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HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will ease some social distancing measures later this month, allowing people to dine in at restaurants in the evening and lifting restrictions on private gatherings, as the number of COVID-19 infections declined in recent weeks.
From April 21, restaurants will be able to operate until 10 p.m. with a maximum of four people per table, officials said Thursday.
Other businesses that were ordered to temporarily close due to Hong Kong’s fifth wave of infections, such as beauty parlors, gyms, theme parks and cinemas, will also be allowed to re-open, although capacity will be limited to 50%. Bars and pubs will remain closed.
Restrictions that currently only allow two households to gather will also be lifted.
“To relax these measures, to allow some degree of normal activities in society, with more interactions among citizens, inevitably they will come with some transmission risks,” Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said during a news conference Thursday.
Lam appealed to the public to comply with the social distancing measures that remain in place and to get vaccinated.
“While the number of positive cases reported every day has dropped to a relatively low level, in absolute terms they are still rather high,” she said.
The city reported 1,260 cases in the community on Wednesday, down more than 95% from the peak of the outbreak in March, when over 30,000 daily infections were reported.
Lam said the city is now “much, much better prepared” to handle another wave if it hits, due to increased levels of vaccination and more facilities to handle patients, such as community isolation and treatment centers.
Lam also said the government has not given up on mass testing for the city, but that timing was important.
Other restrictions will be also lifted later this month. Local tours will be allowed to resume and public gatherings of four people instead of two will also be permitted. | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/hong-kong-to-ease-covid-19-restrictions-as-infections-fall/ | 2022-04-14T18:54:56 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/hong-kong-to-ease-covid-19-restrictions-as-infections-fall/ |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oprah Winfrey and the Smithsonian Channel are partnering to highlight racial disparities in the health care system through a new campaign and documentary.
The network revealed on Thursday the Color of Care campaign to create a solution toward health equity. The campaign will follow the premiere of Winfrey’s “The Color of Care” documentary, which airs May 1.
Through Harpo Productions, Winfrey will executive produce the documentary that chronicles how people of color suffer from systematically substandard health care in the United States, with the COVID-19 pandemic being a catalyst to shed light on the issue.
The documentary will coincide with the campaign, which expects to take a broader look at the topic. The yearlong campaign will feature multiple activations in the coming months, including a digital series. It will bring together impacted communities, medical and nursing schools, health care workers and policymakers in hopes of finding a solution to inequities.
“The COVID crisis has exposed gross inequalities in our healthcare system which, if left unaddressed, will again disproportionately impact people of color during the next health emergency,” said James Blue III, the head of the Smithsonian Channel. “This campaign will work to address these inequalities.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/oprah-smithsonian-focus-on-health-care-racial-disparities/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:03 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/oprah-smithsonian-focus-on-health-care-racial-disparities/ |
A return to Harbour Town could be just what Patrick Cantlay needed to get back on track.
Coming off a disappointing tie for 39th at the Masters, Cantlay opened with a 5-under 66 Thursday to sit just three shots off the early lead at the RBC Heritage.
It’s what we’ve come to expect from Cantlay, who before last year’s missed cut had notched three consecutive top-7 finishes at Harbour Town, two of which went for T-3s. Only twice in 15 career rounds has he shot over par.
“I think there’s some local knowledge to this place,” he said, “so having those good results in the past definitely helps going forward.”
After a strong start to the new year, the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year has been scuffling of late, failing to finish inside the top 25 in each of his past four starts. It’s his worst stretch in nearly a year.
His Masters performance continued a run of underwhelming play in the majors, with the 30-year-old recording just a pair of top-10s in his career.
In his pre-tournament news conference at the Heritage, Cantlay said this year’s Masters (with two days of 25-mph winds) was the most difficult he’d faced at Augusta National, but that he was turning the page.
“I think it’s really important to stay fresh and not live in the past and live in the right here and now,” he said, “and so all my efforts are focused here this week.”
Full-field scores from RBC Heritage
In the opening round at Harbour Town, Cantlay was bogey-free despite hitting just 12 greens. Among the early starters, he was in a logjam in a tie for second place, looking up at Cameron Young’s opening 63.
“It demands you to think and be really precise and leave your ball in the right spots,” Cantlay said. “You don’t necessarily have to hit big, high driving-range shots all day. You kind of work your way around the golf course. That’s what I did today. Hit a lot of nice chips and left my ball in a spot where I could do that.” | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/horse-course-patrick-cantlay-opens-66-rbc-heritage | 2022-04-14T18:55:06 | 1 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/horse-course-patrick-cantlay-opens-66-rbc-heritage |
Pfizer said Thursday it wants to expand its COVID-19 booster shots to healthy elementary-age kids.
U.S. health authorities already urge everyone 12 and older to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest variants — and recently gave the option of a second booster to those 50 and older.
Now Pfizer says new data shows healthy 5- to 11-year-olds could benefit from another kid-sized shot.
In a small study, 140 youngsters who’d already gotten two shots were given a booster six months later, and researchers found the extra shot generally revved up their immune response. But a closer look at 30 of the children found a 36-fold increase in virus-fighting antibodies, levels high enough to fight the super-contagious omicron variant, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said in a press release.
The data has not been published or vetted by independent experts.
Pfizer tested the kid booster while omicron was surging this winter. While COVID-19 cases now are at much lower levels in the U.S., in recent weeks an even more contagious version of omicron, called BA.2, has become the dominant type locally and around the world.
In the coming days, the companies plan to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize a booster for healthy 5- to 11-year-olds. They also plan to share the data with European and other regulators.
Vaccinations are generally less effective against the omicron variant than earlier versions of the coronavirus — but they do still offer strong protection against severe disease. While COVID-19 is a bigger threat to adults, youngsters can get seriously ill. But regulators will have to decide if healthy elementary-age kids really need a booster, and if so, when.
The Pfizer shots are the only vaccine available to U.S. children. Those ages 5 to 11 receive one-third of the dose given to everyone 12 and older. Just over a quarter in the younger age group have gotten two doses since vaccination opened to them in November, shortly before omicron struck.
The U.S. hasn’t yet allowed vaccinations for children under 5. But certain 5- to 11-year-olds — those with severely weakened immune systems — already are supposed to get three doses, to give that high-risk group a better chance of responding.
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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.cenlanow.com/health/pfizer-to-seek-covid-booster-for-healthy-5-to-11-year-olds/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:09 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/pfizer-to-seek-covid-booster-for-healthy-5-to-11-year-olds/ |
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have registered to play in the 122nd U.S. Open, which will be contested June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The registration is a formality for both Woods and Mickelson, as all players were required to register by Wednesday’s deadline if they had any intention of playing the year’s third major championship.
Woods finished 47th last week at the Masters, and was asked afterward about his schedule moving forward. While he committed to playing in The Open Championship this summer at St. Andrews, Woods sounded less confident when discussing the PGA Championship and didn’t specifically mention the U.S. Open.
"I won't be playing a full schedule ever again," Woods told Sky Sports. "It'll be just the big events. I don't know if I'll play [the PGA Championship] at Southern Hills or not. But I am looking forward to St. Andrews. That's something that's very near and dear to my heart.”
Mickelson has not played worldwide since the Saudi International in February, and hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since the Farmers Insurance Open in late January. The six-time major champion has been taking some time away from professional golf after his controversial comments about the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series came to light in February.
“I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be,” Mickelson said in a statement released February 22 on social media.
Mickelson’s registration for the U.S. Open could signify that the reigning PGA champion has his sights set on a return to the Tour sooner rather than later.
The deadline to register for the PGA Championship, which will be conducted at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is April 22. Woods, who hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2007 at Southern Hills, and Mickelson, are expected to register for that event, as well.
The U.S. Open is the lone major championship Mickelson has yet to win. Woods won it in 2000, 2002 and 2008. | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/tiger-woods-and-phil-mickelson-register-122nd-us-open | 2022-04-14T18:55:12 | 1 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/tiger-woods-and-phil-mickelson-register-122nd-us-open |
LONDON (AP) — British authorities have authorized a coronavirus vaccine for adults made by French drugmaker Valneva, despite the government’s decision last year to cancel an order for at least 100 million doses.
The U.K. is the first country to authorize Valneva’s vaccine, which is also under review by the European Medicines Agency. Britain’s medicines regulator said Thursday that the two-dose vaccine is intended for adults ages 18 to 50, with the second dose given about a month after the first.
The Valneva vaccine is made with the decades-old technology used to manufacture shots for flu and polio. It is the sixth COVID-19 vaccine the U.K. has cleared and the only one that utilizes a “killed” virus; scientists grow the coronavirus in a lab and then inactivate the virus so it cannot replicate or infect cells.
The U.K. government scrapped an agreementwith Valneva in September to purchase at least 100 million doses, saying at the time that British regulators probably would not cleared the shot. Valneva said Britain canceled the deal because of supply concerns.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in September that he couldn’t go into details because of commercial issues but that the deal was spiked because “it was also clear to us that the vaccine in question that the company was developing would not get approval.”
Britain was an early backer of the Valneva vaccine, agreeing to invest millions of pounds in a production facility in Scotland. As part of the contract, the U.K. had agreed to buy 100 million doses with options for another 90 million.
Even without the Valneva vaccine, the government has acquired more than enough doses to fully vaccinate everyone in the country twice. To date, nearly 60% of the British population has received three doses.
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Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/uk-clears-6th-covid-shot-despite-canceling-deal-for-doses/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:16 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/uk-clears-6th-covid-shot-despite-canceling-deal-for-doses/ |
Tiger Woods’ summer schedule is starting to come together.
Following the final round of the Masters, Woods said it is unclear whether he will be ready to play in the next two majors but that he “will be there” for The Open Championship at St. Andrews. It was announced Thursday that he will have at least one other appearance before then: The JP McManus Pro-Am, a two-day event in Ireland that kicks off 10 days before The Open.
The event, scheduled for July 4-5 at Adare Manor, has also received commitments from Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, among others. Adare Manor is also the host site for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
Woods, who will be making his fourth career appearance in the event, was originally committed to play before the event was rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pro-Am hasn’t been staged since 2010.
In a statement, McManus wrote: “Tiger has been a great friend and avid supporter of the Pro-Am for a very long time, and we are absolutely thrilled he has committed to play once again in the tournament. His presence at Adare Manor will undoubtedly bring huge excitement to the thousands of spectators, and we are very grateful to him for giving up his free time to be with us.”
Woods tied for 47th last week at the Masters in his first official tournament since suffering serious injuries to his right leg in February 2021. Afterward, Woods said that he was undecided on the PGA Championship (to be held at Southern Hills, where he won in 2007) and the U.S. Open at Brookline. Woods committed to playing The Open, however.
“It’ll be just the big events,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t know if it’ll be Southern Hills or not. But I am looking forward to St. Andrews. That is something that is near and dear to my heart. I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of golf. It’s my favorite golf course in the world, so I will be there for that one.” | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/tiger-woods-play-jp-mcmanus-pro-am-week-open-championship | 2022-04-14T18:55:18 | 1 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/tiger-woods-play-jp-mcmanus-pro-am-week-open-championship |
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Rights activists and others are urging Rwandan authorities to free the man who inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” saying his health is failing after an appeals court upheld his 25-year jail term for terror offenses.
Paul Rusesabagina, who holds Belgian citizenship and U.S. residency, is credited with sheltering a group of ethnic Tutsi during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. He was convicted in September on charges including membership in a terrorist group, murder and abduction.
Rusesabagina is a well-known critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and lived in exile in the U.S.
Some activists who spoke Wednesday during an online event in support of Rusesabagina said the U.S. could do more to free the 67-year-old recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. They also appealed to the compassion of Rwandan authorities.
“I am asking President Kagame that you extend the grace that you’ve shown to me and my family to Paul and his family now,” said Don Cheadle, appealing to Rwanda’s leader. “Please lead with mercy.”
Cheadle, who played Rusesabagina in the 2004 Hollywood movie, said the former hotel manager had “more than given his pound of flesh” after many months in custody.
Rusesabagina is credited with saving more than 1,000 people by sheltering them at the hotel he managed during the genocide, in which more than 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu who tried to protect them were killed.
He left Rwanda in 1996.
The criminal case against Rusesabagina attracted international attention because of his high profile, the circumstances surrounding his arrest in 2020, and his limited access to an independent legal team. Throughout his trial Rusesabagina maintained that he was not guilty and asserted that he didn’t expect to get justice.
His conviction came more than a year after he disappeared during a visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He appeared days later in Rwanda in handcuffs, accused of supporting the armed wing of his opposition political platform, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change.
The armed group claimed some responsibility for attacks in 2018 and 2019 that killed nine people in southern Rwanda. Rusesabagina testified at trial that he helped to form the armed group to help refugees but said he never supported violence.
Rusesabagina’s family and supporters insist his arrest was in response to his criticism of Kagame over alleged rights abuses. Kagame’s government has repeatedly denied targeting dissenting voices with arrests and extrajudicial killings.
Terry George, who directed “Hotel Rwanda,” said his film became “the center of a disinformation campaign” as Rusesabagina’s stature in the Rwandan diaspora grew with his criticism of Rwandan authorities.
“He turned to me and thanked me for making the film,” George said of Kagame, recalling a screening of the film in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. “The film was universally received in Rwanda at the time.”
Rwandan officials have since dismissed Rusesabagina as a “manufactured” hero.
Kagame’s Rwanda “is one of the world’s worst perpetrators of transnational repression,” said Nicole Bibbins Sedaca of the Freedom House group. ”We have to hold authoritarian regimes to account when they use tools like transnational repression, when they take political prisoners simply to target and silence their critics.”
Kate Gibson, a member of Rusesabagina’s legal team, said her client didn’t get a just trial. She also charged Wednesday that members of Rusesabagina’s legal team in Rwanda “have been subjected to unthinkable indignities over and over again.” She gave no details.
A Rwandan appeals court on April 4 upheld Rusesabagina’s 25-year jail sentence, rejecting prosecutors’ efforts to have him imprisoned for life.
Rusesabagina’s health has worsened, according to his family.
“He is sick. He is ill,” Anaise Kanimba said of her father. “We probably believe he had a stroke and we don’t have time. We don’t have time, and that’s why we need your help. We need the help of the international community. We need the help of the world.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/activists-urge-release-of-hotel-rwanda-hero-rusesabagina/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:23 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/activists-urge-release-of-hotel-rwanda-hero-rusesabagina/ |
Eagles are always fun. They’re even more fun when they come on a par 3.
Corey Conners stepped onto the tee at the 187-yard, par-3 seventh, his 16th hole of the day, at 3 under par.
The sweet-swinging Canadian sent a baby-draw up into a light breeze that landed softly and rolled right in the middle of the cup for an ace.
“The wind was blowing from left to right, and I seem to like that wind direction – it holds my natural shot shape pretty straight,” he said. “So I was trying to be aggressive, hit a solid 7-iron there, just trying to make sure I covered the front of the green where I know the ball kind of releases to where the pin was. …
“That was a great shot. Definitely one that I’ll be able to draw on for the rest of the week hopefully.”
Conners, who recorded his third consecutive top-10 finish at the Masters last week, kept the putter in the bag and walked off the seventh green just three shots back of Cameron Young, who fired an 8-under 63 in Thursday’s first round.
This was Conners’ fourth ace in the past three seasons on Tour – the most of any player.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “There’s a lot of luck involved to make it. If you hit enough solid iron shots, you’ll get lucky time and time again. So it’s been pretty awesome to have four. Hopefully they keep coming, but I’m probably done for a while now.”
There was nearly a second hole-in-one Thursday morning at the seventh, as Hank Lebioda clanked one off the flagstick, resulting in an easy birdie.
Lebioda finished his first round at 1 under par. | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/watch-corey-conners-aces-seventh-hole-harbour-town-golf-links | 2022-04-14T18:55:24 | 0 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/watch-corey-conners-aces-seventh-hole-harbour-town-golf-links |
MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Agricultural workers in the east and Horn of Africa are preparing for their most severe drought in 40 years, as authorities warn that higher temperatures and less than normal rainfall was recorded by weather agencies in March and April this year.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development said rains will likely fail for a fourth consecutive year, triggering fears of increased cases of malnutrition, threats to livelihoods and severe risks for 29 million people in the region. Meteorologists are linking the unfolding drought to human-caused climate change which is leading to increased warming in the Indian Ocean, causing more frequent cyclones.
Like most of Africa, the east and the Horn’s economic mainstay is agriculture, which is rain-fed, making it vulnerable to extreme weather events. Mama Charity Kimaru, who practices mixed farming by rearing livestock and planting cereals and vegetables in her 30-acre farm in Nyandarua, some 80 miles (126 kilometers) north of Nairobi, is among the farmers who are preparing for the worst outcomes. Kimaru says that increased temperatures recorded over the past few months have denied her livestock pasture and the crops she had planted in anticipation of the long rains season have failed.
The weather agency previously said in February that the region should prepare for a “wetter than average” long rains season, which normally pours from March to May, but the agency revised its previous forecasts this week.
“The March, April, May rains are crucial for the region and, sadly, we are looking at not just three, but potentially four consecutive failed seasons,” Workneh Gebeyehu, the executive secretary of the intergovernmental agency, said. “This, coupled with other stress factors such as conflicts in both our region and Europe, the impact of COVID-19, and macro-economic challenges, has led to acute levels of food insecurity across the greater Horn of Africa.”
Below average rainfall for 2022 are likely to prolong the already extremely dry conditions which have not been experienced to this degree since 1981. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia — which will be severely impacted by the reduced rains — are already in the midst of a dire famine.
Lack of rainfall during the short rains season late last year and the ongoing drought during the current long rains season has already led to crop failures and livestock deaths, causing high food prices and intercommunal conflicts over scarce pasture and dwindling water resources.
“Whenever we have intense cyclones in the Southwest Indian Ocean, we always prepare for a long drought season in eastern and the Horn regions,” Evans Mukolwe, the former science director at the U.N., said. “This is because the cyclones suck much of the moisture depriving the region of the much-needed precipitation. It has been the pattern for decades.”
Aid organizations are already concerned about how worsening climate change impacts will affect the region in future decades.
“This is not the Horn’s first drought, nor is it likely to be its last,” said Sean Granville-Ross, the regional director for Africa for the aid agency Mercy Corps. “As the climate emergency worsens, droughts will become more frequent and severe. People affected by climate change cannot wait for one crisis to end before preparing for the next.”
“The international response must prioritize immediate needs while allocating additional resources to long-term, smart interventions that will result in long-term change and assist communities in becoming more drought-resistant.”
The U.N. humanitarian office warned last week that the current drought “risks becoming one of the worst climate induced emergencies in recent history in the Horn of Africa.” It also said that the $1.5 billion drought response appeal required to assist some 5.5 million people in Somali remains seriously underfunded.
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/east-and-horn-of-africa-prep-for-worst-drought-in-decades/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:29 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/east-and-horn-of-africa-prep-for-worst-drought-in-decades/ |
SANTA TECLA, El Salvador (AP) — A day after the bloodletting — 62 gang killings that convulsed El Salvador — the crackdown began.
Before dawn on Sunday, March 27, just hours after congress approved a state of emergency, heavily armed police and soldiers entered the packed, gang-controlled neighborhood of San Jose El Pino.
Freed from having to explain an arrest or grant access to a lawyer, they went door to door, dragging out young men. They established a perimeter with barbed wire barricades where they controlled who entered and who left, demanding identification and searching everyone.
President Nayib Bukele has responded to the surge in gang killings with mass arrests in poor neighborhoods like San Jose El Pino, each day posting the growing arrest total and photos of tattooed men. The highly publicized roundups are not the result of police investigations into the murders in late March, but propel a tough-on-crime narrative that critics are calling “punitive populism.”
In just over two weeks, more than 10,000 alleged gang members have been arrested — a huge number for a small country of 6.5 million people. They can be held for 15 days without charges, one of the measures decried by international human rights groups and the U.S. government.
“They came in with everything,” said 36-year-old Héctor Fernandez on his way to his factory job on a recent morning. “Whoever didn’t open the door, they knocked it down. They were looking for the guys. I think they took almost all of them, but others managed to get out.”
Critics say the mass arrests are more show than substance. They note that amid all of the chest-thumping rhetoric and slickly produced videos of roughly handled prisoners, authorities are not talking about the investigations or arrests of those suspected of actual involvement in the March 26 killings. But many Salvadorans are pleased to see action against gangs that have long-terrorized their communities.
“It’s for everyone’s safety,” Fernandez said, nervously looking around to see if anyone was watching. He said he minds his own business and hasn’t had trouble with the Mara Salvatrucha, the gang that controls his neighborhood. “I leave, (police and soldiers) search me. I go to work, come back in the evening, they search me. I pass and go home.”
Bukele, a highly popular master of social media, has filled his platforms with photos of handcuffed and bloodied gang members, orders to his security cabinet and attaboys from his supporters. At the same time, he has lashed out at human rights organizations and international agencies critical of some measures.
“If we don’t rid our country of this cancer now, then when will we ever do it?” Bukele said to a parade ground of soldiers — and the world — in a video he released last week. “We will go and find them wherever they are. Regardless of who protests. Regardless of how angry the international community gets.”
Gangs control swaths of territory through brutality and fear. They’ve driven thousands to emigrate to save their own lives or the lives of their children who are forcibly recruited. Their power is strongest in El Salvador’s poorest neighborhoods where the state has long been absent. They are a drain on the economy, extorting money from even the lowest earners and forcing businesses that can’t or won’t pay to close.
The wave of violence at the end of March — it stretched across the country and its victims included a municipal maintenance worker, a taxi driver, a farmer– demanded a government response. Bukele chose a state of emergency provided for in the constitution.
But El Salvador’s security forces and justice system had the legal tools to investigate and prosecute those involved in the killings without the suspension of fundamental rights, critics say. What they did not have was the carte blanche that has yielded the media spectacle of the past two weeks, starring Bukele as savior-in-chief.
“There are a lot of doubts about whether the measures that Bukele’s government has taken to confront the wave of murders are really aimed at investigating the crimes and responding to the victims,” said Leonor Arteaga, a Salvadoran who is program director at the Due Process of Law Foundation in Washington.
Instead, she said, it seems Bukele is using the situation “to advance his authoritarian plans and in his intention to control all critical voices and squash any dissident.”
Bukele’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Abraham Ábrego, director of the strategic litigation program at Cristosal, a non-governmental organization in El Salvador, said his group was working to document arbitrary arrests and other abuses.
Bukele has shown himself to be masterful at building and controlling narratives, he said. “There is a term that we use called ‘punitive populism,’ which is using the state’s powers of criminal persecution to show strength, to show toughness,” Ábrego said.
On Tuesday, the head of a national police union said some high-ranking police officials had pressured officers to make false statements justifying some arrests to meet arrest quotas, including in a small remote town with no gang presence.
Omar Serrano, vice rector at Central American University José Simeón Cañas, said that like previous administrations, the president has opted for a more militarized approach to dealing with the gangs.
“This is not going to solve the country’s serious problems,” Serrano said. The government line is that the problem of the gangs is one of national security, “when deep down it is a social problem.”
After the congress approved the state of emergency, Bukele returned to lawmakers multiple times for changes to the country’s criminal code. Among other things, they lengthened sentences, reduced the age of criminal responsibility to 12 and established prison sentences of 10 to 15 years for journalists who disseminate gang messages that could cause anxiety or panic among the people.
He had already ordered his head of prisons to keep all gang members confined to their cells 24 hours a day and to reduce their meals to twice daily. “Message for the gangs: because of your actions, now your ‘homeboys’ will not be able to see a ray of sunlight,” Bukele wrote on Twitter.
Human Rights Watch, the international advocacy organization that Bukele has taken to mocking as “Homeboys Rights Watch,” said the government had overreached.
“The Salvadoran government should adopt rights-respecting measures to protect people from heinous gang violence, dismantle these groups, and bring those responsible for crimes to justice,” said Juan Pappier, senior Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Instead, Bukele’s government has enacted overbroad, harshly punitive laws that undermine the fundamental rights of all Salvadorans.”
But Salvadorans seem to be ambivalent about the crackdown. In a leafy park in front of Santa Tecla’s municipal market and short distance from San Jose El Pino, Adela Maravilla Ceballos walked with her groceries on a recent morning.
“It’s good what they’re doing, they took long enough,” the 52-year-old homemaker said. “These guys don’t understand anything else. Who is going to be against security? Only the criminals.”
Still, some of the images had bothered her. Her two sons went to the United States years ago looking for better opportunities.
“I am a mother and sometimes it hurts me when they grab them and hit them and I see how they cry,” she said.
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Sherman reported from Mexico City. AP writer E. Eduardo Castillo in Mexico City contributed to this report. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/el-salvador-presidents-mass-arrests-punitive-populism/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:37 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/el-salvador-presidents-mass-arrests-punitive-populism/ |
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Heavy rains and flooding have killed at least 341 people in South Africa’s eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, including the city of Durban, and more rainstorms are forecast in the coming days.
The death toll is expected to rise as scores of people, including whole families, are missing, officials said Thursday.
The persistent rains have wreaked havoc in the province, destroying homes, collapsing buildings and washing away major roads.
The damage to Durban and the surrounding eThekwini metropolitan area is estimated at $52 million, eThekwini Mayor Mxolosi Kaunda said Thursday.
At least 120 schools have been flooded, causing damage estimated at more than $26 million and bringing officials to temporarily close all schools in the province.
At least 18 students and one teacher from various schools have died in the floods, Education Minister Angie Motshekga said.
“This is a catastrophe and the damage is unprecedented. What is even more worrying is that more rain is expected in the same areas that are already affected,” Motshekga said in a statement issued Thursday.
Police used stun grenades to disperse residents in the Reservoir Hills areas of Durban who were protesting what they said was the lack of official assistance, according to South African media reports.
The South African National Defense Force has deployed troops to assist with rescue and mop-up operations.
The floods have knocked out water and electricity to large parts of Durban and the surrounding eThekwini metropolitan area and it will take at least a week to restore those services, according to officials.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited is convening an emergency Cabinet meeting to declare the floods a national disaster so that funds can be released to help repair the damage. He visited several areas hit by the floods and mudslides on Wednesday.
Fourteen crocodiles that were swept away from a farm in the Tongaat area north of Durban have been recaptured, according to wildlife officials. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/floods-in-south-africas-durban-area-kill-more-than-300/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:44 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/floods-in-south-africas-durban-area-kill-more-than-300/ |
BERLIN (AP) — Four people were arrested in Germany and weapons were seized in an investigation into suspected anti-government extremists who allegedly planned to cause a long nationwide blackout and kidnap well-known figures including the country’s health minister, authorities said Thursday.
Prosecutors in Koblenz and Rhineland-Palatinate’s state criminal police office said that raids were carried out at 20 properties across Germany Wednesday following an investigation launched in October. The suspects were members of a chat group called “United Patriots” on the Telegram messaging service.
Investigators said the suspects were associated with the protest movement against coronavirus restrictions and with the Reich Citizens movement, which disputes the legitimacy of the post-World War II German constitution and, by extension, the current government. In all, 12 people are under investigation.
Authorities said the group’s declared aim was to destroy electricity supply facilities and cause a long blackout across the country, with the goal of producing “conditions similar to civil war” and ultimately overthrowing the country’s democratic system.
Police seized 22 firearms, including a Kalashnikov rifle, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, thousands of euros in cash, and numerous gold bars and silver coins. They also found forged COVID-19 vaccination and test certificates.
The group allegedly planned to kidnap well-known public figures. Investigators said those included Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
Lauterbach said he was “appalled” by the news and thanked investigators.
“The whole thing shows that corona protests have not just become more radical, but that it is now about more than corona — that there is an attempt here to destabilize the state,” he told reporters during a visit to Husum on Germany’s North Sea coast. “This is a small minority in our society, but highly dangerous.”
“This will not influence my own work,” Lauterbach said, adding that he will continue trying to balance the interests of people who want looser measures against COVID-19 with those who want stricter ones.
The suspects, all German citizens, are accused of preparing a serious act of violence and of violating weapons laws.
“We are dealing with a mixture consisting of conspiracy theorists, opponents of vaccination but also Reich Citizens that we hadn’t seen in this form so far,” said the head of Rhineland-Palatinate state’s criminal police office, Johannes Kunz.
He said group members repeatedly expressed their disdain for the German state, among other things expressing the wish that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not just attack Ukraine but also invade Germany, news agency dpa reported.
Prosecutor Juergen Brauer said the group’s procurement of weapons and money made clear to investigators that “we are dealing not just with cranks, but with dangerous criminals who want to implement their plans.”
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that the investigation pointed to “a serious terrorist threat,” and that the Lauterbach kidnapping plan and fantasies about overthrowing democracy constitute “a new quality of threat.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/germany-nabs-4-in-probe-of-anti-government-extremist-group/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:51 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/germany-nabs-4-in-probe-of-anti-government-extremist-group/ |
PARIS (AP) — The capital of France may be thousands of miles away from the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, but what happens in French voting stations this month could have repercussions there.
Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has close ties to Russia and wants to weaken the European Union and NATO, which could undercut Western efforts to stop Russia’s war on Ukraine. Le Pen is trying to unseat centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who has a slim lead in polls ahead of France’s April 24 presidential runoff election.
Here are some of the ways the French election could impact the war in Ukraine:
ARMING UKRAINE
Macron’s government has sent 100 million euros worth of weaponry to Ukraine in recent weeks and said Wednesday it will send more as part of a Western military aid effort. France has been a major source of military support for Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 from Ukraine and supported separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine.
Le Pen expressed reservations Wednesday about supplying Ukraine with additional arms. She said, if she were elected president, she would continue defense and intelligence aid but would be “prudent” about sending weapons because she thinks the shipments could suck other countries into the war with Russia.
SOFTENING SANCTIONS
Le Pen’s campaign has successfully tapped into French voter frustration over rising inflation, which has worsened as a consequence of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine and the ensuing Western sanctions against Russia, a major gas supplier and trade partner for France and Europe.
The European Union has been unusually unified in agreeing on five rounds of ever-tougher sanctions against Russia. If she became France’s president, Le Pen could try to thwart or limit additional EU sanctions since further action requires unananimous backing from the bloc’s 27 member nations.
France is the EU’s No. 2 economy after Germany and key to EU decision-making. France also now holds the rotating EU presidency, giving France’s next leader significant influence.
Le Pen is notably opposed to sanctions on Russian gas and oil. She also said in the past that she would work to lift sanctions imposed on Russia over its annexation of Crimea, and even recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
COURTING PUTIN
Earlier in his first term, Macron tried reaching out to Putin, inviting him to Versailles and a presidential resort on the Mediterranean, in hopes of bringing Russia’s policies back into greater alignment with the West.
The French president also sought to revive peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv over the long-running conflict in eastern Ukraine between the government and Russia-backed separatists. Macron visited Putin at the Kremlin weeks before Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and has continued talking to the Russian leader during the war. At the same time, Macron has supported multiple rounds of EU sanctions.
Le Pen’s party has deep ties to Russia. She met with Putin as a French presidential candidate in 2017 and has praised him in the past. She is warmly welcomed at Russian Embassy events in Paris, and her far-right party also got a 9 million-euro ($9.8 million) loan from a Russian-Czech bank because she said French banks refused to lend the party money.
Le Pen says the war in Ukraine has partly changed her mind about Putin, but she said Wednesday that the West should try to restore relations with Russia once the conflict ends. She suggested a “strategic rapprochement” between NATO and Russia to keep Moscow from allying too closely with China.
WEAKENING NATO AND THE EU
While Macron is a staunch defender of the EU and recently reinforced France’s participation in NATO operations in Eastern Europe, Le Pen says France should keep its distance from international alliances and strike its own path.
She favors pulling France out of NATO’s military command, which would take French military staff out of the body that plans operations and lead to the country losing influence within the Western military alliance.
France withdrew from NATO’s command structure in 1966, when French President Charles de Gaulle wanted to distance his country from the U.S.-dominated organization, and reintegrated under conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009.
If it were up to her, Le Pen would reduce French spending on the EU and try to diminish the EU’s influence by chipping away at the bloc from within while no longer recognizing that European law has primacy over national law.
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Follow AP’s coverage of France’s presidential election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022
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Follow all AP stories on Russia’s war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/how-frances-presidential-election-could-impact-ukraine-war/ | 2022-04-14T18:55:58 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/how-frances-presidential-election-could-impact-ukraine-war/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the International Monetary Fund warned Thursday that Russia’s war against Ukraine was weakening the economic prospects for most of the world’s countries and called high inflation “a clear and present danger’’ to the global economy.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the consequences of Russia’s invasion were contributing to economic downgrades for 143 countries, although most of them should continue to grow. The war has disrupted global trade in energy and grain and is threatening to cause food shortages in Africa and Middle East.
Georgieva made her comments in a speech on the eve of next week’s spring meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington.
An unexpectedly strong recovery from 2020’s pandemic recession has caught businesses by surprise, leaving factories, ports and freight yards unable to keep up with robust customer demand and forcing prices higher.
Chronically high inflation, which is forcing the world’s central banks to raise interest rates and likely slow economic growth in the process, amounts to “a massive setback for the global recovery,’’ Georgieva said.
Georgieva also warned of “the fragmentation of the world economy into geopolitical blocs,” with the West imposing far-reaching sanctions on Russia and China expressing support for the autocratic Russian regime of President Vladimir Putin.
“In a world where war in Europe creates hunger in Africa; where a pandemic can circle the globe in days and reverberate for years; where emissions anywhere mean rising sea levels almost everywhere — the threat to our collective prosperity from a breakdown in global cooperation cannot be overstated,” Georgieva said.
Before the war, Russia and Ukraine had supplied 28% of global wheat exports. And Russia and Belarus accounted for 40% of exports of the fertilizer potash.
“Now,’’ Georgieva said, “grain and corn prices are soaring, and leaders across Africa and the Middle East are telling me that supplies are running low. Food insecurity is a grave concern.
“We must act now with a multilateral initiative to bolster food security. The alternative is dire: More hunger, more poverty and more social unrest — especially for countries that have struggled to escape fragility and conflict for many years.’’
Georgieva called on the world to support the Ukrainians and noted that the IMF had delivered $1.4 billion in emergency financing to help Ukraine meet its immediate spending needs. The IMF is also offering assistance to Ukraine’s neighbors, including Moldova, which has accepted more than 400,000 war refugees.
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This story has been corrected to show that the IMF expects the Ukraine war to contribute to weaker economic growth for 143 countries, not 186. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/imf-chief-ukraine-war-and-inflation-threaten-global-economy/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:05 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/imf-chief-ukraine-war-and-inflation-threaten-global-economy/ |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ri Chun Hi, North Korea’s most famous state TV anchor, has announced major events for decades, including nuclear and missile tests and the death of a leader, with an instantly identifiable, passionate voice.
The anchor, dubbed the “pink lady” abroad for her bright traditional Korean attire, became the topic of official North Korean media herself Thursday after leader Kim Jong Un gave her a luxurious residence and asked her to continue to serve as the voice of his ruling Workers’ Party.
Experts say Kim is providing special treatment to elite North Koreans to boost their loyalty as he grapples with the pandemic, a troubled economy and a stalemate in nuclear diplomacy with the United States.
“(Kim) said it is the sincerity of the party that it would spare nothing for a national treasure like her, who has worked as a revolutionary announcer for the party for more than 50 years since her girlhood,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. Kim expressed his “expectation that she would as ever vigorously continue her work in good health as befitting a spokeswoman for the party.”
Kim met Ri, who is about 79, on Wednesday after inaugurating a newly built riverside terraced residential district in Pyongyang, the capital, KCNA said. It said houses in the district were presented to Ri and other people who have given distinguished service to the state.
North Korea often inaugurates construction projects to mark key state anniversaries. Friday is the 110th birthday of Kim’s late grandfather, state founder Kim Il Sung. It’s the most important anniversary in North Korea, which has been ruled by three generations of the Kim family since its foundation in 1948. The new housing area is where Kim Il Sung’s official residence was located until the 1970s.
Pyongyang is North Korea’s showcase city, and its elite residents enjoy relatively affluent lives compared with people in remote rural areas where many still suffer from poverty and malnutrition. A majority of North Koreans who have fled the country in the past two decades have come from its northern regions close to the border with China.
“By giving houses to those who have been faithful to him, Kim Jong Un would want to further bolster their loyalty and internal unity,” said Moon Seong Mook, an analyst with the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. “Ri Chun Hi is a clear example of such people as she’s strongly propagated his nuclear and missile tests and served as a sort of bugler for him.”
Kim toured Ri’s house with her and held her hand as they descended the stairs. Ri said she felt her new house is like a hotel and that all her family members “stayed up all night in tears of deep gratitude for the party’s benevolence,” according to KCNA.
Ri later used her trademark over-the-top speaking technique to narrate a state TV video of Kim showing her the house.
Ri joined state TV in the early 1970s when the country was still governed by Kim Il Sung, and she has gradually become the face and voice of the country’s propaganda-driven news broadcasts.
Her close ties to Kim were shown last year at a government foundation anniversary ceremony when she watched from an elevated veranda right next to Kim, and at one point put her hand on his shoulder and whispered to him. At another event, she was the first person to shake Kim’s hand before holding his arm and posing for a group photo.
Moon, the analyst, said Ri receives Cabinet member-level treatment at home, appears healthy and is expected to continue to handle key televised announcements for at least the next few years.
Ri’s passionate, effusive style has sometimes generated laughter in other countries. In 2011, a Taiwanese TV station apologized after one of its newsreaders mimicked the tone Ri used when she announced the death of Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il.
Since inheriting power upon his father’s death, Kim Jong Un, 38, has led North Korea with absolute authority. But he is facing one of the toughest moments of his rule after the coronavirus pandemic shocked an economy already in dire shape from mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions. Analysts say recent missile tests were meant to advance his weapons arsenal and pressure the U.S. into recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state and relaxing international sanctions. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/kim-gives-north-koreas-most-famous-newscaster-a-luxury-home/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:12 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/kim-gives-north-koreas-most-famous-newscaster-a-luxury-home/ |
A former police officer who discussed Russia’s invasion on the phone. A priest who preached to his congregation about the suffering of Ukrainians. A student who held up a banner with no words — just asterisks.
Hundreds of Russians are facing charges for speaking out against the war in Ukraine since a repressive law was passed last month that outlaws the spread of “false information” about the invasion and disparaging the military.
Human rights groups say the crackdown has led to criminal prosecutions and possible prison sentences for at least 23 people on the “false information” charge, with over 500 others facing misdemeanor charges of disparaging the military that have either led to hefty fines or are expected to result in them.
“This is a large amount, an unprecedentedly large amount” of cases, said Damir Gainutdinov, head of the Net Freedoms legal aid group focusing on free speech cases, in an interview with The Associated Press.
The Kremlin has sought to control the narrative of the war from the moment its troops rolled into Ukraine. It dubbed the attack a “special military operation” and increased the pressure on independent Russian media that called it a “war” or an “invasion,” blocking access to many news sites whose coverage deviated from the official line.
Sweeping arrests stifled antiwar protests, turning them from a daily event in large cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg into rare occurrences barely attracting any attention.
Still, reports of police detaining single picketers in different Russian cities come in almost daily.
Even seemingly benign actions have led to arrests.
A man was detained in Moscow after standing next to a World War II monument that says “Kyiv” for the city’s heroic stand against Nazi Germany and holding a copy of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” Another was reportedly detained for holding up a package of sliced ham from the meat producer Miratorg, with the second half of the name crossed off so it read: “Mir” — “peace” in Russian.
A law against spreading “fake news” about the war or disparaging the military was passed by parliament in one day and took force immediately, effectively exposing anyone critical of the conflict to fines and prison sentences.
The first publicly known criminal cases over “fakes” targeted public figures like Veronika Belotserkovskaya, a Russian-language cookbook author and popular blogger living abroad, and Alexander Nevzorov, a TV journalist, film director and former lawmaker.
Both were accused of posting “false information” about Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine on their widely followed social media pages -– something Moscow has vehemently denied, insisting that Russian forces only hit target military targets.
But then the scope of the crackdown expanded, with police seemingly grabbing anyone.
Former police officer Sergei Klokov was detained and put in pretrial detention after discussing the war with his friends on the phone. His wife told the Meduza news site that in casual conversation at home, Klokov, who was born in Irpin near Kyiv and whose father still lived in Ukraine when Russian troops rolled in, condemned the invasion.
Klokov was charged with spreading false information about the Russian armed forces and faces up to 10 years in prison.
St. Petersburg artist Sasha Skochilenko also faces up to 10 years in prison on the same charge: She replaced price tags in a grocery store with antiwar flyers. On Wednesday, a court ordered Skochilenko to pretrial detention for 1 1/2 months.
The Rev. Ioann Burdin, a Russian Orthodox priest in a village about 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) northeast of Moscow, was fined 35,000 rubles ($432) for “discrediting the Russian armed forces” after posting an antiwar statement on his church’s website and talking to a dozen congregants during a service about the pain he felt over people in Ukrain’e dying.
Burdin told AP his speech elicited mixed reactions. “One woman made a scene over the fact that I’m talking about (it) when she just came to pray, ” he said, adding that he believed it was one of those hearing the sermon who reported him to the police.
Marat Grachev, director of a shop that repairs Apple products in Moscow, similarly got in trouble when he displayed a link to an online petition titled, “No to war” on a screen in the shop. Many customers expressed support when they saw it, but one elderly man demanded it be taken down, threatening to report Grachev to the authorities.
Police soon showed up, and Grachev was charged with discrediting the military. A court ordered him to pay a fine of 100,000 rubles ($1,236).
Another court ruled against Moscow student Dmitry Reznikov for displaying a blank piece of paper with eight asterisks, which could have been interpreted as standing for “No to war” in Russian — a popular chant by protesters. The court found him guilty of discrediting the armed forces and fined him 50,000 rubles ($618) for holding the sign in central Moscow in a mid-March demonstration that lasted only seconds before police detained him.
“It’s the theater of the absurd,” his lawyer Oleg Filatchev told AP.
A St. Petersburg court last week fined Artur Dmitriev for a sign containing President Vladimir Putin’s quote – albeit with a few words omitted for brevity – from last year’s Victory Day parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
“The war brought about so many unbearable challenges, grief and tears, that it’s impossible to forget. There is no forgiveness and justification for those who once again are harboring aggressive plans,” Putin had said, according to the Kremlin website.
Dmitriev was fined 30,000 rubles for discrediting the Russian military. That prompted him to post Friday on Facebook: “The phrase by Vladimir Putin, and ergo he himself … are discrediting the goals of the Russian armed forces. From this moment on, (internet and media regulator) Roskomnadzor must block all speeches by Putin, and true patriots -– take down his portraits in their offices.”
Net Freedoms’ Gainutdinov said that anything about the military or Ukraine can make a person a target. Even wearing a hat with the blue and gold of the Ukrainian flag or a green ribbon, considered a symbol of peace, have been found to discredit the military, the lawyer added.
Reznikov, who is appealing his conviction for the poster with asterisks, said he found the crackdown scary. After his first misdemeanor conviction, a second strike would result in criminal prosecution and a possible prison term of up to three years.
Both Burdin and Grachev, who also are appealing, received donations that exceeded their fines.
“I realized how important it is, how valuable it is to receive support,” Grachev said.
Burdin said the publicity about his case spread his message far beyond the dozen or so people who initially heard his sermon — the opposite of what the authorities presumably intended by fining him.
“It’s impossible to call it anything other than the providence of God,” the priest added. “The words that I said reached a much larger number of people.”
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/kremlin-crackdown-silences-war-protests-from-benign-to-bold/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:19 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/kremlin-crackdown-silences-war-protests-from-benign-to-bold/ |
Russian authorities have accused Ukrainian forces of launching air strikes on the Russian region of Bryansk which borders with Ukraine, the latest in a series of allegations of cross-border attacks by Kyiv on Russian territory.
Russia’s Investigative Committee alleged that two Ukrainian military helicopters entered Russia’s air space on Thursday and, “moving at low altitude, acting deliberately, they carried out at least six air strikes on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo,” about 11 kilometers away from the Russian border.
It said at least six houses in the village were damaged and seven people, including a toddler, sustained injuries. The Investigative Committee has launched a probe into the attack.
Earlier on Thursday, Russia’s state security service, or the FSB, also accused Ukrainian forces of firing mortars at a border post in the Bryansk region on Wednesday.
The reports could not be independently verified. Earlier this month, Ukraine’s top security officials denied that Kyiv was behind an air strike on an oil depot in the Russian city of Belgorod, 35 miles from the border.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Russian warship badly damaged after Ukrainians claim strike
— Pressure on US to give Ukraine more intelligence on Russia
— UN says Ukraine war threatens to devastate many poor nations
— Ukraine’s detention of oligarch close to Putin angers Moscow
— Polish, Baltic presidents visit Ukraine in show of support
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukrainefor more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
PARIS — France is moving its embassy in Ukraine back to Kyiv from the western city of Lviv, after Russian troops pulled away from regions around the capital and have concentrated on embattled eastern Ukraine.
The French Foreign Ministry announced the move Thursday after Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba about French military and humanitarian support for Ukraine. A date for the move was not announced.
France had maintained its embassy in Kyiv at the outset of the war but moved its operations to Lviv in March. France sent a new convoy of fire trucks, ambulance and emergency equipment to Ukraine on Thursday and a team of French investigators arrived this week to gather evidence of war crimes.
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Russian news reports say a criminal case has been opened against a Siberian journalist whose news website had published content critical of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
Mikhail Afanasyev, the chief editor of Novy Fokus in the Russian region of Khakassia, was arrested by security forces Wednesday over the website’s reporting on 11 riot police who had allegedly refused deployment to Ukraine as part of Russia’s military action there.
Afanasyev was accused Thursday of disseminating “deliberately false information” about the Russian armed forces, an offense which carries a maximum 10-year jail sentence, according to a law passed in early March.
Another Siberia-based journalist was also arrested Wednesday on suspicion of breaching Russia’s new laws on the media coverage of the situation in Ukraine. Sergei Mikhailov, the founder of the LIStok weekly newspaper based in the Republic of Altay, was reportedly placed in pre-trial detention over the outlet’s alleged “calls for sanctions against Russia.”
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LONDON — Britain’s Foreign Office says it is freezing the assets worth up to 10 billion pounds ($13.1 billion) belonging to two Russian oligarchs described as long-standing business associates of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Officials said Thursday that Eugene Tenenbaum took control of Evrington Investments Ltd., an Abramovich-linked investment company, immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Tenenbaum, who is also a director of Chelsea Football Club, was hit with an asset freeze.
The other sanctioned Russian is David Davidovich, who was subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban.
The move came after the Channel Island of Jersey said this week it is freezing an estimated $7 billion of assets suspected to be connected to Abramovich, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Britain’s government said the measures “cut key revenue sources for Putin’s war machine” amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron declined to use the term “genocide” to describe Russia’s Ukraine war, arguing against an “escalation of words.”
Asked about the use of the term by U.S. President Joe Biden, Macron said “the word genocide must be spelled out by jurists, not by politicians.”
Speaking on French radio France Bleu, Macron said he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday and will speak again with him later that day. He said he will do “everything to end this war and stay by the Ukrainians’ side.”
Macron previously denounced “war crimes” in Ukraine and France sent magistrates and police officers to help the International Criminal Court, which opened an investigation.
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GENEVA — The international Red Cross says it’s rolling out its largest-ever cash assistance program to help more than 2 million people in Ukraine or who have fled abroad cope with the fallout from Russia’s invasion.
Nicole Robicheau, spokeswoman of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said Thursday the organization plans to distribute “well over 100 million” Swiss francs — about $106 million –- to people affected by Russia’s seven-week-old war in Ukraine.
Humanitarian groups like the IFRC have recently touted the effectiveness of cash assistance programs for people in places hit by events like natural disasters, drought, famine and conflict, as a way to “allow people to decide what they need” and “put money back into the local economy,” Robicheau said by phone.
The program aims to help some 360,000 people inside Ukraine and many more in countries of refuge.
IFRC says it and national Red Cross organizations have already helped over 1 million people with items like blankets, food, mats and kitchen equipment.
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MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Western countries’ attempts to phase out Russian gas imports will have a negative impact on their economies.
Speaking Thursday, Putin said European attempts to find alternatives to Russian gas shipments will be “quite painful for the initiators of such policies.”
He argued that “there is simply no reasonable replacement for it in Europe now.”
Putin noted that “supplies from other countries that could be sent to Europe, primarily from the United States, would cost consumers many times more.” He added it would “affect people’s standard of living and the competitiveness of the European economy.”
The European Union is dependent on Russia for 40% of its natural gas and 25% of its oil.
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PARIS — France’s government says it has frozen 33 properties on the French Riviera, Paris and elsewhere that belong to Russian oligarchs targeted for sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
The Finance Ministry this week published an updated list of Russian-owned properties that have been frozen in France, including a luxury chateau overlooking the Mediterranean on the Cap d’Antibes that reportedly belonged to sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Together, the 33 properties are estimated to be worth more than half a billion euros. Unlike property that is seized or confiscated, frozen properties still belong to their owners and they can continue living in them. But they cannot be sold or rented out.
The total value of Russian assets frozen or seized in France is now approaching 24 billion euros, with the bulk of that being nearly 23 billion euros in frozen financial assets for the Russian central bank. Aside from financial assets and properties, French authorities have also frozen or seized three yachts and four transport ships, and frozen six helicopters and three artworks.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Russia’s Defense Ministry says the fire at the Moskva cruiser, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has been contained. It says the vessel remains afloat and will be towed to the port.
The ministry said in a statement Thursday that there is no open fire at the ship anymore and explosions of the ammunitions have ceased. “The main missile weapons were not damaged,” the statement read.
Ukrainian officials claimed however that the ship has sunk, saying it’s a “resounding slap in the face” to Moscow’s forces. The conflicting accounts couldn’t be immediately reconciled.
Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to Ukrainian president’s office, said in a Facebook post that 510 crew were onboard the Moskva cruiser as it sank in the Black Sea, following serious damage from a Ukrainian missile strike.
Military analyst Oleg Zhdanov said the damaging of the Moskva significantly raises the morale of Ukrainian forces on the eve of a new wave of Russian offensive in the Donbas.
In the early hours of Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said the ship sustained “serious damage” after its ammunition detonated “as the result of a fire.” The ministry did not ascribe the fire to a missile strike.
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LONDON — Ireland’s foreign minister is in Kyiv, the latest in a string of senior European politicians to make the trip to show support for Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion.
The Irish government says Simon Coveney, who is also defense minister, is meeting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
Ireland has sent Ukraine 20 million euros ($22 million) in humanitarian aid and 33 million euros ($36 million) in non-lethal military assistance.
It is also a strong backer of Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union, and the government said Coveney would discuss how Ireland can “assist Ukraine in its application for EU candidate status.”
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BERLIN — German authorities say they have seized a massive superyacht in Hamburg after determining that it belongs to the sister of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
The Federal Criminal Police Office said Wednesday that, after “extensive investigations” and despite “offshore concealment,” it had been able to determine that the owner is Gulbakhor Ismailova, Usmanov’s sister.
Superyacht Dilbar was launched in 2016 at a reported cost of more than $648 million.
The German police office said German authorities worked in Brussels to ensure that European Union sanctions applied to the owner. It says the yacht can no longer be sold, rented, or loaded.
The United States and EU last month announced economic sanctions against Usmanov, a metals magnate, over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.
A German official said in early March that the superyacht was registered to a holding company in Malta, but subsequent investigation by the Federal Criminal Police Office revealed the vessel is owned by a series of companies based in the Cayman Islands, Cyprus and Switzerland leading to Usmanov’s sister as the beneficial owner.
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PRAGUE — Three Czech lawmakers from Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, are visiting Kyiv together with their counterparts from Poland. Led by speaker Milos Vystrcil, they were invited by Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Ukraine’s unicameral parliament Verkhovna Rada.
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UNITED NATIONS — A U.N. task force is warning in a new report that Russia’s war against Ukraine threatens to devastate the economies of many developing countries that are now facing even higher food and energy costs and increasingly difficult financial conditions.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the report Wednesday stressing that the war is “supercharging” a crisis in food, energy and finance in poorer countries that were already struggling to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and a lack of access to adequate funding for their economic recovery.
Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the U.N. agency promoting trade and development who coordinated the task force, said 107 countries have “severe exposure” to at least one dimension of the food, energy and finance crisis and 69 countries are severely exposed to all three and face “very difficult financial conditions with no fiscal space, and with no external financing to cushion the blow.”
The report urges countries to ensure a steady flow of food and energy through open markets, and it calls on international financial institutions to do everything possible to ensure more liquidity immediately.
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ODESA, Ukraine — In the Odesa region of Ukraine, Gov. Maksym Marchenko says forces have struck the Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva with two missiles and caused “serious damage.”
Moskva is the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the ship was damaged Wednesday, but not that it was hit by Ukraine.
The Ministry says ammunition on board detonated as a result of a fire whose causes “were being established,” and the Moskva’s entire crew was evacuated. The cruiser typically has about 500 on board.
Odesa is Ukraine’s biggest port.
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he’s “sincerely thankful” to the U.S. for the new round of $800 million in military assistance.
In his daily late-night address to the nation, Zelenskyy also said he was thankful for Wednesday’s visit by the presidents of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
He said those leaders “have helped us from the first day, those who did not hesitate to give us weapons, those who did not doubt whether to impose sanctions.”
In his telephone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden, Zelenskyy said they discussed the new weapons shipment, even tougher sanctions against Russia and efforts to bring to justice those Russian soldiers who committed war crimes in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also said work was continuing to clear tens of thousands of unexploded shells, mines and tripwires that were left behind in northern Ukraine by the retreating Russians.
He urged people returning to their homes in those towns to be wary of any unfamiliar object and report it to the police. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/live-updates-russia-ukraine-war-3/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:26 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/live-updates-russia-ukraine-war-3/ |
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis washed the feet of a dozen inmates at a prison near Rome in a Holy Thursday ritual that symbolizes humility and service and highlights his papacy’s attention to those on society’s margins.
He arrived in a motorcade that included Italian police cars at the prison in Civitavecchia, a port city, 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Rome. The ritual was closed to the public for security reasons and to protect the privacy of the inmates.
But afterwards, the Vatican said the pope performed the foot-washing, following Jesus’ example, “in a sign of love inspired by love” aimed at service and humility. The 12 inmates included men and women of various ages and of different nationalities, it said.
In the prison chapel, the pope celebrated a Mass attended by inmates, some prison staff and Italy’s justice minister, the Vatican said in a statement.
The Vatican did not say what accommodations might have been made to enable the pope, who has been hobbled of late by a knee-ligament problem, to perform the foot-washing ceremony. For years, Francis has also suffered from sciatica, a nerve inflammation that can cause back and leg pain.
Earlier, during a Holy Thursday Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Francis advised the 1,800 priests in attendance not to focus on worldly concerns such as power or status but exhorted them to “serve, with a clear conscience, the holy and faithful people of God.”
Francis made no reference to decades of scandals involving Catholic priests who sexually abused children and were often transferred from parish to parish by bishops who tried to avoid embarrassment rather than protect minors.
During the Holy Thursday Mass, large urns of oil are blessed for use in ceremonies in churches in the Rome area. When Francis went to bless the oil by breathing into it, an aide helped him rise from his chair and walk toward the silver urn. At the end of the ceremony, Francis descended the steps down from the altar clinging to an aide’s arm, and even while assisted limped his way out of the basilica.
Holy Week, which draws hundreds of thousands of faithful to the Vatican, began with Palm Sunday Mass on April 10 in St. Peter’s Square and culminates this Sunday at Easter, when the faithful mark the resurrection of Jesus.
This year, the Good Friday torch-lit Way of the Cross procession in Rome returns to its traditional venue at the ancient Colosseum after a two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Vatican has invited a Russian woman and a Ukrainian woman, who work together at a Rome hospital, to carry a cross together during the procession. That has angered some Ukrainians, including the country’s ambassador to the Holy See and the archbishop of Kyiv. Their objections center on whether such a gesture, implying reconciliation, is suitable, given Russia’s invasion of its neighbor and its ongoing war against the country’s people.
The Vatican is still going ahead with the procession’s lineup of participants, who take turns carrying a lightweight cross during the procession, which is presided over by the pontiff and recalls Jesus’ death by crucifixion. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/pope-marks-holy-thursday-ahead-of-prison-feet-washing-ritual/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:33 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/pope-marks-holy-thursday-ahead-of-prison-feet-washing-ritual/ |
$80 million ‘Field of Dreams’ movie site expansion unveiled
DYERSVILLE, Iowa (KCRG/Gray News) - The “Field of Dreams” movie site will soon feature more baseball fields, team dormitories, a hotel and an outdoor concert amphitheater.
The new owners of the “Field of Dreams” movie site, Go the Distance Baseball, LLC, unveiled their master plan to expand the site after buying it in September.
The $80 million expansion will add nearly 100 acres to the original 190-acre site. That additional land will provide space for nine new baseball fields, dormitories for youth teams, and a hotel to be completed in phases by the end of 2023.
Other additions include a 100,000-square-foot field house, an outdoor concert amphitheater, an RV park, jogging trails and a large park inclusive for children and adults with disabilities. These additions will be completed in phases through 2025.
In a news release, Go the Distance Baseball said the plan will create a youth baseball and softball oasis while maintaining the property as a working farm.
“I am grateful for all that the game of baseball gave me throughout my career, and now I am proud and excited to lead a team that is building opportunities for players, fans and families to enjoy our national pastime and for teams to train and compete,” said Frank Thomas, CEO of Go the Distance Baseball and a first-ballot member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Go the Distance Baseball also said the development will create about 170 new full-time equivalent jobs.
Copyright 2022 KCRG via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/80-million-field-dreams-movie-site-expansion-unveiled/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:32 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/80-million-field-dreams-movie-site-expansion-unveiled/ |
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A delegation of six U.S. lawmakers led by Republican Lindsey Graham from South Carolina arrived in Taiwan on Thursday for a two-day visit that has already been denounced by China.
The U.S. lawmakers are to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the island’s defense minister. The visit is “again a demonstration of the U.S.’s ‘rock solid’ support and commitment to Taiwan” amid a “severe” situation in Ukraine, the island’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Graham is joined by Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Sen. Robert Portman of Ohio, Sen. Benjamin Sasse of Nebraska, and Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas.
The visit follows an announcement last week that U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi would visit Taiwan. However, Pelosi’s trip was postponed after she tested positive for COVID-19.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian denounced the visit on Thursday, saying “China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan.”
Taiwan is a self-ruled island claimed by China as part of its territory. China’s People’s Liberation Army sends fighter jets flying toward the island on a near-daily basis.
“Relevant U.S. lawmakers should abide by the one-China policy upheld by the U.S. government. The U.S. should … stop official contacts with Taiwan, and avoid going further down the dangerous path,” Zhao said at a daily briefing.
“We will continue to take strong measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zhao said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/senior-us-lawmakers-arrive-in-taiwan-for-visit/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:40 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/senior-us-lawmakers-arrive-in-taiwan-for-visit/ |
COVID relief is stalled in the Senate with lawmakers on a two-week recess
The Senate is debating a $10 billion package that would provide funding to handle another potential surge in COVID-19 cases as the BA.2 subvariant causes cases to rise.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The omicron BA.2 subvariant is causing a rise in COVID-19 cases in certain areas of the country. The uptick has lawmakers on Capitol Hill working on another relief funding package.
The Senate is debating a $10 billion package that would provide funding to help handle another possible nationwide surge in COVID cases. Reps. Susie Lee (D-NV) and Dina Titus (D-NV) argue the bill needs to pass immediately. The package stalled before lawmakers left for a two week recess a week ago.
As parts of the northeast are seeing a surge in cases, lawmakers moved toward passing the bill that would bolster funding for things like therapeutics, testing, and vaccines. The stalemate occurred when Republicans tried to add in language in the bill that would prevent the Biden administration from ending a restrictive immigration policy enacted under President Donald Trump for national health reasons.
In response to the Biden administration’s decision to end the public health order under Title 42, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said, “This White House is using the pandemic as a pretext to shamelessly pick and choose liberal policies to advance. The effects will be functionally open borders while a state of emergency continues for Americans. Completely unacceptable.”
Lee and Titus said the funding package needs to pass before another nationwide crisis.
“The problem with government is too often it’s reactive as opposed to proactive. So we often wait until something becomes a disaster before we get involved in trying to fix it,” said Titus.
“Make these types of what I call a smart investment in preparedness ahead of the curve. I think it’s incredibly important,” said Lee.
Lawmakers will not return to Capitol Hill until the week of April 25, which means picking back up debate on the package is still more than 10 days away, and passing a final bill is even further off.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/covid-relief-is-stalled-senate-with-lawmakers-two-week-recess/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:41 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/covid-relief-is-stalled-senate-with-lawmakers-two-week-recess/ |
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia on Thursday inaugurated 290 new lawmakers, bringing the country a step closer to completing a prolonged electoral process marred by alleged corruption and irregularities.
The swearing-in ceremony was held in the capital’s heavily fortified Halane military camp, protected by sandbagged fences and high concrete walls. Somali police and African Union troops were deployed to the surrounding areas, putting Mogadishu under lockdown.
Dozens more legislators are yet to be selected and sworn in.
Later the lawmakers will elect speakers and deputies for both parliamentary chambers before they sit to choose a new president.
“We are observing a new set of parliamentarians taking over from others. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate parliamentarians who have been sworn in today. This is a huge responsibility assigned on you by your constituents, and it is a vote of confidence,” said Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.
Hussein Sheikh Ali of the Mogadishu-based research group Hiraal Institute said the inauguration of lawmakers “marks a great relief day for all Somalis and (the) international community who invested in Somalia to move forward.”
Somalia’s parliamentary and presidential polls were delayed for more than a year amid political turmoil after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s mandate expired in Feb. 2021 without a successor in place.
The delay raised political tensions and the threat of violence in a country prone to attacks by Islamic extremists who oppose the federal government.
Al-Shabaab claimed to have thrown mortar shells targeting the area where the lawmakers were being sworn in on Thursday. Authorities didn’t say if anyone was hurt. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/somalia-swears-in-lawmakers-in-step-to-choosing-new-leader/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:47 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/somalia-swears-in-lawmakers-in-step-to-choosing-new-leader/ |
Migrants bused from Texas arrive in Washington, DC
Published: Apr. 14, 2022 at 1:55 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
(CNN) - The first round of migrants bused from Texas to Washington, D.C. arrived at Union Station on Wednesday, with a second arriving early Thursday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott started this voluntary transfer of immigrants as a way to blast the Biden administration’s border policies.
Abbott, a Republican, issued a statement saying his state shouldn’t have to “bear the burden of the Biden administration’s failure to secure our border.”
Officials from Catholic Charities D.C. were on hand to meet the migrants and offered assistance, including food and medical care.
So far, there’s been no comment from either the Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/migrants-bused-texas-arrive-washington-dc/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:51 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/migrants-bused-texas-arrive-washington-dc/ |
BERLIN (AP) — A man who allegedly launched a grenade into a crowd of civilians waiting for food in Damascus in 2014, killing at least seven people, has been charged in Germany with war crimes and murder, prosecutors said Thursday.
The stateless man, identified only as Moafak D. in line with German privacy rules, was a member of the Free Palestine Movement, one of the groups that at the time controlled the Yarmouk district of the Syrian capital on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
They said that, on March 23, 2014, the suspect launched a grenade from an anti-tank weapon into a crowd in the district’s Rejeh Square who were waiting for food aid from UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. At least seven people were killed and three wounded, including a 6-year-old child.
The Yarmouk district, which grew out of a Palestinian refugee camp, was cordoned off by the Syrian government from July 2013 to April 2015, causing shortages of food, water and medical supplies.
The suspect was arrested in Berlin on Aug. 4. Prosecutors didn’t say how or when he came to Germany. He has been charged at a regional court in the German capital with war crimes, seven counts of murder, three of attempted murder and three of bodily harm.
Germany’s application of the rule of “universal jurisdiction,” allowing the prosecution of serious crimes committed abroad, led in January to the first conviction of a senior Syrian official for crimes against humanity.
The Berlin court will now have to decide whether to bring Moafak D.’s case to trial. | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/suspect-in-syria-killings-faces-german-war-crimes-charges/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:54 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/suspect-in-syria-killings-faces-german-war-crimes-charges/ |
By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban into law Thursday as the state joined a growing conservative push to restrict access to the procedure ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could roll back abortion rights in America.
“This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill at an evangelical church in the city of Kissimmee.
Republicans nationwide have moved to place new restrictions on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court signaled it would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. The high court’s decision, expected this summer, could potentially weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.
The law DeSantis signed Thursday deals a significant blow to overall abortion access in the South, where Florida has provided wider access to the procedure than its regional neighbors.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking, despite several Democratic attempts to amend the bill. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks.
Debate over the proposal grew deeply personal and revealing inside the legislature, as lawmakers recalled their own abortions and experiences with sexual assault in often tearful speeches on the House and Senate floors. Republicans have repeatedly called the 15-week ban reasonable, citing state statistics that show only 6% of Florida’s abortions last year occurred after the first trimester, or after the 11th week.
Democrats were quick to criticize the new law after the signing.
“Politicians have no business getting between a patient and her doctor,” said House Democratic Leader Evan Jenne. “This 15-week abortion ban takes away every woman’s right to make personal decisions that should only be made by themselves, with their family, their doctor, and their faith.”
The legislation came a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority indicated it would uphold Mississippi’s 15-week ban. There also has been substantial support among the conservative justices for getting rid of Roe altogether.
If Roe is overturned, 26 states are certain or likely to quickly ban or severely restrict abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights. During the debate over the Florida legislation, as well as at the bill’s signing ceremony, Republicans said they want the state to be well placed to limit access to abortions if the Supreme Court upholds Mississippi’s law.
“The reality of the Roe decision is that men on the Supreme Court proclaimed that women, in order to achieve equality with men, must be able to kill their own children,” said Republican Rep. Erin Grall, the bill’s sponsor. “As a woman, I refuse to accept such a perverse version of equality.”
Elsewhere in the U.S., Republican lawmakers have introduced new abortion restrictions, some similar to a Texas law that bans abortion after roughly six weeks and leaves enforcement up to private citizens.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed a bill to make it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to a decade in prison. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in March signed legislation to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court leaves Mississippi’s law in place. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/abortion-ban-after-15-weeks-signed-into-law-in-florida/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:59 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/abortion-ban-after-15-weeks-signed-into-law-in-florida/ |
Puppy rescued by fire department fostered by firefighter and pit bull advocate
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KOVR) – A puppy in California is ready to play after a pretty rough day.
Sacramento fire crews rescued the little guy, covered in burned plastic and with his fur singed, during a debris fire Tuesday.
The captain on the scene knew the puppy needed a good friend, so he called Mike Thawley at Station 19.
“He said ‘Do you want him?’ and I said ‘Yes,’” Thawley said.
Thawley is fostering the pup while Front Street Animal Shelter finds him a forever home. The puppy is already making himself comfortable.
“He perked up pretty good when we gave him water, a bath, some food, started picking off some of the plastic and then yesterday personality started coming out, tail wagging, following us around chewing,” Thawley said.
This isn’t the first time Thawley has fostered a dog the fire crews had rescued. Five years ago, he took in Chunk, an abandoned pit bull found chained to a fence.
Thawley is an advocate for pit bulls. He said knew right away the dog was home. And that’s where she’s been ever since. He had documented her journey on social media.
“We had well over 30 million people following Chunk,” Thawley said. “Donations into Front Street, donations to the bully rescues, Chunk had a two-page article in Women’s World magazine and an award from PETA.”
Thawley said its a doggone shame someone would leave a puppy in such bad conditions. But he said he hopes the rescue tells a tale of how people can help other rescue and shelter animals.
Copyright 2022 KOVR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/puppy-rescued-by-fire-department-fostered-by-firefighter-pit-bull-advocate/ | 2022-04-14T18:56:58 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/puppy-rescued-by-fire-department-fostered-by-firefighter-pit-bull-advocate/ |
LONDON (AP) — Britain announced a deal with Rwanda on Thursday to send some asylum-seekers thousands of miles to the East African country — a plan it said would stop people-smugglers sending desperate migrants on treacherous journeys across the English Channel.
U.K. opposition politicians and refugee groups condemned the move as inhumane, unworkable and a waste of public money, and the United Nations said it raised “a number of human rights concerns.”
The plan would see some people who arrive in Britain as stowaways on trucks or in small boats picked up by the U.K. government and flown 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) to Rwanda, apparently for good.
Critics accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of using the issue to distract attention from a scandal over government gatherings that breached pandemic lockdown rules. Johnson is resisting calls to resign after being fined by police this week over the parties.
Migrants have long used northern France as a launching point to reach Britain, either by hiding on trucks or ferries, or — increasingly since the coronavirus pandemic shut down other routes in 2020 — in small boats organized by smugglers. More than 28,000 people entered the U.K. in boats last year, up from 8,500 in 2020. Dozens have died, including 27 people in November when a single boat capsized.
On Thursday, dozens of men, women and children were picked up by British lifeboats and brought ashore at the Channel port of Dover as Johnson, speaking just a few miles away, outlined the plan.
“Anyone entering the U.K. illegally … may now be relocated to Rwanda,” Johnson said in a speech to troops and coast guard members at an airport near Dover. Action, he said, was needed to stop “vile people smugglers (who) are abusing the vulnerable and turning the Channel into a watery graveyard.”
The Rwandan government said the agreement would initially last for five years, and Britain had paid 120 million pounds ($158 million) up front to pay for housing and integrating the migrants.
Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Vincent Biruta said the agreement “is about ensuring that people are protected, respected, and empowered to further their own ambitions and settle permanently in Rwanda if they choose.”
He said his country is already home to more than 130,000 refugees from countries including Burundi, Congo, Libya and Pakistan.
Johnson denied the plan was “lacking in compassion” but acknowledged it would inevitably face legal challenges and would not take effect immediately.
Rwanda is the most densely populated nation in Africa, and competition for land and resources there fueled decades of ethnic and political tensions that culminated in the 1994 genocide in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis, and Hutus who tried to protect them, were killed.
Johnson insisted that Rwanda had “totally transformed” in the last two decades. But human rights groups have repeatedly criticized President Paul Kagame’s current government as repressive.
Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said the claim Rwanda was a safe country “is not grounded in reality.”
“Arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and torture in official and unofficial detention facilities is commonplace, and fair trial standards are flouted in many cases,” Mudge said.
Britain says relocation decisions will not be based on migrants’ country of origin but on whether they used “illegal or dangerous routes” to reach the U.K. from a safe country such as France. Not all such arrivals will be considered suitable to be sent to Rwanda; it was unclear what the criteria for making the decisions would be, though the British government said children would not be sent to the African country.
The United Nations’ human rights office said it had raised its “concerns directly with the U.K. authorities.”
A spokeswoman for the office said the U.K. was “shifting … its responsibilities and obligations under international human rights and refugee law onto a country which is already taking great asylum responsibilities.”
Previous policies of sending refugee applicants abroad have been highly controversial.
In 2013, Australia began sending asylum-seekers attempting to reach the country by boat to Papua New Guinea and the tiny atoll of Nauru, vowing that none would be allowed to settle in Australia. The policy all but ended the people-smuggling ocean route from Southeast Asia, but was widely criticized as a cruel abrogation of Australia’s international obligations.
Israel sent several thousand people to Rwanda and Uganda under a contentious and secretive “voluntary” scheme between 2014 and 2017. Few are believed to have remained there, with many trying to reach Europe.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, refugee director at Amnesty International U.K., said the British government’s “shockingly ill-conceived idea will go far further in inflicting suffering while wasting huge amounts of public money.”
The chief executive of the U.K.-based Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, called it “dangerous, cruel and inhumane.”
Rwandan opposition figure Victoire Ingabire told the AP that her government’s decision to take in migrants was questionable, given that the country is also a source of refugees.
The British and French governments have worked for years to stop the cross-Channel journeys, without much success, often swapping accusations about who is to blame for the failure.
Britain’s Conservative government has floated myriad proposals, not all of them workable, including building a wave machine in the Channel to drive boats back. Johnson said Thursday that the Royal Navy would take charge of responding to small-boat crossings, but that the idea of pushing vessels back towards France had been rejected as too dangerous.
Several earlier proposed locations for the U.K. to send migrants — including the remote Ascension Island, Albania and Gibraltar — were rejected, at times angrily, by the nations in question.
The Rwanda plan faces hurdles both in Britain’s Parliament and in the courts. Johnson’s Conservative government has introduced a tough new immigration bill that would make it more difficult for people who enter the country by unauthorized routes to claim asylum and would allow asylum-seekers to be screened abroad. It has not yet been approved by Parliament, with the House of Lords seeking to dilute some of its most draconian provisions.
Labour Party lawmaker Lucy Powell said the Rwanda plan might please some Conservative supporters and grab headlines, but was “unworkable, expensive and unethical.”
“I think this is less about dealing with small boats and more about dealing with the prime minister’s own sinking boat,” Powell told the BBC.
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Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda, and Andrew Meldrum in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed to this story.
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Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/uk-plan-to-send-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda-draws-criticism/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:01 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/uk-plan-to-send-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda-draws-criticism/ |
By TOM HAYS
NEW YORK (AP) — The man charged with opening fire on subway riders on train in Brooklyn was ordered held without bail Thursday at his first court appearance, where prosecutors told a judge he terrified all of New York City.
Brought into a Brooklyn federal court without handcuffs, a subdued Frank James, 62, softly answered standard questions about whether he understood the charges and the purpose of the brief hearing. His lawyer later asked the public not to prejudge him.
James was arrested in Manhattan after calling a police tip line to say where he was Wednesday, a day after the nightmarish rush-hour attack left 10 people with gunshot wounds and countless others fearing for their safety on the nation’s busiest subway system.
Authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets, in a train full of morning commuters. He’s charged with a federal terrorism offense that applies to attacks on mass transit systems — authorities say there’s currently no evidence linking him to terror organizations and are still trying to derive a motive.
“The defendant terrifyingly opened fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way the city hasn’t seen in more than 20 years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara K. Winik said. “The defendant’s attack was premeditated, was carefully planned and it caused terror among the victims and our entire city.”
The 10 gunshot victims, who range in age from 16 to 60, are all expected to survive.
Outside the courtroom, defense attorney Mia Eisner-Grynberg cautioned against “a rush to judgment.”
“Initial reports in a case like this are often inaccurate,” she said. She noted that James alerted police to his whereabouts, 30 hours into a manhunt that included cellphone alerts to the general public.
Once he knew he was wanted, “he called Crime Stoppers to help,” Eisner-Grynberg said.
She had agreed to his being held without bail, at least for now. His attorneys could seek bail later on.
At the request of James’ lawyers, Magistrate Roanne Mann said she would ask for James to get “psychiatric attention,” as well as magnesium tablets for leg cramps, at the federal lockup in Brooklyn where he’s being held.
Authorities say a trove of evidence connects James to the attack. His bank card, his cellphone and a key to a van he had rented were found at the shooting scene. Officers also found the handgun they said was used in the shooting; tracing records show James purchased the gun from a licensed gun dealer in Ohio in 2011.
In court papers, prosecutors called the shooting calculated, saying that James wore a hard hat and construction worker-style jacket as a disguise and then shed them after the gunfire to avoid recognition. Prosecutors suggested James had the means to carry out more more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other gun-related items in a Philadelphia storage unit.
The New York City native had been living in Milwaukee and Philadelphia recently.
Investigators were examining many hours of videos that James posted on social media, as recently as Monday, in which he delivered profanity-laced diatribes about racism, society’s treatment of Black people, homelessness and violence. He also discussed his history of psychiatric treatment and complained about how New York’s mayor is dealing with homeless people on subways and with gun violence.
He also talked about shooting people, prosecutors noted in court papers.
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Associated Press journalists Jim Mustian, Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz contributed. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/brooklyn-subway-attack-suspect-ordered-held-without-bail/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:05 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/brooklyn-subway-attack-suspect-ordered-held-without-bail/ |
Soaring Eagle launches online casino and sports betting platform
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. (WNEM) - Soaring Eagle Gaming is rolling out its online casino and sports betting platform, Eagle Casino & Sports.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board authorized Soaring Eagle Gaming, the Saginaw Chippewa tribe’s gaming arm, as the state’s 15th internet gaming and sports betting operator on Thursday, April 14.
Operating as Eagle Casino and Sports, Soaring Eagle Gaming has partnered with platform provider GAN. Casino and sports fans who are 21 and older can access the platform by visiting Eagle Casino & Sports’ website.
“Michigan now has a full complement of 15 internet gaming and sports betting providers with the authorization of Eagle Casino and Sports,” said Henry Williams, Executive Director, Michigan Gaming Control Board. “All of Michigan’s federally recognized tribes are offering internet gaming and sports betting. I congratulate the Saginaw Chippewa tribe as they expand their gaming offerings.”
Players must be inside the state’s regulatory boundaries to make real money wagers. Michigan launched internet gaming and sports betting with 10 operators on Jan. 22, 2021. By law, licenses are limited to the commercial and tribal casinos in Michigan.
Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/soaring-eagle-launches-online-casino-sports-betting-platform/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:07 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/soaring-eagle-launches-online-casino-sports-betting-platform/ |
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Africa have dropped to their lowest levels since the pandemic began, marking the longest decline yet seen in the disease, according to the World Health Organization.
In a statement on Thursday, the U.N. health agency said COVID-19 infections due to the omicron surge had “tanked” from a peak of more than 308,000 weekly cases to fewer than 20,000 last week. Cases and deaths fell by 29% and 37% respectively in the last week; deaths decreased to 239 from the previous week.
“This low level of infection has not been seen since April 2020 in the early stages of the pandemic in Africa,” WHO said, noting that no country in the region is currently seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases.
The agency warned, however, that with winter approaching for Southern Hemisphere countries, “there is a high risk of another wave of new infections.” The coronavirus spreads more easily in cooler temperatures when people are more likely to gather in larger numbers indoors.
“With the virus still circulating, the risk of new and potentially more deadly variants emerging remains, and the pandemic control measures are pivotal to effective response to a surge in infections,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Africa director.
The decline in Africa is consistent with falling COVID-19 numbers globally, although in China officials fear the country still doesn’t have its latest surge in omicron-involved cases under control despite a “zero-tolerance” approach that has triggered a three-week lockdown in Shanghai,where at least 15 million people are still barred from going outside.
The measures have led to frustration among Shanghai residents about running out of food and medicines. This week, government authorities also closed off access to Guangzhou, an industrial center of 19 million people near Hong Kong and other cities are cutting their outside links or closing factories and schools.
Meanwhile, scientists in the U.S. warn the country may be about to see a wave of cases fueled by the omicron subvariant BA.2, which has already peaked across Europe. The country expects to soon mark the deaths of at least 1 million Americans killed by COVID.
Earlier this week, WHO said scientists in Botswana and South Africa have detected new forms of the omicron variant, labeled as BA.4 and BA.5, but aren’t sure yet if they might be more transmissible or dangerous.
To date, the new versions of omicron have been detected in four people in Botswana and 23 people in South Africa. Beyond Africa, scientists have confirmed cases in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. WHO said there was so far no evidence the new sub-variants spread any differently than the original omicron variant.
Despite repeated warnings from WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus that the coronavirus would devastate Africa, the continent has been among the least affected by the pandemic.
In an analysis released last week, WHO estimated that up to 65% of people in Africa have been infected with the coronavirus and said unlike many other regions, most people infected on the continent didn’t show any symptoms.
Scientists at WHO and elsewhere have speculated that factors including Africa’s young population, the lower incidence of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes and warmer weather, may have helped it avoid a bigger wave of disease. Still, some countries have seen significant increases in the numbers of unexplained deaths, suggesting authorities were missing numerous COVID-19 cases.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/who-covid-cases-deaths-in-africa-drop-to-lowest-levels-yet/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:08 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/international/ap-international/who-covid-cases-deaths-in-africa-drop-to-lowest-levels-yet/ |
Eloy Jiménez said Thursday he was feeling better after exiting Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Chicago White Sox left fielder fouled a pitch off his left ankle during a third-inning at-bat but remained in the game until Leury García hit for him in the fifth.
“Last night I couldn’t even walk good,” Jiménez said Thursday morning. “It hurt a little bit. But (with) all the treatment … this morning I feel fine.
“When I woke up this morning and I saw I was able to walk, I was happy about it.”
Jiménez is day to day with a bruised left ankle. He was not in the starting lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners but said he’d be available to pinch hit.
“It’s bruised, sore, but you don’t want to run on it because you might do something,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “So hopefully he’s OK for (Friday).”
Jiménez said being out of the lineup was “just for precaution. But after that, it’s all good.”
La Russa left open the possibility of having Jiménez as the designated hitter when the Sox begin a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“That might be a way to do it,” La Russa said. “Here, again, he’s got to run as a DH, so I’m not going to push it.”
Jiménez noticed the difference a few hours — and treatment — could make.
“I think that helped me a lot because (Wednesday), when I was in the outfield I felt it really bad,” he said. “But after the treatment I feel better and this morning when I woke up, I feel better. When I did treatment again, I felt better.”
Jiménez wasn’t the only starter to leave Wednesday’s game early. Second baseman Josh Harrison, who made a number of good plays, left before the eighth inning with lower back stiffness.
“He’s got some soreness,” La Russa said. “Try to stay away from using him (Thursday), play him when it clears up. Should play some time this weekend.”
Jiménez and Harrison factored in the team’s four-run fourth in Wednesday’s 6-4 victory. Jiménez led off the inning with a 449-foot home run to left, his first of the season. Harrison scored on a two-run double by shortstop Tim Anderson.
Harrison has three runs in the first five games, while Jiménez entered Thursday leading the Sox with seven RBIs.
“Just put the ball in play,” Jiménez said of what’s working at the plate. “When I see men on base I feel good but I’m focused more on my at-bat. If I do good at the plate I know I can bring them in.”
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/eloy-jimnez-ankle-and-josh-harrison-back-eye-quick-returns-to-the-chicago-white-sox-lineup/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:11 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/eloy-jimnez-ankle-and-josh-harrison-back-eye-quick-returns-to-the-chicago-white-sox-lineup/ |
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A family of eagles was left without a nest on Tuesday. There wasn’t much left of it after it fell to the ground. The bird you see in the nest is the only one that stayed. A second bird safely made it to the ground – and it’s being cared for at the raptor center in Decatur. The third eagle broke both wings after falling and is being treated at U of I’s animal clinic. The raptor center built a new nest for the birds. They said they build nests all the time, but they’ve never made one for a bald eagle.
Raptor Center Program Director Jacques Nuzzo said, “We’ve done it with gray horned owls we’ve done it with barred owls and red tail hawks. This would be the first time we’ve done it with an eagle. I know other people have done it and it works so we had to build a temporary nest, but there are no plans for temporary bald eagle nests so we had to invent it as we went along.”
The nest they made is 6-feet in diameter which is about the size of a starter nest for a bald eagle. Nuzzo said the nest that fell was probably close to 8-feet long. The new nest will go up on Thursday. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/5-year-old-bald-eagle-nest-destroyed/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:15 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/5-year-old-bald-eagle-nest-destroyed/ |
Alibaba, a company co-founded by Joe Tsai — an adamant advocate of China’s communist regime and the owner of the Nets and Liberty — financially supported the Chinese government’s human rights violations and “cultural genocide” of its Muslim population, according to a report from ESPN.
Tsai’s Alibaba (effectively Amazon in Asia) funded technology used by China to track its citizens, which was “used widely” in the region where over one million Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities were forced into barbed-wire camps for “re-education,” the report said.
Alibaba, where Tsai served as executive vice chairman, invested heavily in two government-backed artificial intelligence companies — Megvii and SenseTime — which developed facial recognition used for population surveillance and is “at the core” of China’s controlling of Uyghur Muslims, according to ESPN.
China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims has been characterized by the U.S. as “cultural genocide.” China has forcibly sterilized women in the Muslim community and imprisoned “hundreds of thousands” while destroying mosques and banning religious activities, according to the BBC. China had also banned fasting on Ramadan, a practice of sacrifice and discipline during the Muslim holy month, currently being observed by Nets point guard Kyrie Irving.
China has claimed its “re-education” camps are meant to combat terrorism and separatism.
Alibaba controls 29.4% of Megvii and 7% of SenseTime, according to records obtained by ESPN. Both companies were labeled by the U.S. government as “contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests.”
Tsai, a 58-year-old Taiwanese billionaire and Yale graduate, became the NBA’s unofficial spokesman for China’s government after former Rockets executive Daryl Morey set off a storm by tweeting support for Hong Kong’s continued independence.
As China cut off its businesses with the NBA, Tsai condemned Morey in a lengthy social media post while wrongly calling the Hong Kong protesters a “separatist movement.”
The Nets then refunded Morey’s purchased ticket to see his team play at Barclays Center, according to ESPN. Morey reportedly viewed it as being “uninvited.” At least one NBA owner told Morey that Tsai pushed for his dismissal to appease China, the report added.
The first reactions from commissioner Adam Silver and star LeBron James were to criticize or express disappointment in Morey, sending the message that free speech and human rights aren’t as significant when billions in revenue are on the line.
Morey, who was forced to apologize for his tweet, ultimately left the Rockets and joined the 76ers as team president.
Tsai declined to speak for the ESPN story, but the Nets and NBA denied the owner pushed to fire Morey.
More recently, former Knicks center Enes Kanter Freedom alleged he was blackballed by the NBA for calling out China’s human rights violations. Freedom was waived by the Rockets in February and hasn’t signed with another team.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/joe-tsais-alibaba-financially-supported-chinas-cultural-genocide-of-uyghur-muslims-report/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:17 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/joe-tsais-alibaba-financially-supported-chinas-cultural-genocide-of-uyghur-muslims-report/ |
Team of lawyers work to prove innocence of 14-year-old convicted in mother’s murder
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) – Michael Politte was 14 years old when his mother died.
Rita Politte was beaten, then set on fire in December of 1998. Politte and a friend were sleeping in the next room and say they woke up to smoke.
Despite swearing his innocence, Politte was convicted of killing his mother.
“This kid never had a chance,” Politte’s attorney Megan Crane told KCTV.
He’s now 38 years old and will be released from prison at the end of April due to new sentencing guidelines for juveniles.
The crime
“I remember the hair on the back of my neck rising up – I didn’t know what to do,” said Politte. “What’s a 14-year-old kid supposed to do in that moment?”
After he woke up to smoke, he tried to put the fire out himself with a garden hose, but the hose wouldn’t stretch that far.
Politte remembers kneeling down to see what he could see and saw his mother’s legs covered in blood.
“She was on fire from her waist up,” he recalled.
Police expected Politte to be more emotional at the crime scene, maybe even shed tears. But he didn’t. He was quiet – and angry.
“I mean, I can still hear it – I can hear the fire crackling,” said Politte. “There are times I wake up in the morning that I can smell (it). It’s with me forever.”
Politte was defiant throughout the investigation. A police dog alerted investigators to his shoes – three times. Testing revealed gasoline on them.
When the case went to trial, Politte had a public defender. He believed in the system and that the truth would come out.
But with no explanation for gasoline on the shoes, a jury convicted Politte and the judge sentenced him to life in prison.
He’s lived more than half of his life behind bars.
“I can’t describe the feeling of helplessness,” said Politte. “There’s no reason to exist anymore.”
Nagging questions
In the years since Politte’s conviction, many people question whether the court got it right.
His case attracted the attention of the Midwest Innocence Project, the MacArthur Justice Institute and a Kansas City law firm, Langdon & Emison, in part, because of his age.
“According to law enforcement, he just wasn’t acting right. He wasn’t emotional. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t upset. But psychologists tell us that’s what trauma often looks like, especially in a kid,” Crane explained.
Politte’s attorneys point the court to another possible motive for the murder.
The week of Rita Politte’s murder she was granted alimony, child support and part of her ex-husband’s pension and 401K.
They also argue that her ex-husband, Ed Politte, responded, “You will never see the day when you’ll get the money.”
Investigators found a boot print behind the burning trailer, but Ed Politte was quickly dismissed as a suspect in the case. He had an alibi. He was at work at the time of the murder.
Politte’s current lawyers sent investigators back to Hopewell to conduct new interviews.
That investigation turned up witnesses who place one of Ed’s cousins near the scene of the crime the morning of the fire. Circumstantial evidence suggests he had a financial windfall shortly after the murder. They argue the evidence implicates the cousins in a murder-for-hire scheme.
Ed released the following statement in response to the accusation:
I’m grateful and happy Mike is being released. Now about me, I did a dozen or so interviews with the law. I did a lie detector test, a blood test, a DNA test and fingerprints. I cooperated 100% with the law. I don’t know what else I could have done. My place of work was checked out. My coworkers were interviewed, I have a couple dozen witnesses that placed me 85 miles from my ex…. That’s all I have to say. Your (sic) a reporter I’m sure you can verify what I’ve said. I will discuss this no further. Thank you for atleast(sic) getting my side.
New evidence supports Michael’s innocence claim
More than 20 years after the murder, evidence is now on Politte’s side.
A new test revealed there is no gasoline on the shoes that helped convict him. The newer test can tell the difference between accelerants. The earlier test was positive for the adhesive in the shoes – information that was revealed six years ago.
The majority of jurors who are still alive and even a former member of the sheriff’s office are now advocating for Michael Politte’s release.
“It shouldn’t be this hard. We’re the greatest country in the world, but yet here I am, after six years of discovering that I was wrongfully convicted with false science, my jury was lied to, and I’m still sitting in a prison cell,” Politte said. “I don’t want to be angry – I just want to live.”
Release is not “The End”
As it turns out, Politte will be released from prison at the end of April. Not because a judge ruled in his favor, but because the parole board granted his release due to new sentencing guidelines for juveniles.
Politte plans to visit his mother’s grave soon after his release.
“She can probably finally rest,” he said. “I don’t think she’s been resting since she passed away knowing what happened in the aftermath.”
Politte said he will fight to clear his name. He hopes the local prosecutor will reopen the case and look at new evidence.
Copyright 2022 KCTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/team-lawyers-work-prove-innocence-14-year-old-convicted-mothers-murder/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:13 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/14/team-lawyers-work-prove-innocence-14-year-old-convicted-mothers-murder/ |
RISON, Ark. (AP) — A 20-year-old Arkansas woman was killed when a tree fell on her home as severe storms swept through the state and a possible tornado ripped roofs off homes in Alabama, officials said.
The woman’s death occurred Wednesday as part of a multiday severe weather outbreak that caused tornadoes, powerful winds and huge hail in parts of the central and southern United States.
A possible tornado tore roofs off homes in a public housing community and peppered cars with debris Wednesday night in rural Greene County, Alabama, located about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Birmingham. Billy Hicks, who lives in the area, told WBMA-TV he was lying down when he heard a rush of wind that lasted only a few seconds.
“I jumped up and put my clothes on, put my shoes on when everything was over with. I come to the side door and looked across the street. I knew that something had hit all these houses,” said Hicks, who got in his car to go check on neighbors.
Authorities swarmed the area but didn’t find anyone who was hurt, said Zac Bolding of Greene County Emergency Medical Services.
“Most of the people we talked to as we were doing a house-to-house search explained that they were in their bathroom or an interior hallway, so they were listening to those warnings and without that I think we would have been looking at a much different situation,” he said.
In Arkansas, the woman was died when a tree toppled on her home in Rison shortly after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, pinning her to the couch, said Stephen McClellan, Cleveland County’s emergency management coordinator. Rison is about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Little Rock.
A day earlier, 23 people were injured in the central Texas town of Salado. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth said Wednesday that the twister was rated an EF3 with peak wind speeds of 165 mph (265 kph).
Tornadoes were also reported Tuesday in parts of Iowa and Minnesota. Residents in the small southeastern Minnesota farming community of Taopi were cleaning up after a devastating tornado destroyed half of the town’s homes, toppled tall trees and left piles of debris.
A tornado that was rated EF2 with peak wind speeds of 130 mph (209 kph) struck Taopi near the Iowa border late Tuesday night, tearing the roofs off houses, overturning vehicles and bringing down power lines. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Volunteers arrived Wednesday to help residents clean up the debris in the community of about 80 people. Family members sifted through rubble looking for keepsakes.
“Half the town is gone,” City Clerk Jim Kiefer said. Of Taopi’s 22 homes, at least 10 are beyond repair, with roofs and walls missing, he said. Kiefer said his house is OK, but his mother’s home is a total loss.
“She won’t be going home,” he said.
Also, a blizzard struck North Dakota this week, closing the state Capitol, schools, government offices and some businesses for a third day Thursday.
The National Weather Service’s blizzard warning for much of the state and smaller sections of South Dakota and Montana remained in effect Thursday. More than a foot of snow (30 centimeters) has fallen in Bismarck with about 2 feet (61 centimeters) in Dickinson and Glenburn.
“For the month of April it’s not uncommon to get the snow. Now, snow of this magnitude — this is something that’s a little bit more unique,” said Rick Krolak, at the weather service’s Bismarck office. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/arkansas-woman-killed-when-tree-falls-on-home-during-storms/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:21 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/arkansas-woman-killed-when-tree-falls-on-home-during-storms/ |
Welcome to the Ravens’ free-agency tracker, which will be updated throughout the offseason as the roster takes shape.
With the NFL’s new league year beginning March 16 at 4 p.m., teams can officially announce signings and trades. Here’s a rundown of who the Ravens have signed thus far and who’s still on the open market:
Free-agent additions
Defensive end Calais Campbell: The Ravens announced that they have re-signed veteran defensive end Calais Campbell to a two-year deal. Campbell’s deal is worth $12.5 million but he can earn as much as $16.5 million with incentives, according to multiple reports.
Inside linebacker Josh Bynes: Bynes has agreed to terms to return to the Ravens, the team announced. The 32-year-old started 12 games last season, recording 76 tackles, two sacks and four pass breakups in his third stint with the team after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011. The veteran adds some stability behind 2020 first-round pick Patrick Queen and 2020 third-round pick Malik Harrison, who is cross training at outside linebacker. Veteran linebackers L.J. Fort and Otaro Alaka remain unsigned.
Defensive tackle Michael Pierce: The former Ravens starter is returning to Baltimore on a three-year deal, the team announced. The deal is worth $16.5 million, according to NFL Network. The Minnesota Vikings released Pierce earlier this week after he made just eight starts in two seasons. Pierce, 29, signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Vikings but opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns and then missed nine games in 2021 with tricep and elbow injuries.
Safety Marcus Williams: The former New Orleans Saints star finalized a five-year, $70 million deal, giving a talented Ravens secondary one of the top playmakers on the open market. Williams’ contract is worth $14 million annually, the seventh most among NFL safeties, and includes $37 million guaranteed, according to ESPN.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Williams, 25, has been one of the NFL’s best safeties since arriving in New Orleans in 2017. Over five seasons with the Saints, he had 15 interceptions and 38 passes defended.
Offensive tackle Morgan Moses: The Ravens signed Moses to a three-year, $15 million deal, stabilizing a position of need along their offensive line. In the 6-foot-6, 318-pound Moses, the Ravens have acquired an imposing veteran who almost landed on their free-agency radar last year.
Moses, 31, has been one of the NFL’s most durable linemen since Washington drafted him out of Virginia in the third round in 2014.
Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith: The Minnesota Vikings and Smith agreed to terms on a three-year, $42 million contract Tuesday, less than a week after a deal to rejoin the Ravens fell through.
Smith, who spent the past three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, has incentives to earn up to $47 million over the life of the deal. The Ravens’ initial deal with Smith, which fell apart Thursday, was reportedly worth $35 million over four years, with a maximum value of $50 million.
The 29-year-old Smith was a Pro Bowl pick in 2019 and 2020 with a combined 26 sacks in 32 games, but he had a major back injury last season and appeared in only one game for the NFC North champions.
With defensive end Danielle Hunter returning after a torn pectoral muscle limited him to seven games in 2021, the Vikings have a pair of proven pass-rushers to lean on in the attempt to prop up a defense that has lagged badly over the last two years. Assistant head coach Mike Pettine was Smith’s defensive coordinator with the Packers in 2019 and 2020.
Free-agent losses
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins: Watkins has signed a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers reportedly worth $4 million.
Watkins, who signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Ravens last year, had 27 catches for a career-low 394 yards and one touchdown in 2021. The former first-round pick had a strong start in Baltimore, racking up 292 receiving yards over his first five games, including a crucial fourth-and-long conversion late in a Week 3 comeback win over the Detroit Lions.
But after a Week 5 hamstring injury, Watkins missed the next three games and had just 102 receiving yards over his final eight appearances. He played more than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps just once after Week 9 and didn’t have a catch in the final month of the season.
Four of the Ravens’ five most productive wide receivers are set to return in 2022 — Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay and James Proche II — along with promising second-year wideout Tylan Wallace.
Safety DeShon Elliott: Elliott has signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions, the team announced, with his contract reportedly worth up to $3.7 million.
A former sixth-round pick, Elliott spent four injury-marred seasons in Baltimore but showed his potential as a hard-hitting safety. He started all 16 games in 2020, finishing with four passes defended, two forced fumbles and 2 ½ sacks, and started six games in 2021 before suffering a season-ending torn biceps and pectoral muscle in November. He grabbed his first career interception last season and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 41 safety, regardless of snap count.
Injuries limited Elliott’s impact with the Ravens. He missed his rookie season with a fractured forearm and played just six games in 2019 before a knee injury ended his year. In Detroit, Elliott will reunite with former Ravens inside linebacker Chris Board, who also signed a one-year deal with the Lions.
In Baltimore, the Ravens will turn to Chuck Clark, Brandon Stephens and top free-agent signing Marcus Williams to lead their safety position.
Cornerback Tavon Young: Young signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears. A 2016 fourth-round pick, Young was released by the Ravens in a cost-cutting move March 9. After an injury-plagued six years in Baltimore, Young entered the offseason as a potential salary cap casualty. He would’ve had a $9.3 million cap hit next season, and his release saves $6 million in cap space.
In February 2019, less than two years after Young tore the ACL in his left knee and missed the 2017 season, the Ravens signed him to a three-year, $25.8 million extension that briefly made him the NFL’s highest-paid slot cornerback. That August, the Oxon Hill native had an impressive training camp derailed by a season-ending neck injury. A year later, Young suffered another torn left ACL in a Week 2 game against the Houston Texans.
Young, 27, appeared in all 17 games last season, starting seven, but he played just over half of the Ravens’ defensive snaps. He was mostly solid in coverage, allowing a passer rating of 85.1, and had two sacks. Still, injuries kept him from recapturing the form that he flashed early in his career. A beloved teammate, he leaves Baltimore having played in 50 career games and missed 47.
Cornerback Chris Westry: Westry has signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, the team announced.
The 6-foot-4 Westry impressed in his first Ravens training camp last year and made the team’s season-opening 53-man roster. But injuries limited the third-year corner to six games (two starts) last year, and the Ravens did not offer him a restricted-free-agent tender this offseason.
Westry’s departure leaves the Ravens with just six cornerbacks on their 90-man roster: Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Iman Marshall, Robert Jackson, Kevon Seymour and Kevin Toliver. Only Humphrey and Peters, both recovering from season-ending injuries, have started more than two games over the past two years.
Defensive tackle Justin Ellis: Ellis has signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants, the team announced Wednesday.
The 6-foot-2, 350-pound Ellis, known as “Jelly,” played in 34 games and started eight over his two-plus years in Baltimore. He had 18 tackles and one quarterback hit in 17 games last season, playing 35% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps and helping them maintain one of the NFL’s staunchest run defenses.
In New York, the 31-year-old Ellis will reunite with former Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, who now has the same position on the Giants’ staff. Ellis’ signing comes two days after another former Ravens defensive lineman, Jihad Ward, also joined the Giants.
Ellis’ departure is the first of potentially three along the Ravens’ defensive line this offseason. Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams are also free agents.
Inside linebacker Chris Board: The Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with Board on a one-year deal, according to NFL Network. Board, 26, had 94 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and two forced fumbles in 63 games with the Ravens playing mostly on special teams.
Quarterback Josh Johnson: Johnson has signed with the Denver Broncos, he announced on Twitter. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Johnson, 35, signed off the New York Jets’ practice squad in December as starter Lamar Jackson recovered from an ankle injury, made a surprise start in Week 16 after backup Tyler Huntley tested positive for the coronavirus. In Johnson’s first start since 2018, he went 28-for-40 for 304 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Denver is the 14th NFL franchise that Johnson has played for in his NFL career. He finished 2021 with 638 passing yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions and 67.1% accuracy.
Center Bradley Bozeman: Bozeman, a consistent starter along the Ravens’ offensive line who developed into one of the NFL’s better centers last season, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Panthers, Carolina announced. Terms of the deal were not announced.
Cornerback Anthony Averett: Averett has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to his agency, Athletes First. The Athletic reported that it’s a one-year deal worth $4.5 million.
A 2018 fourth-round pick, Averett entered free agency coming off the best season of his career. He allowed a passer rating of just 77.5 in coverage, according to Pro Football Reference, and had three interceptions and 11 pass defenses after combining for zero and 11, respectively, over his first three seasons.
Averett missed the Ravens’ final three games with a fractured rib, but he still finished the season as one of the NFL’s most targeted cornerbacks. According to Sports Info Solutions, quarterbacks went after him 90 times last year, fifth most in the league.
Averett was limited to 30 games over his first three years in Baltimore, struggling at times as a reserve cornerback and making a limited impact on special teams. But he impressed in training camp last year, when former defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale said Averett had All-Pro talent. Amid an injruy-plagued season, the 5-foot-11 Averett emerged as the team’s most reliable cornerback.
He’s the second cornerback to leave Baltimore this season, after the Ravens released nickelback Tavon Young last week.
Tight end Eric Tomlinson: After 23 games in Baltimore, the 29-year-old Tomlinson reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos. Originally signed to the Ravens’ practice squad in 2020, the 6-6, 263-pound Tomlinson played 26% of the offensive snaps while receiving Pro Football Focus’ second-highest run-blocking grade among 70 qualifying tight ends.
Still unsigned
Running back: Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman
Wide receiver: Sammy Watkins
Tight end/fullback: Patrick Ricard
Offensive line: OT David Sharpe
Defensive line: Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams
Outside linebacker: Justin Houston, Pernell McPhee
Inside linebacker: L.J. Fort, Otaro Alaka
Cornerback: Jimmy Smith, Khalil Dorsey
Safety: DeShon Elliott
Other notable moves
- Quarterback Joe Flacco, the former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player who played 11 seasons with the Ravens, is returning to the New York Jets on a one-year deal worth $3.5 million, according to ESPN. Flacco, a New Jersey native who will back up 2020 No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson, has started five games for the Jets over the past two seasons.
- Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, a former Maryland star who spent half a season with the Ravens in 2020 after being acquired from the Minnesota Vikings, was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Ngakoue, 26, had 10 sacks with the Raiders last season after signing a two-year, $26 million deal.
- Tight end Hayden Hurst, the Ravens’ No. 25 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, according to his agency EnterSports Management. The deal is worth $3.5 million with another $1 million that can be reached with incentives, according to Pro Football Network. Hurst caught 82 passes for 792 yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons after being acquired for a second-round pick.
- Long snapper Morgan Cox, who spent 11 years with the Ravens as part of the special teams’ so-called “Wolfpack” alongside kicker Justin Tucker and punter Sam Koch, agreed to a one-year extension with the Tennessee Titans.
- Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who was traded from the Ravens to the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason for a package of draft picks, was designated with the franchise tag, which is worth $16.6 million. Brown, 25, is expected to receive a long-term contract extension from Kansas City before the July 15 deadline.
- Tight end Maxx Williams, a second-round pick by the Ravens in 2015, re-signed to a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals, according to NFL Network.
- Wide receiver Breshad Perriman, a first-round pick by the Ravens in 2015, is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal, according to ESPN.
- Cornerback Darious Williams, who played three games with the Ravens in 2018 after signing as an undrafted free agent and won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams this past season, is signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars that includes $18 million fully guaranteed, according to NFL Network.
- Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, a sixth-round pick by the Ravens in 2011 who spent for seasons as Flacco’s backup, is expected to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with a max value of $17 million with the New York Giants, according to NFL Network.
- The Miami Dolphins signed former San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert to a one-year deal worth $3.25 million, according to ESPN. Mostert played seven games with the Ravens during his rookie season in 2015, mostly on special teams, after going undrafted out of Purdue.
Key dates
March 27-30: Annual league meeting, The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida.
April 4: Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2021 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.
April 18: Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.
April 22: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
April 28-30: NFL draft, Las Vegas.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/ravens-free-agency-tracker-wr-sammy-watkins-signs-with-packers-s-deshon-elliott-signs-with-lions/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:23 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/ravens-free-agency-tracker-wr-sammy-watkins-signs-with-packers-s-deshon-elliott-signs-with-lions/ |
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A jury convicted a British national Thursday for his role in an Islamic State group hostage-taking scheme that took roughly two dozen Westerners captive a decade ago, resulting in the deaths of four Americans, three of whom were beheaded.
In convicting El Shafee Elsheikh, the jury concluded that he was one of the notorious “Beatles,” Islamic State captors nicknamed for their accents and known for their cruelty — torturing and beating prisoners, forcing them to fight each other until they collapsed and even making them sing cruel song parodies. Surviving hostages testified that the Beatles delighted themselves rewriting “Hotel California” as “Hotel Osama” and making them sing the refrain “You will never leave.”
The guilty finding came even though none of the surviving hostages could identify Elsheikh as one of their captors. Although the Beatles had distinctive accents, they always took great care to hide their faces behind masks and ordered hostages to avoid eye contact or risk a beating.
Prosecutors suggested in opening statements that Elsheikh was the Beatle nicknamed “Ringo” but only had to prove that Elshiekh was one of the Beatles because testimony showed that all three were major players in the scheme.
Elsheikh, who was captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian defense Forces in 2018, eventually confessed his role in the scheme to interrogators as well as media interviewers, acknowledging that he helped collect email addresses and provided proof of life to the hostages’ families as part of ransom negotiations.
But testimony showed that he and the other Beatles were far more than paper pushers. The surviving hostages, all of whom were European — the American and British hostages were all killed — testified that they dreaded the Beatles’ appearance at the various prisons to which they constantly shuttled and relocated.
Surviving witness Federico Motka recounted a time in the summer of 2013 when he and cellmate David Haines were put in a room with American hostage James Foley and British hostage John Cantlie for what they called a “Royal Rumble.” The losers were told they’d be waterboarded. Weak from hunger, two of the four passed out during the hourlong battle.
The jury deliberated for four hours before finding Elsheikh guilty on all counts. Elsheikh stood motionless and gave no visible reaction as the verdict was read. He now faces up to a life sentence in prison.
Several victims’ family members, who were present throughout throughout the three-week trial, fought back tears as the guilty counts were read.
“Praise God! I’m so thankful,” said Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, after the verdicts came in. “I’m so proud of the American justice system. El Shafee Elsheikh was treated with a great deal of mercy. He had four attorneys. … Hopefully we were able to turn this into justice, not revenge.”
She contrasted what she said was the stellar work of the prosecution with what she said was the inaction of government to bring Foley and the other Americans home when they were hostages.
“When we really needed to bring the full force of the government to bear to bring them home, that failed,” she said. “They were abandoned.”
She said she hopes the case brings attentionto the more than 60 Americans who are being held hostage or wrongly detained around the world.
The convictions on all eight counts in U.S. District Court in Alexandria revolved around the deaths of four American hostages: Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. All but Mueller were executed in videotaped beheadings circulated online. Mueller was forced into slavery and raped multiple times by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before she was killed.
They were among 26 hostages taken captive between 2012 and 2015, when the Islamic State group controlled large swaths of Iraq and Syria.
Defense lawyers acknowledged that Elsheikh joined the Islamic State group but said prosecutors failed to prove he was a Beatle. They cited a lack of clarity about which Beatle was which, and back in the trial’s opening statement cited the confusion about whether there were three or four Beatles.
Prosecutors said there were three — Elsheikh and his friends Alexanda Kotey and Mohammed Emwazi, who all knew each other in England before joining the Islamic State.
Emwazi, who as known as “Jihadi John” and carried out the executions, was later killed in a drone strike. Kotey and Elsheikh were captured together in 2018 and brought to Virginia in 2020 to face trial after the U.S. promised not to seek the death penalty. Kotey pleaded guilty last year in a plea bargain that calls for a life sentence but leaves open the possibility that he could serve out his sentence in the United Kingdom after 15 years in the U.S.
Kotey will be formally sentenced April 29. Elsheikh will be sentenced Aug. 12. But on Thursday the judge in the two cases, T.S. Ellis III, ordered that Elsheikh appear at Kotey’s hearing as well so that he will hear victim impact testimony that will presented ahead of Kotey’s sentencing.
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An earlier version of this story misspelled Alexanda Kotey’s first name. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/brit-convicted-as-beatle-in-islamic-state-beheadings-trial/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:28 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/brit-convicted-as-beatle-in-islamic-state-beheadings-trial/ |
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley was fined $30,000 by the NBA on Thursday for what the league declared “inappropriate statements,” including the “egregious use of profanity” in a media interview and social media post following the team’s play-in game victory.
Beverley was especially emotional after the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109-104 on Tuesday. He played the last four seasons for the Clippers and confidently predicted upon arrival in Minnesota that the Timberwolves would make the playoffs.
Beverley was just fined $25,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for improper conduct toward a game official. He was ejected from Minnesota’s final regular-season game on Sunday for receiving two technical fouls, which were levied against him for complaining about calls and non-calls.
The Timberwolves earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and play at Memphis on Saturday in Game 1 of their first-round series. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/wolves-beverley-fined-again-30k-for-interview-profanity/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:29 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/14/wolves-beverley-fined-again-30k-for-interview-profanity/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — The man charged with opening fire on subway riders on train in Brooklyn was ordered held without bail Thursday at his first court appearance, where prosecutors told a judge he terrified all of New York City.
Brought into a Brooklyn federal court without handcuffs, a subdued Frank James, 62, softly answered standard questions about whether he understood the charges and the purpose of the brief hearing. His lawyer later asked the public not to prejudge him.
James was arrestedin Manhattan after calling a police tip line to say where he was Wednesday, a day after the nightmarish rush-hour attack left 10 people with gunshot wounds and countless others fearing for their safetyon the nation’s busiest subway system.
Authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets, in a train full of morning commuters. He’s charged with a federal terrorism offense that applies to attacks on mass transit systems — authorities say there’s currently no evidence linking him to terror organizations and are still trying to derive a motive.
“The defendant terrifyingly opened fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way the city hasn’t seen in more than 20 years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara K. Winik said. “The defendant’s attack was premeditated, was carefully planned and it caused terror among the victims and our entire city.”
The 10 gunshot victims, who range in age from 16 to 60, are all expected to survive.
Outside the courtroom, defense attorney Mia Eisner-Grynberg cautioned against “a rush to judgment.”
“Initial reports in a case like this are often inaccurate,” she said. She noted that James alerted police to his whereabouts, 30 hours into a manhunt that included cellphone alerts to the general public.
Once he knew he was wanted, “he called Crime Stoppers to help,” Eisner-Grynberg said.
She had agreed to his being held without bail, at least for now. His attorneys could seek bail later on.
At the request of James’ lawyers, Magistrate Roanne Mann said she would ask for James to get “psychiatric attention,” as well as magnesium tablets for leg cramps, at the federal lockup in Brooklyn where he’s being held.
Authorities say a trove of evidence connects James to the attack. His bank card, his cellphone and a key to a van he had rented were found at the shooting scene. Officers also found the handgun they said was used in the shooting; tracing records show James purchased the gun from a licensed gun dealer in Ohio in 2011.
In court papers, prosecutors called the shooting calculated, saying that James wore a hard hat and construction worker-style jacket as a disguise and then shed them after the gunfire to avoid recognition. Prosecutors suggested James had the means to carry out more more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other gun-related items in a Philadelphia storage unit.
The New York City native had been living in Milwaukee and Philadelphia recently.
Investigators were examining many hours of videos that James posted on social media, as recently as Monday, in which he delivered profanity-laced diatribes about racism, society’s treatment of Black people, homelessness and violence. He also discussed his history of psychiatric treatment and complained about how New York’s mayor is dealing with homeless people on subways and with gun violence.
He also talked about shooting people, prosecutors noted in court papers.
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Associated Press journalists Jim Mustian, Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz contributed. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/brooklyn-subway-attack-suspect-due-in-court-on-terror-charge/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:35 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/brooklyn-subway-attack-suspect-due-in-court-on-terror-charge/ |
The remains of a New Mexico couple were found near their burned home as a wind-driven wildfire charred more than 200 residences on the edge of a mountain community in the southern part of the state.
Fire crews on Thursday pointed to a break in what has been a steady stream of relentless gusts as their chance to make headway against the deadly wildfire, which is believed to have killed the two people, Ruidoso spokesperson Kerry Gladden said Thursday.
Police investigators and firefighters found the older couple’s remains Wednesday afternoon after family members notified Ruidoso police that the two had tried to evacuate but were unaccounted for.
The remains were found near the home but not in it, and no additional information was immediately available, Gladden said. Authorities were working to confirm the identities of the two people.
The fire moved into a more densely populated area on Ruidoso’s northeastern side Wednesday afternoon, prompting more evacuations. Laura Rabon, a spokesperson for the Lincoln National Forest, interrupted a fire briefing and told people to get in their cars and leave after the flames jumped a road where crews were trying to hold the line.
Authorities have told as many as 4,500 people to evacuate. Overnight, crews kept the flames from pushing further into the village, Rabon said.
The fire has torched about 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of forest and grass, and the strong winds that battered the area have left behind toppled trees and down power lines. Crews continued work Thursday to restore power to parts of the village that have been without it since Monday.
While the cause of the blaze was under investigation, fire officials and forecasters warned that persistent dry and windy conditions had prompted another day of red flag warnings for the eastern third of New Mexico and other parts of the Midwest.
Incident Commander Dave Bales said the strategy was “attack while we can,” noting that winds were expected to pick up Thursday afternoon and again Friday.
“We’re trying to keep this fire as small as possible, especially because it’s right in the community,” he said. “We’ve had a loss of a lot of structures so our crews are right there on the fire front going as direct as possible.”
Six new large fires were reported Wednesday: three in Texas, two in Colorado and one in Oklahoma. In all, wildland firefighters and support personnel were trying to contain 11 large fires that have charred more than 40 square miles (103 square kilometers) in five states.
The National Interagency Fire Center reported Thursday that since the start of the year, 18,550 wildfires have burned about 1,250 square miles (3,237 square kilometers). That’s well above the 10-year average of 12,290 wildfires and 835 square miles (2162.64 square kilometers) burned.
Hotter and drier weather coupled with decades of fire suppression have contributed to an increase in the number of acres burned by wildfires, fire scientists say. The problem is exacerbated by a more than 20-year Western megadrought that studies link to human-caused climate change.
Elsewhere in New Mexico, wildfires were burning northwest of Ruidoso, along the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque, in mountains northwest of the community of Las Vegas and in grasslands along the Pecos River near the town of Roswell.
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Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Davenport from Phoenix. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/destructive-wildfires-rage-in-new-mexico-colorado/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:42 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/destructive-wildfires-rage-in-new-mexico-colorado/ |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Tumbleweeds drift along the Rio Grande as sand bars within its banks grow wider. Smoke from distant wildfires and dust kicked up by intense spring winds fill the valley, exacerbating the feeling of distress that is beginning to weigh on residents.
One of North America’s longest rivers, the Rio Grande is another example of a waterway in the western U.S. that’s tapped out.
From the Pacific Northwest to the Colorado River Basin, irrigation districts already are warning farmers to expect less this year despite growing demands fueled by ever-drying conditions. Climate experts say March marked the third straight month of below-average precipitation across the U.S. and areas of record dryness are expanding in the West.
On Thursday, federal water managers are scheduled to share their annual operating plan for the Rio Grande, a major water source for millions people and thousands of square miles of farmland in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. Its outlook is expected to be similarly bleak.
Mark Garcia, who farms about 400 acres (160 hectares) with his family in Valencia County, just south of Albuquerque, ran the numbers. He has a degree in mathematics and taught calculus for years before retiring and turning to the farm full time.
He found his family would be compensated for not irrigating about half of its acreage this year, and more water would be left in the river to help New Mexico work off a debt that has been growing as the state falls short of its obligations to deliver water to neighboring Texas.
“Logically, it was almost like a no-brainer,” Garcia said of opting into the fallowing program. “The risk analysis was, I had to take it, I had to do it. I didn’t want to, though.”
Sitting in his backhoe in one of his fields, Garcia began to get emotional. He said he grew up watching his dad farm the land.
“I was born into this,” he said. “The hard thing for me is I feel like I don’t want the government to pay for me not to work. I have an issue with that.”
The state of New Mexico and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District are hoping more farmers can make that tough choice — at least long enough to help managers address the pending water debt.
Even the conservancy district, which oversees irrigation from Cochiti Dam south to Elephant Butte Reservoir, acknowledges it’s a temporary solution.
Casey Ish, a water resources specialist with the district, said over 200 irrigators have enrolled, and officials are targeting fields that are less productive or need to be rested.
“For us, this is just one tool and one way the district is trying to help the state manage the state’s compact debt, but we certainly don’t anticipate pulling a third or half the district into a fallowing program year over year,” Ish said. “That’s not sustainable from a price point or an ag point.”
Thursday’s virtual meeting will include estimates of how much the Bureau of Reclamation will have to work with this season based on spring runoff predictions and current reservoir levels.
With below-average snow cover and reservoirs in some places reaching critically low levels, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted in its most recent monthly climate report that concerns are mounting that the western drought will intensify.
On the Colorado River, the U.S. Interior Department recently proposed holding back water in Lake Powell to maintain Glen Canyon Dam’s ability to generate electricity amid what it said were the driest conditions in the region in more than 1,200 years.
The potential impacts to lower basin states that could see their water supplies reduced — California, Nevada and Arizona — aren’t yet known. But the conundrum speaks to the wide-ranging functions of Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam, and the need to quickly pivot to confront climate change.
In the Pacific Northwest, experts are predicting one of the driest summers on record, noting that nearly 71% of the region made up of Oregon, Washington and Idaho is in drought and nearly one-quarter is already experiencing extreme drought.
An irrigation district that supplies more than 1,000 farmers and ranchers on the California-Oregon border announced earlier this week that they would get a fraction of their normal water allocation this year due to drought. It’s the third consecutive year that severe drought has impacted farmers, fish and tribes in a region where there’s not enough water to satisfy competing demands.
Irrigation districts that supply water to farmers along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico and along the Pecos in the east also are promising short seasons.
Just north of the New Mexico-Colorado border, farmers in the San Luis Valley turned on their spigots April 1, drawing on their share of the Rio Grande. Water managers in New Mexico immediately saw the gauges drop, meaning less water ultimately will make its way to central New Mexico. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/expanding-drought-leaves-western-us-scrambling-for-water/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:48 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/expanding-drought-leaves-western-us-scrambling-for-water/ |
Easter’s message of renewal will be especially poignant this year for four U.S. congregations rebounding from disasters.
Their churches were destroyed by a tornado in Kentucky, gutted by a blaze in New York City, shattered when Hurricane Ida hit the Louisiana coast, and filled with smoke and ash by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. For the pastors, Easter’s promise of hope couldn’t be more timely as their resilient congregations come to terms with what happened and prepare for what’s next.
KENTUCKY
Members of Mayfield First United Methodist Church will not be celebrating Easter in their 100-year-old sanctuary. They can’t.
A Dec. 10 tornado ripped apart their stately building as it carved a deadly path through the western Kentucky community of about 10,000 people. A demolition crew tore down the rest.
Instead, on Easter Sunday, members will walk into their temporary home, Christ United Methodist Church, to mark the holy day.
“That’s going to be tough,” said the Rev. Joey Reed. He rode out the storm at Mayfield First, wondering if he would live to officiate his daughter’s wedding.
Reed started ministering soon after, encouraging his roughly 100 church members to pivot from suffering to servanthood. Congregants walked through the disaster zone assessing needs, passing out thousands of dollars in gift cards and helping residents rescue belongings.
“The example of Jesus Christ is the suffering servant,” he said. “When we turn away from our own difficulties … we are able to let go of our own pain for a minute and focus on our neighbor, which is the core strength of Christianity.”
As the congregation weighs how best to rebuild, they continue to process the tornado’s destruction through waves of grieving and helping. Only in recent weeks – after Reed performed his daughter’s wedding, escaped to a cabin with his wife and mourned the death of their cat, George – did Reed realize he was still carrying around trauma from the storm.
“As much as we place our faith in resurrection and the life that is to come, there’s still that whole idea of what’s it like to leave this one, and I think we’re still parsing that question,” he said.
But there has been hope amid the despair, like the pieces of the church’s baptismal font rescued from the landfill. “We are all about finding those bright spots,” Reed said.
NEW YORK CITY
The Middle Collegiate Church gospel choir swayed to the beat of a live band during a joyful rehearsal at a synagogue that has become their new home.
“It’s Passover and our Jewish friends are exercising the most radical hospitality,” said the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, the church’s senior minister.
Her church was gutted by a fire on Dec. 5, 2020, in what seemed a tragic coda to an already-challenging pandemic year. When Middle Collegiate decided recently to resume in-person worship, East End Temple led by Rabbi Joshua Stanton invited the congregation to share its sacred space while they rebuild.
“It was very clear when the tragedy fell on Middle Collegiate Church that we needed to live out our values, open our doors,” said Stanton, who will offer prayer during the church’s Easter celebration.
On Palm Sunday, the choir belted out hymns in preparation for Easter, and even the carols they weren’t able to sing together after COVID-19 concerns canceled their in-person Christmas Eve service.
“It feels like a miracle, going through the fire and the pandemic worldwide, all that we’ve gone through… to now have a place to call home,” said Joy Lau, a member of the church’s Jerriese Johnson gospel choir.
The multicultural congregation lives what it calls “on-your-feet worship and take-it-to-the-streets activism.” Members have provided meals to people with AIDS, worked on storm recovery, fought for environmental protection and demonstrated for the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQ equality and women’s rights.
The belfry of the historic church housed New York’s Liberty Bell, which tolled to mark the birth of the country in 1776 and was later rung for inaugurations, deaths of presidents and in remembrance of the 9/11 terror attacks. The fire spared the bell and left behind a skeletal façade and two vinyl banners reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Just Love,” the church’s motto.
Amid the grief of losing their beloved church, Lewis has asked parishioners to “worship God with joy” and find the promise of hope that is a part of every Easter.
“For Middle, this is a time of resurrection. We keep rising to new challenges and we’re the living body of Christ. More than ever, we understand that and what our mission is, our calling is,” she later said at the site of her charred church.
“The hospitality and the love of the strangers of Judaism that we inherit as Christians is on full display on these weeks that are holy for both communities.”
LOUISIANA
The windows at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic church were blown out, and its ceiling, sacristy and vestibule crumbled after Hurricane Ida blasted ashore in August, hitting the small fishing community of Point-aux-Chenes, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans.
Since then, its pastor, the Rev. Rajasekar Karumelnathan, has celebrated Mass in the rectory and under a tent set up in the church’s parking lot. Attendance dwindled after the storm: from about 80 people who used to attend Sunday services to about 15 worshippers now.
Celebrating Christmas under the ruins was especially emotional for the congregation, the pastor said. But he expects a different, lighter mood for their first post-Ida Easter service, which promises believers eternal life.
“We have lots of hope. We hope that we can reclaim all that we’ve lost,” he said. “Easter strengthens us.”
Parishioner Teddy Neal, who lives a half mile from the church, is still rebuilding his storm-damaged home. He would love to see his church and home rebuilt — restored to what they once were or better.
“I see Easter as a new beginning,” said Neal, a truck driver. “I’m pretty much humbled, where it doesn’t matter what the conditions are in or around with the destruction — as long as I’m present with Jesus during the Eucharist.”
COLORADO
At the charred remains of Bill and Jackie Stephens’ home in Superior, where they raised four kids and made countless memories over 22 years, the daffodils are blooming again.
When he looks at the green shoots and bright yellow blossoms, Bill Stephens sees rebirth. He also feels grief anew: for the house; the incinerated family photos and videos; the yard they loved on spring days, with its newly laid patio and magnolia tree named after their third child — “Maggie-nolia.”
“As a pastor I see this and go, this is an Easter illustration. It’s life out of the death,” Stephens said. “In some ways it’s beautiful, and in other ways it’s the reminder of, dang, we lost a lot.”
The lead pastor at Ascent Community Church in neighboring Louisville and his loved ones are one of 26 families in the congregation who lost their homes Dec. 30 in a wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed 1,084 residences in Denver-area suburbs. Hundreds more church members were displaced.
The church itself, a cavernous space inside a former Sam’s Club with auditorium seating for 750, was largely spared. The flames wrapped around the building, scorching trees and shrubs in the parking lot. But ash and smoke seeped in through skylights and ventilation shafts, coating everything in sooty charcoal.
Volunteers hauled out everything that wasn’t nailed down to be washed before a building-wide deep clean. Carpets, curtains, walls and lighting were replaced. Ascent returned in February after two months of worshipping in a hotel ballroom.
In the early days, police used Ascent’s parking lot as a staging area for displaced residents to collect passes to enter their neighborhoods. Thousands showed up and were met by church members, therapy dogs and meals. A relief fund raised a couple hundred thousand dollars, and the church reached out to schools on caring for affected students.
As for the congregation, Stephens said suffering his own loss positioned him to minister to others. An adopt-a-family program pairs up households to support people through companionship and tasks like grocery shopping. Volunteer therapists provided counseling and offered group sessions.
Three months after the most destructive blaze in Colorado history, Stephens reminds his flock that people still need help as they navigate trauma and challenges like insurance, housing and debris removal. To his delight, he sees congregants stepping up.
One thing he’s sure of: Christ’s resurrection carries special significance this year.
“That Jesus conquered the grave, conquered the sin … and breathed life on Easter Sunday,” Stephens said, “there’s something really powerful about thinking about ours as just a minor version of that.”
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Henao reported from New York City, Meyer reported from Nashville, Tennessee, and Orsi reported from Superior, Colorado.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/for-churches-hit-by-disaster-easter-brings-promise-of-hope/ | 2022-04-14T18:57:55 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/for-churches-hit-by-disaster-easter-brings-promise-of-hope/ |
GOODLAND, Kan. (KSNW) – A Kansas toddler’s fearless attitude may have earned her a free meal from law enforcement.
Demi Rall, 3, recently got ahold of her mother’s cellphone.
“We went out there, and she didn’t have the phone, but we went and checked and saw that she called dispatch,” said the girl’s mother, Taylor Rall.
The 911 call was not to report an emergency. Rather, Demi called to ask for delivery.
“I called the dispatch, and I said, ‘Did you have a little girl call,’ and she started laughing so hard. She said, ‘Yeah, she ordered McDonald’s,” said Demi’s dad, Dual Rall.
Dual immediately apologized for Demi’s mistaken call to emergency crews.
“I said, ‘Well, sorry, I know you guys probably still have to come over here, but I was just letting you know everything is fine,” Dual explained.
Dual and Taylor then worked to explain the seriousness surrounding 911 to Demi and her brother, Roman. In the meantime, law enforcement was working out their own deal.
“Our dispatch had informed us that she had received a 911 call from a little girl that was trying to order a kids meal from McDonald’s, and Carol and I kind of laughed about it,” said Goodland Police Officer Chalee Luther. “This is the last call before we went home at the end of our shift, and so we were like, we will go do this before we go home.”
Within 30 minutes, Officer Luther and Sherman County Sheriff’s Deputy Carol Porter were at Demi’s doorstep with a pair of Happy Meals in hand.
“I think the parents were a little more shocked than the kids were,” laughed Luther.
“I look outside, and there were two vehicles, and I opened the door, and they were holding Happy Meals, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,'” said Taylor.
Luther, Porter and the Rall family then shared a few laughs as Demi, and her brother dug into their food.
“Every now and then, [as] officers, we need those calls that brighten everybody’s day. Not only did it make us laugh at the end of the day, but it also brought joy to that family,” said Porter.
“We live in a small community, and you know there is so much negative going on. We just thought it was neat to have some positive with law enforcement,” said Dual.
While there was plenty of positive to go around, everyone involved was quick to remind the kids that 911 is for emergencies only.
“If you are in distress and you need immediate help, then, by all means, call 911, but don’t use our 911 lines to order Happy Meals,” said Porter. “You may not get that cheeseburger Happy Meal at the end of it.”
In the end, Demi told Nexstar’s KSN she was overjoyed by the Happy Meal, especially the french fries. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/kansas-3-year-old-calls-911-orders-mcdonalds/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:01 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/kansas-3-year-old-calls-911-orders-mcdonalds/ |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even after two men were found dead in his California apartment, Ed Buck did not stop injecting gay men with walloping doses of methamphetamine.
Federal prosecutors said Buck’s unrelenting fervor to satisfy a fetish by preying on vulnerable men, often young and Black, is reason enough to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Buck, 67, a big dollar donor to Democratic, LGBTQ and animal rights causes, faces sentencing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles for providing fatal doses of drugs, operating a drug den and enticing men to travel for prostitution.
“Buck used his money and privilege to exploit the wealth and power imbalances between himself and his victims, who were unhoused, destitute, and/or struggling with addiction,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea Norell said in a court filing. “He spent thousands of dollars on drugs and party and play sessions that destroyed lives and bred insidious addictions.”
Defense lawyers are asking a judge to be more lenient because Buck was sexually abused as a child and developed his drug addiction as the result of a medical condition.
Attorneys Mark Werksman and Elizabeth Little said the judge should go below the 25-year sentence recommended by probation officials that would allow rehabilitation and treatment and “would be much preferable to relegating him to death in prison.”
Probation officials also recommended a $1 million fine, though prosecutors said it should be $400,000 to leave money for lawsuits filed by the families of his survivors.
Buck, a wealthy white man who worked as a male model and then made a small fortune selling an Arizona company he rescued from bankruptcy, helped lead a 1987 campaign to recall Republican Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham, who was ultimately convicted in an impeachment trial and kicked out of office.
Buck retired at 32 to the city of West Hollywood, known for its large LGBTQ community, where he lived in a rent-controlled apartment and donated over $500,000 to mostly Democratic causes since 2000.
His troubles began when Gemmel Moore was found dead in his apartment on July 27, 2017. Buck had flown Moore from Texas that morning for drug use and he was dead by sunset.
Moore’s mother, LaTisha Nixon, said in a letter to the court that she hoped Buck would get the maximum term for ruining her life and the hurt it has caused her family. Nixon, a certified nursing assistant, said she could not comfort her son the way she has for countless dying people.
“All I can think about is how my son died naked on a mattress with no love around him,” Nixon said. “No one to hold his hand or tell him good things.”
Community members and activists rallied outside Buck’s apartment, calling for his arrest, but he remained free. Family members and Jasmyne Cannick, a political strategist, complained that Buck escaped prosecution because of wealth, political ties and race.
While he was under investigation in Moore’s death, Buck continued to pay men so he could inject them. He texted one man, Timothy Dean, to express his annoyance over the investigation.
About 18 months after Moore’s death, deputies were called to Buck’s apartment on Jan. 7, 2019, to investigate Dean’s death.
Even after Dean’s death, Buck was not arrested.
“Buck’s lack of remorse is aptly captured in one image: As he was hiding out in a hotel, evading arrest for Gemmel Moore’s death, he was injecting Dane Brown, another young Black man, with back-to-back slams of methamphetamine,” Norell said.
Brown was homeless and later moved into Buck’s apartment, where he was injected with meth most days and often several times a day.
He was hospitalized Sept. 4, 2019, after Buck shot him up three times with back-to-back doses. He had five times the meth in his system that Moore and Dean had when they died, prosecutors said.
Brown returned less than a week later and felt himself overdosing after Buck injected him three times with meth. Like other victims who testified against Buck at trial last summer, Brown was nearly immobilized. He said Buck wouldn’t help him.
“Brown sat on the couch, resigned to the same fate as Moore and Dean, when he heard his deceased mother cry out to him, ‘Get up, Dane,’” Norell said.
Brown managed to get out of the apartment and made it to a nearby gas station, where he called for help and was taken to a hospital. His harrowing account of being revived twice finally led to Buck’s arrest. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/prosecutors-seek-life-for-political-donors-fatal-fetish/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:08 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/prosecutors-seek-life-for-political-donors-fatal-fetish/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Frank James posted dozens of videos ranting about race, violence and his struggles with mental illness. One stands out for its relative calm: A silent shot of a packed New York City subway car in which he raises his finger to point out passengers, one by one.
Even as police arrested James on Wednesday in the Brooklyn subway shooting that wounded 10 people, they were still searching for a motive from a flood of details about the 62-year-old Black man’s life.
An erratic work history. Arrests for a string of mostly low-level crimes. A storage locker with more ammo. And hours of rambling, bigoted, profanity-laced videos on his YouTube channel that point to a deep, simmering anger.
“This nation was born in violence, it’s kept alive by violence or the threat thereof, and it’s going to die a violent death,” says James in a video where he takes on the moniker “Prophet of Doom.”
After a 30-hour manhunt, James was arrested without incident after a tipster — thought by police to be James himself — said he could be found near a McDonald’s on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Mayor Eric Adams triumphantly proclaimed “We got him!” Police said their top priority was getting the suspect, now charged with a federal terrorism offense, off the streets as they investigate their biggest unanswered question: Why?
A prime trove of evidence, they said, is his YouTube videos. He seems to have opinions about nearly everything — racism in America, New York City’s new mayor, the state of mental health services, 9/11, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Black women.
A federal criminal complaint cited one in which James ranted about too many homeless people on the subway and put the blame on New York City’s mayor.
“What are you doing, brother?” he said in the video posted March 27. “Every car I went to was loaded with homeless people. It was so bad, I couldn’t even stand.”
James then railed about the treatment of Black people in an April 6 video cited in the complaint, saying, “And so the message to me is: I should have gotten a gun, and just started shooting.”
In a video posted a day before the attack, James criticizes crime against Black people and says things would only change if certain people were “stomped, kicked and tortured” out of their “comfort zone.”
Surveillance cameras spotted James entering the subway system turnstiles Tuesday morning, dressed as a maintenance or construction worker in a yellow hard hat and orange working jacket with reflective tape.
Police say fellow riders heard him say only “oops” as he set off one smoke grenade in a crowded subway car as it rolled into a station. He then set off a second smoke grenade and started firing, police said. In the smoke and chaos that ensued, police say James made his getaway by slipping into a train that pulled in across the platform and exited after the first stop.
Left behind at the scene was the gun, extended magazines, a hatchet, detonated and undetonated smoke grenades, a black garbage can, a rolling cart, gasoline and the key to a U-Haul van, police said.
That key led investigators to James, and clues to a life of setbacks and anger as he bounced among factory and maintenance jobs, got fired at least twice, moved among Milwaukee, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.
Investigators said James had 12 prior arrests in New York and New Jersey from 1990 to 2007, including for possession of burglary tools, criminal sex act, trespassing, larceny and disorderly conduct.
James had no felony convictions and was not prohibited from purchasing or owning a firearm. Police said the gun used in the attack was legally purchased at an Ohio pawn shop in 2011. A search of James’ Philadelphia storage unit and apartment turned up at least two types of ammunition, including the kind used with an AR-15 assault-style rifle, a taser and a blue smoke cannister.
Police said James was born and raised in New York City. In his videos, he said he finished a machine shop course in 1983 then worked as a gear machinist at Curtiss-Wright, an aerospace manufacturer in New Jersey, until 1991 when he was he was hit by a one-two punch of bad news: He was fired from his job and, soon after, his father — with whom he had lived in New Jersey — died.
Records show James filed a complaint against the aerospace company in federal court, soon after he lost his job, alleging racial discrimination, but it was dismissed a year later by a judge. He says in one video, without offering specifics, that he “couldn’t get any justice for what I went through.”
A spokesperson for Curtiss-Wright didn’t immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
James describes going in and out of several mental health facilities, including two in the Bronx borough of New York City in the 1970s.
“Mr. Mayor, let me say to you I’m a victim of your mental health program in New York City,” James says in a video earlier this year, adding he is “full of hate, full anger and bitterness.”
James says he later was a patient at Bridgeway House, a mental health facility in New Jersey, although that could not be immediately confirmed. Messages left with the facility were not returned.
“My goal at Bridgeway in 1997 was to get off Social Security and go back to f—— work,” he says in a video, adding that he enrolled in a college and took a course in computer-aided design and manufacturing.
James says he eventually got a job at telecommunications giant Lucent Technologies in Parsippany, New Jersey, but says he ended up getting fired and returned to Bridgeway House, this time not as a patient but as an employee on the maintenance staff. A message seeking comment was sent to Lucent Technologies.
“I just want to work. I want to be a person that’s productive,” he said.
Touches of that earnest, struggling man showed up after James’ parked car was hit in Milwaukee. Eugene Yarbrough, pastor of Mt. Zion Wings of Glory Church of God in Christ next door to James’ apartment, said James was impressed that the pastor owned up to hitting the car. Neither James nor anyone else was there to see the accident. And James called him up to say so.
“I just couldn’t believe it would be him,” Yarbrough said. “But who knows what people will do?”
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AP reporters Michael Balsamo in Washington, Deepti Hajela in New York, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia, Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, and Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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On Twitter, follow Bernard Condon at twitter.com/bernardfcondon, Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and Michael Kunzelman at twitter.com/Kunzelman75 and send confidential news tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/police-search-for-motive-in-brooklyn-subway-suspects-videos/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:15 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/police-search-for-motive-in-brooklyn-subway-suspects-videos/ |
DENVER (AP) — When former members of the U.S. snowboarding team wanted to report sex-abuse allegations against a longtime coach, they received conflicting information that left them unsure of where to turn — or whether they wanted to pursue the cases at all.
An Instagram post during the Olympics by a former U.S. team member led to allegations that coach Peter Foley had molested them, coerced them into taking naked pictures, crawled into bed with them and nurtured an atmosphere in which women were treated as sex objects.
The episode has raised questions as to whether the reporting system for sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports, redesigned in the wake of former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar’s abuse of hundreds of athletes, is working the way it should some five years since the overhaul.
Foley has denied wrongdoing. His attorney, Howard Jacobs, said that as of March 30 — 10 days after Foley was fired by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard federation and more than seven weeks after the allegations began surfacing — the 56-year-old coach had not been contacted by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the organization formed to investigate claims such as those involving Foley.
“We only received the allegations from the U.S. Center for SafeSport after I emailed them to request that they provide them,” Jacobs said.
The Associated Press reviewed a series of emails between the athletes, an attorney at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard federation and employees at the U.S. Center for SafeSport that ensued after the initial social-media post by snowboarder Callan Chythlook-Sifsof. The correspondence painted a picture of athletes who didn’t trust their own sports federation to handle the cases appropriately and a SafeSport center that had received information on the case but would not pursue it unless it heard from the accusers themselves.
One email to USSS attorney Alison Pitt sent by a SafeSport intake coordinator said athletes “need to be educated that if they are not willing to come forward, be named and participate in the process, they are in effect choosing to participate in a self-fulfilling prophecy, in that nothing can or will be done to the accused.”
The email continued by saying accusers “seem to believe they can throw out allegations and Foley will be removed.”
That correspondence conflicts with the center’s own bylaws, which state “nothing in this Code shall be construed to require a victim of child abuse or other misconduct to self-report.” The bylaws also warn that anonymous reports can limit the center’s ability to respond.
Asked for details about this and other emails, spokeswoman Annie Skinner said the center does not comment about particular cases “to protect the integrity of the process and the confidentiality of affected individuals.”
“Correspondence with an NGB about a particular matter should not be considered a comprehensive representation of the center’s information or investigative intentions,” Skinner said.
While the SafeSport Center asked, and waited, for victims to come forward, Pitt, the USSS lawyer, might have had a potentially chilling effect on one athlete’s decision about whether to contact the center. An ESPN report that detailed the allegations quoted an unnamed Olympic medalist as saying the attorney described an “extensive and challenging” reporting process.
“It did make me question whether I wanted to go through with that process,” the athlete said.
USSS CEO Sophie Goldschmidt told AP that Pitt was “transparent that the process may take time” in her discussion with the athlete, but assured her that reporting to the SafeSport Center was the only way for the case to be resolved.
It took more than five weeks for either oversight organization to take decisive action against Foley: U.S. Ski & Snowboard fired him as a result of its own workplace investigation on March 20, two days after the SafeSport Center put him on temporary suspension pending its abuse investigation.
The SafeSport Center was formed after dozens of athletes across several sports detailed decades of abuse allegations that were not handled properly by U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the sports organizations it oversaw. One reason it was formed was to prevent conflicts of interest that arose when executives or employees of a sports organization tried to resolve sex-abuse disputes involving athletes in their sport.
What happened between Chythlook-Sifsof’s initial accusations and the now-current investigation into Foley drew the attention of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who sent USSS a letter suggesting it was skirting rules that call for the center to have exclusive jurisdiction in investigating sex-abuse complaints.
In his letter, Grassley said USSS interfered by conducting its own investigation instead of filtering the entire process through the SafeSport Center, and “has failed to make notifications regarding sexual misconduct to the center.”
USSS responded to Grassley with its own letter that says there is a “grave misunderstanding” about the actions the federation took when it first heard of the allegations.
USSS provided AP with several emails and documents that indicate it contacted the SafeSport center immediately upon learning of Chythlook-Sifsof’s Instagram post.
But the initial contact between USSS and the SafeSport Center did not result in any sanction for Foley by the center. Though the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee had imposed “temporary measures” to restrict Foley’s contact with athletes through the end of the Olympics, USSS grew more concerned as the snowboard team approached a trip to Austria for a post-Olympics competition in early March. The USOPC’s measures expired after the Olympics.
In a Feb. 16 email to Pitt, SafeSport Center vice president Bobby Click says “based on the information the center has, we have chosen not to implement any types of measure.”
The next day, an intake coordinator at the center emailed Pitt and said she had interviewed five “claimants,” all of whom denied misconduct.
“If I do not get a participating claimant soon, we will be closing” the case, the coordinator wrote.
The emails further pressing the athletes to come forward were sent March 14.
Over the same span, a USSS board member, Lisa Kosglow, contacted the former Olympic medalist interviewed in the ESPN story and told her “Peter is so devastated” about the allegations. ESPN reported Kosglow told the medalist Foley had asked Kosglow to reach out to her. The medalist told Kosglow she was one of the women hurt by Foley.
USSS acknowledged that Kosglow did not report any of this to the SafeSport Center and had subsequently resigned her seat.
“This was a mistake, which we regret,” USSS said in a statement.
But USSS stood firm on its decision to temporarily suspend and eventually fire Foley while it opened and then resolved its own investigation on workplace bullying and a toxic environment — a probe that stemmed from the initial sex-abuse allegations.
“Inevitably there was some overlap between the center’s sexual misconduct investigation and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard investigation into other workplace misconduct,” the federation said.
Meanwhile, as emails between USSS and the center went back and forth, a handful of athletes, including Chythlook-Sifsof, took their cases to the center, which opened an investigation that led to Foley’s temporary suspension. It came two days before his firing and more than five weeks after the original Instagram post.
“If not for USSS’s determination that Coach Foley’s conduct (even outside of the Center’s investigation into sexual misconduct) did not comport with the values of USSS, Coach Foley would have continued to have contact with athletes until the Center decided to act nearly four weeks later,” Goldschmidt wrote in the USSS’s response to Grassley.
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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/snowboard-abuse-case-exposes-flaws-in-new-reporting-system/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:22 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/snowboard-abuse-case-exposes-flaws-in-new-reporting-system/ |
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans shared milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate their traditional new year on Thursday opposite President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office, where they camped out for a sixth day demanding his resignation over the worst economic crisis in memory.
Soldiers who were disabled in the island nation’s civil war lit a hearth, Buddhist monks chanted religious verses and others set off firecrackers amid chants of: “Victory to the people’s struggle!”
Protesters are occupying the entrance and surroundings of Rajapaksa’s office, holding him responsible for the economic situation. They also are calling for his powerful family to leave power, accusing them of corruption and misrule.
“Other days our children go to their grandparents to celebrate the new year, but today we brought them here to show them the real situation in the country,” said Dilani Niranjala, who attended the protest with her husband and two sons aged 10 and 8.
“We don’t want to lie to them about what’s going on in the country and go to our village to celebrate the new year. From their younger days, they should see the truth and live with the truth,” she added.
Niranjala’s husband, Usitha Gamage, who works as a taxi driver, said he had been discouraged watching the news every morning about skyrocketing living costs.
“I am so happy that this struggle is taking place and it gives me new hope and energy,” he said.
“The new year — after we chase them out — is going to be great for us. This is what I have told my children,” he added.
Sri Lankans in recent months have endured fuel and food shortages and daily power outages. Most of those items are paid for in hard currency, but Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment over the next five years. Nearly $7 billion is due this year.
They have been forced to wait in long lines to buy cooking gas, fuel and milk powder, and doctors have warned there is a potentially catastrophic shortage of essential medicines in government hospitals.
Tharushi Nirmani, a 23-year-old student who was helping distribute food to protesters, said the movement was uniting Sri Lankans from different backgrounds.
“All these years, the new year was celebrated by only two ethnic groups — Sinhalese and Tamils — but most of the people who were with us last night were Muslims,” she said, referring to her fellow volunteers. “There is an amazing togetherness.”
The government announced Tuesday that it is suspending repayments of foreign debt, including bonds and government-to-government borrowing, pending the completion of a loan restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund.
The government says the World Bank has provided $10 million to buy essential medicine and equipment and the health ministry is in discussions with the World Health Organization and Asian Development Bank for additional funding. The government has also appealed to Sri Lankans living and working overseas to donate medicines or money to purchase them.
The World Bank said Wednesday that it is concerned about the uncertain economic outlook in Sri Lanka and is working to provide emergency support for poor and vulnerable households to help them weather the economic crisis.
Much of the anger expressed in weeks of protests has been directed at the Rajapaksa family, which has held power for most of the past two decades. Critics accuse the family of having the government borrow heavily to finance projects that have earned no money, such as a port facility built with Chinese loans.
The president and his older brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, continue to hold power, despite their politically powerful family being the focus of public ire. The Rajapaksas have refused to resign but the crisis and ongoing protests have prompted many Cabinet members to quit. Four ministers were sworn in as caretakers, but many key government portfolios are vacant.
Parliament has failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with the crisis after nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
But with opposition parties divided, they have been incapable of forming a majority to take control of Parliament. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/sri-lankan-protesters-mark-new-year-near-presidents-office/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:29 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/sri-lankan-protesters-mark-new-year-near-presidents-office/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up last week but remained at a historically low level, reflecting a robust U.S. labor market with near record-high job openings and few layoffs.
Jobless claims rose by 18,000 to 185,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, after nearly touching the lowest level since 1968 in the previous week. The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week ups and downs, edged up from 170,000 to 172,000.
“Claims are still at very low levels, underscoring historically tight labor market conditions,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “We expect initial claims to remain below (200,000) in the weeks ahead, as employers, who continue to struggle to attract and retain workers, will keep layoffs to a minimum.”
Two years after the coronavirus pandemic sent the economy into a brief but devastating recession, American workers are enjoying extraordinary job security. Weekly applications for unemployment aid, a proxy for layoffs, have remained consistently below the pre-pandemic level of 225,000.
Last year, employers added a record 6.7 million jobs, and they’ve added an average of 560,000 more each month so far in 2022. The unemployment rate, which soared to 14.7% in April 2020 in the depths of the COVID-19 recession, is now just 3.6%, barely above the lowest point in 50 years. And there is a record proportion of 1.7 job openings for every unemployed American.
The resilience of the job market and the overall U.S. economy is striking in light of a still-destructive pandemic, the economic consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the highest consumer inflation in 40 years.
Fewer than 1.48 million Americans were collecting traditional unemployment benefits in the week of April 2. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/us-jobless-claims-rise-but-remain-near-a-half-century-low/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:36 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/us-jobless-claims-rise-but-remain-near-a-half-century-low/ |
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Peter Lyoya took his six children from Congo in 2014 to escape violence. Now he fears he brought them to the U.S. to die.
A Michigan police officer fatally shot his eldest son, 26-year-old Patrick, in the head this month following a traffic stop in Grand Rapids. Video shows a brief foot chase and struggle over the officer’s Taser before the white officer shoots Patrick Lyoya as the Black man is face down on the ground.
Peter Lyoya talked with The Associated Press in his Lansing apartment on Thursday, a day after police released video of the fatal encounter. Patrick’s cousin Ben served as an interpreter.
Peter said he came to the U.S. to get away from prolonged civil unrest in which several rebel groups have vied for control of territories in mineral-rich eastern Congo. Patrick, who has two young children of his own, worked at an auto parts factory in Grand Rapids and would visit his siblings in Lansing on weekends, his dad said.
“Patrick never had a problem with anybody,” his dad said.
In the April 4 encounter, the officer repeatedly ordered Lyoya to “let go” of his Taser, at one point demanding: “Drop the Taser!”
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom cited a need for transparency when releasing video collected from a passenger in Lyoya car, the officer’s body camera, the officer’s patrol car and a doorbell camera. Winstrom didn’t identify the officer, a seven-year veteran who is on paid leave during the investigation.
“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. The city of about 200,000 people is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
Peter Lyoya asked for justice for his son and for the police to release the officer’s name. He said Patrick’s brothers and sisters want to know who killed him and would like to see his picture so they can know “this is the person that took our beloved one.”
Video shows Patrick Lyoya running from the officer who stopped him for driving with a license plate that didn’t belong to the vehicle. They struggled in front of several homes while Lyoya’s passenger got out and watched.
Winstrom said the fight over the Taser lasted about 90 seconds. In the final moments, the officer was on top of Lyoya, kneeling on his back at times 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. Kent County’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Stephen Cohle, said he completed the autopsy but toxicology tests haven’t been finished.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she had spoken with the family.
“He arrived in the United States as a refugee with his family fleeing violence. He had his whole life ahead of him,” Whitmer, a Democrat, said.
The traffic stop was tense from the start. Video shows Lyoya 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.
Prosecutor Chris Becker will decide whether any charges are warranted but said the public shouldn’t expect a quick decision. While the videos “are an important piece of evidence, they are not all of the evidence,” he added.
The officer’s body camera was turned off before the shooting, which happens when a button is pushed for three seconds, Winstrom said. He said it appears it was deactivated unintentionally due to body pressure during the struggle, but he would not discuss any officer statements about it.
“That will come out once the investigation’s complete,” Winstrom said.
Several hundred protesters gathered outside the Grand Rapids Police Department following the release of the videos, with some cursing and shouting from behind barricades. The group demanded that officials make public the name of the officer in the shooting. The demonstration remained nonviolent.
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump,speaking on behalf of Lyoya’s family, called for the officer to be fired and prosecuted.
“It should be noted that Patrick never used violence against this officer even though the officer used violence against him in several instances for what was a misdemeanor traffic stop,” Crump said in a news release.
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.
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AP reporters Ed White in Detroit, Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed to this story. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/video-shows-patrick-lyoya-shot-in-head-by-michigan-officer/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:43 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/video-shows-patrick-lyoya-shot-in-head-by-michigan-officer/ |
The Justice Department is improving language access to its programs to help people with limited English proficiency better report crimes. The Interior Department is providing technical assistance to Native American tribes to help them apply for grants. The Energy Department is helping low-income households access programs to weatherize their homes and save energy.
Those efforts are among hundreds of strategies and commitments the Biden administration released Thursday. They are the product of an executive order that President Joe Biden signed hours after taking office with the goal of advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities across the federal government.
The order was the first of its kind by a president, said Chiraag Bains, deputy assistant to the president for racial justice and equity.
“We set the mission and the mandate for every agency, the entire federal government, to center equity in all that we do,” Bains told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
After more than a year of review, more than 90 federal agencies, including all major Cabinet departments, released their “equity action plans” on Thursday.
The plans outline more than 300 strategies and commitments that aim to make federal policies fairer for everyone, including poorer communities and communities of color; tribal, rural and LGBTQ communities; and people with disabilities and women and girls.
They were to be discussed at a White House event hosted Thursday by domestic policy adviser Susan Rice, budget director Shalanda Young and members of the Cabinet. Biden, a Democrat, has one of the most diverse Cabinets, with Black and Hispanic people and women leading major departments, including Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Some of the equity plans have been announced, such as work by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to close the racial gap in homeownership, address disproportionate rates of homelessness among underserved communities and reduce bias in home appraisals.
Others strategies are being made public for the first time, such as Defense Department efforts to promote the use of artificial intelligence technology to reduce algorithmic bias by investing in the development of a more diverse AI workforce. That work includes partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities.
Equity action teams at every agency led the reviews. Bains said that, taken together, the strategies “will advance equity and justice so that everybody can thrive in America.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/administration-unveils-steps-to-boost-racial-equity-in-govt/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:50 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/administration-unveils-steps-to-boost-racial-equity-in-govt/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stephen Miller, who served as a top aide to President Donald Trump, will appear Thursday before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Miller was a senior adviser for policy during the Trump administration and a central figure in many of the Republican’s policy decisions. He had resisted previous efforts by the committee, filing a lawsuit last month seeking to quash a committee subpoena for his phone records.
The people familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private testimony. It’s unclear whether Miller will appear in person or virtually. A spokesperson for the committee said the panel had no comment, and Miller did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Miller is the latest in a series of sit-downs the committee has scored with those in Trump’s inner circle — signaling that lawmakers are closing in on the former president by going around him to those who were present on the day of the attack or were his confidants in the weeks leading up to it.
His scheduled testimony before the committee comes weeks after Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, also agreed to sit down with congressional investigators, months after the committee had first reached out.
Members of the panel said Kushner’s testimony in late March, which went on for more than six hours, was helpful. Ivanka Trump, who was with her father in the White House on Jan. 6, was questioned for eight hours last week as congressional investigators tried to piece together her father’s failed effort to delay the certification of the 2020 election results.
The nine-member panel subpoenaed the former Trump adviser in November along with Steve Bannon and former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the chairman of the panel, said in a statement at the time that Miller had “participated in efforts to spread false information about alleged voter fraud” and to encourage state legislatures to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election by appointing alternate electors.
Thompson has also said that Miller helped prepare Trump’s remarks for a rally on the Ellipse that preceded the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and was with Trump when he spoke.
The House voted last week to hold former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt for their monthlong refusal to comply with subpoenas. The move was the third time the panel has referred people in the former president’s orbit to the Justice Department for potential prosecution for contempt. The first two referrals, sent late last year, were for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Bannon.
The contempt referral against Bannon resulted in an indictment, with a trial set to start in July. The Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows, much to the committee’s frustration.
By agreeing to testify, Miller is looking to avoid the fate of the other former advisers and members of the Trump administration. For the committee, comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans, the central facts of the Jan. 6 insurrection are known, but what members are hoping to do with the more than 850 interviews and over 100,000 documents is fill in the remaining gaps about the attack on the Capitol. Lawmakers say they are committed to presenting a full accounting to make sure it never happens again.
The panel is looking into every aspect of the riot, including what Trump was doing while it unfolded and any connections between the White House and the Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol building.
Members plan to release information in the coming months as the committee begins to hold public hearings and eventually release a series of reports on the insurrection. While there have been discussions about the possibility of pursuing a criminal referral against Trump at the end of all of this, lawmakers have not made a final decision.
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Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/ap-source-trump-aide-miller-to-testify-to-jan-6-committee/ | 2022-04-14T18:58:57 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/ap-source-trump-aide-miller-to-testify-to-jan-6-committee/ |
BEIJING (AP) — China on Thursday said it would reject “any pressure or coercion” over its relationship with Russia, in response to a call from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for Beijing to use its “special relationship with Russia” to persuade Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian defended China’s position on the war, saying it had “made considerable efforts to de-escalate the situation, defuse the crisis and rebuild peace.”
“China is playing a constructive role in the Ukraine issue,” Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing.
China has refused to condemn theinvasion of Ukraine by strategic partner Russia, or even refer to the conflict as a war in deference to Moscow, which uses the term “special military operation.”
“We oppose unfounded accusations and suspicions against China, nor will we accept any pressure or coercion,” Zhao said. “Time will tell that China’s claims are on the right side of history.”
China has also amplified Russian propaganda about the war, including unsupported claims that the U.S. and Ukraine have been developing biological weapons.
It has staunchly opposed economic sanctions against Russia and has abstained or sided with Moscow in U.N. votes following the beginning of the war on Feb. 24, just weeks after Russian leader Vladimir Putin met with China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing.
In a speech Wednesday,Yellen said Beijing “cannot expect the global community to respect its appeals to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the future if it does not respect these principles now.”
“The world’s attitude towards China and its willingness to embrace further economic integration may well be affected by China’s reaction to our call for resolute action on Russia,” she said.
Yellen’s speech at the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank, came a week before the world’s finance ministers and central bank governors convene in Washington for the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Group Spring Meetings.Her direct appeal to China underscores an increasing frustration that the United States and its allies have with a country that has only deepened its ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.
Making no mention of Russia’s aggression, Zhao reiterated China’s stance that it “maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected and safeguarded,” and that “Ukraine’s sovereignty and security should be preserved, and Russia’s legitimate security concerns should also be respected.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/china-rejects-pressure-or-coercion-over-russia-relations/ | 2022-04-14T18:59:04 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/china-rejects-pressure-or-coercion-over-russia-relations/ |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban into law Thursday as the state joined a growing conservative push to restrict access to the procedure ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could roll back abortion rights in America.
“This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation,” DeSantis said as he signed the bill at an evangelical church in the city of Kissimmee.
Republicans nationwide have moved to place new restrictions on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court signaled it would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. The high court’s decision, expected this summer, could potentially weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.
The law DeSantis signed Thursday deals a significant blow to overall abortion access in the South, where Florida has provided wider access to the procedure than its regional neighbors.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, contains exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save a mother’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow for exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking, despite several Democratic attempts to amend the bill. Under current law, Florida allows abortions up to 24 weeks.
Debate over the proposal grew deeply personal and revealing inside the legislature, as lawmakers recalled their own abortions and experiences with sexual assault in often tearful speeches on the House and Senate floors. Republicans have repeatedly called the 15-week ban reasonable, citing state statistics that show only 6% of Florida’s abortions last year occurred after the first trimester, or after the 11th week.
Democrats were quick to criticize the new law after the signing.
“Politicians have no business getting between a patient and her doctor,” said House Democratic Leader Evan Jenne. “This 15-week abortion ban takes away every woman’s right to make personal decisions that should only be made by themselves, with their family, their doctor, and their faith.”
The legislation came a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority indicated it would uphold Mississippi’s 15-week ban. There also has been substantial support among the conservative justices for getting rid of Roe altogether.
If Roe is overturned, 26 states are certain or likely to quickly ban or severely restrict abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a think tank that supports abortion rights. During the debate over the Florida legislation, as well as at the bill’s signing ceremony, Republicans said they want the state to be well placed to limit access to abortions if the Supreme Court upholds Mississippi’s law.
“The reality of the Roe decision is that men on the Supreme Court proclaimed that women, in order to achieve equality with men, must be able to kill their own children,” said Republican Rep. Erin Grall, the bill’s sponsor. “As a woman, I refuse to accept such a perverse version of equality.”
Elsewhere in the U.S., Republican lawmakers have introduced new abortion restrictions, some similar to a Texaslaw that bans abortion after roughly six weeks and leaves enforcement up to private citizens.
OklahomaRepublican Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed a bill to make it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to a decade in prison. ArizonaRepublican Gov. Doug Ducey in March signed legislation to outlaw abortion after 15 weeks if the U.S. Supreme Court leaves Mississippi’s law in place. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/florida-governor-expected-to-sign-abortion-restriction-bill/ | 2022-04-14T18:59:11 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/florida-governor-expected-to-sign-abortion-restriction-bill/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal jury began deliberating Thursday in the trial of an Ohio man who testified he was “following presidential orders” from Donald Trump when he stormed the U.S. Capitol last year.
Jurors heard attorneys’ closing arguments in the trial of Dustin Byron Thompson, who is charged with obstructing Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory and stealing a coat rack from a Capitol office during the riot on Jan. 6 of last year.
Thompson, 38, of Columbus, Ohio, is the fifth defendant to be tried among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. He is the first to mount a defense blaming Trump and members of the president’s inner circle for the insurrection.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dreher said that Thompson, a college-educated exterminator who lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, knew he was breaking the law when he joined the mob that attacked the Capitol and, in his case, looted the Senate parliamentarian’s office. The prosecutor told jurors that Thompson’s lawyer “wants you to think you have to choose between President Trump and his client.”
“You don’t have to choose because this is not President Trump’s trial. This is the trial for Dustin Thompson because of what he did at the Capitol on the afternoon on Jan. 6,” Dreher said.
Defense attorney Samuel Shamansky said Thompson hasn’t avoided taking responsibility for his conduct that day.
“This shameful chapter in our history is all on TV,” Shamansky told jurors.
But he said Thompson, unemployed and consumed by a steady diet of conspiracy theories, was vulnerable to Trump’s lies about a stolen election. He described Thompson as a “pawn” and Trump as a “gangster” who abused his power to manipulate supporters.
“The vulnerable are seduced by the strong, and that’s what happened here,” Shamansky said.
Thompson’s jury trial is the third among hundreds of Capitol riot cases prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department. In the first two cases, jurors convicted the defendants of all charges.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton barred Thompson’s lawyer from calling Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as trial witnesses. But the judge ruled that jurors could hear recordings of speeches that Trump and Giuliani delivered on Jan. 6, before the riot erupted. A recording of Trump’s remarks was played.
Shamansky claimed that Giuliani incited rioters by encouraging them to engage in “trial by combat” and that Trump provoked the mob by saying that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Dreher told jurors that neither Trump nor Giuliani had the authority to “make legal” what Thompson did at the Capitol.
Thompson, who testified on Wednesday, admitted that he joined the mob’s attack and stole the coat rack and a bottle of bourbon from the Senate parliamentarian’s office. He said he regretted his “disgraceful” behavior.
“I can’t believe the things that I did,” he said. “Mob mentality and group think is very real and very dangerous.”
Thompson said he believed Trump’s false claim that the election was stolen and was trying to stand up for the lame duck president.
“If the president is giving you almost an order to do something, I felt obligated to do that,” he testified.
Thompson is charged with six counts: obstructing Congress’ joint session to certify the Electoral College vote, theft of government property, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
The obstruction count is the only felony charge. The rest are misdemeanors.
Thompson drove from Ohio to Washington with a friend, Robert Lyon, who also was arrested less than a month after the riot. Lyon pleaded guilty in March to two misdemeanors — theft of government property and disorderly conduct — and is to be sentenced June 3.
Thompson and Lyon took an Uber ride into Washington on the morning of Jan. 6. After Trump’s speech, they headed to the Capitol.
Thompson was wearing a bulletproof vest when he entered the building and went to the parliamentarian’s office, The FBI said agents later searched Lyon’s cellphone and found a video that showed a ransacked office and Thompson yelling: “Wooooo! ’Merica Hey! This is our house!”
“(Trump) didn’t force you to go. He didn’t force you to walk every step of the way to the Capitol building, did he?” Dreher asked Thompson on Wednesday.
“No,” Thompson said.
“You chose to do that?” Dreher asked.
“I was following presidential orders, but yes,” Thompson said.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes arising from the riot. Over 250 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. Thompson is the fifth person to be tried on riot-related charges.
On Monday, a jury convicted a former Virginia police officer, Thomas Robertson, of storming the Capitol with another off-duty officer. Last month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of storming the building with a holstered handgun.
A judge hearing testimony without a jury decided cases against two other Capitol riot defendants at separate bench trials. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them of all charges and partially acquitted the other.
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Associated Press reporter Jacques Billeaud contributed from Phoenix. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/man-blaming-trumps-orders-for-riot-actions-awaits-verdict/ | 2022-04-14T18:59:18 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/man-blaming-trumps-orders-for-riot-actions-awaits-verdict/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has called Russia’s war on Ukraine a genocide and accused Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes. But his administration has struggled with how much intelligence it is willing to give the Ukrainian forces that are trying to stop the Russian leader.
Since the war began in late February, the Biden administration has made multiple changes to a classified directive that governs what U.S. agencies are supposed to share with Ukraine. Much of what the United States collects is shared; some is not. Where the line is drawn depends on protecting the sources and methods of the intelligence, but also trying to limit the risk of escalation with a nuclear-armed Russia.
The latest changes occurred last week when U.S. intelligence officials lifted some geographic limits on the transfer of actionable information — the kind of information used in minute-by-minute decisions on the battlefield. According to several people familiar with the issue who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters, officials removed language that had limited the specific locations of potential targets in parts of eastern Ukraine.
The shifts in the intelligence rules reflect the administration’s changing calculations of what Putin might consider escalatory. The U.S. is also trying to step up support to Ukrainian forces that have surprised much of the world in how they have held back Russia but remain undermanned and outgunned. The Pentagon this week also announced $800 million in new military assistance that could include more powerful weapons and defensive equipment.
Some people familiar with the directive say there is ambiguity about the new limits. One question is whether the U.S. would delay or limit information about a possible Russian target in areas internationally recognized as Ukrainian territory but that Moscow or its proxies controlled before the war, including the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Donbas. U.S. personnel have at times limited intelligence that they believed Ukrainian forces could use to retake previously lost territory.
The directive still limits information given to Ukrainians about forces in Russia or neighboring Belarus, where Russian forces have staged and previously attacked from Ukraine’s north.
“We are intensely sharing timely intelligence with the Ukrainians to help them defend themselves throughout their country, including in areas held by Russia before the 2022 invasion,” said one U.S. intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the classified directive. The Wall Street Journal first reported the directive had been changed.
Another U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters said the administration was “providing detailed, timely intelligence to the Ukrainians on a range of fronts.”
A letter sent Monday by Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee — after the new guidance — urges Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, to “proactively share intelligence with the Ukrainians to help them protect, defend, and retake every inch of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, which includes Crimea and the Donbas.”
The senators said they “remain deeply concerned that not enough is being done to share critical intelligence that would assist the Ukrainians as Russian forces move to secure territory in the southern and eastern parts of the country.”
Unlike a Feb. 9 letter to Biden urging intelligence sharing “to the fullest extent possible,” Democrats on the committee did not join this week’s letter, reflecting apparent divisions in how members view the administration’s current guidance.
The White House insists it is providing information in line with Ukraine’s current goals. Analysts say the war is shifting from a conflict fought across the country to a stronger focus on the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine that Russia has seized or attacked recently. One expected point of focus is the strategic port city of Mariupol, whose mayor says more than 10,000 civilians have been killed in the Russian siege.
In addition to its own intelligence capabilities, Ukraine relies on U.S. and Western support to help it plan and repel attacks. Before and during the war, the U.S. has publicly and privately shared intelligence about what it believes are Putin’s battle plans in the hopes of undercutting Russia and building support for a forceful Western response.
Lawmakers from both parties have spoken broadly about the limits since the Russian invasion.
Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a television interview in March that the White House was holding back some real-time intelligence “because that steps over the line to making us participating in the war.” A spokesperson for Smith, D-Wash., declined an interview request Wednesday.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., on March 1 accused the White House of delaying intelligence due to “overly-lawyered processes,” adding that “information about where an invading Russian tank was 12 hours ago does squat to prevent civilian bloodshed.”
The directive has been changed to limit delays, officials said. The latest update, according to one intelligence official, is intended to give U.S. officers “added clarity” allowing for faster and more fulsome cooperation with Ukraine.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week if the U.S. was giving Ukraine intelligence to carry out operations in Crimea or parts of the Donbas previously controlled by Russian proxies.
“We want to make sure that’s clear to our force, and so updated guidance that goes out today will make sure that’s clear,” Austin said, adding: “Certainly the current guidance was not clear in that regard, so we’ll make sure it’s clear.”
Ohio Rep. Mike Turner, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, late last month asked Gen. Tod Wolters, the supreme NATO commander for Europe, whether he was satisfied with the speed of information getting to Ukraine.
“Congressman, I’m comfortable, but I want it to speed up,” Wolters said. “And I always will say that even if it occurs in one second, I want it tomorrow to be in a half a second.”
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LaPorta reported from Wilmington, North Carolina. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/pressure-on-us-to-give-ukraine-more-intelligence-on-russia/ | 2022-04-14T18:59:25 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/pressure-on-us-to-give-ukraine-more-intelligence-on-russia/ |
WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — After the Capitol riot, longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin said he thought briefly that the foolishness and recklessness of dividing the country would finally stop. That didn’t happen, and the Rhode Island Democrat says it’s one reason why he’s leaving Congress.
Langevin saw some of his Republican colleagues saying enough is enough. He said he hoped they would all rededicate themselves to finding common ground, recognizing that as Americans, “we’re in this together.”
Instead, Langevin said, the country became further divided. It was disheartening to see “far too few” Republicans holding the former president accountable for pointing the crowd toward Congress and firing them “like a cannon,” he added.
Langevin narrowly missed being in the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
His staff suggested he go to his office near the House floor, so he’d be nearby when called to witness the vote count and certification firsthand for President Joe Biden. Langevin said thankfully he decided to work at the congressional office building.
Shortly after the insurrection’s one-year anniversary, Langevin announced he wouldn’t seek a 12th term.
Langevin, the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, said he wants to be with his family and friends, the commute has taken a physical toll and he wants to try something new closer to home while he’s healthy and young enough to do so.
The polarization shown by Jan. 6 and its aftermath was a factor, too. In nearly 22 years in Congress, Langevin always tried to work across the aisle.
“I don’t want to overplay it and say that, you know, all of a sudden my mind changed because of Jan. 6. That would not be accurate, but has it had an impact? Public service, it’s changed,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Things are different, the political environment is different. And I’m not the political guy for the most part, I’m a policy wonk. I like rolling up my sleeves and solving problems. I thrive on working in a bipartisan environment.”
Langevin leads a bipartisan caucus on career and technical education with Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania. Thompson said one of the reasons they work well together is that neither has “surrendered” to the “extreme voices” in their parties.
“We’re part of the folks in the middle,” he said. “Neither one of us are show horses, we’re work horses. And we want to work. We want to get things done for the American people.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, of Texas, said Congress needs more people like Langevin. The two co-founded the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus together.
“I never saw him as a Democrat or Republican,” McCaul said. “He was just a guy that really cared about the country, cared about the national security policies of the country, and just wanted to get good things done.”
McCaul hopes the departure of Langevin and centrists like him doesn’t signal the end of an era, turning the legislature into a divisive body that’s far left and far right.
“I think most Americans are kind of center, maybe a little center right, but they’re in the middle,” McCaul said. “And Jim really represented that well. I try to do that as well. And he’s the person I can work with and a person I can trust. And you know, trust is a hard thing to find in Washington.”
Langevin, who turns 58 this month, was elected to Rhode Island’s Constitutional Convention in 1986 while still in college. He wanted to serve the people of Rhode Island because of the way they rallied around him after an accident when he was a 16-year-old police cadet.
Two officers at the Warwick Police Department were looking at a new gun. One of them, not realizing it was loaded, pulled the trigger to test it and a bullet struck Langevin’s neck, severing his spinal cord.
After the constitutional convention, Langevin served in Rhode Island’s legislature, then overhauled Rhode Island’s elections system as the nation’s youngest secretary of state.
When he got to Congress in 2001, Langevin said, “Congress wasn’t quite ready for me yet.”
Temporary ramps and door openers were added. His desk was raised. Movable speaker’s lecterns were mounted. A holder was added to his voting card so he could slide it into the machine.
Nearly two decades later, two lifts were added by the speaker’s rostrum in the House so Langevin could become the first wheelchair user to serve as speaker pro tempore. He presided as the chamber marked 20 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act — a seminal moment in his career.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called him “a force for Americans with disabilities.” Langevin worked to pass legislation to make air travel and local transit more accessible, and to strengthen the ADA.
Langevin is proud of voting for the Affordable Care Act to ensure coverage for millions of Americans and make health care more affordable. He regrets that some provisions in the House version weren’t in the final law, such as a public option to ensure competition in every state.
For his last months in office, Langevin is focused on helping people get through the pandemic. He’s deeply concerned about the war in Ukraine. His late great-grandmother immigrated to the United States from Ukraine.
There’s speculation Langevin will be the next president of his alma mater, Rhode Island College. Langevin said the position hasn’t been offered, though he’d like to consider it after the rest of this term if the college thinks he’d be a good fit.
Langevin met his mentor, Rhode Island U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell, at the college and became his intern. Langevin has tried to emulate the late senator’s statesmanship. Langevin is also a big fan of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“How could I not be, right,” he said. “… FDR was never a person that made his disability the focus of who he was or what he did. He just did his thing.”
That’s what Langevin says he sought to do too.
“I hope I’ve made a significant contribution to making people’s lives better, the people of Rhode Island, the people of our country,” he said.
Langevin is hopeful for the future and for the chances of restoring bipartisanship to Congress.
“I believe that the pendulum does come back to the center eventually,” he said, “and we will be able to find that common ground.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/rep-langevin-public-service-has-changed-since-capitol-riot/ | 2022-04-14T18:59:32 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/rep-langevin-public-service-has-changed-since-capitol-riot/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are deeply divided over how much children in K-12 schools should be taught about racism and sexuality, according to a new poll released as Republicans across the country aim to make parental involvement in education a central campaign theme this election year.
Overall, Americans lean slightly toward expanding — not cutting back — discussions of racism and sexuality, but roughly 4 in 10 say the current approach is about right, including similar percentages across party lines. Still, the poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows stark differences between Republicans and Democrats who want to see schools make adjustments.
About 4 in 10 Republicans say teachers in local public schools discuss issues related to sexuality too much, while only about 1 in 10 say too little. Among Democrats, those numbers are reversed.
The findings reflect a sharply politicized national debate that has consumed local school boards and, increasingly, state capitols. Republicans see the fight over school curriculum as a winning culture war issue that will motivate their voters in the midterm elections.
In the meantime, a flurry of new state laws has been introduced, meant to curtail teaching about racism and sexuality and to establish a “parents’ bill of rights” that would champion curriculum transparency and allow parents to file complaints against teachers.
The push for legislation grew out of an elevated focus on K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, when angry parents crowded school board meetings to voice opposition to school closures, mask mandates and other restrictive measures intended to prevent the spread of illness.
“All that that’s happening these days kind of goes against the longer history of school boards being relatively low salience government institutions and, in a lot of cases, they are nonpartisan offices,” said Adam Zelizer, a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School researching school board legislation.
What distinguishes this moment, Zelizer said, is the “grassroots anger” in response to school policies and the national, coordinated effort to recruit partisan candidates for school boards and local offices.
What started as parents’ concern about virtual learning and mask wearing has morphed into something larger, said Republican pollster Robert Blizzard, describing parents as thinking: “OK, now that we have the schools open, what are these kids learning in school?”
The poll shows 50% of Americans say parents have too little influence on curriculum, while 20% say they have too much and 27% say it’s about right. About half also say teachers have too little influence.
Kendra Schultz said she and her husband have decided their 1-year-old daughter will be homeschooled, at least initially, because of what friends have told them about their experiences with schools in Columbia, Missouri.
Most recently, she said, one 4-year-old’s pre-K class talked about gender pronouns. Schultz offered that and mask requirements as examples of how the public school system “doesn’t align with what we believe or how we would like to see our children educated.”
“I’m just like, you’re a little kid, you should be learning your ABCs and your numbers and things like that,” said Schultz, a 30-year-old conservative. “That’s just not something that me and my husband would be interested in having teachers share with our children.”
In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in March signed into law a bill barring instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Opponents, including the White House, have dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The poll shows Americans are slightly more likely to say the focus on sex and sexuality in local schools is too little rather than too much, 31% to 23%, but 40% say it’s about right. The poll didn’t ask about specific grade levels.
Blizzard, who has been working with a group called N2 America to help GOP candidates in suburbs, said the schools issue resonates with the Republican base and can motivate voters.
In the Virginia governor’s race last year, Republican Glenn Youngkin won after campaigning on boosting parental involvement in schools and banning critical race theory, an academic framework about systemic racism that has become a catch-all phrase for teaching about race in U.S. history. His Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe, had said in a debate that parents shouldn’t tell schools what to teach.
The poll also shows Americans have mixed views about schools’ focus on racism in the U.S.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said parents and teachers alike are frustrated after pandemic disruptions and should partner to help kids recover. The efforts to predetermine curriculum and restrict teaching are getting in the way, she said.
“The people who are proposing them, they’ve been pretty clear … they just want to sow doubt and distrust because they want to end public education as we know it,” Weingarten said.
Parents of school-age children aren’t more likely than other adults to say parents have too little influence in schools. But there is a wide partisan gap, with 65% of Republicans saying that, compared with 38% of Democrats.
Michael Henry, a father of three in Dacula, Georgia, says he’s wrestled over what the right level of involvement is. It didn’t sit right with him, for example, that his 6-year-old was taught about Christopher Columbus in an entirely positive light. He says he’s reflected on “some of the lies” and “glorifications of history” in his own public school education and thinks race needs to be talked about more.
But ultimately, school curriculum is “outside my area of expertise,” said Henry, 31, an actuary who is also the acting president of the Gwinnett County Young Democrats.
“I have to do a lot of studying and work to be able to make informed decisions, and I don’t feel like parents generally have that kind of skill set” for curriculum, he said. “I think professionals should mostly be determining what the curriculum should be.”
Henry worries that new restrictions are “adding extra hassle for teachers, who already have a lot on their plate, to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.”
___
AP Education Writer Collin Binkley in Boston contributed to this report.
___
The AP-NORC poll of 1,082 adults was conducted March 17-21 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/talk-of-race-sex-in-schools-divides-americans-ap-norc-poll/ | 2022-04-14T18:59:40 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/talk-of-race-sex-in-schools-divides-americans-ap-norc-poll/ |
8 top-rated body sunscreens at Sephora
Summer is just around the corner, so it’ll soon be time to put on your favorite bathing suit for a beach or pool day. Going to the beach or a pool on a hot summer day is fun, but it can turn into a dreadful experience if you don’t wear sunscreen to protect yourself.
To avoid getting a nasty sunburn, using an effective sunscreen is a must, and Sephora has got you covered with plenty of terrific products.
What to look for in quality sunscreen at Sephora
Sephora offers high-quality beauty and personal care products, so you can rest assured that almost any sunscreen in their catalog is safe and effective. Nevertheless, it’s best to consider a few things before you run out and buy sunscreen.
Broad-spectrum
The sun’s rays are classified as either Ultraviolet A or Ultraviolet B. UVB rays cause sunburns, but UVA rays penetrate the skin and affect deeper tissue, which can cause long-term health issues. Look for a sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum protection to get complete protection.
Sun protection factor
SPF relates directly to UVB ray protection and indicates how long you can stay in direct sunlight before getting sunburned. For example, if you can sit under the sun for 15 minutes before getting sunburned, wearing a layer of sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 would provide 450 minutes of protection.
It’s the consensus that a 30 SPF sunscreen is adequate for most skin types. However, it’s important to note that although it can protect you for several hours, sunscreen tends to wear off quickly due to skin cells constantly shedding and other external factors. For that reason, experts recommend applying sunscreen every two to three hours.
Water-resistance
You’ll most likely wear sunscreen when on vacation or for a pool day, so there’s a good chance you’ll get wet at some point. Even if you wear it on a typical summer day, the heat from the sun will cause you to sweat, which will wash away the layer of sunscreen you’ve applied.
That’s why it’s crucial to get a water-resistant body sunscreen, so you don’t have to reapply it every time you get wet. When you’re on vacation or at the beach, you don’t want the hassle of having to have it close by because it washed off.
Application method
Body sunscreens are usually available in squeeze tubes or pumps, but some come in spray bottles. Spray-on sunscreens are convenient and easy to apply, but tubes and pumps let you use the right amount.
Ingredients
Many body sunscreens use natural ingredients to make them suitable for those with sensitive skin. You don’t have to worry about harmful toxins with products offered at Sephora, but it’s still a good idea to check the label before buying. Also, many body sunscreens are fortified with minerals and botanicals that can be beneficial, so look around and see what catches your eye.
Price
Most sunscreens are inexpensive and, on average, cost anywhere between $8-$15, but it depends on the size of the bottle. So, be mindful of how much sunscreen you’re getting at a specific price point.
Sephora offers some high-end lotions, usually formulated with quality ingredients, that can cost up to $60 for a standard-size bottle. However, if you’re working with a budget, you can find an effective and suitable sunscreen for under $20.
8 most popular sunscreens at Sephora
Top sunscreens with 50 SPF or higher
Supergoop! Play Everyday Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 PA
This hydrating sunscreen is made with a vegan formula and is both fast-absorbing and non-greasy. It can be used on the body and face and is suitable for various skin types, including normal, dry and oily.
Sold by Sephora
Supergoop! Mini Glow Oil Body Sunscreen SPF 50 PA
This oil-based body sunscreen has a radiant finish, but it isn’t greasy and gives the skin a vibrant glow. It’s made with ingredients that leave the skin nourished, such as meadowfoam seed oil, marigold extract and grape seed oil.
Sold by Sephora
Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion SPF 50 Sunscreen
If you want to stay well-protected under intense heat and sunlight, this sunscreen is what you want. It is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, and it uses HeatForce and WetForce technology to get stronger when exposed to heat and moisture.
Sold by Sephora
Tatcha The Silk Sunscreen Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 50 PA
This newer product is already a customer favorite, thanks to its high SPF rating and quality ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. It is hydrating with a smooth, silky texture and is also reef-friendly.
Sold by Sephora
Dr. Jart+ Every Sun Day Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
This sunscreen boasts a matte finish and a hypoallergenic zinc-oxide formula, and it is best suited for normal, combo and dry skin types. It is a thorough cream but still lightweight and also fragrance-free, which is a plus for those with sensitive skin.
Sold by Sephora
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50
This sunscreen incorporates several minerals — including vitamins A, C and E — into its formula to create a hydrating and gentle product. It uses quality ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, aloe and niacinamide, to soothe and nourish the skin over time.
Sold by Sephora
Top sunscreens under 50 SPF
Biossance Squalane and Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 PA
This sunscreen is ideal for sensitive skin types and incorporates an effective anti-aging formula that’s great for treating fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles around the eyes. It’s lightweight, and the water lily creates a soothing effect on the skin.
Sold by Sephora
Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 36
It’s not as expensive as other products, but this sunscreen offers adequate broad-spectrum protection with its 36 SPF rating. It’s a lightweight cream suitable for normal, dry and combo skin types.
Sold by Sephora
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Kevin Luna writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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Which Clinique perfume is best?
One of the most influential senses when meeting new people is the sense of smell. Smell is also intimately linked to memory, so it’s no surprise that you want to smell your best. However, department-store perfume can be frustratingly expensive. Clinique brand perfumes break that trend, offering wonderful fragrances at affordable prices.
The best Clinique perfume is Clinique Happy. It has a crisp, fresh and lightly fruity and floral scent that’s delicately feminine without being too strong. It also has a wear time of several hours.
What to know before you buy a Clinique perfume
Types of Clinique perfume
Technically, perfume is a catchall term for one of four types of formula. Any given Clinique perfume may use one of these formulas.
- Eau de cologne is the lightest and most affordable scent. No more than 5% of its formula is centered around its fragrances, meaning it lasts no longer than four hours at best.
- Eau de toilette is the most common formula. It’s stronger, with up to 15% fragrance-focused ingredients, and it can last for up to six hours.
- Eau de parfum is a little bit stronger to last a little bit longer. Specifically, it’s up to 20% fragrance-focused ingredients and lasts up to eight hours.
- Parfum is what you wear if you have a long day ahead. It can last for up to 12 hours and can be up to 40% fragrance-focused ingredients.
Notes
Clinique perfumes have three layers of scents, called notes.
- Top notes are what you smell immediately after application and they can fade just as fast.
- Middle notes are the main scent of a perfume, lasting all throughout the day.
- Bottom notes are the last thing you smell before the scent wears off. “Scent wearing off” here refers to what you and others smell moments after you’ve left the room.
Size
Clinique perfumes typically come in one of three sizes. The smallest is usually 1 fluid ounce. These bottles are good for trying out a new fragrance. Next is 1.7 fluid ounces. These bottles are perfect for those who only wear perfume on occasion and know they like the scent. Finally, there are 3.4 fluid ounce bottles that are meant for those who wear perfume daily.
What to look for in a quality Clinique perfume
Applicator
Most Clinique perfumes use spray applicators as they are the easiest to use. Smaller bottles may use rollerball applicators that work exactly like a ballpoint pen. In rare cases, such as single dose samples or slightly larger, there may be no applicator at all — the perfume drips out of a small hole. This can be quite messy.
Chemistry
This aspect has more to do with you than the perfume. Everyone’s body has its own unique chemistry. This chemistry interacts just as uniquely with any given perfume, Clinique or otherwise. So, Clinique Happy may smell divine when applied to you but sour when applied to another. For this reason, it’s important to always trial run a new Clinique perfume before purchasing a full bottle to ensure that it’s a quality perfume for you.
How much you can expect to spend on a Clinique perfume
The average 1-fluid-ounce bottle of Clinique perfume costs roughly $30-$50, a 1.7-fluid-ounce bottle costs roughly $50-$70 and a 3.4-fluid-ounce bottle costs no more than $100.
Clinique perfume FAQ
Where should I apply Clinique perfume?
A. The traditional zones to apply perfume to are the neck and chest area, behind the ears and at the wrists. Other places people commonly apply touches of perfume include the inner elbow and behind the knee. Any stretch of skin with a concentration of veins will do. The only exception is if you’ll be in humid environments, as your sweat will cause the concentration of perfume to deteriorate rapidly. In this case, apply a light spritz directly to your clothing.
How long does a Clinique perfume last in the bottle?
A. That depends on the perfume, how often you use it and where you store it. Clinique perfume can last for several years on average, in some cases as long as five years or a touch more. Thus, there’s no need to worry about it expiring if you’re using it semi-often. In order to make it last as long as possible, you’ll need to keep it in a cool, dry place.
What’s the best Clinique perfume to buy?
Top Clinique perfume
What you need to know: This is one of Clinique’s bestsellers.
What you’ll love: It’s long-lasting with a fresh and lightly floral scent. It has top notes of grapefruit, middle layers of Hawaiian wedding flower and bottom notes of honeysuckle. Other ingredients are boysenberry, moss, freesia, lemon and bushflower. It comes in 1-, 1.7- and 3.4-fluid-ounce bottles.
What you should consider: Some consumers were concerned that the online bottles weren’t the same as the department store bottles. Once the bottle is open it can’t be returned.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Macy’s, Sephora and Ulta Beauty
Top Clinique perfume for the money
What you need to know: This is less floral than the base Happy fragrance.
What you’ll love: The only floral notes are middle layers of primrose and water hyacinth. It has top notes of mandarin orange and cucumber with bottom notes of blondewood and sandalwood for a slightly citrusy and woody scent. Other ingredients include cassia and carrot.
What you should consider: A few consumers were unhappy with the lightness of the scent and the wear time. Others described the scent as soap-like.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Macy’s, Sephora and Ulta Beauty
Worth checking out
What you need to know: This is more floral than the base Happy fragrance.
What you’ll love: It has top notes of yellow plum and touches of watery green with middle layers of freesia and lily of the valley and bottom notes of amber and white wood — all of which conjure up memories of springtime.
What you should consider: It’s only available in 1- or 1.7-fluid-ounce bottles, making it a little pricey. A few consumers were concerned about receiving fakes.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Macy’s and Ulta Beauty
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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Which surge protector is best?
Most people have numerous electronic devices plugged in every room in their house. TVs, gaming consoles, computers and appliances are expensive and must be protected. A quality surge protector acts as a line of defense from electrical surges that can fry your electronics.
If you’re looking for a quality surge protector, the APC Surge Protector Power Strip is an excellent choice offering both AC and USB outlets.
What to know before you buy a surge protector
How surge protectors work
Many people buy surge protectors because they let you plug multiple devices into a single outlet. Still, the most critical surge protector function is protecting your electronics from spikes in voltage. Most devices aren’t built to withstand electrical surges on their own. Surge protectors divert the extra electricity to the outlet’s grounding wire when the voltage spikes above an acceptable level.
How surges happen
The most common causes of electrical surges are high-power devices such as air conditioners, refrigerators and dehumidifiers. These require large amounts of energy to turn on, which can upset the voltage flow. Faulty wiring is another common source of electrical surges.
Although less common, lightning can cause surges. When lightning strikes near power lines, the electrical energy can boost voltage significantly.
Power strip vs. surge protector
Power strips look identical to surge protectors, but they don’t offer protection against voltage surges. It’s essential to read the product’s description, as most surge protectors list their joule rating in the description.
Surge protector safety
Surge protectors can be dangerous if misused. Plug your surge protector directly into an outlet and never into an extension cord or another surge protector. In most cases, manufacturers won’t honor your warranty if they determine you’ve misused your surge protector.
What to look for in a quality surge protector
Joule rating
Joule ratings indicate how much energy the surge protector can absorb before failing. Higher joule ratings mean the device will protect your electronics against larger surges. For expensive electronics, choose a surge protector with at least 2,200 joules of protection.
Clamping voltage
Clamping voltage is the amount of “over-voltage” before the device begins to work. The three most common levels of protection are 330 volts, 400 volts and 500 volts. Lower clamping voltages are better, and in most cases, anything with a clamping voltage over 400 won’t protect your electronics.
Outlet variety
Some surge protectors feature USB outlets that eliminate the need for power blocks. Older and cheaper ones typically only feature AC outlets. Choosing a model with various outlets ensures you get more functionality out of your purchase.
Size
Many of the most effective surge protectors are large. Size may not be an issue if you have space, thinner models are worth considering if you’re low on space.
How much you can expect to spend on a surge protector
You can buy cheap surge protectors with low joule ratings for less than $15. If you want a unit that will adequately protect your electronics, you’ll likely spend between $20-$40.
Surge protector FAQ
Do I really need a surge protector?
A. Surge protectors are excellent safety devices when used correctly. Simple devices such as lamps and fans don’t need a surge protector. On the other hand, expensive devices with numerous electrical components such as computers, TVs and gaming consoles should be plugged into a surge protector. For the best outcome, you should expect to change your surge protector every three to five years.
Do surge protectors use a lot of electricity?
A. Surge protectors don’t drain any additional energy. They simply monitor the energy passing through them and divert that energy when needed.
Do phone chargers have surge protection?
A. Phone chargers don’t feature built-in surge protection. You’ll need to buy a surge protector separately to protect your phone from surges. If you plan on plugging your phone into a surge protector, consider buying one with USB outlets.
Should I turn off my surge protector at night?
A. Regularly turning off your surge protector will extend its life. They don’t protect against lightning strikes, so it’s best to turn them off at night if you expect a storm.
What’s the best surge protector to buy?
Top surge protector
APC Surge Protector Power Strip
What you need to know: This features a massive joule rating of 4,320 joules.
What you’ll love: It has 10 AC outlets and two USB outlets. The 6-foot power cord makes it easier to place this where you want it. Although the product description isn’t clear on the clamping voltage, most buyers suggest it’s between 330-400 volts.
What you should consider: Though it offers a lot of outlets, this model is bulky.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top surge protector for the money
Tripp Lite 7-Outlet Surge Protector
What you need to know: This surge protector is available in numerous configurations with an adequate joule rating.
What you’ll love: It has 2,160 joules of protection and seven AC outlets. LEDs tell you when it is properly grounded and protected. The narrow design is ideal for those without a ton of space.
What you should consider: This model doesn’t come with USB outlets.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Dell
Worth checking out
What you need to know: This model offers a slim design and eight AC outlets.
What you’ll love: It has 3,420 joules of surge protection. Three of the outlets have extra space between them for larger plugs. The clamping voltage is 330-400. It features a durable design.
What you should consider: There are several reports of people receiving defective units.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Cody Stewart writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/best-surge-protector/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:01 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/best-surge-protector/ |
What do you need for spring showers?
Spring brings sunshine, blooms and plenty of rain. If you live in one of many areas experiencing drizzles — or downpours — right now, it’s a good idea to invest in rain gear to deal with spring showers.
It’s no surprise that umbrellas, raincoats and other protective accessories come in handy in springtime, especially when they’re kept nearby in the event of unexpected showers. They’re not the only items worth buying during the rainy season, though. A few convenient products can make the difference between staying dry and getting soaked this season.
Levels of water-resistance
Before you shop around for rain gear, it’s important to understand the difference between waterproof and water-resistant materials.
Waterproof materials, which offer the most protection, prevent moisture from penetrating and soaking the inner layers. Water-resistant materials repel water and make it bead off the surface, but with enough exposure, inner layers will get wet. Most rain gear indicates its water resistance on tags so you know exactly how much protection they offer.
How to stay dry during the rainy season
Invest in basic rain gear
One of the easiest ways to stay dry during spring showers is by investing in quintessential rain gear, including rain jackets and rain boots.
Rain jackets are available in various lengths, but longer styles — ideally those cut at the midthigh — protect your lower back and waist from moisture and drafts. It’s wise to choose rain jackets with hoods in order to prevent hair from getting soaked, especially after you’ve blow-dried or styled it.
Rain boots are usually made with rubber or plastic, both of which are waterproof. Quality styles also have sealed seams that prevent rain and cold air from entering. However, comfort is hit or miss with rain boots. Generally, these lightweight styles lack cushioning, support and warmth, and they’re not suitable for extended walking periods.
Opt for travel rain accessories
Even if you pay close attention to weather reports, it’s still hard to predict spring showers. For that reason, it’s a good idea to invest in travel rain accessories that you can keep nearby in the event of unexpected storms.
- Travel umbrellas: Travel or mini umbrellas are often preferred to full-size umbrellas because they’re small enough to fit inside handbags, office desk drawers and lockers. They’re popular for kids because they are lightweight and fit inside backpacks.
- Ponchos: Ponchos might not take the place of rain jackets, but they do a decent job of keeping you somewhat dry in a pinch. Some ponchos are disposable, whereas others are reusable and even machine-washable.
- Stroller covers: Stroller covers, also called weather shields, keep kids dry when you’re walking in inclement weather. There are some universal covers, but they may be ill-fitting or leave gaps. Most stroller manufacturers sell covers that fit specific models.
- Hats and bonnets: Many water-resistant hats are packable, including bucket hats and traditional rain hats. Folded hats may even fit inside rain jacket pockets. Other people opt to wear rain bonnets, which offer more protection than most hats.
Protect your vehicle
Besides keeping yourself dry, you probably want to prevent your car or truck interior from getting soaked or covered in mud.
- Seat covers: Water-resistant seat covers can be placed on cloth seats so they don’t absorb moisture.
- Cargo covers: If you have pets, waterproof cargo covers are easy to wipe down with a damp cloth when they’re covered with muddy paw prints.
- Rain guards: For those who like leaving windows cracked while they drive, rain guards allow fresh air to enter while keeping out droplets.
Top products to help you deal with spring showers
Lands’ End Women’s Hooded Packable Raincoat
In addition to being travel-friendly, waterproof and windproof, this raincoat also folds inside its own pocket for quick, convenient storage.
Sold by Kohl’s
Columbia Kids’ Glennaker Rain Jacket
This best-selling Columbia jacket has a waterproof nylon shell and full-coverage hood. The lightweight style packs easily inside kids’ backpacks and luggage.
Sold by Amazon, Kohl’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods
Vera Bradley Mini Travel Umbrella
If you’re looking for a stylish mini umbrella, this Vera Bradley option is available in five chic designs, including springtime florals.
Sold by Amazon
London Fog Piccadilly Women’s Waterproof Rain Boots
Available in several colors and designs, these London Fog rain boots are a contemporary spin on the classic style with elastic sides and a streamlined silhouette.
Sold by Kohl’s
Bulldogology Premium SUV Cargo Liner
Even if your dogs are wet and have muddy paws, this cargo liner has you covered — literally. It’s made with waterproof materials that can be wiped down for easy cleaning.
Sold by Amazon
Angela & William Waterproof Bucket Hat
This classic bucket hat offers maximum protection with waterproof materials and a 2-inch brim. The lightweight style can be rolled up and placed inside coat pockets.
Sold by Amazon
Not only is this rain poncho waterproof and breathable, it’s one of few styles that comes in attractive designs.
Sold by Amazon
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Sian Babish writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/outerwear-br/everything-you-need-to-deal-with-spring-showers/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:08 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/outerwear-br/everything-you-need-to-deal-with-spring-showers/ |
Why Dolby Atmos-enabled sound bars are still a good choice
While sound bars are better than integrated TV speakers, they haven’t always lived up to their reputation. With Dolby Atmos becoming increasingly common, it’s worth revisiting sound bars to see how much better they are than they used to be. A lot of them are on sale right now, so now’s a great time to get one.
We sat down with resident tech expert Jaime Vazquez to get his thoughts on how and why a Dolby Atmos sound bar is a good investment right now with the current discounts.
What is Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is a proprietary audio protocol designed for use with home theater systems, such as 7.1-channel surround sound. The protocol separates an audio track into separate streams similar to traditional surround sound. It also adds height channels and data that tells each stream which direction it’s supposed to come from.
Typically, you need satellite speakers mounted above viewers’ heads to take advantage of Dolby Atmos. As Vazquez noted, “The speaker knows where all the other speakers are. You have a much more customized experience because you’re getting things relative to your listening space, as opposed to hoping that the soundtrack matches your room.”
Instead of overhead speakers, Atmos-enabled sound bars leverage multiple drivers pointed in different directions to simulate spatial audio. Vazquez continued, “The big deal with sound bars now is that they got a lot better at bouncing sound around a room. They now are really good at faking surround sound.”
Why Dolby Atmos is worth it
For a few years, Dolby Atmos seemed like more of a marketing stunt than a useful home theater technology. This was largely because media, such as movies and TV shows, must be specifically mastered to support the protocol.
According to Vazquez, “It used to be that Atmos was a feature that was primarily found on Blu-ray discs and the Apple TV. But, the deal is now that if you have the gear, you can log into your Netflix, HBO Max or Paramount+ and give you the surround-sound experience.”
Previously, Dolby Atmos was more for early adopter tech enthusiasts. Now, it’s more worthwhile to be able to play back Dolby Atmos content because of the streaming services that support it. There’s not a single, specific reason why Dolby Atmos sound bars are priced so well right now. Overall, manufacturers are taking advantage of the standard’s increased adoption and offering a wider range of Dolby Atmos sound bars, and they are putting older and more basic models on sale.
How Dolby Atmos sound bars work
Affordable sound bars usually have just two or three full-range speakers, while a quality Dolby Atmos-enabled model will have more. “Typically, a Dolby Atmos sound bar has speakers firing in all directions to mimic the surround-sound effect. Whereas if you’re looking at a 2.1- or a 3.1-channel model, that’s just stereo, not surround,” Vazquez said.
Additionally, acoustic refinements and increased driver efficiency have led to better sound quality, especially in the low end. To sum it up, Vazquez said, “sound bars have hit the sweet spot of reliably being able to produce quality surround effects at an affordable price.”
How to pick a Dolby Atmos sound bar
Vazquez recommends a sound bar that comes with additional satellite speakers. At the top of the line, sound bar setups like the Samsung HW-Q950A boast several drivers in the front in addition to full-range satellites and a powerful subwoofer. The Vizio M512a-H6 costs considerably less, is outfitted with 11 speakers in total and approaches full-on surround sound systems in performance.
However, Vazquez advises caution when looking for an especially affordable solution. “There’s a big gap between budget-friendly and high-quality sound bars,” he said, “and some budget models give the whole category a bad name.” There are exceptions. The TCL Alto 8i delivers decent simulated spatial audio at a low price.
Sound bar features to consider
- Number of inputs: “If you’re a gamer or have multiple devices to plug in, you’ll need more than one input into the sound bar,” Vazquez noted.
- Audio/video connections: Many sound bars let you route the audio and video connection directly through the unit itself, but not all of them do. For some, you’ll need to use the audio return channel function to drive the sound bar. Make sure that your TV supports ARC or eARC before buying a sound bar that doesn’t allow for direct audio input.
- HDR pass-through: If your sound bar does accept direct connections, make sure it supports HDR10 or, ideally, Dolby Vision pass-through to take advantage of modern dynamic contrast.
- Wireless subwoofer: You can’t get a cinematic experience without a dedicated sub.
- Built-in apps: Premium sound bars often include features that tailor the output to the shape of the room, while others have built-in streaming platforms. The former is a great way to improve the audio experience, but most users won’t need the latter.
Best Dolby Atmos sound bars
It’s a high-end sound bar that sounds better than many full-featured surround-sound systems. Sold by Amazon
With two satellites, a subwoofer and consistently accurate sound, this midrange Vizio model is the perfect blend of price and performance. Sold by Amazon
There aren’t any other sound bars in its price range that perform as well. Sold by Amazon
It is more affordable than most and offers particularly impressive bass, although it doesn’t have much in the way of sound enhancement or room correction features. Sold by Amazon
Seven internal drivers help this moderately priced option deliver powerful simulated surround sound without the inconvenience of installing satellite speakers. Sold by Amazon
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Chris Thomas writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/as-dolby-atmos-sound-bars-are-placed-on-deep-discount-is-it-worth-getting-one-now/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:14 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/as-dolby-atmos-sound-bars-are-placed-on-deep-discount-is-it-worth-getting-one-now/ |
Tips for contouring your face
Good contouring can enhance your face’s natural lines, make your favorite features stand out, define your cheekbones and eyes, and refine your proportions. It can be daunting to start, and it may seem difficult to contour without looking overly made up. But with the right products and some practice, you will soon be contouring like an Instagram influencer.
Prep your face
Cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize
Good contouring begins with good preparation. You’ll get a smoother palette for your contouring when your face is clean and free of flakes, oily patches or dead skin. A good cleanser for your skin type will reveal a brighter, smoother surface. Exfoliation will make sure you’ve turned over any sluggish, dead cells.
Lastly, following a regular regimen of adding skin-friendly hydration such as hyaluronic acid or emollients will ensure skin looks healthy and glowy. Ideally, let moisturizers soak into the skin about a half-hour before makeup application.
Apply your base
The first step in contouring is to give yourself a base of primer, concealer and foundation to even out your tone and hide any blemishes or dark circles. Match your skin tone and color as closely as possible to give your contouring products the smoothest natural base. Oil-based foundation is a good choice for dry skin, while water-based products offer less coverage but are also less likely to cause breakouts in skin prone to them.
Choose the right products
Pay attention to skin tone
Choosing the right contour products depends heavily on skin tone, even more than your choice of foundation does. If you’ve ever seen contouring that looked harsh or unnatural, chances are that the tone of the product used was wrong for the skin it was being applied to.
Choose a shade two shades darker than your natural skin color at the jawline. Warm contour is right for warm skin tones that tan instead of burn. If your skin tends to look pink or burns easily, you’ll do better sticking to cooler contour shades.
Decide between liquid and powder
The choice is partially based on your comfort. If you have more experience applying powdered blushes, powder may be a good choice for your contour as well. If you’ve applied heavier, oil-based foundation, you may want a creamy, smooth contour color for easier application. Note that powder applied over oil-based foundation can look chalky or patchy, so apply with care.
Contour with confidence
Apply shadows
Contour is, at its essence, a heightening of the natural shadows that fall on your face due to your bone structure. Look at yourself in natural overhead light. Where are the shadows? For most people, they’re under the cheekbones and the jaw. You may also want to apply a base of your contour product in the crease of the eye before eyeshadow application to create color cohesion on your face.
Suck in your cheeks. With an upward-sweeping, gentle touch, apply your contour product in the hollow created naturally, plus slightly above it to emphasize your cheekbones. Apply a touch at your hairline about two inches above your temples to draw attention to your eyes, and slim down your jawline by applying contour along it and in long strokes along the sides, down toward your Adam’s apple.
Apply highlighters
Now look at yourself in overhead lighting again. Where does the light sit brightest? For most of us, this is at the top of the cheekbones, above the eyebrows and along the jawline. If you’ve got mature skin, go lightly around the eyes with powdered highlighter, as it can settle into fine lines and draw attention to them.
Consider color
Once you’ve achieved the right level of shadow and light, which may take several passes, you may want to add a wash of color where the highlight meets the contour to add a rosy, healthy glow. Go lightly and continue to consider skin tone. Pink-toned blushes look good on lighter, cooler skin, while peach-infused ones work best for warmer skin tones.
Set the look
If you need your look to make it through a long day or a night full of dancing, you may want to apply setting spray to extend its life. A spritz of setting spray will lock in your look, making it transfer-free, smudge-proof and fresh.
What you need to buy to contour your face
Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit
This is a perfect all-in-one kit that contains both warm and cool contour colors, as well as an assortment of highlighting colors in both matte and shimmery varieties.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora
Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder
Created by the renowned makeup artist credited with introducing the idea of contouring into the mainstream in the 1990s, this versatile sculpting powder looks great on many skin tones, although it’s best for cooler ones. Blendable and flattering, it gives you perfect sculpting without being harsh or obvious.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Contour
This creamy contouring stick gives you the glide-on versatility of a cream with the pigmentation you expect from a powder. If you have skin that tends to the drier side, consider a creamy sculpting contour like this product that’s free of parabens and phthalates, which may disrupt your hormones.
Where to buy: Sold by Ulta Beauty
E.L.F. Cosmetics Contouring Brush
Inexpensive and effective, this is the perfect brush for applying contour precisely where you want it. The flat edge and short bristles give you precision, while turning it on its wide part helps you blend your products for a seamless, natural look.
Where to buy: Sold by Ulta Beauty
Urban Decay Cosmetics All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
This long-lasting spray is a favorite when you want your contouring and general makeup application to last through a long night out or a full day. It makes your look fade-proof and helps it last for up to 16 hours while keeping it seeming fresh.
Where to buy: Sold by Ulta Beauty
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Maria Andreu writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/face-makeup-br/how-to-contour-your-face/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:16 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/face-makeup-br/how-to-contour-your-face/ |
What are the 16 most popular liquid lipsticks at Sephora?
Between drinking your morning coffee, eating a sandwich at lunch and sipping from your water bottle all day, it’s nearly impossible to keep your lip color in place — unless you find a high-quality liquid lipstick.
Despite their thin formula, liquid lipsticks dry down to a nearly budge-proof finish that stays on your lips even when eating and drinking. Once dry, they won’t transfer to your clothing or anyone you might kiss. Not all liquid lipsticks are created equal, though, so you want to keep an eye out for formulas that last longer and feel more comfortable than others.
Are you looking for a top-notch liquid lipstick that looks and feels good? Here are the most popular formulas you can find at Sephora for smooth, beautiful lip color that lasts through the longest days.
16 most popular liquid lipsticks at Sephora
Most popular liquid lipsticks at Sephora for $20 and under
Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Ultra-Comfort Transfer-proof Lipstick
This liquid lipstick delivers rich pigmentation in a single swipe. It contains olive oil, vitamin A, vitamin E and essential fatty acids to help keep your lips hydrated, so it also feels extremely comfortable. The formula is vegan and cruelty-free too.
Sold by Sephora
Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick
A cult-favorite formula, this liquid lipstick provides full coverage and intense color that lasts for hours. Its rounded sponge applicator also makes application quick and easy. You can choose from 18 shades, ranging from soft nudes to bold reds — the shades can even be mixed together to create a custom color.
Sold by Sephora
Kaja LOVE SWIPE Lightweight Cushiony Lip Mousse
With its velvety texture, this air-whipped liquid lipstick is a highly comfortable option that still lasts all day. It features cottonseed oil, raspberry seed oil and vitamin E to hydrate and nourish, but the formula feels weightless on the lips. It also comes in adorable heart-shaped packaging that you’ll love pulling out for touch-ups.
Sold by Sephora
Rare Beauty Lip Souffle Matte Cream Lipstick
This hydrating liquid lipstick glides over the lips for smooth, easy application. It has a lightweight feel and isn’t prone to caking. The formula is paraben- and phthalate-free too.
Sold by Sephora
Sephora Collection Clean Liquid Lip Mousse
Boasting a clean formula, this affordable liquid lip offers highly pigmented color that doesn’t feather or bleed. It has a comfortable, lightweight feel and helps blur the look of lines. Best of all, it’s fragrance-free, making it an ideal option for sensitive skin.
Sold by Sephora
Most popular liquid lipsticks at Sephora for $20-$30
Nars Air Matte Liquid Lipstick
With its classic matte finish, this lipstick offers the wear time you’d expect, but the unique formula has a soft, weightless feel that’s more comfortable than traditional liquid lipsticks. Its color has a diffused look too, providing an extremely flattering soft-focus effect.
Sold by Sephora
Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lipstick
Despite its liquid formula, this lipstick feels more like a balm and has a slight sheen that works especially well for dry lips. The formula contains superfruits — including cranberry, blueberry and raspberry extracts — that give it an emollient, easy-to-apply texture. You can choose from 12 rich shades that work for most skin tones.
Sold by Sephora
KVD Everlasting Longwear Liquid Lipstick
Thanks to high pigment formula, this vegan liquid lipstick has been a fan favorite for years. Its creamy formula glides on easily but sets quickly. It also contains moisturizers, such as vitamin E and sunflower seed wax, to prevent drying the lips. It’s available in 19 shades, including a bold purple and an intense black.
Sold by Sephora
Patrick Ta Monochrome Moment Silky Lip Creme
This liquid lipstick offers a satin-matte finish, making it an excellent option if you aren’t a fan of dry matte formulas. It provides full coverage in a single coat and can last for hours. The formula also contains a cross-polymer blend that lets the lipstick move easily with the lips.
Sold by Sephora
Smashbox Always On Longwear Matte Liquid Lipstick
With a waterproof formula, this liquid lipstick lasts all day, even through drinking and eating. It contains a primer oil complex that keeps it from drying out your lips and reduces feathering, bleeding or caking. It’s available in more than 22 shades too.
Sold by Sephora
Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick
This lipstick features vitamin E, avocado oil and hyaluronic filling spheres, so it never looks or feels dry on the lips. It still has a long-wearing matte finish, though, and can last for up to eight hours. It’s transfer-resistant too.
Sold by Sephora
Most popular liquid lipsticks at Sephora for more than $30
Armani beauty Lip Maestro Liquid Matte Lipstick
One of the best-selling liquid lipsticks in the U.S., this formula offers bold color and a velvety finish. It also provides hydration that lasts for hours, so it doesn’t feel dry or sticky on the lips. You can choose from over 36 flattering shades.
Sold by Sephora
Dior Rouge Dior Forever Liquid Transfer-Proof Lipstick
If you’re tired of smudges on your clothing, this transfer-proof lipstick is a perfect option. It doesn’t settle in lip lines or bleed around the mouth and has an extremely comfortable, lightweight formula. It also lasts for up to 12 hours.
Sold by Sephora
Yves Saint Laurent Vinyl Cream Lip Stain
Unlike other liquid lipsticks with a matte finish, this formula offers a glossy look that’s comfortable and hydrating. It still provides full-coverage color, though, and lasts for up to 10 hours. Its diamond-shaped applicator allows for precise application too.
Sold by Sephora
Hourglass Velvet Story Lip Cream
This lipstick has a whipped texture that feels weightless and soft on the lips. It helps blur the look of lines and contains vitamin E to condition and protect your lips. You can also get full color in a single swipe.
Sold by Sephora
Available in both matte and high-shine finishes, this liquid lipstick delivers rich, intense color. It contains daikon radish oil to help hydrate and cushion the lips for comfortable wear. The formula is also gluten-free.
Sold by Sephora
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Jennifer Blair writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/lip-makeup-br/16-most-popular-liquid-lipsticks-at-sephora/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:23 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/lip-makeup-br/16-most-popular-liquid-lipsticks-at-sephora/ |
Which electric nail file for thick toenails is best?
Electric nail files, also known as electric nail drills, are the machines most frequently used in salons on both fingernails and toenails. For thick toenails, whether they’re naturally thick or coated in thick polish, you’ll need an electric file with enough power behind it. You should also look for one that includes plenty of bits.
The best electric nail file for thick toenails is the Makartt Electric Nail File. It has more than enough power to handle anything thick and comes with a variety of bits.
What to know before you buy an electric nail file for thick toenails
Power
An electric nail file’s power is measured in revolutions per minute. Most electric files have maximum RPMs between 10,000-30,000, though a few can go faster. Most natural nails can be comfortably filed with 15,000 rpm, but thick natural nails might be better served with 20,000 rpm. If you’re planning to file nails thick from acrylic polish, you’ll need 25,000-30,000 RPMs.
Bits
In order to focus the power of your electric nail file, you’ll need drill bits. Most electric files include a handful to get you started, but you can always buy any bit you may need separately — just be aware that not all bits fit all files. For simple filing, all you need is a bit that holds disposable sanding bands. For trimming and shaping, you’ll need natural-nail and carbide bits for natural and acrylic-coated nails, respectively. Under-nail and pedicure bits are also good choices.
Noise
Drills make noise, but that doesn’t mean an electric nail file has to make too much. Cheap drills have no noise-dampening and can be quite loud. This may not bother you if you’re trimming your own nails. However, if you need to trim clients’ nails, it’s best for their experience if you choose a noise-dampened drill.
What to look for in a quality electric nail file for thick toenails
Hands-free control
If you’re setting out to file your friend’s or client’s toenails, a hands-free control system will make it much easier and faster to finish the task. These typically take the form of foot pedals that can turn the bit off and on and change the direction the drill spins. Most still require hands-on action to alter the speed.
Vibration dampening
When setting out to file thick toenails, you don’t just file one. You file all 10. Cheap electric nail file motors cause the drill to noticeably vibrate, which can make long trimming sessions deeply uncomfortable. Look for a file with a vibration-dampened motor to avoid this issue.
How much you can expect to spend on an electric nail file for thick toenails
Electric nail files for thick toenails need a little more power behind them, so you’ll likely need to spend at least $20-$30. Better options with more bits usually cost $50-$100, while the best options cost $100-$200.
Electric nail file for thick toenails FAQ
Are electric nail files for thick toenails safe?
A. Yes, though the power electric nail files for thick toenails need to have can easily cause damage if you use the file improperly. The first step is to carefully read all use and safety instructions. Then, start cleaning your toenails or fingernails using the lowest possible speed until you feel comfortable using it. Keep increasing the speed little by little in order to get the hang of each speed setting.
How do I maintain an electric nail file for thick toenails?
A. You need to maintain the drill and the bits using separate processes. The drill shouldn’t come in contact with any water. To clean the drill, you’ll need to brush it off or blast it with a can of compressed air. The bits will need to be disinfected, not just cleaned. Start by scrubbing them while in warm soapy water, then let them soak in a metal-safe disinfecting solution for at least 20 minutes. Once done, dry them thoroughly before storing.
What’s the best electric nail file for thick toenails to buy?
Top electric nail file for thick toenails
What you need to know: This is powerful and reasonably priced.
What you’ll love: It has speeds that can reach up to 30,000 rpm, which is powerful enough to file away even tough acrylic nails. Additionally, it has forward and reverse spin modes. It has a hands-free foot switch and includes several drill bits and 30 sanding bands.
What you should consider: A few consumers had issues with overheating — in rare cases, it became hot enough to melt. Others had issues with the motor giving out in a few months.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top electric nail file for thick toenails for the money
What you need to know: This has just enough power for occasional toenail maintenance.
What you’ll love: It comes packed with accessories, including six drill bits, 30 sanding belts and a pair of nail clippers. The drill has speeds that can reach up to 20,000 rpm and can rotate forward or backward. It comes in silver and green.
What you should consider: A few consumers didn’t receive all the pieces it’s supposed to include. The 20,000 rpm maximum speed setting can’t handle acrylic-covered toenails.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Imene Portable Professional Nail Drill
What you need to know: This drill is perfect for professional use but may be too strong for at-home pedicures.
What you’ll love: It has a brushless vibration- and noise-dampened motor with variable speeds that can spin in either direction and can reach up to 35,000 rpm. It’s surprisingly small and rechargeable, making it easy to take on the go. It includes six drill bits and six sanding bands.
What you should consider: It’s expensive — too expensive for only occasional use. A few consumers had difficulty understanding the instructions. Few third-party drill bits are compatible.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/foot-care-br/best-electric-nail-file-for-thick-toenails/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:22 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/foot-care-br/best-electric-nail-file-for-thick-toenails/ |
Which electric blanket is best?
When the wind is howling outside, you might feel a chill in your bones that no amount of blankets can chase away. If you live in a cold climate, have a hard time sleeping in cold weather or just want more warmth at night, an electric blanket can help. Electric blankets provide warmth without causing your home heating bill to jump, and they are an easy solution to a chilly problem.
The Westinghouse Electric Blanket is beautiful, comfortable and provides ample heat for the coldest winter nights.
What to know before you buy an electric blanket
Size
As with their nonelectric counterparts, electric blankets come in sizes to fit standard beds (e.g., twin, full, queen and king). If you have an oversized mattress, make sure the blanket you choose is large enough for it.
Materials
Electric blankets in the past were made of a thin, poorly insulated material that was not naturally warm. These days, electric blankets made of thick, comfy fabrics like fleece, flannel and wool are warm even when not plugged in.
Once you determine what you want your blanket fabric to feel like, check the grams per square meter. That number tells you how much insulation your blanket has, and a higher GSM means more warmth even when the blanket’s not turned on.
Number of settings
Some electric blankets come with three heat settings — low, medium and high — while others come with 10 or more. Although it’s nice to precisely dial in your perfect temperature, consider whether you really need all 10 settings (and want to pay for them). Five are enough for most people.
What to look for in a quality electric blanket
Dual controls
When two people share a bed, chances are good they will need different levels of warmth throughout the night. If this sounds like you, look for a blanket with dual controls to customize the heating level on either side of the bed.
Easy care
While it may seem crazy to throw an electric blanket into a washing machine, these days that’s not outside the realm of possibility. Look for machine-washable and dryer-safe blankets for easy care.
If your electric blanket is not machine-washable, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to keep it clean.
Automatic shut-off
An automatic shut-off protects your blanket from overheating and saves energy. Because our core body temperature drops at night, most blankets with this feature turn off automatically after three hours, improving your chance of a perfect night of sleep.
Reversible
The last thing you want is an electric blanket that looks like an electric blanket. With reversible ones, not only can you change the look of your bed instantly, but you also have a piece of bed linen that looks elegant, not wired.
How much you can expect to spend on an electric blanket
The price depends on its size and the material from which it’s made. Expect to spend $40-$80 on a queen-size blanket.
Electric blanket FAQ
Are electric blankets safe?
A. They’re remarkably safe, but there are a few precautions you should take.
- Do not use a blanket that has wires that are cut or damaged.
- Do not sit or lie on top of the blanket, and don’t let pets lie on it either. This extra weight can damage the blanket’s wires.
- Don’t use your blanket on its maximum setting at all times. Use just enough heat to get the warmth you need.
- Avoid buying used or vintage electric blankets. It can be difficult to tell whether they have been damaged, and older blankets are not manufactured to the same level of safety.
Can you use an electric blanket on a memory foam mattress?
A. Because there is a slight chance that the blanket’s hidden wires can melt memory foam, stick to regular blankets if you sleep on foam. This also includes memory-foam mattress toppers.
Are electric blankets cheaper than space heaters?
A. Yes. Depending on size, space heaters take 500-1,000 watts of electricity to run, while an electric blanket takes no more than 200 watts, even on the highest setting.
Electric blankets also heat just the space you need — the bed you’re lying in — instead of heating the entire room.
What’s the best electric blanket to buy?
Top electric blanket
What you need to know: It’s easy to operate and customize.
What you’ll love: With a 220 GSM and a thick Sherpa lining, this blanket is warm and cozy. It is reversible and uses a digital control to personalize heating. It has 10 heat settings, features protection against overheating and is fully machine-washable and dryer-safe.
What you should consider: If you plan on using this with a generator or power bank, look for another blanket. It is not compatible with this type of off-grid power supply.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Macy’s
Top electric blanket for the money
What you need to know: It is a lightweight blanket that is not bulky and works well under regular bedding for extreme cold.
What you’ll love: It has three heat settings and an automatic shut-off after three hours of use. ThermoFine technology distributes heat evenly, and this blanket is machine-washable and dryer-safe.
What you should consider: Some reviewers found it too thin for use as their primary blanket.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
What you need to know: It looks elegant and heats well.
What you’ll love: It reaches the temperature you want in less than 20 minutes. It has five heat settings and is made from sherpa fabric. The heating wires are thin and barely perceptible.
What you should consider: The power cord is short, and it does not always heat up evenly.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Suzannah Kolbeck writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/bed-bath-br/bedding-br/best-electric-blanket/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:30 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/bed-bath-br/bedding-br/best-electric-blanket/ |
Which Valentino perfume is best?
Valentino has been one of the preferred fashion and fragrance brands of the rich and famous for more than a few decades. Their perfume is known for exuding elegance and opulence. Introduced for the first time in 1978, Valentino’s perfume line has grown to include numerous enticing concoctions that encompass a variety of fragrance profiles, from sweet and spicy to fruity and sour.
A good place to start is by checking out Valentino Donna Born In Roma Eau de Parfum, a pretty floral fragrance with notes of jasmine, blackcurrant and bourbon vanilla.
What to know before you buy a bottle of Valentino perfume
Perfume concentration
Valentino makes three concentrations of perfume: eau de toilette, eau de parfum and parfum.
- Eau de toilette: This is the weakest of the three but it still carries quite a bit of scent. With 10%-15% pure perfume oils, a high-quality eau de toilette can be intense and last all day.
- Eau de parfum: This is a stronger, longer-lasting fragrance, containing 15%-20% pure perfume oils.
- Parfum: This is the strongest concentration, with between 20%-40% perfume oils. Parfum is also the most expensive because perfume oil is the priciest ingredient in any fragrance.
What to look for in a quality Valentino perfume
Uniqueness
Valentino womenswear, which includes their perfumes, is designed around the philosophy that a “woman must cause heads to turn when she enters a room.” A clear indicator that a perfume adheres to this principle is the extent to which it smells completely one of a kind. The best Valentino perfume will excite your nose and leave a memorable impression on all those around you. This uniqueness is exactly why Valentino fragrances are prized by so many perfume connoisseurs.
Bottle design
Valentino’s partner, both in business and life, Giancarlo Giammetti, was a professional Italian architect at the time of their meeting. Because of this, Valentino perfume bottles have an especially provocative architectural feel and design. Be on the lookout for eye-catching bottles that feature Valentino’s signature three-dimensional spike or subtly tinted glass. These details allow each perfume bottle to serve as a display piece all on its own — even after the perfume is gone.
How much you can expect to spend on Valentino perfume
Expect to spend between $50-$90 for small- and medium-sized bottles of Valentino perfume and between $120-$150 for larger bottles.
Valentino perfume FAQ
Where should I apply my new Valentino perfume?
A. Where you choose to apply your perfume is really a matter of preference. However, there are certain areas you can spray that will naturally increase or decrease the intensity and longevity of your perfume. If you want your scent to smell more intense and last longer, spray it onto areas that are naturally warm and experience friction, such as the inner elbows, neck and the backs of your knees.
Can Valentino perfume expire?
A. Yes, once a bottle of perfume has been opened, it can last an average of two years, sometimes longer if you keep it in a cool area out of direct sunlight. You can tell that the perfume has gone bad if it no longer smells as it should or appears discolored.
What’s the best Valentino perfume to buy?
Top Valentino perfume
Valentino Donna Born In Roma Eau De Parfum
What you need to know: Encapsulated in a stunning studded bottle, this pink perfume has rich floral notes and an invitingly feminine scent profile.
What you’ll love: This scent is sophisticated, boasting top notes of bergamot and jasmine that enliven the senses, middle notes of Bulgarian rose and blackcurrant and base notes of warm vanilla and beechwood. This versatile perfume is bold and sensual and was inspired by the edgy yet elegant style of the nightlife scene in Rome.
What you should consider: Although this is an Eau de parfum, the sweetness of the initial scent doesn’t last as long as some wearers would have liked.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora, Kohl’s and Ulta Beauty
Top Valentino perfume for the money
Valentino Voce Viva Eau De Parfum
What you need to know: If you’re in the market for a subtle yet long-lasting perfume with a unique scent profile and premium ingredients, look no further than Voce Viva.
What you’ll love: The initial scent profile contains robust top notes of bergamot, mandarin and orange blossom, which lend this perfume a distinct sense of citrus-powered awareness. These top notes eventually give way to heart notes gardenia and crystal moss accord, which is a rare ingredient that gives this perfume a sweet subtlety. Finally, the heart notes fade and the base notes of vanilla and tonka bean settle in.
What you should consider: Some wearers feel that the unique combination of ingredients give it a polarizing scent profile.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Amazon and Ulta Beauty
Worth checking out
Valentino Donna Yellow Dream Eau De Parfum
What you need to know: One of Valentino’s most popular scents, Donna Yellow Dream has a luxurious scent profile that includes complementary contrasts, such as vibrant florals and sweet musk.
What you’ll love: Introduced in 2021, this is one of Valentino’s newest additions to its perfume line, and as such, it’s properly modern. With top notes of Italian lemon, middle notes of luscious rose petal and base notes of white musk, this perfume is both light and breezy as well as mysterious and sensual.
What you should consider: Some wearers report that this perfume isn’t strong enough given the fact that it’s an Eau de parfum.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora, Kohl’s and Ulta Beauty
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William Briskin writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/fragrance-br/the-best-valentino-perfume/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:31 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/fragrance-br/the-best-valentino-perfume/ |
Amazon Alexa Speaker review
Many of the most visible and accessible smart home tools today are the home speakers that house advanced voice assistants. For example, if you’re getting ready to go out, a few quick commands can pull up the weather forecast, so you know what to wear.
Amazon and its voice assistant Alexa are the industry leaders for smart home speakers. They claim that their latest high-end smart speaker, the Amazon Echo Studio, is the most powerful and easiest to use option on the market. We used it along extensively for about a week to determine just how helpful they truly are, and it turns out it’s as helpful and convenient as Amazon claims.
Testing the Amazon Echo Studio
The entire Echo lineup has exploded in popularity recently, so we were familiar with the device going into testing. The space where we conducted the review wasn’t outfitted with any other smart home devices, so we could judge the Echo Studio on its own merits alone.
We were mostly excited to see how well it streamlined daily activities like playing music, checking the weather and listening to the news. For the most part, our testing took place in the kitchen because that’s where we found ourselves most active and in need of hands-free control.
During testing, we made sure to focus on not just the overall functionality, but also the little things you might overlook initially. How accurately it picks up voice commands, how loud you have to speak and how prominent the LED is all contribute to the user experience, especially for consumers who aren’t particularly well-versed in electronics.
What is the Amazon Echo Studio?
Much like the speakers from Sonos, the Amazon Echo Studio is a high-fidelity smart speaker that promises studio-quality sound and claims to adapt to any room. Our initial impressions were that it’s an unassuming device that, while not as compact as other smart speakers like the Sonos One, isn’t overly large. It came in good-quality packaging, complete with a fabric carrying case.
Unlike other Echo smart speakers, Amazon makes a big deal about the Studio’s premium sound quality. This was one of the claims we were most excited to investigate. Most smart home speakers are middling to subpar when it comes to music playback, so an Alexa-enabled speaker that could also stream our favorite tunes was a welcome addition to the kitchen.
We’re also aware that Amazon has gone to great lengths to refine the microphone array within the Echo Studio. To that end, we were impressed with how well it was able to adapt to the wide range of sounds that happen in a busy home daily.
Amazon Echo Studio price and where to buy
The Echo Studio is available from Amazon for $200. You can also get it bundled with the Echo Sub for $330.
How to use Amazon Echo Studio
We expected a straightforward setup process, but we were still surprised at how easy it was to get started. Immediately after plugging it in, Alexa spoke up and instructed us to install the Alexa app on a smartphone. We did so and were then walked clearly through setting up the Echo Dot that we were testing alongside the Studio. The whole process was incredibly intuitive, taking less than 5 minutes.
Using the device wasn’t any more difficult. We simply called out to Alexa, and she heard us clearly and accurately the first time. In most cases, the speaker even heard us clearly when we were in the next room.
Amazon Echo Studio benefits
After a week with the Echo Studio, it’s safe to say that Amazon isn’t exaggerating when they boast about the device’s pristine sound quality. At low volumes, it sounded OK, but once we turned it up, we were pleasantly surprised at how rich the audio was.
No matter what genre of music we threw at it, the Studio handled it well, with no distortion or static and clear instrumentation throughout all but the lowest end of the sound spectrum. We suspect that part of this premium sound experience comes from the Studio’s automatic acoustic analysis, which tailors the speaker’s output to sound as good as possible, no matter what room it’s in.
Our success with voice command accuracy was just as pronounced. We tested it in nearly silent environments and while vacuuming. It performed at the same level no matter what. The only times we had to repeat voice commands, we were so far away that it was surprising the microphone picked up our voices at all.
Aside from the basic music and voice command functionality, there were other features we loved about the Studio. There was a dedicated button to turn the microphone off, which provided privacy and peace of mind. The integrated LED lit up when it actively listened to us, so we didn’t have to worry about unintended recordings. We also appreciated how easy it was to pull up the Alexa app and manage the recordings we’d made throughout the day.
Amazon Echo Studio drawbacks
While we didn’t have any glaring issues with it, we did notice a little room for improvement. For example, sound quality dropped noticeably when we placed it on a shelf with some small trinkets and books around it. A 360-degree speaker shouldn’t normally see a huge change in output in that case, and we have a hunch the difference was again due to the Studio’s automatic spatial analysis. Other objects nearby could conceivably mess up the algorithm and make the speaker think it’s in a much smaller room.
Also, while the LED light was convenient and reassuring, it was pretty recessed and not visible from all angles, especially when the Studio was placed near eye level. Finally, it would be nice if Amazon designed a portable, battery-powered version that we could take to events or gatherings outdoors or at a friend’s house.
Should you get the Amazon Echo Studio?
The Amazon Echo Studio is the best-sounding smart speaker available today. Its microphones are the most sensitive and its voice recognition and spatial analysis algorithms are as good as they get. If you enjoy using voice assistants to listen to music, make calls or shop, there’s no better smart speaker.
Consider other products
If you’re looking for a little more versatility and don’t mind sacrificing some sound quality, this smart speaker is an impressive piece of equipment. Its 10-inch touchscreen can display a wide variety of useful information and it even follows you around the room automatically, so you never lose sight of what you’re doing.
Sold by Amazon
As great as the Echo Studio sounds, it’s still missing something in terms of bass. This subwoofer can fix that, and it works great with most Echo devices.
Sold by Amazon
In terms of sound quality during music playback, the Sonos One is the only significant competitor to the Echo Studio. It is a bit more expensive, but some owners argue it offers even better quality. You can even pair multiple Sonos One smart speakers for stereo playback in one room or simultaneous playback in different rooms.
Sold by Amazon
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Chris Thomas writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/audio-video-accessories-br/amazon-echo-studio-review-can-this-sonos-competitor-deliver-on-sound-quality-ease-of-use/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:37 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/audio-video-accessories-br/amazon-echo-studio-review-can-this-sonos-competitor-deliver-on-sound-quality-ease-of-use/ |
Which peach shower curtain is best?
Interior designers are in love with pastels right now — and for good reason. These softened tones open decorators up to the full color spectrum with just about every pastel hue being easy on the eyes. Chief among these is peach, the color of sunsets and fresh pitted fruit.
If you’re looking to add warmth and light to your bathroom, a peach shower curtain is the perfect mood booster. Which you choose comes down to the size of your bathtub and your bathroom’s decor, but you can’t go wrong with the delightful print of the Lifeel Peach Shower Curtain.
What to know before you buy a peach shower curtain
Psychology of peach
Peach is a warm mixture of red and yellow. Its properties put people at ease, projecting calm and contentment. This makes it an excellent color for your bathing routine, imbuing your shower or tub with positive and rejuvenating energy.
Colors that go with peach
As a pastel, peach plays well with other colors. The trick is matching the tone to its opposite and tertiary colors. Peach goes great with soft greens such as turquoise and teal and muted yellows such as ocher. It also pairs well with warm grays and light purples such as mauve. If you don’t want pastel overload, try using peach as an accent by pitting it against rich red backdrops.
Styling a peach shower curtain
Because it’s a bright and happy color, peach thrives when surrounded by open, minimal and natural interiors. Warm, raw woods match the energy of this color, as do rose-tinted metals.
If your decor is inspired by vintage aesthetics, you might find yourself struggling to match the color to luscious and saturated hues. In these scenarios, peach can integrate with the darker browns of antique furniture by using mid-tones to work the eye up to the brighter color. As for the severe black of modern interiors, gold, copper and brass are all great ways to guide your space in a warm direction so peach feels at home.
Solid color vs. patterned
Shower curtains are underappreciated canvases that offer excellent color-blocking potential, but that doesn’t mean you have to go peach all the way. A patterned curtain presents decorators with additional versatility. By opting for a peach motif, you can introduce a neutral backdrop that balances the color out and opens your bathroom’s palette up to further color exploration.
What to look for in a quality peach shower curtain
Material
Shower curtains come in three different materials that determine their look, feel and durability:
- Cotton: Soft, hefty and luxurious, cotton is a premium option that comes at a significant cost compared to other materials. It lasts the longest and can be machine-washed; just be prepared to use a liner to protect it from mold and mildew.
- Vinyl: The budget option, vinyl is completely waterproof but has a plasticky sheen and smell. These curtains are also available in non-toxic, eco-friendly PEVA and EVA.
- Polyester: These synthetic fibers offer a waterproof yet textured curtain material halfway between cotton and vinyl. They’re typically more affordable than cotton, and their durability makes them an attractive substitute, though they don’t last quite as long.
Size
- Standard: At 72 by 72 inches, the standard shower curtain is sized to cover one long edge of your typical bathtub.
- Extra-wide: For everything from claw-foots to basins, extra-wide shower curtains offer the additional coverage necessary to prevent water damage. Sized from 108-180 inches wide, these are designed to wrap around any tub with more than one exposed side.
- Extra-long: High ceilings and tall shower curtain rods leave standard curtains coming up short. Extra-long curtains add 1-2 more feet in length to block spillage and ensure your shower doesn’t look like it’s squeezing into a hand-me-down curtain.
- Narrow: Small bathrooms come with small showers, and excess curtain fabric can bunch up, consuming precious space. Narrow curtains are half the width of standard curtains to cover stalls and other diminutive showers.
Installation
Sewn into the top of your shower curtain are small, plastic- or metal-reinforced holes called grommets. If they’re big enough, you can slide the curtain rod directly through these grommets to install your shower curtain. While this method is the easiest, grommets make it harder to pull your curtain back and forth.
If you want to pull your curtain back with ease without any bunching or if your grommets are too small, you need to use hooks. These require a little more finesse to install but also present a fun decorative opportunity.
How much you can expect to spend on a peach shower curtain
Vinyl shower curtains typically cost $5-$20. Polyester can range from $15-$50, and high-quality cotton can be as much as $60-$120.
Peach shower curtain FAQ
Do I need to use a curtain liner?
A. Shower curtain liners act as a barrier that blocks soap scum, mold and mildew from penetrating your curtain. Cotton shower curtains aren’t waterproof and need these for protection. Neither vinyl nor polyester require a liner, but it can help boost their longevity and makes cleanup a lot easier.
How do I clean my shower curtain?
A. All three materials can be put through the wash; you should do this once a month. Vinyl can also be wiped down with household cleaner and paper towels. Just stay away from bleach, as this can damage the dyes and inks.
What’s the best peach shower curtain to buy?
Top peach shower curtain
What you need to know: This one may be a little on the nose, but the all-over peach motif has a beautiful, summery vibe.
What you’ll love: With a vintage-graphic quality, this curtain is ripe with color. It’s made from polyester and weighted at the bottom so you don’t have to worry about it fluttering about in a draft. It comes with 12 hooks to make installation easy.
What you should consider: You can only get this in a standard size.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top peach shower curtain for the money
Elaine Karen Vinyl Shower Curtain Liner with Metal Grommets
What you need to know: This vibrant peach liner makes for a great shower curtain on a budget.
What you’ll love: Because it’s made from vinyl, you don’t have to worry about waterproofing with this durable curtain. It’s dyed with a light peach color that can brighten up gloomy bathrooms. The magnets sewn into the bottom help prevent spills and billowing.
What you should consider: This curtain doesn’t come with hooks.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
August Grove Andes Solid Single Shower Curtain
What you need to know: This curtain adds a touch of texture to your bathroom decor with its ruffled design.
What you’ll love: The boho-chic frills of this peach curtain feel like the stuff of royalty. Made from polyester, it retains the fabric qualities of cotton without the risk of water damage. The grommets are subtle, reinforced by a hem rather than plastic or metal.
What you should consider: This is only available in standard sizing.
Where to buy: Sold by Wayfair
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Karl Daum writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/bed-bath-br/shower-accessories-br/best-peach-shower-curtain/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:39 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/bed-bath-br/shower-accessories-br/best-peach-shower-curtain/ |
Which healthy cookware is best?
Now more than ever, it’s crucial to pay attention to everything that goes into your body — and not just the food you eat. With some nonstick surfaces getting negative attention for their use of potentially dangerous chemicals, it may be time to re-evaluate what’s in your kitchen cabinets, too.
When you’re ready to replace your old pots and pans with healthy cookware, you’ll need a set that’s safe and functional. The GreenPan Hard Anodized Healthy Ceramic Nonstick Set uses a material derived from sand to create a smooth, nonstick interior surface.
What to know before you buy healthy cookware
Full set vs. individual pots and pans
Whether you are swapping over to healthy cookware or stocking a kitchen from scratch, you’ll need to consider if you’d like to purchase pans individually or start with a set. If your budget is tight, you might lean toward purchasing one or two pans at a time. This also allows you to focus only on the cookware that you use most.
However, a full set of pans is often cheaper than buying each pan individually. This also allows you to instantly build your cookware collection. On the other hand, some cooks purchase a set and then realize that they only use one or two pans. Consider your cooking style and your needs before deciding between a full set or individual pots and pans.
Cook surface
While people with gas and electric stoves take it for granted that every pot or pan that they encounter will work on their cooktop, those with an induction stove know better. Induction stoves use magnets to heat magnetic metals in the pots and pans. For this reason, not every type of cookware will work on an induction cooktop.
Aluminum, glass and copper cookware will not work on an induction stove. If your heart is set on these materials, make sure that they are combined with some sort of magnetic material or they will not heat.
What to look for in quality healthy cookware
Nontoxic
All surfaces should be free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium. These poisonous coatings can leach into food as it’s cooking. Healthy cookware manufactured without these chemicals is safe even if pans are heated above their oven-safe threshold.
Oven safe
If you typically move from stovetop to oven, you want to make sure your pans are safe to the temperatures you need. Look for oven-safe temperatures to at least 500 degrees.
Lids
While not all pans will come with lids, they are very helpful when cooking food that splatters and splutters on your stove. Some lids are glass for easy viewing, while others are made of stainless steel.
Regardless of the material you choose, check to be sure that they are oven-safe. Many are, but they may not be safe to the same temperature as the pan they cover.
Accessories
Some healthy cookware sets include accessories, too. These might include:
- Slotted spoons
- Serving pieces
- Steamer baskets
- Strainers
Look for accessories that are stainless steel (or labeled as BPA-free if plastic).
How much you can expect to spend on healthy cookware
The price tag depends on the number of pieces you purchase. For a set of 10 or more pots and pans (and accessories), expect to spend $150-$200.
Healthy cookware FAQ
Can’t you just use cast iron?
A. When it comes to healthy cookware, cast iron is one of the best. The main issue with this durable material is that it can be difficult to care for. Pots and pans require occasional seasoning to restore a fading nonstick surface.
Additionally, even the smallest cast-iron pans are very heavy. For cooks with hand pain or difficulty lifting, just getting the pan out of the cabinet can be challenging.
Modern healthy cookware is lightweight and just as safe as cast iron.
How do you care for healthy cookware?
A. Care and maintenance will vary depending on the material of your cookware. Check with the manufacturer’s directions.
In general, most cookware should be hand-washed in hot, soapy water with mild detergent. A gentle plastic scrubbing sponge can be used to remove stubborn dried food, or allow the pan to soak in hot water before cleaning.
Unless the pan is specifically marked, do not clean it in the dishwasher. Hand-washing prolongs the life of your pots and pans and protects the nonstick surface.
What’s the best healthy cookware to buy?
Top healthy cookware
GreenPan Hard Anodized Healthy Ceramic Nonstick Set
What you need to know: This is a great starter set for the beginning home cook.
What you’ll love: It has 11 pieces, including 1- and 2-quart saucepans with covers, a 5-quart covered casserole, two frying pans, a 3-quart covered skillet and a steamer basket. The cookware is safe to 600 degrees (lids to 425) and it’s free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium.
What you should consider: These do not work on induction stoves.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top healthy cookware for the money
Farberware Go Healthy Nonstick Cookware
What you need to know: This is a durable set for everyday use.
What you’ll love: QuiltSmart nonstick coating means less fat is needed for food to release easily. It’s free from all toxic coatings and chemicals. This 14-piece set includes not only pots and pans but also cooking utensils like slotted spoons, ladles and grill pans. The lids are glass with riveted handles.
What you should consider: The pots and pans are only oven safe to 350 degrees.
Where to buy: Sold by Macy’s
Worth checking out
Homichef Nickel-Free Stainless Steel Cookware Set
What you need to know: This set is beautiful, functional and affordable.
What you’ll love: This set of 10 pans includes some of the most commonly used pieces, including two covered saucepans, one 7-quart covered stockpot, two covered frying pans and a covered saute pan. It heats evenly and is safe for every type of stove top — including induction burners.
What you should consider: Because they have no nonstick coating, pots and pans need to be seasoned.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Suzannah Kolbeck writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/cookware-br/best-healthy-cookware/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:43 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/cookware-br/best-healthy-cookware/ |
Which USB-C hub adapter is best?
As laptops get smaller, thinner and more powerful, they tend to lose some of their functionalities. Where built-in USB 3.0 connections were once a common sight, it’s now unusual to see them on the side of a laptop.
If your USB-C laptop only has one or two connections, this is where a USB-C hub adapter can prove useful. Through a device such as the Hiearcool USB-C Dongle for MacBook Pro, you can connect multiple devices to your computer.
What to know before you buy a USB-C hub adapter
It could drain your laptop’s battery faster
Connecting several devices or accessories to your laptop through a hub comes at a price. While some adapters require an independent power source, others don’t — they use power from your laptop. This can cause your device to run flat much faster than usual if it’s not plugged into a charger.
Robust construction materials
A USB-C is incredibly important if you rely on one connection for all your portability needs. If it gets damaged, you could lose the ability to access vital devices or accessories. Keep in mind the construction materials of the hub, and try to get one that’s made from hardened plastic or aluminum.
Compatibility with your device
While USB-C is now a common connection type, not all devices are the same. Ensure that the hub you’re interested in is compatible with your device. For example, Apple’s Thunderbolt is a type of USB-C but is only compatible with certain gadgets. Similarly, Nintendo’s Switch console also uses USB-C, but the type used isn’t compatible with certain hubs or cables. The way to determine compatibility is to check with the manufacturer of the device.
What to look for in a quality USB-C hub adapter
USB-C Power Delivery
A key aspect to look for when deciding on an adapter is Power Delivery technology. This lets you use your laptop to charge other devices that are connected to the hub. The amount of power delivered to the connected device can vary, but the most common is around 100 watts.
Lengthy cable (or no cable at all)
You don’t want to struggle to get devices connected to your laptop, which is why a lengthy USB-C cable can be handy. The length also lets you move the adapter around to minimize any electromagnetic interference. On the other hand, there are adapters that have no cables at all. These sit flush with your laptop and are a great option if you have limited space.
Multiple connections
The purpose of an adapter is so you can connect multiple devices of different connections to your laptop. For that reason, it’s imperative that the adapter has as many as possible, which should include USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI connection and an SD card slot.
How much you can expect to spend on a USB-C hub adapter
The average cost of a USB-C adapter or hub depends on the number of ports and connections it has. An entry-level hub with a few slots can cost $15-$20, while a feature-packed adapter can go for $25-$35.
USB-C hub adapter FAQ
Can you connect a mouse and keyboard to an adapter?
A. Yes, you can, but you should keep in mind that due to their limited design, users often complain that the mouse is less responsive when an additional monitor is also connected.
What’s the difference between USB-C and Lightning?
A. The Lightning connection is the proprietary connection method for many Apple products and isn’t interchangeable with other devices. However, Apple’s Thunderbolt is a type of USB-C connection that can be used with other USB-C products or adapters.
What’s the best USB-C hub adapter to buy?
Top USB-C hub adapter
Hiearcool USB-C Dongle For MacBook Pro
What you need to know: This adapter has all the ports and connections that you could ever need. It features two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port for an external display and an SD card slot.
What you’ll love: You can recharge your laptop through the Power Delivery function, and it’s capable of displaying 4K content at 30 frames per second. The outer case is made from aluminum alloy, weighs only 2.4 ounces and is available in six colors.
What you should consider: The adapter isn’t compatible with Samsung’s DeX software, which lets you cast your device’s screen to a bigger monitor such as a TV. Unlike other hubs, this one is compatible with Nintendo Switch.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top USB-C hub adapter for the money
AorZ USB-C 7-in-1 Dongle Adapter
What you need to know: Not only does this hub have seven different connections, it can also power your laptop through USB-C Power Delivery technology.
What you’ll love: This hub features an HDMI connection, which lets you display content on an external monitor at 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second, or 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. It has three USB 3.0 ports, which is handy if you want to connect a keyboard or mouse. There’s also an SD card slot for transferring content such as photos from a camera.
What you should consider: This hub isn’t compatible with the Apple iPad Pro 11-inch or 21.9-inch before 2018.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
What you need to know: If you need to add a variety of useful connection ports to your laptop, this hub is a perfect choice.
What you’ll love: Its best feature is that it can handle an HDMI connection to an external monitor at a 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. In addition, this hub sports one connection for each of the most popular ports, so you’ll always have a way of connecting external devices. It has an SD card slot, USB-C input, USB-C data port and two USB 3.0 slots. It features USB-C Power Delivery so you can simultaneously charge your laptop.
What you should consider: This USB-C hub is only compatible with Apple’s MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and the Pixelbook. It isn’t compatible with the Nintendo Switch, even though it uses USB-C.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Charlie Fripp writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/best-usb-c-hub-adapter/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:48 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/best-usb-c-hub-adapter/ |
Best barbecue grills that don’t use gas
Now that gas prices are reaching record levels, there’s never been a better time to invest in a non-gas grill. A large majority of options use charcoal as a heating source, which results in better flavor than gas, especially if you’re cooking meat. You’re not limited to charcoal, though. If you’re willing to spend a little longer cooking, pellet grills are also a viable option, although they work differently than charcoal grills.
Why is charcoal good for grilling?
All grills use both radiant heat and convection for cooking food, but charcoal grills rely on radiant heat more than gas grills do. When you’re grilling meat, the juices absorb the flavor of the meat itself as well as any seasonings on it. As those juices escape the steak, chicken or burger, they drip down onto the layer of red-hot charcoal. Those coals are considerably hotter than the burners and deflectors in gas grills, leading to instant vaporization of the flavorful and aromatic compounds in the juices. Those aromatic vapors then circulate around the meat, imparting their complex flavors.
How to make sure you get the most flavor possible
First, use self-lighting coals or lighter fluid and make sure every coal is fully lit and the flames are completely out.
For best results, give the flavorful vapors plenty of time to get to know the food on the grill. To do this, place the meat on the grill, let it sear lightly and keep the lid closed for a decent amount of the cooking time. The exception to this rule is if you’re cooking for a large group and plan to pack the entire grill with meat. In that case, the full spread of meat helps to trap the smoke all on its own.
Are non-gas grills good for smoking meat?
Charcoal grills and pellet grills are perfect for smoking meat, fish and other foods. To impart wonderfully smoky flavors using a standard charcoal grill, all you need is a smoker box and some wood chips. Just put some high-quality wood in the smoker box, and place it on top of the coals.
Because wood burns so quickly, it’s better to put the smoker box on a slightly cooler section of coals. Don’t put it directly on the bottom of the grill, or it won’t smoke. Contrary to one popular belief, soaking wood chips in water does nothing whatsoever to increase smoke volume or flavor. All the water does is slow down the wood’s combustion. Since the combustion is where the flavor comes from, all soaking wood chips does is slow down the process.
If you’re new to smoking and not familiar with specific wood flavors, consider a variety pack of wood chips to get used to the different flavor profiles.
How do pellet grills work?
A pellet grill consists of a cooking space complete with one or two grilles and a separate smoker box that uses an electric heating element to burn compacted wood pellets. Unlike charcoal grills, pellet grills work almost exclusively with convection instead of radiant heat.
Pellet grills take much of the guesswork out of smoking because their temperature is easy to regulate. However, they don’t get nearly as hot as charcoal grills, so you’ll likely need to sear your meats before or after smoking. Pellet grills also take considerably longer. However, that added time means the end result is usually far more flavorful and tender.
Best non-gas grills
It’s one of the most recognizable, straightforward and affordable options. With proper care, it should last for years.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
This is the premium version of the Weber classic. It has a slightly sturdier build plus better ash management and significantly improved ventilation.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Char-Griller E1416 King-Griller
If you don’t need a ton of volume, this compact model lets you make the most out of your coals and wood chips by concentrating the aromatic smoke in a small barrel.
Sold by Amazon
Kamado grills like this one sport thick walls that retain a significant amount of heat and a tightly sealing lid that ensures you don’t lose any valuable flavor.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
This kamado grill offers great performance at a reasonable price. It also has a decent amount of workspace for prepping and plating meats.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
With 450 square inches of cooking space and surprisingly good build quality, this pellet grill is as good as the ones from more well-known brand names but doesn’t cost as much.
Sold by Amazon
From the original pellet grill manufacturer, this massive smoker is perfect for big parties and boasts the most advanced features available.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
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Chris Thomas writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/patio-br/grilling-outdoor-cooking-br/non-gas-grills-to-fuel-your-backyard-barbecue-as-pump-prices-soar/ | 2022-04-14T19:00:50 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/patio-br/grilling-outdoor-cooking-br/non-gas-grills-to-fuel-your-backyard-barbecue-as-pump-prices-soar/ |
2 men shot inside vehicle while parked at Orlando hotel, police say
ORLANDO, Fla. - Police said two people were shot Thursday afternoon inside a vehicle that was parked at an extended stay hotel in Orlando.
The shooting happened at the Home Suite Home hotel near E. Colonial Drive and Maguire Boulevard.
Two men – a driver and a passenger – were inside the vehicle when someone shot at them, according to a police spokesperson. Both men were taken to the hospital and are considered to be in stable condition.
The alleged shooter has not been identified. Police said the situation is "active." Officers have been seen by FOX 35 crews canvassing nearby neighborhoods.
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Stay with FOX 35 for updates on this developing story. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/2-people-hurt-after-someone-shot-into-a-vehicle-in-orlando-police-say | 2022-04-14T19:00:53 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/2-people-hurt-after-someone-shot-into-a-vehicle-in-orlando-police-say |
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleads guilty to forcible touching
NEW YORK — Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to forcibly kissing a worker at a New York nightclub in 2018 in a deal that is likely to keep him out of jail.
Gooding also publicly apologized for the first time to two other women who accused him of similar behavior in separate encounters, calling himself a “celebrity figure” who meant no harm.
His admissions were part of a plea deal that came nearly three years after the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star was arrested in the case that saw several delays as his lawyers sought to get charges reduced or dismissed.
“I apologize for making anybody ever feel inappropriately touched,” he said. “I am a celebrity figure. I come into contact with people. I never want them to feel slighted or uncomfortable in any way.”
Gooding, 54, accused of violating three different women at various Manhattan night spots in 2018 and 2019, pleaded guilty to just one of the allegations. He told the judge he “kissed the waitress on her lips” without consent at the LAVO New York club.
The deal lets Gooding avoid any possibility of jail time if he continues “alcohol and behavior modification” counseling for six months. After that, he can withdraw the misdemeanor plea and instead plead guilty to a lesser violation of harassment.
Gooding was arrested in June 2019 after a 29-year-old woman told police he fondled her without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square.
The accuser in that encounter, Kelsey Harbert, was allowed to speak in court on Wednesday, recounting how, out of nowhere, Gooding grabbed her breast “as if I was a piece of meat for dinner that night.”
Harbert, now 31, told the court she thought Gooding was getting off easy, while his accusers continue to suffer.
“I feel very sad and feel very lost for what I can do,” she said.
A few months after his arrest, Gooding was charged in two additional cases as more women came forward to accuse him of abuse. The new charges alleged he pinched a server’s buttocks after making a sexually suggestive remark to her at TAO Downtown and forcibly touched the woman at LAVO, both in 2018.
Gooding had previously pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor counts and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His lawyers have argued that overzealous prosecutors, caught up in the fervor of the #MeToo movement, are trying to turn “commonplace gestures” or misunderstandings into crimes.
Judge Curtis Farber earlier had ruled if the Gooding case went to trial, prosecutors could have called two additional women to testify about their allegations that Gooding also violated them. Prosecutors say the judge had since reversed that decision — a ruling that factored into their decision to not go to trial.
"We credit and believe all the survivors in this case," said prosecutor Coleen Balbert. But under the circumstances, Wednesday's outcome "is a fair and equitable disposition,” she added.
Along with the criminal case, Gooding is accused in a lawsuit of raping a woman in New York City in 2013. After a judge issued a default judgment in July because Gooding hadn’t responded to the lawsuit, the actor retained a lawyer and is fighting the allegations.
Gloria Allred, an attorney representing three of Gooding's accusers, said in a statement that they would press ahead with civil litigation to hold him accountable.
“Justice was significantly delayed in this case for many reasons, and I do not feel that justice was achieved today with the entry of this plea, although I do understand why under the circumstances that the prosecution offered a plea,” she said.
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ABOVE: Santa Fe police take a man into custody Friday while responding to a report of a break-in on Piñon Road. The suspect, Jeremy Catanach, was not armed and was booked into the Santa Fe County jail.
Santa Fe police take a man into custody last month while responding to a report of a break-in on Piñon Road. The city is searching for a new police chief.
ABOVE: Santa Fe police take a man into custody Friday while responding to a report of a break-in on Piñon Road. The suspect, Jeremy Catanach, was not armed and was booked into the Santa Fe County jail.
Santa Fe police take a man into custody last month while responding to a report of a break-in on Piñon Road. The city is searching for a new police chief.
Santa Fe police called the agency’s SWAT team Friday morning to a home on Piñon Drive after a man suspected of burglary barricaded himself inside, Lt. David Webb said.
Officers responding to a report of a burglary in process just after 9 a.m. Friday in the 700 block of Piñon Drive discovered the suspect, 50-year-old Jeremy Catanach. Webb said Catanach refused to leave the home, prompting the SWAT operation.
Catanach eventually surrendered, however, and was taken into custody on charges of residential burglary, criminal damage to property and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer, Webb said.
The home’s residents were not present when the incident occurred.
Witnesses in the house next door said they saw SWAT officers behind their vehicles with guns drawn during the operation, speaking to the suspect through a bullhorn.
A cellphone video taken by a witness recorded police saying, “We have the location surrounded. Occupant inside — we need you to come out through the front door with your hands up and empty.”
The homeowners had called 911 after observing the suspect in their home remotely through their surveillance system, Webb said, adding the suspect might have entered through a window.
Catanach, who was not armed, was booked into the Santa Fe County jail.
I'm so sad to see that actor Harrison Ford has turned to a life of crime! Why send a SWAT team to a residential burglary when there are no weapons involved?
So you had a crystal ball, Dan, and knew in advance he was unarmed? Maybe you ought to put on a badge given your exceptional prescience. The P.D. could definitely benefit from your talents!
How do you know they are unarmed, isn’t there knives in every house or blunt instruments just because they don’t carry one in doesn’t mean they can’t find something that will kill inside.
I see 15 mugshots for this clown dating back 20 years. He's one of the many repeat offenders wandering around Santa Fe while the DA and judges do nothing to keep citizens safe. I'm sure he'll get yet another slap on the wrist and a stern warning from our judicial system. Enough is enough. Lock him up and keep him there.
A few years back MacKenzie Allen wrote a really good MyView on residential burglary. The gist of it was that it is treated like a nonviolent offense by the legal system but that anyone who has come home to a ransacked, burglarized home feels incredibly violated and vulnerable. Not to mention, a botched burglary can easily turn deadly. Back in Rochester, NY, a college classmate of mine was stabbed to death when she surprised a burglar in her home.
It's similar to drug dealers (who are often packing heat) being called "non-violent offenders" who should not be incarcerated....except that those same upstanding citizens are involved in thousands of gang related turf war shootings every year.
Susie Schwartz story below. She was a classmate of mine and we both started out in the same classes as bio majors; I still remember her face.
This murder happened a few blocks from where I was living, in one of the less expensive off campus areas near the University. As the story says, there were several homicides about that time. I went home to my parent's house and fetched my shotgun. Funny, but I got pulled over by the NY State police with my shotgun shock corded to my motorcycle riding back to Rochester from Buffalo. All the Trooper wanted to see was whether I had insurance and a motorcycle endorsement on the driver license.
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Choosing the best air mattress for guests
When guests come to stay, finding a good spot for them to sleep can be a challenge. A quality air mattress offers more comfort and support than they’d get sleeping on a couch, plus there’s more flexibility over where you set it up.
You want your guests to have a comfortable stay, which is why it’s all the more important to choose a decent air bed. Ample support is vital for stays of more than a night or two, and picking one that doesn’t leak air significantly will keep your guests from waking up on the floor.
Do you need an air mattress for guests?
It’s a great option for anyone who wants to host guests but doesn’t have a spare room. Even if you do have a spare room, there may be times when you have more guests than beds, for instance, if your whole family descends on you at Thanksgiving. While adults can certainly sleep on air beds, they’re also ideal for kids’ sleepovers.
If you don’t feel comfortable asking guests to sleep on an inflatable mattress, you can always be the one to sleep on it, relinquishing your bed to your guest. That said, quality mattresses of this kind are comfortable.
Air mattress features
- Single-height vs. double-height: Single-height mattresses measure around 9 inches tall, while double-height ones measure roughly 16 to 24 inches tall. Single-height versions are affordable and quick to inflate. Double-height versions are more comfortable, especially for anyone who finds it hard to get down to and up from the floor, and you aren’t left touching the floor if they deflate a little during the night.
- Built-in pump: Many air beds meant for home use have built-in pumps. These pumps have power cords that you simply plug into an outlet for quick and easy inflation. Some even monitor air levels and top the mattress up during the night if necessary when you leave them plugged in.
- Size: You can choose sizes from twin to king. Twin and full sizes are great for people sleeping alone, while queen and king sizes are best for two adults sleeping in the same bed. Full mattresses can just about accommodate two adults if they don’t mind getting cozy, but it’s a better choice for a single adult or a couple of kids.
- Air coils: Air coils or air beams are reinforced areas inside the mattress that help provide even support. They’re especially important in double-height versions, as they’re prone to sagging in the center without air coils.
Best air mattresses for guests
Top single-height air mattresses
Intex Dura Beam Pillow Rest Classic Air Mattress
A great choice for tight spots or people without much storage space, this compact twin air bed packs down small and is quick to inflate with its built-in pump. The flocked top and raised pillow rest end create a comfortable sleeping surface.
Sold by Amazon
Active Era Luxury Air Mattress
While this one doesn’t have a built-in pump, an electric pump is included for quick and easy inflation. It’s available in either twin or queen sizes.
Sold by Amazon
Aria Queen Inflatable Air Mattress
Thanks to the built-in battery pump, this inflatable mattress is just as well-suited to camping as it is to providing a bed for guests. It also has inflatable pillows. The flocked top is not only comfortable if your guest sleeps directly on it, but it also keeps sheets from slipping if you choose to use them.
Sold by Amazon
Coleman EasyStay 4-N-1 Air Bed
This air bed straddles the line between single-height and double-height. You can use it in single-height mode as two twin mattresses or one king mattress. You can also configure it as a single twin double-height mattress.
Sold by Amazon
Intex Dura-Beam Standard Single-High Air Bed Series
With its internal contoured support system, this mattress will keep guests comfortable for short to medium-length stays. It comes in twin, full and queen sizes. You can buy it without a pump, with a battery pump or with a built-in foot pump.
Sold by Amazon
EnerPlex Never-Leak Inflatable Mattress
Using the included air pump, this mattress takes roughly two minutes to inflate, so tired guests won’t need to wait long to hit the hay. It comes in twin and queen sizes with internal air coils for added support.
Sold by Amazon
Top double-height air mattresses
Intex Dura-Beam Series Pillow Rest Raised Air Bed
From a big name in inflatable mattresses, you can trust that this one is durable and supportive. You can choose between twin and queen sizes in both standard and deluxe versions.
Sold by Amazon
SoundAsleep Dream Series Air Mattress
Measuring 19 inches tall, this mattress is comfortable and easy to get on and off of. It comes in five sizes, and all of them have internal air coils for additional support, helping your guests get a good night’s sleep.
Sold by Amazon
SleepLux Durable Inflatable Air Mattress
This durable queen mattress has internal air coils for support and a pillow rest at one end. At a generous 22 inches tall, you’ll be pleased to know it comes with a built-in electric pump that inflates it in around five minutes, so you won’t have to spend hours with a foot pump blowing it up.
Sold by Amazon
King Koil Luxury California King Air Mattress
Thanks to its advanced air coil technology, this mattress is highly supportive. You can choose from three sizes: twin, queen and California king. There are also three height options: 13, 16 and 20 inches.
Sold by Amazon
Intex Dura Beam Elevated Fiber Tech Air Mattress
The inflatable headboard makes this mattress stand out from similar models. It is easy to inflate and deflate with the built-in pump and has Fiber Tech technology for added durability.
Sold by Amazon
Englander Luxury Double High Inflatable Bed
Made with a microfiber material, it’s thermoregulated so guests won’t get too hot at night. It inflates in less than three minutes and comes in twin, queen and California king sizes.
Sold by Amazon
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Daycare workers accused of failing to report suspected abuse before child found dead, police say
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Four people are facing charges after West Melbourne police say they failed to report suspected abuse of a 3-year-old boy who was later found dead.
Three daycare workers and a child protective investigator are accused of not reporting alleged signs of abuse on Jameson Nance while he attended Health First Center for Child Development on Sheridan Road in Melbourne.
RELATED: State seeks death penalty against mom, boyfriend accused in toddler's killing
Jaymie Gaucher, Elizabeth Fowler, Kristal Samuel, and Dallas Jasper are facing charges of failure to report known or suspected child abuse.
Elizabeth Fowler
Kristal Samuel
According to a Melbourne police report, on June 2, Jameson's mother brought him to the daycare where he had "yellow in color" bruises on his forehead, ear and jaw with more bruises on his cheek. His mother reportedly told a Fowler that his injuries were caused by a duck that had attacked him while they were at the lake. His mother reportedly changed her story, stating that Jameson was wearing a floaty and he fell in the water and was scratched by a duck.
Photos of the boy's injuries were taken, according to the report. It goes on to say that another daycare worker, Gaucher, showed the photos to Jasper, the child protective investigator, told him the duck story, and asked if she should make a report to the Department of Children and Families.
Jasper reportedly told the worker that if the child's and mother's stories were consistent with one another, "there was not much DCF could do." The report states that the worker did not specify if Jasper told her a yes or no answer about making a report.
Daycare worker Samuel reportedly spoke with the boy's mother at the end of the day when she came to pick up Jameson, where she again told the duck attack story.
Days later, Jameson was found dead.
In August, state prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty against Jameson's mother, Erica Beth Dotson, and her boyfriend, Joshua Andrew Manns. Authorities said Jameson died after he suffered through and experienced significant pain and abuse over a three-week span."
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Which Canon printer is best?
Even if you don’t use your printer on a daily basis, it’s important to have one at home. Many feel they don’t need a printer since documents are available online, and you can sign and return them quickly through the internet. Even though printers have become somewhat less popular over the years, you’ll undoubtedly want to have one.
Canon is a trusted brand that offers a wide range of printers that are excellent for basic printing needs as well as scanning photos or making copies. If you want a functional printer that will save you money on ink, take a look at the Canon Maxify GX6020 All-in-One Wireless Supertank Printer.
What to know before you buy a Canon printer
The purpose of the printer
People typically use Canon printers to print documents onto paper, scan documents or photos, send emails and more. Decide what you think you’ll use your printer for the most to help you decide which model works best for your needs. If you only print black-and-white documents, there is no need to buy an expensive device that produces photo-quality images.
Inkjet vs. laser printer
Canon printers are generally available in inkjet or laser design, which refers to the different methods of printing out images or text. For example, inkjet printers use several tiny nozzles to deposit ink drops on the page. They tend to be cheaper, but the nozzles are prone to clogging, and the ink is expensive. On the other hand, laser printers use heat to melt the ink powder onto a page. While they are more costly, they last a long time, which helps even out the costs over time.
Types of Canon printers
Canon has different printers that cater to various needs. Here are some of the options you’ll come across.
Pixma printers are perfect for everyday use at home or in a small office. The inkjet design offers terrific print quality and speed. The Pixma line includes both all-in-one printers that can print, copy and scan as well as photo printers that can create first-rate prints of your favorite memories.
Selphy printers are small enough to fit in a backpack and feature an attractive design. They allow you to print quality photos from your smartphone or tablet even on the go.
Maxify printers are known for their power and efficiency. These multifunction, wireless inkjet printers provide quality prints at a reasonable price per page. They’re ideal for use at home or in small offices.
ImageClass color printers are ideal when your work demands high-quality prints in rich, bold hues (note that some models only print in black and white). These laser printers feature a touch screen that lets you customize the settings to suit your needs, and they’re fast.
Printing resolution
Canon printers produce images or text at a set resolution, measured in dots per inch (dpi). The more dots there are in a square inch, the better the quality will be. It’s best to find a dpi that goes hand in hand with what you plan on using the printer for. For example, black-and-white documents are perfect at a dpi of 400-600. But for high-quality images, you ideally want a dpi of 1,000-1,200.
What to look for in a quality Canon printer
Printing cost per page
Printer ink is notoriously expensive, so you need to factor in how much it costs you to print a page. This will vary depending on the printer, but black-and-white pages should only cost a couple of cents. Color prints are more costly, but even then, they shouldn’t cost more than 15 cents per page. Take time to figure out the cost-per-page for your printer, so you don’t spend a fortune on ink.
Wireless connectivity
While you can connect a Canon printer to a computer or laptop with a USB cable, the best option is to use a wireless connection. A good-quality printer can connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network, allowing anybody to access it. In addition, some printers connect through Bluetooth technology, which is a great option when printing from a mobile device.
Printing speed
The days of standing by the printer waiting for your pages to pop out are long gone. But with that said, some printers are faster than others. Look for a Canon printer that can produce high-quality prints in a few seconds. For example, a good-quality Canon printer can produce around 45 black-and-white pages per minute.
How much you can expect to spend on a Canon printer
The average cost of a Canon printer depends on the model and what printing technology it uses. Entry-level printers cost $250-$350, while high-quality devices that produce excellent photos are around $500-$700.
Canon printer FAQ
Why is printer ink so expensive?
A. Printer ink is expensive because the printers themselves are cheap to make. Manufacturers still need to profit, and they know that you can’t operate a printer without ink. So they tend to increase the cost of the ink to make a profit.
Can a Canon printer do double-sided printing?
A. Yes, several models can create double-sided prints. Some Canon printers even do this automatically, so you don’t have to turn over the page yourself.
What’s the best Canon printer to buy?
Top Canon printer
Canon Maxify GX6020 All-in-One Wireless Supertank Printer
What you need to know: Not only does this printer deliver high-quality photos, but it can also produce double-sided prints automatically.
What you’ll love: This printer features a 2.7-inch LCD touchscreen, making it easy to select the functions and get it set up. It can print 24 black and white pages per minute and displays the ink levels on the front panel, so you always know how much ink is left. It connects to devices through Wi-Fi or USB and can print glossy photos and labels.
What you should consider: It is best suited for a small office, as the initial cost can be a bit pricey for a home user.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Canon printer for the money
Canon ImageClass D1620 Multifunction Printer
What you need to know: This all-in-one laser printer is perfect for a small or at-home office.
What you’ll love: One of the fastest Canon printers, it produces 45 black-and-white pages per minute. It can print, scan and copy, and has a paper tray that can hold up to 2,300 pages.
What you should consider: It’s a monochrome printer, so it won’t print in color.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Canon Wireless Pixma TR4520 Inkjet All-in-one Printer
What you need to know: The Pixma is a powerful printer in a small package, making it the best choice for everyday home use.
What you’ll love: This inkjet printer has a resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi, making it perfect for printing photos or high-quality images for school projects. It has wireless connectivity and comes with an extra set of ink cartridges.
What you should consider: There is no mechanism to stop the paper from falling on the floor once printing is complete.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Anthony Todt: Jury deliberations underway in Florida murder trial
CELEBRATION, Fla. - The jury is deliberating the fate of a man charged with murdering his family at their home in Celebration.
On Thursday, closing arguments began in the murder trial for Anthony Todt. Both the prosecution and defense rested their cases on Wednesday.
Todt, who has pleaded not guilty, testified in his own defense and claims his wife was responsible for the deaths of their kids, not him.
"I came home and my kids were dead," said Todt, crying. "Most horrible day of my life."
RELATED: Anthony Todt murder trial: Todt claims his wife killed his children, not him
"She had blood on her shirt and after I said a few uncolored words to her, I then discovered the kids, I went into their rooms and found them dead," he said.
He insinuated there was something in the dessert she made for the kids, which he didn't eat.
"When I found out what happened I puked, I cried."
Earlier this week, the jury was shown a recorded interview between Todt and deputies where he tells them he and his wife had a so-called "apocalyptic death pact" after watching videos about the world coming to an end.
When the jury comes back with a decision, you can watch it live in the player above.
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Sea urchins are dying across the Caribbean at a pace scientists say could rival a mass die-off that last occurred in 1983, alarming many who warn the trend could further decimate already frail coral reefs in the region.
Dive shops first began reporting the deaths in February, perplexing scientists and worrying government officials who are receiving a growing number of reports about dying sea urchins from islands including Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica, Jamaica, St. Vincent, Saba and the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as Cozumel in Mexico.
“It’s very concerning, particularly because it’s happening so quickly,” said Patricia Kramer, a marine biologist and program director of the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment, a scientific collaboration to improve reef conditions in the region.
At first, the mortality event was linked only to black sea urchins — Diadema antillarum — which are recognizable by their extremely long, skinny spines. But two other species have since been affected, including the rock boring sea urchin and the West Indian sea egg.
The deaths worry Kramer and other scientists including Dana Wusinich-Mendez, Atlantic-Caribbean team lead for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s coral reef conservation program: “Losing our sea urchins would be really devastating.”
The deaths are of concern because sea urchins are herbivores known for being efficient grazers that remove macro algae from coral reefs and clear space for baby sea corals to attach themselves, the two scientists said.
“They’re kind of the unsung heroes of the reefs because they do so many good things,” Kramer said.
While macro algae are an important source of food and shelter for some fish, too many of them can degrade coral reefs that are under stress by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures and a disease known as stony coral tissue loss.
Overfishing across the Caribbean already had led to a greater abundance of macro algae, which was kept in check by sea urchins that are now dying, said Shamal Connell, an officer with St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Fisheries Service who oversees research.
“It’s very urgent that we find a solution,” he said.
The Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment recently helped create a network to investigate the deaths, analyze tissue samples and find solutions. It includes the Florida-based Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute and nearly two dozen groups in the Caribbean and U.S.
Kramer noted that very few black sea urchin populations recovered from the 1983 event that began in the Atlantic Ocean near the Panama Canal and spread northward and then eastward over the next 13 months.
During that time, only the black sea urchin was affected, with 90% or more of the population dying, though at a much slower rate than the current event, she said.
“Just when we’re getting to the point where they’re recovering, they’re dying,” Kramer said.
The U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas was the first to report the newest round of deaths in February, although it’s unclear whether that’s where the event started.
In mid-March, the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba reported similar deaths, noting that 50% of the sea urchin population in its harbor was dead a week later. Officials in Saba said they have around 200 sea urchins in a nursery and are gathering information about the new mortality event, adding that they are treating some with antibiotics that might cure them or prevent them from getting sick.
Meanwhile, Monique Calderon, a fisheries biologist with the government of St. Lucia, said scientists on the eastern Caribbean island are considering launching their own survey to get more details about where the sea urchins are dying and why.
“When the last die-off occurred in the 1980s, the sampling done wasn’t robust enough to determine what the issue was exactly, what might have caused it,” Calderon said, adding that she hopes to find an explanation with improved technology.
She said dive shops in St. Lucia and other Caribbean islands have reported ocean floors littered with sea urchin spines or sea urchins floating in the water when they are normally anchored to a reef via hydraulic structures known as tube feet. Divers also have found dying sea urchins with droopy spines or with their white skeletons poking through their bodies.
The loss of sea urchins comes amid coral bleaching events resulting from high ocean temperatures and the presence of a disease known as stony coral tissue loss that has affected more than 30 coral species in nearly two dozen countries and territories in the Caribbean, according to the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment program.
Coral reefs also provide protection from rising seas and storm surges generated by hurricanes that have grown more powerful with global warming, and they are a key attraction for a region that relies heavily on tourism.
“We worry that a real crisis is developing in the Caribbean,” the Diadema Response Network stated in a recent report on the loss of sea urchins. | https://www.cenlanow.com/science/ap-science/concerned-scientists-probe-sea-urchin-deaths-in-caribbean/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:04 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/science/ap-science/concerned-scientists-probe-sea-urchin-deaths-in-caribbean/ |
Which TV mount is best?
Swapping a bulky entertainment center for a slim TV wall mount frees up floor space and lightens the look of any room. It also gives your TV tilt and swivel functionality for multiple viewing angles.
Choosing the right wall mount comes down to compatibility, materials and size. If you’re looking for an affordable and versatile TV wall mount, the Mounting Dream MD2268-LK TV Mount is easy to use and supports most TV sizes.
What to know before you buy a TV mount
Along with the wall material, the wall mount and TV screen size impact which TV mount will work best for your space.
Types of wall mounts
There are three main types of TV mounts: the tilt and swivel mount, the tilt-only mount and the fixed mount.
- The tilt and swivel mount is the most versatile, offering a customizable viewing experience. You can tilt these mounts up or down and swivel left and right. These mounts are typically more expensive with such a flexible range of motion.
- The tiltable TV mount is ideal if you only need to adjust the screen a few degrees downward to avoid glare.
- A fixed mount remains in one position after it’s attached to the wall. These mounts are cheaper and easier to install, and they’re ideal if you don’t need to adjust the TV.
Wall material
For a safe and secure mount, attach the mounting bracket to wooden studs. Plain drywall will not hold the TV’s weight for long, and it’s not a safe surface to use for your brackets. Use a stud finder to find studs and locate drywall screws. Keep in mind that the location of your studs will dictate the general location of your TV, even if it means your TV is slightly off-center.
If you want to attach your mounting bracket to brick, stone or concrete, use concrete anchors. If you’re not sure how to mount your TV safely, you may want to hire a professional to help.
Screen size
Your TV’s screen size will determine what kind of mounts you can use. While it’s best to use the manufacturer’s measurements, you can estimate by measuring diagonally across your TV with a measuring tape.
What to look for in a quality TV mount
High-quality TV mounts use strong materials and allow you to easily access the cables either from the back or the side.
Materials
TV mounts are often either plastic, aluminum, steel or a combination of materials. Plastic mounts are cheaper and lighter, but they aren’t as sturdy. An all-steel mount will be heavier, but it will offer the strongest support.
Some mounts use aluminum or combined materials to create a sturdy, midweight option. If the mount is mostly plastic, it’s best to pair it with a lightweight TV.
Compatibility
Make sure your TV mount is compatible with your TV’s make, model and size. Look for a TV mount approved by the Video Electronics Standards Association, and find out what sizes your mount supports on their website. Then, cross-check the VESA size with the size of your TV to confirm they will work together. Only use a VESA-compliant mount that matches the size of your TV.
Cable hookups
When you use a TV mount, you have a few options for cable management. Instead of letting cables dangle from your TV mount, use a cable organizer to hide them against the wall or floor. You can even find paintable covers, so you can paint them to match your walls.
How much you can expect to spend on a TV mount
Pricing for TV wall mounts varies and can cost between $20-$500. The pricing depends on the size, brand and materials. Adjustable mounts are at the higher end of the price range.
TV mount FAQ
Why do I need a VESA-compliant TV mount?
A. Every TV mount comes with a VESA size. The rating refers to the screw hole pattern on the mounting bracket and TV. This rating determines if you can safely use the mount with your TV. It also ensures the screw holes on the mount and your TV will align properly.
How do I know if the mount will support my TV’s weight?
A. The most important part of choosing a TV mount is making sure it’s compatible with your TV. The mount manufacturer should list what TVs it is compatible with, as will your TV’s manual. Cross-reference these lists to ensure both pieces are compatible, and mount the bracket as instructed for the safest, sturdiest TV display.
What’s the best TV mount to buy?
Top TV mount
Mounting Dream MD2268-LK TV Mount
What you need to know: This mount works with several TV brands and sizes. It also has a high weight capacity.
What you’ll love: You can install this mount on 16- to 24-inch stud measurements, and it holds TVs up to 132 pounds. The 1.5-inch profile is slim and sleek, and it has the ability to tilt forward to reduce glare.
What you should consider: You should use your own level instead of the one provided in the mounting kit. Additionally, it’s best to plug in your cords before mounting the brackets.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top TV mount for the money
VideoSecu ML531BE2 TV Wall Mount Kit
What you need to know: This versatile mount tilts and swivels for easy viewing.
What you’ll love: The mount holds a decent range of TV models and offers 20 inches of swivel extension for an excellent range of motion. The mounting kit includes a level, a 6-foot long HDMI cable and a magnetic stud finder.
What you should consider: The weight limit is 88 pounds, and you have to install it on a stud or another solid surface, such as brick concrete or stone.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
AENTGIU Studless TV Wall Mount
What you need to know: This TV wall mount doesn’t require any studs or power tools to install.
What you’ll love: The mount is compatible with most TVs between 16 and 55 inches. It is made of heavy-duty steel and can support up to 110 pounds if installed in wood or concrete.
What you should consider: You may need to use larger nails than what’s included in the mounting kit to add stability.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Katy Palmer writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt marry in Mumbai
NEW DELHI - Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, popular Bollywood stars, were married Thursday in a private ceremony at their Mumbai residence.
The couple wore ivory outfits as they came out and waved to photographers from their apartment building. Kapoor picked Bhatt up and walked back into the apartment with her in his arms.
The wedding ceremony was attended by close relatives, Bollywood stars and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and his wife.
Kapoor, 39, belongs to Bollywood’s popular Kapoor clan which has dominated the Hindi film industry since the 1940s. His parents, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, were prominent Bollywood stars in the 1970-80s.
He is the grandson of veteran actor-director Raj Kapoor, who was rated as Bollywood’s best showman. Raj Kapoor’s father, Prithviraj Kapoor, was an actor who ran a theater company and acted in Hindi classics in the 1940s.
Bhatt, 29, also belongs to a Bollywood family. Her father, Mahesh Bhatt, is a well-known filmmaker, and her mother, Soni Razdan, is a former actress. Bhatt made her debut in Karan Johar’s teen drama "Student of the Year" in 2012. She won an award for playing a kidnapping victim in the road drama "Highway" in 2014.
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Ranbir Kapoor began his film career by assisting producer-director Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the film "Black" in 2005. He made his acting debut in Bhansali’s "Saawariya" in 2007. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/bollywood-stars-ranbir-kapoor-alia-bhatt-marry-in-mumbai | 2022-04-14T19:01:11 | 1 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/bollywood-stars-ranbir-kapoor-alia-bhatt-marry-in-mumbai |
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates and All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $13.5 million.
The agreement, announced Thursday, will pay Reynolds $6.75 million per season.
Reynolds and the Pirates were scheduled to go to arbitration after failing to come to an agreement on a one-year deal for 2022. Reynolds asked for $4.9 million, with Pittsburgh countering with $4.25 million.
The 27-year-old Reynolds has blossomed with the Pirates after coming over in the January 2018 trade that sent center fielder Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco. Reynolds reached the majors in 2019 and moved to center field in 2021, hitting .302 with 24 homers and 90 RBIs and becoming a finalist for a Gold Glove.
Reynolds is batting .227 with one home run in five games so far this season for Pittsburgh. The Pirates are off to a 2-3 start heading into Thursday night’s game against Washington.
The agreement comes two days after Pittsburgh signed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million contract.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/ap-source-pirates-agree-to-2-year-deal-with-cf-reynolds/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:12 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/ap-source-pirates-agree-to-2-year-deal-with-cf-reynolds/ |
Which pergola is best?
A pergola is similar to a gazebo, except that the roof has open slats rather than being fully covered. Good pergolas still provide plenty of shade, but they offer a design some consider more attractive. It’s important to purchase pergolas with durable materials that can outlast the wind, sun and rain, as they’re too expensive to keep replacing.
The best pergola is the Vita Avalon Vinyl Pergola. Its slats are adjustable so you’re always sitting in shade, and the vinyl is highly weather-resistant.
What to know before you buy a pergola
Roof designs
Pergolas have one of three roof designs: traditional, gabled and pitched.
- Traditional roofs are flat, with slats that are usually in a lattice pattern.
- Gabled roofs are triangular, like most modern American housing.
- Pitched roofs are flat, but one end is higher than the other. They are usually installed flush with your home rather than further out into your yard.
Coverings
Some pergolas, either in addition to or instead of slats, use coverings hung underneath the roof to protect you from sun and rain. Many are adjustable. Cloth is the most common material, with plastic, PVC and steel also available.
Size
Most pergolas are sized between 7 by 7 and 12 by 12 feet, with heights from 7-10 feet.
Shape
Pergolas are typically square or rectangular, though some can be found in circular or octagonal shapes. Other shapes are possible, but you’ll likely need to have it custom-made rather than find it available to order.
What to look for in a quality pergola
Material
In order of general quality, pergolas are typically made of metal, vinyl or wood.
- Metal pergolas are typically made of aluminum or steel. Freestanding aluminum is the most affordable, but also can be dented or bent, and is the most likely to be blown away by heavy wind. Metal pergolas are available in the widest range of colors and provide a more modern aesthetic. However, If the metal isn’t treated properly, you need to worry about rusting.
- Vinyl pergolas are the most durable, requiring little to no maintenance compared to metal and wood. They are naturally resistant to most weather, including water, wind and ultraviolet rays. They aren’t the most expensive, either. However, they have two major negatives. First, they are rarely any color but a shade of white — it’s possible to paint them with acrylic paint, but you’ll need to keep reapplying as it fades away. Second, their plasticky looks are rarely thought aesthetically pleasing.
- Wood pergolas are the most common. They’re expensive, but wood is easy to stain or paint to match your home, and there are many varieties of wood to choose from. Generally, they can be divided between softwoods and hardwoods, with softwoods less expensive, a bit less durable and a little lighter than hardwoods.
Warranty
The best pergolas tend to have the best warranties, as manufacturers will stand by their best products. Twenty-year warranties are the best, but 10-year ones are acceptable. Some pergolas have different warranties for certain parts.
How much you can expect to spend on a pergola
Depending on their size and material, pergolas can cost less than $500 or more than $4,000. Metal pergolas are typically the most affordable, followed by vinyl and then wood.
Pergola FAQ
Do I need a permit to install a pergola?
A. It’s possible, depending on your state and local laws as well as the size of the pergola. Your municipal building department should be able to answer this question.
Are pergolas accepted by homeowners associations?
A. That depends on your homeowners’ association. Always check with yours, if you have one, before making any large changes to your home.
Should wood pergolas be stained before or after assembly?
A. Neither method is better than the other. Staining it before means you have easier access to all the materials, but you’ll need to stain in two rounds to make sure every piece is properly covered. Staining it afterward means you only need to stain the surfaces you can see, but you need to go up and down a ladder.
What’s the best pergola to buy?
Top pergola
What you need to know: This quality option is gorgeous, durable and has adjustable shading.
What you’ll love: The vinyl construction is resistant to water, wind, UV rays and other causes of rot, and it includes a 20-year warranty for the pergola and a 5-year warranty for the louvers. It measures 10 by 10 by 8.67 feet.
What you should consider: A few consumers felt the louvers were difficult to adjust. Others had issues with missing parts or no-show installers.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Wayfair
Top pergola for the money
Coolaroo Aurora Patio Shade Pergola
What you need to know: It’s money-saving without sacrificing function or style.
What you’ll love: It can be built and left freestanding — there’s no need to anchor it to the ground — and it has a weather-resistant and light-filtering retractable canopy that comes in three colors. It measures 9.84 by 9.84 by 7.17 feet.
What you should consider: If you want to mount or anchor it, you need to purchase a separate kit. The installation instructions can be difficult to understand and a few people received damaged parts.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Wayfair
Worth checking out
What you need to know: This is perfect for those who need large coverage.
What you’ll love: The vinyl construction is fully weather-resistant — it can even be safely cleaned by spraying it with your hose. It can be safely installed to most materials, including wooden and concrete patios. It measures 12 by 12 by 8.84 feet.
What you should consider: It doesn’t include a mounting or anchoring kit. Most reviewers needed a second set of hands to assemble it, though the instructions are easy to follow.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/home-br/decor-br/best-pergola-2/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:14 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/home-br/decor-br/best-pergola-2/ |
Florida woman shoots at another she's fighting with, ends up shooting 2 innocent men, police say
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Daytona Beach police have arrested a 19-year-old woman accused of shooting two men at an apartment complex.
Police say this happened at 1215 S. Beach Street around 9 a.m. at the Tzadik Bay Apartment.
Jayla Monet Fisher was arrested about an hour after police say the shots were fired.
According to a news release, Fisher was fighting with another woman in the parking lot and at some point, grabbed a gun and shot at the woman. She was not injured but two men were hit by bullets. Police say one of the men, a 19-year-old, was watching the fight but was not involved. His condition is said to be non-life-threatening.
MORE NEWS: 2 people hurt after someone shot into a vehicle in Orlando, police say
The other victim, a 78-year-old man, was in his unit when a bullet went through the glass window and struck him in the torso. He is said to have non-life-threatening injuries.
Fisher is facing two felony charges of aggravated battery and one misdemeanor charge of simple battery.
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BOSTON (AP) — Boston College coach Jerry York, the Hockey Hall of Famer who won five NCAA championships and the most games in college hockey history, said Wednesday that he is retiring.
York, 76, told his coaches and players that it seemed to be the right time after 28 years in Chestnut Hill and 50 in coaching overall. He said he is ready to spend more time traveling with his wife, Bobbie, and watch his grandchildren’s hockey, lacrosse, and soccer games.
“I leave knowing that it is the right time to go,” York said in a statement. “The book hasn’t closed, but it is time for me to start a new chapter.”
After arriving in Chestnut Hill in 1994 from Bowling Green, where he led the Falcons to the 1984 NCAA title, York guided BC to national championships in 2001, ’08, ’10 and ’12. His 1,123 overall victories and 41 in the NCAA Tournament are the most ever.
York was a five-time Hockey East coach of the year, most recently in 2021, and won the national award in 1977. He coached four Hobey Baker Award winners, 17 NHL first-round draft picks and 12 Stanley Cup champions.
“It is difficult to put into words all that Jerry York means to Boston College,” athletic director Pat Kraft said. “His record as the winningest coach in NCAA men’s ice hockey and BC hockey speak for themselves, but it is his humility, decency, unwavering commitment to his players, fellow coaches, and all of us in the BC family, and the quiet ways in which he contributes to this community that make him so beloved. He is a legend and one of the classiest individuals to ever coach in college sports.”
A native of nearby Watertown, York went to Boston College High School and then played for coach John “Snooks” Kelley at BC, where in 1965 he led the Eagles to the Beanpot title and the national championship game. In 1967, he was a first-team All-American and won the Walter Brown Award as the top American-born player in New England.
In all, he scored 84 goals with 70 assists while leading the Eagles to a 60-29 record.
York went into coaching and began at Clarkson at the age of 27, leading the Golden Knights from 1972-79 before moving to Bowling Green. He won his first national championship in 1984, then came to Boston College in 1994 and soon became one of three coaches in NCAA history to win championships at two different schools.
In 2012, York surpassed Michigan State’s Ron Mason as the winningest coach in college hockey. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2019. ___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/bc-coach-jerry-york-retires-most-ncaa-hockey-wins-ever/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:19 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/bc-coach-jerry-york-retires-most-ncaa-hockey-wins-ever/ |
US long-term mortgage rates rise; 30-year loan reaches 5%
WASHINGTON - Long-term U.S. mortgage rates continued to climb this week as the key 30-year loan rate reached 5% for the first time in more than a decade amid persistent high inflation.
The average 5% rate on the 30-year mortgage was up from 4.72% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday. The average rates in recent months have been showing the fastest pace of increases since 1994. By contrast, a year ago the 30-year rate stood at 3.04%.
The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those refinancing their homes, jumped to 4.17% from 3.91% last week.
With inflation at a four-decade high, rising mortgage rates, elevated home prices and tight supply of homes available for sale, the goal of homeownership has become the most expensive in a generation, Freddie Mac says. And this comes as the spring homebuying season begins.
RELATED: Inflation woes: These price increases are hitting Americans the hardest
Home prices are up about 15% over the past year and as much as 30% in some cities. Available homes had been in short supply even before the coronavirus pandemic started just over two years ago.
A government report Wednesday showed that the surging cost of energy pushed up wholesale prices a record 11.2% last month from a year earlier — another sign that inflationary pressure is widespread in the U.S. economy. Energy prices, which soared worldwide after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, were up 36.7% from March 2021. The wholesale inflation report was issued a day after the Labor Department disclosed that consumer prices in March jumped 8.5% from a year earlier, the fastest annual clip since December 1981.
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Which convection microwave is best?
Most microwaves can’t effectively cook much more than a mug cake. Instead, they reheat leftovers or quickly melt foods, such as butter for your current recipe. A convection microwave changes this. It can be used to bake and broil foods just like a full-sized oven. Some of the more feature-rich models can even air-fry foods.
The best convection microwave is the Panasonic HomeChef 4-in-1 Microwave Oven. It can perform any task you need it to and it has a spacious interior and 1,000 watts of power.
What to know before you buy a convection microwave
Size and capacity
Convection microwaves have two dimensions to consider: exterior size and interior capacity. More often than not, one of these being larger doesn’t mean the other will be large too.
- Size: The size you can or should purchase is only limited by your counter space. When measuring your countertop to find your limitations, remember to add a few inches to the back and sides for proper ventilation space. Keep enough space in front for the swinging door.
- Capacity: Capacity restricts how much food you can cook at once. Most convection microwaves have higher capacities than standard microwaves, and those measurements are given in cubic feet. The smallest is rarely less than 1 cubic foot, and the biggest usually top out at 1.5 cubic feet — though there are always rare exceptions.
Wattage
A convection microwave’s power is given in watts, just like standard microwaves. Lower wattages will cook food slower and less evenly, so you should prioritize a microwave with at least 1,000 watts. Most convection microwaves have wattages between 700 and 1,500. Better microwaves will let you adjust how much wattage you can use for cooking smaller or more sensitive food.
What to look for in a quality convection microwave
Presets
Presets are the easiest way to cook the most commonly microwaved foods. They make it so you don’t have to Google how much power and time a given food needs, and you won’t have to manually punch in that power and time. The most common presets are popcorn and pizza, but many convection microwaves also have presets for baked potatoes and roast chicken or vegetables.
Cooking modes
The best convection microwaves include more cooking modes than just microwave, convection and microwave/convection. The most common additional modes are air frying and broiling, but some are also able to grill. It’s important to note that you’ll need appropriate accessories for air frying and grilling — a wire basket and grilling rack, respectively — but most microwaves with these cooking modes include them.
Humidity sensor
Humidity sensors take some of the guesswork out of cooking by adding or subtracting to the total cooking time based on the moisture in the food and the oven, preventing accidental overcooking.
How much you can expect to spend on a convection microwave
Convection microwaves are more expensive than standard microwaves, typically starting around $100-$150 with basic models topping out around $250. The best countertop models can reach $500, while built-in models can cost more than $1,500.
Convection microwave FAQ
Can I use metal in a convection microwave?
A. Possibly. It depends on if the microwave has a convection-only setting. This setting only uses heating elements, just like a standard oven, so aluminum takeout containers and metal baking trays are safe to use. Some convection microwaves use microwave and convection heating simultaneously with no way to turn off the microwave portion. These are just as incompatible with metal as a standard microwave. A quick way to tell if a convection microwave is safe for metal is if it includes metal accessories, such as a wire air fryer rack. If so, you’re good to go.
Do recipes intended for a standard oven need to be adapted for use in a convection microwave?
A. Typically yes, though not by much. Despite having less power than a standard oven, convection microwaves have drastically less space to heat. This makes their heating more focused on the food rather than the air around it. As such, many recipes need to drop their heat and timing requirements. Heat usually drops no more than 25 to 50 degrees, but timing doesn’t have an easy generalization, so you’ll need to keep a close eye on your recipe.
What’s the best convection microwave to buy?
Top convection microwave
Panasonic HomeChef 4-in-1 Microwave Oven
What you need to know: This model can do it all.
What you’ll love: The four functions are standard and convection microwaving, air frying and broiling. It has a 1.2-cubic-foot capacity and an easy-to-clean interior. It includes the accessories you need to cook, such as a wire rack, an air fryer basket and an enamel drip tray.
What you should consider: If the start button is accidentally pressed, it will begin sensor cooking mode, even if there’s nothing inside for it to cook.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top convection microwave for the money
Toshiba Countertop Microwave Oven with Convection
What you need to know: This model is basic but excellent and affordable.
What you’ll love: It has a variety of special features, such as a power-saving ECO mode, smart cooking sensors, child safety locks and sound off/on for late-night snacks. It has a large 1.5-cubic-foot capacity and 1,000 watts of power.
What you should consider: A few consumers had issues with the upper heating element not functioning as it should. It takes up a large amount of counter space.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Cuisinart 1.2-Cubic-Foot Convection Microwave Oven
What you need to know: This model is perfect for convection grilling, thanks to an included grill rack.
What you’ll love: It’s packed with preset cooking modes, including popcorn, roast chicken, baked potato, cake and pizza. It can also keep foods warm at low settings and has a memory mode to save time on repetitive tasks. It is BPA-free and includes a recipe book.
What you should consider: Extended use of the convection setting causes the exterior to become hot. A few consumers had issues with their microwave breaking down within a few months.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/microwaves-br/best-convection-microwave/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:23 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/microwaves-br/best-convection-microwave/ |
A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
___
GASHED GUERRERO
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays wrap up their four-game series at Yankee Stadium, a day after the slugger hit three home runs and a double despite a nasty gash in his right hand.
Accidentally spiked while playing first base, Guerrero got two stitches after a 6-4 win and said his hand felt fine. He anticipated some soreness might set in.
“It’s not that bad,” he said through a translator.
The AL MVP runner-up homered off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in the first inning, then seemed like he’d have to leave an inning later when his bare throwing hand was stepped on by baserunner Aaron Hicks.
Guerrero had to reach across his body for infielder Bo Bichette’s throw and placed his right hand down behind the first base bag to balance. Hicks stomped on it running out an infield single.
The 23-year-old Guerrero immediately began waving the hand around, then walked toward Toronto’s dugout as blood dripped onto his uniform and the turf. A trainer taped up the digit in the dugout, and after a couple of minutes, Guerrero jogged back to first base and the game continued.
With a bloody stain on the right thigh of his pants, Guerrero hit a two-run homer in his next at-bat. He then lined a double and hit another homer.
TRAVELING CHAMPS
The World Series champion Atlanta Braves begin their first road series of the season when Charlie Morton (1-0, 3.38 ERA) starts at San Diego. Morton is 6-1 with a 2.09 ERA in nine career starts against the Padres.
Atlanta will be without reliever Luke Jackson this season after he had Tommy John surgery on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. The Braves said shortly before opening day that Jackson had damage to the ligament in his right elbow.
Jackson was 2-2 with a career-best 1.98 ERA in 71 games last year. He had a 0.00 ERA in three World Series games against Houston.
NEEDS RELIEF
The Mariners will be minus reliever Sergio Romo after putting him on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
The move was made retroactive to Tuesday, a day after he pitched a scoreless inning at Minnesota in his 800th major league appearance. The 39-year-old righty also tossed a scoreless inning against the Twins in his Mariners debut on Saturday.
Romo finalized a $2 million, one-year contract with Seattle last month.
NICE WHILE IT LASTED
Closer Corey Knebel’s return from the COVID-related injured list meant the end of 28-year-old journeyman reliever Jeff Singer’s brief time with his hometown Phillies.
The South Jersey native, who was working with his father at a Northeast Philadelphia car dealership in 2016 when the team signed him, got to sit in the bullpen at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night for the game against the Mets. He and had dozens of friends and family in attendance for his first game in a major league uniform.
“He got to fulfill a lifetime dream, and I think that was a special day for him,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “It could be just the start of things to come.”
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/leading-off-vlad-takes-his-cuts-braves-hit-the-road-2/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:26 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/leading-off-vlad-takes-his-cuts-braves-hit-the-road-2/ |
Mississippi governor again proclaims Confederate Heritage Month
JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is defending his decision to again name April as Confederate Heritage Month, nearly two years after he signed a law retiring the last state flag in the U.S. that featured a Confederate battle emblem.
The Republican governor signed a proclamation without fanfare Friday. It does not mention slavery — the defense of which was Mississippi's stated reason for trying to secede from the U.S.
In response to a question at a news conference Wednesday, Reeves said he issued a Confederate Heritage Month proclamation "in the same manner and fashion that the five governors that came before me, Republicans and Democrats alike, for over 30 years have done."
"And we did it again this year," Reeves said. "Didn't think this was the year to stop doing it."
RELATED: New Stone Mountain logo excludes giant Confederate carving
Four governors before Reeves — not five — issued Confederate Heritage Month proclamations. By state law, Mississippi also has a Confederate Heritage Day in April, which is a holiday for state employees.
Mississippi has taken steps in recent years to distance itself from symbols of the Confederacy, including removing some monuments, with critics saying the images glorify racism in a state where nearly 40% of residents are Black. In June 2020, Mississippi legislators voted with bipartisan support to retire the Confederate-themed state flag, and voters that November approved a new flag featuring a magnolia.
MISSISSIPPI, July 1, 2020 -- Mississippi state flag is lowered from the state Capitol Building during a ceremony in Jackson, Mississippi, the United States, on July 1, 2020. Tate Reeves, governor of southern U.S. state Mississippi, on Tuesday signed
Reeves's office did not announce his signing of the latest Confederate Heritage Month proclamation. The Mississippi Free Press was the first to report that a Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter on Monday had a social media post showing it. Reeves has issued a similar proclamation each year since becoming governor in January 2020.
Reeves's proclamation says "we honor all who lost their lives in this war" and "it is important for all Americans to reflect upon our nation's past, to gain insight from our mistakes and successes, and to come to a full understanding that the lessons learned yesterday and today will carry us through tomorrow if we carefully and earnestly strive to understand our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us."
RELATED: Group sues to overturn removal of Gwinnett County Confederate monument
Mississippi's secession ordinance in 1861 said: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world."
MISSISSIPPI, July 1, 2020 -- Mississippi state flag is lowered from the state Capitol Building during a ceremony in Jackson, Mississippi, the United States, on July 1, 2020. (Photo by Alan Chin/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/ via Getty Images)
Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus, a Democrat who held the office from 1988 to 1992, did not issue a Confederate Heritage Month proclamation, and he criticized Reeves for doing so.
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"His ‘Confederate Heritage Month’ proclamation sounds like he’s endorsing critical race theory: learn from the past etc," Mabus wrote Tuesday on Twitter. "Heritage of Confederacy is treason and slavery. We should learn from those things just maybe not in way he imagines." | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/mississippi-governor-again-proclaims-confederate-heritage-month | 2022-04-14T19:01:30 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/mississippi-governor-again-proclaims-confederate-heritage-month |
When Stars on Ice, uh, hits the ice Friday night in Estero, Florida, it will be for the first time in two years. Spicing up the tour: an Olympic gold medalist and two world champions.
The 24-city tour was idled by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it returns with Beijing winner Nathan Chen and pairs world champs Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier in the cast. The skaters are as eager to entertain as figure skating fans are eager to watch.
“The whole cast is excited to be here,” says Chen, whose dominant Olympic performance climaxed a career including six U.S. titles and three at worlds. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do a show, and to be able to be together after two years of not — and to celebrate the work we all put in before and after the Olympics — it’s very exciting.”
A U.S. audience has yet to hear Chen introduced as an Olympic champion, and the same is true for Knierim and Frazier. Sure, they won a somewhat watered-down worlds with the Russians barred and the Chinese absent, but skaters still have to perform to their utmost regardless of the field. Knierim and Frazier, who teamed in 2021 after Alexa’s husband, Chris, retired after the 2020 season, were superb in Montpellier, France.
“I think for both of us there is a sense of giddiness,” Knierim says. “It’s phenomenal and remarkable to have that label. Even though after a few weeks it still does not feel real yet, especially because we have not had the opportunity to let it soak in. That moment when we are (introduced) is going to feel very exciting to both of us.”
Adds Frazier: “I don’t think it will be something I will be used to even by the last show we do in the states. I’m very humbled to receive that kind of introduction.”
Also in the cast are Beijing bronze medalists Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, who are retiring from competition; their long-time ice dance teammates and rivals, current world bronze winners Madison Chock and Evan Bates; U.S. women’s champions Mariah Bell, Karen Chen, Alysa Liu (now retired), and Mirai Nagasu; and men’s world bronze winner Vincent Zhou.
With no pressure to earn marks, the skaters let loose. So when Chen performs a reimagined version of his “Rocketman” short program, there’s an extra measure of fun added to the athleticism and artistry.
Chen, who also will skate to “Space Song” by Beach House in another solo routine, chuckles when asked if Elton John reached out after the Olympic triumph.
“He sent out a tweet after the competition, which was real sweet,” Chen says. “I personally did not even imagine he knows who I am.
“It is definitely one of the more meaningful programs I have skated. Earlier this season I was not planning to skate to it. After picking it up again, it definitely felt like the right fit. I’m glad I had the opportunity to bring it back and it was the vehicle that helped me.”
Perhaps the most entertaining and memorable show programs are the group numbers. Chen, for example, will skate in all four of them, to music by AC/DC, The Weeknd, Jon Batiste and, naturally, Elton John.
Knierim and Frazier, who will perform to “Fix You” by Coldplay, which they used at the Olympics and worlds, then “Tore My Heart” by OONA. They are particularly eager to do the group routines, too.
“The group numbers, we were working endlessly on them with the cast, and they are high energy and have great song choices, and the costumes are phenomenal,” says Knierim, not giving away what those outfits might be. “We have a pretty wide range of costumes for the finale — all of the skaters wear something very unique and custom made for themselves. It is very much a costume, like a piece of art.”
To Frazier, just being a part of a touring ice show with fans in the stands after two years of idleness is very special.
“Even without the pandemic, it is just an honor to be invited to these shows,” he says. “Being able to tour in shows and skating in front of a live audience, and with COVID seeming to be getting better, that’s an incredible experience. This has been very humbling. We are having the time of our lives.”
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/stars-on-ice-back-after-pandemic-with-olympic-world-champs/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:32 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/stars-on-ice-back-after-pandemic-with-olympic-world-champs/ |
Which puppy diaper is best?
Everyone loves a new puppy, but bringing one into your home and potty training it can be difficult and time-consuming. While it learns where and when to go to the bathroom, one method of keeping your house clean is to employ puppy diapers. Technically, there aren’t diapers meant specifically for puppies. That said, any standard dog diaper will work, as long as it’s the right size and fits your puppy’s sex.
The best puppy diapers are Paw Inspired Ultra Protection Disposable Female Dog Diapers. They’re soft and effective but may not work for male puppies.
What to know before you buy a puppy diaper
Your puppy’s gender
Puppy diapers are designed differently for females and males.
- Female diapers look just like human diapers, only they have a hole for the tail. These diapers work just fine for puppies of either sex, as male puppies’ penises have yet to grow large enough to need to switch to male diapers.
- Male diapers take the form of wraps that leave your puppy’s posterior open but cover their penis. Puppies are a little more likely to wiggle out of male diapers, plus the open back is counterintuitive to using a puppy diaper while you house train them.
Reusable vs. disposable
Most puppy diapers are disposable, and for good reason. Puppies grow fast, just like children, so purchasing a reusable diaper — which can’t be donated once used — may be better for the environment, but you’ll only be able to use it for a short time. However, some dog breeds don’t grow much bigger than their puppy stages. In these cases, it’s wise to go with a reusable diaper. Besides the environmental benefits, it saves money and you’ll still have a usable diaper if you need to travel long distances or they become incontinent years down the line.
What to look for in a quality puppy diaper
Elastic
The best puppy diapers have elastic in the hems. This lets the diaper seal around the edges to prevent even the smallest leak and also gives your puppy full range of motion without painful pinching or chafing. Elastic around the tail hole is particularly important for keeping any solids from slipping out.
Adjustability
Most puppy diapers use Velcro straps to close around your puppy. This lets you fit your diaper precisely to your puppy, and you can let more space out as it grows. Some disposable female puppy diapers use alternate methods for securing, including snap closures and the same sticky tabs as disposable baby diapers. These aren’t quite as freely adjustable, though they’re still secure enough to prevent leaks.
How much you can expect to spend on a puppy diaper
Puppy diaper packs usually cost $10-$30, though there are exceptions on either end. The quality of diapers and how many you get greatly vary within this price range, but most are still found within it.
Puppy diaper FAQ
How often should I change my puppy’s diaper?
A. As soon as you notice it’s soiled. Some disposable puppy diapers can be removed when you take the puppy outside for potty training and reattached if they haven’t been soiled. Reusable diapers have the same functionality.
My puppy’s diaper fits but still leaks. How do I fix it?
A. First, double-check that it still fits. Dogs, puppy or no, have a tendency to wiggle loose from diapers you were sure fit perfectly. Oftentimes, a diaper seems to fit perfectly but is in fact just loose enough around the edges to allow for some leakage. If it does indeed fit, you may be using diapers with poor absorbency — there’s nothing to do in this situation but try a new brand of puppy diaper.
What should I do with leftover disposable diapers my puppy has outgrown?
A. Donate them. Search for your nearest animal shelter and drop them off. Keep in mind that almost any pet-related leftovers you have, including food, toys and bowls, can also be taken to your local animal shelter. You can write the value off as a donation on your taxes. If you aren’t sure if they’ll accept something, just give them a call beforehand to check and potentially save yourself a trip.
What’s the best puppy diaper to buy?
Top puppy diaper
Paw Inspired Ultra Protection Disposable Female Dog Diapers
What you need to know: These are designed for females but can work for male puppies, too.
What you’ll love: These diapers have multiple urine-handling features, including converting it into gel immediately on contact and using leakproof edges that absorb urine before it can leak out. The fasteners are fur-resistant and can be repositioned for a custom fit and the interior uses soft quilting for comfort.
What you should consider: A few consumers had issues with waste getting loose through the tail hole. Hyperactive puppies may shimmy out of them over time.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
Top puppy diaper for the money
Out! Pet Care Disposable Male Dog Wraps
What you need to know: These are great male-focused diaper wraps.
What you’ll love: These wraps are secured using Velcro, which makes their fit adjustable and means the wrap can be removed and reused if it hasn’t yet been soiled. They have a wetness indicator, so there’s no need to spot-check for soiling.
What you should consider: There’s no protection from poo, only urine. More hyperactive puppies may be able to wiggle out of them.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
Worth checking out
Simple Solution Washable Female Dog Diapers
What you need to know: These reusable diapers make a good environmentally conscious choice.
What you’ll love: These can be machine-washed and become softer and more absorbent the more you wash them. They’re also compatible with most disposable liners if you still desire some disposable aspect. They use a large Velcro strap across the back for fine-tuning the fit as your puppy grows.
What you should consider: Depending on the breed, your puppy may outgrow these before you get sufficient use out of them. They don’t handle poo well.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/pets-br/dog-health-br/best-puppy-diaper/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:31 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/pets-br/dog-health-br/best-puppy-diaper/ |
Teen girls who visited ER with eating disorders doubled during pandemic, CDC says
The number of teenage girls who visited the emergency room for eating disorders doubled during the COVID-19 crisis, according to recent data from U.S. health officials — one of many examples shared in recent days of the pandemic’s harmful impact on mental health.
Stay-at-home orders, social isolation, loss of caregivers, economic hardships, and general fear of the virus have driven a surge in cases of depression, anxiety, trauma, loneliness, and suicidal ideation among children and teenagers, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
A study shared in late February by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that pediatric emergency room visits for overall mental health conditions increased in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. It found that the proportion of such ER visits increased by 24% among U.S. children ages 5 to 11 and 31% among kids 12 to 17, compared to 2019.
Furthermore, the proportion of ER visits related to eating disorders doubled among U.S. girls aged 12 to 17. Visits for tic disorders, a condition in the nervous system characterized by sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do involuntarily, approximately tripled during the pandemic, the CDC said.
From 2021 through January 2022, emergency room visits for overall mental health conditions were "stable" among children and adolescents — but they also accounted for a larger proportion of all eating disorder visits, compared to 2019.
The CDC noted how eating disorders, specifically, can be triggered by a lack of structure in daily routines, emotional distress, and changes in food availability — all pandemic-related risk factors.
Both eating and tic disorders can occur with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the CDC said. It added that these conditions may have been exacerbated by less access to mental health care during the public health crisis.
Interestingly, the researchers also noted that increases in visits for tic disorders among adolescent females were "atypical," as these disorders usually begin earlier in childhood and are more prevalent among males. Researchers, including the CDC, have suggested that exposure to severe tics on TikTok and other social media platforms could be a contributing factor.
"The current trends in the number and proportion of (Mental Health Condition)-related (Eating Disorder) visits, along with previous research, indicate that the mental health effects of the pandemic might be particularly high among adolescent girls," the CDC said in the report.
CDC reports overall decline in teens’ mental health
A separate study, published on April 1, found that the mental health of U.S. teenagers had declined during the pandemic, an issue that was already concerning prior to 2020.
Between 2009 and 2019, the CDC found "significant increases" in high school students who reported having persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (26.1% to 36.7%). The new data, pulled from a survey conducted between January to June 2021, showed that the percentage of teens reporting feelings of sadness and hopelessness had risen to 44.2%.
Overall, more than a third (37.1%) of U.S. high school students said they experienced poor mental health during the pandemic.
In addition, 19.9% had seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9% had attempted suicide, according to the CDC.
FILE IMAGE - A woman stands looking out of a window. (Photo by Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
US task force recommends anxiety screening for all kids 8 and up
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force this week shared draft recommendations on screening for depression and suicide risk in children ages 12 and up, and screening kids 8 and older for anxiety — even for those who are not showing signs or symptoms.
The task force is made up of an independent volunteer panel of experts in disease prevention and medicine. Its draft guidelines are now open for public comment through May, which is also Mental Health Awareness Month.
Currently, the task force said there is "not enough evidence to recommend for or against screening for anxiety and depression in younger children and screening for suicide risk in all youth" and noted how more research on the subject is critical.
"In the meantime, healthcare professionals should use their clinical judgment based on individual patient circumstances when deciding whether or not to screen," said Dr. Lori Pbert, a task force member.
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line).
CLICK HERE https://afsp.org/risk-factors-and-warning-signs for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.
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This story was reported from Cincinnati. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/teen-girls-who-visited-er-with-eating-disorders-doubled-during-pandemic-cdc-says | 2022-04-14T19:01:37 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/teen-girls-who-visited-er-with-eating-disorders-doubled-during-pandemic-cdc-says |
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Applications are now open to apply for federal grant money dedicated to Louisiana historic preservation projects.
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation say grants will be funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. The deadline to apply is June 3 at 5 p.m. For more information, click here.
“One of Louisiana’s greatest assets is our rich culture and heritage. There really is nothing like it anywhere in the country,” said Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. “Our culture is a strong economic engine for the state, and preserving that culture and history needs to be a priority. While there are many reasons people visit all over Louisiana, those I speak with tell me consistently that a big draw for them is a culture that will Feed Your Soul.”
According to Nungesser’s office, grants range between $3,000 and $75,000 and recipients will be notified by Monday, August 15. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/applications-open-for-historic-preservation-grants/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:39 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/applications-open-for-historic-preservation-grants/ |
Which meat slicer is best?
A good chef’s knife can accomplish many tasks, but it can’t make paper-thin cured meats or dozens of slices of cheese with consistent thickness. You’ll need an electric meat slicer to make the perfect charcuterie board at home. The right one can help you slice cold cuts, artisan bread and raw meat for jerky in small and large batches.
The best meat slicer for most people is the Berkel Red Line 300. It comes from a highly respected manufacturer and is modeled after commercial-style machines, with the precision, speed and duty cycle that every cook needs.
What to know before you buy a meat slicer
You need to keep it clean
It’s important to respect all your kitchen equipment and keep it clean, but that’s never more true than it is for a meat slicer. Even the most refined designs can allow for food buildup in various places, and leftover meat, cheese and other food can hurt an appliance’s finish, damage seals and contribute to bacterial contamination. It’s far easier to maintain a clean slicer regularly than it is to deep clean a thoroughly messy one every few weeks. This is especially important if you’ll only use the slicer occasionally, as food particles are particularly bad things to store in your cupboard.
It will take up space
Even the smallest meat slicers aren’t really that small. Unless you have a truly massive home kitchen, you’ll need somewhere to put your new meat slicer that’s out of the way, as very few make attractive kitchen decorations. Along with that, don’t forget that meat slicers also tend to be heavy. After all, the most effective ones boast durable steel bodies and rugged gears and motors.
It may require an investment
A good meat slicer can do a lot. If you frequently make large batches of beef jerky, slice artisanal bread with thick crusts or prepare homemade hot pot or pho, you might find yourself using a meat slicer often. If that’s the case, take a good look at a full-size model like the ones found in restaurant kitchens. They are faster and more precise and can prep more food at once than budget-friendly options, known as having a long duty cycle. A longer duty cycle means an appliance will ultimately receive less wear and tear.
What to look for in a quality meat slicer
Blade diameter
Typical consumer-grade meat slicers have 7- or 8-inch blades. That should do fine for small jobs, but more demanding cooks will notice that the blade moves too slowly and gets dull too quickly for satisfactory results. Models with 10-inch blades are usually the best ones that don’t break the bank. If you’re ambitious and have room for it, a 12-inch meat slicer should perform even better if you get it from a reasonably dependable manufacturer.
Durable and precise construction
Ideally, your new meat slicer will have a rugged stainless steel body and be easy to clean and sanitize. Another build quality aspect is how consistent the materials and components are. Subpar tolerances and poorly machined parts lead to cracks, crevices and other areas where it’s easy for food to get stuck. When you finally receive your new meat slicer, check it thoroughly to make sure it’s assembled properly and doesn’t have any glaring errors or broken fasteners.
Motor wattage
Budget-friendly meat slicers are rated for around 100 watts and commercial models roughly 500 watts or more. Mid-range slicers that offer excellent bang for your buck tend to have 250- or 300-watt motors.
How much you can expect to spend on a meat slicer
The most affordable meat slicers worth buying cost just over $100. You can spend several thousand dollars on a premium commercial meat slicer, but the absolute best for home use top out at just under $2,000, and most consumers should look to spend around $400.
Meat slicer FAQ
What safety equipment do you need for a meat slicer?
A. Aside from extreme caution and attention to detail, a chainmail glove is the only thing that will protect you from the high-speed rotating blade found on a meat slicer. Consider ordering one size bigger than you need, and keep in mind that wearing a nitrile glove outside of your chainmail glove will significantly increase your dexterity.
Are Hobart slicers any good?
A. Hobart slicers are some of the best and most popular in kitchens worldwide, which is why they’re so well-known. However, they’re incredibly bulky, don’t look great in homes and usually cost an extreme amount, so only the most passionate home cooks should consider one.
What’s the best meat slicer to buy?
Top meat slicer
Berkel Red Line 300 Electric Food Slicer
What you need to know: It’s a commercial-style meat slicer reworked to fit perfectly in a large home kitchen.
What you’ll love: For starters, Berkel actually claims to have made the first meat slicer ever. The Red Line 300 is modeled after institutional meat slicers but has a less industrial aesthetic and a less bulky design. Its 12-inch blade is big enough and rotates fast enough to handle the finest cured meats and the unit’s overall construction is particularly solid.
What you should consider: A high-quality meat slicer like this one requires an investment that few home cooks are willing to make.
Where to buy: Sold by Home Depot and Amazon
Top meat slicer for the money
Chef’sChoice 615A Electric Food Slicer
What you need to know: This is the most affordable meat slicer that’s actually able to get most jobs done.
What you’ll love: If you only occasionally need sliced meat, cheese or bread, this one’s an excellent choice. It isn’t as large, doesn’t rotate as fast and can’t handle the same size jobs as a commercial-grade meat slicer, but it’s perfectly suited to home kitchens where you need to do your own sandwich prep every now and then. As long as you keep it clean and take care not to force anything while using it, it should last for a long time.
What you should consider: Some people have trouble with hard meats or highly precise cuts. For a more consistent and thinly cut end product, many owners recommend picking up the compatible non-serrated blade.
Where to buy: Sold by Home Depot and Amazon
Worth checking out
Vevor Commercial Electric Food Slicer
What you need to know: This 10-inch meat slicer is modeled after a commercial unit but priced right for the discerning consumer.
What you’ll love: The Vevor lies in the middle between plastic-bodied consumer and industrial slicers. It has the size and power needed for most meats, cheeses and bread but costs a fraction of what you pay for one from a more well-known brand. We’ve highlighted the 10-inch version because it’s the most convenient size for many home kitchens, but there’s a 12-inch model available for those who need more performance and a larger cutting area.
What you should consider: The quality control and product consistency aren’t exactly perfect, but it’s better than most other off-brand competition.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
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Chris Thomas writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/tools-br/best-meat-slicer/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:40 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/reviews/br/tools-br/best-meat-slicer/ |
Watch: Storm chaser video shows moment lightning strikes car during Iowa tornado
GILMORE CITY, Iowa - A storm chaser in Iowa captured a "once in a lifetime" video of lightning striking his friend’s car during a tornado.
It happened April 12 when storm chaser and YouTuber Christopher Riske "just happened to be recording" as a bolt of lightning struck his friend’s Toyota Prius.
"I have never seen anything like this before, this is an extremely rare occurrence," Riske told Storyful.
RELATED: Driver captures video as tornado touches down in New Orleans
It was one of 10 tornadoes reported in Iowa Tuesday as a strong line of storms moved across the state, according to The Associated Press. The tornado in Gilmore City was rated an EF-2.
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As for the car, Riske said it was "immobilized" and had to be taken to a mechanic, but no one was hurt. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/watch-storm-chaser-video-shows-moment-lightning-strikes-car-during-iowa-tornado | 2022-04-14T19:01:44 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/watch-storm-chaser-video-shows-moment-lightning-strikes-car-during-iowa-tornado |
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Three 2022 Students of the Year were celebrated at a ceremony hosted by the Louisiana Department of Education Wednesday night.
Twenty-one regional finalists were also honored during the ceremony.
Students of the Year announced by LDOE:
Elementary School (5th Grade) — Ellen Kate Semmes; daughter of Robert and Catherine Semmes. Ellen is a student at Kiroli Elementary School in Ouachita Parish where Ms. Carolyn Norris serves as the principal. Dr. Don Coker serves as the Superintendent of Ouachita Parish Schools.
Middle School (8th Grade) — Melissa An Le; daughter of Son and Van Le. Melissa is a student at A. E. Phillips Laboratory School in Lincoln Parish where Ms. Jenny Blalock serves as the principal. Mr. Rickey Durrett serves as the Lincoln Parish School System Superintendent.
High School (12th Grade) — Anita Rose Zahiri; daughter of Monsour Zahiri and Mojgan Meamarian. Anita is a senior at Benjamin Franklin High School where Dr. Patrick Widhalm serves as the Head of School. Ms. Alea Cot serves as the Board President for the Advocates for Excellence in Education, Inc., the governing board for Benjamin Franklin High School, and Dr. Henderson Lewis serves as the Superintendent of NOLA Public Schools.
“The annual Louisiana Students of the Year competition would not be possible without cooperation and dedication from schools and school systems,” said Dr. Ernise Singleton, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Career and College Readiness.
“We recognize the finalists for their demonstrated success and look forward to great things from them in the future,” said State Superintendent Cade Brumley. “It is an honor to celebrate alongside our honorees and their families, teachers principals and school system leaders.”
Regional finalists announced by LDOE:
Elementary School (Grade 5)
- Eden Trainor, Eden Gardens Fundamental Elementary Magnet School, Caddo Parish
- Ellen Semmes, Kiroli Elementary, Ouachita Parish
- Steely Jordan, South Beauregard Upper Elementary, Beauregard Parish
- Adeline Guidry, Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School, East Baton Rouge Parish
- Ramy Dali, Lacoste Elementary School, St. Bernard Parish
- Harrison Tarver, Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic School, Diocese of Shreveport
- Jayden Gardere, Lusher Charter School, Advocates for Arts-Based Education Corporation, NOLA Public Schools
Middle School (Grade 8)
- Melissa Le, A.E. Phillips Laboratory School, Lincoln Parish
- Elliana Sheppard, East Ouachita Middle School, Ouachita Parish
- Jeremy Diaz, Belle Place Middle School, Iberia Parish
- Ava Guillory, Monteleone Junior High School, St. Tammany Parish
- Hannah Wen, Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies, Jefferson Parish
- Elizabeth “Ellie” Franks, Saint Joseph Catholic School, Diocese of Shreveport
- Richard “Ben” Blevins, Lusher Charter School, Advocates for Arts-Based Education Corporation, NOLA Public Schools
High School (Grade 12)
- Olutunmike Adeleye, Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts
- Zachary Johnson, West Monroe High School, Ouachita Parish
- Alonnie Celestine, Alfred M. Barbe High School, Calcasieu Parish
- Elise Strain, Fontainebleau High School, St. Tammany Parish
- Allie Johnson, Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy, Jefferson Parish
- Lorraine Steigner, Mount Carmel Academy, Archdiocese of New Orleans
- Anita Zahiri, Benjamin Franklin High School, Advocates for Academic Excellence in Education, NOLA Public Schools | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/la-dept-of-education-names-2022-students-of-the-year/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:45 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/la-dept-of-education-names-2022-students-of-the-year/ |
'We Ready' rapper Archie Eversole murdered by brother, police say
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County police have charged a man with murder for the death of his brother, an Atlanta rapper.
Officials tell FOX 5 that Arthur "Archie" Eversole was found shot on March 25 at a Chevron on the 4400 block of Snapfinger Woods Drive. His brother, Alexander Kraus, was found at the location of the shooting - a home on the 4500 block of Golf Vista Circle.
Eversole died from his injuries on April 3. Kraus, who was originally charged with aggravated assault, now faces charges of murder.
The rapper, best known for his best-selling 2002 single "We Ready" with Bubba Sparxx, was a fixture in the Atlanta music scene. The single became an anthem for the Atlanta United soccer club. Eversole even created a song specifically for the team, which he talked about on a visit to Good Day Atlanta in 2018.
In that interview, Eversole said that Atlanta was part of everything that he did from his birth in Riverdale.
"Atlanta is the heart of all the music I've ever created," Eversole told Alyse Eady. "And we're a high energy city."
In a statement, Atlanta United said they were "heartbroken" by the news of Eversole's death.
"A staple in the Atlanta hip-hop scene, Archie adopted Atlanta United before our first season and continued to be one of our club’s most fervent supporters," the club said in a statement. "In addition to his decorated musical career, his voice will long live in our supporters’ minds as ‘We Ready’ billows through the speakers for kick-off at Atlanta United matches. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends."
Advertisement | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/we-ready-rapper-archie-eversole-murdered-by-brother-police-say | 2022-04-14T19:01:50 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/we-ready-rapper-archie-eversole-murdered-by-brother-police-say |
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The state’s education department is welcoming public comment on draft revisions of Louisiana’s Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS).
The Louisiana Department of Education says the standards are a framework for supporting the implementation of high-quality, developmentally-appropriate early childhood programs. Goals include developing stronger connections to kindergarten readiness expectations.
“Louisiana must continue to be a leader in early childhood education,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “This process of engagement and improvement will make environments even stronger for Louisiana’s youngest learners.”
Public comments can be submitted online until May 9, 2022. Click here to provide LDOE with feedback. After receiving feedback, the department will make adjustments and submit the standards to BESE in June. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/la-dept-of-education-welcomes-public-comment-on-early-learning-standards/ | 2022-04-14T19:01:52 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/la-dept-of-education-welcomes-public-comment-on-early-learning-standards/ |