text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ms] | label int64 | id string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
When it came to scoreboard watching on closing night of the NBA season, it took until one final late result was in for the Miami Heat to get a definitive read on homecourt advantage in one element of the playoffs, while clarity on draft position was left unsettled.
The Golden State Warriors’ 128-107 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans impacted both of those elements, when it left the Warriors tied with the Heat’s 53-29 record.
Despite the tie, the Warriors would have homecourt advantage over the Heat in a possible NBA Finals matchup after sweeping the season series 2-0.
The Warriors won the season’s first meeting 115-108 on Jan. 3 in San Francisco, when the Heat were without Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Dewayne Dedmon, among others. Golden State then swept the series with their 118-104 victory March 23 at FTX Arena, despite being without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, among others. That was the night that Heat forward Jimmy Butler got into his dustup with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Heat captain Udonis Haslem.
The Heat will hold homecourt advantage in every possible playoff permutation except against the Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies (56-26) and Phoenix Suns (64-18). The Heat split their two-game season series against both the Suns and Grizzlies.
The Warriors’ Sunday result also set up a random draw between the Heat and Warriors for the Nos. 27-28 picks in the first round of the June 23 NBA draft, with that draw to be held April 18.
As part of the 2021 trade that sent Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley to the Houston Rockets for Victor Oladipo, the Heat agreed to take the lesser of the 2022 first-round selections between the Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and themselves. That issue became moot with the Heat finishing with a superior record to Houston (20-62) and Brooklyn (44-38).
Unlike with playoff seedings, the NBA does not utilize tiebreaking procedures for draft positions.
The tie with the Warriors is moot for the Heat in the second round, with the Heat’s 2022 second-round pick belonging to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat also had held what turned out as the No. 53 overall pick in the second round, but that selection was forfeited because of an NBA ruling regarding the timing of the Heat’s free-agent agreement with Kyle Lowry in August.
Because the Heat’s 2023 first-round pick previously has been dealt, the Heat must exercise a selection in the 2022 first round (teams are not allowed to be without successive future first-rounds picks), but then can deal the selected player after the pick is made.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/heat-with-playoff-homecourt-vs-all-but-three-teams-draw-to-break-draft-tie-with-warriors/ | 2022-04-11T17:59:56 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/heat-with-playoff-homecourt-vs-all-but-three-teams-draw-to-break-draft-tie-with-warriors/ |
Jake Middleton is pretty much a walking, talking cartoon character off the ice.
The young Wild defenseman boasts perhaps the thickest mustache in the NHL, which would easily be his most definable physical trait if it wasn’t for a toothless grin that can instantly disarm even the harshest of critics.
His infectious personality has a similar impact. Whenever the 26-year-old speaks, everyone listens, largely because the next joke he cracks is almost guaranteed to be even better than the last thing to come out of his mouth.
“He’s a funny guy,” said Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, Middleton’s defensive partner. “Just pretty easygoing.”
Acquired by general manager Bill Guerin a few weeks ago at the trade deadline, Middleton already has endeared himself to his teammates. Ask any of them about him and they’ll give rave reviews about his sense of humor.
But Middleton’s biggest impact has been on the ice as he has helped stabilize the Wild blue line in his short time with the team. Not only has Middleton slid in seamlessly alongside Spurgeon on the top defensive pairing, he has used his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame to bring a more physical presence on the backend.
“Just let him throw guys around, I guess,” Spurgeon said with a laugh. “We’re both pretty simple players. We try and get the puck up to the forwards as quick as possible and not overcomplicate things.”
That’s the name of the game for Middleton.
Though he scored a goal in last Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues, then followed it up with a pair of assists in Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings, he knows his main responsibility is to “block shots, box guys out and make a good first pass” whenever he hops over the boards.
What about the recent offensive outburst?
“It’s clicking,” Middleton said. “I’ll run with it. I go in spurts where I get a little hot. Hopefully it keeps going.”
If it doesn’t, that’s fine with coach Dean Evason. He knows what to expect from Middleton each game.
“He’s a big, strong guy that’s physical, protects teammates and all that, “Evason said. “He’s also got a great stick. He’s a good first pass guy. A great teammate. Not surprised at all that Billy and the guys identified him and were able to help our hockey club by getting him.”
While the past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Middleton, and he was a little apprehensive to switch teams and cities initially, he’s thrilled with how everything has worked out so far.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Middleton said. “I’ve called my parents every 48 hours here saying this is some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing hockey.”
As for his infectious personality, Middleton flipped it around, praising his teammates for making him feel so comfortable. He’s been able to be himself at all times because of how welcomed he felt from the moment he walked into the locker room.
“Everyone in there is an unreal guy that I would go for beers with or hang out with any day of the week,” Middleton said. “I’m just enjoying fitting in with them.” | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/jake-middleton-has-stabilized-wild-blue-line-with-solid-play-infectious-personality/ | 2022-04-11T18:00:02 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/jake-middleton-has-stabilized-wild-blue-line-with-solid-play-infectious-personality/ |
By YURAS KARMANAU, ADAM SCHRECK and CARA ANNA
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — 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’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.
In one strike, Moscow said it hit four S-300 launchers near the central city of Dnipro that had been provided by a European country it did not name. Slovakia gave Ukraine just such a system last week but denied it had been destroyed. Russia previously reported two strikes on similar systems in other places.
Moscow’s initial invasion stalled on several fronts as it met stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces, who prevented the Russians from taking the capital and other cities. The failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has hampered Moscow’s ability to provide air cover for troops on the ground, limiting their advances and likely exposing them to greater losses.
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. The war has also shattered Ukraine’s economy, with the World Bank estimating it will shrink by more than 45% this year.
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.
In Bucha on Monday, the work of exhuming bodies from a mass grave in a churchyard resumed.
Galyna Feoktistova waited for hours in the cold and rain in hopes of identifying her 50-year-old son, who was shot and killed more than a month ago, but eventually she went home for some warmth. “He’s still there,” her surviving son, Andriy, said.
Meanwhile, the U.N. children’s agency said that nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion began, and the United Nations has verified that 142 children have been killed and 229 injured, though the actual numbers are likely much higher.
Elsewhere, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he met Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks that were “very direct, open and tough.”
In a statement released by his office, Nehammer said his primary message to Putin was “that this war needs to end, because in war both sides can only lose.” Nehammer said he also raised the issue of war crimes committed by the Russian military and said those responsible “will be held to account.”
Austria is a member of the European Union and has backed the 27-nation bloc’s sanctions against Russia, though it so far has opposed cutting off deliveries of Russian gas. The country is militarily neutral and is not a member of NATO.
In other developments, the head of the separatist rebel government in Donetsk said Ukrainian forces have lost control of the port area of Mariupol.
“Regarding the port of Mariupol, it is now under our control,” Denis Pushilin, president of the Donetsk People’s Republic, told Russian state television, according to Russian news agencies. The claim could not immediately be confirmed.
Russia has appointed a seasoned general to lead its renewed push in the eastern Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014 and have declared independent states. Both sides are digging in for what could be a devastating war of attrition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded for more Western aid, saying his forces need heavier firepower to resist the coming onslaught and push Russian forces back. Echoing his remarks in an AP interview, Zelenskyy said Sunday that the coming week could be crucial and that Western support — or the lack thereof — may prove decisive.
“To be honest, whether we will be able to (survive) depends on this,” Zelenskyy said in a “60 Minutes” interview. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the confidence that we will be receiving everything we need.” In a video address to South Korean lawmakers on Monday, he specifically requested equipment that can shoot down Russian missiles.
But those armaments could increasingly come under attack as Russia looks to shift the balance in the 6-week-old war.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the military used cruise missiles to destroy the four launchers Sunday on the southern outskirts of Dnipro. He said the military also hit such systems in the Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions.
The Russian claims could not be independently verified.
The Pentagon said it had seen no evidence to support Russia’s claims. A senior U.S. defense official said Russia did conduct an airstrike Sunday on the airport in Dnipro, destroying some equipment, but the official said the U.S. has seen no indication that an air-defense system was knocked out.
Lubica Janikova, spokeswoman for Slovakia’s prime minister, denied Monday that the S-300 system it sent Ukraine had been destroyed. She said any other claim is not true.
Ukraine has specifically asked for more S-300s in recent months, though it already had a number of the Soviet-built systems and other long-range air-defense systems. It also has received batches of portable, shoulder-fired Western anti-aircraft weapons like Stingers, which are efficient against low-flying aircraft.
Questions remain about the ability of depleted and demoralized Russian forces to conquer much ground after their advance on Kyiv was repelled by determined Ukrainian defenders.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Monday that Ukraine has already beaten back several assaults by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — which make up the Donbas — resulting in the destruction of Russian tanks, vehicles and artillery.
Western military analysts say Russia’s assault increasingly is focusing on an arc of territory stretching from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in the north, to Kherson in the south.
On Sunday, Russian forces shelled government-controlled Kharkiv and sent reinforcements toward Izyum to the southeast to try to break Ukraine’s defenses, the Ukrainian military said.
A residential area in Kharkiv was struck by incoming fire on Monday afternoon. Associated Press journalists saw firefighters putting out the fire and checking for victims following the attack, and saw that at least five people were killed, including a child.
Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, said earlier Monday that Russian shelling had killed 11 people over the last 24 hours.
In Mariupol, Russia deployed Chechen fighters, reputed to be particularly fierce. Capturing the city on the Sea of Azov would give Russia a land bridge to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine and annexed eight years ago.
Mariupol’s residents have lacked food, water and electricity since Russian forces surrounded the city. Hundreds of thousands have fled, though Russian attacks have also frustrated evacuation missions.
Vladislav Usovich, an 18-year-old conscript serving in Russia-backed separatist forces, advanced slowly with other fighters through residential areas around a factory Sunday in Mariupol.
“I thought it would go better. I thought it would be faster. Everything is going slowly,” he said. “The Ukrainians are prepared fighters. NATO trained them well.”
___
Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Robert Burns in Washington, and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/mariupol-mayor-says-siege-has-killed-more-than-10k-civilians/ | 2022-04-11T18:00:08 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/mariupol-mayor-says-siege-has-killed-more-than-10k-civilians/ |
The previous two years, the NBA play-in round was of minimal consequence for the Miami Heat, a factor of their middling playoff seeds, at No. 5 in 2020 and No. 6 last year.
This time around, as a No. 1 seed, it is different. Each of the three upcoming Eastern Conference play-in games will have the attention of Erik Spoelstra’s team, starting Tuesday night.
The Heat will open their 2022 playoffs Sunday at FTX Arena against either the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets or Cleveland Cavaliers.
One of those teams will be eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday, in the conference’s Nos. 9-10 game, between the Hawks and Hornets. Another will be eliminated Friday, in the game between the loser of Tuesday night’s Nos. 7-8 (Nets-Cavaliers) game and the winner of the Nos. 9-10 game.
The team left standing as the No. 8 season will face the Heat in the best-of-seven opening round, with the Heat holding homecourt advantage.
“We’ve had six months to prepare for the playoffs,” Spoelstra said. “And whoever we’re going to play in the Eastern Conference that first round, we likely will have already played them three or four times. And we don’t feel like we have to cram for a test. That’s the whole point of all these experiences together.
A look at the possibilities, with the Heat for five days operating solely as bystanders:
No. 7 Brooklyn Nets.
Possible seeds: If the Nets defeat the visiting Cavaliers on Tuesday night (7 p.m., TNT) they will be the No. 7 seed and face the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the opening round.
If Brooklyn loses Tuesday to Cleveland, on Friday it will host the winner of Wednesday’s Atlanta-Charlotte game for the No. 8 seed, which faces the Heat in the first round.
The Heat perspective: They went 3-1 in their four-game season series against the Nets, losing in the lone matchup when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both were available for Brooklyn.
No possible Heat first-round opponent, when whole, has more upside among the East play-in teams than the Nets.
Burning question: Would the Nets, having routed the Heat in the teams’ most-recent meeting, dare tempt the fates by dropping their play-in opener in order to set up a first-round series against the Heat, knowing that a loss then in a possible second play-in game could end their season?
No. 8 Cleveland Cavaliers
Possible seeds: If the visiting Cavaliers defeat the Nets on Tuesday night (7 p.m., TNT) they will be the No. 7 seed and face the No. 2 Boston Celtics in the opening round.
If Cleveland loses Tuesday to Brooklyn, on Friday it will host the winner of Wednesday’s Atlanta-Charlotte game for the No. 8 seed, which faces the Heat in the first round.
The Heat perspective: There are few better alternatives in the postseason than playing a happy-to-be-there opponent. Just by making the playoffs, the Cavaliers will have more than fulfilled their preseason mandate.
Although Cleveland won the season series 2-1, both of the victories came in games the Heat lacked both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. With Butler and Adebayo, the Heat defeated the Cavaliers by 12 on March 11 (albeit on a night Jarrett Allen was sidelined for Cleveland).
Burning question: The Heat were swept in last season’s opening round when they were overwhelmed by the Milwaukee Bucks’ size. Should Allen make it back from his fractured finger, the first round again could come down to the Heat’s ability to compete in the paint.
No. 9 Atlanta Hawks
Possible seeds: The Hawks only can make the playoffs as a No. 8 seed, the seed that will play at the Heat in the opening round.
To make the postseason, the Hawks will have to defeat the visiting Hornets in the Nos. 9-10 game on Wednesday night (7 p.m., ESPN) and then win Friday night (ESPN, Time TBA) at the loser of the Brooklyn-Cleveland game.
The Heat perspective: If John Collins can make it back from his foot strain, the equation could grow far more complex for the Heat, when considering the focus that is required on Trae Young. This also is an opponent than can impact with its size, particularly center Clint Capela.
Unlike the Cavaliers, the Hawks know what it takes to make a deep playoff run, having advanced to last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
Burning question: As it is for almost every Hawks opponent, it likely will come down to whether Young shoots the Hawks in or out of the game. In the teams’ most recent meeting, Young shot 9 of 11 in the first half but then only 3 of 12 in the second half of the Heat’s 113-109 Friday night victory.
No. 10 Charlotte Hornets
Possible seeds: The Hornets only can make the playoffs as a No. 8 seed, the seed that will play at the Heat in the opening round.
To make the postseason, Charlotte will have to win in Atlanta in the Nos. 9-10 game on Wednesday night (7 p.m., ESPN) and then win Friday night (ESPN, Time TBA) at the loser of the Brooklyn-Cleveland game.
The Heat perspective: It likely will come down to offering the most basic level of defense for the Heat, considering the Hornets have shown little inclination on that level.
With Gordon Hayward sidelined in the postseason yet again, with a foot injury, options will be limited for Charlotte other than breakout performances by Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball.
Burning question: Based on this play-in field, the burning question is if Charlotte is good enough to win even one game in this round, let alone the required two. The sense is the Heat would embrace a Hornets matchup.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/nets-cavs-hawks-hornets-sizing-up-the-nba-play-in-round-as-heat-await-playoff-opponent/ | 2022-04-11T18:00:14 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/nets-cavs-hawks-hornets-sizing-up-the-nba-play-in-round-as-heat-await-playoff-opponent/ |
BISMARCK, N.D. — A significant spring storm headed for the northern Plains is packing blizzard conditions with significant snow accumulation and drifting, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists posted a blizzard warning for a large section of western North Dakota and smaller areas of western South Dakota and eastern Montana beginning Tuesday through Thursday evening.
Travel may become difficult to impossible in some places, the weather service predicted.
A winter storm watch was issued for eastern North Dakota, northern South Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Forecasters were expecting a foot to 2 feet (60.9 centimeters) of snow in some of the affected areas with lesser amounts elsewhere.
“Most long-term residents of the Northern Plains and Rockies know that April can deliver tremendous snowstorms,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham tell the Bismarck Tribune.
“For example, the Black Hills of South Dakota average 10 to 20 inches of snow during the month of April. It is possible that the Black Hills and other locations in the region could pick up an entire month’s worth of snow from this one storm,” he added.
Western North Dakota could use the moisture. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows the region is abnormally dry or in some form of drought. Northwestern North Dakota is in extreme drought, the second-worst category. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/spring-storm-packing-blizzard-conditions-for-northern-plains/ | 2022-04-11T18:00:20 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/11/spring-storm-packing-blizzard-conditions-for-northern-plains/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — U.S. Supreme Court experts believe that the 6-3 conservative majority will likely weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 ruling that protects a women’s right to abortion.
The Indiana General Assembly declined to pass abortion bans in the 2022 legislative session. Instead, 100 Republicans sent a letter to Gov. Eric Holcomb, urging him to call them back for a special session after the country’s high court rules, which is anticipated in June.
“Providing a voice for those that have not yet been able to speak for themselves is a responsibility that we do not take lightly, and this is exactly why this request is so important,” the letter to Holcomb said.
One hundred of the state’s 150 legislators signed the letter, all Republicans.
Other states, including neighboring Kentucky, have moved ahead with abortion bans before the Supreme Court weighs in, many following in the steps of Texas. Texas used civilian litigation to bypass Roe and ban all abortions, with no exceptions for rape, incest or an endangerment of the woman’s life.
Jim Bopp, former general counsel for Indiana Right to Life, said that he believed Indiana could attempt to revive a 2016 law that courts struck down. The law prohibited abortions obtained because of a fetal abnormality or another discriminatory reason, such as race.
“There is some regulation of abortion procedures in Indiana. However, there is no prohibition … for having an abortion for any reason whatsoever,” Bopp said.
“So abortions are legal for any reason, including as a method of birth control or to kill a baby with Down syndrome or because a baby is Black.”
Bopp said that the state might consider a “dismemberment abortion” ban, or a ban on abortions once a fetus can “feel pain.”
Lisa Humes-Shulz, the vice president of policy and regulatory affairs for Planned Parenthood’s Indiana affiliate, said the organization anticipates that the General Assembly will take advantage of whatever the Supreme Court allows — whether a 15-week ban or an outright ban.
“We know it’s going to get even harder for the people who live in Indiana — as well as people who are coming into the state — to get abortion care,” Humes-Shulz said.
“We fully anticipate that (the Legislature) will pass the most restrictive abortion ban that they’re allowed as soon as the Supreme Court gives the green light.”
Both Bopp and Humes-Shulz acknowledged that Illinois, which protects the right to abortion in its constitution, would likely serve the estimated 7,710 Hoosier women who annually seek abortions.
But researchers with Guttmacher, an organization that advocates for protecting abortion access, estimates that Illinois will be the closest abortion provider for 8.9 million women of reproductive age, including 1.5 million Hoosier women.
Humes-Shulz said that Indiana was preparing with other abortion providers to create a seamless transfer of care for women across the country, though she said Hoosiers should be able to access the health care right in their own backyards.
“We’re really working on investing and expanding our patient navigation resources to make sure that when someone calls us and they need abortion care, that we’re able to provide them as much as we can in state and then seamlessly hand them off to another provider in a state where abortion remains legal,” Humes-Shulz said.
“But we absolutely don’t believe we should be having to do this.”
Bopp said that most people don’t travel to get around their state’s laws, criticizing the “totally unregulated” abortion landscape that he equated to the self-managed abortions women attempted in the decades before Roe protected abortion access.
“You have absolutely barbaric abortion clinics all over the country where they don’t follow the basic health and safety guidelines,” Bopp said. “We just brought the back alley abortion clinics onto the front street.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified just two deaths related to legal abortion in 2017, reporting that the fatality rate from 2013 to 2017 was less than one death for every 100,000 abortions.
In contrast, the CDC reported that the maternal mortality rate, in which women die during childbirth or up to a year after, was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. In Indiana, which has one of the country’s highest maternal mortality rates, 60 women died in childbirth or up to a year after childbirth in 2019.
Humes-Shulz called Indiana’s maternal mortality rate shameful, noting that the death rate is higher for Black Hoosier women than for females in other racial groups. She cited a Colorado study that estimated pregnancy-related deaths could increase by 21% under a total abortion ban, increasing to 33% for Black women.
“These abortion bans really are going to disproportionately harm Black women … who are already facing very dangerous pregnancies because of the ongoing systemic racism that’s in our health care system,” said Humes-Shulz. “People’s lives are at risk.” | https://www.kokomotribune.com/indiana/news/indiana-awaits-u-s-supreme-court-before-acting-on-abortion/article_c1d45945-64ab-5e50-9cca-a158e31630b7.html | 2022-04-11T18:00:40 | 1 | https://www.kokomotribune.com/indiana/news/indiana-awaits-u-s-supreme-court-before-acting-on-abortion/article_c1d45945-64ab-5e50-9cca-a158e31630b7.html |
The airlines with the most delays
(Stacker) - When you’ve already waited in line to check your luggage, waited to get through TSA screening, and then waited some more for overpriced coffee or bottled water, the last thing you want to do is wait even more for your plane to board and take off. The sad truth, however, is that air travel is a waiting game, especially if you fly with airlines or out of airports where delays are as commonplace as cramped onboard legroom and crying babies.
Stacker went through data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to determine the percentage of delayed flights among all airlines. We looked at the most recent data available—reported by the airlines to the BTS from December 2020 to December 2021—and defined “delayed” as a flight that arrived at its destination at least 15 minutes after its scheduled arrival time. We also identified the most troublesome airport—the one with at least 100 flights during the reporting period and the highest percentage of delayed flights—for each airline.
Both mainline carriers and branded codeshare partners (airlines that only staff, maintain, and operate planes) were considered. You might wonder why Orlando and Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) are the only airports with the worst record for delays for two airlines each on our list.
#17. Endeavor Air Inc.
- On-time flights: 91%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Orlando, FL: Orlando International
Delta-owned Endeavor Air, which operates Delta Connection planes, may be under the radar; but it boasts the distinction of having fewer delayed flights than any U.S. carrier on our list.
Its excellent on-time status is probably due to the fact that it operates mainly from regional airports, which are subject to fewer delays due to lighter air traffic. But it also operates out of major airports, including hubs in New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Cincinnati—and super-busy Orlando. Its 192 regional jets service 140 destinations in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean with 900 daily flights.
#16. Hawaiian Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 91%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Orlando, FL: Orlando International
Because so many Hawaiian Airlines flights go to the 50th state, where weather delays are relatively rare, its on-time record is exemplary. Hawaiian, in fact, routinely tops on-time performance lists and receives the fewest complaints about cancellations, overbooking, and baggage-handling problems.
With the continual expansion of its routes since its launch in 1941, it now flies throughout the Pacific and the continental U.S.-—even to Orlando, where Hawaiian Airlines passengers endure the most delays. Orlando has the second-worst on-time percentage (24%) of all major U.S. airports because it’s America’s leading family travel destination (i.e. home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort).
#15. Delta Air Lines Inc.
- On-time flights: 88%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport
Delta is the only airline in the top eight on our list that ranks among the five largest U.S. airlines: second in passengers carried and miles flown, third in fleet size, and fifth in the number of routes and destinations. Infrequent delays represent one reason why Fodor’s ranks it as the #1 U.S. airline. Its flights to Kahului (Maui), where airport expansion has been debated for decades, are delayed most often.
#14. Horizon Air
- On-time flights: 87%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field
Horizon, Alaska Airlines’ regional carrier, serves dozens of destinations in the Western U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with Milwaukee the only destination east of the Mississippi. The light air traffic in Western outposts such as Wichita, Kansas; Walla Walla, Washington; and Dillingham, Alaska keep it on time almost all the time; only two of the 10 U.S. airports with the worst on-time stats are in the West. Horizon also flies to a handful of major Western cities, which does drag those stats down. Its hubs are Seattle, where it started out as a small regional carrier, and Portland, Oregon, while Dallas is the city where you’re most likely to be delayed on a Horizon flight.
#13. Republic Airways
- On-time flights: 87%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Lansing, MI: Capital Region International
You know how some wineries produce wines from grapes purchased from growers in the next county—but the growers don’t get any credit when awards are handed out? You haven’t heard of Republic Airways.
The airline operates regional flights on behalf of United Express, American Eagle, and Delta Connection. Republic gets credit for its solid on-time percentage, even though the airline benefit from flying in and out of quiet airports like Bangor, Maine, and Lansing, Michigan—where snow and ice on the runways contribute to the frequency of delays.
#12. PSA Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 86%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Traverse City, MI: Cherry Capital
PSA operated for a few years in the 1990s as an independent airline but now operates planes exclusively on American Eagle regional routes. Almost all of its nearly 100 destinations are small cities in the eastern half of the U.S. This focus on small cities like Traverse City, Michigan—where winter weather delays make it the airline’s most problematic airport—generally keep delays to a minimum.
#11. Envoy Air
- On-time flights: 85%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Burlington, VT: Burlington International
Envoy, like PSA, is an airline you’ve never heard of because they “only” staff, maintain, and operate American Eagle planes, while American Airlines handles the sales, marketing, and scheduling of flights.
Also like PSA, Envoy flies primarily to smaller cities—more than 150 destinations throughout North and South America, making it American Airlines’ busiest regional partner. The snows of Burlington, Vermont, can be blamed for Envoy’s mediocre on-time percentage there.
#10. SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 85%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Panama City, FL: Northwest Florida Beaches International
Because it serves so many masters—operating flights for American, Alaska, United, and Delta—SkyWest is the busiest regional airline in the U.S. The airline delayed more than 1,300 flights in October 2021 due to a server outage.
#9. Alaska Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 84%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Adak Island, AK: Adak
Alaska is nearly triple the size of Texas, leading many Alaskans to treat flying like most of us treat driving—although blizzards and icy runways can make flying there a challenge.
It’s safe to say that if an airline can make it in Alaska, it can make it anywhere; and Alaska Airlines has indeed “made it” as a major carrier throughout Canada, Mexico, and most of the other 49 states. Among major airlines, only Delta has a lower percentage of delayed flights. True to its roots, Alaska still flies to tiny Adak Island (pop. 326), where frequent delays can be attributed to the Aleutian island’s fierce winds and 173 annual days of fog.
#8. American Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 83%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Lubbock, TX: Lubbock Preston Smith International
No U.S. airline transports more passengers than American. Its on-time performance is not bad, though rivals Delta and Alaska do better. Besides 230 U.S. destinations, the behemoth flies to 121 foreign destinations in 62 countries on every continent except Africa. A recent $42 million renovation of Lubbock Airport may help end its status as the worst destination in the U.S. for delays.
#7. United Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 83%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Aguadilla, PR: Rafael Hernandez
United paid a record $1.9 million fine last year for subjecting the passengers of 25 flights between 2015 and 2021 to lengthy tarmac delays. And it hasn’t exactly improved over the years, slipping from an 85% on-time record (third-best among major U.S. airlines) in 2010 to 83.75% (only seventh-best) in 2020. Delays in the not-so-friendly United skies are most common in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, because it’s a popular beach getaway city with only one departure gate and a 1930s runway due to be replaced.
#6. Mesa Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 81%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Montgomery, AL: Montgomery Regional
Mesa is a midsized airline that operates jets for American Eagle and United Express. It became America’s first regional airline to exclusively fly large jets in 2010, with most flights transporting passengers from small airports to six U.S. hub cities (Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Washington D.C.). If you’re itching to leave Alabama, though, you might need to cool your heels for a while as flight delays leaving Birmingham are common.
#5. Spirit Airlines
- On-time flights: 80%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Aguadilla, PR: Rafael Hernandez
If Spirit played on a Little League team, it would be awarded the “most improved” trophy. In 2017, it was dead last (68%) among major U.S. airlines for on-time arrivals. Moving up to fifth-worst ain’t bad, though it’s still in the bottom half on our list. It’s America’s largest ultra-low-cost airline and is expected to merge this year with Frontier in a $6.6 billion deal.
#4. Southwest Airlines Co.
- On-time flights: 79%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Chicago, IL: Chicago O’Hare International
Southwest endeared itself to many loyal passengers with its flexible ticketing policy and free checked bags, but its propensity for delays nearly eclipses those benefits. And it does no worse anywhere in the world than at famously frustrating Chicago O’Hare, where delays are something of a regular occurrence due to snow, severe rain, staffing shortages, and simply too many flights on any given day.
#3. Frontier Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 79%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International
There’s one list that Frontier tops by a wide margin, but you won’t see it in any of the airline’s ads. It was #1 by far in the number of complaints per passenger between July 2020 and September 2021. Those complaints weren’t only about delays, but its on-time record is far from stellar, as you can see by its position in this ranking. Worst-case scenario: Your flight is delayed for hours while you’re stuck in Newark—the U.S. airport with the worst record for delays.
#2. JetBlue Airways
- On-time flights: 75%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Ontario, CA: Ontario International
Maybe there’s a reason for the name. Too many JetBlue passengers sing the “Jet Blues” while waiting, sometimes for hours, at their boarding gates. The budget airline flies to more than 100 destinations throughout the Americas (as well as London). Its on-time record is hurt by flying mostly to major cities with high air-traffic volume, but so do most of the major airlines that have better on-time stats, which led the Wall Street Journal to declare JetBlue the worst airline in the U.S.
#1. Allegiant Air
- On-time flights: 73%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Myrtle Beach, SC: Myrtle Beach International
If a baseball team wins 73% of its games, it’s World Series-worthy. But if an airline is only on time 73% of the time, it’s … well, it’s Allegiant, which has a well-deserved reputation for delays and other problems (including an abysmal safety record revealed in a “60 Minutes” segment). In its defense, it’s an ultra-low-cost airline, so you’re essentially paying for the strong possibility that your flight won’t leave on time. On the bright side, if you’re in Myrtle Beach, where delays are most common, you might have time to hit the sand for some extra tanning.
Copyright 2022 Stacker via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/airlines-with-most-delays/ | 2022-04-11T18:00:40 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/airlines-with-most-delays/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — In November of 2021, 23-year-old Texas resident, Tanya, learned she was pregnant.
That was two months after Texas lawmakers banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — the stage when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, but before most women know they’re pregnant. The new law provides no exceptions for rape or incest.
Tanya, as she was identified in an interview excerpt included in a report published by the University of Texas at Austin, discovered during an ultrasound appointment that the law, known as the “Heartbeat Act,” made her ineligible for an abortion in Texas.
“I had looked up some (clinics), and the closest were basically New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. I had called about six or seven places in those three states,” Tanya told researchers.
Ultimately, Tanya booked an appointment in Mississippi and embarked on a days-long trip to receive an abortion at a clinic two states away from her home. Her experience was among several collected by researchers who estimated 1,400 Texans each month cross state lines to obtain abortion care following the 2021 passage of the “Heartbeat Act.”
Analysts say the type of migration now common in Texas could become widespread if the 6-3 conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court decides to roll back abortion protections granted by the court’s landmark 1973 decision in Roe vs. Wade. Justices are expected to issue a decision by early summer in a Mississippi case involving the same clinic where Tanya obtained her abortion.
“The reality is that if the Supreme Court overturns abortion rights, we expect 26 states are certain or are likely to ban abortion,” said Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst with the Guttmacher Institute, a research think tank that supports abortion rights. “That would affect 36 million women of reproductive ages across the country.”
Return to states rule
The patchwork of state rules that would result from overturning Roe vs. Wade would effectively create islands of availability across the U.S. in states where lawmakers haven’t moved to stop abortions.
And those states have become focal points for advocates both for and against abortion access.
Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, Robyn Chambers, the executive director of Advocacy for Children at Focus on the Family, said her organization will continue to advocate for abortion restrictions.
“Our hope is obviously that it’s overturned but we also recognize that if Roe is overturned at the federal level that abortion does not go away; it goes back to the state level,” Chambers said. “Our goal is to make abortion unthinkable.”
Similarly, Nash said clinics and providers in abortion-friendly states are preparing for an influx of patients from states with limited or no abortion access. That impacts their capacity both to treat residents from their own states and those traveling from elsewhere. Nash said appointment backlogs in Oklahoma rocketed from a few days to three to four weeks after Texas’ restriction went into effect.
And officials with the abortion provider Planned Parenthood reported an 800% increase in patients at clinics in Oklahoma during that period.
Oklahoma’s legislature had two proposals pending until this past week. One would have established a six-week ban, the other an outright ban on all abortions, except in cases of medical emergencies, rape and incest.
On Tuesday, state lawmakers there passed the latter bill. If signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, it would make performing an abortion a felony in the state punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Guttmacher identified 13 states that would likely absorb the majority of patients, including New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. Several of those states, including Colorado, Illinois and New York, have passed laws protecting abortion access. Colorado’s governor signed the state’s law in early April.
Of those states, experts expect Illinois to see the most dramatic influx of abortion patients as several surrounding states, including Michigan and Indiana, would disallow abortions. The state would become the nearest provider for as many as 8.9 million women, an increase of up to 8,651%.
In anticipation, two clinics in southern Illinois created a call center to help out-of-state women with logistics such as financial assistance, hotels, flights, cabs and child care.
“We should be preparing and are preparing for a scenario where Roe vs. Wade is no longer the law of the land,” said Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, the vice president of strategy and communication at Planned Parenthood in St. Louis.
Lee-Gilmore said about 75% of patients at Planned Parenthood’s Fairview Heights clinic, across the river from St. Louis, traveled from Missouri, which has some of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws. Lawmakers in Missouri, recognizing that proximity and outflow, introduced a bill that would allow residents to sue out-of-state physicians who perform the procedure.
Erin Hawley, a senior appellate lawyer for Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-abortion group, said “constitutional precedence” allows states to protect the rights of their residents across state lines.
“It’s clear that states have an interest in protecting citizens outside of their state boundaries,” Hawley said. “For example, if a child was kidnapped with the intention of taking her across state lines and killing her, no one would argue that states don’t have an interest in protecting that life.”
Who is most impacted?
Regardless of their fundamental disagreement over access to abortion services, many advocates often agree on who is most impacted by restrictions.
About 1 in 6 pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) ended in abortion in 2017, according to Guttmacher — an estimated 862,320 abortions.
In 2014, more than half of abortion patients were in their 20s. Most, 59%, were already mothers and 75% were poor (living below the federal poverty level) or low-income (earning between 100% or 199% of the federal poverty level).
(The federal poverty level for a family of two in 2014 was $15,730.)
And whether abortion services are covered by insurance varies wildly from state to state, and from one insurance plan to the next. Even Medicaid coverage of abortions varies by state. The Hyde Amendment blocks federal money from being spent on abortions, except under narrow circumstances, but some states supplement Medicaid programs with state money to cover abortions.
“Women denied an abortion were more likely than women who received an abortion to experience economic hardship and insecurity lasting years,” the study, from University of California researchers, concluded. “Laws that restrict access to abortion may result in worsened economic outcomes for women.”
Recognizing this, Chambers, with Focus on the Family, said youth anti-abortion activists pushed the organization to find ways to support mothers post-birth and advocate for affordable healthcare as well as housing and education opportunities.
“The top reasons women have an abortion is because of financial issues or lack of support financially,” Chambers said. “And so those are the things we need to focus on … at that state level.”
Layered on top of financial considerations, is the high maternal mortality rate in the U.S., including in many states with strict abortion restrictions. and mortality statistics show Black women and other minorities suffer the most.
“Maternal mortality rates for Black women are three times that of white women and we know that … proportionately, there are more Black women seeking abortion care,” Nash said. “The fact that our country does not provide adequate reproductive healthcare — the brunt is borne by Black women and that is a real problem.”
Research from the University of Colorado Boulder predicted that pregnancy-related deaths would increase by 21% if abortion was banned nationwide, with a 33% for Black women.
SCOTUS isn’t the end
The Supreme Court’s decision, even if justices don’t overturn Roe vs. Wade, will trigger rapid action by states as lawmakers and advocates pull against one another, said Nash with Guttmacher.
The estimated 26 states likely to constrict or halt abortion access include those with pre-Roe bans, those with “trigger” laws tied to Roe vs. Wade and others with laws currently tied up in litigation that could be dismissed following the justices’ decision.
But Nash emphasized that one court loss couldn’t permanently define abortion access, noting that politics change over time.
“Just because this is where the political climate is right now doesn’t mean that’s where it will be in 5, 10 or 15 years. It may look very different then,” Nash said. “These bans may be eased in some way over that time as people see the harm and politics change.”
Chambers, with Focus on the Family, said the organization doesn’t have a blanket policy for when an abortion is or isn’t permissible because each circumstance is unique. Regardless, knowing that abortions will continue in some states, Focus on the Family will continue pushing for abortion restrictions.
“We don’t know all those situations but we do know that the better choice is life,” Chambers said. “I do have hope for the first time in a very long time that Roe could be overturned but that doesn’t mean we back down.” | https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/states-move-to-restrict-abortion-access-as-landmark-supreme-court-decision-expected/article_3d44efa3-166f-5838-b61e-3a458f0e0d30.html | 2022-04-11T18:00:46 | 1 | https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/states-move-to-restrict-abortion-access-as-landmark-supreme-court-decision-expected/article_3d44efa3-166f-5838-b61e-3a458f0e0d30.html |
Discovery of radioactive liquid pauses work at US nuke dump
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An area at the U.S. government’s nuclear waste repository in southeastern New Mexico was evacuated over the weekend after workers handling a shipping container discovered a small amount of radioactive liquid inside it.
There was no indication of airborne contamination and testing of workers’ hands and feet turned up no contamination after the discovery was made late Saturday in a bay where containers are processed before being taken underground for disposal, officials said in a statement.
“The event at the site has been secured. There is no risk of radiological release and there is no risk to the public or the environment,” plant officials said their most recent statement, issued late Saturday.
It wasn’t immediately clear where the liquid came from and which government facility had packed and shipped the waste. Bobby St. John, a spokesman for the contractor that manages the facility for the federal government, said Monday that more information would be provided later.
The repository is the backbone of a multibillion-dollar cleanup program that involves tons of Cold War-era waste from federal labs and defense-related sites around the country.
The waste — remnants of decades of nuclear research and bomb making — typically consists of lab coats, gloves, tools and debris contaminated with plutonium and other radioactive elements.
Independent federal investigators last month raised concerns about whether cost overruns and missed construction deadlines will continue at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
A multimillion-dollar project is underway at the underground facility to install a new ventilation system so that full operations can resume, following a radiation leak in 2014 that forced the repository’s closure for nearly three years and led to major policy overhauls.
The container that caused that release had been inappropriately packed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico.
Operations had to be reduced after the waste plant reopened in 2017 because areas of the facility were contaminated and airflow needed for mining and disposal operations was limited.
It was unclear Monday whether operations had resumed in the area where shipments are processed or what plans were in place to ensure worker safety.
The repository was carved out of an ancient salt formation about a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) below the ground because officials say that the shifting salt will eventually entomb the radioactive waste.
Its current footprint includes eight sections, which the U.S. Energy Department estimates will be filled in 2025.
State regulators are weighing a permit change that some critics have said could lead to expanded repository operations. A decision is expected later this year.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/discovery-radioactive-liquid-pauses-work-us-nuke-dump/ | 2022-04-11T18:00:47 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/discovery-radioactive-liquid-pauses-work-us-nuke-dump/ |
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.wnem.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ | 2022-04-11T18:00:54 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ |
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.wnem.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:01 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ |
Pacific Gas & Electric to pay more than $55 million to avoid prosecution for California wildfires
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric has agreed to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for two major wildfires started by its aging power lines in Northern California, prosecutors announced Monday.
PG&E does not admit wrongdoing in the two settlements reached with prosecutors for last year’s Dixie Fire — one of the largest wildfires in California’s history — and the 2019 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. The deals expedite damages payments to the hundreds of people whose homes were destroyed.
PG&E also will submit to five years of oversight by an independent monitor similar to the supervision it faced during five years of criminal probation after it was convicted for misconduct that contributed to its natural gas explosion that killed eight people in 2010.
PG&E, a 117-year-old company, generates about $20 billion in revenue annually while serving a 70,000-square-mile service area in the northern and central part of California that includes farmland, forests, big cities and the world’s technology hub in Silicon Valley.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/pacific-gas-electric-pay-more-than-55-million-avoid-prosecution-california-wildfires/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:10 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/pacific-gas-electric-pay-more-than-55-million-avoid-prosecution-california-wildfires/ |
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A 16-year-old Las Vegas student accused of sexually assaulting, punching, and strangling a teacher until she lost consciousness has been identified as Jonathan Eluterio Martinez Garcia.
According to police, the Eldorado High School teacher was in her classroom Thursday when Garcia entered to talk about his grades and eventually became violent.
Police said that Garcia attacked the teacher, caused her to lose consciousness, and later fled the classroom.
Sources told Nexstar’s KLAS that a janitor found the teacher in her classroom later in the afternoon. Officers arrived to the school at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday once the incident was reported.
Garcia was taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for attempted murder, sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping and robbery.
Garcia’s bail was set at $500,000. If he posts bail, he is to be placed on electronic monitoring and will be ordered to have no contact with the victim.
Garcia is scheduled to appear in court April 12 at 8 a.m.
Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara sent this statement to CCSD staff on Friday:
Dear CCSD Staff,
The safety of every Clark County School District (CCSD) student and employee is our top priority.
I am devastated, and the CCSD family hurts for the teacher assaulted at Eldorado High School. Our hearts are heavy because of the violence committed against her, and we pray for her full recovery.
As I have said previously, “Violent acts, assaults, and bullying will not be tolerated in the Clark County School District, and those who choose to engage in these activities will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
SUPERINTENDENT JESUS JARA | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/16-year-old-student-accused-of-battering-sexually-assaulting-teacher-identified/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:20 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/16-year-old-student-accused-of-battering-sexually-assaulting-teacher-identified/ |
Police: 2 found dead in Bay Co. home with carbon monoxide levels
FRASER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WNEM) - State police believe deadly levels of carbon monoxide may have led to the death of two people in Bay County.
Troopers were sent to a residence in the 2000 block of Kaiser Tower Road after a 911 caller reported finding two people deceased inside about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 10.
Both of the victims and their dogs were found dead inside the home. According to the preliminary investigation, Bridgitte Hill, 60, from Pinconning, and Dennis Mackenzie, 60, from Au Gres, were staying at the residence without power or heat.
Investigators found a generator in the basement and multiple electric and propane space heaters throughout the home, Michigan State Police said. State police believe improper ventilation while the power and heat sources were operating may have caused deadly levels of carbon monoxide.
While the incident is still under investigation, anyone with more information is asked to call the Michigan State Police Tri-City Post at 989-495-5555.
Anyone struggling to get heat or electricity services is asked to call 211 to be connected with services that can help. When using a generator or space heaters, residents are advised to provide proper ventilation and ensure carbon monoxide monitors are operational.
Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/police-2-found-dead-bay-co-home-with-carbon-monoxide-levels/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:20 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/11/police-2-found-dead-bay-co-home-with-carbon-monoxide-levels/ |
NORTON, Va. (WJHL) — Virginia State Police (VSP) on Monday provided more details into the deaths of three people following an apparent murder-suicide in Norton on Sunday.
A news release from VSP stated that the incident is believed to have occurred shortly before noon on April 10 in the 800 block of Highland Avenue NW.
“The incident occurred shortly before noon Sunday (April 10, 2022) when the Norton Police Department received a 911 call from an individual at the residence,” the release read, not adding further details into who was believed to have made the call.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the bodies of two women and a man before recovering a firearm. The two female bodies were identified as the remains of Vivian A. Wampler, 53, and Elizabeth A. Sturgill, 81.
VSP identified the male body as Bryan C., Wampler, 53, and police believe Wampler shot and killed his wife, Vivian, and mother-in-law, Sturgill, before fatally shooting himself.
All three bodies were transported for examination and autopsies at the Office of the Medical Examiner in Roanoke. The VSP Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Wytheville Field Office, City of Norton Police Department and Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney continue to investigate the incident.
No further details have been released at this time. | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/virginia-state-police-identifies-2-women-shot-and-killed-in-murder-suicide/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:26 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/virginia-state-police-identifies-2-women-shot-and-killed-in-murder-suicide/ |
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.wric.com/news/heres-why-egg-prices-are-quickly-rising/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:32 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/heres-why-egg-prices-are-quickly-rising/ |
CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WRIC) — Chesterfield’s budget got a $35 million boost, thanks in part to rising home prices across the county – and despite a real estate tax cut approved this year.
At a meeting on April 6, the board approved a final budget totaling $905.5 million in local revenue and spending. Adjusted for inflation, last year’s budget topped out at $870.5 million.
The vast majority of that money – which does not include hundreds of millions in state and federal funding paid directly to support the school system – came from the county’s real estate tax.
That tax alone raked in an extra $23 million dollars, even though the County cut the tax rate by 3 cents. That move was “designed to mitigate the impact of inflation on household finances,” a county spokesperson said.
Virginia law requires that real estate taxes be assessed at “fair market value” – but deciding what’s fair can be a tricky proposition for county assessors.
After all, a developer might be willing to pay a high price for farmland near a proposed county road – but does that mean a farmer should have to pay more in property taxes on it?
Likewise, home prices are rising in Chesterfield, with data from county records showing that the growth in prices began accelerating in 2020 and 2021.
But rising home prices don’t necessarily mean rising income, so some residents may find themselves with homes that are literally too valuable to keep.
The county has offered tax relief for elderly and disabled residents for years, but this year the board cut the overall rate to .92% – meaning residents will have to pay 92 cents for every $100 of value in their home.
According to the county, the real estate tax is now “the lowest it has been in Chesterfield over at least the past 50 years.” | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/rising-home-prices-give-chesterfield-budget-a-boost/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:38 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/rising-home-prices-give-chesterfield-budget-a-boost/ |
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Secco Wine Bar, a popular Richmond wine and dining location, announced in a Facebook post on Sunday that would be closing its doors permanently on April 29.
“This was not an easy decision to make,” the post reads. “But we promised ourselves if we bounced back post-pandemic we would take some time off and just… live. Thanks to all you fabulous people — staff and regulars and vendors and neighbors. We are very lucky to have lived this dream for so many years. See you on the other side!”
Secco Wine Bar was originally opened in Carytown in 2010 by owner and wine director, Julia Battaglini.
Battaglini was coming off a successful 15-year run with her wine and gourmet shop, River City Cellars.
In 2016, Secco moved locations to the Fan neighborhood where it has remained to this day.
In an earlier post on Secco’s Facebook page, Battaglini described the move as “painful like most difficult things in life,” but ultimately “the opportunity was worth it.” The space was bigger and the restaurant quickly became a staple of the Fan district.
The story of Secco’s pandemic survival is similar to many local beloved restaurants. In March 2020, Secco was forced to close, but they returned in May, shifting to an online order system.
In May 2021 — over a year later — Secco reopened for in-person dining. The reopening coincided with the 11-year-anniversary of the wine bar.
A statement attached to the Sunday Facebook post explained that Secco’s permanent closure will coincide with its 12-year-anniversary.
“We are all healthy and happy, we’re just ready for a sabbatical. It’s time to take a break from 25+ years in this industry to travel, visit family, rekindle long-dormant hobbies, and figure out our next chapter,” the statement attributed to the whole staff reads. “We are so grateful for your support all these years, especially for those of you who have been our champions since Julia opened River City Cellars back in 1998. It’s been a wild ride but worth every minute.”
Those looking to visit before the closure are encouraged to book a reservation beforehand. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/secco-wine-bar-to-close-at-the-end-of-april/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:44 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/secco-wine-bar-to-close-at-the-end-of-april/ |
BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A motorcyclist was killed Friday in eastern Pennsylvania after police said a goose hit them in the head, causing a head-on crash with an SUV.
The crash happened April 8 at State Road and River Road in Croydon, Pa. The driver was on a Harley Davidson just before 9 a.m. when a goose reportedly came flying out of the woods, hitting the motorcyclist in the head.
Bristol Borough Police said the goose caused the motorcyclist to side-swipe a car before running head-on into a Toyota Highlander SUV. The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time, according to the report.
The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. | https://www.wric.com/news/one-dead-after-goose-causes-pennsylvania-motorcycle-crash/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:50 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/one-dead-after-goose-causes-pennsylvania-motorcycle-crash/ |
(The Hill) — The country’s average gasoline price has dropped about eight cents over the past week, and about 13 cents in the last two weeks, according to figures from the American Automobile Association (AAA).
AAA listed the country’s average price at $4.11 per gallon on Monday, down from $4.19 a week ago and $4.24 two weeks ago.
The recent drop comes after countries including the U.S. announced recently that they would release additional oil from their reserves.
After the U.S. announced late last month that it would add one million barrels per day to the market over six months — the largest-ever release from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve — analysts told The Hill that the move could result in modest price drops.
Prices for crude oil, from which gasoline is made, have also dropped in recent days. U.S. crude stood at around $95 per barrel on Monday morning, down from as high as $103 per barrel a week ago and even higher in late March.
Gasoline and oil prices soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as many buyers rejected Russian barrels, cutting the supply of oil on the market. Prior to that, prices had already been relatively high since production has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Although the move was largely caused by external factors, Republicans have sought to use gasoline prices to criticize Democrats and the Biden administration. Democrats, meanwhile, have criticized both Russia and oil companies. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/gasoline-prices-drop-eight-cents-in-one-week-aaa-says/ | 2022-04-11T18:01:56 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/gasoline-prices-drop-eight-cents-in-one-week-aaa-says/ |
If you haven’t made your Easter or Mother’s Day plans yet, Binkley’s could be the perfect spot for your family to check out.
It’s the first time since the start of the pandemic that the Broad Ripple restaurant will be at full capacity for Easter and Mother’s Day.
This May, Binkley’s will buy its customers a beer if they bring in any memorabilia proving they were at any of Helio Castroneves’ winning races or Simon Pagenaud’s win.
Let’s get social: follow your friends at Indy Now
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for behind-the-scenes fun, the latest on what’s happening in central Indiana, information about the local businesses featured on the show, and much more. | https://fox59.com/indy-now/check-out-this-easter-mothers-day-brunch-spot/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:11 | 0 | https://fox59.com/indy-now/check-out-this-easter-mothers-day-brunch-spot/ |
Dance Kaleidoscope is celebrating the art of dance, specifically the Martha Graham technique, at upcoming performances.
The troupe will perform along with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra at Schrott Center for the Arts from May 20-22 for its Music Moves concert.
Troupe members Emily Dyson and Manuel Valdes stopped by Indy Now to chat about the upcoming performance.
You can check out tickets here. | https://fox59.com/indy-now/dance-kaleidoscope-to-share-stage-with-indianapolis-chamber-orchestra/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:17 | 0 | https://fox59.com/indy-now/dance-kaleidoscope-to-share-stage-with-indianapolis-chamber-orchestra/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis painter James Kelly joined Indy Now on Monday to discuss his work.
Kelly is known for his pet portraits. With Mother’s Day around the corner, a custom portrait could be the perfect gift!
Click here for more.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis painter James Kelly joined Indy Now on Monday to discuss his work.
Kelly is known for his pet portraits. With Mother’s Day around the corner, a custom portrait could be the perfect gift!
Click here for more. | https://fox59.com/indy-now/indys-james-kelly-paints-custom-pet-portraits/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:23 | 1 | https://fox59.com/indy-now/indys-james-kelly-paints-custom-pet-portraits/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Easter is just around the corner. Danielle Parker from the Keystone Fashion Mall has some ideas when it comes to getting your kids dressed for the holiday!
Posted:
Updated:
INDIANAPOLIS — Easter is just around the corner. Danielle Parker from the Keystone Fashion Mall has some ideas when it comes to getting your kids dressed for the holiday! | https://fox59.com/morning-news/easter-fashion-for-the-kids/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:29 | 0 | https://fox59.com/morning-news/easter-fashion-for-the-kids/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — A former state senator from Greenwood could serve up to 10 years in prison after admitting in court to campaign finance violations and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation two years after the federal agents raided his condominium.
On Monday, Brent Waltz, 48, pleaded guilty in federal court to two felony charges: making and receiving conduit contributions and making false statements to the FBI. He faces up to five years in prison for each of the charges.
The charges stem from Waltz’s 2016 U.S. congressional campaign when the former state senator ran in the 2016 Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives Ninth District. Waltz, along with a 71-year-old gaming executive John S. Keeler, were accused and charged in 2020 of being part of a “straw donors” plot that violated federal campaign finance law.
Previously, authorities said Keeler, vice president of New Centaur LLC, arranged to transfer thousands of dollars to Kelley Rogers, a political consultant for Waltz, who then contributed money to Waltz’s campaign.
Federal prosecutors said Keeler and Rogers concealed the contributions by creating phony invoices and agreements that appeared to be for services performed for New Centaur. Rogers recruited several “straw donors,” who contributed $2,700 to the campaign—the maximum individual contribution permitted under federal law at the time.
Waltz was one of the straw donors, according to court documents. Others were friends and associates of Rogers.
Rogers then used the money Keeler and New Centaur provided to reimburse the donors. A large portion of the money also went to Waltz, federal prosecutors said, who recruited more “straw donors” and used the money to reimburse them or pay them in advance.
Waltz’s straw donors included relatives and business associates.
Waltz and Keeler concealed the contributions from campaign officials, federal prosecutors said, causing them to unwittingly file materially false reports with the Federal Election Commission.
The FBI raided Waltz Greenwood condo in late September of 2020. His charges, along with Keelers, were announced soon after.
After pleading guilty on Monday, Waltz is scheduled to be sentenced by the U.S. District Court at a later date.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Keeper’s trial in connection to this case is scheduled to begin on April 18. | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/former-indiana-state-senator-could-serve-10-years-behind-bars-after-guilty-plea/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:35 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/former-indiana-state-senator-could-serve-10-years-behind-bars-after-guilty-plea/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Two Indianapolis men with outstanding arrest warrants for dealing methamphetamine and cocaine were arrested Friday in Bartholomew County.
Shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, a deputy was traveling north on U.S. 31/W. 500 N. when he noticed a black SUV swerve across both lanes and onto the shoulder, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office said.
When the deputy pulled the SUV over, both the driver and passenger gave false names, per BCSO. The driver was later identified as 27-year-old William E. Hayes, and the passenger was identified as 31-year-old Daron S. Croom.
The sheriff’s office said a K9 was deployed, and deputies found fentanyl and more than $17,000 in cash.
Hayes and Croom were taken to the Bartholomew County Jail. In addition to their outstanding warrants, both were preliminarily charges with false informing and possession of a controlled substance. Hayes was also charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matthew Myers issued the following statement after their arrests:
“Folks, people from larger cities are bringing this into our county and into our homes. Just last week, I issued a warning about the dangers of fentanyl that is coming into our community. Please take this information seriously and protect yourself and your loved ones. Law enforcement is doing everything we can to slow the supply but we need everyone’s help and (unfortunately) I believe we may see an even bigger spike in our community and we must be prepared.” | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/indy-men-wanted-on-drug-dealing-charges-arrested-in-bartholomew-county/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:39 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/indy-men-wanted-on-drug-dealing-charges-arrested-in-bartholomew-county/ |
PHOENIX (AP) — Karla Finocchio’s slide into homelessness began when she split with her partner of 18 years and temporarily moved in with a cousin.
The 55-year-old planned to use her $800-a-month disability check to get an apartment after back surgery. But she soon was sleeping in her old pickup protected by her German Shepherd mix Scrappy, unable to afford housing in Phoenix, where median monthly rents soared 33% during the coronavirus pandemic to over $1,220 for a one-bedroom, according to ApartmentList.com.
Finocchio is one face of America’s graying homeless population, a rapidly expanding group of destitute and desperate people 50 and older suddenly without a permanent home after a job loss, divorce, family death or health crisis during a pandemic.
“We’re seeing a huge boom in senior homelessness,” said Kendra Hendry, a caseworker at Arizona’s largest shelter, where older people make up about 30% of those staying there. “These are not necessarily people who have mental illness or substance abuse problems. They are people being pushed into the streets by rising rents.”
Academics project their numbers will nearly triple over the next decade, challenging policymakers from Los Angeles to New York to imagine new ideas for sheltering the last of the baby boomers as they get older, sicker and less able to pay spiraling rents. Advocates say much more housing is needed, especially for extremely low-income people.
Navigating sidewalks in wheelchairs and walkers, the aging homeless have medical ages greater than their years, with mobility, cognitive and chronic problems like diabetes. Many contracted COVID-19 or couldn’t work because of pandemic restrictions.
Cardelia Corley, 65, ended up on the streets of Los Angeles County after the hours at her telemarketing job were cut.
“I’d always worked, been successful, put my kid through college,” the single mother said. “And then all of a sudden things went downhill.”
Corley traveled all night aboard buses and rode commuter trains to catch a cat nap.
“And then I would go to Union Station downtown and wash up in the bathroom,” said Corley. She recently moved into a small East Hollywood apartment with help from The People Concern, a Los Angeles nonprofit.
A 2019 study of aging homeless people led by the University of Pennsylvania drew on 30 years of census data to project the U.S. population of people 65 and older experiencing homelessness will nearly triple from 40,000 to 106,000 by 2030, resulting in a public health crisis as their age-related medical problems multiply.
Dr. Margot Kushel, a physician who directs the Center for Vulnerable Populations at the University of California, San Francisco, said her research in Oakland on how homelessness affects health has shown nearly half of the tens of thousands of older homeless people in the U.S. are on the streets for the first time.
“We are seeing that retirement is no longer the golden dream,” said Kushel. “A lot of the working poor are destined to retire onto the streets.”
That’s especially true of younger baby boomers, now in their late 50s to late 60s, who don’t have pensions or 401(k) accounts. About half of both women and men ages 55 to 66 have no retirement savings, according to the census.
Born between 1946 and 1964, baby boomers now number over 70 million, the census shows. With the oldest boomers in their mid 70s, all will hit age 65 by 2030.
The aged homeless also tend to have smaller Social Security checks after years working off the books.
Donald Whitehead Jr., executive director of the Washington-based advocacy group National Coalition for the Homeless, said Black, Latino and Indigenous people who came of age in the 1980s amid recession and high unemployment rates are disproportionately represented among the homeless.
Many nearing retirement never got well-paying jobs and didn’t buy homes because of discriminatory real estate practices.
“So many of us didn’t put money into retirement programs, thinking that Social Security was going to take care of us,” said Rudy Soliz, 63, operations director for Justa Center, which offers meals, showers, a mail drop and other services to the aged homeless in Phoenix.
The average monthly Social Security retirement payment as of December was $1,658. Many older homeless people have much smaller checks because they worked fewer years or earned less than others.
People 65 and over with limited resources and who didn’t work enough to earn retirement benefits may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income of $841 a month.
Nestor Castro, 67, was luckier than many who lose permanent homes.
Castro was in his late 50s living in New York when his mother died and he was hospitalized with bleeding ulcers, losing their apartment. He initially stayed with his sister in Boston, then for more than three years at a YMCA in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Just before last Christmas, Castro got a permanent subsidized apartment through Hearth Inc., a Boston nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness among older adults. Residents pay 30% of their income to stay in one if Hearth’s 228 units.
Castro pays with part of his Social Security check and a part-time job. He also volunteers at a food pantry and a nonprofit that assists people with housing.
“Housing is a big problem around here because they are building luxury apartments that no one can afford,” he said. “A place down the street is $3,068 a month for a studio.” | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/more-of-americas-aging-homeless-population-retiring-on-streets/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:40 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/more-of-americas-aging-homeless-population-retiring-on-streets/ |
(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://fox59.com/news/national-world/taco-bells-first-restaurants-only-offered-5-items-and-most-are-no-longer-on-the-menu/ | 2022-04-11T18:04:57 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/taco-bells-first-restaurants-only-offered-5-items-and-most-are-no-longer-on-the-menu/ |
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Early Monday morning, a fire caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage on High Street in Buffalo.
Crews headed to the scene just before 1:30 a.m. There, they say a fire began “in a step down area” of a vacant building.
Damage to that building was estimated at $100,000, but the exposure damage to the building next to it was even more. City officials say that building suffered $125,000 in damage.
No one was injured as a result of this fire.
Latest Posts
- Schumer pushes for federal grant for Buffalo manufacturing site
- 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
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/buffalo/early-morning-high-street-fire-causes-225k-in-damage/ | 2022-04-11T18:08:06 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/buffalo/early-morning-high-street-fire-causes-225k-in-damage/ |
The airlines with the most delays
(Stacker) - When you’ve already waited in line to check your luggage, waited to get through TSA screening, and then waited some more for overpriced coffee or bottled water, the last thing you want to do is wait even more for your plane to board and take off. The sad truth, however, is that air travel is a waiting game, especially if you fly with airlines or out of airports where delays are as commonplace as cramped onboard legroom and crying babies.
Stacker went through data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to determine the percentage of delayed flights among all airlines. We looked at the most recent data available—reported by the airlines to the BTS from December 2020 to December 2021—and defined “delayed” as a flight that arrived at its destination at least 15 minutes after its scheduled arrival time. We also identified the most troublesome airport—the one with at least 100 flights during the reporting period and the highest percentage of delayed flights—for each airline.
Both mainline carriers and branded codeshare partners (airlines that only staff, maintain, and operate planes) were considered. You might wonder why Orlando and Aguadilla (Puerto Rico) are the only airports with the worst record for delays for two airlines each on our list.
#17. Endeavor Air Inc.
- On-time flights: 91%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Orlando, FL: Orlando International
Delta-owned Endeavor Air, which operates Delta Connection planes, may be under the radar; but it boasts the distinction of having fewer delayed flights than any U.S. carrier on our list.
Its excellent on-time status is probably due to the fact that it operates mainly from regional airports, which are subject to fewer delays due to lighter air traffic. But it also operates out of major airports, including hubs in New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Cincinnati—and super-busy Orlando. Its 192 regional jets service 140 destinations in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean with 900 daily flights.
#16. Hawaiian Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 91%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Orlando, FL: Orlando International
Because so many Hawaiian Airlines flights go to the 50th state, where weather delays are relatively rare, its on-time record is exemplary. Hawaiian, in fact, routinely tops on-time performance lists and receives the fewest complaints about cancellations, overbooking, and baggage-handling problems.
With the continual expansion of its routes since its launch in 1941, it now flies throughout the Pacific and the continental U.S.-—even to Orlando, where Hawaiian Airlines passengers endure the most delays. Orlando has the second-worst on-time percentage (24%) of all major U.S. airports because it’s America’s leading family travel destination (i.e. home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort).
#15. Delta Air Lines Inc.
- On-time flights: 88%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport
Delta is the only airline in the top eight on our list that ranks among the five largest U.S. airlines: second in passengers carried and miles flown, third in fleet size, and fifth in the number of routes and destinations. Infrequent delays represent one reason why Fodor’s ranks it as the #1 U.S. airline. Its flights to Kahului (Maui), where airport expansion has been debated for decades, are delayed most often.
#14. Horizon Air
- On-time flights: 87%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field
Horizon, Alaska Airlines’ regional carrier, serves dozens of destinations in the Western U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with Milwaukee the only destination east of the Mississippi. The light air traffic in Western outposts such as Wichita, Kansas; Walla Walla, Washington; and Dillingham, Alaska keep it on time almost all the time; only two of the 10 U.S. airports with the worst on-time stats are in the West. Horizon also flies to a handful of major Western cities, which does drag those stats down. Its hubs are Seattle, where it started out as a small regional carrier, and Portland, Oregon, while Dallas is the city where you’re most likely to be delayed on a Horizon flight.
#13. Republic Airways
- On-time flights: 87%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Lansing, MI: Capital Region International
You know how some wineries produce wines from grapes purchased from growers in the next county—but the growers don’t get any credit when awards are handed out? You haven’t heard of Republic Airways.
The airline operates regional flights on behalf of United Express, American Eagle, and Delta Connection. Republic gets credit for its solid on-time percentage, even though the airline benefit from flying in and out of quiet airports like Bangor, Maine, and Lansing, Michigan—where snow and ice on the runways contribute to the frequency of delays.
#12. PSA Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 86%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Traverse City, MI: Cherry Capital
PSA operated for a few years in the 1990s as an independent airline but now operates planes exclusively on American Eagle regional routes. Almost all of its nearly 100 destinations are small cities in the eastern half of the U.S. This focus on small cities like Traverse City, Michigan—where winter weather delays make it the airline’s most problematic airport—generally keep delays to a minimum.
#11. Envoy Air
- On-time flights: 85%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Burlington, VT: Burlington International
Envoy, like PSA, is an airline you’ve never heard of because they “only” staff, maintain, and operate American Eagle planes, while American Airlines handles the sales, marketing, and scheduling of flights.
Also like PSA, Envoy flies primarily to smaller cities—more than 150 destinations throughout North and South America, making it American Airlines’ busiest regional partner. The snows of Burlington, Vermont, can be blamed for Envoy’s mediocre on-time percentage there.
#10. SkyWest Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 85%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Panama City, FL: Northwest Florida Beaches International
Because it serves so many masters—operating flights for American, Alaska, United, and Delta—SkyWest is the busiest regional airline in the U.S. The airline delayed more than 1,300 flights in October 2021 due to a server outage.
#9. Alaska Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 84%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Adak Island, AK: Adak
Alaska is nearly triple the size of Texas, leading many Alaskans to treat flying like most of us treat driving—although blizzards and icy runways can make flying there a challenge.
It’s safe to say that if an airline can make it in Alaska, it can make it anywhere; and Alaska Airlines has indeed “made it” as a major carrier throughout Canada, Mexico, and most of the other 49 states. Among major airlines, only Delta has a lower percentage of delayed flights. True to its roots, Alaska still flies to tiny Adak Island (pop. 326), where frequent delays can be attributed to the Aleutian island’s fierce winds and 173 annual days of fog.
#8. American Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 83%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Lubbock, TX: Lubbock Preston Smith International
No U.S. airline transports more passengers than American. Its on-time performance is not bad, though rivals Delta and Alaska do better. Besides 230 U.S. destinations, the behemoth flies to 121 foreign destinations in 62 countries on every continent except Africa. A recent $42 million renovation of Lubbock Airport may help end its status as the worst destination in the U.S. for delays.
#7. United Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 83%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Aguadilla, PR: Rafael Hernandez
United paid a record $1.9 million fine last year for subjecting the passengers of 25 flights between 2015 and 2021 to lengthy tarmac delays. And it hasn’t exactly improved over the years, slipping from an 85% on-time record (third-best among major U.S. airlines) in 2010 to 83.75% (only seventh-best) in 2020. Delays in the not-so-friendly United skies are most common in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, because it’s a popular beach getaway city with only one departure gate and a 1930s runway due to be replaced.
#6. Mesa Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 81%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Montgomery, AL: Montgomery Regional
Mesa is a midsized airline that operates jets for American Eagle and United Express. It became America’s first regional airline to exclusively fly large jets in 2010, with most flights transporting passengers from small airports to six U.S. hub cities (Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Washington D.C.). If you’re itching to leave Alabama, though, you might need to cool your heels for a while as flight delays leaving Birmingham are common.
#5. Spirit Airlines
- On-time flights: 80%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Aguadilla, PR: Rafael Hernandez
If Spirit played on a Little League team, it would be awarded the “most improved” trophy. In 2017, it was dead last (68%) among major U.S. airlines for on-time arrivals. Moving up to fifth-worst ain’t bad, though it’s still in the bottom half on our list. It’s America’s largest ultra-low-cost airline and is expected to merge this year with Frontier in a $6.6 billion deal.
#4. Southwest Airlines Co.
- On-time flights: 79%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Chicago, IL: Chicago O’Hare International
Southwest endeared itself to many loyal passengers with its flexible ticketing policy and free checked bags, but its propensity for delays nearly eclipses those benefits. And it does no worse anywhere in the world than at famously frustrating Chicago O’Hare, where delays are something of a regular occurrence due to snow, severe rain, staffing shortages, and simply too many flights on any given day.
#3. Frontier Airlines Inc.
- On-time flights: 79%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International
There’s one list that Frontier tops by a wide margin, but you won’t see it in any of the airline’s ads. It was #1 by far in the number of complaints per passenger between July 2020 and September 2021. Those complaints weren’t only about delays, but its on-time record is far from stellar, as you can see by its position in this ranking. Worst-case scenario: Your flight is delayed for hours while you’re stuck in Newark—the U.S. airport with the worst record for delays.
#2. JetBlue Airways
- On-time flights: 75%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Ontario, CA: Ontario International
Maybe there’s a reason for the name. Too many JetBlue passengers sing the “Jet Blues” while waiting, sometimes for hours, at their boarding gates. The budget airline flies to more than 100 destinations throughout the Americas (as well as London). Its on-time record is hurt by flying mostly to major cities with high air-traffic volume, but so do most of the major airlines that have better on-time stats, which led the Wall Street Journal to declare JetBlue the worst airline in the U.S.
#1. Allegiant Air
- On-time flights: 73%
- Airport with the most delayed flights: Myrtle Beach, SC: Myrtle Beach International
If a baseball team wins 73% of its games, it’s World Series-worthy. But if an airline is only on time 73% of the time, it’s … well, it’s Allegiant, which has a well-deserved reputation for delays and other problems (including an abysmal safety record revealed in a “60 Minutes” segment). In its defense, it’s an ultra-low-cost airline, so you’re essentially paying for the strong possibility that your flight won’t leave on time. On the bright side, if you’re in Myrtle Beach, where delays are most common, you might have time to hit the sand for some extra tanning.
Copyright 2022 Stacker via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/airlines-with-most-delays/ | 2022-04-11T18:12:28 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/airlines-with-most-delays/ |
Discovery of radioactive liquid pauses work at US nuke dump
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An area at the U.S. government’s nuclear waste repository in southeastern New Mexico was evacuated over the weekend after workers handling a shipping container discovered a small amount of radioactive liquid inside it.
There was no indication of airborne contamination and testing of workers’ hands and feet turned up no contamination after the discovery was made late Saturday in a bay where containers are processed before being taken underground for disposal, officials said in a statement.
“The event at the site has been secured. There is no risk of radiological release and there is no risk to the public or the environment,” plant officials said their most recent statement, issued late Saturday.
It wasn’t immediately clear where the liquid came from and which government facility had packed and shipped the waste. Bobby St. John, a spokesman for the contractor that manages the facility for the federal government, said Monday that more information would be provided later.
The repository is the backbone of a multibillion-dollar cleanup program that involves tons of Cold War-era waste from federal labs and defense-related sites around the country.
The waste — remnants of decades of nuclear research and bomb making — typically consists of lab coats, gloves, tools and debris contaminated with plutonium and other radioactive elements.
Independent federal investigators last month raised concerns about whether cost overruns and missed construction deadlines will continue at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
A multimillion-dollar project is underway at the underground facility to install a new ventilation system so that full operations can resume, following a radiation leak in 2014 that forced the repository’s closure for nearly three years and led to major policy overhauls.
The container that caused that release had been inappropriately packed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico.
Operations had to be reduced after the waste plant reopened in 2017 because areas of the facility were contaminated and airflow needed for mining and disposal operations was limited.
It was unclear Monday whether operations had resumed in the area where shipments are processed or what plans were in place to ensure worker safety.
The repository was carved out of an ancient salt formation about a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) below the ground because officials say that the shifting salt will eventually entomb the radioactive waste.
Its current footprint includes eight sections, which the U.S. Energy Department estimates will be filled in 2025.
State regulators are weighing a permit change that some critics have said could lead to expanded repository operations. A decision is expected later this year.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/discovery-radioactive-liquid-pauses-work-us-nuke-dump/ | 2022-04-11T18:12:36 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/discovery-radioactive-liquid-pauses-work-us-nuke-dump/ |
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.1011now.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ | 2022-04-11T18:12:42 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/judge-weighs-cameras-3-officers-trial-over-george-floyds-death/ |
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.1011now.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ | 2022-04-11T18:12:49 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ |
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric has agreed to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for two major wildfires started by aging power lines belonging to the nation’s largest utility in Northern California, prosecutors announced Monday.
PG&E does not admit wrongdoing in the two settlements reached with prosecutors for last year’s Dixie Fire — one of the biggest wildfires in California’s history — and the 2019 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County. The deals expedite damage payments to the hundreds of people whose homes were destroyed.
PG&E also will submit to five years of oversight by an independent monitor similar to the supervision it faced during five years of criminal probation after it was convicted for misconduct that contributed to its natural gas explosion that killed eight people in 2010.
Pacific Gas & Electric has been blamed for more than 30 wildfires since 2017 that wiped out more than 23,000 homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people. It previously reached settlements with wildfire victims of more than $25.5 billion.
The Dixie Fire burned nearly 1 million acres in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama counties and destroyed more than 1,300 homes and other buildings. The blaze was caused by a tree hitting electrical distribution lines west of a dam in the Sierra Nevada, where the fire began on July 13, 2021, according to investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The settlement for the Dixie Fire was made by district attorneys in Plumas, Lassen, Tehama, Shasta and Butte counties, who had not yet filed charges.
Sonoma County prosecutors filed 33 criminal charges last year accusing PG&E of inadvertently injuring six firefighters and endangering public health with smoke and ash from the 2019 Kincade Fire.
Fire officials said a PG&E transmission line sparked the fire, which destroyed 374 buildings in wine country and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee as it burned through 120 square miles (311 square kilometers). It was the largest evacuation in the county’s history, prosecutors said, including the entire towns of Healdsburg, Windsor and Geyserville.
The utility’s federal probation ended in late January, raising worries from the judge who had been using his powers to oversee the utility to try to force management to reduce the fire risks posed by its crumbling power lines. At the time PG&E emerged from the probation, U.S. District Judge William Alsup warned PG&E remained a “continuing menace to California” and urged state prosecutors to try to rein in the company.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/pacific-gas-electric-pay-more-than-55-million-avoid-prosecution-california-wildfires/ | 2022-04-11T18:12:55 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/11/pacific-gas-electric-pay-more-than-55-million-avoid-prosecution-california-wildfires/ |
(GASBUDDY) For the third consecutive week, the nation’s average gas price has declined, falling 7.5 cents from a week ago and stands at $4.10 per gallon Monday according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is down 23.3 cents from a month ago and $1.25 per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 4.4 cents in the last week and stands at $5.04 per gallon.
“Gas prices have continued to move in the right direction – down- saving Americans approximately $100 million every day compared to when prices peaked about a month ago. And, more good news is on the horizon: the national average this week will likely fall back under the critical $4 per gallon mark,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “It remains possible that gas prices may have hit their 2022 peak, barring the typical caveats like the Russia war on Ukraine, the economy, hurricane season and Covid don’t take drastic and unexpected turns. Diesel prices are also falling and likely to go back under the $5 per gallon average this week. The situation for now continues to show signs of improving, with the national average falling back into the $3 range as early as this week.”
OIL PRICES
The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil was deep in the red in early Monday trade as Covid’s stronghold in China continues to drive concern, as do the rising number of economic forecasts projecting the U.S. economy to enter recession in the months ahead, which would reduce oil demand further. In early trade, WTI crude was down $4.47 per barrel to $93.79, a $8 decline from last Monday’s $101.66 per barrel start. Brent crude oil was also trading significantly lower, under the $100 per barrel mark, to $98.46, shedding $4.32 per barrel. The drop over the last week was also a significant one, nearly $8 from $106.13 per barrel.
According to Baker Hughes, last week’s U.S. rig count was up 16 rigs to 689, and was 257 rigs higher than a year ago. The Canadian rig count was down by 13 to 111, or 53 more than a year ago.
OIL AND REFINED PRODUCT INVENTORIES
According to the Energy Information Administration, last week brought a 2.4 million barrel increase to crude oil inventories, while the SPR fell 3.7 million barrels, both down over 10% from the year ago level. Gasoline inventories fell 2 million barrels, but were up 2.2 million barrels from the year ago level, while distillate inventories rose 800,000 barrels but remained about 22% lower than a year ago. Implied gasoline demand rose 63,000bpd from the prior week to 8.56 million barrels per day. Refinery utilization rose 0.4 percentage points to 92.5% as refiners boost output to meet high gasoline, diesel and jet fuel demand as the economy continues to recover from Covid and we see some return to normalcy.
GAS PRICE TRENDS
The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $3.99 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $3.89, $3.79, $3.69, and $4.09 rounding out the five most common prices.
The median U.S. price is $3.89 per gallon, down 10 cents from last week and about 21 cents lower than the national average.
The states with the lowest average prices: Oklahoma ($3.65), Kansas ($3.68), and Arkansas ($3.68).
The states with the highest prices: California ($5.76), Hawaii ($5.20), and Nevada ($5.08). | https://www.wane.com/top-stories/gasbuddy-says-gas-prices-may-have-peaked-for-2022/ | 2022-04-11T18:16:20 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/top-stories/gasbuddy-says-gas-prices-may-have-peaked-for-2022/ |
Salina-area hairstylist travels to her clients after transforming a camper into a mobile salon
When the pandemic started, the owner of VIVID hair salon decided she needed to do something differently. Instead of cutting hair from a storefront, she decided to take her hair parlor to others, cutting barriers to hairstyling.
Candace Zachgo runs her own full-service salon where she offers haircuts, coloring, extensions, waxing, lash lifts, lash extensions and spray tans. She primarily works alone but has another stylist and makeup artist help her for special events.
In addition to cutting hair on her land outside of Culver, Zachgo has the ability to bring her salon to other locations.
Learning the ropes
Zachgo has worked in the cosmetology industry for more than 20 years. After cosmetology school, she went to work with Dixie Jones’ Hair Affairé in Salina for almost 10 years. Zachgo said she was extremely lucky to have worked with Jones and learned a lot under her tutelage. She and Jones are still friends, and Zachgo said will still help Jones on occasion.
While working with Jones, Zachgo decided she wanted more out of her career and decided to work in a booth rent salon where she had the opportunity to learn the business aspect of cosmetology. After that, Zachgo opened her own salon, Stylz Unlimited, in Salina, taking a break for a few years to raise her children.
When returning to her business after her brief leave of absence, Zachgo said it was important to keep up with the growing industry.
“A major factor that I love about this industry is the ever-growing changes in style and fashion and how that plays a part in my business,” Zachgo said.
To keep up with the industry's progression, Zachgo said, she obtained her certification in lash extensions and lifts and added spray tans to her services.
“I feel in order to grow in this industry, you need to stay educated and offer your clients the best in services, also choosing the best companies to train with and use their professional products in the salon,” said Zachgo.
On the road with her hair salon, VIVID
Zachgo’s business transformed into what it is today when the COVID pandemic required her to close her salon. When it came time for her to renew her lease, Zachgo said she had a lot of concerns.
“I had to make some decisions, will school be closed down again, will our businesses be required to close again, or will my family or I become really ill with COVID, and if any of these things happened, could I survive paying rent and being stuck in a lease?”
Due to these factors, Zachgo decided to open her traveling salon business, VIVID. She remodeled a camper and transformed it into a salon. Now she can conduct business on her property outside of Culver while also having the option to travel to her clients.
On the inside, the camper functions just like any salon but being mobile, allows Zachgo to offer her services to brides at their wedding venues, traveling to lakes, parks, backyard or churches.
“Providing a full salon with a bathroom, running water, and electricity, would be perfect for brides and their wedding party,” Zachgo said.
Zachgo said that having a salon on her property has allowed her the flexibility to work with her clientele at any time of the day, early mornings, late evenings and weekends. She prefers it when clients make their appointments in advance because prom and wedding dates fill up fast, but she tries to get new clients in as soon as she can.
VIVID is a fully licensed salon with the Kansas board of cosmetology. Zachgo’s goal is to create an environment that makes her customers feel comfortable and important, she said. She has the flexibility in her schedule to give her clients her undivided attention.
Zachgo said she loves her job now just as much as when she started. She’s always enjoyed working behind the chair and adding lash extensions to her services has been a good challenge for her because, she said, if forces her to slow her pace. Doing special occasion hair is her favorite part of the job.
“I love the creative display I get to show, customizing a style for a bride or girl heading to prom,” Zachgo said.
Zachgo hopes to have a permanent salon on her property by the fall. For mobile services, she prefers to stay within 150 miles of Salina.
“One of the greatest perks of my career is making people happy. When we look in the mirror, I want my clients to love what they see, and that makes us feel great inside," Zachgo said. "I think when we feel like that, we can conquer anything. I want people to love coming to see me at the salon and feel amazing walking out the door.” | https://www.salina.com/story/news/2022/04/11/mobile-hair-salon-travels-around-salina-and-saline-county/9517417002/ | 2022-04-11T18:17:11 | 0 | https://www.salina.com/story/news/2022/04/11/mobile-hair-salon-travels-around-salina-and-saline-county/9517417002/ |
Stellar defensive effort not enough for Salina Liberty football in road loss to Billings
An inspired defensive effort was not enough for the shorthanded Salina Liberty on Sunday night at the end of their 13-hour road trip to Billings, Montana.
The Liberty managed just one second-half touchdown against an equally stout Billings defense as they fell from the ranks of the Champions Indoor Football undefeated with a 42-34 loss to the expansion Outlaws at First Interstate Arena.
Billings took the lead for good on Charles McCullum's 6-yard touchdown pass to Tyron Laughinghouse with 3 minutes, 17 seconds left, and then sealed the victory on Jeff Luc's 45-yard interception return at the 1:58 mark. The Liberty finally got in the end zone with 58 seconds to go, but it was not enough.
More:Salina Liberty ready for marathon Champions Indoor Football road trip to Billings
"It was a tough offensive (game) for us in the second half, absolutely," said Liberty offensive coordinator George Martinez, who served as acting head coach in the absence of Heron O'Neal. "Give credit where credit is due. They made some adjustments at halftime and we didn't make as many good adjustments.
"Our defense played a hell of a game the second half. It was one of the best defensive performances I've seen in indoor football ever, but so was theirs."
With the victory, their first ever in the CIF, the Outlaws evened their record at 1-1, while the Liberty fell to 2-1 in the league and 3-1 overall.
The Liberty were without head coach O'Neal, plus three starters — offensive lineman Steven Fluker and defensive backs Dontra Matthews and Dewayne Autrey — who served the first of their two-game league suspensions stemming from a pregame scuffle with the Omaha Beef on March 26 in Salina.
More:Salina Liberty take break from Champions Indoor Football schedule, drub Queen City, 50-18
After a back-and-forth first half that saw the Liberty tie the game at 28 on a 6-yard Tyrie Adams touchdown run and Michael Pursley point after with 15 seconds left, the defenses took control after intermission.
Billings got the ball to start the second half and had first and goal at the Salina 6-yard line, but the Liberty escaped unscathed when the drive stalled at the 3 and the Outlaws missed a 20-yard field goal try.
After the Liberty turned the ball over on downs near midfield on their first possession of the half, the defense again came up big with another stop inside their 10-yard line on an Evan Ray end zone interception.
Billings finally broke through with a 4 1/2-minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter when McCullum found Laughinghouse in the back right corner of the end zone and Luke Daly kicked the extra point for a 35-28 lead.
More:Rookie running back Tre Griffin off to a promising start for Salina Liberty
The Liberty got a big kickoff return from Jarrell Kelly to the Billings 6-yard line and running back Tristan Gould carried to the 2 on first down. But on the next play, Adams was hit immediately while attempting a pass and the ball landed in the hands of Luc, who ran it back 45-plus yards for the score to make it 42-28.
The Liberty got the ball back and scored on Adams' 11-yard run with less than a minute left, but Billings recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
With Adams under constant pressure, the Liberty struggled in the passing game all night, but had some success in the running game with backs Tre Griffin and Tristan Gould sharing most of the workload.
Griffin ran for two first-half touchdowns and Adams also carried for a pair of scores.
"They made a couple of defensive adjustments and I didn't come up with enough items to help my team counter," Martinez said. "My athletes gave me 100% the entire game.
"We could have run the ball a little bit more and that might have changed the outcome. They did stop us couple of times."
More:"Stars close shows": Salina Liberty knock off defending champ Omaha, 36-31, in home opener
The Liberty scored on the game's opening drive on a 7-yard run by Griffin and then got a defensive stop, but on their next possession Adams took a hit near his own goal line and Dylan Donahue recovered the fumble in the end zone for the first of Billings' two defensive scores.
Adams did have a 27-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Love on the last play of the first quarter to put the Liberty up 14-7, but touchdown strikes of 24 and 28 yards from McCullum to Garry Grown put Billings in front for the first time, 21-14.
No statistics were provided by the CIF.
The Liberty returns home next Saturday for a 6:35 p.m. game against Sioux City at Tony's Pizza Events Center. The Bandits are the only remaining unbeaten team in the league at 3-0.
"This was the first time since our first game four years ago" that the Liberty offense had been shut down, Martinez said. "But we'll grow from this.
"We'll get back Monday and get to work on Sioux City and we will be better."
BILLINGS OUTLAWS 42, SALINA LIBERTY 34
Salina;14;14;0;14;—;42
Billings;7;21;0;6;—;34
First Quarter
S—Griffin 7 run (Pursley kick), 11:40
B—Donahue fumble recover in end zone (Daly kick), 3:00
S—Love 27 pass from Adams (Pursley kick), 0:00
Second Quarter
B—Brown 24 pass from McCullum (Daly kick), 12:15
B—Brown 28 pass from McCullum (Daly kick), 8:14
S—Griffin 2 run (Pursley kick), 4:53
B—Laughingouse 4 pass from McCullum (Daly kick), 0:54
S—Adams 6 run (Pursley kick), 0:15
Fourth Quarter
B—Laughinghouse 6 pass from McCullum (Daly kick), 3:17
B—Luc 45 interception return (Daly kick), 1:58
S—Adams 11 run (kick failed), 0:58 | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/2022/04/11/salina-liberty-drops-champions-indoor-football-decision-billings/9509991002/ | 2022-04-11T18:17:17 | 0 | https://www.salina.com/story/sports/2022/04/11/salina-liberty-drops-champions-indoor-football-decision-billings/9509991002/ |
The former Ohio State University star and Heisman Trophy finalist was just 24.
Authorities have so far released few details about the circumstances of his death. Here's what we know and don't know about the fatal crash, his short-lived career and how those who knew him have reacted, CNN reported.
The fatal crash
Haskins was trying to cross Interstate 595's westbound lanes, near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, when the dump truck hit him, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The incident was reported shortly after 6:30 a.m., the patrol said. He had been "walking on (the highway) for unknown reasons," the patrol said in a news release.
Further details about what led up to the incident were not available.
In recent days, Haskins was in South Florida working out with some Steelers teammates, as captured in Instagram stories from Haskins and running back Najee Harris.
His short-lived football career
Haskins was poised to enter his fourth year in the NFL as a backup for the Steelers after a stellar college career.
He rose to prominence at Ohio State, where he set OSU and Big Ten Conference records as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, including single-season passing yards (4,831), touchdown passes (50) and total offensive yards (4,939). He led the Buckeyes to a 13-1 record and a win in the Rose Bowl, and he finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy, awarded to college football's most outstanding player.
Washington selected Haskins as the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he didn't live up to his lofty status. He played 16 games across two seasons for Washington, compiling a 3-10 record in 13 starts.
Haskins was released in December 2020 toward the end of his second season after he was benched in a loss and after he was fined an undisclosed amount for violating team Covid-19 protocols by going maskless at his girlfriend's birthday party.
A month after his release, the Steelers picked him up, though he did not enter a regular-season game for Pittsburgh. He spent last season as the third-string quarterback behind the now-retired longtime Steeler Ben Roethlisberger and backup Mason Rudolph.
Last month, Haskins re-signed with the Steelers for one year was set to compete with Rudolph and new Steelers acquisition Mitchell Trubisky for positions on the depth chart.
"I feel like I can be a starter in this league. I got drafted for that reason," Haskins said in January, according to Steelers.com. "I definitely believe I have the talent to. I just haven't put it all together yet. And that's something I have to do this offseason to put myself in position to play."
How teammates and coaches are remembering him
Teammates and coaches who knew Haskins offered their condolences and remembrances since his death.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Monday members of the team were hurting and announced they will honor Haskins at its spring game on Saturday.
"When you think about Dwayne you just think about the compassion he had, certainly for all of his teammates and his friends. He always took time after practice to be around family members, kids," he said. "He meant a lot to my family and he meant a lot to this program, and he's going to be sorely missed.
"It's so close to Saturday morning right now. It's still hard to kind of get our feet underneath us and see clearly right now. We all are hurting," he added.
Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward tweeted "Dwayne meant so much to so many people."
"His smile was infectious and he was a guy you wanted to be around," Hewyard wrote. "We are all in shock about losing him. We are going to miss the heck out of him as well. We lost you way too early. Luckily I got a chance to get to know you. RIP DH."
Haskins' head coach in Washington, Ron Rivera, said Saturday he was "absolutely heartbroken" to hear of his former player's passing.
"Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him," Rivera's statement reads. "This is a very sad time and I am honestly at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team in saying he will be sorely missed."
Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool remembered Haskins' selflessness in his final interaction with him.
"I spent your final moments with you and I can't help but think about how selfless you were in those moments. All you cared about was making sure that everyone around you was okay and I can't thank you enough for that. You are what I strive to be," Claypool tweeted.
Roethlisberger said on Twitter although he only knew Haskins for a short time, he knew him to be "a young man that didn't seem to ever have a bad day."
"He came to work everyday with a smile on his face and energy and love in his heart. I really enjoyed his passion and love for the game and wanting to learn and be the best. His smile and zeal for life will be missed!," Roethlisberger said. "I'll say it again just like I told you to your face, I still wish I could throw the ball like you," he added.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
(The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.) | https://abc11.com/dwayne-haskins-death-pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-quarterback-killed-accident-information/11737531/ | 2022-04-11T18:24:26 | 1 | https://abc11.com/dwayne-haskins-death-pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-quarterback-killed-accident-information/11737531/ |
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.wrtv.com/entertainment/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks | 2022-04-11T18:31:34 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/entertainment/johnny-depp-suit-against-amber-heard-starts-with-jury-picks |
OAHU, HAWAII — Members of the Central Indiana volleyball community are mourning the loss of a local athlete.
Jason Gardellis, 32, of Indianapolis died last week after falling from the Olomana Trail in Oahu, according to the Hawaii Medical Examiner's Office.
SportZone Indy, an indoor sports facility in Indianapolis, said Gardellis was always known to have a smile on his face that lit up the court.
"No matter your skill level, he was always trying to help others improve and better themselves. His positive attitude and love for life was easily seen both on and off the court," SportZone said in a Facebook post. "Jason will truly be missed by everyone in the volleyball community he came into contact with."
No funeral arrangements have been announced. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/indianapolis-man-volleyball-player-dies-after-fall-in-hawaii | 2022-04-11T18:31:40 | 0 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/indianapolis-man-volleyball-player-dies-after-fall-in-hawaii |
Travel as we knew it in 2019 still hasn't returned.
As many of us start to book summer vacations, a survey from NerdWallet found 32% of people are only booking trips if the destination has a low risk for COVID-19.
28% said they will only travel domestically to avoid getting stuck in an international quarantine situation.
That means if you live in a popular tourist area, you could see traffic get even worse than during a normal season.
“You are going to encounter much of the stressful things that travelers encounter, namely long lines and heavy traffic. So do yourself a favor -- give yourself extra time to get to your destination,” said Sara Rathner at NerdWallet.
Another change you may notice is hotels offering more packages and deals as they try to make a comeback.
NerdWallet says if you’re taking a vacation where you won’t be in your room much, this may not be worth it.
But it could be worth it if you’re vacationing to relax, as long as it fits your budget.
“If it is beyond what you feel comfortable spending and you're going to go into debt to go on vacation, any relaxation you attain while you're away from home is going to disappear immediately,” said Rathner.
77% of Americans say they have been stockpiling points and miles as a way to help budget.
NerdWallet says in that case, make sure you’re building flexibility into your vacation and buy the extra protection for your trip.
Once those points are spent, you usually can’t get them back.
“You might also consider which credit card you use to book travel in the first place, because some travel rewards credit cards offer travel insurance that can get you some of your money back if your trip is canceled or interrupted because of a covered reason that might be enough coverage for your trip. And it costs nothing additional beyond the annual fee for the credit card,” said Rathner. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/2022-summer-travel-trends-what-to-know-even-if-youre-not-traveling | 2022-04-11T18:31:47 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/2022-summer-travel-trends-what-to-know-even-if-youre-not-traveling |
A 3-year-old girl died after being swept away and carried over a waterfall in North Carolina, authorities said.
The girl was reportedly visiting Whitewater Falls with her family Sunday when she was swept away.
The girl's body was recovered early Monday morning. Authorities said it was "entrapped" in an area of the waterfall.
At 411 feet, Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
According to the Citizen Times, at least 15 people have died at the waterfall since 1995. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/3-year-old-dies-after-being-swept-over-waterfall | 2022-04-11T18:31:53 | 0 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/3-year-old-dies-after-being-swept-over-waterfall |
A new type of blood test that checks for signs of cancer in healthy people has hit the market.
But it's still unclear whether these screening tests will make any difference in cancer death rates.
Such blood tests, called liquid biopsies, are already used in patients with cancer to tailor their treatment and check to see if tumors come back.
Now, one company is promoting its $949 blood test to people with no signs of cancer.
According to the Associated Press, the cost isn't covered by most insurance plans and the tests haven't been endorsed by medical groups or recommended by U.S. health authorities.
U.S. government researchers are planning a large experiment to see if the blood tests actually catch cancers earlier and save lives.
The AP reported that the experiment could last seven years and have 200,000 participants.
But there have been cancer tests in the past after studies found they didn't save lives.
A study in Japan on cancer screening for infants in 2004 and a 16-year ovarian cancer screening study of 200,000 women in the U.K. were both halted after studies found they didn't save lives, the AP reported. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/can-cancer-blood-tests-live-up-to-promise-of-saving-lives | 2022-04-11T18:31:59 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/can-cancer-blood-tests-live-up-to-promise-of-saving-lives |
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.wrtv.com/news/national/cincinnati-zoo-reveals-fiona-the-hippo-is-going-to-be-a-big-sister | 2022-04-11T18:32:05 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/cincinnati-zoo-reveals-fiona-the-hippo-is-going-to-be-a-big-sister |
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.wrtv.com/news/national/email-scam-costliest-type-of-cybercrime-fbi-says | 2022-04-11T18:32:11 | 0 | https://www.wrtv.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.wrtv.com/news/national/escaramuza-team-showcases-mexicos-national-sport-in-the-u-s | 2022-04-11T18:32:17 | 0 | https://www.wrtv.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.wrtv.com/news/national/for-scheffler-a-new-world-awaits-as-the-masters-champion | 2022-04-11T18:32:23 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/for-scheffler-a-new-world-awaits-as-the-masters-champion |
NAPLES, Fla. — Police arrested a man in Florida after they found a baby alligator, weapons and drugs during a traffic stop.
31-year-old Michael Marolla was in the front passenger seat when a pickup truck was pulled over after midnight last Friday in Naples.
The driver was stopped because they were driving with a suspended license.
During the stop, a live baby alligator was found in an open, plastic tub in the bed of the truck.
Officers said they also found two firearms and loaded syringes with methamphetamine in Marolla’s jacket.
Marolla now faces a series of charges, including drug possession and carrying a firearm.
It does not appear he faces any charges for having a baby alligator.
It is illegal to own an alligator in the state of Florida, unless it is authorized by the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Wildlife officers are now investigating the incident. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/man-arrested-after-baby-alligators-drugs-were-found-during-traffic-stop | 2022-04-11T18:32:29 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/man-arrested-after-baby-alligators-drugs-were-found-during-traffic-stop |
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.wrtv.com/news/national/mother-of-children-who-were-found-dead-is-deemed-competent-to-stand-trial | 2022-04-11T18:32:36 | 0 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/mother-of-children-who-were-found-dead-is-deemed-competent-to-stand-trial |
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.wrtv.com/news/national/push-for-tighter-cybersecurity-has-side-effects-for-workers-shoppers | 2022-04-11T18:32:42 | 0 | https://www.wrtv.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.wrtv.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/death-toll-in-mariupol-stands-at-more-than-10k-mayor-says | 2022-04-11T18:32:48 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/death-toll-in-mariupol-stands-at-more-than-10k-mayor-says |
INDIANAPOLIS — Scammers are using a new twist on an old text message scam in which they pose as the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
In the latest round of texts, they say you are eligible for thousands of dollars through a Back 2 Work deposit and include a link to click on.
WRTV Investigates checked with the Department of Workforce Development, and the Back 2 Work program does not even exist, nor did DWD send the text messages.
The Department of Workforce Development will never attempt to contact anyone via text message.
You may remember a similar scam from last year when the scammers claimed to be DWD and asked you to verify your information.
The Better Business Bureau says if you click the link in the text message, expect to get malware installed on your phone.
“If you receive a text from the Indiana Dept of Workforce Development do not click any links in the text and delete it,” said Jennifer Adamany, spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau Serving Central Indiana. “They will not ask you to verify your information via text. Instead, they'll ask you to verify your information on the state's portal."
Tips from the BBB:
Watch out for suspicious links. Most scam text messages contain a link for you to click in the hopes you’ll click it without thinking. Some of these links could download malware onto your device. Others may lead to lookalike websites where scammers hope to harvest your personal information, login ID and passwords.
Look for spelling and grammar errors. A large number of fake texts originate with offshore companies where they may be crafted by someone who isn’t completely fluent in the English language. Keep in mind though, some scammers are fluent in English, so not every fake text you receive will follow this rule.
If you spot a scam text, don’t reply. Some scammers ask you to text “STOP” or “NO” so you won’t receive future texts. In reality, your reply tells them they have a real, active phone number and could open you up to future attacks. If a text message seems suspicious, don’t reply. Block the number and erase the message.
If a website looks real, check again. If you do click on a link in a suspicious text message and it appears to take you to an official business website, don’t immediately let your guard down. Scammers can create a carbon copy of a legitimate website and if you login on the fake site they can steal your username and password. Check the URL carefully to make sure you are on the official website before you navigate within it.
Keep your antivirus software up to date. Antivirus software can alert you to fake and unsafe websites if you happen to click on a link in an unsolicited text message. Keep the software installed and up to date to protect yourself against scammers. | https://www.wrtv.com/news/wrtv-investigates/new-twist-on-dept-of-workforce-development-text-message-scam | 2022-04-11T18:32:54 | 1 | https://www.wrtv.com/news/wrtv-investigates/new-twist-on-dept-of-workforce-development-text-message-scam |
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
While it’s safe to say we’re all thankful winter is over and spring is now here, this time of year means one thing: rain. And lots of it.
Along with a trusty umbrella, you’ll want to make sure you’ve purchased a quality women’s raincoat this season. While some women’s raincoats are quite sturdy and keep you dry, others are more fashionable than functional. One exception, however, is this Bloggerlove Women’s Raincoat on Amazon that is not only lightweight and comfortable, it’s also waterproof and stylish with a blue and white striped lining.
Available in six different colors and in sizes small to XXL, it is priced between $29.99 and $45.99 depending on size and color. You’ll find it in green, black, light blue, dark blue, red and the traditional raincoat color of yellow. The coat has a zipper and buttons for a double-protection closure. Made of a polyester spandex fabric, it keeps away rain and even light snow, making it a great option for hiking, camping, climbing and traveling. Because it is lightweight, it’s also easy to pack into a small pouch for carrying in a backpack.
The coat is wrinkle-resistant and includes a hidden adjustable drawstring waist, detachable hood and two front flap pockets with buttons, so whatever you put in your pockets will also stay dry. The coat is longer than most other women’s raincoats and will cover your hips.
If the coat gets dirty, you can hand-wash it in a cool temperature or dry clean it, but it is not machine washable.
With more than 2,000 reviews, the raincoat has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, with 71% of customers giving it a full 5-star rating. Reviewers say it is lightweight, water-resistant, true to size, well-made and “super cute.” Multiple reviews also mention that it “fits perfectly,” which is important for a women’s raincoat that needs to keep you dry.
One reviewer who gave it 5 stars said they wore it on a trip to Jerusalem and it helped them stay dry — even when walking for miles every day in the rain.
“Our group walked miles every day in and out of chapels and cathedrals, up and down stone staircases and through architectural digs. The constant was the rain, but I stayed dry,” they wrote. “I wore the tour group’s ball cap under the hood and even my face stayed dry. I loved that when we got back on the bus, I could shake off the drops of water, roll up the coat, and slip it into my tote bag. Wrinkles would fall right out when I put it back on. This raincoat was put to an extreme test and passed with flying colors. Love the yellow! Sunshine in a coat!”
There are a handful of negative reviews that say this women’s raincoat did not keep the customers as dry as they expected, with the majority of negative reviews giving it a low rating because it was damaged in the washing machine. The product information states that the coat is not machine washable and therefore should not have been put in the washing machine.
Amazon has a handful of other fashionable raincoats as well, like this Zcfire Women’s Raincoat for $38.99 that is similar to the Bloggerlove coat and comes in six colors.
Another option is this lightweight hooded jacket, which is waterproof and packable for day trips or hiking adventures. Starting at $27.99, it comes in 17 colors.
You may also want to pair the coat was some fashionable rain boots like these tall waterproof boots that come in 27 colors and styles, and an umbrella — for those days when the rain is really coming down — like this compact one in a variety of lovely designs for just $12.49.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.wrtv.com/womens-raincoat-stylish-functional | 2022-04-11T18:33:00 | 0 | https://www.wrtv.com/womens-raincoat-stylish-functional |
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Truckers and their employers are expressing frustration at a sudden spike in wait times to get their cargo from Mexico to destinations in the United States.
They blame the delays on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott instructing Department of Public Safety personnel to inspect trucks coming over from Mexico in addition to checks U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducts at ports of entry. The governor issued the directive to stem human smuggling activity that he says the federal government isn’t paying due attention to. Separately, DPS said it’s trying to ensure the vehicles comply with safety standards.
“Border security is an important element of this region, but so is the trade that keeps millions of Texans employed,” the Texas International Produce Association told Abbott in a letter Friday.
The group said commercial trucks at border crossings in Pharr, Texas, were lined up for miles on Thursday, waiting to cross their cargo from Mexico into the United States. “This is destroying our business and the reputation of Texas,” the produce association told Abbott. “TIPA urges your office to modify this action.”
In El Paso, some truckers told Border Report they waited several hours on Friday to bring manufactured parts and goods from factories across the border.
“We spent nine hours to cross the export lane. We’re talking from Juarez to El Paso. It affects us because we are wasting too much time. We get paid by the trip, so this is no good for us,” said Miguel Rubio, a trucker from Juarez.
The Juarez Maquiladora Association, also known as INDEX, on Friday urged its members to send their trucks to the United States through the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry. New Mexico is not conducting additional inspections, but few trucks were seen coming over from Mexico on Saturday.
Likewise, traffic flowed smoothly at the Ysleta-Zaragoza commercial border crossing on Saturday afternoon. There was no sign of a state checkpoint or additional inspections as the trucks headed toward Interstate 10. Still, the line of trucks on the Mexican side stretched for more than a mile due to the previous night’s overflow.
Truckers and the international trade community are leery of the inspections ramping up again on Monday.
“We don’t know when this will end. Apparently, it’s going to continue next week,” trucker Rubio said. “We have to adjust to their protocols. There’s nothing we can do because we have to obey their laws.”
In an email to Border Report, DPS officials declined to answer a set of detailed questions regarding the truck inspections.
“DPS is committed to enforcing compliance with safety standards and one of our primary functions is to ensure Texas roadways are safe for all Texans and visitors to our great state,” the email said. “For security reasons, the department does not discuss operational specifics.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/texas-truck-checks-stymie-border-commerce-merchants-say/ | 2022-04-11T18:35:28 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/border-report-tour/texas-truck-checks-stymie-border-commerce-merchants-say/ |
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.cenlanow.com/business/heres-why-egg-prices-are-quickly-rising/ | 2022-04-11T18:35:35 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/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.cenlanow.com/business/taco-bells-first-restaurants-only-offered-5-items-and-most-are-no-longer-on-the-menu/ | 2022-04-11T18:35:41 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/taco-bells-first-restaurants-only-offered-5-items-and-most-are-no-longer-on-the-menu/ |
(iSeeCars) – Production shutdowns and supply chain issues from the ongoing microchip shortage have drastically lowered new car inventory. As the demand continues to exceed the supply of new cars, dealers across the country are pricing new cars above MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) and removing new car incentives.
The newest iSeeCars study of 1.2 million new car listings found the average new vehicle is priced 9.9 percent above MSRP, but some vehicles are priced well above this average. Here are the new cars that are priced the highest above MSRP in each state.
- The Jeep Wrangler compact off-road SUV is the vehicle with the highest markup over MSRP in most states with 15. Its four-door variant, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, earns the distinction in the second-most number of states with nine.
- Jeep vehicles account for the highest marked-up vehicle in 30 states.
- The vehicle with the highest markup across all states is the Ford Maverick compact pickup truck, which is priced 34.7 percent above MSRP in Pennsylvania.
What Does This Mean for Consumers?
New car buyers will likely have trouble finding available inventory and can expect to pay higher-than-average prices for vehicles that are in high demand. New car shortages are expected to persist due to the backlog of demand, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to factory shutdowns and pricing increases on raw materials. Moreover, the lack of inventory for new cars has led to used car price increases as well. The best way to avoid paying over sticker or to find used cars that aren’t drastically overpriced is to broaden your search radius and consider similar vehicles that may not be as overpriced.
More from iSeeCars:
Methodology:
iSeeCars analyzed over 1.2 million new cars listed for sale between February 1 and March 25, 2022, and compared their list price to their MSRP. The average difference was expressed as a percentage from MSRP and used to rank models. Low-volume models and heavy-duty vehicles were excluded from further analysis.
About iSeeCars.com
iSeeCars.com is a car search engine that helps shoppers find the best car deals by providing key insights and valuable resources, like the iSeeCars free VIN check reports and Best Cars rankings. iSeeCars.com has saved users over $332 million so far by applying big data analytics powered by over 25 billion (and growing) data points and using proprietary algorithms to objectively analyze, score and rank millions of new cars and used cars.
This article, The Cars With the Highest Dealer Markups by State, originally appeared on iSeeCars.com. | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/the-cars-with-the-highest-dealer-markups-in-each-state/ | 2022-04-11T18:35:47 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/the-cars-with-the-highest-dealer-markups-in-each-state/ |
PARIS -- French leader Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen qualified on Sunday for what promises to be a very tightly fought presidential election runoff on April 24, pitting a pro-European economic liberal against a far-right nationalist.
With partial results putting Macron in first place ahead of Le Pen after the first-round voting, other major candidates admitted defeat. Except for another far-right candidate, Eric Zemmour, they all urged voters to block the far-right in the second round.
But after five years in power in which his abrasive style has upset many, while Le Pen succeeded in softening her image, Macron will have to fight hard to win back disgruntled voters. He cannot take it for granted that voters will rally around a traditional anti-far right front.
"Nothing is decided, and the battle we will wage in the next 15 days will be decisive for France and Europe," Macron told supporters, urging all voters to rally behind him on April 24th to stop the far-right from ruling the European Union's second-largest economy.
Ifop pollsters predicted a very tight runoff, with 51% for Macron and 49% for Le Pen. The gap is so tight that victory either way is within the margin of error.
Other pollsters offered a slightly bigger margin in favor of Macron, with up to 54%. But that was in any case much narrower than in 2017, when Macron beat Le Pen with 66.1% of the votes.
Le Pen, who had eaten into Macron's once-commanding 10-point poll lead in recent weeks thanks to a campaign focused on cost-of-living issues said she was the one to protect the weak and unite a nation tired of its elite.
"What will be at stake on April 24 is a choice of society, a choice of civilisation," she told supporters, who chanted "We will win!" as she told them: "I will bring order back to France."
Macron, meanwhile, told supporters waving French and EU flags: "The only project that is credible to help purchasing power is ours."
"DISASTROUS"
With 96% of the votes counted for Sunday's first round, Macron garnered 27.41% of the votes and Le Pen 24.03%. A near total count of the vote was expected for later in the night.
A Le Pen victory on April 24 would be a similar jolt to the establishment as Britain's Brexit vote to leave the European Union (EU) or Donald Trump's 2017 entry into the White House.
France would lurch from being a driving force for European integration to being led by a euro-skeptic who is also suspicious of the NATO military alliance.
While Le Pen has ditched past ambitions for a "Frexit" or to haul France out of the euro zone's single currency, she envisages the EU as a mere alliance of sovereign states.
Conservative candidate Valerie Pecresse warned of "disastrous consequences" if Macron lost, while the Socialists' Anne Hidalgo urged supporters to vote for him "so that France does not fall into hatred."
"Not one vote for Le Pen!" added hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who, according to the estimates, placed third with around 20% of the votes.
But they all also had very harsh words for Macron and some of the very unpopular policies of his first mandate as well as an abrasive style that has put off many voters.
"Emmanuel Macron played with fire," Pecresse told supporters.
"PAY ATTENTION"
Zemmour acknowledged disagreements with Le Pen, but said Macron was a worse choice.
Barely a month ago, Macron seemed on course for a comfortable re-election that, riding high in polls thanks to strong economic growth, a fragmented opposition and his statesman role in trying to avert war in Ukraine on Europe's eastern flank.
But he paid a price for late entry into the campaign during which he eschewed market walkabouts in provincial France in favor of a single big rally outside Paris. A plan to make people work longer also proved unpopular, enabling Le Pen to narrow the gap.
Le Pen, an open admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin until his invasion of Ukraine, had for months toured towns and villages across France. She focused on cost-of-living issues troubling millions and tapped into anger toward rulers.
"Marine Le Pen knew how to talk to people about their more concrete problems. During the next two weeks he (Macron) will have to pay more attention to what is happening in France, take a diplomatic break," said Adrien Thierry, a 23-year old Macron supporter.
As the vote count progressed, Melenchon's score rose to close to Le Pen's, with 21.57% of the votes, while none of the others were in the double-digits, leading some supporters to briefly hope for a change in the final line-up, which eventually seemed out of reach.
(Reporting by Makini Brice, Richard Lough, Layli Foroudi, John Irish, Sybille de La Hamaide, Tassilo Hummel, Michel Rose, Leigh Thomas, Hedy Beloucif, Gus Trompiz in Paris, Juliette Jabkhiro in La Villetelle, Mimosa Spencer in Sevres, Michaela Cabrera in Henin-Beaumont; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Mark Porter and Diane Craft) | https://www.unionleader.com/frances-macron-and-le-pen-head-for-cliffhanger-april-24-election-runoff/article_02bf6fb2-989c-50c4-b391-b730f43f4305.html | 2022-04-11T18:35:55 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/frances-macron-and-le-pen-head-for-cliffhanger-april-24-election-runoff/article_02bf6fb2-989c-50c4-b391-b730f43f4305.html |
(NEXSTAR) — As Americans deal with rising costs on ordinary food items, one alcoholic treat may also come at a higher price soon.
Global efforts to move away from Russian oil and energy amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine have led to surging fuel prices — and wine bottles are now more expensive to make.
“The cost of glass bottles in the U.S. has risen by as much as 20%, according to some brand owners, although most operators have seen much more modest price increases,” said Stephen Rannekleiv, global strategist in the beverages division of financial services company Rabobank, according to MarketWatch.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration explains the glass manufacturing industry is among the most energy-intensive, with the majority of fuel coming from natural gas. New York Mercantile Exchange data found the war in Ukraine has affected European wineries more than American companies, likely due to proximity and reliance on Russian supplies, Marketwatch reports.
Wineries in Europe saw a more than 500% increase in natural gas costs since last year. Meanwhile, American natural gas prices rose from around $2.56 in March 2021 to $4.69 in March 2022.
Rannekleiv wrote in Rabobank’s Q2 wine outlook that that some glass suppliers could implement additional price increases as the year goes on, too.
If all else fails, there’s always boxed wine, which in addition to its affordability is also more eco-friendly. It’s estimated the average box of wine contains about the same amount as one bottle of vino.
Wine Spectator sommelier Dr. Vinny explains: “The wines can be as good as their bottled contemporaries… As an added bonus, boxed wines are usually made from recycled materials, and weighing less than glass, they can have a lighter impact on the environment.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/wine-may-get-more-expensive-heres-why/ | 2022-04-11T18:35:55 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/business/wine-may-get-more-expensive-heres-why/ |
When the cost of crude oil soared to new highs in early March with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prices at the gasoline pump followed. They climbed 17% in a little over a week.
But when crude prices eased -- they're now down more than 20% from their March high -- pump prices eased somewhat but have remained elevated.
This pattern is so common, especially with gas prices, that economists have a pet name for it: rockets and feathers. When crude prices jump, pump prices tend to rise like a rocket. But when crude prices fall, pump prices tend to descend gently, like a feather.
This widely documented phenomenon helps explain why gasoline has remained stubbornly expensive even as crude gets cheaper, and why gas stations tend to pocket fatter profits when prices are falling than when they're rising.
Economists and policymakers offer myriad reasons for what fuels the rockets and lightens the feathers, from corporate greed to collusion, but the strongest force may simply be consumer interest.
Drivers shop more carefully -- and force stations to compete -- when prices are rising, said Clemson economist and gas-price expert Matthew Lewis.
When drivers pull up to a gas station and see a higher price than they expect, they think they can get a better price somewhere else, Lewis said. They don't realize West Texas Intermediate spot prices are driving up gasoline costs everywhere, so they'll check a couple more stations' prices before pumping.
But if that same person pulls up and sees a lower price than expected, they're likely to assume they're getting a good deal -- they have no idea that crude prices are falling even more than the price they're paying. They pump gas immediately, no search needed.
This pattern is borne out in Lewis's analysis of Internet traffic to the price-comparison platform GasBuddy, published in the Journal of Industrial Economics. People flock to the site when prices are rising but virtually ignore it as they fall.
With pump prices now at $4.15, nearly double their 2020 average of around $2.18 a gallon, and at all-time highs (before accounting for inflation), Americans are unusually sensitive to price changes. When gas prices are this much higher than what drivers have been paying recently, drivers are more likely to cut back on driving and hunt for better prices, according to additional research by Lewis and his collaborators.
On the other side of the transaction, stations tend to make most of their profit when prices are falling like a feather. When prices are skyrocketing, station owners earn less, and may lose money in the hypercompetitive environment spawned by expensive gasoline.
On average, stations enjoyed far higher profit margins in 2020 when prices were lower than they did in 2022 as prices hit record highs. At the height of pandemic closures in 2020, customers weren't buying much gasoline, but stations were pocketing 87 cents for every $2.07 gallon of unleaded gasoline sold, according to data provided to The Washington Post by the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), a Dow Jones company.
When prices soared in early March, stations made just 35 cents on each gallon. In the most recent week, as crude prices continued to fall, stations were pocketing 54 cents a gallon before labor and other expenses, according to OPIS. It was easily their best profit since the pandemic began.
Many neighborhood stations buy wholesale gas once every three to five days, said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis. When prices rise quickly, the stations that refill their tanks first are hit with the high prices, but they can't pass that on to customers since an across-the-street competitor may have a few days of supplies at the older price.
As a result, many stations lose money on gasoline sales as prices rise. If they raised prices before their competitors did, they would lose legions of newly price-conscious customers - customers who also walk into the convenience store and buy some high-margin Slim Jims and energy drinks. It takes a few days for stations to pass on their higher costs, De Haan said.
"After about Day Three or Day Four, stations are starting to push the big increases along," De Haan said. "Meanwhile, that means they've been underwater now for 72 to 96 hours. So stations are behind. They're losing their shirt."
Stations can make up for those losses by being slow to lower pump prices as crude prices fall. And if prices fall low enough, stations can make a killing.
"The biggest myth is that retailers love it when the price goes up, because they make so much money," said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at OPIS. "The reality is they love it when the price collapses."
When crude prices fall, pump prices can be propped up by "tacit collusion," said Lewis of Clemson. That sounds shady, but it's a completely legal process in which station owners - without communicating with each other through any means other than the price signs towering over their pumps - independently realize they will all benefit if prices remain high, so nobody wants to be the first to lower them.
"Let's be honest," De Haan said, "gas stations are a for-profit business. They're not looking to put themselves out of business by losing money on the way up and then shooting themselves in the foot by lowering their price too fast on the way down."
But if retailers don't make money when prices are rising, who does? Economists say that while refiners may see some temporary benefits, they're squeezed by the same forces that crush retail profit margins. So, in the end, everything comes back to the companies and countries that actually extract the oil.
"Anybody who's producing oil is making boatloads of money right now," said University of California at Berkeley economist Severin Borenstein, a godfather of rockets-and-feathers research. "That doesn't mean oil producers are doing anything anticompetitive," he clarified later, "just that they are the lucky beneficiaries of a disrupted market that is driving the market price way above their production costs."
When the oil industry gets lucky and prices rise, executives reap the benefits, according to an Energy Journal analysis of pay at 78 U.S. energy companies by University of Michigan economist Catherine Hausman and UC Berkeley economist Lucas Davis.
Executives tend to get substantial raises when oil prices climb, even though prices are generally driven by geopolitical forces and other factors outside their control, Hausman said. And when prices fall, executive pay doesn't budge.
Other than oil producers and executives, credit card companies may be the biggest beneficiaries of high oil prices, Kloza said. They take a percentage of whatever the customer pays at the pump, so their cut soars alongside gas prices, yet they don't have to invest any additional time or resources in the transaction.
Within a few weeks or months, gasoline prices will catch up with pump prices as gas stations push each other's prices down in a slow, steady battle for customers. But even as crude prices fall, they remain relatively high in historical terms, making it unlikely that pump prices will fall to pre-pandemic levels in the near future, experts say. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/why-gasoline-prices-remain-high-even-as-crude-oil-prices-fall/article_0b0f921a-163c-5ebd-88d6-6b2e6131cf3c.html | 2022-04-11T18:35:59 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/why-gasoline-prices-remain-high-even-as-crude-oil-prices-fall/article_0b0f921a-163c-5ebd-88d6-6b2e6131cf3c.html |
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A 16-year-old Las Vegas student accused of sexually assaulting, punching, and strangling a teacher until she lost consciousness has been identified as Jonathan Eluterio Martinez Garcia.
According to police, the Eldorado High School teacher was in her classroom Thursday when Garcia entered to talk about his grades and eventually became violent.
Police said that Garcia attacked the teacher, caused her to lose consciousness, and later fled the classroom.
Sources told Nexstar’s KLAS that a janitor found the teacher in her classroom later in the afternoon. Officers arrived to the school at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday once the incident was reported.
Garcia was taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for attempted murder, sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping and robbery.
Garcia’s bail was set at $500,000. If he posts bail, he is to be placed on electronic monitoring and will be ordered to have no contact with the victim.
Garcia is scheduled to appear in court April 12 at 8 a.m.
Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara sent this statement to CCSD staff on Friday:
Dear CCSD Staff,
The safety of every Clark County School District (CCSD) student and employee is our top priority.
I am devastated, and the CCSD family hurts for the teacher assaulted at Eldorado High School. Our hearts are heavy because of the violence committed against her, and we pray for her full recovery.
As I have said previously, “Violent acts, assaults, and bullying will not be tolerated in the Clark County School District, and those who choose to engage in these activities will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
SUPERINTENDENT JESUS JARA | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/16-year-old-student-accused-of-battering-sexually-assaulting-teacher-identified/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:02 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/16-year-old-student-accused-of-battering-sexually-assaulting-teacher-identified/ |
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/pedestrian-dies-from-injuries-suffered-in-downtown-manchester-accident/article_20b87192-117b-5336-ab11-49e15e85d3a4.html | 2022-04-11T18:36:09 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/safety/pedestrian-dies-from-injuries-suffered-in-downtown-manchester-accident/article_20b87192-117b-5336-ab11-49e15e85d3a4.html |
(NEXSTAR) – Law enforcement officials in Georgia are investigating after three people were killed at a Georgia shooting range on Friday evening.
Police in Grantville responded to the Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range at about 8 p.m., where they found the bodies of the range’s owner, his wife and their grandson. The range had also been robbed of “approximately 40 weapons” and a digital camera, the Grantville Police Department wrote on Facebook.
Due to the nature of the crime and the theft of the weapons, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were called in to work the case. The sheriff’s department in Coweta County is also assisting, Grantville Police confirmed.
Authorities are now asking anyone who may have seen a suspicious vehicle at the shooting range on Friday evening to contact police.
“Please share, maybe someone will remember seeing something to assist with the investigation,” the department wrote on Facebook. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/3-dead-40-weapons-stolen-after-robbery-at-georgia-shooting-range/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:09 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/3-dead-40-weapons-stolen-after-robbery-at-georgia-shooting-range/ |
GALILEO, Charles Darwin, John Scopes.
For centuries there’s been an uneasy mistrust between science and religion. Each side stakes out its claim on truth and remains suspicious, at best, of the other.
In the simplistic version, science is modern and inquisitive; religion ancient and unyielding.
The notion of ancient and unyielding arises when one enters Holy Family Academy on the West Side of Manchester. The two-story brick school building, a former school associated with Ste. Marie Parish, is more than a century old. It’s a museum of high ceilings, wainscoted walls, even chalkboards in the classrooms.
The middle- and high-school students wear uniforms and start every day with a 40-minute Mass. With statues, crucifixes and Latin classes, religion abounds here.
Yet, when it comes to science, Holy Family Academy’s junior science class students, all 11 of them, pulled down 13 of 45 awards last month at the 2022 New Hampshire Science and Engineering Expo.
Holy Family competed against some of the best schools in the state — Phillips Exeter, St. Paul’s and public schools in Bedford, Lebanon and Nashua.
“All you need is a really good environment with good teachers, a very family-like environment,” said Gianna Centazzo. Her project, “Who Done It, a Forensic Survey Using Various Identification Line Up Models,” used St. Anselm College students to enact a fictional crime and then pose for various methods of lineups.
It won second place in the behavioral science category and also earned a special American Psychological Association award.
Other winners included the effectiveness of different barriers to protect coral reefs, a statistical analysis of the effect of birth order and parental age on academic achievement, and the effect of natural essences such as cinnamon and spearmint on populations of mouth microbes.
Students spoke to me last week in the low-tech but neat classroom of their science teacher, Monique Niemaszyk.
There isn’t a laptop at every table, although Niemaszyk has given up her chalkboard for a computer-assisted smartboard.
A glass-fronted cabinet is stocked with beakers and test tubes. Shelves have materials organized by biology, chemistry or physics.
The SEE project comprised nearly the entire school year for the Scientific Research class. Niemaszyk grants her students a lot of leeway to select a project. But she bears down on the essentials: hypothesis, research, experimentation, analysis, documentation and report writing.
“I get them to love their project, and my job is easy,” said Niemaszyk, a former registered nurse who is retiring this year.
“(Her retirement) breaks my heart,” said Deborah Shuh, the president of the volunteer-run New Hampshire Science and Engineering Expo Association.
Niemaszyk and her Holy Family juniors are a regular at the Expo, which draws between a dozen and 18 schools a year. The contest emphasizes one of the buzzwords in modern education — project-based learning — and students must create and then demonstrate their work.
“These are all skills that many need to have and many don’t learn until they’re in the working world, which is too late,” Schuh said.
The only senior in the class, Maggie McGee, said the main goal at the 100-student Holy Family is to find truth, no matter what the topic. So she sees no conflict between science and religion.
“Any truth we find in science and math class is not going to go against anything we discover in our humanities class,” she said.
Most of the students who speak to me are in uniform. A few had not changed from the rehearsal for “Macbeth,” which they are putting on later this month. (The play will use the synthetic blood that Faith Hohenadel created for use in her science project, which analyzed blood spatters based on height and angle.)
Most Holy Family students attended Catholic grade school and have been with Holy Family since seventh grade. A few transfer in.
“The work is definitely harder,” said Yves Mugiraneza, a former Concord High School student who transferred to Holy Family to improve his grades. He said the atmosphere is conducive to hard work, and instructors provide individual attention.
Director of Admissions and Advancement Meg Donohue said the Education Freedom Accounts approved by the Legislature last year help families pay for the $9,945 high school tuition.
The biggest disciplinary challenges at the school involve physical conflict, usually between boys, she said. Shoving is as far as it gets.
Macbeth is about the biggest drama at the school: Public displays of affection are prohibited, coupling is discouraged, and kids surrender their cellphones every morning.
The school offers about one sport a season: soccer, basketball, but baseball and track in the spring. Student clubs include chess, board games, ukulele and Texas Hold ’Em.
Hohenadel said she doesn’t miss the modern high school life.
“I don’t think about it,” she said. “This community is so unique. Everything I need is here.” | https://www.unionleader.com/voices/city_matters/city-matters-science-and-religion-dont-conflict-at-award-winning-catholic-school/article_a82507c2-dc39-5419-9954-0ddff83cde0c.html | 2022-04-11T18:36:11 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/voices/city_matters/city-matters-science-and-religion-dont-conflict-at-award-winning-catholic-school/article_a82507c2-dc39-5419-9954-0ddff83cde0c.html |
MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — On Sunday, April 10, 2022, around 3:45 AM, Monroe Police noticed a tan 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe turning onto Pecan Street, traveling west without signaling to turn. As officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the driver of the vehicle ignored officers and accelerated the car.
While traveling on Pecan Street, the vehicle crossed the center line into oncoming traffic. The suspect’s vehicle then traveled in residents’ yards before re-entering the roadway on Pecan Street, traveling east. The suspect then turned onto Florida Street and stopped the vehicle on the 1000 block of Florida Street.
The suspect exited the car and ran eastbound alongside the residence and through an alley. According to officers, the suspect allegedly threw an object over the fence during the chase.
Officers were finally able to place the suspect in handcuffs on the 1100 block of South First Street. The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Antonio Curtis Bolden.
Officers collected the object that Bolden was allegedly seen throwing and discovered a zip lock bag containing the following items:
- 72 Ecstasy Pills
- 21 MDMA Pills
- 7.75 grams of Methamphetamine
- 2.99 grams of Crack Cocaine
- 12.28 grams of Marijuana
Bolden was placed under arrest and transported to the Ouachita Correctional Center. He was charged with five counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Domestic Abuse Battery, Flight from an Officer, and Improper Signal Turn. His bond was set at $73,650. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/high-speed-chase-lands-monroe-man-behind-bars-possessed-over-70-ecstasy-pills-and-other-narcotics/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:16 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/high-speed-chase-lands-monroe-man-behind-bars-possessed-over-70-ecstasy-pills-and-other-narcotics/ |
MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — According to an arrest affidavit from the Monroe Police Department, on the morning of Saturday, April 9, 2022, an officer was dispatched to the 1900 block of South Grand Street about a shooting. The affidavit indicated that police observed a gray 2000 Ford Crown Victoria traveling at 55 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone in the 1700 block of Jackson Street shortly after the shooting.
Police reported that the car had heavy damage to the front and left sides.
Another officer saw a vehicle pulled into the 600 block of Lidell Avenue shortly after, which fit the previously mentioned vehicle description. According to officers, they found 21-year-old Jacob Criner of Monroe in the car and arrested him.
Officers reported that Criner admitted to driving the car before being taken into custody, and he made no comment about anyone else being in the car.
According to police, they observed bullet holes on the hood, driver and passenger sides of the car, which was registered to Criner. Officers stated that they found a witness who said they saw Criner’s car in the 1000 block of Jackson Street and that the driver shot twice at a second car.
An officer located a crash site matching the damage to Criner’s car in the 1000 block of Jackson Street. After obtaining a search warrant, officers found a Glock 22 under the driver’s seat. According to the affidavit, Criner is a convicted felon for Aggravated Battery, for which he was sentenced on October 2, 2019.
Police reported that at that time, Criner was prohibited from possessing or purchasing a firearm.
Officers stated that Criner did not have a driver’s license and tested positive for gunshot residue. According to officers, Criner is a known gang member of ‘DuceFive’ which is a known Southside gang in Monroe. Police reported that Criner is also known by the street name ‘JBlack’.
Officers transported to Criner to the Ouachita Correctional Center where he was booked on the following charges:
- Established Speed Zones (Misdemeanor)
- Possession of Firearm or Carrying Concealed Weapon by a Person Convicted of Certain Felonies (Felony)
- Illegal use of Weapons or Dangerous Instruments (Felony)
- Driver must be Licensed (Misdemeanor)
Criner’s bond is set at $250,300.00. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/monroe-police-arrest-ducefive-gang-member-for-shooting/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:22 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/monroe-police-arrest-ducefive-gang-member-for-shooting/ |
MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD)– In this week’s Ark-La-Miss Most Wanted, NBC 10’s Chelsea Monae highlights a crime with multiple suspects and how authorities wouldn’t stop until everyone involved was arrested.
Authorities were investigating what they describe as a gang-related shooting that happened in Monroe. Three individuals had already been arrested, but two were still on the loose. Before this week’s episode could air, those two wanted suspects were captured by police.
On March 23, 2022, the Monroe Police Department responded to a shooting on Elm Street. Authorities say the shooting stemmed between two rival gangs after an argument. No one was injured as a result of the shooting, but police were looking to hold everyone involved accountable for their actions.
On Monday, April 4, 2022, Justin MenyWeather and Arthur Hollins were arrested and booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center. MenyWeather was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Second-Degree Murder and Rioting. Hollins was charged with Conspiracy to commit Second-Degree Murder and Assault by Drive-By-Shooting. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/monroe-police-arrests-5-in-gang-related-shooting/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:28 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/monroe-police-arrests-5-in-gang-related-shooting/ |
HOUMA, La. (BRPROUD) – The Houma Police Department was recently called to a reported shooting.
“Upon arrival, officers located one 24-year-old male subject suffering from a single gunshot to the face,” according to the Houma Police Department.
The shooting took place around 5 p.m. where Prince Collins St. and Park Ave intersect.
An investigation ensued during which officers learned that a shootout took place at this location.
HPD says, “over 60 spent shell casings were recovered from several different weapons that were used in the shooting.”
The shooting victim was sent to a medical facility and is expected to recover.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, Houma PD has identified five suspects. The search is on for the suspects listed below:
- Ashley Jamal Harris, aka “ASH”, 41, of 119 Square Wolfe Ln., 2 counts of Attempted 2nd degree Murder, One count Felon in Possession of a Firearm
- Louis Elliot Walker, aka “Big Lou”, 30, of 146 Stovall Street , 2counts of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, 1 count of Possession of a firearm by a Convicted Felon
- Danny Ray Howard, aka “Danny Ray”, 32, of 105 Stovall Street , 2 counts of Principal to Attempted Second Degree Murder
- Terrel Toussant Naquin, 23, of 219 Morrison Avenue, 2counts of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, 1 count of Possession of a firearm by Convicted Felon
- (JUVENILE , 17 years old), 5 counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder, One count of Illegal Possession of a Firearm by a Juvenile.
HPD is still looking for a motive in connection with this shootout.
If you know where any of these suspects are located, please call the Houma Police Department at 985-873-6371 or submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers Bayou Region by phone at 1-800-743-7433 or online at www.crimestoppersbr.org. | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/police-in-louisiana-searching-for-five-suspects-allegedly-involved-in-shootout-including-ash-big-lou-and-danny-ray/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:28 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/crime/police-in-louisiana-searching-for-five-suspects-allegedly-involved-in-shootout-including-ash-big-lou-and-danny-ray/ |
(KTLA) – A near-perfect issue of the first Captain America comic sold for $3.1 million at auction on Thursday.
“Captain America Comics” debuted at newsstands in December 1940, in the midst of World War II. The issue’s cover, well known to die-hard comic-book fans, famously featured an image of Captain America punching Adolf Hitler in the face.
“What better way to introduce a hero clad in the American flag during World War II than by showing him decking Hitler?” writes Marvel of the issue, which was written by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
The comic was a hit. But original copies are harder and harder to come by — especially copies in near-mint condition.
One such copy (given a condition grade of 9.4) went up for auction Thursday as part of a Heritage Auctions’ Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction. Heritage Auctions had previously facilitated the sale of a different copy of the exact same comic book in 2019 — when it sold for just $915,000 — but bidding on this particular issue opened at $1,825,000 on Friday.
The issue eventually sold for $3,120,000, marking the fourth-highest price ever paid for a comic book at auction.
Other popular comics also set records at this week’s auction, including the issue that introduced the Fantastic Four and a “splash page” from 1964’s “Tales of Suspense” featuring Captain America.
“Every time I looked up during the comic art portion of the session, a new record was falling, and with the comic books, that trend continued,” said Barry Sandoval, the vice president of Heritage Auctions. “We knew this was a selection of truly exceptional material, and we’re thrilled bidders agreed with that.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/first-issue-of-captain-america-comic-sells-for-3-1m/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:34 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/first-issue-of-captain-america-comic-sells-for-3-1m/ |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – Rising gas prices are hitting drivers especially hard. Florida rapper Rod Wave is also in disbelief at the cost of a full tank, but at least it gave him a very generous idea.
The “Heart on Ice” rapper plans to give away $25,000 worth of free gas in his hometown of St. Petersburg on Saturday.
Wave announced his plans on Instagram last Monday. In the video, Wave filmed himself filling up his Bentley’s tank with what appeared to be $100 worth of gas.
“G–d—,” Wave could be heard saying as the pump’s digital readout crossed the $100 mark.
Wave then explained where the gas giveaway would take place, directing St. Petersburg residents to a gas station at 5100 34th Street South near the Sunshine Skyway bridge exit. The giveaway begins at noon.
Judging by the response on social media, large crowds are expected. St. Petersburg police say they will also be at the site to help direct traffic, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“God bless u and thank u for being u!” wrote one fan, commenting on a repost of Wave’s Instagram video. “Much appreciated!” | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/rapper-rod-wave-giving-away-25000-worth-of-free-gas-in-hometown/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:40 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/entertainment-news/rapper-rod-wave-giving-away-25000-worth-of-free-gas-in-hometown/ |
JACKSON COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) — A 3-year-old child died after falling into the water at Whitewater Falls in North Carolina on Sunday.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Nevaeh Jade Newswanger was visiting with her family when she was swept away by the water and went over the falls.
Emergency crews from Jackson, Transylvania, Haywood, Henderson, and Oconee counties went to the scene to help.
The child’s body was recovered around 1 a.m. Monday after she was found trapped in an area of the falls.
The Sheriff’s Office said Nevaeh is from Denver, Pennsylvania. Her family was living in Oconee County while working in the area.
Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall offered prayers and condolences to the family “as they grieve the loss of this precious young child.”
He also cautioned others about the dangers associated with visits to scenic areas such as Whitewater Falls.
“With the onset of spring weather, we need to be reminded of the dangers associated with many scenic areas of the region such as waterfalls,” Hall said. “While beautiful to view from a safe distance, venturing out closer to the falls for any reason brings tremendous danger.”
He urged visitors to keep a safe distance away, view the waterfalls from designated viewing areas and follow posted safety precautions and warnings. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/3-year-old-dies-after-going-over-falls-in-north-carolina/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:48 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/3-year-old-dies-after-going-over-falls-in-north-carolina/ |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Two teens were arrested Thursday after authorities said they took turns shooting at each other while wearing a body-armored vest.
Police in Florida responded to reports of a shooting on Sunday, April 3, at a home in Belleview. When they arrived, officers said they found 16-year-old Christopher Leroy Broad with a gunshot wound.
Broad was sent to the hospital where he ultimately died as a result of his injuries.
Over the course of several days, detectives discovered that two other boys, Joshua Vining and Colton Whitler, both 17, were taking turns shooting at each other while wearing a vest that contained a form of body armor.
Officers said Vining shot and struck Broad while he was wearing the vest. Whitler was initially interviewed as a witness to the shooting but misled officials with inaccurate information about what took place and who shot Broad, according to a news release issued by the Belleview Police Department.
Vining was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm. Whitler was also arrested in connection with the shooting for providing false information to law enforcement. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/boy-dies-after-teens-take-turns-shooting-at-each-other-wearing-armored-vest-police-say/ | 2022-04-11T18:36:55 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/boy-dies-after-teens-take-turns-shooting-at-each-other-wearing-armored-vest-police-say/ |
(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.cenlanow.com/national/buffalo-police-officers-cleared-for-pushing-over-75-year-old-protester/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:01 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/buffalo-police-officers-cleared-for-pushing-over-75-year-old-protester/ |
Glendale, Calif. (KTLA) – A vehicle narrowly avoided falling several feet from atop a retaining wall in the parking lot of a Los Angeles-area department store Sunday afternoon.
The vehicle, a black Toyota sedan, got stuck on the retaining wall several feet above a sidewalk below the parking lot of a Marshalls in Glendale, California.
The driver appeared to have overshot the parking space while backing into a spot, sending the vehicle nearly over the side of the concrete barrier and onto the sidewalk below on Verdugo Boulevard.
Just encountered a bit of a situation on my cycling in Montrose on Verdugo at Park. No obvious injuries. KTLA #ktla #tourdefrank pic.twitter.com/MbAfKqBWrj
— Frank Buckley (@FrankBuckleyTV) April 10, 2022
The driver told Nexstar’s KTLA he was OK. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/car-gets-stuck-on-wall-after-parking-mishap/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:07 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/car-gets-stuck-on-wall-after-parking-mishap/ |
(The Hill) — Georgia congressional candidate Vernon Jones (R) on Thursday argued that gay rights should not be compared to civil rights for people of color because being gay is a choice.
In an interview with former Trump aide Steve Bannon on his podcast “War Room,” Jones argued that the civil rights movement for African Americans and the civil rights movement for the LGBT community are “two different things.”
“Civil rights for Blacks and civil rights for gays are two different things,” Jones told Bannon. “I don’t know what you are unless you tell me what you are if you’re gay. But when I walk into that room, you can tell that I’m Black from cradle to grave. Let’s not get that confused.”
Jones, who is running for a U.S. House seat in Georgia’s 10th district, has been endorsed by former President Trump.
He told Bannon that members of the LGBT community could change their identity.
“They can actually change. You can go from being straight to being gay to being transgender and all these other genders,” Jones continued. “But when you’re Black, I don’t have a choice. I don’t have a choice. So to compare the two … it rubs me the wrong way.”
Jones initially launched a bid for Georgia governor but announced in February he was dropping out of the race after he met with Trump and the former president had endorsed former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) for governor.
LGBT rights, specifically revolving around the transgender community, have become a key issue in the lead up to the 2022 midterms.
Republican-led state legislatures across the country have introduced or passed bills that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
States including Florida, Utah and Alabama have passed legislation that would ban transgender women and girls from participating on the sports team that corresponds with their gender identity.
During Thursday’s interview, Jones accused Democrats of “breaking down the moral fiber and fabric of the African American community” with woke ideology.
“To see what’s happening now, it’s un-American,” Jones added. “It’s going to take conservative African Americans to save the Republican party. Because they saved us from slavery.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/gop-candidate-vernon-jones-says-gay-rights-civil-rights-are-two-different-things/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:14 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/gop-candidate-vernon-jones-says-gay-rights-civil-rights-are-two-different-things/ |
(The Hill) — Idaho’s Supreme Court put a temporary halt on the state’s newly passed six-week abortion ban on Friday.
The law, which was signed by Gov. Brad Little (R) last month, bans abortions after six weeks and allows family members to sue a person who performs an abortion after the legal timeframe.
The Idaho Supreme Court’s decision will block the law from going into effect pending further review. It was set to take effect April 22.
The court gave the state until April 28 to respond to the ruling.
Although Little said he supported the ban on abortions in the law, he expressed reservations about its civil enforcement mechanism.
“While I support the pro-life policy in this legislation, I fear the novel civil enforcement mechanism will in short order be proven both unconstitutional and unwise. Deputizing private citizens to levy hefty monetary fines on the exercise of a disfavored but judicially recognized constitutional right for the purpose of evading court review undermines our constitutional form of government and weakens our collective liberties,” Little wrote.
Planned Parenthood, which sued to block the abortion ban, celebrated the court’s decision on Friday.
“Patients across Idaho can breathe a sigh of relief tonight,” Rebecca Gibron, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that abortion will remain accessible in the state for now, but our fight to ensure that Idahoans can fully access their constitutionally protected rights is far from over.”
“Anti-abortion lawmakers have made clear that they will stop at nothing to control our lives, our bodies, and our futures. Planned Parenthood will continue fighting for every person’s ability to access basic health care, no matter their race, zip code, or economic status. We look forward to our day in court,” she continued.
The decision comes as the Supreme Court is set to weigh on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban later this year. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/idaho-supreme-court-temporarily-halts-abortion-ban/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:21 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/idaho-supreme-court-temporarily-halts-abortion-ban/ |
LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — Lawmakers have proposed a permanent “no-fly” list for unruly passengers, as part of an effort to address and stop violent incidents on airplanes.
Under the “Protection From Abusive Passengers Act,” proposed Wednesday, people convicted of assaulting crew members aboard an aircraft could be placed on a “no-fly” list that would be maintained by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In addition, those people could be barred from special programs that allow for expedited passenger screening, including the TSA’s PreCheck program or Global Entry, which is managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Last year, the TSA tallied nearly 6,000 unruly passenger reports, with more than 4,000 related to mask compliance. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also launched investigations into more than 1,000 of those cases.
Pilots, airline representatives and flight crews nearly universally agreed that a no-fly list across the industry would make them feel more comfortable doing their jobs and protecting passengers in the sky.
Over the past two years, scenes of agitated passengers becoming physically and verbally abusive toward pilots, flight crews and fellow passengers have become too familiar.
“If you cannot keep yourself physically or emotionally in check, you need to not get on that aircraft,” said Capt. Laura Einsetler, a pilot.
Currently, each airline carefully maintains its own list of individuals barred from flying, but there’s currently a loophole: If someone misbehaves and getes banned from one airline, they can book a flight through a different one.
This bill would allow airlines to share their data and enforce a no-fly list across the industry.
“It’s been way overdue, and we just need to get this done so we can protect our passengers, our crew members, and the safety of our skies,” Einsetler said.
Pilots hope a no-fly list will allow passengers to realize the stakes are too high before acting up.
“If you’re going to disrupt the crew’s operation, then you will no longer fly on airlines anymore,” Einsetler said.
In February, a similar attempt to pass a federal no-fly list was cut short when several Republican senators pushed back, saying this would equate unruly passengers to terrorists and bar them from their constitutional right to travel freely. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/lawmakers-propose-no-fly-list-to-protect-airline-crews/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:28 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/lawmakers-propose-no-fly-list-to-protect-airline-crews/ |
(NEXSTAR) – President Biden has not only delayed student loan payments for another few months, but he’s also given some borrowers a bit of ‘forgiveness.’
The U.S. Department of Education described the additional pause as a good way for borrowers to plan for payments to begin again, which can help reduce “the risk of delinquency and defaults after restart.” For those who have already been impacted by delinquency and default, there’s an added bonus – you’re getting a “fresh start.”
Biden’s pause includes millions of federal loan borrowers having their delinquent or default status erased, allowing them to “reenter repayment in good standing,” the Education Department explained in a Wednesday release.
What does it mean to be delinquent and in default?
If you are just one day late on making a payment on your student loans, your loan becomes past due, otherwise known as delinquent, according to the Federal Student Aid Office. Until you pay that past due amount – or you make an arrangement like entering deferment or forbearance, or change your repayment plan – you remain in delinquency.
Once you’re delinquent for 90 days or more, your status is reported to three major national credit bureaus by your loan servicer. If you remain in delinquency, your loan may go into default (the exact time when your loan moves from delinquency to default depends on the loan you have).
There are many consequences of defaulting on your federal student loans, including the entire balance of your loan and interest that has accrued becoming immediately due; being taken to court; and losing the ability to choose a repayment plan, the Education Department explains. Some borrowers may also be subject to wage garnishment or the seizure of critical benefits like Social Security, according to Business Insider.
How many people are impacted?
More than 7 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans, according to Politico, which first reported the Education Department was considering the “fresh start” plan in October.
Even though borrowers in default will now have that status removed – there’s no clear timeline on when exactly that status will change for individuals – some may still miss payments when the pause lifts in September.
In late March, an analysis found 7.8 million borrowers – nearly one in three – were at high risk of missing loan payments if the pause ended in May. Authors of the analysis assigned borrowers to this group of “possible strugglers” if they were delinquent or in default on any loan during 2019 (the year before the pause); were in default on loans that were ineligible for the pause; if a new collection or bankruptcy appeared on their credit report during the pause; or if their most recent credit score was considered “deep subprime,” meaning it had fallen below 580.
“During the pause, we will continue our preparations to give borrowers a fresh start and to ensure that all borrowers have access to repayment plans that meet their financial situations and needs,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
What about actual student loan forgiveness?
Before Biden announced the fourth freeze on student loans, 96 lawmakers – 21 Senators and 75 members of the House – called on him to “cancel student debt now,” saying it would “provide long-term benefits to individuals and the economy, helping families buy their first homes, open a small business, or invest in their retirement. More broadly, canceling student debt would add tens of billions of dollars in GDP growth.”
During his campaign, Biden supported forgiving at least $10,000 in federal student loans per person but didn’t mention any cancellation in his statement on the latest pause. But, Education Secretary Cardona recently told NPR that “the conversations around loan forgiveness continue to happen.”
There is, however, confusion regarding Biden’s power to cancel student loans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said he lacks legal authority, instead commenting “That would be an act of Congress.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, on the other hand, has argued Biden could do it under the same legal provision Trump used to delay payments and interest accrual at the start of the pandemic, The Hill reports.
Earlier this year, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “We’re still looking at administrative options, but Congress can also send the president a bill that would provide $10,000 in debt relief, and he’d be happy to sign that bill.”
According to The Hill, Biden requested a memo from the Department of Education on his authority to forgive student debt through an executive order a year ago, but the administration hasn’t announced whether that memo is complete.
Still, there are thousands of Americans already eligible for some student loan forgiveness through various federal programs. That includes those working in specific industries and nearly 100,000 impacted by changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/millions-of-student-loan-borrowers-getting-forgiveness-in-latest-pause/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:35 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/millions-of-student-loan-borrowers-getting-forgiveness-in-latest-pause/ |
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) – An image of a teen reunited with his dog captivated the hearts of millions. The photo did the exact same thing for a Mississippi woman, but for a different reason.
A 17-year-old, who is not being named by Nexstar, surrendered his dog Jada to an animal shelter. He told the shelter he was living under a bridge, and said he was having trouble providing for her needs. He wasn’t able to watch her while he left his tent to search for work.
With the community’s help, the shelter was able to reunite Jada with her owner. Officials who helped find him said he had a place to stay and was able to take Jada back.
A woman contacted Nexstar’s WREG after she saw the story on the news. She identified herself as his mother, and said it had been a year since she had seen her son. She said she reported him missing last summer to police in Senatobia, Mississippi.
“I started crying,” she said. “I wish he would come home. I want to see him. I’m not mad at him. I just want him in my house. I want him to be here with me.”
His mother claims he ran away after she grounded him for misbehavior.
“He didn’t think he should have to be grounded for something he had done,” she said. “He thought he was grown and he could do it on his own. The fact that he thought he had to run away breaks my heart.”
Officials said the teen had a place to stay when he was reunited with his dog Friday. However, they did not say why he has not been brought home to his mother, who claims to have full custody.
“I don’t care about the past. I just want my baby, and anybody should understand that when they lose a child and he’s still alive and he can come back at any time, but instead of bringing him back to me, they put him with some strangers,” she said.
WREG reached out to Senatobia Police for an update on the investigation and has not heard back. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/mom-sees-son-on-news-1-year-after-reporting-him-missing/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:42 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/mom-sees-son-on-news-1-year-after-reporting-him-missing/ |
(NEXSTAR) — Introduced in 1953, Peeps are the polarizing Easter candy that keep coming back year after year.
A tongue-in-cheek 1999 study at Emory University set out to prove or disprove a pervasive rumor about the candy: that the marshmallow confections cannot be destroyed.
The study tested the candy under four conditions:
- Reaction to cold – After being squashed with a hammer, a Peep was placed in a bucket of liquid nitrogen — it was submerged in the -210°C nitrogen for about a minute — the candy was removed and squashed again with a hammer. This time, the candy (now hardened) cracked and broke apart. Conclusion: Not easily broken.
- Reaction to heat – The Peep was placed in an autoclave (a refrigerator-sized pressure cooker that can kill any living bacteria or fungi) for 15 minutes. The candy was exposed to 10 atmospheres of pressure at 350° Fahrenheit. By the end of the 15 minutes, the Peep softened into a “fluff” — still together, but gooier. Conclusion: Can take the heat.
- Solubility testing – Four individual Peeps were put into four separate beakers. One beaker containing water, one containing acetone, one containing sulfuric acid and one containing sodium hydroxide. The candies were observed for an hour and at the end, the most dramatic development was that the acetone turned purple as some sugar dissolved. Conclusion: Not easily dissolved.
- “Nastier solvent” – Dissatisfied with the solubility testing, researchers decided to drop the candy in a meaner chemical concoction. They immersed a Peep into Phenol — a protein-breaking chemical that can cause paralysis or death if swallowed or even put in contact with skin. After an hour, the Peep had mostly dissolved into purple goo. But one part was not easily killed: the chick’s little black eyes were still intact, completely unharmed by the chemical. Conclusion: Peeps are always watching.
- Low-pressure environments – A Peep was put into a vacuum. Once the air began being sucked out of the container, the candy started to expand to a much larger size. When the vacuum was turned off, however, the Peep lost air and folded in on itself to resemble chewing gum. But it only lost its shape as it retained edibility (researchers ate it afterward). Conclusion: Shapeshifter.
Final conclusion: You decide!
Peeps are owned by the Pennsylvania-based Just Born Inc., which also makes Hot Tamales and Mike and Ike. Despite their association with Easter, Peeps pop up at many holidays, including Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Christmas. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/peeps-the-easter-treat-you-cant-destroy/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:49 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/peeps-the-easter-treat-you-cant-destroy/ |
ANAHEIM, Ca. (KTLA) — Service animals go through several 1,000 hours of training before getting certified. On Saturday morning, dozens of service dogs took their training to “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
Multiple organizations that train service dogs took the pups to Disneyland for a special training session.
The future service dogs got to ride on a bus to the park, some of them went to Downtown Disney, and others just took public transportation because it was a new experience for many of them.
Guide Dogs America was one of the organizations bringing the dogs to Disneyland. The goal was to help the future service dogs gain experience with public transportation and make sure the dogs are comfortable among crowds and the public. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/service-dogs-in-training-take-trip-to-disneyland/ | 2022-04-11T18:37:57 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/service-dogs-in-training-take-trip-to-disneyland/ |
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida man is accused of using his mobile phone to take photos and videos of young girls while they were changing clothes in Walmart dressing rooms.
Sheriff’s deputies in Lee County arrested Dalton Matheson, 29, on Wednesday.
Deputies said Matheson was snapping photos of two sisters, 4 and 12, in the dressing rooms. The girls’ father and store security chased Matheson out of the store, and he was apprehended at a nearby bus station.
Matheson was arrested and charged with video voyeurism, resisting arrest and petit theft, according to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
“I want to make it clear as I have since day one: We protect those that cannot protect themselves,” said Marceno at a press briefing on Thursday. “There is nothing more precious than a child, and making certain that we protect our children at all costs.”
During the briefing, Marceno also called Matheson a “disgusting pathetic person” and a “monster,” among other names.
“This piece of s— is behind bars, where he belongs,” Marceno said.
Investigators said the suspect he may be connected to a similar incident that happened at a Goodwill Store on Saturday. Deputies in Lee County are working with Fort Myers police in that case.
“Everything we can charge, we will charge at the highest level,” Marceno said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/sheriff-has-choice-words-for-man-who-recorded-young-girls-in-walmart-fitting-room/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:04 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/sheriff-has-choice-words-for-man-who-recorded-young-girls-in-walmart-fitting-room/ |
(The Hill) – Governors and legislators in several states are racing to throw hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks, rebates and straight up cash at some of the richest people in the nation, hoping to secure commitments from NFL franchises in search of massive new stadiums.
Three states are considering or offering incentive packages to keep teams that already play inside their borders, while officials in two neighboring states are putting together their own bids to steal away nearby teams. Together, the deals amount to some of the most expensive packages states have ever offered to private businesses.
On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said she and legislative leaders had agreed on a $220 billion budget framework that would include $850 million in state and local taxpayer money to fund most of a new $1.4 billion stadium for her hometown team, the Buffalo Bills.
Virginia lawmakers are debating $350 million in bonds for a proposed economic development project that would be located either in Prince William or Loudoun counties to host the Washington Commanders, who currently play across the Potomac River in Landover, Md.
Maryland lawmakers have proposed $400 million in economic development along the Blue Line corridor near the Commanders’ current stadium, though none of that money would be used to fund the team’s wishes for a new home.
In the Kansas City metropolitan area, both Kansas and Missouri lawmakers are in the initial phases of outlining incentive packages to woo the Chiefs. The team has a lease for Arrowhead Stadium, on the Missouri side of the border, until 2031. But chief executive Clark Hunt said last week they have invested $500,000 in studying whether to renovate, build a new stadium in Missouri or move across the border to Kansas.
The owners of all three teams are regular fixtures on lists of America’s ultra-wealthy. Terry and Kim Pegula, who own the Bills and the Buffalo Sabres, are worth a combined $5.8 billion, according to Forbes. The Hunt family that owns the Chiefs counts a net worth of $15.5 billion. Dan Snyder, who recently purchased a $48 million estate that was once part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, is worth a reported $4 billion.
Legislators who back the massive incentive packages aimed at billionaire owners say the investments pay off in economic activity and civic pride.
“The Buffalo Bills are a part of the fabric of our community in Western New York. Losing our team to another part of the country would be devastating to the psyche of our community and the fabric of who we are, not to mention the economy that has been on the rebound and has been building momentum,” said New York state Sen. Tim Kennedy (D), who represents Buffalo. He pointed to stadiums that host the Yankees, Mets and Knicks, all of which received taxpayer funding. “The last thing we need is for an NFL team to pull up shop.”
Economists tell a very different tale. Stadiums for any professional sports team lie dormant more often than they host games, and studies of economic impact unanimously show the stadiums do not deliver what the teams promise they will.
“Economists don’t always agree on everything, but this is one where we’re pretty well aligned,” said Paul Oyer, a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and author of the book An Economist Goes to the Game. “They don’t generally bring other benefits to the area like they always talk about. There tends to be a lot of promises and none of those benefits come other than to the stadium. It’s not like they’re producing a large set of full-time, high-quality jobs.”
The new stadium for the Bills is likely to play a role as Hochul seeks a full term in office this November. Hochul’s two main challengers, Reps. Lee Zeldin (R) and Tom Suozzi (D), were critical of the deal struck with taxpayer money.
“On behalf of New York taxpayers, Kathy Hochul should have taken a stronger negotiating position and driven a harder bargain to successfully keep the Bills in Buffalo without their loyal fans and the rest of the state’s taxpayers having to pay a $850 million public cost,” Zeldin said in a statement.
In Virginia, the push to woo the Commanders has used stadium deals in Atlanta and Phoenix as models. Legislators have proposed floating bonds to build an economic development area that would include a stadium and other facilities to attract visitors, like The Battery in Atlanta, an entertainment district that hosts the Braves.
The bills under consideration, sponsored by state Sen. Richard Saslaw (D), the majority leader, and Delegate Barry Knight (R), who heads the House Appropriations Committee, would allow the team to recapture some of the sales tax generated by a new stadium to help defray the estimated $1 billion construction cost, similar to a measure Arizona lawmakers approved to build a new stadium for the NFL’s Cardinals in Glendale.
Lawmakers in both Virginia and Maryland are acutely aware of Snyder’s own recent move from Maryland to Virginia. Some Maryland lawmakers say they are unwilling to commit to money for Snyder’s team, which dropped its racist name in 2020 and adopted the Commanders moniker earlier this year.
“Initially, they were a really good partner to the community. Then over the years they essentially went MIA,” said state Delegate Jazz Lewis (D), whose district includes the stadium, pointing to investments the late former owner Jack Kent Cooke made in a major sports complex in Prince George’s County. “Candidly, there are a number of folks who would be fine to see them go.”
Lewis said his $400 million proposal would build an entertainment district similar to the one under discussion in Virginia, though none of the money could be used to fund a stadium. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Thursday he backs the proposal, which would make investments in the area even if the team leaves.
“This is money that could entice them to stay because they know we are making investments around them,” Lewis said of the Commanders. He said that the General Assembly is also considering money to improve M&T Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, and Camden Yards, home of the Orioles — two teams, he noted, that have not threatened to leave the state.
“If [the Commanders] leave, we can use the money to help level the stadium if that were to happen,” Lewis said. “I was very concerned that like RFK [Stadium in Washington] my constituents would have this towering structure that would depress home values for years to come.”
The fight over the Chiefs has reignited the so-called border war in the Kansas City metro area. For years, lawmakers on the Kansas side and the Missouri side offered millions in subsidies and tax breaks to businesses that would cross state lines, moving as little as a few blocks to shift jobs into one state or the other, at significant cost to taxpayers.
A truce established between the two cities three years ago is now at risk of unraveling. After Hunt’s comments last week, made at the annual meeting of NFL owners, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) said his state would not let the Chiefs leave without a fight.
“After my conversation with [Chiefs President] Mark Donovan, I assured him that Missouri will compete with any state trying to move the Chiefs from Missouri,” Parson said in a statement. “My administration and I have a great working relationship with the Chiefs organization, and this will not change.”
The fights over NFL teams come at a time when state budgets are suddenly flush with cash, infused by federal government aid to handle the coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic downturn and recovery as well as unexpectedly strong tax receipts.
But those good times will not last forever, and economists warn stadium deals rarely, if ever, deliver their promised returns. Oyer said a state would be wise to spend excess cash to pay down pension debts and obligations, something that pays defined financial benefits in the longer run.
“Football stadiums are especially egregious because they’re used so few days a year,” Oyer said in an interview. “These stadiums cost billions of dollars, but the people who get the benefits from it are a) already billionaires and b) managing businesses that are already bringing in billions of dollars.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/stadium-politics-rile-states-fighting-over-nfl-teams/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:11 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/stadium-politics-rile-states-fighting-over-nfl-teams/ |
(The Hill) — Several days before the results of the 2020 presidential election were called, Donald Trump Jr. texted former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about ways to overturn the results, according to documents viewed by CNN.
The network reviewed a text message that was sent from former President Trump’s son to Meadows that was part of correspondence obtained by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, according to CNN.
In the text to Meadows on Nov. 5 at 12:51 p.m., Trump Jr. reportedly referred to the idea of having Republican-controlled state Houses put forward “Trump electors.”
The former president’s son also reportedly referenced filing legal challenges to state results and supporting recounts.
“It’s very simple,” Trump Jr. texted Meadows, according to CNN. “We have multiple paths We control them all.”
He also suggested an idea to have the House of Representatives vote by state party delegation, with each state getting one vote, in the event that neither presidential candidate had enough electoral college votes to secure the presidency, CNN reported.
“This is what we need to do please read it and please get it to everyone that needs to see it because I’m not sure we’re doing it,” Trump Jr. reportedly texted Meadows before laying out his ideas.
The last idea floated to Meadows by Trump Jr. was firing FBI Director Christopher Wray and White House coronavirus adviser Anthony Fauci.
“Fire Wray; Fire Fauci,” he said, according to the news network.
He then suggested that former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell head the bureau.
An attorney for Trump Jr. said that the texts were most likely something the president’s son had forwarded from someone else.
“After the election, Don received numerous messages from supporters and others. Given the date, this message likely originated from someone else and was forwarded,” Alan Futerfas told The Hill in a statement.
George Terwilliger, an attorney for Meadows, did not have a comment when contacted by The Hill about the CNN report.
A House select committee spokesperson declined to comment to CNN regarding the matter.
The development comes as Trump and others have continued to push unsupported claims that the 2020 president election was fraudulent.
The Hill has reached out to the House committee for comment. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/trump-jr-suggested-ways-to-overturn-2020-election-in-text-to-meadows-cnn/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:18 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/trump-jr-suggested-ways-to-overturn-2020-election-in-text-to-meadows-cnn/ |
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Shortstop Jordan Thompson launched a sixth-inning solo home run to break a 3-3 tie, and the LSU bullpen blanked Mississippi State over five innings as the Tigers earned a 4-3 win at Dudy Noble Field.
LSU, which clinched its ninth straight series win in Starkville, improved to 22-9 overall and 6-5 in the SEC. Mississippi State fell to 18-14 overall and 4-7 in conference play.
LSU has won 14 of its last 16 SEC series against Mississippi State, and the Tigers have posted nine consecutive series victories at Dudy Noble Field. LSU last lost a series in Starkville in 2003.
The teams conclude the series at 1 p.m. CT Sunday in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed live on SEC Network +.
“I think our team is maturing a little bit, and it showed in the game today,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We need to continue to re-focus and concentrate on the task at hand. It’s another test tomorrow to focus on playing quality baseball. We need to play quality baseball and let the result take care of itself.”
Thompson led off the sixth inning with a homer to right field, as the ball just cleared the fence out of the reach of Mississippi State rightfielder Kellum Clark.
Right-hander Devin Fontenot (2-1), the third of six LSU pitchers, was credited with the win, as he worked one scoreless inning and allowed one hit with no walks and three strikeouts.
Mississippi State reliever Brandon Smith (2-2) was charged with the loss after entering the game with two outs in the first inning after LSU struck for three runs against starter Parker Stinnett. Smith worked six innings and allowed one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
LSU reliever Paul Gervase picked up the save for the second straight day, working a perfect 1.2 innings with four strikeouts.
Third baseman Jacob Berry unloaded a three-run homer – his 10th dinger of the year – to give LSU a 3-0 first-inning lead.
Mississippi State answered with two runs in the bottom of the first as second baseman RJ Yeager hit a leadoff homer, and third baseman Kamren James singled and later scored on an LSU infield error.
The Bulldogs tied the contest in the bottom of the fifth when James led off with a homer run, his fourth of the season.
The Tigers’ bullpen — Fontenot, Gervase, Trent Vietmeier, Riley Cooper and Eric Reyzelman – combined to shut out the Bulldogs over a five-inning span, allowing just three hits with 10 strikeouts.
“All of our relievers came in and did an phenomenal job,” Johnson said. “Everybody who came in had runners on base and left them on base at the end of the inning, which was awesome. They showed a lot of poise in blocking out the crowd and executing the pitch.”
LSU starting pitcher Blake Money worked four innings and was charged with three runs – two earned – on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
(Press Release provided by LSU Athletics) | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/lsu-baseball-edges-mississippi-state-4-3-to-win-series/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:24 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/lsu-baseball-edges-mississippi-state-4-3-to-win-series/ |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The fifth-ranked Tigers split matches on Sunday with a 4-1 win over No. 19 Stetson Saturday morning and a 3-2 loss against No. 2 TCU to close out the weekend at Florida State’s Unconquered Invitational.
“We took a huge step in the right direction,” said head coach Russell Brock. “You don’t want to make those steps as losses happen, but we’ll take them at this point in the season. If you can make progress this late in the season, then you’ll take it.”
The Tigers will host the Battle on the Bayou next Friday and Saturday to close out the regular season.
In the first matchup of the day against Stetson, four courts went the distance and played all three sets. Kylie Deberg and Kelli Greene-Agnew played in the only two-setter of the dual and earned the first point of the match for the Tigers with a 21-19 and 21-13 victory on Court 2.
Stetson evened the match on Court 4 as LSU’s Grace Seits and Ellie Shank fell in three sets. After the LSU duo fell in a tightly contested opening set, 24-22, Seits and Shank dominated the second set, 21-9 to force a third. Stetson took the deciding set on Court 4 though, 15-9, to even the match at one court each.
On Court 3 Reilly Allred and Holly Carlton struggled out of the starting gate and fell 21-11 in the first set, but the LSU duo rebounded to pull out a 24-22 second set win to force a third. They trailed 13-12 in the third set but rallied to a 16-14 win to put the Tigers up 2-1 against Stetson.
LSU’s Court 1 duo of Bella Bauman Parker Bracken clinched the match for the Tigers. They fell 21-18 in the first set, but battled to a 21-17 second set win, giving them the clinching opportunity in the third. Bauman and Bracken were tied at 5 in the third set on Court 1, but promptly went on a 4-1 run, allowing them to slam the door on Stetson and close out the third set with a 15-11 win.
With the match clinched for LSU, Melia Lindner and Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope were in a battle on Court 5. The LSU duo had taken the opening set, 21-15, before falling in the second set, 21-16. Tied at 14 in the third set, Lindner and Rasnick-Pope rattled off two points in a row to close the match with a 16-14 win in the third set on Court 5.
Playing against one of the nation’s top teams in TCU to close out the weekend, LSU needed just a couple more bounces to go its way in a tightly contested match where three courts came down to three sets.
“We played better in the second match, and it wasn’t even close,” said Coach Brock. “The energy we played with and the execution we played against a better team was really impressive to be in so many third sets against a team that’s ranked that high.”
TCU jumped out early on Court 1 as LSU’s duo of Bauman and Bracken fell in two sets, 21-11 and 21-18. Similarly, LSU’s Court 4 pair of Allison Coens and Lara Boos fell in two sets, 21-19 and 23-21, as TCU jumped out to a 2-0 lead.
Rasnick-Pope teamed up with Sierra Caffo on Court 5. The LSU duo fell in the first set, 21-19, but forced a third set after taking the second, 21-15. They were tied at 12 in the deciding set and scored three straight points to win, 15-12, and lessen TCU’s match lead to 2-1. In the process, Rasnick-Pope became the eighth player in program history with 70 career wins.
On Court 2, Deberg and Greene-Agnew battled to force a third set after falling in the opening set, 21-17. In the second set the LSU duo edged TCU, 22-20. Deberg and Green-Agnew trailed in the third set, 13-12, but fought to ultimately tie it up at 15. The pairs traded points until the LSU duo earned the win with a 21-19 third set win to even the overall match at two courts for each team.
Carlton and Allred took the opening set on Court 3, 21-18, but were forced to go three after TCU took the second set, 21-10. Carlton and Allred served for the match with a 15-14 lead in the third set but were unable to finish it off and TCU clinched the match, 17-15.
#5 LSU 4, #19 Stetson University 1
- Bella Bauman/Parker Bracken (LSU) def. Kylie Neuschaeferova/Shae Henson (STET) 18-21, 21-17, 15-11
- Kylie Deberg/Kelli Greene-Agnew (LSU) def. Anete Namike/Carolina Ferraris (STET) 21-19, 21-15
- Holly Carlton/Reilly Allred (LSU) def. Audrey Gauthier/Colene Hamilton (STET) 11-21, 24-22, 16-14
- Karin Zolnercikova/Gabriella Bramante (STET) def. Grace Seits/Ellie Shank (LSU) 24-22, 9-21, 15-9
- Melia Lindner/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) def. Lauren Domel/Noelle Weintraub (STET) 21-14, 16-21, 16-14
#2 TCU 3, #5 LSU 2
- Tania Moreno/Sutton MacTavish (TCU) def. Bella Bauman/Parker Bracken (LSU) 21-11, 21-18
- Kylie Deberg/Kelli Greene-Agnew (LSU) def. Kaylie McHugh/Hailey Hamlett (TCU) 17-21, 23-21, 21-19
- Alexis Filippone/Hailey Brockett (TCU) def. Holly Carlton/Reilly Allred (LSU) 18-21, 21-10, 17-15
- Maria Gonzalez/Ana Vergara (TCU) def. Allison Coens/Lara Boos (LSU) 21-19, 23-21
- Sierra Caffo/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) def. Megan Muret/Rochelle Scott (TCU) 19-21, 21-15, 15-12
(Press Release provided by LSU Athletics) | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/lsu-beach-volleyball-splits-matches-vs-no-19-stetson-and-no-2-tcu/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:36 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/lsu-beach-volleyball-splits-matches-vs-no-19-stetson-and-no-2-tcu/ |
Baton Rouge, La. – The LSU track and field team came away from Saturday’s Joe May Invitational with 11 event titles at Bernie Moore Track Stadium against stout competition in nearly perfect weather conditions, with the exception of a few windy races.
Dorian Camel had a dominant day in the short sprints as he won gold in the 100 meters and finished second in the 200 meters. Camel ran a season best of 10.12 in slightly windy conditions to move up to No. 5 on the national list in the event this season in the NCAA; he took second in the 200 meters with a big personal best of 20.31. He was the top collegiate finisher in the 200 meters behind current world champion Christian Coleman who won with a time of 20.25.
Amber Hart had herself a day as she registered a pair of personal bests in both the discus and shot put. She started her day off with a win in the discus after throwing the implement a career best distance 175’ 3” (53.42 meters). That mark was the fifth best in LSU history. She returned to the shot put ring a few hours later and PR’d in that event with a throw of 53’ 1” (16.18 meters) to move up to No. 5 on the LSU list in that event as well; she finished third in the shot put.
Amber Anning won her second straight event title in the 400 meter dash as she sprinted to victory with a winning time of 52.13. Doria Martingayle won the 1,500 meter run in a personal best time of 4:35.11 to win her first career collegiate title, and freshman Michaela Rose won her LSU debut in the 400 meter hurdles with an impressive starting time of 57.62; Rose’s 57.62 currently ranks No. 7 in the NCAA.
LSU had five other field event titles on the day led by three from the jumps group and two from the throwers. Serena Bolden notched the top spot in the women’s long jump with a career best mark of 20’ 7” (6.27 meters). Abigail O’Donoghue (high jump/6’) and Lisa Gunnarsson (pole vault/14’ 5.50”) were the other jumpers to get victories. Tzuriel Pedigo won the men’s javelin with a heave of 232’ (70.73 meters), and Jake Norris won the hammer with a season best heave of 230’ 3” (70.20 meters) to move up to No. 6 in the NCAA this season.
The women’s 4×400 meter relay was the final event title for the Tigers as the foursome of Favour Ofili, Amber Anning, Michaela Rose, and Garriel White ran their race in a time of 3:29.88 for gold and the No. 7 time in the NCAA this year.
Favour Ofili ran a blistering personal best in the 100 meter dash to earn silver in the event. She clocked a time of 11.00 to earn second behind Kentucky’s Abby Steiner (10.92). Ofili’s readout of 11.00 helped her defeat LSU alumnas Aleia Hobbs and Mikiah Brisco. The time of 11.00 ranks No. 4 in the NCAA and the world this year, and it moves her into the No. 7 spot on the LSU list. It’s also the fifth fastest wind legal time ever run by a Nigerian in the 100 meter dash. Ofili also split 50.16 as the leadoff leg on LSU’s 4×400 meter relay.
John Meyer opened up his LSU outdoor account on Saturday with a pair of second-place showings. He first tossed the discus a personal best distance of 161’ (49.08 meters) for silver. He then returned to action at the shot put ring and launched a throw of 65’ 2.25” (19.87 meters). That mark of 65’ 2.25” elevates him to the No. 2 spot on the outdoor list for shot put at LSU.
Da’Marcus Fleming improved his season best time in the 100 meters with an NCAA qualifying time of 10.14 seconds to finish in second behind Camel. That mark rates him as the ninth fastest in America this season. In addition to winning the 400 meter dash, Amber Anning collected the bronze medal in the 200 meters with a time of 23.43. Garriel White (400m hurdles/58.28) and Gwyneth Hughes (3,000 meters/10:26.05) finished second and third in their respective events on the track.
Three of LSU’s high jumpers all finished with the same clearance of 6’ (1.83 meters). O’Donoghue won the event based off fewest misses. Nyagoa Bayak (third) and Morgan Smalls (fourth) helped LSU to three of the top four spots in the event; the clearance of 6’ by all three LSU women ranks them tied for ninth in the NCAA. On the men’s side, Ronnie Rounds cleared a bar of 6’ 9” (2.06 meters) in the high jump for a third place finish.
Eli Gaughan threw the javelin a distance of 217’ 11” (66.44 meters) to finish as the runner up behind his teammate Pedigo.
LSU’s women’s 4×100 meter relay of Alia Armstrong, Leah Phillips, Tionna Beard-Brown, and Favour Ofili teamed up for a season best of 42.69 to take second in the event. The time moves them up to No. 3 in the NCAA.
PRs
- Cade Martin – 1,500 Meters – 3:53.61
- Garrett Hamilton – 1,500 Meters – 3:54.63
- Jackson Martingayle – 1,500 Meters – 3:59.90
- Alia Armstrong – 100 Meters – 11.43
- Callie Hardy – 800 Meters – 2:11.96
- Sara Funderburk – 800 Meters – 2:12.17
- Isiah Travis – 800 Meters – 1:53.58
- Aaron Smith – 200 Meters – 21.66
(Press Release provided by LSU Athletics) | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/lsu-track-field-wins-eleven-events-at-joe-may-invitational/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:42 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/lsu-track-field-wins-eleven-events-at-joe-may-invitational/ |
COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – Sophomore Taylor Pleasants led No. 21/23 LSU (24-15, 5-6 SEC) to an 11-8 victory over Texas A&M (23-14, 2-9 SEC) Saturday afternoon at Davis Diamond. LSU wins the series after taking the first two games of the weekend.
In addition to a few highlight reel defensive plays, Pleasants matched a career-high three hits, six RBIs, and became the sixth LSU Tiger to log three doubles in a game. Sophomore Ali Newland went 2-for-3 at the plate for her seventh multiple-hit game this season, and senior Shelbi Sunseri had one hit and two RBIs.
Junior Ali Kilponen improved to 13-4 in the circle after recording six punchouts and allowed six walks, three runs, and two hits in 5.0 innings of work. Sunseri got the start and finished with two strikeouts and walked two batters after allowing seven hits and five runs in 2.0 innings.
LSU scored its 11 runs in the first three innings before holding off Texas A&M who scored six unanswered runs to shrink an eight-run lead to three runs late. The Tigers sealed the game with a Kilponen strikeout and a groundout as they improved to 9-1 this season when scoring 10 or more runs.
The Tigers jumped on the Aggies early with three runs in the first inning. After sophomore Danieca Coffey walked and sophomore Ciara Briggs’ bunt single, Pleasants roped a pitch to left field for an RBI double. Junior Georgia Clark and Sunseri followed with back-to-back RBI sac flies, giving LSU a 3-0 lead after the opening inning.
Texas A&M made a pitching change to start the second inning, but LSU proceeded to score five runs on five hits in the frame. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs and junior Morgan Cummins, who led off the inning with a single, scored on a wild pitch. Pleasants cleared the bags with her second double of the day to drive in two more runs, and later, Sunseri’s two-run shot to left field gave the Tigers a commanding 8-0 lead. The Aggies ended the inning trailing 8-2 after getting on the board with a two-run homer of their own.
LSU scored another three runs in the top of the third thanks to Pleasants who hit her third double of the game that drove in three runs. However, in the bottom of the third inning, the Aggies responded with four runs to cut into the deficit, 11-6. Texas A&M put up two more runs in the seventh inning to trim LSU’s lead down to three runs, 11-8, but Kilponen delivered strikeout No. 6 and a groundout ended the game.
(Press Release provided by LSU Athletics) | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/no-21-lsu-softball-defeats-texas-am-11-8-to-win-series/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:48 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/geaux-nation/no-21-lsu-softball-defeats-texas-am-11-8-to-win-series/ |
(NEXSTAR) – For nearly 90 years, the Masters Tournament has been home to some of golf’s best moments. It’s hard to forget the modern-day highlights, like Hideki Matsuyama’s caddie, Shota Hayafuji, bowing toward the course last year just moments before Matsuyama became the first Japanese male to win a major championship. Or when Tiger Woods won his first major championship in 1997.
But the Masters hasn’t always looked as it does today. Here’s a look back at the Tournament through the years in photos.
In 1934, the first Masters Tournament was held under the name “Augusta National Invitation Tournament.” One of its co-founders, Clifford Roberts, wanted to call the event the Masters Tournament but fellow founder, Bobby Jones, felt it was too presumptuous. Jones relented in 1939 and the name changed to what we know today. The 1940 Masters Tournament was the first time it was scheduled during the first full week of April, according to the Masters Tournament timeline.
Horton Smith became the inaugural champion in 1934.
In the 1940s, the iconic trophies – the green jacket and the trophy itself – became staples of the event. According to the Masters, the first trophy was awarded in 1942 and first the green jacket in 1949. The caddie uniform of white coveralls, which is still in place today, was also set in 1940.
For three years, the Masters were put on hold due to World War II. In its 1946 return, the Masters also doubled the prize money. The next year, the first Leader Board was erected.
The first Champions Dinner was held in 1952 and in 1954, Sam Snead won his third Masters with a score of 289 – the highest in Tournament history. That record still stands, tied with 1956 and 2007, according to the Masters. The 1950s would close out with Arnold Palmer winning the first of his four Masters. Only two golfers have won the Masters more than Palmer – Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Nicklaus would go on to win his first Masters in 1963 and would close out the decade with three total wins. In 1986, Nicklaus won his sixth jacket and became the oldest champion in tournament history.
Fast-forward to 1997, Woods became the youngest player to ever win the Masters at 21-years-old. He also set the records for the lowest 72-hole total and the widest victory margin.
The early 2000s were also marked with milestones – Mike Weir became the first Canadian and left-hander to win the Masters, Phil Mickelson won his first in 2004, Palmer played his 50th consecutive competitive Masters, Gary Player broke Palmer’s record with 52 consecutive, and Angel Cabrera became the first South American champion.
And of course, who could forget the milestones of the last two years of the Masters.
In 2020, the Tournament was postponed and played in November without any patrons due to COVID-19. Dustin Johnson would win his first green jacket that year, scoring a 20-under-par 268 for the lowest score in Masters history. Last year, Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese golfer to win a major championship 10 years after receiving Low Amateur honors in the 2011 Masters.
For more on Masters history, click here. | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/masters-report/photos-the-masters-tournament-through-the-years/ | 2022-04-11T18:38:54 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/masters-report/photos-the-masters-tournament-through-the-years/ |
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WKBN) – Former Ohio State standout and Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins has died in a car accident according to his agent.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news via social media.
Haskins’s agent says he was hit by a car in Southern Florida.
Haskins joined the Steelers as a free agent in 2021 and spent a season with Pittsburgh.
In his lone season as a starter at Ohio State, Haskins threw for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdown passes. For his career as a Buckeye, Haskins threw for 54 career touchdowns.
Haskins was just 24 years old | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/steelers-qb-former-osu-standout-dead-at-24/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:02 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/steelers-qb-former-osu-standout-dead-at-24/ |
CINCINNATI, Ohio (BRPROUD) – Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was killed over the weekend in a collision involving a dump truck.
Haskins was on the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the time of his death.
Tributes poured in after the announcement was made about the passing of the 24-year-old.
The Pittsburgh Steelers tweeted out this message, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Dwayne Haskins. May he rest in peace.”
The college where Haskins starred posted a picture of the former QB in uniform with the message, “Leader. Legend. Forever a Buckeye.”
While at Ohio State, Haskins competed against another former Buckeye, Joe Burrow.
Haskins beat out Burrow for the starting quarterback job in 2018 and Burrow subsequently transferred to LSU.
The bond between the former Buckeye teammates remained as seen when Haskins consoled Burrow after #9 tore his ACL in November of 2020.
After the passing of Haskins, Burrow posted a short clip on Twitter which shows Haskins and Burrow greeting each other on the football field.
Accompanying that clip was this message, “Tough to find the words… you will be missed.”
Haskins was drafted by Washington in 2019. | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/tough-to-find-the-words-you-will-be-missed-joe-burrow-remembers-former-ohio-state-teammate/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:08 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/tough-to-find-the-words-you-will-be-missed-joe-burrow-remembers-former-ohio-state-teammate/ |
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The U.S. Coast Guard reported the rescue of an ill passenger on a cruise ship off the coast of Louisiana on Saturday night.
According to the report, the crews medevaced a 60-year-old man aboard the Carnival Valor approximately two miles south of Venice in Plaquemines Parish.
Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a call from Carnival Valor at 9:54 p.m. reporting a passenger had experienced stroke-like symptoms.
Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin aircrew.
The aircrew arrived on scene, hoisted the passenger and transferred him to Tulane Hospital.
The passenger was last reported to be in stable condition. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/coast-guard-airlifts-ailing-cruise-ship-passenger-off-plaquemines-parish-coast/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:15 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/coast-guard-airlifts-ailing-cruise-ship-passenger-off-plaquemines-parish-coast/ |
SABINE PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Firefighters battled multiple woods fires in south Sabine Parish Sunday afternoon as high, gusty winds fueled the flames and prompted the evacuations of at least three homes.
The fires started around 2 p.m. in wooded areas near Ferguson Road and Kites Landing area off LA Highway 191.
According to the South Sabine Fire District on Facebook, multiple units and responders from South Sabine and Vernon Parish responded to multiple wildfires in the area.
Fire District Secretary-Treasurer Kelly Stewart says those fires are now under control and have been handed over to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. While the flames reportedly came close to some homes, no property was damaged and no injuries were reported.
According to the sheriff’s office, Initial reports are that the fire spread over two miles.
The cause of the fires have not yet been determined. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/high-winds-fuel-woods-fires-in-south-sabine-parish/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:22 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/high-winds-fuel-woods-fires-in-south-sabine-parish/ |
IBERVILLE PARISH, La. (KLFY) A Lafayette police officer was seriously injured and is “fighting for his life” in the hospital after a crash on I-10 in Iberville Parish.
State Police Troop A TFC Taylor J. Scrantz confirmed with News 10 that Lt. Todd Alcorn, a 25 year veteran with the Lafayette Police Department and a military veteran, was involved in a 2-vehicle crash that happened around 7 a.m. Sunday at mile marker 132, 5 miles east of Whiskey Bay.
He was off-duty and driving his personal vehicle, Scrantz said.
She said he was headed westbound when he struck a bridge rail and lost control. His vehicle then came to a stop in the left lane and was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
Alcorn, who was likely impaired, was transported to a Baton Rouge hospital where he is listed in critical condition, Scrantz said.
The driver in the second vehicle, 44-year-old Stephen Scroth of Breaux Bridge, was transported to a Lafayette hospital.
His condition is unknown, Scrantz said.
The Lafayette Police department declined to comment on the crash, instead asking that the community keep Lt. Alcorn and his family in our prayers.
“On behalf of every member of the Lafayette Police Department and the family of Lt. Todd Alcorn we ask you, the public, to keep our fellow officer in your prayers. Things are really difficult right now and out of respect for his family we will not be releasing a statement today,” Public Information Officer Sgt. Robin Green said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/lafayette-police-officer-fighting-for-his-life-after-crash-on-i-10/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:29 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/lafayette-police-officer-fighting-for-his-life-after-crash-on-i-10/ |
COVINGTON, La. (KLFY) Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser made some teens night at DiCristina’s Italian and Seafood Restaurant in Covington this weekend.
Nungesser, was also dining at the restaurant, took pictures with a group of prom-goers and then talked to them about having a fun and safe night.
But the generosity didn’t stop there.
The ten seniors from Covington High School then had their dinner tab picked up by the Lt. Governor
“Wishing them a fun, safe night and much success in this next chapter of their life!” Nungesser said.
Chelsea Marissa Pearson, whose daughter was among the group of prom-goers, thanked the Lt. Governor in a Facebook message.
“Thank you for treating my daughter Haylee and her friends. Definitely a night to remember!” | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/louisiana-lt-governor-picks-up-restaurant-tab-for-10-high-school-prom-goers-much-success-in-this-next-chapter/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:35 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/louisiana-lt-governor-picks-up-restaurant-tab-for-10-high-school-prom-goers-much-success-in-this-next-chapter/ |
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – An on-campus fraternity at LSU has been suspended after allegedly kidnapping and endangering members.
LSU has suspended Sigma Alpha Epilson after Kyrsti Wyatt, assistant director and senior case manager for the Student Advocacy and Accountability (SAA) office, determined that the fraternity was responsible for violating the LSU Code of Conduct for coercive behavior, endangerment and hazing.
According to official documents, the fraternity participated in “Hell Week” where pledges “engaged in various levels of personal servitude” such as cleaning member houses cars or buying food and “were also forced to eat condiments, do line ups and do calisthenics” from 2017 through 2020.
In October of 2020, an active member was allegedly kidnapped and assaulted. The document says that this was a tradition within the chapter as a part of “Hell Week.”
The LSU Sigma Alpha Epilson student leadership and members allegedly provided false and misleading information to authorities and SAA.
“Based on the facts of this case, Sigma Alpha Epsilon has violated the policies of Coercive Behavior,
Endangerment, and Hazing. Per Louisiana State Law, a violation of the Hazing policy must result in an outcome of suspension,” the document reads.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is suspended now until May of 2023. When the suspension is lifted, the fraternity will enter a probationary period which will last until May of 2025. Until then, the group can’t participate in any campus activities, initiate new members, or live in or use the organization’s residence.
If the fraternity chooses to decline the outcome, the case will be heard by the University Hearing Panel. | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/lsu-fraternity-suspended-for-alleged-kidnapping-treating-members-like-servants/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:41 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/state-news/lsu-fraternity-suspended-for-alleged-kidnapping-treating-members-like-servants/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A COVID-19 patient was in respiratory distress. The Army nurse knew she had to act quickly.
It was the peak of this year’s omicron surge and an Army medical team was helping in a Michigan hospital. Regular patient beds were full. So was the intensive care. But the nurse heard of an open spot in an overflow treatment area, so she and another team member raced the gurney across the hospital to claim the space first, denting a wall in their rush.
When she saw the dent, Lt. Col. Suzanne Cobleigh, the leader of the Army team, knew the nurse had done her job. “She’s going to damage the wall on the way there because he’s going to get that bed,” Cobleigh said. “He’s going to get the treatment he needs. That was the mission.”
That nurse’s mission was to get urgent care for her patient. Now, the U.S. military mission is to use the experiences of Cobleigh’s team and other units pressed into service against the coronavirus pandemic to prepare for the next crisis threatening a large population, whatever its nature.
Their experiences, said Gen. Glen VanHerck, will help shape the size and staffing of the military’s medical response so the Pentagon can provide the right types and numbers of forces needed for another pandemic, global crisis or conflict.
One of the key lessons learned was the value of small military teams over mass movements of personnel and facilities in a crisis like the one wrought by COVID-19.
In the early days of the pandemic, the Pentagon steamed hospital ships to New York City and Los Angeles, and set up massive hospital facilities in convention centers and parking lots, in response to pleas from state government leaders. The idea was to use them to treat non-COVID-19 patients, allowing hospitals to focus on the more acute pandemic cases. But while images of the military ships were powerful, too often many beds went unused. Fewer patients needed non-coronavirus care than expected, and hospitals were still overwhelmed by the pandemic.
A more agile approach emerged: having military medical personnel step in for exhausted hospital staff members or work alongside them or in additional treatment areas in unused spaces.
“It morphed over time,” VanHerck, who heads U.S. Northern Command and is responsible for homeland defense, said of the response.
Overall, about 24,000 U.S. troops were deployed for the pandemic, including nearly 6,000 medical personnel to hospitals and 5,000 to help administer vaccines. Many did multiple tours. That mission is over, at least for now.
Cobleigh and her team members were deployed to two hospitals in Grand Rapids from December to February, as part of the U.S. military’s effort to relieve civilian medical workers. And just last week the last military medical team that had been deployed for the pandemic finished its stint at the University of Utah Hospital and headed home.
VanHerck told The Associated Press his command is rewriting pandemic and infectious disease plans, and planning wargames and other exercises to determine if the U.S. has the right balance of military medical staff in the active duty and reserves.
During the pandemic, he said, the teams’ make-up and equipment needs evolved. Now, he’s put about 10 teams of physicians, nurses and other staff — or about 200 troops — on prepare-to-deploy orders through the end of May in case infections shoot up again. The size of the teams ranges from small to medium.
Dr. Kencee Graves, inpatient chief medical officer at the University of Utah Hospital, said the facility finally decided to seek help this year because it was postponing surgeries to care for all the COVID-19 patients and closing off beds because of staff shortages.
Some patients had surgery postponed more than once, Graves said, because of critically ill patients or critical needs by others. “So before the military came, we were looking at a surgical backlog of hundreds of cases and we were low on staff. We had fatigued staff.”
Her mantra became, “All I can do is show up and hope it’s helpful.” She added, “And I just did that day after day after day for two years.”
Then in came a 25-member Navy medical team.
“A number of staff were overwhelmed,” said Cdr. Arriel Atienza, chief medical officer for the Navy team. “They were burnt out. They couldn’t call in sick. We’re able to fill some gaps and needed shifts that would otherwise have remained unmanned, and the patient load would have been very demanding for the existing staff to match.”
Atienza, a family physician who’s been in the military for 21 years, spent the Christmas holiday deployed to a hospital in New Mexico, then went to Salt Lake City in March. Over time, he said, the military “has evolved from things like pop-up hospitals” and now knows how to integrate seamlessly into local health facilities in just a couple of days.
That integration helped the hospital staff recover and catch up.
“We have gotten through about a quarter of our surgical backlog,” Graves said. ”We did not call a backup physician this month for the hospital team … that’s the first time that’s happened in several months. And then we haven’t called a patient and asked them to reschedule their surgery for the majority of the last few weeks.”
VanHerck said the pandemic also underscored the need to review the nation’s supply chain to ensure that the right equipment and medications were being stockpiled or to see if they were coming from foreign distributors.
“If we’re relying on getting those from a foreign manufacturer and supplier, then that may be something that is a national security vulnerability that we have to address,” he said.
VanHerck said the U.S. is also working to better analyze trends in order to predict the needs for personnel, equipment and protective gear. Military and other government experts watched the progress of COVID-19 infections moving across the country and used that data to predict where the next outbreak might be so that staff could be prepared to go there.
The need for mental health care for the military personnel also became apparent. Team members coming off difficult shifts often needed someone to talk to.
Cobleigh said military medical personnel were not accustomed to caring for so many people with multiple health problems, as are more apt to be found in a civilian population than in military ranks. “The level of sickness and death in the civilian sector was scores more than what anyone had experienced back in the Army,” said Cobleigh, who is stationed now at Fort Riley, Kansas, but will soon move to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
She said she found that her staff needed her and wanted to “talk through their stresses and strains before they’d go back on shift.”
For the civilian hospitals, the lesson was knowing when to call for help.
“It was the bridge to help us get out of omicron and in a position where we can take good care of our patients,” Graves said. “I am not sure how we would have done that without them.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/washington-dc/pentagon-plans-for-next-pandemic-as-covid-mission-ends/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:47 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/washington-dc/pentagon-plans-for-next-pandemic-as-covid-mission-ends/ |
(Stacker) — On July 9, 2021, California’s Death Valley reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an automated measuring system there, representing one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on the planet. The world record, also recorded at Death Valley, was 134 degrees in July 1913.
More than 210 degrees Fahrenheit separates the highest and the lowest temperatures on record in the United States, the third-largest country in the world. As some states are infamous for having blistering hot summers, others become inundated by winter storms and frigid cold. The contiguous U.S. had its warmest meteorological summer (June-August) on record in 2021, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA’s State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.
Louisiana by the numbers
- All-time highest temperature: 114° F, Plain Dealing on Aug. 10, 1936.
- All-time lowest temperature: -16° F, Minden on Feb. 13, 1899.
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 22 inches, Hackberry 8 SSW on Aug. 28–29, 1962.
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 13 inches, Colfax on Feb. 13, 1960.
Hackberry, a community in Cameron Parish, witnessed the state’s heaviest rainfall between Aug. 28 and 29 in 1962. A tropical depression that had first formed in the western Gulf of Mexico eventually struck the Texas and Louisiana border two days later before finally subsiding on Aug. 30, 1962. In August 2016, the state of Louisiana suffered from devastating flooding. More than 100,000 houses were destroyed, and over 10,000 people had to move to shelters.
Article has been re-published pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1. | https://www.cenlanow.com/weather/weather-headlines/what-are-the-most-extreme-temperatures-rain-totals-in-louisiana-history/ | 2022-04-11T18:39:49 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/weather/weather-headlines/what-are-the-most-extreme-temperatures-rain-totals-in-louisiana-history/ |
As the 2021-22 performing arts season winds down, local companies are starting to announce what's on deck for the coming season.
The Phoenix Theatre Company just released its 2022-23 lineup, and it's stacked with shows for the coming months.
“Our spectacular 103rd season is full of enchanting stories of possibility, tomorrow's promise, and a passionate love for the theatre,” Michael Barnard, producing artistic director at The Phoenix Theatre Company, said in a press release. “Commemorating our perseverance over the last few years and embracing the future growth at The Phoenix Theatre Company is our goal. The ambitious lineup of full-scale productions will provide beautiful, shared experiences of laughter, tears, and inspiration while capturing our commitment to artistic excellence.”
The 2022-23 season, with descriptions from the company, is:
The Book of Will, August 31 to September 25
An unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter that sheds new light on a man you may think you know, Shakespeare, and a race to preserve his legacy.
Bandstand, September 21 to October 23
After the ticker-tape parades cease, will musical glory bring hope, purpose, and redemption for a group of World War II veterans? The
New York Times called this “an open-hearted musical that will have you clapping your hands and clenching your fists, tapping your toes and blinking back tears.”
A Chorus Line, October 19 to December 18
This dazzling, dance-filled confessional is for anyone who has ever put it all on the line for a dream.
Cinderella, November 18, 2022, to January 1, 2023
Your favorite pair of slippers this winter are made of glimmering glass in this spin on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s timeless classic that will charm and inspire audiences of all ages.
An American in Paris, January 25 to March 12, 2023
Romance, dance, and the soaring melodies of George and Ira Gershwin – who could ask for anything more?
Constellations, March 1 to April 30, 2023
If you’ve ever wondered "What if?" this spellbinding story of fate, chance, and choice is a cosmic collision of romance and relativity.
Tiananmen, April 12 to May 14, 2023
This world premiere epic musical is inspired by the protests that defined a generation – and stands as a testament to the human cost of the pursuit of democracy.
25th Festival of New American Theatre, spring 2023
The Southwest’s premier new theater festival.
A musical TBA, June 7 to July 9, 2023
“It’s so new that we can’t announce it yet, but we promise that this hit production full of spectacle will be a night to remember,” Barnard said.
Dreamgirls, August 2 to September 3, 2023
From dream to diva, every star has a story in this glamorous, high-energy, Motown-minted hit.
There are a number of changes coming to The Phoenix Theatre Company in the coming months. Most of the upcoming season's shows will be held in the company's larger Mainstage Theatre so its smaller Hormel Theatre can undergo renovations, including doubling in capacity and receiving technical upgrades.
To that end, The Phoenix Theatre Company is in the midst of a $20 million capital campaign to fund the changes; the company reported last week that it has secured $17 million so far.
Season ticket packages for 2022-2023 go on sale to the general public on May 23, and single tickets go on sale on July 11. Current season ticket holders can renew their subscription packages now. Phoenix Theatre is located at 1825 North Central Avenue. For more information, visit
the Phoenix Theatre Company website. | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/classics-world-premieres-phoenix-theatre-company-upcoming-season-2022-2023-13376533 | 2022-04-11T18:40:13 | 0 | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/classics-world-premieres-phoenix-theatre-company-upcoming-season-2022-2023-13376533 |
Ministry is scheduled to perform on Tuesday, April 12, at Marquee Theatre in Tempe.Jack Gorman
If you happen to be in the mood to see a show in metro Phoenix this week, you've got plenty of options. Old-school rivetheads, industrial metal fans, or anyone else who's rocked out to "Jesus Built My Hotrod" will be interested to know that Ministry will be performing their long-awaited (and twice rescheduled) show in the Valley on Wednesday.
Other notable concerts happening from Monday, April 11, to Thursday, April 14, include performances by singer/actress Poppy, electro alt-pop trio Cannons, goth-rock duo Twin Tribes, and post-hardcore act Drug Church. A few bands headed for Coachella (such as pop-punk outfit Beach Bunny and Aussie punkers The Chats) will also make a stop in the Valley over the next few nights.
Details about each of these shows and events can be found below. And for even more live music happening around the Valley, visit Phoenix New Times’ online concert listings.
A goth-rock duo formed in Brownsville, Texas, in 2017, Twin Tribes' Luis Navarro and Joel Niño Jr., first started making an impression on the post-punk world in 2018 when their video for "Shadows" captivated audiences with its style and over-the-top occult imagery. In the few years that have passed, Twin Tribes have taken the world by storm, signing with Spain's Dead Wax Records and playing shows around the world. Using analog synthesizers and drum machines, Twin Tribes creates dark melodic songs for the undead. Joining Twin Tribes on Tuesday, April 12, at The Underground, 105 West Main Street in Mesa, will be darkwave duo Meldamor and Seattle-based death rock band Nox Novacula. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $13 in advance, $15 at the door. David Fletcher
Paul Davis (left), Michelle Joy (center), and Ryan Clapham (right) of Cannons.
Ryan Rundle
Cannons at Valley Bar
Electro alt-pop trio Cannons is set to play a sold-out show at Valley Bar, 130 North Central Avenue, on Tuesday, April 12, in support of their new album, Fever Dream. Expect heavy synths, hypnotic melodies, and a surging dance floor when the band, helmed by lead singer Michelle Joy, guitarist Ryan Clapham, and drummer Paul Davis, hits the stage in support of their latest release. The 11-song album is the kind of career-propelling record that bands pine for, fans crave and cherish, and playlist curators salivate over. Cannons’ canon rests on a bedrock of soul-struck dance, guided by shimmering synths and simmering rhythm guitars, and American balladry, as if time traveling from a forgotten '50s diner jukebox to the band’s playground of chameleonic reference points. Fever Dream paints its sonic palette with cinematic ambition, scaling its magnetism to both festival stages and intimate settings, like the clubs and theaters the band is currently headlining. All this to say: You just can’t take your ears, or eyes, off of them. Chong the Nomad opens the 8 p.m. show. Tickets are available on the secondarymarket. John Amar
One of the pioneers of industrial metal in the late 1980s, Ministry came to life as a synthpop band in Chicago's underground music scene. Ministry's first album, With Sympathy, was praised by Rolling Stone for its catchy dance tracks. The album has since been disowned by bandleader Al Jourgensen, who felt pressured by his record label to match the then-popular sound of the new wave. Ministry's subsequent work would never again be so bright. By the time Ministry released The Land of Rape and Honey in 1988, the band's sound had become darker, heavier, and angrier, and it never went back. Last year, Ministry released their 15th studio album, Moral Hygiene, which showed that time has done little to dampen their harsh and combative sound. Speaking of harsh and combative sounds, Ministry will have opening support from Corrosion of Conformity and Melvins when they roll through the Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street, on Tuesday, April 12. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $39.50 in advance, $42 at the door. David Fletcher
New York-born punk/post-hardcore band Drug Church, which has been performing since 2011, is touring in support of its latest LP, Hygiene. The 10-track release, which is their fourth studio album and dropped last month, has earned plenty of acclaim from both fans and critics alike for its great lyrics and killer hooks. (Kerrang! called it “as addictively seductive as ever” and said listening to the album “might just be one of the most satisfying things you can do in less than half an hour.” See if you agree when Drug Church performs multiple songs from the album during their stop at The Rebel Lounge, 2303 East Indian School Road, on Tuesday, April 12. Doors are at 6:30 p.m. and One Step Closer, Soul Blind, and LURK share the bill. Tickets are $18. Benjamin Leatherman
Pop-punk outfit Beach Bunny’s happy-actually-pretty-sad spirit is on full display on 2020’s Honeymoon, their first full-length album. The opening track “Promises” is meant for blaring with the car windows rolled down, windblown hair and all, screaming about an ex. Vocalist/guitarist Lili Trifilio’s vocals guide the production, set to lyrics less optimistic than Beach Bunny’s melodies suggest. At the top of the chorus, she sings: “Part of me still wants you.” A few bars later: “Part of me still hates you.” Despite covering lyrically gray areas, their songs are colorful and energetic that you might find yourself smiling at the melancholy, dancing through it all, and hollering along when Beach Bunny performs at the Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street in Mesa, on Wednesday, April 13. Songs from the 2021 EP Blame Game and their soon-to-be-released second studio album Emotional Creature are also likely to be featured. Wednesday and Ky Voss open the 8 p.m. concert. Tickets are $25. John Amar
In recent years, singer-songwriters in many cities can feel like they're a dime a dozen, but it doesn't feel like that's the sound that's coming from Los Angeles. You could've said that statement for a long time until 2017, when Phoebe Bridgers released her stunning debut album Stranger in the Alps. On it, the 27-year-old L.A. native gave us one of the prettiest and most thoughtful albums of the year while showcasing that she was a force to be reckoned with in the genre. When you listen to her music, there's an emotional heft to it all. Now, after critical acclaim from pretty much every journalist, she's still touring in support of her second studio album, 2020’s Punisher, and is due at Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 West Washington Street, on Wednesday, April 13. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $39.50 to $59.50. David Garrick
Saint Paul, Minnesota, indie rockers Hippo Campus last graced Valley stages in 2019. Since then, the five-piece band has recorded an EP (2021’s Good Dog, Bad Dream) and its third full-length, LP3, which dropped a little more than a month ago. Last year, guitarist Nathan Stocker told our sister publication Westword that the band was "really diving inside and examining ourselves and our relationship to what we do" when recording the new album. Hear the results when Hippo Campus comes to The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street, on Wednesday, April 13. The show starts at 8 p.m. and SoCal indie-soul group Ginger Root opens. The show is officially sold out, but you can hit upresellers for tickets. John Bear
Poppy at Marquee Theatre
The Los Angeles-based artist/actress Poppy built up her oddly cute “robotic” persona with a series of YouTube videos in 2014, eventually making her way into music. With a wide range of styles including bubblegum pop, reggae, and even “music to sleep to,” Poppy’s latest album, Flux, came out last year and offers more of an organic sound than her previous release, 2020’s I Disagree. She’s scheduled to perform at Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue in Tempe, on Wednesday, April 13, with support from gender-bending musician Mz Neon. Doors are at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $27. Cameron Martinez
Australian punk band The Chats, most known for their music video and song “SMOKO,” are playing a weeknight show at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue, on Thursday, April 4. The trio – consisting of guitarist Josh Hardy, bassist/vocalist Eamon Sandwith, and drummer Matt Boggis – are currently touring the U.S. in support of their most recent album, High Risk Behaviour, but will head to Coachella later this month. This Aussie band of misfits are sure to put on a show. On the bill with them are Oregon-based punk act Mean Jeans and Brooklyn pop-punkers THICK. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $22.50 to $32.50. Jacob Vaughn
KEEP PHOENIX NEW TIMES FREE...
Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls. | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/phoenix-best-concerts-april-11-14-ministry-poppy-cannons-phoebe-bridgers-13403907 | 2022-04-11T18:40:20 | 1 | https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/phoenix-best-concerts-april-11-14-ministry-poppy-cannons-phoebe-bridgers-13403907 |