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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/oscars-producer-says-police-offered-arrest-will-smith/
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Oscars producer says police offered to arrest Will Smith
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscars producer Will Packer said Los Angeles police were ready to arrest Will Smith after Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage.
“They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment,” Packer said in a clip released by ABC News Thursday night of an interview he gave to “Good Morning America.” “They said we will go get him. We are prepared. We’re prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him. They were laying out the options.”
But Packer said Rock was “very dismissive” of the idea.
“He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine,” Packer said. “And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said no.”
The LAPD said in a statement after Sunday night’s ceremony that they were aware of the incident, and that Rock had declined to file a police report. The department declined comment Thursday on Packer’s interview, a longer version of which will air on Friday morning.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. Smith could be suspended, expelled or otherwise sanctioned.
The academy said in a statement that “Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television.”
Without giving specifics, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, but refused to do so.
Smith strode from his front row seat on to the stage and slapped Rock after a joke Rock made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when he was on stage to present the Oscar for best documentary.
On Monday, Smith issued an apology to Rock, the academy and to viewers, saying “I was out of line and I was wrong.”
The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18.
Rock publicly addressed the incident for the first time, but only briefly, at the beginning of a standup show Wednesday night in Boston, where he was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He said “I’m still kind of processing what happened.”
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/usda-forecasting-higher-food-grocery-costs-2022/
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USDA forecasting higher food, grocery costs in 2022
(Gray News) - It looks like elevated food prices are going to continue this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA released its Food Price Outlook for 2022 and predicted the cost of groceries would continue to increase to as much as 4%.
According to the Consumer Price Index, grocery and supermarket food prices were already 8.6% higher in February than last year and up nearly 1.5% from January to February in 2022.
As reported by the Associated Press, prices for U.S. consumers have continued to jump recently, leaving families facing the highest inflation rate since 1990.
“We’re getting into this situation where we have spiraling inflation,” said Jay Hatfield, CEO of Infrastructure Capital Advisors. “Inflation in one area drives inflation in another.”
Currently, the CPI reports all food categories are increasing in price other than fresh vegetables. Last year, the beef and veal categories had the most significant price increase of 9.3%, and the fresh vegetable category had the smallest at 1.1%. However, no food categories decreased in price in 2021.
Poultry prices are also expected to increase up to 7%, with egg prices predicted to increase up to 3.5% in 2022.
Overall, grocery store and supermarket food purchases are expected to increase up to 4%, with restaurant purchases or food away from home forecasted to increase up to 6.5%, according to the USDA.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/5-fetuses-found-inside-dc-home-anti-abortion-activist/
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5 fetuses found inside DC home of anti-abortion activist
WASHINGTON (AP) — Police found five fetuses in the home of a self-proclaimed “anti-abortion activist” who was indicted this week on federal charges alleging that she was part of a group of people who blocked access to a Washington, D.C. reproductive health center.
The Metropolitan Police Department says officers were responding to a tip about “potential bio-hazard material” at a home in Southeast Washington on Wednesday when they located the five fetuses inside.
A local television station, WUSA9, captured video of police searching the home and reported that the home belonged to Lauren Handy. The 28-year-old was one of nine people charged in an indictment that was made public on Wednesday that accused the group of traveling to Washington, blocking access to the reproductive health center and streaming it on Facebook.
The station, which first reported the discovery, said Handy told a reporter that “people will freak out when they hear” what detectives found inside her house. Handy did not respond to a message sent to her Facebook profile seeking comment.
Police said the five fetuses were collected by Washington’s medical examiner and the investigation is ongoing.
In the indictment, prosecutors said Handy had called the clinic pretending to be a prospective patient and scheduling an appointment. Once there, on Oct. 22, 2020, eight of the suspects pushed their way inside and began blocking the doors, according to the indictment. Five of them chained themselves together on chairs to block the treatment area as others blocked the employee entrance to stop other patients from coming inside, the indictment alleges. Another suspect blocked people from coming into the waiting room, prosecutors charge.
Handy and the eight others were charged with conspiracy against rights and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The federal law, more commonly known as the FACE Act, prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/doctor-convicted-prescribing-over-1m-opioid-pills-las-vegas-cocktail-drugs/
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Doctor convicted for prescribing over $1M in opioid pills, ‘Las Vegas cocktail’ of drugs
(Gray News) - A physician in Texas was recently convicted for wrongly prescribing more than $1 million worth of opioid hydrocodone pills.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 52-year-old James Pierre, a Houston doctor, unlawfully prescribed controlled substances from June 2015 through July 2016 to individuals posing as patients at a West Parker Medical Clinic, a pill-mill clinic located in Houston.
Trial evidence showed Pierre and his physician assistant issued hundreds of unlawful prescriptions for hydrocodone and carisoprodol, a combination of controlled substances known as the “Las Vegas Cocktail,” to hundreds of individuals posing as patients each week.
According to the Justice Department, “runners” brought numerous people to pose as patients at the clinic and paid about $220 to $500 per visit in exchange for the prescriptions.
Throughout the scheme, West Parker made about $1.75 million from prescriptions, and over $300,000 went to Pierre, according to investigators.
The Department of Justice reports Pierre was convicted of one count of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and seven counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing controlled substances.
The 52-year-old is currently scheduled to be sentenced on June 27 and faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.
Officials said that one co-conspirator has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances unlawfully.
DEA Houston investigated the case, according to the Department of Justice.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/thousands-baby-teether-rattles-recalled-due-choking-hazard/
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Thousands of baby teether rattles recalled due to choking hazard
(Gray News) - A recall has been issued for nearly 9,000 motion-activated baby rattles sold in the U.S. and Canada.
PlayMonster has recalled the Kid O Hudson glow rattles due to their legs possibly breaking off and posing a choking hazard to young children, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The agency describes the product as a motion-activated rattle shaped like a puppy that makes a soft rattling sound when shaken. The plastic puppy is white with spots that can glow in red or green. The puppy’s legs are textured soft plastic for teething children.
Currently, there have been three reports of the rattle legs breaking off, according to the recall. No injuries have been reported.
Consumers are advised to immediately take the recalled walkers away from young children and contact PlayMonster by calling 1-800-469-7506 to discuss refund options.
The rattles were sold at specialty stores nationwide and online at Target.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com and other sites from February 2018 through February 2022.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/wsaz-investigates-cancer-causing-chemicals-whats-being-done-address-concerns/
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WSAZ Investigates | Cancer-Causing Chemicals; what’s being done to address concerns
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – As a follow-up to our investigation about cancer-causing chemicals that the EPA said were being released into parts of the Kanawha Valley, we look at what’s being done to assess and address concerns.
We’re talking about the chemical ethylene oxide (eTO), a colorless, odorless gas. The EPA had labeled the areas around two plants in Kanawha County as hotspots for eTO emissions.
Since then, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has started air testing around the facilities. To date, no steps have been taken to reduce the amount of chemicals in the air.
From our initial investigation, we’ve been telling you about these two Union Carbide facilities -- one in Institute, the other in South Charleston about the eTO emissions.
In 2018, the EPA identified the areas around both plants as having a potentially elevated cancer risk from eTO emissions based upon the latest data. By March 2020, the EPA declared those same areas hotspots, meaning that more than 100 in 1 million people could develop cancer.
For months, we’ve been trying to speak with someone at the WVDEP about concerns we’ve been hearing from the people who live around the plants, but we were either ignored or told “no one is available at this time.”
So, when the WVDEP held its first public meeting about eTO concerns last weekend, we were there and ready to ask questions.
WSAZ Investigates | DEP spokesperson responds to Cancer-Causing Chemicals investigation
The WVDEP said it started testing the air around the plants in January to get updated data on emissions. They say the results of the first round of testing showed much lower amounts of ethylene oxide.
At the public meeting, we got to speak with Alice Chow from the EPA about the newly released second round of test results from the WVDEP, which showed higher concentrations in the air.
Chow said the difference between the two sets of results likely comes down to operations at the facilities -- and weather.
“It depends on the wind,” Chow said.
She also says up to 40% of emissions nationwide come from leaks that can be prevented by monitoring more frequently and lowering standards.
“It’s unbelievable how much emission reductions you can have, because you are doing leak detection before it technically becomes a leak,” Chow said. “So you’re just gonna fix it. And by doing that, you really are having some, you know, contributing to reducing the emissions, because when you reduce the emissions, you’re going to reduce the risk.”
WSAZ’s Brendan Tierney discussed the issue at length with Chow.
Tierney: “What type of difference would that technology in those monitoring is making this community?
Chow: You know, I don’t know offhand … I would suspect because Union Carbide and all the facility, those are in both these areas, they have, they probably already have a huge leak detection and repair program. The question is whether or not if there are areas that are leaking more than others, and maybe this monitoring effort might be able to point out: hey, this part of this monitor is leaking way more than the other ones. What’s going on in this area? That will help that will help define things you may not have, for your whole plan, do everything like that, but you might be able to do something in this particular area that would reduce the emissions from this area to reduce the risk.”
Chow said the EPA first released data showing the increased cancer risk around these facilities in 2018. So, we asked the WVDEP what it’s been doing beyond testing the air to reduce this cancer risk and protect the community.
Tierney: “Have you been talking with these plants at all about potentially putting limits in place or any other opportunities to reduce leaks or other things like that?
WVDEP spokesperson Terry Fletcher: “Sure. Yeah. We’ve had conversations with the facilities. They’ve been very cooperative. You know, part of our process is, has been getting more updated emissions data. As we mentioned earlier, a lot of facilities had overestimated their emissions. So, we’re getting more accurate idea of what their actual emissions are, as well, as, you know, they’ve also overestimated what the concentrations of ethylene oxide using their processes. So, we’re getting a better idea of what actual concentrations they’re using. And that has, you know, those steps along with, you know, monitoring more frequently than what the rules require. Have, you know, obviously helped drive down some of those emissions.”
Tierney: “When would you expect to see those limits in place or protocols to reduce emissions?”
Fletcher: “Sure. So the regulations for ethylene oxide are set at the federal level, you know, the EPA is set to review those in 2024. So … once they do their review of these regulations will be, you know, we’ll be reviewing those and, and implementing them through the state Legislature like we do for all of our rules and regulations.”
Tierney: “Why not talk with the plants earlier? And try to get them to reduce them now?”
Fletcher: “Sure. So, like I said, we’ve had conversations with the, the facilities, and, you know, part of the, the process of gathering more updated emissions data, and gathering more site specific data is to better, better gauge where and how they can reduce those emissions. So, part of this process has just been identifying, you know, the best ways that can be best ways that we can implement any reductions that may need to be implemented.”
When EPA data showed the cancer risk around these plants was much higher than the EPA’s benchmark level, the WVDEP asked the WVDHHR to do an assessment of the cancer registry around the plants.
Our initial investigation found an assessment was completed... But when asked for the report -- a spokesperson said in an email, “no formal report exists.”
Tierney: “What are the main cancer concerns that are associated with this chemical?”
Steve Blankenship, DHHR epidemiologist, who completed the 2019 assessment: “The literature says that exposure ethylene oxide is mainly associated with female breast cancer, lymphomas and leukemias.”
Blankenship said just two weeks ago, the WVDEP asked him to put together this formal report using the data from his original assessment, despite our request of that same data in January.
Blankenship says the formal report shows Kanawha County does not rank in the top 10 counties for any cancer associated with eTO.
“Nothing is causing a reason for concern for me,” Blankenship said. “The area’s most closely associated with this ethylene oxide concern, centered around these facilities are not the areas that have the highest rates of ethylene oxide cancers. So, it does not appear that the two are connected.”
We’ve also asked the WVDEP if the Union Carbide plants are taking any of the precautions the EPA mentioned other plants are taking -- like closer monitoring of any leaks.
Fletcher told Tierney we had to ask Union Carbide about that, so we forwarded them the message but have not yet heard back.
The WVDHHR says it is in the process of updating its report based on the latest cancer data from the area around these plants.
The new report will be completed by the end of May and will include data all the way back to 1993.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/closing-arguments-next-michigan-gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot/
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Closing arguments next in Michigan Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot
(AP) - Jurors will hear closing arguments Friday in the trial of four men accused of a brazen conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a case built with informants, undercover agents, secret recordings and two people who pleaded guilty and cooperated.
Only one defendant, Daniel Harris, chose to testify in his own defense. But his denial of any crime Thursday was met by an aggressive cross-examination in which prosecutors used his own words to show his contempt for Whitmer and even suggestions about how to kill her.
Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr. and Brandon Caserta declined to testify, and defense attorneys called only a few witnesses. The four deny any scheme to get Whitmer at her vacation home in fall 2020, though they were livid with government as well as restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The men were arrested in October 2020 amid talk of raising $4,000 for an explosive that could blow up a bridge and stymie police after a kidnapping, according to trial evidence. Fox twice traveled to northern Michigan to scout the area.
Defense attorneys, however, insist they were under the spell of informants and agents who got them to say and do violent, provocative things.
Harris repeatedly answered “absolutely not” when asked by his lawyer if he was part of a plot. His testimony was perilous because he exposed himself to numerous challenges by prosecutors who had been offering evidence against the group for days.
Harris and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth sometimes talked over each other. At one point, Harris snapped, “Next question.”
“Everyone can take it down a notch,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said later.
Roth confronted Harris with his own chat messages about posing as a pizza deliveryman and killing Whitmer at her door. He reminded Harris, a former Marine, that he worked with explosives while training with the group, especially in Luther, Michigan, in September 2020, about a month before their arrest.
Roth played a conversation of Croft talking about militias overthrowing governments in various states and “breaking a few eggs” if necessary.
“When this man talks to you at a diner about killing people, you don’t stand up and walk out, do you sir?” Roth asked. “You don’t say, ‘This group is not for me,’ do you sir?”
“No,” Harris answered.
A “shoot house” that was intended to resemble Whitmer’s second home was a key part of the Luther training weekend, according to the government. Harris admitted that he brought materials but said he didn’t build it with her house in mind.
He didn’t participate in an evening ride to Elk Rapids, Michigan, to scout Whitmer’s home and a bridge during that same weekend. Harris said he had purchased $200 of cheap beer and cigarettes so he could return to the camp and “get wasted” with others.
Two more men, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators. Garbin last week said the group acted willingly and hoped to strike before the election, cause national chaos and prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the kidnapping plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case. Whitmer has said Trump was complicit in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
___
White reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/county-commission-awards-800000-wva-international-yeager-airport/
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County Commission awards $800,000 to W.Va. International Yeager Airport
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Nearly $800,000 in funding from the Kanawha County Commission is headed to West Virginia International Yeager Airport to help repair a road slip.
Airport director and CEO Nick Keller said the slip on Airport Road began in May 2020, and the airport has had a difficult time getting it repaired.
Keller told the commission that the airport has been working with the West Virginia Department of Highways to develop a plan for repair.
He said that repair will cost nearly $800,000. The funding will come from the commission’s Industrial Access Road Funds.
“This really is good news,” said Commission President Kent Carper. “I mean, let’s see if we all understand this. Airport Road is closed. How do you get to the airport? You don’t. You really don’t. And maybe it shouldn’t have been built that way, but that’s what it is.”
Four hundred thousand dollars of the funding will be awarded to the airport now, and the other half will come during the commission’s next fiscal year.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/house-passes-35-a-month-insulin-cap-dems-seek-wider-bill/
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House passes $35-a-month insulin cap as Dems seek wider bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation.
Experts say the legislation, which passed 232-193 Thursday, would provide significant relief for privately insured patients with skimpier plans and for Medicare enrollees facing rising out-of-pocket costs for their insulin. Some could save hundreds of dollars annually, and all insured patients would get the benefit of predictable monthly costs for insulin. The bill would not help the uninsured.
But the Affordable Insulin Now Act will serve as a political vehicle to rally Democrats and force Republicans who oppose it into uncomfortable votes ahead of the midterms. For the legislation to pass Congress, 10 Republican senators would have to vote in favor. Democrats acknowledge they don’t have an answer for how that’s going to happen.
“If 10 Republicans stand between the American people being able to get access to affordable insulin, that’s a good question for 10 Republicans to answer,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the House bill. “Republicans get diabetes, too. Republicans die from diabetes.”
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., complained the legislation is only “a small piece of a larger package around government price controls for prescription drugs.” Critics say the bill would raise premiums and fails to target pharmaceutical middlemen seen as contributing to high list prices for insulin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Democrats could have a deal on prescription drugs if they drop their bid to authorize Medicare to negotiate prices. “Do Democrats really want to help seniors, or would they rather have the campaign issue?” Grassley said.
The insulin bill, which would take effect in 2023, represents just one provision of a much broader prescription drug package in President Joe Biden’s social and climate legislation.
In addition to a similar $35 cap on insulin, the Biden bill would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for a range of drugs, including insulin. It would penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation and overhaul the Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.
Biden’s agenda passed the House only to stall in the Senate because Democrats could not reach consensus. Party leaders haven’t abandoned hope of getting the legislation moving again, and preserving its drug pricing curbs largely intact.
The idea of a $35 monthly cost cap for insulin actually has a bipartisan pedigree. The Trump administration had created a voluntary option for Medicare enrollees to get insulin for $35, and the Biden administration continued it.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are working on a bipartisan insulin bill. Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has introduced legislation similar to the House bill, with the support of Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Stung by criticism that Biden’s economic policies spur inflation, Democrats are redoubling efforts to show how they’d help people cope with costs. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported a key inflation gauge jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
But experts say the House bill would not help uninsured people, who face the highest out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Also, people with diabetes often take other medications as well as insulin. That’s done to treat the diabetes itself, along with other serious health conditions often associated with the disease. The House legislation would not help with those costs, either. Collins says she’s looking for a way to help uninsured people through her bill.
About 37 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million to 7 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control. It’s an old drug, refined and improved over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
Steep list prices don’t reflect the rates insurance plans negotiate with manufacturers. But those list prices are used to calculate cost-sharing amounts that patients owe. Patients who can’t afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
Economist Sherry Glied of New York University said the market for insulin is a “total disaster” for many patients, particularly those with skimpy insurance plans or no insurance.
“This will make private insurance for people with diabetes a much more attractive proposition,” said Glied.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/russians-leave-chernobyl-ukraine-braces-renewed-attacks/
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Russians leave Chernobyl; Ukraine braces for renewed attacks
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops left the heavily contaminated Chernobyl nuclear site early Friday after returning control to the Ukrainians, authorities said, as eastern parts of the country braced for renewed attacks and Russians blocked another aid mission to the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Ukraine’s state power company, Energoatom, said the pullout at Chernobyl came after soldiers received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the forest in the exclusion zone around the closed plant. But there was no independent confirmation of that.
The exchange of control happened amid growing indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation in Ukraine as cover to regroup, resupply its forces and redeploy them for a stepped-up offensive in the eastern part of the country.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Videos in this story may contain disturbing content.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian withdrawals from the north and center of the country were just a military tactic to build up forces for new powerful attacks in the southeast. A new round of talks between the countries was scheduled Friday, five weeks into a conflict that has left thousands dead and driven 4 million Ukrainians from the country.
“We know their intentions,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. “We know that they are moving away from those areas where we hit them in order to focus on other, very important ones where it may be difficult for us.”
“There will be battles ahead,” he added.
Following a plea from Zelenskyy when he addressed Australian Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his country would send mine-resistant armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
He said Friday the four-wheel drive “Bushmaster” vehicles, specifically requested by Zelenskyy, would be flown in to Europe but did not say how many would be delivered or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters, as well,” Morrison said.
In the encircled strategic port city of Mariupol, Russian forces blocked a convoy of 45 buses attempting to evacuate people after the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area. Only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars, according to the Ukrainian government.
Russian forces also seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies in a dozen buses that were trying to make it to Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
The city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war. Tens of thousands have managed to get out in the past few weeks by way of humanitarian corridors, reducing the population from a prewar 430,000 to an estimated 100,000 by last week, but other relief efforts have been thwarted by continued Russian attacks.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster had transferred control of it in writing to the Ukrainians. The last Russian troops left Chernobyl early Friday, the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone said.
Energoatom gave no details on the condition of the soldiers it said were exposed to radiation and did not say how many were affected. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, and the IAEA said it had not been able to confirm the reports of Russian troops receiving high doses. It said it was seeking more information.
Russian forces seized the Chernobyl site in the opening stages of the Feb. 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radiation. The workforce at the site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert with the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said it “seems unlikely” a large number of troops would develop severe radiation illness, but it was impossible to know for sure without more details.
He said contaminated material was probably buried or covered with new topsoil during the cleanup of Chernobyl, and some soldiers may have been exposed to a “hot spot” of radiation while digging. Others may have assumed they were at risk too, he said.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi was in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on Friday for talks with senior officials there about nuclear issues in Ukraine.
In addition to concerns about Chernobyl, nine of Ukraine’s 15 operational reactors are currently in use, including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya facility, the IAEA said.
Early this week, the Russians said they would significantly scale back military operations in areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to increase trust between the two sides and help negotiations along.
But in the Kyiv suburbs, regional governor Oleksandr Palviuk said on social media Thursday that Russian forces shelled Irpin and Makariv and that there were battles around Hostomel. Pavliuk said there were Ukrainian counterattacks and some Russian withdrawals around the suburb of Brovary to the east.
At a Ukrainian military checkpoint outside Kyiv, soldiers and officers said they don’t believe Russian forces have given up on the capital.
“What does it mean, significantly scaling down combat actions in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas?” asked Brig. Gen. Valeriy Embakov. “Does it mean there will be 100 missiles instead of 200 missiles launched on Kyiv or something else?”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said intelligence indicates Russia is not scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead trying to regroup, resupply its forces and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas.
“Russia has repeatedly lied about its intentions,” Stoltenberg said. At the same time, he said, pressure is being kept up on Kyiv and other cities, and “we can expect additional offensive actions bringing even more suffering.”
The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014. In the past few days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its war aims, said that its “main goal” now is gaining control of the Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including Mariupol.
The top rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, issued an order to set up a rival city government for Mariupol, according to Russian state news agencies, in a sign of Russian intent to hold and administer the city.
With talks set to resume between Ukraine and Russia via video, there seemed little faith that the two sides would resolve the conflict any time soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that conditions weren’t yet “ripe” for a cease-fire and that he wasn’t ready for a meeting with Zelenskyy until negotiators do more work, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said after a telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
As Western officials search for clues about what Russia’s next move might be, a top British intelligence official said demoralized Russian soldiers in Ukraine are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their equipment and had accidentally shot down their own aircraft.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the war is going because they are afraid to tell him the truth.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. is wrong and that “neither the State Department nor the Pentagon possesses the real information about what is happening in the Kremlin.”
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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$14M jury award for protesters could resonate around US
DENVER (AP) — A federal jury’s $14 million award to Denver protesters hit with pepper balls and a bag filled with lead during 2020 demonstrations over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis could resonate nationwide as courts weigh more than two dozen similar lawsuits.
The jury found police used excessive force against protesters, violating their constitutional rights, and ordered the city of Denver to pay 12 who sued.
Nationwide, there are at least 29 pending lawsuits challenging law enforcement use of force during the 2020 protests, according to a search of the University of Michigan’s Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse.
The verdict in Denver could give cities an incentive to settle similar cases rather than risk going to trial and losing, said Michael J. Steinberg, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School and director of the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative. It could also prompt more protesters to sue over their treatment at the hands of police.
“There’s no doubt that the large jury verdict in Denver will influence the outcome of pending police misconduct cases brought by Black Lives Matter protesters across the country,” said Steinberg, whose law students have been working on a similar lawsuit brought by protesters in Detroit.
Lawyers for the claimants argued that police used indiscriminate force against the nonviolent protesters, including some who were filming the demonstrations, because officers did not like their message critical of law enforcement.
“To the protest of police violence they responded with brutality,” one of their attorneys, Timothy Macdonald, told jurors.
People who took part in the protests have already made similar allegations in lawsuits filed across the country.
In Washington, DC, activists and civil liberties groups sued over the forcible removal of protesters before then-President Donald Trump walked to a church near the White House for a photo op. The claims against federal officials were dismissed last year but a judge allowed the case against local police to continue.
Several lawsuits alleging protesters were wrongfully arrested or that police used excessive force have been filed against New York City and its police department, including one brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James that claims police used excessive force and wrongfully arrested protesters. In Rochester, New York, people who protested the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who lost consciousness after being pinned to the street by officers during a mental health call in 2020, claim police used extreme force against them in a lawsuit that also alleges city officials have allowed a culture of police brutality against racial minorities to fester.
One of their attorneys, Donald Thompson, said he plans to raise the Denver award in settlement talks with the city and note that unlike most of the Denver protesters, some of his clients suffered lasting injuries including the loss of an eye and scarring from being hit in the face with a tear gas canister. Thompson also thinks the Denver verdict shows that the public, in the age of cellphone and body camera videos, is not as willing to give police the benefit of the doubt anymore.
“Now people see how this policing really works. You can’t be naïve,” he said.
A spokesperson for Rochester did not return a call and an email seeking comment. When the case was filed, the city said it had already revised the way police responds to protests.
Over the last two months, the city of Austin, Texas has agreed to pay a total of $13 million to four people who were hit in the head with bean bag rounds fired by police.
Even before the Denver ruling last week, the police department made some changes in response to criticism that arose from the protests, including eliminating the use of 40mm foam rounds for crowd control and changing the way officers are permitted to use pepper balls.
Denver’s Department of Public Safety, which includes the police department, said in a statement that the city was not prepared for the level of sustained violence and destruction. During the trial, lawyers and witnesses said over 80 officers were injured as some in the crowds hurled rocks, water bottles and canned food at them.
The department said it continues to evaluate its policies to “better protect peaceful protestors while addressing those who are only there to engage in violence.”
Still, the large award is not expected to lead to an overhaul of how officers respond to what experts say are inherently chaotic situations that are difficult to prepare for.
Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force consultant to law enforcement agencies and a deputy sheriff and legal adviser in Plumas County, California, said society may have to bear the cost of such settlements because innocent people can be injured during protests as outnumbered police try to react on the fly, including to people intent on violence.
“It really goes south in an instant because there are individuals out there who want to cause chaos,” he said.
Obayashi said there is not much police training for protests, which have been relatively rare. He said it would be prohibitively expensive to have officers practice deploying equipment such as tear gas canisters. Because projectiles used in crowds and considered “less lethal” by police, such as rubber bullets and pepper balls, have less velocity and less power to hurt people, it is harder to ensure they hit their intended target, he said.
Lawyers representing people who have also alleged police misconduct and violation of their constitutional right to protest can now use the Denver damage award as part of their own settlement negotiations, said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented some of the winning Denver protesters.
The decision came nearly two years after thousands of people angry about Floyd’s death took the streets nationwide, a relatively quick result for the legal system and soon enough for others who allege misconduct by police to file a claim. In Colorado and many other states, there is a two-year statute of limitations for such lawsuits Silverstein said, leaving only a few months for others to sue.
The city attorney’s office said it has not decided whether to appeal the verdict, but appeals in such big cases are common, said Gloria Browne-Marshall, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Outside lawyers will also scrutinize the case to try to determine if there are unique circumstances that may have led to a “lightning in a bottle” verdict that is less likely to be repeated.
However, she thinks the verdict sends a significant message that regular people respect the right of protest and demand change from the government, which she believes police and prosecutors have been undermining.
“It should send a message to both, but whether or not they listen is a different issue,” Browne-Marshall said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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One in custody after high-speed chase
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - A person is in police custody after a high-speed chase spanning two counties.
It started near the Cabell-Putnam County line just before 1 Friday morning.
According to Putnam County 911 dispatchers, a car passed a Putnam County deputy going more than 100 miles per hour.
Putnam County deputies and Hurricane Police chased the driver into Kanawha County.
Law enforcement in Kanawha County chased the suspect for several more minutes and eventually stopped the car on Montrose Dr..
According to Kanawha County emergency dispatchers, Putnam County deputies arrested one person.
Dunbar Police, The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, South Charleston Police, Charleston Police and Nitro Police were also involved in the chase.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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Another solid month of US hiring expected despite obstacles
(AP) - Defying a pandemic and supply chain disruptions, the U.S. economy has cranked out more than 400,000 jobs every month for nearly a year — a blazing winning streak in wildly uncertain times.
And despite surging inflation, the hiring wave likely continued last month in the face of yet another jolt: Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has unsettled the economic outlook and catapulted gasoline prices to painful levels.
Economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet expect the Labor Department’s jobs report for March to show that employers added 478,000 jobs and that the unemployment rate dipped from 3.8% to 3.7%. That would mark the lowest unemployment rate since just before the pandemic struck two years ago, when joblessness reached a 50-year low of 3.5%.
The government will issue the March jobs report at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Friday.
“With the war in Ukraine, economic uncertainty rising and surging energy prices, we may see a modest slowdown in hiring in March,’’ said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at the jobs website Glassdoor. “However, employer demand remains strong, which should sustain a healthy level of hiring.’’
The booming U.S. job market reflects a robust rebound from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession, which wiped out 22 million jobs in March and April 2020 as businesses shut down or cut hours and Americans stayed home to avoid infection.
But the recovery has been swift. Fueled by generous federal aid, savings amassed during the pandemic and ultra-low borrowing rates engineered by the Federal Reserve, U.S. consumers have spent so fast that many factories, warehouses, shipping companies and ports have failed to keep pace with their customer demand. Supply chains have snarled, forcing up prices.
As the pandemic has eased, consumers have been broadening their spending beyond goods to services, such as health care, travel and entertainment, which they had long avoided during the worst of the pandemic. The result: Inflation is running at 40-year highs, causing hardships for many lower-income households that face sharp increases for such necessities as food, gasoline and rent.
It’s unclear whether the economy can maintain its momentum of the past year. The government relief checks are gone. The Fed raised its benchmark short-term interest rate two weeks ago and will likely keep raising it well into next year. Those rate hikes will result in more expensive loans for many consumers and businesses.
Inflation has also eroded consumers’ spending power: Hourly pay, adjusted for higher consumer prices, fell 2.6% in February from a year earlier — the 11th straight month in which inflation has outpaced year-over-year wage growth. According to AAA, average gasoline prices, at $4.23 a gallon, are up a dizzying 47% from a year ago.
Squeezed by inflation, some consumers are paring their spending. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that consumer spending rose just 0.2%% in February — and fell 0.4% when adjusted for inflation — down from a 2.7% increase in January.
Still, the job market has kept hurtling ahead. Employers posted a near-record 11.3 million positions in February. Nearly 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, a sign of confidence that they could find something better.
“We’re still seeing a very tight labor market,’’ said Karen Fichuk, CEO of the staffing company Randstad North America, who noted that the United States now has a record 1.7 job openings for every unemployed person.
Even so, so many jobs were lost in 2020 that the economy still remains more than 2 million shy of the number it had just before the pandemic struck. Over the past year, employers have added an average of 556,000 jobs a month. At that pace — no guarantee to continue — the nation would recover all the jobs lost to the pandemic by June. (That still wouldn’t include all the additional hiring that would have been done over the past two years under normal circumstances.)
Brighter job prospects are beginning to draw back into the labor force people who had remained on the sidelines because of health concerns, difficulty finding or affording daycare, generous unemployment benefits that have now expired or other reasons.
Over the past year, 3.6 million people have joined the U.S. labor force, meaning they now either have a job or are looking for one. But their ranks are still nearly 600,000 short of where they stood in February 2020, just before the pandemic slammed into the economy.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/pope-begs-forgiveness-indigenous-canada-school-abuses/
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Pope begs forgiveness of Indigenous for Canada school abuses
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized and begged forgiveness Friday for the “deplorable” abuses suffered by Indigenous Peoples in Canada’s church-run residential schools and said he hoped to visit Canada in late July to deliver the apology in person to all those who suffered from the Catholic Church’s misguided missionary zeal.
Francis made the apology during an audience with dozens of members of the Metis, Inuit and First Nations communities who came to Rome seeking a papal apology and a commitment for the Catholic Church to repair the damage. He said he hoped to visit Canada “in the days” around the Feast of St. Anna, which falls on July 26 and is dedicated to Christ’s grandmother.
More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.
“For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness of the Lord,” Francis said. “And I want to tell you from my heart, that I am greatly pained. And I unite myself with the Canadian bishops in apologizing.”
The trip to Rome by the Indigenous was years in the making but gained momentum last year after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves outside some of the residential schools. The three groups of Indigenous met separately with Francis over several hours this week, culminating with Friday’s audience.
Francis spoke in Italian, and it wasn’t immediately clear if the audience understood what he had said, though they stood and applauded after he finished.
And the audience continued on with joyous performances of Indigenous prayers, drum, dance and fiddlers that Francis watched, applauded and at one point gave a thumbs up to. The Indigenous then presented him with gifts, including snow shoes.
The head of the Metis, Cassidy Caron, presented Francis with a bound book of their people’s stories: Much of what the Indigenous sought to accomplish during their meetings this week was to tell Francis the individual stories of loss and abuse that they suffered.
The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was rampant at the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages. That legacy of that abuse and isolation from family has been cited by Indigenous leaders as a root cause of the epidemic rates of alcohol and drug addiction on Canadian reservations.
Nearly three-quarters of the 130 residential schools were run by Catholic missionary congregations.
Last May, the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation announced the discovery of 215 gravesites near Kamloops, British Columbia, that were found using ground-penetrating radar. It was Canada’s largest Indigenous residential school and the discovery of the graves was the first of numerous, similar grim sites across the country.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Texas caseworkers: After Abbott’s order, investigations into transgender kids’ parents given priority
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put in motion abuse investigations into the parents of some transgender kids, child welfare supervisor Randa Mulanax said what happened next strayed from normal protocols.
There was unusual secrecy, with texts and emails discouraged. Allegations about trans kids received elevated status. In Texas, fewer than three in 10 child welfare investigations end with findings that harm likely occurred — classified as “reason to believe” — but the changes looked to Mulanax like these cases would be predetermined from the start.
“It was my understanding that they wanted to be found ‘reason to believe,’” Mulanax told The Associated Press in her first interview since leaving the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, where she worked for six years until quitting last month. “That’s why we were having to figure out a way to staff it up and see how we go about it, since it doesn’t match our policy right now.”
As early as Friday, the Texas Supreme Court could decide whether the state can resume at least nine investigations into the parents of transgender children. They are the first to fall on the radar of child welfare authorities since Texas’ Republican governor in February directed the state to begin handling reports of gender-confirming care for kids as child abuse — the first such order issued in the U.S.
The court fight in Texas comes as Republicans across the country are leaning into policies aimed at transgender Americans, most prominently through bans on transgender athletes on girls sports teams. But Texas is the only state where a GOP governor has greenlighted abuse cases against the parents of transgender children, which several current and departing Texas child welfare workers say was rushed into action and has sunk already low morale at their troubled state agency even deeper.
It is unclear how many Texas child welfare investigators — who are tasked with carrying out Abbott’s directive — have quit in protest. Mulanax is one of at least two state Child Protective Services workers who are leaving and added their names this week to a court brief that urged Texas’ justices to keep the investigations sidelined. Five other investigators who remain at the agency also signed on.
Abbott’s instructions to Texas child welfare officials takes aim at treatments for children that include puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
Patrick Crimmins, spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, declined comment Thursday, citing the ongoing lawsuit.
“We’re being so closely monitored on those type of cases that you wouldn’t be able to just say, ‘Oh, nothing to see,’” said Shelby McCowen, a child welfare investigator who called the directive the ‘last straw’ and is quitting after less than a year at the agency.
Texas completed more than 157,000 child welfare investigations in the last fiscal year, according to state data. McCowen said the cases involving parents of transgender families were drawing the same attention as child death investigations, and like Mulanax, said instructions were given not to discuss the cases through state emails or phones — only on personal devices, or face-to-face.
The cases were to be referred to as “special assignments” rather than using a case name or number, according to McCowen. She said upper managers told investigators a survey would be sent out internally to address questions about the directive, but none ever arrived.
“I don’t know how many times they go into the cases, but we’re told that if we get one of these cases, the documentation has to be almost instant because it’s being monitored,” she said.
Abbott’s directive goes against the nation’s largest medical groups, including the American Medical Association, which have opposed Republican-backed restrictions filed in statehouses nationwide. On Thursday, President Joe Biden marked Transgender Day of Visibility by denouncing such legislation, saying “the onslaught of anti-transgender state laws attacking you and your families is simply wrong.”
In pressing that the investigations in Texas be allowed to continue, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office wrote that “if DFPS cannot investigate possible child abuse, children may be harmed — perhaps irreversibly — in the interim.”
Mulanax said if the investigations were to resume, she considers it unlikely that any children would be removed from their homes around Texas’ biggest cities, which are controlled by Democrats and where some county officials have already said they would reject such cases.
But in the event of a finding of harm, Mulanax said, putting in place what are usually other safety plans don’t make sense to her either. She said those options typically include required parental supervision or services such as therapy, which Mulanax said some of the families might already be doing.
“It was just a complete betrayal of the department,” she said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Delta pilots land jet safely after cockpit windshield cracks
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) — The pilots on a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C. decided to bring their jet down in Denver after the cockpit windshield shattered above 30,000 feet. The crew repeatedly told passengers to remain calm until they landed.
“They came on the loudspeaker saying that the windshield had shattered, and we were diverting to Denver in about 10 minutes,” Rachel Wright, one of the 198 passengers on the plane, told KUTV.
A photo of the windshield taken by a passenger shows the glass, though lined with cracks, didn’t fall from its frame. Commercial airline pilots said jetliner windshields can be two inches thick, with several layered panes of glass, the station reported.
The crew announced the diversion about 90 minutes into the flight, after the plane reached cruising altitude, which is above 30,000 feet, passengers said.
“They kept coming on saying for everyone to stay calm, to be calm, and we were calm so being told to stay calm while we were calm made us feel a little panicky,” Wright said.
Passengers were able to see the shattered glass once they landed in Denver.
“I’m really good at playing whatif? And so, my mind goes to kind of what could have happened, worst case scenario and I’m grateful,” Wright said. “It could have been really bad, it could have gone very differently.”
Another passenger, Kirk Knowlton, snapped a picture and tweeted that the crew had announced that the windscreen appeared to crack spontaneously.
Delta gave a statement to KUTV calling it “a maintenance issue mid-flight.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, the flight crew diverted into Denver and the plane landed routinely. Our team worked quickly to accommodate customers on a new plane, and we sincerely apologize for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans,” the airline statement said.
Passengers boarded a new plane in Denver and continued on to Washington. Wright praised Delta for bringing the jet down safely, and said the airline was very accommodating.
“I’ve never been more grateful to spend an extra three hours in an airport,” Wright said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Ford recalls 737K vehicles to fix oil leaks, trailer brakes
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 8:39 AM EDT|Updated: 41 minutes ago
DETROIT (AP) — Ford is issuing two recalls covering over 737,000 vehicles to fix oil leaks and trailer braking systems that won’t work.
The oil leak recall includes the 2020 through 2022 Ford Escape SUV and the 2021 and 2022 Bronco Sport SUV with 1.5-Liter engines.
A housing can crack and oil can leak onto engine parts, possibly causing fires.
The trailer brake recall includes F-150 pickups from 2021 and 2022, as well as the 2022 F-250, 350, 450 and 550.
Also covered are the 2022 Maverick pickup, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
A software error can stop trailers from braking.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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GM recalls nearly 682,000 SUVs; windshield wipers can fail
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 8:04 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is recalling nearly 682,000 small SUVs because the windshield wipers can fail.
The recall covers the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain from the 2014 and 2015 model years.
Ball joints in the wiper module can rust, causing one or both wipers to fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect the module and repair or replace it. Owners will be notified by letter starting May 2.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Parents’ ashes, personal belongings sold at auction after movers fail to deliver man’s things
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) – A man who had been living in Oregon for 25 years decided to move across the country to be closer to family during the pandemic.
Dan Zimmerman landed a physician’s assistant position in Wilmington, packed up everything he owned and started looking for a company to help him with his move in October.
Dismayed by the initial estimates he received, Zimmerman started selling everything he could, deciding only to keep sentimental and high-value items with which he couldn’t part.
By that point, he only had a week before he was supposed to be in Wilmington to start his new job.
He ended up choosing what he thought was Mayflower Transit, one of the most trusted names in the business. Eventually, he learned that was not the case, and he had actually hired another company with a copycat name – Mayflower Relocation Services.
“They scheduled it, I paid them $1,300 with instructions that I’d pay them three payments: $1,300 at the signing of the contract, $1,300 when they come up and pick up my stuff, and another $1,300 when they finally delivered my belongings,” Zimmerman told WECT.
Zimmerman arranged for the company to store his belongings at a storage facility in North Carolina while he tried to find a house.
By December, Zimmerman had purchased a home and called the moving company to schedule delivery, but that’s when he says the excuses started.
First, he was told the mover was having trouble with his truck. Then, the mover had come down with COVID-19 and would be out for two weeks.
Zimmerman said the company stopped talking to him altogether and wouldn’t answer his calls.
Eventually, he received a text saying his things were in a storage unit in Charlotte, but they wouldn’t disclose the address.
Upon further research, he learned Mayflower Relocation Services was not a full-service moving company, but a broker that has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
They have more than a dozen complaints against them on file, including some from consumers like Zimmerman who said they never received their belongings.
After countless phone calls, Zimmerman learned his move was contracted out to Efficient Moving and Storage, who informed him his things had been in a storage unit in Idaho but were sold in an auction.
“I called and sure enough, somebody had told them that I would be calling them looking for my belongings. And she said, ‘I’m so sorry, but your belongings have been auctioned.’ And sent me pictures. And it just ended my life. I mean, literally, it was unreal,” Zimmerman said of realizing everything he owned had been sold to a stranger without his knowledge.
Not only did his belongings include expensive sporting equipment, antique clocks his father made and a guitar worth over $30,000, but also his deceased parents’ ashes, jewelry and all his family photo albums.
With the help of a warrant obtained by the Eugene, Oregon, Police Department, authorities were able to make contact with the people who’d purchased Zimmerman’s belongings on StorageTreasures.com in mid-February for just under $5,000.
Central Self Storage in Idaho put the contents of the unit up for sale when the person who’d rented it failed to pay the storage bill.
The buyers had already thrown away many of Zimmerman’s pictures and personal effects by the time authorities contacted them.
They offered to mail Zimmerman the remaining photo albums they found, but they had not found his parents’ ashes.
The new owners declined to return any other valuables, saying they were trying to recover the money spent purchasing the contents of the storage unit.
Zimmerman said he remains devastated over the loss and disappointed that there is not a better system in place to police unscrupulous movers.
“I thought I was safe. I already had all my belongings packed. … All they had to do is come pick it up and then deliver it. I never ever, ever perceived that I would lose my entire family history, gone, everything,” Zimmerman said.
In addition to the complaints on file against Mayflower Relocation Services with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration lists dozens of complaints filed against the company.
Copyright 2022 WECT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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First pediatric flu death of season reported in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSAZ) - The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is reporting the state’s first flu-associated pediatric death of the 2021-22 flu season, an 8-month-old male from Ashland County. The Ashland County Health Department investigated the death.
There have been 972 flu-associated hospitalizations reported in Ohio so far this flu season compared with 108 reported during the same time period within the 2020-21 influenza season, which saw an unusually low amount of influenza compared to more typical flu seasons.
At this point in the 2019-20 flu season, there were 10,540 hospitalizations.
COVID-19 mitigation measures such as wearing face masks, staying home, hand washing, school closures, reduced travel, increased ventilation of indoor spaces, and physical distancing, likely contributed to the decline in 2020-21 flu incidence and hospitalizations.
Flu activity typically peaks between December and February. More information about flu and flu activity in Ohio is available at www.flu.ohio.gov.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/more-than-7000-complaints-moving-scams-reported-2021-here-are-red-flags-look/
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More than 7,000 complaints of moving scams reported in 2021; here are red flags to look for
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) – More than 7,000 complaints about moving scams were reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the past year.
That number has significantly increased since the start of the pandemic, WECT reports.
The FMCSA is a civil agency that administers commercial regulations governing the interstate transportation of household goods.
Because moving is often a stressful experience, and something people might not do very often, consumers can be vulnerable to making mistakes hiring a mover that can have significant consequences.
The FMCSA provides resources to help people planning a move find a reputable moving company.
It is important to have everything in writing and to understand if you are in contact with a broker or a moving company. Oftentimes moving scams start with an unscrupulous broker.
“It underscores the need to do research. What scammers do is they will use a name very similar to another company that is familiar to you and me, and they try to prey on our sense of trust,” said N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein. “We urge people to do research and make sure that the company is legit, make sure that there aren’t a lot of complaints about them. Because you don’t want to hand over your life’s possessions to some scam artist.”
Tips When Choosing a Moving Company:
- Contact various reputable, long-standing moving companies to compare estimates and get a foundation of what the legitimate cost of your move will be.
- Ask the moving company if they will be conducting the move or if it is being brokered for fulfillment by another company.
- Keep all records of contracts, proof of payments, and communication with the moving company.
- Carefully examine the reviews on various online business rating websites to ensure they contain more than just recent glowing reviews.
- Use online street-view and satellite maps to research the moving company’s address to verify that the address is a business and not a residence.
If there are an extraordinary number of complaints about an individual company they are referred to the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) for possible federal prosecution.
Report Fraud
Contact FMCSA’s National Consumer Complaint Database online or toll-free at: 1-888-368-7238 to file a complaint against a household goods moving company, broker or other carrier.
You can also report an allegation of household goods fraud to the OIG’s Fraud Hotline using any of the following methods:
- Online OIG Hotline Complaint Form
- Call 1-800-424-9071 (toll free).
- E-mail to hotline@oig.dot.gov
- Mail to: DOT Inspector General, 1200 New Jersey Ave SE, West Bldg 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20590
Copyright 2022 WECT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/new-vehicles-must-average-40-mpg-by-2026-under-us-standards/
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New vehicles must average 40 mpg by 2026 under US standards
DETROIT (AP) — New vehicles sold in the United States will have to travel an average of at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026 under new rules unveiled Friday by the government.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its fuel economy requirements will undo a rollback of standards enacted under President Donald Trump. The new requirements increase gas mileage by 8% per year for model years 2024 and 2025 and 10% in the 2026 model year.
For the current model year, standards enacted under Trump require the fleet of new vehicles to get just over 24 miles per gallon in real-world driving.
Agency officials say the requirements are the maximum that the industry can achieve over the time period and will reduce gasoline consumption by more than 220 billion gallons over the life of vehicles, compared with the Trump standards.
Trump’s administration rolled back fuel economy requirements so they rose 1.5% per year, which environmental groups said was inadequate to limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change.
But the new standards won’t immediately match those adopted through 2025 under President Barack Obama. NHTSA officials said they will equal the Obama standards by 2025 and slightly exceed them for the 2026 model year.
The Obama-era standards automatically adjusted for changes in the type of vehicles people are buying. When they were enacted in 2012, 51% of new vehicle sales were cars and 49% SUVs and trucks. Last year, 77% of new vehicle sales were SUVs and trucks, which generally are less efficient than cars.
Some environmental groups said the new requirements from NHTSA under President Joe Biden don’t go far enough to fight global warming.
“Climate change has gotten much worse, but these rules only require automakers to reduce gas-guzzling slightly more than they agreed to cut nine years ago,” said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Center at the Center for Biological Diversity.
He said the final rule is about 2 mpg short of the strongest alternative that NHTSA considered.
Officials said that under the new standards, owners would save about $1,400 in gasoline costs during the lifetime of a 2029 model year vehicle. Carbon dioxide emissions would drop by 2.5 billion metric tons by 2050 under the standards, the NHTSA said.
The agency did not give figures for how much the standards would increase the cost of vehicles. Auto dealers say more stringent requirements drive up prices and push people out of an already expensive new-car market.
The NHTSA sets fuel economy requirements, while the Environmental Protection Agency develops limits on greenhouse gas emissions. NHTSA officials said their requirements nearly match rules adopted in December by the EPA, so automakers don’t have to comply with two rules.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/woman-says-naked-intruder-got-bed-with-her/
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Woman says naked intruder got in bed with her
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) - A woman is speaking out after a terrifying home invasion caught on camera.
Surveillance video shows a naked man opening Krista Brown’s front door Monday afternoon and walking in. She said the man then got into her bed while she was sleeping and tried to cuddle with her.
“This is one of the craziest things I have ever experienced,” she said.
After working the overnight shift, Krista Brown said she was taking a nap Monday afternoon when it happened.
Home surveillance footage captured the man going into her bedroom where she was sleeping.
“As soon as I saw it was not my boyfriend, I screamed and jumped and ran out of the house,” Krista Brown said.
She said her family was doing chores at the time and that the man opened the front door when her son was taking out the trash.
The police report identifies the naked man as Jason Kendrick and said upon leaving the first-floor home, he went up to the building’s third floor where her brother Justin lives.
“I kind of heard a couple big thuds, so I went to my door to answer it, and well, there was a naked man standing in front of my door. He seemed lost. He seemed scared,” Justin Brown said.
Krista Brown said Kendrick re-entered her home four or five more times before she and her family eventually got him to leave.
Providence police said they arrested Kendrick at the house next door, where they said he lives. He faces a breaking and entering charge.
“That doesn’t go away. It’s something I now have to be fearful for,” Krista Brown said.
Court records show the suspect is no stranger to the law, having been arrested more than 20 times on charges, including vandalism, assault and battery and disorderly conduct.
“It’s actually very scary,” Justin Brown said.
Krista Brown said the incident has her second-guessing leaving the house.
“I don’t want it to affect my work. I don’t want it to affect how my kids go outside and play, but yeah, I am …” she said.
Brown said she is looking to install an alarm system inside of her home.
She said her family has been keeping a closer eye on things since the incident, and she says she does not plan to move out of her family home.
Copyright 2022 WJAR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/american-hero-returns-home-be-laid-rest/
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American hero returns home to be laid to rest
BOYD COUNTY, Ky (WSAZ) – The remains of a U.S. Marine killed during a NATO military training exercise returned home Friday afternoon.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Jacob Moore’s family stood on the tarmac as the plane carrying their loved one’s body landed at the Tri-State Airport.
Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky was among four marines whose remains were returned to U.S. soil last Friday after their deaths in a helicopter crash in Norway on March 18.
Moore’s remains are being taken to Neal Funeral Home on Center Street.
Visitation services will be from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Boyd County High School, Moore’s alma mater.
The funeral is set for 11 a.m. Monday at the school, with the burial to follow at Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
The public is welcome to attend.
Gov. Andy Beshear has ordered flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Monday, April 4, in honor of Moore.
Gov. Beshear encourages all individuals, businesses, organizations and government agencies to join in this tribute.
Corporal Moore’s decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.
WSAZ’s Kelsey Souto sat down to talk with Moore’s family. For more on that story click here >>>>
Funeral services set for marine killed in NATO training exercise
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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Gov. Beshear orders flags to half-staff in honor of Kentucky Marine
FRANKFORT, Ky (WSAZ) - Gov. Andy Beshear has ordered flags at all state buildings to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Monday, April 4, in honor of a U.S. Marine from Kentucky who died during a NATO exercise in Europe.
According to the Department of Defense, Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky, died March 18, 2022, when his Osprey aircraft crashed during NATO’s Cold Response 2022 exercise in Norway. He was assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station New River, Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Moore’s remains are expected to return home Friday around noon.
Moore’s family is set to meet the plane carrying their loved one’s body at the Tri-State Airport in Wayne County, W.Va.
WSAZ.com will have live coverage HERE.
Services for Cpl. Moore will be held at Boyd County High School in Ashland on Monday. The funeral service will be at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North East in nearby Greenup County.
Funeral services set for marine killed in NATO training exercise
Gov. Beshear encourages all individuals, businesses, organizations and government agencies to join in this tribute.
WSAZ’s Kelsey Souto sat down to talk with Moore’s family. For more on that story click here >>>>
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/man-who-parked-weapons-near-capitol-16-gets-nearly-4-years-prison/
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Man who parked weapons near Capitol on 1/6 gets nearly 4 years in prison
(AP) - An Alabama man who parked a pickup truck filled with weapons and Molotov cocktail components near the U.S. Capitol on the day of last year’s riot was sentenced Friday to nearly four years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she still hasn’t heard an explanation for why Lonnie Leroy Coffman had “almost a small armory in his truck, ready to do battle.” She sentenced Coffman to three years and 10 months in prison, giving him credit for the more than one year he already has served since his arrest.
Coffman, 72, of Falkville, Alabama, said he never intended to hurt anybody or destroy any property. He said he drove to Washington alone “to try to discover just how true and secure was the (2020 presidential) election.”
“If I had any idea that things would turn out like they did, I would have stayed home,” he wrote in a handwritten letter to the judge.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot, when supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the building in an effort to disrupt lawmakers’ formal certification of his reelection defeat. Five people died and scores of Capitol Police officers were seriously injured.
Over 240 participants in the attack have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of six months imprisonment. More than 130 have been sentenced. Coffman is one of nine defendants whose prison sentence exceeds one year.
Coffman, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the U.S. Army, pleaded guilty in November to possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying a pistol without a license. He was carrying a loaded handgun and revolver without a license as he walked in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, according to prosecutors. He isn’t accused of entering the Capitol or joining the mob during the riot that day.
When Coffman parked his truck a few blocks from the Capitol on the morning of Jan. 6, it contained a handgun, a rifle, a shotgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow, machetes, a stun gun and a cooler containing eleven mason jars with holes punched in the lids, according to prosecutors. Each jar contained a mixture of gasoline and Styrofoam, which are components of the homemade incendiary devices called Molotov cocktails, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement officers found the cache of weapons and ammunition when they searched Coffman’s truck. They had been sweeping the area after pipe bombs were found near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee. Later, investigators also found Molotov cocktail components at Coffman’s home in Alabama.
“Possession of so much dangerous weapons in our nation’s capital is uniquely offensive to our cherished, democratic political traditions,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Friedman said.
Handwritten notes found inside the vehicle included a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln that said, “We The People Are The Rightful Masters Of Both The Congress And The Courts, Not To Overthrow The Constitution But To Overthrow The Men Who Pervert The Constitution.”
The notes included a list of “good guys” and “bad guys,” with a federal judge named in the latter category, and contact information for a member of a Texas militia group known as the “American Patriots,” prosecutors said.
“The handwritten notes also included an address for a reported gathering place in Texas called ‘Camp Lonestar,’ where militia groups had reportedly sought to patrol the border looking for illegal aliens,” prosecutors wrote.
Investigators had previously identified Coffman as an armed participant at Camp Lonestar, according to prosecutors.
Coffman, a retired machine operator, had traveled to Washington in December 2020 and tried to drive to the home of a U.S. senator who isn’t named in a court filing by prosecutors. He also called the senator’s office in an effort to “help with the election fraud he saw.”
“A staff member at the Senator’s office recorded that the defendant seemed ‘unbalanced’ or ‘not 100% there’ during the call, but did not seem threatening,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of approximately three years and six months. Defense attorney Manuel Retureta said a prison term wouldn’t be appropriate given Coffman’s age and medical condition.
Coffman didn’t have a criminal record before this case.
“At my age, one of the most precious (things) we possess is time, and I have wasted almost a whole precious year,” he wrote in his letter to the judge.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Oldest U.S. active park ranger retires at 100
RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) — The nation’s oldest active park ranger is hanging up her Smokey hat at the age of 100.
Betty Reid Soskin retired Thursday after more than 15 years at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California, the National Park Service announced.
Soskin “spent her last day providing an interpretive program to the public and visiting with coworkers,” a Park Service statement said.
She led tours at the park and museum honoring the women who worked in factories during wartime and shared her own experience as a Black woman during the conflict. She worked for the U.S. Air Force in 1942 but quit after learning that “she was employed only because her superiors believed she was white,” according to a Park Service biography.
“Being a primary source in the sharing of that history – my history – and giving shape to a new national park has been exciting and fulfilling,” Soskin said in the Park Service statement. “It has proven to bring meaning to my final years.”
Soskin won a temporary Park Service position at the age of 84 and became a permanent Park Service employee in 2011. She celebrated her 100th birthday last September.
“Betty has made a profound impact on the National Park Service and the way we carry out our mission,” Director Chuck Sams said. “Her efforts remind us that we must seek out and give space for all perspectives so that we can tell a more full and inclusive history of our nation.”
Soskin was born Betty Charbonnet in Detroit in 1921 but recalled surviving the devastating Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 while living with her Creole family in New Orleans, according to the Park Service biography.
Her family then moved to Oakland, California, and Soskin remained in the San Francisco Bay Area, where in 1945 she and her first husband founded one of the first Black-owned record stores in the area, the biography said.
She also was a civil rights activist and took part in meetings to develop a general management plan for the Home Front park. She has received several honors.
She was named California Woman of the Year in 1995.
In 2015, Soskin received a presidential coin from President Barack Obama after she lit the National Christmas tree at the White House.
In June 2016, she was awakened in her home by a robber who punched her repeatedly in the face, dragged her out of her bedroom and beat her before making off with the coin and other items. Soskin, then 94, recovered and returned to work just weeks after the attack. The coin was replaced.
Soskin also was honored with entry into the Congressional Record. Glamour Magazine named her woman of the year in 2018.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Psaki to leave White House for MSNBC job, reports say
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 11:49 AM EDT|Updated: 20 minutes ago
(Gray News) - White House press secretary Jen Psaki is finalizing plans to leave the Biden administration for a hosting job with MSNBC, according to multiple reports.
Axios reported she plans to leave in May and begin appearing on MSNBC programming as well as hosting a show on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. She has not officially signed a contract with the network, but talks are in the advanced stages, sources told CNN.
No official announcement has been made by Psaki or the White House.
Psaki also served as the spokesperson for the State Department and the White House communications director during the Obama administration.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/us-sanctions-north-korea-firms-over-recent-missile-tests/
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US sanctions North Korea firms over recent missile tests
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions on five North Korean entities Friday in response to two ballistic missile tests the reclusive Asian country conducted in February and March.
The March launch was North Korea’s most provocative weapons test since President Joe Biden took office.
Authorized under an existing executive order targeting producers and supporters of weapons of mass destruction, the sanctions come after Japan issued its own penalties this week on four groups and nine individuals tied to missile development.
The U.S. government determined that the launches involved a new intercontinental ballistic missile which could be used in the future, potentially disguised as a space launch.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Friday’s sanctions target the firms for providing support to North Korea’s “development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
Sanctioned entities include the Ministry of Rocket Industry, the Hapjanggang Trading Corporation, Korea Rounsan Trading Corp., Sungnisan Trading Corp., and Unchon Trading Corp.
“The DPRK’s provocative ballistic missile tests represent a clear threat to regional and global security and are in blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
DPRK is an acronym for the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea
“The United States is committed to using our sanctions authorities to respond to the DPRK’s continued development of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles,” she said.
“I also commend Japan for their actions today against the DPRK, and stand ready to continue to work together to counter the DPRK’s continued threatening behavior.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Amazon workers in NYC vote to unionize, a first for company
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon workers in Staten Island, New York, voted to unionize on Friday, marking the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giant’s history and handing an unexpected win to a nascent group that fueled the union drive.
Warehouse workers cast 2,654 votes in favor of a union, giving the fledgling Amazon Labor Union enough support to pull off a victory. According to the National Labor Relations Board, which is overseeing the process, 2,131 workers rejected the union bid.
The 67 ballots that were challenged by either Amazon or the ALU were not enough to sway the outcome. About 57% of the more than 8,300 workers on the voter list cast their ballots.
Federal labor officials said the results of the count won’t be verified until they process any objections that both parties may file. Any objections are due by April 8.
The victory was an uphill battle for the independent group, made up of former and current workers who lacked official backing from an established union and were out-gunned by the deep-pocketed retail giant. Despite obstacles, organizers believed their grassroots approach was more relatable to workers and could help them overcome where established unions have failed in the past.
Tristan Dutchin, who began working for the online retailer about a year ago, is hopeful that the new union will improve working conditions at his workplace.
“I’m excited that we’re making history,” Dutchin said. “We’re about to unionize a multibillion, trillion-dollar company. This will be a fantastic time for workers to be surrounded in a better, safer working environment.”
Chris Smalls, a fired Amazon employee who has been leading the ALU in its fight on Staten Island, bounded out the NLRB building in Brooklyn on Friday with other union organizers, pumping their fists and jumping, chanting “ALU.” They uncorked a bottle of Champagne.
Meanwhile, Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, appear to have rejected a union bid but outstanding challenged ballots could change the outcome. The votes were 993-to-875 against the union. A hearing to review 416 challenged ballots is expected to begin in the next few days.
The union campaigns come at a time of widespread labor unrest at many corporations. Workers at more than 140 Starbucks locations around the country, for instance, have requested union elections and several of them have already been successful.
John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University, said the early vote counts in New York have been “shocking.” The nascent Amazon Labor Union, which is leading the charge on Staten Island, has no backing from an established union and is powered by former and current warehouse workers.
“I don’t think that many people thought that the Amazon Labor Union had much of a chance of winning at all,” Logan said. “And I think we’re likely to see more of those (approaches) going forward.”
After a crushing defeat last year in Bessemer, when a majority of workers voted against forming a union, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union got a second chance to organize another campaign when the NLRB ordered a do-over after determining that Amazon tainted the first election.
Though RWDSU is currently lagging in the latest election, Logan said the early results were still remarkable because the union has made a good effort narrowing its margin from last year.
Amazon has pushed back hard in the lead-up to both elections. The retail giant held mandatory meetings, where workers were told unions are a bad idea. The company also launched an anti-union website targeting workers and placed English and Spanish posters across the Staten Island facility urging them to reject the union. In Bessemer, Amazon has made some changes to but still kept a controversial U.S. Postal Service mailbox that was key in the NLRB’s decision to invalidate last year’s vote.
In a filing released on Thursday, Amazon disclosed it spent about $4.2 million last year on labor consultants, which organizers say the retailer routinely solicits to persuade workers not to unionize. It’s unclear how much it spent on such services in 2022.
Both labor fights faced unique challenges. Alabama, for instance, is a right-to-work state that prohibits a company and a union from signing a contract that requires workers to pay dues to the union that represents them.
The union landscape in Alabama is also starkly different from New York. Last year, union members accounted for 22.2% of wage and salary workers in New York, ranked only behind Hawaii, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s more than double the national average of 10.3%. In Alabama, it’s 5.9%.
The mostly Black workforce at the Amazon facility, which opened in 2020, mirrors the Bessemer population of more than 70% Black residents, according to the latest U.S. Census data.
Pro-union workers say they want better working conditions, longer breaks and higher wages. Regular full-time employees at the Bessemer facility earn at least $15.80 an hour, higher than the estimated $14.55 per hour on average in the city. That figure is based on an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual median household income for Bessemer of $30,284, which could include more than one worker.
The ALU said they don’t have a demographic breakdown of the warehouse workers on Staten Island and Amazon declined to provide the information to The Associated Press, citing the union vote. Internal records leaked to The New York Times from 2019 showed more than 60% of the hourly associates at the facility were Black or Latino, while most of managers were white or Asian.
Amazon workers there are seeking longer breaks, paid time off for injured employees and an hourly wage of $30, up from a minimum of just over $18 per hour offered by the company. The estimated average wage for the borough is $41 per hour, according to a similar U.S. Census Bureau analysis of Staten Island’s $85,381 median household income.
A spokesperson for Amazon said the company invests in wages and benefits, such as health care, 401(k) plans and a prepaid college tuition program to help grow workers’ careers.
“As a company, we don’t think unions are the best answer for our employees,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”
—
Associated Press staff writers Tali Arbel and Bobby Caina Calvan in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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COVID-19 asylum limits at US-Mexico border to end May 23
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that it is ending a policy that limited asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The use of public health powers had been widely criticized by Democrats and immigration advocates as an excuse for the United States to shirk its obligations to provide haven to people fleeing persecution. The policy went into effect under President Donald Trump in March 2020. Since then, migrants trying to enter the U.S. have been expelled more than 1.7 million times.
The policy, known as the Title 42 authority, named for a 1944 public health law to prevent communicable disease, will end on paper, but it will not take effect until May 23, to allow border officials time to prepare. The Associated Press first reported the change earlier this week.
The policy was increasingly hard to justify scientifically as restrictions ended across the U.S.
The federal order says efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to provide vaccines to migrants at the border will step up in the next two months.
“After considering current public health conditions and an increased availability of tools to fight COVID-19 (such as highly effective vaccines and therapeutics), the CDC director has determined that an order suspending the right to introduce migrants into the United States is no longer necessary,” the CDC said in a statement.
The decision is expected to draw more migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border. Even before it was officially announced, more than a dozen migrants excitedly ran out of their dormitory at the Good Samaritan shelter in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, asking about it.
DHS said this week that about 7,100 migrants were coming daily, compared with an average of about 5,900 a day in February — on pace to match or exceed highs from last year, 2019 and other peak periods. But border officials said they are planning for as many as 18,000 arrivals daily, and that seems certain to cause challenges for border-region Democrats in tight reelection races — with some warning that the Biden administration is unprepared to handle the situation.
Homeland Security said it created a Southwest Border Coordinating Center to respond to any sharp increases, with MaryAnn Tierney, a regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as interim leader and a Border Patrol official as deputy.
Officials also are working on additional ground and air transportation options and tents to house the expected influx, and the Border Patrol has already hired on civilians.
Instead of conducting patrols and uncovering smuggling activity, its agents spend about 40% of their time caring for people already in custody and administrative tasks that are unrelated to border security.
The agency hoped to free up agents to go back into the field by hiring civilians for jobs such as making sure that microwaved burritos are served properly, checking holding cells and the time-consuming work of collecting information for immigration court papers.
Still, administration officials acknowledged the fixes are only temporary measures.
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to pursuing every avenue within our authority to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and stay true to our values,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “Yet a long-term solution can only come from comprehensive legislation that brings lasting reform to a fundamentally broken system.”
The limits went into place in March 2020 under the Trump administration as coronavirus cases soared. While officials said at the time that it was a way to keep COVID-19 out of the United States, there always has been criticism that the restrictions were used as an excuse to seal the border to migrants unwanted by then-President Donald Trump. It was perhaps the broadest of Trump’s actions to restrict crossings and crack down on migrants.
CDC officials lifted part of the order last month, ending the limits for children traveling to the border alone. In August, U.S. border authorities began testing children traveling alone in their busiest areas: Positives fell to 6% in the first week of March from a high of nearly 20% in early February.
Asylum limits have been applied unevenly by nationality, depending largely on costs and diplomatic relations with home countries. Many migrants have been spared from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and, more recently, Ukraine. Homeland Security officials wrote border authorities this month that Ukrainians may be exempt, saying Russia’s invasion “created a humanitarian crisis.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Declutter and deep clean for spring
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ/IVANHOE NEWSWIRE) -
The snow is starting to melt. The air is getting warmer. That’s right, spring is here! But what is the most dreaded part of spring? Cleaning! Find out why you should take the time to de-clutter and deep clean.
While you might think an extra box in a basement or bedroom isn’t a big deal, clutter can be a hazard. A study from St. Lawrence University found that a cluttered bedroom and a poor night’s sleep go hand in hand.
A dirty home will zap your energy and productivity. Researchers have found that cleaning helps you gain a sense of control over your environment and can improve your mood. Want tips to help you declutter? Go room by room and focus on a category. Set reasonable goals so you don’t quit halfway through. Create a keep, donate, and toss pile, and if you find you’re storing anything for someone else, give them a deadline to pick it up. And what about those hard to clean items you’ve been avoiding? Your pillow can have oil, dirt, sweat, bacteria, saliva and even mold. Toss them in a washer on a gentle cycle, using a very small amount of detergent. Add tennis balls to the dryer so the filling doesn’t get clumped.
Coffee machines are another neglected item. An NSF International Study of Kitchen Products found that 50 percent of the sampled reservoirs in coffee makers had mold or yeast.
Spring is also a good time to replace your sponges. More than 75 percent of dish sponges and rags had salmonella, E. coli, and fecal matter. And don’t forget your home office and living room. In 22 households, the NSF found yeast and mold and even staph on the computer keyboard, remote control, and video game controller.
Icemakers are often neglected as well. Start by unplugging the refrigerator, and dumping any ice, clean it with warm soapy water, replace the filter, and run through a few cycles of ice before use.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/well/mind/how-to-declutter.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://www.today.com/home/marie-kondo-effect-thrift-stores-nationwide-see-uptick-donations-t146810
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-mental-health-and-cleaning-are-connected-5097496 https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/cleaning-and-organizing/youre-probably-ignoring-these-things-in-your-home-that-need-to-be-cleaned/ss-AAOtW84?li=BBnb7Kz#image=10
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Danielle Gober, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/ellie-schaul-exhibit-clay-center/
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Ellie Schaul exhibit at Clay Center
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 1:25 PM EDT|Updated: 29 minutes ago
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -
Click here for more information about the exhibit.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -
Click here for more information about the exhibit.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/explainer-will-trump-or-associates-be-charged-jan-6-house-committee-suggests-crimes/
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EXPLAINER: Will Trump or associates be charged for Jan. 6? House committee suggests crimes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump last year of inciting the Capitol insurrection. But neither Trump nor any of his top advisers have faced charges over the attack in a court of law, and it’s uncertain if they ever will.
But increasingly, lawmakers on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault are pressing Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump and his associates. They’ve been laying out possible crimes in at least one court filing and openly discussing others, all related to that day’s violent attack by Trump supporters looking to disrupt Congress’ formal certification of his reelection defeat.
Here’s a look at some of the suggested crimes floated by the House panel:
CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES
After floating possible crimes for several months, lawmakers on the panel put it on paper for the first time in a March court filing. The filing was in response to a lawsuit from John Eastman, a lawyer and law professor who was consulting with Trump while attempting to overturn the election and who tried to withhold documents from the committee.
The committee argued that it has evidence supporting the idea that Trump, Eastman and other allies of the former president “entered into an agreement to defraud the United States.” The panel says Trump and his allies interfered with the election certification process, disseminated misinformation about election fraud and pressured state and federal officials to assist in that effort.
OBSTRUCTION OF AN OFFICIAL PROCEEDING
Late last month, U.S. District Court Judge David Carter appeared somewhat swayed by the panel’s arguments. In ordering Eastman to turn over the materials, Carter wrote that the court “finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.”
In the filing, the committee argued that Trump either attempted or succeeded at obstructing, influencing, or impeding the ceremonial process on Jan. 6 and “did so corruptly” by pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results as he presided over the session. Pence declined to do so.
“President Trump and members of his campaign knew he had not won enough legitimate state electoral votes to be declared the winner of the 2020 Presidential election during the January 6 Joint Session of Congress, but the President nevertheless sought to use the Vice President to manipulate the results in his favor,” the committee wrote.
COMMON LAW FRAUD
The committee has also floated a charge of “common law fraud,” or falsely representing facts with the knowledge that they are false. Trump embarked on a wide-scale campaign to convince the public and federal judges that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that he, not Biden, won the Electoral College tally. Election officials and courts across the country, along with Trump’s attorney general, rejected those claims.
As an example of such fraud, the committee noted in the Eastman filing that a Justice Department official told Trump directly that a Facebook video posted by his campaign “purporting to show Georgia officials pulling suitcases of ballots from under a table” was false, yet the campaign continued to run it. Georgia officials also repeatedly denied the claim.
“The president continued to rely on this allegation in his efforts to overturn the results of the election,” the committee said.
DERELICTION OF DUTY
Though they didn’t lay it out in the Eastman filing, leaders of the House panel suggested earlier this year that they believe Trump could also be liable for “dereliction of duty,” or inaction as his supporters violently broke the windows and doors of the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the committee chairman, said in January that “the harm that I see is the president of the United States seeing the Capitol of the United States under siege by people he sent to the Capitol and did nothing during that time.”
The committee’s vice chairwoman, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, noted that same month that the panel knows from “firsthand testimony” that Trump watched the attack happen on television. “We know that he did not walk the very few steps to the White House briefing room, get on camera immediately, and tell the people to stop and go home,” she said.
Cheney said it was hard “imagine a more significant and more serious dereliction of duty” than Trump’s failure to quell the insurrection.
FINANCIAL CRIMES
While the committee hasn’t floated specifics, it has created an internal task force to investigate financing for the massive rally on the National Mall the morning of Jan. 6 and any donors who might have backed transportation or other costs that could have helped foster the violence.
Asked earlier this year on CNN if they have any evidence of financial fraud, Thompson said members of the committee “have some concerns, but we have not made those concerns public at this point.”
“We do think it’s highly concerning on our part that people raised monies for one activity, and we can’t find the money being spent for that particular activity,” Thompson said. “So, we will continue to look at it. And the financing is one of those things that we will continue to look at very closely.”
UNCERTAINTY AHEAD
More than 775 rioters have been arrested for crimes related to the insurrection. Yet legal consequences have been elusive for Trump and the other top officials who told lies about election fraud and laid the groundwork for their actions.
Congress has no authority to prosecute, but can send so-called criminal referrals to the Justice Department. Garland can then decide whether to act.
Justice Department action would be far from guaranteed. And it’s uncertain whether any charges against the oft-investigated president would hold up in court. It could be difficult for prosecutors to craft a winning case against Trump.
The president urged on his massive crowd of supporters that morning and returned to the White House and watched them break into the Capitol on television. The rioters beat police, sent lawmakers running and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/fbi-joins-search-florida-mom-missing-since-sunday/
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FBI joins search for Florida mom missing since Sunday
PENSACOLA, Fla. (Gray News) – The FBI has now joined the search for a mom in Florida who has been missing since Sunday night.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said in a press conference Thursday afternoon that Cassie Carli, 37, was last seen on Navarre Beach in Pensacola on Sunday evening near a restaurant called Juana’s Pagodas.
Johnson said that Carli was at the restaurant to meet with Marcus Spanevelo, the father of her 4-year-old daughter, Saylor, to “do a child exchange.”
Carli’s father reported her missing the following day.
On Tuesday, police located Carli’s vehicle behind the restaurant with her purse still inside the car. Her purse being left behind is a cause for concern, Johnson said.
Spanevelo was located in Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday with Saylor. He was interviewed by investigators, and Saylor was taken into the custody of Alabama Protective Services, Johnson said.
“The way she has gone missing concerns us greatly,” Johnson said.
Johnson said detectives plan to speak more with Spanevelo, as he was the last known person to see Carli.
Carli is 5′5″ and approximately 150 pounds with blonde hair.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office at 850-983-1190.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/global-volunteer-month/
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Global Volunteer Month
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 1:40 PM EDT|Updated: 15 minutes ago
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -
When it comes to giving back or volunteering, many don’t know how to get started.
President and CEO of Points of Light, Natalye Paquin, joined Susan on Studio 3 to talk about the benefits of volunteerism and share easy steps to make a positive impact in your community through everyday actions.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/house-approves-bill-that-would-decriminalize-marijuana/
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House approves bill that would decriminalize marijuana
WASHINGTON (Gray News) - The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill Friday that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level.
If signed into law, it would remove marijuana from the controlled substances list and eliminate penalties for people who grow, distribute or possess it.
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement, or MORE, Act bill passed by a 220-204 vote largely along party lines. Republican Reps. Tom McClintock, Brian Mast and Matt Gaetz joined most Democrats to vote in favor, while Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Chris Pappas voted against it.
The bill also would allow the VA to recommend the use of medical marijuana to veterans with post-traumatic stress and other health issues. Federal agencies could no longer deny federal workers security clearance for marijuana use, and people convicted of non-violent marijuana offenses would have their records expunged, CNN reported.
In addition, taxes from marijuana production and sales would raise revenue.
Legislation would still likely need to get 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster.
A similar bill passed the House in December 2020 as well.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/mother-calls-end-tiktok-challenge-after-son-was-injured/
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Mother calls for end of TikTok challenge after son was injured
HARRIMAN, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) - A mother says her youngest son was riding home with a friend after playing in a high school baseball game when he became a victim of a challenge seen on TikTok.
Mary Cathers of Tennessee told WVLT a car pulled up beside the vehicle her son was in, and people shot at him with a pellet gun, in what many call the Orbeez Challenge, named after the water gel beads popular with children. Those beads are used as ammunition in the social media trend.
The mother said her son’s window was rolled down when he was hit several times on his shoulder and back, and the shots also left several dents on the friend’s vehicle.
“They were pretty shaken up. At that point in time, their adrenaline was high, but then they were so concerned about what if that was a real gun? How this could have ended a lot worse than what it was. As a parent, I wanted to make sure this wasn’t swept under the rug,” Cathers said.
The Harriman Police Department was working on the investigation. Detective Sgt. Kent Warren said they have had a few leads while working the case.
“I think that this is part of three separate incidents, but we haven’t been able to link them together yet,” Warren said. “We had three different reports within the same timeframe that night, so there’s a possibility that they’re connected.”
Cathers said she hadn’t heard of the TikTok Orbeez Challenge until this incident. She felt the challenge was to blame, and she wanted it to stop before it took someone’s life.
“This TikTok Challenge that’s going on everywhere in the United States, which kids think it’s funny, it’s not funny,” Cathers said. “This is a real deal. Someone is really going to get hurt. Someone is really going to get killed over it because someone is going to pull out a real gun thinking that they have a real gun.”
Knox County, Tennessee District Attorney General Charme Allen said people participating in the challenge could be charged with several crimes, from simple assault to felony assault, potentially facing years in prison.
Copyright 2022 WVLT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/police-5-year-old-dies-high-speed-pursuit-kidnapping-suspect/
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Police: 5-year-old dies in high-speed pursuit of kidnapping suspect
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Gray News) - A 5-year-old girl is dead following a high-speed chase in Florida.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received calls of a kidnapping in progress Thursday night. They reported that the suspect was armed at the time of the kidnapping.
The sheriff’s office reported that when an officer attempted to stop the suspect’s vehicle, the driver fled with the 5-year-old victim in the car.
The sheriff’s office said the suspect then led police on a 30-mile chase on Interstate 95 that reached about 90 mph.
The suspect then drove off a ramp and into a pond while attempting to exit the interstate, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officers went into the water and apprehended the suspect, but the child was not immediately found.
The fire department later found the child at the bottom of the pond.
The sheriff’s office reported the suspect is facing several charges, including traffic homicide. The child’s identity has not been released at this time.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. CNN Newsource contributed to this report.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/spring-beauty-101/
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Spring beauty 101
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 1:27 PM EDT|Updated: 28 minutes ago
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -
Spring has sprung, and dermatologist Dr. Flor Mayoral joined Susan on Studio 3 with the scoop on beauty buys you need to know about.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/us-man-abducted-afghanistan-appears-newly-posted-video/
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US man abducted in Afghanistan appears in newly posted video
WASHINGTON (AP) — An American man kidnapped in Afghanistan two years ago is seen in a video pleading for his release so that he can be reunited with his family, according to a recording posted Friday by The New Yorker magazine.
The video of Mark Frerichs marks the first time that the Navy veteran and civilian contractor has been seen by the public since his abduction in Kabul on Jan. 31, 2020. Frerichs, of Lombard, Illinois, is believed to be held by the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network, and U.S. officials across two presidential administrations have tried unsuccessfully to get him home.
Frerichs appears by himself in the video, sitting upright before a dark curtain and wearing what appears to be traditional Afghan clothing. In the video, which he says was recorded last Nov. 28, he says he has patiently awaited his release and adds: “I’d like to ask the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: please release me. Release me so that I may be re-united with my family. Thank you.”
Videos of hostages are sometimes released to show proof that they are alive and to facilitate negotiations for a release, though it was not immediately clear if that was the case here.
The video was posted Friday by The New Yorker, which says it obtained it from an unidentified individual in Afghanistan.
An FBI spokeswoman in Washington declined to comment on the video’s authenticity, but a sister of Frerichs, Charlene Cakora, said in a statement Friday that she was grateful to the Taliban for releasing the video and described it as “public confirmation of our family’s long-held belief that he is alive after more than two years in captivity.”
She appealed to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to step up efforts to get Frerichs released.
“We consider this to be an important indicator of the Taliban’s interest in seeking to arrange for Mark’s immediate release. President Biden and Secretary Blinken, we urge you to take bold and decisive action to bring Mark home,” she added.
The Taliban has made clear to U.S. officials that it seeks the release of a convicted drug lord named Bashir Noorzai, but the U.S. government has not moved forward on any sort of prisoner trade or exchange that could get Frerichs home.
The video of Frerichs surfaced on the same day that the State Department announced the release from Afghanistan of U.S. citizen Safiullah Rauf and Anees Khalil, a lawful permanent resident. The State Department said that they were now in Qatar before traveling home but offered no additional details about their activities in Afghanistan.
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Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/video-series-support-lung-cancer-testing-awareness/
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Video series to support lung cancer testing awareness
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 1:35 PM EDT|Updated: 20 minutes ago
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/wild-march-weather-recap/
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Wild march weather recap
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 1:31 PM EDT|Updated: 23 minutes ago
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -
The saying that ‘when March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion’ may never be more true than this year.
From twisters down south to freezes locally and snow squalls up north, the lion did his share of roaring this week.
Tony Cavalier recaps the wild week that was.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/3-army-soldiers-9-others-accused-gun-trafficking-ring/
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3 Army soldiers, 9 others accused in gun trafficking ring
WASHINGTON (AP) — Twelve people, including three U.S. Army soldiers, are accused in a large-scale gun trafficking ring that prosecutors allege supplied nearly 100 guns to gang members in Chicago and led to at least two killings, the Justice Department said Friday.
The soldiers — Demarcus Adams, 21; Jarius Brunson, 22; and Brandon Miller, 22 — were enlisted in the Army and stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where they would legally purchase guns from local dealers in Tennessee and Kentucky, prosecutors charged. The soldiers are accused of selling them to members of the Gangster Disciples street gang in the Pocket Town neighborhood on Chicago’s south side, according to the 21-count indictment.
The indictment charges the group with conspiring to violate federal firearms laws, among other crimes. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison.
The case is part of the Justice Department’s push to investigate and prosecute gun trafficking amid rising crime across the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has vowed to prioritize prosecutions of firearms traffickers and so-called “straw purchasers,” who legally purchase firearms to sell them to people who can’t legally poses guns, often in states with more restrictive gun laws.
“The Justice Department will spare no resources to hold accountable criminal gun traffickers,” Garland said at a news conference Friday. “There is no hiding place for those who flood our communities with illegal guns. It does not matter where you are, or how far away you are. If you illegally traffic guns, we and our law enforcement partners nationwide will find you.”
Prosecutors allege Miller would receive orders from members of the Gangster Disciples in Chicago for specific guns to purchase and he, Brunson and Adams would then buy them from dealers in Clarksville, Tennessee and Oak Grove, Kentucky, and give them to gang members, who paid through money transfer apps, including Zelle and CashApp. Miller also advertised that he had 1,000 rounds of ammunition available for sale, prosecutors say.
Authorities believe the trio provided over 90 illegally obtained firearms to the gang “to facilitate the on-going violent disputes between the Pocket Town Gangster Disciples and their rival gangs,” the Justice Department said.
Investigators believe one of the guns was used in a shooting at a party in Chicago last March that left one man dead, and seven others wounded. Another was used in a killing at a Chicago barbershop in January 2021, according to officials.
The nine others charged in the indictment are: Blaise Smith, 29; Rahaeem Johnson, 24; Bryant Larkin, 33; Corey Curtis, 26; Elijah Tillman, 24; Lazarus Greenwood, 23; Dwight Lowry, 41; and Dreshion Parks, 25, all of Chicago; along with Terrell Mitchell, 27, of Davenport, Iowa. Two people who were alleged to be part of the conspiracy were killed “as a result of gang violence, which was facilitated by the firearms illegally transferred to individuals in the Chicago,” prosecutors say.
The indictment spells out how Miller would exchange messages with his associates in Chicago to negotiate the prices of the guns.
“The silver one a 380 u still want it it’s a steal,” Miller wrote to Lowry in December 2020, the indictment says. Lowry wrote back, “Yup can’t beat it,” according to court papers.
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This story has been corrected to show Fort Campbell is located in Kentucky, not Tennessee.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/72-year-old-woman-loses-home-memories-life-savings-tennessee-fire/
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72-year-old woman loses home, memories and life savings in Tennessee fire
SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) – A simple text of “is this your house?” quickly turned what had started as a normal day for Sue Barker into a grim reality.
When Barker left her home for work Wednesday morning, she didn’t know it would be the last time she would see it standing.
Barker had gotten word that mandatory evacuations were taking place near where she lived, but by the time she tried to return home, law enforcement told her it wasn’t safe and turned her away.
For a day and a half, Barker was left only with the clothes on her back. She questioned if her home was safe until she got a text with a picture of it burned to the ground Thursday afternoon.
“I wouldn’t have thought it was my house, but I have three wrought iron chairs with baskets of flowers in them, and I recognized the chairs. I never would have thought it was my house,” Barker told WVLT.
Inside were precious memories, like pictures of her children and grandchildren, along with jewelry and memories from her parents who have since passed away.
Along with her life savings in cash, Barker lost those moments in time that she says are more valuable than money.
Tubs of handwritten greeting cards from her grandchildren and children were likely destroyed in the flames.
“I was saving it for when I’m gone, then they can open it up and see, ‘Oh, Mom loved us enough to save the silly little drawings we did and stuff.’ I had a whole tub of those and I know they’re not there,” Barker said.
As many sought shelter from the fire that continued to burn, Barker stood strong in the face of adversity.
“I’m trying so hard to keep it together and stay calm because I’m alive. I thank God nobody has passed away in this. We made it through 2016, and we’ll make it through this,” Barker said.
For the next few days, Barker has a hotel room paid for her by family and friends. She will continue to figure out what the next steps are as she contemplates where she will live.
Copyright 2022 WVLT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/alaska-airlines-cancels-dozens-flights-pilots-picket/
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Alaska Airlines cancels dozens of flights as pilots picket
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Dozens of flights along the West Coast were canceled Friday as Alaska Airlines pilots picketed during ongoing contract negotiations with the airline.
More than 100 Alaska Airlines flights were canceled by the airline, including 66 in Seattle, 20 in Portland, Oregon, 10 in Los Angeles and seven in San Francisco, according to the flight tracking website flightaware.com. Flights were also expected to be affected in Anchorage, Alaska. Pilots planned to hold a rally and picket in all those cities on Friday, according to a union website.
Pilots with the Air Lines Pilots Association also protested last week in New York City outside the airline’s Investor Relations Day in a precursor of Friday’s picket.
The bargaining actions come as air travel rebounds to pre-pandemic levels and demand is surging as many Americans head off on spring break for long-delayed vacations. Frustrated travelers vented on social media about botched vacation plans and reported that there was a five-hour wait to speak with an airline representative about rescheduling flights.
Pilots have been in contract negotiations with the airline for nearly three years, and the two sides are at an impasse.
The union says Alaska Airlines did not adequately prepare for a return to air travel after the pandemic and didn’t take the necessary steps to retain or attract pilots as demand bounced back. Issues that still need to be resolved include job security, work rules and quality-of-life provisions that provide flexibility and reasonable schedules, it said in a statement, and the current pilot contract falls well behind those at comparable airlines in several key sections.
Alaska Airlines said Friday that it values its pilots and respects their right to picket, but it also needs to negotiate a deal that allows the airline to maintain growth and profitability. Alaska Airlines is working to recover $2.3 billion in losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, it said in a statement.
The airline said it currently offers competitive salaries for its pilots. For example, an Alaska Airlines captain’s average salary is currently $341,000 per year, the airline said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/families-facing-higher-prices-vacations/
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Families facing higher prices for vacations
LOS ANGELES (CNN) - As the pandemic subsides, many American families feel they are in dire need of a vacation.
But just as coronavirus restrictions are lifting, travel prices are increasing.
Some families who haven’t traveled much in the last two to three years said they are determined to take a trip despite the sticker shock.
In California, tourists are paying some of the highest gas prices in the nation. Tourists are also paying higher airfares driven by unprecedented demand and higher hotel rates, like in Miami Beach, with an average price of more than $500 a night.
On the travel website Kayak, recent searches show the average domestic flight to Panama City, Florida, for example, costs $494. In March 2019, that would have averaged just over $300.
The Cabara family flew from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Los Angeles.
“Once we got out here we realized that things are very expensive right now,” one family member said.
They decided against a rental car, the average rental car in the U.S. averages $76 a day, more than $20 higher than two years ago, according to Kayak.
But even without a rental car, the family said they’re actually spending more money in Uber than they did flying out West.
That’s likely because regular gas is on average more than $4 a gallon this month, the highest of any month in history and up from $2.51 in March 2019.
That’s affecting Kami Farhadi, the chairman of Starline Tours, who said the company typically spends $100 a day on fuel for the buses and now they’re spending $200 every day.
“We’ve still maintained our prices at the moment, but we’re going to have to look at going to full summer pricing right now rather than waiting until the summer,” Farhadi said.
Kayak shows hotel rates averaging about $300 per night, up nearly $70 since March of 2019.
Even theme parks will cost you more, from paid express lines to pricier food.
“People are accepting it, and they’re going. Now maybe they’re making adjustments along the way,” travel agent Elaine Edwards said.
While the cheapest single-day Disney tickets stayed the same price since 2019, there are now fewer days priced at “value season.”
Meanwhile, a discount tracking website, Mousesavers, shows the most expensive types of tickets at Disneyland and Disney World during the busiest season jumped 11 or 12% from two years ago.
“Wherever they go, however much it costs, some families say they just need to get out of the house now. And they’ll scale back later,” Edwards said.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/sheriffs-office-calls-man-accused-stabbing-countys-most-wanted/
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Sheriff’s office calls man accused in stabbing county’s ‘most wanted’
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 1:51 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
MARTIN COUNTY, Ky (WSAZ) – Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a man accused in a stabbing incident.
A post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office calls James Crabtree the county’s ‘most wanted’.
Crabtree is wanted on assault and burglary charges, deputies say.
The stabbing happened during the early morning hours of April 1 on Riverfront Road near the Martin, Pike County line.
The post also says Crabtree is to be considered armed and dangerous and advises the public to not approach him.
If anyone has any information regarding the case or Crabtree’s whereabouts call the Martin County Sheriff’s Office at 606-298-2828 or 911.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/man-sentenced-37-months-prison-role-multi-state-dog-fighting-ring/
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Man sentenced to 37 months in prison for role in multi-state dog fighting ring
(Gray News) - A Virginia man was sentenced to more than three years in prison for his role in a multi-state dog fighting conspiracy.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said Raymond L. Johnson, 41, was sentenced Thursday to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in an animal fighting venture and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Johnson’s arrest was the result of a lengthy investigation, starting in November 2019 when police investigated a criminal organization involved in dog fighting based out of Richmond, Virginia, and extending into Baltimore, Maryland. In late 2020, police executed multiple search warrants and rescued numerous dogs that were being used for dog fighting.
The DOJ said Johnson hosted at least two dog fights at his residence, videos of which were found by police. Nine dogs were rescued from Johnson’s home, all with scarring consistent with dog fighting.
The DOJ said investigators also found Johnson communicating with his co-conspirators about breeding and fighting dogs, past dog fights, and upcoming dog fights.
Agents also found firearms and ammunition at Johnson’s home. As a convicted felon, it was illegal for Johnson to possess those items.
“Raymond Johnson actively participated in a multi-state criminal enterprise that caused the needless suffering of innocent animals,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Johnson’s sentence demonstrates that dog fighting is a serious crime, which deserves a substantial penalty.”
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/vanna-white-announces-death-her-father/
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Vanna White announces death of her father
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 3:46 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Gray News) – “Wheel of Fortune” hostess Vanna White announced the death of her father on Twitter Friday.
She didn’t name her dad in the Tweet but described him as being “one of the kindest and most wonderful human beings of North Myrtle Beach.”
The South Carolina native said her 96-year-old father passed away peacefully Friday morning.
White and her co-host Pat Sajak have worked side by side for more than 7,000 episodes of “Wheel of Fortune and are nightly staples in millions of homes across America.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/video-man-escapes-dog-cage-while-detained-k-9-vehicle-deputies-resign/
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VIDEO: Man escapes dog cage while detained in K-9 vehicle, deputies resign
PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) - An investigation continues in North Carolina, where two deputies are out of a job after an arrest of a man that went wrong.
The Pender County Sheriff’s Office reports the incident in question occurred on Feb. 27 when officers responded to a situation where a couple was fighting in a supermarket parking lot.
WECT reports a female deputy detained the woman, and a male deputy detained the man involved in the fight once they arrived at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
However, the male deputy’s patrol car was being repaired, and he was driving a K-9 handler’s car as a substitute vehicle.
The K-9 vehicle was equipped with a dog cage in the back instead of space to detain and transport suspects.
Authorities said the man involved in the fight was highly combative and armed with a gun. Deputies had to wrestle him to the ground to get him in handcuffs. Deputies then needed a place to put him and said they were advised by a supervisor that “a cage is a cage” and put the suspect in the back of the K-9 unit.
The backseat of the vehicle had plenty of space, but it had no seat or seat belts as it was designed to hold a dog.
Typically, deputies would have left immediately for jail, but they could not legally transport the suspect without a seat belt for him.
Therefore, police waited for backup to arrive with the proper transport vehicle. However, this took about 30 minutes, and during this time, the suspect got loose. According to the sheriff’s office, he managed to remove the dog door inside the deputy’s car and crawled into the front seat of the K-9 vehicle before leaving the scene.
WECT obtained body camera video of the incident in question.
About 19 minutes into the video, additional deputies arrived at the scene and the four officers strategized on how they will move the detainee.
The video then shows them holding leg shackles, a Taser and a service weapon as they prepare for a potentially combative transfer from the K-9 vehicle.
However, when they turned back around, the driver’s side door of the K-9 vehicle was open, and the man was gone.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the suspect was able to retrieve his gun, money and drugs during the escape.
About two hours after the arrest, the sheriff’s office put out a news release asking for the public’s help finding the suspect who escaped. But authorities had mistakenly identified the incorrect person as the suspect.
So, the sheriff’s office corrected the release the next day, but 30 days later, the original man in question remains on the loose.
After the escape, the deputies involved in the arrest were placed on administrative leave while the sheriff’s office conducted an internal investigation.
The deputies said they were not given the proper equipment to do their job, putting them in a dangerous position - setting the stage for the detainee to escape.
Both deputies resigned in the weeks that followed, saying that they felt they were being forced out despite their previously excellent track records.
The two also released a joint statement:
“On February 27, we were both assigned to the most populated side of the county and were given improper equipment to perform our duties as Law Enforcement Officers. While responding to a domestic situation later that evening, we encountered an armed, combative subject.
After struggling for several minutes and placing the person in custody, we were forced to secure the arrestee who was still being combative in the K-9 vehicle as our only option. This was the safest option to protect ourselves and the community.
As deputies, we performed our duties with the equipment and resources given and did nothing wrong that evening. We were both truthful in all aspects of the internal investigation but sadly were forced to resign. This is an unfortunate situation and a devastating action toward two amazing deputies by Sheriff Alan Cutler.”
An internal investigation continues, and Sheriff Alan Cutler maintains that the vehicle used that night was not the issue.
“I have not seen a problem in this investigation with him actually placing that individual in the backseat of that car. But, obviously, we need to keep our eyes on an individual while they’re in there for their safety and for the law enforcement safety,” Cutler said.
While policy change may eventually result from this incident, Cutler said at this point the K-9 vehicle continues to be used for routine patrols as needed due to vehicle shortages at the department.
“Our deputies definitely could have done things better that night. And I acknowledge that I’m ultimately responsible for the actions of our deputies, whether I’m with them or not. We’ve always tried to be transparent, and we will continue to be. Basically, the only thing we can do now is trying to do the right thing in the aftermath,” Cutler said.
Copyright 2022 WECT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/west-virginia-home-show-going-all-weekend/
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West Virginia Home Show going on all weekend
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The West Virginia Home Show is back this year.
The doors opened at 12 p.m. Friday.
Thousands are expected to come out to the show this weekend at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
Hours are as follows:
- Friday: 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.
- Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
- Sunday: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
At the West Virginia Home Show you will have the opportunity to visit more than 200 vendors, and get ideas for all kinds of home projects you can take on this spring.
New vendors joined the lineup this year.
The show also gives participating groups the chance to mingle with potential customers after the pandemic.
“I think we’re going to have big crowds. Whenever the doors opened Friday, we had a crowd backed out to the lobby,” said West Virginia Home Show Chairman Tim Cunningham. “[It’s] the biggest crowd we’ve ever seen at the opening of the show. It’s real exciting.”
The first 100 people to come in Saturday will be treated to a free lunch.
Organizers also don’t want guests to forget about the silent auction this Sunday at 5 p.m.
“Last year, we were able to raise $8,000 at the auction for charity and this year we’re hoping to exceed that,” Cunningham said. “We split the proceeds between the Henry King scholarship fund and the West Virginia National Guard Foundation.”
Tickets are $9 for adults and $8 for seniors. Kids 15 and under get in for free.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/woman-killed-shooting-suspect-wanted/
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Woman killed in shooting; suspect wanted
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 4:43 PM EDT|Updated: 11 minutes ago
MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A woman died Thursday in a shooting near Delbarton, the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office said.
Teresa Harmon died in the incident at her home, which was reported around 7 a.m. Thursday. Investigators say Harmon had been shot in the back of the head.
The incident happened just outside Delbarton town limits in the William Ann Camp area.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/alex-jones-loses-bid-avoid-fines-sandy-hook-case/
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Alex Jones loses bid to avoid fines in Sandy Hook case
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut judge on Friday rejected Infowars host Alex Jones’ bid to avoid escalating daily fines for missing a deposition in a lawsuit by relatives of some victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, who sued the conspiracy theorist for saying the massacre was a hoax.
Judge Barbara Bellis in Waterbury kept in place her ruling that fines Jones $25,000 per weekday, beginning Friday, and increasing by $25,000 each weekday until he appears at a deposition.
Jones had asked Bellis to put her ruling on hold while he appeals the fines to the state Supreme Court. His lawyers said he plans to attend a deposition in Connecticut on April 11. If he does not appear until then, his fines would total $525,000.
Jones said he did not attend a deposition scheduled last week in Austin, Texas, where he lives, because he was too ill to attend. Bellis said there was not enough evidence Jones was too ill to appear at the deposition.
Twenty first graders and six educators were killed in the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/hope-solo-arrested-dwi-child-abuse-charges/
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Hope Solo arrested on DWI, child abuse charges
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 5:04 PM EDT|Updated: 21 minutes ago
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Police say former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo was arrested after she was found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in North Carolina with her 2-year-old twins inside.
A police report said Solo was arrested on Thursday in a shopping center parking lot in Winston-Salem and charged with driving while impaired, resisting a public officer and misdemeanor child abuse.
She has been released from jail and has a court date of June 28.
Arrest reports say a passerby noticed Solo passed out behind the steering wheel for more than an hour with the vehicle’s engine running and two children in the backseat.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/judge-upholds-ghislaine-maxwells-sex-trafficking-conviction/
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Judge upholds Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking conviction
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. judge refused to throw out Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking conviction Friday, despite a juror’s failure to disclose before the trial began that he’d been a victim of childhood sexual abuse.
Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted in December of helping the millionaire Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse several teenage girls.
U.S. Judge Alison J. Nathan declined to order a new trial weeks after questioning the juror under oath in a New York courtroom about why he failed to disclose his personal history as an abuse survivor on a questionnaire during the jury selection process.
The juror had said he “skimmed way too fast” through the questionnaire and did not intentionally give the wrong answer to a question about sex abuse.
“I didn’t lie in order to get on this jury,” he said.
In her opinion, Nathan said the juror’s failure to disclose his prior sexual abuse during the jury selection process was highly unfortunate, but not deliberate.
The judge also concluded the juror “harbored no bias toward the defendant and could serve as a fair and impartial juror.”
Maxwell’s lawyers had said they potentially could have objected to the man’s presence on the jury on the grounds that he might not be fair to a person accused of a similar crime.
The U.S. attorney’s office declined comment. Messages were left with Maxwell’s attorneys.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted of sex trafficking and other charges after a monthlong trial that featured testimony from four women who said she played a role in setting them up for abuse by Epstein.
Epstein killed himself in August 2019 as he awaited trial at a federal jail in New York on related sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell says she’s innocent.
After the trial’s conclusion, the juror, identified in court papers only as Juror No. 50, gave interviews with several media outlets describing deliberations, and disclosing that he’d been abused as a child. He said he persuaded some fellow jurors that a victim’s imperfect memory of abuse doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Potential jurors in the case had been were required to fill out a 50-page questionnaire including a question that asked: “Have you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault?”
The juror checked “No.”
The juror said in one of the interviews that he didn’t remember being asked that question, which was No. 48 on the form.
Defense lawyers for Maxwell asked the judge to immediately order a new trial, but she said she could not do so without questioning the juror.
After Nathan questioned the juror in early March, lawyers on both sides submitted written arguments. Prosecutors said the juror made an “honest mistake” and that it was “crystal clear” that Maxwell received a fair trial.
Maxwell’s lawyers disagreed.
“Excusing Juror 50′s false answers because he believes his concealed history of sexual abuse did not affect his ability to serve as a fair and impartial juror does not satisfy the appearance of justice,” they argued. “Only a new trial would.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/kansas-father-charged-with-murder-infant-daughters-death-after-child-struck-with-object-police-say/
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Kansas father charged with murder in infant daughter’s death after child struck with object, police say
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW/Gray News) - A Kansas man was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 6-month-old daughter.
WIBW reports Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay filed criminal charges against Tray’vonne Da’Mont Jones-McNeal, 21, after the death of the child on Wednesday.
Medics responded to a home in Topeka and found 6-month-old Brielle Jones not breathing. Police said the child was taken to the hospital after suffering blunt-force trauma, but she later died.
Police records note Brielle had been hit by a blunt force object.
Kagay said Jones-McNeal was identified as the child’s father and arrested at the scene.
Jones-McNeal is facing multiple charges including murder, child abuse and battery.
Records indicate Jones-McNeal is being held in the Shawnee County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Copyright 2022 WIBW via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/man-found-guilty-raping-impregnating-11-year-old-girl/
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Man found guilty of raping, impregnating 11-year-old girl
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Gray News) - A Tennessee man was convicted Thursday of raping and impregnating an 11-year-old girl in 2016.
According to the Shelby County District Attorney’s office, it took the jury less than 20 minutes to find Gregory Hickman, 29, guilty of raping a child.
According to testimony this week, the child’s mother said that in October 2016, she noticed her daughter’s stomach felt hard in a way that appeared to be a pregnancy. The girl then told her mom that Hickman had raped her earlier that year.
The girl said that Hickman, who was a family friend, was walking her home from a store and suggested they take a shortcut. When they got to a bushy area, Hickman then raped her, the girl said. She also said Hickman said he would kill her if she told anybody about the rape.
In December 2016, the young girl gave birth. DNA testing confirmed Hickman was the father.
Hickman will be sentenced on May 12. He remains in police custody and has another rape case pending involving a 13-year-old victim who was the daughter of his girlfriend.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/man-gofundme-scam-gets-27-month-federal-prison-sentence/
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Man in GoFundMe scam gets 27-month federal prison sentence
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey man who conspired with his then-girlfriend to cook up a feel-good story about a helpful homeless man and then used the lie to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations online was sentenced in federal court Friday to more than two years in prison.
Mark D’Amico will also have to serve three years probation once he completes his 27-month term. He also must pay restitution and undergo gambling, drug and mental health counseling.
Before being sentenced, D’Amico told U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman that he was a changed man, devoted to his family.
“The person that did the things that led us here no longer exists,” D’Amico said.
He had pleaded guilty before Hillman in Camden in November to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. An indictment unsealed in January 2020 charged D’Amico with a total of 16 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.
He had already pleaded guilty to charges in state court last year. His former girlfriend, Katelyn McClure, and homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt Jr. previously pleaded guilty to state and federal charges. Bobbitt was sentenced to five years’ probation on state charges in 2019. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on the federal charges this year.
The trio made up a story in late 2017 about Bobbitt giving $20 to help McClure when her car ran out of gas in Philadelphia, according to prosecutors. D’Amico and McClure solicited donations through GoFundMe, purportedly to help Bobbitt, and conducted newspaper and television interviews. Investigators said D’Amico was the plot’s ringleader.
They eventually raised more than $400,000 in donations over about a month, according to investigators, who said almost no part of the tale was true. The group had met near a Philadelphia casino in October 2017 shortly before they told their story, prosecutors said.
Authorities began investigating after Bobbitt sued the couple, accusing them of not giving him the money. The federal criminal complaint alleged all of the money raised in the campaign was spent by March 2018, with large chunks spent by McClure and D’Amico on a recreational vehicle, a BMW and trips to casinos in Las Vegas and New Jersey.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/number-covid-patients-us-hospitals-reaches-record-low/
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Number of COVID patients in US hospitals reaches record low
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — COVID-19 hospitalization numbers have plunged to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic, offering a much needed break to health care workers and patients alike following the omicron surge.
The number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus has fallen more than 90% in more than two months, and some hospitals are going days without a single COVID-19 patient in the ICU for the first time since early 2020.
The freed up beds are expected to help U.S. hospitals retain exhausted staff, treat non-COVID-19 patients more quickly and cut down on inflated costs. More family members can visit loved ones. And doctors hope to see a correction to the slide in pediatric visits, yearly checkups and cancer screenings.
“We should all be smiling that the number of people sitting in the hospital right now with COVID, and people in intensive care units with COVID, are at this low point,” said University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi.
But, he said, the nation “paid a steep price to get to this stage. ... A lot of people got sick and a lot of people died.”
Hospitalizations are now at their lowest point since summer 2020, when comprehensive national data first became available. The average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the last week nationwide dropped to 11,860, the lowest since 2020 and a steep decline from the peak of more than 145,000 set in mid-January. The previous low was 12,041 last June, before the delta variant took hold.
The optimistic trend is also clear in ICU patient numbers, which have dipped to fewer than 2,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“We’re beginning to be able to take a breath,” said Dr. Jeffrey Weinstein, the patient safety officer for the Kettering Health hospital system in western Ohio.
COVID-19 patients had filled 30% of Kettering Health’s nearly 1,600 hospital beds back in January, Weinstein said. Kettering’s eight hospitals now average two to three COVID-19 admissions a day — and sometimes zero.
And while Salemi agreed this is a good time for an exhausted health care system to take a breath, he warned that the public health community needs to keep an eye on the BA.2 subvariant of omicron. It’s driving increases in hospitalizations in Britain, and is now estimated to make up more than half of U.S. infections.
“We’re probably under-detecting true infections now more than at any other time during the pandemic,” Salemi said.
For now at least, many hospitals are noting the low numbers.
In California on Thursday, UC Davis Health tweeted that its intensive care unit had no COVID-19 patients for two consecutive days for the first time in two years.
“The first COVID-19 patient to arrive in our ICU did so in February 2020, and the unit treated at least one positive individual every day since, for at least 761 consecutive days,” the hospital system said.
Toby Marsh, the chief nursing and patient care services officer, said in a statement that they hope the numbers “are indicative of a sustained change.”
In Philadelphia, patients are spending less time in the Temple University Health System because there are no longer backlogs for MRIs, CT scans and lab tests, said Dr. Tony Reed, the chief medical officer.
Temple Health’s three hospitals had six adult COVID-19 patients on Thursday, likely its lowest patient count since March 2020, Reed said.
During the omicron surge, patients waited as long as 22 hours for a routine MRI, which is normally done within 12 hours. Longer waits affected those who came in with trouble walking — and in a lot of pain — for example, because of a herniated disc pinching their sciatic nerve.
“Nobody wants to stay in the hospital a day longer than they have to,” Reed said.
The emptying of beds is also helping patients in rural areas, said Jay Anderson, the chief operating officer for Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. During the surges, the hospital faced challenges accepting people from community hospitals who needed elevated care for brain tumors, advanced cancer and stroke. That burden is now being lifted.
Visitors also will return in higher numbers, starting Tuesday. Ohio State will no longer restrict patients to two designated guests, who could only stop by separately.
“Patients heal better when they have access to their family and loved ones,” Anderson said.
Doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists are also getting a much needed break in some areas.
In Colorado, Dr. Michelle Barron said the consistently low COVID-19 hospitalizations prompted smiles among staff, even as she double-checks the numbers to make sure they’re actually correct.
“I had one of these moments like, oh this is amazing,” said Barron, medical director of infection prevention and control at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. “It feels unreal.”
UCHealth loosened some restrictions, including dropping testing requirements for anyone who entered a facility. And while that produced some anxiety among staffers, Barron says the numbers haven’t spiked.
“I think some people have started to take vacations and not feel guilty,” she said. “I had spring break with my kids and it was a level of happiness where I went, oh my god, this is actually normal.”
The omicron surge had stretched staff at work — but also at home, said Dr. Mike Hooper, chief medical officer for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in southeastern Virginia.
“It was stressful to be at the store ... to visit your family,” Hooper said. “We’re all hoping that some ‘return to normalcy’ will help people deal with the inherent stresses of being part of the health care team.”
But just because hospitalizations are down does not mean hospitals are empty, said Dr. Frank Johnson, chief medical officer for St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho.
Some measures — like wearing masks in certain settings — will remain in place.
“I don’t know when we may go back to old practices regarding mask wearing in our clinical areas,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen some benefits of that in terms of reduction in the number of other viral infections.”
In the meantime, the public health community is keeping an eye on the BA.2 subvariant of omicron.
Salemi, the University of South Florida epidemiologist, said the increase in at-home testing means that more results are not being included in official coronavirus case counts. Therefore, wastewater surveillance will be the early warning signal to watch, he said.
“BA.2 is here,” he said. “We don’t have to look that far in the rear-view mirror to know things can change very rapidly. We saw what happened with delta. We saw what happened with omicron.... We don’t want to wait until we see a lot of people hospitalized before we take action.”
___
Kruesi reported from Nashville, Tennessee. AP Medical writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington state contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/pair-wanted-business-break-in-involving-vehicle-thefts/
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Pair wanted in business break-in involving vehicle thefts
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 6:17 PM EDT|Updated: 12 minutes ago
KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A man and a woman are wanted in connection with a business break-in where two vehicles were stolen.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened the weekend of March 26-27 at Diversified Oil and Gas, located in the 300 block of Koala Lane in Elkview.
According to deputies, the pair stole a white 2004 GMC Sierra 3500 with a flatbed. Also, the suspects took another vehicle, a white Ford F-250 that has since been recovered, investigators say.
Anyone with information about the incidents or the suspects is asked to call investigators at 304-357-0169. In addition, anonymous tips can be provided at 304-357-4693.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/weekend-forecast/
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Weekend forecast
Adequate for outdoor fun/chores
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -An April fools weather joke by Mother Nature as mixed showers of rain, ice and snow pelted down for a few hours. Many areas had a brief car windshield, rooftop coating of white. Heading into the weekend the weather will be in a constant state of change though for the most part the weather will be fine for outdoor events,
Tonight as skies clear temperatures will fall below freezing by dawn rendering early bloomers at risk for a nip. Saturday will start bright and frosty with sunshine with afternoon clouds joining the afternoon fray. Highs will get close to 60. Those clouds will likely shower upon us briefly at night.
Sunday will be cooler with partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid to upper 50s.
Next week will feature milder air with highs in the 60s to start, 70s mid-week before a late week chill down returns. The price to be paid for the warmth will be a plethora of showers.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/federal-tax-probe-into-bidens-son-hunter-moves-forward/
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Federal tax probe into Biden’s son, Hunter, moves forward
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal grand jury has heard testimony in recent months about Hunter Biden’s income and payments he received while serving on the board of a Ukraine energy company, according to two people familiar with the probe.
It remains unclear whether he might be charged. But the grand jury activity underscores that a federal tax investigation into President Joe Biden’s son that began in 2018 remains active as prosecutors continue to examine foreign payments and other aspects of his finances.
A lawyer for Hunter Biden did not return a phone message and email seeking comment on Friday. A Justice Department spokesman deferred a request for comment to the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware, which is handling the investigation. A spokesperson for the office did not return a phone message seeking comment.
The people familiar with the investigation could not discuss details of the ongoing probe publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
No matter how the investigation resolves, it has already presented a political headache for the Biden administration and could lead to an even bigger one, particularly if Republicans who have seized on the probe to attack the president retake control of the House in midterm elections later this year. Republicans would then control congressional committees and shape the focus of any investigations.
A White House that has sought to deflect questions about law enforcement matters to the Justice Department was asked this week whether it stood by the president’s assertion in a 2020 debate that his son had not had unethical business dealings with Ukraine or China. White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said yes.
The investigation could also force a delicate decision for the Justice Department, which has sought to assert its independence and has publicly stressed its willingness to let the facts and evidence, not political decisions, guide its investigative and charging decisions.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has not shed any light publicly on the investigation. But the Justice Department did leave in place the top federal prosecutor in Delaware — David Weiss, a Trump administration holdover — presumably as a way to ensure continuity.
Hunter Biden confirmed the existence of an investigation into his taxes in December 2020, one month after the presidential election. He said in a statement at the time that he was “confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.”
The Associated Press reported later that month that a subpoena served on the younger Biden sought information related to more than two dozen entities. One was Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company whose board he had joined when his father was vice president. That move sparked concerns about a potential conflict of interest given that elder Biden was deeply involved in U.S. policy toward Ukraine during the Obama administration.
The breadth of the subpoena highlighted the wide-ranging scope of the investigation into Hunter Biden, though there is no indication that the probe includes any scrutiny of the president himself. Biden has said he did not discuss his son’s international business dealings with him and has denied having ever taken money from a foreign country.
Witnesses in recent months have been questioned about payments Hunter Biden received while serving on the Burisma board, the people familiar with the probe said.
Republicans tried making Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine a prominent issue during the 2020 presidential election.
A year earlier, then-President Donald Trump tried pressuring his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to launch investigations into the Bidens at the same time Zelenskyy was seeking military aid from the U.S.
Trump was later impeached by the House over the phone call but was acquitted by the Senate.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/hometown-heroes-kathi-jo-beck/
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Hometown Heroes | Kathi Jo & Beck
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 7:35 PM EDT|Updated: 23 minutes ago
WHEELERSBURG, Ohio (WSAZ) - A pup and his owner have made it their mission to brighten the lives of children.
Kathi Jo McAlister and her dog Beck, who is a certified therapy dog, have been volunteering with kids for decades. They’ve been helping children enhance their reading skills, as well as being there for support every step of the way.
It’s their dedication to having a positive impact in their community that makes the pair this week’s Hometown Heroes.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/house-passes-bill-legalize-marijuana/
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House passes bill to legalize marijuana
The bill would clear criminal penalties for the distribution and possession of cannabis.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The House of Representatives has passed a bill to legalize marijuana nationwide, by a margin of 220 yeas to 204 nays.
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, known as the MORE act, would expunge marijuana convictions and clear criminal penalties for anyone who distributes or possesses cannabis. It would also remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances. Members of the Congressional Cannibis Caucus held a press conference after the vote.
“We don’t have uniformity. We don’t have opportunities to have a uniformed tax provision. We don’t have banking systems. We don’t have research. And, we have a disjointed market that’s part legal and part illegal. We can’t be able to deal with the surplus production if we don’t have a national framework,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.).
The bill requires a federal tax on marijuana sales that would start at 5 percent and eventually increase to 8 percent over five years.
The act passed largely along party lines. This is the second time this legislation has passed in the House. The first time was back in December of 2020. At the time, the Senate failed to take up the bill.
Congressman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) is among the lawmakers who voted against the bill as he claimed it disregards science and the nation’s drug abuse epidemic.
“Drug overdose death rates reached a historic high in America last year. This is no time to add fuel to the fire by opening the floodgates to this long-time gateway drug,” said Rogers in a statement. “Studies have long shown that marijuana directly affects memory and learning, and increases certain mental health disorders in some people. The federal government should not be investing Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars in marijuana and retroactively giving criminals a free pass.”
Marijuana is currently listed as a schedule I drug by the FDA. Schedule I drugs are defined as drugs with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Supporters claim legalizing marijuana will reduce mass incarcerations, expunge marijuana convictions, remove employment barriers, and generate new jobs.
The text of the bill notes, “37 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted laws allowing legal access to cannabis, and 15 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam have adopted laws legalizing cannabis for adult recreational use. A total of 47 States have reformed their laws pertaining to cannabis despite the Schedule I status of marijuana and its Federal criminalization.”
The legislation now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration. In a statement to some news outlets, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he’s working on a similar bill with Senators Booker and Wyden, saying, “the time has come for comprehensive reform of federal cannabis laws.”
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/large-solar-farm-project-draws-mixed-reviews-jackson-county/
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Large solar farm project draws mixed reviews in Jackson County
JACKSON COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) - A large solar farm project is in the works. Jackson County Commissioner Jon Hensler says it has been a long process, but he’s excited for the impact it will have on the area.
“In the short-term, we’ve been told that it will create between 500 to 600 jobs for approximately two or three years. After that, there will be a small remnant of those jobs that can remain long-term,” Hensler said.
It is called the Dixon Run Solar Farm project. Solar panels will be constructed on 2,000 acres worth of land in the area along Dixon Run Road. Upon completion, it will generate nearly $1 million in annual tax revenue.
“That money is going to go to local fire departments, local school systems, to local townships to fix roads and bridges,” Hensler said.
However, some who live near the project site are not thrilled. Jim Hammons and Dana Schutte have a sign on their property that says ‘Say No to solar farms’. They moved to the area around two years ago.
“We wouldn’t have bought the property had we known,” said Schutte, referring to the project.
Schutte has a long list of concerns and has not been shy about sharing them with local officials.
“We worry about soil erosion, property values, thing like that are concerning,” she said.
She also fears that their could be health risks and worries about the wildlife that she has come to know and love since moving to the area.
“We like the wildlife, we like the owls, all of the birds that come and roost. It’s just beautiful out here. We like hearing the cows. Now it sounds like we are going to be hearing metal pounding into the ground,” Schutte said.
Schutte says she has raised many of these concerns at recent public hearings, but still, the project remains on schedule to begin construction in 2023.
“I can empathize with their situation,” said Commissioner Hensler. “But also looking at it from a governing perspective, when you have something that is going to benefit 99.9% of the residents in your county, we are not in a position to stonewall a project such as this.”
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/mother-attempts-kill-evil-newborn-baby-way-hospital-police-say/
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Mother attempts to kill ‘evil’ newborn baby on way to hospital, police say
LAS VEGAS (Gray News) - A mother in the Las Vegas area is accused of attempting to kill her newborn baby after she feared her child was “not good” and “probably evil,” according to police.
Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report they were called to the emergency room at Mountain View Hospital overnight on March 27 when a child’s father had brought his newborn baby into the hospital for medical treatment.
The father also notified the hospital that the child’s mother refused to come into the hospital, but she was bleeding profusely, according to police.
Ashley Hollingsworth, 22, was later identified as the child’s mother and officers said they were able to make contact with her at a nearby intersection a couple of hours later.
Investigators learned that Hollingsworth had given birth in a guest bathroom at a relative’s house, where the couple was staying, about an hour before the two went to the hospital with the child.
Hollingsworth told police that on the way to the hospital, something triggered her to make her think that the baby was “probably evil.” According to an arrest report, she attempted to kill the baby twice by wrapping a blanket around the baby’s head and pinching the baby’s nose tight.
The 22-year-old told police that she felt like the baby “would start doing things” and “start making people kill each other.”
The child’s father was also in the car with Hollingsworth when heading to the hospital. He took the baby away from her, according to police.
Once arriving at the hospital, doctors initially believed the newborn may have suffered a brain bleed, but staff later determined the child likely did not suffer any injuries, police said.
A relative spoke to police later that day and told them Hollingsworth was acting abnormally before giving birth and that she mentioned that a devil was inside of her and attempting to kill her baby.
According to an arrest report, Hollingsworth told police that the baby’s eyes were black, had an abnormal scent that wasn’t good and was grunting. After this, she decided to wrap the blanket around the baby’s head.
Police said Hollingsworth had self-inflicted injuries to her face when she was found. And she told them she hit herself several times with a rock in an attempt to kill herself after she left the hospital.
Hollingsworth is facing charges of attempted murder and child abuse or neglect. Her next court date is currently scheduled for April 4.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/will-smith-resigns-academy-after-oscars-slap/
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Will Smith resigns from film academy over Chris Rock slap
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will Smith resigned Friday from the motion picture academy following his Oscars night slap of Chris Rock and said he would accept any further punishment the organization imposed.
Smith in a statement released Friday afternoon said he will “fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”
Film academy president David Rubin said Smith’s resignation was accepted. “We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”
“I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work,” his statement said. “I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.
“Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason,” Smith concluded in the statement.
The resignation came two days after the academy’s leadership board met to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct.
On Sunday, Smith strode from his front-row Dolby Theatre seat on to the stage and smacked Rock, who had made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Moments later, he went on to win the best actor award for his role in “King Richard.”
Rock, who was about to present Oscar for best documentary, declined to file charges when asked by police. He has only briefly addressed the attack publicly, saying at one comedy concert in Boston this week that he was still “kind of processing what happened.”
Smith stunned Rock, the theater crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage after Rock joked: “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.”
Pinkett Smith, who has spoken publicly about her hair loss condition, alopecia, had a closely shaved head similar to that of Demi Moore in the original movie.
After Smith’s attack, he returned to his seat and angrily twice shouted at Rock to “get my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.” When Smith took the stage again less than hour later to accept his Oscar, he tearfully apologized to the academy but notably omitted any mention of Rock.
The fallout was immediate and intense. Smith had supporters for coming to his wife’s defense, but he was widely condemned for responding with violence and for marring both his long-sought Oscar victory and overshadowing the night’s other winners.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/wsaz-investigates-legislator-seeks-answers-wva-division-highways/
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WSAZ Investigates | Legislator seeks answers from the W.Va. Division of Highways
LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - We’ve shared numerous stories showing the struggles many West Virginians have getting answers from the state Division of Highways.
However, it’s not just everyday citizens struggling. Even members of the West Virginia Legislature like Del. Jordan Bridges, R-Logan, are struggling to get answers.
“When you got a road that’s literally fallen off into the river everywhere just about in Logan County, I mean, that should take priority,” Bridges said.
Bridges said that since taking office in January of 2021, he’s been trying to get the DOH to fix certain areas like the corner of Crawley Creek Road and Sawmill Road in Logan County.
“School buses go by here, right up the road is the soccer field,” Bridges said. “I mean, hundreds of kids drive this road every single day. I mean, it’s just an accident waiting to happen.”
Bridges also reached out about Cow Creek Road, up state Route 44, Hanging Rock Road in Neibert, and the retaining wall in West Logan.
Brittany Mullins lives right next to the retaining wall.
She moved in around a year ago and has seen part of the road crumble before her eyes.
“When we moved in, we were told that they were assessing the area and supposed to eventually be fixing it, but we don’t know when,” Mullins said. “We haven’t got any kind of a word on that.”
Whenever Bridges contacted the DOH, he said he would get a response but never direct answers to the questions he asked.
“Me personally, as an elected official has never been given a set date or time or any sort of plan as to when these projects was gonna start,” he said.
With Bridges unable to get answers to his questions, we started reaching out. A couple of days later, we got a response.
It reads in part (full response at end of the article):
“To repair an area, for example when a mountain is sliding out from under a roadway, we have to survey the area ... We don’t just show up with a drill and start throwing taxpayer money down the side of a crumbling mountain while guessing at what might fix it. We are tasked with designing intelligent, efficient solutions which will work in the long term for each specific setting.”
It mentions completed work they’ve done on the areas we asked about but no timeline on when more might be done.
State officials shared this phone number (1-833-WVROADS), email (WVROADS@wv.gov) and website (transportation.wv.gov) that people can use to contact them.
Following is the Division of Highway’s complete response:
“I’ve talked with our District forces who provided information on both the recent work we have done on the roads you mentioned, some key highlights of the work we are doing in the area this spring, and information about what’s happening when you see caution cones.
“Caution cones and signage are used to keep roads open for public convenience while projects are completed. To repair an area, for example when a mountain is sliding out from under a roadway, we have to survey the area, we may need to take core samples to see what type of material we are designing for (what type of rock, sand, soil...), in some cases we plan the work with our own crews and other times we work with a contractor, we may need to work around utilities, waterways, railroads, businesses, homes and other features and settings on the ground, and we complete the design itself --- because the sites are not all the same. We don’t just show up with a drill and start throwing taxpayer money down the side of a crumbling mountain while guessing at what might fix it. We are tasked with designing intelligent, efficient solutions which will work in the long term for each specific setting. While those projects are being designed, we place the cones and signage not because we are done and leaving, but because we want emergency vehicles to be able to get through and for people not to have to take long detours on their everyday commutes.
“To see cones means work is being done, but we understand the roads themselves cannot talk. We have employees trained in all areas of the state to answer questions from citizens who want to know what’s planned for a specific road. Thank you for your help in getting the word out to them; the number to call is 1-833-WVROADS, the email is WVROADS@wv.gov, or they can visit our transportation.wv.gov webpage and click on Request Roadwork to fill out a webform and we reply within seven days to tell them what the road itself cannot. We’re here to answer questions --- from citizens, from elected officials, from you, from everyone! The professionals completing the work are the same professionals providing the answers, so this is an organized system for responding while continuing to move forward on the work itself.
“Without having any of the specific information the Delegate provided you, we looked back at the time frame you mentioned and here is some of the recent work we completed on those roads;
* On Crawley Creek (CR 3) a ditching and pipe purchase order project was completed in December 2021, core borings are currently being taken at two slide locations, and we are reviewing the signal at the intersection of CR 3 and WV 10.
* On Cow Creek (CR 13) 1.9 miles beginning at the intersection of WV 44/CR 13 was paved in 2019, the County Administrator is evaluating and collecting field data for paving another section -- along with roads throughout the area.
* On WV 10 in West Logan, we are inspecting an existing pile and wood lagging wall on the uphill side of the road.
“In addition, some of the key projects we are working on right now in Logan County include;
* Hanging Rock Road (CR 210/25), where six slide locations are scheduled to be repaired in less than two months.
* Harts Creek Road (CR 5), where 2 slide repair projects are currently under construction, and we are also working on a replacement for North Shegon Bridge.
* Enterprise Drive (CR 119/26), where 2 bridge structures are being replaced on the North Whites Addition +1 project.
* WV 73, where we are repairing the superstructure of the US Army Hopson Jr Memorial Bridge.
* US 119, where we have a bridge painting project near Milepost 15.32, close to the town of Chapmanville.
“We also have some additional projects in the area which will soon be advertised for work by contractors, and we are always doing CORE maintenance work with our own crews --- all year, in all parts of the state. This includes things like clearing ditches, cutting brush, milling and filling potholes, mowing, picking up litter.
“If you notice and count how many work zones you pass in just one day of normal driving, it’s likely several of them are these type of jobs that protect a long term investment in roads. It’s hard work but for our crews, and we find that their hearts are really in it. They’re out in all types of weather; up high, down low, in the mud, in the rain, dealing with everyday and emergency situations. There’s a lot of West Virginia spirit among our workforce; whether that’s a heavy equipment operator or an engineer designing a pile wall.
“Thanks again for reaching out to get the information you’ll be sharing with the public. Everyone working together cannot go far enough above and beyond to make our work zones safer, so thank you for informing your viewers of where the work is being done and what it consists of.”
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/01/attorneys-kim-davis-appeal-judges-latest-ruling/
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Attorneys for Kim Davis appeal judge’s latest ruling
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Attorneys for Kim Davis, the embattled former Rowan County clerk, are officially appealing the judge’s latest ruling.
The actions are another step in the nearly 7-year-old case.
A trial date was expected to be set during a status conference held Friday morning by phone. But the appeal now puts that process on hold.
Davis’s legal team is appealing U.S. District Judge David Bunning’s order from two weeks ago. Judge Bunning found that Davis did indeed violate the constitutional rights of two couples who were denied marriage licenses.
The judge’s order decided that the question of damages would go to trial. That means a jury would figure out how much Davis might owe the couples and their attorneys.
But first, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will now review the case.
In a statement last month when the order was first handed down, Davis’s attorney said they thought the case could end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Even if this case is not overturned, these actions will still push back on a final decision.
We’re told a trial likely wouldn’t happen now until next year.
In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Davis’s appeal on a previous issue in the case.
Copyright 2022 WKYT. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/college-track-star-killed-2-other-runners-injured-hit-and-run-with-suspected-drunken-driver-officials-say/
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College track star killed, 2 others injured, in hit-and-run with suspected drunken driver, officials say
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Gray News) - Milligan University is mourning the loss of one of its track and field stars after a deadly crash on Thursday.
The university reports that three of its track and field team members were involved in a collision while running in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Sophomore Eli Cramer died, according to the school, while his fellow teammates Alex Mortimer and Eli Baldy were also injured.
Mortimer sustained life-threatening injuries. Officials said he underwent surgery Thursday night for multiple fractures and was stable. Baldy was treated and released.
According to Virginia State Police, the three runners were on Williamsburg Pottery Road when they were struck by a vehicle. The driver took off from the initial crash scene but was found after crashing into a median.
Police said the driver was taken into custody and charged with DUI and felony hit-and-run, according to school officials
Cramer, 20, was a sophomore business administration major at Milligan. In his two years with the Buffaloes, he was a third-place finisher on the 2021 national championship cross country team, a two-time All-American and two-time All-AAC for cross country. According to the university, Cramer also set a program record in the 8K.
According to the Milligan Buffaloes, the 20-year-old was a four-time national qualifier in track and field, most recently finishing 10th in the 5K at the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
Mortimer, 23, transferred to Milligan in 2018 from the University of Kentucky. He graduated last May with an undergraduate degree in ministry and enrolled in Milligan’s MBA program.
School officials said Mortimer is a four-time All-AAC cross country runner and collected NAIA All-America status in the marathon with a fourth-place finish at the NAIA national championships last spring.
According to Milligan, Baldy, 21, is a senior mechanical engineering major. He is also a two-time national qualifier in outdoor nationals in the marathon and a member of four conference championship teams.
Virginia police report Thursday’s crash remains under investigation.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/sarah-palin-files-paperwork-run-alaska-us-house-race/
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Sarah Palin files paperwork to run in Alaska US House race
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Sarah Palin on Friday shook up an already unpredictable race for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat, filing paperwork to join a field of at least 40 candidates seeking to fill the seat that had been held for 49 years by the late-U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died last month.
Palin filed paperwork Friday with a Division of Elections office in Wasilla, said Tiffany Montemayor, a division spokesperson. The paperwork was being processed by the division, she said.
The field includes current and former state legislators and a North Pole city council member named Santa Claus. The deadline to file was 5 p.m. Friday. A final list of official candidates was not yet available.
“Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years,” Palin said in a statement on social media. “I realize that I have very big shoes to fill, and I plan to honor Rep. Young’s legacy by offering myself up in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for, because I share that passion for Alaska and the United States of America.”
Palin is a former Alaska governor and was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. She has kept a low profile in Alaska politics since leaving office in 2009, before her term as governor ended.
Young, a Republican, had held Alaska’s House seat since 1973 and was seeking reelection at the time of his death last month at age 88.
A special primary is set for June 11. The top four vote-getters will advance to an Aug. 16 special election in which ranked choice voting will be used, a process in line with a new elections system approved by voters in 2020.
The winner will serve the remainder of Young’s term, which expires in January. The division is targeting Sept. 2 to certify the special election.
Others who filed Friday include Republican state Sen. Josh Revak; Democratic state Rep. Adam Wool; independent Al Gross, an orthopedic surgeon who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2020; and Andrew Halcro, a former Republican state lawmaker who is running as an independent. They join a field that includes Republican Nick Begich, who had positioned himself as a challenger to Young; Democrat Christopher Constant, an Anchorage Assembly member; and John Coghill, a Republican former state lawmaker.
Revak, who previously worked for Young’s office and was a statewide co-chair for Young’s reelection bid, said he felt a “strong calling and a duty” to step forward.
He said he was “heartbroken” by the filing timeline, coinciding with a period he said should be focused on remembering Young.
Young lied in state at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. A public memorial was held in the Washington, D.C.-area on Wednesday and a public memorial is planned in Anchorage on Saturday.
Revak said he also plans to run in the regular primary for U.S. House. Palin filed paperwork to run in the special and regular primaries as well, Montemayor said.
The August special election will coincide with the regular primary. The regular primary and November general election will determine who represents Alaska in the House for a two-year term starting in January.
Gross also plans to run in both the special and regular elections. His campaign announced a leadership team that includes several Republicans and independents, as well as Democrats, including former Gov. Tony Knowles.
“We are building a campaign that embodies all of Alaska,” Gross said in a statement.
Wool said he has privately discussed a run for years. He said he looked at the candidates running in the special primary and “wasn’t that impressed. Many of them have never won an election, don’t have any statewide recognition and politically aren’t aligned certainly not with me or what I would think the majority of Alaskans are looking for.”
Wool, from Fairbanks, said he considers himself moderate. He said he has yet to decide whether to run in the regular primary.
Halcro, who has a podcast on which he talks politics, said during the campaign he plans to play up his intent to only run to fill the remainder of the term. He said if the person who wins the special election also is in the November general election, he expects they would spend a fair amount of time campaigning. He said if elected, he would be focused on congressional work.
Meanwhile, a man who years ago legally changed his name to Santa Claus and serves on the North Pole city council also filed with the state Division of Elections for the special primary. Claus, who said he has a “strong affinity” for Bernie Sanders, is running as an independent.
He said he is not soliciting or raising money. He said the new elections process “gives people like me an opportunity, without having to deal with parties, to throw our hat in the ring.”
“I do have name recognition,” he said with a laugh.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/south-carolina-tops-louisville-72-59-advances-title-game/
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South Carolina tops Louisville 72-59, advances to title game
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Aliyah Boston had 23 points and 18 rebounds to back up her AP National Player of the Year award and carry South Carolina to the NCAA championship game with a 72-59 victory over Louisville in the semifinals on Friday night.
Brea Beal matched her season high with 12 points and helped hold Cardinals star Hailey Van Lith to nine points on 4-for-11 shooting as the Gamecocks (34-2) delivered another stifling defensive performance. The Dawn Staley-led Gamecocks will face the Connecticut-Stanford winner on Sunday night at Target Center.
Destanni Henderson scored 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range and had four assists for South Carolina, which improved to 13-0 this season against AP-ranked opponents.
Emily Engstler led Louisville with 18 points and nine rebounds, as the Cardinals went 1 for 8 from 3-point range and were never able to find a rhythm in the half court against the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament.
Kianna Smith and Olivia Cochran each scored 14 points for the Cardinals (29-5), who were the only team in this Final Four without a title. This was their fourth trip to the national semifinals in coach Jeff Walz’s 15 seasons.
The Cardinals, one of the three No. 1 seeds in this Final Four, made it out of the Wichita Region without any trouble. Van Lith, the relentless sophomore guard with the perpetually flopping blond pigtails, hit the 20-point mark in each of their first four tournament games.
Van Lith met her match with Beal, who had a four-inch height advantage and shadowed her all over the court as she often does to the opponent’s most dangerous player. Van Lith, whose first basket came on a knifing drive for a layup with 1:43 left in the second quarter, had two jumpers blocked by Beal and three turnovers in the first half.
The Gamecocks, who were the wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the AP poll this season, squeezed their first four tournament opponents in the Greensboro Region to a bleak average of 41.2 points on their way to a fourth Final Four in the last seven years.
Engstler, the tough-as-nails transfer from Syracuse, helped Louisville keep Boston from getting too comfortable in the paint while Olivia Cochran helped with the muscle. Physical play can come with a price, though, and with 4.2 seconds left in the third quarter Boston drew Engstler’s fourth foul on a putback layup and stretched the lead to 57-48 with the and-one free throw.
Engstler fouled out with 4:56 to go and had her head buried in her clenched hands on the bench as her teammates tried to console her.
BOSTON STRONG
After putting up 28 points and 22 rebounds in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina, Boston proved she had plenty left for the Final Four.
South Carolina, which won the title in 2017, was painfully ousted in the semifinals last season by one point to eventual champion Stanford when Boston’s putback attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer. The 6-foot-5 junior from the U.S. Virgin Islands has bounced right back a year later.
Wearing her familiar vibrant braids in a bright-pink-and-purple combination, Boston helped the Gamecocks set a commanding tone early with an 11-2 lead. The Cardinals missed seven of their first eight shots from the floor.
Louisville enjoyed a 12-0 run early in the second quarter to take a short-lived three-point lead, but South Carolina simply had so much more to offer after that.
ANTHEM ABSENCE
The entire South Carolina team stayed off the court during the national anthem, keeping with the Gamecocks’ practice all season. Last season, several players took a knee during the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/police-trio-arrested-after-18-year-old-girl-shot-raped-dumped-side-road/
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Police: Trio arrested after 18-year-old girl shot, raped and dumped on side of road
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - Three people are under arrest after an 18-year-old girl’s body was found dumped on the side of the road last month in Mississippi.
Jackson Police Department Deputy Chief Deric Hearn held a press briefing on Friday, announcing the arrests and gruesome details of the crime.
WLBT reports the suspects were identified as Dewitt Anderson, 34, Cedric Banks, 37, and Kaymia Blackmon, 19.
Hearn said that on Feb. 15, police responded to reports of a girl’s body found near Clay Street, north of downtown, who had been shot multiple times.
On Mar. 24, detectives were then notified by the coroner’s office that the girl was identified as 18-year-old Amya Carey.
Hearn said a family member of Carey’s told detectives that on Feb. 15, she was picking up a friend Kaymia Blackmon, who was with her boyfriend, Dewitt Anderson.
The group went to several locations that night, according to Hearn.
Anderson’s brother, Cedric Banks, also joined the group, according to police, at some point that evening, and all tried to have sex with Carey.
Hearn said the 18-year-old refused and got into a fight with Blackmon. Anderson then picked up a gun and shot Carey.
The group placed Carey inside a car while she was severely wounded, and while they drove, one of them raped her, according to police.
Carey was then shot two times by Banks, and her body was dumped where police later found it. Hearn said detectives do not know if the teenager was dead or alive when she was assaulted in the vehicle.
On Wednesday, Blackmon and Anderson were contacted by detectives and summoned to police headquarters. During their interview, Hearn said the two described the events of that February evening.
Authorities said all three suspects, in this case, have been denied bond.
Copyright 2022 WLBT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/jury-awards-17-million-wva-medical-malpractice-suit/
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Jury awards $17 million in W.Va. medical malpractice suit
Published: Apr. 1, 2022 at 11:39 PM EDT|Updated: 53 minutes ago
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A jury in West Virginia has awarded more than $17 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit to a man who was left paralyzed after undergoing spinal surgery and later suffered a stroke.
The Kanawha County jury made the finding in a lawsuit filed by Michael Rodgers against Dr. John Orphanos.
According to his lawsuit, Rodgers was transported to Charleston Area Medical Center after a 2017 motorcycle accident.
Rodgers was able to move his arms and legs initially but lost motor function and sensation to his lower extremities following surgery.
The suit says the neurosurgeon failed to order a pre-surgical MRI and didn’t use a surgical monitoring device.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/terry-wallis-man-who-slept-19-years-dies-nearly-20-after-miracle-awakening-coma/
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Terry Wallis, ‘Man who slept for 19 years,’ dies nearly 20 years after miracle awakening from coma
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ark. (KAIT/Gray News) - Terry Wallis, known as “The man who slept 19 years,” died earlier this week in Arkansas.
The Arkansas native woke from a 19-year coma in 2003 after a crash nearly took his life in 1984. He became the subject of many news and medical articles, including Time Magazine and Mayo Clinic publications.
KAIT reports the American Journal of Medicine in 2006 reported Wallis as being the first person ever documented to regenerate brain cells, according to his daughter, Amber.
According to an obituary provided by the Roller-Coffman Funeral Home, Wallis died in Searcy, Arkansas, at the Advanced Care Hospital on Tuesday.
Wallis’ family shared that the 1984 crash happened six weeks after his daughter was born when his truck skidded off a bridge in Stone County, Arkansas.
After a year in a coma, Wallis stabilized into a minimally conscious state. Still, doctors believed his condition would not improve, and his improvement shocked the world, according to his obituary.
Wallis is survived by his father, daughter and three grandchildren.
Copyright 2022 KAIT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/uconn-tops-stanford-63-58-advances-ncaa-title-game/
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UConn tops Stanford 63-58, advances to NCAA title game
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 14 points and UConn advanced to the national championship game with a 63-58 win over defending champion Stanford on Friday night.
The Huskies will face South Carolina for the national championship on Sunday night. The Gamecocks beat the Cardinals 72-59 in the first game of the Final Four.
It’s UConn’s first trip to the championship game since 2016, when the Huskies won the last of four straight championships. Since then, the team has suffered heartbreaking defeats in the national semifinals, losing twice in overtime.
UConn (30-5) will be seeking its 12th national championship, and the Huskies have never lost in an NCAA title game.
They had to work to get to the finals. Leading by 52-44 with 1:26 left, Stanford made a furious rally thanks to a few costly UConn turnovers.
Cameron Brink’s layup with 18.4 seconds left got the Cardinal within 60-58. UConn was able to work seven seconds off the clock before Christyn Williams was fouled with 11 seconds left. The senior guard calmly swished both free throws to restore a two-possession lead.
Ashten Prechtel completely missed a tough contested 3-pointer from the wing with 5.4 seconds left and the Huskies held on for the win.
Haley Jones led the Cardinal with 20 points.
___
More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/house-panels-possible-options-alleging-trump-16-crimes/
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House panel’s possible options for alleging Trump 1/6 crimes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump last year of inciting the Capitol insurrection. But neither Trump nor any of his top advisers have faced charges over the attack in a court of law, and it’s uncertain if they ever will.
But increasingly, lawmakers on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault are pressing Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump and his associates. They’ve been laying out possible crimes in at least one court filing and openly discussing others, all related to that day’s violent attack by Trump supporters looking to disrupt Congress’ formal certification of his reelection defeat.
Here’s a look at some of the suggested crimes floated by the House panel:
CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES
After floating possible crimes for several months, lawmakers on the panel put it on paper for the first time in a March court filing. The filing was in response to a lawsuit from John Eastman, a lawyer and law professor who was consulting with Trump while attempting to overturn the election and who tried to withhold documents from the committee.
The committee argued that it has evidence supporting the idea that Trump, Eastman and other allies of the former president “entered into an agreement to defraud the United States.” The panel says Trump and his allies interfered with the election certification process, disseminated misinformation about election fraud and pressured state and federal officials to assist in that effort.
OBSTRUCTION OF AN OFFICIAL PROCEEDING
Late last month, U.S. District Court Judge David Carter appeared somewhat swayed by the panel’s arguments. In ordering Eastman to turn over the materials, Carter wrote that the court “finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.”
In the filing, the committee argued that Trump either attempted or succeeded at obstructing, influencing, or impeding the ceremonial process on Jan. 6 and “did so corruptly” by pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results as he presided over the session. Pence declined to do so.
“President Trump and members of his campaign knew he had not won enough legitimate state electoral votes to be declared the winner of the 2020 Presidential election during the January 6 Joint Session of Congress, but the President nevertheless sought to use the Vice President to manipulate the results in his favor,” the committee wrote.
COMMON LAW FRAUD
The committee has also floated a charge of “common law fraud,” or falsely representing facts with the knowledge that they are false. Trump embarked on a wide-scale campaign to convince the public and federal judges that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that he, not Biden, won the Electoral College tally. Election officials and courts across the country, along with Trump’s attorney general, rejected those claims.
As an example of such fraud, the committee noted in the Eastman filing that a Justice Department official told Trump directly that a Facebook video posted by his campaign “purporting to show Georgia officials pulling suitcases of ballots from under a table” was false, yet the campaign continued to run it. Georgia officials also repeatedly denied the claim.
“The president continued to rely on this allegation in his efforts to overturn the results of the election,” the committee said.
DERELICTION OF DUTY
Though they didn’t lay it out in the Eastman filing, leaders of the House panel suggested earlier this year that they believe Trump could also be liable for “dereliction of duty,” or inaction as his supporters violently broke the windows and doors of the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the committee chairman, said in January that “the harm that I see is the president of the United States seeing the Capitol of the United States under siege by people he sent to the Capitol and did nothing during that time.”
The committee’s vice chairwoman, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, noted that same month that the panel knows from “firsthand testimony” that Trump watched the attack happen on television. “We know that he did not walk the very few steps to the White House briefing room, get on camera immediately, and tell the people to stop and go home,” she said.
Cheney said it was hard “imagine a more significant and more serious dereliction of duty” than Trump’s failure to quell the insurrection.
FINANCIAL CRIMES
While the committee hasn’t floated specifics, it has created an internal task force to investigate financing for the massive rally on the National Mall the morning of Jan. 6 and any donors who might have backed transportation or other costs that could have helped foster the violence.
Asked earlier this year on CNN if they have any evidence of financial fraud, Thompson said members of the committee “have some concerns, but we have not made those concerns public at this point.”
“We do think it’s highly concerning on our part that people raised monies for one activity, and we can’t find the money being spent for that particular activity,” Thompson said. “So, we will continue to look at it. And the financing is one of those things that we will continue to look at very closely.”
UNCERTAINTY AHEAD
More than 775 rioters have been arrested for crimes related to the insurrection. Yet legal consequences have been elusive for Trump and the other top officials who told lies about election fraud and laid the groundwork for their actions.
Congress has no authority to prosecute, but can send so-called criminal referrals to the Justice Department. Garland can then decide whether to act.
Justice Department action would be far from guaranteed. And it’s uncertain whether any charges against the oft-investigated president would hold up in court. It could be difficult for prosecutors to craft a winning case against Trump.
The president urged on his massive crowd of supporters that morning and returned to the White House and watched them break into the Capitol on television. The rioters beat police, sent lawmakers running and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Jan. 6 panel puts Garland in ‘precarious’ spot, ups pressure
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol are increasingly going public with critical statements, court filings and more to deliver a blunt message to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice.
President Donald Trump and his allies likely committed crimes, they say. And it’s up to you to do something about it.
“Attorney General Garland, do your job so we can do ours,” prodded Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia.
“We are upholding our responsibility. The Department of Justice must do the same,” echoed Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Their rhetoric, focused this week on two contempt of Congress referrals approved by the committee, is just the latest example of the pressure campaign the lawmakers are waging. It reflects a stark reality: While they can investigate Jan. 6 and issue subpoenas to gather information, only the Justice Department can bring criminal charges.
Committee members see the case they are building against Trump and his allies as a once-in-a-generation circumstance. If it’s not fully prosecuted, they say, it could set a dangerous precedent that threatens the foundations of American democracy.
The lawmakers seem nearly certain to send a criminal referral to the Justice Department once their work is through.
It all puts Garland, who has spent his tenure trying to shield the Justice Department from political pressure, in a precarious spot. Any criminal charges related to Jan. 6 would trigger a firestorm, thrusting prosecutors back into the partisan crossfire that proved so damaging during the Trump-Russia influence investigation and an email probe of Hillary Clinton.
Garland has given no public indication about whether prosecutors might be considering a case against the former president. He has, though, vowed to hold accountable “all January 6th perpetrators, at any level” and has said that would include those who were “present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy.”
It’s already the largest criminal prosecution in the department’s history — for rioters who entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6 as well as members of extremist groups who are accused of planning the attack. More than 750 people have been charged with federal crimes. Over 220 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, more than 100 have been sentenced and at least 90 others have trial dates.
Parts of the department’s investigation have overlapped with the committee’s. One example is in late January when Justice announced it had opened a probe into a fake slate of electors who falsely tried to declare Trump the winner of the 2020 election in seven swing states that Joe Biden won. Three days later, lawmakers subpoenaed more than a dozen people involved in the effort.
But the Jan. 6 committee wants more. Their message was amplified this week when a federal judge in California — District Judge David Carter, a Bill Clinton appointee — wrote that it is “more likely than not” that Trump himself committed crimes in his attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election.
The practical effect of that ruling was to order the release of more than 100 emails from Trump adviser John Eastman to the Jan. 6 Committee. But lawmakers zeroed in on a particular passage in the judge’s opinion that characterized Jan. 6 as a “coup.”
“Dr. Eastman and President Trump launched a campaign to overturn a democratic election, an action unprecedented in American history. Their campaign was not confined to the ivory tower—it was a coup in search of a legal theory,” Carter wrote.
But experts caution that Carter’s opinion was only in a civil case and does not meet the longstanding charging policy the Justice Department is required to meet. Justin Danilewitz, a Philadelphia-based attorney and former federal prosecutor, noted the department faces a higher burden of proof in court to show that presidential immunity should not apply. And he said the legal advice Trump received from Eastman “undermines an inference of corrupt or deceitful intent.”
The department will be guided by the evidence and law, he said, “but the social and political ramifications of a decision of this kind will not be far from the minds of Attorney General Garland and his staff.”
“A decision to bring or not bring criminal charges will have significant ripple effects,” he added.
Taylor Budowich, a Trump spokesperson, called the judge’s ruling an “absurd and baseless ruling by a Clinton-appointed Judge in California.” He called the House committee’s investigation a “circus of partisanship.”
Another point of friction with the Justice Department is the effort to enforce subpoenas through contempt of Congress charges.
The House approved a contempt referral against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in December after he ceased cooperating with the Jan. 6 panel. While an earlier contempt referral against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon resulted in an indictment, the Department of Justice has been slower to decide whether to prosecute Meadows.
“The Department of Justice is entrusted with defending our Constitution,” Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican committee chair, said at a hearing this week. “Department leadership should not apply any doctrine of immunity that might block Congress from fully uncovering and addressing the causes of the January 6 attack.”
A decision to pursue the contempt charges against Meadows would have to come from career prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington before senior Justice Department officials would weigh in and decide how to proceed.
Bringing a case against Meadows would be more challenging for prosecutors than the case against Bannon, in large part because Bannon wasn’t a White House official during the insurrection.
The Justice Department has long maintained that senior aides generally cannot be forced to testify if a president invokes executive privilege, as Trump has done. And bringing charges could risk undermining the longstanding principle that lets the executive branch of the government keep most discussions private.
While the majority of committee members have turned up the pressure on Garland, one member, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, has not gone as far.
“I feel strongly that we restore the tradition of respect for the independence of the law enforcement function,” Raskin told reporters this week. “That was one of the things that got trashed during the Trump period. And so I think that Congress and the president should let the Department of Justice and attorney general do their job.”
“Attorney General Garland is my constituent,” Raskin added, “and I don’t beat up on my constituents.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Missing Louisiana woman’s vehicle found in Missouri
Lake Charles, LA (KPLC/Gray News) - Ella Quiana Goodie’s vehicle has been found in Missouri, according to Louisiana State Police.
The search continues for Goodie though, State Trooper Derek Senegal said.
Goodie’s 2012 Audi Q5 was found in St. Joseph, Missouri, Senegal said.
Goodie, 32, a Lyft driver from Scott, has been missing since March 9.
Goodie was seen driving to Texas and back on Interstate 10, Scott Police Chief Chad Leger said. On Thursday, March 10, the vehicle was spotted north of Dallas, according to Leger.
Brandon Jermaine Francisco is believed to be the last person in contact with Goodie, Leger said. Francisco was picked up in Missouri on an active warrant out of Rapides Parish for failure to appear in court the same day Goodie was last seen.
Senegal asked anyone with information about Goodie’s whereabouts to contact the Louisiana State Police at 318-484-2194 or Scott Police Department at 337-233-3715.
Copyright 2022 KPLC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/zelenskyy-retreating-russians-leave-many-mines-behind/
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Zelenskyy: Russians create ‘complete disaster’ with mines
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his people early Saturday that retreating Russian forces were creating “a complete disaster” outside the capital as they leave mines across “the whole territory,” including around homes and corpses.
He issued the warning as the humanitarian crisis in the encircled city of Mariupol deepened, with Russian forces blocking evacuation operations for the second day in a row. Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused the Ukrainians of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot on Russian soil.
Ukraine denied responsibility for the fiery blast, but if Moscow’s claim is confirmed, it would be the war’s first known attack in which Ukrainian aircraft penetrated Russian airspace.
GRAPHIC WARNING: Videos in this story may contain disturbing content.
“Certainly, this is not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of the talks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, five weeks after Moscow began sending upwards of 150,000 of its own troops across Ukraine’s border.
Russia continued withdrawing some of its ground forces from areas around Kyiv after saying earlier this week it would reduce military activity near the Ukrainian capital and the northern city of Chernihiv.
“They are mining the whole territory. They are mining homes, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. “There are a lot of trip wires, a lot of other dangers.”
Ukraine’s military said it had retaken 29 settlements in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.
Still, Ukraine and its allies warned that the Kremlin is not de-escalating to promote trust at the bargaining table, as it claimed, but instead resupplying and shifting its troops to the country’s east. Those movements appear to be preparation for an intensified assault on the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas region in the country’s east, which includes Mariupol.
Zelenskyy warned of difficult battles ahead as Russia redeploys troops. “We are preparing for an even more active defense,” he said.
He did not say anything about the latest round of talks, which took place Friday by video. At a round of talks earlier in the week, Ukraine said it would be willing to abandon a bid to join NATO and declare itself neutral — Moscow’s chief demand — in return for security guarantees from several other countries.
The invasion has left thousands dead and driven more than 4 million refugees from Ukraine.
Mariupol, the shattered and besieged southern port city, has seen some of the worst suffering of the war. Its capture would be a major prize for Russian President Vladimir Putin, giving his country an unbroken land bridge to Crimea, seized from Ukraine in 2014.
On Friday, the International Committee for the Red Cross said it was unable to carry out an operation to bring civilians out of Mariupol by bus. City authorities said the Russians were blocking access to the city.
“We do not see a real desire on the part of the Russians and their satellites to provide an opportunity for Mariupol residents to evacuate to territory controlled by Ukraine,” Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol’s mayor, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said Russian forces “are categorically not allowing any humanitarian cargo, even in small amounts, into the city.”
Around 100,000 people are believed to remain in the city, down from a prewar 430,000. Weeks of Russian bombardment and street fighting have caused severe shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine.
“We are running out of adjectives to describe the horrors that residents in Mariupol have suffered,” Red Cross spokesperson Ewan Watson said.
On Thursday, Russian forces blocked a 45-bus convoy attempting to evacuate people from Mariupol and seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies bound for the city, Ukrainian authorities said.
Zelenskyy said more than 3,000 people were able to leave Mariupol on Friday.
He said he discussed the humanitarian disaster with French President Emmanuel Macron by telephone and with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, during her visit to Kyiv.
“Europe doesn’t have the right to be silent about what is happening in our Mariupol,” Zelenskyy said. “The whole world should respond to this humanitarian catastrophe.”
Elsewhere, at least three Russian ballistic missiles were fired late Friday at the Odesa region on the Black Sea, regional leader Maksim Marchenko said. The Ukrainian military said the Iskander missiles did not hit the critical infrastructure they targeted.
Odesa is Ukraine’s largest port and the headquarters of its navy.
As for the fuel depot explosion, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said two Ukrainian helicopter gunships flew in extremely low and attacked the civilian oil storage facility on the outskirts of the city of Belgorod, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the Ukraine border.
The regional governor said two workers at the depot were wounded, but the Rosneft state oil company denied anyone was hurt.
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, said on Ukrainian television: “For some reason they say that we did it, but in fact this does not correspond with reality.”
Later, in an interview with Fox, Zelenskyy refused to say whether Ukraine was behind the attack.
On the outskirts of Kyiv, where Russian troops have withdrawn, damaged cars lined the streets of Irpin, a suburban area popular with young families, now in ruins. Emergency workers carried elderly people on stretchers over a wrecked bridge to safety.
Three wooden crosses next to a residential building that was damaged in a shelling marked the graves of a mother and son and an unknown man. A resident who gave her name only as Lila said she helped hurriedly bury them on March 5, just before Russian troops moved in.
“They were hit with artillery and they were burned alive,” she said.
An Irpin resident who gave his name only as Andriy said the Russians packed up their equipment and left on Tuesday. The next day, they shelled the town for close to an hour before Ukrainian soldiers retook it.
“I don’t think this is over,” Andriy said. “They will be back.”
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Andrea Rosa in Irpin, Ukraine, and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Nevada mother jailed for attempting to kill newborn, police say
LAS VEGAS (KOLO/Gray News) - A mother in the Las Vegas area is accused of attempting to kill her newborn baby after she feared her child was “not good” and “probably evil,” according to police.
Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report they were called to the emergency room at Mountain View Hospital overnight on March 27 when a child’s father had brought his newborn baby into the hospital for medical treatment.
The father also notified the hospital that the child’s mother refused to come into the hospital, but she was bleeding profusely, according to police.
Ashley Hollingsworth, 22, was later identified as the child’s mother and officers said they were able to make contact with her at a nearby intersection a couple of hours later.
Investigators learned that Hollingsworth had given birth in a guest bathroom at a relative’s house, where the couple was staying, about an hour before the two went to the hospital with the child.
Hollingsworth told police that on the way to the hospital, something triggered her to make her think that the baby was “probably evil.” According to an arrest report, she attempted to kill the baby twice by wrapping a blanket around the baby’s head and pinching the baby’s nose tight.
The 22-year-old told police that she felt like the baby “would start doing things” and “start making people kill each other.”
The child’s father was also in the car with Hollingsworth when heading to the hospital. He took the baby away from her, according to police.
Once arriving at the hospital, doctors initially believed the newborn may have suffered a brain bleed, but staff later determined the child likely did not suffer any injuries, police said.
A relative spoke to police later that day and told them Hollingsworth was acting abnormally before giving birth and that she mentioned that a devil was inside of her and attempting to kill her baby.
According to an arrest report, Hollingsworth told police that the baby’s eyes were black, had an abnormal scent that wasn’t good and was grunting. After this, she decided to wrap the blanket around the baby’s head.
Police said Hollingsworth had self-inflicted injuries to her face when she was found. And she told them she hit herself several times with a rock in an attempt to kill herself after she left the hospital.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Traffic Alert | Construction closes I-64
Published: Apr. 2, 2022 at 4:17 AM EDT|Updated: 49 minutes ago
PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - All lanes of I-64 are closed in both directions at the Nitro-St. Albans work zone early Saturday morning.
Putnam County dispatchers said the road was shut down around 1:45 a.m. for Department of Highways (DOH) crews to work in the construction area. Dispatchers in Putnam and Kanawha County said there are currently large delays and backups on both sides of the closure with drivers attempting to get through the area.
The DOH Transportation Management Center tells WSAZ the road will be closed through at least 5 a.m. and it is best to find an alternate route.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest details in this traffic alert.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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Fire destroys Huntington home
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - A home was completely destroyed by fire early Saturday morning on the west end of Huntington.
Cabell County dispatchers said the large fire was reported around 4 a.m. near the intersection of West 12th St. and Adams Ave.
The second floor of the duplex was completely involved in flames when firefighters arrived on scene, dispatchers said. By the time the fire was out, the entire building was charred and holes were burnt through the roof.
No one was home at the time of the fire, and no one was injured. It’s unclear if the home was abandoned.
The fire marshal is still on scene investigating the cause of the fire.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest details on this developing story.
Copyright 2022 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/2022/04/02/us-investigators-fly-china-aid-plane-crash-probe/
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US investigators fly to China to aid in plane crash probe
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. accident investigators arrived in China on Saturday to help authorities look for clues into what caused last month’s crash of a Boeing jetliner with 132 people aboard.
The seven-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board will participate in the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s investigation of the March 21 crash of a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 because the aircraft was manufactured in the U.S.
As part of that assistance, the plane’s cockpit voice recorder is being downloaded and analyzed at a U.S. lab in Washington, federal officials said Friday.
Investigators hope the recording will explain why the plane went into a nosedive from about 8,800 meters (29,000 feet) over a mountainous region in southeastern China.
Chinese officials have said that air traffic controllers were unable to get a response from the pilots while the plane was descending.
The cockpit voice recorder would pick up voices and other sounds from microphones worn by the pilots and another stationed over their heads.
Searchers also recovered the plane’s flight-data recorder, which constantly captures speed, altitude, heading and other information and the performance of key systems on the aircraft, but that recorder was not being evaluated in Washington on Friday.
The NTSB said its investigators will limit contact with people outside the investigation so that they can start their work immediately without going through a quarantine period.
The plane that crashed was not a 737 Max, a newer model that was temporarily grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The impact caused by the crash in China created a 20-meter- (65-foot-) deep crater, set off a fire in the surrounding forest and smashed the plane into small parts scattered over a wide area, some of them buried underground. More than 49,000 pieces of debris have been recovered, along with some human remains and personal items.
A Chinese aviation safety official said a preliminary investigation report would be completed within 30 days of the crash.
Flight MU5735 with 123 passengers and nine crew members was headed from the southwestern city of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, to Guangzhou, a major city and export manufacturing hub near Hong Kong in southeastern China.
The 737-800 has an excellent safety record and the Chinese airline industry has had relatively few mishaps in recent years.
Before last month’s accident, the last fatal crash of a Chinese airliner occurred in August 2010, when an Embraer ERJ 190-100 operated by Henan Airlines hit the ground short of the runway in the northeastern city of Yichun and caught fire, killing 44 people. Investigators blamed pilot error.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Russian space chief: Sanctions could imperil space station
MOSCOW (AP) — The head of Russia’s space program said Saturday that the future of the International Space Station hangs in the balance after the United States, the European Union, and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline to meet Russian demands for lifting sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, told reporters that the state agency is preparing a report on the prospects of international cooperation at the station, to be presented to federal authorities “after Roscosmos has completed its analysis.”
Rogozin implied on Russian state TV that the Western sanctions, some of which predate Russia’s current military operations in Ukraine, could disrupt the operation of Russian spacecraft servicing the ISS with cargo flights. Russia also sends manned missions to the space station.
He stressed that the Western partners need the space station and “cannot manage without Russia, because no one but us can deliver fuel to the station.”
Rogozin added that “only the engines of our cargo craft are able to correct the ISS’s orbit, keeping it safe from space debris.”
Rogozin later Saturday wrote on his Telegram channel that he received responses from his Western counterparts vowing to promote “further cooperation on the ISS and its operations.”
He reiterated his view that “the restoration of normal relations between partners in the ISS and other joint (space) projects is possible only with the complete and unconditional lifting” of sanctions, which he referred to as illegal.
Space is one of the last remaining areas of cooperation between Moscow and Western nations. U.S.-Russian negotiations on the resumption of joint flights to the space station were underway when Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine last month, prompting unprecedented sanctions on Russian state-linked entities.
So far the U.S. and Russia are still cooperating in space. A NASA astronaut caught a Russian ride back to Earth on Wednesday after a U.S. record 355 days at the International Space Station, returning with two cosmonauts.
Mark Vande Hei landed in a Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan alongside the Russian Space Agency’s Pyotr Dubrov, who also spent the past year in space, and Anton Shkaplerov. Wind blew the capsule onto its side following touchdown, and the trio emerged into the late afternoon sun one by one.
Vande Hei’s return followed customary procedures. A small NASA team of doctors and other staff was on hand for the touchdown and returned home immediately with the 55-year-old astronaut.
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Follow all AP stories on Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/bank-montreal-announces-reverse-split-nrgd-etns/
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NEW YORK, April 1, 2022 /CNW/ - Bank of Montreal (TSX: BMO)(NYSE: BMO) announced today that it will implement a 1-for-50 reverse split of its outstanding MicroSectorsTM U.S. Big Oil Index -3X Inverse Leveraged ETNs due March 25, 2039 (the "ETNs"), expected to be effective as of April 11, 2022.
The table below indicates the ETNs that will be subject to the reverse split, their trading symbol, their current CUSIP number, and the CUSIP number that they will receive after giving effect to the reverse split:
The reverse split will be effective at the open of trading on April 11, 2022. Each ETN will begin trading on the NYSE Arca on a reverse split-adjusted basis on that date. Holders of an ETN who purchased that ETN prior to April 11, 2022 will receive one reverse split-adjusted ETN for every 50 pre-reverse split ETNs.
In addition, investors that hold a number of ETNs that are not evenly divisible by 50 will receive a cash payment for any fractional ETNs remaining (the "partials"). The cash amount due on any partials will be determined on April 8, 2022 and will equal, for each remaining ETN, its closing indicative value on that date. Bank of Montreal will pay these amounts on or about April 20, 2022.
The closing indicative value of each ETN on April 8, 2022 will be multiplied by 50 to determine the reverse split-adjusted closing indicative value. Following the reverse split, the ETNs will have a new CUSIP, as set forth above, but will continue to trade under their current ticker symbol.
The reverse split will affect the trading denominations of the ETNs, but it will not have any effect on the aggregate principal amount of the ETNs, except that the aggregate principal amount will be reduced by the corresponding aggregate amount of any cash payments for the "partials."
The following table shows the effect of the 1-for-50 reverse split on the hypothetical closing indicative value of the ETNs. The closing indicative value of an ETN is not the same as its principal amount (currently $500) or the trading price of that ETN.
None of the other exchange traded notes issued by Bank of Montreal are affected by this announcement.
The ETNs are senior, unsecured obligations of Bank of Montreal.
Investment suitability must be determined individually for each investor, and the ETNs may not be suitable for all investors. This information is not intended to provide and should not be relied upon as providing accounting, legal, regulatory or tax advice. Investors should consult with their own financial advisors as to these matters.
The leveraged ETNs discussed in this press release are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors to manage daily trading risks as part of an overall diversified portfolio. They are designed to achieve their stated investment objectives on a daily basis. The returns on the ETNs over longer periods of time can, and most likely will, differ significantly from the return on a direct short investment in the index underlying those ETNs.
Bank of Montreal, the issuer of the ETNs, has filed a registration statement (including a pricing supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus) with the SEC regarding the ETNs discussed in this press release. Please read those documents and the other documents relating to the ETNs that Bank of Montreal has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Bank of Montreal and the ETNs. These documents may be obtained without cost by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, Bank of Montreal, and any agent or dealer that participated in the offerings of the ETNs, will arrange to send the applicable pricing supplement, the prospectus supplement and the prospectus if so requested by calling toll-free at 1-877-369-5412.
Founded in 2015, REX Shares ("REX") is an independent provider of exchange traded products based in Miami, Florida. As ETP architects, the REX team creates investment vehicles that solve for a range of specific challenges in investor portfolios. The firm is rooted in decades of structuring and building inventive exchange-traded product solutions.
For more information, please visit www.rexshares.com or www.microsectors.com
Follow REX (@REXShares) and MicroSectors (@msectors) on Twitter.
REX Media Contacts: media@rexshares.com
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $1.02 trillion as of January 31, 2022, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.
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SOURCE BMO Financial Group
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/biden-fiscal-year-2023-budget-proposal-fails-concord-coalitions-criteria/
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WASHINGTON, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 28, President Biden released his budget proposal for the upcoming 2023 fiscal year. Though it has little chance of being enacted in its entirety, the plan will shape the contours of the final spending and revenue policies that Congress eventually adopts. Last week, The Concord Coalition reflected on what we hoped to see in the Biden budget—criteria we believe are the hallmarks of a fiscally responsible plan. While we were pleased to see a renewed focus on deficit reduction—the president's budget would reduce projected deficits by $1 trillion over the next decade—further inspection revealed that a sizeable portion of deficit reduction was based on a stale economic forecast that no longer reflects our current reality, and implausible assumptions about future tax and spending policies. Overall, President Biden's 2023 budget fails to meet many of Concord's criteria for a fiscally responsible blueprint.
The economic projections that underpin the budget are not plausible.
The Administration's economic assumptions were prepared late last year before the more recent surge in inflation and the war in Ukraine. As a result, the Biden budget unrealistically assumes inflation will quickly fade and interest rates will remain implausibly low. Moreover, the budget projects future economic growth rates inconsistent with our nation's aging population and productivity trends. These optimistic assumptions combine to produce trillions of dollars in higher revenues, lower deficits, and interest savings that are unlikely to ever occur.
The trends in the topline aggregates—spending and revenue—are not plausible. The Biden budget makes two very important assumptions about future spending and revenues that test the credibility of its topline budget totals. First, it assumes that the individual income tax cuts enacted as part of the 2017 tax reform bill will be allowed to expire, as scheduled, after 2025. The result is a significant revenue windfall in 2026 and beyond (revenues as a percent of GDP increase from 18.3 to 18.7 percent almost overnight, reach 19.1 percent of GDP in 2028, and remain elevated for the duration of the budget window. Figure 1). But presidential candidates in 2024 will surely promise voters to extend the 2017 cuts—much like President Obama did in 2012 after the Bush tax cuts were scheduled to expire. Moreover, three of the largest tax increases that President Biden proposes—a new tax on the unrealized gains of the ultra-wealthy, an increase in the corporate income tax from 21 to 28 percent, and higher taxes on capital gains—have already been rejected by members of his own party, raising further doubts about the plausibility of his numbers.
Second, the Biden plan assumes the defense budget will not keep pace with inflation following an initial increase—a highly improbable outcome given domestic and international pressures. Republicans and moderate Democrats from defense-heavy districts will demand annual Pentagon increases that ensure military readiness (and jobs in their districts). War in Eastern Europe and threats of a new Cold War will place added pressure on funding for defense personnel and procurement (weapons, ships, aircraft, artillery, etc.).
Deficits get larger over the budget window. On a dollar basis, annual budget deficits reflected in President Biden's budget get progressively larger over the budget window and exceed $1 trillion every year even though the budget no longer spends trillions on emergency COVID aid. When evaluated as a percent of GDP (to reflect a measure of affordability), the picture is a little murkier. Deficits are relatively flat—an average of 4.6 percent per year in the first half of the budget window and 4.7 percent in the latter half—but they are far above the long-term historical average of 3.3 percent per year (Figure 3). Moreover, if the economic and revenue assumptions that underpin the yearly deficits are overly optimistic as discussed in points above, then the financial picture is even worse than what the Biden budget depicts.
The budget includes a big gimmick. The president's budget was late arriving to Congress this year. Several factors contributed to the delay, including an intra-party stalemate between House and Senate Democrats over the contents of President Biden's Build Back Better (BBB) legislation . Democrats hope to resurrect the measure before the end of the 2022 fiscal year on October 1 and the budget includes a "deficit-neutral reserve fund" to signal that effort. But the supporting budget documentation doesn't provide any policy details about BBB v2.0 other than to say it will be used for "legislation that reduces costs, expands productive capacity, and reforms the tax system." In essence, it's a budget black box. We don't know which policies are included or how it's paid for. The title says "deficit neutral" but that merely refers to the total budgetary effects over the entire 10-year window. A lot can happen between years 1 and 10: lawmakers could adopt policies that significantly add to annual deficits early in the window (e.g, years 1-8) and rely on offsets that don't materialize until the end (and that's assuming a future Congress doesn't repeal them first).
We cannot determine whether the Biden budget offsets the cost of new proposals. In the 1990s, legislation affecting revenues and mandatory spending had to be offset in three separate time periods: the first year of the budget window, over the total of the first 5 years, and over the total of all 10 years. When Congress abandoned the first-year requirement (and began ignoring the 5-year requirement), the resulting "spend now, pay later" approach led to spiraling deficits and debt. It's time to end this practice. Ideally, a fiscally responsible budget should contemporaneously pay for the new policies it proposes but at minimum, it should comply with the original pay-as-you-go principles. On one hand, the new proposals that President Biden does specify in his budget are paid for, but the budgetary effects of the "black box"—the unspecified placeholder for BBB v2.0—are not. This makes it impossible to determine whether the Biden budget meets this criteria.
The budget does not abuse the "emergency" designation. According to budget law, the term "emergency" refers to a situation that is unanticipated, meaning "sudden, urgent, unforeseen, temporary" (sec. 250(c)(20) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act). The designation is powerful in that it allows the associated spending or tax provision to avoid budget enforcement rules. In the past, budgets have attached the designation to matters that Congress should have predicted (e.g., appropriations for the decennial census). The president's budget does not designate any FY 2023 funding for agency operations as an emergency. In addition, the designation would violate the rules of reconciliation in the Senate so it is safe to conclude that BBB v2.0 will not carry any emergency designation either.
The plan does not include programs and savings with bipartisan support. When viewed holistically, the Biden 2023 plan is a campaign budget designed to protect vulnerable, in-cycle Democrats from partisan attacks in the run-up to the November midterm elections. There is very little in this budget that would attract bipartisan support. The cornerstones are perennial Democratic mainstays: investments in K-12 education, college affordability, healthcare, and affordable housing, financed with traditional Republican anathemas (higher taxes on corporations, the fossil fuel industry, and wealthy individuals). It increases the budgets for policing and national defense just enough to counter Republican attacks, and it keeps the embers of BBB v2.0 alive without enumerating any policies that could divide the Democratic caucus. This budget won't draw bipartisan support because it wasn't designed for that purpose. In this regard, it is sadly far from unique.
The budget is not fair to future generations. Rising deficits and debt represent a future tax on our children and grandchildren and a limitation on future economic growth. Although the Biden budget appears to restrain the size of the national debt relative to the size of our economy, it achieves this result through optimistic assumptions rather than real policy changes. If interest rates are higher and economic growth is lower than projected, deficits and debt will continue to rise, resulting in less investment and greater risk of inflation and financial instability. As a result, our children and grandchildren will face a future of diminished income and economic opportunities.
The Biden budget assumes the temporary 2017 tax cuts will expire. The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 reduced marginal tax rates for corporations and individuals, as well as small businesses that file as individuals like sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S-corporations. To keep costs within the constraints imposed by budget rules, however, the income tax cuts for individuals and small businesses were written to expire after 2025 (along with their payfors). The qualitative explanation of the Biden budget is silent on the fate of these tax cuts (as it was in the 2022 budget), but the contours of the revenue baseline in the summary tables clearly reflect continuation of current law (expiration). Moreover, any change to current law would have been included in their revenue proposals.
The Biden defense and foreign aid budgets do not reflect the short- or long-term effects of war in Ukraine. In some ways, the Biden defense and foreign aid budgets are victims of circumstance—their contents were most likely locked in weeks before the war in Ukraine started. It would be hard for any presidential budget, which takes almost a year to prepare, to react so quickly to a tectonic shift in world events. For this reason, the Biden budget does not reflect the resources needed to sustain the Ukrainian defense forces, support a more muscular NATO under the threat of a new Cold War, or help Ukraine rebuild if/when the conflict ends.
The budget plan does not propose policies to address the pending insolvency of Medicare and Social Security. As the long-foretold insolvency of the Medicare Part A and Social Security trust funds moves closer, policymakers seem more determined than ever to ignore it. President Biden's FY 2023 budget fits this pattern. Unfortunately, bipartisan negligence has turned what was once seen as a long-term problem into a much more immediate concern. The programs' trustees project that the combined Social Security trust funds will be exhausted by 2034. This leaves little time to phase in changes that would prevent sudden benefit cuts, tax increases, or higher deficits. Absent change, retirees can count on receiving only 78 percent of their scheduled benefits—a politically untenable outcome.
Even more urgent, the Medicare Hospital Insurance trust fund will be exhausted by 2026—within the current 10-year budget window. Absent change, provider payments would have to be cut back by nearly 10 percent upon insolvency, which may lead many providers to scale back or end their participation in Medicare.
The problem, however, goes well beyond trust fund solvency. The growing costs of federal health care programs and Social Security are the driving force of projected spending growth (Figure 4). They far outpace projected revenue growth. Without a plan to control the costs of these programs, or face up to the tax increases needed to pay for future benefits, the budget will remain on an unsustainable path.
The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to fiscal responsibility. Since 1992, Concord has worked to educate the public about the causes and consequences of the federal deficit and debt, and to develop realistic solutions for sustainable budgets. For more fiscal news and analysis, visit concordcoalition.org and follow us on Facebook @ConcordCoalition and on Twitter: @ConcordC
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/braxia-scientific-ceo-cmo-invited-speak-experts-ketamine-related-compounds-2022-international-conference-hosted-by-university-oxford-april-4-6/
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TORONTO, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Braxia Scientific Corp. ("Braxia Scientific", or the "Company"), (CSE: BRAX) (OTC: BRAXF) (FWB: 4960), a medical research company with clinics providing innovative ketamine treatments for persons with depression and related disorders, is pleased to announce that CEO, Dr. Roger McIntyre and Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Dr. Josh Rosenblatt have been invited to present at the Ketamine and Related Compounds 2022 International Conference hosted by University of Oxford in Oxford, England. This meeting is one of the largest International Conferences on ketamine research, development, and clinical implementation.
Braxia Scientific senior management will present on the following days, London, U.K. time. To access the live online webcasts please visit the conference website, or the links available below:
16:20 p.m. (London Time) Dr. Roger McIntyre will discuss Ketamine treatment for domain-based outcomes in persons with Treatment Resistant Depression
Session abstract available here.
18:00 p.m. (London Time) Dr. Roger McIntyre will participate in a Debate: This House believes that there is sufficient evidence for the wide prescription of ketamine for Treatment Resistant Depression
9:35 a.m. (London Time) Dr. Josh Rosenblatt will discuss and answer the question - Do all types of depression respond similarly? Real-world data on complex patient subgroups
Session Abstract available here.
Braxia Scientific is a medical research company with clinics that provide innovative ketamine treatments for persons with depression and related disorders. Through its medical solutions, Braxia aims to reduce the illness burden of brain-based disorders, such as major depressive disorder among others. Braxia is primarily focused on (i) owning and operating multidisciplinary clinics, providing treatment for mental health disorders, and (ii) research activities related to discovering and commercializing novel drugs and delivery methods. Braxia seeks to develop ketamine and derivatives and other psychedelic products from its IP development platform. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, the Canadian Rapid Treatment Center of Excellence Inc., Braxia currently operates multidisciplinary community-based clinics offering rapid-acting treatments for depression located in Mississauga, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.
"Dr. Roger S. McIntyre"
Dr. Roger S. McIntyre
Chairman & CEO
The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations, or beliefs of future performance are "forward-looking statements."
Forward-looking statements include statements about the intended promise of ketamine-based treatments for depression and the potential for ketamine to treat other emerging psychiatric disorders, such as Bipolar Depression. Such forward- looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events, or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the failure of ketamine, psilocybin and other psychedelics to provide the expected health benefits and unanticipated side effects, dependence on obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals, including acquiring and renewing federal, provincial, municipal, local or other licenses and engaging in activities that could be later determined to be illegal under domestic or international laws. Ketamine and psilocybin are currently Schedule I and Schedule III controlled substances, respectively, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, S.C. 1996, c. 19 (the "CDSA") and it is a criminal offence to possess such substances under the CDSA without a prescription or a legal exemption. Health Canada has not approved psilocybin as a drug for any indication, however ketamine is a legally permissible medication for the treatment of certain psychological conditions. It is illegal to possess such substances in Canada without a prescription.
These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, including the Amended and Restated Listing Statement dated April 15, 2021, which are available at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements.
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/cache-creek-casino-resort-has-deployed-quick-custom-intelligences-slot-platform/
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SAN DIEGO, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cache Creek Casino Resort and Quick Custom Intelligence ("QCI") jointly announced that the QCI Slot Platform has been deployed by their property in Brooks California. The platform has been installed, the team has been trained, and they are actively using the tool.
"To properly optimize a gaming floor, you need a wide range of data, but more importantly, you need action items derived from the data. QCI Slots is a robust analysis tool that provides our team with comprehensive data and instantly actionable insights about our gaming floor. The intuitive interface is user friendly allowing the team to quickly access desired results. When combined with data stories in my inbox, integrated player information, and visualization capabilities, the QCI platform was absolutely the right choice for us. We are excited about our partnership today and what QCI may offer in the future," said Oliver Shoemaker, VP of Slot Operations for Cache Creek Casino Resort.
CEO of QCI, Dr. Ralph Thomas, stated "we are honored that Cache Creek Casino Resort has deployed the QCI Slots tool to assist with managing and optimizing their gaming floor. Our growing partnership exemplifies the importance of the QCI collaborative philosophy in regards to continued enhancement of our products. With over 50 casino resorts in North America and over 3,000 sites worldwide using our tools, we are confident our highly configurable product will meet the dynamic needs of Cache Creek Casino Resort."
ABOUT Cache Creek Casino Resort
Cache Creek Casino Resort, owned and operated by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, is California's premier casino resort. Located 40 miles northwest of Sacramento and 80 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area in Brooks, CA, it features more than 600 four-diamond luxury hotel rooms, thousands of exclusive slot machines, hundreds of table games, ten incredible dining experiences, world-class nightlife, a full-service spa, and an 18-hole championship golf course. For more information, please visit cachecreek.com.
ABOUT QCI
The QCI Platform aligns player development, marketing and gaming with powerful real-time operational tools developed for the gaming and hospitality industries. QCI has installed their ground-breaking, highly configured software in over 50 casino resorts in North America and over 3,000 sites worldwide. QCI products provide tooling for gaming operators managing over $10 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, these products are built on the QCI Platform, a best-in-class on-premises, hybrid or cloud-based technology that enables fully coordinated activities across gaming or hospitality operations. This data-driven software allows for quick, informed decisions in the ever-changing world of the casino industry and assists casinos in their efforts to optimize resources and profits, manage marketing campaigns and increase customer loyalty. QCI was founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno. Based in San Diego, QCI also has offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas & Phoenix. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715 www.QuickCustomIntelligence.com.
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/community-brands-appoints-david-wirta-new-ceo/
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Community Brands, the leading provider of cloud-based software and payments solutions for associations, nonprofits, and K-12 schools, today announced David Wirta as the company's new Chief Executive Officer, effective April 11, 2022.
A seasoned executive across multiple software and technology verticals, Wirta has global experience in the private, public, and private equity sectors, driving aggressive growth strategies to scale businesses both organically and through acquisitions. He previously served in the executive suite at Community Brands in 2019 and 2020, before transitioning to a leadership role at Therapy Brands, another company within the same investment portfolio.
"Dave is a results-driven leader who understands how to build high-performance teams and guide them toward creating the best outcomes for clients," said Ross Croley, chairman of the board for Community Brands. "His sales performance focus and operational expertise will provide the rigor needed to further elevate the company's success and create value for shareholders and customers alike."
With its suite of connected solutions designed especially for mission-driven organizations, Community Brands has helped thousands of associations, schools and nonprofits grow and engage with their constituents, especially during the last two years when the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted events and kept people physically distanced.
Wirta added: "Community Brands has helped so many worthwhile organizations weather the storm of the last few years, and it's gratifying to rejoin this company at such a pivotal time of growth and tech acceleration. I look forward to leading the team in delivering innovative solutions that help these organizations focus on the great work they're doing in our communities."
About Community Brands
Community Brands helps mission-driven organizations thrive. Our software, services, and payment solutions power nonprofits, associations, and K-12 schools to engage the people they serve through programs and events; raise funds to enable their mission; and manage their financials and operations. Our family of brands are bound by a common purpose to serve the organizations that make our communities a better place to live. To learn more, visit CommunityBrands.com.
Media contact:
Kristin Alm
kristin.alm@greatersumventures.com
865-850-6087
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/hart-energy-media-acquires-gotham-image-works-adds-capabilities-video-digital-media/
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HOUSTON, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its strategy to provide more comprehensive and robust content to serve the rapidly-changing energy industry, Hart Energy Media announces its acquisition of Houston-based Gotham Image Works, a leading video production and corporate event company. This acquisition is closely aligned with the April 8 launch of the Company's new HartEnergy.com website that will prominently feature video content on its homepage.
The acquisition of Gotham Image Works allows Hart Energy to materially expand its video news coverage, webinar, and podcast offerings to its audiences and advertising clients across Hart Energy's digital, event, and social media platforms. Video content has been an integral and growing part of Hart Energy's editorial coverage for years with video profiles of industry executives, analysis, and news.
David Skalsky, Gotham's founder and president, and his team joins the Hart Energy organization today, and the buildout of a state-of-the-art video production studio in Hart Energy's corporate office is currently underway.
Hart Energy CEO John Hartig said, "As the energy landscape undergoes significant transformation, the thirst for high-quality news and information has never been greater. We're expanding Hart Energy's video programming and production capabilities in response to our audiences and advertising clients who engage deeply in our rich media content. Gotham's contributions will become extremely valuable as we increase the breadth and immediacy of video coverage for breaking news, thought leadership, and subjects of interest across the energy industry."
David Skalsky added, "this next chapter for Gotham adds incredible scale for our long-term clients and positions the combined organization for accelerated growth."
About Hart Energy
Since 1973, Hart Energy has been the global energy industry's comprehensive and omni-channel source for news, data, and analysis. At Hart Energy, our mission is to create, aggregate, organize and analyze timely and targeted information across platforms in ways that business professionals and investors can trust for making energy-related decisions.
About Gotham Image Works
Gotham Image Works is a full-service video communications company, specializing in the production of video programming, graphics/animation, and the staging of corporate conferences and special events
Media Contact: John Hartig, CEO
Jhartig@hartenergy.com
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SOURCE Hart Energy
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/highland-income-fund-announces-regular-monthly-distribution/
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DALLAS, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Highland Income Fund (NYSE: HFRO) ("HFRO" or the "Fund") today announced its regular monthly distribution on its common stock of $0.0770 per share. The distribution will be payable on April 29, 2022 to shareholders of record at the close of business April 22, 2022.
The Fund is a closed-end fund managed by Highland Capital Management Fund Advisors, L.P. (the "Manager"). The Fund will pursue its investment objective by investing primarily in the following categories of securities and instruments: (i) floating-rate loans and other securities deemed to be floating-rate investments; (ii) investments in securities or other instruments directly or indirectly secured by real estate (including real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), preferred equity, securities convertible into equity securities and mezzanine debt); and (iii) other instruments, including but not limited to secured and unsecured fixed-rate loans and corporate bonds, distressed securities, mezzanine securities, structured products (including but not limited to mortgage-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations and asset-backed securities), convertible and preferred securities, equities (public and private), and futures and options. The investment objective of the Fund is to provide a high level of current income, consistent with the preservation of capital in a registered fund format. The Fund declares and pays distributions of investment income monthly.
About the Highland Income Fund
The Highland Income Fund (NYSE: HFRO) is a closed-end fund managed by Highland Capital Management Fund Advisors, L.P. For more information visit www.highlandfunds.com/income-fund/
About Highland Capital Management Fund Advisors, L.P.
Highland Capital Management Fund Advisors, L.P. is an SEC-registered investment adviser. It is the adviser to a suite of registered funds, including open-end mutual funds, closed-end funds, and an exchange-traded fund. For more information visit www.highlandfunds.com.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Highland Income Fund carefully before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund's prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-800-357-9167 or visiting www.highlandfunds.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.
Effective shortly after close of business on November 3, 2017, Highland Floating Rate Fund converted from an open-end fund to a closed-end fund, and began trading on the NYSE under the symbol HFRO on November 6, 2017. The performance data presented above for periods prior to November 3, 2017 reflects that of Class Z shares of the Fund when it was an open-end fund, HFRZX. The closed-end Fund pursues the same investment objective and strategy as it did before its conversion. The expense ratio is that of Class Z shares of the Fund prior to its conversion.
The distribution may include a return of capital. Please refer to the 19(a)-1 Source of Distribution Notice on the Highland Funds website for Section 19 notices that provide estimated amounts and sources of the fund's distributions, which should not be relied upon for tax reporting purposes.
No assurance can be given that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.
Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. The price of the Fund's shares is determined by a number of factors, several of which are beyond the control of the Fund. Therefore, the Fund cannot predict whether its shares will trade at, below or above net asset value. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Closed-End Fund Risk. The Fund is a closed-end investment company designed primarily for long-term investors and not as a trading vehicle. No assurance can be given that a shareholder will be able to sell his or her shares on the NYSE when he or she chooses to do so, and no assurance can be given as to the price at which any such sale may be affected.
Credit Risk. The Fund may invest all or substantially all of its assets in Senior Loans or other securities that are rated below investment grade and unrated Senior Loans deemed by Highland to be of comparable quality. Securities rated below investment grade are commonly referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk securities." They are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuing company's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Non-payment of scheduled interest and/or principal would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the Senior Loan experiencing non-payment and a potential decrease in the NAV of the Fund. Investments in high yield Senior Loans and other securities may result in greater NAV fluctuation than if the Fund did not make such investments.
Senior Loans Risk. The London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") is the average offered rate for various maturities of short-term loans between major international banks who are members of the British Bankers Association. LIBOR is the most common benchmark interest rate index used to make adjustments to variable-rate loans. It is used throughout global banking and financial industries to determine interest rates for a variety of financial instruments (such as debt instruments and derivatives) and borrowing arrangements. Due to manipulation allegations in 2012 and reduced activity in the financial markets that it measures, in July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA"), the United Kingdom financial regulatory body, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. Although the period from the FCA announcement until the end of 2021 is generally expected to be enough time for market participants to transition to the use of a different benchmark for new securities and transactions, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the specific replacement rate or rates. As such, the potential effect of a transition away from LIBOR on the Trust or the financial instruments utilized by the Trust cannot yet be determined. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR. The transition may also result in a change in (i) the value of certain instruments held by the Trust, (ii) the cost of temporary borrowing for the Trust, or (iii) the effectiveness of related Trust transactions such as hedges, as applicable. When LIBOR is discontinued, the LIBOR replacement rate may be lower than market expectations, which could have an adverse impact on the value of preferred and debt-securities with floating or fixed-to-floating rate coupons. Any such effects of the transition away from LIBOR, as well as other unforeseen effects, could result in losses to the Trust. Since the usefulness of LIBOR as a benchmark could deteriorate during the transition period, these effects could occur prior to the end of 2021.
Real Estate Industry Risk: Issuers principally engaged in real estate industry, including real estate investment trusts, may be subject to risks similar to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate, including: (i) changes in general economic and market conditions; (ii) changes in the value of real estate properties; (iii) risks related to local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition; (iv) increases in property taxes and operating expenses; (v) changes in zoning laws; (vi) casualty and condemnation losses; (vii) variations in rental income, neighborhood values or the appeal of property to tenants; (viii) the availability of financing and (ix) changes in interest rates and leverage.
Illiquidity of Investments Risk. The investments made by the Fund may be illiquid, and consequently the Fund may not be able to sell such investments at prices that reflect the Investment Adviser's assessment of their value or the amount originally paid for such investments by the Fund.
Ongoing Monitoring Risk. On behalf of the several Lenders, the Agent generally will be required to administer and manage the Senior Loans and, with respect to collateralized Senior Loans, to service or monitor the collateral. Financial difficulties of Agents can pose a risk to the Fund.
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SOURCE Highland Income Fund
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/kessler-topaz-meltzer-amp-check-llp-reminds-shareholders-taskus-inc-securities-class-action-lawsuit-urges-investors-with-significant-losses-contact-firm/
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RADNOR, Pa. , April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP (www.ktmc.com) informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed against TaskUs, Inc. ("TaskUs") (NASDAQ: TASK). The action charges TaskUs with violations of the federal securities laws, including omissions and fraudulent misrepresentations relating to the company's business, operations, and prospects. As a result of TaskUs' materially misleading statements to the public, TaskUs' investors have suffered significant losses.
Kessler Topaz is one of the world's foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.
CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR TASKUS LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/task-class-action-lawsuit?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=task
LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: APRIL 25, 2022
CLASS PERIOD: JUNE 11, 2021 THROUGH JANUARY 19, 2022
CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:
James Maro, Esq. at (484) 270-1453 or via email at info@ktmc.com
TASKUS' ALLEGED MISCONDUCT
TaskUs is a business process outsourcing company focused on providing three key services to technology companies: (1) Digital Customer Experience (2) Content Security; and (3) Artificial Intelligence Operations.
On January 20, 2022, Spruce Point Capital Management, LLC issued an 80-page report on TaskUs titled "Moderating the Bull Case Content" based on its "forensic financial and accounting review" of TaskUs. The report indicated that TaskUs "has a pattern of exaggerated and inflated business claims, including revenue, and is covering-up financial strain with reduced disclosures, cherry-picked market data, and non-standard key performance metrics. With 28% of sales to Facebook and related to the controversial area of 'Content Moderation' we find evidence of increasing financial strain in the relationship and believe margins and cash flow are set to contract more than expected." Additionally, the report stated, "we find a pattern of embellishing the size of its workforce and making overly optimistic revenue growth claims."
Following this news, the price of TaskUs' stock fell $5.46 per share, or more than 15%, from $35.59 per share on January 19, 2022, to $30.13 per share at the close of trading on January 20, 2022.
WHAT CAN I DO?
TaskUs investors may, no later than April 25, 2022 seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages TaskUs investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASE
WHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?
A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.
ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP
Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. At the end of the day, we have succeeded if the bad guys pay up, and if you recover your assets. The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com.
CONTACT:
Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
James Maro, Jr., Esq.
280 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087
(484) 270-1453
info@ktmc.com
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/liquid-meta-provides-update-ronin-network/
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VANCOUVER, BC, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Liquid Meta Capital Holdings Ltd. ("Liquid Meta" or the "Company") (NEO: LIQD) (FRANKFURT: N5F), a decentralized finance infrastructure and technology company focused on bridging the gap between traditional and decentralized finance, today provided an update on its exposure to a decentralized exchange (DEX) that is part of the Ronin blockchain ecosystem, owned by Sky Mavis.
On March 29, 2022, the Ronin Network announced a security breach whereby the Sky Mavis' Ronin validator nodes were compromised, resulting in 173,600 Ethereum and 25.5M USDC being drained from the Ronin bridge in two transactions. As a result of the hack, certain DEX's and the Ronin blockchain were halted and the support teams of the Ronin blockchain immediately attempted to try and recover these funds. The funds that have been compromised on the bridge serve as collateral to a portion of the assets held on the Ronin network, and if this collateral is not recovered it could have an impact on the price of these assets.
Liquid Meta has provided liquidity to a liquidity pool on a DEX that exists on the Ronin blockchain, and which is interconnected to the bridge that experienced the security breach. This DEX is currently halted pending an update by Sky Mavis and the Ronin teams.
"Although we did not have any direct exposure to the hack on the Ronin bridge, Liquid Meta has approximately $2.3 million of exposure on the Ronin network DEX," said Jonathan Wiesblatt, CEO of Liquid Meta. "This represents approximately 10% of our total liquidity deployed, in line with our ongoing deployment strategy and internal risk criteria and, as a result of which, we wanted to provide this update to the market. There is currently an active investigation into the breach and Ronin, Axie Infinity/Sky Mavis are in the process of outlining how to best move forward. It is important to note that our liquidity on the Ronin network DEX is currently safe while Sky Mavis and the team at the Ronin Blockchain work to resolve the issues with the breach."
Mr. Wiesblatt also stated "Liquid Meta's mission is to deliver access and transparency to the world of DeFi. We are aware of the risks that are part of this nascent industry. Even though our risk assessment of the blockchain and DEX met all our internal risk criteria and controls, we acknowledge we are also part of a larger ecosystem that is interconnected. The Company will provide additional updates as they are received and when appropriate."
About Liquid Meta
Liquid Meta is a decentralized finance infrastructure and technology company that is powering the next generation of open-access protocols and applications. The Company is creating the bridge between traditional and decentralized finance while ushering in a new era of financial infrastructure that benefits anyone, anywhere.
To learn more visit Website | LinkedIn | Twitter
Cautionary Notice
Neo Exchange has not reviewed or approved this press release for the adequacy or accuracy of its contents.
Forward-Looking statements
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Liquid Meta to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's Filing Statement dated as of December 17, 2021 which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Liquid Meta disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Liquid Meta's operations could be significantly adversely affected by the effects of a widespread global outbreak of a contagious disease, including the recent outbreak of illness caused by COVID-19. It is not possible to accurately predict the impact COVID-19 will have on operations and the ability of others to meet their obligations, including uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, and the length of travel and quarantine restrictions imposed by governments of affected countries. In addition, a significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could further affect operations and the ability to finance its operations.
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SOURCE Liquid Meta Capital Holdings Ltd
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/manpowergroup-announce-1st-quarter-2022-earnings-results/
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MILWAUKEE, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, today announced that it plans to release 1st quarter earnings results before the market opens on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Management will discuss the results the same day in a live webcast at 7:30 a.m. Central Time (8:30 a.m. Eastern Time), which can be accessed on the company's website.
The webcast will be available for replay at the same URL beginning at 10:30 a.m. Central Time (11:30 a.m. Eastern Time) on April 19, 2022. The replay will remain available for 30 days in this location. Supplemental financial information referenced in the webcast and the text of the 1st quarter press release can be found on the company's website, in the section titled "Financial Information," after 7:30 a.m. Central Time on April 19, 2022.
About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 70 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity - as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality and Disability and in 2022 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 13th year - all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent. For more information, visit www.manpowergroup.com.
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SOURCE ManpowerGroup
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/nasa-participate-space-symposium-broadcast-select-panels/
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WASHINGTON, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Associate Administrator Bob Cabana are among the agency's speakers at the Space Foundation's 37th Space Symposium from Tuesday, April 5 to Thursday, April 7 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Topics highlighted by NASA participants throughout the event include the agency's Moon to Mars exploration approach including Artemis, technology, science, commercial partnerships, and more. A full agenda for the symposium is available online.
The agency will stream the following panels on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency's website:
Tuesday, April 5
- 12:25 p.m. EDT – Plenary session remarks from Melroy about NASA's Moon to Mars strategy and updated current milestones
- 1:15 p.m.: Artemis and Industry: Building the Space Economy. Panelists include:
Wednesday, April 6
Members of the media registered for the symposium can attend "Small Satellites, Big Missions: Pathfinding CubeSats Exploring the Moon and Beyond," a news conference featuring NASA leaders, at 6 p.m. EDT. The conference will take place in Media Room A of the event's media center. To register for the symposium, media must email the Space Foundation at media@spacefoundation.org.
Participants in the news conference include:
- NASA Associate Administrator Cabana
- Elwood Agasid, deputy program manager for Small Spacecraft Technology at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, and Space Technology Hall of Fame inductee
- Andres Martinez, program executive for small spacecraft in NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters
- Bradley Cheetham, CEO, Advanced Space in Westminster, Colorado
- Joe Shoer, engineer, Lockheed Martin, Denver
For more information about NASA, visit:
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SOURCE NASA
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/olympus-refills-tank/
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STAMFORD, Conn., April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stamford, CT based private equity firm Olympus Partners has recapitalized Tank Holding ("Tank") in a $1.685 billion transaction led by Antares Capital, Intermediate Capital Group, The Carlyle Group, and Barings Global Private Finance. Proceeds from the transaction will be used to refinance existing debt, finance acquisitions, distribute a dividend to shareholders, and general corporate purposes.
Besides being a world leader in the design and manufacturing of polyethylene tank and container products, Tank also maintains major market positions with many other proprietary products, including intermediate bulk containers, insulated material handling bins, laundry and linen carts, refuse containers, specialty pallets and custom products.
Acquired by Olympus Partners and management in 2019, Tank has completed 17 acquisitions in the past three years. Tank Holding includes the brands of Norwesco, Snyder Industries, Bonar Plastics, Bushman, Chem-tainer, Meese, Stratis Pallets, and Dura-Cast and operates 41 manufacturing plant locations and employs over 1,750 people throughout North America.
Olympus Partners is a private equity firm focused on providing equity capital for middle market management buyouts and for growing companies. Olympus manages in excess of $8.5 billion mainly on behalf of corporate pension funds, endowment funds and state-sponsored retirement programs. Founded in 1988, Olympus is an active, long-term investor across a broad range of industries including business services, food services, consumer products, healthcare services, financial services, industrial services and manufacturing.
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SOURCE Olympus Partners
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/omnispace-thales-alenia-space-announce-successful-launch-first-satellite-mission/
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Omnispace Spark-1™ Now On Orbit as Part of Omnispace's Initiative to Deliver Global Hybrid NTN Connectivity
TYSONS, Va. and TOULOUSE, France, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnispace and Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), are proud to announce that Omnispace Spark-1™ was successfully delivered into orbit aboard the SpaceX Transporter-4. The Omnispace Spark™ program represents phase one in the development and delivery of the world's first standards-based global hybrid network.
Thales Alenia Space designed and built the satellite, part of the initial two-satellite Omnispace Spark program. The new-generation NGSO satellite in low-earth orbit (LEO) will operate in the 2 GHz S-band. Omnispace Spark will support the mobile industry 3GPP standard[1] in band n256, making connectivity possible direct to compatible devices. This program will serve to advance the development and implementation of Omnispace's global hybrid non-terrestrial (NTN) network.
"Omnispace is reinventing mobile communications by building a global hybrid network that will benefit users requiring true mobility, everywhere," said Ram Viswanathan, president and CEO of Omnispace LLC. "We are pleased with the work that Thales Alenia Space, together with its world-class team of innovators, have done to design and build Omnispace Spark. With their help we are making our vision of a single, ubiquitous, global hybrid network possible."
"I'm very excited about the successful launch of Spark-1, a nanosatellite we built in conjunction with NanoAvionics, Syrlinks & ANYWAVES. This achievement reflects our ability to develop new space solutions in partnership with innovative SMEs to address market needs. We are convinced that merging flight proven expertise with agility is the key to successfully matching the evolving space demand," said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.
Spark-1 was delivered into orbit aboard a SpaceX Transporter. Exolaunch provided launch, mission management, integration and deployment services.
Led by prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space, the Omnispace Spark program includes industry partners, NanoAvionics providing the satellites buses, launch support and in-orbit operations, ANYWAVES the payloads user antennas and Syrlinks the S-band instruments for the payloads.
"The successful launch of Omnispace Spark-1 also signifies a successful collaboration between the NewSpace and traditional space, resulting in our great technological exchange with Thales Alenia Space," said Vytenis J. Buzas, founder and CEO of NanoAvionics. "It is fair to say that both companies had to adjust their processes and find mutual middle ground. From working with a traditional satellite prime contractor, we gained a valuable experience and were able to further improve our reliability assurance processes and our technical performance. At the other side, we hope that Thales Alenia Space was able to benefit from our modular technology and the agility levels we provide."
"After demonstrating our capacity to provide COTS antennas, we are today very proud to show our capability regarding payload ones. Supporting major space projects, such as Omnispace Spark, alongside with Thales Alenia Space, is also a another source of great pride for ANYWAVES," said Nicolas CAPET, ANYWAVES CEO.
"We are very proud to have been involved in the development of the first phase of this Internet Of Things (IoT) satellite constellation. We would like to thank Thales Alenia Space for having relied on Syrlinks for the design of a specific New-Space Radio-Frequency Payload equipment with capability to receive, process and transmit IoT dedicated signals," says Eric Pinson, Director of Space activity at Syrlinks.
5G capability from a single global network will transform industries and serve as the communications infrastructure to support economies of the 21st century. The network will empower mobile network operators and value added resellers to fuel innovation, power industries, and connect billions of users. Follow the launch journey and learn more at Omnispace.com.
About Omnispace, LLC
Headquartered in the Washington D.C. area, and founded by veteran telecommunications and satellite industry executives, Omnispace is redefining mobile connectivity for the 21st century. By leveraging 5G technologies, the company is combining the global footprint of a non-geostationary satellite constellation with the mobile networks of the world's leading telecom companies to bring an interoperable "one network" connectivity to users and IoT devices anywhere on the globe.
Learn more at: Omnispace.com and follow on LinkedIn or Twitter @omnispace.
About Thales Alenia Space
Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies' Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 2.15 billion euros in 2021 and has around 8,900 employees in 10 countries with 17 sites in Europe and a plant in the US.
Omnispace Press Contact:
Marie Knowles: +1-202-422-2589
mknowles@omnispace.com
Thales Alenia Space Press Contacts:
Sandrine Bielecki: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94
sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com
Catherine des Arcis: +33 (0)4 92 92 72 82
catherine.des-arcis@thalesaleniaspace.com
Marija Kovac: +39 (0)6 415 126 85
marija.kovac-somministrato@thalesaleniaspace.com
1 3GPP: 3rd Generation Partnership Project is a cooperation between telecom standards bodies responsible for the development and maintenance of technical specifications for cell phone standards, including the ones for 5G.
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https://www.wsaz.com/prnewswire/2022/04/01/paramount-global-announces-redemption-approximately-10-billion-notes/
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NEW YORK, April 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Paramount Global (the "Company") (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) today announced that it would redeem (i) all of its outstanding 3.50% senior notes due January 15, 2025 (the "3.50% notes") and (ii) a portion of its outstanding 4.750% senior notes due May 15, 2025 (the "4.750% notes"). The redemption date for the 3.50% notes is April 18, 2022. The redemption date for the 4.750% notes is April 11, 2022.
The redemption price for the 3.50% notes and the 4.750% notes is equal to the sum of 100% of the principal amount of such series of notes to be redeemed, the make-whole amount calculated in accordance with the respective terms of such series of notes and the related indenture under which such series of notes was issued, and the accrued and unpaid interest on such series of notes up to, but excluding, the respective redemption date on the principal amount of such series of notes to be redeemed. The aggregate principal amount of each such series of notes outstanding and the aggregate principal amount of each such series of notes to be redeemed is as set forth below:
Holders owning notes through a broker, bank, or other nominee should contact that party for information. For more information, holders of the 3.50% notes and the 4.750% notes may call the paying agent for the redemption of such series of notes, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas at (800) 735-7777.
About Paramount
Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic studios, networks and streaming services, Paramount's portfolio of consumer brands includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others. Paramount delivers the largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the industry's most important and extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, the company provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution and advertising solutions.
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains both historical and forward-looking statements, including statements related to our future results and performance. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Similarly, statements that describe our objectives, plans or goals are or may be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations concerning future results and events; generally can be identified by the use of statements that include phrases such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "likely," "will," "may," "could," "estimate" or other similar words or phrases; and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: risks related to our streaming initiatives; changes in consumer behavior, as well as evolving technologies, distribution platforms and packaging; the impact on our advertising revenues as a result of changes in consumer viewership, advertising market conditions and deficiencies in audience measurement; our ability to maintain attractive brands and our reputation, and to offer popular programming and other content; increased costs for content and other rights; competition for talent, content, audiences, subscribers, advertising and distribution; the potential for loss of carriage or other reduction in or the impact of negotiations for the distribution of our content; losses due to asset impairment charges for goodwill, intangible assets, FCC licenses and programming; risks related to our ongoing investments in new businesses, products, services and technologies, through acquisitions and other strategic initiatives; evolving business continuity, cybersecurity, privacy and data protection and similar risks; content infringement; the impact of Covid-19 and other pandemics and measures taken in response thereto; domestic and global political, economic and regulatory factors affecting our businesses generally; liabilities related to discontinued operations and former businesses; the loss of existing or inability to hire new key employees or secure creative talent; strikes and other union activity; potential conflicts of interest arising from our ownership structure with a controlling stockholder; and other factors described in our news releases and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K. There may be additional risks, uncertainties and factors that we do not currently view as material or that are not necessarily known. The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date of this communication, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
PARA-IR
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SOURCE Paramount Global
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