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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Your baby could be the next adorable national icon. The search is on for the next "Gerber baby."
To qualify, your child must be four years old or younger with a smile that can light up a room. Gerber said an irresistible giggle is also strongly preferred.
The prize package includes the opportunity to be the Gerber 2022 Spokesbaby as well as being featured on Gerber’s social media channels and marketing campaigns throughout the year, $25,000 cash and a selection of Gerber products to ensure baby has the best possible start in life.
Gerber said it will make every entry count by contributing a matching monetary donation of the winning baby’s cash prize to support March of Dimes’ maternal and infant health programs, ensuring both parents and babies thrive.
To learn more about the Chief Growing Officer role, parents can review the job application and apply at photosearch.gerber.com. You can submit your child for the contest by April 14.
MORE ON WCNC
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/gerber-baby-national-search-charlotte-nc/275-e5984082-0923-44a5-85b7-553480e8c9e3
| 2022-04-08T13:02:21
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/gerber-baby-national-search-charlotte-nc/275-e5984082-0923-44a5-85b7-553480e8c9e3
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WASHINGTON — Mark your calendars! A solar eclipse stretching across a large portion of the country will grace the sky in two years on April 8, 2024.
A solar eclipse occurs at the exact moment when the moon passes between the sun and Earth blocking the sun's light. The short time when the moon completely blocks the sun is known as the period of totality.
Instead of stretching coast-to-coast like the 2017 "Great American Eclipse", the path of totality for 2024's event largely covers the eastern half of the United States.
Portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Maine, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine will see 100% totality. Areas further away from the path of totality will see decreased blockage of the sun.
According to Forbes, 32 million people live within the path of totality for the 2024 eclipse, compared to just 12 million who lived within the 2017 path.
The start of totality will begin in Texas just before 1:30 p.m. CT and end in Maine just after 3:30 p.m. ET.
Some of the major cities in the path of totality include Austin, Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo and Syracuse.
Before reaching the U.S., the April 2024 eclipse will go through parts of Mexico and continue through the eastern portion of Canada.
Opposite of a solar eclipse is a lunar eclipse, which is when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon.
A total solar eclipse in the United States isn't an everyday occurrence. The last major solar eclipse in the United States occurred on Aug. 21, 2017. That was the first solar eclipse visible from the 48 contiguous states since 1979. It was also the first eclipse to stretch coast-to-coast since 1918.
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/total-solar-eclipse-2024/507-4718851e-ff6b-42ca-8f5f-5f6a36e859f0
| 2022-04-08T13:02:28
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/total-solar-eclipse-2024/507-4718851e-ff6b-42ca-8f5f-5f6a36e859f0
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Deacon Frey departs Eagles after filling in for late father
The son of founding Eagles member Glenn Frey is calling it quits with the band.
Deacon Frey, who filled in for the band after the death of his father in 2016, is leaving the Eagles, the band announced in a statement Wednesday.
The younger Frey took over for his father when the Eagles returned to the stage in 2017.
"Deacon Frey has devoted the past 4 ½ years to carrying on his father's legacy and, after some weeks of reflection, he now feels that it is time for him to forge his own path," the band's statement said. "We understand, completely, and we support him in whatever he wishes to pursue in the years ahead."
The statement praised Deacon Frey's "admirable efforts" fulfilling his father's legacy and said he "is always welcome to join us onstage at any future concerts, if he so desires."
"We hope our fans will join us in wishing Deacon the very best as he moves into the next phase of his career," the statement concluded.
Deacon Frey, 26, was noticeably absent when the Eagles began their "Hotel California 2022 Tour" in February. The band said in a Facebook post at the time that he wouldn't be performing because of an illness and would rejoin the band "based on his recovery and doctor's recommendations."
Glenn Frey died from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia in January 2016. He was 67.
The Eagles, who performed without Deacon Frey in South Florida in February, will resume touring Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio.
Scripps Only Content 2022
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https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/08/deacon-frey-departs-eagles-after-filling-late-father/
| 2022-04-08T13:05:50
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Pink Floyd to release first new music in 28 years in support of Ukraine
LONDON (AP) — Pink Floyd is releasing its first new music in almost three decades to raise money for the people of Ukraine, the band announced Thursday.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” features Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, with vocals from Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band BoomBox. Roger Waters, who left the band in the 1980s, is not involved.
The track features Khlyvnyuk singing a patriotic Ukrainian song from a clip he recorded in front of Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral and posted on social media.
Gilmour, who performed with BoomBox in London in 2015, said the video was “a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music.”
After Russia’s invasion, Khlyvnyuk cut short a tour of the U.S. to return to Ukraine and join a territorial defense unit.
Gilmour said he spoke to Khlyvnyuk, who was recovering in a hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury, while he was writing the song. He said: “I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future.”
The song is being released Friday and the band says proceeds will go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.
“We want to express our support for Ukraine, and in that way show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become,” Gilmour said.
Pink Floyd was founded in London in the mid-1960s and helped forge the U.K. psychedelic scene before releasing influential 1970s albums including “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Wall.”
Original member Waters quit in 1985, and the remaining members of Pink Floyd last recorded together for the 1994 album “The Division Bell.” After keyboard player Richard Wright died in 2008, Gilmour said he doubted Pink Floyd would perform together again.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” also features Guy Pratt on bass and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/08/pink-floyd-release-first-new-music-28-years-support-ukraine/
| 2022-04-08T13:05:56
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S. Carolina schedules 1st execution with firing squad ready
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has scheduled its first execution after corrections officials finished updating the death chamber to prepare for executions by firing squad.
The clerk of the State Supreme Court has set an April 29 execution date for Richard Bernard Moore, a 57-year-old man who has spent more than two decades on death row after he was convicted of killing convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg.
Moore could face a choice between the electric chair and the firing squad, two options available to death row prisoners after legislators altered the state’s capital punishment law last year in an effort to work around a decade-long pause in executions, attributed to the corrections agency’s inability to procure lethal injection drugs.
The new law made the electric chair the state’s primary means of execution while giving prisoners the option of choosing death by firing squad or lethal injection, if those methods are available.
The state corrections agency said last month it had finished developing protocols for firing squad executions and completed $53,600 in renovations on the death chamber in Columbia, installing a metal chair with restraints that faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet (4.6 meters) away.
In the case of a firing squad execution, three volunteer shooters — all Corrections Department employees — will have rifles loaded with live ammunition, with their weapons trained on the inmate’s heart. A hood will be placed over the head of the inmate, who will be given the opportunity to make a last statement.
South Carolina is one of eight states to still use the electric chair and one of four to allow a firing squad, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.
Moore is one of 35 men on South Carolina’s death row. He exhausted his federal appeals in 2020, and the state Supreme Court denied another appeal this week.
Lindsey Vann, an attorney for Moore, said Thursday she will ask the court to stay the execution.
The state last scheduled an execution for Moore in 2020, which was then delayed after prison officials said they couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs.
During Moore’s 2001 trial, prosecutors said Moore entered the store looking for money to support his cocaine habit and got into a dispute with Mahoney, who drew a pistol that Moore wrestled away from him.
Mahoney pulled a second gun, and a gunfight ensued. Mahoney shot Moore in the arm, and Moore shot Mahoney in the chest. Prosecutors said Moore left a trail of blood through the store as he looked for cash, stepping twice over Mahoney.
At the time, Moore claimed that he acted in self-defense after Mahoney drew the first gun.
Moore’s supporters have argued his crime doesn’t rise to the level of heinousness in other death penalty cases in the state. His appeals lawyers have said that because Moore didn’t bring a gun into store, he couldn’t have intended to kill someone when he walked in.
South Carolina’s last execution was in 2011, when Jeffrey Motts, on death row for strangling a cellmate while serving a life sentence for another murder, abandoned his appeals and opted for the death chamber.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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ATLANTA (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds watched with admiration as the Atlanta Braves celebrated their championship.
Then the Reds launched a new season by outplaying the champions.
Tyler Mahle allowed only an unearned run in five innings to outpitch Max Fried, Brandon Drury hit a three-run homer, and the Reds beat Atlanta 6-3 on Thursday night to spoil the Braves’ World Series celebration.
The Braves unveiled their World Series pennant in right field in a pregame ceremony after two parachutists landed in the outfield carrying championship banners.
“It was great,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It was fun to be part of that atmosphere, really.”
Fried, the winning pitcher in the World Series-clinching Game 6 win over Houston, couldn’t repeat that success in his opening day start.
Fried (0-1) allowed five runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
He left the game with two runners on base before Drury’s homer off Collin McHugh, making his Braves debut, landed in the Reds’ bullpen behind the left field wall.
Austin Riley hit a two-run homer for Atlanta off right-hander Dauri Moreta in the eighth.
Mahle (1-0) was sharp in his first opening day start, allowing only three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Mahle said he wasn’t distracted by the Braves’ pregame ceremony.
“I didn’t really watch any of it, actually,” Mahle said. “I kind of heard it, but I was doing my own thing.”
Bell said he was impressed by Mahle’s perfect fifth inning.
“We’ve seen him do it a lot where he gets stronger during the game, but today said a lot about him because he hadn’t really got that deep in a game in spring training,” Bell said.
Tony Santillan pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first career save.
Kyle Farmer’s second-inning single drove in Tyler Stephenson, who was hit on his foot by a pitch from Fried, for a 1-0 lead.
Fried was faced with the first bases-loaded, no-out situation of his career in the third.
Joey Votto’s single drove in Jonathan India, and Aristides Aquino scored on Stephenson’s lineout to right field for a 3-0 lead.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: The rotation could look much different by the end of the month. LHP Mike Minor (left shoulder soreness) will throw a simulated game in Atlanta on Friday. RHP Luis Castillo (right shoulder soreness) played catch on Thursday and will throw in the bullpen this weekend. Bell said Minor is “slightly” ahead of Castillo and both could come off the 10-day injured list this month. … IF Donovan Solano (left hamstring strain) will have at-bats in the simulated game.
Braves: Throwing fastballs timed at 100 mph, rookie right-hander Spencer Strider recorded five strikeouts in two perfect innings. … Hall of Famer Chipper Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The celebration continues on Sunday, when players will be presented their World Series rings.
SPLIT VOTES ON WRIST BAND
Bell says his players enthusiastically support baseball’s new PitchCom wristbands. The technology made available this year allows catchers to call pitches by punching a button on the wristband instead of flashing signs which can be stolen.
“Going into this, every one of our pitchers and catchers are going to use it,” Bell said, adding “They loved it. I was shocked.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker says his players “didn’t warm up to it” and won’t be using the new technology.
“I think at some point it might become a reality but our guys didn’t embrace it very well,” Snitker said. “They didn’t seem too eager to try it. And not to say we won’t.”
When asked why his players didn’t like the PitchCom wristbands, Snitker said “I didn’t ask.”
CAREER FIRST FOR VOTTO
Votto, 38, entered the fifth inning with 6,724 career at-bats — and had never popped out to the pitcher.
Votto experienced that career first when he ended the fifth with his popout to Fried.
Votto did an interview with the ESPN broadcast team while playing first base in the fourth inning, providing insight on his positioning and strategy, and reflecting on his 15-year career between pitches.
He also joked about combatting his mid-life crisis with a gold or diamond tooth.
UP NEXT
Reds LHP Reiver Sanmartin (2-0, 1.54 ERA in 2021) was scheduled to face Braves RHP Charlie Morton (14-6, 3.34) on Friday night.
Each of Sanmartin’s wins in his first two major league starts late last season came against Pittsburgh.
Morton showed no limitations this spring in his return after suffering a broken leg when hit by a grounder in Game 1 of the World Series.
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https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/sports/74402/mahle-shines-as-reds-spoil-braves-celebration
| 2022-04-08T13:07:16
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https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/sports/74402/mahle-shines-as-reds-spoil-braves-celebration
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IUKA • As Holy Week approaches, the Rev. Nicholas “Nick” Phillips of Iuka will have a lot of plates spinning.
Phillips, who for a time was a religion columnist for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, splits his time between practicing law and being a minister in the Presbyterian church (PCUSA).
Phillips has been an attorney for 33 years. For the last 18 of those, he has also been the minister at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Biggersville. Recently, he helped form the Church of Our Savior, a “new worshiping community” of Presbyterians who meet in the former Episcopalian church in downtown Iuka.
Phillips said the new congregation meets in a pre-Civil War Carpenter Gothic structure once slated for demolition.
“They were going to tear it down and move it to Water Valley to replace the church that got blown away by the tornado,” he said. “A group of local citizens bought it and formed a foundation for the purpose of preserving it. It’s a beautiful building, and we really enjoy it.”
Members of both of Phillip’s congregations will celebrate this Sunday with the “Liturgy of the Palms,” followed by the more somber observances of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday during Holy Week. Phillips said the formal, liturgical style of these services helps congregants connect with the events of Holy Week in a more grounded way.
“It brings all the senses to participate in worship,” he said. “That’s one of the beauties of being able to live fully liturgically into the seasons of the church year.”
Adding depth to these observances is the fact that, unlike other seasons of the church year, Holy Week helps celebrants “sync up” with the events on both a temporal and symbolic level.
“It’s not like any other time in the church year,” he said. “Maundy Thursday was on a Thursday. Good Friday was on a Friday, and so on. It’s playing out day by day in real time, at least figuratively. That just makes it even more dramatic.”
The hushed, austere tone of the Maundy Thursday service is especially meaningful, Phillips said.
“At the end of the service, we strip the altar,” he said. “It’s totally silent as the appointments are taken away. The church is darkened, and people leave in silence. People always say it’s the most powerful part of the service.”
Services like these, with their roots in ancient traditions of the church, help congregants understand prayer on a deeper level, Phillips said.
“In these services, we have spoken prayer,” he said. “We have singing as a form of prayer, and we also have acts, like the stripping of the altar, that serve as what the Presbyterians call ‘enacted prayer.’”
Liturgy, movement, colors and symbols all connect the worshiper with the holy on more than a purely intellectual level, Phillips said.
“Worship is more than assent to a set of intellectual beliefs,” he said. “Expressing worship in a tactile way that engages all the senses is a way of living out our theology of Incarnation.”
While Holy Week will be a busy week for Phillips, he said the slate of services ramping up to Easter is an essential prelude to the celebration of Easter.
“We need to express a full range of emotions in worship,” he said. “We need to sit with the somber season of Lent to be ready for Easter’s triumph. It’s hollow to think about resurrection without thinking about how we get there; how it happened.”
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https://www.djournal.com/lifestyle/religion/iuka-presbyterian-church-takes-holistic-approach-to-holy-week/article_7cd68694-6f00-5aaf-9f3a-d999e2b7c5ca.html
| 2022-04-08T13:15:45
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https://www.djournal.com/lifestyle/religion/iuka-presbyterian-church-takes-holistic-approach-to-holy-week/article_7cd68694-6f00-5aaf-9f3a-d999e2b7c5ca.html
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https://www.djournal.com/monroe/living/icc-small-ensembles-concert-set-for-april-12/article_cd77e46b-7374-5d0d-a7f4-403a34a2acd2.html
| 2022-04-08T13:15:51
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Older children scramble for Easter eggs during the Junior Women’s League’s 2019 event at Blue Bluff. This year, it will partner with M.O.V. for an Easter egg hunt at the Aberdeen Sportsplex.
ABERDEEN – The Junior Women’s League of Monroe County will continue an Easter tradition April 9 through its annual egg hunt. This year’s event will be at the Aberdeen Sportsplex, located at 10135 Sharpley Bottom Rd., from 2 until 4 p.m.
M.O.V. is partnering for the event.
Even in COVID-19 years, the Junior Women’s League hosted Easter giveaways through drive-thru settings, but this year marks a return to a traditional egg hunt.
“We like seeing the kids happy and like giving back to our community and do all we can. The Easter egg hunt is one of the main things we do to get the most people out,” said Junior Women’s League President Robin Adams. “We’re just happy to be able to have an actual Easter egg hunt after the last two years.”
There will be between 7,000 to 8,000 Easter eggs hidden throughout three different fields. The age categories will be 0-4, 5-8 and 9-12. There will also be facepainting, and a photographer will take photos of children with the Easter Bunny.
There will be a few prize eggs available to find, but most of them will have candy and small toys inside of them. Adams noted Walmart donated prizes for the event.
In addition to the upcoming Easter egg hunt, the Junior Women’s League is sponsoring its annual scholarships. Seniors at Aberdeen, Amory, Hamilton, Hatley and Smithville may apply at https://form.jotform.com/220823732109046.
The deadline to apply is April 15 at 3 p.m. The scholarship program began four years ago and expanded through the years.
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https://www.djournal.com/monroe/living/junior-women-s-league-m-o-v-partnering-for-easter-egg-hunt/article_2a901b50-88fb-5ab2-ae29-d99522834e97.html
| 2022-04-08T13:15:57
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HAMILTON – Hamilton High School is among 70 schools across the state recognized for preparing students to enroll and success in higher education, according to a news release last week from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).
The school earned its 2021 College Success Award through GreatSchools.org, a nonprofit which is the country’s leader in providing school information to parents and families, according to the MDE. Its College Success Award began in 2018.
This award follows the Hamilton High School Class of 2021’s 91.8 percent graduation rate, reported by the MDE in February. The state’s average for the class of 2021 was 88.4 percent, and Hamilton had Monroe County’s highest graduation rate and lowest dropout rate at 6.1 percent. The state average for dropout rates was 8.5 percent.
“It goes together. We take a team approach to our students. As far as the graduation part goes, we work on that here on our campus, but I can’t take away from the Advanced Learning Center and career and technical center having a lot to do with that. ALC prepares our kids for the advanced college-level courses and being successful at a two-year college to go to a four-year college. The career and technical center prepares those kids to go the vocational route,” said Hamilton Attendance Center Principal Michelle Stevens.
She added as a school, Hamilton shows students care beyond just grades.
“Academics are important but when we have kids that we notice that are going to drop out, we meet with that child to find out what we can do to help them graduate and understand every situation. A lot of kids have different things going on at home,” she said.
According to the Greatschools.org list, Hamilton was rated above average with an 8 out of 10. The data noted the school’s college enrollment rate is 77 percent, compared to the state average of 72 percent. Data also indicated 88 percent of Hamilton graduates complete their first year of college and return for a second year.
The school has a mentor program with every student and after every progress report and report card are released, they meet with mentors to discuss grades and ways to improve them. In addition to class sponsors, the principal, secretary, assistant teachers and school nurse have mentor groups.
“I think us being an attendance center and being on a K-12 campus is beneficial because we still have elementary teachers who still check on our older kids. It’s everybody,” Stevens said. “Even the kids who are involved in athletics, we encourage our staff to come to ball games and support the kids and let them know they care everything about them, not just the academic portion of it.”
She said the team approach helps develop a school-wide culture that will continue to deliver positive results. For the class of 2020, Hamilton High School had a 100 percent graduation rate, and the Monroe County School District overall ranked in the state’s top three graduation rates that year.
Students are also held accountable to make sure they’re doing their part to succeed.
“That’s a life lesson to be responsible also,” Stevens said.
The MDE stated Mississippi schools recognized for 2021 College Success Award are among 1,838 high schools from 25 states that demonstrated a successful track record of graduating students who enroll in two- or four-year college; are ready for college-level coursework; and persist on to their second year. School, district and state education leaders in these 25 states were undeterred by the pandemic’s challenges and provided the critical data transparency needed to help communities understand paths to success from high school to college, according to the press release.
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https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/hamilton-high-school-wins-award-for-college-preparedness/article_b11bd831-57b3-5613-80fb-5e904045423c.html
| 2022-04-08T13:16:03
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https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/hamilton-high-school-wins-award-for-college-preparedness/article_b11bd831-57b3-5613-80fb-5e904045423c.html
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Plant workers employed before 1981 diagnosed with various cancers are entitled to special benefits. Lung cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, pharyngeal cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer and mesothelioma are frequently caused by asbestos exposure.
Asbestos-laced products were used for decades at both Kerr-McGee and True Temper Sports. Neither employees nor management were aware of the asbestos risk.
Asbestos is a mineral that in its natural state is harmless. It becomes harmful when it is pulled apart or ground up into flexible fibers. Then, when inhaled or swallowed, microscopic asbestos fibers may be permanently affixed to body tissue. Over many years, these fibers may cause genetic changes that can lead to cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, it can take from 10 to 40 years or more for asbestos-related cancers to appear.
To compensate cancer victims and the families of deceased cancer victims, federal bankruptcy courts have required asbestos manufacturers to set aside hundreds of millions of dollars in private trusts. Through these trusts, cancer victims can receive money damages by the filing of timely, detailed and accurate claims.
Norris Injury Lawyers has announced a specific initiative to assist Kerr-McGee employees in recovering money set aside for them in these asbestos trusts. Cancer victims or the families of deceased victims who worked at the refinery before 1981 may call 800-478-9578 for a free evaluation of their claim. Additional information is available at getnorris.com/asb.
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https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/local-plant-workers-diagnosed-with-cancer-secure-cash-benefits/article_addc59e9-90f8-5dc7-83ff-8e2458730120.html
| 2022-04-08T13:16:09
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SMITHVILLE – The Smithville Lady Noles found themselves in an uphill battle after falling behind by three runs in the top of the fourth, but the Lady Noles rallied back late.
A walkoff hit by Chloe Summerford helped Smithville grab a 4-3 win over Nettleton in Saturday's Smithville Tournament.
“It was a great tournament all the way around today,” Smithville coach Jeremy Duke said. “We had some great teams from the South come in with Ethel and Pisgah, Pontotoc and Mooreville in 4A and a good 3A team with Nettleton. Chloe (Summerford) pitched really well in the first game against Ethel, and Hallie (Benson) gave us a great game against Nettleton. We kept fighting in that game to get the win on a walkoff.”
After a slow start in the first two innings, the Lady Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Savannah Harlow singled on a bunt, while Nealy Williams got hit by a pitch to get on base. Tamera Martin got an RBI single to bring home Harlow on a hit to right field, giving Nettleton the lead.
Zyah Gunter and Charleigh Hand picked up base hits to get the Lady Tigers started in the top of the fourth. Harlow reached first on an error at the pitcher’s circle, allowing Gunter to come in for a run.
Anna Claire Harris hit an RBI single to right field to bring in Hand, increasing Nettleton’s lead to 3-0.
The Lady Noles got on the board in the bottom of the fourth after Hallie Benson hit a triple to left field, and Olivia Carter brought her home on an RBI single.
“Oliva (Carter) has been doing great,” Duke said. “We’ve messed around with the lineup the last three or four games, and it’s working out for us. Overall, I thought we had a day at the plate with multiple girls getting hits.”
Smithville continued to chip away at Nettleton’s lead in the sixth as Benson hit a double to left field, and Carter cracked an RBI double to bring her home and cut the lead to 3-2. In the top of the seventh, Benson picked up a much-needed strikeout to prevent the Lady Tigers from increasing their lead after they loaded the bases on walks with two outs.
In the bottom of the seventh, Orlandria Smith drilled a triple to right field, and Benson brought her home with an RBI double to tie things up at 3-3. On the next at-bat, Summerford made the walkoff hit for the Lady Noles on a bunt, allowing Benson to score after an error.
“Coming in, we felt like if we could get to that seventh inning only down by one with the top of our lineup coming up, we’d have a shot,” Duke said. “With a runner on second and only one out, we decided to go with a little bunt to see what would happen, and it went our way.”
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https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/lady-noles-rally-back-take-down-nettleton-in-smithville-tourney/article_738e4f4b-72df-5be1-9370-10fb935d7922.html
| 2022-04-08T13:16:15
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https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/lady-noles-rally-back-take-down-nettleton-in-smithville-tourney/article_738e4f4b-72df-5be1-9370-10fb935d7922.html
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TUPELO • The Tupelo Public School District is conducting its search for the next Tupelo High School principal in the hopes of filling the position next week.
The search began after current THS principal Art Dobbs was named executive director of Educational Enhancement and Workforce Development for the district on March 30. He'll continue to serve as principal through June 30.
TPSD Superintendent Dr. Rob Picou and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Brock English met with high school counselors and teachers during their planning periods on Wednesday to find out what they're looking for in a principal and hear about issues they'd like to see addressed.
Consulting with school staff during hiring searches is something Picou has always done as superintendent.
"I get to find out from the school staff what they're looking for, what they hope for," Picou said. "And I try to align my selection with those attributes."
Interviews with prospective candidates began Thursday and will continue through Monday.
Three members of the high school staff are a part of the selection team and are sitting in on interviews with the candidates: Jason Miller, THS activities director; April Friar, a teacher; and Katie Schaefer, a guidance counselor.
Picou said he hopes to have a candidate hired and approved by the TPSD Board of Trustees on Tuesday during the board's regular monthly meeting.
"We want to give the candidate an opportunity to get into the school before school is out and start working with teachers," Picou said.
Some of the issues teachers mentioned during meeting with district administrators include the pandemic's impact, social-emotional wellbeing of students and student work ethic.
With just over 2,000 students, Tupelo High School is the largest in Mississippi.
Picou said he's looking for a candidate that aligns with the attributes identified by THS staff in meetings Wednesday — someone who can connect with people, facilitate meaningful conversations and motivate others.
"I'd like to see the high school become the most innovative high school, if not in the state of Mississippi, the entire country," Picou said.
He wants to see a focus on college and career readiness, workforce development and other programs that will be beneficial to both the school and community.
Tupelo High School continued to achieve success despite the pandemic, celebrating its first set of Middle College graduates, reviving its JROTC program and increasing its graduation rate to 90.2%, the highest in school history.
The new principal will be tasked with not only maintaining, but increasing the success the high school has seen in recent years.
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https://www.djournal.com/news/education/tupelo-high-school-principal-search-underway-dobbs-replacement-expected-to-be-named-next-week/article_355350ad-7a8d-5f58-8b34-ec698e0b2c8a.html
| 2022-04-08T13:16:21
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https://www.djournal.com/news/education/tupelo-high-school-principal-search-underway-dobbs-replacement-expected-to-be-named-next-week/article_355350ad-7a8d-5f58-8b34-ec698e0b2c8a.html
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A rare surprise in the 23-year history of the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama will benefit students at institutions of higher education, the foundation announced this week.
The Phillip A. Sanguinetti Trust donated $1 million to provide scholarships in a variety of settings, officially notifying the foundation of the gift in March.
The contribution was unexpected.
“We were totally surprised, totally unaware” that it was coming, said Susan Williamson, the foundation’s vice president of advancement and communications.
Sanguinetti (1920-2020) was president of Consolidated Publishing Company, publisher of The Anniston Star, for 47 years.
The foundation had worked with him on smaller scholarship projects, but nothing this encompassing. Williamson said that while the foundation often hashes out instructions connected with donors’ gifts in advance of the donation taking effect, this is only the second time she knew of that a million-dollar gift arrived as a surprise.
But the foundation won’t be guessing in the dark as it allocates the invested proceeds from the Sanguinetti Trust’s gift: In directing his trustees to distribute the sum to the foundation, Sanguinetti wrote out what he wanted.
According to a statement the foundation released, The Phillip A. Sanguinetti and Elise A. Sanguinetti Scholarship Fund will provide scholarships to institutions of higher education, “including but not limited to four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, trade schools, vocations schools and institutions providing technical education and apprenticeship programs.”
The statement was written in Sanguinetti’s own voice, as he continued: “It is obvious to me that the skills that are in the greatest demand in our economy are constantly changing, although some of the trades seem to be enduring. I invite the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama to ‘think outside the box’ in implementing this Scholarship Fund and to award educational assistance in non-conventional ways if the Community Foundation determines that is best. Please do not be afraid to try different approaches and cast a wide net over many socioeconomic groups.”
Josephine Ayers, chairman and publisher of The Anniston Star, noted that Sanguinetti’s generous intent can be traced back to the paper’s founder, Harry M. Ayers, and through his son, her late husband, H. Brandt Ayers, and their desire to help provide education funds to first-generation college students of the area.
“His generosity is unparalleled,” Ayers said of Sanguinetti’s gift. The scholarship fund is named for Sanguinetti and his wife, Elise, who died in November 2014.
Promoting educational pursuits was a trait Sanguinetti carried over to his own life. Linda Hearn, executive director of the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, recalled at the time of Sanguinetti’s death in July 2020 that he had attended the chamber’s economic forums and even its workshops on such topics as sign language, or Spanish for businesses.
“He embraced the idea of lifelong learning and for him that never stopped,” Hearn said at the time. “I just remember him sitting there and soaking it all in.”
Williamson said the Sanguinetti scholarships will apply throughout the nine counties the foundation serves, but beyond that parameter it’s hard to say at the moment who will benefit and under what conditions. A gift this size necessarily requires careful consideration regarding its beneficiaries, she said.
“We want to be very respectful of his passion,” Williamson said. “We really want time to think about” how the scholarships will be awarded.
“The staff will be getting together to lay out the guidelines, then the board oversees what we propose,” she said.
Foundation officials were grateful in their response to the gift. Foundation president and CEO Jennifer Maddox called it a “powerful testament to the generosity of donors,” and foundation board chairman Anthony Cook said the deed was in keeping with what he already knew as a former employee of Consolidated Publishing: “This amazing gift to the Community Foundation is a final act of kindness that summarizes the man I knew for 25 years,” Cook wrote in a foundation statement.
The Community Foundation uses donor gifts to grow funds that benefit the community forever. Each year, the foundation awards $2 million in grants and scholarships through its coverage area.
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https://www.annistonstar.com/news/surprise-gift-from-sanguinetti-trust-will-benefit-prospective-students-in-nine-county-area/article_214fdc66-b6f7-11ec-b09c-5b0c4d1fb169.html
| 2022-04-08T13:20:43
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https://www.annistonstar.com/news/surprise-gift-from-sanguinetti-trust-will-benefit-prospective-students-in-nine-county-area/article_214fdc66-b6f7-11ec-b09c-5b0c4d1fb169.html
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Children 10 and younger are invited to come out to the Childersburg Parks and Recreation Center on Saturday for Eggapalooza from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The event is free, and that includes pictures with the Easter Bunny and prizes for the most eggs found in each age group.
There will also be Easter egg dying, free food (hot dogs, chips and drink), games and crafts.
There will be an Easter story starting at 9 a.m., followed by a hunt for 2,000 prize-filled eggs, with winners from 0 to 4 years old, 5 to 7 years old and 8 to 10 years old. You will need to bring your own basket, however.
The Childersburg Park and Recreation Center is located at 300 First Avenue Southwest in Childersburg.
For more information, call 256-378-6225.
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https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/dh_news/if-youre-10-or-under-and-want-to-hunt-easter-eggs-childersburg-has-the-event/article_4c0975ee-b6ba-11ec-8ba6-733b58189562.html
| 2022-04-08T13:20:50
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Amy Schneider marked Transgender Day of Visibility by meeting with the administration and addressing the recent uptick in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment back on March 31.
ABC7 News Anchor Reggie Aqui spoke with her about her West Wing moment.
"It was, you know, hard to believe it was just, it wasn't something I ever thought about imagining really. And you know, is it looks just like it does on TV....And really, you know, quite an honor," she said.
RELATED: 'Jeopardy!' champ Amy Schneider visited White House on Transgender Day of Visibility
In addition to Schneider's White House visit, Aqui told her she had "a really important message."
"Essentially, your message was that representation matters," Aqui said.
"You know, I think that all the stories I've heard from people talking about, you know, their relatives, their parents, grandparents, loved ones, being able to understand things a different way before, then they could before after seeing," she said.
"And that was kind of a surprise to me until I thought about it. And I realized that yeah, they haven't seen just a trans person before. They've only seen characters. They've seen, you know, the stereotypes and the fearful things that people say, and they just hadn't seen the reality of it yet."
Watch the full interview in our video media player above
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https://abc11.com/amy-schneider-white-house-jeopardy-lgbtq-transgender-day-of-visibility/11722141/
| 2022-04-08T13:27:03
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Walmart is raising pay for long-haul truck drivers, a taxing job that is increasingly difficult for companies to fill.
Walmart, one of the few retail chains that runs its own trucking fleet, said it's raising the average starting salary for first-year drivers from around $88,000 to a range of $95,000 to $110,000.
Walmart needs drivers to deliver goods to stores and e-commerce warehouses, as well as meet growing demand for customers' online orders. Walmart added more than 4,500 drivers last year, a record hiring spree for the company, which employs around 12,000 truck drivers.
The latest pay bump will "help us continue to hire aggressively to meet all-time high demand from customers," a Walmart spokesperson said in an email.
Walmart is also trying to hire new drivers internally. It started a three-month development program for its supply chain workers in select areas to earn their commercial driver's licenses and become Walmart truck drivers.
A shortage of truck drivers during the pandemic has pressured supply chains. Around 70% of American freight moves on trucks,
Turnover is high in the trucking industry and the job is notorious for its long hours, weeks spent away from home and low pay. It's also physically demanding.
The median pay in 2020 for heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers was $47,000, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Companies have raised pay to recruit drivers and stay competitive, but the trucking industry said last year it was still short 80,000 drivers.
The-CNN-Wire & 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://abc11.com/walmart-truck-driver-salary-jobs-drivers-trucking/11725367/
| 2022-04-08T13:27:09
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https://abc11.com/walmart-truck-driver-salary-jobs-drivers-trucking/11725367/
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A lawyer for Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has urged the state Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of increased power state legislators gave themselves to intervene during public health emergencies, arguing that the state’s residents could face great uncertainty in a time of distress.
The state’s highest court heard arguments Thursday in the lawsuit that Holcomb filed last year against the Republican-dominated Legislature over a law giving legislative leaders authority to call the General Assembly into what it calls an “emergency session.”
The Republican governor contends the state constitution allows only the governor to call a special legislative session.
A Marion County judge ruled last year that the Legislature can determine when it will meet.
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https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/indiana-supreme-court-weighing-dispute-over-emergency-law/
| 2022-04-08T13:38:38
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https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/indiana-supreme-court-weighing-dispute-over-emergency-law/
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The spread of a bird flu that is deadly to poultry raises the grisly question of how farms manage to quickly kill and dispose of millions of chickens and turkeys.
It’s a chore that farms across the country are increasingly facing as the number of poultry killed in the past two months has climbed to more than 24 million, with outbreaks reported nearly every day. Some farms have had to kill more than 5 million chickens at a single site with a goal of destroying the birds within 24 hours to limit the spread of the disease and prevent animals from suffering.
“The faster we can get on site and depopulate the birds that remain on site, the better,” Minnesota State Veterinarian Beth Thompson said.
The outbreak is the biggest since 2015, when producers had to kill more than 50 million birds. So far this year, there have been cases in 24 states, with Iowa the hardest hit with about 13 million chickens and turkeys killed. Other states with sizable outbreaks include Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Indiana.
Farms faced with the need to kill so many birds turn to recommendations by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Even as it has developed methods to kill the poultry quickly, the association acknowledges its techniques “may not guarantee that the deaths the animals face are painless and distress free.” Veterinarians and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials also typically oversee the process.
One of the preferred methods is to spray water-based firefighting foam over birds as they roam around the ground inside a barn. That foam kills the animals by cutting off their air supply.
When foam won’t work because birds are in cages above the ground or it’s too cold, the USDA recommends sealing up barns and piping carbon dioxide inside, first rendering the birds unconscious and ultimately killing them.
If one those methods won’t work because equipment or workers aren’t available, or when the size of a flock is too large, the association said a last resort is a technique called ventilation shutdown. In that scenario, farmers stop airflow into barns, which raises temperatures to levels at which the animals die. The USDA and the veterinary association recommend that farmers add additional heat or carbon dioxide to barns to speed up the process and limit suffering by the animals.
Mike Stepien, a spokesman for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said the techniques are the best options when it’s necessary to quickly kill so many birds.
“State animal health officials and producers carefully weigh the different options to determine the best option for humane depopulation and do not make such decisions lightly,” Stepien said.
Not everyone agrees.
Animal welfare groups argue that all these methods for quickly killing birds are inhumane, though they are particularly opposed to ventilation shutdown, which they note can take hours and is akin to leaving a dog in a hot car. Animal rights groups delivered a petition last year signed by 3,577 people involved in caring for animals, including nearly 1,600 veterinarians, that urged the veterinary association to stop recommending ventilation shutdown as an option.
“We have to do better. None of these are acceptable in any way,” said Sara Shields, director of farm animal welfare science at Humane Society International.
Opponents of the standard techniques said firefighting foam uses harmful chemicals and it essentially drowns birds, causing chickens and turkeys to suffer convulsions and cardiac arrest as they die. They say carbon dioxide is painful to inhale and detectible by the birds, prompting them to try to flee the gas.
Karen Davis, of the nonprofit group United Poultry Concerns, urged the veterinary association to stop recommending all of its three main options.
“They’re all ways that I would not choose to die, and I would not choose anybody else to die regardless of what species they belong to,” Davis said.
Shields said there are more humane alternatives, such as using nitrogen gas but those options tend to be more expensive and could have logistical challenges.
Sam Krouse, vice president of Indiana-based MPS Egg Farms, said farmers feel miserable about using any of the options.
“We pour our lives and livelihoods into taking care of those birds, and it’s just devastating when we lose any of those birds,” Krouse said. “Everything that we’re doing every day is focused on keeping the disease out and making sure that we’re keeping our hens as safe as possible.”
Officials emphasize that this virus that’s spread primarily through the droppings of infected wild birds doesn’t threaten food safety or represent a significant public health threat. Sick birds aren’t allowed into the food supply and properly cooking poultry and eggs kills any viruses that might be present. And health officials say no human cases of bird flu have been found in the United States during this current outbreak.
Once poultry are dead, farmers must quickly dispose of the birds. They usually don’t want to risk the chance of spreading the virus by transporting the carcasses to landfills, so crews typically pile the birds up into huge rows inside barns and combine them with other materials, such as ground up corn stalks and sawdust to create a compost pile.
After a couple weeks of decomposition, the carcasses are converted into a material that can be spread on cropland to help fertilize crops. In some cases, carcasses are buried in trenches on the farm or incinerated.
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https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/bird-flus-grisly-question-how-to-kill-millions-of-poultry/
| 2022-04-08T13:38:44
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‘I went Mike Tyson on him’: Homeowner describes taking down suspected burglars
OAK PARK, Calif. (KABC) - A California man refused to become a victim after two people reportedly broke into his home last week.
Sal Mercado said he “went Mike Tyson” on the burglars and credited his strong left and right hook for diffusing the situation.
Mercado said he was startled when he returned home Thursday and found a car parked out front with a driver inside.
After he entered his home, he said he came face-to-face with a stranger.
Mercado said he struck one of the burglars who then ran to the waiting vehicle.
“He starts to go to the side of me, to get out of the house, and I went ‘bam’ with a right cross. And he went down on the grass in the front yard. Picked himself up and ran to the car,” Mercado said.
However, it didn’t end there.
He saw a second man coming down the stairs and went into defense mode again, striking the mam, and causing him to stumble and fall on the grass outside.
“The thought was, ‘I got this guy, I want to catch him. I want to make sure he gets prosecuted. I want to make sure to hold him down until the cops get here,’” Mercado said.
Mercado said he feels lucky his family was not home when the bandits broke in.
One man is facing felony charges of first-degree residential burglary and conspiracy while the two other suspects are still at large.
Copyright 2022 KABC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/08/i-went-mike-tyson-him-homeowner-describes-taking-down-suspected-burglars/
| 2022-04-08T13:41:27
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Jury gets bomb evidence in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot trial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Jurors entered a fifth day of deliberations Friday with pennies that were offered as evidence of an explosive earlier in the trial of four men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
A court employee handed over a large plastic bag known as exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.
“If you want something different or something additional, just let us know,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said. “We wish you well in your continuing deliberations.”
The jury is considering 10 charges in the case: one against Brandon Caserta, two against Adam Fox, three against Barry Croft Jr. and four against Daniel Harris. The men all face the main charge of a kidnapping conspiracy; the other counts are related to explosives and a firearm.
Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel, investigators said.
A homemade explosive was detonated during training in September 2020, according to evidence, about a month before the men were arrested.
In his closing argument on April 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft wanted to test the explosive as a possible weapon to use against Whitmer’s security team. He quoted him as saying the pennies would be so hot they could go “right through your skin.”
The trial now has covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations.
Prosecutors offered testimony from undercover agents, a crucial informant and two men who pleaded guilty to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.
Prosecutors said the group was steeped in anti-government extremism and angry over Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Defense lawyers, however, said any scheme was the creation of government agents who were embedded in the group and manipulated the men.
Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/08/jury-gets-bomb-evidence-gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial/
| 2022-04-08T13:41:31
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/08/jury-gets-bomb-evidence-gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial/
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Pink Floyd to release first new music in 28 years in support of Ukraine
LONDON (AP) — Pink Floyd is releasing its first new music in almost three decades to raise money for the people of Ukraine, the band announced Thursday.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” features Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, with vocals from Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band BoomBox. Roger Waters, who left the band in the 1980s, is not involved.
The track features Khlyvnyuk singing a patriotic Ukrainian song from a clip he recorded in front of Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral and posted on social media.
Gilmour, who performed with BoomBox in London in 2015, said the video was “a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music.”
After Russia’s invasion, Khlyvnyuk cut short a tour of the U.S. to return to Ukraine and join a territorial defense unit.
Gilmour said he spoke to Khlyvnyuk, who was recovering in a hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury, while he was writing the song. He said: “I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future.”
The song is being released Friday and the band says proceeds will go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.
“We want to express our support for Ukraine, and in that way show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become,” Gilmour said.
Pink Floyd was founded in London in the mid-1960s and helped forge the U.K. psychedelic scene before releasing influential 1970s albums including “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Wall.”
Original member Waters quit in 1985, and the remaining members of Pink Floyd last recorded together for the 1994 album “The Division Bell.” After keyboard player Richard Wright died in 2008, Gilmour said he doubted Pink Floyd would perform together again.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” also features Guy Pratt on bass and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/08/pink-floyd-release-first-new-music-28-years-support-ukraine/
| 2022-04-08T13:41:32
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S. Carolina schedules 1st execution with firing squad ready
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has scheduled its first execution after corrections officials finished updating the death chamber to prepare for executions by firing squad.
The clerk of the State Supreme Court has set an April 29 execution date for Richard Bernard Moore, a 57-year-old man who has spent more than two decades on death row after he was convicted of killing convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg.
Moore could face a choice between the electric chair and the firing squad, two options available to death row prisoners after legislators altered the state’s capital punishment law last year in an effort to work around a decade-long pause in executions, attributed to the corrections agency’s inability to procure lethal injection drugs.
The new law made the electric chair the state’s primary means of execution while giving prisoners the option of choosing death by firing squad or lethal injection, if those methods are available.
The state corrections agency said last month it had finished developing protocols for firing squad executions and completed $53,600 in renovations on the death chamber in Columbia, installing a metal chair with restraints that faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet (4.6 meters) away.
In the case of a firing squad execution, three volunteer shooters — all Corrections Department employees — will have rifles loaded with live ammunition, with their weapons trained on the inmate’s heart. A hood will be placed over the head of the inmate, who will be given the opportunity to make a last statement.
South Carolina is one of eight states to still use the electric chair and one of four to allow a firing squad, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.
Moore is one of 35 men on South Carolina’s death row. He exhausted his federal appeals in 2020, and the state Supreme Court denied another appeal this week.
Lindsey Vann, an attorney for Moore, said Thursday she will ask the court to stay the execution.
The state last scheduled an execution for Moore in 2020, which was then delayed after prison officials said they couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs.
During Moore’s 2001 trial, prosecutors said Moore entered the store looking for money to support his cocaine habit and got into a dispute with Mahoney, who drew a pistol that Moore wrestled away from him.
Mahoney pulled a second gun, and a gunfight ensued. Mahoney shot Moore in the arm, and Moore shot Mahoney in the chest. Prosecutors said Moore left a trail of blood through the store as he looked for cash, stepping twice over Mahoney.
At the time, Moore claimed that he acted in self-defense after Mahoney drew the first gun.
Moore’s supporters have argued his crime doesn’t rise to the level of heinousness in other death penalty cases in the state. His appeals lawyers have said that because Moore didn’t bring a gun into store, he couldn’t have intended to kill someone when he walked in.
South Carolina’s last execution was in 2011, when Jeffrey Motts, on death row for strangling a cellmate while serving a life sentence for another murder, abandoned his appeals and opted for the death chamber.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Teen arrested for driving 151 mph and killing 6 in crash, police say
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 8:22 AM CDT|Updated: 17 minutes ago
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Gray News) - Police in Florida said a 17-year-old was arrested Wednesday for a deadly crash in January that killed six people.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Noah Galle was driving 151 mph when he hit a Nissan Rouge with six people inside Jan. 27. All six people inside the Nissan died.
Investigators found that Galle did not brake when he hit the Nissan.
Galle was arrested Wednesday on six counts of vehicular homicide and had his first court appearance Thursday morning.
Police did not provide further details.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Rafael Ortega’s baseball journey has endured plenty of challenges, taking him to seven major-league organizations with 11 years between his big-league debut and playing for the Chicago Cubs.
Among all the highs and lows, Ortega had never experienced the excitement that comes with being on a major-league team for opening day — until Thursday. Ortega was not a lock to make the Cubs out of camp with six outfielders on the 40-man roster. But expanded rosters, no minor-league options and slugging off right-handers last season helped Ortega make the opening-day roster — and with it a career first.
Ortega’s wife and two children watched him hit leadoff as the designated hitter Thursday in a 5-4 win against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
“I was working for that for years and years to have the opportunity to make the opening-day roster,” Ortega told the Tribune. “Finally I get the opportunity to, and it’s never too late. It’s never too late to make a dream come true.”
Nine Cubs experienced their first opening day: Ortega, third baseman Patrick Wisdom, right fielder Seiya Suzuki, first baseman Alfonso Rivas, left-hander Justin Steele and right-handers Ethan Roberts, Scott Effross, Keegan Thompson and Michael Rucker.
Rucker found out he made the team Monday. He was pulled off Field 1 at the Cubs’ complex in Mesa, Ariz., during batting practice and brought to manager David Ross’ office. Rucker got a taste of the majors last season, appearing in 20 games. He didn’t want it to be a one-time experience.
“Those kinds of conversations, at some point you’re going to have one and then you just pray that it’s going to be a good one,” Rucker said of the waiting game to make the roster. “I just hoped that the preparation that I did over the offseason, and then what I showed in the camp, would be enough to have them trust in my ability to be able to contribute to this team starting with opening day.”
Rivas’ .388 on-base percentage stood out during his 49 plate appearances in 2021 before a tendon injury in the middle finger of his right hand prematurely ended his season. The left-handed-hitting Rivas’ positional flexibility — able to man first base and the corner outfield spots — as well as his knack for pinch hitting (4-for-6 with an RBI and two runs last season), is valuable.
Andrelton Simmons’ move to the injured list to open the season with right shoulder soreness paved the way for Rivas.
“Seeing the vibe that’s in here, the happiness each guy brings out just walking through this locker room, it’s awesome,” Rivas said. “It’s an accomplishment of itself for sure.”
Here are four more things we learned Thursday.
1. Seiya Suzuki’s plate discipline sets up success.
Suzuki thought he would be nervous going into his major-league debut, but the Japanese star wasn’t, noting “it was actually really fun.”
“In all my at-bats I was able to be myself and enjoy the game today,” Suzuki said through interpreter Toy Matsushita.
The approach and great understanding of the zone Suzuki showed during camp was evident in each of his plate appearances Thursday. Suzuki fell behind 1-2 in his first at-bat against Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes before drawing a six-pitch walk. He followed that with a single to left field on an 0-1 slider from Burnes in his second PA.
Suzuki again turned a 1-2 count into a walk, this time an eight-pitch battle versus left-hander Aaron Ashby in the sixth. Suzuki was bested in his final PA facing reliever Jake Cousins, taking three consecutive pitches for a strikeout looking.
It’s just one game, but Suzuki’s adjustments and understanding of the zone was obvious.
“I‘ve been able to grasp the feeling of the game with all these at-bats coming from spring training and opening day,” Suzuki said. “Obviously all these pitchers have a different way of pitching in terms of motion and their pitch sequences.”
Suzuki’s first big-league hit off Burnes, who won the National League Cy Young award last year, is even more impressive in retrospect after the Cubs right fielder explained postgame he never had faced that type of cutter.
“I’ve never seen that much movement and that much power at the same time,” Suzuki said. “But obviously you have to get those results against great pitchers to succeed at this level.”
2. Multi-inning/piggyback options take a hit with right-hander Alec Mills landing on the injured list.
When the Cubs officially announced their 28-man opening-day roster Thursday morning, Alec Mills’ inclusion on the 10-day injured list was notable. The Cubs had not mentioned any ailment Mills was dealing with during camp, but a low back strain means he is not eligible to join the team until April 14 at the earliest. Hoyer indicated Thursday that it potentially could be a minimum IL stint for Mills.
Ross said the decision to put Mills on the IL was due to “a lot of precaution” with the right-hander. Mills experienced some back tightness after he threw a bullpen Saturday. He threw again Tuesday, but his back didn’t feel good afterward.
With Monday’s off day, the Cubs won’t need a fifth starter until April 16 at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. Mills could be an option for that game, but in the meantime the Cubs lose a proven multi-inning, versatile arm in the bullpen. Mills, 30, pitched multiple innings in seven of his 12 relief appearance last season, complementing his 20 starts. Without Mills, the Cubs might need to do more mixing and matching in shorter spurts with right-hander Keegan Thompson and left-hander Daniel Norris as their main long-relief options.
3. David Robertson gets first chance to be go-to option in the ninth.
Ross wouldn’t commit to a singular closer when the topic was broached during spring training. He didn’t want to lock one guy into the role. The Cubs have options to go with mix-and-match choices, both veteran relievers, such as Mychal Givens, Chris Martin and Robertson, as well as intriguing choices including Rowan Wick, who recorded nine saves over the last two seasons, and Ethan Roberts with his 17 minor-league saves.
The Cubs quickly tested Ross’ late-inning bullpen approach. He called on Wick to hold a two-run lead in the eighth, but Wick couldn’t toss a clean inning. He surrendered a run on a one-out sacrifice fly to trim the lead to 5-4, prompting Ross to replace Wick with Givens, who got the final out of the eighth on a full-count strikeout to strand the tying run on second.
Robertson handled the ninth with relative ease, working around a one-out single. Solidifying the back end of the bullpen would go a long way toward helping the Cubs figure out how to utilize a group that currently features three inexperienced relievers — Roberts, Michael Rucker and Scott Effross.
Robertson got the first opportunity, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if others get a chance, especially during April.
4. New-look infield epitomizes transition.
It has been a long time since the Cubs infield featured so many new faces to start the season.
Anthony Rizzo manned first base on opening day dating to 2013, while Kris Bryant (2016) and Javier Báez (2017) were staples too. The Cubs debuted an entirely new infield against the Milwaukee Brewers, a blend of last season’s unexpected standouts and, the organization hopes, their double-play tandem for years to come.
For the first time since 2002, the four Cubs infielders — Frank Schwindel, Nick Madrigal, Nico Hoerner and Patrick Wisdom — made their first opening-day starts for the team. That 2002 opening-day infield featured Fred McGriff (first base), Delino DeShields (second), Alex Gonzalez (shortstop) and Chris Stynes (third).
If it wasn’t clear yet that the Cubs are moving on from the last couple of years, look no further than the new infield alignment.
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It’s right there, laid out for everyone to read, in the six double-spaced lines and 80 legalistic words of paragraph 166.
Whatever it is.
Wherever it goes now, too.
Brian Flores wrote a letter Dec. 4, 2019, about feeling pressure to lose games by Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross, the former coach’s amended lawsuit alleges in that paragraph.
“In this letter, Mr. Flores detailed the toxicity that existed within the organization and explained the unreasonable position he was place in by the team’s ownership and upper management,’ paragraph 166 finishes.
This letter was sent to team President Tom Garfinkel, General Manager Chris Grier and Senior Vice President Brandon Shore. The net, you see, has widened. The stakes are increasing. That’s why this latest legal step ups the overall ante.
It’s not just Ross alleged to be part of some game-fixing scheme thing that could bring down his NFL ownership, bring in an Congressional or FBI investigation and make Bullygate look like child’s play by comparison
Everyone running the Dolphins is involved it now. Again: Whatever it is and wherever it goes. If anywhere. That’s still front and center on the table, too.
Because while Flores’ lawyers dropped the idea of a letter, they didn’t show the letter itself. They didn’t detail what Flores wrote. They didn’t say, for instance, if a $100,000-a-loss payout was mentioned in the letter, as Flores has alleged Ross said in conversation.
We don’t know if the Dolphins front office forwarded the letter to the NFL, too. That would have been the wise and legally necessary thing to do. That wouldn’t just have covered their careers but done what the NFL bylaws say must be done if a game-fixing scheme is uncovered.
Here’s what we know from this latest filing: Flores had the presence of mind to write a letter about the “alarming demands” by Ross to lose games, as the lawsuit now states.
“If it wasn’t true what he wrote, how does he keep his job for two more years?” asks sports attorney Daniel Wallach, who practices in South Florida.
The point being Ross should have fired a coach who falsely accused him of demanding to lose games. But Wallach needs to see the letter, needs to read the words before saying Ross is in trouble.
The letter’s timestamp is three days after the Dolphins beat Philadelphia for their third win. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 365 yards that day — the most by a Dolphins quarterback since Ryan Tannehill in the second game of the 2016 season. That’s what it took for that awful 2019 team to win.
What the letter does, Wallach says, is show Flores’ allegation is not, “just a bare accusation. It’s also memorialized in a contemporaneous written document. Who knows if it was accurate or self-serving but in December of 2019 Flores had the awareness to detail what he saw happen in the memorandum.”
There remain issues only depositions can unravel now. Here’s one: What does Adam Gase say? Gase left the team because he, “wants to win now,’ Ross said at the end of the 2018 season.
That quote can cover a lot of ground. Did Gase not agree with rebuilding at all? Not want to trade quarterback Ryan Tannehill? Did Ross suggest he wanted or didn’t want to tank games to Gase in a manner that would support or undermine Flores?
The mystery remains how Flores was hired without, as he has said, being asked what he thought about tanking a season. You didn’t even have to say the t-word. Ask: What would you think playing a team of all young players?
For now, the Dolphins remain on a strangely dual course. They bought big names like Tyreek Hill and Terron Armstead in a manner that revamped their offense and gave hope for the season.
Off the field, the legal winds are circulating over them and no one knows if it’s bad air or bad accusations. But for the good of all — the Dolphins, the fans, the league — this has to play out, one paragraph 166 at a time.
Everyone in the Dolphins hierarchy got Flores’ letter. That raises the stakes of what’s in the letter.
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Good morning, Chicago.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic legislative leaders announced an agreement on an election-year state budget that would include more than $1.8 billion in largely temporary tax relief while paying down $1.2 billion in debt. The relief plan includes one-time direct payments to most taxpayers, along with short-term breaks on gas, groceries and real estate taxes. State lawmakers also unanimously approved a landmark funding increase for nursing homes that one sponsor called the most important improvement ever made to long-term care facilities in the state.
In Washington, the Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court in a 53-47 vote on Thursday with three Republicans joining the Democrats, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice.
And on the North Side, it was a sea of blue and red as fans flooded Wrigleyville bundled up in their Cubs gear for opening day. The Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 at Wrigley Field in what the Tribune’s Paul Sullivan called a day the Cubs could savor: They’re not expected to go anywhere, so they might as well enjoy every day they can prove the narrative wrong. And Tribune photographers were on hand to capture images of the opening day scene.
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
COVID-19 tracker | More newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy | Today’s eNewspaper edition
Though ‘stealth’ omicron cases are climbing in Chicago, top doctor doubts another major surge is on the way: ‘I am not alarmed’
Chicago’s public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said that the city’s outlook for weathering the recent increase in COVID-19 cases remains promising.
Cases of the highly contagious BA.2 subvariant of omicron — commonly known as “stealth omicron” — now make up 67.4% of new cases in the Midwest, Arwady said. That progression is coinciding with a rise in COVID-19 numbers in Chicago: In the past week, the city’s average daily caseload of positive tests has spiked 28%, landing at 304. The positivity rate has also ticked up to 1.7%.
Chicago monument committee won’t recommend Christopher Columbus statues’ return, sources say
Late last month Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she “fully expects” to return a controversial statue of Christopher Columbus to its former pedestal in Grant Park. That was concerning news to members of the mayor’s committee reviewing Chicago monuments, emails obtained by the Tribune show.
Sources with knowledge of the committee’s work told the Tribune it will not recommend Columbus statues’ return.
Starbucks in Edgewater Beach becomes sixth Chicago store to file for union representation
Workers at a Starbucks in Edgewater Beach have filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, bringing the number of Starbucks locations in Chicago seeking union representation to six.
“We just want to come together and have a bit more recognition and have a say in how to best serve our customers,” said Rachel Simandl, a barista at the store at 1070 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. on Chicago’s Far North Side. Simandl started working at the Edgewater Beach location a couple of months ago and previously worked for three years at Starbucks locations in McHenry County.
- WTTW technicians end three-week strike, reach agreement on new labor contract with Chicago public TV station
- Chicago business relocation pitch targets ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation with full-page ads in Florida, Texas and Arizona
With ‘one goal in mind,’ the White Sox open the 2022 season with high expectations
Liam Hendriks knows not to get too caught up in preseason projections, whether your team is picked to finish first or near the bottom of the division standings. “Projections, that’s all they are, projections,” the Chicago White Sox closer told the Tribune this week in Glendale, Ariz. “They’re not going to be as clear and as crisp as we are going to put forward. It can go any number of ways.
Forget the prognosticators. The Sox have high expectations of their own after playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021. The season begins Friday against the Tigers at Comerica Park (12:10 p.m., NBCSCH).
- The White Sox expect a more competitive AL Central in 2022 — and that could benefit them come October
- How to watch — or stream — Sox games for the 2022 season
Elopement and microweddings have never been more popular. Here are 7 destinations perfect for tying the knot.
With the wedding industry still making up for lost time after the event restrictions stemming from COVID-19 — 96% of weddings set for 2020 had to be modified in some way according to The Knot’s 2020 Real Weddings Survey — it’s no wonder that more couples are reprioritizing what they want in a big day and opting for intimate elopements or scaled-down affairs.
Modern elopements and microweddings — typically 50 guests or less — offer couples the option to take matters into their own hands, making the most of venues at a fraction of the cost of a large wedding and putting the focus back on what really matters: each other. Here are our favorite destinations for couples looking to get out of town to wed in 2022.
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For the first time in five years, the Chicago Bulls will compete in the NBA playoffs. But the mood is far from celebratory in the locker room.
With two games left in the regular season — the home finale Friday against the Charlotte Hornets and Sunday at the Minnesota Timberwolves — the Bulls are floundering after being blown out in three consecutive games. Even with a postseason berth clinched, the team’s confidence has been plummeting as injuries, poor shooting and lax defense dim hopes for a long playoff run.
“We look like a totally different team right now. And it’s upsetting,” guard Zach LaVine said. “We’ve got to get back to what we were doing.”
Three months ago, the Bulls felt like they had arrived, snatching the top spot in the Eastern Conference on the heels of several highlight-stuffed winning streaks. But coach Billy Donovan wasn’t joining in the celebration.
Even when the Bulls were winning consistently, Donovan was concerned with weaknesses he saw across the team — slips in the defense, unsustainably high-shooting accuracy from behind the arc, inexperienced players thrust into starting positions. So the sudden slump didn’t necessarily surprise Donovan, but he also believes it doesn’t define the team.
“When you’re winning, you have a false sense of reality of who you are,” Donovan said. “We’re not as bad as we’ve played. We’re not. But you know what? We probably weren’t as good when we went on (that) nine-game win streak. Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle.”
One easy predictor for the Bulls’ downward trajectory was the difficulty of their schedule in the final third of the season. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Bulls faced the second-toughest stretch behind the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bulls record reflects that challenge — 7-14 since the All-Star break, the sixth-worst in the league in that 21-game span. Donovan said he wouldn’t trade the schedule for an easier one, hoping the losing streak taught his young roster valuable lessons about how to compete.
“As crazy as it sounds, you have to go through significant adversity challenges because you have to be able to dig out deeper inside,” Donovan said. “There’s a determination, a fight, a competitiveness that you have to have this time of year because you are dealing on margins. That’s what you’re fighting for — margins.”
But other teams won those margins. The defending-champion Bucks, for instance, are 13-6 since the All-Star break despite facing the hardest schedule, carving out a spot for themselves as a potential top-three seed in the East.
The test of a team’s mettle isn’t facing tough opponents; it’s beating them. And the most concerning aspect of the recent skid is the fact the Bulls still haven’t identified its root cause.
“If I could put my finger on it, we could be fixing it,” LaVine said. “So hopefully we can find it.”
Donovan believes one main issue is a lack of consistency — especially for young players such as Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams, who are fresh to late-season competitiveness. They might bring intensity on certain plays and drives, but the Bulls aren’t able to apply pressure for long durations of the game, easing up on opponents long enough to allow runs.
After Wednesday’s blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, Williams admitted he “lacked confidence” contesting players such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Those lapses resulted in wide-open opportunities for skilled players to wreak havoc on the Bulls.
“It’s like (they think), ‘Wow, I think I’m playing hard,’ but it’s not good enough,” Donovan said. “These moments where you’re playing against really good, quality teams, you just get to a point where it’s like — what are you competing for?”
“You’re competing for everything on every single possession. You’re competing on the screen. You’re competing to get out there and contest. You’re competing on the glass. There has to be precision and concentration and this intense focus. We’ve got to get that, and I don’t feel like we have that.”
This Bulls season was never meant to be a one-off push to the playoffs. The franchise has been building toward the long term for years around young players such as LaVine and Williams, and the Bulls’ 45-35 record is a massive improvement from four consecutive losing seasons.
But the Bulls are here now — in the playoffs, the exact position the franchise has been seeking for so long — and building for the future will satisfy only so many fans. In the final weekend of the regular season, Donovan believes the gauntlet has been thrown for the Bulls to compete at a higher intensity.
“I’ve loved these guys,” he said. “They’ve been great, and what they’re going through is going to be very valuable in terms of helping them grow. But there’s a lot that goes into this, and it can’t be, ‘Sorry, it’s my fault.’ Those things add up over a period of time.”
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The Chicago Blackhawks will retire Hall of Fame forward Marián Hossa’s No. 81 next season, the team announced Thursday, shortly after he signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Hawk.
“It’s amazing,” Hossa told the Tribune. “I’m honored and really humbled to be in that company … in the United Center in the rafters.”
Before their 2-0 loss to the the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, the Hawks held a ceremonial contract signing in the United Center atrium.
“To me, the greatest free-agent signing in Chicago sports history, Marian was the franchise’s missing piece,” Hawks CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement. “Both on and off the ice, he made an indelible mark on his teammates and our organization. … His humble demeanor and vaunted work ethic was everything we could have asked for and more in a superstar when we signed him in 2009. We feel that it’s only fitting that Marian retire as a Blackhawk as he starts a new chapter in his life.”
The last week made for quite the homecoming for Hossa.
On Sunday, he reunited with Jonathan Toews — his teammate on three Stanley Cup winners — for Toews’ 1,000th-game celebration, and they were joined on the ice by Hawks greats, including Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook.
Then came Hossa’s retirement-contract ceremony, but the number retirement was a surprise. He is the only player in franchise history to have worn No. 81.
“I still don’t get it,” Hossa said. “When (Chairman) Rocky (Wirtz) told me the news, I was blown away.
“I was expecting one thing — to sign with the Blackhawks my last contract so I can retire as a Blackhawk. And then when he announced the other news, retiring my number, I was blown away, I was speechless and really thankful, humble. It’s amazing to finish my career like that. It’s something I never thought about.”
During a break in Thursday’s game, the Hossa news was announced via the video board with a graphic of a banner unfurling to reveal his name and number. Hossa told in-game host Genna Rose, “Being here in the United Center next year in the rafters mean so much to me.”
The most recent Hawks to have their sweaters retired were Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson, who both wore No. 3, on Nov. 12, 2008. The others include Glenn Hall (1), Bobby Hull (9), Denis Savard (18), Stan Mikita (21) and Tony Esposito (35).
The first-ballot Hall of Famer chatted about the honor and other topics with the Tribune.
1. Hossa credits a ‘great environment’ in Chicago.
Hossa’s 525 goals with five teams in 19 NHL seasons rank 35th all time, but his key moments with the Hawks demonstrate the two-way game he became known for.
For example, Hossa prided himself on backchecking, which neutralized Dustin Brown’s attempt at forechecking — leaving Brown flat on his back when the Hawks and the Los Angeles Kings met in Game 1 of the 2014 Western Conference finals.
Hossa’s Hawks tenure started with two goals against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 25, 2009, but no goal was more important than his overtime winner in Game 5 of the quarterfinal series against the Nashville Predators. The Hawks went on to win the first of three championships in six years.
“My goal was always to play at the best capacity possible, and I know that I had some qualities in me and my game, that’s why I tried to help the team/,” Hossa said. “But I never thought about the Hall of Fame, I never thought about being in the rafters with the great ones playing in the United Center. But I guess I got lucky to play with the great players that I did, I had accomplishments we did with the teams through my career in Chicago.
“They helped me, we helped each other, together we won the championships. So that definitely was a big help why I was (inducted into) the Hall of Fame (in November and) why I’m getting my jersey retired. So I thank the team of people, my players, the coaching staff, because I was lucky to be in a great environment.”
2. Hossa explained how No. 18 became 81.
The winger wore No. 18 for the Ottawa Senators, Atlanta Thrashers and Pittsburgh Penguins, but he switched to 81 for the Detroit Red Wings and Hawks.
“When I started in the National Hockey League as an 18-year-old — that’s why I got 18 — because in Ottawa I had three choices for a number, one of them was 18,” the Stará Ľubovňa, Slovakia, native said. “And I told myself, ‘That could be a cool start.’ ”
“In Detroit, Kirk Maltby had already won four Stanley Cups, so I didn’t even bother to ask him to switch numbers. So I just switched digits and since then I was 81. So good things happened, and 81 was luck for me in Chicago.”
Besides, in Chicago, 18 is most associated with fellow Hall of Famer Denis Savard.
“Exactly,” Hossa said. “So it worked out well.”
If Hossa had continued playing after his July 2018 trade to the Arizona Coyotes, he could have run into a third conflict: No. 81 Phil Kessel, a two-time Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins who finished his career with the Coyotes.
“Good thing when they traded my contract to Arizona I didn’t play for them because Phil would lose his number,” Hossa said with a smile.
3. As much as Hossa helped the Hawks, Pavel Datsyuk influenced him.
Hossa spent only the 2008-09 season with the Red Wings, but it had an undeniable impact on his career.
“Obviously I had the talent to score goals, but then I learned — especially from Detroit, learning from Pavel Datsyuk so much — that helped me to become way better a two-way player at stealing pucks and help the team that way,” Hossa said.
Like Hossa, Datsyuk clearly was no slouch on offense, so if he could pay attention to defense and his play away from the puck, Hossa could too.
“Datsyuk, he was like (the) magic man,” Hossa said. “Nobody’s got hands like Datsyuk. (Patrick Kane) got really close.
“But Pavel, with the body language on the ice and the style (he had), he could make the moves.
“But what I tried to learn from him was backchecking ability, lifting the pucks from behind, catching guys unexpected, stealing the pucks.”
Datsyuk helped Hossa work on his skills after practice.
“Then I started learning slowly how to take the pucks from him, and that helped me be better in the games,” Hossa said. “So when I came to Chicago I was prepared to be better in that area, and I was glad Jonny (Toews) or Kaner could see me doing that and grab something out of it and use it in their games.”
4. One of Chicago’s biggest draws for Hossa was … Michael Jordan?
The Hawks being an Original Six franchise appealed to Hossa when he was a free agent in summer 2009 — and a 12-year, $63 million deal didn’t hurt — but Chicago’s reputation as a big sports town was a bonus.
“I knew when I was coming here, when I was young kid I used to admire Michael Jordan because of what he did,” Hossa said of the Chicago Bulls’ six-time NBA champion. “I wasn’t even a basketball fan, but he sucked me in because he was Michael Jordan, and I became a basketball fan because of him.
Toni Kukoč, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman made the game fun to watch, he said, and helped familiarize him with Chicago.
“There’s so much potential in the city to choose different sports, and I’m glad in 2010 we won and brought the Cup back to the city,” he said.
5. The Hawks and Hossa are hashing out a role for him — if they can pull him away from his food business.
“I’m talking with the Blackhawks (about) certain possibilities,” Hossa told the Tribune. “We’re having deeper and deeper conversations. I would like to be involved for the future and help them in some way.”
Hossa stepped away from the game after the 2016-17 season because of eczema, a skin disorder, but he hasn’t been idle.
He runs a food supplier in Slovakia called Hossa Family that employs 250 people and has a fleet of 100 vehicles.
“We’ve got pasta, dumplings, pierogies and that type of thing,” Hossa said. “Plus if you own a restaurant, we can supply you with different types of meat, fish and things like that. We can deliver to you.”
It started in 2008 as a 2008 investment in his cousin’s business.
“My focus was strictly on hockey. … I told him ‘I trust you, I don’t want to do anything with this business,’ ” he said.
But the business wasn’t working out.
After hockey, “I got involved way more, I started making changes,” Hossa said.
“I bought him out, and after I became the full owner of the company and make some changes, hire the right people,” he said. “We try to grow it.”
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| 2022-04-08T13:47:25
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Markieff Morris is not one to lack for confidence. So even before starting power forward P.J. Tucker went down with the calf strain that could jeopardize his availability for the start of the NBA playoffs, Morris saw a logical place for himself in the Miami Heat postseason rotation.
“I know I will play in the playoffs,” Morris said ahead of Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks at FTX Arena, the Heat’s regular-season home finale.
Whether Tucker will be available for the Heat’s April 17 playoff opener remains uncertain. Otherwise, the Heat’s Plan B options in the void of Tucker logically either would be Morris or Caleb Martin.
Morris said his approach is to get ready now so he will be ready for his postseason moment.
“Yeah, man. I mean my game speaks for itself,” the 11th-year veteran told the Sun Sentinel. “Preparing for the playoffs, I need these last two games, honestly, anyway. So it’s like kind of a gift and curse with Tuck going down.
“But for me, I need to get these last two games under my belt and I’ll just go into the playoffs with some momentum.”
Morris, who is dealing with a strained hip flexor that kept him out of Tuesday night’s victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets, started in Sunday night’s road victory over the Toronto Raptors when Tucker ostensibly was given the night off for rest.
But when it comes to the postseason, coach Erik Spoelstra said elements of his rotation could be matchup based. And if smallball is the opposition approach, that could favor Martin.
Morris appreciates that after missing 58 games due to the whiplash that resulted from his Nov. 8 run-in with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, the opportunities to state his case this season have been limited.
“It is what it is,” said Morris, who is completing a one-year contract at the veteran minimum and will return to free agency on July 1. “You know, I missed 50-something games. Whatever’s thrown my way now I can handle.”
Two seasons ago, Morris was part of the playoff rotation for the Los Angeles Lakers on their way to their 2020 championship, including against the Heat in those NBA Finals. This will be his six visit to the playoffs, with 49 postseason appearances with three teams (Lakers, Washington Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder). Martin, by contrast, has yet to appear in the playoffs in his three seasons, the previous two with the Charlotte Hornets. Martin also will enter free agency this summer.
“Check my track record. Check my track record,” Morris said of his ability to contribute in the playoffs. “I don’t have to speak on that. That’s all on the record. I don’t have to say nothing about that.”
The irony is that the call now could be to fill in for Tucker, with the two close since the starts of their NBA careers with the Phoenix Suns.
“We grew together,” Tucker said. “It was me getting back in the league, him initially getting in the league. He’s one of my closest brothers through time when we played in Phoenix ‘til now. So we were definitely excited to get back together.
“But it’s so good to get back on the court and get our work back together, especially getting ready for the playoffs. Because we’re going to need him and what he brings to the team.”
Tucker said he has faith that Morris will be there when needed, as much, if not more, as a person than a player.
“We’re not NBA guys, that’s my brother. It’s different,” Tucker said. “Like we talk all the time, current events, talk about each other’s kids. So it’s like family. It’s different.”
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| 2022-04-08T13:47:31
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What do you do when your once proud baseball team follows a 95-loss year with 21 straight defeats to open the new season? When the franchise, which had secured its third World Series title just five years earlier, manages to acquire one of the most inglorious records for ineptitude in the history of sport?
Of course, you throw a huge party and commit to undertake an unprecedented civic project.
That is precisely what we did in Baltimore in 1988. The Orioles had opened the season at home with 12-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers (the team they’re playing during Monday’s home opener, as well). It got worse from there. During their infamous losing streak, they scored one run or less in 10 games, and they gave up six or more runs in 11 games. In three of their losses, they managed to surrender a combined 37 runs. In fact, in 21 games they give up a whopping 132 runs while scoring just 44.
They played seven series without a win. After a three-game sweep at the hands of the Twins in Minnesota, they arrived in Chicago on April 29 for a three-game weekend series with the White Sox, sporting that unfathomable 0-21 record. That night, an Eddie Murray two-run homer staked them to a 2-0 first inning lead that, quite miraculously, they refused to relinquish, cruising to a 9-0 victory and the conclusion of the tortuous run of futility.
They would lose the next two games in Chicago to return home at 1-23. But that one win was enough to make the party happen. It came to be known as “Fantastic Fans Night,” and, incredibly, over 50,000 fans responded to the promotion by filling Memorial Stadium and enthusiastically cheering for the hometown team at its nadir. The team did its part with a 9-4 win over the Texas Rangers, much to the delight and spiritual uplift of the adoring congregation.
Then, in the midst of the celebration, came an announcement. The Orioles and the Maryland Stadium had entered into a lease agreement that would bring the team to a new ballpark downtown. The Stadium Authority had been created in 1986 to select a site for new sports facilities, its formation arising in response to the 1984 departure of the city’s beloved Colts to a new football home in what was then called the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. We were not taking any chances with the Orioles, despite the hard times into which the team had then fallen.
This year’s Opening Day marks the 30th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. When the ballpark opened in 1992, it was nothing less than a revelation, not just for downtown Baltimore, but for all of baseball. Its vintage baseball-only design offered a clear departure from the lookalike concrete-laden multipurpose stadiums that had proliferated during the preceding decades. Embracing the formidable brick façade of the old B&O Warehouse, the ballpark comfortably seated itself within the environs and street grid of the former rail yard in a way that invoked the gritty determination of the city’s past, while announcing the possibilities of its new found future. It would become a design model, repeatedly mimicked throughout the country, as baseball teams renewed connections with the downtowns that had given them birth. And, at home, it revived both pride in the team and confidence in what we can accomplish if we put our minds to it.
To the credit of those who conceived it, Oriole Park remains a jewel of a venue after 30 seasons. The team, however, now finds itself in midst of a “rebuild,” which in this case involves enduring three 100-plus loss seasons, mercifully interrupted by the COVID-shortened 2020 year. But, as its rising young stars and ever-improving minor league system attests, a reemergence of past glory may not be too far off. After all, hope and possibility are the twin beacons of Opening Day, and this year, it may be more important than ever to be mindful of that.
We are a city that, like its baseball team, is in need of a rebuild. The economic upheavals of the pandemic have battered the restaurants and businesses that are the backbone of a viable downtown, and the daily reports of violence in our streets have devastated confidence in public safety. If there is a message from 1988, it is that we do have the capacity to respond to challenge with more than rhetoric. It is that we are historically capable of conjuring up the insight to undertake bold actions of consequence.
Raymond Daniel Burke, a Baltimore native, is a shareholder in a downtown law firm. His email is rdburke27@gmail.com.
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| 2022-04-08T13:47:37
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‘I went Mike Tyson on him’: Homeowner describes taking down suspected burglars
OAK PARK, Calif. (KABC) - A California man refused to become a victim after two people reportedly broke into his home last week.
Sal Mercado said he “went Mike Tyson” on the burglars and credited his strong left and right hook for diffusing the situation.
Mercado said he was startled when he returned home Thursday and found a car parked out front with a driver inside.
After he entered his home, he said he came face-to-face with a stranger.
Mercado said he struck one of the burglars who then ran to the waiting vehicle.
“He starts to go to the side of me, to get out of the house, and I went ‘bam’ with a right cross. And he went down on the grass in the front yard. Picked himself up and ran to the car,” Mercado said.
However, it didn’t end there.
He saw a second man coming down the stairs and went into defense mode again, striking the mam, and causing him to stumble and fall on the grass outside.
“The thought was, ‘I got this guy, I want to catch him. I want to make sure he gets prosecuted. I want to make sure to hold him down until the cops get here,’” Mercado said.
Mercado said he feels lucky his family was not home when the bandits broke in.
One man is facing felony charges of first-degree residential burglary and conspiracy while the two other suspects are still at large.
Copyright 2022 KABC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/08/i-went-mike-tyson-him-homeowner-describes-taking-down-suspected-burglars/
| 2022-04-08T13:52:25
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Jury gets bomb evidence in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot trial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Jurors entered a fifth day of deliberations Friday with pennies that were offered as evidence of an explosive earlier in the trial of four men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
A court employee handed over a large plastic bag known as exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.
“If you want something different or something additional, just let us know,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said. “We wish you well in your continuing deliberations.”
The jury is considering 10 charges in the case: one against Brandon Caserta, two against Adam Fox, three against Barry Croft Jr. and four against Daniel Harris. The men all face the main charge of a kidnapping conspiracy; the other counts are related to explosives and a firearm.
Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel, investigators said.
A homemade explosive was detonated during training in September 2020, according to evidence, about a month before the men were arrested.
In his closing argument on April 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft wanted to test the explosive as a possible weapon to use against Whitmer’s security team. He quoted him as saying the pennies would be so hot they could go “right through your skin.”
The trial now has covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations.
Prosecutors offered testimony from undercover agents, a crucial informant and two men who pleaded guilty to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.
Prosecutors said the group was steeped in anti-government extremism and angry over Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Defense lawyers, however, said any scheme was the creation of government agents who were embedded in the group and manipulated the men.
Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-08T13:52:32
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Minnesota State clinches spot in national championship game for first time ever
BOSTON (KEYC) — The Minnesota State Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Gophers 5-1 Thursday night in the Frozen Four to advance to the national championship game for the first time in program history.
The Gophers took an early 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal scored by Matthew Knies, who was assisted by Bryce Brodzinski.
The Mavericks went on to avenge last year’s semifinal loss by scoring five unanswered goals to finish out the game.
Lucas Sowder and Ondrej Pavel set up Benton Maass for the first of two Minnesota State goals in the second period. Reggie Lutz found the back of the net for the Mavericks a short time later after being assisted by David Silye and Jake Livingstone.
The Mavericks went into the second intermission with a 2-1 advantage.
Mike Hastings’ team wouldn’t let off the gas pedal in the third period, with goals coming from Pavel, Silye, and Brendan Furry.
The Mavericks will now play Denver in the national championship game Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
Copyright 2022 KEYC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-08T13:52:39
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Pink Floyd to release first new music in 28 years in support of Ukraine
LONDON (AP) — Pink Floyd is releasing its first new music in almost three decades to raise money for the people of Ukraine, the band announced Thursday.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” features Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, with vocals from Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band BoomBox. Roger Waters, who left the band in the 1980s, is not involved.
The track features Khlyvnyuk singing a patriotic Ukrainian song from a clip he recorded in front of Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral and posted on social media.
Gilmour, who performed with BoomBox in London in 2015, said the video was “a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music.”
After Russia’s invasion, Khlyvnyuk cut short a tour of the U.S. to return to Ukraine and join a territorial defense unit.
Gilmour said he spoke to Khlyvnyuk, who was recovering in a hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury, while he was writing the song. He said: “I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future.”
The song is being released Friday and the band says proceeds will go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.
“We want to express our support for Ukraine, and in that way show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become,” Gilmour said.
Pink Floyd was founded in London in the mid-1960s and helped forge the U.K. psychedelic scene before releasing influential 1970s albums including “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Wall.”
Original member Waters quit in 1985, and the remaining members of Pink Floyd last recorded together for the 1994 album “The Division Bell.” After keyboard player Richard Wright died in 2008, Gilmour said he doubted Pink Floyd would perform together again.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” also features Guy Pratt on bass and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-08T13:52:45
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S. Carolina schedules 1st execution with firing squad ready
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has scheduled its first execution after corrections officials finished updating the death chamber to prepare for executions by firing squad.
The clerk of the State Supreme Court has set an April 29 execution date for Richard Bernard Moore, a 57-year-old man who has spent more than two decades on death row after he was convicted of killing convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg.
Moore could face a choice between the electric chair and the firing squad, two options available to death row prisoners after legislators altered the state’s capital punishment law last year in an effort to work around a decade-long pause in executions, attributed to the corrections agency’s inability to procure lethal injection drugs.
The new law made the electric chair the state’s primary means of execution while giving prisoners the option of choosing death by firing squad or lethal injection, if those methods are available.
The state corrections agency said last month it had finished developing protocols for firing squad executions and completed $53,600 in renovations on the death chamber in Columbia, installing a metal chair with restraints that faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet (4.6 meters) away.
In the case of a firing squad execution, three volunteer shooters — all Corrections Department employees — will have rifles loaded with live ammunition, with their weapons trained on the inmate’s heart. A hood will be placed over the head of the inmate, who will be given the opportunity to make a last statement.
South Carolina is one of eight states to still use the electric chair and one of four to allow a firing squad, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.
Moore is one of 35 men on South Carolina’s death row. He exhausted his federal appeals in 2020, and the state Supreme Court denied another appeal this week.
Lindsey Vann, an attorney for Moore, said Thursday she will ask the court to stay the execution.
The state last scheduled an execution for Moore in 2020, which was then delayed after prison officials said they couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs.
During Moore’s 2001 trial, prosecutors said Moore entered the store looking for money to support his cocaine habit and got into a dispute with Mahoney, who drew a pistol that Moore wrestled away from him.
Mahoney pulled a second gun, and a gunfight ensued. Mahoney shot Moore in the arm, and Moore shot Mahoney in the chest. Prosecutors said Moore left a trail of blood through the store as he looked for cash, stepping twice over Mahoney.
At the time, Moore claimed that he acted in self-defense after Mahoney drew the first gun.
Moore’s supporters have argued his crime doesn’t rise to the level of heinousness in other death penalty cases in the state. His appeals lawyers have said that because Moore didn’t bring a gun into store, he couldn’t have intended to kill someone when he walked in.
South Carolina’s last execution was in 2011, when Jeffrey Motts, on death row for strangling a cellmate while serving a life sentence for another murder, abandoned his appeals and opted for the death chamber.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-08T13:52:51
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Teen arrested for driving 151 mph and killing 6 in crash, police say
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 8:22 AM CDT|Updated: 30 minutes ago
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Gray News) - Police in Florida said a 17-year-old was arrested Wednesday for a deadly crash in January that killed six people.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Noah Galle was driving 151 mph when he hit a Nissan Rouge with six people inside Jan. 27. All six people inside the Nissan died.
Investigators found that Galle did not brake when he hit the Nissan.
Galle was arrested Wednesday on six counts of vehicular homicide and had his first court appearance Thursday morning.
Police did not provide further details.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/08/teen-arrested-driving-151-mph-killing-6-crash-police-say/
| 2022-04-08T13:52:58
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Windy and cold weather continues today, but the weekend looks sunnier, less windy, and much warmer
Morning snow showers will give way to late-day sunshine today
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The same storm system that has been plaguing the entire region with cold winds, rain, and snow for the past three days continues to bring raw, unpleasant weather to the area for our Friday. We’ll have light snow showers in the morning hours with little if any accumulation in the area. A few breaks of sunshine will be possible late in the afternoon and just before sunset this evening, helping temperatures climb to the low 40s. A harsh northwest breeze will keep wind chill levels in the 20s for the most part, with gusts reaching 25 to 30 miles per hour throughout the day.
Temperatures will take a tumble tonight as skies clear off and the wind becomes much lighter late in the evening. Overnight lows will be in the mid-20s and wind chill values will be in the teens.
High pressure will work its way across the region on Saturday, bringing abundant sunshine and much lighter winds for a change. High temperatures tomorrow will be in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees with just a hint of a northwest breeze.
Warmer air will build northward into the region on Sunday ahead of a weak storm system that will be grazing the area to the northwest in the afternoon. We’ll have occasional sunshine and clouds with afternoon high temperatures in the mid and upper 50s with a gusty southeast breeze that will reach 20 miles per hour at times.
A few light rain showers will be possible Sunday night with spotty showers still in the area early Monday. Expect occasional sunshine and clouds Monday with a gusty south breeze and high temperatures will be in the mid-50s.
Another storm system will bring a chance of light rain to the area Tuesday afternoon and evening with scattered thunderstorms possible Wednesday morning as a cold front pushes through the Upper Mississippi Valley. Expect sunshine and gusty winds for both days surrounding those rain chances and high temperatures will be in the 50s.
Expect sunshine and some scattered clouds Thursday with high temperatures in the 40s with more 40s in store for next Friday. Another round of light rain will be possible next Friday afternoon and Saturday, but Easter Sunday is looking dry right now with temperatures looking seasonably cool in the 40s.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-08T13:53:04
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The investigation and Carter's role are back in the spotlight following the premiere of the Hulu limited series, "The Girl from Plainville."
ABC News is taking a look back at the case with a two-hour "20/20" airing on April 8. The program looks at the three-year investigation and trial, and includes interviews with Roy's family.
TONIGHT: Can words kill? The shocking 20/20 true crime event special premieres tonight at 9/8c on @ABC. Stream on Hulu. https://t.co/3woR6GyJ1Z pic.twitter.com/asEQBGtkrL
— 20/20 (@ABC2020) April 8, 2022
"I don't think that she helped him kill himself," Roy's aunt, Kim Bozzi, told ABC News' "20/20" in 2017. "I think she forced him to kill himself."
Roy, 18, died of carbon monoxide poisoning inside his truck, which was parked outside of a Kmart in Fairhaven, Massachusetts on July 12, 2014. Roy, in a note he left behind, apologized and asked his family to "live life to the fullest."
Bozzi said Roy struggled with depression, and the family tried to help him deal with his mental health issues.
Evidence recovered by investigators showed that Roy shared his inner turmoil and thoughts with Carter, with whom he had an online relationship.
Prosecutors said that Carter, then 17, had been texting Roy for months about his bouts with depression and, in some messages, encouraged him to go forward with his suicide. She was arrested in 2015 and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Carter's trial, decided by Massachusetts Judge Lawrence Moniz and not a jury, began two years later.
During the two-week bench trial, some of the text exchanges following Roy's death were read aloud with Roy's family in attendance.
"I could've stopped him," Carter texted a classmate two months after Roy's death, according to testimony during the trial. Carter texted that she and Roy were on the phone the day of his suicide when Roy "got out of the car ... he was scared." Carter texted that she "told him to get back in."
Bozzi said the most "unbelievable" part of Carter's actions was "how she acted after the fact."
"She texted my niece a couple of hours later, 'Hey, do you know where your brother is?' Then she texted his mom the next day, 'Oh, hey, have you heard from Conrad?' Knowing all along," she said.
After the death of her friend, detectives approached Michelle Carter at school and asked about her relationship with Conrad Roy and what she texted him. Carter did not tell the full story...
— 20/20 (@ABC2020) April 7, 2022
Watch the new 20/20 - Friday at 9/8c on @ABC. Stream on Hulu. https://t.co/mlhlEWQvQN pic.twitter.com/k2Hpid2iZH
Carter's defense attorney claimed that she had previously tried to talk Roy out of harming himself, pointing to one conversation where Roy told Carter he regretted dragging her into his plans to kill himself.
Ultimately, Moniz found Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter and described her behavior as "reckless."
It was an unprecedented case that landed Michelle Carter in prison after she used text messages to encourage her boyfriend to kill himself.
— 20/20 (@ABC2020) April 8, 2022
20/20 tonight at 9/8c examines the investigation and shares interviews with Conrad Roy’s family. https://t.co/sYs99hOvI3 pic.twitter.com/QOxebC29xD
While announcing the verdict, Moniz said that Carter instructed Roy "to get back into the truck, well knowing of all of the feelings he [had] exchanged with her, his ambiguities, his fears, his concerns."
The judge sentenced Carter to 2 1/2 years in prison with 15 months served and the rest suspended. She was also sentenced to five years probation.
Bozzi asked the judge to give Carter a 20-year sentence in a letter before the sentencing.
"She has to live the rest of her life in her skin, as her. One of the most hated people in the country, so good luck with that," Bozzi told "20/20" after the sentencing.
After nearly two years of unsuccessful court appeals, Carter began her sentence in 2019 and, in January 2020, she was released early from prison for good behavior.
Carter has kept a low profile since her release. Her attorney, Joseph Cataldo, told "20/20" that she's "remorseful over the situation."
"She's come to grips with it. She understands," he told "20/20."
A dramatized version of Carter and the Roy family and their story is playing out on "The Girl from Plainville," which premiered on Hulu on March 29. Hulu is a division of Disney, ABC's parent company.
Elle Fanning plays Michelle Carter and Chlo Sevigny plays Lynn Roy, Conrad's mother. Fanning told "Good Morning America" that she approached telling the story in an unbiased manner.
"Everyone definitely had an opinion about this case. It definitely shocked the nation and we wanted to kind of dig deeper and look at more sides to it," she told GMA.
Neither the Roy nor Carter families were involved with the production of the Hulu show.
Lynn Roy, Conrad's mother, told ABC News that she hasn't seen the show, but wants to keep the focus on her son and mental health awareness.
In the meantime, she's working to ensure that in the future, anyone who coerces someone into killing themselves will face harsher punishments. Lynn Roy has been calling on state lawmakers to pass "Conrad's Law," which would require a minimum 5-year sentence for anyone who is convicted of such an act.
Lynn Roy said she hopes that something positive can come out of her son's passing.
"I will never stop honoring him and carrying him with me," she said.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
ABC News' Emily Shapiro and Doug Lantz contributed to this report.
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| 2022-04-08T14:10:30
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She's likely to be on the losing end of a bunch of important cases, including examinations of the role of race in college admissions and voting rights that the high court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, will take up next term.
Jackson, 51, is the first Black woman confirmed to the Supreme Court following Thursday's 53-47 vote by the Senate. She won't join the court for several months, until Justice Stephen Breyer retires once the court wraps up its work for the summer - including its verdict on whether to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion rights.
When Jackson takes the bench as a justice for the first time, in October, she will be one of four women and two Black justices - both high court firsts.
And the nine-member court as a whole will be younger than it's been for nearly 30 years, when Breyer, now 83, came on board.
Among the younger justices are three appointees of former President Donald Trump, and the court's historic diversity won't obscure its conservative tilt.
In Breyer's final term, the conservative justices already have left their mark even before deciding major cases on abortion, guns, religion and climate change. By 5-4 or 6-3 votes, they allowed an unusual Texas law to remain in effect that bans abortions after roughly six weeks; stopped the Biden administration from requiring large employers to have a workforce that is vaccinated against COVID-19 or be masked and tested; and left in place redrawn Alabama congressional districts that a lower court with two Trump appointees found shortchanged Black voters in violation of federal law.
Jackson's replacement of Breyer, for whom she once worked as a law clerk, won't alter that Supreme Court math.
"She's just going to be swimming against the tide every day. That's a lot to take on," said Robin Walker Sterling, a Northwestern University law professor.
But Jackson's presence could make a difference in the perspective she brings and how she expresses herself in her opinions, said Payvand Ahdout, a University of Virginia law professor.
Jackson, who was raised in Miami, may see the high court's cases about race "from the lens of being a Black woman who grew up in the South. She has an opportunity early on to show how representation matters," Ahdout said.
During her Senate confirmation hearings, Jackson pledged to sit out the court's consideration of Harvard's admissions program, since she is a member of its board of overseers. But the court could split off a second case involving a challenge to the University of North Carolina's admissions process, which might allow her to weigh in on the issue.
"Historically, the court goes to some length to try to get as much participation as possible. So I wouldn't be surprised to see the two dealt with separately," said Ahdout, who was a clerk to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg the last time the court dealt with race in college admissions, in 2016. Just seven justices took part in that case, because Justice Antonin Scalia died before it was decided and Justice Elena Kagan had been involved as a Justice Department official before joining the court.
For now, Jackson might not have much to do. She remains a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington, but she stepped away from cases there when President Joe Biden nominated her to the Supreme Court in February and will continue to do so, a White House official said.
That could reduce the number of times Jackson has to recuse herself from any of her old cases that later make their way to the Supreme Court.
Breyer said in January that he would retire once his successor had been confirmed, but not before the end of the term. With a bare Senate majority, Democrats didn't want to risk waiting until the summer for confirmation hearings and a vote.
That leaves Jackson in a situation that is "unprecedented in modern times," said Marin Levy, a Duke University law professor who studies the federal judiciary.
Most new justices begin work a few days after they are confirmed, Levy said. Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in to the court just a few hours after his tumultuous Senate vote.
Jackson could spend time arranging for her clerks and other staff for the Supreme Court, and closing down her current office.
But she won't have to find new housing or upend the lives of her husband and children. Her new workplace is less than a mile from the court of appeals.
WATCH: Attorneys discuss historic impact of Judge Jackson's confirmation
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| 2022-04-08T14:10:36
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis and several other Indiana cities are joining an estimated $507 million statewide opioid settlement after previously opting out of the state’s lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
The Indianapolis Star reports that the state’s capital, the suburbs of Noblesville and Fishers and other cities decided to join the statewide settlement after it was made more attractive by a new state law that gives local governments more direct funding and flexibility.
Indiana’s estimated $507 million share is part of a roughly $26 billion nationwide payout that three opioid distributors and a drugmaker are expected to make to settle lawsuits filed over the nation’s opioid epidemic.
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| 2022-04-08T14:13:45
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A study published out of Iceland that examined the benefits of a four-day workweek called it “an overwhelming success” and the news spread among international media and governments – as well as companies. An academic researcher specializing in business management based out of Tennessee shared some insight this week on the four-day workweek and how employee productivity can be approached.
Studies out of Japan and New Zealand also posted positive results for the four-day workweek. Business, management, and organizational experts at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business say that while the four-day workweek is a hot topic of late, the idea has been around for a while.
Academic and management research studies dating back to the 1970s or earlier discuss the idea of a four-day workweek and since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified various companies’ approaches to how they manage their employees.
“There is actually a fairly large amount – and growing – of current literature on the four-day workweek,” Timothy P. Munyon, associate professor of management at UT Haslam College of Business, said. “The general consensus is that it improves productivity, reduces burnout, and increases respite.”
Munyon specializes in management and is the Janet and Jeff Davis Faculty Research Fellow at Haslam College of Business. His current research interests include the causes and effects of social influence at work, human resource management practices, and entrepreneur and family firm behavior. Munyon’s research has been published in multiple journals covering management, psychology, organizational behavior, and human resource management.
“Evidence is fairly compelling for the viability of a ‘results-only work environment,'” Munyon said. “This concept isn’t new, but the idea is to give people tasks, resources, and autonomy to get the work done, and then hold them accountable for outputs, rather than processes.”
Munyon also said these structures can save lots of time, give employees flexibility that they desire or need, and also can change the organization’s orientation toward its people.
“Of course, this is primarily intended for knowledge work roles, but may be applicable to other forms of work too, including manufacturing,” he said.
Historically, the 40-hour, five-day workweek became part of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Since then, the workforce has seen significant changes such as women entering the workforce in droves; the increased influence of international relations and employment; the onset of the internet and information age – and most recently, the coronavirus pandemic.
As far as hours spent during a workweek, workaholism is not as productive, experts say.
“Additional research suggests that there aren’t significant differences between the 55-hour and 70-hour work-week, suggesting that ‘classic workaholism’ doesn’t result in demonstrably improved productivity relative to a more balanced work-week.,” Munyon said.
A U.S. Congressman representing California last summer proposed legislation (US HB4728) for a 32-hour, four-day workweek and it gained momentum in Washington, D.C. In December, the Congressional Progressive Caucus endorsed the proposed bill. Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
“As a longtime member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I am proud that the caucus voted to formally endorse my 32-Hour Workweek Act in support of transitioning toward a modern-day business model that prioritizes productivity, fair pay, and an improved quality of life for workers across the country,” Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said in a December statement. “After a nearly two-year-long pandemic that forced millions of people to explore remote work options, it’s safe to say that we can’t – and shouldn’t – simply go back to normal, because normal wasn’t working. People were spending more time at work, less time with loved ones, their health and well-being was worsening, and all the while, their pay has remained stagnant. This is a serious problem. It’s time for progress and I am confident that with the CPC behind this bill, we can take meaningful steps forward and create positive, lasting change in people’s lives.”
At last check, the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act bill had been sent to the House Education and Labor Committee, where it is pending.
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| 2022-04-08T14:13:51
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BOSTON (AP) — A former Florida prep school administrator who took college entrance exams for students in exchange for cash to help wealthy parents get their kids into elite universities is facing sentencing.
Judge Nathaniel Gorton is slated to hand down the decision against Mark Riddell in Boston federal court on Friday.
Riddell admitted to secretly taking the ACT and SAT in place of students, or correcting their answers, as part of a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme which has ensnared celebrities, business executives and athletic coaches at sought-after schools such as Stanford and Yale.
Riddell, who had been cooperating with federal authorities in hopes of getting a lesser sentence, pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges in April 2019.
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins’ office, in a filing ahead of Friday’s hearing, has asked the judge to sentence Riddell to four months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release and a previously-ordered forfeiture judgment of nearly $240,000.
Riddell’s lawyers, in their own sentencing memo, argued for one to two months in prison. They also note he’s paid nearly $166,000 toward the forfeiture obligation.
The Harvard graduate, who emerged as a key figure in the wide-ranging scandal, has previously said he’s “profoundly sorry” and takes full responsibility for his actions.
Riddell oversaw college entrance exam preparation at IMG Academy, a school in Bradenton, Florida, founded by renowned tennis coach Nick Bollettieri that bills itself as the world’s largest sports academy. Riddell has since been fired.
Authorities say the admissions consultant at the center of the scheme, Rick Singer, bribed test administrators to allow Riddell to pretend to proctor the exams for students so he could cheat on the tests. Singer typically paid Riddell $10,000 per test to rig the scores, prosecutors said.
Riddell made more than $200,000 by cheating on over 25 exams, prosecutors said.
Since March 2019, a parade of wealthy parents have pleaded guilty to paying big bucks to help get their kids into school with rigged test scores or bogus athletic credentials in a case prosecutors dubbed Operation Varsity Blues.
The group — including TV actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and Loughlin’s fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli — have received punishments ranging from probation to nine months behind bars.
A Boston jury is also deliberating Friday on the fate of Jovan Vavic, a decorated former water polo coach at the University of Southern California. He’s the only coach of the many implicated to challenge his role in the scheme in a trial.
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| 2022-04-08T14:13:57
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Last Mile Food Rescue in Cincinnati started shopping in November for a refrigerated box truck to move perishable donations from food retailers to distribution sites. The purchase would take some of the pressure off overstretched volunteers, who would have to make three or more runs in their cars to haul as much food as a single truckload.
But Last Mile is experiencing sticker shock. Prices for the kind of truck its leaders have in mind have soared thousands of dollars in recent months, to as much as $80,000. For an organization with an annual budget of $650,000, that’s too big a hit to absorb.
Frustrated, the charity started looking for used trucks, but the prices of used vehicles have shot up as well.
“We look every day,” says Julie Shifman, Last Mile’s executive director. “We hope that we will be able to afford it, or a major donor might be able to come in to help us.”
Last Mile is far from alone. Nonprofits of all kinds are getting hit hard by inflation, experts say. Price and wage increases are hurting nonprofits in multiple ways, making it harder to keep up with their own basic operational expenses while also forcing them to curtail the services they provide.
At the same time, there are early signs that the burst of generosity donors showed in the first year of the pandemic may be slowing considerably.
“It’s not a pretty equation,” says Shannon McCracken, chief executive of the Nonprofit Alliance, an advocacy group.
Nonprofits that provide annual cost-of-living increases for their workers, as many do, are getting hit with higher payroll costs of about 6% even without any increase based on merit or seniority, McCracken says.
David Lipsetz, CEO at the Housing Assistance Council, says inflation has eaten into the number of affordable-housing units his organization can provide.
The council underwrites loans for housing developments at below-market rates in some of the poorest regions of the country, and it strives to maximize the amount of housing it can build with limited resources. “We’re operating on extraordinarily thin margins,” says Lipsetz. “We are putting those loans out the door as cheaply as we can.”
When the price of building materials goes up 10%, says Lipsetz, there’s usually no room in the loan to accommodate that increase. Lipsetz says that sometimes his nonprofit can rework the terms of the loan or find additional sources of financing, but it doesn’t always work out.
“It’s stalled countless projects for us, right in the middle of a period of time when housing and shelter are the most important things needed to weather the storm of a pandemic,” says Lipsetz. “For us, a modest increase in costs can shut down a project in an area of the country where it’s needed the most.”
Jesse Tree, a nonprofit in Boise, Idaho, that pays rent for people who are on the verge of being evicted, has seen sharp increases in demand for assistance in recent years. Ali Rabe, the organization’s executive director, says research shows housing prices in her region shot up 75% from 2015 to 2020 at a time when local wages increased 18%.
The situation has only gotten worse since 2020, says Rabe. Work-at-home policies spurred by the pandemic allowed highly paid urban dwellers to relocate to rural areas, she says, and housing prices shot up another 40% or so last year.
Local courts in the Treasury Valley region of southwestern Idaho, which Jesse Tree serves, hold about 20 eviction hearings a week, says Rabe.
“We can only help about a quarter of people who apply for assistance,” she says.
A government grant provided through federal Covid assistance helped the nonprofit maintain operations, but that grant expires in September, says Rabe. The nonprofit is hoping donors will fill the gap, she says.
Nonprofits by their nature are in a poor position to adapt to rising costs, experts say. While McDonald’s can offset higher beef costs by raising the cost of a Big Mac, for many nonprofits the only options are to cut services or hope donors will come to the rescue.
Kelley Kuhn, CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, says nonprofits that provide basic goods and services, like food and housing, are being hit the hardest. At the same time, nonprofits are struggling to retain workers who are being lured away by businesses that are able to offer higher salaries, says Kuhn.
“That’s something any nonprofit is experiencing now, trying to keep up with the requests for higher salaries and wages,” Kuhn says. She added that a passion for the mission won’t keep nonprofit workers from seeking higher wages elsewhere if they can’t meet basic living expenses.
“That’s a lot of strain on human capital happening for nonprofits,” she says.
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott recently took the sting of inflation away for some nonprofits withanother round of major gifts. The Housing Assistance Council, for example, got $7 million. AndHabitat for Humanity, which has had to scale back the number of houses it builds due to increased costs of lumber and land, got $439 million, which will allow it to reverse course and ramp up operations.
Corinne O’Connell, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, says the cost of replacing a roof on a row house shot up from $5,000 to $8,500 in a single year. And while her local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity received $5 million of Scott’s gift, she notes that most nonprofits can’t count on getting bailed out by a generous billionaire. “The screws just keep tightening on nonprofits who are working on the front lines,” O’Connell says.
Like Shifman at Last Mile, Diana Lara leads a charity that collects and distributes food that was otherwise headed for the garbage. Lara’s Southern California nonprofit Food Finders has three trucks and a van, all refrigerated, and the fuel costs are gobbling up a bigger share of its budget.
At the same time, grocery stores are hanging onto perishable food longer, she says. Food that previously would have been donated is getting marked down for a quick sale instead.
The group purchases some nonperishable food to supplement donated goods, and those costs are rising, says Lara. Meanwhile new hires are demanding higher starting pay.
In short, a wide array of expenses are over budget.
“So we’re starting to feel that in our pockets,” she says. “It’s just insane.”
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| 2022-04-08T14:14:03
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A SpaceX rocket ship will take four men on the first private mission to the International Space Station Friday.
Liftoff is scheduled for 11:17 a.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.
The private astronauts were approved by NASA.
The team is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Saturday and will be led by NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria.
Real estate tycoon Larry Connor, CEO of Mavrik Corp, Mark Pathy and a businessman from Israel Eytan Stibbe will also be on the flight.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will dock on the ISS about 250 miles above Earth.
The astronauts will spend eight days in space to conduct eight days of science and biomedical research.
The mission is part of a partnership with Axiom, SpaceX and NASA.
Axiom helps customers book flights with NASA and hopes to make private flights a regular occurrence.
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| 2022-04-08T14:16:20
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EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Israel Ulloa-Osorio agreed to work off his human smuggling debt by guiding undocumented immigrants into the U.S. from Mexico.
According to court documents obtained by Border Report, the 27-year-old from Mexico did not have the $6,000 to pay off smugglers but learned he could make $500 for every migrant he delivered to a stash house in Dallas. Additionally, he would not be allowed to remain in the U.S. until he paid off his debt.
The scheme turned deadly in May 2020, when Ulloa-Osorio was guiding a group of migrants through the rugged West Texas desert to a pick-up location along Interstate 10. One of the men struggled to keep up and ultimately died in the desert.
Court documents state that the man’s son surrendered to Border Patrol, but Ulloa-Osorio successfully delivered the other migrants to the Dallas stash house two days later. However, smugglers ordered him to return to Mexico with the driver.
On June 7, 2020, border agents encountered Ulloa-Osorio and three other men in a part of Hudspeth County known as Cottonwood. Agents determined that all four men were from Mexico and in the U.S. illegally. They were arrested and taken to the Border Patrol’s Van Horn station for a medical evaluation and to be processed.
Later that day, records show, Ulloa-Osorio agreed to make a voluntary statement without the presence of an attorney. He told Homeland Security Investigations special agents of a previous deportation following a conviction for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle out of Jefferson County, Texas, and his dealings with the human smuggling organization.
On June 2, 2021, Ulloa-Osorio pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring aliens into the U.S., resulting in death.
On Monday, Ulloa-Osorio received a 72-month prison sentence.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff said, “Human smuggling along the Southwest Border is dangerous and often deadly. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to vigorously enforcing human smuggling laws.”
Added Frank B. Burrola, the Special Agent in Charge for HSI in El Paso: “This sentence underscores Homeland Security Investigations’ relentless efforts to identify transnational criminal organizations that make a profit from smuggling noncitizens into the United States with total disregard for people who may end up paying the ultimate price. … HSI is committed to ensuring that those who prey on the innocent face justice.”
HSI, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office investigated; Assistant U.S. Attorney Spencer D. Kiggins prosecuted the case, according to a news release from the office U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
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| 2022-04-08T14:16:20
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International outrage is growing as more atrocities from Russia's war in Ukraine are laid bare.
"There's nothing less happening than major war crimes," U.S. President Joe Biden said. "Responsible nations have to come together to hold these perpetrators accountable."
After images of tortured civilians strewn in the streets in the liberated Kyiv suburb of Bucha caught the world's attention, Ukrainian officials say Russia has started using mobile crematoriums to destroy evidence of war crimes. Mariupol's mayor is calling it the new Auschwitz.
Potential witnesses are being identified through filtration camps, according to a security officer who spoke with Newsy.
"There are several Russian filtration camps, and the biggest is near Mariupol city," said Vasyl Popatenko, a Ukrainian security officer. "All people who want to leave, evacuate from the cities, they should move through this camp, and there are Russian officers, they're searching for Ukrainian soldiers, for the families of our soldiers, local governments and other activists who support Ukraine."
Popatenko says Russia is also kidnapping civilians as pawns to use in prisoner exchanges.
Those who stay face more heavy fighting and Russian airstrikes. Most of the 160,000 remaining residents have no heat, medicine, water or means of communication, according to the British Defense Ministry.
A Red Cross convoy spent five days trying to reach the besieged city but said security conditions on the ground made it impossible to enter.
More abductions are happening in the southern city of Kherson.
"I know for sure that people who have been kidnapped and then later on they are released maybe one or two days later, and some have been released three weeks later, they surely have physical injuries," said Igor Kolykhaev, mayor of Kherson.
Bombardment continues in Mykolaiv. Doctors Without Borders says it witnessed explosions around an oncology hospital and at a nearby children's hospital. It suspects Russian forces used illegal cluster bombs.
"Unfortunately, we cannot know what they are doing with people on the occupied territories, but we can only think that the situation is the same as it was in Bucha and other cities in Kyiv region," Popatenko said.
The security officer says members of Russia's internal security service, the FSB, are operating in southern cities, searching for people who oppose Russia and their families.
Meanwhile, Ukrainians are continuing to seek military support.
"There is no guarantee that they're gonna be stopped here in Ukraine if you don't help us," said Wladimir Klitschko, member of the Kyiv Territorial Defense and brother of Kyiv's mayor. "If we fail here in Ukraine, you're gonna fail too guys, because this imperialistic ambitions are bigger than you think."
The Pentagon warns that Ukraine's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk could see violence intensify, and as Russian troops prioritize the area, civilians are forced to flee.
Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here.
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https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/mobile-crematoriums-filtration-camps-among-russian-war-crime-claims
| 2022-04-08T14:16:26
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SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Katia Lolia said she couldn’t believe how simple it was for her Ukrainian mother and sister to obtain humanitarian visas and enter the U.S. through Ped West, one of the pedestrian crossings at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Lolia lives in Salt Lake City but met her family members in Mexico City a few days ago.
Together they flew to Tijuana.
Her mother and sister spent a day in a shelter before being bused to the border and allowed to cross into the U.S.
“We’re very thankful it’s a very easy process for Ukrainians,” said Lolia, adding that the process was made easy by a network of volunteers from the moment they arrived at Tijuana’s airport.
“The Ukrainian volunteers with Ukrainian flags, they meet you at the airport and they register you they give every person a number,” she said.
Many of the volunteers are from north of the border and are providing transportation services for the migrants, the majority of whom fled Ukraine after Russia launched an attack on their county. They also find them a place to stay or take them to a shelter recently opened by the city of Tijuana.
“They are so nice, they even have music concerts for the migrants at the shelter,” said Lolia, whose mother and sister were taken by bus to the border where they crossed Thursday morning and got their visas.
Lolia met them on the north side of the border crossing as they came out.
“They’re allowed to stay in the United States for one year and who knows what it’s going to be in a year, if there’s still a war, they are allowed to extend, if the war is over they have to come back,” she said.
Pastor Phil Metzger, one of the volunteers, said they have lost track of how many Ukrainians have been helped, he believes it’s well over 2,000.
“We try to grab them right away at the airport to make sure people don’t get lost or get picked up by the wrong people that have other motives,” said Metzger. “We give them a number, we get them into digital system to track them all the way until they get across the border right here.”
Metzger says every migrant has one thing in common as they make it across the border.
“They’re tired, kind of scared but they’re feeling really welcomed, they come to be free and to be able to get out is a big deal.”
Metzger told Border Report that aside from the city of Tijuana making the shelter available, volunteers are providing almost all the resources to help the migrants.
But he is worried as more and more migrants arrive in Tijuana, their efforts might fall short.
“It’s been working, but the numbers now are too much, it’s overwhelming the system, it’s overwhelming all of us, they’ve got a lot of people over there right now.”
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| 2022-04-08T14:16:26
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Tyrannosaurus rex: Arguably one of the most popular dinosaurs and most terrifying predators to ever walk the Earth— at least from the shoulders up.
Since the dawn of entertainment, the mighty T. rex has been revered for its big teeth and mocked for some lackluster limbs.
So why exactly did this 40-foot-long, 12-foot tall carnivore have arms spanning closer to just 3-feet?
Some 65 million years after its demise, one paleontologist may have finally cracked the code. The evolutionary reason for those tiny arms may be to protect themselves from their own kind.
A new study in a peer-reviewed paleontology journal surmised T. rex likely evolved its small arms so that its forelimbs, which were vulnerable to injury, infection, and amputation, could survive feeding frenzies with its fellow predators.
So when T. rex and his buddies shared a meal, those shockingly small arms would avoid getting bitten off. Over time, the short arms were selected. Remember high school biology?
But like most theories about T. rex's little limbs, it's hard to prove. So the mystery remains.
Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here.
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https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/new-insight-into-tyrannosaurus-rexs-tiny-arms
| 2022-04-08T14:16:32
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — A DHL cargo jet has broken in half after sliding off the runway while landing at San Jose’s international airport.
The crash Thursday shut down the airport, but the two crewmen aboard were reported uninjured.
The fire department says the Boeing 757 had taken off from Juan Santamaría Airport just west of the capital but decided to return after detecting a failure in the hydraulic system. Officials say that upon landing the aircraft skidded, turned and broke in two, exposing its cargo.
A spokesman for cargo carrier DHL says both pilots were unharmed but one was being undergoing a medical check as a precaution.
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| 2022-04-08T14:16:33
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The United Nations says prices for world food commodities like grains and vegetable oils have reached their highest levels ever because of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday that its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month, up 12.6% from February.
As it is, the February index was the highest level since its 1990 inception. FAO says the war in Ukraine was largely responsible for the 17.1% rise in prices for grains, including wheat.
The biggest price increases were for vegetable oils: that price index rose 23.2%,
Ukraine is the number 1 exporter of sunflower oil, followed by Russia.
Russia and Ukraine together account for around 30% and 20% of global wheat and corn exports, respectively.
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https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/food-prices-soaring-due-to-war-in-ukraine-un-says
| 2022-04-08T14:16:38
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https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/food-prices-soaring-due-to-war-in-ukraine-un-says
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LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Ca. (KTLA) — Nearly a dozen people were stuck on a theme park ride at Universal Studios Hollywood Thursday afternoon after the ride encountered a mechanical issue.
Los Angeles County firefighters responded to the theme park in Universal City around 3:45 p.m. after 11 people became stuck on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride within the Wizarding World of Harry Potter section of the park.
First responders were able to slowly get riders off the theme park ride, which takes riders along an indoor track that Universal says features “sudden tilting, turning and jarring action,” and “abrupt multi-directional motion that turns you on your back.”
The exact type of mechanical issue is unclear at this time. There have not yet been any reports of injuries related to the stalled ride.
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https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/mechanical-issue-stalls-harry-potter-ride-at-universal-studios/
| 2022-04-08T14:16:39
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https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/mechanical-issue-stalls-harry-potter-ride-at-universal-studios/
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SAN DIEGO — A team of UC San Diego scientists is sending tumors into space as part of the Axiom Space inaugural commercial flight, using a SpaceX rocket to travel to the International Space Station.
“If you can’t solve the problem on earth, see if you can solve it in space," said Dr. Catriona Jamieson, who took several members of the team to Cape Canaveral, Florida to witness Friday's launch.
Jamieson is part of an effort to study cancer. She says space is a useful place to do research because of the harsh environment.
“This compresses the timeframe," she said in an interview Thursday with ABC 10News in San Diego.
"So in one month, we see the aging in cancer stem cells or our normal stem cells that we see in a one-month period that we would see in a 10-year period on earth.”
The Axiom Space crew will transport the needed elements to the ISS, including the cancerous tumors.
The ISS astronauts will conduct the experiments according to Jamieson's team's instructions, while the scientists can watch in real-time back on Earth. Some of Jamieson's postdoctoral researchers at UCSD developed the techniques to be able to do the experiments.
“You create this little network where everyone knows what they’re doing and everyone contributes to this impossible experiment," said Jessica Pham, a deputy lab manager.
“I never could have ever imagined I’d be part of something this amazing and so incredible in such a historic moment," said Dr. Luisa Ladel.
The team hopes to learn how to grow cancer cells in space, as well as whether they can stop the cells from replicating. This could have significant implications for the ability to develop new medicines and treatments on Earth, as well as for helping keep astronauts safe as space travel becomes more common.
“This is a dream worth chasing. Making humanity healthier," said Jamieson.
The launch is scheduled for Friday morning, with early weather indications looking promising for launch time. The experiments for Jamieson's team are scheduled for next week.
This story was first reported by Jeff Lasky at KGTV in San Diego, Calif.
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https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/scientists-sending-tumors-to-iss-to-study-cancer-in-space
| 2022-04-08T14:16:44
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LONDON (AP) — Pink Floyd is releasing its first new music in almost three decades to raise money for the people of Ukraine, the band announced Thursday.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” features Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, with vocals from Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band BoomBox. Roger Waters, who left the band in the 1980s, is not involved.
The track features Khlyvnyuk singing a patriotic Ukrainian song from a clip he recorded in front of Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral and posted on social media.
Gilmour, who performed with BoomBox in London in 2015, said the video was “a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music.”
After Russia’s invasion, Khlyvnyuk cut short a tour of the U.S. to return to Ukraine and join a territorial defense unit.
Gilmour said he spoke to Khlyvnyuk, who was recovering in a hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury, while he was writing the song. He said: “I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future.”
The song is being released Friday and the band says proceeds will go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.
“We want to express our support for Ukraine, and in that way show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become,” Gilmour said.
Pink Floyd was founded in London in the mid-1960s and helped forge the U.K. psychedelic scene before releasing influential 1970s albums including “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Wall.”
Original member Waters quit in 1985, and the remaining members of Pink Floyd last recorded together for the 1994 album “The Division Bell.” After keyboard player Richard Wright died in 2008, Gilmour said he doubted Pink Floyd would perform together again.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” also features Guy Pratt on bass and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards.
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https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/pink-floyd-members-reunite-and-record-song-for-ukraine/
| 2022-04-08T14:16:45
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(NewsNation) — Barely a year after a car accident broke both of his legs, Tiger Woods is in contention again at The Masters. A physical therapist says it’s “remarkable” he has made it this far so soon.
“It just goes to show Tiger is not like anybody else,” said Dr. Zachary Walton, the national director of quality and research at PT Solutions Physical Therapy.
Thursday, Woods shot a 1-under par round, leaving him in a nine-way tie for 10th. He has three more rounds to try to capture his sixth Masters win and 16th major championship.
The fact that a 46-year-old is in this position is unique. Woods’ injuries — both from the car accident accident and wear and tear from decades of playing — make it unprecedented.
Walton says Woods likely doesn’t find swinging too difficult, but each round also includes walking the full course, which is more than four miles. He said it’s similar to someone running a marathon.
“Augusta is a very hilly course,” Walton said Thursday on “NewsNation Prime.” “Now we’re going to see how does he handle walking multiple miles on those hills day in, day out and still compete at a high level.”
After the round Thursday, Woods said, “I am as sore as I expected to feel.”
The next challenge will be compounding that soreness with as many as three more rounds.
“By the end of [Thursday’s] round he had a few wayward drives and that may have had to do with fatigue,” Walton said. “There’s nobody who’s set a precedent for an injury like this.”
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https://www.cenlanow.com/masters-report-2/tigers-masters-round-remarkable-pt-specialist-says/
| 2022-04-08T14:16:51
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The world’s best golfers will spend Friday at Augusta National Golf Club trying to make the cut to play the final two rounds this weekend at The Masters.
First round leader Sungjae Im (-5), of South Korea, teed off at 9:39 a.m. He led Australia’s Cameron Smith (-4) by a stroke after Thursday’s first round.
“We’re only one day in,” Im said through an interpreter after carding a 67 on Thursday. “I’ve got three more days to play. I just want to keep this momentum going and try to finish well this week.”
Five-time champion Tiger Woods (-1), who was four behind Im after a 71 on Thursday, will highlight the afternoon wave, teeing off at 1:41 p.m. Woods is competing for the first time since the car accident in which he was seriously injured in February of 2021.
“Lots of treatments. Lots of ice. Lots of ice baths. Just basically freezing myself to death,” Woods said when asked how he would prepare for Friday after the first round. “That’s just part of the deal. And getting all the swelling out as best as we possibly can and getting it mobile and warmed up, activated and explosive for the next day. Those are two totally different ends of the spectrum.”
“Most sports, if you’re not feeling very good, you got a teammate to pass it off to, and they can kind of shoulder the load. Or in football, one day a week. Here we’ve got four straight days, and there’s no one that’s going to shoulder the load besides me. I’ve got to figure out a way to do it.”
Augusta resident Luke List (+5), making his first Masters appearance since 2005, shot 77 in the first round and entered Friday tied for 77th. He will tee off at 12:35 p.m. on Friday.
“I think the scores will be pretty high the next two days,” List said after round one. “If I can get a low one (Friday) somehow in the wind, hopefully I’ll be around for the weekend.”
Friday’s forecast calls for winds of 15-25 miles per hour in the afternoon, with higher gusts possible.
Aiken’s Kevin Kisner (+3) will tee off at 1:19 p.m., while Augusta native and 1987 champion Larry Mize (+5) will begin his round at 11:29 a.m.
Click here for the full list of tee times or live scoring.
This story will be updated throughout the day.
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https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/masters-report/friday-updates-from-the-masters/
| 2022-04-08T14:16:57
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https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/masters-report/friday-updates-from-the-masters/
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OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) — The Opelousas City Marshal is cracking down on catalytic converter thefts and this comes after thieves targeted a car dealership in the 1400 block of North Main Street.
In just one night, they stole the catalytic converters out of every vehicle in the parking lot.
“We’re trying to prevent that with all the car lots,” Opelousas City Marshal Paul Mouton said.
He says he and his officers are taking this seriously, as these thefts pose a huge threat to local businesses.
“We’re going out as a team tonight, a six-man team, and we’re going to patrol all business places and their car lots. We’re going to check everything,” he said.
Marshal Mouton says while they deal with this issue, there’s another problem on top of this one, though: a problem he believes could be what’s leading to the thefts.
“We are short of people, and this is what happens when you’re short of people. People know we’re shorthanded, and they do crimes late at night knowing we might not catch them in the act because we’re so short-handed of people,” the marshal told News Ten.
He says with less officers, there’s a lack of patrolling, and he believes criminals are taking advantage of the situation.
Mouton wants to reassure the community, however, that they’re doing what they can to stop the thefts and reduce crime.
“I want the public to know that I’m going to protect them with what I got. I don’t have much, but I will protect the public and the business people,” Marshal Mouton said.
He and his officers will be patrolling Opelousas, keeping an eye out for thefts, over the next few days.
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https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/thieves-steal-catalytic-converters-from-every-car-at-opelousas-dealership/
| 2022-04-08T14:17:03
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https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/thieves-steal-catalytic-converters-from-every-car-at-opelousas-dealership/
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — In the nation’s capital, two men are accused of duping members of the agency in charge of protecting the president, his family and the political elite.
Federal prosecutors say the men behind the plan, Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 36, gave Secret Service agents tens of thousands of dollars in lavish gifts, including rent-free apartments.
According to investigators, Taherzadeh and Ali pretended to work for the Department of Homeland Security on a task force looking into violence linked to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That’s how they got a shoe-in with actual law enforcement officers, including a Secret Service agent who worked on the first lady’s security detail.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that at least four agents and officers were at the receiving end of Taherzadeh and Ali’s gifts, including drones, surveillance equipment, cellphones and rent-free apartments, including a penthouse worth more than $40,000 per year. Those agents are now on administrative leave.
The duo’s ploy unraveled Wednesday night during a raid at their luxury apartment in Washington, in the very same building where some of the Secret Service employees they are accused of making friends with lived. This comes after a postal inspector picked up on their odd behavior and reported it to the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
Taherzadeh and Ali are accused of running their scheme for at least two years to ingratiate themselves in the defense and law enforcement community, and a bombshell disclosure in federal court Thursday revealed that one of the men has ties to Pakistani intelligence. Court proceedings also disclosed that Ali has visas from both Pakistan and Iran.
It’s unclear what Taherzadeh and Ali were trying to accomplish, but the question remains: How could this happen?
Dan Emmett, a retired Secret Service agent and the author of “Within Arms Length, A Secret Service Agent’s Definitive Inside Account of Protecting the President,” told “NewsNation Prime” on Thursday that right now, there are a lot more questions than answers in the bizarre case.
“There are some things that have come to light that troubled me a great deal,” Emmett said. “The CIA side of me says that this is an ongoing intelligence operation, one that is not just beginning, but one that has been in progress for quite some time. The other part that really bothers me is that the Secret Service is involved in this.”
As a former agent, Emmett says he hopes the four Secret Service members in question have not done anything in return for Taherzadeh and Ali’s luxurious gifts.
“It looks to me as a former agency, counter intel type, what you have is a couple of people who are masquerading as federal agents who have befriended four people at the Secret Service who have access to the White House and protect (leaders including) Joe Biden and the entire (Biden) family probably, and that they are giving them gifts, they are being friends with them and in return for what? And so my big question is, what has the Secret Service done in return for these gifts, if anything? Nothing at this point, I hope, but that would have been coming down the road at some point. You don’t get something for nothing,” Emmett said.
While appearing Thursday on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live,” Charles Marino, former acting special agent in charge with the U.S. Secret Service, called the situation “startling” and also questioned the gifts.
“It’s startling. There’s no other words here. These objects, items, whatever you want to call them, should never have been accepted by agents of the Secret Service. And in addition to the Secret Service, we have other agencies within DHS, like the U.S. Customs Enforcement service there that does naturalization of citizens. There’s an individual that was caught up from there, as well as individuals from the Department of Defense. So this apartment complex, if you will, was a target-rich environment for the subjects,” Marino said.
Who are Taherzadeh and Ali? Emmett says that’s for the FBI to find out, but he expects clues to come from following the money.
“These people were spending enormous amounts of money on apartments, on gizmos and gadgets, they were giving to the Secret Service. That money was coming from somewhere, and so there’s an old saying, follow the money. And if you do that, I think what’s probably going to be revealed, you’re going to find that the money is going to a foreign Intel service who was employing these two individuals. And that unfortunately looks like to me what’s going on,” Emmett said.
Marino added: “Is it part of a larger foreign intelligence gathering operation? Or is it just two guys that wanted to become members of the law enforcement community and couldn’t, so fake their way through it? But either way, this was a big threat to our national security, no doubt.”
Marino said the amount of money spent and the weapons obtained in an area like D.C. make him believe a foreign government was involved in the scheme.
“I mean, this fits the MO of a foreign government in terms of intelligence collection on an adversary. I mean, these apartments alone are running close to $50,000 per year per apartment, and then you add in all the other enticements there that you named earlier. So this adds up, and then also the weapons, how are these weapons able to be accessed and obtained so easily by these individuals, especially in a location like D.C.?
“I mean, even Virginia and Maryland, we’re talking about waiting periods here for these weapons. So how were they able to circumvent (those rules)? Because it appears they did, in fact, circumvent these timeframes in terms of awaiting weapons. How are they able to get around that to produce these weapons as evidence to these real agents, that they too are part of the Department of Homeland Security? So there’s a lot more questions here. You and I, Dan, both know that the information in the affidavit is the bare minimum to support the charges here,” Marino told Abrams.
With security at the top of mind, Emmett also spoke out about the chances of a postal inspector reporting the duo instead of Secret Service themselves.
“The Secret Service people involved in this, quite frankly, are not paying attention. They’re asleep at the switch. Any rookie agent right out of the academy should know that there’s no such thing as a special police officer from the Department of Homeland Security. Now, why a postal inspector knows that and Secret Service agents don’t know, that is a mystery to me,” Emmett commented, later adding: “What really bothers me is you’ve got these guys with guns, ammunition, tactical gear, all the things in place that look to me to be preparing for an assassination attempt or an abduction.”
What could be happening behind closed doors? Will the four Secret Service agents face any sort of punishment?
“What’s probably been happening all day and maybe even right now, as you and I are speaking, is that the FBI, they are wringing out these four Secret Service types to find out what, if anything, they gave to these two individuals, and what the story was behind the entire thing,” Emmett said on NewsNation Prime. “So, there’s going to be a lot of interviewing going on, a lot of questioning going on. And it’s not going to be a comfortable time for these Secret Service types.”
Marino believes there’s one thing we can be sure of: “That the FBI has a parallel intelligence investigation going on about this. Because what was the ulterior motive of these two individuals and who were they associated with?”
The investigation into Taherzadeh and Ali is ongoing.
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https://www.cenlanow.com/washington-dc/duo-accused-of-duping-secret-service-what-were-they-after/
| 2022-04-08T14:17:09
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Although the bakery doesn’t yet have a sign, you don’t need a name to identify it. The intoxicating smell of baked sugar and butter lures you in like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Inside, the pastry case holds a variety of croissants, loaves of bread, and swirl pastries.
"Come on back," invites Nathas Kraus, owner of La Belle Vie and head baker at the new space in Scottsdale. The large kitchen is divided into three parts: an area for mixing and shaping the dough, one for refrigeration, and another for baking. The left side houses three ovens: a horizontal deck version, a vertical rotating oven, and a small countertop style. Refrigerators stand at attention against the wall facing the ranges. The right side of the space belongs to the dough. Three mixers, starting with a Kitchen Aid (1.9 kg or 4.2 pound capacity) and ending with a commercial spiral mixer with a capacity for up to 130 kg, or 286.6 pounds, demonstrate the bakery's evolution.
Trays of pastries in different stages of readiness are lined up vertically on multiple racks.
Kraus, a banker from Haute-Savoie, a French town bordering Switzerland, moved his family to Arizona in 2014 so that his son could receive care for a rare eye disease. Once he arrived, he took what the grocery stores called French bread as a personal affront — "I didn't want Americans to think this was French bread" — so he started baking his own.
During today's visit, Kraus has four classic kouign-amanns (pronounced kween amahn) in the deck oven, ready to come out. Kouign stands for cake, amann for butter. You may have seen individual versions of this sweet made with croissant dough layered with sugar; however, the traditional version is a mix of butter and sugar inside bread dough. When Kraus opens the oven, a hot, fragrant plume is released.
He removes the 8-inch pans from the oven, flips them over on his workbench, and teases the parchment paper off. "Ça c'est fait!," he exclaims. "It's done!" As the three of us (his assistant, Kari Kauffman, is there, too) wait for the cakes to cool, we peel caramelized bits of dough (the best part) from the parchment paper.
"There is as much sugar and butter as dough," notes Kraus. "It took me 100 tries to get it right." He echoes the New York Times, which once called this "the fattiest pastry in all of Europe." In his French accent, Kraus adds: "If I ’ad to put a nutrition label on it, I'd ’ave to put 10,000 calories."
Next, he pushes a rack of almond cookies into the rotating oven. "Tac," he says. "Check."
Ever since Kraus hosted his first farmers' market stand in 2018, the volume of his work has continued to grow, to the point that he needed to move the business out of his house. "It was that or stop La Belle Vie," he says, "and why would you stop something that is giving pleasure to people, giving pleasure to yourself, and working?"
The current space belonged to the Universal Church before Kraus turned it into an edible liturgy. "I believe in signs, and it felt good the moment I walked into the building," he recalls. "I figured it was meant to be."
Did he have setbacks? Of course. His deck oven delivery was delayed because of the dockworkers' strike. And once it arrived, it wouldn't fit through the door, so he had to have one wall of windows removed in order to lift it in.
Next, the rotating oven required a complete revamping of the electrical wiring. "I had to take a mortgage on my house to pay for all of it," says Kraus.
After he's done with today's baking, he'll go home to prepare tags and bags for pre-orders. The bakery's selection varies every week.
A loaf of French bread is left from the morning's baked goods; Kraus uses natural levain (a starter dough made with flour and water) for his loaves. When he pushes on the caramelized crust, it crackles.
"I like darker crust, because that's the way we like bread in the north of Switzerland — really roasted, toasted crust," he explains. "I have now converted 90 percent of people to like this kind of crusty bread." He'd like to also offer cheese and charcuterie at the bakery one day.
As Kauffman gets ready to leave for the day, Kraus asks her to wait; he wants her to have a slice of the kouign-amann. Using a pastry cutter, he cuts the cake into equal-size triangles and hands us each a piece. Butter coats our fingertips. The crust is golden brown and crispy on the outside, with identifiable layers making up a creamy interior. It's almost as if it has apples or pears in the center. With ecstatic pleasure, Kauffman and I look at each other and simultaneously let out an "Mmmm. So good."
"When you take a bite of something, you are transported to a place and time in memory," says Kraus. "That's what I want to give to people."
Kauffman and I are already forming our own memories with this heavenly slice.
Kraus reads a sentence, written in red under the pastry case, and translates it into English: "À ces petits moments parfaits que les Anges nous envient": It's in those perfect little moments that the angels envy us.
Currently, the Belle Vie storefront is open for pre-order pick-ups Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kraus highly recommends pre-ordering, but there will be a few items available for walk-ins during those hours. Pre-order options are available on the bakery's website.
Kraus will continue to run his farmers' market stand in Gilbert, and is currently looking to hire a team member to help with it.
Follow La Belle Vie on Instagram or Facebook for the most up-to-date information.
La Belle Vie Bakery
8119 East Roosevelt Street
, Scottsdale
Pick-up hours: 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday
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https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/la-belle-vie-bakery-opens-a-brick-and-mortar-in-scottsdale-13383331
| 2022-04-08T14:21:40
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https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/la-belle-vie-bakery-opens-a-brick-and-mortar-in-scottsdale-13383331
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Ainsley’s Angels Empower Differently Abled Individuals in 5K Run
Ainsley’s Angels hosts running events for people with special needs.
This organization gives people a chance to make a difference.
Ainsley’s Angels empower differently abled individuals to run.
Ainsley was the first to roll with the wind in a wheelchair.
Jason Tassin is a local ambassador who built a chapter of Ainsley’s Angels in CENLA.
His goal is to celebrate inclusion and bring awareness to the organization.
He has bonded with these individuals because of the 5K runs.
Egbert Jakobs loves to share his passion of sports with differently abled individuals.
It gives him joy to push them over the finish line in their wheelchairs.
He is proud to help them overcome their physical challenges.
In March, Ainsley’s Angels showed up with over 50 riders, walkers, and runners.
They raised money for the Angel Color Run at Grace Christian School.
All proceeds went directly to the ambassadorship.
Getting involved is a great way to invest positive energy into individuals with special needs.
Their next 5k Run will be on May 14th at Fort Randolph. They will have an Indian Creek Decathlon in June.
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| 2022-04-08T14:25:01
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Local Headlines Alexandria citizens voicing their concerns at the City Council meeting April 7, 2022 Jacque Murphy 0 Comments Tweet Tweet
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| 2022-04-08T14:25:09
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Arrest made in criminal sexual conduct investigation
On March 30th, 2022, Patrol Deputies responded to a report of possible sexual misconduct involving a juvenile victim. Deputies began their investigation and Jammie Ballard, 61 of Glenmora, was identified as the suspect. The case was turned over to the Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit (SVU) for further investigation.
Through their investigation, and with the assistance of the Children’s Advocacy Center, SVU Detectives developed sufficient probable cause that supported the original allegations and a warrant was obtained for the arrest of Ballard for one count First Degree Rape and six counts Molestation of a Juvenile Victim Under the Age of 13.
On April 5th, 2022, Ballard was taken into custody by the SVU Detectives, arrested on the warrants and booked into Rapides Parish Detention Center. Ballard remains in jail at the time of this release, being held on a $400,000.00 bond.
SVU Detectives say their investigation is still ongoing and if anyone has any information related to this case, they are asked to please contact Detective Cali Philpot with the RPSO Special Victims Unit at (318) 473-6727.
Arrestee: Jammie Lynn Ballard, 61 of Glenmora
Charges: 1st Degree Rape
6 counts Molestation of a Juvenile Victim Under 13
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| 2022-04-08T14:25:16
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HILLSBORO, Ore. — A man was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Les Schwab store in Hillsboro early Friday morning, the Hillsboro Police Department (HPD) told KGW.
According to Sergeant Clint Chrz, a spokesperson for HPD, officers were dispatched to the Les Schwab located at 320 Southeast 10th Avenue in Hillsboro at 4:11 a.m. Friday after dispatch received reports that multiple shots had been fired and a person was lying in the parking lot.
When officers arrived, they found the shooting victim in the parking lot. Chrz said the victim, a man in his late teens or early 20s, was dead when officers arrived. Police have not yet identified the victim.
Officers used a K9 and other search methods to find the suspect, but as of 6:20 a.m. Friday, no suspect was in custody. Chrz said police do not believe the public is at risk.
HPD tweeted at 5:47 a.m. that the parking lot where the shooting happened was taped off and nobody is allowed in the area. No roads were shut down in the area.
Thursday's shooting happened about 20 miles outside of Portland, west of the city. Portland and many of its surrounding areas have seen a surge in gun violence the past couple years.
In the city of Portland, there were more than 1,300 shootings last year, compared with about 400 in 2019 and 900 in 2020. Through just the first two months of 2022, there were nearly 250 shootings in the city of Portland, according to PPB's shooting incidents dashboard. In many cases, including homicides, there have been no arrests.
This is the second shooting in Washington County in the past few days. On Wednesday night, multiple shots were fired into a moving vehicle on Highway 26 a few miles northeast of Hillsboro.
More crime stories from KGW:
RELATED VIDEO: City of Portland releases community safety report
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PORTLAND, Oregon — For decades, Friends of Trees has brought communities together while making Portland greener. Since 1989, they’ve helped neighbors plant 40,000 trees along Portland streets, most on the city’s eastside and in lower-income areas. But their role in Portland is changing.
After this spring, the city of Portland will no longer contract with Friends of Trees the way it has since 2008. Because of that, the nonprofit said it's losing about $1 million in funding from the city and will no longer lead efforts to plant trees in parking strips.
“It's kind of an end of an era,” said Friends of Trees Executive Director Yashar Vasef. “We're not saying we deserve that funding but what we're curious about is, why now? In terms of climate change and the heat dome we saw last year and the tragic outcomes there.”
By email, a spokesperson for The Bureau of Environmental Services told KGW the city is developing a street planting program through Portland Parks & Recreation. They also said they’re focusing on planting trees on private and commercial properties.
“BES is passionate about ensuring a healthy watershed for our community and recognizes the tree canopy is integral to those goals,” the statement said.
Environmental experts, including Portland State University professor Vivek Shandas, have found that tree canopies can mitigate the effects of climate change on cities. During last summer's heat dome, Shandas measured the temperature in different parts of Portland. He found that areas with more trees stayed cooler.
“What we saw in this neighborhood of Lents [on Portland’s eastside] was a temperature reading of 125 degrees, and 99 degrees in Northwest Portland,” Shandas said.
RELATED: Experts detail Oregon forest damage in aftermath of June heat dome; long term effects unknown
Without partnering with Friends of Trees, Portlanders can still plant trees in their parking strips. However, they'll need to go through the city for a permit and will likely pay much more for a tree than the $35 Friends of Trees charged.
“We just encourage the city to actively continue perusing partnerships with community organizations that activate the community,” Vasef said.
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WASHINGTON — Mark your calendars! A solar eclipse stretching across a large portion of the country will grace the sky in two years on April 8, 2024.
A solar eclipse occurs at the exact moment when the moon passes between the sun and Earth blocking the sun's light. The short time when the moon completely blocks the sun is known as the period of totality.
Instead of stretching coast-to-coast like the 2017 "Great American Eclipse", the path of totality for 2024's event largely covers the eastern half of the United States.
Portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Maine, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine will see 100% totality. Areas further away from the path of totality will see decreased blockage of the sun.
According to Forbes, 32 million people live within the path of totality for the 2024 eclipse, compared to just 12 million who lived within the 2017 path.
The start of totality will begin in Texas just before 1:30 p.m. CT and end in Maine just after 3:30 p.m. ET.
Some of the major cities in the path of totality include Austin, Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo and Syracuse.
Before reaching the U.S., the April 2024 eclipse will go through parts of Mexico and continue through the eastern portion of Canada.
Opposite of a solar eclipse is a lunar eclipse, which is when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon.
A total solar eclipse in the United States isn't an everyday occurrence. The last major solar eclipse in the United States occurred on Aug. 21, 2017. That was the first solar eclipse visible from the 48 contiguous states since 1979. It was also the first eclipse to stretch coast-to-coast since 1918.
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BEIJING (AP) — Three local officials in Shanghai have been sacked over a slack response to the COVID-19 outbreak in China’s largest city, where residents are complaining of harsh lockdown conditions leading to shortages of food and basic necessities.
An official notice Friday gave no details of the allegations against the three officials, but said their failure to fulfill their duties in epidemic prevention and control had allowed the virus to spread, leading to a “serious impact” on efforts to control the outbreak.
Shanghai announced more than 21,000 new local cases on Friday, of which only 824 had symptoms. Total cases in the outbreak that began last month in Shanghai have soared past the 100,000 mark, making it one of China’s most serious since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019.
No additional deaths have been reported in the outbreak blamed on the hugely infectious but relatively less lethal omicron subvariant BA.2. China’s vaccination rate is around 90%, but considerably lower among the elderly.
Shanghai has placed all 26 million residents under lockdown and implemented mass testing, while requiring anyone with a positive result to be held in an isolation center, some of which have been newly created from converted gymnasiums and exhibition halls.
Some residents have received government food packages containing meat and vegetables. Many, however, are struggling to obtain rice and other basics, with online vendors sold out and delivery services unable to keep up with demand.
With no word on when the lockdown will be lifted, anxiety is rising, along with frustration over the city’s apparent lack of preparation for an extended lockdown.
Travel in and out of Shanghai has largely come to a standstill and usually bustling city streets are deserted apart from police, health workers and residents reporting for testing.
China has repeatedly enforced lengthy mass lockdowns over the two-year course of the epidemic. Shanghai, however, had largely escaped the most onerous measures under China’s “zero-COVID” strategy that aims to isolate every infected person.
Home to many of China’s wealthiest, best educated and most cosmopolitan citizens, the city was first promised a two-phase lockdown starting March 28 and lasting no more than eight days total. With little notice given, residents made a run on supermarkets, quickly leaving shelves bare.
Those measures have since been extended, leaving many families that had planned for only a limited time in quarantine without supplies. Authorities say they will determine future steps based on testing results, but have given no specifics.
Officials say Shanghai, which includes the world’s busiest port and China’s main stock exchange, has enough food. But a deputy mayor, Chen Tong, acknowledged Thursday that getting it the “last 100 meters” to households is a challenge.
City officials have apologized for mishandling the lockdown and promised to improve food supplies. The Communist Party leadership in Beijing is working to squelch complaints, especially online, in hopes of preventing the lockdown and accompanying dissatisfaction from becoming a political issue ahead of a key party congress later this year.
In a further endorsement of the government’s approach, Xi credited China’s “closed loop” management with keeping the infection rate to just 0.45% of those involved in this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games,
China’s COVID-19 policy has “once again withstood the test, contributing useful experience for the world to fight against the virus and host major international events,” Xi said in an address at a ceremony Friday honoring Chinese Games participants.
The government says it is trying to reduce the impact of its tactics, but authorities are still enforcing curbs that also block access to the industrial cities of Shenyang, Changchun and Jilin with millions of residents in the northeast.
Meanwhile, punishments meted out to officials seen as being insufficiently rigorous appears to be incentivizing local governments to take extreme measures. Dozens of local officials around the country have been sacked or otherwise punished, though no one at the central government level has been held to account.
Friday’s notice identified those fired as Cai Yongqiang, Xu Jianjun and Huang Wei, all officials at the district, neighborhood or township level.
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BOSTON (AP) — When she was elected mayor of Boston in November, Michelle Wu transformed the image of the city’s chief executive — up until then the sole domain of white men, many of Irish descent.
Now in office, the Chicago-born daughter of Taiwanese immigrants is facing a raft of challenges, including making good on key campaign promises like creating a fare-free public transit system and blunting the city’s skyrocketing housing costs.
Wu, 37 and the mother of two, has also grappled with early morning protests outside her home and racist online taunts.
“You can’t take things personally in jobs like this,” Wu said in an interview with The Associated Press. “At the same time, it does seem like in the last few years especially we’ve seen a normalizing of behavior that is toxic and harmful and personally abusive to many, many people.”
“Women and women of color in particular often have the most racialized and gender-based versions of that intensity,” she added.
The noisy morning gatherings outside her home prompted Wu to push through a new city ordinance limiting the hours during which protesters can gather in residential neighborhoods to the window between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
She’s also dismissed online chatter which tried to raise doubts about her mental health. Wu has been open about her mother’s struggles with mental illness.
“What has been most staggering about some of the rumors or these whisper campaigns is that in fact, I think it has the opposite impact,” Wu said. “If I needed mental health support, I would be the first to say that.”
She’s also run into flak from city unions on pandemic mandates and, more recently, tried to thread a needle on whether and how to allow restaurants to continue offering sidewalk dining along the narrow streets of the city’s North End.
The post is still a dream job for Wu — a former Democratic city councilor and policy wonk in the mold of mentor Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
“In many ways, it feels familiar and exhilarating and energizing to be able to roll up my sleeves and just work on issues that I had been talking about,” Wu said. “The energy right now in Boston to get things done is felt everywhere across the city.”
While Wu is the first woman of color to be elected mayor, she wasn’t the first to hold the seat. FormerCity Council President Kim Janey, who is Black, held the post of acting mayor for much of 2021 after former Mayor Marty Walsh resigned to become President Joe Biden’s labor secretary.
Unlike the typical Boston mayor, Wu wasn’t born and raised in the city. She first arrived from Chicago to attend Harvard University in neighboring Cambridge.
She would eventually relocate her two younger sisters and mother to Boston as she attended Harvard Law School.
“Boston has given me everything that I cherish in my life — the ability to take care of my family, to connect my mom to health care in a way that saved her life, the schools that I was able to raise my sisters in and now my own two boys,” Wu said. “It’s a city of every possible opportunity that you can think of, but it’s also a city that really needs to take down barriers, still, for that to be felt across every single part of our neighborhoods.”
One of biggest challenges facing Wu is housing.
Boston is facing a hollowing-out, driven by rapid gentrification as sleek new apartment buildings rise in neighborhoods that traditionally relied on three-story wooden homes to house a working and middle class
“We are working to throw everything we have at housing right now,” said Wu, who has pledged to revive rent control, outlawed by Massachusetts voters in 1994.
Hemmed in by neighboring communities and the Atlantic Ocean, Boston doesn’t have many large open spaces for new housing. One of the last — a former industrial landscape rebranded as the Seaport District — has been filled with boxy glass-enclosed high rises.
Wu is eyeing three other parcels: a former horse track in the city’s East Boston neighborhood; a reconfiguration of Interstate 90 that could unlock land largely owned by Harvard; and an industrial area near the city’s South Boston neighborhood that had been eyed for a stadium during the city’s aborted bid for the 2024 Olympics.
During the campaign, Wu also promised a free public transit system.
The city has put a down payment on that pledge with three free bus linesserving primarily riders of color and lower income neighborhoods. The city is picking up the tab — $8 million in federal pandemic relief funds — for the next two years.
“Bus service is the most cost efficient and the most equitable place to start, because that is where we see some of the largest gaps in rider experience,” Wu said, noting that Black riders spend 64 more hours per year sitting on buses in Boston compared to white riders.
Expanding the fare-free push to other bus lines and the subway system would likely require action by state lawmakers, the governor and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which oversees the public transit system. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has panned the idea.
Wu said she’s hoping to change what it means to be mayor of the nearly 400-year-old city — and maybe change the way the rest of the country sees Boston while she’s at it.
“I made a promise to myself early on that I would be proud of who I was in politics long after I got out of politics,” Wu said. “I was anxious at first that being in this role would mean having to change my family’s life in different ways. But politics doesn’t have to be how we see it now. Politics is what we make of it.”
“I hope that, in leaning into who I am — a mom with two young kids, someone who didn’t grow up in the city, raised by parents who didn’t grow up in this country — that I expand the definition of what leadership looks like,” she said.
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BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has imposed sanctions on two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a new package of measures targeting Russia’s economy, businessmen and oligarchs in retaliation for the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, according to two EU officials.
The EU included Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova in its updated list of individuals facing an assets freeze and travel ban. The two EU officials from different EU member countries spoke Friday on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the updated list of individuals and entities sanctioned has not been published yet.
The move from the European bloc follows a similar move two days earlier by the United States.
In the wake of evidence of torture and killings emerging from war zones outside Kyiv, the EU decided to impose a fifth package of measures.
“These latest sanctions were adopted following the atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Bucha and other places under Russian occupation,” said Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat. “The aim of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhuman and aggressive behavior of the Russian troops and make clear to the decision makers in the Kremlin that their illegal aggression comes at a heavy cost.”
But many in the Ukraine government want tougher measures that will have a quicker impact on the war.
“Some countries may want to exhaust the Russians economically rather than stop them, while the Ukrainians are shedding their blood. We don’t accept that,” said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk “The idea of the sanctions should be not just to exhaust the Russians in the longer term, but to stop them within months, not years.”
In addition to sanctions on individuals and members of their families, oligarchs and high-ranking Kremlin officials, the 27-nation bloc also formally approved Friday an embargo on coal imports starting in August, as well as a full transaction ban on four key Russian banks representing 23% of market share in the Russian banking sector.
Also, vessels registered under the Russian flag are now prohibited to access EU ports, with an exception for agricultural and food products, humanitarian aid and energy.
This is the first time that EU sanctions target Russia’s lucrative energy industry over its war in Ukraine. According to the EU council, imports of coal into the region are currently worth 8 billion euros per year.
The EU has already started working on additional sanctions, including on oil imports.
EU officials said the impact of the bloc’s sanctions so far over the first four weeks shows that imports into the 27 nations from Russia dropped off by 9% in terms of value, and over 20% in terms of volume. Trade from the EU to Russia has fallen by three quarters.
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Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this story.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An international organization formed to identify the dead and missing from the 1990s Balkan conflicts is preparing to send a team of forensics experts to Ukraine as the death toll mounts more than six weeks into the war caused by Russia’s invasion.
Authorities in Kyiv have reached out to the International Commission on Missing Persons to help put names to bodies that might otherwise remain anonymous amid the fog of war.
A team made up of a forensic pathologist, forensic archeologist and an expert on collecting DNA samples from bodies and from families to cross-match, is expected to travel to Ukraine early next week, Director-General Kathryne Bomberger told The Associated Press on Friday.
They will help identify the dead, but also document how they died — information that can feed into war crimes investigations in the future. The organization’s laboratory in an office block on a busy street in The Hague will build a central database cataloging evidence and the identities of the missing.
“Having this centralized capability is absolutely critical because you have to look at this as an investigation into a gigantic crime scene that is taking place across Ukraine,” Bomberger said.
The team will have plenty of work to do when it deploys to Bucha, where images of bodies lying in the streets after Russian forces withdrew shocked the world.
Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said Thursday on Ukrainian television that at least three sites of mass shootings of civilians during the Russian occupation have been found. Fedoruk said hundreds have been killed and investigators are finding bodies in yards, parks and city squares.
The commission, known by its acronym ICMP, already has a working relationship with the prosecution office of the International Criminal Court and other crime-fighting agencies like Interpol and Europol to share evidence. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan already has opened an investigation in Ukraine.
“We want to make sure that we work together with the Ukrainian authorities to properly excavate these crime scene sites to identify the mortal remains so that evidence can be provided in the future for criminal trial purposes, not only potentially to the ICC, but also potentially within domestic courts in Ukraine,” Bomberger said.
The organization is at the forefront of using new technology in their painstaking work to identify bodies from even the smallest samples.
“We have implemented a new extraction technique, which allows us to extract more DNA from smaller or more damaged fragments of bone sample,” said DNA Laboratory manager Kieren Hill. “This is quite a unique method in terms of its application into the missing person’s context.”
On Friday, lab staff in white clothes covered with blue plastic overalls, hair nets and gloves were meticulously working on other cases, grasping small shards of bone in pliers and grinding away their surfaces in search of DNA.
The ICMP has an online portal where people in Ukraine can anonymously report locations of bodies, and will help family members of the missing to provide DNA samples to help identify them.
The commission was established to trace the dead from the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Its sterile, high-tech laboratories are a world away from the muddy mass graves where the organization’s experts first rose to prominence among the decomposing dead of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys.
They helped put names to bodies that in some cases were torn apart and spread across multiple mass graves as Bosnian Serb forces buried and then re-buried the dead in an effort to cover traces of their genocidal attempt to wipe out Srebrenica’s Bosniaks.
The commission made sure they failed to cover their tracks. Bosnian Serb military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic and his political master, Radovan Karadzic, are now serving life sentences for crimes including genocide. Both men were convicted in part thanks to evidence gathered by the ICMP.
Funded by voluntary contributions from governments, the organization has since helped national governments put names to thousands more people whose anonymous remains were recovered from sites including over 3,000 mass and clandestine graves.
It has worked at crime scenes and disaster sites around the world, including Syria, Libya and Iraq. The organization also helped to identify victims swept away by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and extracted DNA from bone samples of 250 people killed when Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana in 2005.
Ukraine could prove to be one of its biggest challenges yet, as the organization works together with Ukrainian authorities to investigate and build cases amid an ongoing war.
“So ensuring that this process moves in accordance with proper investigations, that these sites are properly documented, the proper chain of custody is obtained, will be a challenge,” Bomberger said. “I think under the circumstances while there’s an active conflict.”
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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ROME (AP) — Prices for food commodities like grains and vegetable oils reached their highest levels ever last month largely because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the “massive supply disruptions” it is causing, threatening millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere with hunger and malnourishment, the United Nations said Friday.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month, up 12.6% from February. As it is, the February index was the highest level since its inception in 1990.
FAO said the war in Ukraine was largely responsible for the 17.1% rise in the price of grains, including wheat and others like oats, barley and corn. Together, Russia and Ukraine account for around 30% and 20% of global wheat and corn exports, respectively.
While predictable given February’s steep rise, “this is really remarkable,” said Josef Schmidhuber, deputy director of FAO’s markets and trade division. “Clearly, these very high prices for food require urgent action.”
The biggest price increases were for vegetable oils: that price index rose 23.2%, driven by higher quotations for sunflower seed oil that is used for cooking. Ukraine is the world’s leading exporter of sunflower oil, and Russia is No. 2.
“There is, of course, a massive supply disruption, and that massive supply disruption from the Black Sea region has fueled prices for vegetable oil,” Schmidhuber told reporters in Geneva.
He said he couldn’t calculate how much the war was to blame for the record food prices, noting that poor weather conditions in the United States and China also were blamed for crop concerns. But he said “logistical factors” were playing a big role.
“Essentially, there are no exports through the Black Sea, and exports through the Baltics is practically also coming to an end,” he said.
Soaring food prices and disruption to supplies coming from Russia and Ukraine have threatened food shortages in countries in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia where many people already were not getting enough to eat.
Those nations rely on affordable supplies of wheat and other grains from the Black Sea region to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles, and they now face the possibility of further political instability.
Other large grain producers like the United States, Canada, France, Australia and Argentina are being closely watched to see if they can quickly ramp up productionto fill in the gaps, but farmers face issues like climbing fuel and fertilizer costs exacerbated by the war, drought and supply chain disruptions.
In the Sahel region of Central and West Africa, the disruptions from the war have added to an already precarious food situation caused by COVID-19, conflicts, poor weather and other structural problems, said Sib Ollo, senior researcher for the World Food Program for West and Central Africa in Dakar, Senegal.
“There is a sharp deterioration of the food and nutrition security in the region,” he told reporters, saying 6 million children are malnourished and nearly 16 million people in urban areas are at risk of food insecurity.
Farmers, he said, were particularly worried that they would not be able to access fertilizers produced in the Black Sea region. Russia is a leading global exporter.
“The cost of fertilizers has increased by almost 30% in many places of this region due to the supply disruption that we see provoked by a crisis in Ukraine,” he said.
The World Food Program has appealed for $777 million to meet the needs of 22 million people in the Sahel region and Nigeria over six months, he said.
To address the needs of food-importing countries, the FAO was developing a proposal for a mechanism to alleviate the import costs for the poorest countries, Schmidhuber said. The proposal calls for eligible countries to commit to added investments in their own agricultural productivity to obtain import credits to help soften the blow.
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BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s health minister said Friday that the country may need to brink back a requirement for wearing face masks in public this autumn after lawmakers rejected a proposed coronavirus vaccine mandate.
Karl Lauterbach acknowledged that the Bundestag’s vote Thursday against requiring COVID-19 vaccination of people 60 and over was a personal setback for him. The bill was a watered-down compromise after some government lawmakers refused to back a vaccine mandate for all adults.
The vote was “a clear and bitter defeat for all those who advocate compulsory vaccinations,” said Lauterbach, adding that any wriggle room to further relax the rules “has been completely exhausted.”
Germany recently ended the requirement to wear masks in many indoor settings, though they are still compulsory on public transport.
Lauterbach also urged people to get tested for COVID-19 before traveling to visit relatives over the Easter vacation.
New infections in Germany are on a downward trajectory, with 175,263 additional confirmed cases reported in the past 24 hours — down from a recent peak of almost 300,000 a day. But there continued to be around 300 COVID-related deaths a day, he said.
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Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security forces early Friday hunted down and killed a Palestinian man who had opened fire into a crowded bar in central Tel Aviv, killing two and wounding over 10 in an attack that caused scenes of mass panic in the heart of the bustling city.
It was the fourth deadly attack in Israel by Palestinians in three weeks, and came at a time of heightened tensions around the start of Ramadan. Tens of thousands of Palestinians attended the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month in Jerusalem amid a heavy Israeli security presence, with no immediate reports of unrest.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with top security officials and announced that a major crossing in the northern West Bank near the attacker’s hometown would be closed indefinitely.
“Every murderer will know that we’ll get to him, and anyone who helps terrorists should know that the price he will pay will be unbearable,” Bennett said in a statement.
Israel proceeded with plans to allow Palestinian women, children and older men from the occupied West Bank to enter Jerusalem for prayers. Protests and clashes in the holy city during Ramadan last year eventually ignited an 11-day Gaza war.
Thursday’s shooting took place in a crowded bar on Dizengoff Street, a central thoroughfare that has seen other attacks over the years. Thursday night is the beginning of the Israeli weekend, and the area was packed with people in bars and restaurants.
In videos spread on social media, dozens of terrified people were seen running through the streets as police searched for the attacker and ordered people to stay indoors. The deceased were identified as Tomer Morad and Eytam Magini, childhood friends in their late 20s from Kfar Saba, a town just north of Tel Aviv.
Hundreds of Israeli police officers, canine units, and army special forces, had conducted a massive manhunt throughout the night across Tel Aviv, searching building by building through densely populated residential neighborhoods.
Early Friday, authorities said they found the attacker hiding near a mosque in Jaffa, an Arab neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv, and killed him in a shootout.
The Shin Bet internal security service identified the attacker as Raad Hazem, a 28-year-old Palestinian man from Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. It said he did not belong to an organized militant group and had no prior record. It said he had entered Israel illegally without a permit.
The Jenin refugee camp was the scene of one of the deadliest battles of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, 20 years ago. In April 2002, Israeli forces fought Palestinian militants in the camp for nearly three weeks. Twenty-three Israeli soldiers and at least 52 Palestinians, including civilians, were killed, according to the United Nations.
The Israeli military frequently conducts arrest raids in Jenin, often coming under fire. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank and coordinates with Israel on security matters, appears to have little control over the area.
After Thursday’s attack, 13 Israelis have been killed in recent weeks, making this one of the worst waves of violence in years.
The militant Hamas group that rules the Gaza Strip praised the attack but did not claim responsibility. President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the PA, condemned the attack, saying the killing of civilians on either side “can only lead to a further deterioration of the situation.”
All of the attackers appear to have acted individually or with minimal support from a small cell. Three of them are believed to have identified with the extremist group Islamic State. But militant groups do not appear to have trained them or organized the attacks.
Seeking to avoid a repeat of last year’s war, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders have held a flurry of meetings in recent weeks to discuss ways to maintain calm.
Israel has taken a number of steps aimed at calming tensions, including issuing thousands of additional work permits for Palestinians from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. But the attacks have set off growing calls in Israel for a tougher crackdown.
Israel allowed women, children and men over 40 from the occupied West Bank to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem on Friday. The Muslim body that oversees the site said 80,000 people attended prayers.
Police mobilized thousands of forces in and around the Old City, home to Al-Aqsa and other holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam and sits on a hilltop that is the most sacred site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. The holy site has long been a flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Israel has worked to sideline the Palestinian issue in recent years, instead focusing on forging alliances with Arab states against Iran. But the century-old conflict remains as intractable as ever.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories to form their future state. The last substantive peace talks broke down more than a decade ago, and Bennett is opposed to Palestinian statehood, though he supports steps to improve their economy and quality of life.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognized internationally and considers the entire city to be its capital. It is building and expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which most of the international community considers illegal.
Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005. But along with neighboring Egypt, it imposed a crippling blockade on the territory after the militant Hamas group seized power from rival Palestinian forces two years later. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since then.
Israel says the conflict stems from the Palestinians’ refusal to accept its right to exist as a Jewish state and blames attacks in part on incitement on social media. Palestinians say such attacks are the inevitable result of a nearly 55-year military occupation that shows no sign of ending.
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| 2022-04-08T14:39:59
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Jurors entered a fifth day of deliberations Friday with pennies that were offered as evidence of an explosive earlier in the trial of four men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
A court employee handed over a large plastic bag known as exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.
“If you want something different or something additional, just let us know,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said. “We wish you well in your continuing deliberations.”
The jury is considering 10 charges in the case: one against Brandon Caserta, two against Adam Fox, three against Barry Croft Jr. and four against Daniel Harris. The men all face the main charge of a kidnapping conspiracy; the other counts are related to explosives and a firearm.
Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel, investigators said.
A homemade explosive was detonated during training in September 2020, according to evidence, about a month before the men were arrested.
In his closing argument on April 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft wanted to test the explosive as a possible weapon to use against Whitmer’s security team. He quoted him as saying the pennies would be so hot they could go “right through your skin.”
The trial now has covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations.
Prosecutors offered testimony from undercover agents, a crucial informant and two men who pleaded guilty to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.
Prosecutors said the group was steeped in anti-government extremism and angry over Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Defense lawyers, however, said any scheme was the creation of government agents who were embedded in the group and manipulated the men.
Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit.
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:06
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TIRANA, Albania — Thousands of demonstrators waving Ukrainian flags and chanting support for Ukraine have marched through Albania’s capital.
Western diplomats and the city’s mayor joined Ukraine’s ambassador in a procession from Tirana’s main Skanderbeg Square to the Ukrainian embassy.
Youths held aloft a 30-meter (100-foot) long blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag and anti-war posters. Some sought to liken Russian President Vladimir Putin to the late Serb ex-authoritarian leader Slobodan Milosevic, a reviled figure in Albania.
Albania’s government has lined up with European Union sanctions and expressed support for U.S. initiatives against Russia at the U.N. Security Council, where Albania currently holds a seat.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR:
— Officials say Russian missile kills 30 civilians at train station
— EU imposes sanctions on Putin’s daughters
— Key Polish leader bashes Hungary’s Orban, longtime ally, over stance on Ukraine
— Congress votes to suspend Russia trade status, enact oil ban
— U.N. General Assembly votes to suspend Russia from UN rights council
— UN aid chief: ‘I’m not optimistic’ about Ukraine cease-fire
— Russia is moving troops and focus toward the east, but that strategycarries risks as well
— Go to https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine for more coverage
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
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TOKYO — Japan is expelling eight Russian diplomats and trade officials and will phase out imports of Russian coal and oil.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that Moscow must be held accountable for “war crimes” in Ukraine and pointed to a “critical moment” now in efforts to get Russia’s government to end its invasion of Ukraine.
He said Japan will also ban imports of Russian lumber, vodka and other goods, and will prohibit new Japanese investment in Russia. It will also step up sanctions against Russian banks and freeze assets of about 400 more individuals and groups.
Reduction of Russian fossil fuel imports is a difficult choice for resource-poor Japan, and could mean a shift for its energy policy toward more renewables and nuclear power. Russia accounts for about 11% of Japanese coal imports.
Earlier Friday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced it was expelling eight Russian diplomats and trade officials, joining similar moves in European countries.
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MADRID — Spain’s defense minister expects a “long and cruel” war in Ukraine.
Margarita Robles said Friday that killings and alleged torture of civilians in the town of Bucha were “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to atrocities committed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Evidence of the violence against civilians emerged after Russian forces pulled out of the town on the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv.
Robles told Antena 3 that an expected Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region — where pro-Russian separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014 — will likely bring more horror.
She predicted increased “cruelty” would be inflicted by Russian forces in the region.
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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Prime Minister Eduard Heger says Slovakia has donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system to Ukraine.
The comments from Heger came as he was visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with top EU officials ahead of a planned meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
Zelenskyy mentioned S-300s by name when he spoke to U.S. lawmakers by video last month, appealing for defense systems that would allow Ukraine to “close the skies” to Russian warplanes and missiles.
NATO members Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece have the S-300s, which can fire missiles hundreds of kilometers (miles) and knock out cruise missiles as well as warplanes.
Slovakia previously said it was willing to give its S-300 to Ukraine on condition that it has a proper replacement.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials are raising the death toll from a missile strike on a packed train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, as local hospitals buckled under an influx of injured victims.
Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said an updated count showed 39 people were killed in Friday’s strike. Ukrainian officials had earlier put the figure at around 30. Officials put the number of injured anywhere from 87 to as many as 300.
Kramatorsk mayor Oleksandr Goncharenko told Ukrainian TV that between 30 and 40 surgeons were treating the wounded, and hospitals were unable to cope with the surge in admissions.
The office of Ukraine’s prosecutor-general said about 4,000 civilians were in and around the station, most of them women and children. The Ukrainian government has been urging to leave the area before an expected new offensive by Russian forces.
Russian-backed separatists control part of the Donestsk region, but Kramatorsk remains under Ukrainian government control.
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BRUSSELS — The European Union has returned its ambassador to Ukraine to the capital, Kyiv, in a move that underscores the improved security situation there and the 27-nation bloc’s commitment to the beleaguered country.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell made the announcement Friday during a visit to Kyiv where he joined EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Borrell said the ambassador’s return would help ensure that the EU and Ukraine’s government can work together more directly and closely.
Russian forces sought to enter Kyiv in the days after its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine but despite severe losses and damage, the city withstood the attacks and the government was able to continue functioning from there.
Borrell called it “impressive” that Ukraine’s government was fully functioning under “the very difficult circumstances.”
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ROME — The United Nations says prices for world food commodities like grains and vegetable oils reached their highest levels ever last month due to fallout from the war in Ukraine.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, recorded a double-digit percentage-point increase in March from the record level already set the previous month.
FAO said the index came in at 159.3 points last month, up 12.6% from February’s all-time high since the index was created in 1990.
The Rome-based agency says the war in Ukraine was largely responsible for the 17.1% rise in prices for cereals, including wheat and all coarse grains. Russia and Ukraine together account for around 30% and 20% respectively of global wheat and maize exports.
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LONDON — Britain has added two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin to its sanctions list, following similar moves by the U.S. and the European Union.
The government said Friday it is imposing asset freezes and travel bans on Putin’s daughters Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, as well as Yekaterina Vinokurova, daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Britain says it has sanctioned more than 1,200 Russian individuals and businesses since the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, including 76 oligarchs and 16 banks.
It says Western nations have collectively frozen 275 billion pounds ($360 billion), amounting to 60% of Russian foreign currency reserves.
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KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says about 30 people have been killed and around 100 injured following a rocket strike on the railway station in Kramatorsk in the east of the country.
Writing on social media platforms, Zelenskyy said thousands of people were present in the station at the time of the strike. The head of the Ukrainian railway service, Olexander Kamyshin, made similar comments about the strike.
Kramatorsk is a city in part of the Donetsk region that is controlled by the Ukrainian government, and its railway station was being used to evacuate civilians.
Zelenskyy lashed out at Russian forces, saying they were “cynically destroying the civilian population” and called it “an evil without limits.”
Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk have claimed that Ukrainian forces were responsible.
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KYIV, Ukraine — The regional governor of Ukraine’s Sumy region that borders Russia is urging local residents to avoid using forest roads, walking on roadsides, or approaching destroyed military equipment after Russian troops pulled out of the region.
Dmytro Zhyvytskyy warned Friday on the messaging app Telegram that locals are still in danger because of mines and other ammunition that the Russian forces left behind.
In a message apparently directed to local residents, Zhyvytskyy said any explosions in the area in the short term were likely to be sounds of rescuers and mine-clearing specialists at work deactivating the ammunition and other explosives.
He had said earlier this week that Russia no longer controlled any settlements in the region.
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BRUSSELS — The European Union imposed has sanctions on two adult daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a new package of measures targeting Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, according to two EU officials.
The EU included Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova in its updated list of individuals facing assets freeze and travel bans. The two EU officials from different EU member countries spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the updated list of sanctions has not been published yet.
The move from the European bloc follows a similar move two days earlier by the United States.
— By Samuel Petrequin and Raf Casert in Brussels.
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BRUSSELS — Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger and two top European Union officials are in Kyiv looking to shore up the bloc’s support for war-torn Ukraine.
Heger said in a tweet Friday that he, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief have come with trade and humanitarian aid proposals for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government.
Part of that, Heger says is “to offer options for transporting grains, including wheat.” Ukraine is a major world wheat supplier and Russia’s war on Ukraine is creating shortages, notably in the Middle East.
He adds that the three want to help Ukraine on its path toward closer ties with the EU by “creating a ReformTeam.” Ukraine has applied to join the EU, but was already sorely in need of reforms, notably to root out rampant corruption, years before Russian troops invaded in February.
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LONDON — Britain’s Defense Ministry has assessed that at least some of the Russian forces who had pulled out from northern Ukraine will be transferred to the eastern Donbas region to continue fighting.
In a daily update, the ministry says that many of these forces will require significant replenishment before being ready to deploy farther east, with any mass redeployment from the north likely to take at least a week minimum.
It says Russian shelling of cities in the east and south continues and Russian forces have advanced farther south from the strategically important city of Izium, which remains under their control.
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Latvia says it has blacklisted 15 citizens of Russia and Belarus on grounds that their activities pose a threat to the nation’s national security.
A list of nine Russians and six Belarus citizens was given by Latvia’s State Security Service — the counterintelligence agency — to Interior Minister Marija Golubeva.
The State Security Service said Friday they include people who “may be involved in obtaining intelligence or providing support for Russia’s foreign policy interests.” It says among them are those who despite the crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine express support for the Kremlin.
Earlier this month, Latvia said it will close two Russia’s consular missions and expel a total of 13 Russian diplomats and employees currently stationed in the Baltic country.
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MOSCOW — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has acknowledged that Russia has suffered “significant losses of troops” during its military operation in Ukraine.
Peskov said: “Yes, we have significant losses of troops and it is a huge tragedy for us.”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with British broadcaster Sky on Thursday, Peskov also hinted that the operation might be over “in the foreseeable future.” He said that Russian forces were “doing their best to bring an end to that operation.”
He said: “And we do hope that in coming days, in the foreseeable future, this operation will reach its goals, or we’ll finish it by the negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.”
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CANBERRA, Australia — The first of 20 Bushmaster armored vehicles has left Australia for Ukraine, one week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy specifically requested the Australian-manufactured four-wheel drives.
A Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport jet that can carry four Bushmasters left the east coast city of Brisbane for Europe on Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
The 20 Bushmasters cost 50 million in Australian dollars, which is $37 million in U.S. dollars.
The vehicles are in addition to $116 million in Australian dollars ($87 million in U.S. dollars) in military and humanitarian aid previously committed to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy requested Bushmasters when he made a video address to the Australian Parliament on March 31.
“And as soon as he asked, we said yes,” Morrison said.
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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday announced it is levying sanctions against Russia’s largest military shipbuilding and diamond mining companies.
The move blocks their access to the U.S. financial system as the United States looks to exact more economic pain on President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine.
Alrosa is the world’s largest diamond mining company and accounts for about 90% of Russia’s diamond mining capacity, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
Alrosa generated over $4.2 billion in revenue in 2021. Diamonds are one of Russia’s top 10 non-energy exports by value.
The State Department also said it was blacklisting the United Shipbuilding Corporation, as well as its subsidiaries and board members.
The moves against the two-state owned companies come a day after the U.S. announced it was targeting the two adult daughters of President Vladimir Putin, two of Russia’s largest banks and banning new American investment in Russia.
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LVIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday night that work has begun to dig through the rubble in Borodianka, another city northwest of Kyiv that was occupied by the Russians.
He also said “it is much scarier” there, with even more victims of the Russian troops.
In his daily nighttime video address to the nation Thursday, Zelenskyy said the Russians were preparing to shock the world in the same way by showing corpses in Mariupol and falsely claiming they were killed by the Ukrainian defenders.
Meanwhile, Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said Thursday on Ukrainian television that investigators have found at least three sites of mass shootings of civilians during the Russian occupation.
Fedoruk said hundreds have been killed and investigators are finding bodies in yards, parks and city squares.
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PHOENIX — A Ukrainian diplomat pleaded for the United States to send weapons to his beleaguered nation in a speech to the Arizona Legislature on Thursday.
Dmytro Kushneruk, Ukraine’s consul general in San Francisco, told Arizona lawmakers that Ukraine needs three things to repel Russian invaders and prevent more civilian deaths — “weapons, weapons and weapons.”
Kushneruk said it’s a “war for the soul of humanity” and time is of the essence as Russia regroups for an expected offensive on the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine.
According to Kushneruk, prompt American help will save civilian lives and he pleaded for people not to look away even as the war drags on.
Kushneruk said Ukraine needs planes, anti-aircraft systems, heavy artillery, tanks, rockets systems and long-range missiles that can target Russian ships in the Black Sea.
The speech continued the outreach by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government to political and cultural institutions around the world.
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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden calls the United Nations vote Thursday to suspend Russia from the body’s Human Rights Council “a meaningful step by the international community.”
He also said that it further demonstrates how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war “has made Russia an international pariah.”
The U.N. General Assembly voted Thursday to suspend Russia from the U.N.’s leading human rights body over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
The vote on Thursday was 93-24 with 58 abstentions
The United States and Ukraine have called Russia’s alleged rights violations tantamount to war crimes.
In a statement, Biden said the images out of Bucha and other areas of Ukraine as Russian troops withdraw are “horrifying” and “an outrage to our common humanity.”
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BRUSSELS — European Council president Charles Michel says the bloc’s top diplomat has proposed adding an additional 500 million euros ($544 million) to Ukraine under the “European Peace Facility,” the fund which has been used for the first time during the war to deliver defensive lethal weapons to a third country.
The EU has previously agreed to spend 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) on military supplies for Ukrainian forces in an unprecedented step of collectively supplying weapons to a country under attack.
EU countries and NATO have so far excluded the option of a direct military intervention in Ukraine.
“Once swiftly approved this will bring to 1.5 billion the EU support already provided for military equipment for Ukraine,” Michel said in a message posted on Twitter in which he thanked EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
The proposal needs to be approved by the 27 EU countries. The EU said the instrument should help Ukraine armed forces “defend the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty” and protect the civilian population.
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The World Health Organization has verified more than 100 “attacks on health care” in Ukraine since the country was first invaded more than a month ago, the organization’s top official said Thursday.
At least 103 attacks on hospitals and other health-care facilities in the country, and at least 73 were killed and 51 injured in those incidents, said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking at a news conference in Washington, D.C.
The toll includes medical workers as well as patients, he said.
He praised the United States for supporting international health efforts in Ukraine, including the delivery of more 180 metric tons of medical supplies to hard-hit areas. “We are outraged that attacks on health care (in Ukraine) continue,” he said.
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BRUSSELS — European Union nations have approved new sanctions against Russia, including an EU embargo on coal imports in the wake of evidence of torture and killings emerging from war zones outside Kyiv.
The ban on coal imports will be the first EU sanctions targeting Russia’s lucrative energy industry over its war in Ukraine, said an official on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not yet been made.
The EU ban on coal is estimated to be worth 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) per year. In the meantime, the EU has already started working on additional sanctions, including on oil imports.
— Reported by Raf Casert.
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PARIS — The International Energy Agency says its member countries are releasing 60 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves on top of previous U.S. pledges to take aim at energy prices that have soared since Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Paris-based organization said Thursday that the new commitments made by its 31 member nations, which include the United States and much of Europe, amount to a total of 120 million barrels over six months. It’s the largest release in the group’s history.
Half of that will come from the U.S. as part of the larger release from its strategic petroleum reserve that President Joe Biden announced last week.
The IEA agreed last Friday to add to the amount of oil hitting the global market. It comes on top of the 62.7 million barrels that the agency’s members said they would release last month to ease shortages.
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:14
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PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he has no fear of losing France’s presidential election despite far-right rival Marie Le Pen narrowing the gap in opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s first-round vote.
“I have the spirit of conquest rather than the spirit of defeat,” Macron said in an interview with RTL radio on the final day of campaigning. But he cautiously added, “Nothing is ever a given.”
Le Pen, running in her third presidential race, has consistently placed second behind frontrunner Macron in polls. She appeared to close the gap even further according to a BVA poll published showing her just 3% behind Macron’s 26%. Other polls have given a 5-6 point difference between the two.
If the polls mirror election results, Macron and Le Pen would repeat the 2017 scenario, squaring off in a second round Apr. 24. Macron won by a landslide five years ago.
Le Pen has expended much energy to take the edge off her National Rally party in order to make it more appealing to voters. She has softened her image even more and made purchasing power the centerpiece of her campaign, but hasn’t given up what she’s best known for – stopping the “migratory submersion” and fighting radical Islamists.
“If Emmanuel Macron had enriched the country, excuse me but we wouldn’t be talking about purchasing power,” Le Pen said at her final rally Thursday evening in the town of Perpignan whose far-right mayor is her former companion Louis Aliot.
Macron cited his presidential duties, notably the war in Ukraine, to justify his absence during much of the campaign, which has been criticized by other candidates.
Turnout could be the deciding factor in the the election and could harm Le Pen’s chances most because her voter base is composed of voters who tend to stay at home on election day.
In Perpignan, Le Pen sought to rally supporters including those mulling to cast their vote for novice far-right candidate Eric Zemmour, a former TV pundit whose bid for the presidency is based entirely on the migration issue. He stands in fourth place in the polls, behind far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.
“I will give the country back to the French people,” Le Pen said. “It will be up to the French people to decide who is worthy of becoming French.”
She also appealed to supporters to cast their ballots.
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:21
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A plane, fishermen and and jet skiers joined an expanded search entering a third day Friday for three Europeans, including two teenagers, who disappeared while diving off a southern Malaysian island.
Authorities were hopeful of finding them after Norwegian diving instructor Kristine Grodem was rescued Thursday. She said the four of them surfaced safely Wednesday afternoon but later drifted away from the boat and were separated by a strong current.
The group was diving about 15 meters (50 feet) deep at an island off the town of Mersing in southern Johor state. Grodem, 35, was rescued by a tugboat about 22 nautical miles (40 kilometers) from the dive site.
The missing divers are Alexia Alexandra Molina, 18, of France; Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, of Britain; and his Dutch son, Nathen Renze Chesters, 14.
Authorities deployed a Bombardier jet that can fly longer and cover more area in an expanded search, said First Adm. Nurul Hizam Zakaria, Johor director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. The plane was in addition to three helicopters, 11 boats and some 100 personnel including rescue divers.
Zakaria said members of the public have also lent support, with fishermen and 10 jet skis helping to comb the sea. The weather was reported to be fair. “It’s been three days since they went missing but we will not give up. We hope all of them will be rescued,” Zakaria said.
The search was halted Friday night, and will resume early Saturday. Maritime officials said Grodem was providing training for the other three, who were seeking to obtain advanced diving licenses.
The family of French teenager Molina, who resides in Johor, has meanwhile sought support from private boat owners to join the search. Esther Molina, 57, said she was optimistic that her daughter, who loves the sea, was still alive.
“My daughter is strong, she is smart. So now, we can only wait for developments,” Esther was quoted as saying by national Bernama news agency. She said Alexia was due to attend a fashion college in Kuala Lumpur next month.
The boat skipper was detained for further investigation, and diving activities off Mersing have been suspended. There are several islands off the town that are popular dive spots for local residents and tourists.
Malaysia’s borders reopened to foreigners on April 1 after being closed for more than two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:28
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A suspect arrested in connection with last weekend’s mass shooting outside bars in Sacramento served less than half his 10-year sentence because of voter-approved changes to state law that lessened the punishment for his felony convictions and provided a chance for earlier release.
Smiley Allen Martin was freed in February after serving time for punching a girlfriend, dragging her from her home by her hair and whipping her with a belt, according to court and prison records.
Those count as nonviolent offenses under California law, which considersonly about two dozen crimes to be violent felonies — such as murder, rape, arson and kidnapping.
Martin, 27, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. He is among the 12 people wounded during Sunday’s shooting, which killed six others.
Police have said the violence was a shootout between rival gangs in which at least five people fired weapons, including Martin’s brother, Dandrae Martin, who also was arrested. No one has yet been charged with homicide in the shooting.
Smiley Martin typically would have remained behind bars until at least May after serving a minimum of half his time for his previous arrest in 2017, but prison officials evidently used a very expansive approach to applying lockup time credits to his sentence, said Gregory Totten, chief executive officer of the California District Attorneys Association and a former Ventura County district attorney.
“They’ve been given very broad authority to early release folks and to give them additional credit and all kinds of considerations for purposes of reducing the length of sentence that somebody serves,” Totten said.
Corrections officials did not dispute that Martin was among thousands of inmates who received additional credits that sped up their releases under state law. But the officials said their policy prohibits disclosing what prison time credits Martin received.
They cited credits through Proposition 57, the 2016 ballot measure that aimed to give most of the state’s felons a chance of earlier release. Credits were also broadly authorized in California to lower the prison population during the pandemic.
Proposition 57 credits include good behavior while behind bars, though corrections officials declined to release Martin’s disciplinary report. Good conduct credit is supposed to be reserved for inmates who follow all the rules and complete their assigned duties.
The state “has implemented various credit-earning opportunities to incentivize good behavior and program participation for incarcerated individuals, including those created in furtherance of Proposition 57— which was overwhelmingly approved by voters,” state corrections spokesperson Vicky Waters said in a statement.
Supporters of the credits, including former Gov. Jerry Brown, who pushed for Proposition 57, have said it’s important to give inmates a second chance. The opportunity for earlier release encourages inmates to participate in education and other rehabilitative programs and helps to reduce mass incarceration.
“The most recent reforms in California are seeking to change a culture that has been churning out recidivism problems for generations,” said Will Matthews, spokesperson for the Californians for Safety and Justice group, which backed the changes. “The question we need to be asking ourselves is, how are we engaging in behavior change?”
Under Proposition 57, credits are granted for completing rehabilitative or educational programs, self-help and volunteer public service activities, earning a high school diploma or higher education degree and performing a heroic act. Officials added credits during the coronavirus pandemic, including 12 weeks of credit that applied to most inmates.
Martin was denied parole in May 2021 under California’s process for nonviolent offenders to get earlier parole, after a letter was sent from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said they objected to his parole based on his lengthy criminal record and asserted that Martin “clearly has little regard for human life and the law.”
Six months after he turned 18, Martin was caught in January 2013 with an assault rifle and two fully loaded 25-bullet magazines, prosecutors said. Months later, he pushed aside a Walmart clerk to steal computers worth $2,800, they said. In 2016, he was arrested as a parolee at large. And less than six months after that was the assault that sent him back to prison.
It’s not clear if Martin has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.
Martin pleaded no contest and was sent to prison on charges of corporal injury and assault likely to cause great bodily injury in January 2018 under a plea deal in which charges of kidnapping — considered a violent felony — and intimidating a witness or victim were dismissed.
The sentencing judge awarded Martin 508 days of credits for time he spent in Sacramento County jail before his conviction, based on a California law that allows judges to double the actual time in jail, which in Martin’s case was 254 days.
Martin also had “a variety of additional post-sentencing credits,” which corrections department spokesperson Dana Simas said were awarded for time served while awaiting transfer to state prison from county jail.
Before Proposition 57, he would have qualified for 20% “good time” credits — meaning he could reduce his time served by one-fifth — but corrections officials used their authority under the ballot measure to bump those to 50%. Pending regulations opposed by most of the state’s district attorneys would further increase good time credits to two-thirds of a sentence for such repeat offenders.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a progressive Democrat who formerly led the state Senate, was among those upset when he learned of Martin’s record.
“If people have a history of committing violent acts, and they have not shown a propensity or willingness to change, I don’t think they should be out on the streets,” he said at an event where officials requested more than $3 billion from the state to expand crime prevention programs.
Republican state Sen. Jim Nielsen, who once headed the state parole board, said “good time” credits are generally awarded automatically, without inmates having to do anything to earn them.
“It gives them enormous opportunity to free up beds,” said Nielsen, an opponent of earlier releases.
The state has relied on such efforts, particularly its powers under Proposition 57, to keep the prison population below the level required by a panel of federal judges who ruled that inmate crowding had led to unconstitutionally poor conditions.
Martin was released to the supervision of the Sacramento County Probation Department in February. County probation officials wouldn’t provide the terms, saying their records are not public documents.
Without discussing Martin’s case, Karen Pank, executive director of the Chief Probation Officers of California, said generally someone coming out of prison on Post Release Community Supervision with an extensive and violent criminal history would likely have been treated on a “high-risk” caseload.
That would subject him to more intensive supervision, including a requirement that he check in with his probation officer more frequently and in person, although individualized determinations on risks and needs would be made and treatment and services would continue to be offered.
Hours before Sunday’s shootout, Martin posted a live Facebook video of himself brandishing a handgun, a law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to public discuss details of the shooting investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pank said if there is evidence of a felon in possession of a firearm, that can be grounds for a violation, which may result in time in jail. However, it’s unlikely anyone from law enforcement could have acted in time even if they had seen the video.
“The big if is would they have known about it,” said Totten. But in this case, “it didn’t matter — it was so close to the time” of the shooting.
___
Associated Press writers Adam Beam, Stefanie Dazio and Michael Balsamo contributed to this story. Dazio reported from Los Angeles and Balsamo from Washington, D.C.
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:35
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is demolishing a South Korean-owned hotel at a North Korean resort that was one of the last symbols of inter-Korean engagement, according to Seoul officials who called for the North to stop the “unilateral” destruction.
South Korea built dozens of facilities at North Korea’s Diamond Mountain resort to accommodate tourism by its citizens during a high period of engagement between the rivals in the 1990s. But North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2019 called the South Korean facilities there “shabby” and ordered them destroyed after months of frustration over Seoul’s unwillingness to defy U.S.-led sanctions that kept the tours from resuming.
The North postponed the demolition work in 2020 as part of stringent measures to prevent COVID-19.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said Friday that North Korea was proceeding with the demolition of the Haegumgang Hotel. The floating hotel, docked at a coastal area of the resort, was a major property among dozens of facilities South Korea established to accommodate Diamond Mountain tours, which began in 1998.
Unification Ministry spokesperson Cha Deok-cheol said it wasn’t clear whether the North also was destroying other facilities at the site. He said Seoul “strongly regrets North Korea’s unilateral dismantlement” of the hotel and urged the North to engage in talks to resolve disagreements over the South Korean properties at the site.
Commercial satellite images indicate the demolition work has been underway for weeks. Cha said Seoul used inter-Korean communication channels to demand an explanation and talks on the issue, but the North has ignored the request.
The demolition comes amid heighted tensions over recent missile launches. North Korea conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017 on March 24, as Kim revives brinkmanship aimed at forcing the United States and other rivals to accept the North as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions.
South Korean tours to Diamond Mountain were a major symbol of cooperation between the Koreas and a valuable cash source for the North’s broken economy before the South suspended them in 2008 after a North Korean guard fatally shot a South Korean tourist.
South Korea can’t restart mass tours to Diamond Mountain or any other major inter-Korean economic activity without defying sanctions, which have been strengthened since 2016, when the North began accelerating its nuclear and missile tests. While U.N. sanctions don’t directly ban tourism, they prohibit bulk cash transfers that can result from such business activities.
During their brief diplomacy in 2018, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met Kim three times and vowed to restart Diamond Mountain tours, voicing optimism that sanctions could end. But North Korea suspended cooperation with the South after diplomacy with the U.S. collapsed in 2019 and Seoul wasn’t able to wrest concessions from Washington on its behalf.
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:43
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LONDON (AP) — The British government on Friday defended its Ukraine refugee policy but acknowledged there had been frustrating delays after disclosing that only 12,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war have arrived in the U.K.
Government figures showed that of the total number of arrivals, only 1,200 came as part of the Homes for Ukraine program set up to match refuges with volunteer hosts. The other 10,800 came to join family members in Britain.
In comparison, neighboring Ireland, which has one tenth the U.K. population, has already taken in more than 20,000 refugees from the war in Ukraine.
About 200,000 people and groups in the U.K. have offered to accommodate Ukrainians as part of Homes for Ukraine. Some say they have never heard back, while others report slow progress navigating red tape and the checks the government is conducting on volunteer hosts.
Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon accused the government of “choosing control over compassion” and said Britons who are prepared to open up their homes have been left feeling “angry and frustrated that their gesture of support has been lost into a web of bureaucracy and chaos.”
Opposition parties and refugee groups also have criticized the Conservative government for insisting on visas for Ukrainians, which many countries in Europe and waived.
The government says visa checks are needed to ensure people are who they say there are. It said that as of Thursday, about 79,800 applications had been submitted and 40,900 visas had been granted.
“The whole process is taking far too long. Complicated visa schemes have delayed or deterred many people from seeking safety in the U.K,” said Alex Fraser, director of refugee support at the British Red Cross.
Richard Harrington, appointed the U.K.’s new refugee minister a month ago, this week conceded that the program had got off to a ”slow and bureaucratic” start.
Home Secretary Priti Patel acknowledged feeling “frustration” and said she was working to streamline the process. But she defended the visa rules.
“We want to give people the status and security of coming to our country along with the warm welcome,” Patel told the BBC. “We have to ensure that they are protected and safeguarded in the United Kingdom as well.”
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:50
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A missile hit a train station where thousands of people had flocked to flee in eastern Ukraine, killing 50 people Friday, Ukrainian authorities said, while warning they expect to find more evidence of war crimes in areas abandoned by Russian troops.
Photos from the scene showed bodies covered with tarps on the ground and the remnants of a rocket with the words “For the children” painted on it in Russian. About 4,000 civilians were in and around the station, the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor-general said, adding that most were women and children heeding calls to leave the area before Russia launches a full-scale offensive in the country’s east.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied attacking the station in Kramatorsk, a city in Ukraine’s contested Donbas region, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders accused Russia’s military of deliberately targeting a location where only civilians were assembled.
“The inhuman Russians are not changing their methods. Without the strength or courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population,” the president said on social media. “This is an evil without limits. And if it is not punished, then it will never stop.”
Britain’s Defense Minister Ben Wallace denounced the attack, saying “the striking of civilians and critical infrastructure is a war crime.”
“These were precision missiles aimed at people trying to seek humanitarian shelter,” Wallace said.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the regional governor of Donetsk, which lies in the Donbas, said that 50 people were killed, including five children, and many dozens more were wounded.
“The people just wanted to get away for evacuation,” Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said while visiting Bucha, a town north of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, where journalists and returning Ukrainians discovered scores of bodies on streets and in mass graves after Russian troops withdrew.
Venediktova spoke as workers pulled corpses from a mass grave near a church under spitting rain. Black body bags were laid out in rows in the mud. None of the dead were Russians, she said. Most of them had been shot. The prosecutor general’s office is investigating the deaths, and other mass casualties involving civilians, as possible war crimes.
After failing to take Ukraine’s capital and withdrawing from northern Ukraine, Russia has shifted its focus to the Donbas, a mostly Russian-speaking, industrial region in eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces for eight years and control some areas. The train station is located in government-controlled territory.
Ukrainian officials warned residents this week to leave as soon as possible for safer parts of the country and said they and Russia had agreed to establish multiple evacuation routes in the east.
One analyst said only Russia would have a reason to attack civilian railway infrastructure in the Donbas, and that Ukraine would not deliberately kill its own civilians in “a war of survival.”
“The Ukrainian military is desperately trying to reinforce units in the area … and the railway stations in that area in Ukrainian-held territory are critical for movement of equipment and people,” said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
Elsewhere in the Donbas, the governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Haidai, said Russia was concentrating equipment and troops and increasing shelling and bombing to aid their advance.
“We sense the end of preparations for that massive breakthrough, for that great battle which will happen here around us, in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions,” he said in a televised address.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said horrors worse than the ones in Bucha already had surfaced in Borodyanka, another settlement outside the capital.
“And what will happen when the world learns the whole truth about what the Russian troops did in Mariupol?” Zelenskyy said late Thursday, referring to the besieged southern port that has seen some of the greatest suffering during Russia’s invasion. “There, on every street, is what the world saw in Bucha and other towns in the Kyiv region….The same cruelty. The same terrible crimes.”
The prosecutor general also expressed concern about the death toll in Borodyanka, where the process of retrieving bodies from shelled and collapsed buildings has just begun. Twenty-six bodies were found Thursday from the ruins of just two buildings, Venediktova said.
“We don’t know what’s under these houses,” she said, estimating it could take two weeks to find out.
Spurred by reports that Russian forces committed atrocities in areas surrounding the capital, NATO nations agreed to increase their supply of arms after Ukraine’s foreign minister pleaded for weapons from the alliance and other sympathetic countries to help face down an expected offensive in the east.
Ukrainian and several Western leaders have blamed the massacres on Moscow’s troops. The weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported Germany’s foreign intelligence agency intercepted radio messages among Russian soldiers discussing killings of civilians. Russia has falsely claimed that the scenes in Bucha were staged.
In a rare acknowledgment of the war’s cost to Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged to British broadcaster Sky News on Thursday that the country has suffered significant military causalities, calling it a “tragedy.”
On Friday he told reporters that his reference to troop losses was based on the most recent Russian Defense Ministry numbers, which reported March 25 that 1,351 Russian troops had been killed in Ukraine. NATO has estimated Russia’s casualties to be several times higher.
In anticipation of intensified attacks by Russian forces, hundreds of Ukrainians fled villages in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions that were either under attack or occupied.
Marina Morozova and her husband fled from Kherson, the first major city to fall to the Russians.
“They are waiting for a big battle. We saw shells that did not explode. It was horrifying,” she said.
Morozova, 69, said only Russian television and radio was available. The Russians handed out humanitarian aid, she said, and filmed the distribution.
The United Nations estimates that more than 4.3 million people have fled Ukraine since the war began and that more than 12 million people are stranded in areas under attack.
On Thursday, a day after Russian forces began shelling their village in the southern Mykolaiv region, Sergei Dubovienko, 52, drove north in his small blue Lada with his wife and mother-in-law to Bashtanka, where they sought shelter in a church.
“They started destroying the houses and everything” in Pavlo-Marianovka, he said. “Then the tanks appeared from the forest. We thought that in the morning there would be shelling again, so I decided to leave.”
Two top European Union officials and the prime minister of Slovakia traveled to Kyiv on Friday, looking to shore up the EU’s support for Ukraine. Prime Minister Eduard Heger said he, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell brought trade and humanitarian aid proposals for Zelenskyy and his government.
Heger also announced that his country has donated its Soviet-era S-300 air defense system to Ukraine. Later, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said the U.S. would deploy a Patriot air defense system to Slovakia for as long as needed, a precondition for Ukraine to get the S-300 long-range air missile system.
Zelenskyy had mentioned the S-300s by name when he spoke to U.S. lawmakers by video in March, appealing for anti-air systems that would allow Ukraine to “close the skies” to Russian warplanes and missiles.
Western nations have stepped up sanctions against Russia following the reports of atrocities near Kyiv. A day after the United States imposed sanctions on President Vladimir Putin’s two adult daughters, the European Union and Britain followed suit Friday.
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Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Andrea Rosa in Chernihiv, Ukraine, and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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| 2022-04-08T14:40:57
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PARIS (AP) — French voters in Sunday’s presidential election will use the same system that’s been used for generations: paper ballots that are cast in person and counted by hand. Despite periodic calls for more flexibility or modernization, France doesn’t do mail-in voting, early voting or use voting machines en masse like the United States. President Emmanuel Macron is the clear front-runner, though an unprecedented proportion of people say they are unsure who they will vote for or whether they will vote at all.
PAPER BALLOTS
Voters must be at least 18 years old. About 48.7 million French are registered on the electoral rolls of the place where they live.
Voters make their choices in a booth, with the curtains closed, then place their ballot in an envelope that is then put into a transparent ballot box. They must show photo identification and sign a document, next to their name, to complete the process.
Volunteers count the ballots one by one. Officials will then use state-run software to register and report results more efficiently.
But legally only the paper counts. If a result is challenged, the paper ballots are recounted manually.
PROXY VOTING
People who can’t go to the polls for various reasons can authorize someone else to vote for them.
To do so, a voter must fill out a form ahead of time and bring it to a police station. A person can be the proxy of no more than one voter living in France — and potentially one additional person living abroad.
Up to 7% of people voted by proxy in the last presidential election five years ago.
NO MAIL-IN VOTING, RARE MACHINE-VOTING
Mail-in voting was banned in 1975 amid fears of potential fraud.
Machine-voting was allowed as an experiment starting in 2002, but the purchase of new machines has been frozen since 2008 due to security concerns. Only a few dozens towns still use them.
Last year, Macron’s centrist government tried to pass an amendment to allow early voting by machine to encourage electoral participation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate, led by a conservative majority, rejected the measure, arguing it was announced with too little notice and was not solid enough legally.
COVID-19 MEASURES
Most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in the country. Though the number of cases is significantly lower than earlier this year, infections have been creeping up again for several weeks, reaching over 130,000 new confirmed cases each day.
People who test positive for the virus can go to the polls. They are strongly advised to wear a mask and follow other health guidelines.
Voters can wash their hands at polling stations, which will also have hand sanitizer available. Equipment will be frequently cleaned. Each voting station will let fresh air in for at least 10 minutes every hour.
TWO-ROUND SYSTEM
France’s presidential election is organized in two rounds. Twelve candidates met the conditions for Sunday’s vote, including Macron and French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen,his main challenger.
In theory, someone could win outright by garnering more than 50% of the vote in the first round, but that has never happened in France.
In practice, the two top contenders qualify for a runoff, with the winner chosen on April 24.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022
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| 2022-04-08T14:41:03
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PARIS (AP) — With war singeing the European Union’s eastern edge, French voters will be casting ballots in a presidential election whose outcome will have international implications. France is the 27-member bloc’s second economy, the only one with a UN Security Council veto, and its sole nuclear power. And as Russian President Vladimir Putin carries on with the war in Ukraine, French power will help shape Europe’s response.
Twelve candidates are vying for the presidency — including incumbent and favorite President Emmanuel Macron who is seeking a new term amid a challenge from the far-right.
Here’s why the French election, taking place in two rounds starting Sunday, matters:
NATO
Russia’s war in Ukraine has afforded Macron the chance to demonstrate his influence on the international stage and burnish his pro-NATO credentials in election debates. Macron is the only front-runner who supports the alliance while other candidates hold differing views on France’s role within it, including abandoning it entirely. Such a development would deal a huge blow to an alliance built to protect its members in the then emerging Cold War 73 years ago.
Despite declaring NATO’s “brain death” in 2019, the war in Ukraine has prompted Macron to try and infuse the alliance with a renewed sense of purpose.
“Macron really wants to create a European pillar of NATO,” says Susi Dennison, Senior Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “He’s used it for his shuttle diplomacy over the Ukraine conflict.”
On the far-left, candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon wants to quit NATO outright, saying that it produces nothing but squabbles and instability. A NATO-skeptic President Melenchon might be a concern especially for Poland, which has a 1,160-kilometer border with territory now controlled by Russia.
Several other candidates want to see either diminished engagement with the alliance or a full withdrawal. Although unlikely, France’s departure from NATO would create a deep chasm with its allies and alienate the United States.
EUROPEAN COOPERATION
Observers say a Macron re-election would spell real likelihood for increased cooperation and investment in European security and defense — especially with a new pro-EU German government.
Under Macron’s watch, France’s defense spending has risen by €7 billion euros ($7.6 billion) with a target to raise it to 2% of gross domestic product — something that leaders including Putin are watching closely. In his second term, Macron would almost certainly want to build up a joint European response to Ukraine and head off Russian threats.
A FAR RIGHT ALLIANCE?
This election could reshape France’s post-war identity and indicate whether European populism is ascendant or in decline. With populist Viktor Orban winning a fourth consecutive term as Hungary’s prime minister days ago, eyes have now turned to France’s resurgent far right candidates — especially National Rally leader Marine Le Pen who wants to ban Muslim headscarves in streets, and halal and kosher butchers, and drastically reduce immigration from outside Europe.
“If a far-right candidate wins, it could create some sort of alliance or axis in Europe,” said Dennison, of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Le Pen has been tweeting pictures of herself shaking hands with Orban in recent days. She is championing a Europe of strong nation states.”
That axis might include Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, a right-wing populist and ally of Donald Trump. It has alarmed observers.
“Over 30 percent of French voters right now say they are going to vote for a far right candidate. If you include Melenchon as another extreme, anti-system candidate — that’s almost half the entire voting population. It is unprecedented,” Dennison said.
Far right candidate Eric Zemmour has dominated the French airwaves with his controversial views on Islam in France and immigration.
However, even centrist Macron ruffled feathers in Muslim countries two years ago when he defended the right to publish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. That came during a homage to a teacher beheaded by a fundamentalist for showing the cartoons to his pupils as part of a class on free speech.
A FRIEND OF AMERICA
The US often touts France as its oldest ally — and from Russian sanctions to climate change and the United Nations, Washington needs a reliable partner in Paris. France is a vital trans-Atlantic friend for America, not least for its status as continental Europe’s only permanent UN Security Council member wielding veto power.
Despite the bitter US-France spat last year over a multibillion deal to supply Australia with submarines — which saw France humiliated — President Joe Biden and Macron are now on solid terms.
“Macron is obviously the only candidate that has history and credentials in the US relationship. All the others would be starting from scratch at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty,” said Dennison..
Unlike Macron, an Elysee in the hands of Zemmour or Le Pen would likely mean less preoccupation with issues that the U.S. considers a priority such as climate change. “They might not prioritize the large economic cost of keeping the Paris Climate Agreement alive and the potential to limit global warming to 1.5%,” Dennison added.
MIGRATION IN THE CONTINENT
In light of a huge migrant influx into Europe last year, France’s position on migration will continue to strongly impact countries on its periphery and beyond. This is especially so because of its geographical location as a leg on the journey of many migrants to the U.K.
A migrant vessel capsized in the English Channel last November killing 27 people, leading to a spat between France and the U.K. over who bore responsibility The British accused France of not patrolling the coast well enough, yet Macron said this was an impossible task. Observers consider France not to be a particularly open to migrants within a European context and see Macron as a relative hardliner on migration.
But Le Pen or Zemmour would likely usher in tougher policies than Macron if they either emerges victorious, such as slashing social allocations to non-French citizens and capping the number of asylum seekers. Some candidates have supported a Trump-style construction of border fences.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022
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If you have allergies, there are certain seasons that you might dread. For many people, spring is the worst. The abundance of pollen from trees, grass and weeds mingle with the air to become easily inhaled. Once inside, your body treats these benign invaders and reacts almost the same way it does to a cold or flu virus. The result is that you feel miserable.
For some, the best approach to fighting seasonal allergies might not be treating the symptoms with over-the-counter and prescription medications. It might involve limiting your exposure to allergens that cause the symptoms. Luckily, with modern technology, there are several ways to accomplish that.
What causes allergies?
According to the Mayo Clinic, allergies are the result of an overactive immune system. When a foreign substance — that doesn’t cause a reaction in most people — gets in, your immune system goes on high alert and starts producing antibodies to combat the threat. The antibodies release chemicals, such as histamine, that cause allergy symptoms. As the battle rages on, your body becomes a casualty, producing a variety of reactions from mild irritation to life-threatening emergencies.
What are typical seasonal allergy symptoms?
There is a broad range of allergy symptoms. Many overlap the symptoms you have when you get a virus. Some of the most common reactions to seasonal allergens include:
- Itchy skin, nose, eyes and roof of the mouth
- Sneezing, runny nose and congestion
- Red, swollen, itchy or watery eyes
- Coughing and postnasal drip
- Tightness in the chest, shortness of breath and wheezing
- A rash, hives or swelling
- In rare cases, a severe reaction known as anaphylaxis can occur
What are common allergens?
While nearly anything can be an allergen depending on your sensitivities, the most common seasonal triggers are tree pollen, grass pollen, weed pollen, flower pollen and mold. It is important to understand that allergies are cumulative. You could have a mild sensitivity to animal dander that doesn’t normally bother you. However, when you are exposed to animal dander, tree pollen and mold, your body could reach a tipping point that triggers symptoms.
How to manage seasonal allergies
The key to remaining symptom-free is reducing your exposure to allergens. Here are 15 simple ways to do that.
- Keep a diary of activities and symptoms to learn your triggers.
- Avoid known triggers to the best of your abilities.
- When the pollen count is high, stay indoors as much as possible.
- If you must go outside, plan on late afternoon activities.
- Do not open windows. Use an air conditioner to help remain cool.
- Purge your environment of troublesome allergens by investing in an air purifier and a high-quality vacuum cleaner.
- Choose easy to clean furniture, remove carpets and reduce clutter.
- Change the filter in your central air system. If the system can tolerate it, use a HEPA filter.
- Wash your curtains and bedding often.
- Wear a mask when cutting the grass or doing other outdoor tasks.
- Take a shower after being outside.
- Brush your pets before letting them inside to reduce the amount of pollen they bring into the home.
- Bathe your pets at least once a week.
- Do not allow smoking inside the home.
- Consult a medical professional to determine if you need to be on symptom-alleviating medication
What you need to manage seasonal allergies
Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum Cleaner
This high-end vacuum is certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. It has the strongest suction in Dyson’s line and a self-adjusting cleaner head that lets you tackle all types of floors.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Shark NV360 Navigator Deluxe Upright Vacuum
The detachable pod feature lets you take this powerful vacuum into hard-to-reach areas. It has an anti-allergen seal and works with HEPA filters to trap dust and allergens. It is easy to steer and has a large-capacity dust cup.
Sold by Amazon
Dyson Air Purifier with HEPA Filter
The sealed HEPA and activated carbon filter can trap pollen, bacteria and pet dander. It is certified asthma- and allergy-friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and it has a quiet mode that lets you run the unit around the clock if needed.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
LG Electronics 6,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
For days when the temperature climbs to an uncomfortably warm degree, this model lets you cool up to 250 square feet without worrying about bringing pollen into the home. It is easy to install, features quiet operation and comes with a remote.
Sold by Home Depot
This NIOSH-approved N95 mask lets you work outside by reducing your exposure to allergens. It has an exhalation valve for up to 50% easier breathing.
Sold by Amazon (10-pack) and Home Depot (5-pack)
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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| 2022-04-08T14:41:18
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (WANE) Friday morning SpaceX is scheduled to launch the first ever all-private space mission from Florida. The Ax-1 launch, scheduled for 11:17 a.m. will carry four people to the International Space Station.
This will be the fifth flight for this Falcon 9 first stage booster. The Ax-1 crew will participate in educational outreach and conduct innovative research experiments while on the orbiting laboratory.
The crew consists of Michael Lopez-Alegria, former NASA astronaut and Ax-1 commander; Larry Connor, an entrepreneur and non-profit activist inventor who serves as the Ax-1 pilot; Eytan Stibbe, an impact investor and philanthropist; and Mark Pathy, an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist.
Axiom Space will use the mission to lay groundwork for it’s own space station which would be the first commercial endeavor of that type.
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| 2022-04-08T14:41:24
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Cranford NJ Cops Bring Man Back After His Pulse Stops
This Friday is not unlike many others from the past seven years. The #BlueFriday tradition continues as we find examples of police officers across New Jersey stepping up to save lives.
Today we honor two Cranford cops who helped bring a man back after his pulse stopped and he lost consciousness. Last week Officers Daniel Donnerstag and Joshua Sousa were called to a scene with a medical emergency. A 53 year old man was having chest pains and soon after the officers arrived the man became unconscious and the officers lost his pulse. Thinking quickly and acting immediately the officers began "rescue breathing" and using the Automated External Defibrillator and CPR. According to the report from police, shortly after the rescue attempts began the man gasped and became conscious. Another example of local cops using their training and calm approach to emergencies to bring a man back from the brink of death.
Congratulations to officers Donnerstag and Sousa for helping another would-be victim return to his family and life. Thank you to all of the officers who will be on call this weekend as the rest of us enjoy time with friends and family. It's comforting to know that there is a trained officer minutes away. Here's a clip from the police report on the incident that puts the need for trained cops in perspective:
According to the American Heart Association, more than 475,000 Americans die each year from cardiac arrest – with many of those medical events occurring outside of the hospital environment. CPR in conjunction with the successful deployment of an AED can double or triple a patient’s survival rate in these settings.
Chief Greco praised the efforts of all first responders involved in this rescue effort. “First responders using their training and experience and acting as a team led to the successful saving of a Cranford resident’s life,” Chief Greco said.
As I say every time I wrap up a speech to a law enforcement group...There is a thin line between civilization and savagery...and that line is Blue.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.
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Get ready for NJ ban on plastic, paper bagsSergio BichaoSergio BichaoPublished: April 8, 2022Share on FacebookShare on TwitterStarting May 4, no retailer or food service provider in New Jersey will be able to give or sell you a single-use plastic bag at checkout. Paper bags will also be forbidden at bigger supermarkets.Read the latest from our newsroom.
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JACKSON — Township police are seeking witnesses or other information following a fire at an apartment complex early Thursday that was extinguished by residents.
A release from the Jackson Police Department on Facebook said that the flames were already out by the time firefighters arrived at the Pineview Apartments on West County Line Road just after 12:30 a.m. Thursday.
Police said the fire "appeared suspicious," and are referring to the case as an arson investigation.
The release said the fire was located in a stairwell of Building C at the complex, but that the investigation uncovered multiple containers filled with an "unknown liquid" and rags stuffed into the top, one of which had been ignited.
The containers were found in the area of one particular apartment, police said, but they did not disclose the specific unit number.
No injuries were reported.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Anthony Riso at 732-928-1111.
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.
NJ county fairs make a comeback: Check out the schedule for 2022
A current list of county fairs happening across the Garden State for 2022. From rides, food, animals, and hot air balloons, each county fair has something unique to offer.
(Fairs are listed in geographical order from South NJ to North NJ)
These are the best hiking spots in New Jersey
A trip to New Jersey doesn't have to be all about the beach. Our state has some incredible trails, waterfalls, and lakes to enjoy.
From the Pine Barrens to the Appalachian Trail to the hidden gems of New Jersey, you have plenty of options for a great hike. Hiking is such a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature, plus it's a great workout.
Before you go out on the trails and explore some of our listeners' suggestions, I have some tips on hiking etiquette from the
American Hiking Society.
If you are going downhill and run into an uphill hiker, step to the side and give the uphill hiker space. A hiker going uphill has the right of way unless they stop to catch their breath.
Always stay on the trail, you may see side paths, unless they are marked as an official trail, steer clear of them. By going off-trail you may cause damage to the ecosystems around the trail, the plants, and wildlife that live there.
You also do not want to disturb the wildlife you encounter, just keep your distance from the wildlife and continue hiking.
Bicyclists should yield to hikers and horses. Hikers should also yield to horses, but I’m not sure how many horses you will encounter on the trails in New Jersey.
If you are thinking of bringing your dog on your hike, they should be leashed, and make sure to clean up all pet waste.
Lastly, be mindful of the weather, if the trail is too muddy, it's probably best to save your hike for another day.
I asked our listeners for their suggestions of the best hiking spots in New Jersey, check out their suggestions:
School aid for all New Jersey districts for 2022-23
The state Department of Education announced district-level school aid figures for the 2022-23 school year on Thursday, March 10, 2022. They're listed below, alphabetically by county. For additional details from the NJDOE, including specific categories of aid,
click here.
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A perennial candidate can use a thinly-veiled version of a slogan meant as a slur to President Joe Biden on a primary ballot this June, as long as he removes three letters that are an acronym of the slogan's true meaning, according to the New Jersey Division of Elections.
That clarification in 4th Congressional District Republican candidate Robert Shapiro's race against longtime incumbent Chris Smith came Thursday, the New Jersey Globe reported, just hours before the Division had set a deadline for Shapiro to submit a new phrase or be designated by "No Slogan" on the ballot.
The report said Shapiro may use "Let's Go Brand*n," which omits one letter of a chant misheard by a NASCAR commentator in a 2021 television interview, if he removes the second part of his proposed slogan, "FJB," the three letters of which correspond as an acronym for the actual chant, "F*** Joe Biden."
According to the Globe's report, Shapiro told officials that "FJB" were "just letters of the alphabet," but the state disputed his claim.
As previously reported, Shapiro only narrowly passed the threshold for petition signatures for his candidacy, the validity of which will now be called into question by a challenger to incumbent Democrat Rep. Andy Kim in the adjacent 3rd District, the Globe report said.
The New Jersey Globe report further identified Shapiro's current campaign as his 11th run for public office, headlined by a general election loss for a state Senate seat in 2017.
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.
NJ county fairs make a comeback: Check out the schedule for 2022
A current list of county fairs happening across the Garden State for 2022. From rides, food, animals, and hot air balloons, each county fair has something unique to offer.
(Fairs are listed in geographical order from South NJ to North NJ)
These are the best hiking spots in New Jersey
A trip to New Jersey doesn't have to be all about the beach. Our state has some incredible trails, waterfalls, and lakes to enjoy.
From the Pine Barrens to the Appalachian Trail to the hidden gems of New Jersey, you have plenty of options for a great hike. Hiking is such a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature, plus it's a great workout.
Before you go out on the trails and explore some of our listeners' suggestions, I have some tips on hiking etiquette from the
American Hiking Society.
If you are going downhill and run into an uphill hiker, step to the side and give the uphill hiker space. A hiker going uphill has the right of way unless they stop to catch their breath.
Always stay on the trail, you may see side paths, unless they are marked as an official trail, steer clear of them. By going off-trail you may cause damage to the ecosystems around the trail, the plants, and wildlife that live there.
You also do not want to disturb the wildlife you encounter, just keep your distance from the wildlife and continue hiking.
Bicyclists should yield to hikers and horses. Hikers should also yield to horses, but I’m not sure how many horses you will encounter on the trails in New Jersey.
If you are thinking of bringing your dog on your hike, they should be leashed, and make sure to clean up all pet waste.
Lastly, be mindful of the weather, if the trail is too muddy, it's probably best to save your hike for another day.
I asked our listeners for their suggestions of the best hiking spots in New Jersey, check out their suggestions:
Every NJ city and town's municipal tax bill, ranked
A little less than 30 cents of every $1 in property taxes charged in New Jersey support municipal services provided by cities, towns, townships, boroughs and villages. Statewide, the average municipal-only tax bill in 2021 was $2,725, but that varied widely from more than $13,000 in Tavistock to nothing in three townships. In addition to $9.22 billion in municipal purpose taxes, special taxing districts that in some places provide municipal services such as fire protection, garbage collection or economic development levied $323.8 million in 2021.
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Family members react to Florida's No Patient Left Alone Act
Patient family members and medical doctors are reacting to a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday called the No Patient Left Alone Act.
The bill requires hospitals and other medical type facilities to allow visitors during a variety of circumstances, including end of life, childbirth, pediatric care, when major medical decisions need to be made, and many more.
With the required allowed visitation, medical facilities must have policies in place for things like infection control.
They must also have their visitation policies posted in an easily accessible format.
"I think it's ethical and I think it's right to have family members there in the hospital," said Dr. Mark Pamer, a pulmonologist who has spent months inside covid ICU's. "I understand when covid started, we really didn't know much about it and so we came up with some draconian response to it that in retrospect weren't necessarily needed. Frankly when vaccinations become voluntary for the nurses and the healthcare staff, I don't think there were any reasons to not apply those same standards to the visitors."
For many during the early months of the pandemic, hospitals were shut down to visitors.
Many family members were unable to say goodbye to loved ones who passed away.
"There was nobody you could contact," said Paul Laroche. "I didn't know who his doctor was, who his nurse was, so basically, like you said, there was a sense of hopelessness."
Laroche's brother, Vladimir, spent 87 days in the covid ICU at Palm Beach Gardens Hospital.
He was admitted at the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020 and has since recovered.
Paul said during that time, his family often went days without communication about his brother's condition.
In a statement, Cleveland Clinic Hospitals officials said, "Patient safety remains a top priority at all of our hospitals, and we recognize that the support of family and loved ones is vitally important during the healing process. We are committed to visitation policies that facilitate healing and are in the best interests of our patients and caregivers."
WPTV has reached out to HCA network hospitals for comment and has not heard back.
Scripps Only Content 2022
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‘I went Mike Tyson on him’: Homeowner describes taking down suspected burglars
OAK PARK, Calif. (KABC) - A California man refused to become a victim after two people reportedly broke into his home last week.
Sal Mercado said he “went Mike Tyson” on the burglars and credited his strong left and right hook for diffusing the situation.
Mercado said he was startled when he returned home Thursday and found a car parked out front with a driver inside.
After he entered his home, he said he came face-to-face with a stranger.
Mercado said he struck one of the burglars who then ran to the waiting vehicle.
“He starts to go to the side of me, to get out of the house, and I went ‘bam’ with a right cross. And he went down on the grass in the front yard. Picked himself up and ran to the car,” Mercado said.
However, it didn’t end there.
He saw a second man coming down the stairs and went into defense mode again, striking the mam, and causing him to stumble and fall on the grass outside.
“The thought was, ‘I got this guy, I want to catch him. I want to make sure he gets prosecuted. I want to make sure to hold him down until the cops get here,’” Mercado said.
Mercado said he feels lucky his family was not home when the bandits broke in.
One man is facing felony charges of first-degree residential burglary and conspiracy while the two other suspects are still at large.
Copyright 2022 KABC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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Jury gets bomb evidence in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot trial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Jurors entered a fifth day of deliberations Friday with pennies that were offered as evidence of an explosive earlier in the trial of four men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
A court employee handed over a large plastic bag known as exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.
“If you want something different or something additional, just let us know,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said. “We wish you well in your continuing deliberations.”
The jury is considering 10 charges in the case: one against Brandon Caserta, two against Adam Fox, three against Barry Croft Jr. and four against Daniel Harris. The men all face the main charge of a kidnapping conspiracy; the other counts are related to explosives and a firearm.
Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel, investigators said.
A homemade explosive was detonated during training in September 2020, according to evidence, about a month before the men were arrested.
In his closing argument on April 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft wanted to test the explosive as a possible weapon to use against Whitmer’s security team. He quoted him as saying the pennies would be so hot they could go “right through your skin.”
The trial now has covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations.
Prosecutors offered testimony from undercover agents, a crucial informant and two men who pleaded guilty to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.
Prosecutors said the group was steeped in anti-government extremism and angry over Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Defense lawyers, however, said any scheme was the creation of government agents who were embedded in the group and manipulated the men.
Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Mass shooting suspect served less time due to California law
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A suspect arrested in connection with last weekend’s mass shooting outside bars in Sacramento served less than half his 10-year sentence because of voter-approved changes to state law that lessened the punishment for his felony convictions and provided a chance for earlier release.
Smiley Allen Martin was freed in February after serving time for punching a girlfriend, dragging her from her home by her hair and whipping her with a belt, according to court and prison records.
Those count as nonviolent offenses under California law, which considers only about two dozen crimes to be violent felonies — such as murder, rape, arson and kidnapping.
Martin, 27, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. He is among the 12 people wounded during Sunday’s shooting, which killed six others.
Police have said the violence was a shootout between rival gangs in which at least five people fired weapons, including Martin’s brother, Dandrae Martin, who also was arrested. No one has yet been charged with homicide in the shooting.
Smiley Martin typically would have remained behind bars until at least May after serving a minimum of half his time for his previous arrest in 2017, but prison officials evidently used a very expansive approach to applying lockup time credits to his sentence, said Gregory Totten, chief executive officer of the California District Attorneys Association and a former Ventura County district attorney.
“They’ve been given very broad authority to early release folks and to give them additional credit and all kinds of considerations for purposes of reducing the length of sentence that somebody serves,” Totten said.
Corrections officials did not dispute that Martin was among thousands of inmates who received additional credits that sped up their releases under state law. But the officials said their policy prohibits disclosing what prison time credits Martin received.
They cited credits through Proposition 57, the 2016 ballot measure that aimed to give most of the state’s felons a chance of earlier release. Credits were also broadly authorized in California to lower the prison population during the pandemic.
Proposition 57 credits include good behavior while behind bars, though corrections officials declined to release Martin’s disciplinary report. Good conduct credit is supposed to be reserved for inmates who follow all the rules and complete their assigned duties.
The state “has implemented various credit-earning opportunities to incentivize good behavior and program participation for incarcerated individuals, including those created in furtherance of Proposition 57— which was overwhelmingly approved by voters,” state corrections spokesperson Vicky Waters said in a statement.
Supporters of the credits, including former Gov. Jerry Brown, who pushed for Proposition 57, have said it’s important to give inmates a second chance. The opportunity for earlier release encourages inmates to participate in education and other rehabilitative programs and helps to reduce mass incarceration.
“The most recent reforms in California are seeking to change a culture that has been churning out recidivism problems for generations,” said Will Matthews, spokesperson for the Californians for Safety and Justice group, which backed the changes. “The question we need to be asking ourselves is, how are we engaging in behavior change?”
Under Proposition 57, credits are granted for completing rehabilitative or educational programs, self-help and volunteer public service activities, earning a high school diploma or higher education degree and performing a heroic act. Officials added credits during the coronavirus pandemic, including 12 weeks of credit that applied to most inmates.
Martin was denied parole in May 2021 under California’s process for nonviolent offenders to get earlier parole, after a letter was sent from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said they objected to his parole based on his lengthy criminal record and asserted that Martin “clearly has little regard for human life and the law.”
Six months after he turned 18, Martin was caught in January 2013 with an assault rifle and two fully loaded 25-bullet magazines, prosecutors said. Months later, he pushed aside a Walmart clerk to steal computers worth $2,800, they said. In 2016, he was arrested as a parolee at large. And less than six months after that was the assault that sent him back to prison.
It’s not clear if Martin has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.
Martin pleaded no contest and was sent to prison on charges of corporal injury and assault likely to cause great bodily injury in January 2018 under a plea deal in which charges of kidnapping — considered a violent felony — and intimidating a witness or victim were dismissed.
The sentencing judge awarded Martin 508 days of credits for time he spent in Sacramento County jail before his conviction, based on a California law that allows judges to double the actual time in jail, which in Martin’s case was 254 days.
Martin also had “a variety of additional post-sentencing credits,” which corrections department spokesperson Dana Simas said were awarded for time served while awaiting transfer to state prison from county jail.
Before Proposition 57, he would have qualified for 20% “good time” credits — meaning he could reduce his time served by one-fifth — but corrections officials used their authority under the ballot measure to bump those to 50%. Pending regulations opposed by most of the state’s district attorneys would further increase good time credits to two-thirds of a sentence for such repeat offenders.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a progressive Democrat who formerly led the state Senate, was among those upset when he learned of Martin’s record.
“If people have a history of committing violent acts, and they have not shown a propensity or willingness to change, I don’t think they should be out on the streets,” he said at an event where officials requested more than $3 billion from the state to expand crime prevention programs.
Republican state Sen. Jim Nielsen, who once headed the state parole board, said “good time” credits are generally awarded automatically, without inmates having to do anything to earn them.
“It gives them enormous opportunity to free up beds,” said Nielsen, an opponent of earlier releases.
The state has relied on such efforts, particularly its powers under Proposition 57, to keep the prison population below the level required by a panel of federal judges who ruled that inmate crowding had led to unconstitutionally poor conditions.
Martin was released to the supervision of the Sacramento County Probation Department in February. County probation officials wouldn’t provide the terms, saying their records are not public documents.
Without discussing Martin’s case, Karen Pank, executive director of the Chief Probation Officers of California, said generally someone coming out of prison on Post Release Community Supervision with an extensive and violent criminal history would likely have been treated on a “high-risk” caseload.
That would subject him to more intensive supervision, including a requirement that he check in with his probation officer more frequently and in person, although individualized determinations on risks and needs would be made and treatment and services would continue to be offered.
Hours before Sunday’s shootout, Martin posted a live Facebook video of himself brandishing a handgun, a law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to public discuss details of the shooting investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pank said if there is evidence of a felon in possession of a firearm, that can be grounds for a violation, which may result in time in jail. However, it’s unlikely anyone from law enforcement could have acted in time even if they had seen the video.
“The big if is would they have known about it,” said Totten. But in this case, “it didn’t matter — it was so close to the time” of the shooting.
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Associated Press writers Adam Beam, Stefanie Dazio and Michael Balsamo contributed to this story. Dazio reported from Los Angeles and Balsamo from Washington, D.C.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Mo and Sally Morning Show expands to Treasure Coast
This week, 103.7 WQOL-FM added West Palm Beach-based The Mo and Sally Morning Show to their roster of personalities.
Mo Foster, Sally Sevareid, and producer Curtis Daniels will present a daily truncated version of their show which includes 'Birthday Prank Calls,' 'Things You Need To Know,' and lifestyle segments.
"After doing morning radio in South Florida for 22 years we are thrilled to be expanding to The Treasure Coast. We feel there are lots of opportunities with the growing market there. Our show runs from 5 a.m. - 10 a.m. [weekdays]," said Sally Sevareid.
The 'Treasure Coasts' Greatest Hits' airs on a 50,000-watt city-grade signal, licensed to Vero Beach, and reaches Melbourne to Port St. Lucie with fringe coverage from Jupiter to Titusville. View the coverage map here.
The Mo and Sally Morning Show studios are in West Palm Beach and broadcast on Kool 105.5 WOLL-FM and on the iHeartRadio application.
As a former cast member of the show, "Congratulations!"
Scripps Only Content 2022
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The first Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law (…)- abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; (…).
Freedom of the press is a critical tool of a democracy in which the government is accountable to the people. Said Justice Hugo Black, 1971, “The press must serve the governed, not the governors.” A free media functions as a government watchdog holding it accountable.
Sadly, today, too many Americans distrust the press and defer information distribution to demagogues, favorite politicians, or even worse, “opinionists.” Pure news reports stating, “just the facts” are overwhelmed by ratings-driven television, radio and digital personalities, each wanting to be number 1 in their time slot
Television moguls develop ratings crazed, entertainment channels to attract their target audience. Some cater to left-leaning viewers, others to the right. Either way, finding truly fact-based, unbiased reporting can be very difficult. This makes our democracy vulnerable.
Politicians learn the art of “spinning” a story, making it attractive to its targeted audience. They and their spokespersons expertly craft distorted versions of the truth that often omits important, relevant information. Too often, we buy it!
“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Lord Acton
Due to the hard work of the press, on August 8, 1974, President Nixon resigned. Elected officials guided by the truth bravely confronted Nixon. Had both Republican and Democratic leaders not embraced the truth, Nixon would not have resigned. John Dean, Whitehouse counsel, wrote, “I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency and that if the cancer was not removed the president himself would be killed by it. Republican Senator Howard Baker, asked, “What did the president know and when did he know it?” A dedicated press was integral to this outcome.
Each American must strive to find the truth. It is very difficult. Television and digital pundits have never had more tools to twist us to their purposes. Blind loyalty to any politician or cause can make us vulnerable to misguided trust. It is more difficult than ever to make freedom of the press work for the betterment of our country. Fact based information arms us to see truth. A free, responsible press is essential to a thriving democracy.
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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 p.m.
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https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/hurricane-news/article_43672c9e-e6e3-53ff-bf29-d9234d34942d.html
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Avian influenza has been detected in a northern Indiana duck farm, state officials say, marking the disease’s spread to a third poultry species.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health said Thursday night that laboratory testing of a commercial duck flock in Elkhart County has come back as presumptively positive for the virus.
It says the samples are being verified at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa.
The agency says the duck flock has an estimated 4,000 birds, the agency said.
Bird flu was detected earlier this year at six turkey farms in southern Indiana’s Dubois and Greene counties.
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https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/bird-flu-found-at-northern-indiana-duck-farm/
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Alameda Church of Christ
Sunday, Preaching Minister Rusty Tugman will preach “Great Expectations” during worship at 10 a.m. Worship services can watch the service live on the Alameda Church of Christ YouTube channel. Bible classes will meet at 9. Alameda is hosting a free Easter celebration at 4 p.m. Hot dogs and chips will be provided. There will be crafts, a scavenger hunt, Easter story stations and a take-home egg hunt. The church will celebrate April 17 with a light breakfast and fellowship at 9 a.m. and a service celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ at 10. The church is doing “Heart Holds,” or basic teachings, in children and youth ministries. All ages can participate. All families can participate in monthly challenges. For more information, visit alameda.church/heart-holds. On Wednesday nights, the church offers Early Service for the Classics group at 5 p.m. in Room 186. The youth group for middle and high school students meets at 6:30 in the gym. A class in the auditorium is watching “The Chosen” series. Children are welcome to watch with their parents. For more information, visit alameda.church.
First Christian Church
On the sixth Sunday in Lent and Palm/Passion Sunday, Rev. David Spain will preach “They Set Jesus on It,” from Luke 19:28-40, during worship at 8:40 and 10:45 a.m. The 10:45 service will be livestreamed. Church classes begin at 9 and 9:30 a.m.
First Congregational Church
of Norman, UCC
Sunday, Rev. Robin R. Meyers, Ph.D., pastor, will preach “Two Parades” from Luke 19:28-40, during Psalm Sunday worship at 4 p.m. at 601 24th Ave. SW. Neil Whyte will provide special music. The service will be livestreamed on the church’s YouTube channel. At 3 p.m., Meyers will lead the concluding book discussion “After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements.” The church is accepting clean food service and packing styrofoam for recycling each Sunday. A church walk team for the Norman Pride Parade in downtown Norman May 8 is being formed, and volunteers are needed for the Pride Festival on May 7. Visit normanucc.org or on @normanucc Facebook. To contribute, text GIVE to 433-7759 or mail checks to 601 24th Ave. SW, Norman, OK 73069. Masks are encouraged.
Immanuel Baptist Church
The church will host a free community-wide Easter egg hunt with breakfast at 10 a.m. April 16 at 1777 E. Robinson St. for children of all ages. The church will have additional Easter Week worship opportunities from Maundy Thursday worship and Lord’s Supper at 6:30 p.m. and Tenebrae (Good Friday) worship at 6:30 p.m.
Memorial Presbyterian Church
Sunday, Rev. Dr. Charles Carroll Smith, interim pastor, will preach at 10:55 a.m. on Palm Sunday texts. All are welcome.
NorthHaven Church
On Passion Sunday, Rev. Jakob Topper will preach “The Crucified Messiah,” from John 19:16b-22, during worship at 10:30 a.m. Visit northhavenchurch.net.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
On the Palm Sunday, the church will celebrate masses with Father Irwin at 7 and 10:30 a.m. in English and with Father Lepak at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Spanish. All daily masses are at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday through Friday in the chapel and at 8 a.m. Saturday and Monday. Holy Thursday will be at 7 p.m. Good Friday events will include Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m., confessions from 4 to 5:30 in the church and celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 7. During Easter Vigil, the church will celebrate Mass at 8:30 p.m. April 16 and 7 and 10:30 a.m. April 17 in English and 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Spanish. St. Vincent de Paul at St. Joseph is collecting Rosaries for Ukraine. Residents may place them in a bucket at the church or chapel entrance in good condition inside an envelope or plastic bag by April 17. The Peace and Justice group is hosting a Recycle Old Crayons and Dried-out Markers campaign. This month, residents may drop off items in the collection boxes at the Parish Center, outside the gym and in Room No. 105. Norman’s St. Mark the Evangelist Ladies Auxiliary is preparing for an annual craft fair Nov. 12 and is looking for vendors. Crafters and artisans interested in reserving a booth can call Teri O’Dell at 250-2471. Mission Monks is selling high-quality, grass-raised, grain finished, pasture-raised cattle meat in large capacity. Residents can call Fr. Simeon at 878-5427 for pricing. Also, the Monks’ Marketplace at St. Gregory’s Abbey is selling beef by the cut. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is seeking an event specialist to be part of the operations team within the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis. Send resume and cover letter to humanresources@archokc.org.
St. Stephen’s UMC
Sunday’s service will be “Darkness,” from Luke 22 and 23. Worship services will be at 8:30 and 10:50 a.m. and will be livestreamed at 11 on the “St. Stephen’s UMC, Norman, OK” Facebook page. Visit ststephensnorman.org for links to past worship services.
South Canadian Valley Church of Christ
Sunday, Dustin Gaskins will discuss “The Triumphal Entry of Jesus.”
Trinity Lutheran Church (LC-MS)
On Palm Sunday, the sermon will be “The Colt and the Cross,” from Luke 19 and 23. Sunday Divine Services with communion will be be at 8 and 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, with Sunday School and Bible class at 9:15. The 10:30 service will be streamed online on YouTube (search “Trinity Lutheran Church Norman, OK”). Maundy Thursday service with communion will be at 7:30 p.m. Good Friday services will be Litany at 9 a.m. and noon, a main service at 3 p.m. and a tenebrae service at 7:30. A Holy Saturday service will be at 7:30 p.m. Easter Sunday services will include divine services at 8 and 10:30 a.m., breakfast from 8:30 to 10 and Sunday School at 9:15.
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Sunday, Rev. Justin Westmoreland will study Jesus’ “Triumphal Palm Sunday” with the sermon “Jerusalem or Bust” during worship at 10:30 a.m. at the Wesley Building, 428 W. Lindsey St. Worship will be available online at trinitynorman.com, on the church’s app (search “a church for Norman”) or on the pastor’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/fullyaliveathletepastor. The Sunday School lesson will be “Confessing the Faith” at 9:45. Jeannie McClish will lead the children’s class. Dr. Ryan Bisel will lead youth through the Gospel of Mark. Parking is on Elm Avenue.
University Lutheran Church and Student Center (ELCA)
Palm Sunday services with Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. will begin with the blessing and procession of palms from outside the church, weather permitting. Fellowship Breakfast is at 9:30 a.m. and Christian education for at ages at 10.00 a.m. The Sunday service will also be available on YouTube at University Lutheran Church and Student Center Media on Sunday afternoon. Holy Week services include: Maundy Thursday Liturgy and Holy Communion at 7:00 p.m.; Good Friday Stations of the Cross (children/family friendly) at 5:00 p.m. and at 7:00 p.m. the Solemn Reading of the Passion Story. An Saturday Easter egg hunt will be at 3:00 p.m. Saturday. Easter Sunday worship will be at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. with Easter buffet breakfast at 9:30 a.m. Clean foodservice and packaging foam may be left for recycling in the Styro-Station during weekday office hours, 9:00 — 5:00 p.m. Please enter from the parking lot on College behind the church at 914 Elm.
Victory Church of Norman
Sunday, Associate Pastor Timothy Wheeler will preach”Blessings and Curses,” from Deuteronomy 28, at the afternoon service.
— Area Churches
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https://www.normantranscript.com/community/4-8-faith-community/article_90088e94-b686-11ec-9515-9379bac69c90.html
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Warren Realrider was all ears as a kid growing up in Pawnee County.
Now a Norman resident, the University of Oklahoma art school alumnae who’s employed in the tech industry still is.
Realrider is a practitioner of experimental music, or what’s often indelicately referred to as “harsh noise or power electronics.”
It’s a sonic genre that blends what’s heard in nature with samples from conventional songs, industrial rhythms and field recordings.
These compositions are derived from careful or occasionally inadvertent listening combined with electronic wizardry.
Realrider’s solo project “Ticksuck” will present a performance of his work at 7 p.m. May 7 in Resonator Institute, 325 E. Main St.
“I was born in Tulsa and raised in Northeastern Oklahoma in Pawnee,” Realrider said. “The tribe I’m from is Pawnee. All my huge family is there.”
Realrider is from a family of several artists, including his celebrated sculptor father Austin Realrider.
“As a kid growing up with older sisters and older siblings of friends in the 1980s, I was exposed to different types of music,” he said. “I absorbed a lot of rock, heavy metal, dance music and country music.”
Realrider soaked all that up, along with his own preferences for hip hop and rap.
“I’ve always been an explorer in a sense of wanting to find out more and get as much information as I could about whatever music I was into,” he said. “It led me down paths of more extreme heavy metal, weirder rap music and then to more experimental things. Heavy metal blended with jazz and things like that.”
By the mid-1990s, Realrider was becoming aware of the psychedelic, shoegaze and noise genres, which found a nexus in the visual art he was making.
“I’d grown up drawing and painting, and that’s the direction I went in college,” he said. “I studied art at OSU and eventually transferred to OU. I graduated from OU’s art school (painting) in 2000 and was exposed to experimental things such as land art, site-specific installations and conceptual things. I combined my interest in music with the art I was doing.”
Realrider was attracted to some of the more intense sub-genres of heavy metal like grindcore and death metal through Metal Maniacs magazine and Relapse Records label.
“I was trying to find the most extreme sounds, like a band playing the fastest or the slowest,” he said. “Some of it wasn’t even music, and that was my jumping off point. I dove deep as I could into Japanese harsh noise bands Merzbow and Masonna.”
In his performances, Realrider uses contact microphones that are designed to be physically touching objects such as a cymbal that produces sound. He fabricates other sound-making instruments with a sculptural sensibility that’s reverential to his Pawnee culture.
Realrider grew up participating in traditional dances as those before him have for centuries. He has sampled these percussion rhythms in his compositions.
“I use materials common to Indigenous peoples in this part of the world such as willow branches to build instrument structures in different ways,” he said. “I’ve also used artificial sinew a lot, which was a replacement for when people no longer hunted to get that material. It’s something I use to tie contact mics to other objects.”
Realrider enjoys being part of his genre’s community. Norman and Tulsa in particular have vibrant groups of like-minded artists.
Realrider recently performed at an OU art museum opening reception for exhibition “Ascendant: Expressions of Self Determination.” The show is about Native artists at OU, which made him a natural inclusion for the event.
Realrider’s cousin Nathan Young was among the exhibition’s OU graduate student curators.
“Collaborations have been really good for me,” Realrider said. “Forming relationships with people is exciting.”
Many of Realrider’s recordings are done outdoors and in the field. Sounds of running water, rainfall, bird calls, diesel engine percussion and unidentifiable thumping are common in compositions such as “Kípaacu’ Kícáturaaru’” (Raw Road River posted under Ticksuck at Bandcamp).
Random and unexpected sounds often become front and center in his work. Once, he left his recorder sitting on a bench inside an enclosed dance arena in Pawnee called the Roundhouse, where traditional dances are held.
“We left the recorder there for two hours and the building has a lot of noises when there’s wind,” Realrider said. “The roof creaks, the air conditioner and noise from outside caused a nice minimal drone with these little sounds popping in. It was a raw recording from my recorder sitting in this space.”
It’s the kind of unadulterated soundtrack that can be soothing or even entrancing.
“I try to find an interesting sound,” Realrider said. “Birds are totally interesting and I could listen to them all day. The ones here in Oklahoma are unique.
“Sometimes it’s a combination of sounds in a space. Sometimes I don’t hear it in the moment. But when I go back and listen to the recording isolated from the environment then you hear all these interactions of the sounds going on.”
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https://www.normantranscript.com/community/sonic-exploration-of-the-world-ticksuck-sound-performance-at-resonator/article_064bea68-b6c0-11ec-af2c-cf930ae16416.html
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Mild temperatures are forecast for the first Second Friday Art Walk of the spring season Friday, and Normanites can enjoy plenty of art and food and beverage options at the monthly celebration of creativity.
After a cold and wet event last month, sunshine is expected as the Art Walk returns with multiple new exhibits and an opportunity to contribute to child abuse prevention.
Equity Brewing, 109 E. Tonhawa St., is hosting Pours for Prevention to benefit the Mary Abbott Children’s House child abuse prevention programs.
Equity will unveil “Prevention Is our Jam,” a light ale conditioned with concord grapes, at the event. They’ll also have the actual jam and grilled PB&Js.
Jennifer Skinner, development director for Mary Abbott Children’s House, said early reviews for the ale are glowing.
“It should be really fun,” Skinner said. “We’ll be there just to answer questions, talk to people and enjoy the beer with everyone.”
Gallery 123, 123 E. Main St., invites Art Walk goers to the space for “adult beverages, excellent artwork and lively conversations,” according to the event website.
They have new art pieces to observe and purchase, including a larger-than-life painting by Madeline Dillner on display.
“Herd at Hvolsvollur” is a 4x8-foot print on canvas that takes up around a quarter of the space’s east wall.
Up and coming artist Sarah Russell Morphew, who has lived in Oklahoma for nearly two decades, will have fine art acrylic and pencil works for sale. Visitors are asked to wear a mask and social distance.
Classic rock fans can stop by The Depot for the opening reception for Jimi Hendrix in “Black and White: The photos of Neil Kingsley” in the South Room.
The North Room will have the closing reception for ON STAGE, the gallery’s concert photography exhibit. The venue will serve Native Spirits wine and Lazy Circles beer.
MAINSITE Contemporary Art, 122 E. Main St., will feature OU Masters of Fine Arts students Benjamin Murphy, Marissa Childers and Wesley Kramer. The exhibit is up through April 23.
Magic Sad Agency, 120 E. Tonhawa St., will feature multimedia artist Isaac Diaz. His work Guineo “explores what it means to bloom, spiral and be patient through ceramics, photography and drawing,” according to the event flier.
Mango Cannabis, 127 W. Main St., will host Brad Forsythe and his work Odd Places, Everywhere to Go, which highlights existential dread.
He photographs abandoned spaces around Oklahoma and brings out the “lifeless” attributes in Photoshop.
Each photo has an anthropomorphically drawn character to represent the closest aspect of humanity the viewer can relate to, according to the event flier.
Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, 132 W. Main St., will feature several local artists including Norman-based photographer Dylan Johnson.
Johnson is an award-winning international photographer with experience in multiple styles of photographic arts.
Mister Robert Fine Furniture & Design, 109 E. Main St., recently got new furniture and art. The store’s staff invites Art Walk goers to stop in and see their new arrivals.
Sergio’s Italian Bistro, 104 E. Gray St., will host multi-instrumentalist Stephen Baker from 7 to 9 p.m.
Brazil-born artist Leticia Galizzi will perform at Resonator Institute, 325 E. Main St. Galizzi studied at Yale and completed her graduate art studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Her art explores contradictions between ornamentation and abstraction and the juxtaposition between planned backgrounds and unplanned free gestures and Baroque and Modernism styles, according to her personal website.
Spivey Media, 120 E. Tonhawa St., will host watercolor artist Wyatt Smith. The Oklahoma City-based architect has a passion for minimalism, negative space and line usage from his work.
Opolis will nightcap Art Walk with a concert at 9 p.m. at 113 N. Crawford Ave. Tim Buchanan & The Trumpet Vines released their three song EP of country in January.
Classically trained violinist and songwriter Sarah Reid and indie-folk acoustic artist Keathley round out the night’s lineup.
For a complete list of participating businesses, visit 2ndfridaynorman.com.
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https://www.normantranscript.com/news/business/ales-anthropomorphic-artistry-at-april-art-walk/article_f0ac1968-b6be-11ec-91d4-ebc1281a2d6d.html
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A board that oversees Lake Thunderbird on behalf of the federal government made it clear who controls the lake in a letter it will send to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
The OTA announced in February plans to build a toll road in east Norman, west of the lake where it will cross over into U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Reclamation jurisdiction.
The bureau contracts with the Central Oklahoma Master Conservancy District, which oversees programs at the lake and the distribution of water to: Norman, Midwest City and Del City.
The letter requests OTA cooperate as it moves forward with plans to build the toll road, one of several statewide projects in a 15-year period.
Residents packed the small room and overflowed into the hallway as they listened to the Conservancy District board discuss the letter.
“As currently proposed, the turnpike does cross easements and/or real property of the Bureau of Reclamation,” Conservancy Board President Amanda Nairn told fellow board members during a Thursday meeting. “I agree that we have some jurisdiction here. I think it’s important that we keep those lines of discussion and make that clear.”
Del City’s board representative Michael Dean asked that the letter be written to more clearly state the entity that controls the lake.
“I had requested that we revise the letter to further explain that the property at Lake Thunderbird is governed by the Bureau of Reclamation, who therefore complies with all of the environmental laws of the United States,” Dean said. “I thought it was important to note in the second paragraph that it’s an owned water resource project that is administered by the Bureau.”
Dean’s motion to amend the letter passed unanimously and the board immediately voted to submit the letter to the OTA.
“They’re going to have to do significant work to make sure they meet all of those rules,” Dean added. “I wanted to make sure the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority knew that they needed to consult with us.”
Public comment
During public comments, some residents spoke and others provided written statements to the board.
Local resident Les Smith asked the board in his letter to condemn the OTA’s plans.
“I would like to encourage you to pass a resolution or a statement of record speaking against the north, south, east and west connectors that the OTA has planned to build in Norman,” Nairn read his letter to the board. “Such a statement [from the Conservancy District] would go a long way in supporting not building the toll road.”
Ingur Guiffrida, executive director for WildCare Oklahoma, a wildlife rehabilitation center, said the turnpike plans will threaten the habitat of numerous birds including bald eagles and “tens of thousands” of migratory birds and kill various species of wildlife.
“The positioning of this turnpike in East Norman in particular will destroy one of the most important wildlife corridors in Oklahoma, cutting off wildlife access to Lake Thunderbird,” Guiffrida said.
Guiffrida also said it would kill “thousands of wildlife” that call the wetlands and the lake home as a safe habitat. She further said there is no good “alternative route in this county” for a toll road.
Dr. Amy Cerato, a professor at the University of Oklahoma and civil engineer, said OTA has a history of environment complaints that appear to be unresolved, according to an open records request she obtained.
Cerato’s letter to the board quoted several agencies’ letters that cited environmental violations. Complaints alleged sewage water was discharged into intermittent streams near the Cimarron Turnpike in Pawnee, Oklahoma, a letter from Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1994 to OTA read.
No record of compliance was noted in the file, but Cerato said she requested more information on the complaint.
A second violation along the Cimarron Turnpike was noted.
A lawsuit memo from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to the OTA in November 1997 noted “wastewater seepage” had detrimental effects to “fish and other organisms” at a rest stop along the Cimarron Turnpike, her letter stated.
Hundreds of pages Cerato obtained detailed other documents regarding violations, many of which had no documentation to support actions the OTA had taken to come into compliance, her letter stated.
“The OTA has not addressed environmental concerns in a timely manner,” Cerato wrote. “Allowing the OTA to traverse an already impaired lake and watershed over any stretch could have disastrous long term consequences at best.
“The Bureau of Reclamation and COMCD need to consider if past behavior on previous turnpikes is any indication the OTA will not work to protect the environment either during construction or along the transportation corridor.”
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https://www.normantranscript.com/news/letter-sent-lake-district-says-ota-will-have-to-comply-with-feds/article_e068d4b0-b6e1-11ec-a6f3-dbabcb932f04.html
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