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Bald eagle in critical condition after being shot with over 20 pellets
ANTIGO, Wis. (WEAU/Gray News) - A reward is being offered for information about a bald eagle shot by pellets in Wisconsin last week.
The Raptor Education Group is offering a $3,000 reward for tips about the shooting, which left the raptor with lead poisoning and a broken wing.
The female eagle was found in the Town of Cooks Valley, about 95 miles east of Minneapolis. The Raptor Education Group said it appears the eagle was struck with bird shot while in mid-flight and had over 20 pellets in her body. With bird shot, each shot shell has small pellets that spray, increasing the likelihood of hitting the target.
As of Sunday, the eagle was in critical condition. The Department of Natural Resources is investigating the shooting, the organization said.
In addition to the reward from the Raptor Education Group, citizens in Chippewa and Dunn counties and surrounding areas have also pledged rewards for anyone who provides information to law enforcement leading to an arrest. As of Wednesday morning, those reward pledges eclipsed $3,000, which combined with the reward being offered by the Raptor Education group puts the total reward over $6,000.
The Raptor Education Group, which rehabilitates injured or sick birds, said they were aware of 32 shootings involving protected species of birds last year, including a dozen instances of a bald eagle being shot. The organization also reported that they took in a peregrine falcon, which was recently on protected species lists, last week after it had been shot in New London on Thursday, but it died due to its injuries.
In regard to the shooting of the bald eagle, the organization said that it’s hard to mistake an adult bald eagle for any other type of bird due to its clearly visible white head and white tail feathers.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Department of Natural Resources or the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office.
The Raptor Education Group is a nonprofit dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of wild birds and public education on wildlife issues. You can visit their website for more information about their work, to donate or to learn more about birds.
Copyright 2022 WEAU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/bald-eagle-critical-condition-after-being-shot-with-over-20-pellets/
| 2022-04-06T21:11:19
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/bald-eagle-critical-condition-after-being-shot-with-over-20-pellets/
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House debates contempt for Scavino, Navarro in Jan. 6 probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House moved Wednesday to hold former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress as a new round of partisan fighting erupted over the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Lawmakers argued over a resolution, that if approved later in the day as expected, would send contempt charges against Navarro and Scavino to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack recommended the charges after the two men refused for months to comply with subpoenas.
The debate on the House floor was raw as Republicans stood by former President Donald Trump and charged that Democrats were trying to politicize the attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy accused the Jan. 6 committee of “criminalizing dissent,” defended Scavino as a “good man” and lobbed harsh criticism at members of the committee, some by name. “Let’s be honest, this is a political show trial,” McCarthy said.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, among the nine members of the Jan. 6 panel, noted that the committee has two Republicans, including Liz Cheney of Wyoming. “Today the minority leader gave the game away as he boiled over with rage,” Raskin said.
While pursuing contempt charges may not yield any new information for the Jan. 6 committee — any prosecutions could drag for months or years — the vote Wednesday was the latest attempt to show that witnesses will suffer consequences if they don’t cooperate or at least appear for questioning. It’s all part of an effort to claw back legislative authority that eroded during the Trump era, when congressional subpoenas were often flouted and ignored.
Raskin and other Democrats said Scavino and Navarro are among just a handful of individuals who have rebuffed the committee’s requests and subpoenas for information. The panel has interviewed more than 800 witnesses so far.
Scavino has “refused to testify before Congress about what he knows about the most dangerous and sweeping assault on the United States Congress since the War of 1812,” Raskin said.
The committee says Scavino helped promote Trump’s false claims of a stolen election and was with him the day of the attack on the Capitol. As a result, he may have “materials relevant to his videotaping and tweeting” messages that day.
A lawyer for Scavino did not return multiple messages from the AP seeking comment.
Navarro, 72, a former White House trade adviser, was subpoenaed in early February over his promotion of false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election that the committee believes contributed to the attack.
Navarro cited executive privilege when declining to testify, saying the committee “should negotiate this matter with President Trump.” He added, “If he waived the privilege, I will be happy to comply.”
But the Biden administration has already waived executive privilege for Navarro, Scavino and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying it was not justified or in the national interest for them to withhold their testimony.
Executive privilege was developed to protect a president’s ability to obtain candid counsel from his advisers without fear of immediate public disclosure, but it has limits. Courts have traditionally left questions of whether to invoke executive privilege up to the current White House occupant. The Supreme Court earlier this year rejected a bid by Trump to withhold documents from the committee.
The vote Wednesday will be the third time the panel has sent contempt charges to the House floor. The first two referrals, sent late last year, were for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump ally Steve Bannon.
The contempt referral against Bannon resulted in an indictment, with a trial set to start in July. The Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows, much to the frustration of the committee.
“It’s the committee’s hope that they will present it to a grand jury,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s chairman, told reporters Tuesday. “Obviously, the Meadows case is still outstanding. We don’t really know where that is, other than we’ve done our work.”
He added, “The firewall goes up from our standpoint, and DOJ uses its systems to take it from there.”
Lawmakers are interviewing dozens of individuals a week as they inch closer to public hearings in late spring. In the last week alone, the committee interviewed Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. Both were key White House advisers who had substantial access to the former president.
Thompson suggested more witnesses could still be held in contempt in the weeks ahead even as the committee looks to wrap up the investigative portion of their work in the next two months.
A conviction for contempt of Congress carries a fine of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison.
___
Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/house-debates-contempt-scavino-navarro-jan-6-probe/
| 2022-04-06T21:11:25
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/house-debates-contempt-scavino-navarro-jan-6-probe/
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Huskers eager for Spring Game
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Nebraska has completed 14 spring practices. Its fifteenth will be held with thousands of fans inside Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers’ Spring Game is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. It’ll be televised live on BTN.
“The Spring Game is fun,” defensive backs coach Travis Fisher said. “I want to watch that thing. I want to watch those guys put it all together.”
The Huskers have traditionally attracted extremely large crowds for their annual Red vs. White scrimmage. Tickets for Saturday’s game are still available at $10 apiece.
“Having all the fans in there (and) making it feel like a game atmosphere, it’s going to be great,” junior cornerback Quinton Newsome said.
The Huskers have had an eventful spring season. They’ve tweaked their offense with new play-caller Mark Whipple joining the staff in December. Whipple is among five new full-time coaches for Nebraska, who is coming off a 3-9 season.
The format for Saturday’s Spring Game is undecided. Scott Frost said on Monday the Huskers may split into offense versus defense, instead of two evenly matched teams, due to a high number of injuries.
Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/huskers-eager-spring-game/
| 2022-04-06T21:11:34
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Joseph emphasizes competitiveness during Spring Football
Nebraska wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph met with members of the media following Wednesday’s spring practice. Joseph discussed what fans should expect during the spring game.
“Everything we do around here we are competitive,” Joseph said. “Everything we do we are going to compete so it is going to be competitive.” Joseph expressed what he wants to see out of the receivers during the spring game. “We want to see it crispy,” Joseph said. “We want to see the timing. Like I said before it is hard when you are playing with four or five quarterbacks and when you are playing with 10 to 12 receivers so the timing might not be there all the time but you want to see the best timing that we can get on Saturday. That is what we are looking for.”
Joseph was asked what it would be like being back in Memorial Stadium this weekend.
“I did not even think about that,” Joseph said. “I think it is going to be a little weird walking back in there after probably what 30 years but I think once the ball kicks off the focus will get towards the game. You have to appreciate being back. You have to appreciate being back in Lincoln. Every day that you are here you appreciate it so I think going in there is going to be a little different but I will be fine.”
Joseph talked about the work that is needed after the game on Saturday.
“We have a lot of work to do and they understand that. I understand that,” Joseph said. “You can not say hey spring football. I love the spring I really do but at the end of the day they are not going to count that spring game in October. They are going to start counting when we play Northwestern. So after this spring game we put this to rest and we have to have a really good summer. We talked about having a great summer and just working. We are still getting to know each other now. They are still feeling me out and I am still feeling them out and getting to know my players. I think this summer is going to be really important for us.”
The annual red-white spring game is set for April 9 at 1 p.m. (CT) with national television coverage by the Big Ten Network.
Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/joseph-emphasizes-competitiveness-during-spring-football/
| 2022-04-06T21:11:40
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Woman wins $10M lottery prize after being ‘pushed’ into buying scratch-off ticket
LOS ANGELES (Gray News) - A woman in Southern California is ‘accidentally’ $10 million richer thanks to some help pushing a button at a California Lottery Scratchers vending machine.
According to lottery officials, California resident LaQuedra Edwards was at a Los Angeles-area Vons grocery store in November 2021 when she put $40 into the Scratchers machine.
Edwards said when she was deciding which games to play, “some rude person” bumped into her. The impact then pushed her into choosing the wrong selection on the machine, a $30 200X Scratchers ticket.
“He just bumped into me, didn’t say a thing, and just walked out the door,” Edwards said.
Edwards told lottery officials that she wasn’t planning on playing that game and was initially irritated because the ticket took most of her lottery budget.
However, Edwards said she was not upset for long as she started scratching the $30 ticket once back in her car and discovered she’d just won the game’s top prize of $10 million.
“I didn’t really believe it at first, but I got on the freeway and kept looking down at [the ticket], and I almost crashed my car,” Edwards said. “I pulled over, looked at it again, scanned it with my [California Lottery mobile] app, and I kept thinking this can’t be right.”
According to lottery officials, Edwards plans to use the prize money to purchase a home and start a nonprofit organization.
“I’m still in shock. All I remember saying once I found out how much I just won was, ‘I’m rich!” Edwards said.
Lottery officials said the Vons store where Edwards bought the Scratcher received $50,000 for selling the winning ticket.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/woman-wins-10m-lottery-prize-after-being-pushed-into-buying-scratch-off-ticket/
| 2022-04-06T21:11:46
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Yellen: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have ‘enormous economic repercussions’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned a House panel Wednesday that Russia’s aggression in Eastern Europe will have “enormous economic repercussions in Ukraine and beyond.” She added that the rising price of energy, metal, wheat and corn that Russia and Ukraine produce “is going to escalate inflationary pressures as well.”
Russia’s invasion “including the atrocities committed against innocent Ukrainians in Bucha, are reprehensible, represent an unacceptable affront to the rules-based global order, and will have enormous economic repercussions for the world,” she told the House Financial Services Committee.
Her remarks were part of her annual testimony on the state of the international financial system.
WARNING: Videos contain graphic content.
Along with touching on the need for food and energy security and debt sustainability globally, Yellen called on Congress to provide support to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank organizations, which have provided grants and humanitarian funds financing to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.
“Globally,” she said, “spillovers from the crisis are heightening economic vulnerabilities in many countries that are already facing higher debt burdens and limited policy options as they recover from COVID-19.”
“The sanctions we’ve placed on Russia are pushing up the price of energy. It’s a price that’s important to pay to punish Russia for what it’s doing in Ukraine,” she added, drawing on how the conflict is impacting Americans at home.
Inflation has reached 40-year highs as an inflation metric closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
The United States and Western allies have imposed an avalanche of sanctions against Russia in the first weeks of the war and administration officials in recent days have put more focus on closing loopholes that Russia might try to use to circumvent them.
On Wednesday morning, the U.S. announced more sanctions, this time targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters and toughening penalties against Russian banks in retaliation for “war crimes” in Ukraine.
“Treasury is committed to holding Russia accountable for its actions so it cannot benefit from the international financial system,” Yellen said.
Lawmakers also questioned Yellen on China and the threat of an invasion of Taiwan as the U.S. and its allies continue to impose sanctions on Russia. She said the U.S. is prepared to impose sanctions against China if Beijing moves aggressively toward Taiwan, as some fear it might.
“I believe we’ve shown that we can in the case of Russia,” she said. “I think you should not doubt our ability to resolve to do the same in other situations.”
She was also asked about Russia’s involvement in the G-20 summit, which is set to take place in Indonesia later this year.
The Indonesian government has said it would hold the G-20 Summit impartially, resisting calls to exclude Russia.
“I’ve made clear to my colleagues in Indonesia that we will not be participating in a number of meetings” at the annual summit where Russia would be involved, Yellen said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified later in the day that Yellen was referring to ministerial-level meetings and that the U.S. would not boycott the summit in its entirety.
“It shouldn’t be business as usual,” she said.
President Joe Biden has said he would like to kick Russia out of the G-20.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/yellen-russias-invasion-ukraine-will-have-enormous-economic-repercussions/
| 2022-04-06T21:11:52
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INDIANAPOLIS — When investigators announced on Tuesday they had identified the “I-65 Killer” after more than 30 years, they gave a lot of credit to relatively new technology called investigative genealogy.
That same technology was used most famously to track down the “Golden State Killer.” It was also used to find a serial rapist in Shelbyville who was sentenced to 650 years in prison last week.
“It was never an intelligence application per se it was more so finding family members because they were interested in connections,” Susan Walsh said. “When it came to the police side of things they found this was a good avenue or a good area to get into to try and unearth relationships that they didn’t know existed”
Walsh is an associate professor at IUPUI in the Forensic Investigative Sciences Program and runs her own research lab.
In cold cases, investigators can turn to labs like Walsh’s to sequence samples of DNA that were collected during the initial processing of the crime scene.
Those samples are then run through online genealogical databases where they will attempt to find a relative of the suspect.
“It’s looking at what samples that individuals have freely put up on the website, on the databases that could be matched to this unknown sample,” Walsh said. “You could find anything from up to 50 percent if it’s a parent or child match, all the way down to 0.005% which would be let’s say a fourth cousin relative.”
Once the forensic experts find that relative, they will then have to explore that person’s family tree in order to find the relative that actually committed the crime.
Walsh said that’s where the real work comes in.
“Basically you have to figure out the connection. That was only one point in the whole family tree,” Walsh said. “It’s the intelligence, the police work afterwards and the genealogical experts that draw all these trees and then you start to get the police back into examining what’s a good match what fits with the records of the area and other intelligent information they have.”
Oftentimes, when genealogists find a fourth cousin of their suspect, it’s difficult to even know where to begin. That’s where Walsh’s area of expertise comes in.
She has been on the cutting edge of phenotyping which is where they use specific markers on a person’s DNA to determine certain features of a person’s appearance. The technology is relatively new but can be used to find a person’s eye color, hair color and certain other facial features.
“This is all research within the last 10 years we could never do this before and it all comes down to working with the police and intelligence and working with librarians, individuals that are professionals in records searching,” Walsh said. “It’s a combination of individuals to try to solve it together.”
The technologies used in criminal investigations have only continued to be more useful, especially in cold cases.
“Some investigator still has to have the ware with all to think ‘oh this may be related’ or somebody brings it to their intention to pull these old samples and test it using new technology,” former FBI agent Doug Kouns said.
Kouns said he believes we’ll continue to see cold cases being solved as this technology progresses.
“In the 20 years of my law-enforcement career how far we came during that time to where look what we’re doing now,” Kouns said. “You just have to think from now until the next 20 years what are we gonna be doing, I think it’s pretty exciting.”
Susan Walsh at IUPUI pointed out that the technology does have its flaws. For example, the genealogical databases still need to grow.
Walsh said the current databases have roughly 1.5 million samples in them. If that number reaches 3 million, nearly every person in the population would be able to find a relative.
“It’s going to happen more often,” Walsh said. “As I said, biology is not difficult we’re just generating a genotype across the genome. People do it every day.”
You can find more information on Walsh’s work here.
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https://fox59.com/indiana-news/how-genealogical-investigators-continue-to-solve-cold-cases/
| 2022-04-06T21:12:52
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COLUMBUS, Ind. — Business owners in downtown Columbus say they’re already seeing the impact of Cummins, Inc. bringing employees back to its offices.
This week, Cummins is in the process of bringing employees back to offices across the U.S. In the Columbus area, that could mean up to 8,000 total workers. However, it’s not yet clear how many employees have made the return as of Wednesday.
“Cummins’ intent is to reopen our US offices safely and flexibly as the rate of COVID-19 infection has rapidly declined in recent weeks, and vaccines are both effective and widely available. We want to provide our employees the best work environment, whether it’s in the office, hybrid or remote.”
Jon Mills, Cummins, Inc. spokesperson
Many restaurants and bars in the downtown Columbus area depend heavily on business from Cummins employees going out for lunch, dinner, or drinks after work.
Kelly Schwarze, co-owner of Fresh Take Kitchen, said her restaurant didn’t see much change on Monday. However, things started to pick up on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, definitely an impact,” Schwarze said. “Definitely had this area full of waiting to order, it was great to see.”
Fresh Take Kitchen closed for a full year during the pandemic. It’s been a bleak two years since Cummins employees started working virtually. Now, Schwarze says she’s optimistic about the future.
“We were all very happy, we were all smiling throughout lunch. It was nice to see the fresh faces again, and hear them talking amongst each other about how they haven’t seen each other in two years.”
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https://fox59.com/news/columbus-businesses-ready-for-cummins-employees/
| 2022-04-06T21:12:58
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12-year-old child shot 9 times in Colorado fighting for his life, family says
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A 12-year-old boy among four people shot in Colorado on Saturday continues to fight for his life, according to family.
The shooting happened Saturday evening in Colorado Springs. A total of four people, including the 12-year-old, were shot.
“I received a phone call that my brother had been shot,” a family member of the boy told KKTV. “All I could think of was... I just started screaming, ‘No... just please... no.’”
The family members of two brothers who were shot said their lives have been turned upside down in the past few days.
“He is in critical condition,” the family member said. “My 12-year-old brother, he got shot 9 times. [In the] face, the neck, the leg, and everywhere. Just everywhere. He’s in so much pain.”
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, the suspect fired several shots into a home just after 6 p.m. Saturday.
The suspect has been identified as 18-year-old Estevan Pacheco. Police add that someone in the home returned fire and Pacheco fled the scene.
Police then believe someone who knows the victim at the first shooting followed Pacheco and a few blocks away.
Police learned Pacheco opened fire again, hitting several people in the truck that was following him including the 12-year-old boy and his brother, before Pacheco was run over by the truck.
Family members say hearing about what happened to their loved ones is devastating.
“I just couldn’t imagine it,” the family member said. “It did not seem real to me. It’s unbelievable. I was screaming and yelling and just angry. I remember it was just a nightmare. It’s the worst thing that could ever happen.”
The boy’s family also said they had reached out to police a few weeks before this shooting asking for something to be done about the violence in the area. As of Tuesday night, Pacheco was in the El Paso County Jail on a $50,000 bond facing charges including attempted murder.
Click here to donate to a GoFundMe set up to benefit the family.
Copyright 2022 KKTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/06/12-year-old-child-shot-9-times-colorado-fighting-his-life-family-says/
| 2022-04-06T21:33:23
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Bald eagle in critical condition after being shot with over 20 pellets
ANTIGO, Wis. (WEAU/Gray News) - A reward is being offered for information about a bald eagle shot by pellets in Wisconsin last week.
The Raptor Education Group is offering a $3,000 reward for tips about the shooting, which left the raptor with lead poisoning and a broken wing.
The female eagle was found in the Town of Cooks Valley, about 95 miles east of Minneapolis. The Raptor Education Group said it appears the eagle was struck with bird shot while in mid-flight and had over 20 pellets in her body. With bird shot, each shot shell has small pellets that spray, increasing the likelihood of hitting the target.
As of Sunday, the eagle was in critical condition. The Department of Natural Resources is investigating the shooting, the organization said.
In addition to the reward from the Raptor Education Group, citizens in Chippewa and Dunn counties and surrounding areas have also pledged rewards for anyone who provides information to law enforcement leading to an arrest. As of Wednesday morning, those reward pledges eclipsed $3,000, which combined with the reward being offered by the Raptor Education group puts the total reward over $6,000.
The Raptor Education Group, which rehabilitates injured or sick birds, said they were aware of 32 shootings involving protected species of birds last year, including a dozen instances of a bald eagle being shot. The organization also reported that they took in a peregrine falcon, which was recently on protected species lists, last week after it had been shot in New London on Thursday, but it died due to its injuries.
In regard to the shooting of the bald eagle, the organization said that it’s hard to mistake an adult bald eagle for any other type of bird due to its clearly visible white head and white tail feathers.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Department of Natural Resources or the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office.
The Raptor Education Group is a nonprofit dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of wild birds and public education on wildlife issues. You can visit their website for more information about their work, to donate or to learn more about birds.
Copyright 2022 WEAU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/06/bald-eagle-critical-condition-after-being-shot-with-over-20-pellets/
| 2022-04-06T21:33:26
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https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/06/bald-eagle-critical-condition-after-being-shot-with-over-20-pellets/
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Dad who lived in dorm convicted of abusing daughter’s friends
NEW YORK (AP) — A man who moved into his daughter’s college dorm and charmed her schoolmates with stories about his wisdom was convicted Wednesday of charges that he exploited the close-knit group, using threats and violence to enrich himself with millions of dollars.
Lawrence Ray, 62, was convicted at a trial where weeks of testimony chronicled his psychologically manipulative relationship with young people he met in fall 2010 at Sarah Lawrence College, a small New York liberal arts school. Ray moved into his daughter’s dorm after finishing a prison stint for a securities fraud conviction.
Sentencing was set for Sept. 16 on charges including racketeering, conspiracy, forced labor, sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. Ray, who stood with his arms at his side and faced the Manhattan jury as guilty verdicts were returned on 15 counts, could face up to life in prison.
After the verdict was read, Ray was returned to custody, where he had been since his early 2020 arrest.
His lawyers declined comment outside court and did not immediately return email messages seeking comment.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Ray had changed “a group of friends who had their whole lives ahead of them.”
“For the next decade, he used violence, threats, and psychological abuse to try to control and destroy their lives,” Williams said. “He exploited them. He terrorized them. He tortured them. Let me be very clear. Larry Ray is a predator. An evil man who did evil things. Today’s verdict finally brings him to justice.”
Jurors concluded deliberations less than a day after receiving the case following a monthlong trial that featured testimony from numerous victims who usually referred to Ray just as “Larry.” Some testified that Ray had made them believe they had poisoned or otherwise harmed him and they needed to pay him back.
One woman testified that she became a sex worker to try to pay reparations to Ray after becoming convinced that she had poisoned him. She said that, over four years, she gave Ray $2.5 million in installments that averaged between $10,000 and $50,000 per week.
Ray’s lawyers maintained he was victimized by former friends who fabricated their stories.
Ray did not testify. Twice, the trial was interrupted as he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance for undisclosed illnesses.
Several students testified that they were drawn into Ray’s world as he told them stories of his past influence in New York City politics, including his role in ruining the career of former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik after serving as the best man at his wedding years earlier. Ray had, in fact, been a figure in the corruption investigation that derailed Kerik’s nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Some of the students agreed to live with Ray in the summer of 2011 at his Manhattan one-bedroom apartment, where his sinister side emerged as he started to claim that the students had poisoned and harmed him or his property.
To make amends, they testified, they did what he asked, including turning over money. One man said he gave Ray over $100,000.
Prosecutors said the money was never enough. Through threats and violence and videotaped “confessions,” Ray tightened his hold on the young people, including forcing them to to landscaping and other work at the Pinehurst, North Carolina home of his stepfather for weeks in 2013, they said.
The abuse culminated in October 2018 when Ray for hours repeatedly abused the woman who gave him her proceeds from sex work, forcing her to be tied naked to a chair while he berated her, choked her with a leash and made her fear for her life by putting a bag over her head, prosecutors said.
Ray carried out his crimes with help from his daughter and Isabella Pollok, a woman who has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, prosecutors said. Her trial is set for later this year. The daughter has not been charged.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T21:33:28
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House debates contempt for Scavino, Navarro in Jan. 6 probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House moved Wednesday to hold former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress as a new round of partisan fighting erupted over the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Lawmakers argued over a resolution, that if approved later in the day as expected, would send contempt charges against Navarro and Scavino to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack recommended the charges after the two men refused for months to comply with subpoenas.
The debate on the House floor was raw as Republicans stood by former President Donald Trump and charged that Democrats were trying to politicize the attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy accused the Jan. 6 committee of “criminalizing dissent,” defended Scavino as a “good man” and lobbed harsh criticism at members of the committee, some by name. “Let’s be honest, this is a political show trial,” McCarthy said.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, among the nine members of the Jan. 6 panel, noted that the committee has two Republicans, including Liz Cheney of Wyoming. “Today the minority leader gave the game away as he boiled over with rage,” Raskin said.
While pursuing contempt charges may not yield any new information for the Jan. 6 committee — any prosecutions could drag for months or years — the vote Wednesday was the latest attempt to show that witnesses will suffer consequences if they don’t cooperate or at least appear for questioning. It’s all part of an effort to claw back legislative authority that eroded during the Trump era, when congressional subpoenas were often flouted and ignored.
Raskin and other Democrats said Scavino and Navarro are among just a handful of individuals who have rebuffed the committee’s requests and subpoenas for information. The panel has interviewed more than 800 witnesses so far.
Scavino has “refused to testify before Congress about what he knows about the most dangerous and sweeping assault on the United States Congress since the War of 1812,” Raskin said.
The committee says Scavino helped promote Trump’s false claims of a stolen election and was with him the day of the attack on the Capitol. As a result, he may have “materials relevant to his videotaping and tweeting” messages that day.
A lawyer for Scavino did not return multiple messages from the AP seeking comment.
Navarro, 72, a former White House trade adviser, was subpoenaed in early February over his promotion of false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election that the committee believes contributed to the attack.
Navarro cited executive privilege when declining to testify, saying the committee “should negotiate this matter with President Trump.” He added, “If he waived the privilege, I will be happy to comply.”
But the Biden administration has already waived executive privilege for Navarro, Scavino and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, saying it was not justified or in the national interest for them to withhold their testimony.
Executive privilege was developed to protect a president’s ability to obtain candid counsel from his advisers without fear of immediate public disclosure, but it has limits. Courts have traditionally left questions of whether to invoke executive privilege up to the current White House occupant. The Supreme Court earlier this year rejected a bid by Trump to withhold documents from the committee.
The vote Wednesday will be the third time the panel has sent contempt charges to the House floor. The first two referrals, sent late last year, were for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump ally Steve Bannon.
The contempt referral against Bannon resulted in an indictment, with a trial set to start in July. The Justice Department has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows, much to the frustration of the committee.
“It’s the committee’s hope that they will present it to a grand jury,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s chairman, told reporters Tuesday. “Obviously, the Meadows case is still outstanding. We don’t really know where that is, other than we’ve done our work.”
He added, “The firewall goes up from our standpoint, and DOJ uses its systems to take it from there.”
Lawmakers are interviewing dozens of individuals a week as they inch closer to public hearings in late spring. In the last week alone, the committee interviewed Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. Both were key White House advisers who had substantial access to the former president.
Thompson suggested more witnesses could still be held in contempt in the weeks ahead even as the committee looks to wrap up the investigative portion of their work in the next two months.
A conviction for contempt of Congress carries a fine of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison.
___
Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T21:33:30
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Minnesota State’s Mike Hastings wins Coach of the Year
BOSTON (KEYC) — Minnesota State Mavericks head coach Mike Hastings was announced as the recipient of the Spencer Penrose Award Wednesday.
The award is presented to the top coach in Division I Men’s Ice Hockey, as voted on by his peers.
Hastings has now won the award three times in his career, joining Len Ceglarski (Clarkson and Boston College), Charlie Holt (New Hampshire) and Jack Parker (Boston University) as the only coaches in history to have won the Spencer Penrose Award three times in their careers.
In addition, Hastings won the award after previously winning it last season.
Hastings has led the Mavericks to a 37-5-0 record heading into Thursday’s Frozen Four matchup against the Minnesota Gophers.
No team in the country has won more games over the last 10 years than Minnesota State. Over that time, all with Hastings in charge, MSU compiled a record of 273-94-24 for a national-best .727 winning percentage.
In Hastings’ time at Minnesota State, the Mavericks have hoisted the MacNaughton Cup seven times in eight years (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) and have won four league postseason tournament titles (2014, 2015, 2019, 2022). In addition, the team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times (2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) with Hastings at the helm.
In addition to leading the Mavericks this season, Hastings was an assistant on the Team USA coaching staff that competed at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Mike Hastings will lead the Minnesota State Mavericks against Bob Motzko’s Minnesota Gophers for a chance to play in the national championship game against the winner of the Michigan-Denver game. The puck will drop between the Mavericks and Gophers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, with the game being broadcast on ESPNU.
Make sure to visit KEYC.com/Sports and watch KEYC News Now all week long for additional coverage from Boston.
Copyright 2022 KEYC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T21:33:37
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St. Cloud man sentenced to prison for wire fraud
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) – A St. Cloud man has been sentenced to prison for food stamp and COVID-19 wire fraud.
According to the United States Department of Justice District of Minnesota, Hared Nur Jibril, 60, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $4,187,999.72 in restitution.
Court documents show Jibril owned and operated Hormud Meat and Grocery Market located in St. Cloud, Minnesota from 2009 through 2021.
In 2009, Jibril completed the application and signed the required certifications for the Hormud Market to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). At that time Hormud Market was also authorized as a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) vendor.
The SNAP and WIC programs are run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with the states. Both programs required Jibril to periodically recertify compliance.
From 2018 through 2021, Jibril and other employees of Hormud Market defrauded the USDA by exchanging SNAP and WIC benefits for cash and ineligible items including, phone minutes, personal care products, and prepared food from Jibril’s adjoining restaurant. The scheme resulted in a loss amount of more than $4.1 million to the SNAP and WIC programs.
During the spring and summer of 2020, Minnesota provided unemployment insurance benefits to help individuals who had lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that time, Jibril applied to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) for unemployment benefits, falsely claiming that he had been laid off from work due to COVID-19.
DEED granted his application for benefits, and in total, Jabril received more than $32,724 in unemployment assistance from the United States Department of the Treasury.
Jibril pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud in December 2021. He was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T21:33:43
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Woman wins $10M lottery prize after being ‘pushed’ into buying scratch-off ticket
LOS ANGELES (Gray News) - A woman in Southern California is ‘accidentally’ $10 million richer thanks to some help pushing a button at a California Lottery Scratchers vending machine.
According to lottery officials, California resident LaQuedra Edwards was at a Los Angeles-area Vons grocery store in November 2021 when she put $40 into the Scratchers machine.
Edwards said when she was deciding which games to play, “some rude person” bumped into her. The impact then pushed her into choosing the wrong selection on the machine, a $30 200X Scratchers ticket.
“He just bumped into me, didn’t say a thing, and just walked out the door,” Edwards said.
Edwards told lottery officials that she wasn’t planning on playing that game and was initially irritated because the ticket took most of her lottery budget.
However, Edwards said she was not upset for long as she started scratching the $30 ticket once back in her car and discovered she’d just won the game’s top prize of $10 million.
“I didn’t really believe it at first, but I got on the freeway and kept looking down at [the ticket], and I almost crashed my car,” Edwards said. “I pulled over, looked at it again, scanned it with my [California Lottery mobile] app, and I kept thinking this can’t be right.”
According to lottery officials, Edwards plans to use the prize money to purchase a home and start a nonprofit organization.
“I’m still in shock. All I remember saying once I found out how much I just won was, ‘I’m rich!” Edwards said.
Lottery officials said the Vons store where Edwards bought the Scratcher received $50,000 for selling the winning ticket.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/06/woman-wins-10m-lottery-prize-after-being-pushed-into-buying-scratch-off-ticket/
| 2022-04-06T21:33:49
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HOUSTON – Sunday sales of beer and light wine has been a hot topic for the City of Houston for the past few months, and after it resurfaced at Tuesday night’s board meeting, the board voted 3-1 to move forward with the next step in amending the ordinance.
The issue, which was brought before the board by Jonathan McDaniel in December 2021, and failed to move forward during the February 2022 meeting, was once again brought forward by McDaniel.
“I am here tonight representing the citizens and business owners of the City of Houston, who want our ordinance amended to allow the sale of beer and light wine on Sundays,” he said. “We are proposing that convenience stores, grocery stores and restaurants be allowed to sell beer and light wine from 12:30 p.m. until regular shut off time.”
He gave the reasoning behind the request as well.
“We believe this is a huge step towards more economic development, city-wide revenue increases and an increase in jobs throughout Houston. To continue to grow our city, we must think of new and inventive ways to bring consumers into our city, Sunday sales are part of that. We are losing a massive amount of revenue and customers to other cities that already have Sunday sales in place. The influx of seasonal workers that once flourished within our city on Sundays, are now slowly drifting to other cities who have Sunday sales already in place, to do their shopping. Weekly social events, such as Mudslangers, bring in high amounts of customers on Saturday, but deters those same customers from our city on Sundays, because of the lack of alcohol sales. I am sure that many of you already know that Pittsboro and Bruce just recently approved the sale of alcohol. Pittsboro alone has taken away tens of thousands of dollars from our economy, and hundreds of customers that spent their money right here in Houston, and that’s just on alcohol alone, not to mention the amount of money they spent elsewhere while in our city. This amending will allow us to regain an overall majority of those customers back, by offering what those cities do not, Sunday sales. I am asking everyone please set aside their personal preferences and differences for once and please think about the economic growth and development of Houston. I love our city, and that’s a fact, this is my hometown, and I can’t express that enough, how much I love our city, and I want to see it grow and flourish even more, and for it to be allowed to attract new people, with new ideas, that will only stimulate our city even more. Our city has many tools and opportunities placed within its grasp to allow us to further succeed in business and economic development. Do we ignore our city’s potential growth? Do we set aside what the overall majority clearly wants? Do we keep everything just like it is because only a few resists change, or do we take ahold of the opportunities and economic developments that have been bestowed upon us, and work together to increase our city on all fronts and start moving Houston forward?”
There were some in the crowd against the proposal, and they voiced their opposition.
“I just want to say, I love [McDaniel] and I love Houston, I love all of y’all, I just am against it because I see alcohol from a different perspective,” said Randy Rinehart, pastor of Parkway Baptist Church. “I see the destruction it brings. I see the problems it causes. I am against anything that increases the sale and consumption of alcohol in the City of Houston, and I love Houston. There are some who are against it and some who are for it, and y’all represent all of us, but there was a reason why it wasn’t in your original ordinance, there was a reason why.”
Others argued that people could simply purchase their alcohol on Saturday instead of allowing it to be sold on Sunday.
While those for the move argued that the money it would potentially bring in justified the amendment.
Ward 4 Alderlady Willie McKinney made a motion to move forward with the process of amending the of ordinance to allow for the sale of beer and light wine on Sundays at convenience stores, grocery stores and restaurants.
Ward 3 Alderman Matt Callahan seconded the motion.
McKinney, Callahan and Alderman At Large Barry Springer voted in favor of the motion, and Ward 2 Alderlady Shenia K. Jones voted against it.
Ward 1 Alderman John Fred Lancaster recused himself during voting due to a conflict of interests.
The motion carried 3-1.
The next step involves advertising the potential change of an ordinance and then holding a public hearing.
Following that, the board may choose to either approve or reject the amendment at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
It was also noted that liquor can only be sold on Sunday with special permission from the State of Mississippi, and this amendment was only for beer and light wine.
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| 2022-04-06T22:03:04
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United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
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| 2022-04-06T22:03:10
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TUPELO • Tupelo officials have approved a Highland Circle resident to sit on the Major Thoroughfare Committee, filling one of two vacancies for Ward 4, which previously had no representation.
On Tuesday, the city council unanimously voted to appoint George Jones to the committee, which oversees the city's Major Thoroughfare Program. Ward 4 Councilwoman Nettie Davis, who recommended Jones, said she nominated Jones for a seat on the committee after speaking with members of her community.
“From my understanding, he is a much-talented person," Davis said. "He has all kinds of experience working in the community. I think he will be a good addition to the committee and will represent Ward 4 very well.”
Jones, a member of Highland Circle's neighborhood association, said he was excited to get involved with the committee.
“I’m honored that someone wants my input, and anything I can do to help make Tupelo a better place, I will,” Jones said. “I’m grateful to Councilwoman Davis and Mayor (Todd) Jordan for the nomination and to the council for their approval.”
Jones is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana. He moved from Nashville to Tupelo in 2018, and he received an up-close and personal look at the work the Major Thoroughfare Program has accomplished with the renovations to Jackson Street, near where he lives.
Jones said he wants to bring that first-hand knowledge of the work the committee has accomplished during its 30-year history to the group.
“I hope I can bring a perspective of someone who was directly affected by the Thoroughfare Committee,” he said. “All and all, my wife and I were very pleased with the Jackson Street project.”
Jones has a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree from Tennessee State University. He is a board member of the Mississippi Golf Association and owns Premier Golf Services, a company that provides golf tournament preparation and management.
Eighteen members make up the committee, with two representatives from each ward and four at-large appointees. Jones’ appointment leaves just three vacancies on the committee, one each in Wards 1, 4 and 7.
The Major Thoroughfare Committee was created in 1991 after voters approved a 10-mill Major Thoroughfare tax levy. It was imposed or renewed in five-year increments by voters seven times. Voters most recently renewed the levy last February.
Priority projects for the unique roadway program's seventh phase include widening most of Jackson Street, widening Eason Boulevard from Veterans Boulevard to Briar Ridge Road and widening Veterans Boulevard from Main Street to Hamm Street.
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| 2022-04-06T22:03:16
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To the delight of diehard baseball fans, Opening Day is here. But MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the players union have agreed to so many preposterous rule changes that fans might have trouble recognizing the game they once revered as the national pastime.
The designated hitter, an American League abomination since 1973, will now be utilized in National League. The ghost runner, so-called even though he’s clearly visible to all, will begin the 10th inning on second base. Post-season playoffs will be expanded to include 12 teams instead of 10, with the top two seeds getting a first-round bye. And most laughable of all, special rules have been approved for individual players, like Angels pitcher/catcher Shohei Ohtani.
Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants 2014 World Series Most Valuable Player now pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, best summed up the latest baseball nonsense. Said Bumgarner: “I don’t know, I’m sure we’ll have a different rule in three months, maybe the next year after that. We’ll just make it up as we go. We’ll see whatever they like, the flavor of the week.… Maybe we’ll start playing with a wiffle ball or something.”
None of the 2022 changes are surprising. The players, despite their average $4.5 million annual salaries, want to get off the field and to their awaiting post-game buffets ASAP. Expanded playoffs mean more money for the players and owners, and the Ohtani rule helps keeps baseball’s biggest draw on the field longer.
Pity the beleaguered Cleveland cranks who must put up with MLB nonsense and their team’s woke new nickname, the Guardians. The Indians are gone, and their 100-plus year history down the memory hole where they’ll co-exist with their old mascot, Chief Wahoo. Indian fans can take comfort, however, in their rich past. Fire-balling 21-year-old Bob Feller, a World War II hero, started seven Opening Days, and in the 1940 game, he pitched a no-hitter. On the road in Chicago and at the White Sox Comiskey Park, Feller, in 40-degree weather, fired a 1-0 no hitter, the first of three in his career, along with 12 one-hitters.
More to the point about the former Indians. In 1939, Feller got the nod to open the season, this time at home in Cleveland Stadium against the Detroit Tigers. The Cleveland weather was so frigid that only about 24,000 fans showed up in a ball park that accommodated 80,000 to watch Feller dominate the Tigers 5-1 and shut down future Hall of Famers Charlie Gehringer and Hank Greenberg, although the pair did draw their team’s only two walks. In his compete game win, Feller struck out 10, and allowed three hits.
Those fans that braved the cold got a special treat. Judy Garland, only 16 but already an MGM contract player, sang the National Anthem. Garland had completed filming on "The Wizard of Oz," but the movie had not yet been released. In Cleveland for a two-week performance at the old State Theater, Garland got her manager’s permission to attend the senior prom at the University School, a local prep school. Since young Judy’s schedule didn’t allow much time for socializing, her manager OK'ed the prom.
On game day, despite the bitter, wet weather, Garland willingly posed for photos with Indians’ manager Oscar Vitt and the Tigers’ pilot Del Baker. And — get this — she also posed in a magnificent full-feathered Indian headdress.
Although both superstars in their respective professions, the lives of Feller and Garland took different directions. From an early age, relentless overwork that studio bosses forced upon her, despite her tender age, eventually led to Garland’s drug and alcohol abuse. Garland had financial trouble with the Internal Revenue Service for nonpayment of back taxes, and eventually died in London from a drug overdose at age 47.
Feller, a teen standout like Garland, was so popular at such a young age that NBC broadcast his high school graduation to a national audience. “Rapid Robert,” as Feller was called, went on to a Hall of Fame career, and served as a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer during World War II where he earned six campaign ribbons and eight battle stars. Ironically, because he was attending to his cancer-stricken, dying father, the patriotic Feller had a military deferment, but nevertheless enlisted only days after Pearl Harbor.
After Feller’s death at age 91, Mike Hegan, then-Indians’ broadcaster and son of former Feller battery mate Jim Hegan, said that the Indians of the 40s and 50s were the face of Cleveland, and Bob was the face of the Indians. Hegan continued: “But, Bob transcended more than that era. In this day of free agency and switching teams, Bob Feller remained loyal to the city and the team for over 70 years. You will likely not see that kind of mutual loyalty and admiration ever again.”
The Guardians’ woke ownership, the meddling, menacing Manfred and the selfish players union have little concept of loyalty or of honoring baseball’s rich tradition. As Bummy said, “It is what it is,” like it or lump it.
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https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/on-bob-feller-chief-wahoo-and-judy-garland/article_c7997dc7-9f1f-5869-ab5d-c65590c367d3.html
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Where did all the nurses go?
One of my family members ended up in the ER for a week after a bad fall.
The hospital we chose and its staff were wonderful in every way, but this time, one important thing was missing: an appropriate number of nurses to deliver superior care.
The nurses who were there did their best. They are working long hours and exhausting themselves and, still, the ones we met were cheerful and supportive.
There is a special place in Heaven for people in this profession.
But where did all the nurses go?
We moved our family member to a skilled nursing center last weekend where physical therapy will hopefully restore mobility.
But that center, too, is short on nurses. By our count, there are six nurses for 200 patients — mostly elderly patients who need exceptional attention and care, but are just not getting it.
I assumed that the COVID-19 pandemic was behind the shortage and, to a degree, it is.
Though it sped up the retirement of many nurses across the country and made things worse, according to Healthline, the nursing shortage has been a challenge going back 10 years.
The greater challenge is that demand for nurses is soaring because America is getting older as millions of Baby Boomers enter their golden years.
Health reforms have also given more people access to quality health insurance, which has led to more patients at hospitals.
Currently, the average age of RNs in this country is 50 — and long hours working heavy workloads is simply burning nurses out and causing more errors in medical treatment.
For someone whose loved one needs exceptional medical care RIGHT NOW, this is a very unsettling issue.
It’s one of so many shortages of late: Empty shelves in grocery stores, cars that are way too expensive because our supply chain is a mess and airplane flights that are canceled or delayed.
This situation is not the America I've known most of my life.
I’ve encountered many very smart and accomplished people in the business world who solve gigantic problems and get things done to the benefit of us all.
So where are the smart people who are working on the nursing shortage?
A complex challenge requires a complex solution.
Will our federal government ever figure out how to do real immigration reform and let more nurses and physical therapists and doctors into our country?
Can’t our universities restructure and ramp up their nursing programs to bring many new talented nurses into the field?
And can’t hospitals and long-term care facilities pony up better salaries and offer flexible, non-burnout schedules that allow nurses — who generally get into this field because they want to care for people — to do their best work?
How about retention bonuses and longer vacations to sunny climates where nurses can recharge?
Hey, employers, can’t you create grants to fund nursing education? You, too, federal government.
The fact is, the more overworked the nurses are at your facility, the more medical mistakes will be made — how many massive lawsuits do you want to pay for when you can get ahead of the problem and produce a pipeline of new nursing talent?
Get creative for goodness sake.
I'm seeing firsthand how a severe and chronic nursing shortage — and a total lack of problem solving — is having a negative impact on my beloved family member.
Come on, America. We’ve got work to do.
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https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/we-must-fix-the-nursing-shortage/article_85ed638d-5856-5074-9c7a-62f5b85d350a.html
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https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/we-must-fix-the-nursing-shortage/article_85ed638d-5856-5074-9c7a-62f5b85d350a.html
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QUESTION: Several pittosporum shrubs out of a line of foundation shrubs at
my parents’ prior home died over the years and I cannot find similar
replacements. What is the best way to propagate the shrubs and is propagation
the best way to replace those? Ensley Howell, PhD
ANSWER: I love the idea of continuing a plant from one lifetime to
another…A tangible connection we can intertwine with our memories.
Generally, pittosporum are easy to propagate. Still, plant as many as you are
able to care for just in case. If more survive than expected, just pass along!
The recommended method of propagation for pittosporum is by semi-hardwood
cuttings taken from mid July to September. Semi-hardwood bends but does not
break when bent and comes from the current year’s growth. Not brand-new
growth, but not hard growth either, somewhere in between. Take cuttings about
4” to 6” long, strip off all lower leaves and dip in rooting hormone. Leave the
leaves at the top of the cutting. Place 3 or 4 cuttings in a pot containing a well
drained potting medium such as 50% peat and 50% perlite. The cuttings should
be in the soil several inches. Keep the soil moist and keep high humidity
around the cuttings.
The downside of propagation is that it could be 3 or more years before the shrub
contributes to your landscape. The cuttings should root within 4 to 8 weeks and
then growing into a mature shrub could be a few years. The seeds take from 2
to 4 months to germinated, so this is not a recommended method of propagation.
From a gardening point of view, pittosporum are a skeleton plant, supporting all
varieties of green and color around them. You may want to place a substitute
shrub in the vacant spot until your pittosporum is ready to shine.
Pittosporum is named after the Green phrase “pitch seed,” because the seeds are
very resinous and will stick to most surfaces. Your plant is likely the Japanese
pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira). This tough, evergreen shrub grows dense
foliage in a mounded form, adaptable to many growing conditions, making it
popular in landscapes as hedges and foundation plantings. Pittosporum grows
rapidly to 8 to 10 feet tall and then growth slows considerably. Pittosporum
bears extremely fragrant, orange-blossom scented, flower clusters in early to
mid spring. These are less visible against the lighter leaves of the variegated
cultivars, but just as highly scented.
Other cultivars that you may find in nurseries are Glen St. Mary, a green-leaved
cultivar that grows 6 to 8 feet. Mojo has a compact habit, growing only to 18 to
22 inches by 3 to 4 feet wide with glossy variegated foliage. Mojo is hardy and
suitable for cooler areas. Variegata is the most common variegated form. It
grows at least 6 feet tall with gray-green leaves with a white edge. Somewhat less hardy. Wheeler’s Dwarf is a popular dwarf, with shiny, very dark green
foliage. Wheeler grows to 3 feet tall and up to 4 feet wide. It is a bit less hardy
than other cultivars. Pittosporum can be hardy to zone 8, but some are hardy
only to zone 7. Read the label before purchasing to be sure you choose a plant
that will survive in your zone.
Good luck with propagation and have a happy week in your garden!
SAVE THE DATE: A free Vegetable Garden Workshop will be held at the Extension Service on Tuesday, April 12th at 5:30 pm. Beginners and experts welcome!
Julia McDowell, Master Gardener, is a trained volunteer with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Have a question for the Pontotoc Master Gardeners? Visit the Pontotoc Extension office or call 662-489-3911.
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https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/ask-the-master-gardener/article_91929aaf-df16-52b3-b5eb-5c0d7704474e.html
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The changing weather patterns from hot to cold or vice versa in North Mississippi will continue until the arrival of Easter; so y’all just wait until Good Friday to begin your gardening in Hurricane. On Sunday afternoon, the older folks discussed what seeds to start buying plus the bedding transplants that our combined families enjoy. Our watermelon guy was particularly excited that he had found the “Roy Dillard gold” or the yellow meat variety that has to be planted on May 1 per the late, seed saver’s instructions. Just as our weather changes; so did our talk flipflop to the fishing season. I just calmed their doubtful thoughts on the early crappie fishing season as I related that the “Full Worm Moon” according to the Native American legend of the springtime transpired in mid-March. It’s time to check the local creek and the river runs for the local fare along the Mud Creek areas to the Lappatubby and on down the Tallahatchie River to Sardis Reservoir. Last week there were some successful crappie fishermen locally as that also means the “Mudbugs” or crawdads will soon start their singing. Then those young folks in the Hill Country will enjoy these feasts also as they prepare them like a shrimp boil and add the potatoes and the corn on the cob like people do on the East Coast. It’s an odoriferous meal to me plus I hate to eat a creature that still has its eyeballs intact staring at me. Due to the current trend in dining in America that is for locally sourced food, you can’t beat our “neck of the woods” for regional, food delicacies.
During the bad weather last week, a familiar face on the Channel 9 WTVA broadcast was Allan Bain, the EMA Coordinator for Pontotoc County. He is the son of Coach Mike and Brenda Bain, who reside on Hurricane Road, and is the grandson of Dock and Reba Graham. Allan and Macy Bain and their family reside in the South Pontotoc area.
Twins, Caden and Kelsey, celebrated their 15th birthday on March 29 and are the son and daughter, respectively, of Brent and Dana Spears of Pontotoc. They are the grandchildren of Mike and Lynn Spears and the great-grandchildren of Sue Ard Spears, all of Hurricane. By the way, Kelsey is a freshman player for the Pontotoc Lady Warriors in softball, and the team has a No. 7 ranking in the Daily Journal poll of the top ten in North Mississippi.
Lisa Hooker, Anna Reese and Wilkes Bradham, and Maggie Hooker enjoyed the Lady Rebels softball game on March 29 at Ole Miss. They enjoyed a photo op with a freshman player, Annie Orman, a standout athlete from West Union.
Anniversary milestones for the month of April are to the following: Kenneth and Gloria Warren, 66; Dr. John and Elaine Mitchell, 53; Charles and Freida White, 40; O’Neil and Bobbie Warren, 35; Derek and Jennie Oglesby.
Get-well wishes are to the following: Hanna Robbins, Clarenda Parrish, Steve Robbins, Mike Graham, Reba Graham, and Terry Daniels.
Birthday wishes are to the following for April:
Dock Graham, Tammy T.Brown, Jill Frohn, Jimmie S. Warren, Caroline Brents, Maggie Hooker, Cade Hooker, Colt Hooker, Harper Hooker, Dr. Eric Frohn, Lyndi Treadaway, Chassy Guerin, Brent Heatherly, Ben Stepp, Jon Ross Garrett, Neal Jarrett, Briley Self, Erika Swords, Jeff Williams, Graham Lyons, Melissa Montgomery, Ramsey Hill, Ellie Hill, Al Britt, Michelle Pie, Caeden Heard, Harold Sneed, and Arlissa Sneed.
Lillianna Cates, an eighth grade player at Mantachie, was in a Daily Journal feature last week as their softball team has a No. 5 ranking in the area poll. She is the great-granddaughter of Linda Swords Stepp, who also resides there.
Kay Graham and I attended a NPAC vs. West Union softball game at Enterprise as the Lady Vikings won on Friday afternoon to see her granddaughter, an eighth grade player, Lacie Kay Simmons. We also enjoyed talking to Beverly and Rusty Cummings and to Crystal and Stephen McBrayer of Friendship as Brooke McBrayer is a senior on the team. Another senior from Hurricane is Abby Waldron and her mom, Cindi, was busy recording the action so her dad, Bro. Clifton Waldron, could view the game at his home. It was great to talk to Chassie and Mark Walker, whose NPAC senior, Lexi Walker, hit a home run during the game, and she is the granddaughter of John Crouch of Hurricane. A sunny, spring afternoon brought out a good crowd as Amanda and Stacy Simmons and Lesia and Garry Richardson were there too.
Lisa Hooker and I enjoyed the shopping at the Spring Fling in Pontotoc as we were looking for five birthday gifts for the month and also Easter gifts for the younger children. Next It will be for graduation gifts as we have a list of dates for events for the end of the school year for senior Aden Hooker of New Site.
Harper Hooker enjoyed a weekend guest as Greenlee Anthony visited. It’s turkey hunting season plus the fishing at the lake was great for the youngsters.
The congregation of Hurricane Baptist Church and guests enjoyed a catered dinner from Seafood Junction on Saturday night, April 2. The revival began on Sunday and will conclude on Thursday, April 7. Services are at 7:00 pm.
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https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/hurricane-news/article_28d1d321-1172-50db-b46a-a0ad1ac861fc.html
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State is taking part in a nationwide movement with its recent move to start providing financial awards for student-athletes. That goes for all student-athletes, regardless of scholarship status.
The announcement comes about a year after the Supreme Court's ruling in NCAA v. Alston — in which the court determined the NCAA's unwillingness to pay athletes for academic-related purposes was a violation of antitrust laws.
With the ruling, schools have started to provide monetary prizes for accomplishments in the classroom. Mississippi State is among those thanks to contributions from the Hall Academic Awards.
Join the conversation in our exclusive Facebook group for Bulldog fans
The awards were distributed in mid-February for the first time, MSU announced. Over $1 million was awarded. The maximum allowed for a single athlete in a year is $5,980.
"At Mississippi State, we are committed to providing unprecedented support to all of our student-athletes," athletic director John Cohen said. "The Hall Awards program now gives us the means to take care of our student-athletes like never before. The best part is these benefits are available to every Mississippi State athlete. That — along with opportunities to capitalize on name, image and likeness — means there has been no better time than the present to be a Bulldog."
Eligibility, retention and community service are among the factors taken into account when determining amounts.
Academic accolades — such as SEC honor roll — are considered as well. MSU had 65 athletes from four sports earn that honor in the Fall.
STEFAN KRAJISNIK is the Mississippi State athletics reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at stefan.krajisnik@djournal.com.
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https://www.djournal.com/sports/college/mississippi-state/no-better-time-than-the-present-to-be-a-bulldog-mississippi-state-providing-financial-awards/article_86cd1dbf-7abc-5608-b31b-970b02095ce6.html
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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts’ Cheer Program is looking for the next round of talent! Auditions kick off next week! Assistant Coach/choreographer Cassie Martin, along with former team captain, join the show to share more information. For more details, or to submit an application, visit colts.com.
Countdown to the
2022 Tax Filing Deadline
2022 Tax Filing Deadline
April 18 2022 12:00 am
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https://fox59.com/morning-news/colts-cheer-program-hosting-auditions-for-2022-23-season/
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WASHINGTON — While many Americans are trying to move on with their lives after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. health officials are debating the best way to use vaccines to stay ahead of the coronavirus.
A panel of U.S. vaccine experts was meeting Wednesday to discuss key questions for future COVID-19 booster campaigns. The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisers won’t make any binding decisions, but they could help shape the government’s approach for years to come.
FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks told reporters last week that it wouldn't be surprising if the agency authorized another booster dose in the fall to protect most Americans against the latest coronavirus mutations. He opened Wednesday's meeting by cautioning that waning vaccine protection, new variants and colder weather later this year could raise the risk of more surges.
“All that taken together makes us conclude that a general discussion of booster vaccination against COVID-19 is warranted at this time so that we can potentially intervene," Marks said.
Some of the key questions for the panel:
HOW SHOULD THE U.S. DECIDE WHEN TO LAUNCH FUTURE ROUNDS OF BOOSTER SHOTS? WHO SHOULD GET THEM?
The panel heard presentations from government health officials and independent researchers that underscored the challenges of predicting what the virus will do.
Trevor Bedford, a disease modeler with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said a major new strain like omicron could emerge anywhere from every 1.5 years to once a decade, based on currently available data. Given that unpredictability, researchers will need methods to quickly determine whether current vaccines work against emerging variants.
Last week, the FDA authorized an extra Pfizer or Moderna shot for anyone 50 or older and for some younger people with severely weakened immune systems. It’s an effort to get ahead of another possible surge.
Only about half of Americans eligible for a third shot have gotten one. And some independent experts disagree about the need for even that additional protection in healthy individuals, due to limited evidence of the benefit or how long it might last.
The FDA has based many booster decisions on data from the Israeli government, which began offering a fourth dose to people 60 and older in January.
Early data on that effort published this week showed that the fourth dose significantly lowered rates of severe disease. But protection against any infection faded fast, with little evidence of a benefit for people who received a fourth dose after several weeks.
The last U.S. wave was driven by the omicron variant. During that surge, two vaccine doses were nearly 80% effective against needing a breathing machine or death — and a booster pushed that protection to 94%, federal scientists have reported.
COVID-19 cases have dropped to low levels in the U.S., but health officials are warily watching an omicron sibling that now accounts for most cases.
WHAT'S THE PROCESS FOR UPDATING VACCINES TO ADDRESS NEW VARIANTS?
All the COVID-19 vaccines now used in the U.S. are based on the original coronavirus version that emerged in late 2019. Updating the vaccines will be a complex task, requiring coordination between the FDA, manufacturers and global health authorities.
In response to panel questions, a representative for the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority laid out the narrow window that manufacturers would face to reformulate, study and mass produce an updated vaccine by September.
“If you’re not on your way to a clinical trial by the beginning of May I think it’s going to be very difficult to have enough product across manufacturers to meet demand,” said Robert Johnson, deputy assistant secretary of BARDA.
The timeline for updating annual flu vaccines offers one possible model, and the FDA panel was expected to discuss the strengths and weakness of adopting such an approach.
Twice a year, World Health Organization experts recommend updates to flu vaccines to target emerging strains. The FDA then brings those recommendations to its own vaccine panel, which votes on whether they make sense for the U.S., setting the stage for manufacturers to tweak their shots and begin mass production.
But COVID-19 hasn’t yet fallen into a predictable pattern like the flu. And vaccine manufacturers will likely need more time to conduct additional studies of their COVID-19 vaccines, which don’t have the same decades-long record of safety and effectiveness as flu shots.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/us-experts-discuss-covid-boosters-for-fall-and-future/507-a4b97041-7c6a-49f1-ba2d-c4df2d3df16f
| 2022-04-06T22:11:39
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WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials are signaling that they will take an aggressive approach to fighting high inflation in the coming months — actions that will make borrowing sharply more expensive for consumers and businesses and heighten risks to the economy.
In minutes from their policy meeting three weeks ago released Wednesday, Fed officials said that half-point interest rate hikes, rather than traditional quarter-point increase, “could be appropriate” multiple times this year.
At last month's meeting, many of the Fed policymakers favored a half-point increase, the minutes said, but held off then because of the uncertainties created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Instead, the Fed raised its key short-term rate by a quarter-point and signaled that it planned to continue raising rates well into next year.
The minutes said the Fed is also moving closer to rapidly shrinking its huge $9 trillion stockpile of bonds in the coming months, a move that would contribute to higher borrowing costs. The policymakers said they would likely cut their holdings by about $95 billion a month — nearly double the pace they implemented five years ago, when they last shrank their balance sheet.
The plan to quickly draw down their bond holdings marks the latest move by Fed officials to accelerate their inflation-fighting efforts. Prices are surging at the fastest pace in four decades, and officials in recent speeches have expressed increasing concern about getting inflation under control.
Many economists have said they worry that the Fed has waited too long to start raising rates and could be forced to respond so aggressively as to trigger a recession. Indeed, economists at Deutsche Bank predict that the economy will tumble into a recession late next year, noting that the Fed, “finding itself now well behind the curve, has given clear signals that it is shifting to a more aggressive tightening mode.”
The stock market sold off when the minutes were released Wednesday but later recovered most of its losses. Still, the S&P 500 was down nearly 0.8% in afternoon trading after a sharp drop on Tuesday.
Financial markets now expect much steeper rate hikes this year than Fed officials had signaled as recently as their meeting in mid-March. Just three weeks ago, the policymakers projected that the Fed's benchmark rate would remain below 2% by the end of this year and 2.8% at the end of 2023, up from its current level below 0.5%.
But Wall Street now forecasts that the Fed's rate will reach 2.6% by year's end, with further rate hikes next year. That would require three half-point increases this year.
Higher rates from the Fed will heighten borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and corporate loans. By doing so, the Fed hopes to cool economic growth and rising wages enough to rein in high inflation, which has caused hardships for millions of households and poses a severe political threat to President Joe Biden.
Chair Jerome Powell opened the door two weeks ago to increasing rates by as much as a half-point at upcoming meetings, rather than by a traditional quarter-point. The Fed hasn't carried out any half-point rate increases since 2000. Lael Brainard, a key member of the Fed's Board of Governors, and other officials have also made clear that they envision such sharp increases. Most economists now expect the Fed to raise rates by a half-point at both its May and June meetings.
In a speech Tuesday, Brainard underscored the Fed's increasing aggressiveness by saying that the central bank's bond holdings will “shrink considerably more rapidly” over “a much shorter period" than the last time the Fed reduced its balance sheet, from 2017-2019. At that time, the balance sheet was about $4.5 trillion. Now, it's twice as large.
After the pandemic hammered the economy two years ago, the Fed bought trillions in Treasury and mortgage bonds, with the goal of lowering longer-term borrowing rates. It also cut its short-term benchmark rate to near zero.
As a sign of how fast the Fed is reversing course, the last time the Fed bought bonds, there was a three-year gap between when it stopped its purchases, in 2014, and when it began reducing the balance sheet, in 2017. Now, that shift is likely to happen in as few as three months.
Brainard's remarks caused a sharp rise in the interest rate on the 10-year Treasury note, a key rate that influences mortgage rates, business loans and other borrowing costs. On Wednesday, that rate reached 2.6%, up from 2.3% just a week earlier, a sharp increase for that rate. A month ago, it was just 1.7%.
Shorter-term bond yields have jumped even higher, in some cases to above the 10-year yield, a pattern that has in the past been seen as a sign of an impending recession. Fed officials say, however, that shorter-term bond market trends aren't flashing the same warning signals.
The Fed will reduce its balance sheet by allowing some of its Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities to mature without reinvesting the proceeds, which it has done for the past two years.
What kind of impact this will have on interest rates is highly uncertain. Powell said at a news conference after last month's meeting that the reduction in bond holdings would be equivalent to another rate hike. Economists estimate that reducing the Fed's balance sheet by $1 trillion a year would be equal to anywhere from one to three additional quarter-point increases in the Fed's benchmark short-term rate.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who preceded Powell as Fed chair, suggested during a congressional hearing Wednesday that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would likely keep escalating inflation in the coming months.
“The sanctions we’ve placed on Russia are pushing up the price of energy," Yellen said. “When energy prices are going up, the price of wheat and corn that Russia and Ukraine produce are going up, and metals that play an important industrial role are going up.”
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/fed-considers-more-aggressive-steps-to-fight-inflation/507-5cd13ace-6311-4ab0-891f-825697d7efd0
| 2022-04-06T22:11:45
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/fed-considers-more-aggressive-steps-to-fight-inflation/507-5cd13ace-6311-4ab0-891f-825697d7efd0
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Cash App has become a popular way for people to send money, invest in the stock market and buy cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
But recent reports say there is a data breach impacting millions of its customers. Google Trends data also shows people are searching for information about the reported Cash App breach.
THE QUESTION
Was Cash App affected by a data breach?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, Cash App was affected by a data breach that impacted U.S. customers who used Cash App’s investing services.
WHAT WE FOUND
Block, Inc., the company that owns Cash App, filed a report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 4 about a data breach impacting millions of users.
The filing says Block “recently determined” that a former employee downloaded Cash App Investing reports that contained some customer information on Dec. 10, 2021. Though the employee had “regular access to these reports as part of their past job responsibilities,” they accessed the reports without permission after their employment ended.
The data breach impacted current and former U.S. customers who used Cash App’s investing services, according to the SEC filing. Other Cash App products and features apart from stock activity were not impacted by the breach.
Cash App Investing is contacting approximately 8.2 million people to provide them with information about the breach, the filing says.
So what data may have been compromised?
The reports included customers’ full names and brokerage account numbers, which are the unique numbers associated with a customer’s stock activity on Cash App Investing. For some customers, the reports also included portfolio value, holdings and/or stock trading activity for one trading day, the SEC filing and a Cash App spokesperson confirm.
Usernames and passwords, Social Security numbers, date of birth, payment card information, addresses or bank information were not included in the reports. The reports also didn’t include security codes, access codes, or passwords used to access Cash App accounts.
In a statement to VERIFY, a Cash App spokesperson said the company values customer trust and is “committed to the security of customers’ information.”
Cash App launched an investigation with the help of a forensics firm, according to the spokesperson and SEC filing. Cash App has also notified law enforcement of the breach.
“In addition, we continue to review and strengthen administrative and technical safeguards to protect information,” the Cash App spokesperson said.
More from VERIFY: Yes, you do have to pay taxes on cryptocurrency
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| 2022-04-06T22:11:52
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AUGUSTA, Ga. — We're just a few hours away now from the 2022 Masters Tournament and the biggest storyline is obviously Tiger Woods.
Just 14 months after what was a catastrophic leg injury suffered in a car accident in Los Angeles, Tiger Woods plans to tee it up at Augusta National on Thursday morning.
Longtime golf writer and golf author Bob Harig joined the Locked On Today podcast on Wednesday for a special episode, to get his insight ahead of golf's most iconic tournament.
SUBSCRIBE: The Locked On Today podcast hosted by Peter Bukowski gets you caught up every morning on the biggest stories in sports without taking up your free time.
Harig said the fact that Tiger Woods is set to play on Thursday still defies all logic and belief.
"It’s still hard to wrap your head around the idea that Tiger is playing in the Masters and Phil Mickelson is not," Harig said. "As recently as six weeks ago, Tiger was really downplaying the idea of his comeback, talking like it was going to be awhile…But now we’re talking about a golf course that’s one of the toughest walks in golf. We’re not talking about any flat golf course that might be hard enough to deal with.”
After the scandal a little over a decade ago that rocked Tiger Woods as a figure, he made his return to tournament golf at Augusta. Why does Tiger feel so safe and comfortable here?
“It was puzzling then, it’s puzzling now. It’s not the place you come back to without any sort of seasoning. You want to ease your way into it, chip off some of the rust and get used to being inside the ropes again…I think it’s clear that he loves the place, he wants to be here. This is the 25th anniversary of his first Masters win in 1997. It’s because it’s the Masters that he made the effort. He’s won here five times, he’s contended six or seven other times. Going forward, it’s going to be one of the places he truly has a chance to win still.”
What are reasonable expectations for Tiger?
“I think a reasonable expectation is to make the cut," Harig said. "It’s only 91 players, the field is smaller than most tournaments. There’s 15-20 players who are probably not competitive at this level. That knocks the field down to 70-75 guys and the top 50 and ties make it. He doesn’t have to beat that many guys to make the cut…Can he contend? We’re getting into territory that defies belief there, but of course I didn’t think he would be here. What do I know?”
No Phil Mickelson at Augusta
One name that is not in Augusta this week and very notably, is Phil Mickelson. Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship, becoming the oldest major champion in golf history.
Over the past year, there’s been heavy rumblings about a potential rival golf league and there’s been one that Greg Norman is the commissioner of, back by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, working to throw huge sums at players to sign on and essentially guaranteed money in tournaments.
This led players including Phil Mickelson wondering why there’s not more guaranteed money for TOUR players. And he spoke out about it. But, in the process, Mickelson made controversial statements about the Saudi-backed aspect about it and disparaging remarks about the PGA Tour. Now, Mickelson hasn’t played in two months and hasn’t spoken publicly since February.
Locked On Today host Peter Bukowski asked Harig, is there 3% or 5% of Tiger Woods that is relishing the fact that Phil Mickelson isn’t here?
“Probably. Maybe more, maybe 10%. I don’t think Tiger wishes any ill-will on Phil Mickelson, I think they’re past that point," Harig said. "I think Tiger was genuinely happy for him when he won the PGA Championship last summer. But the issues that are hurting Phil right now, Tiger’s clearly on the other side of. If you could give him truth serum, I would say Tiger is very upset with what Phil was doing and he doesn’t agree with it and he might even be defiant about it. Tiger clearly took the side of the PGA Tour in that flap and Phil was looking out for other possibilities, very lucrative ones, and in the process it got him in a lot of trouble.”
What does it take to have success at the Masters?
“The biggest stat to look at in this tournament is greens in regulation," Harig said. "It usually doesn’t relate in a regular tournament. A guy might hit 10 greens a day or 9 but of those he makes a bunch of birdies. It doesn’t work quite as well here. If you’re missing a lot of greens, you’re going to make some bogeys. So hit a lot of greens, get some birdies, make out with par when you can. If you can hit the par 5’s in two and get some easy two-putt birdies, now you’re saying something. Tiger mastered that pretty well in 2019.”
Who has the best shot this week?
The field this week is obviously one of the best in the world and it features a number of top players who have contended but not yet won this year. That includes Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka and others.
“I think a lot of them have a shot and it’s pretty wide open. We seemingly have a lot of parity right now," Harig said. "Jon Rahm was No. 1 two weeks ago and he hasn’t won since the U.S. Open. Scottie Scheffler just won three tournaments in seven weeks to move to No. 1…Collin Morikawa won a major last year, hasn’t won this year. Patrick Cantlay was the FedEx Cup champion and hasn’t won yet this year. I happen to like Justin Thomas, who also hasn’t won yet this year. He’s a great ball-striker, hits a lot of greens. The weather isn’t going to be great, more rain and then Thursday and Friday it cools off a bit, it’s going to be cold on Saturday. I think he’s a guy that can handle that.”
What about Rory?
It's been a storyline for years how Rory McIlroy needs just a Masters win to complete the iconic major grand slam, but he hasn't been able to do it. Why is that and what needs to happen for him this week?
“Rory McIlroy is a guy we haven’t even mentioned yet, who should be in contention,' Harig said. "But he hasn’t hit enough greens here over the years. He’s almost been too aggressive. He needs to dial that back, take his pars and get his birdies where he can get them. Those pins tempt him and when you’re missing the greens, you’re really agonizing to make a par.”
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| 2022-04-06T22:11:58
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DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Organizers of Resting Angels and Fun Day expect up to 150 families at Cook Road Park in Durham on April 30.
The park will become a safe space for children of murdered parents to grieve, talk and have fun.
Tammie Goodman remains hopeful that her son Charleston Goodman will come home alive, not just for her, but for his daughter. She was just 5 years old when he disappeared.
"She really don't trust people since her dad got kidnapped and possibly murdered," said Goodman, the organizer of the event. "She said 'grandma, all I know is daddy was on his way to get me, and he never got there. Some bad people got him.'"
Charleston Goodman was kidnapped in 2018 outside his home on East Woodcroft Parkway. A warrant suggested his kidnapping was a retaliation.
On Wednesday, Durham Police investigators told ABC11 that there are no new updates, and the case remains unsolved.
"She misses him. She misses him a lot. When she sees other little girls with their dads, sometimes she'll call me and talk about it," said Goodman.
Researchers say pain and trauma can create toxic stress in children and lead to health issues and behavior problems.
Researchers from the Economic Policy Institute studied 5-year-olds and found a wealth and race gap between children exposed to frightening or threatening experiences.
Families making less than $20,000 a year are more likely to have encountered several violent or traumatic experiences.
Black children are 45% more likely than White children to experience at least one frightening or threatening experience, and 21% more likely to be exposed to multiple traumatic experiences.
"I think that families need to remember kids are humans, too, and they need to talk about how they feel," said Goodman.
Goodman's event at Cook Road Park will include a vigil, balloon release, food, music and games -- a safe place for children like her granddaughter to heal, express themselves and have fun.
The event runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on April 30.
Goodman said the mayor and civil rights leaders have been invited. She is hoping the city will see the value in the event and make it an annual sponsored event.
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| 2022-04-06T22:17:54
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Bees make our lives sweeter – and provide a lot of benefits, some of which, you may not even know about. Hunter’s Honey Farm joined Indy Now today, to talk about their products main from bee honey, beeswax, bee pollen and propolis.
Propolis is a lesser known part of the bee process. It’s made by honey bees as they collect resins off trees and flowers. Propolis can fight infections, heal wounds and more.
See the video above to see what farmer Tracy Hunter says are the 7 benefits we can get from bees.
And to get more information about Hunter’s Honey Farm, click here.
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| 2022-04-06T22:22:29
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LAWRENCE, Ind. — The Marion County Coroner has identified the body of a man found by a 55-year-old who was walking his dog near a wooded area in Lawrence behind Fort Harrison State Park on March 17.
The deceased has been identified as 43-year-old William Romero. According to the coroner’s findings, Romero was murdered, shot to death and his body hidden in the woods, carefully covered with leaves.
Police previously reported the body was discovered around 2:30 p.m. on March 17 by a man who was walking his dog near Trilobi Drive and Lee Road. According to a police report, the man had spotted a brown bag lying off the roadway and covered with leaves. When the man drew closer to the bag, he observed dried blood and saw dreadlocks inside.
The police report stated the man also searched in the foliage and uncovered a black sock. When the man began moving the sock, the report said, he realized it was still attached to a foot.
Police have asked anyone who may have observed suspicious activity or seen a vehicle parked in the Lee Road and Trilobi Drive area between March 16 and 17 to contact police or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477).
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| 2022-04-06T22:22:37
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ST. LOUIS (KTVI) — A 63-year-old St. Louis woman has died less than a month after having hot oil dumped on her.
According to a spokesperson for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the attack happened just after midnight on March 7 at an assisted-living facility located in the Walnut Park East neighborhood.
The woman, identified as Doren Davis, was rushed to a local hospital to be treated for severe burns. Officers learned Davis and the suspect in the incident were roommates.
Police said the roommate told officers she was upset with Davis over a personal matter and admitted to pouring hot cooking oil on Davis.
Davis died of her injuries Sunday. The St. Louis Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the manner of death as a homicide.
The roommate was arrested the day of the attack and remains in custody with the Missouri Department of Corrections.
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| 2022-04-06T22:22:39
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(The Hill) – President Biden on Wednesday signed into law legislation reforming the U.S. Postal Service in a bid to increase transparency and stabilize the financial footing of what he called an essential agency.
Biden listed off the critical functions of the Postal Service at a bill signing ceremony in the State Dining Room, which was packed with dozens of mostly mask-less guests. He noted mail carriers help deliver prescription drugs, bill payments for small businesses and the votes of millions of Americans.
“This bill recognizes the Postal Service as a public service and we’re ensuring that it can continue to serve all Americans for generations to come,” Biden said.
Attendees for Wednesday’s event included Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
The bill, which passed the Senate last month and the House in February with bipartisan majorities, eliminates an existing requirement that the Postal Service pre-fund retiree health benefits, which lawmakers had pinpointed as a significant financial burden for the agency.
The legislation also establishes transparency and delivery standards and require that mail be delivered six days a week.
“You’ll be able to see in real time how well the Postal Service is delivering for you and for your community,” Biden said.
The Postal Service has operated at a net annual loss for more than a decade. Post office officials have previously warned that without reforms it could run out of cash for operations by 2024.
“Of course, there are more areas where we want to see the Postal Service leading,” Biden said, specifically citing the need to modernize and electrify its fleet of vehicles.
The agency came under intense scrutiny in 2020 as mail-in voting became a preferred method of casting a ballot for millions of Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
DeJoy in particular was a target of outrage for lawmakers who accused the Trump administration of slowing down mail processing and causing delays in sending and receiving ballots.
White House officials, including press secretary Jen Psaki, said last year the Postal Service “needs leadership that can and will do a better job.”
Biden last year put forward three nominees to fill existing vacancies on the nine-person USPS board of governors. DeJoy has remained at the helm despite speculation the board, which consists of a majority of members appointed by Democrats, could oust him.
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| 2022-04-06T22:22:41
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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Republicans and Democrats in Congress are worried the Biden administration is about to make a bad deal over Iran’s nuclear program.
“It is critical that we do not cave to demands from Iran, the leading state sponsor of terror, and the dictatorial government,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)
Gottheimer says the U.S. must not accept Iran’s demands to remove their Islamic revolutionary guard from the list of terrorist organizations.
“If Iran has proven anything, it’s that they can’t be trusted,” Gottheimer said.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Penn.) wants the administration to be more transparent about what’s on the table.
“It must come before the Congress, before the United States Senate for ratification, or it is invalid,” Perry said.
Lawmakers are also concerned about the role Russia is playing to finalize the deal.
“Are we seriously going to let a war criminal, Vladimir Putin, be the guarantor of this deal,” Gottheimer said.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) rejects the idea that Russia should be allowed to buy Iran’s supply of enriched uranium.
“The problematic nature of having the Russians at the bargaining table with us is that they can commit atrocities and murder in Ukraine,” Tenney said.
Republicans say if the deal goes through, they’ll take steps to reverse it, with a discharge petition.
“If I’m doing a whip count, I see a lot of Democrats that are with us. And all we need is 218,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said.
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| 2022-04-06T22:22:41
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MUNCIE, Ind. – Michael Lewis is officially back home again in Indiana.
Ball State introduced the Jasper native and former Indiana University standout as its new men’s head basketball coach Wednesday morning at the school’s practice facility.
“I have a burning desire to be successful,” Lewis said. “This job is very personal to me, because I’m in Indiana. To lead a program in the state where you grew up, where basketball means so much, is something I’m very proud of.”
Lewis was a 1996 Indiana All-Star at Jasper High School, before playing four years for Bob Knight at Indiana. He left school as the Hoosiers’ all-time assists leader.
He played two years of professional basketball before beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Knight at Texas Tech.
Lewis then had stops as an assistant at Stephen F. Austin, Eastern Illinois, Butler, Nebraska and most recently UCLA, where he helped lead the Bruins to the Final Four in 2021.
“I’m here to prepare young men to be successful,” said Lewis. “As we build this program, I want to instill my personality into this current team and then we’re going to recruit student-athletes that are going to represent this university the right way.”
“If you love basketball, you’re tough and you love to compete, you belong at Ball State.”
The Cardinals haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2000, so fans may be running out of patience with the program, but Lewis says that okay with him.
“That’s my biggest weakness. You can ask my family,” Lewis joked. “I’m not real patient and I didn’t come here to be patient. Being patient is a slap in the face to the players. Like, ‘hey, I want to win in four years.’ Well, what about them?
“They’re here for a reason. They’ve committed to stay here and try to chase championships and their dreams. They believe I can help them do that. No, I don’t have time for patience.”
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https://fox59.com/sports/college-hoops/ball-state-introduces-new-head-coach-michael-lewis/
| 2022-04-06T22:22:49
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INDIANAPOLIS — Have the Indianapolis Colts gotten better this offseason, and if so, how much better?
On this week’s episode of the Colts Blue Zone Podcast, Mike Chappell and Joe Hopkins begin the show with news, including a couple significant retirements and more former Colts leaving for new teams.
The duo then grades the Colts’ offseason thus far (14:42) and explores how Indianapolis should address remaining issues. The fellas kick around the idea of trading for a veteran wide receiver (29:23) and discuss Indy’s salary cap strategy/patience in free agency (36:23).
Finally, Chappell and Hopkins conclude the show by breaking down this year’s offensive tackle draft class and highlight tackle prospects who make sense for Indianapolis (42:42).
Follow the podcast on Twitter @ColtsBluezone for all things Colts, and subscribe to the podcast through your favorite app so new episodes go directly to your listening device.
Click here for Google Podcasts
Be sure to join us next week as the Blue Zone crew continues to cover the Colts’ offseason.
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| 2022-04-06T22:22:55
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4 brush fires reported in Palm Beach Gardens after storms
Published: Apr. 6, 2022 at 6:06 PM EDT|Updated: 20 minutes ago
Four brush fires were sparked Wednesday afternoon in Palm Beach Gardens after severe storms blew through the area, police said.
The fires occurred at the following locations:
- Along Interstate 95 and Military Trail
- Central Boulevard at Gardens District Park
- Old Palm community
- Near Alternate A1A in Kyoto Gardens Avenue
Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue tweeted just before 6 p.m. that all of the fires were under control.
There were hundreds of lightning strikes that occurred associated with the storms, which likely caused the fires.
Scripps Only Content 2022
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| 2022-04-06T22:27:26
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Alex Jones appears for questioning in Sandy Hook lawsuit
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Alex Jones was questioned Wednesday by lawyers for families of Sandy Hook victims in Connecticut, where a judge had ordered the Infowars host to face mounting fines until he appeared for a deposition.
Relatives of some of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, massacre sued Jones for defamation after he said the shooting never happened. A judge found Jones liable for damages and a trial on how much he should pay the families is set for August.
Jones, who lives in Texas, had defied a judge’s order to appear for a deposition in the case, saying he was too ill. But Connecticut Judge Barbara Bellis said there wasn’t enough evidence that Jones was too sick to attend and ordered him to come to Connecticut for questioning and pay escalating daily fines until he did so. Jones paid $25,000 in fines for Friday and $50,000 in fines for Monday, according to court records.
A spokesperson for the families and their lawyers at Bridgeport-based Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder declined to comment on the deposition Wednesday.
Jones said in a video on the Infowars website that the deposition began Tuesday and was to continue Wednesday. He said in the video that the families’ lawyers began the deposition by “demonizing” him for his questioning official versions of events.
“It’s just totally insane to sit there and watch this happen and to watch them lick their lips and lick their chops and think we’re going to finally shut Alex Jones down,” Jones said. “These people want to put us in prison for our speech.”
Jones’ lawyer, Norman Pattis, said tempers flared at times during the deposition on Tuesday, and much of the questioning was not related to the school shooting.
“I had the impression watching the attack on Mr. Jones that this trial will be about something far greater than what happened at Sandy Hook,” Pattis said on the video. “The trial’s going to be about ordinary people’s ability to say I’m not buying it, I want to raise questions, I want to draw my own conclusions.”
The deposition was held at the Bridgeport office of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. After it ended Wednesday, Pattis filed a court document asking Bellis to return to Jones the $75,000 in fees he paid, which the judge said he could request only after sitting for questioning. Bellis did not immediately rule.
Jones missed the originally scheduled deposition in the case on March 23 and 24 in Austin, Texas. He cited a health issue including vertigo that his doctors initially thought was a serious heart problem but turned out to be a sinus infection.
The plaintiffs have said they have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers because of the hoax conspiracy promoted on his website show. Jones has since conceded the shooting did happen.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:27:32
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Bald eagle in critical condition after being shot with over 20 pellets
ANTIGO, Wis. (WEAU/Gray News) - A reward is being offered for information about a bald eagle shot by pellets in Wisconsin last week.
The Raptor Education Group is offering a $3,000 reward for tips about the shooting, which left the raptor with lead poisoning and a broken wing.
The female eagle was found in the Town of Cooks Valley, about 95 miles east of Minneapolis. The Raptor Education Group said it appears the eagle was struck with bird shot while in mid-flight and had over 20 pellets in her body. With bird shot, each shot shell has small pellets that spray, increasing the likelihood of hitting the target.
As of Sunday, the eagle was in critical condition. The Department of Natural Resources is investigating the shooting, the organization said.
In addition to the reward from the Raptor Education Group, citizens in Chippewa and Dunn counties and surrounding areas have also pledged rewards for anyone who provides information to law enforcement leading to an arrest. As of Wednesday morning, those reward pledges eclipsed $3,000, which combined with the reward being offered by the Raptor Education group puts the total reward over $6,000.
The Raptor Education Group, which rehabilitates injured or sick birds, said they were aware of 32 shootings involving protected species of birds last year, including a dozen instances of a bald eagle being shot. The organization also reported that they took in a peregrine falcon, which was recently on protected species lists, last week after it had been shot in New London on Thursday, but it died due to its injuries.
In regard to the shooting of the bald eagle, the organization said that it’s hard to mistake an adult bald eagle for any other type of bird due to its clearly visible white head and white tail feathers.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Department of Natural Resources or the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office.
The Raptor Education Group is a nonprofit dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of wild birds and public education on wildlife issues. You can visit their website for more information about their work, to donate or to learn more about birds.
Copyright 2022 WEAU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:27:38
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Biden administration extends pause on federal student loan payments
People paying back federal student loans are set to get a few extra months of relief.
The president’s announcement to extend the federal student loan moratorium from May to the end of August is welcome news for Christine Sylvain.
“No one wants to start out in life with a huge amount of debt,” she said.
Sylvain is the executive director of Path to College.
The non-profit organization's mission is securing the acceptance of low-income, high-achieving students into top-tier universities.
The program connects students with scholarship and grant opportunities, so they can graduate from college debt-free.
“A lot of people with student loans have seen them balloon with interest rates or they had to put them in deferment and forbearance and whatnot,” said Sylvain.
Even through scholarships propelled Sylvain through her undergraduate career, financing the last year of her master’s program at NYU was met with challenges.
“That loan was about $55,000 and after I graduated, I had my baby in my arms and six months later, I get my first bill and it was $700,” she said.
It’s been 12 years since Sylvain graduated from NYU and she’s still paying off one year’s worth of student loans.
“Now the loan is at $100,000 and I've been paying it regularly for about six years,” Sylvain said.
President Joe Biden says the four-month delay will help millions of borrowers bounce back from the pandemic.
Balances on student loans have been effectively frozen for more than two years now, with no payments required.
"They're not letting the loan interest accrue, so I think that was a necessary step," said Tammy Trenta, Founder and CEO of Family Financial.
Some financial advisors are wary the extension foreshadows potential plans that President Biden may have to cancel some student loan debt altogether.
“In my opinion, it's a way for Biden to kick the can down the road another six months,” said Trenta. “It's more of a bandaid. It doesn't really solve the issue.”
Scripps Only Content 2022
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| 2022-04-06T22:27:49
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Dad who lived in dorm convicted of abusing daughter’s friends
NEW YORK (AP) — A man who moved into his daughter’s college dorm and charmed her schoolmates with claims of influence and wisdom was convicted Wednesday of charges that he exploited the close-knit group, using threats and violence to enrich himself with millions of dollars as he ruined their lives.
Lawrence Ray, 62, was convicted at a trial where weeks of testimony chronicled his psychologically manipulative relationship with young people he met in fall 2010 at Sarah Lawrence College, a small New York liberal arts school. Ray moved into his daughter’s dorm after finishing a prison stint for a securities fraud conviction.
Sentencing was set for Sept. 16 on charges including racketeering, conspiracy, forced labor, sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. Ray, who stood with his arms at his side and faced the Manhattan jury as guilty verdicts were returned on 15 counts, could face up to life in prison. One charge carries a mandatory minimum 15-year term.
After the verdict was read, Ray was returned to custody, where he had been since his early 2020 arrest.
His lawyers declined comment outside court and did not return email messages seeking comment.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Ray had changed “a group of friends who had their whole lives ahead of them.”
“For the next decade, he used violence, threats, and psychological abuse to try to control and destroy their lives,” Williams said. “He exploited them. He terrorized them. He tortured them. Let me be very clear. Larry Ray is a predator. An evil man who did evil things. Today’s verdict finally brings him to justice.”
Jurors concluded deliberations less than a day after receiving the case following a monthlong trial that featured testimony from numerous victims who usually referred to Ray just as “Larry.” Some testified that Ray had made them believe they had poisoned or otherwise harmed him and they needed to pay him back.
One woman testified that she became a sex worker to try to pay reparations to Ray after becoming convinced that she had poisoned him. She said that, over four years, she gave Ray $2.5 million in installments that averaged between $10,000 and $50,000 per week.
Another woman who was educated at Harvard and Columbia and was about to become a medical doctor in 2012 testified that her career and life were derailed when she met Ray and became romantically involved with him. She said he sometimes demanded that she have sex with strangers and film it for him.
Ray’s lawyers maintained he was victimized by former friends who fabricated their stories.
Ray did not testify. Twice, the trial was interrupted as he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance for undisclosed illnesses.
Several students testified that they were drawn into Ray’s world as he told them stories of his past influence in New York City politics, including his role in ruining the career of former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik after serving as the best man at his wedding years earlier. Ray had, in fact, been a figure in the corruption investigation that derailed Kerik’s nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Some of the students agreed to live with Ray in the summer of 2011 at his Manhattan one-bedroom apartment, where his sinister side emerged as he started to claim that the students had poisoned and harmed him or his property.
To make amends, they testified, they did what he asked, including turning over money. One man said he gave Ray over $100,000.
Prosecutors said the money was never enough. Through threats and violence and videotaped “confessions,” Ray tightened his hold on the young people, including forcing them to to landscaping and other work at the Pinehurst, North Carolina home of his stepfather for weeks in 2013, they said.
The abuse culminated in October 2018 when Ray for hours repeatedly abused the woman who gave him her proceeds from sex work, forcing her to be tied naked to a chair while he berated her, choked her with a leash and made her fear for her life by putting a bag over her head, prosecutors said.
Ray carried out his crimes with help from his daughter and Isabella Pollok, a woman who has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, prosecutors said. Her trial is set for later this year. The daughter has not been charged.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:27:55
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‘I see barren fields’: Ukrainian Civil Society leaders discuss wartime agriculture disruptions
Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) hosted an event discussing the war in Ukraine and what it means for global food security.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine is one of the top exporters of grain in the world.
The ongoing war is expected to cut trade drastically. Some economists fear the war will disrupt the global food chain, leading to famine in parts of the East and higher domestic commodity costs.
“Ukraine basically exports to a number of countries in North Africa and the Middle East,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who told Gray DC his department is monitoring the situation. “These are developing countries. These are countries that rely a great deal on that wheat supply to be able to feed their people.”
Wheat growers in the U.S are already facing high operating costs and drought conditions. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) says it’s unlikely the U.S will be able to fill any gap that might be created by the war.
“Even if America does everything we can to grow more wheat, it’s not going to be enough to replace what comes through the Black Sea right now,” said Marshall.
During a Wednesday press conference, Marshall and fellow GOP Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) discussed the issue with members of the Ukrainian Civil Society.
Ukrainian Military volunteer Maria Berlinska says Russia is using food as a quiet weapon, starving residents into submission and targeting farmland and agriculture infrastructure.
“We have less and less fields, and we have less and less opportunities,” said Berlinska.
During the discussion, she pleaded for additional aid in the form of weapons, sanctions, and international pressure on Russia.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:28:02
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LOOK: 11-foot hammerhead shark washes up on beach
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (WPLG) – An 11-foot female hammerhead shark was found on a Florida beach.
The shark washed up on the sands of Pompano Beach overnight, and early morning beachgoers said they experienced a range of emotions regarding the creature, from wonderment to heartbreak.
Beach residents said the shark was close to the shoreline early in the morning, but was moved out of the water with a Bobcat so it wouldn’t be carried back out to sea.
After hearing reports of the shark, scientist Hannah Medd came out to the beach to collect samples.
“It might have to do with post-release mortality, which means this species in particular gets a little stressed out when it’s caught,” she said. “It fights really hard.”
Medd said the adult hammerhead’s untimely death may be connected to an encounter with fishermen, with the frazzled shark swimming onto shore to escape capture.
“There is some fishing line in her gills and, from earlier pictures, there was a large hook in the side of her mouth, which indicates she was probably involved in fishing,” Medd said.
Nearby construction crews used equipment to move the shark away from beach crowds before scientists can collect more samples. She’ll then be removed and buried.
Some beachgoers stared in excitement at the rare site while others realized the heartbreaking reality of what led to the creature’s death.
“You never want to see an animal this big lying on the beach,” beachgoer Kevin Nosal said. “This is 11 feet long and over 500 pounds, and it’s a female, so it’s always sad when a female passes.”
Copyright 2022 WPLG via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:28:09
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Texas orders new border action, migrant bus charters to DC
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state troopers on Wednesday to begin stopping and inspecting commercial vehicles coming across the U.S-Mexico border and said bus charters would be offered to take migrants to Washington, D.C., in a dig at President Joe Biden and Congress.
Texas officials also said they would begin “increased military activity” on the southern border and install razor wire at some low-water along the river to deter migrants from crossing.
The new directives amount to the “unprecedented actions” that Abbott promised in response to the Biden administration winding down a public health law – now set to expire in May – that has limited asylum-seekers in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19. When that happens, it is expected to draw potentially thousands more migrants to the southern border.
Flanked by Texas troopers in the border city of Weslaco, Abbott acknowledged that additional inspections of commercial vehicles near the U.S. ports of entry will “dramatically slow” vehicle traffic coming into the county.
But the latest orders further push the limits of a multibillion-dollar Texas border security mission that the two-term Republican governor, who is running for reelection in November, has made the cornerstone of his administration. Already, Texas has deployed thousands of troopers and National Guard members, installed new border barrier and arrested thousands of migrants on trespassing charges.
Still, the efforts do not go far enough for some former Trump administration officials, who are pressing Abbott to declare an “invasion” and give state law enforcement sweeping new authority to turn back migrants – essentially bestowing enforcement powers that have been a federal responsibility.
That concept is legally dubious, nearly unprecedented and would almost certainly face swift court challenges, according to some constitutional experts.
Abbott, who is up for reelection in November and is already installing more border barrier and allowing troopers to arrest migrants on trespassing charges, did not say Wednesday whether he supports such a proposal. He said more actions would be announced next week.
Border Patrol officials say they are planning for as many as 18,000 arrivals daily once the health policy, known as the Title 42 authority, expires in May. Last week, about 7,100 migrants were coming a day to the southern U.S. border.
But the way former Trump immigration officials see it, Texas and Arizona can pick up where the federal government leaves off once the policy ends. Their plan involves a novel interpretation of the U.S. Constitution to have the National Guard or state police forcibly send migrants to Mexico, without regard to immigration laws and law enforcement procedures. Border enforcement has always been a federal responsibility, and in Texas, state leaders have not been pushing for such a move.
Tom Homan, the former acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Trump, said at a border security conference in San Antonio last week he had spoken with Abbott about the idea.
“We’ve had discussions with his attorneys in his office, ‘Is there a way to use this clause within the Constitution where it talks about invasion?’” Homan said during the Border Security Expo.
Homan said those talks took place about three months ago, and on Tuesday described the governor’s office as “noncommittal but willing to listen.”
In Arizona, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has also been under pressure within his party to declare that the state is being invaded and use extraordinary powers normally reserved for war. But Ducey, who is term-limited and not on the ballot in 2022, has not embraced the theory and has avoided commenting directly on it.
Driving the effort on the right is the Center for Renewing America, a conservative policy think tank led by former Trump administration officials. It includes Ken Cuccinelli, an immigration hard-liner and former Homeland Security official under Trump. He argued that states are entitled to defend themselves from immediate danger or invasion, as it is defined by the “invasion clause,” under the “states self-defense clause.”
Cuccinelli said in practice, he envisions the plan would look similar to the enforcement of Title 42, which circumvented U.S. obligations under American law and international treaty to provide asylum. He said he has not spoken with Abbott and said the governor’s current sweeping border mission, known as Operation Lone Star, has put little dent in the number of people crossing the border. The mission has also drawn criticism from Guard members over long deployments and little to do, and some arrests have appeared to have no connection to border security.
“Until you are actually returning people to Mexico, what you are doing will have no effect,” Cuccinelli said.
Emily Berman, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Houston, said the “invasion clause” cited by proponents is tucked into a broader constitutional assurance that the U.S. must defend states from invasion and domestic violence. Additionally, she said, the “state self-defense clause” says states cannot engage in warlike actions or foreign policy unless invaded.
Berman said she hasn’t seen the constitutional clauses used since the 1990s, when the courts ruled that they did not have jurisdiction to decide what qualified an invasion, but believed that one could only be done by another governmental entity.
For example, Berman said, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia can be qualified as one because it is an outside government breaching another country’s boundaries with the use of military force.
“Just because the state says that it is an invasion that doesn’t necessarily make it so, it is not clear to me what additional legal authority that conveys on them,” Berman said, adding that state officials can enforce state laws, but the line is drawn at what the federal law allows.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes the Texas border, has criticized the Biden administration over border security and ending Title 42. But he does not support states trying to use new powers that would let them “do whatever they want.”
“I think it should be more of a partnership instead of saying, ‘Federal government, we don’t think you’re doing enough, and why don’t we go ahead and do our own border security?’” he said.
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Coronado is a corps members 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 undercovered issues. Associated Press reporter Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix and Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:28:16
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Woman wins $10M lottery prize after being ‘pushed’ into buying scratch-off ticket
LOS ANGELES (Gray News) - A woman in Southern California is ‘accidentally’ $10 million richer thanks to some help pushing a button at a California Lottery Scratchers vending machine.
According to lottery officials, California resident LaQuedra Edwards was at a Los Angeles-area Vons grocery store in November 2021 when she put $40 into the Scratchers machine.
Edwards said when she was deciding which games to play, “some rude person” bumped into her. The impact then pushed her into choosing the wrong selection on the machine, a $30 200X Scratchers ticket.
“He just bumped into me, didn’t say a thing, and just walked out the door,” Edwards said.
Edwards told lottery officials that she wasn’t planning on playing that game and was initially irritated because the ticket took most of her lottery budget.
However, Edwards said she was not upset for long as she started scratching the $30 ticket once back in her car and discovered she’d just won the game’s top prize of $10 million.
“I didn’t really believe it at first, but I got on the freeway and kept looking down at [the ticket], and I almost crashed my car,” Edwards said. “I pulled over, looked at it again, scanned it with my [California Lottery mobile] app, and I kept thinking this can’t be right.”
According to lottery officials, Edwards plans to use the prize money to purchase a home and start a nonprofit organization.
“I’m still in shock. All I remember saying once I found out how much I just won was, ‘I’m rich!” Edwards said.
Lottery officials said the Vons store where Edwards bought the Scratcher received $50,000 for selling the winning ticket.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:28:27
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The plan, the offseason — everything, really — came down to this:
“Everything is different,’ cornerback Xavien Howard said. “Everyone is happy.”
Isn’t that it?
Doesn’t that sum up the new direction of the Miami Dolphins — if an emotion can be a direction?
Howard, one of the game’s top cornerbacks, stood on a small stage in the Miami Dolphins interview room and talked of his new contract, of new coach Mike McDaniel, of much of the former defensive staff returning — and most importantly, of how the Dolphins, “did everything,” to get him back.
The offseason is a time for players to be selfish about money and demands. Howard and his agent, David Canter, played the game well. Howard then left the stage and fist-bumped Emmanuel Ogbah, who stepped up to it to discuss his new contract with a healthy smile and …
“I’m happy,’ he said.
It’s been a parade of that line all offseason. You’ll surely hear it all spring and summer, too, as this franchise pivoted from the previous three years under demanding, dictatorial and suddenly draconian coach Brian Flores. Just marketing players with news conferences after signing contracts is a change.
There’s certain to be at least a short-term, uptick of enthusiasm inside the Dolphins among players who didn’t just get paid well but by all apparent signs enjoy the changed air of the anti-Flores in McDaniel. An offensive coach. A quirky vocabulary. A people person.
“A good player’s coach,’ Ogbah said.
There are lots of ways up the mountain. Young teams like Jimmy Johnson had in Dallas. Dour teams like Bill Belichick has had in New England. Veteran teams like Tom Brady has had in Tampa Bay. One-hit-wonder teams like, well, much of the NFL.
The Dolphins now try the happy way. And, yes, you can buy happiness in sports. It was proven by the Los Angeles Rams as they made room for stars by dumping draft picks and average players overboard. Of course their two best players — defensive tackle Aaron Donald and receiver Cooper Kupp — came in the draft.
The Dolphins have a drafted core, too. They sacrificed the past three years getting it. That left them with the same average record and uneven roster where they started after the 2018 season. Hence, this changed route.
With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and several other starters on rookie contracts, they have a two-year window to throw team owner Steve Ross’ money around and fill some obvious holes with free agency. As receiver Tyreek Hill laughed in announcing his $120 million contract recently, “Eff the draft picks.”
Ross didn’t make it rain. He made it flash flood. He wrote so many big checks to players who were going to get the money here or somewhere else that there was only one obvious message that can’t be lost on the players.
“They’re taking care of their own,’ Ogbah said. “They believe in us. We did something special and we want to keep on building off of that. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Uh, well, no, that’s not really the message. This team hasn’t done anything special considering the playoffs haven’t even been been cracked.
That’s real question here, the one that will be debated all offseason: Can the Dolphins win? No one questions the names they added too hard. But, remember, the idea wasn’t just to make the playoffs when they sacrificed three seasons. It was to win big.
The Las Vegas betting line puts them at 10th in the AFC even after all these signings. That’s just a conversation piece for now.
Everyone’s happy because they got the kind of life-changing contracts they built careers to achieve. Good for them, too.
Remember, it was eight months ago when Howard glumly reported to training camp without a redone contract only because he’d lose a daily fine. Asked if he was happy to be there, he simply stated the facts.
“I’m here,’ he said.
On Tuesday, with a $75 million contract signed, he’s happy.
“I’m just excited to be a Dolphin and continue to play here and hopefully retire [here] and hopefully win the Super Bowl here too,’ he said.
The Dolphins aren’t in pursuit of happiness. They’re happy. Listen to them. Look at their contracts. The idea now is whether happiness leads down the road to what Howard understands all these big contracts demand.
“To win,’ he said.
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| 2022-04-06T22:30:57
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The U.S. Senate should confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who clearly is qualified to ascend to the Supreme Court. As the first Black woman ever to be appointed to that court, and as a jurist of calm, distinction and intellectual heft, she deserves more bipartisan support.
For Senate Republicans, most of whom are expected to oppose Jackson’s candidacy this week, this is partly a matter of political expediency. After the Senate Judiciary Committee reached an 11-11 tie (along party lines) to send Jackson’s nomination to the floor Monday, it became clear that not only would all 50 Senate Democrats confirm her nomination, but Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney said Monday night that they will vote across party lines in her support.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine had already said she supported Jackson. Romney, summoning a term that partisans often hate, called Jackson “a person of honor” and said: “While I do not expect to agree with every decision she makes on the Supreme Court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity.”
How quaint. How correct.
Only a fool cannot see that Jackson is qualified for this position. She most certainly will join the court’s liberal wing and we understand principled objection to her judicial philosophy; some thoughtful Republicans find a lack of support for limited government, for example, while others cite evidence of “judicial activism.” But those were likely responses to any of President Joe Biden’s potential nominees.
At the confirmation hearings, Jackson was reasoned, respectful and, by the standards of such events, reasonably forthcoming. We admired her clearly stated intention to recuse herself from what might well be a blockbuster Supreme Court decision involving affirmation action, due to her long-standing ties to Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
That case, which could upend college admissions and other practices involving racial preference, is important enough to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party that the perception of a conflict of interest clearly was a check in the column of reasons to choose another candidate. But the president rightly saw the broader context there. Jackson is only 51 years old; one case is just one case.
As Bloomberg’s Jonathan Bernstein has noted, the Republican senators, for all of their bluster, did not manage to expose many of Jackson’s weaknesses. Some of their lines of inquiry could be dismissed by anyone who believed that defense attorneys are bound to do their best for their client, regardless of any future candidacy for the Supreme Court. And, for the record, Jackson will be one of the only elite justices ever to have represented indigent clients. Other questions in the hearings appeared to be more about questioner grandstanding for political office.
Polls show that Jackson has widespread support among the American people. Smart Republicans will see that their party will do better at the midterms and beyond if it shows it can reach beyond partisan rancor, at least when the facts allow. And in doing so, it improves the quality of the union.
We don’t join any chorus of blustering outrage at the hearings. The Republicans were, at least for the most part, just doing their job. But at this juncture, wise heads should be able to see that Jackson withstood the scrutiny and emerged as a viable candidate.
Conservatives will remain in the majority on the court. Jackson likely will join a three-judge liberal minority. For all their protestations, Republicans well know that this is a liberal replacing a liberal and that her initial impact mostly will be within the chambers, not on tiebreaking votes, perhaps as she writes minority opinions or influences how her colleagues think. Biden said he would only consider Black women for his nomination. Jackson made clear, though, that she will strive to represent all Americans. As she should.
We salute Jackson’s historic ascent to this office, barring the wholly unexpected. We take her at her word, that she will decide cases on their merits, open-minded and aware of the fragility of life in a free society where the rule of law is a cornerstone of democracy.
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| 2022-04-06T22:31:03
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If you’re like most Americans, you don’t think Joe Biden is doing well as president. Inflation is out of control. His administration appears to lack any viable plan to control border crossing. The president’s gaffes alternate between the amusing and the alarming. The Democratic Party seems headed for a pasting this November.
But things could always be worse — and they would be if Biden listened to his left-wing critics.
They look at Democrats’ low poll numbers and think the way to raise them is to go even further left and to be even more partisan. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Bronx Democrat, recently said that Biden and other Democrats have erred by clinging to the outdated belief that bipartisan deals are possible. They are in danger of losing seats this fall, she claims, because they have catered to a dwindling group of independent voters rather than delivered for the party’s base.
That means they should play hardball with centrist Democrats such as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Ocasio-Cortez thinks that the failure of the Democrats’ “Build Back Better” initiative vindicated the legislative strategy that she and other progressives pursued: holding up passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill the moderates wanted to pressure them to support the social spending bonanza in Build Back Better.
It’s a triply strange conclusion. First, the strategy failed: Progressives could not maintain the blockade against the infrastructure compromise. Second, a number of moderates indicated they were prepared to see both bills die rather than cave to the progressives. If the blockade had held, then, the result might have been no bills passed instead of one.
Third, the fact that the infrastructure bill became law, with Republicans providing the margin of victory in the House, invalidates Ocasio-Cortez’s premise that bipartisan deals are no longer possible. So does the passage of bipartisan bills to tackle COVID throughout 2020 and the recent passage of a federal anti-lynching law.
The progressives’ electoral strategy is not based on reality, either. It’s true that since June Biden has lost 11 points among Democrats in Gallup’s polling. But he has lost 17 points among independents. Moving middle-of-the-road voters from the Republicans to the Democrats was crucial to Democratic victories in both 2018 and 2020. In Arizona, independents went for Trump in 2016 but for Biden in 2020. That’s why the state flipped to the Democrats last time.
Ocasio-Cortez herself has benefited from the suburban swing to the Democrats during the Trump presidency. It’s the reason she has spent her entire tenure in the House in the majority.
But she doesn’t have firsthand experience with appealing to voters in the center, or needing to. She won a low-turnout primary for an extremely safe Democratic seat in 2018 and has never had a tough race since.
Some of the Democrats who have cooled toward Biden, meanwhile, consider themselves moderate or conservative. What has disappointed them about him probably isn’t insufficient progressivism.
But the left wing of the party has a tendency to assume it speaks for all Democratic voters. Writing for CNN.com, Jill Filipovic says that Biden is putting congressional Democrats at risk by proposing a “timid moderate” budget. Among its sins: proposing more money for policing. When Biden spoke up for funding the police in his State of the Union address, some left-wing activists expressed outrage.
A lot of Democratic voters feel differently. Last fall, Pew Research found that more than a third of Democrats want more police funding. Only a quarter want less. A slightly higher percentage of black adults than of Democrats favored increased funding. And all the numbers have been shifting rapidly in favor of more money.
In the overall population, the more-money side outnumbers the less-money side by 47% to 15%. A new NBC poll finds that 75% of all Americans, and 59% of Democrats, would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports “funding the police and providing them the resources and training they need.”
It would be political malpractice for Biden not to respond to this public sentiment. But many on the left are shutting the ears against anything the electorate is trying to say. In the American Prospect, a progressive magazine, Robert Kuttner supplemented the familiar advice that Democrats need to do more to mobilize the left with the suggestion that they make Donald Trump the issue in their races this fall. That idea was of course central to last fall’s campaign by Terry McAuliffe, who is not the governor of Virginia.
If the elections go as expected, Democrats will suffer deep losses. But Ocasio-Cortez will still be in her dark-blue seat. And she’ll still be explaining that everything would have gone better if only the rest of the Democrats were just like her.
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| 2022-04-06T22:31:09
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As the Miami Heat move closer to the playoffs, further clarity is coming into focus regarding rotation plans for the postseason.
Tuesday night’s 144-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets offered further hints, even as injuries factor into the equation.
Among the moving parts:
Victor Oladipo: After stepping up in the absences of Jimmy Butler and Gabe Vincent with a decisive 21-point performance off the bench in Sunday night’s 114-109 road victory over the Toronto Raptors, Oladipo was held out Tuesday.
“It was just the way things were going,” said assistant Chris Quinn, who filled in for a second consecutive game, with coach Erik Spoelstra in NBA health-and-safety protocols. “Obviously, the other night Vic played incredible. You could see what he brings to our team.
“And then [Tuesday] night, with Jimmy back and some other guys back, it was just a decision to do what we were kind of doing before that Toronto game.”
Oladipo and Udonis Haslem were the lone Heat players held out Tuesday night due to “Coach’s Decision.”
Duncan Robinson: Replaced in the starting lineup a week ago by Max Strus at the start of the Heat’s current five-game winning streak, Robinson made a stand with his play against the Hornets, closing with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting on 3-pointers.
“I mean, it’s gonna be different,” Robinson said of now being locked in as a reserve. “That’s kind of what this year’s been, in a lot of senses. The role and involvement and everything has looked different night to night, and that’s what you get when you play on a good team, with a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things.
“So for me, it’s just about wrapping my mind around that. It’s definitely not something that’s easy, per se. But everyone’s going through it. And it’s sacrifice when you’ve got a good team that wants to do something special, that’s what it takes. So just continue to wrap my mind around that and whatever’s required from me on a nightly basis.”
Gabe Vincent: With Kyle Lowry given Tuesday off for rest, it was Vincent who was given the start at point guard over Oladipo.
While he closed 1 of 5 from the field, Vincent’s five assists were second on the Heat to Butler’s eight.
Vincent has played 20 minutes or more three times since the rotation was overhauled five games ago, sitting out one of those games with a toe injury.
Caleb Martin: Held out of Saturday night’s road victory over the Chicago Bulls in his first game back from a two-game absence with a bruised right calf, Martin started Sunday’s victory in Toronto, going 26 minutes.
The versatile forward then played 26 minutes off the bench Tuesday against the Hornets, with a 12-point performance that included 3-of-3 3-point shooting.
Like Vincent, it appears Martin will receive strong consideration for time in the playoff rotation, although with no guarantee.
Markieff Morris: After starting in place of sidelined P.J. Tucker in Sunday’s victory in Toronto and going for 10 points in 26 minutes, Morris was a late scratch Tuesday due to a strained left hip flexor.
A read on where he stands could come into better view with Tucker dealing with a strained right calf that took him for the night in Tuesday’s third quarter. That even could have Morris, if available, back in the starting lineup Friday against the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena.
As for Tucker, Quinn said, “All I really know is he strained his calf. He’ll get looked at [Wednesday] by the docs and that’s pretty much what I’ve heard.”
Tyler Herro, Dewayne Dedmon: Of what appear to be four available reserve roles — beyond starters Butler, Lowry, Strus, Tucker and Bam Adebayo — Herro and Dedmon appear locks for postseason playing time in two of those.
Herro is coming off a 35-point performance against the Hornets, which ties his career regular-season high and ties Dwyane Wade for most by a Heat reserve in the regular season.
Dedmon was held out of Tuesday’s game due to a sprained right ankle, with Omer Yurtseven getting his playing time, with seven rebounds in 15:27. Dedmon’s ailment is considered minor, having been a game-time decision Tuesday.
Yurtseven, Haslem and Haywood Highsmith likely will see their postseason time limited to the practice court.
Two-way players Javonte Smart and Mychal Mulder are not eligible for the playoff roster.
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| 2022-04-06T22:31:15
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St. Joe’s is poised to lose inpatient mental health services, one of the last vestiges of its long tenure as Minnesota’s first hospital.
The Minnesota Department of Health has scheduled a public hearing for April 12 on the planned closure and relocation of inpatient adult mental health services from the old St. Joseph’s Hospital at the outskirts of downtown St. Paul.
M Health Fairview has alerted the state it plans to remove inpatient adult mental health and addiction services, as well as support services such as lab and imaging, and relocate them to other facilities as of July 1. The state submission indicated that outpatient adult mental health and addiction services will remain at the existing campus.
Fairview is planning a new 120-bed specialty mental health center in the east metro, likely to be located at the former Bethesda Hospital near downtown St. Paul. That’s raised questions about whether a stand-alone mental health facility will cater to the most vulnerable patient groups — the homeless and indigent. A stand-alone facility would likely not qualify for Medicaid reimbursement for long-term patients.
The state Department of Health’s Health Regulation Division will host a public hearing at 6 p.m. on April 12. Participants can join the public hearing via Microsoft Teams (tinyurl.com/StJoeHearing) or by calling 651-395-7448 and using the access code 287 732 917.
Comments and questions can also be shared on the MDH website by April 13.
In June 2021, the Minnesota Legislature required a public notice and a public hearing before the closure of a hospital or hospital campus, relocation of services or cessation of certain services.
Fairview closed its emergency room and ended most major medical services at St. Joe’s in late 2020, ending an era that began with its founding by by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1853. It later announced plans to install health and wellness services, from food distribution to an expansion site for Minnesota Community Care, a federally-qualified primary care clinic for the uninsured and under-insured.
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| 2022-04-06T22:31:21
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By MATTHEW PERRONE
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. health officials are beginning to grapple with how to keep the vaccines updated to best protect Americans from the ever-changing coronavirus.
On Wednesday, a panel of vaccine advisers to the Food and Drug Administration spent hours debating key questions for revamping the shots and conducting future booster campaigns. They didn’t reach any firm conclusions.
The questions facing the experts included: How often to update the vaccines against new strains, how effective they should be to warrant approval and whether updates should be coordinated with global health authorities.
Last week, the FDA authorized a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for anyone 50 or older and for some younger people with severely weakened immune systems. It’s an effort to get ahead of another possible surge.
But the FDA’s vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks acknowledged at the meeting “we simply can’t be boosting people as frequently as we are.” He called the latest booster update a “stopgap” measure to protect vulnerable Americans while regulators decide whether and how to tweak the current vaccines.
Marks cautioned that waning vaccine protection, new variants and colder weather in the fall could raise the risk of more surges.
“Our goal here is to stay ahead of future variants and outbreaks and ensure we do our best to reduce the toll of disease and death due to COVID-19,” said Marks, adding that he expects more meetings of the vaccine panel in coming months.
Some of the key questions the panel discussed:
HOW SHOULD THE U.S. DECIDE WHEN TO LAUNCH FUTURE ROUNDS OF BOOSTER SHOTS?
One area where experts appeared to agree is that vaccines should be judged on their ability to prevent severe disease that leads to hospitalization and death.
“We need to focus on the worst case, which is severe disease, and we need to change strains when we’re losing that battle,” said Dr. Mark Sawyer of the University of California San Diego.
By that measure, the current vaccines have held up remarkably well.
During the last omicron-driven surge, two vaccine doses were nearly 80% effective against needing a breathing machine or death — and a booster pushed that protection to 94%, federal scientists recently reported.
But only about half of Americans eligible for a third shot have gotten one. And many experts said it was unsustainable to continue asking Americans to get boosted every few months.
A panelist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that the 80% protection from severe disease could become the standard for evaluating the vaccines.
“I think we may have to accept that level of protection and then use other alternative ways to protect individuals with therapeutics and other measures,” said Dr. Amanda Cohn, CDC’s chief medical officer.
Presentations at the meeting by government health officials and independent researchers underscored the challenges of predicting when the next major COVID-19 variant might appear.
Trevor Bedford, a disease modeler with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said a major new strain like omicron could emerge anywhere from every 1.5 years to once a decade, based on currently available data. Given that unpredictability, researchers will need methods to quickly determine whether current vaccines work against emerging variants.
WHAT’S THE PROCESS FOR UPDATING VACCINES TO ADDRESS NEW VARIANTS?
All three COVID-19 vaccines now used in the U.S. are based on the original coronavirus version that emerged in late 2019. Updating the vaccines will be a complex task, likely requiring coordination between the FDA, manufacturers and global health authorities.
To speed the vaccines to market, the FDA relied on research shortcuts to judge effectiveness, mainly looking at their early impact on the immune system’s antibody levels. A number of panelists said Wednesday they wanted more rigorous data from studies that track patients over time to see who gets sick or dies.
But that approach would likely be too time consuming.
“We’re looking at a conundrum here in that it’s going to hard to generate all the data we want in short order when a new variant emergences,” said Dr. Ofer Levy of Harvard Medical School.
A representative for the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority laid out the narrow window that manufacturers could face to reformulate, study and mass produce an updated vaccine by September.
“If you’re not on your way to a clinical trial by the beginning of May, I think it’s going to be very difficult to have enough product across manufacturers to meet demand,” said Robert Johnson, deputy assistant secretary of BARDA.
The process for updating annual flu vaccines offers one possible model, as laid out by a representative from the World Health Organization.
Twice a year, WHO experts recommend updates to flu vaccines to target emerging strains. The FDA then brings those recommendations to its own vaccine panel, which votes on whether they make sense for the U.S., setting the stage for manufacturers to tweak their shots and begin mass production.
But COVID-19 hasn’t yet fallen into a predictable pattern like the flu. And as the coronavirus evolves, different strains may become dominant in different regions of the world.
Several experts said they would need more meetings with more data and proposals from the FDA to decide on a strategy.
“We’ve never been here before. We’re all working together to do the best we can and it’s very complex,” said Oveta Fuller of the University of Michigan’s Medical School.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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Much of the hype surrounding the Miami Dolphins’ offseason has been centered around the improvements made to the offense, but nearly as important was the way the team maintained continuity on its defense.
Cornerback Xavien Howard got the lucrative contract extension he was seeking, and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, minutes before free agency negotiations were set to begin on March 14, reached an agreement to stay with the Dolphins before other teams could make their offers.
“I was glad we took care of our own,” Ogbah said Wednesday as both he and Howard spoke publicly for the first time since signing their deals.
Howard and the Dolphins came a long way from his displeasure with his contract last offseason that even reached the level of him requesting a trade in training camp ahead of the 2021 season. Now, after earning $50,691,177 in new money as part of a restructure agreed to on Friday night, the three-time Pro Bowl and one-time All-Pro selection has his long-term goals occurring in Miami.
“I’m just excited to be a Dolphin, continue to play here, hopefully retire here and win a Super Bowl here, too,” said Howard, who also cited the Hall of Fame as an aspiration after starting his career with 27 interceptions in his first six NFL seasons.
Howard’s extension puts him under contract with the Dolphins through 2026, with a potential out in 2024. Over the next two seasons, Howard will earn more than any other cornerback in the NFL.
“They did everything we asked, and both sides were happy with everything that panned out,” he said.
Ogbah signed a four-year, $65 million deal when he was on the verge of hitting the open market.
“I’ve always looked at myself as being here long-term. I’m glad we made it happen,” Ogbah said. “I wouldn’t say I thought it was doubtful [a deal would get done]. I felt like we had a chance to make something work. For them to come like that, it showed they believed in me and wanted me here.”
With Howard as the ballhawk cornerback known to force turnovers in the secondary and Ogbah as the all-around defensive end that has posted nine sacks each of his two seasons in Miami while also batting passes at the line of scrimmage at a high rate, two cornerstones to the Dolphins’ defensive success the second half of the 2021 season remain in place.
They can complement each other with pass rush inducing interceptions and strong coverage leading to sacks.
“It goes hand in hand,” Ogbah said. “I know, if I don’t get there fast enough, X is going to be back there waiting for the ball to come out. The faster I get back there, the faster I put stress on the quarterback, so it gives X a chance to get that pick.”
They also have top-notch competition to go up against in practice now. Howard can sharpen his coverage skills lining up against speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and Ogbah can go at it against left tackle Terron Armstead. Hill and Armstead were the two prized outside acquisitions for Miami, coming in from the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints, respectively.
“I just told [coach] Mike McDaniel, ‘I got to get my [hamstrings] right. We got a lot of speed over there,’ ” Howard said. “I’m excited about everything that’s going on in the building.”
Said Ogbah of the addition of Armstead: “That force on the offense, that dog, we needed that, and I’m glad he’s part of the team now.”
Howard didn’t want to dive into the then and now of last offseason’s contract renegotiation struggles with the team, which escalated to the point of a training camp trade request before the Dolphins met his concerns for the 2021 season, pushing the original issue into this offseason. But he has put it to bed.
“We got it done, so I’m here,” Howard said, as the new deal fulfills his long-term wishes. “That’s the only thing that really matters to me.”
And with that settled, he now merely wants to get back to playing football the only place he’s called home since getting drafted out of Baylor in 2016, doing what he’s done to create 17 takeaways — 15 interceptions and two fumble recoveries — over the past two seasons, scoring two touchdowns in the process.
“Let’s get back to work,” he said. “To get the ball. It’s what I been doing since I’ve been here, so I wouldn’t say nothing different. Continue being a leader in the locker room, help younger guys out, help new guys that are coming to the Miami Dolphins. Just continue attacking the ball and making turnovers.”
The two sensed a renewed energy at Dolphins facilities since the team reconvened for the start of its offseason workout program on Monday.
“I feel like everything’s been different since I got [back],” Howard said. “The energy, everybody happy. I feel like a lot of things are going to be special here with Mike McDaniel. He’s bringing that energy, and hopefully get the offensive part to the standard that we expect from both sides of the ball.”
“It’s more fun. Everybody’s just excited to be back,” added Ogbah, who also enjoyed his early impressions of McDaniel. “I didn’t know a lot about him, but he’s definitely unique, a good players’ coach. He knows, he understands the game. He’s very smart. He knows what he wants to do with the offense.”
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By JOSH FUNK
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Zoos across North America are moving their birds indoors and away from people and wildlife as they try to protect them from the highly contagious and potentially deadly avian influenza.
Penguins may be the only birds visitors to many zoos can see right now, because they already are kept inside and usually protected behind glass in their exhibits, making it harder for the bird flu to reach them.
Nearly 23 million chickens and turkeys have already been killed across the United States to limit the spread of the virus, and zoos are working hard to prevent any of their birds from meeting the same fate. It would be especially upsetting for zoos to have to kill any of the endangered or threatened species in their care.
“It would be extremely devastating,” said Maria Franke, who is the manager of welfare science at Toronto Zoo, which has less than two dozen Loggerhead Shrike songbirds that it’s breeding with the hope of reintroducing them into the wild. “We take amazing care and the welfare and well being of our animals is the utmost importance. There’s a lot of staff that has close connections with the animals that they care for here at the zoo.”
Toronto Zoo workers are adding roofs to some outdoor bird exhibits and double-checking the mesh surrounding enclosures to ensure it will keep wild birds out.
Birds shed the virus through their droppings and nasal discharge. Experts say it can be spread through contaminated equipment, clothing, boots and vehicles carrying supplies. Research has shown that small birds that squeeze into zoo exhibits or buildings can also spread the flu, and that mice can even track it inside.
So far, no outbreaks have been reported at zoos, but there have been wild birds found dead that had the flu. For example, a wild duck that died in a behind-the-scenes area of the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa, after tornadoes last month tested positive, zoo spokesman Ryan Bickel said.
Most of the steps zoos are taking are designed to prevent contact between wild birds and zoo animals. In some places, officials are requiring employees to change into clean boots and don protective gear before entering bird areas.
When bird flu cases are found in poultry, officials order the entire flock to be killed because the virus is so contagious. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has indicated that zoos might be able to avoid that by isolating infected birds and possibly euthanizing a small number of them.
Sarah Woodhouse, director of animal health at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, said she is optimistic after talking with state and federal regulators.
“They all agree that ordering us to depopulate a large part of our collection would be the absolute last-ditch effort. So they’re really interested in working with us to see what we can do to make sure that we’re not going to spread the disease while also being able to take care of our birds and not have to euthanize,” Woodhouse said.
Among the precautions zoos are taking is to keep birds in smaller groups so that if a case is found, only a few would be affected. The USDA and state veterinarians would make the final decision about which birds had to be killed.
“Euthanasia is really the only way to keep it from spreading,” said Luis Padilla, who is vice president of animal collections at the Saint Louis Zoo. “That’s why we have so many of these very proactive measures in place.”
The National Aviary in Pittsburgh — the nation’s largest —- is providing individual health checks for each of its roughly 500 birds. Many already live in large glass enclosures or outdoor habitats where they don’t have direct exposure to wildlife, said Dr. Pilar Fish, the aviary’s senior director of veterinary medicine and zoological advancement.
Kansas City Zoo CEO Sean Putney said he’s heard a few complaints from visitors, but most people seem OK with not getting to see some birds. “I think our guests understand that we have what’s in the best interests of the animals in mind when we make these decisions even though they can’t get to see them,” Putney said.
Officials emphasize that bird flu doesn’t jeopardize the safety of meat or eggs or represent a significant risk to human health. No infected birds are allowed into the food supply, and properly cooking poultry and eggs kills bacteria and viruses. No human cases have been found in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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| 2022-04-06T22:31:39
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Alex Jones appears for questioning in Sandy Hook lawsuit
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Alex Jones was questioned Wednesday by lawyers for families of Sandy Hook victims in Connecticut, where a judge had ordered the Infowars host to face mounting fines until he appeared for a deposition.
Relatives of some of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, massacre sued Jones for defamation after he said the shooting never happened. A judge found Jones liable for damages and a trial on how much he should pay the families is set for August.
Jones, who lives in Texas, had defied a judge’s order to appear for a deposition in the case, saying he was too ill. But Connecticut Judge Barbara Bellis said there wasn’t enough evidence that Jones was too sick to attend and ordered him to come to Connecticut for questioning and pay escalating daily fines until he did so. Jones paid $25,000 in fines for Friday and $50,000 in fines for Monday, according to court records.
A spokesperson for the families and their lawyers at Bridgeport-based Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder declined to comment on the deposition Wednesday.
Jones said in a video on the Infowars website that the deposition began Tuesday and was to continue Wednesday. He said in the video that the families’ lawyers began the deposition by “demonizing” him for his questioning official versions of events.
“It’s just totally insane to sit there and watch this happen and to watch them lick their lips and lick their chops and think we’re going to finally shut Alex Jones down,” Jones said. “These people want to put us in prison for our speech.”
Jones’ lawyer, Norman Pattis, said tempers flared at times during the deposition on Tuesday, and much of the questioning was not related to the school shooting.
“I had the impression watching the attack on Mr. Jones that this trial will be about something far greater than what happened at Sandy Hook,” Pattis said on the video. “The trial’s going to be about ordinary people’s ability to say I’m not buying it, I want to raise questions, I want to draw my own conclusions.”
The deposition was held at the Bridgeport office of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. After it ended Wednesday, Pattis filed a court document asking Bellis to return to Jones the $75,000 in fees he paid, which the judge said he could request only after sitting for questioning. Bellis did not immediately rule.
Jones missed the originally scheduled deposition in the case on March 23 and 24 in Austin, Texas. He cited a health issue including vertigo that his doctors initially thought was a serious heart problem but turned out to be a sinus infection.
The plaintiffs have said they have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers because of the hoax conspiracy promoted on his website show. Jones has since conceded the shooting did happen.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:42:48
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Dad who lived in dorm convicted of abusing daughter’s friends
NEW YORK (AP) — A man who moved into his daughter’s college dorm and charmed her schoolmates with claims of influence and wisdom was convicted Wednesday of charges that he exploited the close-knit group, using threats and violence to enrich himself with millions of dollars as he ruined their lives.
Lawrence Ray, 62, was convicted at a trial where weeks of testimony chronicled his psychologically manipulative relationship with young people he met in fall 2010 at Sarah Lawrence College, a small New York liberal arts school. Ray moved into his daughter’s dorm after finishing a prison stint for a securities fraud conviction.
Sentencing was set for Sept. 16 on charges including racketeering, conspiracy, forced labor, sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. Ray, who stood with his arms at his side and faced the Manhattan jury as guilty verdicts were returned on 15 counts, could face up to life in prison. One charge carries a mandatory minimum 15-year term.
After the verdict was read, Ray was returned to custody, where he had been since his early 2020 arrest.
His lawyers declined comment outside court and did not return email messages seeking comment.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Ray had changed “a group of friends who had their whole lives ahead of them.”
“For the next decade, he used violence, threats, and psychological abuse to try to control and destroy their lives,” Williams said. “He exploited them. He terrorized them. He tortured them. Let me be very clear. Larry Ray is a predator. An evil man who did evil things. Today’s verdict finally brings him to justice.”
Jurors concluded deliberations less than a day after receiving the case following a monthlong trial that featured testimony from numerous victims who usually referred to Ray just as “Larry.” Some testified that Ray had made them believe they had poisoned or otherwise harmed him and they needed to pay him back.
One woman testified that she became a sex worker to try to pay reparations to Ray after becoming convinced that she had poisoned him. She said that, over four years, she gave Ray $2.5 million in installments that averaged between $10,000 and $50,000 per week.
Another woman who was educated at Harvard and Columbia and was about to become a medical doctor in 2012 testified that her career and life were derailed when she met Ray and became romantically involved with him. She said he sometimes demanded that she have sex with strangers and film it for him.
Ray’s lawyers maintained he was victimized by former friends who fabricated their stories.
Ray did not testify. Twice, the trial was interrupted as he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance for undisclosed illnesses.
Several students testified that they were drawn into Ray’s world as he told them stories of his past influence in New York City politics, including his role in ruining the career of former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik after serving as the best man at his wedding years earlier. Ray had, in fact, been a figure in the corruption investigation that derailed Kerik’s nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Some of the students agreed to live with Ray in the summer of 2011 at his Manhattan one-bedroom apartment, where his sinister side emerged as he started to claim that the students had poisoned and harmed him or his property.
To make amends, they testified, they did what he asked, including turning over money. One man said he gave Ray over $100,000.
Prosecutors said the money was never enough. Through threats and violence and videotaped “confessions,” Ray tightened his hold on the young people, including forcing them to to landscaping and other work at the Pinehurst, North Carolina home of his stepfather for weeks in 2013, they said.
The abuse culminated in October 2018 when Ray for hours repeatedly abused the woman who gave him her proceeds from sex work, forcing her to be tied naked to a chair while he berated her, choked her with a leash and made her fear for her life by putting a bag over her head, prosecutors said.
Ray carried out his crimes with help from his daughter and Isabella Pollok, a woman who has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, prosecutors said. Her trial is set for later this year. The daughter has not been charged.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Fellow sisters in Louisiana pray for abducted nun’s safe return
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Grays News) - Marianite Sister Suellen Tennyson, 83, was abducted from a parish in Yalgo, Burkina Faso, Africa, where she had been stationed as a missionary since 2014, according to officials with the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Many across the globe and locally in the Greater New Orleans area are coming together in prayer for Sister Tennyson.
Sister Tennyson attended high school at the former Academy of the Holy Angels. She served at the former St. Cecilia Catholic Church in the Marigny and at Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church. She also did work for the Archdiocese of New Orleans as the Vicar for Religious.
The Marianite sisterhood is in disbelief after learning about her disappearance.
Sister Ann Lacour, the Marianite Congregational Leader currently stationed in France, said Sister Tennyson was taken in the middle of the night on Tuesday, April 5, by 10 armed hijackers.
“In her night clothes. No shoes, no glasses, no medication, no phone. And she was blindfolded,” Sister Lacour said.
Now she is working with investigators in Paris, Rome, and Burkina Faso.
“The U.S. Embassy of Burkina Faso calls us at least twice a day,” said Sister Lacour. “They definitely want to keep this alive and want this to end as soon as possible.”
As do those who know her best; her family and friends back home in New Orleans, like Marianite Sister Marjorie Hebert.
“We’re doing our part to cooperate trusting that all of this is going to ultimately bring Suellen home safely. And home for Suellen right now is Burkina Faso,” said Sister Hebert.
She said Sister Tennyson lived in the Yalgo parish of Burkina Faso since 2014, serving as support to medical staff in the community. Those close to her describe Sister Tennyson as the face of compassion.
“That call to her was there. It came late in her Marianite vocation but that’s firm to her. So that’s her home,” she said. “When she left to go there back in 2014, she made it very clear to us that love her and cherish her friendship; ‘I’m gonna work there. I’ll die there. And I’ll be buried there.’”
Now they are carrying hope in their hearts -- hope that she is protected and hope that she is safe.
“We truly truly believe she will be found and we do believe. We’re holding on to that and God’s great grace she’ll be ok,” said Sister Lacour.
The Marianite congregation believes in the power of prayer, and they are asking those who pray to pray for Sister Suellen’s safety and release from her captives.
Copyright 2022 WVUE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:43:01
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‘I see barren fields’: Ukrainian Civil Society leaders discuss wartime agriculture disruptions
Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) hosted an event discussing the war in Ukraine and what it means for global food security.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine is one of the top exporters of grain in the world.
The ongoing war is expected to cut trade drastically. Some economists fear the war will disrupt the global food chain, leading to famine in parts of the East and higher domestic commodity costs.
“Ukraine basically exports to a number of countries in North Africa and the Middle East,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who told Gray DC his department is monitoring the situation. “These are developing countries. These are countries that rely a great deal on that wheat supply to be able to feed their people.”
Wheat growers in the U.S are already facing high operating costs and drought conditions. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) says it’s unlikely the U.S will be able to fill any gap that might be created by the war.
“Even if America does everything we can to grow more wheat, it’s not going to be enough to replace what comes through the Black Sea right now,” said Marshall.
During a Wednesday press conference, Marshall and fellow GOP Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) discussed the issue with members of the Ukrainian Civil Society.
Ukrainian Military volunteer Maria Berlinska says Russia is using food as a quiet weapon, starving residents into submission and targeting farmland and agriculture infrastructure.
“We have less and less fields, and we have less and less opportunities,” said Berlinska.
During the discussion, she pleaded for additional aid in the form of weapons, sanctions, and international pressure on Russia.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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Jan. 6 trial of former Virginia officer continues with testimony from man who called him “dad”
Jacob Fracker said he once called Thomas Robertson “dad,” and Robertson called him “son.” The two were together inside the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - It’s day two in the trial of former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson. He’s charged with six crimes related to his alleged actions on and after the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Dramatic moments inside the courtroom in the final hours today as Jacob Fracker, Robertson’s former co-defendant, takes the stand to testify against Robertson.
Jacob Fracker said that he used to call Thomas Robertson “dad”, and said Robertson would call him “son.”
Now, he’s testifying against Robertson after taking a plea deal for his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
A picture that prosecutors used in their original charging document shows Fracker on the left, and Robertson on the right, inside of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, according to prosecutors.
Fracker testified Wednesday that Robertson invited him, and planned the trip to the Capitol. Fracker also said on that day, he was hyped up and wanted to see the results of 2020 election overturned.
The defense said in its opening statements that Robertson only went into the Capitol because they said Fracker got too excited and ran in first. They argue that Robertson was only trying to find Fracker and leave.
During his testimony, Fracker told the court that he did lose sight of Robertson before entering the Capitol. Fracker said he and Robertson were reunited in a room below the Capitol Rotunda known as the crypt, where they took pictures and began singing and clapping with a crowd.
He said Robertson never told him that his only goal was to retrieve him, and that Robertson was just as excited as he was once they left the Capitol.
Fracker told the court that he and Robertson discussed a potential next civil war on the ride back home to Virginia.
Fracker’s testimony still is not done. Robertson’s defense is expected to cross-examine Fracker when court is back in session on Thursday morning.
Robertson’s lawyer told the judge tonight that Robertson may testify when the defense presents its case tomorrow.
The judge told lawyers that he wants to hear closing arguments on Friday.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:43:19
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Kit Kat debuts blueberry muffin flavor for limited time
(Gray News) - Kit Kat fans are getting a new flavor inspired by a classic baked good without even turning on an oven.
The Hershey Company unveiled its limited-edition Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat flavor on Wednesday.
This new flavor creation is a blueberry muffin-flavored creme with tastes of fresh and cooked blueberries, plus a cake batter-like muffin flavor with graham cookie pieces folded into the bar, according to Hershey.
“Our product creators have such passion for deciding which flavor Kit Kat should take on next and making sure it delivers for our fans,” said Dan Williard, brand manager of Kit Kat. “Kit Kat Blueberry Muffin has already become one of our favorites. It has all the taste of a freshly baked blueberry muffin, but no baking required.”
The blueberry muffin flavor becomes the latest in the brand’s growing portfolio of flavors. Hershey has previously released Kit Kat Duos Strawberry and Dark Chocolate, Thins Hazelnut and Lemon Crisp flavors.
Hershey representatives said the blueberry muffin flavor would be available nationwide at retailers starting this month.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:43:25
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LOOK: 11-foot hammerhead shark washes up on beach
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (WPLG) – An 11-foot female hammerhead shark was found on a Florida beach.
The shark washed up on the sands of Pompano Beach overnight, and early morning beachgoers said they experienced a range of emotions regarding the creature, from wonderment to heartbreak.
Beach residents said the shark was close to the shoreline early in the morning, but was moved out of the water with a Bobcat so it wouldn’t be carried back out to sea.
After hearing reports of the shark, scientist Hannah Medd came out to the beach to collect samples.
“It might have to do with post-release mortality, which means this species in particular gets a little stressed out when it’s caught,” she said. “It fights really hard.”
Medd said the adult hammerhead’s untimely death may be connected to an encounter with fishermen, with the frazzled shark swimming onto shore to escape capture.
“There is some fishing line in her gills and, from earlier pictures, there was a large hook in the side of her mouth, which indicates she was probably involved in fishing,” Medd said.
Nearby construction crews used equipment to move the shark away from beach crowds before scientists can collect more samples. She’ll then be removed and buried.
Some beachgoers stared in excitement at the rare site while others realized the heartbreaking reality of what led to the creature’s death.
“You never want to see an animal this big lying on the beach,” beachgoer Kevin Nosal said. “This is 11 feet long and over 500 pounds, and it’s a female, so it’s always sad when a female passes.”
Copyright 2022 WPLG via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/look-11-foot-hammerhead-shark-washes-up-beach/
| 2022-04-06T22:43:31
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Six-days-a-week mail delivery saved; Biden signs Postal bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service meant to shore up the popular but beleaguered agency’s financial future and cement six-days-a-week mail delivery was signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden.
The legislation cleared Congress last month after fully a dozen years of discussion that took on a new sense of urgency amid widespread complaints about mail service delays. Officials had repeatedly warned that without congressional action, the Postal Service would run out of cash by 2024.
“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said. He added that mailmen and women deliver 4 million prescriptions per day, along with letters, consumer goods and even live animals, “often to parts of the country that private carriers can’t or won’t or aren’t required to reach.”
The final legislation achieved rare, bipartisan support by scrapping some of the more controversial proposals and settling on core ways to save the service. Delivering the mail is among the most popular things the government does, with 91% of Americans having a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in 2020.
The bill signing came the same day the Postal Service announced it plans to raise rates effective July 10. Under the proposal submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the cost of a first-class Forever stamp would increase by 2 cents to 60 cents.
The Postal Service said the increase, which is less than the annual rate of inflation, will help the agency implement Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan to stabilize agency finances.
Lawmakers from both parties attended the signing ceremony and the mood was jovial, a big improvement from Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran previously saying the service was in a “death spiral” that was particularly hard on rural Americans.
The Postal Service Reform Act lifts budget requirements that have contributed to the agency’s red ink, and spells out that mail must be delivered six days a week, except for federal holidays, natural disasters and some other situations.
Postage sales and other services were supposed to sustain the Postal Service, but it has suffered 14 straight years of losses. Growing worker compensation and benefit costs, plus steady declines in mail volume, have exacerbated losses, even as the service delivers to 1 million additional locations every year.
The new law ends a requirement that the Postal Service finance workers’ health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years — an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face. Biden said that rule had “stretched the Postal Service’s finances almost to the breaking point.”
Now, future retirees will enroll in Medicare, while other health plans and the Postal Service cover only current retirees’ actual health care costs that aren’t paid for by the federal health insurance program for older people,
“In recent years we saw how unfair policies forced this treasured institution to cut costs and delayed the delivery of medication, financial documents and other critical mail,” Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who helped write the legislation, said in a statement. “These long overdue reforms will undo these burdensome financial requirements.”
To measure the agency’s progress in improving its service, the law requires it to set up an online dashboard that would be searchable by ZIP code to show how long it takes to deliver letters and packages.
Dropped from the package as it neared actual legislation were efforts to cut back mail delivery. Also set aside — for now — were other proposals that have been floated over the years to change operations, including to privatize some services.
Criticism of the Postal Service peaked in 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis and ahead of the presidential election, as cutbacks delayed service at a time when millions of Americans were relying on mail-in ballots during the pandemic. Then-President Donald Trump acknowledged he was trying to financially pinch the service to limit its processing ability for an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worried could cost him the election he eventually lost.
Dominated by Trump appointees, the agency’s board of governors had tapped DeJoy, a major GOP donor, as postmaster general. He proposed a 10-year plan to stabilize the service’s finances with steps like additional mail slowdowns, cuts in some offices’ hours and perhaps higher rates.
Biden said Wednesday that more needs to be done to reform the Postal Service, including investing in an electrified vehicle fleet that could save money while helping combat climate change. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is examining a Postal Service contract to replace its huge fleet of mail-delivery trucks with a mix of gas and electric vehicles, which the Environmental Protection Agency and Democratic lawmakers argue has too few electric vehicles.
“Today we enshrine into law our recognition that the Postal Service is fundamental to our economy, to our democracy, to our health and the very sense of who we are as a nation,” Biden said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:43:42
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State Troopers stop Mercedes full of drugs near Aurora
AURORA, Neb. (KSNB) - The Nebraska State Patrol arrested two Pennsylvania women Tuesday, after troopers caught them speeding on I-80 with large quantities of drugs in the vehicle.
The Nebraska State Patrol said a trooper observed a Mercedes sedan traveling at over 100 miles per hour on Interstate 80 about six miles west of the Aurora exit around 6:30 p.m. During the traffic stop, the trooper smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed over 500 Oxycodone pills, over 80 Adderall pills, over 60 Alprazolam pills, 20 ounces of liquid Codeine, and one-half pound of marijuana. Troopers also located a handgun.
The driver, Lydia Newton, 21, of Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania, and passenger, Kayla Knabenshue, 22, of Mount Braddock, Pennsylvania, were arrested for possession of controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and other charges. Newton was also cited for no operators license and speeding. Both were lodged in the Hamilton County Jail.
Copyright 2022 KSNB. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/state-troopers-stop-mercedes-full-drugs-near-aurora/
| 2022-04-06T22:43:48
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Texas orders new border action, migrant bus charters to DC
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state troopers on Wednesday to begin stopping and inspecting commercial vehicles coming across the U.S-Mexico border and said bus charters would be offered to take migrants to Washington, D.C., in a dig at President Joe Biden and Congress.
Texas officials also said they would begin “increased military activity” on the southern border and install razor wire at some low-water along the river to deter migrants from crossing.
The new directives amount to the “unprecedented actions” that Abbott promised in response to the Biden administration winding down a public health law – now set to expire in May – that has limited asylum-seekers in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19. When that happens, it is expected to draw potentially thousands more migrants to the southern border.
Flanked by Texas troopers in the border city of Weslaco, Abbott acknowledged that additional inspections of commercial vehicles near the U.S. ports of entry will “dramatically slow” vehicle traffic coming into the county.
But the latest orders further push the limits of a multibillion-dollar Texas border security mission that the two-term Republican governor, who is running for reelection in November, has made the cornerstone of his administration. Already, Texas has deployed thousands of troopers and National Guard members, installed new border barrier and arrested thousands of migrants on trespassing charges.
Still, the efforts do not go far enough for some former Trump administration officials, who are pressing Abbott to declare an “invasion” and give state law enforcement sweeping new authority to turn back migrants – essentially bestowing enforcement powers that have been a federal responsibility.
That concept is legally dubious, nearly unprecedented and would almost certainly face swift court challenges, according to some constitutional experts.
Abbott, who is up for reelection in November and is already installing more border barrier and allowing troopers to arrest migrants on trespassing charges, did not say Wednesday whether he supports such a proposal. He said more actions would be announced next week.
Border Patrol officials say they are planning for as many as 18,000 arrivals daily once the health policy, known as the Title 42 authority, expires in May. Last week, about 7,100 migrants were coming a day to the southern U.S. border.
But the way former Trump immigration officials see it, Texas and Arizona can pick up where the federal government leaves off once the policy ends. Their plan involves a novel interpretation of the U.S. Constitution to have the National Guard or state police forcibly send migrants to Mexico, without regard to immigration laws and law enforcement procedures. Border enforcement has always been a federal responsibility, and in Texas, state leaders have not been pushing for such a move.
Tom Homan, the former acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Trump, said at a border security conference in San Antonio last week he had spoken with Abbott about the idea.
“We’ve had discussions with his attorneys in his office, ‘Is there a way to use this clause within the Constitution where it talks about invasion?’” Homan said during the Border Security Expo.
Homan said those talks took place about three months ago, and on Tuesday described the governor’s office as “noncommittal but willing to listen.”
In Arizona, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has also been under pressure within his party to declare that the state is being invaded and use extraordinary powers normally reserved for war. But Ducey, who is term-limited and not on the ballot in 2022, has not embraced the theory and has avoided commenting directly on it.
Driving the effort on the right is the Center for Renewing America, a conservative policy think tank led by former Trump administration officials. It includes Ken Cuccinelli, an immigration hard-liner and former Homeland Security official under Trump. He argued that states are entitled to defend themselves from immediate danger or invasion, as it is defined by the “invasion clause,” under the “states self-defense clause.”
Cuccinelli said in practice, he envisions the plan would look similar to the enforcement of Title 42, which circumvented U.S. obligations under American law and international treaty to provide asylum. He said he has not spoken with Abbott and said the governor’s current sweeping border mission, known as Operation Lone Star, has put little dent in the number of people crossing the border. The mission has also drawn criticism from Guard members over long deployments and little to do, and some arrests have appeared to have no connection to border security.
“Until you are actually returning people to Mexico, what you are doing will have no effect,” Cuccinelli said.
Emily Berman, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Houston, said the “invasion clause” cited by proponents is tucked into a broader constitutional assurance that the U.S. must defend states from invasion and domestic violence. Additionally, she said, the “state self-defense clause” says states cannot engage in warlike actions or foreign policy unless invaded.
Berman said she hasn’t seen the constitutional clauses used since the 1990s, when the courts ruled that they did not have jurisdiction to decide what qualified an invasion, but believed that one could only be done by another governmental entity.
For example, Berman said, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia can be qualified as one because it is an outside government breaching another country’s boundaries with the use of military force.
“Just because the state says that it is an invasion that doesn’t necessarily make it so, it is not clear to me what additional legal authority that conveys on them,” Berman said, adding that state officials can enforce state laws, but the line is drawn at what the federal law allows.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes the Texas border, has criticized the Biden administration over border security and ending Title 42. But he does not support states trying to use new powers that would let them “do whatever they want.”
“I think it should be more of a partnership instead of saying, ‘Federal government, we don’t think you’re doing enough, and why don’t we go ahead and do our own border security?’” he said.
___
Coronado is a corps members 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 undercovered issues. Associated Press reporter Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix and Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:43:54
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Thursday Forecast: Our HIGH WIND threat continues...
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Low pressure to our north will continue to throw very strong winds across our area on Thursday...
HIGH WIND WARNINGS and WIND ADVISORIES will continue for most of 10-11 Country into Wednesday evening...and then go back into effect from early Thursday morning into Thursday evening. Wind gusts of 40-to-60 mph will be common over the period. Some wrap-around light rain or light snow showers will also be possible at times Wednesday evening and again on Thursday afternoon and evening. Friday will not be AS WINDY...but it will still be blustery with northwest wind gusts of 25-to-40 mph. Friday should also turn out to be partly-to-mostly sunny and mainly dry...with highs in the 50s. Conditions do improve for your weekend with highs on Saturday mainly in the 60s and 70s...with the warmer readings in the west. It will be BREEZY...but not WINDY. Highs on Sunday will range from the 50s...to the 60s...and lower 70s..with the warmer numbers on Sunday in southeastern Nebraska. We will include a slight chance for showers across the region by Sunday night.
Lows tonight will fall into the upper 20s to upper 30s.
Highs on Thursday will “struggle” into the low 40s to low 50s.
Lows tomorrow night drop into the low 20s to low 30s.
Highs on Friday rebound a bit back a bit into the 50s.
Here’s a look at your statewide weekend temperatures for both Saturday and Sunday.
Our latest 7-Day Outlook highlights an unsettled stretch of weather early next week...with cooling temperatures and some precipitation chances.
Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T22:44:02
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Woman driving stolen tortilla truck arrested following chase with State Patrol
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested one person following a pursuit with a stolen box truck Wednesday morning.
At approximately 8:20 a.m., NSP was notified that a box truck had fled an attempted traffic stop with the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office in Kearney. About five minutes later, a trooper located the truck as it was traveling eastbound on I-80. The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the driver again refused to stop. The trooper initiated a pursuit.
The truck drove recklessly, weaving between lanes and leaving the roadway at times. During the pursuit, NSP dispatch learned that the truck had been reported stolen out of Grand Island on Tuesday. Near mile marker 305 of I-80, the truck entered the median and rolled onto its side. Troopers were then able to take the driver into custody.
The driver, Tanika Beacham, 24, of Lincoln, was transported to St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island for medical clearance. She has since been lodged in Hall County Corrections for flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, possession of stolen property, driving under suspension, and an outstanding warrant from Lancaster County.
The entire pursuit lasted approximately 20 minutes, with speeds of about 70 miles per hour.
Grand Island Police took a report of a stolen vehicle from La Mexicana Tortilla Factory, located at 383 N. Pine St., around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The owner of La Mexicana reported a 26-foot yellow Penske truck was stolen from outside of their business. Two pallets of tortillas valued at $3,000 were also inside of the truck and were later recovered following Beacham’s arrest.
Copyright 2022 KSNB. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/06/woman-driving-stolen-tortilla-truck-arrested-following-chase-with-state-patrol/
| 2022-04-06T22:44:08
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Harmony’s dad waives appearance
Adam Montgomery waived his right to appear in a courtroom on Wednesday for the formal arraignment on eight felony charges related to possession of weapons and stolen property.
Montgomery, 32, will remain at the Valley Street jail, where he has been held since January when police charged him with assault and child endangerment as they investigated the 2019 disappearance of his daughter, Harmony Montgomery, who remains missing.
Both his defense attorney and prosecutors have agreed to the preventive, no-bail detention for the latest charges. Those charges allege possession of stolen guns in the fall of 2019.
Meanwhile, Montgomery’s defense lawyer and prosecutors are expected to appear before a Hillsborough County Superior Court judge on Thursday for a routine status conference on the initial charges. During such conferences, lawyers discuss the case status, any possible resolution and possibly set a trial date.
Such discussions are usually in whispers in front of a judge, and court officials said portions of the Montgomery proceeding may be sealed and reporters moved to the lobby.
Death of 1-month-old investigated
Authorities are investigating the death of a month-old infant Tuesday morning in Somersworth.
Police and EMTs were called to a Somersworth home about 6 a.m. for a report of an infant who was not breathing and unresponsive, according to a news release. First responders determined the infant was “lifeless,” and they began attempting resuscitation, efforts that continued at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. But the baby could not be revived, police said.
Police said an autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but the cause and manner of death are pending further investigation and medical studies. Authorities said they are withholding the family’s name and address to protect their privacy at this time.
Somersworth police and the state Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating the case. Anyone with information can call the police department at 603-692-3131, or leave an anonymous tip at 603-692-9111 or at www.somersworth.com/police/webforms/submit-tip.
Man charged in crash with bus
STODDARD — New Hampshire State Police have charged a local man with operating under the influence following a collision with a school bus Tuesday afternoon.
State Police said 18 students were on the bus when Steven M. LaCroix, 61, allegedly struck it from behind on Route 123 near the town fire station. Damage to the bus was minimal.
LaCroix’s 2018 Cadillac XTS may have been involved in an earlier accident on Route 9 in Keene, police said in a statement.
Police charged LaCroix with aggravated DUI, conduct after an accident, negligent operation and open container in a motor vehicle. He was released on his own recognizance and told to appear for arraignment in Keene District Court on April 13.
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| 2022-04-06T22:54:21
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An aldermanic committee is recommending a third year of expanded outdoor dining in downtown Manchester — this time at a cost to local businesses.
For the last two summers, Manchester aldermen voted to join communities across New Hampshire in offering the outdoor dining option to businesses struggling in the pandemic.
Similar measures met with success in other New England communities, including Nashua and Portsmouth, Portland, Maine, and Boston’s North End.
On Tuesday, members of the Aldermanic Committee on Public Safety, Health and Traffic heard a request from Manchester Economic Development Director Jodie Nazaka for a third year of the expanded street seating program, to run from May 1 through Oct. 31.
In 2020 and 2021, the city offered expanded seating at no cost to businesses, but Nazaka said with the emergency order lifted, inside dining at full capacity, and the city’s loss in parking revenues, “there is no justification to continuing offering this program at no cost.”
If the full board approves, businesses interested in participating in the program would be charged $420 per space for the six-month season.
“We took into consideration the last two years this was offered at no cost to businesses looking to participate,” said Nazaka. “They were trying to deal with the stay-at-home order and that was key in the success of a lot of those businesses. Now there is no logical way we could justify offering it for free. Expanding onto public property in other communities is now being a little more carefully assessed. I would like it to be free, but in conversations with other departments there was no way to justify that.”
City parking manager Denise Boutilier said the $420 figure for six months’ use of a space represents the average cost for a monthly parking permit in the city, which ranges between $55-$85.
“A parking space generates about $10 a day,” said Boutilier. “If we used that number we would be charging quite a bit of money. We’re not trying to gouge the businesses. We feel there needs to be a fee now, and with the board’s approval the $420 over six months seems reasonable.”
Back in February, Portsmouth City Council members approved fees of $5 per square foot for café area (minimum $1,000) for outdoor dining area on city sidewalks, and $1,500 per city parking space.
Alderman Will Stewart agreed with the reasoning behind charging for spots.
“It’s public property,” said Stewart. “I can certainly understand the last couple of years doing what we did. Giving it away is no good for city taxpayers and anybody else who would be subsidizing this. I think this makes sense.”
Nazaka said conversations she has had with downtown business owners indicate there won’t be as much of an interest in expanded outdoor seating this summer.
“Most of them won’t be seeking expanded outdoor dining,” said Nazaka. “Their kitchen can’t withstand doing full capacity inside seating and expanding into the street. We’ll be seeing much less this year than we have the last couple years.”
Committee members voted 4-1 to recommend the full board approve the proposal, with only Alderman Pat Long opposed.
Businesses will have the opportunity to secure up to three spaces through the same application process through the City Clerk’s Office used the last two years, with applications due April 29.
Manchester officials encourage businesses to apply for the Community Event and Activation Grant (CEAG) through the Planning and Community Development Department. Applicants can apply for up to $10,000 per grant for community-based projects and events contributing to community health and safety, economic development, and tourism, and officials say the grants can be used “to enhance the parking spaces to add to our vibrant downtown community.”
The proposed timeline for the 2022 expanded outdoor seating, contingent upon approval, is as follows:
• Tuesday, April 19: Final Board of Mayor and Aldermen approval;
• April 19 – April 29: Businesses provide required information to the Clerk’s Office (layout, number of parking spaces, use of barriers or other structures for protection, fees, etc.);
• May 2-3: Highway Department installs jersey barriers where requested; and
• October: Highway Department picks up jersey barriers.
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| 2022-04-06T22:54:27
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Democrats in Congress proposed a raft of new rules for the federal judiciary on Wednesday including a formal mechanism to remove judges from hearing cases in the event of a conflict of interest and another intended to reduce secret court filings.
The legislation was being introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Among its sponsors are House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Senate Judiciary Committee members Sheldon Whitehouse and Richard Blumenthal.
The bill comes as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has faced calls by some Democrats to recuse himself from any cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by former President Donald Trump’s supporters, citing the activities of the justice’s wife Virginia Thomas, a conservative political activist.
Under current practice, the nine Supreme Court justices individually decide whether to recuse themselves from a case because of a conflict of interest. Under the proposed legislation, the full Supreme Court would be required to review requests for recusal.
The proposed legislation also would require all federal judges to announce a compelling reason for sealing any document, and would require that the secrecy would last “no longer than necessary.”
The bill would mandate public notice when a party has requested records to be sealed in a case and would direct judicial leaders to devise an inexpensive process for someone outside the case to contest a secrecy motion.
Reuters revealed in a 2019 series “Hidden Injustice” how U.S. judges routinely allow makers of consumer products to file under seal information that is pertinent to public health and safety.
The Reuters investigation found that hundreds of thousands of Americans have been killed or seriously injured in recent decades by allegedly defective products — including drugs, cars and medical devices — while evidence that could have alerted consumers and regulators to potential danger remained hidden.
Though they are required in most of the regional circuits of the federal judiciary to explain why they allow records to be sealed, judges in cases involving defective products rarely do so, Reuters found.
In addition, the legislation would require the Supreme Court to provide live video of its oral arguments on the internet as well as other ethics guidelines for judges. The Supreme Court has not allowed video of its arguments but began allowing live audio in 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued that practice.
It is the latest legislation pursued by some Democrats that would make changes in the federal judiciary.
Legislation unveiled last year that would expand the U.S. Supreme Court to 13 justices from the current nine — in a bid to erase its current conservative majority — drew an unenthusiastic response from the White House and top congressional Democrats and was denounced by Republicans.
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| 2022-04-06T22:54:33
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A Bow woman charged with stealing the identities of four elderly people who lived at the long-term care facility where she worked has been sentenced to state prison, officials said.
Christina Lariviere, 37, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Rockingham County Superior Court to five Class A felony counts of identity fraud, one Class A felony count of theft by unauthorized taking, one Class A felony count of credit card fraud, three Class B felony counts of forgery, three Class A misdemeanor counts of theft by unauthorized taking, and one Class A misdemeanor count of credit card fraud.
The court sentenced Lariviere to serve 7½-20 years in state prison and stand committed. She was also sentenced to serve 7½-15 years prison, to be fully suspended for 15 years, beginning upon release from incarceration.
Prosecutors in the Attorney General’s Office said Lariviere, also known as Christina Soleil or Christina Melvin, 35, of Bow, obtained personal information — Social Security numbers, birth dates, drivers’ licenses and state ID numbers — from a 100-year-old, a 97-year-old, a 92-year-old and an 87-year-old, intending to pose as those people.
Lariviere got the information while working as a caregiver at the Londonderry long-term care facility where all four people lived, prosecutors said.
Officials also claim in September 2018 Lariviere, while working at a restaurant in Manchester, stole a customer’s debit card information and used the information to make purchases for herself.
Lariviere’s actions resulted in total losses of $11,239.18, officials said in a release.
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| 2022-04-06T22:54:40
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WASHINGTON -- It was supposed to be an evening of lighthearted political satire and bipartisan fellowship among an elite cadre of journalists and politicians, just as it has been for nearly a century and a half -- and a return to the traditional Washington social whirl after a two-year pause.
Instead, the annual Gridiron dinner on Saturday may ultimately be best remembered for a potential coronavirus outbreak among its A-list guests.
By Wednesday morning, Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo had announced they had received positive results on coronavirus tests after attending the dinner at the downtown Renaissance Washington Hotel.
They were soon followed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who requested a test Wednesday afternoon after learning he may have been exposed -- and discovered that he, too, carried the virus.
Jamal Simmons, the communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, also said Wednesday he had tested positive and is now isolating at home. But since he had been in close contact with Harris, she, too, would be consulting with a physician, her press secretary said.
In addition, about a half-dozen journalists as well as members of the White House and National Security Council staffs said they tested positive after the event. Their names are being withheld because they have not announced their status publicly.
How many of the infections began at the dinner and how serious the outbreak will prove to be remains unclear. Many of the guests have jobs that require regular testing that catches some asymptomatic cases, and all the guests were required to show proof of vaccination. Castro and Raimondo said they are suffering only mild symptoms while Schiff said he is "feeling fine" -- and touted the value of vaccinates and boosters.
But the outbreak at the Gridiron -- where some of the comic skits featured actors dressed as the coronavirus, like large, green bouncing balls with red frills -- highlights the personal risk-benefit balancing act much of the country will be negotiating as the pandemic subsides.
Administration officials and many experts have said that, more than two years into the pandemic, individuals now have the tools they need to decide what level of risk they're willing to tolerate -- and that every social interaction, large or small, comes with a non-zero risk of covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
"The virus isn't going to go anywhere. There's not going to be any activity that isn't going to have some level of covid risk associated with it," said Amesh Adalja, an infectious-disease doctor and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security "People are out at bars every day. People are having dinners, watching sports games, doing whatever they want but when it happens to a celebrity or politician, then it becomes something you have to talk about."
Several of the White House aides who tested positive did so after traveling to Poland last week with President Joe Biden and before the Gridiron dinner. White House press secretary Jen Psaki - who attended the Gridiron dinner - reiterated Wednesday that all White House employees who come in proximity to Biden are regularly tested.
Biden didn't attend the dinner but appeared via video.
Tom DeFrank, a contributing editor at the National Journal and the president of the Gridiron Club, said in a statement that dinner guests were required to show proof of vaccination but that "a small number of our guests have reported positive tests since then."
"We wish them a speedy recovery," he said.
The white-tie-and-gowns dinner attracted about 630 guests, including members of Congress, the Cabinet, diplomatic corps, military and business.
Among those in attendance were Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, and Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other guests included Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Edward Markey, D-Mass.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.; attorney general Merrick Garland, agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack and special presidential envoy John Kerry; Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell; Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, both Republicans, and New York mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat.
The possibility that senators at the dinner were infected could conceivably delay a Senate vote to confirm Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson. A vote could come later this week; no delays have been announced.
The dinner's guest list also included former NFL great Emmitt Smith; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver; CBS host Jane Pauley and her spouse, "Doonesbury" cartoonist Garry Trudeau; Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova; "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan, PBS NewsHour anchor Judy Woodruff; ABC chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl, and Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan and editor Sally Buzbee.
After a predinner cocktail reception, guests sat together at long, narrow tables for hours and watched satirical skits and songs performed by members. At the event's conclusion, guests joined hands for the traditional singing of "Auld Lang Syne."
The dinner was supposed to reflect a return to normalcy after being canceled the past two years because of the pandemic. Few guests wore masks or observed social distancing, according to people in attendance. Only the serving staff was consistently masked throughout the evening. While organizers asked attendees to show their vaccination cards at the door, there was no requirement to be tested.
The evening's sketches, performed by veteran Washington journalists, parodied figures in both parties, although Republicans such as former president Trump, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Paul Gosar of Arizona, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas came in for the sharpest jabs. None of those figures were in attendance.
At one point, a performer dressed as Fauci sang from the stage to the real Fauci in the audience: "Doctor, doctor, give me some clues, we've got a bad case of covid blues."
The Gridiron dinner is a smaller, more elite precursor to the better-known White House Correspondents' Association gathering in late April. That organization's president, Steven Portnoy, said earlier this week that it will require its dinner's 2,600 guests to show a same-day negative coronavirus test, which they will be able to upload to an app.
The president typically attends the WHCA dinner, though Trump never did during his years in the White House. Biden has not yet announced his plans.
The Gridiron Club dinner appears to have been conducted with respect to the latest official guidelines for covid safety.
The CDC updated its guidelines on Feb. 25 to ease mask recommendations for the vast majority of the country, and all 50 states have lifted their mask mandates in recent weeks. More than 95% of the country, including D.C., is classified by the CDC as having a low burden of disease, meaning the agency does not recommend a mask mandate.
But some experts have cautioned that the new CDC guidelines could leave the country unprepared in the event of another wave. The BA.2 variant caused a sharp rise in cases in Europe and has become the dominant strain in the United States, although cases have not yet begun rising nationally. Some parts of the country, including the Northeast, are beginning to experience a modest increase in infections.
Outbreaks from events such as the Gridiron dinner could signal what is to come, said Abraar Karan, an infectious-disease physician at Stanford University. "You'll have these big outbreaks that start slowly and then you'll notice more of them. It's not surprising to me there was this big outbreak at a gathering where people were testing afterward," Karan said.
"We're constantly testing the boundaries. Everybody is testing the boundaries a little bit. ... We're trying to see what's a tolerable level of risk, but when you have a big outbreak, that makes everybody pause," Karan said.
Fauci, who said he has not tested positive, said he abided by CDC guidelines when deciding to attend the dinner. He said he made a personal decision that the risk of attending was low for three reasons: He is vaccinated and boosted, there was a requirement for proof of vaccination to enter the dinner, and D.C. is classified as having a low burden of disease by the CDC's metrics. That classification also means individuals can go unmasked in indoor settings.
Fauci said he wore his mask during the reception but took it off to eat.
"We are in a situation where, as a population, we need to make a decision that is based on data as well as our own individual willingness to take whatever level of risk happens to be present that you're making the decision about," Fauci said. "I followed the CDC guidelines, which says it's OK to be in an indoor setting without a mask. But if cases go up and CDC says now wait a minute, you're in a red zone, you can be darn sure I won't be going to any dinners. You go with what the situation is."
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| 2022-04-06T22:54:46
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CONCORD — A proposed two-month suspension of the state’s 24-cent gasoline tax to help motorists deal with soaring prices encountered opposition during its first public hearing Wednesday.
Gov. Chris Sununu has urged legislative leaders to fast-track a 60-day gas tax holiday so it could start by May 1 and end before the peak of the summer tourism season.
Late last week, Senate President Chuck Morse, R-Salem, dropped his objections and embraced the idea, and Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, agreed to author the proposal.
The measure was proposed as an add-on to a House-passed cut to the state's tax on corporate profits from 7.6% to 7.5% (HB 1221).
House Finance Committee Chairman Karen Umberger, R-Conway, came out against it, while leading Senate Democrats said the benefits to motorists would be miniscule and could wreak havoc with gasoline retailers.
Umberger spoke to the Senate Ways and Means Committee about how last month she had proposed two different breaks for in-state drivers -- a gas tax refund they could apply for, or a rebate on their car registrations.
State officials found implementation problems with both.
“I worked hard to make it work and just found many stumbling blocks. I would encourage us to find some other way to spend this money other than a gas tax suspension," Umberger said.
She also said consumers won’t be happy if the prices spike back up once the gas tax relief expires.
“What happens when the gas tax goes back into effect? We are going to look terrible,” Umberger said. “To me, that’s not a good idea.”
Sen. David Watters of Dover, the leading Senate Democrat on energy matters, said by his estimate, the average savings for drivers would be $12.33 over the two months -- if this move leads to cutting gas prices by 24 cents a gallon.
Watters' estimate was based on 833 miles a month -- the average for New Hampshire motorists -- at 30 miles per gallon, he said.
“The other question is, will the price at the pump actually go down? We know the price at the pump is set at the spot market, it is really worldwide,” Watters said.
“I don’t think we are going to see the price significantly go down.”
Out-of-state benefit
Based on turnpike toll traffic, 52% of drivers are in-state residents, and 48% are out-of-staters.
Watters noted those percentags vary around the state. For example, 76% going through the Interstate 95 tolls in Hampton are out-of-staters. At the other extreme, 67% of those passing through the Dover tolls on the Spaulding Turnpike are Granite Staters.
“In some way, what we are doing is making a gas tax holiday for out-of-state drivers,” Watters warned.
Tom Frawley of Lyme, a gas wholesaler who supplies fuel to more than 100 customers in New England, said that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, wholesalers have changed their buying habits, filling up trucks just before midnight to avoid the next day's price jump, which can be as much as 40 cents per gallon.
The daily price change can add $3,000 to the cost of a truckload of gas, Frawley said.
“We saw a real run on the terminals,” Frawley said.
He urged the Senate to make sure retailers do not have to lower the price on massive amounts of fuel they have in underground fuel tanks on the day the gas tax suspension begins.
“We don’t want the retailers to get hurt, and we don’t want the retailers to get a windfall. That’s not good for the consumer,” Frawley said.
When Connecticut recently adopted a gas tax holiday, consumers lodged 160 complaints with state prosecutors claiming retailers were price-gouging.
Those retailers were not lowering the price for gas they had bought while Connecticut's gas tax was in effect, said Brian Moran with the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association.
“This creates a lot of reputation damage for our industry which is unfounded,” Moran said.
“Don’t take our money away because we have already paid for it.”
Inventory reports
Department of Safety Administration Director Steven Lavoie said the bill could require gas retailers to submit two reports on their inventories, one the day before the tax holiday begins and one the day after it ends to confirm what retailers have.
The forms would lead to some additional state administrative expense, he said.
Under this plan, $26 million from the state's budget surplus would be sent to the Highway Fund to cover the loss of gasoline taxes during the two-month suspension.
A Department of Transportation official and a lobbyist for the road construction industry urged the Senate to specify that the surplus also cover the 3 cents of the gas tax that now goes to road repaving work.
Jim Hadley, a former Northwood selectman, endorsed the gas tax break and said motorists would see a significant improvement if this is combined with a federal gas holiday that Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., has proposed on Capitol Hill.
“I don’t believe it’s a gimmick,” Hadley said.
The Senate panel will take further testimony on the plan next week.
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https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/state/gas-tax-suspension-gets-mixed-reviews-at-first-hearing/article_80336dec-12ba-5ac6-87de-be46d92780d1.html
| 2022-04-06T22:54:52
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CONCORD – Civil libertarians and fiscal conservatives squared off against a bipartisan Senate majority and law enforcement leaders over attempts to dramatically scale back a 2018 bail reform law and subject those arrested for serious crimes to pre-trial detention.
Manchester Police Capt. Ken Loui urged a House panel to embrace this Senate-passed bill that would identify the 13 most serious and violent crimes in which someone arrested would face the “rebuttal presumption” they be held for up to 72 hours.
“The existing legislation just isn’t working,” Loui told the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
“This isn’t folklore; these are specific cases you could look up for yourself.”
The most recent example Loui cited was the case of Jessica Laferriere, 31, of Manchester, released on personal recognizance bail after being charged with causing multiple injuries on a 3-year-old girl.
“These aren’t fear tactics; these are real stories we have to answer to victims of crime,” said Hollis Police Chief Joseph Hoebeke, president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.
The Senate had passed this bill, (SB 294), by a 20-4 vote last month.
Ophelia Burnett of Manchester, an intern with American Friends Services Committee, said she faced the unyielding, pre-bail reform system when she was held in Valley Street Jail for 19 months awaiting trial.
A judge had required in 2006 that she post $200,000 cash bail on the Class A felony charges Burnett faced at the time.
“You are making more victims of this revolving cycle in our prison system,” Burnett said, her voice cracking.
“It took years of mental health counseling, medication and strong family members to get right here where I am sitting today to tell my story.”
Burnett declined to identify the charges against her.
According to court documents, she was arrested with Tommy Rogers, identified as her boyfriend at the time, who was convicted of being an accomplice to kidnapping.
The Senate bill would also require detention for anyone who failed to appear in court three times over a three-year period for many other offenses, including misdemeanors such as driving while intoxicated.
Violent crime has gone down since bail reform
Frank Knaack, policy director with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, said current law allows a judge to detain any person if they are a “flight risk or danger” to the community.
Crime rates have declined 14% since the bail reform became law four years ago, Knaack said.
“It is not right to legislate based on anecdotes. We should be focused on data-driven solutions,” Knaack said.
The fiscally-conservative Americans for Prosperity opposed the bill because it limits judicial discretion and could lead to prison overcrowding, according to Ross Connolly, AFP’s deputy director.
“This is taking a machete when a scalpel would be much more appropriate,” Connolly said.
This will come down to whether the House wants to go further on this hot topic than it already has.
Last month, it passed, 199-134, a less sweeping bill, (HB 1476), which would bring before a judge anyone, already out on bail for a serious offense, who is then arrested again.
Under the House bill, this person could be detained prior to seeing a judge, but only for 36 hours, half the time in this Senate bill.
Last January, the House had set aside a 2021 bill from the Senate, (SB 92), similar to the one the House panel heard Wednesday.
Observers on both sides expect that this issue is likely headed to go before House and Senate negotiators near the close of the 2022 session.
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Gov. Chris Sununu told reporters Wednesday there were significant problems with a Senate-passed bill created to try and nullify the votes of those who fail to provide qualifying identification to cast a ballot. Sununu declined to say he'd veto the bill, but said this could delay the final election counts and harm the state's image as having a system voters can trust.
CONCORD — Gov. Chris Sununu said there were significant problems with a Senate-passed bill created to nullify the votes of those who cast ballots, but later on fail to supply qualifying identification.
The House Election Laws Committee will take testimony Friday on the measure, (SB 418), that Republican lawmakers have sought because the state has still failed to locate 230 people who voted without an ID in 2016.
Sununu said other states adopting what he called “provisional ballot” status have had many problems with it.
There’s no need to make such a dramatic change here, he said.
“You may not get a final result for days until after an election and that’s a problem,” Sununu told reporters following the Executive Council meeting Wednesday.
“Our system works, it has integrity and our citizens believe in it. That’s where we need to be,” he said.
Sen. Bob Giuda, R-Warren and the bill’s prime author, has made many changes to get the bill to this point.
Originally, these ballots would not have been counted on Election Night by those voting who voted by taking a new, "affidavit ballot.”
Close recounts could be delayed
The Senate-passed bill now calls for counting these votes, but then gives these individuals 10 days to come back to election officials to prove they are eligible or the vote is nullified.
Further under this bill, if the number of these questioned voters could affect the outcome of an election, then any recount must be delayed until after the 10-day period has passed.
“I appreciate the intent of individuals, but our system isn’t fundamentally broken, it works incredibly well,” Sununu said.
He declined to promise a veto of the legislation but said in its current form that he would “have a lot of hesitation.”
“I am not sure how the final bill will look,” Sununu added.
Late last month, the Senate approved the bill, 13-11, with Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, joining the 10 Senate Democrats in opposition to the bill.
Thus, the legislation lacks enough support to override a Sununu veto were one to come to pass.
Secretary of State David Scanlan had suggested the Senate seek from the Supreme Court an advisory opinion on whether this bill was constitutional.
Senate Democrat and liberal voting rights groups opposed to it insist it would fail a court challenge.
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https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/sununu-raises-objections-to-senate-ballot-reform-bill/article_c1295cfe-6eb0-5ea3-abb1-f06c6b8178da.html
| 2022-04-06T22:55:04
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PORTSMOUTH — Quality entertainment is returning to Portsmouth at a rapid rate, post-pandemic, as is evidenced by the recent slate of shows and concerts gracing the vaunted stage at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts (VRCFA).
That trend continues this coming Friday evening, as Phil Dirt and the Dozers will be bringing “good-time” music to the area when the celebrated band takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. As well, profits from the concert will go towards a worthwhile organization that has steadily helped to restore the “Peerless City” perception of Portsmouth by repairing the historic southern end of the Erie Canal. Also, on the same night, a Shawnee State University Music Scholarship will be awarded to a well-deserving student.
“Everything kind of started with Rock N’ Roll House Party 20 years ago and then the pandemic hit, so we didn’t really have anything booked for the last two years as the entertainment industry shut down,” Steve Hayes, of the Scenic Scioto Heritage Byway Committee said. “I’ve always worked under the philosophy that you work with what you know and I know Phil Dirt and the Dozers and they love what they do, so it just took a couple of phone calls to find out that they were on the road and they really wanted to come back to our area, so it was a perfect fit.”
When someone attends a Phil Dirt and the Dozers show, they’re going to see a great cross-section of people having a great time and the Portsmouth Daily Times asked Hayes about their enduring appeal.
“They sell it and the transference of that really gets the audience moving-plus, they’re playing some of the greatest old-time rock and roll songs ever composed and to be honest, it is simply well-played and sung great music that covers everything from doo-wop to the Beach Boys and the origins of rock,” Hayes said. “They believe in the music they’re playing.”
Hayes continued to praise the band and stated, “There are some bands that understand their roles in the structure of entertainment. Phil Dirt and the Dozers aren’t trying to become Elvis or the Beatles, they just package that music and have a lot of fun with it in concert. The band is also very interactive with the audience and when the crowd leaves, they feel like they’re taking that good time with them. It’s a tremendous gift to give people.”
The price of admission is very affordable as well, according to Hayes who said, “We tried to make this a price where everyone could come-the highest ticket price is only $25 and that’s on the lower tier with the tickets in the balcony only $20 apiece. We didn’t want to gauge anybody.”
The money coming from the show will go a long way to help preserve the region’s history as well.
“The Scenic Scioto Heritage Byway Committee has been around for close to seventeen years now, when Clyde Willis put together an effort to highlight all of the natural historical sites in Scioto County as a tourist route. Bill Tipton is now our President and Bill has been such a great leader in seeing all of these restoration projects through,” Hayes said. “The money coming from the show will go to purchase appropriate signage that will highlight all of the historic places in our county, such as Roy Roger’s boyhood home, the Stone House on the west side, Shawnee Forest, all sites of interest to tourists from all parts of the country. Plus, at the moment, there is a state-wide interest in the canal-system that our state is famous for and rightfully so.”
HAyes shared the canal system was the first successful mass-transportation system that came forth in the country and ran from Cleveland to Portsmouth, opening up access to the Ohio River and the Mississippi traveling south.
“It helped create so many new areas of commerce along the route which really propelled our country into a massive period of growth both on the economic front as well as the industrial front,” Hayes said. “The remnants of the canal still exist and it was the Scenic Scioto Heritage Byway Committee that restored the one up on State Route 104, which is an important lock that led to the Ohio River.”
Hayes added that the committee’s efforts are in step with the local government’s push to make the entire county a destination location for visitors.
It is going to be a special night for a student as well, said Hayes.
“Mary Felty of Mary’s Spirit Shop is going to join me on stage and we are going to use the proceeds from the sale of the book that covered the twenty years of the Rock and Roll House Party to provide a $1,000 Shawnee State University scholarship to a music student. Mary sold a lot of the books at her shop and we thought it would be an appropriate way to give back to our great community.”
“Hopefully, this will be the kick start to the return of great music to our area at the VRCFA and great way to keep our town on the map at the best music venue in our region,” Hayes said.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs announced his sudden retirement on Wednesday, declaring himself a casualty of “the circus” over Ohio’s still-unresolved congressional map.
The six-term congressman from Amish Country exits a primary race in northeast Ohio that, under new temporary maps, would have put him up against Trump-backed Republican Max Miller.
Early voting is already underway.
Miller was initially recruited to defeat U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who joined a handful of fellow Republicans who voted in favor of the former Republican president’s impeachment. Gonzalez has since retired.
In a statement, Gibbs said “almost 90% of the electorate” in the new 7th Congressional District where he would be required to run is new, with nearly two-thirds drawn in from another district “foreign to any expectations or connection” to the district he now serves.
Trump weighed in to congratulate Gibbs on “a wonderful and accomplished career.” He called Gibbs a strong ally of his America First agenda and the fight against “the Radical Left.”
“Thank you for your service, Bob—a job well done!” Trump said in a statement.
Calling the decision to retire difficult, Gibbs called it irresponsible “to effectively confirm the congressional map for this election cycle seven days before voting begins.”
He appeared to be referencing a March 30 procedural ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court, which extended the briefing schedule for the legal challenge to Ohio’s congressional map well past this year’s primary.
However, congressional districts for 2022 elections had actually been set since March 2. That was when Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the state’s elections chief, ordered county boards of elections to reflect the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s second congressional map on ballots.
Gibbs said he believes Ohio’s prospects are bright “despite the circus redistricting has become.”
“These long, drawn-out processes, in which the Ohio Supreme Court can take weeks and months to deliberate while demanding responses and filings from litigants within days, is detrimental to the state and does not serve the people of Ohio,” he said.
The high court’s bipartisan majority, comprising Republican Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor and three Democrats, has been engaged in a protracted back-and-forth with the Republican-controlled redistricting commission for months.
In response to lawsuits brought by voting rights and Democratic groups, justices have tossed four plans and counting for legislative and congressional lines, declaring each an unconstitutional gerrymander that unduly favor Republicans.
Their faceoff continues to escalate.
As justices consider a request to hold mapmakers in contempt for their repeated failure to craft lines that meet constitutional muster, Republicans who control the state Legislature are thinking hard about bringing impeachment proceedings against O’Connor.
Gibbs is the 17th House Republican to say he won’t seek reelection, compared to 30 Democrats. His term runs through January 2023.
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https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/news/74323/ohio-rep-bob-gibbs-retires-abruptly-blames-fight-over-maps
| 2022-04-06T22:57:22
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PORTSMOUTH — To celebrate the beginning of the UCAN (University/College Access Network) program’s 15th year in the fall of 2022, the Scioto Foundation will offer an additional $15,000 and a total of $40,000 in matching challenge grants to Scioto County school systems for their UCAN endowment funds for the 2022/2023 school year.
Scioto Foundation Executive Director announced the news at the spring UCAN Advisory meeting with area school guidance counselors and administrators. The Foundations’ UCAN program was established in 2008 to help Scioto County and area students plan, prepare and pay for college educations.
The Scioto Foundation originally set aside $25,000 per year for a total of $125,000 beginning with the 2018/2019 school year and ending after the 2022/2023 school year. All donations to Scioto County schools UCAN Funds from September 1 through August 31 are matched by the Foundation. The match ratio depends upon the amount of donations received.
In addition, the Scioto Foundation will offer UCAN Neighbor schools a 1:1 match of up to $2,000 per year for their scholarship endowments invested at the Foundation for the 2022/2023 school year. Current UCAN Neighbor schools include the Manchester, Jackson and Wellston school districts, in addition to the South Point, Symmes Valley and St. Joseph school systems in Lawrence County.
As part of the UCAN program, the Scioto Foundation will also provide tuition reimbursement for teachers wishing to attend on-line APSI training which will begin in the summer of 2022.
The Foundation will continue to offer $2,000 mini-grants to local UCAN schools and UCAN Neighbors for college preparedness activities. The funds support and offset costs of AP, ACT or PSAT exam fees for students and families. ACT prep programs must, however, show evidence of student participation and outcome. In addition, monies can be requested to defray expenses such as transportation or food needed to take students on college visits.
Scioto Foundation Grants and Scholarships Coordinator Ginnie Moore reported that the Foundation will offer $687,000 for scholarships to area students this spring and 368 applications have been received. The Foundation’s Volunteer Scholarship Committee will meet on May 13 to decide recipients of the majority of the scholarship applications managed by the Foundation and other external committees, in addition to the UCAN schools, will make their own selections during the spring.
Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the Scioto Foundation cancelled its UCAN Go to College Night in 2021. Unfortunately, with the closing of the Southern Ohio Medical Center’s Friends Center, the Foundation will no longer be able to offer College Night unless an appropriately-sized venue is found in the local area.
UCAN College Coach, Christy Wilcox is available to assist schools in helping students prepare for college. She may be contacted by emailing [email protected]
and can speak to students in groups or one-on-one to assist with college plans. At the meeting, the Scioto Foundation raffled off ten $500 scholarships to students who participated in the
UCAN College Coaching program this year. For every coaching session a student took part in, he or she received an entry ticket for the raffle.
Winners of the $500 scholarships were Austin Tilly, West High School; Brea Belville, Symmes Valley High School; Marissa Javis, East High School; Viv Wheeler, Notre Dame High School; Kimberly Stanley, West High School; Seth Jenkins, Northwest High School; Amalynn Shepherd, East High School; Natalie Mershon, West High School; Kailan Marshall, Northwest High School; and Scarlett Caudill, Portsmouth High School and Shawnee State University.
UCAN schools are encouraged to submit grant applications for the sixth round of the Foundation’s Scioto 365 Program in 2022. This year’s theme is “Let’s Get Going to Unite Our Community,” said Cutlip.
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| 2022-04-06T22:57:29
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PORTSMOUTH – The Weghorst Skate Park, located at 337 4th Street in Downtown Portsmouth, is set to host a grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 9, starting at Noon.
The event will feature kids skate events (12-2 p.m.), an open skate session (2-3 p.m.), a skate contest (3 p.m.) as well as an appearance from Bengals’ Hall of Famer Ickey Woods. Frank and Steins Bar will also host an after hours event with live music from Goat Fudge, Hole Filler, and Mad World after the event.
“There will already be a lot of people within local skate culture,” explained Mayor and 1st Ward Councilman Sean Dunne. “But Ickey will bring not necessarily involved in skating to check out the park. Maybe they’ve never been to a skate park – or seen skating at all.”
Dunne has worked on the Portsmouth Skate Park project since 2014. Now, he sees all his hard work and determination pay off.
“There were people trying to get a skate park built before I came to Portsmouth back in August of 2013,” explained Dunne, a New Jersey native. “By Spring of 2014, we started the Facebook Page. And now it’s been eight years. At first, I tried to work with the existing city council to do it…but eventually this was one of the issues I ran on.”
Dunne said he ran on a clear agenda – tell voters what he was going to do and then follow through.
“I re-presented the ideas of the people. That has to happen more on all levels of government. It’s a great lesson and it’s how democracy should work.”
Dunne said he was also pushed to complete the project because of his best friend, who died unexpectedly, was an avid supporter.
“My best friend from high school was a big skateboarder. During our last conversation before he died, I gave him an update on the park. He was really supportive of it. So, when that happened, I knew there was nothing that was going to stop this park from being built. I think he’d be glad to know it was completed.”
Dunne said he has already seen folks utilizing the park.
“People have been skating since new year’s eve. Anytime the weather is nice, you’ll see 30 or more people there on a given day…the change in perception about skating has been a big part of this. Putting it in a video game, and especially the Olympics has changed how people view skating. People used to be worried about the culture and vandalism. Now, we view it as giving kids something fun to do and building a community for our youth culture.”
Going forward, Dunne said a french drain will be installed to keep water away from the park. Rapid grow grass seed will by sown and additional signage will be erected. Eventually, more lighting and security cameras will be installed as well.
“This has been great to be a part of. There is also room for further development either like it or attached to it. But, we have a lot to be proud of. It’s the best skatepark between here and any large city. And it’s a great way to keep people active.”
It’s worth noting Mayor Dunne has yet to confirm or deny if he will make a skateboarding appearance at the grand opening.
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| 2022-04-06T22:57:36
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NEW BOSTON — A stellar, 34-year career in law enforcement came to a close, at least temporarily, during the latest New Boston Village Council meeting, as now former Chief of Police Steve Goins submitted his resignation via an email to Mayor Junior Williams and Council members.
Goins’s letter read, “I do submit my resignation for my retirement after a total of 34 years of service with the Village of New Boston, effective March 19, 2022.
I would like to thank the Mayor and Council Members for supporting the police “department throughout the years and giving me the opportunity to serve as the Chief of Police. I would like to thank the Village Prosecutor and Village Clerk and Village Administrator too for their assistance throughout the years to the police department.
I have come to the realization that I can’t hold on forever after 34 years but it was hard to let go because the New Boston Police Department is all I have known during the last 34 years of my career span.
I loved serving the citizens of New Boston and enjoyed working with other village employees. I’m sure I will miss that aspect.
I can remember back in 1984 when I was sworn in as a new police officer, Mayor “Burr” Ottney told me to always remember that I serve the citizens of New Boston and to do my best and I feel confident throughout my 34-year career that was accomplished.”
Goins submitted his resignation after an agreement was reached as to a monetary settlement with the Village, following a more than year-long dispute. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed to the public and both parties declined to comment when the Portsmouth Daily Times reached out, citing a legal agreement to not do so.
As was initially reported in the Portsmouth Daily Times, Mayor Williams had Goins placed on administrative leave in early 2021 after New Boston Police officers filed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Complaints against Goins.
That came on the heels of an incident involving former Village Council member Vonald Patrick’s OVI crash and ensuing investigation. Goins had previously announced an internal investigation of the two officers that investigated Patrick’s crash that involved multiple vehicles and following the start of Goins’s investigation, three officers with the NBPD filed EEOC Complaints against the chief.
A number of investigations followed, with Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman, Scioto County Prosecutor Shane Tieman and attorneys outside of the Village taking place. Arrest procedures were investigated as were the EEOC Complaints. The Village of New Boston hired attorney Dawn Frick to investigate the complaints filed by Capt. Robert Deerfield, Lt. Larry Anderson and officer Lindi Anderson, the spouse of is Lt. Larry Anderson.
The three reports investigated by Frick determined the charges against Goins were unfounded. However, it should be noted that in the previous Portsmouth Daily Times article, “Frick reported that while conducting the investigation, Anderson indicated his legal counsel advised him not to speak with investigators and therefore he did not cooperate in the investigation.”
Following Goins being placed on leave, long-time law enforcement official Carl Compton was appointed as the interim Chief of Police for the NBPD, a spot he still holds. In fact, the Village has paid both Goins and Compton for the entire duration of this process.
Except for Deerfield and the Anderson’s, all sides have declined to comment on the record in this matter, including Mayor Williams, Village Council members, Compton and Goins.
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| 2022-04-06T22:57:43
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Mackenzie McCarthy and Lauren Jolly picked up first-place finishes to lead the University of Rio Grande women’s track & field team in the Mountaineer Classic hosted by West Virginia University.
The two-day event, which was not team scored, wrapped up on Saturday at the Mylan Park Track & Field Complex.
Jolly, a freshman from Wheelersburg, placed first in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:11.52.
She also had two other Top 10 showings, placing sixth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.62 and seventh in the long jump with an effort of 4.73m.
Jolly was also part of the RedStorm’s 4×400 relay team, which placed fourth in a time of 4:06.59.
The unit also included freshman Jayden Roach, freshman Kendra Grooms, and sophomore Alyssa Dingus.
Dingus is also from Wheelersburg.
Dingus, freshman Cassidy Vogt and junior Samantha Miller all had two Top 10 showings of their own.
Dingus placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.56 and seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.67, while Vogt was fourth in the high jump with an effort of 1.50m and fifth in the 100-meter hurdles after crossing in 16.56.
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| 2022-04-06T22:57:49
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LATHAM — The New Boston Lady Tigers earned a one-run road victory over Western in Southern Ohio Conference Division I softball play on Monday.
Trailing 4-1 entering the top of the fourth, New Boston outscored Western 6-2 in the final three-and-a-half innings to secure the 7-6 win.
Senior Kenzie Whitley earned the win in the circle, going the distance while allowing seven hits, five earned runs and striking out eight Lady Indian batters.
Sophomore Jadelyn Lawson went 2-of-4 at the plate with a team-high three RBI, while Cassie Williams went 2-of-4 with two RBI from the cleanup spot.
New Boston (3-3, 1-2 SOC I) hosts Notre Dame on Thursday in SOC I play.
***
BOX SCORE
New Boston 1 0 0 5 1 0 0 — 7 6 2
Western 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 — 6 7 1
New Boston hitting
Kenzie Whitley 0-3, R, 2BB
Jadelyn Lawson 2-4, R, 3RBI
Dylan O’Rourke 1-4, R
Cassie Williams 2-4, 2RBI
Bre Conkel 0-2
Raegan Helphinstine 0-1, R, 3BB
Gabby Banfield 0-2, R
Allison Friend 0-2
Brooklyn Curnutte 0-1, R
Maci Seibert 1-3, R, 2RBI, BB
New Boston pitching
Kenzie Whitley 7IP, 7H, 5ER, 2BB, 8K
© 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
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| 2022-04-06T22:57:56
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PORTSMOUTH — The Clay Lady Panthers (4-0, 2-0 SOC I) earned a 12-2 win over Green to remain unbeaten — in the regular season and in SOC I softball play.
Trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, Clay scored 12 unanswered runs — including three in the home half of the sixth to end the contest.
Junior Morgan McCoy led Clay at the plate, going 3-of-4 with a season-high five RBI.
Katie Fife and Sarah Cassidy each drove in a pair of RBI, while Shea Edgington, Jacy Gearhart and Preslee Lutz each had one run driven in.
Lutz earned her fourth win in the circle in as many tries, allowing one earned run with 10 strikeouts.
Green (1-5, 1-2 SOC I) senior Kasey Kimbler went a team-best 3-of-3 at the plate.
Senior Kailyn Neal had a RBI sacrifice fly for the Lady Bobcats.
***
BOX SCORE
Green 0 1 1 0 0 0 — 2 6 4
Clay 0 0 0 5 4 3 — 12 16 4
Green batting
Adriah Barber 0-4, R
Kasey Kimbler 3-3, 2B
Kailyn Neal 0-2, RBI
Kyleigh McIntyre 1-2, R
Ryleigh McDavid 2-3
Clay batting
Shea Edgington 2-4, RBI
Jacy Gearhart 1-4, RBI
Preslee Lutz 3-4, HR, 2R, RBI
Kyleigh Oliver 2-4, 2R
Kyleigh Ware 1-3, 3R
Morgan McCoy 3-4, 3R, 5RBI
Katie Fife 2-4, R, 2RBI
Sarah Cassidy 2-4, R, 2RBI
Pitching
Gracie Daniels (G) 5.2IP, 7K, 1BB, 9ER (L)
Preslee Lutz (C) 6IP, 10K, BB, 1ER (W)
© 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
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| 2022-04-06T22:58:03
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ROSEMOUNT — The Clay Panthers (2-2, 2-1 SOC I) held off a late rally from visiting Green during their 8-7 win in Southern Ohio Conference Division I baseball play.
Trailing 8-3 after four innings, Green (0-6, 0-3 SOC I) scored four unanswered runs in the final three innings — but were ultimately unable to make up the late deficit.
Panthers senior Mitchell King led Clay at the plate, going 2-of-3 with a team-high three RBI.
Carson Porginski earned the win on the hill, allowing four hits and three earned runs in three innings.
Nathaniel Brannigan led Green with a team-high three RBI on 3-of-4 hitting in the narrow defeat.
***
BOX SCORE
Green 2 1 0 0 3 0 1 — 7 8 3
Clay 3 0 3 2 0 0 X — 8 10 1
Green hitting
Blake Smith 1-4, R
Landon Kimbler 2-3, R, RBI
Quincy Merrill 1-3, R, BB
Nathaniel Brannigan 3-4, 3R, 3RBI
Brody Stapleton 1-2, RBI
Braxton Conschafsky 0-4, RBI
Trevor Sparks 0-3, R
Ace Thompson 0-2, BB
Austin Ray 0-2, BB
Clay hitting
Carson Porginski 1-4, R
Evan Balestra 2-3, 2R
Mitchell King 2-4, 3RBI
Drew Zuefle 0-3, R
Malachi Loper 1-1, R, 3BB
Hayden Moore 0-4
Gaige Shorter 2-3, 2R, RBI, BB
Dawson James 0-1
Isaiah Whitt 1-2, RBI
Carson Holschuh 1-3, R, RBI
Damone Sparks 0-1
Pitching
Landon Kimbler (G) 3.1IP, 8H, 7ER, 7BB, 4K
Ace Thompson (G) 2.2IP, 2H, 0ER, 1BB, 3K
Carson Porginski (C) 3IP, 4H, 3ER, 5BB, 3K (W)
Drew Zuefle (C) 4IP, 4H, 3ER, BB, 7K
© 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
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| 2022-04-06T22:58:09
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WHEELERSBURG — The Wheelersburg High School boys tennis team, the defending Southern Ohio Conference champion, is off to a fast start to the 2022 campaign —with three SOC wins already in a matter of a week’s time.
Sandwiched between a 4-1 win over visiting Clay last Wednesday, and a 5-0 shutout of visiting Valley on Monday, the Pirates performed under immense pressure on Saturday — and rallied for a dramatic 3-2 triumph over Minford to complete the comeback in a match suspended from March 29.
At that time, the Pirates —playing at Minford in the season opener —trailed 2-0 when the contest was suspended due to inclement weather.
At first doubles, Minford’s Kaden Kelley and Dillon Osborne already swept Colson Arnold and Austin Collier 7-5 and 6-6 (5-7), and Charlie Neal notched a first-singles sweep over Alex Thomas 6-3 and 6-2.
But the Pirates reversed course on Saturday —gaining identical 6-4 and 6-1 sweeps at second doubles and third singles, and Preslee Etterling amassing a three-set marathon win at second singles over Nathaniel King.
Etterling outlasted King with 6-1 wins in the opening and closing sets, as King claimed the second set 7-5 (7-5).
Gavin Rase and Chaz Myers won at second doubles, while Nathan Sylvia did the same at third singles.
Against Clay, the Pirates swept the three singles matches with straight-set sweeps —and split the doubles matches with only Collier and Arnold losing at first doubles (5-7, 4-6) to Kenny Fowler and Bobby Deal.
Thomas (6-3, 6-1) at first singles, Etterling (6-3, 6-3) at second singles, Sylvia (6-1, 6-0) at third singles, and Race and Myers (6-3, 6-0) at second doubles defeated their Panther opponents in straight sets.
Against Valley, the Pirates shuffled the lineup —yet still managed to pitch the shutout against the Indians.
In fact, all five Wheelersburg wins were way of straight-set sweeps.
Thomas and Etterling at first doubles won with identical 6-1 and 6-1 tallies, while Rase and Arnold earned a 6-2 and 6-3 win at doubles spot number two.
Sylvia’s 6-0 and 6-0 first-singles shutout spearheaded singles play, as regular doubles Pirates Collier (6-1 and 6-4 at second singles) and Myers (6-0 and 6-1 at third singles) made it good for the 5-0 win.
A pair of non-league Pirate matches, at Portsmouth from Friday and at Ironton on Tuesday, were weathered out.
The match against Portsmouth is rescheduled for Thursday, April 21 —as the Pirates return home, and return to SOC action, on Friday against New Boston.
© 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
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| 2022-04-06T22:58:16
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Alex Jones appears for questioning in Sandy Hook lawsuit
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Alex Jones was questioned Wednesday by lawyers for families of Sandy Hook victims in Connecticut, where a judge had ordered the Infowars host to face mounting fines until he appeared for a deposition.
Relatives of some of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, massacre sued Jones for defamation after he said the shooting never happened. A judge found Jones liable for damages and a trial on how much he should pay the families is set for August.
Jones, who lives in Texas, had defied a judge’s order to appear for a deposition in the case, saying he was too ill. But Connecticut Judge Barbara Bellis said there wasn’t enough evidence that Jones was too sick to attend and ordered him to come to Connecticut for questioning and pay escalating daily fines until he did so. Jones paid $25,000 in fines for Friday and $50,000 in fines for Monday, according to court records.
A spokesperson for the families and their lawyers at Bridgeport-based Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder declined to comment on the deposition Wednesday.
Jones said in a video on the Infowars website that the deposition began Tuesday and was to continue Wednesday. He said in the video that the families’ lawyers began the deposition by “demonizing” him for his questioning official versions of events.
“It’s just totally insane to sit there and watch this happen and to watch them lick their lips and lick their chops and think we’re going to finally shut Alex Jones down,” Jones said. “These people want to put us in prison for our speech.”
Jones’ lawyer, Norman Pattis, said tempers flared at times during the deposition on Tuesday, and much of the questioning was not related to the school shooting.
“I had the impression watching the attack on Mr. Jones that this trial will be about something far greater than what happened at Sandy Hook,” Pattis said on the video. “The trial’s going to be about ordinary people’s ability to say I’m not buying it, I want to raise questions, I want to draw my own conclusions.”
The deposition was held at the Bridgeport office of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder. After it ended Wednesday, Pattis filed a court document asking Bellis to return to Jones the $75,000 in fees he paid, which the judge said he could request only after sitting for questioning. Bellis did not immediately rule.
Jones missed the originally scheduled deposition in the case on March 23 and 24 in Austin, Texas. He cited a health issue including vertigo that his doctors initially thought was a serious heart problem but turned out to be a sinus infection.
The plaintiffs have said they have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers because of the hoax conspiracy promoted on his website show. Jones has since conceded the shooting did happen.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T23:04:46
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Fellow sisters in Louisiana pray for abducted nun’s safe return
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Grays News) - Marianite Sister Suellen Tennyson, 83, was abducted from a parish in Yalgo, Burkina Faso, Africa, where she had been stationed as a missionary since 2014, according to officials with the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Many across the globe and locally in the Greater New Orleans area are coming together in prayer for Sister Tennyson.
Sister Tennyson attended high school at the former Academy of the Holy Angels. She served at the former St. Cecilia Catholic Church in the Marigny and at Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Church. She also did work for the Archdiocese of New Orleans as the Vicar for Religious.
The Marianite sisterhood is in disbelief after learning about her disappearance.
Sister Ann Lacour, the Marianite Congregational Leader currently stationed in France, said Sister Tennyson was taken in the middle of the night on Tuesday, April 5, by 10 armed hijackers.
“In her night clothes. No shoes, no glasses, no medication, no phone. And she was blindfolded,” Sister Lacour said.
Now she is working with investigators in Paris, Rome, and Burkina Faso.
“The U.S. Embassy of Burkina Faso calls us at least twice a day,” said Sister Lacour. “They definitely want to keep this alive and want this to end as soon as possible.”
As do those who know her best; her family and friends back home in New Orleans, like Marianite Sister Marjorie Hebert.
“We’re doing our part to cooperate trusting that all of this is going to ultimately bring Suellen home safely. And home for Suellen right now is Burkina Faso,” said Sister Hebert.
She said Sister Tennyson lived in the Yalgo parish of Burkina Faso since 2014, serving as support to medical staff in the community. Those close to her describe Sister Tennyson as the face of compassion.
“That call to her was there. It came late in her Marianite vocation but that’s firm to her. So that’s her home,” she said. “When she left to go there back in 2014, she made it very clear to us that love her and cherish her friendship; ‘I’m gonna work there. I’ll die there. And I’ll be buried there.’”
Now they are carrying hope in their hearts -- hope that she is protected and hope that she is safe.
“We truly truly believe she will be found and we do believe. We’re holding on to that and God’s great grace she’ll be ok,” said Sister Lacour.
The Marianite congregation believes in the power of prayer, and they are asking those who pray to pray for Sister Suellen’s safety and release from her captives.
Copyright 2022 WVUE via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T23:04:49
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‘I see barren fields’: Ukrainian Civil Society leaders discuss wartime agriculture disruptions
Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) hosted an event discussing the war in Ukraine and what it means for global food security.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine is one of the top exporters of grain in the world.
The ongoing war is expected to cut trade drastically. Some economists fear the war will disrupt the global food chain, leading to famine in parts of the East and higher domestic commodity costs.
“Ukraine basically exports to a number of countries in North Africa and the Middle East,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who told Gray DC his department is monitoring the situation. “These are developing countries. These are countries that rely a great deal on that wheat supply to be able to feed their people.”
Wheat growers in the U.S are already facing high operating costs and drought conditions. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) says it’s unlikely the U.S will be able to fill any gap that might be created by the war.
“Even if America does everything we can to grow more wheat, it’s not going to be enough to replace what comes through the Black Sea right now,” said Marshall.
During a Wednesday press conference, Marshall and fellow GOP Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) discussed the issue with members of the Ukrainian Civil Society.
Ukrainian Military volunteer Maria Berlinska says Russia is using food as a quiet weapon, starving residents into submission and targeting farmland and agriculture infrastructure.
“We have less and less fields, and we have less and less opportunities,” said Berlinska.
During the discussion, she pleaded for additional aid in the form of weapons, sanctions, and international pressure on Russia.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T23:04:51
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Jan. 6 trial of former Virginia officer continues with testimony from man who called him “dad”
Jacob Fracker said he once called Thomas Robertson “dad,” and Robertson called him “son.” The two were together inside the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - It’s day two in the trial of former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson. He’s charged with six crimes related to his alleged actions on and after the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Dramatic moments inside the courtroom in the final hours today as Jacob Fracker, Robertson’s former co-defendant, takes the stand to testify against Robertson.
Jacob Fracker said that he used to call Thomas Robertson “dad”, and said Robertson would call him “son.”
Now, he’s testifying against Robertson after taking a plea deal for his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
A picture that prosecutors used in their original charging document shows Fracker on the left, and Robertson on the right, inside of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, according to prosecutors.
Fracker testified Wednesday that Robertson invited him, and planned the trip to the Capitol. Fracker also said on that day, he was hyped up and wanted to see the results of 2020 election overturned.
The defense said in its opening statements that Robertson only went into the Capitol because they said Fracker got too excited and ran in first. They argue that Robertson was only trying to find Fracker and leave.
During his testimony, Fracker told the court that he did lose sight of Robertson before entering the Capitol. Fracker said he and Robertson were reunited in a room below the Capitol Rotunda known as the crypt, where they took pictures and began singing and clapping with a crowd.
He said Robertson never told him that his only goal was to retrieve him, and that Robertson was just as excited as he was once they left the Capitol.
Fracker told the court that he and Robertson discussed a potential next civil war on the ride back home to Virginia.
Fracker’s testimony still is not done. Robertson’s defense is expected to cross-examine Fracker when court is back in session on Thursday morning.
Robertson’s lawyer told the judge tonight that Robertson may testify when the defense presents its case tomorrow.
The judge told lawyers that he wants to hear closing arguments on Friday.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T23:05:02
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Kit Kat debuts blueberry muffin flavor for limited time
(Gray News) - Kit Kat fans are getting a new flavor inspired by a classic baked good without even turning on an oven.
The Hershey Company unveiled its limited-edition Blueberry Muffin Kit Kat flavor on Wednesday.
This new flavor creation is a blueberry muffin-flavored creme with tastes of fresh and cooked blueberries, plus a cake batter-like muffin flavor with graham cookie pieces folded into the bar, according to Hershey.
“Our product creators have such passion for deciding which flavor Kit Kat should take on next and making sure it delivers for our fans,” said Dan Williard, brand manager of Kit Kat. “Kit Kat Blueberry Muffin has already become one of our favorites. It has all the taste of a freshly baked blueberry muffin, but no baking required.”
The blueberry muffin flavor becomes the latest in the brand’s growing portfolio of flavors. Hershey has previously released Kit Kat Duos Strawberry and Dark Chocolate, Thins Hazelnut and Lemon Crisp flavors.
Hershey representatives said the blueberry muffin flavor would be available nationwide at retailers starting this month.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-06T23:05:08
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LOOK: 11-foot hammerhead shark washes up on beach
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (WPLG) – An 11-foot female hammerhead shark was found on a Florida beach.
The shark washed up on the sands of Pompano Beach overnight, and early morning beachgoers said they experienced a range of emotions regarding the creature, from wonderment to heartbreak.
Beach residents said the shark was close to the shoreline early in the morning, but was moved out of the water with a Bobcat so it wouldn’t be carried back out to sea.
After hearing reports of the shark, scientist Hannah Medd came out to the beach to collect samples.
“It might have to do with post-release mortality, which means this species in particular gets a little stressed out when it’s caught,” she said. “It fights really hard.”
Medd said the adult hammerhead’s untimely death may be connected to an encounter with fishermen, with the frazzled shark swimming onto shore to escape capture.
“There is some fishing line in her gills and, from earlier pictures, there was a large hook in the side of her mouth, which indicates she was probably involved in fishing,” Medd said.
Nearby construction crews used equipment to move the shark away from beach crowds before scientists can collect more samples. She’ll then be removed and buried.
Some beachgoers stared in excitement at the rare site while others realized the heartbreaking reality of what led to the creature’s death.
“You never want to see an animal this big lying on the beach,” beachgoer Kevin Nosal said. “This is 11 feet long and over 500 pounds, and it’s a female, so it’s always sad when a female passes.”
Copyright 2022 WPLG via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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Runners residing in Russia, Belarus banned from 2022 Boston Marathon
BOSTON (AP) - Athletes from Russia and Belarus previously accepted to compete in this year’s Boston Marathon who are currently residing in either country will no longer be allowed to participate, the Boston Marathon Association announced Wednesday.
The exclusion from the world’s oldest annual marathon also extends to athletes previously accepted into the B.A.A.’s 5K event. However, it doesn’t affect Russian or Belarusian athletes registered for the events who are not residents of the countries. They will be allowed to compete but won’t be able to run under their country’s flag.
“Like so many around the world, we are horrified and outraged by what we have seen and learned from the reporting in Ukraine,” B.A.A. president and CEO Tom Grilk said in a statement. “We believe that running is a global sport, and as such, we must do what we can to show our support to the people of Ukraine.”
The B.A.A. said it won’t recognize the country affiliation or flags of Russia and Belarus until further notice. This year’s Boston Marathon, 5K, and Invitational Mile do not include any professional or invited athletes from those countries.
Organizers said they will make reasonable attempts to refund entry fees to athletes no longer able to participate.
The B.A.A. will also provide all Ukrainians who are registered in the marathon or 5K and are unable to compete with a refund or option to defer to a future year.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Scattered rain and snow showers continue through Friday
Wintry weather lingers into Friday; Warmer weather by the weekend
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – This spring weather-maker will continue to linger in the upper Midwest through Friday of this week. Isolated to scattered rain and snow showers will continue overnight Wednesday through Friday morning.
Estimated rainfall amounts across SE Minnesota and NE Iowa have ranged from 0.10-0.50″. Some isolated areas north of I-90 have seen amounts just north of 0.50″, I do expect these totals to continue to grow through Friday morning.
Rain and snow showers will stay isolated to scattered through the evening Thursday. Snowfall accumulations are expected to be minor with most areas staying less than 1″. Some isolated areas could see an inch of accumulation on grassy and elevated surfaces. Winds will be an issue through the day Thursday. They’ll be out of the northwest around 15-25 mph with gusts reaching near 30 mph at times.
High temperatures will rebound nicely this upcoming weekend. Highs will be in the middle 40s Saturday with sunny skies. Then temperatures warm even more on Sunday with highs in the middle 50s! The 50s should stick around through the middle of next week as we work in a chance of rain by Wednesday.
Nick
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved.
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Six-days-a-week mail delivery saved; Biden signs Postal bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service meant to shore up the popular but beleaguered agency’s financial future and cement six-days-a-week mail delivery was signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden.
The legislation cleared Congress last month after fully a dozen years of discussion that took on a new sense of urgency amid widespread complaints about mail service delays. Officials had repeatedly warned that without congressional action, the Postal Service would run out of cash by 2024.
“The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said. He added that mailmen and women deliver 4 million prescriptions per day, along with letters, consumer goods and even live animals, “often to parts of the country that private carriers can’t or won’t or aren’t required to reach.”
The final legislation achieved rare, bipartisan support by scrapping some of the more controversial proposals and settling on core ways to save the service. Delivering the mail is among the most popular things the government does, with 91% of Americans having a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in 2020.
The bill signing came the same day the Postal Service announced it plans to raise rates effective July 10. Under the proposal submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, the cost of a first-class Forever stamp would increase by 2 cents to 60 cents.
The Postal Service said the increase, which is less than the annual rate of inflation, will help the agency implement Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year plan to stabilize agency finances.
Lawmakers from both parties attended the signing ceremony and the mood was jovial, a big improvement from Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran previously saying the service was in a “death spiral” that was particularly hard on rural Americans.
The Postal Service Reform Act lifts budget requirements that have contributed to the agency’s red ink, and spells out that mail must be delivered six days a week, except for federal holidays, natural disasters and some other situations.
Postage sales and other services were supposed to sustain the Postal Service, but it has suffered 14 straight years of losses. Growing worker compensation and benefit costs, plus steady declines in mail volume, have exacerbated losses, even as the service delivers to 1 million additional locations every year.
The new law ends a requirement that the Postal Service finance workers’ health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years — an obligation that private companies and federal agencies do not face. Biden said that rule had “stretched the Postal Service’s finances almost to the breaking point.”
Now, future retirees will enroll in Medicare, while other health plans and the Postal Service cover only current retirees’ actual health care costs that aren’t paid for by the federal health insurance program for older people,
“In recent years we saw how unfair policies forced this treasured institution to cut costs and delayed the delivery of medication, financial documents and other critical mail,” Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who helped write the legislation, said in a statement. “These long overdue reforms will undo these burdensome financial requirements.”
To measure the agency’s progress in improving its service, the law requires it to set up an online dashboard that would be searchable by ZIP code to show how long it takes to deliver letters and packages.
Dropped from the package as it neared actual legislation were efforts to cut back mail delivery. Also set aside — for now — were other proposals that have been floated over the years to change operations, including to privatize some services.
Criticism of the Postal Service peaked in 2020, amid the COVID-19 crisis and ahead of the presidential election, as cutbacks delayed service at a time when millions of Americans were relying on mail-in ballots during the pandemic. Then-President Donald Trump acknowledged he was trying to financially pinch the service to limit its processing ability for an expected surge of mail-in ballots, which he worried could cost him the election he eventually lost.
Dominated by Trump appointees, the agency’s board of governors had tapped DeJoy, a major GOP donor, as postmaster general. He proposed a 10-year plan to stabilize the service’s finances with steps like additional mail slowdowns, cuts in some offices’ hours and perhaps higher rates.
Biden said Wednesday that more needs to be done to reform the Postal Service, including investing in an electrified vehicle fleet that could save money while helping combat climate change. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is examining a Postal Service contract to replace its huge fleet of mail-delivery trucks with a mix of gas and electric vehicles, which the Environmental Protection Agency and Democratic lawmakers argue has too few electric vehicles.
“Today we enshrine into law our recognition that the Postal Service is fundamental to our economy, to our democracy, to our health and the very sense of who we are as a nation,” Biden said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Texas orders new border action, migrant bus charters to DC
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state troopers on Wednesday to begin stopping and inspecting commercial vehicles coming across the U.S-Mexico border and said bus charters would be offered to take migrants to Washington, D.C., in a dig at President Joe Biden and Congress.
Texas officials also said they would begin “increased military activity” on the southern border and install razor wire at some low-water along the river to deter migrants from crossing.
The new directives amount to the “unprecedented actions” that Abbott promised in response to the Biden administration winding down a public health law – now set to expire in May – that has limited asylum-seekers in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19. When that happens, it is expected to draw potentially thousands more migrants to the southern border.
Flanked by Texas troopers in the border city of Weslaco, Abbott acknowledged that additional inspections of commercial vehicles near the U.S. ports of entry will “dramatically slow” vehicle traffic coming into the county.
But the latest orders further push the limits of a multibillion-dollar Texas border security mission that the two-term Republican governor, who is running for reelection in November, has made the cornerstone of his administration. Already, Texas has deployed thousands of troopers and National Guard members, installed new border barrier and arrested thousands of migrants on trespassing charges.
Still, the efforts do not go far enough for some former Trump administration officials, who are pressing Abbott to declare an “invasion” and give state law enforcement sweeping new authority to turn back migrants – essentially bestowing enforcement powers that have been a federal responsibility.
That concept is legally dubious, nearly unprecedented and would almost certainly face swift court challenges, according to some constitutional experts.
Abbott, who is up for reelection in November and is already installing more border barrier and allowing troopers to arrest migrants on trespassing charges, did not say Wednesday whether he supports such a proposal. He said more actions would be announced next week.
Border Patrol officials say they are planning for as many as 18,000 arrivals daily once the health policy, known as the Title 42 authority, expires in May. Last week, about 7,100 migrants were coming a day to the southern U.S. border.
But the way former Trump immigration officials see it, Texas and Arizona can pick up where the federal government leaves off once the policy ends. Their plan involves a novel interpretation of the U.S. Constitution to have the National Guard or state police forcibly send migrants to Mexico, without regard to immigration laws and law enforcement procedures. Border enforcement has always been a federal responsibility, and in Texas, state leaders have not been pushing for such a move.
Tom Homan, the former acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Trump, said at a border security conference in San Antonio last week he had spoken with Abbott about the idea.
“We’ve had discussions with his attorneys in his office, ‘Is there a way to use this clause within the Constitution where it talks about invasion?’” Homan said during the Border Security Expo.
Homan said those talks took place about three months ago, and on Tuesday described the governor’s office as “noncommittal but willing to listen.”
In Arizona, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has also been under pressure within his party to declare that the state is being invaded and use extraordinary powers normally reserved for war. But Ducey, who is term-limited and not on the ballot in 2022, has not embraced the theory and has avoided commenting directly on it.
Driving the effort on the right is the Center for Renewing America, a conservative policy think tank led by former Trump administration officials. It includes Ken Cuccinelli, an immigration hard-liner and former Homeland Security official under Trump. He argued that states are entitled to defend themselves from immediate danger or invasion, as it is defined by the “invasion clause,” under the “states self-defense clause.”
Cuccinelli said in practice, he envisions the plan would look similar to the enforcement of Title 42, which circumvented U.S. obligations under American law and international treaty to provide asylum. He said he has not spoken with Abbott and said the governor’s current sweeping border mission, known as Operation Lone Star, has put little dent in the number of people crossing the border. The mission has also drawn criticism from Guard members over long deployments and little to do, and some arrests have appeared to have no connection to border security.
“Until you are actually returning people to Mexico, what you are doing will have no effect,” Cuccinelli said.
Emily Berman, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Houston, said the “invasion clause” cited by proponents is tucked into a broader constitutional assurance that the U.S. must defend states from invasion and domestic violence. Additionally, she said, the “state self-defense clause” says states cannot engage in warlike actions or foreign policy unless invaded.
Berman said she hasn’t seen the constitutional clauses used since the 1990s, when the courts ruled that they did not have jurisdiction to decide what qualified an invasion, but believed that one could only be done by another governmental entity.
For example, Berman said, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia can be qualified as one because it is an outside government breaching another country’s boundaries with the use of military force.
“Just because the state says that it is an invasion that doesn’t necessarily make it so, it is not clear to me what additional legal authority that conveys on them,” Berman said, adding that state officials can enforce state laws, but the line is drawn at what the federal law allows.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes the Texas border, has criticized the Biden administration over border security and ending Title 42. But he does not support states trying to use new powers that would let them “do whatever they want.”
“I think it should be more of a partnership instead of saying, ‘Federal government, we don’t think you’re doing enough, and why don’t we go ahead and do our own border security?’” he said.
___
Coronado is a corps members 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 undercovered issues. Associated Press reporter Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix and Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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High-profile media critic killed by NJ Transit train while riding bicycle
MONTCLAIR — A deadly crash involving a bicyclist and NJ Transit train in Montclair killed a highly-regarded media critic — as identified by such celebrity admirers as Jon Stewart and Hillary Clinton.
Eric Boehlert, 57, had written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Salon and Media Matters, as well as founding PressRun.Media. He was a frequent commentator on such cable news channels as MSNBC and CNN.
The fatal incident happened Monday around 9:40 p.m., near Montclair’s Watchung Avenue station, as reported by Montclair Local.
Montclair-Boonton Line rail service was suspended in both directions for a stretch of time following the incident.
The identity of the bicyclist remained under investigation as of Wednesday, according to an NJ Transit spokesperson. However, the news of Boehlert's passing spread quickly across Twitter.
“Rest In Peace Eric Boehlert. Greatly admired his passion and tenacity,” Stewart said on Twitter.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hilliary Clinton also tweeted, “Eric Boehlert’s death is terrible news. I’m devastated for his family and friends and will miss his critical work to counteract misinformation and media bias. What a loss.”
Fellow journalist, Soledad O’Brien called the loss 'crushing news.'
She sent condolences to Boehlert’s wife and children, and called the fallen author “a fierce and fearless defender of the truth.”
Boehlert did a Media Matters interview with Montclair State University in 2014, as seen below:
Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.
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NJ’s American Dream inks multiyear concert deal with Live Nation
EAST RUTHERFORD — Rapper Ludacris will kick off the inaugural concert series planned for the American Dream complex at the Meadowlands, in a new partnership the megamall announced with promoter Live Nation on Wednesday.
Specific terms of the agreement were not immediately available, except for American Dream to say it would be a "multi-year" collaboration.
Ludacris, the stage name of actor Christopher Bridges, will perform May 7.
Other acts currently scheduled to perform are rapper J.I., on June 17; DJs and producers Two Friends, June 18; rapper Lil Tjay, July 22; rapper Shek Wes, Aug. 13; and Japanese rockers Band-Maid, Oct. 30, with a release from American Dream saying more would be added.
Also part of the announced lineup will be Barbercon, which Live Nation said is the "premier global festival of the barbering community," at "The Rink" on July 17.
Previously, American Dream hosted what it called the "Amusement Park Takeover" series, which featured DJs such as Tiësto, Steve Aoki, and "Jersey Shore"'s Pauly D.
Tickets for the Live Nation Concert Series at American Dream go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.com.
Barbercon tickets can be purchased at Barbercon.com.
Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.
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| 2022-04-06T23:05:42
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Retired Summit, NJ teacher faces more sexual assault charges
SUMMIT — A retired drama teacher and theater director was indicted by a grand jury on charges he sexually assaulted six male students between 2003 and 2017.
Ronald E. Wells, 70, of Summit, was initially charged in June with molesting a student at the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School while he modeled costumes, according to Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel.
During the investigation, several former students came forward reporting incidents that went back as far as 2003, according to Daniel.
Wells is now charged with one count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault, four counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and six counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
All of the students were between the ages of 12 and 14 at the time of their assaults.
Wells retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year, according to the school district.
Daniel said Wells is currently on pre-trial release pending his post-indictment arraignment in Union County Superior Court on April 18.
Anyone with information about these or similar cases should call Summit police at 908-277-9380.
Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.
Every NJ city and town's municipal tax bill, ranked
School aid for all New Jersey districts for 2022-23
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The course that should be mandatory in all schools originates in NJ
What is happiness? It's where we want to be but do we really know exactly what it is? Wouldn't it be great if it were something we could teach our children?
That's what's happening at Centenary University and in just two weeks they have received over 130 applications from people looking to master the field of "happiness" with the world's first Master of Arts in Happiness Studies this October in a fully virtual format.
What exactly is happiness? How exactly do we get there? Is happiness the default we end up at if we solve all our problems? Is it our favorite food at every meal? Is it love? Is it a warm gun like the Beatles sang?
There's an old song from the play "No No Nannette" that goes "I wanna be happy but I won't be happy till I make you happy too." Does our happiness really depend on whether someone else is happy? I hope not because it's hard enough in today's world to make you happy, let alone someone else.
In order to make someone else happy, don't you have to be happy first? Like when you're on a plane and the masks drop you're supposed to secure air for yourself and then take care of your loved ones. Before you can make anyone else happy, you've got to be happy yourself.
So how do we do it? Centenary University is going to try to teach us how. But we shouldn't have to wait until we're college age.
Happiness if it can be defined and taught needs to be taught as early as pre-school. Forget critical race theory and standardized testing which can be dealt with in other posts, if happiness is what we want for our children, then let our schools show them not only what it is, but how to get there.
On the other hand, while we're waiting for that we can make some time through the drudge and aggregation that sometimes is our day and our lives to focus on what it takes to make us happy. Once that goal is set and defined, we can find a way to get there.
Then and only then, like when the masks drop on the plane, can we make you happy too.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.
You can now listen to Steve Trevelise — On Demand! Discover more about New Jersey’s personalities and what makes the Garden State interesting . Download the Steve Trevelise show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now:
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Who has Gov. Murphy helped or hurt the most in NJ?
What do you think of the job Phil Murphy is doing as governor?
After winning reelection five months ago, a clear majority of New Jersey residents now give him a thumbs up, according to a just-released survey.
Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Poll, said the latest numbers indicate Phil Murphy has a 55% approval and 35% disapproval rating after his approval dipped to 50% during the re-election campaign.
In 2020, when the pandemic started to spread, the governor’s approval rating topped 70%.
There is still a significant segment of the public questioning what the governor has been able to accomplish.
“For example, just 30% said he had major accomplishments to point to, 42% say he’s had minor accomplishments, but about 1 in 4 say he has real accomplishments so far,” Murray said.
Murray said as a point of comparison, “if we go back eight years ago to Gov. Christie, when he started his second term only 10% said he had no accomplishments at that point.”
The poll finds Murphy gets positive ratings from 86% of Democrats, 51% of independents, and 17% of Republicans,
New Jersey’s biggest issue
Property taxpayers are the least enthused by Murphy, with 13% saying his policies have helped while 46% say his policies have hurt them.
Murray said when respondents were asked about how the governor’s agenda has impacted the middle class, 27% say they've been helped while 38% say Murphy has hurt them.
Respondents also give Murphy low marks when it comes to helping the business community.
Many businesses are struggling
The poll finds 29% of residents think businesses have been helped by the governor, while 38% say he has had a negative impact on businesses.
He said the main group that people feel has been helped by the Murphy administration is lower wage earners, with 37% saying that he has helped the poor.
The poll also finds 26% of respondents think Murphy’s policies have helped wealthy residents while 21% believe they have hurt them, and 20% say the governor has helped transit riders, while 17% believe they’ve been hurt.
The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from March 31 to April 4, with 802 New Jersey adults. The question results in this release have a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
David Matthau is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at david.matthau@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.
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‘Wildwood Days’ Bobby Rydell remembered for his NJ connections
Bobby Rydell passed away Tuesday afternoon from pneumonia at the age of 79. One of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I was lucky enough to speak with him when he released his book "Teen Idol On The Rocks"
Though he was a Philly guy, among the many things Bobby Rydell will be remembered for is one of the great Jersey Shore anthems that we hear every summer heading down the parkway to Exit 4, it used to be on the radio, now it's in your parent's heads.
I'm talking about "Wildwood Days," which Bobby recorded back in 1963. I spoke with Bobby back in 2016 and he told me the story.
"Actually, the first group that recorded that was the Dovells," says Rydell. "it was a B side of one of their hit records and it never did anything. But Bernie Loeb who was the president of Cameo knew that I was very very familiar with Wildwood because my grandmother had a boarding house in Wildwood, New Jersey, and I'd been going down to wildwood since I was an infant. My Mom took me down there I spent all my summers in Wildwood, New Jersey."
"So they figured let's go into the studio with a different arrangement and let's put Bobby's voice on this particular tune. It was a great record. It became the National Anthem of Wildwood."
Bobby also talked about meeting Frank Sinatra at the Copa who called him "Robert." Bobby was 19 at the time and Frank was sitting with Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Husen, Richard Conte and Joe DiMaggio.
Sinatra asked Bobby, "Would you care to join us?" Rydell says, "My mouth is wide open, my eyes and Mr. Sinatra turns to me and asks 'What do you drink Robert?' I said 'CCCCoke." I figured if I asked for a Scotch and water I'd get a smack in the face."
I can imagine Bobby opening for Frank somewhere up there.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.
You can now listen to Steve Trevelise — On Demand! Discover more about New Jersey’s personalities and what makes the Garden State interesting . Download the Steve Trevelise show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now:
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