidated leave)
Some 2.9 million people worked in the U.S. insurance industry in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The largest number of those, 1.7 million, worked for insurance companies.
Research from Deloitte found that despite concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry expects rapid growth in 2022 as the demand for insurance increases. With 97% of these workers having access to PTO, competitive benefits packages will need to be more comprehensive than in other industries.
This story originally appeared on Timetastic and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Copyright 2022 Stacker via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/which-industries-get-most-least-time-off/ | 2022-04-14T00:53:00 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/which-industries-get-most-least-time-off/ |
Javier Rodriguez of Irvine spoke with our sister station in Los Angeles KABC-TV on Tuesday and said it happened last Thursday while he was heading westbound on the 10 Freeway through Cabazon.
VIDEO: Tesla drivers seen seemingly asleep behind the wheel
He said the car was stuck going 83 mph and the main screen was frozen.
He said all of the buttons and switches - including turn signals and hazard lights - were not working.
"I noticed that it started to get hot in the car and there started to be a weird scent coming," recalled Rodriguez. "I was nervous that if I were to brake a whole lot that I wouldn't be able to gain the speed again to keep up with traffic and get around cars. I was nervous somebody was going to slam into me."
VIDEO: Tesla jumps hill, crashes into parked cars in dangerous high-speed car stunt
Even though the accelerator wasn't responding, fortunately Rodriguez said the brakes did work, but said that didn't make him any more comfortable when he was trying to stop.
He was able to make it off the road, and a few minutes later, the car rebooted. That's when everything seemed normal.
An officer with the California Highway Patrol helped Rodriguez get off the freeway, where he eventually had the car towed.
He said Tesla later told him they fixed the vehicle, but all they would say about what happened was what he said they wrote in the report.
TIMELINE: ABC7 investigates deadly Tesla crash on Hwy 101 in Mountain View
"Diagnosed and found poor communication from charge port door causing power conversion system to shut off in order to protect on board components during drive," Rodriguez recalled.
Now, Rodriguez is worried that some kind of safety feature on the car could cause the onboard computer to shut itself down with no warning.
Eyewitness News has reached out to Tesla for a response but has not received a response.
VIDEO: Tesla car battery likely caused devastating house fire
"I need more explanation," said Rodriguez. "I'm on the freeway and this happens at 83 miles an hour. Everybody is trying to say, 'Well we fixed it. We fixed it,' but I need an explanation." | https://abc11.com/tesla-model-3-screen-freezes-tech-issues-while-driving/11745808/ | 2022-04-14T00:53:16 | 1 | https://abc11.com/tesla-model-3-screen-freezes-tech-issues-while-driving/11745808/ |
Yelp to cover travel expenses for workers seeking abortions
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yelp will cover the travel expenses of employees who must travel out of state for abortions, joining the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by new restrictions in Texas and other states.
The benefit announced Tuesday covers all 4,000 employees at the online review service, but seems most likely to have its biggest immediate impact on its 200 workers in Texas, which has passed a law banning abortions within the state after six weeks of pregnancy.
“We’ve long been a strong advocate for equality in the workplace, and believe that gender equality cannot be achieved if women’s healthcare rights are restricted,” said Miriam Warren, Yelp’s chief diversity officer.
Other states, including Oklahoma, are also are clamping down on abortions, prompting Yelp, based in San Francisco, and several other companies to draw up policies aimed at helping their workers get reproductive health care in other states.
Last month Citigroup, based in New York, disclosed plans to cover the travel expenses of any of its more than 220,000 employees, thousands of whom work in Texas, who travel to another state for an abortion.
The two largest U.S. ride-hailing services, Uber and Lyft, last year announced they will pay the legal fees for drivers who could get sued under the new Texas law for transporting a passenger to an appointment for an abortion.
The policies expose companies to potential backlash from those who support abortion restrictions, but they could be an advantage for employers with a footprint in states like Texas in an increasingly competitive job market.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/yelp-cover-travel-expenses-workers-seeking-abortions/ | 2022-04-14T00:53:07 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/yelp-cover-travel-expenses-workers-seeking-abortions/ |
Friendship United Methodist Church sits on a hill in the Friendship community just north of Interstate-22 in the western part of Itawamba county. The church is so close to the four-lane that one can hear the larger vehicles as they pass. However, it predates the four-lane by almost 100 years, and while the building may have changed, the church itself has been meeting at the same location since 1892.
The church’s early formation was in 1890 when a group of Mormans helped establish places of worship throughout north Mississippi. In the beginning, Friendship first met at Moore hill, and the church moved to a school building on the Nanney place and before the year was out, the church with pastor John Shelby adopted the name Friendship Methodist Church. Friendship moved to its current location in 1892 when land was donated by P.O. Stovall for the building of a sanctuary.
Friendship was added to the Fulton charge in 1893, and was one of five churches on the charge. In the United Methodist church, a charge is a church or a group of churches under the leadership of a single senior pastor. The number of churches on a charge will vary. For example, when Friendship was on the Fulton charge, there were five churches under one senior pastor. The Friendship charge currently includes two churches. By 1917, a larger building was needed and built with wings to the east and west side added in 1928. There is a substantial number of families who have been involved in the church since it began. Part of that list includes: Stovall, Strange, Leathers, Ewing, Lesley, Comer, Senter, Loden, Riley, Sheffield, Loague, Christian, Beane and Bennett.
Longtime church secretary Gladys Riley wrote about the early members of the congregation.
“As we think of personal testimonies and those whose lives were such a beautiful testimony for the Lord, we can’t forget those years knowing the spirit-filled lives of our ancestors filled the pews and lighted the way.”
The current church was built in 1950, and the cemetery was added in the same year.
Before 1951, the congregation met for afternoon services but in that year the services began to be held in the morning after a change by the pastor over the Fulton charge. Selma Beane, a lifelong member at Friendship, explained how services were held in the early years of her life while on the Fulton charge.
“We had a service twice a month on Sunday afternoon, but we had Sunday School every Sunday.”
Five years later in 1956, Friendship was moved from the charge they had been on for over 50 years and was moved to the Mooreville charge, but that stay didn’t last long. One year later, in 1957, Friendship was given a charge of four churches. An addition was made to the church building in 1962.
Ties to the past can be found within the sanctuary at Friendship whether it be the altar, pulpit and furniture at the front of the room built by member Marvin York or the names on various plaques at the back of the sanctuary that names members who have helped with specific improvements over the decades.
“My great uncle Marvin York had a woodworking shop, and he made all that furniture for the church,” Beane said when discussing past members of the church. Some of the families who
A church history was written in 1978 by Gladys Riley, Pastor J.S. Johnson and assistant secretary Judy C. Riley. The work gives a history of the church complete with a list of former pastors, Sunday school superintendents, members of the congregation who became pastors as well as poems and submissions from Marie Moore, Dewdrop Beene, Judy C. Riley and Ripple Lesley.
Dovie Shumpert wrote about Friendship,
“The glory of Friendship Church is the spiritual inspiration that comes to us when we see the value of people believing in us, pulling for us and trusting us to the uttermost, All this lifts our sagging spirit when we know the people of our church care and are deeply concerned about us.”
Since the history was written, Friendship has seen pastors come and go, as is the way in the United Methodist denomination, but they continue their mission to live their lives “dedicated to the service of the Lord.” The same goal as those who helped establish the church back in 1890. Beane expressed what the church strives to be for the community, county and beyond.
“We wanted to be a good church and to continue to be a good church.” | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/dedicated-to-the-service-of-the-lord/article_e850c4bd-9f04-5a3a-8490-4a3e8c545ccf.html | 2022-04-14T00:53:34 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/dedicated-to-the-service-of-the-lord/article_e850c4bd-9f04-5a3a-8490-4a3e8c545ccf.html |
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 the bass guitar Morales left behind and visualizes him playing tunes, a treasured blue bucket hat pulled low over his eyes. Walking through a park overlooking the Hudson River, he recalls long-ago days tossing a baseball with Morales and sharing tuna sandwiches. He replays old messages just to hear Morales' voice.
"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. "I used to call him just any time I was going through something difficult and I needed reassurance, knowing he would be there... That's an irreplaceable type of love."
If losing one person leaves such a lasting void, consider all that's been lost with the deaths of 1 million.
Soon, likely in the next few weeks, the U.S. toll from the coronavirus will surpass that once unthinkable milestone. Yet after a two-year drumbeat of deaths, even 1 million can feel abstract.
"We're dealing with numbers that humans are just not able to comprehend," says Sara Cordes, a professor of psychology at Boston College who studies the way people perceive quantity. "I can't comprehend the lives of 1 million at one time and I think this is sort of self-preservation, to only think about the few that you have heard about."
It goes far beyond faces and names.
COVID-19 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.
It began even before the threat had really 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. On the last Wednesday of the month he joined other residents for a belated Mardi Gras party. But the songs that filled the entertainment room were interrupted by frequent coughing. Before week's end, the facility was in lockdown. Days later Lawyer, too, fell ill.
"By the time he got to the hospital they allowed us to put on these space suits and go in and see him," son David Lawyer says. "It was pretty surreal."
When the elder Lawyer died of complications from COVID-19 on March 8, the U.S. toll stood at 22, although any accounting of the lives lost is likely incomplete. Eventually 39 Life Care residents and seven others linked to the facility perished in the outbreak.
By any account, Lawyer -- known to his family as "Moose" -- lived a very full life. Born on a Mississippi farm to parents whose mixed-race heritage subjected them to bitter discrimination, he became the first in his family to graduate from college.
Trained as a chemist, he took an assignment in Belgium with a U.S. company and stayed for more than two decades. Fellow expats knew him for his devotion to coaching baseball and for the rich baritone he brought to community theater and vocal ensembles.
"He had the most velvet-like voice," says Marilyn Harper, who harmonized with Lawyer many times. "He loved to perform, but not in a showy way. He just got such great pleasure."
After Lawyer and his wife retired to Bellevue, Washington to be near two of their children, he embraced his role as grandfather of 17.
When his energy for performing diminished, he visited clubs to hear his grandson play guitar. At weddings, he joined his sons, grandson and nephew to serenade brides and grooms in a makeshift ensemble dubbed the Moose-Tones.
Last October, when one of his granddaughters married, it marked the first family affair without Lawyer there to hold court. 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," David Lawyer says.
___
By the end of March 2020, deaths in the U.S. topped 3,500 and the federal government's lead expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, predicted COVID would eventually take more than 100,000 lives.
Still, the idea that the toll could reach 1 million was "almost certainly off the chart," he said at the time. "Not impossible, but very, very unlikely."
Then deaths in the Northeast began to soar. President Donald Trump dropped talk of reopening the nation by Easter. In April, the U.S. surpassed Italy as the country with the most COVID deaths.
At first the virus appeared to bypass Mary Jacq McCulloch, who tested negative after others in her Chapel Hill, North Carolina nursing home were quarantined.
McCulloch, once a teacher in Tennessee, had long been the spark plug of her family, prone to dancing in supermarket aisles and striking up conversations with complete strangers.
When the 87-year-old became sick late that month, her children, all grown, gathered at her bedside and by phone.
The eldest, Julie McCulloch-Brown, recounted childhood nights falling asleep to the sound of her mother's bridge parties, "everybody laughing and a sense of being safe, that all was right with the world." The youngest, Drew, thanked his mother for the energy she gave to raising them, sometimes working multiple jobs to pay the bills.
McCulloch died the next afternoon, April 21, 2020. By day's end, the U.S. toll had eclipsed 47,000.
Her death came at the height of a North Carolina spring. Now, with the season here again, daughter Karen McCulloch is reminded of their drives together to gaze at the trees in blossom. Mary Jacq's favorite were the redbuds.
"They are stunning magenta," Karen says. "I can't see one in bloom without thinking, 'Mom would love this.' Kind of like her – brightly colored and demanding attention."
___
By late spring of 2020 the pandemic seemed to be loosening its grip. That is until governors moved to reopen their states and deaths spiraled again, especially in the south and southwest.
Luis Alfonso Bay Montgomery had worked straight 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 two weeks later, he required intubation, his body racked by the virus and a heart attack.
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.
The couple had endured hard times together, including the loss of their first child to chickenpox and Luis' deportation after they crossed into Arizona. But they had returned, finding work, saving to buy a home in San Luis, Arizona, and raising three children.
In the months since her husband died, Bay, a taxi driver, has worked hard to keep her mind occupied. But memories find a way in.
Some evenings she imagines Luis Alfonso sitting on "his" living room couch, boots and backpack on the floor, asking the kids about their day at school.
Others, "he's in the bedroom, watching me," she says, in Spanish. Driving past the fields he 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. And I still can't believe it."
___
On December 14, 2020, cameras jockeyed for position as the nation's first COVID vaccine was administered to a New York nurse, in time for the morning news shows.
"I feel like healing is coming," she said. 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." When new nurses started, she took them under her wing. When staffers on other floors had questions, they called her for advice. Some nights, she woke up crying with worry about her patients, her family says.
In November, McClung, 54, and her husband, John, also a hospital worker, both tested positive.
"Mama, I feel like I'm never coming home again," McClung texted her mother, Stella Olive, from a hospital bed. Her lungs severely damaged by the virus, she died just hours before the nation's vaccination campaign began. Later that day, the U.S. toll passed 300,000.
At a memorial service, McClung's body lay dressed in nursing scrubs at her family's request. The following day, heading home after getting her first shot, nurse Christa House became so upset she had to pull over.
If only the vaccine had come in time for her friend and colleague "she might have made it," House told herself.
Today, a decal with a halo and angel's wings marks the place McClung once occupied at a third-floor nurses station. In 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."
___
By early last summer, lines at vaccine sites had dwindled and daily COVID deaths had declined by tenfold. Then the virus reinvented itself.
In southwest Missouri, where immunization rates had stalled at around 20 percent in some counties, hospitals were swamped by a surge among unvaccinated residents, people like Larry Quackenbush.
Quackenbush, 60, was the glue that held his family together. After wife Cathie suffered brain damage in a car accident more than 20 years ago, he became the primary cook, carpooler and caregiver, while working as a video producer for the Assemblies of God denomination in Springfield.
When his 12-year-old son, Landon, came home from summer camp sick with COVID, Quackenbush stepped up again.
Like many in the area, the family wasn't vaccinated. The shot made Cathie nervous. Mindful of her husband's heart problems and Parkinson's disease, though, she gave Larry permission to get it. He never did.
"Even when he started feeling sick, he kept taking care of everybody," daughter Macy Sweeters says.
In July, first Larry, then Cathie were rushed to the hospital. She was able to return home a day later, but her husband remained, tethered to a ventilator.
He died on August 3, as the U.S. toll topped 614,000. In the days that followed, Sweeters and her husband moved back to Springfield from Texas to help care for her brother.
Quackenbush's own brother, Randal, who leads a church in Boston, still despairs over the vaccine skepticism. Mostly, though, he mourns the loss of a man so selfless he once gave a college classmate the shirt off his back.
"That was just kind of Larry's heart," Randal says. "He was all about helping other people."
___
Even when the delta wave ebbed, the toll continued to rise.
Last August, Sherman Peebles, a sheriff's deputy in Columbus, Georgia, went away for a week of leadership training. On the way home, he was laboring so hard to breathe he drove straight to the emergency room.
The 49-year-old Peebles was widely known in Columbus as Uncle Sherman, devoted to community, church and family.
After nearly two decades on patrol and working in the county jail, he was a fixture in the courthouse, where he was the sergeant in charge. Every Saturday, he manned a barber chair at best friend Gerald Riley's shop, dispensing small talk along with haircuts, and admonishing young customers to stay out of trouble.
At home, he doted on wife, ShiVanda, his sweetheart since high school. The couple ran a business together, renting bouncy houses and popcorn carts for parties. But their partnership was much more. After ShiVanda had a kidney transplant, he turned their trips to Atlanta for continued care into mini-vacations, taking her to Braves games and out for dinner.
"He called me his queen," she says.
In late September, as Peebles 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. To make room for an estimated 300 mourners, including the mayor and police chief, the funeral service was held in a local skating rink.
Months later, Riley still arrives at the barber shop each Saturday expecting to see Peebles' truck parked outside. At day's end, he thinks back to the routine he and his friend of more than 20 years always followed when closing.
"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.
And so, at 7 p.m. every evening through the spring of 2020, Larry Mass and Arnie Kantrowitz threw open the windows to thank them, joining New York's symphony of pan banging, air horns and raucous cheers.
Mass, a psychiatrist, felt reassured by the city's energy. But he worried about his partner, whose immune system was weakened by anti-rejection drugs required after a kidney transplant. For months, Kantrowitz, a retired professor and noted gay rights activist, took refuge on their couch, watching favorite Bette Davis movies with Mass by his side.
Kantrowitz, cinnamon-bearded as a young man, had long identified with the iconic red-headed actress. "Getting old ain't for sissies," she's widely credited with saying. Even as Kantrowitz grew older and frailer, he held on to his admiration for her spunk.
It helped sustain the 81-year-old through most of last year. But that and a booster shot were not enough when the omicron variant swept the city in December.
Arnie Kantrowitz died of complications from COVID on January 21, as the toll moved nearer to 1 million.
Kantrowitz's personal papers, now in the collection of the New York Public Library, preserve a record of his decades of 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? Words of calm and conscience were always one of his special gifts.
"He's still with me," Mass says. "He's there in my heart." | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/a-million-empty-spaces-chronicling-covids-cruel-us-toll/article_fc6808c3-a0ae-52ae-a319-d2d563336b55.html | 2022-04-14T00:53:40 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/a-million-empty-spaces-chronicling-covids-cruel-us-toll/article_fc6808c3-a0ae-52ae-a319-d2d563336b55.html |
NEW YORK • 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and new data and research are offering more insights into how it got that bad.
The main reason for the increase in deaths? COVID-19, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work on death statistics.
The agency this month quietly updated its provisional death tally. It showed there were 3.465 million deaths last year, or about 80,000 more than 2020's record-setting total.
Early last year, some experts were optimistic that 2021 would not be as bad as the first year of the pandemic — partly because effective COVID-19 vaccines had finally become available.
"We were wrong, unfortunately," said Noreen Goldman, a Princeton University researcher.
COVID-19 deaths rose in 2021 — to more than 415,000, up from 351,000 the year before — as new coronavirus variants emerged and an unexpectedly large numbers of Americans refused to get vaccinated or were hesitant to wear masks, experts said.
The coronavirus is not solely to blame. Preliminary CDC data also shows the crude death rate for cancer rose slightly, and rates continued to increase for diabetes, chronic liver disease and stroke.
Drug overdose deaths also continued to rise. The CDC does not yet have a tally for 2021 overdose deaths, because it can take weeks of lab work and investigation to identify them. But provisional data through October suggests the nation is on track to see at least 105,000 overdose deaths in 2021 — up from 93,000 the year before.
New research released Tuesday showed a particularly large jump in overdose deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds.
Adolescent overdose death counts were fairly constant for most of the last decade, at around 500 a year, according to the paper published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. They almost doubled in 2020, to 954, and the researchers estimated that the total hit nearly 1,150 last year.
Joseph Friedman, a UCLA researcher who was the paper's lead author, called the spike "unprecedented."
Those teen overdose deaths were only around 1% of the U.S. total. But adolescents experienced a greater relative increase than the overall population, even though surveys suggest drug use among teens is down.
Experts attributed the spike to fentanyl, a highly lethal drug that has been cut into heroin for several years. More recently it's also been pressed into counterfeit pills resembling prescription drugs that teens sometimes abuse.
The total number of U.S. deaths often increases year to year as the U.S. population grows. But 2020 and 2021 saw extraordinary jumps in death numbers and rates, due largely to the pandemic.
Those national death trends affect life expectancy — an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live.
With rare exceptions, U.S. life expectancy has reliably inched up year after year. But the CDC's life expectancy estimate for 2020 was about 77 years — more than a year and a half lower than what it was in 2019.
The CDC has not yet reported its calculation for 2021. But Goldman and some other researchers have been making their own estimates, presented in papers that have not yet been published in peer-reviewed journals.
Those researchers think U.S. life expectancy dropped another five or six months in 2021 — putting it back to where it was 20 years ago.
A loss of more than two years of life expectancy over the last two years "is mammoth," Goldman said.
One study looked at death data in the U.S. and 19 other high-income countries. The U.S. fared the worst.
"What happened in the U.S. is less about the variants than the levels of resistance to vaccination and the public's rejection of practices, such as masking and mandates, to reduce viral transmission," one of the study's authors, Dr. Steven Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth University, said in a statement.
Some experts are skeptical that life expectancy will quickly bounce back. They worry about long-term complications of COVID-19 that may hasten the deaths of people with chronic health problems.
Preliminary — and incomplete — CDC data suggest there were at least 805,000 U.S. deaths in about the first three months of this year. That's well below the same period last year, but higher than the comparable period in 2020.
"We may end up with a 'new normal' that's a little higher than it was before," Anderson said. | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/covid-19-overdoses-pushed-us-to-highest-death-total-ever/article_82c4c4b4-e472-51f5-b908-be35f4929e08.html | 2022-04-14T00:53:46 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/covid-19-overdoses-pushed-us-to-highest-death-total-ever/article_82c4c4b4-e472-51f5-b908-be35f4929e08.html |
UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. • When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the U.S., sales of window coverings at Halcyon Shades quickly went dark. So the suburban St. Louis business did what hundreds of other small manufacturers did: It pivoted to make protective supplies, with help from an $870,000 government grant.
But things haven't worked out as planned. The company quit making face shields because it wasn't profitable. It still hasn't sold a single N95 mask because of struggles to get equipment, materials and regulatory approval.
"So far, it has been a net drain of funds and resources and energy," Halcyon Shades owner Jim Schmersahl said.
Many companies that began producing personal protective equipment with patriotic optimism have scaled back, shut down or given up, according to an Associated Press analysis based on numerous interviews with manufacturers. Some already have sold equipment they bought with state government grants.
As COVID-19 was stressing hospitals and shuttering businesses in 2020, elected officials touted the need to boost U.S. production of protective gear. Yet many manufacturers who answered the call have faced logistical hurdles, regulatory rejections, slumping demand and fierce competition from foreign suppliers. After the initial scramble for PPE subsided, many industry newcomers had difficulty selling products.
"At the end of the day, when everybody said they wanted American-made, nobody's buying, not even the state," said Tony Blogumas, vice president of Green Resources Consulting, a rural Missouri firm that received an $800,000 state grant but has sold only a few thousand masks. "We're kind of upset about the whole situation."
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson also is disappointed. His administration divided $20 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds among 48 businesses for the production of masks, gowns, sanitizer and other supplies. Parson hoped to seed a permanent field of manufacturers.
"I'm still a firm believer in that — that we need to be making PPE here in this state," Parson said. "Unfortunately, a lot of entities went right back to where they were getting it before."
The onset of the pandemic revealed that the U.S. was highly dependent on foreign countries for protective gear. When China limited exports because of its own battle against COVID-19, U.S. stockpiles plummeted. Prices skyrocketed as federal officials, governors and health care systems competed for supplies.
Though federal stockpiles have been replenished, shriveling domestic production has raised concerns that state governments, medical facilities and others could again get stuck scrambling for gear during a future pandemic.
The AP identified more than $125 million in grants to spur production of pandemic supplies made to over 300 business in 10 states — Alabama, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York and Ohio. It's possible that grants were awarded in additional states, but there is no central clearinghouse to track them.
In November 2020, Alabama awarded one of the single largest grants — nearly $10.6 million from federal pandemic relief funds — to HomTex Inc. The company was to equip a new Selma facility to make 250 million surgical masks and 45 million N95 masks annually. The plant has yet to make anything due to a lack of customers.
"I can't produce product that I can't sell," HomTex President Jeremy Wootten said.
Some PPE manufacturers point to federal regulations as part of the reason for their struggles. Three-ply masks need FDA approval to be marketed for medical use — an important designation for building a long-term customer base. Companies need approval from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to market products as N95 respirators, which filter at least 95% of airborne particles.
During the first two years of the pandemic, NIOSH approved 30 new manufacturers — more than seven times the typical number during a similar pre-pandemic period, according to agency data. Some applications remain pending, while numerous others were denied.
Halcyon Shades' N95 certification was rejected in October because its samples didn't have head straps attached. While the company works on another application, its equipment sits idle, with partially finished masks paused on a conveyor belt.
Without federal approval, "we're just dead in the water," said Schmersahl, the company owner.
Progress reports filed with the Missouri Department of Economic Development show that nearly all its PPE grant recipients faced challenges by July 2021, especially with sales.
Ohio awarded $20.8 million to 73 businesses to manufacture pandemic-related supplies, according to state data. Of 60 businesses that complied with a recent reporting deadline, more than one-third no longer produced PPE by the end of 2021.
Dozens of businesses banded together to form the American Mask Manufacturer's Association with the goal of sustaining the industry. But the group's membership has dwindled as more and more go out of business.
Association organizers say the industry has reached a critical point. They want the federal government to treat PPE manufacturers like the nation's defense industry — entering into long-term contracts to perpetually replenish a stockpile for future pandemics or emergencies.
"If the federal government doesn't come in and help support the U.S. manufacturing base, it's almost certainly going to go back to China, and we'll be just as vulnerable as we were in early 2020 and 2019," said Brent Dillie, the association chairman and co-founder of Premium-PPE, a Virginia manufacturer started during the pandemic that has shed about two-thirds of its roughly 300 employees. | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/efforts-to-make-protective-medical-gear-in-us-falling-flat/article_03252947-28d1-5db7-9dc1-b434fe3cc088.html | 2022-04-14T00:53:52 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/efforts-to-make-protective-medical-gear-in-us-falling-flat/article_03252947-28d1-5db7-9dc1-b434fe3cc088.html |
WASHINGTON • Another month, another four-decade high for inflation.
For the 12 months that ended in March, consumer prices rocketed 8.5%. That was the fastest year-over-year jump since 1981, far surpassing February's mark of 7.9%, itself a 40-year high.
Even if you toss out food and energy prices — which are notoriously volatile and have driven much of the price spike — so-called core inflation jumped 6.5% in the past 12 months. That was also the sharpest such jump in four decades.
Consumers have felt the squeeze in everyday routines. Gasoline is up an average of 48% in the past year. Airline tickets are up 24%, men's suits nearly 15%, bacon 18%.
The Federal Reserve never anticipated inflation this severe or persistent. Back in December 2020, the Fed's policymakers had forecast that consumer inflation would stay below their 2% annual target and end 2021 at around 1.8%.
Yet after having been merely an afterthought for decades, high inflation reasserted itself last year with brutal speed. In February 2021, the government's consumer price index was running just 1.7% above its level a year earlier. From there, the year-over-year increases accelerated — 2.6% in March, 4.2% in April, 5% in May, 5.4% in June.
By October, the figure was 6.2%, by November 6.8%, by December 7%.
For months, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and some others characterized higher consumer prices as merely "transitory" — the result, mainly, of shipping delays and temporary shortages of supplies and workers as the economy rebounded from the pandemic recession much faster than anyone had anticipated. Now, most economists expect inflation to remain elevated well into next year, with demand outstripping supplies in numerous areas of the economy.
So the Fed has radically changed course. Last month, it raised its benchmark short-term rate by a quarter-point and is expected to keep raising it, probably aggressively, well into 2023. In doing so, the Fed is moving decisively away from the ultra-low rates that helped revive the economy from the recession but also helped fuel surging consumer prices.
The Fed is making a high-risk bet that it can slow the economy enough to rein in inflation without weakening it so much as to trigger a recession. The overall economy is healthy, with a robust job market and extremely low unemployment. But many economists say they worry that the Fed's steady credit tightening will cause an economic downturn.
WHAT'S CAUSED THE SPIKE IN INFLATION?
Good news — mostly. When the pandemic paralyzed the economy in the spring of 2020 and lockdowns kicked in, businesses closed or cut hours and consumers stayed home as a health precaution, employers slashed a breathtaking 22 million jobs. Economic output plunged at a record-shattering 31% annual rate in 2020's April-June quarter.
Everyone braced for more misery. Companies cut investment and postponed restocking. A brutal recession ensued.
But instead of sinking into a prolonged downturn, the economy staged an unexpectedly rousing recovery, fueled by vast infusions of government aid and emergency intervention by the Fed, which slashed rates, among other things. By spring of last year, the rollout of vaccines had emboldened consumers to return to restaurants, bars, shops, airports and entertainment venues.
Suddenly, businesses had to scramble to meet demand. They couldn't hire fast enough to fill job openings or buy enough supplies to meet customer orders. As business roared back, ports and freight yards couldn't handle the traffic. Global supply chains seized up.
With demand up and supplies down, costs jumped. And companies found that they could pass along those higher costs in the form of higher prices to consumers, many of whom had managed to pile up savings during the pandemic.
Critics blamed, in part, President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with its $1,400 checks to most households, for overheating an economy that was already sizzling on its own. Many others argued that the Fed kept rates near zero far too long, lending fuel to runaway spending and inflated prices in stocks, homes and other assets.
HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
Elevated consumer price inflation could endure as long as companies struggle to keep up with consumers' demand for goods and services. A recovering job market — employers added a record 6.7 million jobs last year and are adding 560,000 a month so far this year — means that Americans as a whole can continue to splurge on everything from lawn furniture to electronics.
Many economists foresee inflation staying well above the Fed's 2% annual target this year. But relief from higher prices might be coming. Jammed-up supply chains are beginning to show some signs of improvement, at least in some industries. The Fed's pivot away from easy-money policies toward an anti-inflationary policy could eventually reduce consumer demand. There will be no repeat of last year's COVID relief checks from Washington. Inflation itself is eroding purchasing power and might force some consumers to shave spending.
At the same time, new COVID variants could cloud the outlook — either by causing outbreaks that force factories and ports to close and disrupt supply chains even more or by keeping people home and reducing demand for goods.
HOW ARE HIGHER PRICES AFFECTING CONSUMERS?
The strong job market is boosting workers' pay, though not enough to offset higher prices. The Labor Department says that after accounting for higher consumer prices, hourly earnings for private-sector employees fell 2.7% last month from a year earlier, the 12th straight such drop.
There are exceptions: After-inflation wages rose 8% for hotel workers and 4% for restaurant and bar employees in March from a year earlier.
Partisan politics, in the meantime, is influencing the way Americans view the inflation threat. With a Democrat in the White House, Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say that inflation is having a negative effect on their personal finances, according to surveys of consumer sentiment conducted by the University of Michigan. | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/explainer-why-us-inflation-is-so-high-and-when-it-may-ease/article_d8eccbc4-9518-56b9-a6fd-1b50990b1346.html | 2022-04-14T00:53:58 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/explainer-why-us-inflation-is-so-high-and-when-it-may-ease/article_d8eccbc4-9518-56b9-a6fd-1b50990b1346.html |
VICTORY, Vt. • In the remote Vermont community of Victory, Town Clerk Tracey Martel says she's regularly frustrated watching a spinning circle on her computer while she tries to complete even the most basic municipal chores online.
"Fast internet would be really good," said Martel, whose community of about 70 was one of the last in Vermont to receive electricity almost 60 years ago. The DSL service she has now works for basic internet, but it can be spotty and it doesn't allow users to access all the benefits of the interconnected world.
About 5 miles (8 kilometers) away as the bird flies in the neighboring community along Miles Pond in the town of Concord, a new fiber optic line is beginning to bring truly high-speed internet to residents of the remote area known as the Northeast Kingdom.
"I'm looking forward to high-speed internet, streaming TV," said Concord resident John Gilchrist, as a crew ran fiber optic cable to his home earlier this year.
The fiber optic cable that is beginning to serve the remote part of Concord and will one day serve Victory is being provided through NEK Broadband, a utility of nearly 50 Vermont towns working to bring high speed internet service to the most remote parts of the state.
NEK Broadband Executive Director Christa Shute said the group's business plan calls for offering services to all potential customers within five years, but given current supply constraints and the shortage of trained technicians, she's beginning to think that goal isn't achievable.
"I think our build will take seven to 10 years," she said.
Congress has appropriated tens of billions of dollars for a variety of programs to help fill the digital gap exposed by the pandemic when millions of people were locked down in their homes with no way to study, work or get online medical care.
The first of those funds are reaching municipalities, businesses and other groups involved in the effort, but some say supply chain issues, labor shortages and geographic constraints will slow the rollout.
The demand for fiber optic cable goes beyond wired broadband to homes and businesses. The cable will help provide the 5G technology now being rolled out by wireless communications providers.
But there's a bottleneck in the supply. Michael Bell, of Corning Optical Communications based in Charlotte, North Carolina, said the issue lies with supply of the protective jacket that surrounds the hair-thin strands of glass that carry information on beams of light.
Currently, some working to expand broadband say delays in getting the fiber optic cable they need can exceed a year.
"Based on the capacity we're adding, and the capacity we see our competitors adding, wait times will start going down dramatically as the year progresses and into next year," Bell said. "And I think as we get into next year, the lead time for most customers is going to be well under a year."
Meanwhile, there's a labor shortage for installing the cable. Many in the industry are setting up educational programs to train people to work with the fiber, said Jim Hayes, of the Santa Monica, California-based Fiber Optic Association.
"It needs to be done now," Hayes said. "We're going to need to train probably ten techs for every tech that we've got who's competent to lead them."
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill passed last fall, says areas that receive broadband speeds of less than 25 megabit downloads and 3 megabit uploads are considered unserved. To qualify for different federal grants through the infrastructure bill and other programs, most finished projects must offer speeds of at least 100 megabits per second for downloads. Upload speeds differ, but most federal grants have a minimum of 20 megabit uploads.
For comparison, it takes 80 seconds to download a 1 gigabyte video at the speed of 100 megabits per second. It takes four times as long — 320 seconds, or more than 5 minutes — at 25 megabits per second.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration — a part of the Agency of Commerce, which is funding broadband projects across the country through the infrastructure law — is neutral about about how internet service providers reach the speed requirements. Many providers say the key to bringing true high-speed internet service to the entire country is to install fiber optic cable to every nook and cranny.
Deploying high-speed internet in tribal communities and rural areas across the western United States where distances dwarf those of rural northern New England will be even more challenging.
Broadband access on the Navajo Nation — the largest reservation in the U.S. at 27,000 square miles (69,930 square kilometers) in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — is a mix of dial-up, satellite service, wireless, fiber and mobile data.
The U.S. Department of the Interior, which has broad oversight of tribal affairs, said federal appraisals, rights-of-way permits, environment reviews and archaeological protection laws can delay progress.
The argument against the wireless options currently being used in some areas is they can't offer speeds needed to qualify for the federal grants.
Mike Wendy of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association said wireless technology is getting faster and more reliable, and wireless connections could be the only way to reach some of the most remote locations.
"The challenge of all this money is to make sure that the unserved are served," said Wendy, whose organization represents about 1,000 fixed wireless internet providers. "Our guys are in those markets right now and they're growing."
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said $233 million in state dollars will be used in his state to expand broadband to over 43,000 households. Other internet service providers have agreed to expand broadband to another 51,000 households. Ohio is expected to receive an additional $268 million in federal funding to further broadband expansion in the state.
Husted said Ohio is focused on infrastructure while groups and organizations are needed to provide computers and to help people adapt to the fast-growing digital age.
"We're building the road," Husted said. "Access to broadband is like the highway system. That's where we're focused. It doesn't mean there are people who don't need cars or need driver's licenses."
There are still scattered locations across the country that rely on dialup and some people in remote locations use satellite internet services. Some people have no internet options whatsoever.
Martel, the Victory town clerk, said that when the people from NEK Broadband visited, they told residents it would be five to seven years before fiber optic cable would reach the community.
But Shute said her organization hopes to get a grant to connect the most rural areas, which could move the timeline for Victory up to three years.
Back in East Concord, after having the service for several weeks, Gilchrist said he and his daughter Emily, who is 19 and headed to college in a few months, no longer have to go to the local diner to use the internet. He canceled his expensive satellite TV service, his daughter and her friends have been using it to play online video games and in a few months she will be using the connection while doing college studies.
"It's been working great, as far as I'm concerned, all I do is check email," Gilchrist said. "I don't watch TV, but my daughter loves it." | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/lots-of-broadband-money-but-us-expansion-finds-speed-bumps/article_4a7b5b98-0391-5096-acb5-55b7597dcc69.html | 2022-04-14T00:54:04 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/lots-of-broadband-money-but-us-expansion-finds-speed-bumps/article_4a7b5b98-0391-5096-acb5-55b7597dcc69.html |
AUSTIN, Texas • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday defied intensifying pressure over his new border policy that has gridlocked trucks entering the U.S. and shut down some of the world's busiest trade bridges as the Mexican government, businesses and even some allies urge him to relent.
The two-term Republican governor, who has ordered that commercial trucks from Mexico undergo extra inspections as part of a fight with President Joe Biden's administration over immigration, refused to fully reverse course as traffic remains snarled.
The standoff has stoked warnings by trade groups and experts that U.S. grocery shoppers could soon notice shortages on shelves and higher prices unless the normal flow of trucks resumes.
Abbott announced Wednesday that he would stop inspections at one bridge in Laredo after reaching an agreement with the governor of neighboring Nuevo Leon in Mexico. But some of the most dramatic truck backups and bridge closures have occurred elsewhere along Texas' 1,200-mile border.
"I understand the concerns that businesses have trying to move product across the border," Abbott said during a visit to Laredo. "But I also know well the frustration of my fellow Texans and my fellow Americans caused by the Biden administration not securing our border."
Abbott said inbound commercial trucks elsewhere will continue to undergo thorough inspections by state troopers until leaders of Mexico's three other neighboring states reach agreements with Texas over security. He did not spell out what those measures must entail.
At the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, where more produce crosses than any other land port in the U.S., truckers protesting Abbott's order had effectively shut down the bridge since Monday. But Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials said the protests had concluded and commercial traffic had resumed.
Nuevo Leon Gov. Samuel García joined Abbott in Laredo, where backups on the Colombia Solidarity Bridge have stretched for three hours or longer. Garcia said Nuevo Leon would begin checkpoints to assure Abbott they "would not have any trouble."
Abbott said he was hopeful other Mexican states would soon follow and said those states had been in contact with his office. On Tuesday, the governors of Coahuila and Tamaulipas had sent a letter to Abbott calling the inspections overzealous.
"This policy will ultimately increase consumer costs in an already record 40-year inflated market — holding the border hostage is not the answer," the letter read.
The slowdowns are the fallout of an initiative that Abbott says is needed to curb human trafficking and the flow of drugs. Abbott ordered the inspections as part of "unprecedented actions" he promised in response to the Biden administration winding down a public health law that has limited asylum-seekers in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19.
During the last week of March, Border Patrol officials said the border averaged more than 7,100 crossings daily.
Cross-border traffic has plummeted to a third of normal levels since the inspections began, according to Mexico's government. Mexico is a major supplier of fresh vegetables to the U.S., and importers say the wait times and rerouting of trucks to other bridges as far away as Arizona has spoiled some produce shipments.
The escalating pressure on Abbott, who is up for reelection in November, has come from his supporters and members of his own party.
The Texas Trucking Association, which has endorsed Abbott, said that the current situation "cannot be sustained."
"The longer that goes, the more the impact is felt across the country," Esparza said. " It is like when a disaster strikes."
Critics question how the inspections are meeting Abbott's objective of stopping the flow of migrants and drugs. Asked what troopers had turned up in their truck inspections, Abbott directed the question to the Texas Department of Public Safety. | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/texas-keeping-most-truck-inspections-despite-border-gridlock/article_6c5c55bc-17f5-547a-964d-88de2d17a958.html | 2022-04-14T00:54:10 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/texas-keeping-most-truck-inspections-despite-border-gridlock/article_6c5c55bc-17f5-547a-964d-88de2d17a958.html |
If nations do all that they've promised to fight climate change, the world can still meet one of two internationally agreed upon goals for limiting warming. But the planet is blowing past the other threshold that scientists say will protect Earth more, a new study finds.
The world is potentially on track to keep global warming at, or a shade below, 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than pre-industrial times, a goal that once seemed out of reach, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
That will only happen if countries not only fulfill their specific pledged national targets for curbing carbon emissions by 2030, but also come through on more distant promises of reaching net zero carbon emissions by mid-century, the study says.
This 2 degree warmer world still represents what scientists characterize as a profoundly disrupted climate with fiercer storms, higher seas, animal and plant extinctions, disappearing coral, melting ice and more people dying from heat, smog and infectious disease. It's not the goal that world leaders say they really want: 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit since pre-industrial times. The world will blast past that more prominent and promoted goal unless dramatic new emission cuts are promised and achieved this decade and probably within the next three years, study authors said.
Both goals of 1.5-degrees and 2-degrees are part of the 2015 Paris climate pact and the 2021 Glasgow follow-up agreement. The 2-degree goal goes back years earlier.
"For the first time we can possibly keep warming below the symbolic 2-degree mark with the promises on the table. That assumes of course that the countries follow through on the promises," said study lead author Malte Meinshausen, a University of Melbourne climate scientist.
That's a big if, outside climate scientists and the authors, say. It means political leaders actually doing what they promise
The study "examines only this optimistic scenario. It does not check whether governments are making efforts to implement their long-term targets and whether they are credible," said Niklas Hohne of Germany, a New Climate Institute scientist who analyzes pledges for Climate Action Tracker and wasn't part of this study. "We know that governments are far from implementing their long-term targets."
Hohne's team and others who track pledges have similarly found that limiting warming to 2 degrees is still possible, as Meinshausen's team has. The difference is that Meinshausen's study is the first to be peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal.
Sure, the 2-degree world requires countries to do what they promise. But cheaper wind and solar have shown carbon emissions cuts can come faster than thought and some countries will exceed their promised cuts, Meinshausen said. He also said the way climate action works is starting with promises and then policies, so it's not unreasonable to take countries at their word.
Mostly, he said, limiting warming to 2 degrees is still a big improvement compared to just five or ten years ago, when "everybody laughed like 'ha we'll never see targets on the table that bring us closer to 2 degrees'," Meinshausen said. "Targets and implemented policies actually can turn the needle on future temperatures. I think that optimism is important for countries to see. Yes, there is hope."
About 20% to 30% of that hope is due to the Paris climate agreement, but the rest is due to earlier investments by countries that made green energy technologies cheaper than dirty fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, Meinshausen said.
Yet, even if that's good news, it's not all good, he said.
"Neither do we have a margin of error (on barely limiting to 2 degrees) nor do the pledges put us on a path close to 1.5 degrees," Meinshausen said.
In 2018 the United Nations' scientific expert team studied the differences between the 1.5- and 2-degree thresholds and found considerably worse and more extensive damages to Earth at 2 degrees of warming. So the world has recently tried to make the 1.5 degrees goal possible.
Earth has already warmed at least 2 degrees Fahrenheit since pre-industrial times, often considered the late 1800s, so 2 degrees of warming really means another 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than now.
Meinshausen's analysis "looks good and solid, but there are always assumptions that could be important," said Glen Peters, a climate scientist who tracks emissions with Global Carbon Project.
The biggest assumption is that nations somehow get to promised net zero carbon emissions, most of them by 2050 but a decade or two later for China and India, said Peters, research director of the Cicero Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, Norway.
"Making pledges for 2050 is cheap, backing them up with necessary short-term action is hard," he said, noting that for most countries, there will be five or six elections between now and 2050. | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/theres-still-a-way-to-reach-global-goal-on-climate-change/article_1f41e5b9-b7e9-5e21-87cf-0f237bfd3992.html | 2022-04-14T00:54:16 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/print-features/theres-still-a-way-to-reach-global-goal-on-climate-change/article_1f41e5b9-b7e9-5e21-87cf-0f237bfd3992.html |
By ZEKE MILLER and ROBERT BURNS
WASHINGTON (AP) — In anticipation of a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an $800 million package of military assistance, including additional helicopters and the first provision of American artillery.
The Ukrainians also will receive armored personnel carriers, armored Humvees, naval drone vessels used in coastal defense, and gear and equipment used to protect soldiers in chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological attacks.
“This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement.
“The steady supply of weapons the United States and its allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion,” Biden added. “It has helped ensure that (Russia President Vladimir) Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now.”
Biden announced the aid after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is the latest in a series of U.S. security assistance packages valued at a combined $2.6 billion that has been committed to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. The weaponry and support material has played an important role in Ukraine’s successful defense thus far.
Biden is under pressure from members of both parties in Congress to expand and accelerate U.S. aid.
Robert Gates, a former CIA director and defense secretary, said Wednesday he believes the administration needs to push hard for weapon donations by NATO members in Eastern Europe, whose arsenals include Soviet-era tanks and other weaponry and equipment that could help Ukraine immediately.
“The United States ought to be acting, 24/7 — how do we mobilize the equipment and how do we get it into Ukraine and into the hands of the Ukrainians,” Gates said in an online forum sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“It’s critically important and critically urgent, and we ought to be sort of ransacking the arsenals of those states, and I think they would be cooperative, particularly” if they are given assurances that the Pentagon will provide American replacements for the donated weapons.
The Pentagon said the $800 million package announced by Biden includes weapons and equipment that will require some training for a Ukrainian military not fully accustomed to American military technology. U.S. and allied forces had been present inside Ukraine to provide training for eight years before pulling out in advance of the Russia’s latest invasion.
The new arms package includes 18 of the U.S. Army’s 155mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds, two air surveillance radars, 300 Switchblade “kamikaze” armed drones, and 500 Javelin missiles designed to knock out tanks and other armor. Also included are 10 counter-artillery radars used to track incoming artillery and other projectiles to determine their point of origin for counter attacks.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said delivery of the material will be expedited, but he offered no specific timetable.
“This list came directly out of multiple conversations with Ukrainians in the last few days as we began to see the Russians now start to reprioritize the Donbas fight,” he said, referring to Russia’s shift from a failed offensive in Ukraine’s north aimed at Kyiv, the capital, to a force buildup in the country’s eastern Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.
Ukrainian military personnel will need training on the radars as well as the howitzers and the Switchblade drones, Kirby said. He said the training may be done by U.S. soldiers in Europe and the arrangements are being worked out.
“These are not highly complex systems,” Kirby said, and so extensive training will not likely be required.
Among the other items in the package are 11 Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters that the United States had planned to provide to Afghanistan before Biden last year decided to fully withdraw from the country. They are transport helicopters that also can function in an attack role. The Pentagon previously had sent five Mi-17s to Ukraine, Kirby said. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/biden-approves-800m-in-new-military-assistance-for-ukraine/ | 2022-04-14T00:54:37 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/biden-approves-800m-in-new-military-assistance-for-ukraine/ |
Chicago White Sox starter Lance Lynn was asked when he was going to get the OK to play catch.
“I’m going to play catch here in about 30 minutes,” Lynn said with a smile Wednesday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The right-hander said he’s “ahead of schedule” after undergoing right knee surgery to repair a torn tendon on April 5.
“It’s moving along more quickly than the training staff would like but right on my pace,” Lynn said. “We’ll see how that goes because there’s still a lot of work left to do. We’ve got some time until I get on the mound. Everything’s good right now. We just need to make sure we stay on that pace.”
Lynn suffered the injury in an April 2 Cactus League game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Scottsdale, Ariz. He hobbled off the mound after throwing a pitch to Corbin Carroll in the fourth inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
The Sox estimated Lynn could miss the first eight weeks of the season.
“I think the big thing’s going to be the mound,” Lynn said. “When it comes to mound time, that’s going to tell us everything we need to know. Anything you do stress-wise on flat ground is not near as much as it is on the mound. So we’ll see, when it comes to that time, how we feel. And then after that, it’s building that pitch count, and that takes a minute.”
As for right now, “I still have stitches in, so there’s not a whole lot you can do,” Lynn said.
Manager Tony La Russa likes how the first steps are progressing.
“I’ve seen him walking without a limp,” La Russa said. “He’s feeling good. Survive and thrive, man.”
The Sox are in that mode without Lynn and pitcher Lucas Giolito, who was placed on the injured list Tuesday with an abdominal strain. Giolito’s injury occurred during his opening-day start Friday against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
“Whenever a season goes on, you know that you’re going to need (pitching depth),” Lynn said. “You just don’t expect to need it the first week of the season. But that’s always good to have.
“It’s always good to have arms and guys you’re confident in and comfortable with, and that makes for a good season if everybody stays where they need to be.”
Anderson Severino gives the Sox another lefty bullpen option
Severino will always remember the ceremony before Tuesday’s home opener.
“It was a very exciting moment, it was a moment I was dreaming of since I was a kid,” Severino told the Tribune on Wednesday through an interpreter. “It gave me chills, definitely when I was on the line during the intros. I almost cried because it was a very emotional moment.
“I’m just glad to be here and it was a very special moment.”
The Sox called up the left-handed reliever from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. He found out during the Knights’ bus ride home after their series at Norfolk.
“(Manager Wes Helms) told me ‘Hey, they need you upstairs,’ ” Severino said. “I called my family right away.”
The Sox signed Severino as a free agent on Nov. 7, 2020. He previously pitched in the New York Yankees organization. A visa issue delayed his start this spring. He appeared in three innings, allowing five runs.
“I was working on controlling my emotions, tried to be calm on the mound,” he said. “I tried to also control the game — don’t let the game speed up on me.”’
Severino, 27, allowed three runs on three hits with four strikeouts in 2⅓ innings during two games for Charlotte this season.
“We’ve been impressed with Severino’s talent,” La Russa said.
Severino had a 2.36 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 45⅔ innings between Double-A Birmingham and Charlotte in 2021.
“This opportunity means a lot to me,” Severino said. “I’m just excited to try to help this team win as many games as we can.”
La Russa would like to see the return of 7-inning doubleheaders
Count La Russa among those who would like to see the return of seven-inning doubleheaders this season.
“It’s hard for me to understand with the shortened spring training, we are already pushing pitchers, especially to a place that’s dangerous and when you are playing a lot of innings, the bullpen gets tired,” La Russa said.
Major League Baseball instituted seven-inning doubleheaders early in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. That remained the case last season before a return to nine-inning doubleheaders this season.
“I don’t care what organization it is, nobody is deep enough,” La Russa said. “(In) 2020, they started (with) nine and then they realized and switched it (to seven). I know MLB is always tracking what’s happening. I’m hoping they switch it.”
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/chicago-white-sox-starter-lance-lynn-is-ahead-of-schedule-after-undergoing-right-knee-surgery-last-week/ | 2022-04-14T00:54:43 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/chicago-white-sox-starter-lance-lynn-is-ahead-of-schedule-after-undergoing-right-knee-surgery-last-week/ |
There is little Clayton Kershaw has left to achieve in his illustrious career. Well on his way to Cooperstown, the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander has won a Most Valuable Player Award, taken home the Cy Young Award on three separate occasions and has been named an All-Star eight times.
He finally won a long-awaited World Series ring in 2020, one which he had come so close to in years prior.
On Wednesday, Kershaw nearly authored the next perfect chapter in his journey, throwing seven flawless innings on a chilly afternoon at Target Field before being lifted by manager Dave Roberts after throwing 80 pitches.
The Dodgers’ combined bid at perfection was broken up with one out in the eighth inning by a Gary Sánchez single and Max Kepler walk. They were the Twins’ only two base-runners in a 7-0 loss.
“I knew going in my pitch count wasn’t going to be 100, let alone 90 or whatever,” Kershaw said. “It’s a hard thing to have to come out of the game when you’re doing that, but … we’re here to win,” Kershaw said. “This was the right choice.”
Kershaw struck out 13 Twins and got 20 whiffs — 17, according to Statcast, on his slider. The Twins, for the entirety of his outing, could do little but watch, offer at his pitches and trudge back to the dugout.
The closest the Twins got to breaking up his bid for perfection came in the seventh inning when Gio Urshela shot a ball back toward Kershaw that bounced off the mound. Second baseman Gavin Lux, in the right spot, snared it and threw to an outstretched Freddie Freeman at first base for the out.
But even that, Urshela said, didn’t feel like it would break the seal.
“Kershaw went out there and was as impressive as any pitcher that you’ll see in this game and he did a lot of things well today against us and we didn’t have the answer,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “His slider was a pitch that I think in some ways kind of took over the game for a really long stretch. What the approach is to that pitch, and what works, I couldn’t tell you that. And I know it’s a pitch that’s been good for him for a very long time.”
Urshela’s groundout would be the end of Kershaw’s outing. The veteran was making his first start of the season after a shortened spring training and has a lengthy injury history.
Kershaw was just six outs away from hurling just the 24th perfect game in Major League Baseball history, and the large contingent of Dodgers fans — and perhaps some Twins fans, too — made their displeasure heard upon Vesia’s entrance.
“I think there’s a point where I’ve got to decide, ‘To what end?’ ” Roberts said. “I’m as big a fan as anyone, and I’m a fan of Clayton, and to see a battery of him and (catcher) Austin (Barnes) to throw a perfect game or a no-hitter, I’m all in. But again, to what end? To what cost?”
With Kershaw cruising, the game was never in question.
The Dodgers scored three runs in the first two innings off new Twins starter Chris Paddack, who lasted four innings in his debut. Paddack said the game sped up on him a bit in the first inning but added he was pleased with how he was able to settle back in, gather his thoughts and attack.
Later in the game, the Dodgers hit three consecutive home runs off reliever Dereck Rodríguez, added to the Twins’ 40-man roster and called up earlier in the day, putting a game that never felt close definitively out of reach.
“Me being in the National League West for the past three years, it’s pretty cool to be able to see that.” Paddack said. “You never want that against our team, but that’s why he’s one of the greatest.” | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/clayton-kershaws-bid-for-perfection-cut-short-as-dodgers-beat-twins/ | 2022-04-14T00:54:49 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/clayton-kershaws-bid-for-perfection-cut-short-as-dodgers-beat-twins/ |