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Fiona the hippo is going to be a (very) big sister
CINCINNATI (Gray News) – The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden announced Monday that hippo Fiona’s mother, Bibi, is pregnant again.
“The hippo team is excited and also nervous,” said Eric Byrd, manager of Cincinnati Zoo’s Africa team. “As most people know, Bibi’s first baby, Fiona, was born six weeks premature and wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of her human caregivers. We are hoping for a full-term pregnancy and will be doing everything we can to support Bibi.”
According to the zoo, Bibi is on hormone supplements and will receive regular ultrasounds to monitor the growth and health of her fetus.
The zoo’s director of animal care, Christina Gorsuch, said they weren’t planning to welcome another baby hippo this soon, but nature found a way.
“Most forms of contraception, in hippos or humans, is not 100% reliable,” Gorsuch said. The dose that was previously effective for Bibi did not prevent pregnancy this time.”
The soon-to-be father, Tucker, arrived at the zoo in September 2021 and “was enamored with 23-year-old Bibi right away,” the zoo said.
The zoo will be sharing updates on Bibi and baby preparations in the months leading up to the birth.
Bibi’s big bundle of joy is expected to arrive in late summer 2022.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/fiona-hippo-is-going-be-very-big-sister/ | 2022-04-11T16:41:11 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/fiona-hippo-is-going-be-very-big-sister/ |
Florida man had live gator, guns and drugs in his truck, sheriff’s office says
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (CNN) - Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man who they said had an interesting assortment of illegal items in his truck - guns, drugs and a live alligator.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, deputies recognized the driver, Michael Marolla, from “previous encounters” as having a suspended license.
Deputies said when they pulled Marolla over Friday, they found drugs and two firearms inside the truck. Then, in the bed of the pickup, they found an open plastic tub with a baby alligator in it.
The sheriff’s office notified Florida’s Fish and wildlife Conservation Commission about the gator.
Marolla was charged with drug possession and carrying concealed firearms. He was released on bond Saturday and is set to appear in court on May 2.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/florida-man-had-live-gator-guns-drugs-his-truck-sheriffs-office-says/ | 2022-04-11T16:41:13 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/florida-man-had-live-gator-guns-drugs-his-truck-sheriffs-office-says/ |
Johnny Depp suit against Amber Heard starts with jury picks
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in a long-anticipated libel lawsuit Johnny Depp filed against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, whom he accuses of falsely portraying him as a domestic abuser.
Depp sued Heard over an op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which Heard refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article doesn’t mention Depp by name, but he says it clearly refers to allegations Heard made in other forums that she suffered physical abuse at his hands. Depp denies the accusations.
The lawsuit brought a little bit of Hollywood to a courthouse that has a long history of dealing with high-profile crimes, just not those involving movie stars.
More than a dozen women, some waving signs saying “Justice for Johnny,” joined other fans who waved pirate flags in recognition of Depp’s signature role in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, waited outside the courthouse an hour before the hearing.
The courtroom in the city of Fairfax was closed to the public Monday, with limited closed-circuit access in an overflow courtroom. People lined up before 7 a.m. for the wristbands granting access.
The judge overseeing the trial, Penney Azcarate, has imposed a series of access rules to try to maintain decorum in the courthouse. Most significantly, neither Depp nor Heard are permitted to pose for photos or sign autographs in the courthouse or on the courthouse grounds.
Depp’s fans have been vocal in their support, saying he has been falsely accused. Raylyn Otie, a Depp fan from Bluefield, Virginia, drove five hours to see the movie star. She was disappointed when Depp did not greet fans personally, as sheriff’s deputies carefully limited fan access.
“I’m so disappointed. I came to give him flowers to show some support,” she said, bouquet in hand.
In a separate lawsuit Depp filed against a British newspaper, a judge dismissed the case, finding that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in fear for her life on multiple occasions.
Heard has filed a countersuit against Depp that accuses his lawyers of defaming her at his direction.
Heard’s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to have the case moved to California, where the actors reside. A Fairfax judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case here because the Post’s online editions are published through servers located in Fairfax County. Depp’s lawyers have said they brought the case in Virginia in part because the laws here are more favorable to their case.
The trial is expected to last more than a month.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks/ | 2022-04-11T16:41:20 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks/ |
LSO: Homeowner finds stolen mail in ditch
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is working to identify victims in recent mail thefts after a homeowner found mail scattered in a ditch.
Sheriff Terry Wagner said on Sunday, a homeowner on Olive Creek Road, southeast of Bennet, came home around 11:50 p.m. and found a large amount of mail in a ditch.
LSO said they collected mail in roughly 16 different cases of mail theft throughout the county and investigators are working to determine all of the victims, as well as a potential loss.
Related: LPD investigating string of rent check drop box thefts & mail thefts
According to Sheriff Wagner, one victim explained that he’d written a check to a local government agency but while the envelope was found, the check was missing.
Sheriff Wagner said as far as investigators can tell, the mail thefts happened Saturday into Sunday.
If you know anything about these cases, you can call LSO at (402) 441-6500 or Crime Stoppers at (402) 475-3600.
Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/lso-homeowner-finds-stolen-mail-ditch/ | 2022-04-11T16:41:26 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/lso-homeowner-finds-stolen-mail-ditch/ |
Man gets 17 years in prison for kidnapping woman, forcing her into sex work
MANCHESTER, Md. (Gray News) - A Maryland man was sentenced to 17 years in prison Friday for kidnapping a woman and leading a sex trafficking conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
The DOJ said Joshua Lankford, 33, used violence and drugs to control a young woman and planned to kill her to keep her from testifying at trial.
According to court documents, Lankford led and organized a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force. Evidence indicated that Lankford kidnapped the victim, a young adult woman, to engage in forced prostitution.
Lankford knew the victim was addicted to heroin and withheld drugs from her until she made him enough money by engaging in sex work, the DOJ said.
When the woman tried to escape, Lankford and three others drove the victim to a rural area where they beat, whipped and choked her with a belt, court documents show. They then drove her to a hotel in Delaware to force her to engage in more prostitution.
Documents show that while in jail, Lankford told a co-conspirator that he intended to kill the woman to prevent her from testifying against them at trial.
“Joshua Lankford’s crimes were nothing short of horrific; he kidnapped and victimized a vulnerable woman then plotted to kill her in order to save himself,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI Baltimore. “The atrocities of his crimes are clearly reflected in the severity of his sentence, and today, he will begin to pay his debt to society.”
In addition to his 17-year prison sentence, Lankford was given five years of supervised released and a $2,320 fine.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/man-gets-17-years-prison-kidnapping-woman-forcing-her-into-sex-work/ | 2022-04-11T16:41:32 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/man-gets-17-years-prison-kidnapping-woman-forcing-her-into-sex-work/ |
Man uses 30+ aliases to elude criminal charges, deputies say
ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) – A man arrested in North Carolina for felony identity theft is accused of using dozens of fake names over several years to get out of criminal charges, according to deputies.
When he was charged last week, the 46-year-old man said his name was Vincente Barrera and then later said his name was Jorge Ortiz-Zaragoza, WBTV reported.
Deputies discovered that the Ortiz-Zaragoza name was in FBI records as an alias used before to try to get out of criminal charges.
Authorities said Ortiz-Zaragoza confessed it was not his real identity and said he has used 27 names in the past.
After fingerprinting the man, deputies determined he has used as many as 35 different names.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office records show that Ortiz-Zaragoza has been deported five times.
The criminal history connected to those fingerprints includes multiple drug felonies in addition to the assault charge, WBTV reported.
The investigation is still open, and Ortiz-Zaragoza, listed in the detention center as Vincente Barrera, was jailed on a bond of $10,000 on charges of identity theft and assault on a female.
Barrera is set to appear in court on Monday.
Copyright 2022 WBTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/man-uses-30-aliases-elude-crimes-deputies-say/ | 2022-04-11T16:41:34 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/man-uses-30-aliases-elude-crimes-deputies-say/ |
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico County and Richmond Police Departments responded to a report of a shooting near the 1900 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike on the city/county line.
According to a Henrico County Police Department tweet, officers found a single male victim with critical injuries at the scene near the Community Supermarket at 1915 Mechanicsville Turnpike.
Lt. Matt Pecka of the Henrico County Police Department confirmed that the victim had suffered from a gunshot wound.
The man has been transported to a local hospital with critical injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or online at http://p3tips.com. | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/one-man-critically-injured-after-shooting-on-mechanicsville-turnpike/ | 2022-04-11T16:43:23 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/one-man-critically-injured-after-shooting-on-mechanicsville-turnpike/ |
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WRIC) — Taurean Venable, 37, of Arlington was sentenced on Friday, April 8 to ten years in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute over seven kilograms of fentanyl.
According to a press release from the U.S. State Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia, Venable is the third man to be sentenced in this conspiracy.
These men acquired kilograms of fentanyl from a variety of suppliers. They then pressed counterfeit prescription pills using the drug. They manufactured thousands of these pills, which were made to resemble legitimate prescription medicine, like Oxycodone.
They proceeded to redistribute these fake, fentanyl-laced pills to dealers and users in the D.C. metro area.
Law enforcement officers, during a June 2020 court-authorized search of one of the conspirator’s Arlington home, seized over seven kilograms of raw and pill-formed fentanyl, along with pill manufacturing materials.
They also found a loaded AK-47 and $34,828.
Law enforcement also obtained court approval to search Venable’s home where they discovered an additional $23,193 worth of drug proceeds.
Cornelius Frazier, 33, of Arlington was sentenced to 151 months in prison for his involvement in the conspiracy and Kyle Bouldin, 31, of Woodbridge received 72 months. | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/third-man-sentenced-in-fentanyl-trafficking-conspiracy/ | 2022-04-11T16:43:29 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/third-man-sentenced-in-fentanyl-trafficking-conspiracy/ |
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — HomeGoods, a home decor and furnishing store, is holding its grand opening at its new Hull Street Road location this week.
The new store is replacing the former Babies R’ Us location at 13315 Rittenhouse Drive in Midlothian between Petco and Ross. The store is located at the Village at Swift Creek Shopping Center.
A sign on the front door of the business said they can’t wait to welcome shoppers in for opening day on Thursday, April 14. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/homegoods-swift-creek-location-to-open-on-hull-street-road-this-thursday/ | 2022-04-11T16:43:35 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/homegoods-swift-creek-location-to-open-on-hull-street-road-this-thursday/ |
The man accused of shooting a dog during the home invasion of an Manchester apartment shot the wounded dog again as it was trying to crawl through the kitchen, the apartment resident told police.
The rendition of the shooting is detailed in a police affidavit filed following the arrest on Saturday of Marcos Nieves, 45, in Concord. It took place in Apartment 6 at 137 Orange St. on March 21.
Nieves faces a host of charges, including animal cruetly, armed career criminal, weapon possession by a felon, criminal threatening, felony reckless conduct and burglary.
One of the apartment residents told police that she had lent Nieves, her sister's ex-boyfriend, between $200 and $300 because he had recently been released from prison and he was trying to get back on his feet.
But after a month, he hadn't repaid the loan. The apartment residents exchanged heated words with Nieves over the telephone.
On the afternoon of March 21, he knocked on the apartment door and walked in uninvited into the apartment, the female who lives in the apartment told police. Police only identified her by the initials A.M.
Her sister's dog, a pitbull, growled and began to go after Marcos.
A.M. covered her ears when he started shooting at the dog, she told police. "According to A.M., Marcos also shot the dog 2-3 more times as it was trying to crawl through the kitchen," police wrote. She froze.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend, identified as J.L., ran away from where the shooting took place. A.M. told police she heard glass breaking.
Police have said one man escaped the ordeal by diving through a second-floor glass window and suffering serious injuries. Police gave no update of the injuries on Monday.
Manchester Police said the Concord Police, the Central New Hampshire Regional SWAT team and the Marshal Service assisted in the apprehension. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/swat-team-marshals-make-arrest-in-manchester-home-invasion-pit-bull-killing/article_4702cd98-eddf-52df-9ee7-68ee617bbc0d.html | 2022-04-11T16:47:11 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/swat-team-marshals-make-arrest-in-manchester-home-invasion-pit-bull-killing/article_4702cd98-eddf-52df-9ee7-68ee617bbc0d.html |
CONCORD — Advocates for a broad range of causes from gun control to animal rights fondly recalled eight-term State Rep. Katherine Rogers as a fierce-but-respectful advocate for her causes.
Rogers, 67, lost a long battle with cancer Sunday afternoon, passing away in her home, surrounded by her friends and beloved Pug, Romeo.
“Kathi was brilliant, skilled, and tenacious in everything she did, but most of all, she was loyal to her friends who she considered family,” Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley said Monday.
Rogers’ cancer had advanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but during that time, she insisted on attending in person many hearings on the House Finance Committee, where she served for several terms.
She had a cadre of legislators, lobbyists and political activists who gave her rides and performed other duties at home for her so Rogers could continue to take part in public life.
"Our hearts are broken. We will keep our promise to continue her fight,” said Buckley, her closest friend of nearly 50 years.
The loss comes a month after House Democrats lost their leader, Hampton Rep. Renny Cushing, 69, who died due to advanced prostate cancer and complications from COVID-19.
In June 2021, former House Majority Leader Doug Ley, D-Jaffrey, died after a liver cancer diagnosis.
Gifted campaign operative early in her career
A native of Concord, Rogers became known to Democratic Party activists long before she was ever elected to public office.
She had worked as a staffer on a variety of many statewide political campaigns and was widely viewed as one of an elite group of activists who brought immense value to a candidate.
“New Hampshire is stronger because of Rep. Kathi Rogers. It was an honor to know her and to serve with her,” said State Sen. Tom Sherman, D-Rye, a candidate for governor in 2022.
The late U.S. Sen. John Durkin, D-N.H., had often said Rogers’ political advice and tenacity during campaigns was invaluable to him.
Rogers' sense of humor and allegiance to fair play made her popular among many Republican legislators, which helped Rogers achieve legislative successes even when the GOP was the majority party.
“The Senate mourns the passing of Rep. Katherine Rogers," Senate President Chuck Morse, R-Salem, said in a statement. "Her dedication to public service was only matched by her brave fight against cancer. She will be missed, but her legacy will surely live on.”
House Democratic Leader David Cote said Rogers was the conscience of his caucus.
“I knew her for 40 years and admired greatly her keen intellect and fearless commitment to the public interest,” Cote said. “This commitment was such that she commanded the respect of all who knew her, irrespective of party affiliation or passing disagreement.”
Rogers served eight terms on the Concord City Council, one term on the Merrimack County Commission and one term as Merrimack County attorney.
At the time of her death, Rogers was chairman of Concord’s legislative delegation.
Later in her career, Rogers became a mentor of many young elected officials and campaign workers.
“Rep. Kathi Rogers was a faithful friend and a loyal Democrat. She always had a great story, a hilarious anecdote and wisdom/advice to share,” said Rep. Matt Wilhelm, D-Manchester who chairs the House Democratic Victory Campaign Committee.
“Even during her final battle with cancer, Kathi fought for the underdog," Wilhelm said. "A heartbreaking loss for the New Hampshire House and all who loved her.” | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/kathi-rogers-champion-for-the-underdog-loses-battle-with-cancer/article_2914c1e7-5ab8-5caf-ba67-7d07f1ac4213.html | 2022-04-11T16:47:17 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/kathi-rogers-champion-for-the-underdog-loses-battle-with-cancer/article_2914c1e7-5ab8-5caf-ba67-7d07f1ac4213.html |
April 11, 1947, in The Star: There won’t be an Alabama-Auburn football game this season. That’s because two years ago the University of Alabama board of trustees voted against resuming athletic relations on grounds that doing so “would not promote the best interest of the two institutions.” Auburn coach Carl Voyles had asked Alabama athletics director Frank Thomas recently whether anything was different and he learned from Thomas that it was not. Hence, no game. Also this date: Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower yesterday told the Military Affairs Committee of the Anniston Chamber of Commerce that if something can yet be found to put in place at Fort McClellan that will be useful to the Army, it will be done. So far, however, he told the committee, nothing has been found that will permit including the famed infantry training center in the Army’s plans for the future. Consequently, “inactive” status will commence June 30. While the fort is a “jewel” among Army installations, the general said, “sometimes jewels must go when bread and meat are necessary.”
April 11, 1997, in The Star: Johnston Elementary School will remain open at least one more year, Anniston schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Goodwin said yesterday. “It needs to be closed, but we can’t close it in a haphazard way. It takes planning … we need time to plan,” Goodwin said following a board meeting. Also this date: In a few years, Alabama high school stuns will have to pass a much harder graduation exam than they do now. Students currently must pass an 8th-grade-level to graduate, but under new standards approved this week by the State Board of Education, students will have to pass an 11th-grade-level test. Students who don’t measure up the first time will get a second chance in their senior year. | https://www.annistonstar.com/features/look-back-to-thin-assurance-from-ike-1947/article_42529ff0-b965-11ec-a68e-1faedb3f4d1e.html | 2022-04-11T16:50:01 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/features/look-back-to-thin-assurance-from-ike-1947/article_42529ff0-b965-11ec-a68e-1faedb3f4d1e.html |
Ukraine’s allies in Europe are moving beyond their usual emphasis on diplomacy and sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with a new focus on urgently arming Kyiv as the best chance at changing Vladimir Putin’s decision-making.
After six weeks of a war that sanctions have done little to ease — and no sign that negotiations with Russia will produce any result — some of the bloc’s least likely warriors are calling for more weapons.
On Monday Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock — from the traditionally pacifist Green Party — called for sending “more military equipment, above all heavy weapons. “There is no time to make excuses.”
Western officials warn that Russian forces will likely resort to even more brutal tactics against civilians in a looming offensive in the country’s south and east.
The shift partly comes as European nations accept that sanctions have done little to crimp Russia’s ability to fund its military operations, and several nations continue to resist the toughest actions over fears they would also hit their own economies. Many of the measures introduced by the EU, such as restrictions on technology exports, are designed to impact the Russian economy over time.
In terms of short-term impact, the bloc has few tools left at its disposal other than sanctioning Russia’s oil and gas — and on that member states remain divided. An EU diplomat also noted that the bloc’s assessment of how to inflict pain on the Russian government doesn’t always square with Putin’s own strategic calculations.
“Normally, wars have been won and lost on the battlefields,” Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, told reporters at a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday. The bloc approved an extra 500 million euros ($545 million) to buy more arms for Ukraine.
Ukraine is bracing for a stepped-up assault on eastern Ukraine, with Russian forces currently regrouping to target the Donbas region. Without an influx of heavy weapons, Ukraine’s military will struggle to fend off a Russian advance.
“We now basically stand in front of this equation to decide what is more important: sanctions or weapons,” Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s foreign minister,” told reporters on Monday. “My conclusion — and if you had told me this two months ago, I would have said, are you crazy — is that it’s now weapons.”
The new focus on hard power is also driven by a recognition that Europe may be reaching the limits of what it can agree to in terms of additional sanctions on Russia. The EU banned Russian coal last week, but the final deal came only after countries agreed to allow a four-month period for the embargo to kick in.
Foreign ministers from several EU countries pushed for a ban on Russian oil during their meeting on Monday, according to an EU diplomat, but others have been unwilling to take the economic pain from such a step.
The EU is starting to explore ways to limit Russia’s revenue from oil sales, short of a full ban. Those include tariffs or an escrow account to freeze the extra profits Moscow is making from oil price spikes following its invasion of Ukraine. But even such compromises will be difficult to strike, with Hungary insisting that any such decision would need to be taken by EU leaders at a summit.
That leaves Europe focusing on getting weapons to Ukraine, which has asked for a wide range of supplies.
“We need air defense systems, we need airplanes, tanks, other armored vehicles, artillery systems, munitions,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Monday in an address to the South Korean parliament. He has also called for the EU and others to embargo Russian oil and gas.
The EU and NATO are beginning to accept that the war in Ukraine could drag on for months and that Kyiv will need a lot more help to continue repelling Russia’s assault.
Borrell told EU diplomats the countries must make decisions on weapons deliveries in days and not weeks, and the bloc must do whatever it takes to help Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.
There is still some hesitation by governments over what to supply. An EU diplomat noted that countries need some assurances about where the weapons they send will end up, since Kyiv has some unreliable paramilitaries operating. Modern weapons systems also require training, which takes time that Ukraine might not have as it braces for a Russian assault in the country’s east. | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/nation_world/europe-moves-to-arm-ukraine-as-sanctions-fail-to-sway-putin/article_f619dc0c-b9aa-11ec-82d8-0385f96c4777.html | 2022-04-11T16:50:07 | 0 | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/nation_world/europe-moves-to-arm-ukraine-as-sanctions-fail-to-sway-putin/article_f619dc0c-b9aa-11ec-82d8-0385f96c4777.html |
MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling compatriots to brace for a fateful week, Western military officials warned Monday that Russian forces will likely resort to even more brutal tactics against civilians in a looming offensive in the country’s south and east.
Nearly seven weeks into a war in which the Kremlin has attained virtually none of its strategic objectives, Russian President Vladimir Putin was expected Monday to hold his first face-to-face talks with a European leader since launching the Feb. 24 invasion. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced the planned meeting, declaring that Russia’s “war of aggression” must cease.
Austria is a member of the European Union, which has imposed stringent sanctions against Russia, but is militarily neutral and not a member of NATO — a status that in the past has allowed it to maintain closer links with Moscow. But Nehammer, who met over the weekend with Zelenskyy, has demanded a war-crimes investigation against Russia, which has denied its troops have committed atrocities against civilians.
After six weeks of a war that sanctions have done little to ease — and no sign that negotiations with Russia will produce any result — some of the bloc’s least likely warriors are calling for more weapons.
European leaders, meanwhile, signaled that more sanctions against Moscow may be in the works. But the bloc is running out of ways to try to force Putin to break off the biggest ground war in Europe in decades, which has triggered the continent’s largest refugee crisis since World War II. More than 4.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country, according to the latest U.N. figures, and around another 7 million are internally displaced.
“Sanctions are always on the table,” the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, told reporters as he headed into a meeting on Monday with the bloc’s foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
The U.S., for its part, was stepping up diplomatic efforts to bring more countries into the anti-Russia coalition. President Joe Biden was to hold a virtual meeting Monday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is a U.S. ally, but has not imposed any sanctions against Russia. Among a four-nation group of allies known colloquially as the Quad — the U.S., Japan, Australia and India — Biden has previously described India as the only “somewhat shaky” country regarding Ukraine.
With a ferocious new phase of the war considered all but certain, Ukrainian civilians continued to try to escape from what is expected to become the next main battleground, the country’s eastern industrial heartland and its southern seacoasts.
Even with nearly another 3,000 people fleeing those areas on Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, the pace of the exodus has been slowed by fear of more attacks like the one on a railway station last week in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, whose death toll has risen to at least 57.
Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia’s ongoing assault on the southern port of Mariupol had “destroyed” the city and left tens of thousands of people dead. Mariupol is almost completely cut off, and the figure could not be independently confirmed.
“Despite this, the Russians are not stopping their offensive,” the Ukrainian leader told South Korea’s parliament in the latest in a series of near-daily video addresses to lawmakers around the world to drum up support and plead for more weaponry for his beleaguered country.
Since the start of the war, Moscow’s forces have sought to capture Mariupol in order to establish a land corridor between Russian-controlled areas of the east and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized eight years ago.
A British military intelligence assessment on Monday warned that Russia may resort to the use of phosphorus weapons in its bid to finally secure control of the city, and said civilians in many areas were imperiled by the invaders’ use of indiscriminate firepower.
“Russia’s continued reliance on unguided bombs decreases their ability to discriminate when targeting and conducting strikes, while greatly increasing the risk of further civilian casualties,” the assessment said.
Artillery strikes rocked several eastern cities early Monday. Air-raid sirens also wailed in the southern city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, where a massive blast reverberated late Sunday. The regional governor, Vitaliy Kim, said in a video posted Monday that it was a missile strike that caused no deaths.
In his overnight video address, Zelenskyy said Russia was trying to evade responsibility for war crimes such as the reign of terror visited on areas outside Kyiv during a monthlong occupation before abandoning the bid to swiftly seize the capital city and topple the Ukrainian government.
Investigators and Ukrainian forces have been on the ground daily in satellite towns outside Kyiv, recovering bodies of civilians, many killed execution-style and thrown into mass graves. Forensic specialists from France arrived Monday to help with the preservation of evidence. Ukrainian officials say the count of fatalities in those outlying areas has surpassed 1,200.
“We are doing everything we can to bring to justice every bastard who came to our land under the Russian flag and killed our people, who tortured our people, destroyed our cities, looted and tormented,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that the coming week will be as “tense” as any in the course of the war, as Russian forces prepare to stage “even larger operations in the east of our state.”
In laying groundwork for that offensive, Russian missile strikes destroyed the central city of Dnipro’s airport Sunday, Ukrainian officials acknowledged. But Ukrainian forces have also repulsed several assaults in eastern regions, “resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery equipment,” the British military assessment said.
Russian forces kept up unrelenting strikes on the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest. The regional governor, Oleh Sinegubov, wrote on the messaging app Telegram that 11 people, including a child, died in bombardment on Sunday, with Russia “again attacking peaceful civilians.”
Fears over the fate of Ukrainian civilians were heightened with word over the weekend that Russia has appointed a military chief notorious for atrocities in Syria to oversee the Kremlin’s war effort. The appointment of Gen. Aleksandr Dvornikov, Western officials say, suggests that the deliberate targeting of civilians, a hallmark of Russia’s war strategy, is likely to continue.
Adding to the sense of menace, the notorious Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been leading fighters in Ukraine from his Russian republic, declared Monday that he was a loyal “foot soldier” to Putin and suggested that Ukrainian cities faced devastation if resistance to the Russian assault continues.
“Don’t let Kyiv be destroyed, Kharkiv and other cities,” Kadyrov, who has been sanctioned for human rights abuses, wrote in a Telegram post that also mentioned Mariupol and the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Russia’s military setbacks since the start of the invasion have been plainly visible, but more detail is emerging about the nature of its losses. The British Broadcasting Corp. reported more than 20 percent of the military personnel confirmed dead were officers, including specialists like fighter pilots and veteran commanders.
Bulos reported from Mykolaiv and King from Warsaw. | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/nation_world/even-greater-peril-to-civilians-seen-as-russia-readies-eastern-ukraine-onslaught/article_9ab00e2e-b9ad-11ec-8220-135d51383814.html | 2022-04-11T16:50:13 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/nation_world/even-greater-peril-to-civilians-seen-as-russia-readies-eastern-ukraine-onslaught/article_9ab00e2e-b9ad-11ec-8220-135d51383814.html |
A Friday afternoon incident involving a passenger vehicle and an Oxford City School bus resulted in no injuries.
According to Oxford City spokeswoman Lorie Denton, the city fire department and health paramedics were called at 3:23 p.m. Friday with information a passenger vehicle had made “slight contact” with Oxford City School bus number 18-02.
The accident occurred while the bus was transporting 36 students home from school near Sunny Eve Baptist Church.
Four ambulances and eight paramedics were dispatched to the scene.
According to the report, the driver that struck the bus appeared to be suffering from a medical condition and was transported by ambulance to Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center.
There was minimal damage to the bus and no injuries reported suffered by the bus driver or students aboard the bus.
Parents were notified and the students were transferred to an alternate bus to continue the dropoff route. | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/oxford/no-injuries-in-oxford-school-bus-accident/article_ce9937ba-b9ad-11ec-b1bb-b78a4e1eb1ad.html | 2022-04-11T16:50:20 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/news/oxford/no-injuries-in-oxford-school-bus-accident/article_ce9937ba-b9ad-11ec-b1bb-b78a4e1eb1ad.html |
PELL CITY — The Pell City Fire Department spent six hours Sunday fighting a commercial building fire on Cogswell Avenue.
Fire Chief Tim Kurzejeski said the department was dispatched to Eden Family Dentistry at 402 Cogswell Avenue at 8:10 a.m. on reports of smoke coming from the building's roof.
He said fire engine four responded a few minutes later and encountered heavy smoke and visible fire coming from the building. Kurzejeski said the fire ultimately saw a full fire department response involving engines one, two, three and four along with the city's aerial ladder truck.
The chief said the department initially deployed interior crews to help fight the fire, but pulled them out after crews on the roof found signs of damage. Ultimately, he said the building suffered a partial roof collapse as the fire appeared to be in the attic.
“In initial investigation by interior crews, we found heavy fire involvement in the attic of the building,” Kurzejeski said.
He added that after calling the interior crews back the department shifted to a defensive posture. The department was then able to save much of the eastern third of the building, though the rest was heavily damaged. The building was not occupied during the fire and no injuries have been reported.
The chief said the department ultimately returned to normal service around 2 p.m. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Kurzejeski praised the work fire crews did during the fire, noting that it was particularly stubborn.
“I can't say enough about the hard work all the crews put in,” he said. “They just did an outstanding job.”
He also thanked the Pell City Police Department for their help with traffic control. The PCPD shut down Cogswell Avenue from 3rd Street to 5th Street while fire crews worked to control the blaze. | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_news/authorities-are-investigating-after-commercial-fire-in-eden/article_0705f86c-b9aa-11ec-b8fa-67fee990ed06.html | 2022-04-11T16:50:26 | 0 | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_news/authorities-are-investigating-after-commercial-fire-in-eden/article_0705f86c-b9aa-11ec-b8fa-67fee990ed06.html |
Kelsea Ballerini to co-host CMT Music Awards from home after testing positive for COVID
Country star Kelsea Ballerini is making a last-minute pivot to co-hosting the CMT Music Awards remotely after testing positive for COVID-19 days before the show.
Ballerini and actor Anthony Mackie were set to host the Monday night awards show from Nashville. But on Monday morning, CMT announced that Ballerini will remain home. She is asymptomatic, and Ballerini said CMT is setting it up so she can perform and co-host from her house.
"It has been set it up in a way where I can safely still co-host the Awards and perform on the show tonight," Ballerini said in a statement. "This is not what we had planned for, but I am ready to make lemonade out of these lemons."
The leading nominee for the night, Kane Brown, has been tapped to help Mackie with in-person co-hosting. Brown has twice hosted the fan-voted show, including with Ballerini last year.
"I'm honored the team at CBS and CMT asked me to step in as a co-host and I am so glad to be back again hosting for a bonus third year," said Brown in a statement. "Everyone has been working hard to put on an amazing show for the fans and I'm excited to get to work with Anthony and Kelsea and have a great night that celebrates country music."
Mackie, who starred in Marvel's "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,'' promises a fun night.
"Being a host of the CMT Awards is something I have wanted to do for a long time," said Mackie in a statement. "I was excited to be able to do it with Kelsea Ballerini. Now, I get to co-host with both Kelsea and my friend, Kane Brown. Get ready cuz it's gonna be a fun night!"
Related video: Kelsea Ballerini gets personal in new book
The CMT Music Awards will feature performances by Kenny Chesney, Mickey Guyton and Black Pumas, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. The Judds are also reuniting at the CMT Music Awards for their first major awards show performance in over two decades.
Underwood is the most awarded artist in CMT history with 23 prior wins and has a chance to extend her lead with nominations for music video of the year and collaborative video of the year for her duet with Jason Aldean, "If I Didn't Love You." | https://www.koat.com/article/kelsea-ballerini-cmt-music-awards-2022-hosting-from-home/39691508 | 2022-04-11T16:53:10 | 0 | https://www.koat.com/article/kelsea-ballerini-cmt-music-awards-2022-hosting-from-home/39691508 |
Teresa Hernandez (MBA), the Founder Girls Of Color Take Over LLC, joins Gayle Guyardo, the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom about the importance of self-care for women.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/empowering-girls-of-color/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:13 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/empowering-girls-of-color/ |
HaveHerBack Founding Partner, Caroline Dettman joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom about how when it comes to your preference in returning to the office, opinions seem to be directly tied to your age.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/gen-z-professionals-overwhelmingly-want-to-return-to-the-office/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:19 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/gen-z-professionals-overwhelmingly-want-to-return-to-the-office/ |
Christine McLarty, with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom to celebrate National Pet Day and with the message; if you want a pet, adopt, don’t shop.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/happy-national-pet-day/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:25 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/happy-national-pet-day/ |
Allergist and immunologist, Dr. Anjuli Mehrotra joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom with help for allergy sufferers.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/help-for-allergy-sufferers/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:32 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/help-for-allergy-sufferers/ |
April is Stress Awareness Month, and as we think about reducing stress for ourselves, we should also consider reducing stress for our pets.
Mikkel Becker, a certified trainer, dog behavior counselor, and lead animal trainer for Fear Free joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom with ways to reduce reduce fear, anxiety and stress in your pets.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/how-to-reduce-your-pets-stress-fear-free-training/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:40 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/how-to-reduce-your-pets-stress-fear-free-training/ |
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Player and Life Guard Imaging VP of Business Development Martín Gramática appears on Bloom with host Gayle Guyardo to share some of the life saving stories from people who have tried Life Guard Imaging’s heart and lung scan. The innovative body scan at Life Guard Imaging can detect heart disease and hundreds of forms of cancer. BLOOM SPECIAL OFFER Visit Lifeguardimaging.com or Call 813-524-1010 Complimentary Heart Scan and Consultation when you mention Gayle/Bloom.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/life-guard-imaging-real-life-saving-stories/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:46 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/life-guard-imaging-real-life-saving-stories/ |
Medical Minute sponsored by Millennium Physician Group discusses IBS.
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Medical Minute sponsored by Millennium Physician Group discusses IBS. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/medical-minute-ibs-listen-to-your-gut/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:52 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/medical-minute-ibs-listen-to-your-gut/ |
Denise Mestanza-Taylor of Run DMT and Founder of Tampa Bay Bloggers, joins Gayle Guyardo the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom for “Gayle Gab” to discuss the upcoming Tampa Bay Homeschool Inclusive Prom.
The Tampa Bay Homeschool Inclusive Prom Saturday, April 30, 2022 from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm, click here for tickets.
Bloom airs in 40 markets across the country, with a reach of approximately 36 million households, and in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Madison, WI.
You can watch Bloom in the Tampa Bay Market weekdays at Noon on WTTA: Spectrum 1006; Frontier 514; DirecTV 38; Dish 38; Comcast 43, and look for Bloom early mornings on WFLA News Channel 8. | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/tampa-bay-homeschool-inclusive-prom/ | 2022-04-11T17:00:58 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/bloom/tampa-bay-homeschool-inclusive-prom/ |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — When it comes to how each state fared for educational outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, some states performed better than others. The National Bureau of Economic Research ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with Florida in sixth place, overall.
The National Bureau of Economic Research is a non-profit, non-partisan economic research organization established in 1920.
The NBER study ranked states by measuring their unemployment levels, gross domestic product, economic average scores, percentage of in-person schooling done, age and metabolic health adjusted for how many COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 residents, and a few other census details. In the top 10 states for grading, Montana and South Dakota had the highest number of deaths per 100,000 due to COVID-19.
Ahead of Florida were Utah, Nebraska, Vermont, Montana, and South Dakota. Combining all scoring items, Florida reached an overall score of 79.9, giving it an A, according to the study.
Florida had the second highest percentage of students participating in in-person schooling, at 96.2%. Arkansas, ranked No. 9 overall, had the highest percentage of the top 10 states, at 96.8% of students learning at school in-person.
According to the rankings used, Florida had a 2.1% unemployment rate, a -1.5% GDP and an average economic score of 0.57. The study said that means Florida’s GDP was 1.5% lower than pre-pandemic levels, based on the fourth quarter of the 2019 fiscal year.
Here are the top 10 states in the U.S. from the NBER study.
The NBER study compared school closures to mortality, but upon review found that the data did not lead them to “believe this relationship was causal.” Essentially, school closures had no impact on mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the data used in the NBER study. In terms of what that means for state policy, it lends additional credence to the state’s position, that more positive outcomes were produced having children learn in-person, and school closures did not have an impact on COVID-19 fatalities.
Additionally, the study drew a connection between lockdowns and economic performance.
“Unsurprisingly, there was a strong relationship between the states that had poor economic performance and closed schools—the lockdown states,” NBER said in the study. Florida remained largely open in the 2020 to 2021 school year, and its economy performed well, reflected in state budget and lawmaker statements to that effect over most of 2021 and into 2022.
While Florida had one of the higher mortality levels among the top 10 states, with roughly 277 people dying of COVID-19 per 100,000, the study found that a good portion of those deaths, and similar across the nation, were owed to comorbidity factors, while economic success was reduced in states with bigger proportions of the hospitality and accommodations industries.
“Pandemic mortality was greater in states where obesity, diabetes, and old age were more prevalent before the pandemic,” NBER reported. “Economic activity was less in states that had been intensive in, especially, accommodations and food.”
While Utah ranked No. 1, New Jersey ranked No. 51, scoring the lowest across the whole of the United States. | https://www.wfla.com/community/health/coronavirus/florida-ranks-no-6-in-covid-education-success-survey-report-says/ | 2022-04-11T17:01:04 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/community/health/coronavirus/florida-ranks-no-6-in-covid-education-success-survey-report-says/ |
Owner of Cake Cuties Bakery, Botija Rodriguez, has an easy and delicious recipe for an Easter-themed pinata cake filled with chocolate eggs.
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You have been added to Breaking News Newsletter | https://www.wfla.com/daytime/cake-cuties-share-recipe-for-easter-pinata-cake/ | 2022-04-11T17:01:10 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/daytime/cake-cuties-share-recipe-for-easter-pinata-cake/ |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Concerns are growing for a Port St. Lucie teen who vanished on her way to school on Monday morning.
Authorities said Saige Stiles, 15, disappeared while walking to Treasure Coast High School.
Her friend called 911 and said she talked to Saige on the phone, and the teen told her she was being followed.
The friend gave police Saige’s location. When officers arrived, the teen was nowhere to be found, but her backpack and phone were located nearby.
Police said it’s unclear if Saige was abducted or if she ran away. Surveillance video shows her walking behind homes after her friend called 911, police said.
“She just was walking. Didn’t appear she was in danger or distress. Just walking through the backyard,” Port St. Lucie police spokesman Sgt. John Dellacroce said at a news conference Monday.
Police were searching for the teen in a large wooded area Monday morning. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office was using a helicopter to survey the area. WPTV went to the scene and observed several evidence markers on the ground. K9s and bloodhounds were also helping with the search, the news station reported.
“When a call comes out like this, every available officer. It’s intensive manpower, an intensive search,” Dellacroce said. “It’s all hands on deck until we can find her.”
Saige is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds. She has brown hair and was last seen wearing jeans and a gray long-sleeve shirt.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately. | https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/missing-florida-teen-told-friend-she-was-being-followed-before-vanishing-police-say/ | 2022-04-11T17:01:19 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/missing-florida-teen-told-friend-she-was-being-followed-before-vanishing-police-say/ |
SLIDELL, La. (KLFY) A Louisiana pastor was arrested last week for allegedly taping students mouths shut at the school where he is the headmaster.
According to Slidell Police, Pastor John Raymond, 60, of Lacombe was charged with three counts of cruelty to juveniles.
Police said in late March they received a complaint from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) about potential child abuse occurring at Lakeside Christian School involving the pastor and headmaster who was taping students’ mouths shut, as a form of discipline.
An investigation by police found that on March 18, several students were removed from a class due to excessive talking.
Raymond reportedly became angry and brought the students to his office, took a roll of packing tape and taped the students’ mouths shut by wrapping the tape around their heads, police said.
He then allegedly sent the students back to class for 45 minutes before another school administrator felt uncomfortable with the situation and removed the tape from the students’ face.
Police said because the tape was wrapped around the students’ head, it had to be removed with a pair of scissors.
The students, according to police, told authorities that they had trouble breathing and that the removal process was painful.
Following their investigation, police said, Raymond surrendered to police and was booked into the Slidell City Jail for three (3) counts of cruelty to juveniles, which states, in part, “to cause unjustifiable pain or suffering to children under the age of 17”.
All three of the victims were 13-years-old, police said.
Raymond will be transported to the St. Tammany Parish jail. | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/headmaster-of-christian-school-arrested-for-taping-students-mouths-shut/ | 2022-04-11T17:01:25 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/headmaster-of-christian-school-arrested-for-taping-students-mouths-shut/ |
Piedmont Lithium to partner with Habitat in building Gaston home
Piedmont Lithium Inc., the company hoping to build a mine in northwest Gast County, has formed a “full home partnership” with Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County.
The $150,000 financial commitment, along with volunteer hours donated by members of the Piedmont family, along with others from the community, are dedicated to building a new home in Dixon Village.
Dixon Village is a neighborhood that will provide much needed residences for Habitat families and entry-level buyers in a community built around an innovative approach to providing affordable housing, officials said.
Dixon Village is specifically designed to encourage interaction in a diverse, closely-knit community, creating what research shows are economic, social, and educational benefits for the Gaston County region, and especially for those who have the opportunity to live in a neighborhood like Dixon Village, officials said.
“As a company focused on making a product that will positively impact the quality of life of people across the county by addressing climate change and creating high-tech manufacturing jobs in the region, doing something that enhances the quality of life of others in our community in a different way is in complete alignment with our purpose and core values,” said Piedmont CEO Keith Phillips.
“Our team is excited to give their time and resources to help others, and serve the community we work and live in. We try to keep in mind, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,” added Phillips.
Located in North Belmont, Dixon Village is a 7.5-acre development that will contain 28 single-family homes.
Approximately one-third of these homes will be for Habitat homeowners, making it one of the few developments in the nation that is setting a new precedent for mixed-income living.
New research shows that communities like Dixon Village make a positive contribution to the area in a number of different ways, including a significant impact on success later in life for low-income children who grow up in a mixed income neighborhood, officials said.
Kay Peninger, Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County executive director, stated, “We are grateful to Piedmont Lithium for their leadership gift to help Habitat families purchase a home they can afford on their wages."
"Housing is not just about shelter," she continued. "It’s about homeownership and it represents a gateway and an opportunity to building a better future. With the strength, stability and self-reliance that owning an affordable home brings, Habitat families can focus on their lives, their health, their children, their dreams, and their path to a brighter future.”
Founded in 1988, Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County (Habitat Gaston) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a widely respected global brand.
Habitat Gaston works with qualified, deserving families to help them realize the dream of owning their own home.
The organization provides affordable homeownership opportunities for low-to-moderate income families and individuals in Gaston County, building more than 120 homes since 1988. Learn more at www.habitatgaston.org.
Piedmont Lithium is a diversified developer of lithium resources to help power the U.S. electric vehicle supply chain and based in Belmont. | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/2022/04/11/piedmont-lithium-partner-habitat-building-gaston-hom/9497634002/ | 2022-04-11T17:03:17 | 0 | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/2022/04/11/piedmont-lithium-partner-habitat-building-gaston-hom/9497634002/ |
JERUSALEM (AP) — Mimi Reinhard, a secretary in Oskar Schindler’s office who typed up the list of Jews he saved from extermination by Nazi Germany, has died in Israel at the age of 107.
Reinhard died early Friday and was laid to rest Sunday in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, her son Sasha Weitman confirmed.
She was one of 1,200 Jews saved by German businessman Schindler after he bribed Nazi authorities to let him keep them as workers in his factories. The account was made into the acclaimed 1993 film “Schindler’s List” by director Steven Spielberg.
Reinhard was born Carmen Koppel in Vienna, Austria, in 1915, and moved to Krakow, Poland, before the outbreak of World War II. After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, she was confined to the Krakow ghetto before being sent to the nearby Plaszow concentration camp in 1942.
Reinhard’s knowledge of shorthand got her work in the camp’s administrative office, where, two years later, she was ordered to type up the handwritten list of Jews that were to be transferred to Schindler’s ammunition factory.
“I didn’t know it was such an important thing, that list,” she told an interviewer with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in 2008. “First of all, I got the list of those who were with Schindler already in Krakow, in his factory. I had to put them on the list.” Later she put her own name, and the names of two friends.
At the Brünnlitz labor camp, where Schindler’s ammunition factory was housed, she was put to work in Schindler’s office.
She said that although she worked in Schindler’s office toward the end of the war, she had little personal contact with him.
“He was a very charming man, very outgoing,” she recalled decades after the war. “He didn’t treat us like scum.”
After the war, she made her way to the United States, where she lived until immigrating to Israel in 2007 at the age of 92.
Weitman, Reinhard’s son, said that after coming to Israel she “became a kind of a celebrity” because of the Schindler’s List film’s popularity, something he said “pumped another 15 years into her life.” | https://www.wane.com/entertainment-news/mimi-reinhard-schindlers-list-typist-dies-at-107/ | 2022-04-11T17:03:17 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/entertainment-news/mimi-reinhard-schindlers-list-typist-dies-at-107/ |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A truck crashed into the building early Monday morning.
Police and medics were called just before 5 a.m. to the Brooks Construction building at 6525 Ardmore Ave. on a report of a crash with injuries.
A dark-colored pickup crashed into the south façade of the building, well off the roadway.
It’s not clear what cause the pickup to crash into the building.
Police at the scene would not confirm the condition of the driver. A WANE 15 crew saw an ambulance leave with one person inside. | https://www.wane.com/news/breaking-news/truck-crashes-into-brooks-construction-building/ | 2022-04-11T17:03:23 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/breaking-news/truck-crashes-into-brooks-construction-building/ |
(The Hill) — Two Buffalo police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing after a video surfaced of them pushing over a 75-year-old man during a Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020.
Local station WIVB, an affiliate of Nexstar, reported on Sunday that Buffalo Police Department (BPD) officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe won’t face any charges over the incident.
The two officers were a part of a police line that was clearing protesters out of the area near the city hall when they approached demonstrator Martin Gugino.
In the video, both Torgalski and McCabe appear to shove Gugino, who then loses his balance and falls to the ground, cracking his head on the concrete pavement. Gugino spent multiple weeks at the hospital recovering from his wounds.
In a court ruling on Friday, arbitrator Jeffrey Selchick said that Gugino wasn’t an innocent bystander and that no evidence proved the two officers deliberately tried to injure him.
“Gugino, after the force was applied to him, appears to have not been able to keep his balance for reasons that might well have had as much to do with the fact that he was holding objects in each hand or his advanced age,” Selchick said.
Selchick also said in his ruling that the 75-year-old man may have surprised the officers, which could interfere with the officer’s performance of their duties, the ruling said.
In a statement to NBC affiliate WGRZ, the city’s Police Benevolent Association celebrated the arbitrator’s decision.
“Two good cops who initially got thrown under the bus are back to the profession they love and they’re doing it with a clean slate. No criminal charges, nothing administratively. They’re ready to hit the streets and go back to work for the citizens of Buffalo,” association attorney Thomas Burton said in a statement. | https://www.wane.com/news/buffalo-police-officers-cleared-for-pushing-over-75-year-old-protester/ | 2022-04-11T17:03:29 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/buffalo-police-officers-cleared-for-pushing-over-75-year-old-protester/ |
SCRANTON, Pa. (WBRE/WYOU) — You may notice during your next trip to the grocery store that egg prices are much higher than usual. The wholesale prices for eggs is up nearly three times over this time last year, according to NBC News. At one point, the cost of a dozen eggs exceeded $3 for only the second time in history.
As of Friday, large grade A white eggs ran between $2.80-$2.89 per dozen on average, according to the USDA’s daily Midwest regional egg report. That’s more than double what they cost in March, according to CNN.
The recent increase is blamed, in part, on a bird flu outbreak that’s led to the death of millions of egg-laying birds. Supply chain issues and high feed costs have only compounded the problem.
Over the weekend, a grocery store in the Dallas area had a sign that labeled the issue a “national egg shortage.” The sign acknowledged the price increase and said, “we will continue to work with our suppliers to improve availability.”
The price change will hurt businesses that use large amounts of eggs, but the average customer may feel the pinch as well.
“Usually we buy a dozen a week,” said Pennsylvania shopper Tom Enkulenko..
Some shoppers at Gerrity’s Supermarket in Scranton, Pa. said they’re considering cutting back on their egg purchases.
“By far, this is the highest prices we’ve ever seen on eggs. Right now, we are sitting at double the price,” said Joe Fasula, co-owner of Gerrity’s Supermarkets.
Fasula fears these high prices might be here to stay for a while saying, “I don’t think anybody knows when that could end.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported grocery prices could go up another 4% before 2021 comes to a close.
According to the CDC, the risk to the general public from the avian flu outbreak is very low and there are no food safety issues. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/heres-why-egg-prices-are-quickly-rising/ | 2022-04-11T17:03:32 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/heres-why-egg-prices-are-quickly-rising/ |
(NEXSTAR) – The very first Taco Bell location was no bigger than a two-car garage. It didn’t have indoor seating, it didn’t have a drive-thru, and it certainly didn’t have Doritos Locos Tacos, supreme or otherwise.
It did, however, have several menu items that are nowhere to be found among Taco Bell’s current offerings, including a “chili burger.”
Glen Bell, the chain’s founder, opened his first Taco Bell in Downey, California, in 1962. Bell had previously operated a number of fast-food restaurants throughout the ‘50s — including Bell’s Drive-In and Taco Tia — but he was envisioning something altogether different for Taco Bell. Specifically, he had an idea for a small walk-up taco stand surrounded by “shops, live music and fire pits,” according to Taco Bell.
The resulting restaurant, with its fire pits and a live-performance area in the back, bore little resemblance to the Taco Bells of today. There was also a walk-up window — and only a walk-up window — where customers could order whatever their hearts desired, so long as they desired one of five menu items.
The earliest official Taco Bell menu offered frijoles, tostados, chili burgers, burritos (red or green) and tacos, all for 19 cents apiece. Each of these items stuck around well into the ‘70s, while Bell and his franchisees went about expanding the chain throughout California and beyond.
Of course, there were a few changes along the way. In a photo of the restaurant’s overhead menu circa the early ‘70s, prices had jumped to a whopping 25 cents. “Tostados” also became “tostadas,” and “chili burgers” gave way to “Bellburgers,” which were described as having ground beef, lettuce, tomato and a “famous” Taco Bell sauce.
Many of these items persisted for decades in one form or another, but today only tacos and burritos remain from the first Taco Bell menu, and even those have evolved from their original incarnations.
But not everything has changed. The original Taco Bell restaurant, which closed in 1986, is still intact after being saved from demolition and moved to the Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, California. (Good luck ordering a chili burger, though.) | https://www.wane.com/news/taco-bells-first-restaurants-only-offered-5-items-and-most-are-no-longer-on-the-menu/ | 2022-04-11T17:03:32 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/taco-bells-first-restaurants-only-offered-5-items-and-most-are-no-longer-on-the-menu/ |
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Activate your digital account | https://www.gastongazette.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gastongazette.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2F2022%2F04%2F11%2Fstock-report-big-south-3-a-southern-piedmont-1-a-2-a-baseball-softball%2F9510699002%2F | 2022-04-11T17:07:38 | 0 | https://www.gastongazette.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gastongazette.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fhigh-school%2F2022%2F04%2F11%2Fstock-report-big-south-3-a-southern-piedmont-1-a-2-a-baseball-softball%2F9510699002%2F |
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Boston Mountain Cycling Team (BMC), is working with the local cycling community to raise funds for one of their own. Cyclist Samuel Riester remains in the ICU five days after sustaining severe burns covering most of his body.
Riester usually meets up with Will Frank on Tuesdays to lead a cycling ride, but Frank wasn’t concerned when Riester didn’t show up.
“It wasn’t until after the ride – we’re sitting and hanging out enjoying the company - I get a phone call,” Frank said. “It’s someone telling me about Sam and he had an accident, and my heart just dropped.”
Frank led the ride like he would any other day, but noted seeing the Life Flight helicopter flying overhead.
"On our ride before, we saw the helicopter coming back and had no idea that was the flight that Sam had taken up,” Frank said.
Riester was in his home garage working on his truck when the fuel line ruptured and he was doused in gasoline. Moments later, a spark was ignited from a nearby compressor, setting him on fire. Life Flight was dispatched and took Riester to Mercy Burn Center in Springfield, Missouri.
“They need all the prayers than can get,” Frank said reflecting on Riester’s family. “His chances are very low. He’s 50-50 at best right now.”
Frank has worked with the local cycling community to spread awareness and help raise money to go toward Riester’s medical expenses.
"There are several ways to get involved financially," Frank said. "There’s a GoFundMe. Next weekend, we’re having a race here locally and we’re going to raise some money for him at that race."
The community has raised more than $34,000 within the first four days of the GoFundMe campaign.
The Pedlar’s Pub will host the Pebaler’s Bash race in Bentonville on April 16 where donations will be collected to help Reister with medical expenses.
Riester is expected to undergo treatment with the Mercy Burn Center for at least the next seven months.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/benton-co-fundraiser-for-burned-cyclist/527-a1690808-b777-4137-8ac5-123c92517786 | 2022-04-11T17:17:08 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/benton-co-fundraiser-for-burned-cyclist/527-a1690808-b777-4137-8ac5-123c92517786 |
FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Arkansas Blood Institute (ABI) is urging blood donors to give immediately as its supply falls below 50%.
With ABI having less than half of the blood supply it needs, this threatens the chance of local patients getting the blood they need.
ABI says the national blood supply has stayed near emergency levels for months, having never recovered from COVID-related challenges. This comes after multiple severe weather events in the last few months caused blood drive cancellations.
According to ABI, hospital demand has surged past pre-pandemic levels, worsening the issues caused by fewer blood donations.
“All indicators are pointing us in a dangerous direction,” said Dr. John Armitage, president, and CEO of Arkansas Blood Institute. “Over the last several weeks, donation numbers have dipped, which have left us struggling to keep stock levels necessary to protect our community. We need donors to respond immediately to help friends and neighbors using blood.”
Due to the low blood supply, ABI has extended its hours of operation in hopes to receive more blood donations.
The donation hours are:
- Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Saturday: 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Russellville donor center is closed Saturdays and open for platelet donations only on Sundays.
ABI says blood has no substitute and patients across the state rely on blood products to fight cancer, survive trauma, and heal after childbirth.
A blood donation takes approximately one hour and can save up to three lives.
“Nationally, we’ve not faced an ongoing blood shortage like this before,” Armitage said. “The pandemic created this crisis, and we are still caught with its damaging hangover effects. While the challenge is immense, so is the support of our donors, blood drive sponsors, and partners. Together, we must and will find a way.”
To find a location to donate blood, you can call (877)-340-8777, or click here.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/donors-needed-arkansas-blood-institutes-supply-falls-below-50-percent-low/527-a7e6200c-e48c-4f69-a7ba-9ae8f59edb86 | 2022-04-11T17:17:14 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/donors-needed-arkansas-blood-institutes-supply-falls-below-50-percent-low/527-a7e6200c-e48c-4f69-a7ba-9ae8f59edb86 |
WASHINGTON — A brand of Caesar salad dressing sold at Whole Foods is being recalled because it may contain soy and wheat, two allergens that aren't declared on the label.
Bottles of Whole Foods Market 365 Organic Creamy Caesar Dressing with a UPC code 99482-49028 and a best by date of 11/17/22 should be returned to the store for an exchange or thrown away if they were bought in Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, New York, Texas or New Hampshire.
The recalled dressing was sold in 12 ounce glass bottles.
The recall was issued because the dressing has undeclared wheat and soy in it, making it a hazard to people with those allergies. Allergic reactions can range from mild irritation to fatal anaphylactic shock.
No illnesses or allergic reactions related to the recall have been reported, according to the company's announcement.
According to the recall notice, the undeclared allergens were a result of the labeling and packaging process temporarily breaking down at the Van Law Food Product facility where the dressing was made.
Other recent recalls in the U.S. include some Kinder chocolate products that may have been contaminated with salmonella and a batch of carbon monoxide alarms that are defective and won't make a sound if they detect the gas.
In the Kinder case, the recall was issued because the chocolates were made at the same facility that has been linked to a growing salmonella outbreak in Europe. At least 134 children in European countries have grown sick, but no cases have been reported in the U.S.
The 8,000 carbon monoxide alarms were all sold between 2017 and 2019, but regulators in the U.S. recently discovered the defect and urged anybody who purchased one in that timeframe to check it against the recalled manufacturing numbers. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/salad-dressing-recall/507-a0fc7ceb-e8b7-4dbe-9e33-50119e63079a | 2022-04-11T17:17:20 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/salad-dressing-recall/507-a0fc7ceb-e8b7-4dbe-9e33-50119e63079a |
Crash near Sekapp Orchard in Rochester leaves man in ICU
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A man is in critical condition after a crash in East Rochester.
It happened just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday on College View Road East near the Sekapp Orchard.
According to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), Kevin Schreurs, 82, of Rochester, was walking across the road to his parked car after leaving Sekapp Orchard with his wife.
As he stepped into the street, a 25-year-old driver from Elba hit him, deputies said.
Schreurs was taken to the hospital and has since been moved to the intensive care unit (ICU).
The woman driving was going the speed limit at the time, which is 50 miles per hour.
OCSO said parking on the shoulder in that area is illegal.
No charges have been filed.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/crash-near-sekapp-orchard-rochester-leaves-man-icu/ | 2022-04-11T17:17:25 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/crash-near-sekapp-orchard-rochester-leaves-man-icu/ |
WASHINGTON — After years of avoiding the request, John Lennon's son, Julian, has performed his father's worldwide hit "Imagine."
Selected as the closing segment for Global Citizen's Stand Up for Ukraine fundraiser event in Warsaw on Saturday, the 59-year-old, accompanied by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, performed a heartfelt rendition of the song often recalled in times of war or conflict, with its lyrics calling for unity and peace.
The event culminated in more than $10 billion worth of pledges to support Ukrainian refugees, according to Global Citizen.
On his YouTube channel, Lennon explained why he has previously avoided publicly performing the song, and why the situation in Ukraine had provoked him to finally give-in to years of requests.
"I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘Imagine' would be if it was the ‘End of the World,'" Lennon wrote. "The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy. As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could."
"[John Lennon's] lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide," the post continued. "Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time."
Since Russia invaded Ukraine more than six weeks ago, more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine, with more than half going to Poland and others heading to countries like Moldova, Romania and Hungary.
An additional 6.5 million have been displaced internally. Those numbers are expected to swell as the war drags on, the World Bank said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/julian-lennon-sings-imagine-for-the-first-time/507-f4cd1ba1-14c0-4752-a506-b81882e4a1d5 | 2022-04-11T17:17:26 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/julian-lennon-sings-imagine-for-the-first-time/507-f4cd1ba1-14c0-4752-a506-b81882e4a1d5 |
FBI offers $5 million reward for info about ‘armed and dangerous’ fugitive
(Gray News) - The FBI announced a reward of up to $5 million Wednesday for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of a wanted fugitive.
Semion Mogilevich is accused of participating in a scheme that defrauded thousands of investors out of more than $150 million. He was federally indicted in 2002 and 2003 with charges including racketeering, securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering.
According to the FBI, the indictments allege that between 1993 and 1998, Mogilevich headed and controlled the Mogilevich Enterprise, an association that orchestrated a “sophisticated scheme” to defraud investors in stock.
Mogilevich is described as as a 75-year-old white male, 5′6″ to 5′7″, 290 pounds, balding, with gray hair and green eyes. He has Russian, Ukrainian and Israeli passports. His current residence is believed to be in Moscow, Russia.
The FBI said Mogilevich should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, via WhatsApp at 215-839-6844, or online at tips.fbi.gov. All identities are kept strictly confidential.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/fbi-offers-5-million-reward-info-about-armed-dangerous-fugitive/ | 2022-04-11T17:17:28 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/fbi-offers-5-million-reward-info-about-armed-dangerous-fugitive/ |
If you’re suffering from an upset stomach, you might be wondering if COVID-19 is to blame. But another common virus could be causing your symptoms.
WebMD says U.S. outbreaks of norovirus, which is commonly referred to as the “stomach flu,” have “risen dramatically” since January 2022. Other news headlines are also claiming that norovirus cases have been on the rise in the U.S.
THE QUESTION
Have norovirus outbreaks increased in the U.S.?
THE SOURCES
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Paul Auwaerter, M.D., professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and clinical director of the infectious diseases division
- Washington State Department of Health
THE ANSWER
Yes, norovirus outbreaks have increased in the U.S.
WHAT WE FOUND
Norovirus is one of a number of viruses that can upset a person’s stomach and cause intestinal discomfort, Paul Auwaerter, M.D., professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and clinical director of the infectious diseases division, said.
The virus is very contagious, and people can be infected from direct contact with someone who has the virus, eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or touching contaminated surfaces and putting their hands in their mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says food contaminated with norovirus may look, smell and taste normal.
The CDC defines a norovirus outbreak as “an occurrence of two or more similar illnesses resulting from a common exposure” that is either suspected or confirmed to be caused by norovirus.
Norovirus outbreaks are common, with about 2,500 reported in the U.S. every year. They can happen anytime, but occur most often from November through April, according to the CDC. Norovirus is sometimes called the “winter vomiting disease,” Auwaerter said.
“It's an illness that can come on abruptly, and cause rather dramatic nausea, diarrhea or both in people, and often remits just as quickly in 24 to 48 hours,” he added.
The CDC tracks norovirus outbreaks reported by 12 state health departments. From Aug. 1, 2020 through March 5, 2021, there were 78 norovirus outbreaks reported by these 12 states. During the same time period in 2021-2022, the states reported 448 norovirus outbreaks.
The number of weekly norovirus outbreaks also rose from below 10 in early January to above 50 in early March, data reported to the CDC show.
Though norovirus outbreaks have increased in recent months, levels have been “lower than normal” during the COVID-19 pandemic, a CDC spokesperson told VERIFY. The number of outbreaks reported so far in 2021-2022 is also below the range reported during the same time period over the previous eight years, the public health agency says.
Auwaerter said the recent increase in norovirus cases could be tied to people interacting more regularly as COVID-19 cases decline in many areas of the country.
Some people in states throughout the U.S. have also contracted norovirus by eating contaminated food, though CDC data show this is usually a less common way of contracting the virus.
The FDA is warning people about a multi-state norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters from British Columbia. Oysters that are potentially contaminated have been distributed to more than a dozen U.S. states, and it’s possible that additional states received them, too. Those who order oysters from a restaurant or retailer should verify that the source is outside of two British Columbia harvest areas, and retailers are being asked to stop selling the oysters.
In Washington state, more than two dozen residents have reported norovirus-like illness after eating oysters harvested from British Columbia, according to the state department of health.
More from VERIFY: No, cold or rainy weather cannot make you sick | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/verify/health-verify/norovirus-stomach-flu-outbreaks-united-states/536-99a21b3e-038e-4b73-8b72-f6e314aae8e4 | 2022-04-11T17:17:33 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/verify/health-verify/norovirus-stomach-flu-outbreaks-united-states/536-99a21b3e-038e-4b73-8b72-f6e314aae8e4 |
Fiona the hippo is going to be a (very) big sister
CINCINNATI (Gray News) – The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden announced Monday that hippo Fiona’s mother, Bibi, is pregnant again.
“The hippo team is excited and also nervous,” said Eric Byrd, manager of Cincinnati Zoo’s Africa team. “As most people know, Bibi’s first baby, Fiona, was born six weeks premature and wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of her human caregivers. We are hoping for a full-term pregnancy and will be doing everything we can to support Bibi.”
According to the zoo, Bibi is on hormone supplements and will receive regular ultrasounds to monitor the growth and health of her fetus.
The zoo’s director of animal care, Christina Gorsuch, said they weren’t planning to welcome another baby hippo this soon, but nature found a way.
“Most forms of contraception, in hippos or humans, is not 100% reliable,” Gorsuch said. The dose that was previously effective for Bibi did not prevent pregnancy this time.”
The soon-to-be father, Tucker, arrived at the zoo in September 2021 and “was enamored with 23-year-old Bibi right away,” the zoo said.
The zoo will be sharing updates on Bibi and baby preparations in the months leading up to the birth.
Bibi’s big bundle of joy is expected to arrive in late summer 2022.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/fiona-hippo-is-going-be-very-big-sister/ | 2022-04-11T17:17:37 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/fiona-hippo-is-going-be-very-big-sister/ |
Florida man had live gator, guns and drugs in his truck, sheriff’s office says
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (CNN) - Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man who they said had an interesting assortment of illegal items in his truck - guns, drugs and a live alligator.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, deputies recognized the driver, Michael Marolla, from “previous encounters” as having a suspended license.
Deputies said when they pulled Marolla over Friday, they found drugs and two firearms inside the truck. Then, in the bed of the pickup, they found an open plastic tub with a baby alligator in it.
The sheriff’s office notified Florida’s Fish and wildlife Conservation Commission about the gator.
Marolla was charged with drug possession and carrying concealed firearms. He was released on bond Saturday and is set to appear in court on May 2.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/florida-man-had-live-gator-guns-drugs-his-truck-sheriffs-office-says/ | 2022-04-11T17:17:48 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/florida-man-had-live-gator-guns-drugs-his-truck-sheriffs-office-says/ |
Johnny Depp suit against Amber Heard starts with jury picks
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in a long-anticipated libel lawsuit Johnny Depp filed against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, whom he accuses of falsely portraying him as a domestic abuser.
Depp sued Heard over an op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which Heard refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article doesn’t mention Depp by name, but he says it clearly refers to allegations Heard made in other forums that she suffered physical abuse at his hands. Depp denies the accusations.
The lawsuit brought a little bit of Hollywood to a courthouse that has a long history of dealing with high-profile crimes, just not those involving movie stars.
More than a dozen women, some waving signs saying “Justice for Johnny,” joined other fans who waved pirate flags in recognition of Depp’s signature role in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, waited outside the courthouse an hour before the hearing.
The courtroom in the city of Fairfax was closed to the public Monday, with limited closed-circuit access in an overflow courtroom. People lined up before 7 a.m. for the wristbands granting access.
The judge overseeing the trial, Penney Azcarate, has imposed a series of access rules to try to maintain decorum in the courthouse. Most significantly, neither Depp nor Heard are permitted to pose for photos or sign autographs in the courthouse or on the courthouse grounds.
Depp’s fans have been vocal in their support, saying he has been falsely accused. Raylyn Otie, a Depp fan from Bluefield, Virginia, drove five hours to see the movie star. She was disappointed when Depp did not greet fans personally, as sheriff’s deputies carefully limited fan access.
“I’m so disappointed. I came to give him flowers to show some support,” she said, bouquet in hand.
In a separate lawsuit Depp filed against a British newspaper, a judge dismissed the case, finding that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in fear for her life on multiple occasions.
Heard has filed a countersuit against Depp that accuses his lawyers of defaming her at his direction.
Heard’s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to have the case moved to California, where the actors reside. A Fairfax judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case here because the Post’s online editions are published through servers located in Fairfax County. Depp’s lawyers have said they brought the case in Virginia in part because the laws here are more favorable to their case.
The trial is expected to last more than a month.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks/ | 2022-04-11T17:17:54 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks/ |
Judge weighs cameras in 3 officers’ trial over George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge will hear arguments Monday on whether to allow live video coverage of the upcoming trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill took the rare step of allowing live audiovisual coverage of ex-Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial last year, making an exception to the normal rules of Minnesota courts. He cited the need to balance protecting participants from COVID-19 against the constitutional requirement for a public trial.
Now that the U.S. has entered a new phase of living with the coronavirus, Cahill must decide whether to allow the same sort of access for the trial set to begin in June for former officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng.
A coalition of media organizations, including The Associated Press, said in a brief filed Friday that it understood that Cahill planned to prohibit video coverage, including livestreaming. The coalition said it presumed the reasons included defense objections and the judge’s belief that his hands are tied by the normal court rules “absent the extenuating circumstances caused by the pandemic.”
Thao, Lane and Kueng are charged with aiding and abetting both manslaughter and murder when Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd, a Black man, to the pavement for 9 1/2 minutes on May 25, 2020. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Lane held his legs and Thao kept bystanders back. The killing, which was recorded on video, sparked protests around the world and a national reckoning on race.
Defense attorneys have raised concerns about the willingness of witnesses to testify. Minnesota court rules generally require the consent of all parties for audiovisual coverage of trials, with fewer restrictions for sentencings. Chauvin’s trial was the first in Minnesota to be entirely televised, from jury selection to his murder conviction to his sentencing to 22 1/2 years in prison. People worldwide tuned into the livestreams.
“I think livestreaming that trial enabled people here and around the world to see the inner workings of a system that was handling one of the most important trials of our time,” said Suki Dardarian, senior managing editor and vice president of the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, which is part of the media coalition.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office initially opposed having cameras in the court for Chauvin’s trial, but now supports them for the other officers’ upcoming trial.
“The Chauvin trial demonstrated the benefits of robust public access to this important case and proved that the Court could successfully navigate the concerns animating the State’s initial opposition to audio and video coverage,” prosecutors wrote last week. “The Court’s commendable transparency inspired public confidence in the proceedings and helped ensure calm in Minneapolis and across the country.”
Due to federal court rules, live video coverage was not allowed for the first trial of Thao, Lane and Kueng this year, when all three were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights. Nor was it allowed for Chauvin’s federal case in which he pleaded guilty to civil rights violations. But it was allowed in the December state court trial of former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter in the death of Daunte Wright.
“None of the bad things that critics feared transpired, and we had the huge benefit of giving the public at large an opportunity to observe the proceedings,” said Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, another coalition member.
An advisory committee to the Minnesota Supreme Court is considering whether to allow more video coverage of criminal proceedings. It’s due to release its report by July 1.
Cahill, in a letter to the committee, said he had opposed cameras in criminal cases before, but that his experience in Chauvin’s case changed his opinion, and he now believes they should be presumptively allowed, subject to the trial judge’s discretion.
Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu, who presided over Potter’s trial, told the Star Tribune in an interview that both the Potter and Chauvin trials convinced her that cameras can be present without being disruptive.
“I forgot they were even there,” Chu told the newspaper.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ | 2022-04-11T17:18:00 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ |
Man gets 17 years in prison for kidnapping woman, forcing her into sex work
MANCHESTER, Md. (Gray News) - A Maryland man was sentenced to 17 years in prison Friday for kidnapping a woman and leading a sex trafficking conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
The DOJ said Joshua Lankford, 33, used violence and drugs to control a young woman and planned to kill her to keep her from testifying at trial.
According to court documents, Lankford led and organized a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force. Evidence indicated that Lankford kidnapped the victim, a young adult woman, to engage in forced prostitution.
Lankford knew the victim was addicted to heroin and withheld drugs from her until she made him enough money by engaging in sex work, the DOJ said.
When the woman tried to escape, Lankford and three others drove the victim to a rural area where they beat, whipped and choked her with a belt, court documents show. They then drove her to a hotel in Delaware to force her to engage in more prostitution.
Documents show that while in jail, Lankford told a co-conspirator that he intended to kill the woman to prevent her from testifying against them at trial.
“Joshua Lankford’s crimes were nothing short of horrific; he kidnapped and victimized a vulnerable woman then plotted to kill her in order to save himself,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI Baltimore. “The atrocities of his crimes are clearly reflected in the severity of his sentence, and today, he will begin to pay his debt to society.”
In addition to his 17-year prison sentence, Lankford was given five years of supervised released and a $2,320 fine.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/man-gets-17-years-prison-kidnapping-woman-forcing-her-into-sex-work/ | 2022-04-11T17:18:10 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/man-gets-17-years-prison-kidnapping-woman-forcing-her-into-sex-work/ |
Mattel releases first-ever carbon neutral toys, including a Matchbox Tesla
(Gray News) – Mattel is taking its first step towards its goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in all its products and packaging by 2030.
In a release, the company says it has released its first set of carbon neutral toys.
These toys include the MEGA BLOKS Green Town, which the company says is the first-ever toy line available at mass retail to be certified CarbonNeutral.
Four new MEGA BLOKS Green Town building sets are being released this month.
Mattel said it’s releasing some carbon neutral toys as part of its Matchbox line as well as part of its Driving Toward a Better Future product roadmap. The first in this line of toys is the Tesla Roadster, the company’s first carbon neutral die-cast vehicle made from 99% recycled materials.
To help make this move, the brand bought carbon offsets from Canada’s Darkwood Forests Conservation Project.
Carbon offsets allow companies to take steps, like protecting a forest, so that carbon emissions are offset.
Some climate experts are criticizing this action saying fossil fuels are still being used in the creation of toys.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. CNN Newsource contributed to this report. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ | 2022-04-11T17:18:18 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ |
Dhane Smith says it’s funny to think he’s one of the old guys now. Hard to believe, but he has been with the Bandits for 10 years. He remembers being a shy 19-year-old rookie, looking up to established stars like John Tavares, Mark Steenhuis and Shawn Williams.
Smith is now 30, the veteran leader and superstar on a Bandits team that has its sights set on an elusive National Lacrosse League championship. He desperately wants to win another title for the city’s avid fans.
“I think we have the team to do it,” Smith said last week in the Bandits locker room. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to bring a championship to Buffalo, because the fans deserve it.”
Smith is a native Canadian, from Kitchener, Ontario, but he now lives downtown, owns a home in Hamburg is and has plans to build another in the Hamburg-Eden area. He’s become the sort of athlete the locals take to heart: A Buffalo guy.
“It’s weird that you say that,” Smith said with a laugh. “In 2012, I came here and the downtown was nothing like it is now. I was like, ‘Oh, There’s no way I’d live here.’ My first two years, I didn’t live here. My next year, I lived here and I’d go back home during the summers.
“Then I ended up staying. The summers are fun in Buffalo and now I’m pretty much a Buffalo guy now,” he said. “It’s definitely grown on me a lot.”
He’s grown a lot as a player, too. That’s saying a lot when you consider that Smith owns the NLL records for points (137) and goals (72) in a season, established when he was the league’s MVP in 2016.
But head coach John Tavares, who was still playing at 43 when Smith broke in with the Bandits, says Dhane has become a more complete, cerebral player and a team leader since that historic season six years ago.
“Dhane has been great this year, and he’s been great in the past,” Tavares said. “I think he’s definitely become a better player as he gets older. He is a great team guy; he is very coachable, a leader on and off the floor. He’s experienced a lot of success and he’s happy for other guys to have success as well.
“He scores from the outside, he scores from the inside, he sees the ball, he runs back and plays defense if he has to,” Tavares added. He’s definitely an all-around player and a great guy to lead our team.”
Smith says the guys around him are making him better. The statistics say it’s working both ways. In Saturday’s loss, he had a goal and eight assists, giving him 87 helpers on the season and breaking the NLL record of 84 set by Mark Matthews in 2018.
With two games left in the regular season, Smith is on pace to break his own league record of 137 points, set in his MVP season of 2016. He’s up to 126 points, leaving him 12 short of the record. He has 21 points in the Bandits’ current two-game losing streak, which dropped their record to 13-3, still the best in the league.
“I don’t know if I’m necessarily a better player,” Smith said, “but I’m more of a leader. That takes a lot of responsibility. I take a lot of responsibility on myself as far as the offense goes. I’m very vocal and try to lead by example.”
Tavares said Smith has become a more creative offensive player, able to see possibilities unfold on the field and take advantage of opposing defenses.
“I think being a great athlete only takes you so far,” Tavares said. “Your speed can only take you so far. Your size can only take you so far. I think decision-making is what keeps you in the game for a longer period of time.
“That’s what Dhane has. He has a great combination of size, speed and smarts. He has a high IQ. A lot of guys with his athleticism don’t have that IQ. So he just seems to be a complete package. It’s showing in the statistics, it’s showing from our team wins and losses. It’s showing everywhere.”
That intangible quality, the ability to rise above sheer physical skills and play lacrosse at a higher intellectual level, is reminiscent of another Bandit great — his coach and former teammate, Tavares, who played 25 seasons and remains the leading scorer in NLL history.
“He’s just about twice as fast as I was, though, and about five inches taller,” Tavares said with a laugh.
“No, there’s a lot of similarities between Dhane and me, for sure. Even our personalities. I find we’re very similar. That’s a big compliment, to compare me to a player we talk about as a potential MVP.”
Imagine that, the NLL’s all-time scoring leader, a three-time MVP, a Hall of Famer, being flattered by comparisons with his star player.
“I don’t know about that,” Smith said. “That’s high praise. We get along. We have a great relationship. Getting to play with him was unbelievable. Getting coached by him, I’ve learned a lot. I think what I learned most is outsmarting people. You don’t have to use your skills as much as you think you do. You have to slow the game down and let it come to you.”
Smith said the game does slow down as you get older, as most great athletes will attest. After 10 years, you get more savvy about the sport’s nuances. After suffering various injuries over his career, he has also taken better care of his body. He’s lost 15 pounds and seems ever faster on the field.
He’s also become a more vocal leader, which Tavares says makes his job as coach easier. Tavares defined himself above all as a great teammate, and Smith does as well. When he was named league MVP at the 2016 NLL awards ceremony — the same night Tavares went into the Hall of fame — Smith read off the names of all his teammate and called them onto the stage.
Smith stands alongside Josh Allen as Buffalo’s two pro sports superstars. Like the Bills’ quarterback, he is still chasing that elusive first championship. The Bandits lost in the NLL final in 2016 and again in 2019, the last time there was a postseason. The league shut down halfway through 2020 and canceled the 2021 season due to the COVID-pandemic.
“It’s been a long time,” Smith said. “I felt like 2016 we had a really good team, and 2019 I thought we had the team to do it and we fell short. We were young at that time. Now we have the same players and we’re a little hungrier.
“We know what it takes to win a championship, and (general manager) Steve Dietrich has done a great job of bringing in the pieces around us. We have that core group we had in 2019, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Smith said it was tough having the NLL shut down for a year and a half. He also plays for Chaos in the outdoor Premier Lacrosse League, so he wasn’t entirely idle.
“But not playing in the thing I love the most was crazy,” he said.
His heart is with the indoor game. The Bandits loom as the favorite. With two games left in the regular season, they have a two-game lead in the East and can clinch home-field advantage Saturday against Georgia.
Smith and Tavares both want a title for the loyal fans at KeyBank Center, who top the NLL in attendance at around 9,000 a game. Smith says it will only get better in the playoffs, when the arena truly rocks for the indoor spectacle.
Buffalo is Smith’s adopted home, after all. He wants lacrosse to thrive in the city, which is why he has done clinics to expose city kids to the sport. After the George Floyd murder, Smith — the only Black player to win the MVP award in the NLL — spoke out on Twitter about racial injustice and his struggles growing up as one of the few Black players in a largely white sport.
“I’m pretty soft-spoken person,” he said. “But when the George Floyd incident came up, I wanted to use my platform to the best of my ability. I could use my social media for kids and everybody else to look up to and understand a little bit better.”
That includes trying to get more minority kids involved in the sport he loves.
“Once COVID slows down even more, we’re going back to the inner-city schools and teach those kids lacrosse,” Smith said. “Scott Loffler (the team’s director of operations) had a school program set up for us. At first, they didn’t know what lacrosse was, but by the end of the gym class or assembly they loved it and wanted to pick it up.”
Smith said he’ll do anything he can to give back to a special community. You’d expect nothing less from an old Buffalo guy.
Jerry Sullivan is an award-winning journalist who joined the News 4 team in 2020 after three decades as a sports columnist at The Buffalo News. See more of his work here. | https://www.wivb.com/jerry-sullivan/sullivan-bandits-dhane-smith-longs-to-bring-another-title-to-his-adopted-home/ | 2022-04-11T17:24:29 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/jerry-sullivan/sullivan-bandits-dhane-smith-longs-to-bring-another-title-to-his-adopted-home/ |
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Before he was admitted to the Erie County Holding Center, the Sheriff’s Office says an Amherst man hid some contraband within him.
According to authorities, 39-year-old Richard Goldrick swallowed a balloon that contained matches and a leafy substance before his April 7 arrest in West Seneca.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics and Intelligence Unit learned about this through an anonymous tip, they say.
Two days after Goldrick’s arrest, deputies in the holding center say they found the balloon. As a result, Goldrick was charged with possession of contraband while in prison.
Originally, Goldrick had been arrested on grand larceny and possession of stolen property charges.
- Sheriff: Amherst man swallowed balloon of contraband before arrest
- Early morning High Street fire causes $225K in damage
- Brantley Gilbert to perform at Artpark this summer
- Sullivan: Bandits’ Dhane Smith longs to bring another title to his adopted home
- Batavia police trying to find runaway 12-year-old
Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/erie-county/west-seneca/sheriff-amherst-man-swallowed-balloon-of-contraband-before-arrest/ | 2022-04-11T17:24:35 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/erie-county/west-seneca/sheriff-amherst-man-swallowed-balloon-of-contraband-before-arrest/ |
LEWISTON, N.Y. (WIVB) — Fresh off his appearance at this year’s WWE Wrestlemania event, Artpark has announced that country singer Brantley Gilbert will be coming to Lewiston this summer.
Tickets for the August 18 show will go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. It’s not clear who will be opening for him, but Artpark says a name will be announced at a later date.
Ticket prices range from $25 to $55. To get them, either visit the Artpark Box Office on Fridays or Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. or go to Ticketmaster.
The show will start at 7 p.m.
Latest Posts
- Sheriff: Amherst man swallowed balloon of contraband before arrest
- Early morning High Street fire causes $225K in damage
- Brantley Gilbert to perform at Artpark this summer
- Sullivan: Bandits’ Dhane Smith longs to bring another title to his adopted home
- Batavia police trying to find runaway 12-year-old
Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/niagara-county/lewiston/brantley-gilbert-to-perform-at-artpark-this-summer/ | 2022-04-11T17:24:41 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/niagara-county/lewiston/brantley-gilbert-to-perform-at-artpark-this-summer/ |
BATAVIA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Batavia police are trying to find a missing girl who they say ran away from home overnight.
Jaylynn Alvord is 12 years old and was last seen in the area of Liberty Street. When she left, police say she didn’t have a phone on her.
Anyone with information that could help authorities find her can call (585) 345-6350.
Latest Posts
- Sheriff: Amherst man swallowed balloon of contraband before arrest
- Early morning High Street fire causes $225K in damage
- Brantley Gilbert to perform at Artpark this summer
- Sullivan: Bandits’ Dhane Smith longs to bring another title to his adopted home
- Batavia police trying to find runaway 12-year-old
Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/western-new-york/genesee-county/batavia/batavia-police-trying-to-find-runaway-12-year-old/ | 2022-04-11T17:24:47 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/western-new-york/genesee-county/batavia/batavia-police-trying-to-find-runaway-12-year-old/ |
INDIANAPOLIS – There were historic moments in the nation’s capital as Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the Supreme Court. The Senate voted in favor of her nomination 53-47, becoming the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Three Republicans crossed the aisle and voted to confirm Judge Jackson with the Democrats, despite both of Indiana’s Senators voting “no.”
“We have come a long way towards perfecting our Union,” Judge Jackson during a ceremony at the White House. “In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.”
Senator Mike Braun (R) explained his decision to vote against Judge Jackson, saying that he kept his “promise to treat this nominee with respect.” In a statement, Sen. Braun said he still has concerns with Judge Jackson’s judicial philosophy.
“I previously voted against Judge Jackson due to her activist judicial approach, and based on her record on the federal bench… I will vote against her nomination,” Sen. Braun said.
Commenting on the idea of creating policy on the on the bench was Indiana native and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. At an event held at the Ronald Reagan Library, she said judges try their best to avoid creating political agendas while deciding law.
“No judge is deciding a case in order to impose a policy result,” Justice Coney Barrett said. “They are trying to make their best effort to determine what the law requires, what the Constitution requires…”
Speaking in support of Judge Jackson’s nomination is Congressman André Carson (D-IN-7). All throughout the confirmation process, Rep. Carson encouraged the Senate to vote yes on what he calls a history-defining decision.
“She is the most qualified nominee we’ve had in decades, and her perspective… are needed on the Court,” Rep. Carson said.
Rep. Carson accused Republicans of playing politics for opposing her nomination.
“Well this is political pageantry, her qualifications are clear,” Rep. Carson said. “I think any attempt to minimize her or trivialize her, I think it speaks to our political environment and the fact that people will do whatever they can to not legislate… but lead with hashtags and headlines.”
Coming out against the nomination was Indiana Senator Todd Young (R), saying that Judge Jackson’s judicial activism could be a problem for the High Court. Sen. Young said he’s in favor of a more “originalist” approach to the Constitution. This sentiment is reportedly felt by many Republicans when considering Supreme Court Justices.
“If we take any other approach, one is basically reading into the Constitution ones own values,” Sen. Young said.
Watch more reaction following Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation in the video above.
Also this week, Congress is considering legislation to keep America competitive on the world stage against countries like China. In an effort led by Sen. Young, new investments would be made in the country’s artificial technology and quantum computing.
“We can’t be reliant on other countries for critical components related to our next-generation technologies,” Sen. Young. “The wars of the future will be won and lost possibly because of these sorts of technologies.”
Watch more on the bipartisan push to keep America competitive in the video below. | https://fox59.com/indianapolitics/in-focus-indiana-lawmakers-react-to-supreme-court-confirmation/ | 2022-04-11T17:29:14 | 1 | https://fox59.com/indianapolitics/in-focus-indiana-lawmakers-react-to-supreme-court-confirmation/ |
INDIANAPOLIS – What do Indiana’s political insiders think about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court? What are their thoughts on the upcoming May primaries?
In the video above, panelists Dr. Laura Wilson, Mike Murphy, Adam Wren, and Robin Winston take a look at all that’s going on in Washington. They’re also discussing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s upcoming visit to Indiana.
And in the video below, our panelists share their picks for this week’s winners and losers.
You can also catch a podcast of our entire program, including exclusive bonus content with our panel, on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.
Join us again next week – our program airs every Sunday morning at 8:30 on CBS4 and again at 9:30 a.m. on FOX59 in Indianapolis, and on Nexstar stations across the state of Indiana starting this weekend, including WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, WEHT in Evansville and WTWO in Terre Haute. | https://fox59.com/infocus-podcasts/in-focus-panelists-discuss-supreme-court-confirmation-this-weeks-top-stories/ | 2022-04-11T17:29:20 | 1 | https://fox59.com/infocus-podcasts/in-focus-panelists-discuss-supreme-court-confirmation-this-weeks-top-stories/ |
INDIANAPOLIS – Early voting is now underway ahead of the May 3rd Indiana primaries. As Hoosiers begin to cast their ballots, IN Focus is continuing to spotlight the Republican candidates for the 9th congressional district.
This week we’re speaking with candidate Dan Heiwig. He’s hoping to stand out among a crowded field, including former state senator Erin Houchin and former 9th district Congressman Mike Sodrel.
Heiwig said it’s been a great experience to tour Indiana across the district. He’s hoping to use his combat experience to lead in Congress.
“It is great to be a part of Indiana as a Hoosier,” Heiwig said. “To come back from years of service and see that we’re still doing really good, and we’re strong.”
Heiwig said it’s been particularly interesting to run against his former Congressman Mike Sodrel. Despite the mutual respect, Heiwig believes it’s time for a new voice to lead the 9th district.
“I’ve seen the other candidates talk about it, what needs to be done, and there’s a fight coming for us to reclaim our American heritage and be strong again,” Heiwig said. “In Indiana, Hoosiers are strong and they’re trying to find that leader.”
Defining his point on American heritage, Heiwig said it all starts with an “American First” focus.
“We’re looking at putting money back into our pockets, reclaiming our education, parts of what the Hoosier spirit really is about,” Heiwig said.
Watch more from congressional candidate Dan Heiwig in the video above.
In the meantime at the Statehouse, lawmakers will be back to consider overriding Governor Eric Holcomb’s veto on HB 1041, the transgender sports bill.
“As I looked at the bill, it was addressing something that wasn’t a problem to my knowledge,” Gov. Holcomb said. “I understand the intent of the House has been expressed, and potentially the Senate, but we’ll take each day as it comes.”
Watch more from Governor Holcomb in the video below. | https://fox59.com/your-local-election-headquarters/in-focus-congressional-candidate-dan-heiwig-one-on-one/ | 2022-04-11T17:29:26 | 0 | https://fox59.com/your-local-election-headquarters/in-focus-congressional-candidate-dan-heiwig-one-on-one/ |
Well, I can tell you one group of people who do: corporate attorneys.
I have heard from them more than once when they feel I have not treated the brand name they represent appropriately. Basically, that means if the product has a registered trademark, one is legally required to add the little ® symbol.
It makes sense that a company wants to protect its brand. In fact, if a brand falls into too casual use the company can actually lose rights to it.
Once I wrote a column mentioning Velcro instead of Velcro® and received a stern letter admonishing me that theirs is a specific brand of hook and loop fastener and hope that I would be more careful in the future.
Another time, I mentioned the innovative product, Beano®. If you are not familiar with it, taking some of the product before consuming a meal of, well, beans, or similar gas-producing foods cuts any odoriferous results off at the pass.
They reminded me to be more careful, but also sent a box full of samples including Beano® for dogs. Truly a miracle product.
Anyway, it’s easy to misuse eponyms (that’s what they are called; I saw this in a piece of clickbait the other day that spurred this writing). It shows the efficacy of advertising, and is easy to do.
For the record:
Not every cola is a Coke®.
Not every front loader trash container is a Dumpster®.
Not every string trimmer is a Weed Eater®/
Not every facial tissue is a Kleenex®.
Not every bandage is a Band-Aid®.
Not every brush cutter is a Bush Hog®.
Not every vacuum flask is a Thermos®
Not every flying disc is a Frisbee®.
Not every polystyrene foam cup is Styrofoam®.
Not all petroleum jelly is Vasoline®
Not all self-service washing facilities are Laundromats®.
Not all electric shock devices are Tasers®.
Not all plastic food storage containers are Tupperware®.
Not every photocopy is a Xerox®.
There are many more examples. Some may be trademark protected in one country, but not another.
If you want to know about trademarks that have been lost due to overuse and lack of protection, here are some from one of the internet pieces.
Aspirin
Cellophane
Escalator
Thermos (still trademarked in some countries)
Dry ice
Kerosene
Linoleum
TV dinner
Zipper
There’s no great meaning here other than it’s interesting how seeing the name of something often enough can make it ingrained into one’s automatic responses.
Think about it and you may be surprised how many brand names you are using for generic products. | https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/sometimes-things-can-turn-into-a-front-loader-trash-container-fire/article_ff249094-dec9-5745-bbc3-68b843cfd13e.html | 2022-04-11T17:30:12 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/new-albany/sometimes-things-can-turn-into-a-front-loader-trash-container-fire/article_ff249094-dec9-5745-bbc3-68b843cfd13e.html |
TODAY'S OBITUARIES
Betty Adams, Marietta
Della Henry, Dennis
Earline Newman, Aberdeen
Thomas Derrick Pickens, Okolona
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MEMO
Della Henry
DENNIS - Della Henry, 87, passed away on April 9, 2022, at NMMC in Tupelo, MS. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Deaton Funeral Home-Belmont.
MEMO, BAILEY FH LOGO
Thomas Derrick Pickens
OKOLONA - Thomas Derrick Pickens, 50, was born in Chickasaw County on July 19, 1971 to Thomas E. Pickens and Carolyn Jean Thompson Pickens. Derrick passed away on April 5, 2022.
He was a graduate of Okolona High School and a member of New Hope U.M. Church. Derrick had a passion for race cars, cattle and farming, tractors, and talking on the phone with his friends at E-4 C cattle.
Survivors include his companion, Michelle Gunn Pickens, son, Demarcus Pickens, child he helped to rear, Royal Armani Elliott, parents, Thomas E. Pickens and Carolyn Jean Pickens; siblings: Shondra Pickens and George Pickens (Maya); nephews: Braxton Pickens, Trejin Pickens, and Zachary Brooks; niece, Marcie Morris; aunt, Bernell Coleman of Memphis, TN; uncles, Rev. Kenny Thompson of Columbia, GA, Wayne Pickens and James W. Pickens, both of Okolona; two sisters-in-law and three brothers-in-law, several other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be Sunday, April 10, 2022, 4-6 pm. at Bailey Funeral Home, 506 W. Monroe Ave., Okolona, MS 38860. Funeral Service will be held on Monday, April 11, 2022 at New Home U.M. Church, Van Vleet, MS at 1 pm. Face masks are required.
MEMO, BOONEVILLE FH LOGO
Betty Adams
MARIETTA - Betty Jane Adams, 84, passed away Friday, April 8, 2022, at her home in Marietta.
She was born in Marietta, MS, on September 13 1937, to Noble Vernon Clark and Christine Jewel Lytal Clark. She was a member of Marietta Methodist Church and she enjoyed fishing, traveling, and sewing.
Funeral Services will be Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at 2:00 PM at Booneville Funeral Home with Bro. Rod Taylor officiating. Visitation will be from 12:00 until 2:00 PM on Tuesday. Burial will be in Corinth National Cemetery in Corinth, MS. Booneville Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
She is survived by her grandson, Brian Stacy (Leann); granddaughter, Ginger Rutherford (Mitch); great-grandchildren, Dakota Melton, Lauren Rutherford, Jay Rutherford, Kaitlyn Stacy, Cassidy Stacy, Caroline Stacy, Eli Bryant, and Katlyn Taylor; and two sisters-in-law, Earline Clark and Rosie Stanley.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved daughter, Jeannia Stacy; brothers, Hoyt Clark, Harmon Clark; sister, Kathryn Nash; and her son-in-law, Stanley Stacy.
Pallbearers will be Bobby Clark, Michael Smith, Brian Stanley, Billy Clark, Seth Janzen, and Phil Taylor.
Condolences may be extended to the family at boonevillefuneralhome.net.
MEMO, BORDER, TISDALE ABERDEEN LOGO
Earline Newman
ABERDEEN - Earline Stanley Newman "MawMaw" went to her heavenly home April 10, 2022. She was born July 14, 1933 to the late Jessie Edwin Stanley and Lula Bell Lesley Stanley. Earline married Russell Ford Newman "PawPaw" on August 17, 1952. Together they raised 2 sons, David Newman (Kathy) and Stanley Newman (Lori).
She was the proud grandmother of Matt Newman (Jada), Leigh Autrey (Lee), Katie Newman, Summer Bowen, Erin Walker (Chopper) and Randi Lynn Bowen.
She was also an adoring great grandmother to Taylor Grace Newman, John Russell Newman, Thomas Boles, Hank Warren Autrey, Mary Kate Autrey and Dovie Walker. MawMaw loved her family and friends fiercely. She was just as passionate in her love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Earline was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and friend who made her career in nursing and caring for others. Earline was the youngest of 10 brothers and sisters of which all proceeded her in their journey home.
Funeral Services will be held at Noon on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at Tisdale Lann Memorial Funeral Home in Aberdeen with Bro. John Maxey officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers will be Matt Newman, Ricky Pennington, Greg Luna, Thomas Boles, Lee Autrey and Jerry Farris.
Visitation will be prior to the service on Wednesday from 10 AM until 11:45 AM.
Memorials may be given to a charity of choice.
Condolences may be shared at tisdalelannfuneralhome.com. | https://www.djournal.com/obituaries/obits-tuesday-april-12-2022/article_b28a8369-8c5b-5523-8ec2-6dd3f451e1e5.html | 2022-04-11T17:30:18 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/obituaries/obits-tuesday-april-12-2022/article_b28a8369-8c5b-5523-8ec2-6dd3f451e1e5.html |
If there was ever a moment for presidential leadership, it is now. Ukraine is engulfed in a bitter war with Russia, gas prices are soaring and inflation is holding back our full economic recovery. Unfortunately, President Biden’s new budget proposal totally fails to meet these priorities.
His plan would cut our military strength at a time of international crisis. It would also impose job-killing tax hikes that Congress has already rejected on a bipartisan basis.
Biden plan would weaken the Navy
Biden’s budget would increase military spending by 4%. Although this sounds positive, it would amount to a substantial cut when adjusting for 7.9% inflation. This is simply unacceptable at a time when war is breaking out in Europe and American security is being challenged globally.
The president’s plan would fall especially hard on our Navy fleet, which has been underfunded for years and is now outnumbered by China’s. With additional threats emerging from Russia and Iran, the Navy needs a concerted shipbuilding effort with strong and consistent funding.
Biden’s budget fails to meet this critical need. His proposal would build only nine ships next year while retiring 24. Instead of building the Navy needed to secure peace, it would direct money toward “climate change” initiatives that would do little for the environment.
This is exactly the wrong message to send the world’s dictators, who are currently on the move in part because they sense American weakness.
Recently I questioned Biden’s top defense leaders before the Senate Armed Services Committee. I pushed them to provide Congress with a long-overdue 30-year shipbuilding plan and a study on amphibious ships, which they said will be ready in a few weeks. I will be closely assessing those proposals to see if they match the Navy’s needs.
Failure to support Eastern Europe
With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we have entered the most dangerous period in world affairs since the height of the Cold War. Congress recently approved $14 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but supplies are not moving into Ukrainian hands fast enough because of bureaucratic delays — something I am urging Biden’s officials to fix.
Biden has also deployed several thousand troops to NATO countries. Yet his budget fails to keep up with this commitment. His proposal would keep Army funding essentially flat. It would also scrap a sea-launched missile program, which is important to maintaining our nuclear deterrent.
This is not a serious defense budget aimed at securing peace through strength. In the coming weeks, I will be pushing Congress to assert its constitutional power of the purse to make sure our security needs are met.
Worst time for tax hikes
In addition to weakening our military, Biden’s budget includes a list of tax hikes that have already met bipartisan opposition in Congress.
His plan would impose $2.5 trillion in new taxes, ignoring the fact that tax revenue is already at a 50-year high. It would also raise taxes on job creators from 21 percent to 28 percent. This would shrink the economy and eliminate over 138,000 jobs, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
The president is even proposing a socialist tax on wealth, something he refused to support when he was running against far-left Sen. Bernie Sanders.
As the budget process moves forward, Republicans will continue fighting to defeat these harmful tax hikes and provide our military the resources it needs to keep us safe. | https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/biden-plan-would-appease-dictators-while-indulging-socialism/article_009fb37b-abd8-545d-b91b-42e5e3947951.html | 2022-04-11T17:30:24 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/biden-plan-would-appease-dictators-while-indulging-socialism/article_009fb37b-abd8-545d-b91b-42e5e3947951.html |
A few years ago, someone started a campaign to make Elsa the first lesbian Disney princess. It didn’t get much traction at the time, just like the idea that Ernie and Bert were shacking up as domestic partners on “Sesame Street.”
Fast forward to 2022. Now, we have Disney executives caught in flagrante, as they describe their master plan to force adult sexual obsessions on toddlers. Christopher Rufo, who almost single-handedly alerted the country to the dangers of Critical Race Theory in elementary schools, leaked video of a high-placed employee of the Manic (er, Magic) Kingdom getting all weepy about her “pansexual” and trans kids. This woman vowed to inject as much sexual theory and wokeness into children’s fare as humanly possible, because she wanted her own little darlings to see themselves reflected in the Disney characters.
Florida has become ground zero in the fight for family values and decency, as Gov. Ron DeSantis attempts to protect children from the excesses of progressive politicos who care more about social media approval than they do about the emotional and psychological welfare of minors. He has signed into law provisions that give parents more control over the education of their sons and daughters, and has erected a necessary barrier between the youngest students and the zealotry of LGBTQ activists disguised as teachers.
The so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law did not bar the word “gay” from the Floridian lexicon. It simply, and clearly, prohibited the discussion of sexual orientation and gender issues in grades K-3, where they have no place and where inclusion of those subjects can only confuse tender minds. Of course, the folks who find fault in virtue and gain purchase through hypocrisy (protect the kids from GOP fascists and keep abortion legal!) think that a child who can’t even walk yet needs to know that Heather has two mommies, and her uncles are actually her aunts.
Excuse me if I sound flippant, but the idea that a company beloved of boomers and subsequent generations is now controlled by social engineers of the most dangerous and egotistical kind is upsetting. I have canceled Disney Plus from my streaming account, because I can no longer justify subsidizing an organization that thinks toddlers should be exposed to adult concepts. To think that poignant, life-changing films like “Old Yeller” that marked my own childhood will now be replaced by digital cartoons that erase the distinction between male and female, is infinitely sad.
When you are talking about children, the rules are different. Same-sex marriage, adults who transition to an alternate gender, playing with pronouns and even First Amendment issues at the intersection of gender identity and faith are all fair game for debate. In an open society, mature adults can engage, even when they vehemently disagree.
But children don't have the coping mechanisms that adults have, and it’s exactly for that reason that they are treated differently under the law. That, in a nutshell, is why Florida passed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which is really just a last-ditch attempt to restore power and dignity to parents.
Those same parents used to be able to trust Disney to babysit their kids for hours on end. They didn’t have to worry that some unsavory ideas were being shoved down the tikes’ throats under the guise of inclusion and diversity. They thought that Cinderella was looking for her Prince Charming, not that Prince Charming was considering how he’d look in those glass slippers.
Childhood ends soon enough. In many cases, it ends far too soon, as with abused and neglected boys and girls who never have the chance to experience the unconditional love of caring adults. I have met those kids. I’ve worked with them. I’ve taught them. I’m related to some.
To see Disney attempt to pull the rug out from under the parents who actually do care, and destroy that wonderful magic of childhood to appease some misguided adults, the same ones who persecuted the Boy Scouts for banning “gays” (even when no one asked for a boy’s sexual orientation before signing him up) is despicable.
Are we now going to worry about the sexual antics of the Seven Dwarves? Will we get a full-blown rundown of what happens when the prince climbs up Rapunzel’s braid and into her bedroom? Does the Beast get new pronouns? Does Ariel have a closer relationship with those fish than we were led to believe? And what about Sleeping Beauty? Has she really been alone in that forest all those years?
Walt Disney had a dream. The people who kidnapped that dream are trying to turn it into a nightmare. | https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/fantasy-takes-over-reality-in-disneyland/article_d6bcc65b-96e7-5cc1-b0f5-4de4f5efd081.html | 2022-04-11T17:30:30 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/fantasy-takes-over-reality-in-disneyland/article_d6bcc65b-96e7-5cc1-b0f5-4de4f5efd081.html |
The Mississippi Constitution gives the people of this state “the inherent, sole, and exclusive right … to alter and abolish their constitution and form of government whenever they deem it necessary to their safety and happiness.”
But it doesn’t say how. Long ago several constitutional conventions were held to change or re-write the constitution. Late 20th Century efforts to hold another such convention failed.
In 1992 the problem was addressed somewhat. The Legislature adopted and the people approved Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 616 creating a ballot initiative process to amend their Constitution.
That lasted until May 14, 2021, when the Mississippi Supreme Court threw out the successful initiative on medical marijuana and scuttled the entire initiative process. The problem was language that specifically linked the process to five congressional districts. After the 2000 Census the number of districts had fallen to four.
After the court ruled, everybody said the process should be fixed. And all it would take was to change the language from five districts to four.
But Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, House Speaker Philip Gunn, and their legislative minions had different thoughts.
Both the House and Senate decided to deny, again, the people the right to amend their Constitution – the Bill of Rights be damned! Instead, they came up with separate schemes to allow citizens to propose new statutes or changes to statutes rather than constitutional amendments.
Then, they fought over how many citizens needed to sign petitions to get proposals on the ballot. The House, led by Speaker Philip Gunn, wanted to stick with the same method used in the old initiative process. The Senate, led by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, wanted to make the process harder by greatly increasing the number of citizen signatures needed.
Unwilling to agree, they did nothing.
“There was concern that … it is so easy to get people to sign,” Hosemann told Mississippi Today. “We’re trying to get a number that makes sense.” Gunn and House members thought the old number made sense.
Hmmm.
Why should it be hard for the people to put statutory referendums on the ballot?Hosemann and the Republicans who control the Senate should have to answer this question.
Why should it be impossible for the people to exercise their right to amend the Constitution? Gunn, Hosemann, and the Republicans who control the Legislature should have to answer this one.
So much for “inherent, sole and exclusive” constitutional rights.
PS...
As a lone voice in the Senate, Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, espoused that too many of his Republican colleagues didn’t seem to trust “the people.” Indeed, the Legislature’s failure to restore the initiative process adds to an issue war chest McDaniel is building for a possible run for Lt. Governor.
It comes on top of his furor over a Senate redistricting plan that failed to increase the GOP majority and will, effectively, throw his ardent ally state Sen. Melanie Sojourner, R-Natchez, out of office.
“By good words and fair speeches (they) deceive the hearts of the simple” – Romans 16:18. | https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/people-denied-sole-right-to-alter-state-constitution/article_e67b1334-0188-535f-b4be-18a1974c4197.html | 2022-04-11T17:30:36 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/people-denied-sole-right-to-alter-state-constitution/article_e67b1334-0188-535f-b4be-18a1974c4197.html |
STARKVILLE — The numbers are so putrid for Mississippi State that perhaps the silver lining lies in knowing it’s nearly impossible to replicate.
In a sweep against LSU, Mississippi State collected 29 hits and scored eight runs. The Bulldogs left 26 runners on base and stranded a runner in 18 of 27 innings played.
State had 44 at-bats with runners in scoring position and recorded eight hits and generated five runs — one of which came via an LSU error.
Even the outs were unproductive. Mississippi State struck out 32 times throughout the weekend — 19 times with runners on base and six times with a runner on and no outs.
You can pick which inning was more telling for the series before MSU returns to the field at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Alabama-Birmingham:
Was it the fourth inning of Sunday’s game where Logan Tanner hit a leadoff single, forcing a pitching change, before the next three hitters struck out? Or was it the seventh inning of Friday’s game where MSU had a double, single, two stolen bases and a walk but didn’t score a run?
“If we put balls in play against them, we’re gonna get a couple cheapies,” head coach Chris Lemonis said. “But we’re striking out in those opportunities.”
Mississippi State’s offense was nowhere to be found on a weekend where the pitching finally clicked. Preston Johnson had his best start of the season Friday. Parker Stinnett didn’t last an inning in his Saturday start, but Brandon Smith shined in six relief innings.
And the offense took State, and its crowd, out of the game.
Lemonis has spoken repeatedly about The Dude Effect at Dudy Noble Field and the advantage it gives Mississippi State. But in order to spark the environment, Mississippi State needs a big hit.
Instead, the fans got frustration. They got Logan Tanner swinging through a pitch to end that aforementioned seventh inning in the opener. They got Luke Hancock slamming his bat into home plate during Saturday’s eighth inning as he struck out to end the inning with two runners on and State trailing 4-3.
Hancock entered the series with nine strikeouts in 114 at-bats (7.8%). He had three strikeouts in three games and 11 at-bats against LSU (27.3%).
Just as MSU appeared to find its solution in the leadoff spot with RJ Yeager going 7-for-12 against LSU, the heart of the order crumbled. Tanner, Kellum Clark, Hunter Hines and Von Seibert combined to go 6-for-38 with 14 strikeouts against the Tigers.
Lemonis pinned as much blame on himself as he did his players and fellow coaches. Mississippi State has failed in all three aspects of the game in various stretches this season, and currently it’s the offense struggling.
“We gotta drive in the guy from third with less than two outs,” Lemonis said. “That’s the one we’ve gotta be able to do 90% of the time. We’re not doing that right now. We gotta coach better. All of us. All our coaches. We have to coach better to get them out of this.” | https://www.djournal.com/sports/college/mississippi-state/numbers-never-lie-ugly-statistics-tell-story-for-mississippi-states-offense-against-lsu/article_1a4414a3-8501-5319-92d4-9e4be1349857.html | 2022-04-11T17:30:42 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/sports/college/mississippi-state/numbers-never-lie-ugly-statistics-tell-story-for-mississippi-states-offense-against-lsu/article_1a4414a3-8501-5319-92d4-9e4be1349857.html |
PANAMA CITY, FL -- A Florida teenager applied to and was accepted into 27 colleges and universities.
"Its so crazy to think about that I applied to all these colleges and I got in," Jonathan Walker said.
Walker is as well rounded as they come. In addition to being extremely smart and dedicated to his studies, he's also a staple on the school's football team.
In his free time, he invented a device that helps people who are blind and/or deaf.
"I've always loved creating devices to help people, so I definitely want to further that."
Walker's 27 schools include Ivy League institutions like Yale and Harvard and then other big schools like the University of Pennsylvania.
All told, his scholarship offers total more than $4 million.
Walker said all of his success is directly contributable to his family.
"I really do look up to them because like they showed me what it's like to be passionate about something," Walker said. | https://abc11.com/florida-teen-jonathan-walker-university-scholarship-college-acceptance/11737393/ | 2022-04-11T17:32:16 | 0 | https://abc11.com/florida-teen-jonathan-walker-university-scholarship-college-acceptance/11737393/ |
ATLANTA, G.A. -- Move over, Guangzhou. Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is once again the world's busiest airport.
The US airport was knocked off its No. 1 perch to the No. 2 slot in passenger volume in 2020 by Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China, breaking the Atlanta airport's 22-year streak in the top slot.
But in the 2021 rankings released on Monday by trade association Airports Council International, ATL is back on top, a sign of recovery from 2020's precipitous plunge in air traffic as the pandemic took hold.
In 2021, the Atlanta airport saw 75.7 million passengers. That figure is up a whopping 76% from 2020 but still nearly 32% below pre-pandemic 2019 figures.
Guangzhou's airport dropped to No. 8 in 2021, with 40.3 million passengers. Another airport in China, Chengdu's Shuangliu International Airport, is ninth on the 2021 list, down from No. 3 in 2020.
US airports dominated the passenger traffic rankings in 2021, with eight of the top 10 in the United States.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas was the second-busiest in 2021, with about 62.5 million passengers, and the international airport in Denver, Colorado, ranked third, with 58.8 million passengers.
Chicago's O'Hare and Los Angeles International rounded out the top five.
The list shows "an encouraging trend of recovery," Luis Felipe de Oliveira, ACI World's director general, said in a statement.
"Although we are cautious that recovery could face multiple headwinds, the momentum created by reopening plans by countries could lead to an uptick in travel in the second half of 2022," de Oliveira said.
In 2021, there were an estimated 4.5 billion passengers globally, according to ACI. That figure represents a nearly 25% increase from 2020 but more than 50% drop from 2019.
US and China switch places
Given the much faster recovery of domestic travel compared with international travel, airports that were way down the list of the world's busiest airports pre-pandemic have leaped up into the top 10.
The airports in Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 6); Orlando, Florida (No. 7); and Las Vegas (No. 10) are new to the top 10 this year. Vacation magnets Orlando and Las Vegas were No. 31 and No. 30 for passenger traffic before the pandemic in 2019.
The United States' strong showing in the top 10 is a reversal from 2020, when airports in China took seven of the top 10 slots.
China's dominance in 2020 was because of the early rebound of domestic travel in China. The country still has not reopened to international visitors.
"If we look back on 2020, China was one of the first to come out of the initial waves of the pandemic and it actually almost reached a full recovery by the end of 2020," said Patrick Lucas, ACI World's vice president for economics.
But in 2021, domestic traffic in China dropped significantly with renewed lockdowns, while the United States saw a big jump.
The United States has the world's largest domestic travel market, followed by China.
Airports that routinely landed in the top 10 of the world's busiest airports list -- such as Dubai International, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle -- have been absent during the pandemic.
"Those markets that had very high proportions of international traffic were of course hurt as a result of all these restrictions and quarantine requirements," Lucas said.
The significant role of international traffic is also part of the reason that Beijing's Capital and Shanghai's Pudong International airports have dropped out of the top 10. Beijing Capital -- once routinely No. 2 in passenger traffic -- is also seeing its traffic split by the city's new Daxing International Airport.
Rolling back restrictions
ACI is advocating a "risk-based approach" to easing travel restrictions, following Covid-19 data, Lucas said.
"Vaccines actually have been the passport to travel, but as we can see now, many major markets are opening up and ... a lot of countries have come to realize that curbing travel or imposing travel restrictions actually does not do anything," he said.
"If anything, it creates even more harm. So meaning that it disrupts the socioeconomic gains of air transport and tourism and so on."
As it stands, ACI expects total passenger traffic numbers to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
However, strong domestic markets, including the United States, are expected to recover by 2023. And markets with a high proportion of international traffic aren't expected to rebound until 2025, Lucas said.
Globally, there are "different forces moving in opposite directions."
There's very strong pent-up demand and the lifting of restrictions that have dampened travel versus the rising cost of travel and geopolitical concerns related to what's happening in Eastern Europe, Lucas said.
But overall, ACI is upbeat. "We have a sense that consumers, passengers, will bite the bullet, so to speak, despite the rise in the cost of travel."
World's top 10 busiest airports for passenger traffic in 2021
1. Atlanta (ATL): 75.7 million passengers, up 76% from 2020
2. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): 62.5 million passengers, up 59% from 2020
3. Denver (DEN): 58.8 million passengers, up 74% from 2020
4. Chicago O'Hare (ORD): 54 million passengers, up 75% from 2020
5. Los Angeles (LAX): 48 million passengers, up 67% from 2020
6. Charlotte (CLT): 43.3 million passengers, up 59% from 2020
7. Orlando (MCO): 40.4 million passengers, up 87% from 2020
8. Guangzhou (CAN): 40.3 million passengers, down 8% from 2020
9. Chengdu (CTU): 40.1 million passengers, down 1.5% from 2020
10. Las Vegas (LAS): 39.8 million passengers, up 79% from 2020
The-CNN-Wire
& 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://abc11.com/hartsfield-jackson-atlanta-international-airport-worlds-busiest-airport-georgia/11737362/ | 2022-04-11T17:32:22 | 0 | https://abc11.com/hartsfield-jackson-atlanta-international-airport-worlds-busiest-airport-georgia/11737362/ |
There's even a canned recording that begins, "Attention, Kmart shoppers" - except it's to remind folks about COVID-19 precautions, not to alert them to a flash sale over in ladies' lingerie like days of old.
Many of the shelves are bare, though, at the Kmart in Avenel, New Jersey, picked over by bargain hunters as the store prepares to close its doors for good April 16.
Once it shutters, the number of Kmarts in the U.S. - once well over 2,000 - will be down to three in the continental U.S. and a handful of stores elsewhere, according to multiple reports, in a retail world now dominated by Walmart, Target and Amazon.
The demise of the the store in the middle-class suburb, 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of New York City, is the tale of the death of the discount department store writ small.
"You're always thinking about it because stores are closing all over, but it's still sad," said cashier Michelle Yavorsky, who said she has worked at the Avenel store for 2 years. "I'll miss the place. A lot of people shopped here."
In its heyday, Kmart sold product lines endorsed by celebrities Martha Stewart and Jaclyn Smith, sponsored NASCAR auto races and was mentioned in movies including "Rain Man" and "Beetlejuice." It was name-dropped in songs by artists from Eminem to the Beastie Boys to Hall & Oates; in 2003, Eminem bought a 29-room, suburban Detroit mansion once owned by former Kmart chairman Chuck Conaway.
The chain cemented a place in American culture with its Blue Light Specials, a flashing blue orb affixed to a pole that would beckon shoppers to a flash sale in progress. Part of its success was due to its early adoption of layaway programs, which allowed customers who lacked credit to reserve items and pay for them in installments.
For a time, Kmart had a little bit of everything: You could shop for your kids' back-to-school supplies, get your car tuned up and grab a meal without leaving the premises.
"Kmart was part of America," said Michael Lisicky, a Baltimore-based author who has written several books on U.S. retail history. "Everybody went to Kmart, whether you liked it or not. They had everything. You had toys. You had sporting goods. You had candy. You had stationery. It was something for everybody. This was almost as much of a social visit as it was a shopping visit. You could spend hours here. And these just dotted the American landscape over the years."
Kmart's decline has been slow but steady, brought about by years of falling sales, changes in shopping habits and the looming shadow of Walmart, which coincidentally began its life within months of Kmart's founding in 1962.
Struggling to compete with Walmart's low prices and Target's trendier offerings, Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2002 - becoming the largest U.S. retailer to take that step - and announced it would close more than 250 stores.
A few years later, hedge fund executive Edward Lampert combined Sears and Kmart and pledged to return them to their former greatness, but the recession and the rising dominance of Amazon contributed in derailing those goals. Sears filed for Chapter 11 in 2018 and currently has a handful of stores left in the U.S. where it once had thousands.
Kmarts continue to operate in Westwood, New Jersey; Bridgehampton, on New York's Long Island, and Miami.
It didn't have to end this way, according to Mark Cohen, director of retail studies at Columbia University in New York and former CEO of Sears Canada. Trying to compete with Walmart on price was a foolish strategy, he said, and Lampert was criticized for not having a retail background and appearing more interested in stripping off the assets of the two chains for their cash value.
"It's a study in greed, avarice and incompetence," Cohen said. "Sears should have never gone away; Kmart was in worse shape, but not fatally so. And now they're both gone.
"Retailers fall by the wayside sometimes because they're selling things people don't want to buy," he continued. "In the case of Kmart, everything they used to sell, people are buying but they're buying it from Walmart and Target."
Transformco, which owns Kmart and Sears, did not respond to an email seeking comment and a phone number listed for the company was not taking messages.
Nationwide, some former Kmarts remain vacant while others have been replaced by other big-box stores, fitness centers, self-storage facilities, even churches. One former site in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is now a popular dine-in movie theater.
Employees at the Kmart in Avenel found out last month that the store would close.
Unlike 20 years ago, when news of impending Kmart closures around the country prompted an outpouring of support from loyal shoppers and a Detroit radio station even mounted a campaign to try and save a local store, the closing of the Avenel location was met mostly with an air of resignation.
"It's maybe a little nostalgic because I've lived my whole life in this area, but it's just another retail store closing," said Jim Schaber, a resident of nearby Iselin who said his brother worked in the shoe department at Kmart for years. "It's just another sign of people doing online shopping and not going out to the retail stores."
The closing packed a little more of an emotional punch for Mike Jerdonek, a truck driver who recalled shopping at Kmart in Brooklyn and Queens in his younger days.
"It's like history passing right in front of our eyes," he said as he sat in his car outside the Avenel store. "When I was younger I didn't have any money, so it was a good place to shop because the prices were cheap. And to see it gone right now, it's kind of sad." | https://abc11.com/kmart-closing-avenel-nj-store-locations-kmarts-in-the-us/11737211/ | 2022-04-11T17:32:29 | 0 | https://abc11.com/kmart-closing-avenel-nj-store-locations-kmarts-in-the-us/11737211/ |
ROSEBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- The two people killed in a high-speed chase Saturday in Roseboro have been identified.
Ryan Squires,34 and Leona Heyward, 24, died in a fiery crash after deputies in Sampson County attempted to pull them over.
The incident happened in the 2100 block of Boren Brick Road in Roseboro, about 20 miles East of Fayetteville.
Authorities said Squires and Heyward were going more than 100 miles per hour when they lost control of their Dodge Challenger. The car then ran off the road, crossed a ditch, and went flying into the air before it hit a tree and flipped over several times.
One person was thrown from the vehicle and the other person was pinned inside. First responders pronounced Heyward and Squires dead at the scene of the crash.
Officers found a stolen pistol and a substance believed to be marijuana in the vehicle.
The NC State Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash. | https://abc11.com/victims-identified-sampson-county-crash-chase-and-ryan-squires/11737124/ | 2022-04-11T17:32:35 | 0 | https://abc11.com/victims-identified-sampson-county-crash-chase-and-ryan-squires/11737124/ |
DETROIT — Jack White had a very eventful Friday.
His day began by performing the national anthem at the Detroit Tigers game. Later that night, he surprised fans by marrying musician Olivia Jean on stage during a show in Detroit.
The proposal and wedding came near the end of the set, during a performance of Hotel Yorba.
While singing, White proposed to Jean, whose band opened the show tonight. White does not allow cell phones at his shows, so no pictures from the wedding are on social media.
Once he finished the song, they went off stage and returned with family members. The wedding was then officiated by Third Man Record's co-founder Ben Swank.
Following the wedding, White carried his new wife off stage and then came back to close the show with several songs, including the finisher 7 Nation Army.
This is White's third marriage. He was formally married to model and singer Karen Elson and his White Stripes bandmate Meg White. | https://www.wmar2news.com/entertainment/jack-white-proposes-marries-musician-olivia-jean-at-detroit-show | 2022-04-11T17:34:33 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/entertainment/jack-white-proposes-marries-musician-olivia-jean-at-detroit-show |
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jury selection has begun in a long-anticipated libel lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard.
The proceedings started Monday in a courthouse in the city of Fairfax, Virginia.
Depp sued Heard over an op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which Heard refers to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse."
The article doesn't mention Depp by name, but he says it clearly refers to her allegation that she suffered physical abuse at his hands.
Depp denies the allegation.
The lawsuit brought a little bit of Hollywood to a courthouse that has a long history of dealing with high-profile crimes — just not those involving movie stars.
The judge overseeing the case has laid down some guidelines, including that neither Depp nor Heard is prohibited from posing for photos or signing autographs in the courthouse or on the courthouse grounds, the Associated Press reported.
According to the AP, Heard's lawyers tried to move the case to California but were unsuccessful.
This isn't the first time the former couple has faced each other in court.
In November 2020, Depp lost his libel case against a British tabloid newspaper for labeling him a “wife-beater.”
The AP reported that the trial would probably last more than a month. | https://www.wmar2news.com/entertainment/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks | 2022-04-11T17:34:38 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/entertainment/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks |
ATHENS, Al. — A Mount Airy woman is facing murder charges in Alabama.
On April 9, Sheriff's deputies in Limestone County were called to a home burglary in the 14000 block of Maiden Court in Athens.
A woman on scene, identified as 39-year-old Diana Lynne Rogers, of Mount Airy, Maryland, was reportedly acting suspicious and tried getting deputies to leave the home.
When they tried detaining her, Rogers allegedly began fighting the deputies.
After taking Rogers into custody, police found the back door to the home open.
Upon searching inside, they discovered a 58-year old woman dead.
Investigators ruled the death a homicide. Officials say evidence linked Rogers to the murder, but didn't say how.
The victim's name is currently being withheld pending next | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/mount-airy-woman-faces-murder-charges-in-alabama | 2022-04-11T17:34:39 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/mount-airy-woman-faces-murder-charges-in-alabama |
BALTIMORE — Mr. Trash Wheel helped celebrate year two of a partnership between Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and America's largest national brand of olive oil in a mission to help the Baltimore Harbor and surrounding communities have a cleaner and greener environment.
The second year of this partnership includes a larger and broader Community Cleanup and Beautification Grants Program that totals $30,000, "in addition to funding the collection and removal of an estimated 250 tons of trash and debris from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor through the re-adoption of Mr. Trash Wheel and Professor Trash Wheel."
To celebrate, Mr. Trash wheel ate a giant olive made of recycled material!
Applications are now being accepted for the 2022 Community Cleanup and Beautification Grants Program, click here for more information. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/mr-trash-wheel-helps-celebrates-year-two-of-a-partnership-by-eating-giant-olive-made-of-recycled-material | 2022-04-11T17:34:39 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/mr-trash-wheel-helps-celebrates-year-two-of-a-partnership-by-eating-giant-olive-made-of-recycled-material |
GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A 23-year-old MS-13 gang member has been sentenced for the second degree murder of Jose Salvador Mancia Aguilar in 2020.
Cristian Pleitez-Tejada pleaded guilty to his charges in October 2021.
RELATED: Glen Burnie murder suspect found in Arkansas, two others accused of helping him flee
On October 4, 2020, the Anne Arundel County Police and Fire Departments responded to El Norteno Grill located in the 600 block of Crain Highway North in Glen Burnie for a report of a stabbing.
When they arrived, they found Aguilar lying unresponsive near the front door.
An autopsy determined he was killed byway of sharp force trauma.
Police were able to obtain surveillance video from the restaurant which showed the victim walking with another man toward the rear of the business around 7:45 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, the video shows the victim stumble and collapse at the bar's main entrance.
Pleitez-Tejada is then seen running from the scene. A witness told detectives they heard the victim and defendant arguing before the stabbing.
Detectives learned Pleitez-Tejada had fled to Arkansas after the murder.
During the interview with detectives, the defendant confessed to stabbing Mancia Aguilar with a knife he was carrying in his pocket. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/ms-13-gang-member-sentenced-for-second-degree-murder-in-glen-burnie | 2022-04-11T17:34:39 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/ms-13-gang-member-sentenced-for-second-degree-murder-in-glen-burnie |
BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — A 25-year-old woman has been charged with first degree murder after Baltimore County Police say she struck a man with her vehicle before fleeing.
At around 3 p.m. on Sunday, officers responded to the 1200 block of Maiden Choice Lane for a motor vehicle collision with injuries. When they arrived, they found 52-year-old Joseph Dawson.
Dawson was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Detectives determined that Dawson was involved in an argument with suspect Katie Foster and that during the argument, she struck him with a vehicle and then left the location.
She is currently being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center without bond. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/woman-charged-with-murder-after-police-say-she-struck-a-man-with-her-vehicle-and-fled | 2022-04-11T17:34:53 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/woman-charged-with-murder-after-police-say-she-struck-a-man-with-her-vehicle-and-fled |
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Two officers with the Buffalo Police Department have been cleared of any wrongdoing in an incident during a protest in June 2020 that left a 75-year-old man injured.
Officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe will not face any further discipline after an arbitrator's decision on Friday, according to Buffalo Police Benevolent Association president John Evans.
Evans said the arbitrator "clearly saw in no way was this an excessive force incident."
"He did fall backwards, but that may have been on his own," Evans added.
Torgalski and McCabe were initially charged with assault as a result of a confrontation between them and protester Martin Gugino in Niagara Square in June 2020. Those charges were dismissed by a grand jury in February 2021. Shortly after charges were dismissed, Gugino filed a lawsuit against the city, the police officers involved and Buffalo Police Department leadership, and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
Evans says the arbitrator broke down the video that captured the incident in front of City Hall "frame by frame".
"They didn't come up with anything that showed any type of excessive force whatsoever," Evans explained.
Torgalski and McCabe were two of many officers clearing the square by walking through the sidewalk area after a curfew took effect. Video recorded by a WBFO reporter showed the officers shoving Gugino, then continuing to move forward. Gugino fell backward and hit his head. He spent four weeks in the hospital recovering from injuries to his head.
The officers had been suspended throughout the criminal proceedings and remained suspended pending the outcome of the internal affairs investigation.
Evans says the case is now concluded for the officers and he expects them to return to the police force.
"They've been put through hell. It will be great to see them come back," replied Gugino.
This story was originally reported on wkbw.com. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/buffalo-police-officers-who-pushed-elderly-man-during-2020-protest-cleared-of-wrongdoing | 2022-04-11T17:34:59 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/buffalo-police-officers-who-pushed-elderly-man-during-2020-protest-cleared-of-wrongdoing |
Cincinnati's favorite hippo is going to be a big sister!
The zoo said that Fiona, who was born six weeks premature in January 2017, will be a sibling when her mom, Bibi, gives birth later this year.
On Sunday, the zoo tweeted a photo of an ultrasound on National Sibling Day but didn't provide any context.
Happy National Siblings Day! pic.twitter.com/CeLJZX6Ywb
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) April 10, 2022
But then, Monday morning, the zoo confirmed that Fiona would be a big sister!
You guessed it - Fiona is going to be a big sister!! Bibi’s big bundle of joy is expected to arrive late summer 2022! https://t.co/IcUiKPE8qI pic.twitter.com/XnQzd8mEJo
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) April 11, 2022
“The hippo team is excited and also nervous,” said Eric Byrd, manager of Cincinnati Zoo’s Africa team, in a press release. “As most people know, Bibi’s first baby, Fiona, was born six weeks premature and wouldn’t have survived without the intervention of her human caregivers. We are hoping for a full-term pregnancy and will be doing everything we can to support Bibi.”
In a press release, the zoo said that the daddy hippo, 18-year-old Tucker, was "enamored with 23-year-old Bibi right away" when he was introduced to the hippo habitat last September.
We're gonna need more watermelon! 🍉 pic.twitter.com/LY5DXHrzSp
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) April 11, 2022
“We weren’t planning to welcome a baby this soon, but nature found a way and ignored our calendar,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s director of animal care, Christina Gorsuch. “Most forms of contraception, in hippos or humans, (are) not 100% reliable. The dose that was previously effective for Bibi did not prevent pregnancy this time.”
The zoo did not provide an estimated birthday but said they would share updates on Bibi and baby preps in the months leading up to the birth. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/cincinnati-zoo-reveals-fiona-the-hippo-is-going-to-be-a-big-sister | 2022-04-11T17:35:05 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/cincinnati-zoo-reveals-fiona-the-hippo-is-going-to-be-a-big-sister |
A documentary on the Astroworld concert that ended with 10 people dead will be released in some theaters this month.
10 concertgoers died and more than 300 were injured at the Astroworld concert in Houston in November of 2021.
The documentary, titled “Concert Crush”, looks at what unfolded at Travis Scott’s concert.
Director Charlie Minn said he made the documentary so people wouldn’t forget about the tragedy and to shine light on the families who are still waiting for justice to be served.
The documentary includes interview with security experts, survivors, attorneys and investigators.
Concert Crush will open in select theaters across Texas starting April 11.
In December of 2021, a congressional committee launched an investigation into Live Nation, the promoter of the concert.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee requested information about the company’s role in the festival, as well as details about security, crowd control and casualty incident planning.
Nearly 400 lawsuits have been filed over injuries and deaths at the concert, including many against Live Nation and Scott. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/documentary-on-astroworld-concert-tragedy-will-be-released-this-month | 2022-04-11T17:35:11 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/documentary-on-astroworld-concert-tragedy-will-be-released-this-month |
Business Email Compromise scams are a type of crime where criminals hack into email accounts, pretend to be someone they’re not and fool victims into sending money where it doesn't belong.
These crimes get far less attention than the massive ransomware attacks that have triggered a powerful government response, but BEC scams have been the costliest type of cybercrime in the U.S. for years.
A new report by the FBI shows that there were nearly 20,000 complaints about BEC scams filed in 2021.
Nearly $2.4 million were lost in 2021 to BEC scams, marking a 33% increase from 2020.
The FBI says fraudsters have become smarter and have started hacking emails to spoof business leaders’ credentials to initiate fraudulent wire transfers.
The money is often transferred to cryptocurrency wallets, which makes it more difficult to recover.
The huge payoffs and low risks associated with BEC scams have attracted criminals worldwide. Some flaunt their ill-gotten wealth on social media, posing in pictures next to Ferraris, Bentleys, and stacks of cash. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/email-scam-costliest-type-of-cybercrime-fbi-says | 2022-04-11T17:35:17 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/email-scam-costliest-type-of-cybercrime-fbi-says |
NAMPA, Idaho — Charreria is Mexico's national sport, it is a rodeo event that draws on the history and culture of Mexico, and part of it features a team of ladies who ride their horses in a choreographed dance.
The Escaramuza Charro Sueno Dorado made their first appearance of the year at the Idaho Horse Expo in Nampa on Friday night.
"To us, it is very important that we don’t lose our tradition," said Ana Rosa De La Riva the team's coach. "We want to start traveling to Utah, California and maybe Mexico."
This team lives in the Nampa and Caldwell area and people will have the opportunity to see them perform on Independence Day as the team has gotten multiple invites to parades and other festivities in Idaho.
"That’s pretty neat I think it is nice for them to get invited and people are getting to know them more," said De La Riva.
This team is helping Idahoans connect with this unique culture, the team plans on starting a squad for children who will be taught this dance using wooden horses.
"We don’t want this tradition to ever end," said De La Riva.
Fans at the Idaho Horse Expo were also treated to the Caballos Bailadores de Idaho, or the dancing horses, and a routine called Ballet Xochipitzahuatl.
The ballet featured Isabel and Anahi dancing while surrounded by Jose Cruz doing tricks with the rope and a giant horse prancing around the dancers.
"It’s our passion and it is what we like to be dedicated to," said Anahi, who helped translate for Isabel. "We love to bring our culture from Mexico to America because I feel like a lot of people really enjoy it."
This story was first reported by Steve Dent in at KIVI in Boise, Idaho. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/escaramuza-team-showcases-mexicos-national-sport-in-the-u-s | 2022-04-11T17:35:23 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/escaramuza-team-showcases-mexicos-national-sport-in-the-u-s |
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Masters champions get to go to the Masters Club dinner, and Scottie Scheffler has a permanent seat at that table now.
His score of 10-under 278 gave him a three-shot victory over Rory McIlroy on Sunday at Augusta National for his first major championship.
It further cemented his status as the No. 1 player in the world.
It was also his fourth career win. All of them came in a span of about two months and capped a week where the 25-year-old seemed to handle the pressure that comes with being in Masters contention with ease.
While Scheffler may have appeared calm on the golf course, he said he was nervous going into the final round.
“I was so stressed out. I didn’t know what to do," Scheffler said, according to Golf Channel.
Scheffler said that he told his wife that he didn't feel ready for the stuff that could come with winning the Masters.
Despite those nerves, he shot a final 1-under final round to secure the victory. Scheffler earned $2.7 million for the win. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/for-scheffler-a-new-world-awaits-as-the-masters-champion | 2022-04-11T17:35:29 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/for-scheffler-a-new-world-awaits-as-the-masters-champion |
FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho — Lori Vallow Daybell has been found fit to stand trial and will be arraigned for the murder of her children and ex-husband next week.
The order Monday from the Seventh Judicial District Court in Idaho stated the competency of Vallow Daybell has been restored nearly 10 months after she was found unfit to stand trial and committed to a mental health facility.
An arraignment for Vallow Daybell will be held April 19 at 1 p.m. at the Fremont County Courthouse.
Vallow Daybell is charged with the murder of two of her children — Tylee Ryan and Joshua "JJ" Vallow — as well as her ex-husband Charles Vallow, and her current husband's former wife Tammy Daybell.
The two children went missing under suspicious circumstances in 2019, shortly after Vallow Daybell married Chad Daybell and their former spouses died.
The children's bodies were found buried in June 2020 at an Idaho property owned by Chad, officials said.
Chad is also charged in connection with the deaths of the children and his former wife, but not Charles Vallow. He is facing the death penalty.
This story was first reported by Jeff Tavss at KSTU in Salt Lake City. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/mother-of-children-who-were-found-dead-is-deemed-competent-to-stand-trial | 2022-04-11T17:35:35 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/mother-of-children-who-were-found-dead-is-deemed-competent-to-stand-trial |
A dramatic rescue by Atlanta officers and Georgia State Patrol was caught on body camera video.
It began moments earlier when police say the child's mother pulled into a parking spot at a Goodwill store and left the car running. That's when police say a man jumped in the driver's seat and took off.
The woman quickly tracked her child's location in the stolen vehicle using the Find My iPhone app.
From there, a chopper and several officers joined in on the hunt. Within minutes, police located the stolen car and used a PIT maneuver to cause the vehicle to crash.
With guns drawn, officers took the suspect into custody.
An officer ran toward the 9-year-old boy to assure him that he was safe.
Officials with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children say that last year there were 34 Amber Alerts issued on carjackings where a child was involved.
It's not clear whether the suspect knew the boy was in the backseat. However, he is still facing charges of kidnapping, cruelty towards children, and theft.
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. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/phone-app-helps-police-find-9-year-old-in-backseat-of-stolen-car | 2022-04-11T17:35:41 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/phone-app-helps-police-find-9-year-old-in-backseat-of-stolen-car |
There are side effects to increased cybersecurity.
Some people are overwhelmed by security alerts. Others change their behavior when they see the privacy notice.
One report published in January indicates people are less interested in making a purchase when they see a generic privacy pop-up on a website.
However, the impact went away when the notice included phrases like, "We care about your privacy."
Researchers refer to these phrases as "benevolence cues."
"Even though these benevolence cues offer no legal protection to consumers, they do help to build trust," said Aaron Brough, a professor at Utah State University.
His team found business managers overwhelmingly believed a strong privacy notification would increase consumer trust.
Instead, those privacy pop-ups were likely to turn away customers if they did not contain benevolent language.
"The people who draft the privacy policies and privacy notices aren't typically thinking about consumers' reactions to it as much as the legal ramifications for the firm," said Brough. "That's what we found really makes the difference here. When you're communicating without a sense of the firm's caring for the consumer, it has a negative effect, rather than a positive effect, on purchase interest."
Others find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of alerts they receive each day.
According to a survey published earlier this year, more than 60% of U.S. IT experts said they receive 500+ cloud security alerts each day.
"More than half of the organizations believe that they miss critical alerts on a weekly or, sometimes, daily basis," said Avi Shua, the co-founder, and CEO of Orca Security.
Shua said the missed alerts are tied to overall alert fatigue.
"This is a really bad place to be," Shua said. "The tools that generate alerts that are technically correct but cannot be effectively used."
Alert fatigue is not unique to IT professionals. It's also common in the world of medicine. It can lead to burnout and friction in the workplace.
There may not be an easy fix.
Experts say businesses can take the first step by cutting out alerts that aren't business-critical. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/push-for-tighter-cybersecurity-has-side-effects-for-workers-shoppers | 2022-04-11T17:35:48 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/push-for-tighter-cybersecurity-has-side-effects-for-workers-shoppers |
The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol tells The Associated Press that more than 10,000 civilians have died in the southeastern city since the Russian invasion in February.
Mayor Vadym Boychenko told The Associated Press by telephone Monday that corpses were “carpeted through the streets of our city” and that the death toll could be more than 20,000.
Boychenko also said Russian forces have brought mobile crematoria to the city to dispose of the bodies and accused Russian forces of refusing to allow humanitarian convoys into the city in an attempt to disguise the carnage.
The mayor had previously claimed 5,000 dead.
He explained that these data were on March 21, but “thousands more people were lying on the streets, it was just impossible for us to collect them.”
About 120,000 civilians remain in Mariupol in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said.
Boychenko said that about 150,000 people have been able to leave the city in private vehicles for other parts of Ukraine and that at least 33,000 were taken to Russia or to separatist territory in Ukraine. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/death-toll-in-mariupol-stands-at-more-than-10k-mayor-says | 2022-04-11T17:35:54 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/death-toll-in-mariupol-stands-at-more-than-10k-mayor-says |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fox will televise 35 World Cup matches on its main Fox broadcast network.
That includes all three U.S. first-round games in Qatar and all from the quarterfinals on.
The total on the Fox network is down from 38 at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
There will be 29 on the FS1 cable network.
This year's tournament was shifted from its usual June-July period until Nov. 21 to Dec. 18 because of the summer heat in Qatar.
U.S. Spanish-language television rights are held by NBCUniversal's Telemundo.
During the NFL season, FS1 will show four Sunday group matches on Nov. 27, and then two Sunday round-of-16 matches on Dec. 4, the Associated Press reported.
The U.S. is set to play England on Nov. 25 and Iran on Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. EST. They will then close out the tournament’s opening day against either Scotland, Ukraine, or Wales. | https://www.wmar2news.com/sports/fox-to-televise-35-of-64-world-cup-matches-on-main-network | 2022-04-11T17:36:00 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/sports/fox-to-televise-35-of-64-world-cup-matches-on-main-network |
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A familiar face will not be a part of this year's Preakness Stakes.
Longtime horse trainer and two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert has been suspended by the Maryland Racing Commission.
The move comes amid continued fallout from last year's Kentucky Derby, which was won by Medina Spirit, whom Baffert trained.
Following the race, Medina Spirit tested positive for an increased level of the steroid betamethasone.
Baffert claimed the horse had developed dermatitis on his hind end following the Santa Anita Derby, and that an ointment containing betamethasone was used to treat it.
RELATED: Baffert says Medina Spirit was prescribed ointment that contained steroid to treat dermatitis
Despite the test, Medina Spirit still raced in last year's Preakness, finishing second.
The thoroughbred died at three-years-old last December, following a workout in Santa Anita, California.
Baffert has since been suspended and barred from having any of his horses participate in this year's Kentucky Derby. At the time that decision came down, Medina Spirit was also stripped of last year's Derby win.
MORE: Medina Spirit stripped of Kentucky Derby win, trainer banned from 2022 Preakness
According to J. Michael Hopkins, Executive Director of the Maryland Racing Commission, the suspension there allows Maryland to do the same.
"The Racing Commission recognizes a suspension through reciprocity of any individual who has been suspended in another racing jurisdiction as a matter of course If you have any further questions pleases let me know."
Local animal rights groups had been pushing for Baffert's suspension in Maryland, and applauded the Commission's decision.
“We applaud the Maryland Racing Commission for taking swift and decisive action against infamous trainer Bob Baffert to protect the integrity of the 147th Preakness and more importantly, protect the horses themselves,” said Marty Irby, senior vice-president at the Center for a Humane Economy and executive director at Animal Wellness Action. “Authorities in American horse racing have made it clear from sea to shining sea that Bob Baffert’s shenanigans will not be tolerated at any of the three Triple Crown races or in Baffert’s home state.”
Baffert trained horses have won a record, seven Preakness Stakes. | https://www.wmar2news.com/sports/local-sports/maryland-racing-commission-suspends-7-time-preakness-winning-trainer-bob-baffert | 2022-04-11T17:36:06 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/sports/local-sports/maryland-racing-commission-suspends-7-time-preakness-winning-trainer-bob-baffert |
Johnny Depp suit against Amber Heard starts with jury picks
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jury selection began Monday in a long-anticipated libel lawsuit Johnny Depp filed against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, whom he accuses of falsely portraying him as a domestic abuser.
Depp sued Heard over an op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which Heard refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article doesn’t mention Depp by name, but he says it clearly refers to allegations Heard made in other forums that she suffered physical abuse at his hands. Depp denies the accusations.
The lawsuit brought a little bit of Hollywood to a courthouse that has a long history of dealing with high-profile crimes, just not those involving movie stars.
More than a dozen women, some waving signs saying “Justice for Johnny,” joined other fans who waved pirate flags in recognition of Depp’s signature role in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, waited outside the courthouse an hour before the hearing.
The courtroom in the city of Fairfax was closed to the public Monday, with limited closed-circuit access in an overflow courtroom. People lined up before 7 a.m. for the wristbands granting access.
The judge overseeing the trial, Penney Azcarate, has imposed a series of access rules to try to maintain decorum in the courthouse. Most significantly, neither Depp nor Heard are permitted to pose for photos or sign autographs in the courthouse or on the courthouse grounds.
Depp’s fans have been vocal in their support, saying he has been falsely accused. Raylyn Otie, a Depp fan from Bluefield, Virginia, drove five hours to see the movie star. She was disappointed when Depp did not greet fans personally, as sheriff’s deputies carefully limited fan access.
“I’m so disappointed. I came to give him flowers to show some support,” she said, bouquet in hand.
In a separate lawsuit Depp filed against a British newspaper, a judge dismissed the case, finding that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in fear for her life on multiple occasions.
Heard has filed a countersuit against Depp that accuses his lawyers of defaming her at his direction.
Heard’s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to have the case moved to California, where the actors reside. A Fairfax judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case here because the Post’s online editions are published through servers located in Fairfax County. Depp’s lawyers have said they brought the case in Virginia in part because the laws here are more favorable to their case.
The trial is expected to last more than a month.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks/ | 2022-04-11T17:37:24 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks/ |
Judge weighs cameras in 3 officers’ trial over George Floyd’s death
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge will hear arguments Monday on whether to allow live video coverage of the upcoming trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting the murder of George Floyd.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill took the rare step of allowing live audiovisual coverage of ex-Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial last year, making an exception to the normal rules of Minnesota courts. He cited the need to balance protecting participants from COVID-19 against the constitutional requirement for a public trial.
Now that the U.S. has entered a new phase of living with the coronavirus, Cahill must decide whether to allow the same sort of access for the trial set to begin in June for former officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng.
A coalition of media organizations, including The Associated Press, that wants Cahill to allow video coverage said in a brief filed Friday that it understood the judge planned to prohibit it. The coalition said it presumed the reasons included defense objections and the judge’s belief that his hands are tied by the normal court rules “absent the extenuating circumstances caused by the pandemic.”
Thao, Lane and Kueng are charged with aiding and abetting both manslaughter and murder when Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd, a Black man, to the pavement for 9 1/2 minutes on May 25, 2020. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Lane held his legs and Thao kept bystanders back. The killing, which was recorded on video, sparked protests around the world and a national reckoning on race.
Defense attorneys have raised concerns about the willingness of witnesses to testify. Minnesota court rules generally require the consent of all parties for audiovisual coverage of trials, with fewer restrictions for sentencings. Chauvin’s trial was the first in Minnesota to be entirely televised, from jury selection to his murder conviction to his sentencing to 22 1/2 years in prison. People worldwide tuned into the livestreams.
“I think livestreaming that trial enabled people here and around the world to see the inner workings of a system that was handling one of the most important trials of our time,” said Suki Dardarian, senior managing editor and vice president of the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, which is part of the media coalition.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office initially opposed having cameras in the court for Chauvin’s trial, but now supports them for the other officers’ upcoming trial.
“The Chauvin trial demonstrated the benefits of robust public access to this important case and proved that the Court could successfully navigate the concerns animating the State’s initial opposition to audio and video coverage,” prosecutors wrote last week. “The Court’s commendable transparency inspired public confidence in the proceedings and helped ensure calm in Minneapolis and across the country.”
Due to federal court rules, live video coverage was not allowed for the first trial of Thao, Lane and Kueng this year, when all three were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights. Nor was it allowed for Chauvin’s federal case in which he pleaded guilty to civil rights violations. But it was allowed in the December state court trial of former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter in the death of Daunte Wright.
“None of the bad things that critics feared transpired, and we had the huge benefit of giving the public at large an opportunity to observe the proceedings,” said Jane Kirtley, director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota, another coalition member.
An advisory committee to the Minnesota Supreme Court is considering whether to allow more video coverage of criminal proceedings. It’s due to release its report by July 1.
Cahill, in a letter to the committee, said he had opposed cameras in criminal cases before, but that his experience in Chauvin’s case changed his opinion, and he now believes they should be presumptively allowed, subject to the trial judge’s discretion.
Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu, who presided over Potter’s trial, told the Star Tribune in an interview that both the Potter and Chauvin trials convinced her that cameras can be present without being disruptive.
“I forgot they were even there,” Chu told the newspaper.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ | 2022-04-11T17:37:31 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ |
List of road, dock closures for SunFest 2022
Published: Apr. 11, 2022 at 1:26 PM EDT|Updated: 10 minutes ago
For the first time in three years, SunFest will be back in downtown West Palm Beach later this month.
The annual music and arts festival has been canceled for the last two years because of the pandemic.
SunFest is scheduled to take place along the downtown waterfront from April 28 to May 1.
The following downtown road and dock closures will begin April 20:
- Flagler Drive between Lakeview Avenue and Banyan Boulevard – closed, Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- Narcissus Avenue between Evernia Street and Datura Street- closed, Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- North Clematis Street between Lantana Avenue and Flagler Drive – closed, Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- Evernia Street between Narcissus Avenue and Flagler Drive – closed, with limited access from Olive Avenue, Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- South Clematis Street between Narcissus Avenue and Flagler Drive – limited access, no access to Flagler Drive Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- Datura Street between Narcissus Avenue and Flagler Drive - limited access, no access to Flagler Drive Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- Fern Street between Olive Avenue and Flagler Drive - limited access, no access to Flagler Drive Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- Northbound and southbound Australian Avenue to westbound Okeechobee Boulevard – closed Sunday, May 1, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Clematis Street Docks – closed Thursday, April 21, 6 p.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
- Fern Street Dock - closed Thursday, April 21, 6 p.m. through Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m.
Scripps Only Content 2022 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/list-road-dock-closures-sunfest-2022/ | 2022-04-11T17:37:38 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/list-road-dock-closures-sunfest-2022/ |
Man gets 17 years in prison for kidnapping woman, forcing her into sex work
MANCHESTER, Md. (Gray News) - A Maryland man was sentenced to 17 years in prison Friday for kidnapping a woman and leading a sex trafficking conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
The DOJ said Joshua Lankford, 33, used violence and drugs to control a young woman and planned to kill her to keep her from testifying at trial.
According to court documents, Lankford led and organized a conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force. Evidence indicated that Lankford kidnapped the victim, a young adult woman, to engage in forced prostitution.
Lankford knew the victim was addicted to heroin and withheld drugs from her until she made him enough money by engaging in sex work, the DOJ said.
When the woman tried to escape, Lankford and three others drove the victim to a rural area where they beat, whipped and choked her with a belt, court documents show. They then drove her to a hotel in Delaware to force her to engage in more prostitution.
Documents show that while in jail, Lankford told a co-conspirator that he intended to kill the woman to prevent her from testifying against them at trial.
“Joshua Lankford’s crimes were nothing short of horrific; he kidnapped and victimized a vulnerable woman then plotted to kill her in order to save himself,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI Baltimore. “The atrocities of his crimes are clearly reflected in the severity of his sentence, and today, he will begin to pay his debt to society.”
In addition to his 17-year prison sentence, Lankford was given five years of supervised released and a $2,320 fine.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/man-gets-17-years-prison-kidnapping-woman-forcing-her-into-sex-work/ | 2022-04-11T17:37:44 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/man-gets-17-years-prison-kidnapping-woman-forcing-her-into-sex-work/ |
Mattel releases first-ever carbon neutral toys, including a Matchbox Tesla
(Gray News) – Mattel is taking its first step towards its goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in all its products and packaging by 2030.
In a release, the company says it has released its first set of carbon neutral toys.
These toys include the MEGA BLOKS Green Town, which the company says is the first-ever toy line available at mass retail to be certified CarbonNeutral.
Four new MEGA BLOKS Green Town building sets are being released this month.
Mattel said it’s releasing some carbon neutral toys as part of its Matchbox line as well as part of its Driving Toward a Better Future product roadmap. The first in this line of toys is the Tesla Roadster, the company’s first carbon neutral die-cast vehicle made from 99% recycled materials.
To help make this move, the brand bought carbon offsets from Canada’s Darkwood Forests Conservation Project.
Carbon offsets allow companies to take steps, like protecting a forest, so that carbon emissions are offset.
Some climate experts are criticizing this action saying fossil fuels are still being used in the creation of toys.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. CNN Newsource contributed to this report. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ | 2022-04-11T17:37:53 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ |
Jury selection began Monday in a long-anticipated libel lawsuit Johnny Depp filed against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, whom he accuses of falsely portraying him as a domestic abuser.
Depp sued Heard over an op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post in 2018 in which Heard refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The article doesn't mention Depp by name, but he says it clearly refers to allegations Heard made in other forums that she suffered physical abuse at his hands. Depp denies the accusations.
The lawsuit brought a little bit of Hollywood to a courthouse that has a long history of dealing with high-profile crimes, just not those involving movie stars.
More than a dozen women, some waving signs saying “Justice for Johnny,” joined other fans who waved pirate flags in recognition of Depp's signature role in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, waited outside the courthouse an hour before the hearing.
The courtroom in the city of Fairfax was closed to the public Monday, with limited closed-circuit access in an overflow courtroom. People lined up before 7 a.m. for the wristbands granting access.
The judge overseeing the trial, Penney Azcarate, has imposed a series of access rules to try to maintain decorum in the courthouse. Most significantly, neither Depp nor Heard are permitted to pose for photos or sign autographs in the courthouse or on the courthouse grounds.
Depp's fans have been vocal in their support, saying he has been falsely accused. Raylyn Otie, a Depp fan from Bluefield, Virginia, drove five hours to see the movie star. She was disappointed when Depp did not greet fans personally, as sheriff's deputies carefully limited fan access.
Entertainment News
“I'm so disappointed. I came to give him flowers to show some support,” she said, bouquet in hand.
In a separate lawsuit Depp filed against a British newspaper, a judge dismissed the case, finding that Depp assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in fear for her life on multiple occasions.
Heard has filed a countersuit against Depp that accuses his lawyers of defaming her at his direction.
Heard's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to have the case moved to California, where the actors reside. A Fairfax judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case here because the Post’s online editions are published through servers located in Fairfax County. Depp's lawyers have said they brought the case in Virginia in part because the laws here are more favorable to their case.
The trial is expected to last more than a month. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/johnny-depp-and-ex-wife-amber-heard-face-off-in-defamation-trial/3640420/ | 2022-04-11T17:49:39 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/johnny-depp-and-ex-wife-amber-heard-face-off-in-defamation-trial/3640420/ |
There are sure to be some achy breaky hearts over this split.
For the third time in their nearly 30-year marriage, Miley Cyrus' parents Tish Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus have called it quits.
According to documents obtained by E! News, Tish filed court papers in Tennessee on April 6 to divorce the country crooner and actor. In the filing, Tish cites "irreconcilable differences" and notes that she and Billy Ray haven't lived together since February 2020.
E! News has reached out to teams for Tish and Billy Ray and has not heard back.
Tish, 54, and Billy Ray, 60, tied the knot in 1993. In addition to Miley, 29, they are parents to Braison, 27, and Noah, 22. Tish also has two kids, Brandi, 34, and Trace, 33, from her previous marriage to Baxter Neal Helson.
Throughout the course of their marriage, Tish and Billy Ray have faced many highs and lows, and they first filed for divorce in 2010.
"As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family," they said in a joint statement at the time. "We are trying to work through some personal matters. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers." They reconciled the following year.
Entertainment News
Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus Reunite After Divorce Filing
Two years later, in 2013, they filed for divorce again. "This is a personal matter and we are doing what is in the best interest of our family," Billy Ray said in a statement at the time. "We ask that you respect our privacy at this time."
By May 2017, however, Tish and Billy Ray were back together and their divorce case was dismissed.
E! News confirmed at the time that a Family Center Case Resolution hearing was held and, according to the minutes, "the parties have been properly [notified] of the proceedings, and having failed to appear, the court orders this case dismissed for delay and prosecution."
Though their relationship appeared strong at the time, in recent years, the duo seemingly spent time apart ahead of their latest split.
TMZ was first to report the divorce filing. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/miley-cyrus-mom-tish-files-for-divorce-from-billy-ray-cyrus/3640468/ | 2022-04-11T17:49:45 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/miley-cyrus-mom-tish-files-for-divorce-from-billy-ray-cyrus/3640468/ |
New York LiveDaily lifestyle show giving viewers the best in all things New York -- 11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday and 7:15 p.m. Fridays | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/new-york-live/catching-up-with-amy-landecker/3640396/ | 2022-04-11T17:49:52 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/new-york-live/catching-up-with-amy-landecker/3640396/ |
New York LiveDaily lifestyle show giving viewers the best in all things New York -- 11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday and 7:15 p.m. Fridays | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/new-york-live/feeling-the-unbearable-weight-of-massive-talent/3640418/ | 2022-04-11T17:49:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/new-york-live/feeling-the-unbearable-weight-of-massive-talent/3640418/ |
New York LiveDaily lifestyle show giving viewers the best in all things New York -- 11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday and 7:15 p.m. Fridays | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/new-york-live/the-latest-of-lennon-parham/3640446/ | 2022-04-11T17:50:04 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/the-scene/new-york-live/the-latest-of-lennon-parham/3640446/ |
A Long Island woman has been indicted on more than a dozen charges for allegedly barreling down a street "so intoxicated" she couldn't keep the car on the road, crashing into several parked cars and causing the death of one of its occupants.
Tasha Brown, 28, appeared before a judge Friday, almost 11 months after she was arrested for driving under the influence when she crashed in a Hempstead neighborhood, District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Monday.
Brown, of Uniondale, is accused of driving three passengers in a Toyota Corolla when she crashed into the parked cars around 4:30 a.m. near Front Street and Hendrickson Avenue. All four were hospitalized with varying injuries.
The district attorney said Brown pleaded not guilty to charges that include aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, and reckless driving. If convicted, she faces up to 25 years in prison.
“This defendant was allegedly so intoxicated that she was unable to keep her vehicle on the road, veering and crashing into multiple parked cars at more than 90 mph, including one occupied by 29-year-old Nelson Fuentes who was tragically killed as a result of the collision. Brown’s passengers also sustained serious injuries in the crash and thankfully recovered,” Donnelly said.
Fuentes, of Massapequa, was seated inside one of the parked cars at the time of the crash, police said. He suffered fatal injuries after Brown's car came barreling into his parked vehicle at more than 90 mph, officials said.
Attorney information for Brown was not immediately known. She's scheduled back in court next month. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-indicted-in-90-mph-dwi-crash-that-killed-man-on-long-island-street-ny-only/3640376/ | 2022-04-11T17:50:10 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-indicted-in-90-mph-dwi-crash-that-killed-man-on-long-island-street-ny-only/3640376/ |
The victims of a triple homicide in Georgia were the parents and son of the local coroner who made the gruesome discovery at a gun range his family owned, the official said Monday.
Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk couldn't reach his parents and son on Friday when he went looking for them at their Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range in Grantville, about 50 miles south of downtown Atlanta.
That's where the coroner stumbled into an unimaginable crime scene and the bodies of his parents, Tommy and Evelyn Hawk, and his son, Luke Hawk.
"I didn't get the call in an official capacity, I'm the one who actually found them," Hawk told NBC News on Monday. "They were not home the way they were supposed to be and I went to check on them (at the gun range) and that's when (the discovery was made)."
Read the full story at NBCNews.com. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/georgia-coroner-makes-gruesome-discovery-his-slain-parents-and-son/3640453/ | 2022-04-11T17:50:16 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/georgia-coroner-makes-gruesome-discovery-his-slain-parents-and-son/3640453/ |
The mayor of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol said Monday that more than 10,000 civilians have died in the Russian siege of his city, and that the death toll could surpass 20,000, with corpses that were “carpeted through the streets.”
Speaking by phone Monday to The Associated Press, Mayor Vadym Boychenko also said Russian forces brought mobile cremation equipment to the city to dispose of the bodies, and he accused Russian forces of refusing to allow humanitarian convoys into the city in an attempt to conceal the carnage.
The mayor had previously claimed 5,000 dead. He explained that these data were on March 21, but “thousands more people were lying on the streets, it was just impossible for us to collect them.” About 120,000 civilians remain in Mariupol in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said.
Boychenko's comments emerged as Russia claimed that it destroyed several Ukrainian air-defense systems in what appeared to be a renewed push to gain air superiority and take out weapons Kyiv has described as crucial ahead of an expected broad new offensive in the east.
With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities — a strategy that has left many urban areas flattened and killed thousands of people.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of committing atrocities, including a massacre in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, airstrikes on hospitals and a missile attack that killed at least 57 people last week at a train station.
This is a live update. Click here for complete coverage of the crisis in Ukraine. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/mayor-says-over-10000-killed-in-mariupol-corpses-were-carpeted-through-the-streets/3640522/ | 2022-04-11T17:50:22 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/mayor-says-over-10000-killed-in-mariupol-corpses-were-carpeted-through-the-streets/3640522/ |
Researchers in recent months have announced the discovery of microplastics traveling in the bloodstream of a handful of anonymous donors and embedded deep in the lung tissue of about a dozen patients awaiting surgery. Another recent study reported finding microplastics in placentas.
These discoveries have made for a dizzying series of headlines that some might find concerning, but the science remains far from settled, NBC News reports.
What recent research makes clear so far is that microplastics are ubiquitous, that these particles enter peoples’ bodies regularly during inhalation or through consumption of food or drinks, and that they find their way into vital body systems.
More Health News
Some studies of laboratory animals and cells grown outside the body suggest that there are reasons for concern about how these minuscule pieces of plastics affect our physiology. What remains less apparent is what risks to health, if any, these tiny particles pose at the concentrations they’ve been found.
Read the full story at NBCNews.com. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/microplastics-in-the-human-body-should-we-be-concerned/3640541/ | 2022-04-11T17:50:28 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/microplastics-in-the-human-body-should-we-be-concerned/3640541/ |
As the coronavirus pandemic wears on and government aid sent at the beginning of the crisis runs out, Americans are feeling the impact of tight budgets.
One-quarter of Americans said that they felt financially stressed all the time last year, according to a CNBC + Acorns Invest in You survey, conducted by Momentive. The online survey of nearly 4,000 adults was conducted March 23-24.
Another 41% said they feel financially stressed sometimes, and 33% said they felt rarely or never financially stressed in the last year.
More from Invest in You:
Inflation could mean a big heating bill this winter. How to prepare
As inflation rises, where to find opportunities to make and save money
Your financial wrap-up: 4 savvy money moves to make before year-end
The main cause of financial stress has been rising prices, as Americans grapple with the highest inflation in 40 years. Many people were unprepared to deal with these price hikes, said Susan Greenhalgh, an accredited financial counselor who runs Mind Your Money in Hope, Rhode Island.
"We don't really know how to deal with them, and how to address them," she said, adding that having your eyes focused on your spending is always a good strategy.
Shifting the budget
Money Report
Financial stress appears to be hitting those with lower incomes the hardest.
Nearly 60% of people who had a household income of less than $50,000 said they're under more financial stress now than they were a year ago, the survey found.
That's compared to 53% of people in households making between $50,000 and $100,000 annually and 45% of people making more than $100,000 who said the same thing.
Those who are struggling the most may have to make some serious choices with their finances, said Tania Brown, an Atlanta-based certified financial planner and founder of FinanciallyConfidentMom.com. She recommends prioritizing the essentials before anything else — that includes, rent, food, utilities and basic medical expenses.
"In this environment, legitimately other bills may have to go by the wayside," she said. "Depending on your income, you're fighting just to keep your home."
She also suggested reaching out to creditors for help and looking for programs that may lower the cost of utilities depending on income. It may also be a time to look at other monthly expenses and subscriptions to see what can be reduced or cut, including the cost of internet or cable.
There are also a few ways to find deals on gas, such as using GasBuddy, carpooling or scheduling errands all at once to avoid making multiple trips.
People can also make other changes to bring down bills, such as using heat and air conditioning less, or opting for meals without meat.
In addition, if a family must dip into their emergency savings to stay afloat right now, Brown said they shouldn't feel bad — the point of having such an account is for such situations.
"You're using it as intended," she said.
Prices may keep rising
To be sure, most Americans aren't feeling as stressed all the time about the pressures of inflation. Still, they might be in a very different financial situation now due to rising prices — some 52% said they're under more financial stress now than they were a year ago.
Because the cost of goods is likely to continue to rise in the short term, people should be checking in with their budgets on a more frequent basis because of how quickly prices are changing, said Brown.
"You have to be a lot more proactive in reviewing your budget and actually looking at what you spent last month because the numbers may change," she said. "Give yourself a lot more wiggle room."
That may mean saving less for a few months, rethinking your short-term financial goals or even looking for a raise or a job that will pay you more.
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Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/25-of-americans-felt-financially-stressed-all-the-time-last-year-cnbc-acorns-invest-in-you-survey-found/3640437/ | 2022-04-11T17:50:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/25-of-americans-felt-financially-stressed-all-the-time-last-year-cnbc-acorns-invest-in-you-survey-found/3640437/ |
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading Monday:
AT&T — Shares of AT&T jumped more than 7% after the telecom giant announced that it closed its transaction with Discovery to spin off its WarnerMedia business. The combined company is called Warner Bros. Discovery. It began trading on the Nasdaq on Monday under the new ticker symbol WBD. JPMorgan also assigned an overweight rating to AT&T.
Nvidia — Nvidia's stock sank 6.1% after Baird downgraded the chipmaker to neutral from outperform, citing concerns about order cancelations driven in part by a slowdown in consumer demand for PCs.
Sailpoint Technologies — The cybersecurity company saw shares soar 29% after announcing Monday it will be acquired by private-equity firm Thoma Bravo for $6.9 billion, or $65.25 per share. The all-cash deal is expected to close in the second half of 2022.
Occidental Petroleum — Energy stocks were among the top decliners in the S&P 500, as oil prices dropped amid fears Covid lockdowns in China would depress global demand. Occidental Petroleum and Diamondback Energy fell 5.9% and 4.9%, respectively, while APA slid 3.8%.ConocoPhillips lost more than 4%.
Microsoft, Apple — Shares of tech giants were lower Monday as the 10-year Treasury yield climbed to its highest level since January 2019. Microsoft lost 3.7% while Alphabet dipped 2.8%. Apple and Meta Platforms each declined more than 1%.
Coinbase — Shares of the cryptocurrency services company fell 4.2% as the price of bitcoin dropped to its lowest level since March amid a broader sell-off in risk assets. Coinbase's stock price is tied closely to the price of bitcoin since so much of its revenue being derived from trading fees.
Money Report
KeyCorp — Regional bank stocks advanced as rates climbed. Regions Financial rose 1.8%, and Zions Bancorporation added 1.2%. KeyCorp, which was also upgraded by Wells Fargo, gained about 0.8%.
JetBlue — Shares of the airline gained 1.3% after the company said it's cutting back its summer schedule in an effort to avoid flight disruptions, as it works to ramp up hiring this summer to meet a surge in travel demand.
— CNBC's Yun Li, Jesse Pound, Samantha Subin and Hannah Miao contributed reporting | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-att-nvidia-sailpoint-technologies-and-more/3640461/ | 2022-04-11T17:50:49 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-att-nvidia-sailpoint-technologies-and-more/3640461/ |