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Police: Man fatally pushed woman into California train
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A man accused of fatally pushing a woman in front of a freight train in Southern California has been arrested, authorities said.
The woman, whose name has not yet been made public, was hit by the train Monday morning in the city of Riverside, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) from downtown Los Angeles, police said Thursday.
Riverside police said in a statement that the woman and the man, Kevin Errol Lewis, were in an argument next to the railroad tracks that turned physical.
During the altercation, Lewis allegedly shoved the woman he was in a dating relationship with into the path of the train, killing her, police said.
Officers found Lewis, 41, nearby and detained him, police said. He is being held in jail without bail on suspicion of murder and domestic violence, as well as several outstanding warrants for theft and narcotics violations.
Lewis, whom police described as a transient man, is scheduled to appear in court on April 25, online jail records showed. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The killing was similar to a death in New York City in January that shocked the city after after a woman was pushed to her death in front of a subway train beneath Times Square in an apparently unprovoked attack. Police charged Martial Simon, whom authorities said was homeless, in the slaying of Michelle Alyssa Go.
Simon is being held in a hospital prison ward and is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, online jail and court records show.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/15/police-man-fatally-pushed-woman-into-california-train/ | 2022-04-15T16:24:11 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/15/police-man-fatally-pushed-woman-into-california-train/ |
South Carolina death row inmate picks firing squad over electric chair
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina prisoner scheduled to be the first man executed in the state in more than a decade has decided to die by firing squad rather than in the electric chair later this month, according to court documents filed Friday.
Richard Bernard Moore, 57, is the also first state prisoner to face the choice of execution methods after a law went into effect last year making electrocution the default and giving inmates the option to face three prison workers with rifles instead.
Moore has spent more than two decades on death row after being convicted of the 1999 killing of convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg. If executed as scheduled on April 29, he would be the first person put to death in the state since 2011.
The new law was prompted by the decadelong break, which corrections officials attribute to an inability to procure the drugs needed to carry out lethal injections.
In a written statement, Moore said he didn’t concede that either method was legal or constitutional, but that he more strongly opposed death by electrocution and only chose the firing squad because he was required to make a choice.
“I believe this election is forcing me to choose between two unconstitutional methods of execution, and I do not intend to waive any challenges to electrocution or firing squad by making an election,” Moore said in the statement.
Moore’s attorneys have asked the state Supreme Court to delay his death while another court determines if either available method is cruel and unusual punishment. The attorneys argue prisons officials aren’t trying hard enough to get the lethal injection drugs, instead forcing prisoners to choose between two more barbaric methods.
His lawyers are also asking the state Supreme Court to delay the execution so the U.S. Supreme Court can review whether Moore’s death sentence was a disproportionate punishment compared with similar crimes. The state justices denied a similar appeal last week.
The state corrections agency said last month that it finished developing protocols for firing squad executions and completed $53,600 in renovations on the death chamber in Columbia, installing a metal chair with restraints that faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet (4.6 meters) away. In the case of a firing squad execution, three volunteer prison workers will train their rifles on the condemned prisoner’s heart.
South Carolina is one of eight states to still use the electric chair and one of four to allow a firing squad, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.
Moore is one of 35 men on South Carolina’s death row. The state last scheduled an execution for Moore in 2020, which was then delayed after prison officials said they couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs.
During Moore’s 2001 trial, prosecutors said Moore entered the store looking for money to support his cocaine habit and got into a dispute with Mahoney, who drew a pistol that Moore wrestled away from him.
Mahoney pulled a second gun, and a gunfight ensued. Mahoney shot Moore in the arm, and Moore shot Mahoney in the chest. Prosecutors said Moore left a trail of blood through the store as he looked for cash, stepping twice over Mahoney.
At the time, Moore claimed that he acted in self-defense after Mahoney drew the first gun.
Moore’s supporters have argued that his crime doesn’t rise to the level of a death penalty offense. His appeals lawyers have said that because Moore didn’t bring a gun into store, he couldn’t have intended to kill someone when he walked in.
The last person executed in South Carolina was Jeffrey Motts, who was on death row for strangling a cellmate while serving a life sentence for another murder.
___
Liu is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/15/south-carolina-death-row-inmate-picks-firing-squad-over-electric-chair/ | 2022-04-15T16:24:18 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/15/south-carolina-death-row-inmate-picks-firing-squad-over-electric-chair/ |
Wheels reportedly fall off school bus while it’s in motion
DETROIT (WXYZ) - A middle school bus in Michigan broke down on the side of the road after two wheels apparently detached from the bus while it was in motion.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
A photo of the L’Anse Creuse Middle School bus is making rounds on social media and sparking concern and frustration with parents.
“Nobody said anything to any of us,” Tammy Caparo said. She has a granddaughter in the seventh grade that attends that school.
She says there was no email, phone call or alert to tell families what happened.
Caparo picks her granddaughter up from school, but on social media parents who say their children were on the bus are reporting they didn’t hear from school officials.
“I would hope the school would do more about the safety of the children and reach out to the parents and let them know that they are doing everything they can to make the buses more safe for their children to get on,” Caparo said.
After the incident, many are left wondering how the wheels just rolled off a moving bus.
According to a L’Anse Creuse school official, it appears it was caused by a mechanical failure involving a bolt.
“The district has not had any other issues of this nature in the past,” the official said.
They went on to say that “extensive bouncing” caused by road conditions, such as potholes, could have played a part.
“Wheels just don’t come off of school buses,” said Andy Didorosi, owner of the Detroit Bus Company.
He’s repaired buses for years.
He said they are one of the safest vehicles, and it’s unlikely Michigan roads are to blame for wheels detaching.
“School buses are made to take hundreds of thousands of pounds of force on their axles,” he said. “They are extremely, extremely tough vehicles.”
Didorosi said it’s likely the bolts or lug nuts loosened over time, and the daily inspector missed it.
“And frequently drivers give a vehicle a quick visual inspection, which is oftentimes not enough,” he said.
WXYZ asked L’Anse Creuse if the bus had recently been repaired, as well as when it had its last state inspection, but did not get a response.
Copyright 2022 WXYZ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/15/wheels-reportedly-fall-off-school-bus-while-its-motion/ | 2022-04-15T16:24:28 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/15/wheels-reportedly-fall-off-school-bus-while-its-motion/ |
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Chesterfield Police Department is asking for help identifying the suspect of a break-in at a business on Midlothian Turnpike.
According to Chesterfield Police, the suspect broke into a Pep Boys auto supply store on Midlothian Turnpike and then went into the 7-Eleven at the intersection of Midlothian Turnpike and Robious Road where he and his car were captured by security cameras.
Anyone who recognizes the suspect or his car is asked to call Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/chesterfield-police-investigating-midlothian-turnpike-break-in/ | 2022-04-15T16:26:48 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/chesterfield-police-investigating-midlothian-turnpike-break-in/ |
HENRICO, Va. (WRIC) — When Henrico installed solar panel arrays on three county buildings from 2019 to 2021, the price tag was electrifying: $0.00.
The county avoided paying a dime for the project by partnering with a private solar development company, Sun Tribe Holdings, to install the panels at no cost. Then, the county buys the energy back at below the market rate, gaining “significant savings in the millions on energy costs.”
“We’ve had a partnership with Sun Tribe for many years, and we have to date completed six solar projects,” said Cari Tretina, chief of staff to the county manager.
Panels have already been installed at Libbie Mill Library, the Mental Health and Developmental Services East Center and the Public Safety Building. Panels are currently being installed on the new J.R. Tucker and Highland Springs High Schools.
“Everybody wins – including the earth,” Tretina said. “Henrico County tax payers do not pay for the solar panels to be installed, we do not have any maintenance obligation and we get a discounted price on our electric rate.”
All Gravy Now
While the county has already been enjoying the benefits of cheaper electricity, a recent board vote will enable the county to reap even more financial benefit.
The deal involves so-called Renewable Eneergy Certificates, or RECs. The certificates record the amount of renewable energy the county generated across its projects, and estimate how much will be generated over the lifetime of the panels.
The certificates aren’t just something nice to frame on the wall – they can be sold to companies that need to meet emission reduction goals, companies like Dominion Energy.
“We’re in a unique situation where our Virginia REC’s are very valuable,” said Carrie Webster, Henrico’s Energy Manager.
That’s because under the Virginia Clean Economy Act, passed in 2020, Dominion can only buy RECs generated in Virginia to help offset its carbon footprint. According to Webster, that’s made the market for Henrico’s REC’s especially hot.
The board voted at their meeting on April 12 to authorize the county manager to forge an agreement with Sun Tribe Holdings to sell the RECs on their behalf.
Paying for the Future
As the county manager noted, Henrico was one of the first counties in Virginia to take advantage of the market.
“So you’re saying Henrico is avant-garde?” joked Fairfield District Supervisor Frank Thornton.
While County Manager John Vithoulkas can now sign an agreement to sell the RECs, he isn’t required to immediately. He told the board members during a work session that he would consult with them before finalizing any sale.
At current market prices, “you’re looking at a net gain of $280,931,” Tretina said.
While the county has more solar projects planned, including panels to be installed on the Fairfield Area Library and County Parks and Rec office, supply chain issues have delayed those plans.
Tretina said the sale of the county’s RECs could help jump-start those projects, “What we want to be able to do is to use these credits to buy down the cost of future projects.” | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/henrico-county/how-henrico-could-make-over-280000-on-solar-credit-bet/ | 2022-04-15T16:26:54 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/henrico-county/how-henrico-could-make-over-280000-on-solar-credit-bet/ |
A weekly look at high school sports in the state of Alabama for the past week and a look ahead to what is on tap. This is an opinion piece (sort of).
I didn’t know Jeff Klein personally, but I wish I had.
The Loachapoka High football and baseball coach and former Auburn quarterback died earlier this week after a brief battle with cancer that came to a shockingly quick end. Klein also had a severe stroke earlier this week.
He was just 42.
He and his wife Adrienne have three young children.
Adrienne’s post on the couple’s CaringBridge page before Jeff’s life support was removed was heart-wrenching.
“Words are hard to find at the moment. Jeff had a CT scan this morning with devastating findings. Sometime around 6 a.m. this morning he suffered a significant stroke. In addition to mounting pressure and evidence of more bleeds on his brain, his neurological status had been severely damaged, and we were told he’d never recover and suffer from a poor quality of life.
“My world as I know it has been completely shattered. I have never known such heartache and pain. After a few remaining family members arrive from out of town to say their goodbyes tonight and tomorrow; the love of my life, the father of our three beautiful children, will be removed from all forms of life sustaining support.
“Somewhere between March 13th and April 12th, a once healthy, energetic, and devoted Christian, husband, father, brother, son, teacher, and coach lost his life to two rare conditions/diseases that have yet to be thoroughly diagnosed.”
Klein died Wednesday.
How quickly life can change. In a month, Jeff went from seemingly perfect health to deathly ill to losing his life. One month. Folks, we aren’t guaranteed the next day, the next hour for that matter. Take advantage of your ability to influence people in a positive manner while you can.
Jeff Klein influenced plenty of people – from Auburn to Loachapoka and every stop in between. Tributes have poured in on social media outlets from colleagues, friends and former teammates since Jeff’s death was announced.
His life on this earth was too short, but it was clearly not without Kingdom impact.
I didn’t have to know him personally to see that he continually served others.
And, even in death, there is good news. There is hope.
Klein’s former Auburn teammate, Rob Pate, put it this way on Twitter.
“My heart aches for his wife and young boys. I am grateful Jeff had an eternal perspective — this life isn’t it. Jesus defeating death is our hope. It was Jeff’s. His hope is being fulfilled.”
It’s being fulfilled on Easter weekend.
A GoFundMe account in support of the Klein family has raised more than $182,000 as of this post. If you wish to donate, click on this link.
Big news in the AHSAA
This week’s AHSAA Central Board of Control meeting was filled with news.
The board announced that the sports of baseball, softball and soccer would go to region play in 2023 similar to the current football format.
Also, the Board approved the membership of Pike Liberal Arts, one of the AISA’s most dominating sports programs. The school’s football team will not be eligible for the playoffs until the 2024-25 school year due to the timing of the school’s application. Pike athletic director Rush Hixon told the Board that the football program has 10 games scheduled with AHSAA or NFHS member schools for next season. Pike’s other programs will be eligible for the playoffs for the 2022-23 school year.
There also were shakeups on the Board and in the AHSAA staff. Board president Vann Phillips stepped down as was previously reported. Vice president Farrell Seymore also stepped down. They were replaced in their positions by Mike Welsh and Jamie Chapman. On the AHSAA staff, assistant director Jamie Lee announced his resignation. He will become Director of Parks and Leisure for the city of Vestavia Hills.
I didn’t have a working relationship with Seymore, but I did with Phillips and Lee. Both were always extremely cordial to me and willing to help when they could. They will be missed.
Huge recruiting week
A pair of big-time Class of 2023 recruits made their choices this week.
Briarwood Christian QB Christopher Vizzina committed to Clemson over five other finalists, including Auburn and Ole Miss. He is currently rated as the No. 7 overall senior prospect in Alabama. He totaled 29 touchdowns in 2021 with 2,065 passing yards.
On Thursday, Eufaula EDGE rusher Yhonzae Pierre committed to Alabama. He’s the second in-state commit for the Crimson Tide in the Class of 2023, joining Florence DB Jahlil Hurley. Pierre chose Alabama over Florida State, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Florida, Penn State, Mississippi State and Auburn.
Bryant-Jordan winners announced
Guntersville High School’s Gabe Marsh and Rogers High School’s Erin Brown were selected the overall state winners at the 37th annual Bryant-Jordan Student Athlete Awards Banquet held at the Sheraton Ballroom in Birmingham on Monday night. More than $380,000 in scholarships was awarded to 104 high school seniors who were regional honorees.
I was honored to be a small part of the committee that chose these winners. All of the stories are amazing. Congrats to all the regional and overall winners.
Coming next week
Playoffs? Yep. The AHSAA state baseball playoffs begin for Classes 1A-6A. Class 7A teams will begin play the next week. The final Alabama Sports Writers Association baseball poll will be released Thursday morning before the start of the postseason. The teams are playing for a trip to the state finals in Jacksonville and Oxford in late May.
80s quote of the week
“You can be my wingman anytime,” – Iceman (Top Gun)
Thought for the week
“There is no Easter celebration on Sunday without the pain of Friday.”
Ben Thomas is the high school sports writer at AL.com. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at bthomas@al.com. His weekly column is posted each Friday on AL.com. | https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/2022/04/this-week-in-high-school-sports-jeff-kleins-impactful-life-big-ahsaa-changes-2-commitments.html | 2022-04-15T16:36:49 | 1 | https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/2022/04/this-week-in-high-school-sports-jeff-kleins-impactful-life-big-ahsaa-changes-2-commitments.html |
GOP lawmakers aided Trump election challenge before warning against it, texts show
(CNN) - Two Republicans, once former President Donald Trump’s allies in Congress, called on the administration to stand down after the 2020 election.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Chip Roy of Texas went from encouraging the White House efforts to overturn the results to ultimately warning about the consequences.
Dozens of private texts to Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, obtained by CNN, show how they were trying to help initially, but by the end, they raised concerns to Trump’s top deputy about his campaign’s effort to stand in the way of the election’s certification.
“We’re driving a stake in the heart of the federal republic,” Roy warned Meadows in a text Jan. 1.
The texts, starting right after the election and going through early January 2021, are now in the possession of the House Jan. 6 select committee.
Roy’s stark warning came after weeks of begging Meadows for hard evidence of election fraud and concerns that the lack of specific evidence was a real problem for the Trump legal team.
“We must urge the president to tone down the rhetoric,” he wrote to Meadows on Nov. 9.
Roy did believe that there were problems with the election. In early December, he went to the House floor imploring his colleagues to look into the thin examples of fraud.
“The American people are raising legitimate questions about the election, and this body is missing in action and doing nothing,” he said Dec. 9.
Lee also started out hopeful there was a path to challenge the election results. In early November, he touted the work of conservative lawyer Sydney Powell, encouraging Meadows to get her an audience with the president and calling her a “straight shooter.”
Less than two weeks later, Powell appeared with Rudy Giuliani in what would become an infamous news conference where the duo made wild, baseless claims.
Lee then changed his tune, calling Powell a “liability” and turning his focus to touting attorney John Eastman.
Lee pushed a plan to convince state legislatures to offer up a set of alternate electors. When that plan fizzled, he decided he was no longer on board.
He texted Meadows on Dec. 16, “I think we’re now passed the point where we can expect anyone will do it without some direction and a strong evidentiary argument.”
Lee and Roy ultimately chose not to join other Republicans to vote against certifying the election.
“Our job is to open and then count, open then count. That’s it. That’s all there is,” Lee said on the Senate floor Jan. 6.
Privately, they were even more emphatic about the Trump team’s efforts.
“The president should call everyone off. It’s the only path,” Roy texted Meadows on Dec. 31.
Lee argued the effort to challenge the election certification was on dangerous constitutional ground.
Three days before Jan. 6, he warned, “I know only that this will end badly for the president unless we have the Constitution on our side.”
They did not, but the Trump team and a group of loyal Republicans went ahead with their plan anyway.
As it became clear their effort would not be successful, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in protest.
As the violence was raging, Roy texted Meadows, “Fix this now.”
He then went to the House floor and placed the blame squarely at Trump’s feet.
“The president should never have spun up certain Americans to believe something that simply cannot be,” Roy said Jan. 6.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/gop-lawmakers-aided-trump-election-challenge-before-warning-against-it-texts-show/ | 2022-04-15T16:36:49 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/gop-lawmakers-aided-trump-election-challenge-before-warning-against-it-texts-show/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — A new report from the CDC shows Indiana ranks in the top half of all states when tracking the rate of gonorrhea and chlamydia.
The Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance report compiled data from 2020 and found 2.4 million reported cases nationwide of gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and congenital syphilis.
There were 133,945 reported cases of syphilis in 2020 — a 52% jump from 2016. Reported gonorrhea cases went up 45% to 677,769. Chlamydia cases saw a slight 1.2% decrease from 2016. In 2020, there were 1.6 million cases.
In a ranking of reported chlamydia cases by state, Indiana came in at No. 20 with a rate of 495.7 cases per 100,000 people. A total of 33,372 cases were reported in Indiana for 2020. Mississippi had the highest rate with 803.7 cases per 100,000 population.
Indiana had the 21st highest gonorrhea rate with 209.6 per 100,000 population. There were 14,111 reported cases total in the Hoosier state. Mississippi also had the highest rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 462.8.
Indiana was 35th when tracking the rate of primary and secondary syphilis. The rate was 7.8 per every 100,000 people. Nevada, the No. 1 state, had a rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people.
The Hoosier state was also among the lowest ranked states for congenital syphilis. It was 43rd with a rate of 7.4 cases per every 100,000 live births. New Mexico was the highest with 182.9 cases per every 100,000 live births.
The report came with this statement from the CDC:
In 2020, COVID-19 significantly affected STD surveillance and prevention efforts. This report reflects the realities of a strained public health infrastructure, while simultaneously providing the most current data on reported cases of STDs in the United States. Trends presented in this report should be interpreted cautiously. | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/indiana-ranked-in-top-half-of-us-for-gonorrhea-chlamydia/ | 2022-04-15T16:36:49 | 0 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/indiana-ranked-in-top-half-of-us-for-gonorrhea-chlamydia/ |
A 2018 lawsuit filed by a former Judson College student against a former school administrator over alleged messages soliciting sexual role-playing for money has been dismissed.
However, the attorney for the woman who brought the suit says more legal action may be on the horizon.
The suit against William “Billy” McFarland Jr., the school’s former special assistant to the president for business development, was brought by Alexis Burt, at the time a 20-year-old student at the school, which closed last year.
Burt filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 but the action was moved to state court a year later.
Burt alleged McFarland offered her up to $2,000 per month via private messages and a “cash starting bonus” to engage in explicit sexual “role play.”
According to the suit, he also used graphic sexual language to describe her. Burt sought damages for invasion of privacy and outrage.
In March 2021, Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Daniel Pruet ruled that the conversation between the two was between “two consenting adults.”
While the conversation may have been “offensive,” the judge said, Burt continued the conversation, and McFarland had made no attempt to publish the messages.
A subsequent appeal was dismissed.
Then in March of this year, McFarland’s legal team attempted to seal the court record. That request was denied.
Attempts to contact McFarland’s attorney Chuck Malone were not immediately successful.
In a statement to The Tuscaloosa News, McFarland said the suit was “nothing more than an improper attempt to gain a monetary settlement, due to my success in business, by causing me unwarranted embarrassment and humiliation.”
“It has now been shown that these lawsuits were without merit and I have been vindicated through the judicial system,” McFarland said. “Given the outcome of these cases, my name has been cleared and I feel vindicated for standing my ground.”
Burt’s attorney, Ashley Rhea, said that though the suit has been dismissed, she is looking at further legal action, possibly as a class action lawsuit.
“State law is not the only remedy, especially when it comes to harassment of women,” Rhea said. | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/lawsuit-dismissed-against-judson-college-administrator-over-sexual-role-play-messages-with-student.html | 2022-04-15T16:36:55 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/lawsuit-dismissed-against-judson-college-administrator-over-sexual-role-play-messages-with-student.html |
INDIANAPOLIS – A woman has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for committing wire fraud while working as a travel insurance employee in Hamilton County, according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Indiana.
Prosecutors say between May 2011 and September 2016, Maria Caceres, 56, of Coral Springs, Florida, submitted 30 fraudulent insurance claims to her employer: Seven Corners in Carmel, Indiana. Those claims totaled more than $650,000.
Court documents show Caceres, along with accomplices, made up fake names and purchased insurance policies from Seven Corners.
The group also created created false email addresses in the name of a hospital in Venezuela and submitted claims to Seven Corners for purported emergency medical services provided to the fictitious individuals during international travel. Caceres also created false accounts for those “customers” and made false documents.
Due to the fraud, Seven Corners paid out more than $588,000 to accounts controlled by Caceres’ accomplices.
U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young also ordered Caceres to pay over $496,000.00 in restitution.
She will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for one year following her release from federal prison. | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/former-carmel-travel-agent-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-wire-fraud/ | 2022-04-15T16:36:55 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/former-carmel-travel-agent-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-wire-fraud/ |
It’s not over: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in US
(AP) - Yet again, the U.S. is trudging into what could be another COVID-19 surge, with cases rising nationally and in most states after a two-month decline.
One big unknown? “We don’t know how high that mountain’s gonna grow,” said Dr. Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University.
No one expects a peak nearly as high as the last one, when the contagious omicron version of the coronavirus ripped through the population.
But experts warn that the coming wave – caused by a mutant called BA.2 that’s thought to be about 30% more contagious – will wash across the nation and push up hospitalizations in a growing number of states in the coming weeks. And the case wave will be bigger than it looks, they say, because reported numbers are vast undercounts as more people test at home without reporting their infections or skip testing altogether.
At the height of the previous omicron surge, reported daily cases reached into the hundreds of thousands. On April 14, the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases rose to 39,521, up from 30,724 two weeks earlier, according to data from Johns Hopkins collected by The Associated Press.
Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute, said the numbers will likely keep growing until the surge reaches about a quarter the height of the last “monstrous” one. BA.2 may well have the same effect in the U.S. as it did in Israel, where it created a “bump” in the chart measuring cases, he said.
Keeping the surge somewhat in check, experts said, is a higher level of immunity in the U.S. from vaccination or past infection compared with early winter.
But Ray said the U.S. could wind up looking like Europe, where the BA.2 surge was “substantial” in some places that had comparable levels of immunity. “We could have a substantial surge here,” he said.
Both experts said BA.2 will move through the country gradually. The Northeast has been hit hardest so far — with more than 90% of new infections caused by BA.2 last week compared with 86% nationally. As of Thursday, the highest rates of new COVID cases per capita over the past 14 days were in Vermont, Rhode Island, Alaska, New York and Massachusetts. In Washington, D.C., which also ranks in the top 10 for rates of new cases, Howard University announced it was moving most undergraduate classes online for the rest of the semester because of “a significant increase in COVID-19 positivity” in the district and on campus.
Some states, such as Rhode Island and New Hampshire, saw the average of daily new cases rise by more than 100% in two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Joseph Wendelken, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Health, said despite rising cases, hospitalizations remain relatively low, and that’s the metric they are most focused on right now. About 55 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, compared with more than 600 at one point in the pandemic.
Officials credit high vaccination rates. State statistics show 99% of Rhode Island adults are at least partially vaccinated and 48% have gotten the booster dose that scientists say is key in protecting against severe illness with omicron.
Vermont also has relatively high levels of vaccination and fewer patients in the hospital than during the height of the first omicron wave. But Dr. Mark Levine, the health commissioner there, said hospitalizations and the numbers of patients in intensive care units are both up slightly, although deaths have not risen.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that new hospital admissions of patients with confirmed COVID-19 were up slightly in New England and the New York region.
On the West Coast, modelers from Oregon Health & Science University are projecting a slight increase in hospitalizations over the next two months in that state, where cases have also risen steeply.
As the wave moves across the country, experts said states with low rates of vaccination may face substantially more infections and severe cases that wind up in the hospital.
Ray said government leaders must be careful to strike the right tone when talking to people about protecting themselves and others after COVID restrictions have largely been lifted. Philadelphia recently became the first major U.S. city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate after a sharp increase in infections. But Vermont’s Levine said there are no plans to bring back any of the restrictions that were imposed earlier during the pandemic.
“It’s going to be hard to institute restrictive, draconian measures,” Ray said. “Fortunately, we have some tools that we can use to mitigate risk. And so I hope that leaders will emphasize the importance for people to watch the numbers,” be aware of risks and consider taking precautions such as wearing masks and getting vaccinated and boosted if they’re not already.
Lynne Richmond, a 59-year-old breast cancer survivor who lives in Silver Spring, Md., said she plans to get her second booster and keep wearing her mask in public as cases rise in her state and nearby Washington, D.C.
“I never really stopped wearing my mask…I’ve stayed ultra-vigilant,” she said. “I feel like I’ve come this far; I don’t want to get COVID.”
Vigilance is a good strategy, experts said, because the coronavirus is constantly throwing curveballs. One of the latest: even more contagious subvariants of BA.2 found in New York state, known as BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1. And scientists warn that new and potentially dangerous variants could arise at any time.
“We shouldn’t be thinking the pandemic is over,” Topol said. “We should still keep our guard up.”
___
Associated Press reporter Wilson Ring contributed from Stowe, Vermont.
___
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.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/its-not-over-covid-19-cases-are-rise-again-us/ | 2022-04-15T16:36:55 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/its-not-over-covid-19-cases-are-rise-again-us/ |
Only 7,600 or so people live in impoverished Greene County, and hundreds of them are clustered in a public housing community called Branch Heights. Officials are now trying to find housing for more than 100 residents who were displaced when a tornado hit the neighborhood late Wednesday.
The hunt is complicated by the fact that the rural area, located about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Birmingham, doesn’t have much excess housing that’s suitable, and some people lack transportation. To make matters worse, forecasters say more storms are possible this weekend.
“We have to find somewhere for them to live, they have to have shelter,” Anita Lewis, executive director of the Greene County Housing Authority, told WBMA-TV on Thursday. “The more I looked, the more devastating it got.”
More than 40 homes in the community were damaged by what the National Weather Service said was a weak tornado, and 27 are uninhabitable with significant damage to roofs and other parts of the structure. About 110 people were displaced, officials said.
Mattie Roscoe, who rode out the twister with one of her grandchildren, was briefly trapped in the wreckage of her home.
“All I said was take care and have mercy on me, Lord,” Roscoe told WBRC-TV.
The storm presented the first crisis of first-term Mayor LaTasha Johnson’s new administration. She said she had made it a priority to clean up the storm damage and find housing for displaced people.
“Right now we’re in the process of getting families located to have somewhere to stay, and we’re asking for help, any help we can get,” Johnson said.
The damage wasn’t widespread, and it’s unclear whether the area qualifies for outside aid. The housing authority plans to put people in a hotel and work as quickly as possible to get apartments ready for residents to move back, but some of the work could take longer.
“We don’t have any vacant units,” Lewis said. “We’ve reached out to other housing authorities to see if they have any vacancies. ... If not here, we will have to go to Tuscaloosa.”
But there’s concern about transportation if residents are placed outside of Greene County, which is among the poorest regions in Alabama.
“A lot of residents don’t have cars, so this is the best place for them to be,” said Lewis. “We are going to have to try to figure out how we are going to deal with that.” | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/tornado-leaves-more-than-100-homeless-in-greene-county-they-have-to-have-shelter.html | 2022-04-15T16:37:01 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/tornado-leaves-more-than-100-homeless-in-greene-county-they-have-to-have-shelter.html |
INDIANAPOLIS — A Marion County judge has sentenced an IMPD officer to one year of probation that includes keeping a weekly journal.
On April 12, officer Francisco Olmos entered a plea agreement to an obstruction of justice count in connection to the 2015 suicide of an 18-year-old female.
As part of the agreement, Olmos was ordered to one year of probation. He must complete 240 hours of community service, keep a weekly journal to be filed confidentially with the court, and pay $475 in court fees.
Court documents show Olmos deleted text messages between himself and a teenage girl after her body was discovered in her bedroom on November 2, 2015.
Olmos, who was a 10-year IMPD veteran at the time, met the teen through IMPD’s Explorers program. According to the department, “the IMPD Explorer program was established in 1970 to give youth an opportunity to explore careers in law enforcement.”
Olmos said the teen had been on around 15 ride-alongs with him during her time in the program. They would also exercise together weekly at Fort Harrison State Park, according to a probable cause affidavit from 2017.
The two would also text, Snapchat, and talk on the phone “almost every day” — including the day she died.
In 2015, Olmos showed up at the teen’s house on Nov. 2 when she didn’t answer her phone after he called and texted her several times. He said during their last phone call she told him that she couldn’t talk to him anymore and that it wasn’t his fault.
After the body was found, Olmos asked the girl’s father to use her phone to call Daniel Bullman, another IMPD officer. While using the phone, Olmos accessed apps and deleted messages. Those messages were later recovered by forensic analysts.
They found 300 phone calls between the teen and Olmos from Sept. 19, 2015 through Nov. 2, 2015. They exchanged 177 messages between Oct. 21, 2015 and Nov. 2, 2015. Twenty-two phone calls were made the day she died.
Some of the messages that were sent on Nov. 2, 2015 from Olmos that were deleted include:
- 12:57 p.m. : “How can you ignore me like I’m just one of them. You can do this to me. Please please”
- 1:10 p.m.: “You are gonna make me look so stupid in front of your family. I’m going to knock on your door.”
- 3:47 p.m.: “I dOn’t know what the point of ignoring me is. You make me feel like this is really all my fault. I’m
going to stop by your house at 439-5. I need to talk to you it’s urgent.”
Olmos was charged in 2017 for obstruction of justice and computer trespass. He was also suspended without pay. According to the Indianapolis Star, Olmos has been suspended without pay since 2017. The IMPD chief at the time, Bryan Roach, recommended his termination.
The IMPD Civilian Police Merit Board will decide upon a recommendation to terminate Olmos. | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/judge-orders-impd-officer-to-probation-writing-in-journal-in-obstruction-of-justice-sentencing-connected-to-teens-suicide/ | 2022-04-15T16:37:01 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/judge-orders-impd-officer-to-probation-writing-in-journal-in-obstruction-of-justice-sentencing-connected-to-teens-suicide/ |
K-9 shot, killed during standoff with armed suspect
OXFORD, N.C. (Gray News) – A police K-9 in North Carolina was shot and killed Sunday.
K-9 Major with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was killed during a standoff with an armed robbery suspect.
According to the Granville County Sheriff’s Department, officers responded to a report of an armed robbery involving the theft of a vehicle on Saturday. Police could not locate the suspect Saturday, but the following day, officers responded to a report of a suspicious fire at a residence.
During the investigation of the fire, officers determined the armed robbery suspect was possibly hiding under the crawl space of the home. As police tried to clear the crawl space, they were met with gunfire from the suspect and returned fire.
During that time, K-9 Major was struck by gunfire and died. The dog was shot twice with an AK-47 rifle.
Police requested further assistance from other law enforcement agencies, including a crisis negotiator. The crisis negotiator made contact with the suspect and convinced the man to come out from under the crawl space and surrender to authorities.
Aside from K-9 Major, no law enforcement officers were injured.
The suspect, identified as William Darius Eichelberger, 21, was transported to the hospital with minor injuries and released a short time later. He was then taken to the Granville County Magistrate where he was placed under a $250,000 bond.
According to police, Eichelberger was charged with seven felonies, and more charges are forthcoming.
K-9 Major was a 3-year-old German Shepherd and the beloved partner of Corporal Jamie Lariviere. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is holding a celebration of life for Major on Monday.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/k-9-shot-killed-during-standoff-with-armed-suspect/ | 2022-04-15T16:37:01 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/k-9-shot-killed-during-standoff-with-armed-suspect/ |
In a nearly six-minute 911 call from Charlotte rapper DaBaby’s home on Wednesday night, an unidentified person tells dispatch they shot a trespasser.
“I shot him in his leg,” the unidentified 911 caller says as a person can be heard wailing in the background. “He’s trespassing on my property.”
The call, which was obtained by The Charlotte Observer’s news partner WSOC-TV, led Troutman Police officers to the home on Stillwater Road around 7:45 p.m. There, officers found a person with a gunshot wound to their “lower extremities” that was not life-threatening, Chief Josh Watson said.
DaBaby, whose name is Jonathan Kirk, and another unidentified person were home at the time of the shooting, Watson said. The 911 caller told the dispatcher that the trespasser was “neutralized.” It wasn’t clear Friday morning whether DaBaby was the person who shot the trespasser. The 911 call-taker refers to the caller as “sir,” but the voices in the audio are distorted so it’s unclear whether it’s DaBaby on the line.
“I don’t know what he’s here for. I don’t know what he’s here to do, but he’s shot,” the 911 caller said.
The trespasser was shot on the football field and may have jumped over a fence to get onto the property, the caller told the dispatcher.
“He had to trespass on somebody else’s property to even get to my property,” the caller said.
The exterior of the property is surrounded by a tall concrete wall. An Iredell County building permit also shows five guard towers were built at the house in 2021.
In the 911 call, the dispatcher asked the caller to secure his firearm, but the person refused to do so until police arrives.
“I’m not putting it down with this trespasser right here on my property,” the caller said. “I’m not doing it. I don’t know who he got with him.”
Only one person was taken to a hospital by Iredell County EMS, Troutman Police said in a news release and post on the agency’s Facebook page.
The caller said he gave the injured person something to put pressure on his gunshot wound.
“He’s right here. He’s still good and he’s still breathing,” the caller said. “Interrogate me when y’all get here and y’all save this man’s life. And get this man off my property.”
Police said the shooting is an isolated incident that there wasn’t any threat to the community.
The injured person has not been identified by police.
©2022 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/trespasser-shot-out-dababys-north-carolina-mansion-911-caller-says.html | 2022-04-15T16:37:07 | 1 | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/trespasser-shot-out-dababys-north-carolina-mansion-911-caller-says.html |
Police: Man fatally pushed woman into California train
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A man accused of fatally pushing a woman in front of a freight train in Southern California has been arrested, authorities said.
The woman, whose name has not yet been made public, was hit by the train Monday morning in the city of Riverside, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) from downtown Los Angeles, police said Thursday.
Riverside police said in a statement that the woman and the man, Kevin Errol Lewis, were in an argument next to the railroad tracks that turned physical.
During the altercation, Lewis allegedly shoved the woman he was in a dating relationship with into the path of the train, killing her, police said.
Officers found Lewis, 41, nearby and detained him, police said. He is being held in jail without bail on suspicion of murder and domestic violence, as well as several outstanding warrants for theft and narcotics violations.
Lewis, whom police described as a transient man, is scheduled to appear in court on April 25, online jail records showed. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
The killing was similar to a death in New York City in January that shocked the city after after a woman was pushed to her death in front of a subway train beneath Times Square in an apparently unprovoked attack. Police charged Martial Simon, whom authorities said was homeless, in the slaying of Michelle Alyssa Go.
Simon is being held in a hospital prison ward and is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, online jail and court records show.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/police-man-fatally-pushed-woman-into-california-train/ | 2022-04-15T16:37:07 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/police-man-fatally-pushed-woman-into-california-train/ |
A propane tank on a food truck exploded Friday, sending one person to the hospital.
The explosion happened just after 10 a.m. at Forestdale Square at the Forestdale Food Truck Park. The event was taking place from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. and the Urban League was also on site giving out free gas cards.
Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies were already on the scene directing traffic for the gas card give-way when the explosion happened inside the truck.
Forestdale firefighters responded and transported one person to the hospital with burns. The injuries are believed to be serious.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available. | https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2022/04/food-truck-explosion-in-forestdale-sends-1-to-hospital-with-burns.html | 2022-04-15T16:37:13 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2022/04/food-truck-explosion-in-forestdale-sends-1-to-hospital-with-burns.html |
South Carolina death row inmate picks firing squad over electric chair
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina prisoner scheduled to be the first man executed in the state in more than a decade has decided to die by firing squad rather than in the electric chair later this month, according to court documents filed Friday.
Richard Bernard Moore, 57, is the also first state prisoner to face the choice of execution methods after a law went into effect last year making electrocution the default and giving inmates the option to face three prison workers with rifles instead.
Moore has spent more than two decades on death row after being convicted of the 1999 killing of convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg. If executed as scheduled on April 29, he would be the first person put to death in the state since 2011.
The new law was prompted by the decadelong break, which corrections officials attribute to an inability to procure the drugs needed to carry out lethal injections.
In a written statement, Moore said he didn’t concede that either method was legal or constitutional, but that he more strongly opposed death by electrocution and only chose the firing squad because he was required to make a choice.
“I believe this election is forcing me to choose between two unconstitutional methods of execution, and I do not intend to waive any challenges to electrocution or firing squad by making an election,” Moore said in the statement.
Moore’s attorneys have asked the state Supreme Court to delay his death while another court determines if either available method is cruel and unusual punishment. The attorneys argue prisons officials aren’t trying hard enough to get the lethal injection drugs, instead forcing prisoners to choose between two more barbaric methods.
His lawyers are also asking the state Supreme Court to delay the execution so the U.S. Supreme Court can review whether Moore’s death sentence was a disproportionate punishment compared with similar crimes. The state justices denied a similar appeal last week.
The state corrections agency said last month that it finished developing protocols for firing squad executions and completed $53,600 in renovations on the death chamber in Columbia, installing a metal chair with restraints that faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet (4.6 meters) away. In the case of a firing squad execution, three volunteer prison workers will train their rifles on the condemned prisoner’s heart.
South Carolina is one of eight states to still use the electric chair and one of four to allow a firing squad, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.
Moore is one of 35 men on South Carolina’s death row. The state last scheduled an execution for Moore in 2020, which was then delayed after prison officials said they couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs.
During Moore’s 2001 trial, prosecutors said Moore entered the store looking for money to support his cocaine habit and got into a dispute with Mahoney, who drew a pistol that Moore wrestled away from him.
Mahoney pulled a second gun, and a gunfight ensued. Mahoney shot Moore in the arm, and Moore shot Mahoney in the chest. Prosecutors said Moore left a trail of blood through the store as he looked for cash, stepping twice over Mahoney.
At the time, Moore claimed that he acted in self-defense after Mahoney drew the first gun.
Moore’s supporters have argued that his crime doesn’t rise to the level of a death penalty offense. His appeals lawyers have said that because Moore didn’t bring a gun into store, he couldn’t have intended to kill someone when he walked in.
The last person executed in South Carolina was Jeffrey Motts, who was on death row for strangling a cellmate while serving a life sentence for another murder.
___
Liu is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/south-carolina-death-row-inmate-picks-firing-squad-over-electric-chair/ | 2022-04-15T16:37:14 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/south-carolina-death-row-inmate-picks-firing-squad-over-electric-chair/ |
A stabbing early Friday in Tuscaloosa left one man dead.
Tuscaloosa police responded at 6 a.m. to Claybrook Apartments on Claybrook Drive.
They arrived to find 38-year-old Willie Dejuan Crooks suffering from a stab wound. He was taken to the DCH Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, said Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy.
Kennedy said identified a woman who was involved in the assault, as well as multiple witnesses. Crooks and the woman were involved in a domestic relationship.
The altercation between the couple was witnessed by multiple people. “At this time, potential self-defense issues are being investigated on the part of the female and no arrests have been made,’’ Kennedy said.
The investigation is ongoing. Once complete, the evidence will presented to a Tuscaloosa County grand jury to determine whether criminal charges will be filed. | https://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/2022/04/38-year-old-man-fatally-stabbed-during-morning-domestic-dispute-in-tuscaloosa.html | 2022-04-15T16:37:19 | 1 | https://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/2022/04/38-year-old-man-fatally-stabbed-during-morning-domestic-dispute-in-tuscaloosa.html |
Stuffed animal containing father’s ashes returned to daughter after donation mix-up
AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM/Gray News) – A very special stuffed animal that was accidentally donated to Savers in Massachusetts was returned to its owner after a monthlong search.
Mary Kirk said the toy, an orange tabby cat from Build-A-Bear, contains her father’s ashes.
The cat was given to Kirk’s son by her father in 2001. When Kirk’s father died four years ago, the family decided to put some of his ashes in a plastic pouch and place it inside the stuffed animal so her son would always have a piece of his grandfather.
However, when the family was getting ready to move last month, Kirk’s husband accidentally donated the stuffed animal to Savers.
Unfortunately, the stuffed animal was no longer at the store when the family went to retrieve it.
After pleading with the public for weeks on social media and hanging signs up at the Savers store, the cat turned up on Kirk’s doorstep. The stuffed animal was shipped in a box, addressed to Kirk, but had no return address.
Kirk said the Build-A-Bear is “much dirtier” than when she last saw him, but she is deeply grateful for its return.
The family is now searching for the anonymous sender so they can properly thank them. Kirk is also offering a $350 reward plus a new stuffed cat.
Copyright 2022 WGGB/WSHM via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/stuffed-animal-containing-fathers-ashes-returned-daughter-after-donation-mix-up/ | 2022-04-15T16:37:21 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/stuffed-animal-containing-fathers-ashes-returned-daughter-after-donation-mix-up/ |
By Joshua Baker, LMSW, a youth program coordinator for the the Knights & Orchids Society, Inc., living in Tuscaloosa
I could tell the legislators responsible for these atrocious laws targeting the state’s LGBTQ community that there is blood on their hands, but they would only revel in that. I could tell these legislators that their cruelty will be the reason that a child loses their will to live, but they’d only take pride in that. I could tell these legislators that the world is darker today because of the hatred with which they lead, but such declaration would return unto me void. The lion never mourns the lamb.
It is our community—so deserving of softness and serenity—that is positioned to mourn. That is positioned to endlessly strategize. Whose existence is inherently political and consequently daunting. I want trans and queer youth to know a joy they do have to fight for—a peace and freedom they do not have to labor for. The same “representatives” who are policing queer bodies couldn’t tell you what it is like to live a day in one—to survive in one. This is not a game. This is not theory. This is not a simulation.
Queer people are not imaginary characters that forego the implications of such legislative terror. As the marginalized…the outlier…the other, we are dealt with as figments of society’s imagination. No real face, no real presence, no real place. And yet, we feel fully the sting of injustice and abuse of power.
I am beyond sadness. I am beyond disappointment. I am indignant. I am resentful. I am bitter. I do not care how that lands—respectability has gained us nothing. Compromise has gained us nothing. Begging to be seen and to be handled humanely has gained us nothing.
There is no room for civility when queer youth nation-wide are being assaulted with the message that there is no space for them—that their identity and existence are reducible.
On the final day of the legislative session, Alabama lawmakers added their own “Don’t Say Gay” amendment to a bill already written to target the state’s LGBTQ population. The bill passed and has been signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. AL.com and Reckon solicited responses from people affected by the bill and will be publishing a selection of the essays received. For more perspectives like this each week, subscribe to the Reckon newsletter “Honey.” | https://www.al.com/opinion/2022/04/alabamas-queer-people-are-not-imaginary-they-suffer-real-pain-due-to-legislative-terror.html | 2022-04-15T16:37:26 | 0 | https://www.al.com/opinion/2022/04/alabamas-queer-people-are-not-imaginary-they-suffer-real-pain-due-to-legislative-terror.html |
Wheels reportedly fall off school bus while it’s in motion
DETROIT (WXYZ) - A middle school bus in Michigan broke down on the side of the road after two wheels apparently detached from the bus while it was in motion.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
A photo of the L’Anse Creuse Middle School bus is making rounds on social media and sparking concern and frustration with parents.
“Nobody said anything to any of us,” Tammy Caparo said. She has a granddaughter in the seventh grade that attends that school.
She says there was no email, phone call or alert to tell families what happened.
Caparo picks her granddaughter up from school, but on social media parents who say their children were on the bus are reporting they didn’t hear from school officials.
“I would hope the school would do more about the safety of the children and reach out to the parents and let them know that they are doing everything they can to make the buses more safe for their children to get on,” Caparo said.
After the incident, many are left wondering how the wheels just rolled off a moving bus.
According to a L’Anse Creuse school official, it appears it was caused by a mechanical failure involving a bolt.
“The district has not had any other issues of this nature in the past,” the official said.
They went on to say that “extensive bouncing” caused by road conditions, such as potholes, could have played a part.
“Wheels just don’t come off of school buses,” said Andy Didorosi, owner of the Detroit Bus Company.
He’s repaired buses for years.
He said they are one of the safest vehicles, and it’s unlikely Michigan roads are to blame for wheels detaching.
“School buses are made to take hundreds of thousands of pounds of force on their axles,” he said. “They are extremely, extremely tough vehicles.”
Didorosi said it’s likely the bolts or lug nuts loosened over time, and the daily inspector missed it.
“And frequently drivers give a vehicle a quick visual inspection, which is oftentimes not enough,” he said.
WXYZ asked L’Anse Creuse if the bus had recently been repaired, as well as when it had its last state inspection, but did not get a response.
Copyright 2022 WXYZ via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/wheels-reportedly-fall-off-school-bus-while-its-motion/ | 2022-04-15T16:37:27 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/wheels-reportedly-fall-off-school-bus-while-its-motion/ |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Allen County is on its way to getting a third major hospital campus.
Allen County Commissioners unanimously approved a rezoning request for 137 acres off Interstate 69 in southwest Allen County that will rival long-time medical giants, Parkview Health and Lutheran Health Network.
Friday’s unanimous vote wasn’t a sure thing. Local residents who quickly built a coalition on the name of WEBB Environmental or Wetlands, Eagles Bats and Butterflies were there continuing with a range of concerns including building so close to Little River Valley and disrupting wetlands and a wildlife habitat and disturbing Native American ground that most likely includes a burial ground.
However, the Department of Natural Resources did not present any objections, Nelson Peters, Commissioners president, said, nor did anyone from the Fort Wayne International Airport nearby. Having a medical complex so near would not disrupt airport radar or signals, Peters said.
Carson Boxberger, IU Health attorney, spoke to media after the commissioners meeting, pleased that the zoning approval was granted. Now it’s up to IU Health to work with the Allen County Plan Commissioner to develop the site. The site was partially rezoned in 2006 to encourage some type of commercial development. | https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/plans-for-iu-health-campus-in-sw-allen-county-okd/ | 2022-04-15T16:38:56 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/plans-for-iu-health-campus-in-sw-allen-county-okd/ |
PHARR, Texas (Border Report) — Commercial truck traffic resumed Thursday at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, the nation’s No. 1 port of entry for fruits and vegetables from Mexico.
The bridge had been closed since Monday after truckers in Mexico blocked entry to the bridge in protest of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s heightened state inspections in anticipation of the Biden administration ending Title 42 on May 23. The increased inspections started last week and caused delays of 20 hours and truck lines 15 miles long waiting in Reynosa, Mexico.
The City of Pharr on Wednesday evening announced that the truck blockade in Reynosa had been lifted.
“We are glad to know that the situation has been resolved and that the flow of traffic, international business, and commerce in our region has resumed normal operations,” the city said in a statement. “We continue to work with all partners to ensure that operations are functioning efficiently and effectively.”
However, the Texas Department of Public Safety continued to inspect trucks in Pharr.
And although the bridge had reopened on Thursday, there were noticeably fewer trucks passing north and south via the bridge, with many avoiding the area and having chartered alternate routes due to the blockade.
Meanwhile, businesses along the South Texas border fear that other blockades at other international bridges could begin there if heightened inspections begin at those ports and could be a repeat of what happened in Pharr.
Abbott says that the increased inspections are necessary to secure the border.
On Wednesday, the governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, Samuel Garcia, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the Columbia International Bridge on the northwestern edge of Laredo, Texas, where Abbott promised to stop the intense inspections in exchange for Garcia’s promise of increased truck inspections by Mexican police south of the Rio Grande.
On Thursday, Abbot and the governor of the Chihuahua signed a similar agreement in Austin.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, told Border Report on Thursday that he spoke with the secretary of economics from Coahuila, which is the Mexican border state just west of Nuevo Leon. He said government officials in that state also were anxious to reach an agreement with Abbott so trucks can flow freely once again through ports of entry connecting Coahuila and Texas.
“He said ‘Hey can you please put us in contact with the governor’s office? We want to work this out,” Cuellar said.
But such agreements have not been signed with the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which shares over 200 miles of international border with Texas that spans from Brownsville, on the Gulf of Mexico, to downtown Laredo.
Experts tell Border Report that the increased amounts of drugs and human trafficking in Tamaulipas will make signing an MOU with that state trickier.
“It’s going to take more coordination on the Mexican side — more effort, more resources, more personnel. But if they’re willing to do that I think Gov. Abbott is looking for a platform to get out of this situation because he dug himself into a situation that’s affecting our supply chain,” Cuellar said.
The majority of the nation’s fruits and vegetables from Mexico — over 65% — cross over this bridge annually. However, during the shutdown, the 2,500 commercial trucks that normally use this bridge had to find alternate routes. Some went as far as 1,200 miles out of their way to cross in Nogales, Arizona, or farther into San Diego.
Many thousand pounds worth of fruits and vegetables sat in idling trucks in Reynosa, business owners told Border Report.
Joe Arevalo, the owner of Keystone Cold, has operated a cold-storage facility in Pharr for 30 years.
He told Border Report that he had thousands of dollars of products that were affected by the bridge shut down. One client had 15 loads of limes — each load worth $70,000 — stuck in Reynosa trying to cross into Pharr, and another had 18 $35,000 loads of fruits and vegetables rotting in Mexico.
“Because of a strike that was caused by the policy,” he said. “Who’s going to reimburse them for those loads? Who’s going to reimburse them for the loss of sales?”
Several trucks that deliver to Arevalo diverted to Nogales during the strike, he said.
Arevalo says this week he lost a lot of sleep worrying about his business. And after three decades in the cold-storage business in South Texas, he is seriously considering of moving his business west to Arizona.
Abbott said Thursday in a statement that the inspections are vital to the safety of Texans and will continue unless Mexican officials also agree to similar pacts.
“Texans demand and deserve an aggressive, comprehensive border security strategy that will protect our communities from the dangerous consequences related to illegal immigration,” Abbott said. “Until President Biden enforces the immigration laws passed by Congress, Texas will step up and use its own strategies to secure the border and negotiate with Mexico to seek solutions that will keep Texans safe.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/pharr-bridge-reopens-but-south-texans-worry-about-future-blockades-at-mexican-ports/ | 2022-04-15T16:41:13 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/pharr-bridge-reopens-but-south-texans-worry-about-future-blockades-at-mexican-ports/ |
TIJUANA (Border Report) — Simon Dobrovski and fiancée Daria Sakhniuk had plans to marry in April surrounded by family and friends in Kyiv, but the war in Ukraine ruined their nuptials.
As the war started, the couple fled ahead of advancing Russian troops and ended up in Tijuana, Mexico, with the goal of crossing the border into California and traveling to New York City to join friends.
As a Ukrainian citizen, Sakhniuk had a better opportunity of crossing the border into the U.S. if she wanted to, but she refused to make the trek without Dobrovski, who is Russian.
Russian nationals like Dobrovski face a more difficult path when migrating legally north of the border.
“We as Russians are persona non grata,” he said. “Some airlines won’t even sell tickets to Russians right now.”
Their lawyer suggested an alternative: Get married in Tijuana.
With a marriage certificate in hand, the couple would have an easier path into the U.S. as a “family unit.”
So on Wednesday afternoon, after a three-and-a-half-year courtship, Dobrovski and Sakhniuk tied the knot at Tijuana’s City Hall surrounded by their attorney and employees who made the ceremony possible.
“We’re very happy because of the help people provided us to make this all happen, we’re so filled with joy,” said Dobrovski. “I’m so grateful to the Mexican people for what they did for us, we’re really excited by it.”
Sakhniuk, wearing a white sweater and a white jacket, brought a simple bouquet of flowers to the ceremony.
The couple stood hand in hand in front of a table, and a Tijuana city administrator conducted the civil proceeding with the help of a translator.
After exchanging vows and rings, they were declared husband and wife.
“We considered ourselves a family already, but we wanted to be a legal family in the eyes of other countries,” Sakhniuk said in Ukrainian. “We knew we were going to get married, the only thing that changed was the place.”
While not there in person, her family back home was able to participate and watch the ceremony live via a cellphone.
“We never expected the war to come, none of us expected that and because of this, we’re lucky and we’re grateful to be here at this moment with the people who are joining us right now,” Dobrovski said.
Dobrovski said he and his new bride plan to cross the border by the end of this week. And along with their marriage certificate, they will use photos and videos from social media to prove they’ve known each other for years.
“This will show we’ve had a relationship and this marriage is not just out of convenience,” he said.
Dobrovski, 29, is an audiologist who works in the hearing aid industry. Sakhniuk, 27, worked as an administrator in a dental office back in Kyiv. | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/russian-and-ukrainian-migrants-find-love-and-marriage-in-tijuana/ | 2022-04-15T16:41:20 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/russian-and-ukrainian-migrants-find-love-and-marriage-in-tijuana/ |
JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report) – Alejandra Gomez, a transgender woman, left her native Honduras a few months ago, fleeing discrimination and threats of violence.
“That is the reason I am here,” Gomez said Thursday at the doorstep of a Juarez shelter for vulnerable migrants. “Even here in Juarez, I have been discriminated while looking for work. I have been attacked … they even tried to kill me.”
Gomez and a dozen other transgender migrants are holding up at Respetrans, a converted hotel building overlooking the Rio Grande and Downtown El Paso that now serves as a shelter for vulnerable migrants.
Their hope is to file asylum claims as soon as the Biden administration lifts Title 42 on May 23 or that their appointments in federal immigration court are speeded up. The public health order for two years has allowed American border agents to immediately expel newly arrived migrants and close U.S. ports of entry to asylum-seekers.
“We’ve seen an increase since January in the arrival of LGBT migrants. Some of them are already being called (to U.S. immigration court) in groups of five or six,” said Grecia Herrera, director of the Respettrans shelter.
The career nurse and community activist said a large group of LGBT migrants is at the Mexico-Guatemala border, waiting for travel permits to get to Juarez and prepared to present an asylum case in the United States.
One common theme brought up by transgender migrants is the fear of violence and persecution, not only in their countries but also in Mexico. The women see the United States as the only option to live a life free of fear and discrimination.
“There is no work (here) for transgender people. We are often threatened by homophobic people,” said Estela, another transgender migrant from Central America.
More than 1.3 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender migrants live in the United States, according to the Williams Institute of the UCLA School of Law. Three-percent of all migrants in the U.S. identify as LGBT, according to the institution.
At the shelter, the women spend their days keeping the building clean, washing clothes, changing linens, and helping with shores like cooking. Even when they don’t stray far from their building in North Juarez, the women dedicate time to their appearance. Bringing out the inner self that their societies have forced them to repress for many years is an important part of their well-being, one of the migrants said.
Herrera, who opened the first transgender migrant shelter at a different location in Juarez in 2019, said the building for the past year has also housed families and single adults from all over Latin America and the Caribbean. She said the women have contact with immigration advocates in El Paso, Texas, who will guide them through their asylum process.
The Juarez nurse said more than 3,000 migrants have stayed at her shelters in the past three year, most of them being LGBT persons fleeing their communities – and in some cases their own families – in Central America. | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/transgender-migrants-in-juarez-wait-chance-to-apply-for-u-s-asylum/ | 2022-04-15T16:41:27 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/transgender-migrants-in-juarez-wait-chance-to-apply-for-u-s-asylum/ |
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — The Texas Department of Public Safety is immediately scaling back commercial truck checks in El Paso after the governors of Texas and Chihuahua reached a deal to jointly fight illegal immigration.
The memorandum of understanding signed Thursday in Austin by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Chihuahua Gov. Maru Campos is like one penned Wednesday between Abbott and the governor of Nuevo Leon.
“Chihuahua is doing more than talking about (border security), they have an organized game plan to address illegal immigration from Chihuahua to Texas,” Abbott said at a live-streamed news conference. “Gov. Campos will continue security efforts to prevent illegal immigration from Chihuahua into the state of Texas. She will collaborate with Texas DPS.”
The enhanced security checks that have caused delays of up to 12 hours in the bringing across of merchandise from Mexico into Texas will continue at border crossings Texas shares with Tamaulipas and Coahuila until those states commit in writing to helping Texas secure their common border.
Abbott ordered the checks in response to a continuous increase in unauthorized migration at the border which he says President Biden not only is ignoring but brought about through pro-immigration rhetoric. DPS officers are looking for drugs, migrants hidden in the trucks and vehicle safety inspections.
DPS hasn’t disclosed how much drugs or how many migrants have been found in the trucks, but the agency said one-fourth of the vehicles inspected were cited for safety violations and many were ordered off Texas roads.
The enhanced DPS inspections came a few days after the Biden administration announced it would stop expelling migrants under the Title 42 public health order. Abbott, quoting Department of Homeland Security internal data, said that will triple illegal immigration to his state.
“Since Chihuahua has a plan, Texas DPS can return to its previous strategy of random checks of trucks. As a result, the (international) bridges between Chihuahua and Texas will return to normal immediately,” Abbott said.
Just prior to the news conference in Austin, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website showed trucks were waiting between five and six hours to cross the Ysleta Port of Entry and the Bridge of the Americas border crossing between Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.
Campos said she was “proud to sign” the agreement and said her administration has made great strides in the past seven months when it comes to public safety. Murders are down significantly in Juarez, a number of gang members involved in both drug and migrant smuggling have been captured, and the state is in the process of deploying an extensive “smart” surveillance camera system.
She also mentioned air patrols, drones and the deployment of license plate and facial recognition software.
“I thank Gov. Abbott because of his openness and willingness, his attitude to negotiate and for having really clear what the (mutual) interests are between the states of Texas and Chihuahua,” she said at the news conference.
She said the investment in the Sentinel surveillance program is close to $200 million and that she is willing to share the images and the intelligence analysis derived from them with Texas DPS.
Abbott emphasized a paragraph in the agreement that specifies the two states will collaborate in stemming illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. While Campos signed the agreement, Mexican officials in the past have said it’s illegal, as per the Mexican constitution, for government officials to hinder the free transit of Mexican citizens anywhere. Chihuahua police and Juarez police, though, often detain Central American migrants and arrest Mexican citizens involved in human smuggling.
Campos said getting international commerce back to normal was a priority and said she’s willing to let third parties audit the effectiveness of her state’s new public safety initiatives. | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/truck-inspections-returning-to-normal-at-texas-chihuahua-border/ | 2022-04-15T16:41:34 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/truck-inspections-returning-to-normal-at-texas-chihuahua-border/ |
(NEXSTAR) — Tesla is issuing a recall of nearly 595,000 vehicles due to a feature that could pose a danger to pedestrians — it’s the second time this year the “Boombox” feature has triggered a recall.
The current recall covers certain Model Y, X and S vehicles made from 2020 through 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported Thursday. Model 3 vehicles made from 2017 through 2022 are also included. NHTSA explains that the “Boombox” feature in these models could play over external speakers, masking sounds to warn pedestrians of an approaching vehicle. About 594,717 vehicles were recalled in February for the same issue.
Tesla says it will perform an over-the-air software update to disable Boombox functionality while vehicles are in drive, neutral or reverse modes, free of charge. The recall will also disable Boombox during Summon and Smart Summon modes, which let users move certain models to their location using GPS.
The Tesla recall identification number is SB-22-00-003.
Owners who had Boombox issues remedied under the February recall will also need to have the new software installed, Tesla says.
Tesla is expected to mail owner notification letters by June 6. In the meantime, owners can contact Tesla at (877) 798-3752 or the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236. | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/tesla-recalls-vehicles-over-boombox-feature-again/ | 2022-04-15T16:41:41 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/tesla-recalls-vehicles-over-boombox-feature-again/ |
(The Hill) — Elon Musk is already the richest man in the world due to his leadership positions at and stakes in Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company.
He is estimated to be worth roughly $260 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and there are no signs of immediate threats to that wealth.
In that context, Musk’s bid for 100 percent of Twitter in an all-cash deal worth roughly $43 billion may seem like it has little to offer him.
But many of Musk’s most headline-grabbing moves in the past have been motivated by non-financial considerations, and at a TED conference on Thursday, he said the decision to make an offer was not driven by potential profits.
“What I’m saying is this is not a way to sort of make money,” he said during the livestreamed event.
Musk, who revealed last week that he had acquired a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter, emphasized his belief in the importance of the platform while speaking at the conference.
“My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization,” Musk continued. “I don’t care about the economics at all.”
In a securities filing dated Wednesday in which he offered to buy the remaining Twitter shares that he does not already own for $54.20 per share, Musk wrote to the company’s board chair Bret Taylor that he believes the social media platform can be “the platform for free speech around the globe.”
“However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” Musk continued. “Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company.”
There is ample evidence that Musk has spent time thinking about the importance of free speech and the role social media platforms can play in ensuring access to it.
Early last month he posted several tweets to his over 80 million followers about free speech and suggested that he might launch his own social media company.
Just before announcing his stake in Twitter, which makes him the company’s largest outside shareholder, Musk posted a poll starting with the statement that free speech is “essential to a functioning democracy” that asked whether the social media platform adheres to the principle.
It is unclear what threat, if any, he sees Twitter in its current form posing to free speech.
Twitter is a private company and has no legal obligation to let every person tweet whatever they want.
The platform has been more aggressive with its content moderation than others — permanently banning former President Donald Trump being the prime example — but taking down posts or blocking users from its service is not a free speech issue as the term is defined by the First Amendment.
Several other social media platforms have been launched claiming to valorize free speech more than the dominant companies in the space.
However, almost all of those alternatives have run into the problem of having to moderate at least some content to keep their services useable.
Allowing absolutely any kind of content could leave a platform overrun with spam accounts and littered with unsavory content that makes social media unpleasant for most users and, more importantly, advertisers, experts warn.
“Twitter without rules would become a cesspool of spam, pornography, animal torture, hate speech, QAnon conspiracies, ‘stolen election’ disinformation, and anti-vaccine agitation,” Paul Barrett, deputy director of the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, wrote in an email to The Hill. “Goodbye ordinary users, goodbye advertisers.”
Musk has said that he wants to limit spam on the platform, but doing so without some level of content moderation has proved tricky for other social media companies.
Beyond enshrining free speech, Musk has also suggested there should be an edit button on the platform, complained about major accounts not posting enough and floated a special authentication tier for Twitter’s paid service that would give paid subscribers a special checkmark. All of these changes could be made through owning the company, but they all also could theoretically have been pushed for with the board seat Musk was offered but ultimately did not accept. Twitter has even already said it is testing a potential edit feature.
There are several other potential explanations behind Musk’s hostile takeover bid.
One, shared by many critics of the controversial CEO, is that the proposal is mostly just to draw attention and have some fun.
Musk has a history of joking about major financial moves — most notably in 2018 when he posted that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 a share, a stunt that landed him in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Musk ultimately paid a $20 million fine and resigned as board chair of Tesla after a lawsuit.
That number — 420, a reference to the national holiday for smoking weed — appeared again in his suggested price for Twitter shares. Musk is a notorious online troll, and this offer cleanly fits into that part of his persona.
“I think he’s doing it because he thinks it’s fun. He’s getting a ton of attention, which he loves,” Barrett added. “He likes cool cars and rocket ships, so he built companies to make those. With Twitter, the infrastructure is already built, and he thinks it would be fun to play with it.”
The social media activism organization Sleeping Giants tweeted that his bid “is likely just another troll, ensuring everyone is talking about him for another week.”
The offer could also be an off-ramp for what was becoming a tricky situation for Musk.
Shortly after Musk formally announced the 9.2 percent stake in Twitter that he had acquired to regulators, observers pointed out that he may not have disclosed when he passed the 5 percent threshold within the required 10-day window.
That potential slip-up led several Twitter shareholders to file a lawsuit this week, alleging that the failure to disclose allowed Musk to buy up more stock at a deflated price. One financial expert suggested to The Washington Post that the late filing netted Musk $156 million.
Beyond the lawsuit and a potential investigation by regulators, Musk’s offer may also take attention away from the seemingly awkward negotiation over giving him a board seat.
Twitter last week said he would be joining its board of directors, only for CEO Parag Agrawal to announce Musk had backed out of the deal just days later.
Twitter confirmed in a statement Thursday that it received an “unsolicited, nonbinding proposal” from Musk to acquire all outstanding stock.
The company’s board of directors met early Thursday and reportedly may be ready to fight the bid, despite the valuation being significantly higher than Twitter’s market price.
Musk’s filing says he would “need to reconsider my position as a shareholder” if the bid was not accepted, which could include selling off his shares.
Musk was asked during the TED conference Thursday if there is a plan for a scenario in which the offer is rejected.
“There is,” he replied, declining to elaborate further. | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/what-does-elon-musk-stand-to-gain-from-twitter-offer/ | 2022-04-15T16:41:47 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/what-does-elon-musk-stand-to-gain-from-twitter-offer/ |
BROUSSARD, La. (KLFY) – Broussard Police are investigating the city’s second homicide this year. It happened at a convenience store parking lot, on one of the busiest roads in Lafayette Parish. So far, there are no suspects.
The morning after after a man was found shot to death at the ‘On the Run’ convenience store and gas station, at the intersection of Ambassador Caffery and Bonin Road, it was businesses as usual. No evidence of the crime that was committed.
“Upon arrival we discovered there was a male deceased in the vehicle, as a result of a homicide,” said Broussard Police Chief Vance Olivier.
Officers responded there shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday night. They found the man dead in a car from a gunshot wound. Police believe the shooting occurred in the parking lot. Foul play is suspected.
The shooting victim has been identified as Terrell Marshaun Fontenette, Jr., 19, of Iberia Parish.
“We’re sifting through, if there were witnesses. We have some name of some who may have witnessed something. Our detectives are going through that information right now, to make sure they don’t have any vital information on the case,” said Olivier.
The convenience store has several video surveillance cameras outside Olivier says investigators are attempting to get a copy of the video, so they can get the information they need to identify a suspect.
“I think it’s very important because it helps you identify potential suspects that are involved in the case. These days, there are video cameras everywhere. It’s very important that we get this information to sift through it, to see our suspects, and know what took place,” said Olivier.
If you have any information that will help investigators solve the case, please call Broussard Police or Crime Stoppers. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/broussard-police-investigating-citys-second-homicide-this-year/ | 2022-04-15T16:41:53 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/broussard-police-investigating-citys-second-homicide-this-year/ |
DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — Alabama State Troopers say a high-speed chase that spanned two Wiregrass counties has ended with one arrest in Dothan.
On Thursday, around 1 p.m., an Alabama state trooper saw a red and white Suzuki motorcycle driving south in the northbound lane of Highway 231.
ALEA troopers say the chase reached speeds around 100 miles per hour.
The chase spanned from around Ozark through Dothan ending near a church on Honeysuckle Road, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Police closed off Wesley Way and Alderbrook Road along Honeysuckle Road to stop the chase.
Devin J. Edwards, 25, of Dade City, Florida was arrested on charges of attempting to elude and reckless endangerment.
Edwards is currently in the Dale County Jail with no bond set.
Stay with WDHN News for more on this developing story. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/high-speed-chase-through-2-counties-ends-with-an-arrest-in-dothan/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:00 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/high-speed-chase-through-2-counties-ends-with-an-arrest-in-dothan/ |
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans Police Department is asking for public help in locating a suspect in connection with a robbery.
According to the police, the incident happened on April 13 at the intersection of Carondelet and Canal Streets.
Investigators say the suspect attacked an elderly man, took his wallet, and fled the area.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the NOPD at (504) 821-2222 or Crimestoppers anonymously at (504) 822-1111, toll free at 1-877-903-7867. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/nopd-seeks-help-in-locating-suspect-accused-of-attacking-elderly-man-and-stealing-his-wallet/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:06 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/nopd-seeks-help-in-locating-suspect-accused-of-attacking-elderly-man-and-stealing-his-wallet/ |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — Sacramento police said a man died after being run over while he allegedly tried to steal a catalytic converter early Monday morning.
Police said around 4:45 a.m., officers found a man suffering from serious injuries near the Methodist Hospital of Sacramento.
He was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office has since identified him as 28-year-old Jose Adolfo Rangel.
Police said Rangel was allegedly tampering with the car that hit him, and they believe he was trying to steal the car’s catalytic converter before he was struck.
The driver of the car spoke to police about what happened and the investigation is ongoing.
Catalytic converters, which help scrub pollutants from your engine’s exhaust, have become more and more attractive to thieves in recent years.
Thanks to the increasing prices of the precious metals used in the production — i.e, platinum, rhodium and palladium — an ill-gotten catalytic converter can “typically” fetch between $50 and $250 when sold to an unscrupulous recycling facility, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
The pandemic has only driven up the demand and prices of these precious metals. Rhodium, alone, is currently valued at over $19,000 per ounce. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/police-man-run-over-killed-while-trying-to-steal-catalytic-converter/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:13 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/police-man-run-over-killed-while-trying-to-steal-catalytic-converter/ |
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Lafayette Police are investigating a shooting at Moore Park that sent two victims to the hospital.
According to Lafayette Police, officers responded to reports of gunshots heard around Moore Park at 250 Couret St around 7:43 p.m. Thursday night. On scene, officers found two female victims with gunshot wounds. Both victims, one 17-years-old and one 18-years-old, were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening wounds.
Preliminary investigations suggest a large group of people were at the park when the shooting happened.
Investigators are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please contact the Lafayette Police Department or Lafayette Crime Stoppers at 232-TIPS. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/shooting-at-moore-park-in-lafayette-sends-two-to-hospital/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:19 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/shooting-at-moore-park-in-lafayette-sends-two-to-hospital/ |
(NEXSTAR) – Have you ever noticed that Easter never seems to fall on the same day? Christmas is always Dec. 25, Independence Day is always July 4, Mother’s Day is the second Sunday of May. But you’ll always have to check the calendar for Easter. Why?
If you aren’t familiar, Easter is a Christian festivity that marks the resurrection of Jesus. It always falls on a Sunday during March or April. To understand why, you have to look skyward.
“The date of Easter is determined by the moon. Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox,” says Kim Mandelkow, director of the Office for Worship with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
This year, the first full moon after the vernal equinox (also known as the first day of spring, which is March 20) is on Saturday, April 16, putting this Easter Sunday on April 17.
April’s full moon is sometimes referred to as the Paschal Moon because of its significance to Easter – ‘paschal’ is defined as relating to Easter or the Jewish Passover.
“The moon is not regular,” Father Martin Schlag, a professor and chair of Catholic social thought at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, explains. “It doesn’t follow the solar calendar, but it has its own lunar calendar that varies every year.”
If the first full moon fell on a Sunday, Easter Sunday would be pushed back a week, Mandelkow explains.
Because Easter is dependent on the vernal equinox, it can fall anywhere from March 22 to April 25. Having Easter on either of those days, though, is relatively rare, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. You’re more likely to see a year of Easter falling on March 31 or April 16, which have the greatest frequencies of claiming the holiday.
Next year, we’ll have an earlier Easter on April 9. | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/why-is-easter-never-on-the-same-sunday/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:25 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/why-is-easter-never-on-the-same-sunday/ |
(The Hill) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Thursday that it had authorized the first test to detect COVID-19 through breath for emergency use.
The InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer is able to identify five volatile organic compounds tied to the coronavirus in a person’s breath by using a technique known as gas chromatography gas mass-spectrometry, delivering results in less than three minutes, according to the FDA.
The agency said that in a study of 2,409 people, which included both people with and without symptoms, the test had a 99.3 percent specificity rate, which measures the percent of correctly identified negative test samples.
The FDA also noted that the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer had a 91.2 percent sensitivity rate, which measures the percent of correctly identified positive test samples.
Still, the health agency said that a molecular test should be used to confirm positive test results returned by the COVID-19 breath test.
“Today’s authorization is yet another example of the rapid innovation occurring with diagnostic tests for COVID-19,” Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement.
“The FDA continues to support the development of novel COVID-19 tests with the goal of advancing technologies that can help address the current pandemic and better position the U.S. for the next public health emergency.”
The InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer, which the FDA said was about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, will be able to be used in places like mobile testing sites, hospitals and doctor’s offices, the agency said.
About 100 of the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzers, each of which the FDA said can be used to test roughly 160 samples per day, are anticipated to be made each week. | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/coronavirus/fda-approves-first-covid-19-breath-test-for-emergency-use/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:32 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/health/coronavirus/fda-approves-first-covid-19-breath-test-for-emergency-use/ |
ALEXANDRIA, La. (WNTZ) – On April 1st, 2022, the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Unit received a Crime Stoppers tip in reference to methamphetamine being sold from a house on Olive Street in Alexandria, LA. Agents immediately began their investigation and identified the suspect as Christopher Ray Sherman, 39 of Alexandria. The tip also included information that multiple firearms were in the residence with Sherman. Due to the fact the target residence was across the street a school, Agents took extra precautions in conducting their investigation. From the evidence gathered through their investigation, Agents were able to establish probable cause for a search warrant of the residence.
Due to location of the residence in proximity to a school, Sherman’s prior felony gun conviction in 2017 and the possibility of firearms being in the residence and accessible to Sherman, Agents requested the assistance of the Alexandria Police Department’s Special Response Team (SRT) to execute the search warrant.
Woman arrested for identity theft in Glenmora
On April 14th, 2022 at approximately 5 am, APD SRT made entry into the residence and Sherman was located and taken into custody without incident. RADE Agents conducted the search of the residence and located fentanyl, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, body armor and three firearms (pictured). One of the firearms recovered had been reported stolen to the Alexandria Police Department. Agents say the seized firearms will also be compared to recent local cases where gun violence is being investigated with the hopes of solving other crimes.
Sherman was placed under arrest and transported to the Rapides Parish Detention Center and booked on several charges. Sherman remains in jail at the time of this release as no bond has been set on the felony’s.
Man who murdered Auburn woman also killed mom, stepfather as a boy
The Rapides Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) Unit is a multi-jurisdictional team comprised of the Alexandria Police Department, Ball Police Department, Boyce Police Department, Cheneyville Police Department, Forest Hill Police Department, Glenmora Police Department, Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office Lecompte Police Department, McNary Police Department, Pineville Police Department, Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Woodworth Police Department, Grant Parish District Attorney’s Office and the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s Office.
The RADE Unit continues to target individuals suspected of trafficking narcotics in the Central Louisiana area. If you have information or would like to report any narcotics activity, you may do so by sending direct messages to the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RADEunit/ or call Crime Stoppers at 318-443-7867. Remember, persons providing tips will remain anonymous | https://www.cenlanow.com/local-news/crime-stoppers-tip-leads-to-narcotics-firearms-arrest/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:39 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/local-news/crime-stoppers-tip-leads-to-narcotics-firearms-arrest/ |
(NewsNation) — When Peter Cottontail hops down the bunny trail this year, he’ll be carrying pricier gifts than ever before.
From chocolate bunnies to jelly beans, the average cost of an Easter basket is now $61.83 — a more than 22% increase from spring 2019.
This is due to the 8.5% inflation rate causing a rise in the cost of raw materials such as the ingredients to make candy, higher gas prices to transport the candy to stores, and supply chain issues compounding the problem.
Most Easter treats, including a 6-ounce chocolate bunny, a 10-pack of Peeps, or a pound of jelly beans, are seeing a $1 increase.
If you’re looking to save, stick to candies such as Kit Kats — their prices have only risen by about a quarter.
According to the National Retail Federation, total Easter spending is expected to be about $20.8 billion. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/bunny-money-average-price-of-easter-basket-nearing-62/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:45 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/bunny-money-average-price-of-easter-basket-nearing-62/ |
(The Hill) – The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled $800 million in military equipment to Ukraine as Russia prepares to launch an offensive in the eastern part of the country.
The U.S. has rushed over $3.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including $2.6 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Following a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last week, Ukraine’s foreign minister tweeted: “I came here today to discuss three most important things: weapons, weapons, and weapons.”
The most recent round of U.S. security assistance includes a mixture of arms and other supplies that Washington has already provided Kyiv, as well as new capabilities that had not previously been sent over.
Here is everything the U.S. has sent to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
155 mm howitzers
As part of the Wednesday’s weapons package, the U.S. will for the first time send Ukraine 18 155mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds.
The howitzer, which weighs 10,000 pounds, is a towed field artillery piece that can hit targets up to 30 kilometers, or 18 miles, away.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Ukraine specifically asked for fire support and artillery support, and said the Howitzers are “reflective of the kind of fighting the Ukrainians are expecting to be faced with” in more confined geographic areas.
Mi-17 Helicopters
The $800 million package also includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters. Prior to Wednesday, the U.S. sent Ukraine five Mi-17 helicopters, bringing the total committed up to 16.
The Mi-17 is a Soviet-era transport helicopter that can also function as a helicopter gunship. It can carry as many as 30 passengers or 9,000 pounds of cargo.
The helicopters had originally been earmarked for Afghanistan, Kirby said. It was originally unclear whether Ukraine wanted them, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week, but they were ultimately included after Ukraine said they wanted them.
Switchblade drones
The U.S. has sent hundreds of Switchblade drones to Ukraine in separate installments since the middle of March.
A package announced on March 16 included “100 tactical unmanned aerial systems,” which were later revealed to be Switchblade drones.
The Pentagon provided more of the drones on April 3 as part of a $300 million security assistance package, and this week’s package includes an additional 300 switchblade drones.
There are two types of Switchblade drones manufactured by AeroVironment. The Switchblade 300, which is intended to target personnel and light vehicles, weighs less than five pounds and can fly roughly six miles and can hover over targets for about 15 minutes.
The Switchblade 600, a more advanced version of the drone meant to target tanks, weighs about 50 pounds, can fly over 24 miles, and can stay in the air for roughly 40 minutes.
The U.S. has provided both to Ukraine, though it’s unclear how many of each.
Radars
The $800 million weapons package announced Wednesday includes two different types of radars — ten AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars and two AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars.
The AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radar is a light-weight mobile radar set that can automatically detect and track incoming mortar, artillery and rocket-fire. When it detects a projectile, it can compute its location and be used to direct counter-fires
The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars is a 3-D radar that can alert and cue short range air defense weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching front-line forces. They can track and identify cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
Stingers and Javelins
The U.S. has sent thousands of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.
The weapons, which can be deployed by ground troops to hit targets within short ranges, have been crucial in Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, U.S. defense officials have said.
“The Javelin, the Stingers have proven to be very, very effective in this fight,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the House Armed Services committee on April 5.
Here are other types of military equipment sent to Ukraine:
- Coastal defense drones
- Grenade launchers
- Rifles
- Pistols
- Machine guns
- Shot guns
- Body armor
- Helmets
- Patrol boats
- Medical equipment
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment
- Demining equipment | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/here-are-all-the-weapons-the-us-is-sending-to-ukraine/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:51 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/here-are-all-the-weapons-the-us-is-sending-to-ukraine/ |
OPELIKA, Ala. (WRBL) – An Alabama family says the man convicted in the Capital Murder of Auburn University graduate Lori Ann Slesinski in 2006 also killed his mother and stepfather back in 1993 in north Montgomery.
Donna Furr, Angela Flowers, and Tina Sexton are the daughters of Eddie Flowers. The sisters waited to speak publicly about what Derrill Richard Ennis did as a 12-year-old until a verdict and sentencing were handed down in the Slesinski case. Now, the daughters are urging Alabama lawmakers to reconsider how juvenile murder cases are handled. They released the following statement to WRBL News 3:
“We would like to begin by sending our condolences to Lori Ann’s mom, family, and friends. We pray for you daily and hope today’s verdict will bring you some form of peace and closure. We want to thank the members of the Auburn Police Department, Lee County Sheriff Department, State Bureau of Investigation and its Cold Case Unit, US Marshalls, and all other agencies that were involved for the countless hours of work you put into this case. Without your hard work, Derrill Richard “Rick” Ennis, would still be walking the streets living his life as if nothing happened with the potential to take other lives. In March 1993, our lives were forever changed at the hands of Rick Ennis. He brutally murdered our father, Eddie Flowers, and stepmother (his mother), Dolly Flowers. Ennis was 12 years old at the time of their murders and was put into the Juvenile Justice System. By Alabama law, you must be at least 14 years old to be tried as an adult. As a result of this law, Ennis was released from the juvenile system when he turned 21 years old, only serving less than 9 years behind bars. During his time as a juvenile, Ennis escaped twice, and no other charges were brought against him. Many people believe that children do not commit crimes such as murder, but we know that is not true. The violence that happens in this state and across this nation has no age limit. The courts shouldn’t be bound by a state law that says children less than 14 can’t be tried as adults. This case is living proof. If Ennis would have received the punishment he deserved when he murdered 2 people at 12 years old, Lori Ann wouldn’t have lost her life at the hands of this evil person. The State of Alabama must change their laws! We have missed our daddy for 29 long years. He hasn’t been there for graduations, marriages, grandchildren and great grandchildren being born and the joy of watching them grow, loving and spoiling them, fishing trips, holidays, family gatherings, and the list could go on. So, today when Rick Ennis was found guilty on the charges of Capital Murder Burglary and Capital Murder Kidnapping and sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole, our family could breathe a sigh of relief and know that justice has finally been served!”
Donna Furr, Angela Flowers, and Tina Sexton
Daughters of Eddie Flowers
News 3 is unable to obtain records in the deaths of Ennis’ mother and stepfather because juvenile records are sealed. Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere declined to comment on Ennis’ past criminal history stating she did not think she was allowed to under the law. News 3 did find newspaper articles written about the case in 1993. Ennis’ defense team told News 3 they had no knowledge of the deaths.
Ennis was sentenced on Thursday inside a Lee County courtroom to spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole for the Capital Murder during a Kidnapping, and Burglary of Lori Ann Slesinski. The sentencing comes as District Attorney Ventiere informed the judge Slesinkski’s mother decided the best option for her family is to not seek the death penalty and the lengthy appeals process associated with it.
Thursday, a Lee County jury found Derrill “Rick” Ennis guilty in the slaying of the 24-year-old Auburn graduate who worked at East Alabama Mental Health. Under the law, jurors are not allowed to know about a defendants previous alleged crimes or convictions.
Prosecutors say Ennis was romantically obsessed with Slesinski and killed her when she refused to be more than friends. Investigators say Ennis was always a suspect, but an indictment didn’t happen in the case until 2018 after a cold case unit spent 18-months reviewing the 2006 murder. Slesinski’s body has never been found.
Forensic investigators testified the defendant’s semen and presumptive blood were inside Slesinski’s mobile home. Investigators located a phone, missing its long chord, in her bedroom. A rolled cigarette with Ennis’ DNA was found near Slesinski’s burned vehicle. Ennis was the last person known to be with Slesinski when she was alive. When Ennis was questioned after Lori Ann vanished detectives took pictures of fresh scratches on his arms and hands. Prosecutors said located in his car was “a murderer’s tool kit” with cleaning supplies, a knife, and handcuffs.
Ennis testified in his own defense, saying he was good friends with Lori and they had consensual sex. He maintains he did not kill her. He says the scratches came from his dog. His defense team claims investigators bungled evidence in the case and can not prove beyond a reasonable doubt Ennis is the killer.
“We know Rick and we know he is innocent and he has our unconditional support,” said a note to reporters from supporters who gathered in the courtroom during the trial, verdict and sentencing.
Ennis plans on appealing.
Meanwhile, Arlene Slesinski says she waited 16 years for the man she knew killed her daughter to be held accountable for ending her life at just 24-years-old.
Thursday, her mother says Lori Ann, along with her brother who died of cancer, and her father who died of COVID are celebrating justice in Heaven with Lori’s beloved dog Peanut. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/man-who-murdered-auburn-woman-also-killed-mom-stepfather-as-a-boy/ | 2022-04-15T16:42:57 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/man-who-murdered-auburn-woman-also-killed-mom-stepfather-as-a-boy/ |
(ABC4) – Over one million hot glue guns have been recalled due to fire and burn hazards, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on Thursday.
The glue guns, which were recalled by Dollar Tree, can malfunction when plugged in.
Dollar Tree received several reports of electrical malfunctions when using the products, some of the reports included fire. One report indicated resulting skin irritation.
The hot glue guns were sold nationwide at Dollar Tree from August 2020 through February 2022 and at Family Dollar stores nationwide January-February 2022 for about $1.
The CPSC said consumers should immediately unplug and stop the Crafter’s Square Glue Gun and return it to any Dollar Tree or Family Dollar store for a full refund.
Official say online purchasers will be contacted directly with further instructions.
About 1,025,000 hot glue guns have been recalled. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/over-1m-hot-glue-guns-sold-at-dollar-tree-recalled-due-to-fire-hazard/ | 2022-04-15T16:43:04 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/over-1m-hot-glue-guns-sold-at-dollar-tree-recalled-due-to-fire-hazard/ |
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Three hurricanes made their way through Louisiana in 2020.
Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta left a lot of damage in their wake.
In the aftermath of these hurricanes, ‘adjuster churning’ left many policyholders frustrated and unable to get a settlement.
The Louisiana Department of Insurance took a look at potential improper activity by insurers after the hurricanes.
As a result of that, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is proposing a fine for five homeowners insurance companies.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, “Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has proposed fining five homeowners insurance companies a combined $764,750 following targeted market conduct examinations of their insurance activities between August 27, 2020, and June 30, 2021, a period in which hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta made landfall in Louisiana.”
The five companies that could be fined are listed below:
- United Property & Casualty Insurance Company
- GeoVera Specialty Insurance Company
- FedNat Insurance Company
- Maison Insurance Company
- Allied Trust Insurance Company
The Louisiana Department of Insurance states that “the five examinations found 44 instances of improper activities and/or business practices that were noncompliant with the Louisiana Insurance Code.”
So what can you do if you think your insurer is treating you unfairly?
Commissioner Donelon recommends that you contact LDI Office of Consumer Services at 1-800-259-5300, option 3, or got to ldi.la.gov/fileacomplaint and file a complaint.
If you have concerns about an insurance-related transaction, contact the LDI Insurance Fraud Division at 225-342-4956 or 1-800-259-5300.
“The devastation and impact of the 2020 hurricane season was overwhelming, but that doesn’t excuse the activities we discovered in our market conduct examinations of these five insurers,” said Commissioner Donelon. “I strongly encourage our state’s insurance industry to take note of the unacceptable behavior we found and know we will continue to pursue appropriate fines and regulatory action against any insurer that is not meeting their obligations.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/ldi-five-insurers-could-be-facing-fines-following-potential-improper-activity-after-2020-hurricanes/ | 2022-04-15T16:43:10 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/ldi-five-insurers-could-be-facing-fines-following-potential-improper-activity-after-2020-hurricanes/ |
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A Shreveport mother is taking her personal tragedy and using it to help Shreveport communities plagued by gun violence and the collective grief that follows.
Tasha Myers’ 17-year-old son Devin was fatally shot last month near his home in Shreveport’s Queensborough neighborhood. He was a Huntington High School athlete who played on the school’s basketball team.
Now, Tasha Meyers is starting a nonprofit called “Friends of Devin” to help Shreveport children and their families, plagued by violence deal with grief and its effects. Outreach will start with the Huntington High School family.
“We can still help the kids in the community to get what they need, backpacks, hygiene, snack packs. We’re going to start off like that first,” Myers said.
Myers is hoping to engage the community in a conversation about mental health and how to cope with death. She plans to do so during a taping of The Risk Taker Podcast Huntington students and other community members are invited to be on hand for the official launch of Friends of Devin.
“I just want all the mothers to be strong. It’s hard,” Myers said. “I’m not gonna say it’s easy. Not going to tell you we’re not going to grieve, others grieve differently mine is going to be dealing with the kids cause that’s what I love.”
There will be conversations with Devin Myers’ coaches and a counselor will be on-site to talk about how to cope with grief and loss. The event will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at 8516 Meadow Parkway Drive in Shreveport.
Centenary College psychology professor Latoya Pierce says a basic way to cope with death is engaging with others who know how grief feels.
“It’s a process that we simply navigate and that we don’t try to speed through,” Pierce said. “But I think resources too. Nonprofits, support groups. A lot of the time what, they can do is give you the space that you need to grieve in the way that you need to grieve.”
“Devin’s death has brought community back. We’ve had a chance to witness and be a part of what it means for community to come together and to help one another and we thought that was lost and that’s what ‘Friends of Devin’ is all about,” said Francine Brown, Executive Director of Seniors First. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/mother-of-slain-teen-turns-grief-into-community-care/ | 2022-04-15T16:43:17 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/mother-of-slain-teen-turns-grief-into-community-care/ |
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — It’s been nearly 100 days since New Orleans woman Becky Hendrix was last seen or heard from by her family, but now, new details in the case could lead police to more answers surrounding her disappearance.
On Thursday, Crimestoppers GNO announced 2 people were wanted for questioning in connection to the case.
NOPD is seeking 56-year-old Etienne Defelice and 43-year-old Michael Hearty as the persons of interest in the missing person investigation.
Reports show that 44-year-old Becky Hendrix was reported missing on January 19.
According to law enforcement, Defelice and Hearty are not sought on criminal charges at the moment, but police believe the individuals could have information on her whereabouts.
NOPD asks anyone with any information on the location of the individuals to immediately notify First District detectives at 504-658-6010 or Crimestoppers at 821-1111 or Sergeant Terrence Hilliard directly at 504-658-6403. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/nopd-seeks-persons-of-interest-in-connection-to-missing-44-year-old-woman/ | 2022-04-15T16:43:23 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/nopd-seeks-persons-of-interest-in-connection-to-missing-44-year-old-woman/ |
WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — Fruit and vegetables bound for grocery shelves and restaurants are rotting on semi-trucks at the Texas-Mexico border.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state officials to inspect every commercial truck that crosses the border, after it passes through U.S. Customers and Border Protection. The governor said he’s striking back against the Biden administration’s decision to stop enforcing COVID-19 emergency health restrictions at the border next month.
Trucks are lined up for miles with some drivers waiting up to 72 hours just to cross the border.
“This is a real gut punch to the American consumer right now,” said President of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas Lance Jungmeyer.
Jungmeyer said on a normal day, 2,000 trucks each deliver up to 40,000 pounds of fresh produce to the U.S.
“Right now that is zero or practically zero,” he said.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the added inspections are paralyzing cross-border businesses.
“These actions are impacting jobs and livelihood of hardworking families,” Psaki said.
But Abbott said the inspections will continue until the federal government agrees to extend the COVID-19 emergency restrictions at the border.
“The ultimate way to end the clogged border is for President Biden, to do his job and to secure the border,” Abbott said.
Abbott ordered an end to the state inspections at one of Texas’ 13 commercial crossings Wednesday. The governor of neighboring Nuevo Leon, Mexico, said he reached an agreement with Abbott to keep the trucks moving.
The produce association sent a letter to Abbott, asking him to let the trucks roll.
“Because we can’t see the cost of our tomatoes, the cost of our avocados, the cost of our asparagus, the cost of our strawberries continue to go up,” said Jungmeyer. | https://www.cenlanow.com/washington-dc/a-real-gut-punch-produce-association-asks-abbott-to-reconsider-truck-inspections-at-border/ | 2022-04-15T16:43:29 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/washington-dc/a-real-gut-punch-produce-association-asks-abbott-to-reconsider-truck-inspections-at-border/ |
(The Hill) – Russia has sent a formal letter to the U.S. warning that shipments of sensitive weapons from the United States and NATO were exacerbating tensions in Ukraine and could lead to “unpredictable consequences,” The Washington Post reported.
The letter, which was viewed by the Post, added that the U.S. has flouted the rules governing the transfer of weapons to conflict zones.
According to the letter, dated Tuesday, Russia accused NATO of impeding early peace negotiations with Ukraine “in order to continue the bloodshed.”
The State Department declined to confirm any private diplomatic correspondence.
However, a spokesperson added that it can confirm that along with allies and partners, “we are providing Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of security assistance, which our Ukrainian partners are using to extraordinary effect to defend their country against Russia’s unprovoked aggression and horrific acts of violence.”
The news of the diplomatic letter comes as President Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine this week, which for the first time included advanced munitions that the war-torn country has requested.
“The Ukrainian military has used the weapons we are providing to devastating effect. As Russia prepares to intensify its attack in the Donbas region, the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to defend itself,” Biden said.
The most recent round of U.S. security assistance includes a mixture of arms and other supplies that Washington has already provided Kyiv, as well as new capabilities that had not previously been sent over.
According to the Pentagon, the aid package includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 300 Switchblade drones, 200 M113 armored personnel carriers, 18 howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds, 10 counter-artillery radars, 500 Javelin missiles, unmanned coastal defense vessels and protective equipment in the event of a chemical or biological weapons attack.
The president has also imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion.
The Russians have withdrawn forces from around the Ukrainian capital after weeks of trying to capture Kyiv unsuccessfully and are expected to focus attacks on the south and east, including the Donbas region. | https://www.cenlanow.com/washington-dc/russia-sends-formal-letter-warning-us-to-stop-arming-ukraine-report/ | 2022-04-15T16:43:36 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/washington-dc/russia-sends-formal-letter-warning-us-to-stop-arming-ukraine-report/ |
Black was a key player in the team's run to the NCAA championship game. He does not put up gaudy points statistics, but he in an invaluable key to the team's success.
@UNC_Basketball ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yi2uoZgT1p
— Rechon “Leaky” Black (@RechonBlack) April 15, 2022
Coach Hubert Davis repeatedly said last year that Black was one of the best players in the conference, arguing that he should've won ACC Defensive Player of the Year, which ultimately went to Duke's Mark Williams.
"Every game his assignment is to play the best offensive player on the perimeter, and he loves that challenge. He loves that assignment, and he's been fantastic on both ends of the floor," Davis said during a press conference in March.
Next year will be Black's fifth season as a Tar Heel. He can return for that extra season due to the COVID-19 rules that allow players an extra year of eligibility.
Black joins superstar big man Armando Bacot in announcing a return to the Tar Heels.
UNC fans are now anxiously awaiting the decision of sophomore guard Caleb Love. | https://abc11.com/leaky-black-unc-basketball-news-twitter/11751673/ | 2022-04-15T16:43:58 | 1 | https://abc11.com/leaky-black-unc-basketball-news-twitter/11751673/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped by two-tenths of a point in March to 4.9%, another indication the state’s jobs picture continues to strengthen.
The Labor and Industry Department said Friday the decrease mirrored the national picture, as U.S. joblessness fell by the same fraction, to 3.6%.
The labor force continued to grow, with nonfarm payrolls up by nearly 16,000 to some 5.9 million. Increases were seen widely across employment categories. Professional and business services led the growth with a gain of 7,600.
Pennsylvania unemployment is now 2.2 percentage points below where it was one year ago. Leisure and hospitality businesses have added 70,000 jobs over the past 12 months.
Labor and Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier says the state “continues to rebound strongly” from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pennsylvania’s labor force peaked at almost 6.6 million just before the pandemic began. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/pennsylvania/pennsylvanias-unemployment-rate-drops-to-4-9/article_fe836874-bcd2-11ec-bf12-ebbf497381b7.html | 2022-04-15T16:45:36 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/pennsylvania/pennsylvanias-unemployment-rate-drops-to-4-9/article_fe836874-bcd2-11ec-bf12-ebbf497381b7.html |
SCRANTON, Pa. - A Monroe County man could spend years in prison for a 2019 bank robbery in East Stroudsburg.
Terrance Tyson, 45, pleaded guilty Tuesday to bank robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The East Stroudsburg man robbed NBT Bank on Sept. 24, 2019 and made off with about $5,226, authorities said.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani ordered a pre-sentence investigation. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Under federal law, Tyson faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine and a period of supervised release. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/poconos-coal/monroe-man-admits-to-2019-bank-robbery/article_8d60d082-bccd-11ec-85f7-5bc5313eb40e.html | 2022-04-15T16:45:39 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/poconos-coal/monroe-man-admits-to-2019-bank-robbery/article_8d60d082-bccd-11ec-85f7-5bc5313eb40e.html |
PITTSBURGH, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "We wanted to create an easier way to transport heavy objects to and from various locations as well as up and down stairs," said one of two inventors, from Atlanta, Ga., "so we invented the AUTOMATED HAND TRUCK. Our design eliminates the need to manually carry items and it could reduce the risk of injury."
The invention provides an improved hand truck/dolly for moving large or heavy items. In doing so, it enables items to be transported on flat surfaces or on stairs. As a result, it reduces physical strain and it saves time and effort. The invention features a durable design that is easy to use so it is ideal for households, moving companies, construction workers, etc. Additionally, a prototype model is available upon request.
The original design was submitted to the Atlanta sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-ALL-2758, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inventhelp-inventors-develop-improved-hand-truck-for-moving-heavy-items-all-2758-301520462.html
SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_automotive/inventhelp-inventors-develop-improved-hand-truck-for-moving-heavy-items-all-2758/article_a5ccd618-399e-5c4b-ab53-32b7815f5ecf.html | 2022-04-15T16:45:40 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_automotive/inventhelp-inventors-develop-improved-hand-truck-for-moving-heavy-items-all-2758/article_a5ccd618-399e-5c4b-ab53-32b7815f5ecf.html |
Blake Willson Group announces James (Jim) McKay as the firm's newest Service Line Leader, responsible for leading BWG's federal, state, and local financial and grants management practice.
ARLINGTON, Va., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Blake Willson Group, LLC (BWG) is pleased to introduce James (Jim) McKay as the firm's newest Service Line Leader, responsible for leading BWG's federal, state, and local government financial and grants management practice.
Mr. McKay brings more than 41 years of experience in federal grants management, internal controls, and financial management. Jim worked at a number of government agencies including the Office of Justice Programs, Government Accountability Office, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Interstate Commerce Commission, and Transportation Security Administration. Most recently, Jim supported the National Science Foundation (NSF) which included consulting for construction and operations monitoring of large research facilities around the globe, grants management governance development, and stakeholder outreach.
"We are excited to have someone of Jim's caliber lead our financial and grants management practice," said RJ Blake, President & CEO of Blake Willson Group. "Jim brings a depth and breadth of experience, foresight, and leadership qualities that will both benefit our team members through his knowledge sharing and add significant value to our customers. We look forward to sharing our expanded capabilities across the Federal Government and grant recipient domains."
Mr. McKay stays current in his contributions to the industry. In 2018, he co-authored the Grants Management Body of Knowledge Reference Guide (GMBoK). He is the 2019 recipient of the National Grants Management Association's (NGMA) Newton Award, which recognizes outstanding, sustained leadership in the grants management field.
Prior to his government career, Mr. McKay spent five years providing award-winning sales and service at Trans World Airlines and served a total of six years of active and reserve duty (Vietnam Era) as a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman.
About Blake Willson Group
Blake Willson Group, LLC delivers comprehensive professional services, financial management, and technology solutions to Civilian, Defense, and Intelligence Community clients in the Washington, D.C. metro area and beyond. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, the firm holds Department of VA-certified (CVE) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) status, is an SBA 8(a) program participant, and a licensed CPA firm with an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system.
Learn more by visiting http://www.blakewillsongroup.com
Media Contact
Marilyn Dyess, Blake Willson Group, 1 5713972234, mdyess@blakewillsongroup.com
SOURCE Blake Willson Group | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/blake-willson-group-announces-jim-mckay-as-newest-service-line-leader-in-financial-management/article_ab23e99d-f14f-5af2-923b-dd4712539be5.html | 2022-04-15T16:45:40 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/blake-willson-group-announces-jim-mckay-as-newest-service-line-leader-in-financial-management/article_ab23e99d-f14f-5af2-923b-dd4712539be5.html |
ARLINGTON, Va., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As the new Vice President of Business Development at Millennium Corporation, Keith Cooperman is principally responsible for the business growth, business development operations, and direct oversight of the Millennium's Capture and Proposal Teams.
Keith brings more than 20 years of experience in federal contracting and entrepreneurial ventures. Prior to joining Millennium, he was responsible for leading growth and business development of Guidehouse's $50m+ National Security Portfolio. This included 200+ people supporting U.S. National Defense, Intelligence, and Civilian Agencies (DoD, DHS, CIA, ODNI, NSA, NRO, NGA, and DIA), military intelligence components, and a prime ID/IQ at the CIA. He has run many successful captures of competitive, full and open business that accelerated the growth plans for Guidehouse, SAIC, Engility-TASC and NJVC.
Before joining Guidehouse, Keith was the Director of Growth for SAIC. During this time, he brought in an annual revenue of $500m and led the rebranding and marketing of Engility's cloud migration solution, Cloud ASCEND™.
Keith attended Johns Hopkins University's undergraduate program for International Studies and Master's program for International Relations. He then received an MBA from the University of Maryland.
"We are excited to welcome Keith Cooperman as our new VP of Business Development! His track record of experience and leadership will be a key enabler for the corporation," said Kevin Jennings, CEO & Co-Founder.
About Millennium Corporation
For nearly two decades, Millennium Corporation has been operating on the leading edge of cybersecurity. Our elite team of nearly 400 experts has an unparalleled record of performance supporting Red Team Operations, Defensive Cyber Operations, Software Engineering, and Technical Engineering. With the largest contingent of contracted Red Team operators in the DoD, we provide an unmatched level of threat intelligence and battle-tested experience for customers in both the DoD and federal civilian markets.
Millennium is headquartered at 1400 Crystal Drive #400 Arlington VA 22202.
Media Contact:
Christina Mansfield, Chief Administrative Officer
703.887.4811
Christina.mansfield@millgroupinc.com
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SOURCE Millennium Corporation | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/keith-cooperman-joins-millennium-corporation-as-new-vice-president-of-business-development/article_c2944525-4cc2-56f7-8868-1a5b4f21fec6.html | 2022-04-15T16:45:41 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/keith-cooperman-joins-millennium-corporation-as-new-vice-president-of-business-development/article_c2944525-4cc2-56f7-8868-1a5b4f21fec6.html |
Acquisition expands firm's portfolio, resources and capabilities in supply chain services. Deal retains current RK Logistics management team; will continue running the business under new ownership. Rod Kalune, RK Logistics founder and chairman retires, concluding 40-year career.
FREMONT, Calif., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- RK Logistics Group, a leading Silicon Valley provider of warehousing, eCommerce fulfillment and supply chain management services, announced today it has been acquired by a group of investors led by Miami, Florida-based AOI Capital.
"RK Logistics Group has a stellar reputation as a high-performance supply chain operator supporting some of the most demanding, complex and mission-driven businesses in Silicon Valley," said Joe MacLean, chief executive, AOI Capital. "We welcome RK Logistics to our portfolio and we are confident that with RK's skilled workforce, collaborative employee culture and a proven, agile approach to customer solutions, together we will build on its track record of sustained, profitable growth."
"This is the start of an exciting new chapter in our journey," said Rock Magnan, president of RK Logistics Group. "We look forward to benefiting from the business acumen and financial expertise Joe MacLean and his team bring to the table." Mr. MacLean emphasized as well that RK's current management has been retained and will continue to run the day-to-day operations of the company.
Miami-based AOI Capital is an investment firm founded in 2009. The company invests in start-ups and ongoing businesses, with a primary focus on Ecommerce firms, pharmaceutical sales and distribution, and third-party logistics services. An active participant in its portfolio companies, AOI Capital works side by side with management running the business to accelerate growth, innovation and market value, contributing capital resources as well as financial, digital marketing and business management expertise.
The RK Logistics acquisition marks an expansion of AOI Capital's participation in third-party logistics services, a sector that investors see as highly attractive given the surging demand for quality warehousing, distribution and supply chain management capabilities, particularly among Silicon Valley manufacturing, industrial, retail and eCommerce fulfillment businesses.
Today, RK Logistics Group operates in Newark, Fremont, and Hayward, employs over 300 associates and manages some one million square feet of warehousing and distribution capacity.
The company works with some of the Silicon Valley's most successful and innovative companies. Clients include high-tech manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, pharmaceutical, medical device, high value engineered building products, retail consumer goods chains, and eCommerce sellers.
RK also operates the South Bay's only certified, general purpose Foreign Trade Zone. This capability allows local businesses which import manufactured components to take advantage of trade policies and practices that can reduce administrative regulatory costs and associated tariffs and duties for imported goods, while protecting the integrity of high-value products in a secured environment.
RK Founder Rod Kalune Retires
With the completion of the sale of the company, RK Logistics Group's Founder and Chairman, Rod Kalune, has retired. A veteran of some 40 years in the Northern California trucking and logistics business, Mr. Kalune started RK Logistics Group over 35 years ago with a handful of employees, one warehouse and several trucks.
For more information about RK's services, visit https://www.rklogisticsgroup.com/capabilities/.
ABOUT RK LOGISTICS GROUP -- RK Logistics is a premier 3PL provider of full-spectrum, customized supply chain services for the world's most demanding customers. RK's manufacturing support, warehousing, eCommerce, order fulfillment and transportation services feature lean practices, enabling technologies and a customer-first focus on reliable cost-effective solutions. RK Logistics Group is ISO-9001 and California Board of Pharmacy 3PL certified. For more information, go to http://www.rklogisticsgroup.com
Media Contact
Gary Frantz, RK Logistics Group, 9255941434, gary.frantz@rklogisticsgroup.com
SOURCE RK Logistics Group | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/rk-logistics-group-announces-acquisition-by-aoi-capital/article_32c2748a-4a46-5e7a-8cc1-eb9c9120b9e9.html | 2022-04-15T16:45:56 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/rk-logistics-group-announces-acquisition-by-aoi-capital/article_32c2748a-4a46-5e7a-8cc1-eb9c9120b9e9.html |
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Access to Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Coalition (ACGP) announced today the addition of Blueprint Medicines to its coalition of companies advocating for coverage of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) for patients living with advanced cancer by U.S. health insurers.
"The addition of Blueprint Medicines upholds the collective commitment from the diagnostics companies, laboratory services providers, and pharmaceutical companies of ACGP to increase access to comprehensive profiling for people living with cancer," said Jim Almas, MD, vice president and national medical director of clinical effectiveness at Labcorp, and the chairman of ACGP. "Blueprint Medicines plays a major role in the fields of oncology and precision therapy and their support of our efforts is welcomed."
CGP testing performed soon after a diagnosis of advanced cancer better informs medical management, including treatment decisions and patient care, which can improve clinical outcomes. In advocating for coverage of CGP, ACGP seeks to educate health insurers and other healthcare stakeholders about the clinical utility and economic value of CGP.
All companies that offer CGP tests or offer a product with CGP are eligible for consideration of membership in ACGP. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a member, please contact us here.
About Blueprint Medicines
Blueprint Medicines is a global precision therapy company that invents life-changing therapies for people with cancer and blood disorders. Applying an approach that is both precise and agile, we create medicines that selectively target genetic drivers, with the goal of staying one step ahead across stages of disease. Since 2011, we have leveraged our research platform, including expertise in molecular targeting and world-class drug design capabilities, to rapidly and reproducibly translate science into a broad pipeline of precision therapies. Today, we are delivering approved medicines directly to patients in the United States and Europe, and we are globally advancing multiple programs for systemic mastocytosis, lung cancer and other genomically defined cancers, and cancer immunotherapy. For more information, visit www.BlueprintMedicines.com and follow us on Twitter (@BlueprintMeds) and LinkedIn.
About the Access to Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Coalition
Access to Comprehensive Genomic Profiling (ACGP) is a collaborative coalition of leading molecular diagnostics companies and laboratories that aims to raise awareness about comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) for advanced cancer patients.
For more information, visit: http://www.accesstoCGP.com
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SOURCE Access to Comprehensive Genomic Profiling | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/the-access-to-comprehensive-genomic-profiling-coalition-welcomes-blueprint-medicines-as-a-member/article_fa6c27fd-b383-51e3-9dd6-2abac5fe5183.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:02 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/the-access-to-comprehensive-genomic-profiling-coalition-welcomes-blueprint-medicines-as-a-member/article_fa6c27fd-b383-51e3-9dd6-2abac5fe5183.html |
SAN FRANCISCO, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a limited duration shareholder rights plan (the "Rights Plan"). The Board adopted the Rights Plan following an unsolicited, non-binding proposal to acquire Twitter.
The Rights Plan is intended to enable all shareholders to realize the full value of their investment in Twitter. The Rights Plan will reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of Twitter through open market accumulation without paying all shareholders an appropriate control premium or without providing the Board sufficient time to make informed judgments and take actions that are in the best interests of shareholders.
The Rights Plan does not prevent the Board from engaging with parties or accepting an acquisition proposal if the Board believes that it is in the best interests of Twitter and its shareholders.
The Rights Plan is similar to other plans adopted by publicly held companies in comparable circumstances. Under the Rights Plan, the rights will become exercisable if an entity, person or group acquires beneficial ownership of 15% or more of Twitter's outstanding common stock in a transaction not approved by the Board. In the event that the rights become exercisable due to the triggering ownership threshold being crossed, each right will entitle its holder (other than the person, entity or group triggering the Rights Plan, whose rights will become void and will not be exercisable) to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, additional shares of common stock having a then-current market value of twice the exercise price of the right.
The Rights Plan will expire on April 14, 2023.
Additional information regarding the Rights Plan will be contained in a Form 8-K to be filed by Twitter with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Twitter is what's happening and what people are talking about right now. To learn more, visit about.twitter.com and follow @Twitter. Let's talk.
Investors:
Press
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SOURCE Twitter, Inc. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/twitter-adopts-limited-duration-shareholder-rights-plan-enabling-all-shareholders-to-realize-full-value-of/article_94f19b87-f0ab-5c90-a3b6-4674546e77e0.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:09 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/twitter-adopts-limited-duration-shareholder-rights-plan-enabling-all-shareholders-to-realize-full-value-of/article_94f19b87-f0ab-5c90-a3b6-4674546e77e0.html |
LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DACK, a mobile-first SaaS platform that enables short-term rental operators to provide their guests with a seamless digital stay experience, has been selected as the guest experience solution for North Carolina-based Yonder Luxury Vacation Rentals. DACK's powerful guest experience platform, which includes keycode / digital key management, customizable property guides and upsells, contactless check-in and checkout, dynamic local recommendations, one-touch WiFi, and more, will now be offered across Yonder's 200-door short-term rental portfolio.
Yonder is a beloved North Carolina-based luxury rental provider known for its nature-centric mountain homes and cabins. When guests stay at a Yonder property, they know they're in for an unforgettable time. Yonder offers high-quality, unique, and breathtaking experiences across its more than 200 unique mountain properties, and their devotion to surpassing guests' expectations has earned them over 12,000 5-star reviews, as well as selection in AirBnB's Host Tool study.
"Yonder's dedication to delivering unique and memorable guest experiences is apparent and closely aligned with our values. We are eager to help them deliver on their mission to provide 'authentic interaction and personalized customer service,' because we believe we are particularly well-positioned to do so," said Thomas Schaper, Head of Product at DACK.
"The guest experience is critical, and we believe that our relationship with DACK will help us to further enhance our offerings and continue to create the kinds of memories that keep our guests coming back," said CMO Mark Bastin at Yonder. "With their mobile-first platform, we can effortlessly scale our personalized and authentic guest experience without sacrificing quality."
About Yonder
For over 12 years, Yonder has been North Carolina's premier luxury vacation rental cabin, home and property management firm. Yonder focuses on delivering an exceptional vacation experience through local customer knowledge, support, and hand-selected homes. Every Yonder home is individually decorated and beautifully furnished to give guests a unique and memorable vacation with family and friends. For more info visit: yondernc.com
About DACK
Venture-backed DACK, Inc. is a revolutionary guest technology start-up that enables operators to provide their guests with an all-in-one, mobile-first, digital stay experience. Through DACK's SaaS platform, operators can provide their guests with digital access, contactless check-in and checkout, intuitive property guides, one-touch WiFi, local recommendations, customizable upsells, and more. Since its product launch in 2020 DACK has grown rapidly and is now used at thousands of properties across multiple lodging verticals. For more info visit: dackinc.com.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yonder-selects-dack-as-guest-experience-partner-301526329.html
SOURCE DACK | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/yonder-selects-dack-as-guest-experience-partner/article_98bab4a0-1a1c-53cd-a030-aa22aac876bd.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:15 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/yonder-selects-dack-as-guest-experience-partner/article_98bab4a0-1a1c-53cd-a030-aa22aac876bd.html |
NEW YORK, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Carp Market size is expected to grow by USD 14.13 billion from 2021 to 2026 at a CAGR of 7.75% during the forecast period, according to Technavio. Growing awareness of carp's health benefits, particularly in developing countries such as India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Indonesia, is one of the primary drivers driving the worldwide carp market's rise. The report offers an up-to-date analysis and to know exact growth variance and the Y-O-Y growth rate Request a free sample report.
The growing awareness about the health benefits of carp, growing demand for carp used in aquatic weed control, emergence of land-based fish farming will offer immense growth opportunities. However, growing demand for substitutes like tuna, salmon, and other seafoods, illegal fishing and overfishing and distribution and logistics challenges will challenge the growth of the market participants.
To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.
Carp Market 2022-2026: Segmentation
Carp Market is segmented as below:
- Product
- Grass Carp
- Silver Carp
- Comman Carp
- Bighead Carp
- Other Carps
- Geography
- APAC
- North America
- Europe
- South America
- Middle East and Africa
During the forecast period, APAC will account for 44 percent of market growth. Carp's main markets in APAC include Canada, China, and India. The market in this region will increase at a quicker rate than the market in other regions.
Carp market growth in APAC would be aided by rising population and rising demand for inexpensive proteins over the forecast period.
Learn more about the additional trends impacting the future of the market and the positive and negative consequences on the businesses, download a free sample.
Carp Market 2022-2026: Scope
Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our carp market report covers the following areas:
This study identifies growth prospects in e-commerce as one of the prime reasons driving the carp market growth during the next few years.
Carp Market 2022-2026: Vendor Analysis
The growing competition in the market is compelling vendors to adopt various growth strategies such as promotional activities and spending on advertisements to improve the visibility of their services. Some vendors are also adopting inorganic growth strategies such as M&As to remain competitive in the market.
- Baiyang Investment Group Inc.
- Dahu Aquaculture Co. Ltd.
- Lana Springs Fish Farm
- OWEN AND WILLIAMS
- Quintons Orchard Fish Farm
- Shandong Homey Aquatic Development Co. Ltd.
- Shandong Oriental Ocean Group Ltd.
- VS Fisheries
- Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co. Ltd.
- Zoneco Group Co. Ltd.
Find additional highlights on the growth strategies adopted by vendors and their product offerings, Read Free Sample Report.
Carp Market 2022-2026: Key Highlights
- CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2022-2026
- Detailed information on factors that will assist carp market growth during the next five years
- Estimation of the carp market size and its contribution to the parent market
- Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior
- The growth of the carp market
- Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors
- Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of carp market vendors
We offer USD 1,000 worth of FREE customization at the time of purchase. Speak to our Analyst now!
Related Reports:
Sourdough Market by Application and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026
Table Of Contents:
1 Executive Summary
- 1.1 Market overview
- Exhibit 01: Executive Summary – Chart on Market Overview
- Exhibit 02: Executive Summary – Data Table on Market Overview
- Exhibit 03: Executive Summary – Chart on Global Market Characteristics
- Exhibit 04: Executive Summary – Chart on Market by Geography
- Exhibit 05: Executive Summary – Chart on Market Segmentation by Product
- Exhibit 06: Executive Summary – Chart on Incremental Growth
- Exhibit 07: Executive Summary – Data Table on Incremental Growth
- Exhibit 08: Executive Summary – Chart on Vendor Market Positioning
2 Market Landscape
- 2.1 Market ecosystem
- Exhibit 09: Parent market
- Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics
3 Market Sizing
- 3.1 Market definition
- Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition
- 3.2 Market segment analysis
- Exhibit 12: Market segments
- 3.3 Market size 2021
- 3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026
- Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
4 Five Forces Analysis
- 4.1 Five forces summary
- Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026
- 4.2 Bargaining power of buyers
- Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers – Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026
- 4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers
- Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers – Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026
- 4.4 Threat of new entrants
- Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants – Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026
- 4.5 Threat of substitutes
- Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes – Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026
- 4.6 Threat of rivalry
- Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry – Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026
- 4.7 Market condition
- Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026
5 Market Segmentation by Product
- 5.1 Market segments
- Exhibit 24: Chart on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 25: Data Table on Product - Market share 2021-2026 (%)
- 5.2 Comparison by Product
- Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Product
- Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Product
- 5.3 Grass carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 28: Chart on Grass carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 29: Data Table on Grass carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 30: Chart on Grass carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 31: Data Table on Grass carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 5.4 Silver carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 32: Chart on Silver carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 33: Data Table on Silver carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 34: Chart on Silver carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 35: Data Table on Silver carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 5.5 Comman carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 36: Chart on Comman carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 37: Data Table on Comman carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 38: Chart on Comman carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 39: Data Table on Comman carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 5.6 Bighead carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 40: Chart on Bighead carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 41: Data Table on Bighead carp - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 42: Chart on Bighead carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 43: Data Table on Bighead carp - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 5.7 Other carps - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 44: Chart on Other carps - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 45: Data Table on Other carps - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 46: Chart on Other carps - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 47: Data Table on Other carps - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 5.8 Market opportunity by Product
- Exhibit 48: Market opportunity by Product ($ billion)
6 Customer Landscape
- 6.1 Customer landscape overview
- Exhibit 49: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria
7 Geographic Landscape
- 7.1 Geographic segmentation
- Exhibit 50: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 51: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.2 Geographic comparison
- Exhibit 52: Chart on Geographic comparison
- Exhibit 53: Data Table on Geographic comparison
- 7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 54: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 55: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 56: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 57: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 58: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 59: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 60: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 61: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 62: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 63: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 64: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 65: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 66: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 67: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 68: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 69: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 70: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 71: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 72: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 73: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.8 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 74: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 75: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 76: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 77: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.9 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 78: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 79: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 80: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 81: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.10 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 82: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 83: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 84: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 85: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 86: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 87: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 88: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 89: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.12 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026
- Exhibit 90: Chart on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 91: Data Table on Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)
- Exhibit 92: Chart on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- Exhibit 93: Data Table on Canada - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)
- 7.13 Market opportunity by geography
- Exhibit 94: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion)
8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends
- 8.1 Market drivers
- 8.2 Market challenges
- 8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges
- Exhibit 95: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026
- 8.4 Market trends
9 Vendor Landscape
- 9.1 Overview
- 9.2 Vendor landscape
- Exhibit 96: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation
- 9.3 Landscape disruption
- Exhibit 97: Overview on factors of disruption
- 9.4 Industry risks
- Exhibit 98: Impact of key risks on business
10 Vendor Analysis
- 10.1 Vendors covered
- Exhibit 99: Vendors covered
- 10.2 Market positioning of vendors
- Exhibit 100: Matrix on vendor position and classification
- 10.3 Baiyang Investment Group Inc.
- Exhibit 101: Baiyang Investment Group Inc. - Overview
- Exhibit 102: Baiyang Investment Group Inc. - Product / Service
- Exhibit 103: Baiyang Investment Group Inc. - Key offerings
- 10.4 Dahu Aquaculture Co. Ltd.
- Exhibit 104: Dahu Aquaculture Co. Ltd. - Overview
- Exhibit 105: Dahu Aquaculture Co. Ltd. - Business segments
- Exhibit 106: Dahu Aquaculture Co. Ltd. - Key offerings
- Exhibit 107: Dahu Aquaculture Co. Ltd. - Segment focus
- 10.5 Lana Springs Fish Farm
- Exhibit 108: Lana Springs Fish Farm - Overview
- Exhibit 109: Lana Springs Fish Farm - Product / Service
- Exhibit 110: Lana Springs Fish Farm - Key offerings
- 10.6 OWEN AND WILLIAMS
- Exhibit 111: OWEN AND WILLIAMS - Overview
- Exhibit 112: OWEN AND WILLIAMS - Product / Service
- Exhibit 113: OWEN AND WILLIAMS - Key offerings
- 10.7 Quintons Orchard Fish Farm
- Exhibit 114: Quintons Orchard Fish Farm - Overview
- Exhibit 115: Quintons Orchard Fish Farm - Product / Service
- Exhibit 116: Quintons Orchard Fish Farm - Key offerings
- 10.8 Shandong Homey Aquatic Development Co. Ltd.
- Exhibit 117: Shandong Homey Aquatic Development Co. Ltd. - Overview
- Exhibit 118: Shandong Homey Aquatic Development Co. Ltd. - Business segments
- Exhibit 119: Shandong Homey Aquatic Development Co. Ltd. - Key offerings
- Exhibit 120: Shandong Homey Aquatic Development Co. Ltd. - Segment focus
- 10.9 Shandong Oriental Ocean Group Ltd.
- Exhibit 121: Shandong Oriental Ocean Group Ltd. - Overview
- Exhibit 122: Shandong Oriental Ocean Group Ltd. - Product / Service
- Exhibit 123: Shandong Oriental Ocean Group Ltd. - Key offerings
- 10.10 VS Fisheries
- Exhibit 124: VS Fisheries - Overview
- Exhibit 125: VS Fisheries - Product / Service
- Exhibit 126: VS Fisheries - Key offerings
- 10.11 Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co. Ltd.
- Exhibit 127: Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co. Ltd. - Overview
- Exhibit 128: Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co. Ltd. - Product / Service
- Exhibit 129: Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co. Ltd. - Key offerings
- 10.12 Zoneco Group Co. Ltd.
- Exhibit 130: Zoneco Group Co. Ltd. - Overview
- Exhibit 131: Zoneco Group Co. Ltd. - Product / Service
- Exhibit 132: Zoneco Group Co. Ltd. - Key offerings
11 Appendix
- 11.1 Scope of the report
- 11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist
- Exhibit 133: Inclusions checklist
- Exhibit 134: Exclusions checklist
- 11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$
- Exhibit 135: Currency conversion rates for US$
- 11.4 Research methodology
- Exhibit 136: Research methodology
- Exhibit 137: Validation techniques employed for market sizing
- Exhibit 138: Information sources
- 11.5 List of abbreviations
- Exhibit 139: List of abbreviations
About Us
Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.
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Technavio Research
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UK: +44 203 893 3200
Email: media@technavio.com
Website: www.technavio.com/
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SOURCE Technavio | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/carp-market-2022-2026-growing-awareness-about-the-health-benefits-of-carp-to-boost-growth/article_c08c880e-c164-5e38-a1cf-8cf6e9d173ca.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:21 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/carp-market-2022-2026-growing-awareness-about-the-health-benefits-of-carp-to-boost-growth/article_c08c880e-c164-5e38-a1cf-8cf6e9d173ca.html |
PITTSBURGH, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I came up with this idea after hearing a delivery driver say that the smell of the delivered food was so appealing that he wanted to eat it. I thought there should be a way to prevent this from happening," said an inventor, from Rex, Ga., "so I invented the SECURED FOOD DELIVERED SAFE BAGS (SFDS BAGS). My design protects food against tampering, contamination and consumption."
The invention prevents the tampering or consumption of food/drinks by delivery drivers. In doing so, it ensures that food items remain safe within the bag. As a result, it provides peace of mind for consumers. The invention features a safe and secure design that is convenient and easy to use so it is ideal for restaurants and food delivery services. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.
The original design was submitted to the Atlanta sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-ALL-2742, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/inventhelp-inventor-develops-secure-food-delivery-bag-all-2742/article_d552f3e8-f5e7-5a7b-bc77-9fe35abf4242.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:27 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/inventhelp-inventor-develops-secure-food-delivery-bag-all-2742/article_d552f3e8-f5e7-5a7b-bc77-9fe35abf4242.html |
Community activities, giveaways and amazing new technologies kick off at 9 a.m.
PITTSBURGH, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pittsburgh-based Busy Beaver Building Centers recently opened its 25th neighborhood home improvement center at 401 Vine St. in Delmont, Pa.
Formerly a movie theater, the center measures 44,000 square feet and includes a spacious outdoor garden center. Folks in Delmont, Salem Township, Murrysville and other local communities will be welcomed to the new store with a family-friendly grand opening on Saturday, April 30, 2022.
"We're really excited to be a part of the Delmont community," says CEO Joe Kallen. "We have an amazing, knowledgeable and friendly staff with an extensive product offering that will satisfy the needs of the do-it-yourselfer as well as the professional remodeler."
The new store features an array of state-of-the-art technologies. It's the first home improvement center in the U.S. to fully use Pricer electronic shelf labels (ESL), a system that provides greater pricing accuracy by electronically maintaining the price signage.
Further automation comes in the form of Badger Technologies' autonomous robot equipped with Badger® Retail InSight software, which scans the entire store every day and alerts management to out-of-stock and misplaced products.
Both technologies relieve the staff of time-consuming tasks and give them more time to service customers. In addition, the ESL system and robot significantly speed up the handling of online orders, a popular shopping option at all Busy Beaver locations.
"Technology is a key imperative in our mission to be the favorite home improvement center in the communities we serve," says Adam Gunnett, Busy Beaver's director of IT and marketing. "We relentlessly look for innovative ways to increase efficiencies and empower our associates to provide legendary customer service."
Grand opening festivities begin with a board-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. There will be prize giveaways, family-friendly activities, and a live broadcast with WHJB 107.1 FM.
Door Buster specials for in-store customers only will include two-for-one Glidden Paint, Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, and Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed.
During the celebration, Busy Beaver will be accepting donations to Make-A-Wish and will reward one lucky donor with a brand-new Char-Broil Performance Series 4-Burner Gas Grill.
About Busy Beaver
Busy Beaver was founded in 1962 with lumber yards in Clairton, Verona and Carnegie, Pa. The company quickly expanded, opening full-line home improvement centers throughout the 1970's and 1980's.
Currently, Busy Beaver operates 20 full-line home center stores and five True Value brand hardware stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, and employs more than 550 people. In September 2013, Busy Beaver began operating under the ownership of CEO Joseph Kallen, who resides in Delmont, Pa.
The company is committed to providing legendary customer service and a customer-centric in-store experience at each of its neighborhood home improvement centers.
Web: http://www.busybeaver.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BusyBeaverHomeImprovement
Instagram: @busybeaverbuildingcenters
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SOURCE Busy Beaver | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_pennsylvania/new-busy-beaver-home-improvement-center-to-hold-grand-opening-in-delmont-pa-on-april/article_787183bd-6b95-51a3-b4ce-464e84bae5f1.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:33 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_pennsylvania/new-busy-beaver-home-improvement-center-to-hold-grand-opening-in-delmont-pa-on-april/article_787183bd-6b95-51a3-b4ce-464e84bae5f1.html |
NEW YORK, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bit Digital, Inc. (Nasdaq: BTBT) (the "Company"), a bitcoin mining company headquartered in New York, announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on April 15, 2021.
Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Highlights
- Bitcoin mining revenue increased to $96.1 million from $21.1 million in fiscal year 2020, an increase of 355% year over year.
- Net income increased to $4.9 million in fiscal year of 2021, compared to a net loss of $1.9 million in fiscal year 2020.
- Total assets increased to $179.9 million as of December 31, 2021 from $39.9 million as of December 31, 2020, an increase of 351% year over year.
- Non-GAAP income* from operations increased to $48.1 million from $4.9 million in fiscal year 2020.
- Non-GAAP net income** increased to $52.7 million, or $0.96 earnings per share, compared to $1.9 million, or $0.06 earnings per share in fiscal year 2020.
- We had cash and cash equivalents of $42.4 million, and total liquidity (defined as cash and digital assets) of approximately $93.5 million, as of December 31, 2021.
- Successfully raised $118.8 million of gross proceeds from various private placement transactions and issuance of convertible notes.
* Non-GAAP income from operations excludes the impact of depreciation of property and equipment, and share-based compensation expense.
** Non-GAAP net income excludes the impact of depreciation of property and equipment, impairment on digital assets, loss from disposal of property and equipment, and share-based compensation expense.
Fiscal Year 2021 Operational Highlights
- The Company completed the migration of its miner fleet to North America. 100% of our fleet had exited China as of September 30, 2021 and arrived in North America as of November 17, 2021.
- Earned 2,065.3 bitcoins from our bitcoin mining business, compared to 1,510.2 bitcoins earned in fiscal year 2020
- Treasury holdings were 802.23 bitcoins as of December 31, 2021, compared to 262.62 bitcoins as of December 31, 2020.
- The Company owned 27,744 bitcoin miners and 731 Ethereum miners as of December 31, 2021, with an estimated maximum total hash rate of 1.6 EH/s and 0.3 TH/s, respectively.
- On October 7, 2021, we contracted to purchase an additional 10,000 Antminers from Bitmain under a Sales and Purchase Agreement (the "SPA") at an estimated cost of $65 million. These miners are expected to be fully installed by June 2022 and to increase the Company's miner hash rate by approximately 1.0 Exahash ("EH/s").
- As a result of the hosting agreements signed as of December 31, 2021, the Company had secured hosting capacity sufficient to complete the redeployment of its fleet in North America, with additional signed capacity to facilitate future fleet growth.
- On December 7, 2021, the Company became a member of the Bitcoin Mining Council ("BMC"), joining MicroStrategy and other founding members to promote transparency, share best practices, and educate the public on the benefits of bitcoin and bitcoin mining.
- Approximately 67% of our fleet's run-rate electricity consumption was generated from carbon-free energy sources as of December 31, 2021, based on data provided by our hosts, publicly available sources, and internal estimates, demonstrating our commitment to sustainable practices in the digital asset mining industry.
Strategic Priorities
- Successfully complete full deployment of currently-owned fleet and announced miner purchases
- Continue progress towards our carbon-free goal and overall sustainability profile
- Monitor and execute on attractive miner procurement opportunities
- Evaluate and execute on new growth opportunities
Management Commentary
"In 2021, Bit Digital geographically relocated its entire bitcoin mining operation to North America, the only public miner we know of to have achieved this logistical feat. As of March 15, 2022, we had deployed approximately 39% of our fleet here in the U.S. We and our hosting partners remain focused on completing 100% redeployment, which we target for the second half of 2022.
During the year, we showed our differentiated access to procurement, securing miners both through the spot market and direct channels. Further, amidst a tight market for data center rack space, we secured a robust power pipeline to facilitate growth, with over 200 MW contracted – enough to roughly double our fleet size. We did this while continuing to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability.
Non-GAAP Income from Operations of $48.1 million increased nearly 900% year-on-year, illustrating the growth potential of our business. That this was achieved against the backdrop of fleet migration, with many miners offline, is especially powerful.
Bit Digital is excited for the year ahead, as our team explores pioneering new opportunities and continues its focus on growth."
About Bit Digital
Bit Digital, Inc. is a bitcoin mining company headquartered in New York City. Our mining operations are located in North America. For additional information, please contact IR@bit-digital.com or visit our website at www.bit-digital.com.
Investor Notice
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties and forward-looking statements described under "Risk Factors" in Item 3.D of our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 If any material risk was to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations would likely suffer. In that event, the value of our securities could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. The risks and uncertainties we describe are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. In addition, our past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results in the future. Future changes in the network-wide mining difficulty rate or Bitcoin hash rate may also materially affect the future performance of Bit Digital's production of bitcoin. Additionally, all discussions of financial metrics assume mining difficulty rates as of December 2021. See "Safe Harbor Statement" below.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of Bit Digital, Inc., and its subsidiary companies. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," or similar expressions, involving known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements attributable to the company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.
Note: Actual operating hash rate will vary depending on network difficulty rate, total hash rate of the network, the operations of our facilities and the status of our miners.
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SOURCE Bit Digital, Inc. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_stocks/bit-digital-inc-announces-2021-financial-highlights/article_c669de1c-eccf-5ab9-845e-76d5c57c50f2.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:39 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_stocks/bit-digital-inc-announces-2021-financial-highlights/article_c669de1c-eccf-5ab9-845e-76d5c57c50f2.html |
GR0 takes the title of the Fastest-Growing SEO Agency in the nation, with a growth rate of over 300%
LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GR0, a leading SEO agency based in Los Angeles, announced today that it has been named #6 on Clutch's Top 100 Fastest-Growing B2B Providers. The 100 fastest-growing companies rank is based on the absolute revenue growth rate from 2020 to 2021.
GR0 earned the #6 spot on the Top 100 list, with a staggering growth rate of 301.72%. GR0 also took the top spot amongst other SEO agencies, officially cementing the title of fastest-growing SEO agency in the nation.
"We at GR0 are extremely proud of this global recognition and it is a testament of our team's hard work and dedication to our clients," said co-founder and CEO Kevin Miller. "We feel very lucky and honored to be named the fastest-growing SEO agency in the United States. Knowing our team, we are optimistic to be on this list in the years to come. "
Clutch is a B2B review and rating platform that highlights top firms from different industries worldwide. Every year, agencies that are top-rated on the platform and that have exhibited a significant rise in revenue are listed and ranked in the Clutch 100 for Fastest Growth. The service providers on this list are headquartered in the United States, Canada, Ukraine, the UK, Singapore, and other countries across the globe. Among these, the leaders are skilled in a variety of services including SEO, web development, public relations, call center services, and more.
"The Clutch 100 growth lists are meant to highlight the top service providers based on their growth during a challenging period," said Clutch Customer Success Manager Aaron Morales. "The leaders are recognized because of their ability to work through adversity, willingness to participate, and commitment to their clients."
The leading LA-based agency helps brands rank #1 on Google by leveraging search engine optimization and search engine marketing. For more information about GR0 and to read reviews related to client and employee feedback, please visit Comparably, Glassdoor, Clutch or Crunchbase.
About GR0:
GR0's co-founders, Jon Zacharias and Kevin Miller, sought to create a digital marketing agency powered by their wealth of SEO, online marketing, and strategic advisory experience with top D2C and B2B brands. At GR0, our mission is to help brands rank #1 on Google. We accomplish this by empowering clients to build powerful online brands with audiences they fully own through relentlessly innovating and igniting organic growth. While SEO remains the top service for most customers, GR0 offers additional solutions that can be tailored to the individual needs of each client. GR0's mission is to demystify online marketing for brands, allowing them to realize their full potential and deliver unmatched value to every customer.
For business or media inquiries, please reach out to contact@gr0.com
About Clutch:
Clutch (https://clutch.co/) is a global platform whose seasoned analysts verify and organize client reviews for B2B firms. Each year, Clutch announces the best and brightest service providers that meet their meticulous evaluation-based methodology. At the backbone of Clutch's research is the client perspective, which Clutch infers through intensive client interviews.
Media Contact: contact@gr0.com
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SOURCE GR0.com LLC | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_technology/gr0-named-6-on-clutchs-top-100-fastest-growing-companies-in-2022/article_b3a32095-1d43-5261-af26-0ac03698e9f4.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:45 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_technology/gr0-named-6-on-clutchs-top-100-fastest-growing-companies-in-2022/article_b3a32095-1d43-5261-af26-0ac03698e9f4.html |
BRINY BREEZES, Fla., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lux Speed held a Groundbreaking Ceremony to welcome the community of Briny Breezes to the beginning of a better internet experience. The property of Briny Breezes consists of residents who have deep ties to the area. Briny Breezes is a well-known and beautiful property with access to the inter-coastal waterways and ocean. The CO-OP board voted to engage Lux Speed with providing a world class internet and television experience.
"Briny Breezes Inc. is excited to be partnering with Lux Speed Fiber as we work to advance our technology. Our residents are looking forward to community wide, high-speed internet and cable TV. Lux Speed has proven to be an excellent company with which to partner. We look forward to building a successful network, and anticipate completion this fall," said General Manager, Michael Gallacher at Briny Breezes, Inc.
The community gathered before their last board meeting of the season to take participate in the groundbreaking and future deployment of its community-wide Wi-Fi system. The number of residents that attended and participated highlighted the importance and care the residents have for their beautiful Florida home. "We welcome Briny Breezes to our top-of-the-line internet and customer service experience because their needs are our priority," stated CEO of Lux Speed Michael Bertamini. "We're very excited for the opportunity."
Media Contact: Shelby Sisler, 502-216-8399, ssisler@luxspeed.io
Lux Speed
110 E. Broward Blvd, Suite 1630
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
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SOURCE Lux Speed | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_technology/groundbreaking-ceremony-kicks-off-installation-of-lux-speeds-high-speed-internet-and-hd-tv-to/article_39267865-ca51-5329-83be-95a214077399.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:51 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_technology/groundbreaking-ceremony-kicks-off-installation-of-lux-speeds-high-speed-internet-and-hd-tv-to/article_39267865-ca51-5329-83be-95a214077399.html |
HANOI, Vietnam, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cryptocurrency trading is never a lone-wolf game. Instead, battles with other traders could spice up trading and give cryptonauts more incentives to enjoy trading profits. Crypto social trading platform MoonXBT launched Global Trading Battle, in which users can create battles with anyone in their crypto neighborhood.
In this new event, participants can set up their own trading battles, bonus pools and number of participants. In addition to the battle on ROE(Profit /Maximum margin), participants can donate to the bonus pool, up the stakes for more exciting battles. Moreover, both public and private trading battles are available on MoonXBT, allowing users to create a more intimate small-circle community for trading as well as strategy and opinion sharing.
"MoonXBT presents itself as a social trading platform not just by name but with substance," said George Lee, COO of MoonXBT. As a leading pioneer in the crypto world, MoonXBT makes it its mission to keep abreast with the trendiest things in the industry, Among those in the pipeline for MoonXBT are GameFi, SocialFi and DAO. Lee believes that the Global Trading Battle can further autonomy enjoyed by users and interconnectivity among them, which can be used to drive innovation and creativity.
Joining the Global Trading Battle, users can also exchange trading strategies and opinions. Without a central organization governing their opinion sharing, users can enjoy the benefits of a decentralized and autonomous environment for crypto trading. This can empower users and encourage more creativity among users.
The first Global Trading Battle will be held in April 2022, in which 1,000 participants are invited to compete within 7 days. Every 100 participants in the room will donate 1,000 USDT to the prize pool, making the overall donation up to 10,000 USDT. In the future, MoonXBT will hold regular competitions for kings. The outstanding winners will join the MoonXBT star user club and have the opportunity to participate in the MoonXBT DAO organization.
Lee said "MoonXBT's vision is to optimize adoption of crypto throughout the world and foster connection between expert traders and common users."
As part of its mission to provide a refreshing socializing experience for its users, the exchange believes the key to a good user experience is a healthy ecosystem that comes with abundant information. This also includes information sharing among users. The community created by MoonXBT is such a healthy ecosystem that keeps up with the times.
Launching the new Global Trading Battle, MoonXBT has shown its ambition to embrace the GameFi trend in the crypto industry. GameFi, the combination of game and finance, refers to the play-to-earn blockchain games that offer economic incentives to players. In 2021, the number of GameFi projects has witnessed rapid increase and will likely continue to grow in the coming years. As of March 2022, there are more than 1,400 blockchain games listed in DappRadar. Some popular GameFi projects include Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain (BSC), Polygon, Harmony, Solana, among others. Users in GameFi can own in-game assets and make profits through the games as well as enjoying the socialization benefits offered in the gaming context.
By releasing the Global Trading Battle, MoonXBT has gotten into the ground floor of GameFi. The platform's upcoming GameFi series will provide a variety of game mechanisms, approaches, user roles and participation which allow users to enjoy gaming with the wider crypto community to its fullest.
To promote its GameFi ambition, MoonXBT will continue to work with influencers and celebrated brands in the crypto industry, spearheaded by the newly released Global Trading Battle. Participants in the event can be rewarded with abundant benefits while enjoying trading battles with cryptonauts around the world. By engaging influencers and brands, said Lee, "MoonXBT has extended its mission of socialization by giving full play to content creators' social influence". Users can also find like-minded traders by following the same influencers in the community.
Being the first crypto social trading platform, MoonXBT provides an unparalleled trading experience for its users, beginners or professionals. Through tools such as option trading provided on the platform, cryptonauts can enrich their exploration of crypto trading of different products. MoonXBT recently launched its new product Warrant Options. In further pushing the return limits for its users, the platform has the lowest premium for its option products, half that of other exchanges. Looking forward, MoonXBT will launch more crypto trading products with creativity and aim at fostering a crypto neighborhood that encourages interaction, innovation and technology.
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SOURCE MoonXBT | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_technology/moonxbt-launch-new-global-trading-battle-embracing-socialfi-and-gamefi/article_565a54f5-f46f-57b1-b9e2-d531b0f4cc4f.html | 2022-04-15T16:46:57 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_technology/moonxbt-launch-new-global-trading-battle-embracing-socialfi-and-gamefi/article_565a54f5-f46f-57b1-b9e2-d531b0f4cc4f.html |
Aroldis Chapman threw 16 pitches Thursday night. Only four of them found the strike zone. The Yankees’ closer for the last seven years, the 34-year-old has struggled with fastball command over the past two.
Thursday night, Aaron Boone couldn’t wait out another rollercoaster ride. As soon as Chapman walked his third batter, the minimum he had to face under MLB rules, the Yankees manager was slowly walking out to the mound to take the ball from Chapman.
“It’s a tough call,” Boone said after the game.
But it’s one the Yankees have clearly already made. After seeing Chapman struggle last year — to the point where Boone was going to Jonathan Loaisiga to close while he gave time for the veteran closer to work out his issues — the Yankees had a quick hook with him.
“The fastball command was not sharp tonight, a little out of zone,” Chapman said through Yankees translator Marlon Abreu. “But the good thing is guys went in there and did an excellent job and they were able to win this game.”
Mike King went in and cleaned up the mess for his first big league save. He attacked George Springer and struck him out on three pitches and then coaxed a pop-up double play from Bo Bichette.
So, yes, the Yankees were able to pull out the 3-0 win, but they also have to be concerned about Chapman.
Chapman had not just walked three straight batters, but he had walked the bottom of the Blue Jays’ lineup to load the bases and put the tying run at the plate. He’s had these moments before and then he suddenly snaps out of it and wiggles out of the jam.
“I felt like he could have gotten out of it,” Boone said of Chapman. “I didn’t feel like he was too far off by any means…. Just one of those nights.”
But the Cuban native is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career in 2021 and going into the final year on his contract with the Yankees with questions hanging over him.
Chapman finished with a 3.36 ERA (the second highest of his career) and allowed nine home runs, the most he has allowed in an MLB season. He also had one of the worst walk rates (15.6%) of any pitcher in baseball and hitters had the highest hard-contact rate off Chapman in his career.
This spring the Yankees sat Chapman down and talked to him about pitching in the eighth inning in high-leverage situations. He bought into the idea, saying he’s here to pitch and help the team win.
Thursday night, Chapman did not question Boone’s move.
“Like I said, it worked out. So, good decision,” Chapman said.
It’s not the first time that Boone has had to go and get Chapman and he’s got options in the bullpen for high-leverage spots. It was King’s first time stepping in to save a game, but they also have Loaisiga and Chad Green. The bullpen has been dominant so far. They pitched four innings Thursday night to contribute to the second shutout of the season. Through seven games the bullpen has posted a 1.30 ERA and struck out 34. They have tossed at least four innings and allowed an earned run or less in six out of the seven games.
King has been a crucial part of that bullpen success and Chapman smiled when asked about the youngster picking up after him.
“His first save,” Chapman said with a smile. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet, but I am happy for him.”
While Chapman struggling with fastball command isn’t a five-alarm concern, it is something the Yankees have to keep an eye on. They had signed Zack Britton to a four-year, $53 million deal with the idea he could be insurance on the backend of the bullpen, but he had elbow reconstruction surgery last October and isn’t expected back until late in the season. Loaisiga racked up five saves last season as Chapman struggled.
And now King has his first taste of closing and his first save too.
“It was cool.”
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/aroldis-chapmans-fastball-command-has-him-on-a-quick-hook/ | 2022-04-15T16:49:37 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/aroldis-chapmans-fastball-command-has-him-on-a-quick-hook/ |
There was a time when being considered scrawny wasn’t a concern for Tyler Herro.
“I mean,” the personable Miami Heat guard said with a smile, “I never had to worry about bulking up. No one could guard me in high school.”
Then the stakes were raised, first at Kentucky and now these past three seasons in the NBA.
Now, while buff might be a bit of hyperbole, Herro has muscled up to challenges such as the first-round playoff series that opens Sunday at 1 p.m. at FTX Arena.
Understand, while decidedly gradual, the process began early, when Herro’s father brought him at 12 years old to Steve Becker at Athletic Performance in Mequon, Wis., just north of Milwaukee.
“We started,” Becker said, “at a young age.
“Shoot, the first time when I met Tyler, he could barely bench 20s.”
As in 20-pound dumbbells.
Now?
Now a smile starts to crease Herro’s face as he’s asked about his most prideful weight-room accomplishment.
“The last year or two, I was lifting 70-pound dumbbells,” he said. “That was my max.”
Full-fledged, prideful smile follows.
“Then, this summer we did 100-pound dumbbells,” he said, essentially lifting half his bodyweight with each arm. “So we went up like 30 pounds in dumbbells.”
At a listed 6 feet 5, 205 pounds, Herro never has made it about massive mass.
Rather the partnership with Heat strength coach Eric Foran, as well as during his offseasons with Becker, has been being able to initiate, absorb and play through contact as an attacking scorer.
“Benching 100-pound dumbbells on the dumbbell bench press is impressive,” Foran said. “That’s a strong guy.”
For years, the process with Becker had been on an annual schedule during summers. Then came the NBA’s COVID stoppage that pushed the end of Herro’s rookie season into the summer and fall of 2020. Suddenly, there also was practically no offseason, with the league restarting in December 2020 for ‘20-21.
“It’s been a process,” Foran said “It’s been a process, for sure. His entire career, he’s made a good progression. Obviously last year we had such a short offseason. Then we really got to spend some time with him this year.”
Last summer, there again was time with both Becker and Foran.
“It was just a matter of a time when I could get a real offseason in the NBA to work on my nutrition and my body,” Herro said.
The difference has been tangible.
In 54 games in 2020-21, Herro attempted 117 free throws. This season, there were 219 in 66 games, an increase from 1.7 to 2.9 per game.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive, getting to the rim, trying to put some pressure on the defense,” he said.
That helped fuel a jump in scoring average, from 15.1 to 20.7 points.
“It was the summer of work in the weight room, to be able to handle a little bit more contact,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Because of the compact schedule of Herro’s first two seasons, it meant more time away from Becker than typical.
That, in turn, led to an eye-opening moment last summer.
“I would say when he came up this past summer,” Becker said, “I was like, ‘Wow, OK, he does physically look more built.’ And I saw the same changes. When I saw him, in the summer, that was like, ‘Wow, this is the Tyler that I thought that we would see.’
“And I still think he is going to be that 205 type of player, and he’s going to be able to have a nice, defined upper body. And he’s got really strong legs, if you look at it. So I imagine he’s going to have a really nice offseason and we’re going to continually see that growth.”
The jump, Becker said, was similar to the bump before Herro entered Kentucky.
“When he committed to Kentucky,” Becker said, “it was like, ‘All right, now you’re in big-time basketball, you’re going to be going up against all these athletes, the physicality.’ "
Still, it’s not as if Herro was selected No. 13 out of Kentucky in 2019 with a focus on creating a bully. This was never meant to become the 6-5, 245-pound frame, say, of Heat power forward P.J. Tucker.
“We wanted to make sure that he was getting stronger and not getting too big, but doing it in a progressive way,” Foran said. “It was designed in a smart way to not slow him down, but make sure he gets strong, he gets a little bit bulkier without weighing him down.
“And he lost bodyfat, too. So he gained weight, he gained 10 pounds, but his bodyfat dropped during that time, too.”
The summer program has been attacked with the same focus.
“We don’t need to gain weight,” Becker said. “Tyler is not a weightlifter. He’s a basketball player, and we don’t need to do all that. So our biggest thing was, if we’re going to gain strength, how do we utilize that strength efficiently? And I think, whatever those numbers were, if I felt he was moving quickly and he felt he was moving quickly and efficiently, we knew we were on the right path.
“But it was always not: How much can we do? It was: How efficient were we when we were in those stages of strengths? And how does it help us on the basketball court?”
When Becker talks about Herro, he uses words such as “powerful” and “explosive.”
“And,” he said, “still be flexible enough to still create separation and be able to finish at the rim.”
It has been 10 years since Becker and Herro first teamed to create this body of work.
But from the start, Becker said, there never was backing from challenges.
“When Tyler wants to commit to something, he’s going to do it,” Becker said.
“I was rearranging the weight room once, and Tyler happened to be the only guy in there with me, and so I made him take every dumbbell that I had and press it five times, from 5 up to 70. He’s always gaining strength.”
For Foran, the opportunity is there to see it daily, in both the weight room and on the court, taking particular pride in those trips to the foul line.
“Yeah, for sure,” Foran said. “You could see that strength coming out in his game.”
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/heat-guard-tyler-herros-body-of-work-includes-muscling-up-to-the-competition/ | 2022-04-15T16:49:43 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/heat-guard-tyler-herros-body-of-work-includes-muscling-up-to-the-competition/ |
Kervin Arriaga turned a Joseph Rosales interview with local media members Tuesday into a buddy comedy.
Before the first question, Arriaga acted like he was a reporter, placing an imaginary microphone under his Minnesota United teammate’s chin. Then the playful Arriaga switched to pantomiming like he was holding a TV camera toward his fellow Honduran midfielder.
“He’s great company,” Rosales said.
At that, Arriaga mimicked a celebration as if he scored a goal. He whirled around the Loons’ practice field in Blaine with his arms extended. After a few laps, he plopped down on the grass and did a front-crawl swimming stroke. Rosales smiled and shook his head.
Rosales and Arriaga started together in central midfield for the first time as MNUFC teammates in the 1-0 loss to Austin FC on Sunday and are candidates to keep their places this weekend. The Loons (2-2-2) host Colorado Rapids (2-2-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Allianz Field.
“First, give thanks to God, and I’m happy because I hadn’t started before,” Rosales said through club translator Gabriela Lozada. Rosales’ introduction into the Loons starting XI came a week after he made his debut for Honduras’ national team in a World Cup qualifier against Jamaica on March 31.
“Very happy, honestly,” Rosales said. The achievement for his country led to his flowing black hair being buzzed off.
“It’s like a tradition more than anything,” Rosales explained. “The new players, the young ones who haven’t been able to debut with the national team, get their hair cut done by the captains or the team veterans. This time, it was my turn.
“But hair grows back.”
Last season, Rosales, 21, made six substitute appearances for the Loons after joining the club at the close of the secondary transfer window in August. He came to Minnesota needing to rehab a knee injury, but once healthy, he had a taste of MLS down the stretch of the season, including an impressive outing at Austin last October and a contribution in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
“My teammates welcomed me, and in that moment, I felt comfortable, like I was at home,” Rosales said. “The truth is, this year feels the same.”
That comfort level increased when Arriaga joined the Loons in February. “He’s like my brother, we’ve known each other since the Olympic qualifiers” in March 2021, Rosales said. “The trust is he’s been a great help for me because it’s not easy to be in a country without anyone special with you. So he, for me, is like family.”
They are a bit of an odd couple. Arriaga is big at 6-foot-3 and Rosales is unimposing at 5-foot-10. Arriaga likely to be pulling off some antic; Rosales comes off soft-spoken.
Manager Adrian Heath referenced another character trait. “A bit like Kervin, (Rosales has) a real anger inside him when he plays,” Heath said last week.
Arriaga, 24, signed a two-year contract with Minnesota and was plugged into the starting lineup for the season opener against Philadelphia on Feb. 26. He had an operation that caused him to miss the Nashville draw a week later, started the two wins against New York Red Bulls and San Jose before a delay with his visa forced him to miss the loss to Seattle two weeks ago.
Captain Wil Trapp has been the only midfielder who has been more of a mainstay this season. Trapp hasn’t been as sharp this season. He was booked with four yellow cards in the first halves of the last four games and is one more caution away from a one-game suspension.
With Romain Metanire dealing with a possible hamstring setback, midfielder Hassani Dotson might continue to fill in at right back.
Rosales’ first MLS start came last Sunday in a three-man midfield with Arriaga and Trapp. It served as another sign United is trending toward picking up a purchase option when Rosales’ 18-month loan from Independiente in Panama expires in December.
“I want to stay here,” he said. “I feel at home. … It’s a decision for the directors and the coach, but if I’m able to stay, I will be very happy.” | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/joseph-rosales-is-comfortable-with-loons-presence-of-kervin-arriaga-helps/ | 2022-04-15T16:49:49 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/joseph-rosales-is-comfortable-with-loons-presence-of-kervin-arriaga-helps/ |
WASHINGTON - Howard University will move many of its classes online for the final weeks of the semester, one of the more dramatic measures an area campus has taken in recent days to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The move follows an increase in the school's positivity rate, which rose from 2% to roughly 5% over the past week, officials said in a message to the campus Wednesday. Leaders pointed to the BA.2 omicron subvariant, now the dominant strain of the virus in the United States, which has been shown in studies to be more transmissible than previous variants.
Undergraduate classes at Howard will be taught virtually until April 22, officials said. Students in lab courses will complete the final week of sessions as scheduled, with strict masking measures in place.
Students will also take their final exams online.
Graduate and professional students, however, and those in fine arts programs, will continue their classwork in person, leaders added.
Howard's residence halls will remain open through final exams, which are scheduled to end May 3. Officials are advising that social gatherings be held outdoors.
The decision to go virtual came, in part, from Howard's desire to preserve its plans to hold in-person graduation events next month, Wayne A.I. Frederick, the university's president, said Thursday during a scheduled address to the campus. The university held a socially distanced, in-person ceremony last year, but the event was open only to graduates.
This year's ceremony is scheduled to take place May 7, with friends and families of the graduates in attendance. Academy Award-nominated actress and alumna Taraji P. Henson will deliver the commencement address.
"I don't want us to get into the last week of April with a high infection rate that may threaten having an in-person commencement," Frederick said. "That's why I'm taking the measure to go virtual now, so we can try to suppress the infection rate, especially among seniors."
While the university has enforced an indoor mask mandate throughout the pandemic, the District of Columbia ended its requirement March 1.
"Since D.C. raised the mask mandate, this was something that we were concerned about, in terms of the impact," Frederick said. "The reality is that obviously we're living in a city where we're mobile, we're going back and forth."
The most recent round of testing on campus detected 211 positive cases, the highest caseload since a spike in January. Those sickened include 198 students and 13 faculty members, according to the most recent testing data, which was collected between April 2 and 8.
Frederick on Thursday said there are now more than 200 students in some form of quarantine.
Howard's decision to move some classes online harks back to the early days of the pandemic, when universities regularly pivoted between virtual and in-person learning as caseloads rose and fell. Schools have largely avoided the need to move classes online because of the prevalence of coronavirus vaccines.
But rising caseloads throughout the Washington region have pushed some campuses to revert to old public health policies.
American, Georgetown and George Washington universities recently pulled back short-lived mask-optional policies and are again requiring face coverings in most indoor spaces.
Elsewhere in the region, Johns Hopkins University - which has continued to enforce a mask mandate in classrooms - reinstated mask policies in dining facilities and residence hall common areas. Undergraduate students on the Baltimore campus will also be required to undergo twice-weekly testing until at least April 22, officials said last week. | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/across_america/howard-university-moves-some-classes-online-as-coronavirus-cases-rise/article_f8f2ec8c-30ed-5a38-8256-1e3b6d23e59c.html | 2022-04-15T16:49:52 | 1 | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/across_america/howard-university-moves-some-classes-online-as-coronavirus-cases-rise/article_f8f2ec8c-30ed-5a38-8256-1e3b6d23e59c.html |
The South Florida Sun Sentinel continues its 10-part series looking at the top prospects in the upcoming NFL draft (April 28-30) with tight ends. The class has several prospects that should be drafted. With their first pick at No. 102, the Miami Dolphins will likely be able to find a formidable prospect that can compete for a role with either their late-third-round pick or their fourth-round selection.
Colorado State’s Trey McBride
McBride, who caught 164 passes for 2,100 yards and scored 10 touchdowns, has elite ball skills and the quickness needed to get open against NFL linebackers. He goes hard as a blocker, which gives him a chance to be a three-down tight end. But he has average speed and isn’t elusive with the ball in his hands, which will likely keep him out of the first round.
Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert
This well-rounded tight end was under utilized in the Buckeyes offense, where he only caught 54 passes for 615 yards and 12 touchdowns in his four seasons. He’s a high-motor player who can handle in-line blocking and is athletic enough to pull away from defenders.
Wisconsin’s Jake Ferguson
Ferguson is a reliable, sure-handed target who could use some refining in his route running and in-line blocking. He’s caught 145 passes for 1,618 yards and 13 touchdowns in the 47 games he’s played the past four seasons. He’s got soft hands, and has the talent to be more than a get-in-the-way blocker for the right scheme.
UCLA’s Greg Dulcich
Dulcich flashes the ability to pressure defenses vertically, and has the savvy route running needed to excel in the NFL. He excelled in his last two seasons at UCLA, playing in a Chip Kelly offense, catching 68 passes in 18 games, and turning them into 1,242 yards and a touchdown.
Coastal Carolina Isaiah Likely
Likely is a well-coordinated athlete who has the potential to become a dangerous seam threat playmaker in the right offense. Last season he caught 59 passes for 912 yards and scored 12 touchdowns, but there should be some concern about the level of competition he’s faced. He’s undersized for his position (6-4, 245), but a willing blocker.
Best of the rest
At one point Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer was viewed as the best tight end in this draft class, but his unimpressive combine numbers have cooled off the hype surrounding him. It’s possible that he could play better than he tests. Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar, Washington’s Cade Otton, UAB’s Gerrit Prince, San Jose State’s Derrick Deese Jr., and Nevada’s Cole Turner could carve out respectable NFL careers for themselves.
Class grade: C-
There is no Kyle Pitts in the 2022 crop of tight ends, but there are a handful of players who could become Day 1 starters, and another handful that might put together respectable 4- to 8-year NFL careers. Surprisingly, this class of tight ends features more likable in-line talents who simply need a decent investment.
Teams in need
Very few teams desperately need tight end upgrades this year, which could make this the perfect year to acquire one in Day 2 and stash him away for a season or two. The Commanders, Vikings, Texans, Broncos all have a glaring needs and could add another piece.
Dolphins’ focus
The Dolphins ensured that the tight end room remained intact this offseason when Mike Gesicki received the franchise tag, and Durham Smythe signed a two-year deal worth $7 million. That means Hunter Long, a 2022 third-round pick, must find a way to push for playing time, if not a starting role. Adam Shaheen is still around, providing versatility. If the Dolphins do select a tight end it will likely be in later rounds.
Previously addressed
Miami Dolphins’ NFL draft options: Quarterbacks
Miami Dolphins’ NFL draft options: Running backs
Miami Dolphins’ NFL draft options: Offensive linemen
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/miami-dolphins-nfl-draft-options-tight-ends-2/ | 2022-04-15T16:49:55 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/miami-dolphins-nfl-draft-options-tight-ends-2/ |
President Joe Biden on Friday announced his intent to nominate former Obama Treasury official Michael Barr as the vice chair for supervision of the Federal Reserve, a move that would install a key architect of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 as the nation's top banking regulator.
The announcement comes after Biden's initial nominee, Sarah Bloom Raskin, withdrew her nomination in March, following opposition in the Senate based on her stance on climate change and fear that she could discourage banks from lending to fossil fuel companies. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia joined Republicans in opposing her, effectively torpedoing her nomination.
In a statement Friday, Biden touted Barr, who is currently the dean of the University of Michigan's public policy school, for his "strong support from across the political spectrum."
Barr previously served in the Obama administration as assistant secretary for financial institutions under Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and was instrumental in designing Dodd-Frank, one of the most expansive pieces of consumer protection legislation to come out of the 2008 financial crisis. The banking rule also created the role of vice chair for supervision, the position for which Barr is nominated, as Biden noted in a statement released Friday.
"Barr has spent his career protecting consumers, and during his time at Treasury, played a critical role in creating both the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the position for which I am nominating him. He was instrumental in the passage of Dodd-Frank, to ensure a future financial crisis would not create devastating economic hardship for working families," Biden said.
Biden has pledged to make the Fed more diverse in terms of both its gender and racial makeup. Several nominees to the Fed's Board of Governors, including Jerome Powell for a second term as Fed chair and Lael Brainard as vice chair, still await a vote from the Senate Banking Committee later this month. Economists Philip Jefferson and Lisa Cook — who would be the first Black woman to serve on the Fed's board — also await Senate approval.
Republicans already signaled they may put up a fight on Barr's nomination. Pat Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, tweeted Friday morning that Barr "defended Dodd Frank's big-bank bailout mechanism, which enshrined into law taxpayer bailouts of banks. He was also the primary author of the unconstitutional and unaccountable CFPB."
One other potential point of contention could be Barr's close associations in the fintech world, including a brief stint on the board of Ripple, a cryptocurrency firm that has since come under scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Barr's nomination comes at a crucial point for the Fed as it aims to engineer a soft landing for the economy amid the highest inflation in 40 years. Last month the central bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time since 2018 as part of a series of moves to tighten the "easy money" policy that supported the economy during the worst of the Covid pandemic, and has indicated that it is ready to ramp up rates at a faster pace. | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/biden-nominates-a-new-top-fed-banking-regulator-after-raskin-withdrawal/article_e990f431-39a3-50ba-b787-5789ca0e9027.html | 2022-04-15T16:49:58 | 1 | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/biden-nominates-a-new-top-fed-banking-regulator-after-raskin-withdrawal/article_e990f431-39a3-50ba-b787-5789ca0e9027.html |
DETROIT (AP) — Two years after the pandemic tore through the economy, America’s auto market looks something like this: Prices are drastically up. Supply is drastically down. And gasoline costs drastically more.
The result? A widening disparity between the richest buyers and everyone else.
The most affluent buyers keep plunking down big money for new vehicles, including the least fuel-efficient among them — trucks, SUVS, large sedans.
As for the rest of America, millions are feeling increasingly priced out of the new-vehicle market. They are competing instead for a shrunken supply of used autos, especially smaller, less expensive ones that consume less fuel. The jump in pump prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has only intensified their urge to keep costs down.
They are people like Natalia Ponce De Leon of North Palm Beach, Florida. She had been leasing a Toyota Tacoma pickup she acquired as new four years ago and had been using for her custom drapery business. When it was time to replace it recently, she didn’t even consider a new vehicle.
Instead, she settled on a 9-year-old vehicle with 14,000 miles on it — a Toyota RAV4, a small SUV, that she bought at Earl Stewart Toyota in North Palm Beach. Though it cost her $23,000 to buy the SUV and pay off the remainder of her lease, Ponce De Leon is happy with her decision. For just under $400 a month for six years, she said, she has a vehicle that’s easier to drive than her old pickup yet spacious enough to carry a 6-foot ladder for her business.
Best of all, with gasoline having scaled $4 a gallon nationally, she’s enjoying superior fuel efficiency.
“I’m thinking I’m going to save, per month, between $100 and $200,” Ponce De Leon said — money that she plans to spend for online marketing to help grow her business.
The new-vehicle market is another story entirely. Among all purchases of new autos last month, nearly 79% were trucks and SUVs. A decade ago, that proportion was just 52%.
And that’s despite a whopping 22% jump in the average price of a new car since the pandemic struck two years ago — to more than $46,000, as of December.
Based on March prices and interest rates, the monthly payment on an average new vehicle would be $691 — far beyond the reach of what a household with a median gross income of $65,732 should spend, according to calculations by Cox Automotive and Moody’s.
Not so for many of the wealthier-than-average buyers who now dominate the new-vehicle market.
“Those that can afford it are still buying what they want,” said Jeff Schuster, president of global forecasting for LMC Automotive, a consulting firm.
Ivan Drury, a senior manager at the Edmunds.com auto site, has been surprised by the demand among affluent buyers for high-priced new vehicles.
“I can’t imagine a situation in which we’ve had so many people willing to spend so much money,” Drury said. “It’s just abnormal for someone to go out and spend (sticker price) or above. I can’t think of any other time period unless it was on specific models. And this is every car on the road.”
Left largely out of that pool, buyers of more modest means have been vying for the most fuel-efficient used vehicles — and forcing up their prices. At auctions where dealers buy many of their vehicles, the average price of a 2-to-8-year-old compact car rose 1.1% during the past three weeks to an average of $12,560. That’s an annual rate of nearly 20%. The price of older cars is up even more, according to data compiled by Black Book, which monitors such prices.
By contrast, over the same period, the average for a full-size 2-8-year-old SUV actually fell 2.3%, to $32,700.
“The demand is pushing dealers to buy smaller, more efficient, and older vehicles,” said Alex Yurchenko, chief data officer for Black Book.
Behind that trend lies an economic reality: Americans as a whole have less cash to spend. Although America’s job market is robust and many people have received pay raises in recent months, the acceleration of inflation has more than wiped out those gains in most cases.
Consumer prices have skyrocketed 8.5% over the past year, the fastest such pace in four decades. In addition, stimulus checks and other federal aid that most households received after the pandemic have long since expired.
In many cases, too, households have drawn down much of the cash they had stockpiled during the pandemic. In response, Americans as a whole are going deeper into debt to pay their expenses.
“People in the lower price range are just jammed up,” Drury noted. “It’s weird to have so many people with so much money, and we have this other swath of consumers that say, ‘I’m tapped out.’ ”
Further stressing the lower-priced market is the shrinking availability of leasing, which had long allowed ordinary households to keep monthly payments low. Leasing has nearly dried up because automakers are no longer offering attractive deals.
“They don’t have to,” said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of Cox Automotive, “because (auto) supplies are low.”
Even among higher-income households, the run-up in gas prices has left more buyers focused on fuel efficiency. In particular, many have been snapping up electric vehicles, whose sales jumped 66% over the past year, Edmunds.com says. Even so, the EV share of the overall auto market remains only about 4%.
In the meantime, prices for both new and used vehicles have begun to fall or level off. From February to March, average prices for used cars and trucks actually fell nearly 4%. That may suggest, Drury said, that people have had it and won’t keep paying inflated prices. Automakers have even begun raise discounts on pickup trucks.
“They might have tapped out of consumers that pay any price to get what they want,” Drury said. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/modest-income-buyers-being-priced-out-of-new-vehicle-market/ | 2022-04-15T16:50:01 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/modest-income-buyers-being-priced-out-of-new-vehicle-market/ |
This time last year, the brand new, stunningly effective Covid-19 vaccines were rolling out across the country, injecting a strong note of optimism into the United States' once fumbling pandemic response.
Millions of people were lining up daily to get their shots. Instead of the steady drumbeat of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, we were tracking a new number: the percentage of Americans who had been vaccinated. This number, we believed, was our best chance to beat the virus.
The US was caught up in a fever dream of reaching herd immunity, a threshold we might cross where vulnerable individuals -- including those too young to be vaccinated or those who didn't respond well to the vaccines -- might be protected anyway because, as a community, we would weave an invisible safety net around them.
With herd immunity, if someone does get infected by a virus, they are surrounded by enough people who are shielded against infection that the virus has nowhere to go. It fails to spread.
As a country, we had reached this point against some formidable viruses, such as rubella and measles. We thought we could get there with Covid-19. We were probably wrong.
"The concept of classical herd immunity may not apply to Covid-19," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with CNN.
And that "means we're not going to be without SARS-CoV-2 in the population for a considerable period of time," said Fauci, who recently co-authored a paper on herd immunity for the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
How we beat measles
Fauci points to measles as an ideal case study in herd immunity.
Like the virus that causes Covid-19, the measles virus spreads through the air. It is so contagious that if one person has it, 9 out of 10 people around them will catch it if they are not immune to it, according to the CDC. Some experts have estimated that the Omicron viruses are as contagious as the measles.
The US eliminated transmission of measles and has successfully kept the virus from circulating in this country because of three things: an extremely effective vaccine; a virus that doesn't change, or mutate, in significant ways over time; and a successful childhood vaccination campaign.
The measles vaccine is 97% effective at preventing the disease, according to the CDC. Once a person is vaccinated, studies have determined that protection lasts virtually their whole lives.
Many states in the US had once reached an ambitious public health goal of getting more than 90% of their children vaccinated against the disease by the time they started kindergarten.
This high level of vaccination coverage, the durability and effectiveness of the vaccine, and the relative stability of the virus have helped the United States prevent major outbreaks of the disease for more than 20 years.
Still, herd immunity has to extend beyond the borders of the United States. Each year, a certain number of cases arise when travelers bring it into the country, but it has never regained a foothold here and continued to circulate, because we have community-level protection against it.
Elimination of the virus isn't infallible. In the United States, herd immunity against measles is wearing thin in many parts of the US -- and indeed around the world -- because of vaccine hesitancy.
The World Health Organization warned in 2019 that measles could become endemic again around the world as more people refuse their shots.
Corralling Covid
Covid-19, unfortunately, isn't playing by those same rules.
"Bad news number one," said Fauci, is that the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 changes a lot and in significant ways.
"We've already experienced over a period of two years that we've had five separate variants Alpha, Beta, Delta, Omicron. And now BA.2 from Omicron one," he said.
"Bad news number two is that there's a lack of a wide acceptance of safe and effective vaccines," Fauci said. Put simply, not enough people have been vaccinated.
The more contagious the virus, the more people have to be vaccinated to stop it from ripping through a community, according to Dr. Adam Kucharski, co-director of the Center for Epidemic Preparedness and Response at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In a July 2021 Twitter thread and in a recent interview with CNN, Kucharski explained how expectations around herd immunity have to shift as viruses become more contagious.
Kucharski estimated that for a virus as contagious as the Delta variant, 98% of the population would need to be vaccinated if the vaccines we have could prevent 85% of transmission of the virus.
If the vaccines didn't prevent transmission to that extent, he said, then herd immunity probably wouldn't be possible with the vaccines we currently have.
In a May 2021 paper on the same theme published in the journal Eurosurveillance, Kucharski and his co-authors explain that much of herd immunity also depends on how well the vaccines prevent transmission -- the act of an infected person passing the virus to someone else.
Vaccines that prevent transmission are said to convey sterilizing immunity. The measles vaccine creates sterilizing immunity. The Covid-19 vaccines do not. While vaccination reduces the chances that you might pass Covid-19 to someone else, contact tracing studies have shown it still happens.
If not enough people get vaccinated -- which has to be virtually the entire population for highly contagious variants -- or the vaccines we have don't stop nearly all transmission, we may not be able to reach herd immunity for Covid-19 until most people have developed immunity after getting the infection, Kucharski wrote in the article.
There are other factors to take into account, too, such as the durability of immunity over time.
"Not only is vaccine induced immunity not lifelong, but infection induced immunity is not lifelong," Fauci said, which means we're going to need repeated exposures to either vaccines or infection to keep our defenses up to speed.
Holding out hope
Some are not ready to completely give up on the idea, however.
Barry Bloom is an emeritus professor of public health at Harvard University. He says one way to get there would be to make better vaccines.
Companies are working on vaccines that would target more stable regions of the virus, including the stem of the spike protein, that doesn't appear to mutate as much. That might create more durable immunity that could stand up to to the shape-shifting of the viruses' variants.
There are also promising nasal spray vaccines that may help develop antibodies in nose and throat. The hope is that these vaccines may generate immunity in the tissues its most needed to create the kind of sterilizing immunity that prevents transmission.
If not a vaccine in a nasal spray, Bloom says, why not put monoclonal antibodies in a spray you could take daily before leaving home to prevent transmission of the virus?
"And the question is are they good enough to wipe it [the virus] out before they're asymptomatically transmitted? Or is it a constant game that we're going to have to live with?" Bloom said in an interview with CNN.
Or, Bloom says, maybe the best we can expect is an assist from evolution. He says the virus is changing to become more contagious over time, but not necessarily to cause more serious disease. Ultimately, killing a person doesn't do the virus much good. It needs hosts. It would be much better for the virus to evolve to become as contagious as it can be, but maybe with less propensity for causing severe disease.
Bloom thinks this is probably what happened to the coronaviruses that now cause common colds. He thinks they probably once started as fierce predators but evolved over time to just be pests.
That way, they get to live on, but so do we. | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/health/coronavirus/is-herd-immunity-for-covid-19-still-possible/article_561fa227-dd91-5d35-8901-8927f58e9c46.html | 2022-04-15T16:50:04 | 1 | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/health/coronavirus/is-herd-immunity-for-covid-19-still-possible/article_561fa227-dd91-5d35-8901-8927f58e9c46.html |
The Philadelphia Eagles traded over the Giants to take Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft.
The Dallas Cowboys helped the Eagles do it in an unusual gang-up on a common NFC East foe, then snagged Micah Parsons when the Giants passed and traded out, instead.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman is up to his tricks again now, too, recently trading two of his three 2022 first-round picks to the Saints to acquire an extra 2023 first-rounder from New Orleans.
That gives Philly extra ammunition next year to get a quarterback if they give up on Jalen Hurts. It gives them more first rounders than the Giants, who could be in a similar spot next year if they bail on Daniel Jones.
This is the first area where GM Joe Schoen should be and must be an upgrade for the Giants organization: in equaling, and perhaps outmaneuvering, Roseman and the rest of the division at draft time. In being proactive and not reactive. In asserting the Giants as a force to be reckoned with way before the clock starts on the evening of April 28.
In early dealings with Schoen, he seems thorough and direct. He comes off as a man with a plan who will be aggressive when he believes it is called for. He and the Giants poached assistant GM Brandon Brown from the Eagles’ front office in February, too.
These are good qualities for someone who is holding two draft picks in this year’s top seven, promises to take plenty of calls, and needs to make a decision on what’s best for his team.
The Giants’ direct competition in division is significant here in the spring. The Eagles’ advantage on regular season Sundays in recent years has been directly connected to their actions in free agency and drafts, even as Roseman has had his misses, too.
The Eagles have four playoff appearances, two division titles and a Super Bowl win in the last five seasons, while the Giants are tied with the NFL’s worst record during that time.
Head coach Joe Judge split 2-2 on the field with the Eagles the past two seasons and somewhat salvaged last year’s draft with a forward-thinking decision: a trade back with the Chicago Bears to acquire an extra first-round pick here in 2022. Thanks to Judge, the Giants are rich in first round picks at Nos. 5 and 7 overall.
But Schoen is now the one surveying the landscape on how best to manage those assets.
He could be positioned ideally to trade one of those picks and try to add another 2023 first-rounder to match Roseman and ensure they’re not outgunned in a possible future quarterback chase.
Or Schoen could use his picks to restock the Giants’ cupboard and improve their on-field product around Jones in 2022, unconcerned with matching wits with Roseman in some hypothetical future scenario that may never come to pass.
There are numerous other variables to consider, obviously, like available cap space in 2022 and other division rivals in Dallas and Washington. Roseman and the Eagles did crack the playoffs in year one of their own rebuild last season, though, after trading up to draft a player the Giants coveted. And now Philly holds two 2023 first-round picks in this NFC East arms race.
It will be fascinating to see if Schoen can be the key to rebalancing that power dynamic in the division, beginning with this month’s draft.
YOU CAN WIN IN YEAR ONE
Schoen believes the Giants can compete in 2022 while building for the future. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum — a Bill Parcells disciple who overlapped with Schoen in Miami (2015-16) as the Dolphins’ executive VP of football operations — believes it can be done, too.
“The Eagles swallowed Carson Wentz’s dead money last year and went to the playoffs,” Tannenbaum said in a phone call recently.
“This whole notion of swallowing cap charges and not winning games, if you look at history, it’s just not the case,” said Tannenbaum, the Jets’ director of player contracts under Parcells from 1997-2000. “Going back to Coach Parcells, I’m not a big believer that rebuilds take a long time.
“The 1996 Jets spent more money than anybody [with Rich Kotite] and won one game,” Tannenbaum continued. “In 1997, we won nine games. In 1998, we went to the championship game.”
Tannenbaum, who now runs the NFL website and football think tank “The 33rd Team,” acknowledges Schoen’s salary cap constraints and challenges. He’s simply saying it’s not impossible for an NFL team to have some success in year one of a cleanup.
“One of the best meetings I was ever in was that first 1997 meeting with the Jets, it lasted about 15-to-18 seconds,” Tannenbaum said. “Coach Parcells came in and said ‘I expect you to work hard and come in and compete. And those who don’t work hard, improve and compete won’t be here. Any questions?’”
Tannenbaum remembers that linebacker Bobby Houston decided not to be in the offseason program that first spring. “He got cut, and everybody else fell in line. They all got coached better and away we went.”
PARKING THE CARR
Derek Carr’s three-year, $121.5 million contract extension through 2025 puts the Raiders quarterback’s average annual value at $35.4 million the next four seasons. That ranks him seventh among active QBs, per overthecap.com. His new money is $40.5 million per year from 2023-25.
There are six quarterbacks making at least $40 million a year. The five who were active last season all won their respective divisions: Aaron Rodgers ($50.2 million) and the Packers, Patrick Mahomes ($45 million) and the Chiefs, Josh Allen ($43 million) and the Bills, Matt Stafford ($40 million) and the Rams, and Dak Prescott ($40 million) and the Cowboys.
Deshaun Watson ($46 million) was idle with Houston while facing rampant sexual assault and harassment allegations. He just cashed in after a trade to the Cleveland Browns.
Las Vegas’ commitment to Carr following their trade for his college teammate, star receiver Davante Adams, locks up a formidable tandem that could help the Raiders win a 2022 division title even in the loaded AFC West.
In related news, Raiders first-year coach Josh McDaniels is the early favorite for NFL coach of the year at 12-to-1 odds, per betonline.ag.
DIRTY DAN
Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder wasn’t ousted in the wake of sexual harassment allegations last year. Maybe screwing with the NFL’s money will be the nail in the coffin.
Snyder and his club allegedly may have hid and withheld millions of dollars from the NFL owners’ shared revenue pool, according to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Jason Friedman, a former Washington VP of sales and customer service, told the Committee that the team maintained “two sets of books,” including one set of financial records used to underreport certain ticket revenue to the league.
Friedman alleged, for example, that he “falsely processed” $162,360 of revenue from Commanders game tickets as money made on a Notre Dame-Navy game at FedEx Field.
Snyder is on double-secret probation with the league and so far has been shielded from real accountability for the sexual harrassment allegations against him.
It’s likely he will continue to lose allies in the billionaires’ and multi-millionaires’ club, though, if he truly took money out of their pockets.
GARRETT CALLING USFL GAMES
Ex-Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is calling USFL games as an analyst this season for NBC Sports. Fox Sports also will be televising games. The New Jersey Generals opened the schedule Saturday night at the Birmingham Stallions. The 10-week regular season will culminate in a championship on July 3.
Garrett, 56, posted an 85-67 regular season record in nine-plus seasons as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach from 2010-19. He had a 2-3 postseason record in three playoff appearances. An arranged marriage on Joe Judge’s Giants staff in 2020 was never a good fit, and Judge fired Garrett midway through the 2021 season. The Giants ranked 31st in offensive points and yards both years.
THE SKED
New coach Brian Daboll and the Giants will open this week’s voluntary minicamp to the media on only one of the camp’s three days. They opened it all three days in April 2018 under Pat Shurmur, the last first-year head coach who wasn’t operating during COVID. Schoen will conduct a pre-draft press conference in person, though, which will be a refreshing return to some normalcy.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/pat-leonards-nfl-notes-joe-schoen-can-begin-to-reverse-nfc-east-balance-of-power-on-draft-day/ | 2022-04-15T16:50:07 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/pat-leonards-nfl-notes-joe-schoen-can-begin-to-reverse-nfc-east-balance-of-power-on-draft-day/ |
During the pandemic, Malena Dell sat in her car at a gas station for 45 minutes crying because she couldn't touch the gas handle to fill up the tank. She went from washing her groceries to not eating at all, afraid of getting herself -- or someone else -- sick.
Dell lives with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and like many people in the United States, the Covid-19 pandemic has posed huge challenges for her.
"I know that the uncertainty was hard for others," said Dell, who lives in Martinsville, Indiana. "Those of us with OCD have been like, 'Welcome. This is what it's like for us all the time.'"
The prevalence of OCD was on the rise even before the pandemic, according to a 2020 study. And clinicians have more patients seeking treatment, according to Bianca Simmons, a Houston therapist specializing in OCD.
The stress, disruptions and uncertainty of the pandemic has posed challenges for those who have been diagnosed with OCD and those experiencing tendencies that line up with the disorder, said Broderick Sawyer, a clinical psychologist in Louisville, Kentucky. But even as the world transitions to a sense of normalcy, challenges lie ahead for many people.
The disorder is not just about fastidiousness and a tendency toward organization, said Erin Nghe, a licensed clinical social worker who treats patients with OCD in the Atlanta metro area. It's an often debilitating disorder that can latch on to core fears, including concerns over morality and the potential for harming others, Nghe said.
Before seeking intensive treatment, Dell said that 12 hours of her daily life was taken up by attending to her compulsions.
Symptoms can be exacerbated by stress of any kind, Simmons said. And even as the pandemic disruptions wind down, there could be challenges in maintaining mental health. It's important for both people with an OCD diagnosis and those without one to recognize the stress that may come their way and learn to address it in a healthy way, Sawyer said.
"The pandemic is ending, and some people are going to return to normal, but my brain will never return back to normal and it's something that I've had to learn to deal with through recovery and treatment," Dell said.
More access and engagement
There is a lot of potential for relief from mental distress as more people are vaccinated and lockdowns wind down.
Resources can become more accessible again, for one.
They had become scarce as many providers moved to virtual appointments or were pushed to limit access to or close their clinics -- meaning many people who were seeking treatment were held in waiting-list limbo, said Elizabeth McIngvale, founder of Peace of Mind Foundation, a nonprofit that supports and advocates for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
With widely distributed vaccines and a decrease in hospitalizations, more people can gather with social circles and engage in more public activities with a greater sense of safety, which is helpful to people managing OCD or any mental health concern, Simmons said.
"People need to be around people, and people get sad when they are not," she said.
Having OCD tendencies can drive those with the condition to avoid the people, places and things that are important to them, even though managing symptoms often means engaging with those you value, McIngvale said. There are crucial benefits to people feeling more at ease doing things they love again, she added.
Towering obstacles
The difficulties of the trend toward opening social spaces back up cannot be ignored, however.
Scientific understanding and recommendations and even the status of the virus have changed quickly over the course of the pandemic, and the uncertainty can mean stress for anyone, Sawyer said. Things calmed down recently, but now US coronavirus cases are rising as the Omicron subvariant BA.2 takes hold. The desire to open up society even as the coronavirus continually evolves can be a disconcerting source of instability, especially for those with OCD.
Then, there is the reintroduction of triggers, stimuli of many kinds that initiate anxious, obsessive thoughts, said Jelani Daniel, a therapist based in Houston.
When we were isolated, we had more control over our environment, and people with OCD could more easily avoid things that might trigger their symptoms, Sawyer said. Now, people have to face those triggers again, many of whom experienced a stretch of time when they were not able to access mental health resources easily, he added.
Where to turn for help
The first hurdle to managing any mental health concern is learning to recognize what you are feeling and when negative stress is building -- because stress can make everything more difficult to manage.
Sawyer advocates that everyone practice mindfulness, which is not just sitting still to meditate. It can be paying closer attention to what is going on in your internal world, observing it and learning from it —rather than getting wrapped up in it.
As things feel more out of control, Simmons said it's important to make the adjustments to make your mental health a priority, whether that be asking for flexibility in your workspace or carving out time to take walks outside on a regular basis.
For those experiencing intrusive thoughts and compulsions that are inhibiting daily life, McIngvale urged people to seek the help of a mental health professional with a specialty in OCD. In particular, find a provider trained at a clinic specializing in OCD who uses exposure and response prevention treatment, she suggested.
And there is also a welcoming community of people with OCD to look to for support, she added.
"When OCD gets to feeling at its worst, it's hard to remember that there is a way out of the hole you are dug into," Dell said. "But there are resources out there." | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/health/ocd-isnt-just-about-being-a-neat-freak-and-for-those-with-it-this-next/article_d176a2f3-f468-5fa9-9873-9aca47b8220a.html | 2022-04-15T16:50:10 | 1 | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/health/ocd-isnt-just-about-being-a-neat-freak-and-for-those-with-it-this-next/article_d176a2f3-f468-5fa9-9873-9aca47b8220a.html |
By ADAM SCHRECK and YESICA FISCH
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than 900 civilian bodies have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital following the withdrawal of Russian forces — most of them fatally shot, police said Friday, an indication that many people were “simply executed.”
The number of dead is double that announced by Ukrainian authorities almost two weeks ago.
Andriy Nebytov, the head of Kyiv’s regional police force, said the bodies were abandoned in the streets or given temporary burials. He cited police data indicating that 95% died from gunshot wounds.
“Consequently, we understand that under the (Russian) occupation, people were simply executed in the streets,” Nebytov said.
More bodies are being found every day, under rubble and in mass graves, he added.
The largest number of victims were found in Bucha, where there were more than 350, he said.
According to Nebytov, utilities workers in Bucha gathered and buried bodies in the Kyiv suburb while it remained under Russian control. Russian troops, he added, were “tracking down” people who expressed strong pro-Ukrainian views.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry promised to ramp up missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital in response to Ukraine’s alleged aggression on Russian territory, an ominous warning that followed Moscow’s stinging loss of its flagship in the Black Sea.
The threat of intensified attacks on Kyiv came after Russian authorities accused Ukraine of wounding seven people and damaging about 100 residential buildings with airstrikes in Bryansk, a region bordering Ukraine. Authorities in another border region of Russia also reported Ukrainian shelling Thursday.
“The number and the scale of missile attacks on objects in Kyiv will be ramped up in response to the Kyiv nationalist regime committing any terrorist attacks or diversions on the Russian territory,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
Russia issued the warning while it continues to prepare for a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, locals in the pummeled southeastern city of Mariupol reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies.
In Kyiv, a renewed bombardment could mean a return to the steady wail of air raid sirens heard during the early days of the invasion and to fearful nights sheltering in subway stations. Tentative signs of pre-war life have resurfaced in the capital after Russian troops failed to capture the city and retreated to concentrate on eastern Ukraine, leaving behind evidence of possible war crimes.
Ukrainian officials have not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports could not be independently verified.
However, Ukrainian officials said their forces did strike a key Russian warship with missiles. If true, the reported Wednesday attack on the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, named for the Russian capital, would represent an important victory for Ukraine and a symbolic defeat for Russia.
The warship sank while being towed to port Thursday after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remained in dispute. Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack. U.S. and other Western officials could not confirm what caused the blaze.
The Moskva had the capacity to carry 16 long-range cruise missiles. If Ukrainian forces took out the vessel, it was likely the largest warship to be sunk in combat since 1982. A British submarine torpedoed an Argentine navy cruiser called the ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War, killing over 300 sailors.
The sinking of the Russian warship reduces Russia’s firepower in the Black Sea, although military analysts disagreed on the event’s significance to the course of the war. Either way, the loss was viewed as emblematic of Moscow’s fortunes in a seven-week invasion widely seen as a historic blunder following the retreat from the Kyiv region and much of northern Ukraine.
“A ‘flagship’ russian warship is a worthy diving site. We have one more diving spot in the Black Sea now. Will definitely visit the wreck after our victory in the war,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov tweeted Friday in a boast.
In his nightly address Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Ukrainians they should be proud of having survived 50 days under Russian attack when the invaders “gave us a maximum of five.”
Russia’s warning of renewed airstrikes did not stop Kyiv residents from taking advantage of a sunny and slightly warmer spring day as the weekend approached. More people than usual were out on the streets Friday, walking dogs, riding electric scooters and strolling hand in hand.
In one central park, a small group of people including a woman draped in a Ukrainian flag danced to the music of a portable speaker.
Residents reported hearing explosions in parts of Kyiv overnight, but it was not clear what sites were targeted.
News about the Moskva overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, which Moscow’s forces have blockaded since the early days of the invasion. Dwindling numbers of Ukrainian defenders have held out against a siege that has come at a horrific cost to trapped and starving civilians.
Mariupol’s mayor said this week that more than 10,000 civilians had died and the death toll could surpass 20,000. Other Ukrainian officials have said they expect to find evidence in Mariupol of atrocities against civilians like the ones discovered in Bucha and other towns outside Kyiv.
The Mariupol City Council said Friday that locals reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies that were buried in residential courtyards and not allowing new burials “of people killed by them.”
“Why the exhumation is being carried out and where the bodies will be taken is unknown,” the council said on the Telegram messaging app.
Mariupol’s capture would allow Russian forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the Donbas region, Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland and the target of the looming offensive.
Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces in the Donbas since 2014, the same year Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has recognized the independence of two rebel-held areas of the region.
Although it’s not certain when Russia will launch the full-scale campaign, a regional Ukrainian official said Friday that seven people died and 27 were injured after Russian forces opened fire on buses carrying civilians in the village of Borovaya, near the northeastern city of Kharkiv. The claim could not be independently verified.
Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesman for the regional prosecutor’s office, told Ukraine’s Suspilne news website, that Ukrainian authorities had opened criminal proceedings in connection with a suspected “violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder.”
A large explosion also struck the eastern city of Kramatorsk, where a missile strike on a train station a week earlier killed more than 50 people as thousands heeding warnings to evacuate the Donbas area waited to leave.
Associated Press journalists in Kramatorsk heard the sound of a rocket or missile and then the blast, followed by sirens wailing Friday. It was not immediately clear what was hit or whether there were casualties. A day earlier, a factory in the same city was hit by an airstrike.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region “liquidated a squad of mercenaries from a Polish private military company” of up to 30 people and “liberated” an iron and steel factor in Mariupol. The claims could not be independently verified.
On Thursday, the Defense Ministry explained the damage to the Moskva by saying that a fire had caused ammunition on board to detonate. Apart from the cruise missiles, the Moskva also carried air-defense missiles and other guns.
The ministry did not say what might have caused the blaze but reported that the crew, which usually numbers about 500, abandoned the vessel. It was not clear if there were any casualties.
Maksym Marchenko, governor of Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odesa, said Ukrainian forces struck the Moskva with two Neptune missiles and caused “serious damage.” The Neptune is an anti-ship missile recently developed by Ukraine based on an earlier Soviet design.
___
Fisch reported from Kramatorsk. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/police-more-than-900-civilian-bodies-found-in-kyiv-region/ | 2022-04-15T16:50:13 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/police-more-than-900-civilian-bodies-found-in-kyiv-region/ |
Philadelphia Board of Education member Maria McColgan is resigning, effective May 6.
McColgan was one of the original nine board members Mayor Jim Kenney appointed to the school board in 2018, as the district shifted back to local control after 16 years under the state-appointed School Reform Commission.
“It has truly been an honor to serve the city of Philadelphia, the School District, and most importantly the students and teachers,” McColgan said in a statement Thursday. “Over the past four years, we have worked hard to focus on improving student achievement. While much work remains to be done, I feel optimistic about the direction that we are heading.”
Neither McColgan nor board president Joyce Wilkerson provided a reason for the resignation in their announcement.
“The Board greatly appreciates Dr. McColgan’s insights and contributions to the Board of Education, especially her leadership as Chair of the Policy Committee and her work on streamlining critical policies in support of our Goals & Guardrails,” Wilkerson said in a statement.
McColgan’s departure leaves the school board with two vacancies. Angela McIver, another early appointee, resigned almost a year ago and hasn’t yet been replaced.
The mayor’s nominating panel convened last week for the first time since December 2020, and is currently accepting applications for new members. The panel extended its application deadline from April 22 to April 29 on the heels of McColgan’s resignation.
“We are looking for dedicated, effective leaders to be champions for our city’s schools and student success,” Kenney said in a statement.
The 12-member nominating panel is tasked with vetting and interviewing candidates, then presenting their top choices to Kenney. Ultimately, City Council must approve his final picks.
McColgan, a child abuse pediatrician and former public school teacher, is the parent of two charter school students. During the pandemic, she was the lone vote against starting the 2020-2021 school year virtually, arguing that the extended closure of school buildings was “causing more harm than the disease.”
When McColgan steps down, four of the original board members appointed in 2018 will remain: Wilkerson, Mallory Fix Lopez, Leticia Egea-Hinton, and Julia Danzy.
The two new board members will take their seats as Philadelphia welcomes its first new superintendent in a decade. Tony Watlington, a district leader from North Carolina, takes charge of Philadelphia public schools on June 16. | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/philadelphia-school-board-member-maria-mccolgan-resigns/article_775e4751-896a-5a39-aaa1-649255dc834c.html | 2022-04-15T16:50:16 | 1 | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/philadelphia-school-board-member-maria-mccolgan-resigns/article_775e4751-896a-5a39-aaa1-649255dc834c.html |
Under a sunny sky in Queens, with thousands of Mets fans packed into the area surrounding the home run apple on the Citi Field plaza, a piece of the team’s history was unveiled on Friday morning.
“Tom Seaver was our sunshine,” Mets’ radio voice Howie Rose declared, before the sheet was pulled off to reveal the enormous Seaver statue that will now greet fans on their way into the ballpark. In a season that carries such promise for these Mets, starting their home schedule with a salute to the greatest player in club history seems a fitting way to begin their voyage.
The event brought out several greats from the team’s history, including Mike Piazza, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, and even Jacob deGrom, who made his way from the Mets’ clubhouse for the ceremony. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was also there to pay homage to the Mets’ legendary pitcher. With the event coming on the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier, and a day where all players across the league will wear Robinson’s No. 42, the stars aligned for a memorable day in Flushing.
“What a glorious day,” Piazza shouted. “Let’s go Mets!”
“It’s been said that humility is royalty without the crown,” Piazza went on. “That’s why Tom Seaver is our royalty. This statue is a beautiful tribute, and a memory that will always hold special in our hearts.”
Seaver, who died in August 2020, was represented by his widow Nancy and daughters Sarah and Anne.
“Hello, Tom,” Nancy addressed the statue. “It’s so nice to have you here where you belong. I need to express my gratitude to the Mets organization for having this very special tribute to Tom.”
Nancy was visibly emotional during her time at the podium, which followed Piazza, Steve Cohen, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Nancy spoke of the support she and her family, who hail from California, always felt from the city of New York.
“Shortly after we arrived here, we felt embraced by the fans and by the public. That made us feel right at home very quickly. It’s so good to see you again, and all the Mets hats. You were always so enthusiastic and supportive of the Seaver family. I really appreciate that.”
The statue itself is an artistic marvel. Sculpted by William Behrends, the statue bears a striking resemblance to Seaver, perfectly capturing his signature pitching mechanics. Made from 2,000 pounds of bronze and 1,200 pounds of steel, one can almost see the dirt caking itself to Seaver’s right knee as he executes his drop and drive delivery.
“Tom showed us the true champion he was as a player and a person,” Richards bellowed. “On the mound, he was untouchable. He showed the world that great things can, and do happen here in the best borough in New York City.”
Every non-family member who took the microphone also spoke about the legitimacy that Seaver brought to the Mets during their early days as the National League’s lovable losers. Whether it was his 1967 Rookie of the Year campaign as a precocious 22-year-old, his league-leading 25 wins as he captured his first Cy Young and the Mets won the World Series in 1969, or his third Cy Young season in 1975, every fan of a certain age has fond memories of the man who put the Mets on the map.
“When I was a kid, and I thought of the Mets, I thought of Tom Seaver,” Cohen said. “I can still see the windup, his knee dragging in the dirt, the ball exploding out of his hand. He transformed the Mets, transfixed New York, and won the hearts of Mets fans.”
Seaver’s 2.57 ERA in 395 starts with the Mets is the stuff of legend. He is, to this day, still the franchise’s leader in strikeouts, innings pitched, wins, shutouts, complete games, Opening Day starts and Wins Above Replacement by a pitcher. The only question surrounding his greatness was why the Mets didn’t build a statue of him earlier.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Nancy said to the crowd of devoted, blue-and-orange-clad fans. “I love you all.”
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/tom-seaver-statue-officially-unveiled-outside-citi-field-ahead-of-mets-home-opener/ | 2022-04-15T16:50:19 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/tom-seaver-statue-officially-unveiled-outside-citi-field-ahead-of-mets-home-opener/ |
ALBANY, N.Y. — One man’s scandal catapulted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul into office. Will alleged misconduct by another man hurt her chances of holding on to the job?
Hochul’s previously smooth path to a Democratic primary win hit a major bump this week when her lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, resigned following his arrest in a federal corruption investigation.
One of Hochul’s first big decisions as governor was to appoint Benjamin, then a state senator, after she took over from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned last summer rather than face impeachment over sexual harassment allegations, which he has denied.
Her leading opponents in both the primary and general election pounced, saying Hochul’s pick of Benjamin at a time when he was already under scrutiny showed poor judgement.
“Either she’s consistently shamefully out of the loop, or shamefully enabling through her inaction, and either way it’s clear that unless we elect leadership outside of the old ways of Albany, these patterns of scandal and corruption will keep repeating,” said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who is running against Hochul for the Democratic nomination.
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat also trying to beat Hochul, piled on, saying her pick of Benjamin was part of a pattern of bad choices, which he said included cutting a deal that will give her hometown Buffalo Bills more than $1.1 billion to build and operate a new stadium.
“Hochul has fostered a culture of continued corruption with months of fundraising from pay to play insiders and people doing business with the state, and secretive budget deals that resulted in the billion dollar Bills stadium and little else,” Suozzi tweeted.
Hochul, though, hasn’t appeared to lose support from top allies.
News of Benjamin’s arrest and resignation was nearly lost in the noise of a mass shooting on a subway train in New York City.
Hochul raced into town to attend a police news conference about the attack, where she ducked a question about Benjamin, then visited shooting victims in the hospital and rode the rails in a symbolic statement against fear.
“Right now Kathy Hochul has such a significant lead as far as polling and fundraising is concerned, I don’t think as of now the troubles will hurt her drastically for the June primary,” Fordham University political science professor Christina Greer said. “Obviously her opponents will raise questions and have raised questions about what she knew.”
Federal prosecutors say Benjamin accepted bribes, in the form of illegal campaign contributions, during a failed run for New York City comptroller.
An indictment said that in exchange for the illicit donations, he helped a nonprofit organization controlled by the donor get a $50,000 state grant.
Prosecutors said Benjamin also offered to help the donor, a real estate developer, get a zoning variance from the city in exchange for a $15,000 donation to a political committee. And they said he lied to state officials about the investigation when he was being considered for the lieutenant governor appointment.
Benjamin’s lawyers said there was “nothing inappropriate” about the grant and that their client’s actions were “laudable — not criminal.”
Hochul used a public radio interview Wednesday to defend her selection of Benjamin, and said the vetting process didn’t raise red flags.
“It was a surprise, it really was,” Hochul told WNYC host Brian Lehrer. “I made the best decision I could with the information I had at that time.”
Questions about Benjamin’s campaign committee and use of expense accounts had been the subject of scrutiny by journalists and state regulators prior to his selection as lieutenant governor, including stories in the Daily News about potential use of campaign funds for personal expenses, such as auto repairs and a party at a jazz club to celebrate his wedding.
Last week, Hochul had reiterated her support of Benjamin and described the probe into his campaign as “related to other people.”
Hochul — who had also said she wasn’t aware of any harassment in Cuomo’s administration until after the claims became public — will now have to thread a fine line with voters, Greer said.
While she needs to claim ignorance of any wrongdoing by Benjamin, “she doesn’t want to seem as though she’s inept, as if she doesn’t know what’s going on right underneath her,” Greer said.
Still, Hochul holds some big advantages. She raised nearly $22 million for her election campaign as of January, which dwarfed the $5.4 million raised by Suozzi and $222,000 raised by Williams.
One of the candidates expected to mount a serious challenge, Attorney General Letitia James, dropped out of the race quickly.
Just over half of Democratic voters said they would vote for Hochul in the June primary in a Siena College poll released in late March, compared with one-fourth of voters supporting Suozzi or Williams.
Democratic strategist Evan Stavisky said voters will likely ultimately judge Hochul based on their pocket books and her record.
“The governor being misled by someone who was then charged by the federal government for lying to her is probably not a salient point with voters,” Stavisky said.
If Democrats wind up sticking with Hochul in the primary, she would be the expected favorite over most potential Republican challengers in a heavily blue state.
One wildcard: Cuomo has acknowledged thinking about entering the race late to potentially get his old job back. He’s been making public appearances again lately, criticizing the state’s Democratic leaders for shifting too far to the left and potentially positioning himself for a run.
Cuomo still sits on millions of dollars in campaign funds he could use to run as an independent candidate, if he chooses.
Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island criticized Hochul Wednesday for having “zero criticism, condemnation or outrage” for Benjamin.
“She’s getting hit on both sides, that’s a very bad spot to be in,” said Republican strategist Alex DeGrasse.
Hochul hasn’t named a new lieutenant governor. | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/state_and_region/ny-gov-hochul-hits-election-hurdle-in-running-mate-s-arrest/article_0be46602-51e4-5286-ba8a-6f2f627793df.html | 2022-04-15T16:50:23 | 1 | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/state_and_region/ny-gov-hochul-hits-election-hurdle-in-running-mate-s-arrest/article_0be46602-51e4-5286-ba8a-6f2f627793df.html |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has $4.1 million in the bank for his re-election campaign, while Dr. Scott Jensen and Sen. Paul Gazelka are the money leaders among the several candidates vying for the Republican endorsement to unseat the governor, according to campaign finance reports released Friday.
The reports show Jensen — a former state senator who’s running as a COVID-19 skeptic and got the biggest head start last year — ended the first quarter with $774,393 in cash on hand as of March 31, after having raised $256,392 and spent $305,797 during the first three months of the year.
Gazelka, a former Senate majority leader running on a law-and-order platform, finished the reporting period with $406,190 in the bank after raising $99,358 and spending $172,857.
Minnesota Republicans hold their state convention May 13-14 in Rochester to endorse candidates for governor, attorney general and other statewide offices. The major candidates have pledged to abide by the party’s endorsement, but none appears to have locked up enough support from the 2,200 delegates to win the party’s backing on the first ballot.
Walz faces no significant opposition for the Democratic nomination as he seeks a second term. He raised $1 million in the first quarter but spent $510,071. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/walz-has-4-1m-in-campaign-cash-jensen-and-gazelka-lead-gop/ | 2022-04-15T16:50:25 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/walz-has-4-1m-in-campaign-cash-jensen-and-gazelka-lead-gop/ |
The Timberwolves are heavy betting underdogs heading into their first-round NBA playoff series against the Grizzlies, which opens with Game 1 at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Memphis. That’s to be expected in a No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup.
Still, given the head-to-head results this season, Minnesota has reason to enter the best-of-seven series with confidence.
The Timberwolves won two of the four matchups, taking both games at Target Center. Both the losses in Memphis came down to the wire, including one in which Minnesota led by 16 points with 7 minutes, 30 seconds to play before falling in overtime.
The Timberwolves simply seem to match up well with Memphis. Here’s a look at why, and what needs to happen for Minnesota to have success in this series:
STOP THE 3
It’s one of the stats that defined the Timberwolves’ success this season. In their 46 wins, the Wolves held opponents to 31.4 percent shooting from deep. In 36 losses, opponents buried 40.1 percent of their 3-point attempts.
The general weakness in Minnesota’s “high wall” defensive pick-and-roll scheme is the ease with which some opponents have been able to generate open 3-point shots, particularly in the corners. Many of the best shooting teams have scored on the Wolves with relative ease.
But that’s not Memphis. The Grizzlies shot 35.3 percent from 3-point range this season, 17th best in the NBA at a relatively low volume. In the four regular-season meetings, Memphis shot a putrid 30.2 percent from deep, averaging just 9.3 made triples a game — the lowest number on average Minnesota allowed to any opponent.
If that persists in the playoffs, Minnesota’s sometimes shaky defense can likely withstand Memphis over a seven-game stretch.
RUSSELL ROARS
In the regular season, Memphis showed Minnesota a lot of “drop” pick-and-roll coverage, where the defending big man sags toward the paint as the ballhandler comes off the screen. D’Angelo Russell eats that look alive. Give Russell open looks off the bounce from 15 to 24 feet and watch what he can do.
Memphis was easily the opponent against which Russell experienced the most success this season. The guard averaged 31 points and 6.8 assists against the Grizzlies, shooting 56 percent from the field and 46 percent from deep.
Perhaps Memphis will shift defensive looks to slow Russell, which could open things up for others. But if it doesn’t, and Minnesota’s point guard is allowed to cook, the Wolves’ offense becomes infinitely tougher to stop.
BOTTLING MORANT
Prior to missing a large chunk of games over the final third of the season due to injury, Ja Morant’s dominance had the young guard in the thick of the MVP conversation. The third-year standout averaged 27.4 point, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds.
But success was harder for him to find against Minnesota. Morant was spectacular in the first meeting between the teams, finishing with 33 points. But he struggled mightily over the final three contests, averaging just 15.7 points on a woeful 30-percent shooting.
The Wolves’ high wall pick-and-roll scheme is designed to get the ball out of the hands of the ball-handler and Memphis’ spot-up shooters weren’t able to make Minnesota pay this season. That put a lot of pressure on Morant, as did having Patrick Beverley in his hip pocket every possession.
Morant is the best player in this series, which is usually a large determining factor of who advances in the NBA playoffs. But if Minnesota can mitigate his impact, its chances of survival skyrocket.
OWN THE GLASS
Memphis is the best rebounding team in the NBA, pacing the league in rebounds (49.2) and offensive rebounds (14.1) per game. The oversized Grizzlies get the offensive rebound on more than a third of their missed shots. That presents a challenge for Minnesota, which was near the league’s basement in defensive rebounding percentage this season (70.6).
The good news for Minnesota, also a high-level offensive rebounding team, is that Memphis isn’t as good on the defensive glass, so Minnesota can counteract the Grizzlies’ second-chance points with some of their own on the other end.
In the four meetings, Memphis averaged a whopping 21 second-chance points per game, but Minnesota was close behind with 19.3. If the Wolves can keep the battle of the boards relatively close, they’ll force Memphis to find other ways to win.
CONSISTENCY
It was evident again in Tuesday’s play-in win over the Clippers: When they attack with full force and attention to detail, the Timberwolves can play really good basketball. They did so every time they played Memphis this season, and the results showed.
But those types of efforts haven’t always been there for Minnesota. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, do that nearly every night. That’s why Memphis won 56 games, the second-most in the NBA.
So, while Minnesota matches up well with Memphis when both teams are at their best, the challenge for the Timberwolves is to see how often they can produce that best effort over a seven-game series. If they can deliver five or six peak performances, the Wolves just might pull the upset.
SERIES PREDICTION
This figures to be a entertaining, potentially evenly matched series that could simply be determined by home-court advantage. Grizzlies in seven. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/why-do-the-timberwolves-match-up-so-well-with-memphis/ | 2022-04-15T16:50:31 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/15/why-do-the-timberwolves-match-up-so-well-with-memphis/ |
But as Citi Field welcomes fans back to the stadium, there is some uncertainty amid reports of a positive COVID-19 case among the staff.
Regulars Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha are not in the Mets lineup, though it is unclear if it is a result of being possible close contacts.
ALSO READ | Jackie Robinson Day: MLB celebrates trailblazing star 75 years after debut
The Mets are host the Arizona Diamondbacks to start a three-game series, with New York's fast start a welcome sight after the team finished 77-85 overall last season.
Sports anchor Sam Ryan has more on the Mets' home opener:
New additions, including ace Max Scherzer, have brought hope back to Flushing even with a devastating injury to starter Jacob DeGrom that will have the two-time Cy Young winner on the shelf at least into June.
Chris Bassit is set to take the hill with a 1-0 record and .00 ERA, facing off against the Diamondbacks Zach Davies.
Prior to the game, the Mets unveiled a statue honoring "The Franchise" Tom Seaver outside Citi Field.
The Mets legend passed away at the age of 75 in August of 2020.
Full video of statue unveiling:
The unveiling of the Seaver statue was a huge highlight for thousands who came to Citi Field earlier than usual, even for a home opener.
The festivities gave fans a rare opportunity fans to get close to Mets heroes like Mike Piazza, DeGrom and manager Buck Showalter.
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Submit a News Tip | https://abc7ny.com/new-york-mets-home-opener-citi-field-flushing/11751548/ | 2022-04-15T16:54:19 | 0 | https://abc7ny.com/new-york-mets-home-opener-citi-field-flushing/11751548/ |
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Lockport man who made it to the Top 8 on NBC’s “The Voice” will sing alongside the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra this summer at Sahlen Field.
Joshua Vacanti will be at the ballpark on July 4 — KeyBank Independence Night. That night, the Buffalo Bisons will battle the Syracuse Mets in a game that starts at 6:05 p.m.
It will be the first time the Bisons are able to hold their Independence Night celebration since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The concert will commence, along with fireworks, after the game. Right now, the Bisons are holding a special sale on tickets for the Independence Day game. More information on that can be found here.
- Man in custody after alleged knife attack on Tonawanda Reservation
- The Voice’s Joshua Vacanti to perform with BPO after Bisons’ July 4th game
- The only day MLB players can wear No. 42? Jackie Robinson Day
- Hope Rises: Summit Center President shares about Autism Walk
- Reward offered for man wanted by Marshals, Niagara Falls police
Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. | https://www.wivb.com/community/things-to-do-buffalo/the-voices-joshua-vacanti-to-perform-with-bpo-after-bisons-july-4th-game/ | 2022-04-15T16:56:17 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/community/things-to-do-buffalo/the-voices-joshua-vacanti-to-perform-with-bpo-after-bisons-july-4th-game/ |
ALABAMA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A man is being held without bail after an alleged assault on the Tonawanda Reservation in the Town of Alabama.
Members of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Sandhill Road early Monday morning, shortly before 2 a.m. They say Jarrett Coniglio, 29, seriously injured another man by attacking him with a knife.
Following an investigation, Coniglio was arrested Thursday on multiple charges:
- attempted murder
- assault
- criminal possession of a weapon
- intimidating a witness
- criminal mischief
- menacing
Coniglio will be back in court this Tuesday.
- Man in custody after alleged knife attack on Tonawanda Reservation
- The Voice’s Joshua Vacanti to perform with BPO after Bisons’ July 4th game
- The only day MLB players can wear No. 42? Jackie Robinson Day
- Hope Rises: Summit Center President shares about Autism Walk
- Reward offered for man wanted by Marshals, Niagara Falls police | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/western-new-york/genesee-county/man-in-custody-after-alleged-knife-attack-on-tonawanda-reservation/ | 2022-04-15T16:56:23 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/western-new-york/genesee-county/man-in-custody-after-alleged-knife-attack-on-tonawanda-reservation/ |
(NEXSTAR) – If you watch MLB games closely, you might notice not a single player wears No. 42. There’s one exception to this, when every MLB player wears No. 42 on the same day – Jackie Robinson Day.
Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, as he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. While those playing in the MLB weren’t even alive when Robinson made his debut, the league honors his legacy every year on April 15.
On Jackie Robinson Day, every player and on-field personnel don the number Robinson wore, 42, which was retired by the league in 1997. This year, to mark the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s debut, the No. 42 on every team’s jersey will be Dodger blue, regardless of the team’s primary colors.
The MLB has been honoring Jackie Robinson Day every year since 2004, with all players and on-field personnel wearing No. 42 on April 15 every year since 2009.
There will be additional tributes throughout the day on Friday as well. In New York, 42nd Street will temporarily be named Jackie Robinson Way. A sign will be placed at 42nd and Broadway in the afternoon and will then be taken to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
In Los Angeles, Jackie’s widow, Rachel (who’s turning 100 this year), will be in attendance at Dodgers Stadium as the Dodgers play the Cincinnati Reds. Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will bring his team to the Robinson statue outside the main, center-field entrance to pay tribute to Robinson, Nexstar’s KTLA reports.
Robinson was born in Cairo, Ga., in 1919. He attended college at UCLA, where he was named to the All-American football team, but was forced to leave due to financial difficulties, the biography on his website reads. Robinson then enlisted in the Army, but his career was cut short after being court-martialed for objecting to “incidents of racial discrimination.” He ultimately left with an honorable discharge.
Slideshow: Jackie Robinson
In 1945, Robinson played in the Negro Baseball League for the Kansas City Monarchs. Two years later, Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers.
After nine seasons with the Dodgers, Robinson retired following the 1956 season. He went on to work as the vice president for personnel at Chock Full O’ Nuts, a restaurant chain in New York, and became a Civil Rights icon, according to the Library of Congress.
Robinson passed away on October 24, 1972. | https://www.wivb.com/sports/buffalo-bisons-sports/the-only-day-mlb-players-can-wear-no-42-jackie-robinson-day/ | 2022-04-15T16:56:29 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/sports/buffalo-bisons-sports/the-only-day-mlb-players-can-wear-no-42-jackie-robinson-day/ |
Humboldt County, Nevada is home to one of the largest sources of lithium in the world.
There is an estimated 9 square miles worth of lithium in Thacker Pass, and there are plans to mine it.
An ancient underground volcano left behind the mineral that is a major piece of renewable energy future.
"One percent of the lithium in the world gets produced by the United States, so this mine right here will produce about 25% of America's use of lithium projected out over the next 30 years," said Dave Mendiola, who is the county manager in Humboldt County.
A little over a year ago, the area was given the federal green light to build the open-pit mine. Currently, there is only one lithium mine in America.
Mendiola said the project will bring hundreds of jobs to the area. The country is already planning development projects to provide new homes to the people coming in.
"There'll be a lot of job opportunities, both at the mine itself and then in a lot of those ancillary businesses," he said.
However, current lawsuits and appeals by a diverse group of people, including Indigenous tribes, ranchers and environmental groups, are holding up progress for the mine’s development. According to John Hader, executive director of Great Basin Resource Watch, that’s a good thing.
"It's a big footprint when you put it in one of these mines, and that needs to be considered, and it's, I feel like it's not being considered enough," he said.
Hader’s group is concerned about many things— potential toxins from waste rock, the impact on Native lands, which it will be built on and the water footprint.
"People in the community are very concerned about the potential for expansion of the mine further down the road and requiring more water, before you know it, they can't grow their crops there, they can't do agriculture, you can’t do ranching anymore. That's what the long-term concern is," he said.
The next decision on the mine is expected this fall.
As the country looks for new ways to power the nation, similar issues will likely keep popping up.
"If you look the other way, then you're going to do environmental damage that also affects our climate and more so than necessary," said Hader.
"There are families who see their kids grow up and their kids go off to school or somewhere else looking for some great opportunity, but this is just another opportunity for our children to stay here in the community," said Mendiola. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national-politics/the-race/a-county-torn-over-lithium-mining-could-set-the-tone-as-america-looks-for-renewable-energy-sources | 2022-04-15T17:04:41 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national-politics/the-race/a-county-torn-over-lithium-mining-could-set-the-tone-as-america-looks-for-renewable-energy-sources |
After more than four months of rigorous training in a wide range of disciplines such as fire science and mental health, 19 graduates from the city’s Fire Cadet Training Academy are ready to hit the streets.
The Santa Fe Fire Department welcomed its 34th cadet academy into its ranks — 16 cadets and three lateral transfers — Thursday morning during a ceremony in the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. It was the first public graduation ceremony since the start of the pandemic.
“It’s probably been over four years since we have had a formal, in-person cadet graduation,” fire Chief Brian Moya said after the event. “This is a proud day for them. This is the beginning of their careers.”
The ceremony was the culmination of 22 weeks of training that included a mix of academic, physical, interview and mental evaluations.
The class was a bit smaller than usual — the department generally likes to run 20-person classes — but Moya said he was happy with the number of candidates.
Santa Fean Alexander George, who spoke on behalf of the class, said everyone who participated in the course had ups and downs during the training as well as their own weaknesses that they needed to iron out, but all were strongly lured by working in public safety.
“Some had to improve on the fitness side; other people, like me, school wasn’t their favorite thing, so getting in the book was kind of different,” he said. “But it seemed a lot easier because this was something I really wanted to do.”
In addition, for the first time in nearly a decade, the department welcomed one or more lateral transfers — candidates who have worked in other departments across the nation.
The lateral transfers completed about a four-week training period to make sure the candidates’ skills matched the department’s expectations. Moya said a lateral transfer is beneficial to the department because it not only fills a seat, but brings more experience to the staff.
David Mulet transferred to Santa Fe after spending 11 years as a firefighter in Charlotte, N.C., and said he was attracted to some of the more “progressive” initiatives taken by the department, including its Alternative Response Unit.
“They are trying to find solutions instead of just taking people back and forth to the hospital,” Mulet said. “I can only speak for myself, but my old department had a much more old school bull-nosed approach to firefighting, which is not always the right method.”
City Community Health and Safety Director Kyra Ochoa said it was encouraging outside candidates are becoming aware of progressive changes the department is trying to instill.
“I think they can see that we are not the largest city in the country, but we have everything a fire department can have,” Ochoa said. “There is a huge world of opportunity here.”
Moya said the candidates will hit the ground running, with most scheduled to start their shift this weekend.
George, who will be one of the first in his class to suit up and get to work this weekend, was unfazed.
“I think I was more nervous for the speech,” he said. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/19-new-firefighters-ready-to-protect-santa-fe/article_31c3e1ac-bc09-11ec-b108-078165049cb8.html | 2022-04-15T17:04:46 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/19-new-firefighters-ready-to-protect-santa-fe/article_31c3e1ac-bc09-11ec-b108-078165049cb8.html |
Orlando “Red Eyes” Yazzie is headed back to prison to serve the remainder of his 16-year prison sentence — about six more years — for the 2013 beating death of Mark Ginnel, whose body was discovered in an arroyo near Rosario Cemetery.
Yazzie had some credit for time served when state District Judge T. Glenn Ellington ordered him in 2014 to serve 7½ years of a 16-year sentence — with the rest suspended — after Yazzie pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in Ginnel’s death.
Yazzie was released in May, but Ellington ordered him back to prison at the request of prosecutors Thursday after determining Yazzie had violated the terms of his five-year probation within about 40 days of his release by failing to report to officers and failing to comply with requirements for counseling and substance abuse treatment.
Yazzie, 45, said he’d lost much of his ability to function after suffering a head injury and had become frustrated with attempts to set his life straight when it seemed like no one cared about him.
But the judge was not swayed.
“The same issues that brought you to court in 2013 are still present,” Ellington said, noting reports of Yazzie’s verbal aggression toward his probation officer.
While Yazzie said he was trying his best, Ellington told him, “your behavior proves the exact opposite.”
“You will be back on the streets in about six years,” the judge continued. “Whether or not you end up in prison again after that is really up to you.”
Yazzie’s public defender, Mark Dickson, said in a statement Thursday prisoners are expected “to come out and function in a way that is often out of reach for them at that time in their life. They need life skills, mental health and drug treatment, and support.
“Orlando was doing his best to better himself by avoiding drugs and alcohol and staying employed,” Dickson added. “He wanted to be successful. He felt frustrated in not having the help he felt needed. We need to keep working on developing better ways to support and help people get back on a better path if we want healthier communities.”
Yazzie told police he and Ginnel, 55, had been drinking together when Ginnel started “mouthing off” and called Yazzie a “a cheap Indian.”
Yazzie said he punched Ginnel, who then “went to sleep.”
He returned a few times and kicked Ginnel in the head, Yazzie said, according to court documents.
Police initially identified both men as homeless.
Ginnel’s widow, Mayim Ginnel, later disputed that characterization of her late husband. She described him as a loving father, grandfather, brother and uncle; a jack of all trades, aspiring photographer and “gifted encourager” who had once been offered a scholarship to play hockey at the University of Michigan.
Yazzie had been arrested dozens of times in the decade leading up to Ginnel’s death, reports showed. His charges included assault on a police officer, aggravated battery, drinking in public, disorderly conduct and shoplifting.
Online court records show he also pleaded guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault on a household member in state District Court in Gallup in 2003. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/convicted-killer-gets-six-more-years-after-violating-probation/article_d269fe74-bc1e-11ec-bf8e-ab66116ef91e.html | 2022-04-15T17:04:52 | 1 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/convicted-killer-gets-six-more-years-after-violating-probation/article_d269fe74-bc1e-11ec-bf8e-ab66116ef91e.html |
VALMY, Nev. — Jan Morrison can see a lot of potential in the Valmy Coal Plant in Humboldt County, Nevada.
"It's going to be vibrant and it's going to be a vital part of our energy grid. It'll remain a vital part. So that's a win all the way," she said.
Morrison, the economic development officer at the plant, said it's the last of its kind in Nevada.
However, it won't be burning coal for much longer. The plan is to turn the plant into a solar wind farm.
"It is miles and miles and miles of desert, so it's a perfect opportunity to develop solar fields," said Morrison.
According to Brookings, some existing fossil fuel infrastructure, like the Valmy Plant, happens to be right where the strongest potential for renewable energy generation lies. Another plus of transitioning existing infrastructure to renewables is that the connections are already there.
"What's really unique about the Valmy power plant is that it has the infrastructure on the Western grid. I mean, it is a major, major hub, and so when you look at all the investment into that, why would you let that go," said Morrison.
According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institure, in 2019, the nation saw the second highest number of coal plant closures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that coal mining employment has dropped by more than half since 2012. Switching existing infrastructure to renewables can help save jobs, but for many communities, the switch is costly.
The billions of dollars in the infrastructure bill should bring about more incentives for these transitions, potentially allowing a majority of the 1.7 million people who work in fossil fuels to keep their jobs.
As for Morrison, she’s excited that her community gets to be on the front lines of the transition to a greener future.
"The concept of renewable energy is very welcome out here," she said. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national-politics/the-race/energy-transitions-can-help-move-america-toward-renewable-energy-goals | 2022-04-15T17:04:53 | 1 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national-politics/the-race/energy-transitions-can-help-move-america-toward-renewable-energy-goals |
QUINTANA, Texas — A dolphin that was stranded on a Texas beach is now dead after a wildlife group said people tried to ride it.
Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network posted on Facebook that the dolphin was alive when it became stranded on Quintana Beach south of Houston.
The group said beachgoers pushed the dolphin back to sea and tried to swim with and ride the animal.
The dolphin died before rescuers arrived at the beach.
The rescue group said this type of harassment can stress out wild dolphins. It warns people should not interact with beached dolphins as it could be dangerous.
Instead, people are encouraged to call wildlife authorities immediately.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it is illegal to feed or harass wild marine animals, including dolphins. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/dolphin-dies-after-beachgoers-in-texas-try-to-ride-it-rescue-group-says | 2022-04-15T17:04:55 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/dolphin-dies-after-beachgoers-in-texas-try-to-ride-it-rescue-group-says |
JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a major holy site in Jerusalem.
More than 150 Palestinians were wounded.
Israeli authorities say Palestinians threw rocks at police after dawn prayers on Friday, igniting the clashes.
Palestinians view the deployment of Israeli police at the site as a provocation.
Order was later restored and tens of thousands of worshippers attended Friday prayers at midday.
Tensions have soared in recent weeks amid a series of deadly attacks in Israel and military raids across the occupied West Bank.
According to the New York Times, there had been expectations that tensions would rise surrounding the rare convergence of Ramadan, Passover and Easter.
Last year, protests and clashes in and around Al-Aqsa helped ignite an 11-day Gaza war. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/palestinians-clash-with-israeli-police-at-major-holy-site | 2022-04-15T17:04:57 | 1 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/palestinians-clash-with-israeli-police-at-major-holy-site |
Campbell Farming will have to reapply for an amendment to a 20-year-old master plan to allow for piecemeal development of its 8,000 acres in the Edgewood area.
Last year, the town’s planning and zoning commission unanimously approved the revisions after two contentious meetings in which scores of residents jeered a project they feared would congest the rural area with traffic, destroy Edgewood’s bucolic character and further strain the tightening water supply.
The first chaotic hearing in late September went until after midnight, prompting the commissioners to finish it the following night. That caused some potential legal snags.
The state Attorney General’s Office recently sent a letter to town officials, saying proper procedures weren’t followed for continuing a hearing beyond its scheduled day.
Town commissioners — four of the five are new, with Audrey J. Jaramillo a holdover from the four-person Town Council under a previous form of government — chalked it up to their predecessors cutting corners and voted Wednesday to take the attorney general’s suggestion to kick the amended Campbell Ranch master plan back to the planning commission for a do-over.
This action was taken at a hearing in which the town commission was set to discuss the appeals that residents had filed against the revised master plan. That discussion was scrapped and residents were told to air their grievances to planning commissioners.
“It’s kind of a waste that the prior administration didn’t follow the proper procedures,” Town Commissioner Jerry Powers said at the Wednesday hearing. “It puts everybody back through the process again. There’s costs involved.”
In a phone interview, Brad Hill, the planning and zoning manager, said Campbell will have three options.
The company can apply again for the amendment, develop the site using the previous master plan or walk away, Hill said.
This time around, Campbell won’t face crowded, raucous meetings, because only those directly affected by the development will be allowed to weigh in, Hill said, adding people must live within 500 feet of it.
At the hearing, town commissioners agreed that, even though the attorney general didn’t say outright the town had broken open meeting laws, they were better off starting over and ensuring things are done correctly.
The Town Commission is a new government body; all five members were elected in the fall. Members said they’re approaching things differently — and with more transparency — than previous government bodies.
“We inherited a lot of this,” Commissioner Ken Brennan said. “Some of what was done before may or may not have been done right.”
People who attended that hearing were allowed to speak. Many took the chance to again express their disdain for the enormous planned development, which would extend into Santa Fe, Bernalillo and Sandoval counties but would fall mostly in Edgewood’s jurisdiction because the town has annexed most of the land.
Critics’ main concern is the plan, which was crafted at the beginning of what has become a 20-year drought, calls for eventually building 4,000 homes in an area that, similar to the rest of New Mexico, faces diminishing water resources amid a warmer, drier climate.
“It’s all kind of baffling,” said Ethan Withers, who lives in San Antonito. “We don’t have the water.”
Withers said a state engineer’s report predicts 80 percent of the area’s wells will run dry within 40 years, and yet houses keep getting built and demand for water increases.
“Instead of pushing for more development, can we look at actual solutions to what is a crisis?” he said.
In the past, the town’s planning officials said Campbell would have to show there is adequate water before it could build.
Campbell removed one of the two golf courses from the plan, saying that showed it was concerned about water conservation.
Brennan said he understands people’s concerns, but the company has the same property rights under the Constitution as the residents do.
If someone sought a permit to build a home, the town couldn’t reject the request simply because the community didn’t want a new house there, Brennan said.
Still, the current administration will make more effort to be inclusive, Jaramillo told attendees.
“I spent four years on this council with voices getting cut and diminished and not heard, and so it’s very, very important for me that we hear from the public and get input,” she said. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/developers-approval-scrapped-after-meeting-deemed-improper/article_40205812-bb3b-11ec-816b-fbe8f395300d.html | 2022-04-15T17:04:58 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/developers-approval-scrapped-after-meeting-deemed-improper/article_40205812-bb3b-11ec-816b-fbe8f395300d.html |
Officers with the Greenfield Police Department in Massachusetts rescued an orphaned bear.
The department said the scared cub was spotted in a tree last week. Two officers were able to get the bear down from the tree and place it in the back of their cruiser.
It was taken to the police station until wildlife officials could pick it up.
The next day, the bear was transported to the wildlife clinic at Tufts University.
Veterinarians say the cub is approximately 12-weeks old and is in "good physical condition."
She will be taken to the Kilham Bear Center in New Hampshire for rehabilitation before being re-released into the wild.
Police believe the cub's mother and siblings were hit and killed by a car. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/police-rescue-orphaned-bear | 2022-04-15T17:04:58 | 1 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/police-rescue-orphaned-bear |
TRENTON, N.J. — Recreational marijuana sales in New Jersey for those 21 and older will begin April 21.
That's according to Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
The governor's announcement in a tweet comes just three days after state regulators green-lighted permits for seven facilities that already sell medical cannabis to begin retailing recreational marijuana.
It will now be up to the medical marijuana dispensaries to decide when they’ll begin recreational marijuana sales.
Customers in New Jersey will be able to purchase up to 1 ounce of recreational marijuana in a single transaction.
The news comes about a year after the state’s regulatory commission started operating, and a year and a half after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to permit recreational marijuana for people 21 and older.
New Jersey is one of 18 states, along with the District of Columbia, that have legalized recreational marijuana. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/recreational-marijuana-sales-in-new-jersey-slated-to-begin-april-21 | 2022-04-15T17:05:01 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/recreational-marijuana-sales-in-new-jersey-slated-to-begin-april-21 |
State District Judge Maria Sanchez-Gagne rejected a request Thursday from Axel Zamarron to reconsider the sentence he received under terms of his guilty plea for his role in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Cameron Martinez on a Northern New Mexico highway in 2018.
Zamarron, representing himself, argued his sentence wasn’t in keeping with state law — in part, he said, because not enough consideration was given to the fact he was only 17 at the time of the crime and because his ability to earn good-time credits — a reduced sentence for good behavior — was incorrectly defined by the agreement.
But the judge sided with First Judicial District prosecutor Blake Nichols, who argued the 2020 plea was valid and Zamarron’s request was without merit.
“Mr. Zamarron’s argument is cogent and interesting but wrong,” Nichols said Thursday, after Zamarron cited state statute and case law he felt supported his position. “He negotiated a sentence to reduce his exposure … and now he’s seeking to chip away at that because he’s got buyer’s remorse.”
Zamarron, 20, argued a pre-sentence memo from the state Department of Corrections recommended he receive a lesser sentence of 16 years with five years suspended. He argued he’d missed a deadline for filing his motion because he isn’t a lawyer and didn’t know about the time limit.
Zamarron was poised when he delivered his arguments but appeared to be struggling to suppress emotion when it became clear the court would not be revisiting his plea deal.
The judge initially was reluctant to proceed with the hearing because Zamarron was without counsel but went ahead after Nichols noted Zamarron had filed the motions on his own — an option that is available to him under the law.
Zamarron said Kelly Golightley, an attorney contracted by the Public Defender’s Office to represent him, told him after his case concluded he was no longer her client.
Golightley confirmed Thursday her contract to represent Zamarron ended 90 days after the case was concluded in December.
The judge told Zamarron he could petition the court for new representation if he wanted to continue litigating his case.
Sanchez-Gagne commended Zamarron for the effort he’d obviously put into his motions but said his argument wasn’t valid and wasn’t filed within the timelines required.
“I see Mr. Zamarron you are learning how to do research; you are doing a competent job in your writing,” Sanchez Gagne said, noting those skills would be useful in gaining employment upon release. “But I am denying your motion. Your sentence was adequate for all the reason stated before this court.”
Martinez, once a popular student and athlete at Española Valley High School, and three of his friends were shot in October 2018 as they were traveling on N.M. 68 near the Ohkay Hotel Casino. The friends survived but suffered injuries.
Zamarron was one of seven defendants in the case, in which ringleader Mark Hice armed and organized two carloads of young people who later opened fire after mistaking Martinez and his friends for someone Hice said had been threatening him on social media.
Authorities determined a bullet fired by Hice, not Zamarron, killed Martinez. But they charged Zamarron with murder in the case after finding he had fired a full clip from a Glock pistol into the vehicle.
Hice was sentenced to life plus 43 years.
Zamarron was charged with multiple counts of shooting at or from a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence and conspiracy. Had Zamarron been tried and found guilty on all counts, Nichols said at the time, the defendant would have faced as many as 109 years in prison.
His plea agreement gave Sanchez-Gagne discretion to sentence Zamarron to between 13 and 20 years in prison. She chose 20 years. | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/judge-rejects-reconsideration-of-plea-in-2018-fatal-shooting/article_2ce88c86-bc0a-11ec-9e11-433c9ca64315.html | 2022-04-15T17:05:04 | 0 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/judge-rejects-reconsideration-of-plea-in-2018-fatal-shooting/article_2ce88c86-bc0a-11ec-9e11-433c9ca64315.html |
Nearly 30,000 Ukrainians are returning to Ukraine daily, posing new challenges for relief workers in the region, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said earlier this week.
Since the start of the battle in February, the UN agency said 870,000 Ukrainians have returned to the nation The agency said an increasing number of women and children are returning to Ukraine.
The office said that the return of Ukrainians poses new challenges as people will need support reintegrating into communities. The UN said some communities remain unviable for people to return to.
Since the start of the conflict, the UN estimates 4.7 million have fled the nation. The majority of refugees— some 2.7 million — have fled to Poland. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/nearly-30-000-ukrainians-return-to-ukraine-daily-un-says | 2022-04-15T17:05:07 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/nearly-30-000-ukrainians-return-to-ukraine-daily-un-says |
A state panel has approved a much-awaited rule to curb oil field emissions that cause ground-level ozone, clearing the path for regulation advocates say will make New Mexico lead the nation in protecting public health and the environment from the pollutant.
The Environmental Improvement Board agreed to adopt the “ozone precursor rule,” which was proposed a year ago with the aim of reducing this pollutant in areas where fossil fuel operations elevate it to levels deemed unsafe.
Oil fields emit nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds that form ground-level ozone, a toxic gas that can impair breathing and, in high enough doses, damage the heart and lungs.
State and federal officials have said their monitoring devices show the ozone precursors have increased at oil and gas sites in recent years and must be reduced.
Regulators, environmentalists and advocates for front-line communities hailed approval of the rule, which is expected to be finalized May 26 and take effect 30 days after it’s published in the New Mexico Register.
“I think it’s huge,” said Jon Goldstein, state policy director for the Environmental Defense Fund. “When you consider the fact that the state of New Mexico has not had a great history of strong regulation on the oil and gas industry, and you consider the state has now grown to be the No. 2 oil producer in the nation, these really are landmark regulations.”
The rule will apply to counties where the ozone pollutants reach at least 95 percent of the federal ambient air quality standard.
So far, Chaves, Doña Ana, Eddy, Lea, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Juan and Valencia counties have been pegged as meeting that threshold.
These counties are located in and around the San Juan and Permian basins, where the bulk of the state’s oil and gas activity occurs.
“This rule is an enormous win for communities impacted by unhealthy air quality caused by oil and gas operations,” state Environment Secretary James Kenney said in a statement.
In the next few months, the state Environment Department will begin robust and innovative efforts to ensure the industry complies with the new requirements, Kenney added.
Industry representatives expressed mixed feelings as the rule was being discussed, saying they were willing to do their part to reduce ozone but complaining some provisions were excessive.
Oil executives made many suggestions to soften the proposed rule, some of them accepted and many rejected.
“We participated in the … efforts to regulate ozone precursors, even though the oil and gas industry contributes less than 3 parts per billion of ozone out of the roughly 75 parts per billion that exists today,” Doug Ackerman, president and CEO of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, wrote in an email.
Although the new rule will reduce pollution, it will have little impact on ozone emissions, Ackerman added.
Regulators estimate the rule will decrease ozone precursors by an estimated 260 million pounds a year, the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road.
Board members avoided adding any language to suggest the rule will cover methane. But that potent greenhouse gas is linked to ozone, so its emissions will be reduced by an estimated
851 million pounds yearly.
Goldstein called the methane reduction an unwritten “co-benefit” of the rule.
“If you’re going after these volatile organic compound leaks that lead to ozone problems … you’re going to be capturing the methane,” Goldstein said.
It will augment the methane regulations the state adopted last year that restrict venting and flaring of natural gas to emergencies, he said.
Operators also are required to capture 98 percent of their methane by the end of 2026.
Climate researchers estimate methane is 80 times more powerful in warming the Earth over a 20-year period than carbon dioxide.
Curtailing methane is considered key to keeping the Earth from warming by no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and avoiding catastrophic impacts. The planet already has warmed 1.1 Celsius since the pre-industrial era.
The counties listed for stepped ozone regulation received low to failing grades for breathability by the American Lung Association, Goldstein said.
The rule calls for increased inspections, he said, noting even wells with the smallest emissions will be checked at least yearly.
Wells located within 1,000 feet of homes, schools and businesses will be inspected quarterly, Goldstein said.
“Those of us with well sites in our back yards will benefit from more frequent inspections to find and fix leaks in proximity to homes and schools,” Kayley Shoup of Citizens Caring for the Future said in a statement. “New Mexico has created a standard to guide federal agencies in strengthening protections from oil and gas pollution.” | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/nm-panel-approves-rule-to-curb-ozone-in-oil-fields/article_b767abd6-bc04-11ec-b3d9-db41cc1ae61b.html | 2022-04-15T17:05:10 | 1 | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/nm-panel-approves-rule-to-curb-ozone-in-oil-fields/article_b767abd6-bc04-11ec-b3d9-db41cc1ae61b.html |
After nearly two years of addiction, Victoria Thierens said her life changed Nov. 30, 2019. In a cry for help, she called police and was taken to a behavioral unit to have a psych evaluation. There, she found out she was four weeks pregnant with her daughter.
"They let me know that due to that, that they would be calling Child Protective Services and that within a day's time that they would be coming to the house and we would be establishing some sort of plan to make sure that my children were safe," Thierens said.
Thierens has gone from being a victim to being victorious.
"I have been sober for two and a half years, and it's been an incredible journey," Thierens said.
Her story starts in high school. She said she's always been a very ambitious person and she was determined to graduate early so she could become a nurse-midwife. She also became a fitness coach who competed in body-building competitions and she started a business.
"At a certain point, I felt like I was kind of just, missing out on, like, the party scene and just exploring what was, you know, what life had to offer at the time," Thierens said. "What started out as just, you know, partying a little bit here and there, you know, I did a little bit of cocaine and was just like exploring and experimenting. Nothing too serious turned into quite a slippery slope. And I ended up getting addicted to crystal meth."
She said her descent into addiction was very gradual.
"It's kind of challenging in times to decipher when is it that you're no longer in control, you know," Thierens said.
The thought of losing her newborn and her other child wasn't something she could imagine, and it instilled in her the motivation to make a change. From that moment on, she's had the strength to stay away from drugs.
"I knew that it was a pivotal point and that these people were here to help me and that I had to choose to help myself," Thierens said.
According to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School professor of psychiatry Dr. John Kelly, roughly 10% of Americans are in recovery from an alcohol- or drug-use disorder.
"There are about 20 to 30 million people in recovery right now in the United States," Kelly said.
Kelly is also the director of the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. He said it may take a few or many years for someone to recover from addiction, but the latest data from the CDC and National Institute on Drug Abuse shows a majority of people who battle addiction eventually recover.
"75% of people who experience at some point in their life an alcohol or other drug use disorder will achieve remission," Kelly said.
Dr. Nora Volkow is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She said the more time a person is in remission, the greater their chances are of staying that way. The path to recovery differs from person to person, but she says there's one common denominator.
"A key component, that is extraordinarily important, like our backbone, is those social support systems that can help the person stay in recovery," Volkow said.
Those social support systems are what Thierens said have been very helpful for her.
"Having a group of women and like support teams that are there for you even if they haven't gone through addiction," Thierens said. "Just having a good group of friends who have aligned interests or similar interests as far as like wanting to progress as a human, as a being, as somebody that's dealing with life right now."
She says good sleep, eating habits and self-care have also been important in her journey. Now she's using her experience to help others through a book she recently co-authored, and one-on-one sessions to guide people who are struggling with addiction or depression and anxiety.
"I just love being a mom and I love really helping the world and sharing my story with the hopes of empowering other people and just showing up as my best self and my most authentic self as often as I can," Thierens said. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/support-systems-help-people-with-addiction-recovery-experts-say | 2022-04-15T17:05:14 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/support-systems-help-people-with-addiction-recovery-experts-say |
Two cases of bird flu have been confirmed in U.S. zoos, but officials said they won’t order widespread euthanasia of zoo birds the way they have on farms.
Agriculture Department spokesman Mike Stepien declined to release any details about the zoo cases Thursday.
Many zoos across the country have closed down their aviaries and moved birds inside whenever possible to help protect them from bird flu that officials believe is primarily being spread by the droppings of wild birds.
At many zoos, visitors are only allowed to see penguins because they’re usually the only birds that are kept behind a glass, where they’re shielded from spreading diseases.
That makes it harder for the bird flu to reach them.
Some zoos have taken steps to keep the bird flu from spreading.
They’re requiring zoo employees to change into clean boots and wear protective gear when entering bird areas.
Nearly 27 million chickens and turkeys have been slaughtered in 26 states to limit the spread of bird flu during this year’s outbreak.
Officials order entire flocks to be killed when the disease is found on farms. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/two-bird-flu-cases-confirmed-in-u-s-zoos | 2022-04-15T17:05:20 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/two-bird-flu-cases-confirmed-in-u-s-zoos |
Amid rising inflation, the Biden administration was delivered with good economic news: unemployment reached record lows in 12 states.
According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, 14 states reported March unemployment rates below 3%. Only one state — New Mexico — and the District of Columbia had unemployment rates above 5%.
The unemployment rate is an indication of the number of people in the workforce actively looking for jobs. The unemployment rate does not include the number of Americans who have left the workforce altogether since the start of the pandemic.
Nebraska and Utah reported the lowest unemployment rate of 2%. Other states reporting below 3% unemployment rates include Indiana, Montana, Kansas, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Idaho, Oklahoma, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama and North Dakota.
Nationally, unemployment is down to 3.6%, which is down from 6% a year ago.
While workforce participation dropped significantly in the first year of the pandemic, it has crept up in the last year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workforce participation was 63.4% in February 2020, dropping to a low of 60.2% in April 2020. Workforce participation was reported at 62.4% in March 2022, up from 61.5% a year ago.
The Biden administration welcomed the positive economic news.
“Over the last year, the unemployment rate dropped in every state and many states have reached historic lows,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “These aren’t just numbers on a page: these are millions of Americans back at work and able to support themselves and their families with good-paying jobs and enjoy the dignity a job provides. “
While most Americans looking for work are employed, the nation’s workforce is encountering a higher cost of living. Earlier this week, federal officials said the cost of food increased 8.8% from a year ago. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/unemployment-rate-hits-record-lows-in-12-states | 2022-04-15T17:05:21 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/unemployment-rate-hits-record-lows-in-12-states |
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The word “bipolar” is often shrouded in stigma, but two parents are hoping to lead a shift toward understanding through a traveling art exhibit.
About 3 million Americans are living with bipolar disorders.
At the John Surovek Gallery on Palm Beach, you can see the work of 25 bipolar artists in a juried exhibition.
Daniel Pichney is one of the artists who was selected to share his work. His self portrait in pencil portrays one of his first major depressive episodes, when he was in his 20s. The struggle he was facing at the time is portrayed in his eyes.
“It’s both sad and uplifting at the same time. And it certainly was encouraging to me to keep going and to improve my art, and not to be embarrassed about admitting that I am bipolar. And tell other people,” he said.
Pichney is using the show as an opportunity to share his perspective with the world, as well as his closest friends, many who are learning about his diagnosis for the first time.
“I’ve had like three major depressions in my life that - I lost - I wouldn’t say that I lost, but almost the same as losing years of my life. But I never gave up, I found some good doctors, I take my medication. That’s what I would recommend to anybody who is bipolar. Stick to those medications."
The hand-selected artists each receive a grant, and their pieces join a permanent collection that tours the country through the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation. The organization was founded by the parents of Ryan, Joyce and Dusty Sang. They describe their son as extraordinarily creative and courageous. He passed away while facing bipolar disorder.
“He was artist and a musician and a writer. And we always knew he had a body of work. He was like a brain on fire and after he passed away, Joyce suggested we start the foundation so that other parents wouldn’t have to be us and other kids wouldn’t have to be Ryan,” Dusty said.
Now, the Sang family wants to support research for developments that would offer earlier detection.
“The artist should not be identified by their illness, there’s much more to a person than their illness,” Joyce said.
The exhibit features large planks with handwriting, Ryan’s contribution to the display.
“After Ryan passed away we found in a little small book he had written these things and there’s an artist in West Palm beach who helped to create these planks,” Dusty explained.
“In his handwriting,” Joyce added.
“And it’s fascinating to watch people respond to them,” Dusty said.
The show, titled, “Insights IV: An Art Exhibition of Creativity and the Bipolar Brain,” continues through April 30. It is free to view at 349 Worth Avenue, 8 Via Parigi, at the Surovek Gallery. None of the artwork is for sale.
The next competition for artists is underway now.
“This has been a thrill ride all the way through,” Pichney said. “I just feel so humbled to have been accepted, I mean these are really exceptional artists. The other 25 or so people here are just unbelievably good.”
There is a large variety of work included in the exhibit.
“You have to recognize that we have to remove the stigma from it. And it was quite a stigma for me too,” Pichney said.
The hope is that all who visit will gain a better understanding, while also seeing incredible work from creative minds.
“To know that when you are with people, they might be relatives, they might be friends, you might know that they have bipolar disorder. But to realize that they are exceptional people and to accept them and love them. And know they have a big contribution to make to the world,” Pichney said.
Learn more at the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation. | https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/palm-beach/palm-beach-art-exhibit-brings-light-to-bipolar-disorder | 2022-04-15T17:05:28 | 1 | https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/palm-beach/palm-beach-art-exhibit-brings-light-to-bipolar-disorder |
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — The chief of the Boynton Beach Police Department is leaving his position later this month after nearly four years on the job.
Police Chief Michael G. Gregory announced Friday he will be leaving the department effective April 22.
Gregory said his decision is the result of wanting to take time to increase attention and focus on other areas of his life.
"I am very proud of the many accomplishments achieved with the outstanding women and men in the Boynton Beach Police Department during my nearly four-year tenure," Gregory said in a written statement. "I greatly appreciate the opportunity provided to me to lead the department and the leadership of City Manager Lori LaVerriere."
Gregory was sworn in July 9, 2018, as the 30th Boynton Beach police chief.
The city released the following accomplishments during Gregory's tenure:
- Reducing Part 1 Crime in the City of Boynton Beach to a historical 20 year low
- Building stronger relationships with community partners
- Building the newest and most state-of-the-art Police Headquarters in Palm Beach County
- Modernizing the technology we use to 21st Century standards
- Implementing Mental Health programs and initiatives for employees
- Increasing the professionalism and accountability of the department
- Maintaining the department's Excelsior status for the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation
Gregory's departure comes as the city manages the fallout following the death of a Stanley Davis III, a 13-year-old boy who died in December after the Florida Highway Patrol said the boy was driving a dirt bike recklessly while fleeing an attempted traffic stop.
LaVerriere appointed Deputy Chief Vanessa Snow as the interim police chief once Gregory leaves his post.
Gregory has been candid about his health, which included heart stent surgery in 2020 after doctors discovered a 75 percent blockage in a major artery. | https://www.wptv.com/news/region-s-palm-beach-county/boynton-beach/boynton-beach-police-chief-leaving-position | 2022-04-15T17:05:34 | 1 | https://www.wptv.com/news/region-s-palm-beach-county/boynton-beach/boynton-beach-police-chief-leaving-position |