text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ns, tz=UTC] | source_domain string | group string | id string | in_blocksbin int64 | in_noblocksbin int64 | tag string | minhash_count string |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..
Tonight
Scattered thunderstorms this evening. A steady rain arriving overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
A day after Benjamin Russell’s Corri Milliner earned a Reputation On The Line Award plaque for his game against Sylacauga, three more area student-athletes were also recognized for their efforts.
Gabe Benton and Jy Hicks, both from Benjamin Russell, and Horseshoe Bend’s Gaines Thomas were recognized for their games in Week 1.
Benton, Hicks and Milliner all had monster performances in Benjamin Russell’s 41-7 win over Sylacauga on Friday. Benton passed for over 400 yards and threw for five touchdowns, three of which were to Milliner.
Defensively, Hicks led the charge for the Wildcats with a team-best 10 tackles. Hicks and the rest of the Wildcat starters held Sylacauaga scoreless at halftime.
Get Exclusive Members Only Newsletters
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Thomas too had a strong game defensively, snagging an interception that helped see Horseshoe Bend to its opening win over Wadley. Thomas, a senior, started playing football this year and earned high praise from his head coach Jeremy Phillips all summer.
For his efforts, Thomas got a pick that earned Horseshoe Bend its first win of the season.
The Reputation On The Line Award is given weekly to student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. All students awarded represent not only themselves but also their schools, where they strive athletically and academically.
Horseshoe Bend has a bye during Week 2, while Benjamin Russell travels to Central Clay County on Friday.
Henry Zimmer is sports editor for The Outlook and Dadeville Record. He may be contacted via email at henry.zimmer@alexcityoutlook.com.
Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reporting—but good journalism isn’t free.
Please support our tireless efforts to gather and report your local news by subscribing or making a contribution. | https://www.alexcityoutlook.com/sports/three-more-local-athletes-earn-reputation-on-the-line-award/article_a777e20e-23dd-11ed-911a-4b93e508c53f.html | 2022-08-24T22:31:07Z | alexcityoutlook.com | control | https://www.alexcityoutlook.com/sports/three-more-local-athletes-earn-reputation-on-the-line-award/article_a777e20e-23dd-11ed-911a-4b93e508c53f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch is suing the owner of a small Australian political news site for defamation over a column that held him responsible for the rhetoric on Fox News ahead of the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol last year.
The lawsuit came just a day after the website, Crikey — in full page ads in The New York Times and Australia's Canberra Times — dared Murdoch to make good on his earlier threats to sue.
The offending opinion column on the site on June 29 argued that thanks to Fox News, Lachlan Murdoch and his father Rupert shared responsibility for the U.S. Capitol siege with former President Donald Trump.
In his lawsuit, Murdoch's lawyers said the CEO "has been gravely injured in his character, his personal reputation, and his professional reputation as a business person and company director" and has also suffered "substantial hurt, distress and embarrassment" from the article and its promotion.
In a post in response, Crikey's leadership said the site "stands by its story and we look forward to defending our independent public interest journalism in court against the considerable resources of Lachlan Murdoch."
Crikey's editor-in-chief Peter Fray tells NPR the site didn't mean he was literally responsible — but that the "buck has to stop somewhere."
"Lachlan Murdoch appears desperate to disassociate himself from the actions of Fox in inciting the January 6th insurrection," Fray told NPR previously. "And he's taking quite extraordinary steps to shut down public debate in this country."
Murdoch's attorneys filed in Australian federal court in Sydney on Tuesday. The case cites the article's circulation on Twitter and Crikey's claims of intimidation by Murdoch.
Crikey's leaders said they hoped the lawsuit would serve as a test case for Australia's defamation laws, which they argue are too restrictive.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., Murdoch and Fox are fending off a pair of defamation cases from election technology and voting machine companies in the U.S. The cases, involving false claims of fraud in the November 2020 elections, are seeking more than $4 billion combined.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/an-australian-news-site-dared-fox-ceo-lachlan-murdoch-to-sue-now-he-has | 2022-08-24T22:31:12Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/an-australian-news-site-dared-fox-ceo-lachlan-murdoch-to-sue-now-he-has | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Justice Department on Wednesday released a memo from 2019 laying out the case for not prosecuting former President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice in connection with then-special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
The nine-page memo dated March 24, 2019 was written by two senior Trump Justice Department officials: Assistant Attorney General Steven Engel and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Ed O'Callaghan.
They conclude that none of Trump's actions documented in the Mueller report— his firing of FBI director James Comey; his directing the top White House lawyer to fire Mueller; his exhorting witnesses not to flip — should be viewed as obstruction.
"We conclude that the evidence described in Volume II of the Report is not, in our judgment, sufficient to support a conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt that the President violated the obstruction-of-justice statutes," the memo says. "In addition, we believe that certain of the conduct examined by the Special Counsel could not, as a matter of law, support an obstruction charge under the circumstances."
The watchdog group Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued under the Freedom of Information Act for the memo to be made public. The Justice Department long fought its release, arguing that the memo was part of the department's internal deliberative process.
A district court judge and a panel of circuit court judges disagreed and ordered its release.
Then-Attorney General William Barr ultimately declined to prosecute Trump for obstruction of justice stemming from Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump and his supporters lauded the decision, but many legal experts questioned the reasoning and conclusion. More than 1,000 former federal prosecutors signed a letter in 2019 saying that the conduct described in Mueller's report would normally lead to multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice.
The memo concludes that there was not sufficient evidence to establish Trump obstructed justice during Mueller's probe. It says that obstruction cases usually are brought when a person prevents the investigation and prosecution of a separate crime, and that the Mueller probe did not establish an underlying crime or criminal conspiracy.
It also says that there is considerable evidence that Trump took official actions, such as asking the White House Counsel to fire Mueller, "not for an illegal purpose, but rather because he believed the investigation was politically motivated and undermined his administration's efforts to govern."
The memo points out that none of Trump's requests to alter the investigation were carried out.
The document has been released as the former president faces both criminal and congressional investigations for other matters, including storing presidential documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/doj-releases-a-mueller-era-memo-to-barr-on-the-decision-to-not-prosecute-trump | 2022-08-24T22:31:18Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/doj-releases-a-mueller-era-memo-to-barr-on-the-decision-to-not-prosecute-trump | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --
On Aug. 18, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex held its 14th Annual Picnic and Car Show with an outstanding display of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The event has been held since 2007.
Employees with vehicles of all shapes and sizes took over the base’s Centennial Park to participate in the car show. Some of the vehicles were as old as 1930 and as new as 2022.
Brig. Gen. Richard Gibbs, commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, also held a commander's call and then handed out awards to the winners.
The car show featured winners from 16 different categories ranging from best survivor to most unique to general’s choice.
The winners:
CAR CATEGORIES:
BEST 1959 & OLDER: 1956 Chevy 210, owner: Sos Valdez
BEST 1960-1969: 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS, owner: Joe Gardenhour
BEST 1970-1979: 1970 Volvo 1800E, owner: Vince Townsend
BEST 1980-1999: 1993 Ford Mustang, owner: Ray Strong
BEST 2000-2009: 2005 Ford Mustang Convertible, owner: Scott Brown
BEST 2010-PRESENT: 2021 Chevy Corvette C8, owner: Michael Ibarra
TRUCK CATEGORIES:
BEST 1959 & OLDER: 1956 Chevy Truck, owner: Jay Willie
BEST 1960-1989: 1972 Chevy K5 Blazer, owner: Jake Dominguez
BEST 1990 & NEWER: 1991 Chevy Blazer, owner: Eric Blowers
MOTOCYCLES:
BEST SPORT/RACE: 2010 Ducati Hypermotara 1100, owner: Miles Bell
BEST CRUISER/CUSTOM: 1995 Harley Davidson Heritage Softtail, owner: Patrick Frezquez
SPECIALTY CATEGORIES:
UNIQUE: 2018 Factory 5 GTM, owner: Steve Eastes
SURVIVOR: 1962 Pontiac Bonneville Safari, owner: John Blessant
WORK-IN-PROGRESS: 1972 Plymouth Barracuda, owner: Steve Klegin
GENERALS CHOICE: 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS, owner: The Muchmore Family
This work, Ogden ALC gathers for 2022 picnic, car show, by Todd Cromar, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427988/ogden-alc-gathers-2022-picnic-car-show | 2022-08-24T22:31:30Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427988/ogden-alc-gathers-2022-picnic-car-show | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Regina Fuentes, Columbus Education Association spokesperson, about the teacher's strike over failed contract negotiations between the teacher's union and the school board.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Regina Fuentes, Columbus Education Association spokesperson, about the teacher's strike over failed contract negotiations between the teacher's union and the school board.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/classrooms-in-columbus-ohio-are-empty-on-1st-day-back-as-teachers-strike | 2022-08-24T22:31:37Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/classrooms-in-columbus-ohio-are-empty-on-1st-day-back-as-teachers-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New research documents what many have long believed: that heat can lead to extreme violence in prisons. Some now want cooling zones or air conditioning installed to help staff and those incarcerated.
Copyright 2022 NPR
New research documents what many have long believed: that heat can lead to extreme violence in prisons. Some now want cooling zones or air conditioning installed to help staff and those incarcerated.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/could-air-conditioning-help-prevent-extreme-violence-in-prisons-research-suggests-so | 2022-08-24T22:31:43Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/could-air-conditioning-help-prevent-extreme-violence-in-prisons-research-suggests-so | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
For dissident writers fleeing persecution overseas, the United States has long been a safe haven, a place where freedom of expression is tolerated and, even, valued.
That suddenly changed earlier this month, with the brutal attack on author Salman Rushdie at a speaking event in western New York.
"Oh my God! When I heard that, I was screaming," said Masih Alinejad, a writer and activist who has criticized the Iranian government. "I was just running corner to corner in my safe house and shouting and just calling my husband, 'I cannot believe this is happening in America, in New York.''
While literary writers in the U.S. increasingly face online threats, they rarely metastasize into actual physical attacks, said Karin Deutsche Karlekar, who directs the Writers at Risk program at PEN America. Authors routinely make public appearances with little or no security.
Such was the case with Rushdie. The India-born writer became the target of a Fatwa by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini in the late 1980s, over his depiction of the Prophet Muhammed in his book The Satanic Verses, and was forced into hiding.
He ultimately emerged and moved to New York. Over time, he began making personal appearances and, in the process, turned into an eloquent proponent of the right to free speech.
"Many of us who joined this field grew up being sort of galvanized by his case and what had happened to him," Karlekar said. "And in the decades, since he has really been this sort of stalwart defender of free expression for other writers at risk."
By this year, the dangers he faced appeared to have faded. Then, on Aug. 12, as Rushdie was about to begin a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution, a man rushed the stage and stabbed him repeatedly. The 75-year-old writer was severely injured but is expected to survive.
Police arrested 24-year-old Hadi Matar of Fairview, New Jersey, who is said to have pro-Iran sympathies.
The viciousness of the attack is forcing speaking venues that regularly host writers to rethink their security procedures, according to an official of one organization that often sponsors lectures.
But "unless you want to make every event like going to the airport," it's difficult if not impossible to completely eliminate risk, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
As a result, dissident writers who had come to feel safe in the United States are questioning that assumption.
Osama Alomar, a Syrian poet who has criticized his government and was forced to flee into exile, lives in a house sponsored by a U.S. human-rights group, where he has felt safe. After the Rushdie attack, he's not as sure.
"I used to say it when I was in Syria that I'm worried about freedom of speech in Syria. Now I'm worried about that even here in America," he said.
For journalist and activist Alinejad, an outspoken critic of Sharia law, the attack follows several incidents in which her safety was threatened. Last year, the FBI said it had foiled a plot by Iranian intelligence officers to kidnap Alinejad at her Brooklyn home. On July 28, a man was arrested carrying an AK-47 assault rifle outside her home.
Then came the attack on Rushdie, whom she has come to admire.
"To be honest, Salman Rushdie changed my life," she said. As a teenager in Iran, she was furious at the writer, because she was "brainwashed" by government propaganda, she said.
"But when I started doing my own research about him, I was like, 'This is unbelievable. This is what I believe now, that I have to speak out,'" she said.
While the threats against her have made her feel "miserable," she is resolved to keep writing and speaking out against tyranny.
Her dream now is to one day appear at the Chautauqua Institution, on the same stage where Rushdie was so viciously attacked this month.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/exiled-writers-reflect-on-freedom-of-speech-in-america-in-light-of-rushdie-attack | 2022-08-24T22:31:49Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-24/exiled-writers-reflect-on-freedom-of-speech-in-america-in-light-of-rushdie-attack | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Search Query
Show Search
About
About KLCC
KLCC Stations & Translators
Contest Rules
Business Underwriters
Contact Us
KLCC Public Radio Foundation
Listener Resources
Milestones
News Awards
Public Records
Signal Status
About KLCC
KLCC Stations & Translators
Contest Rules
Business Underwriters
Contact Us
KLCC Public Radio Foundation
Listener Resources
Milestones
News Awards
Public Records
Signal Status
News
KLCC News
NPR News
Arts & Culture
Crime, Law & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Economy & Business
Education
Environment
Good Gardening
Health & Medicine
Housing & Homelessness
Military & Veterans
Politics & Government
Science & Technology
Social Justice
Sports
Transportation
Listener Resources
Weather
KLCC News
NPR News
Arts & Culture
Crime, Law & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Economy & Business
Education
Environment
Good Gardening
Health & Medicine
Housing & Homelessness
Military & Veterans
Politics & Government
Science & Technology
Social Justice
Sports
Transportation
Listener Resources
Weather
Music
Music Programs
Arts & Culture
Events Calendars
KLCC Live Performances
NPR Music
Playlist Search
Venues / Tickets / Events
Music Programs
Arts & Culture
Events Calendars
KLCC Live Performances
NPR Music
Playlist Search
Venues / Tickets / Events
People
Authors/Reporters
Hosts
Staff
Syndicated
Volunteers
Authors/Reporters
Hosts
Staff
Syndicated
Volunteers
Programming
Daily Schedule
Weekly Schedule
Printer Friendly Schedule
Podcasts & RSS Feeds
Daily Schedule
Weekly Schedule
Printer Friendly Schedule
Podcasts & RSS Feeds
Streaming Options
Support
Ways to Support KLCC
Contribute Now
Sustainer Update Form
Foundation Donation Form
Gifts of Stock
Business Underwriting
Car/Vehicle Donation
Leadership Giving
Planned Giving
Matching Employers
Thank You Gifts
Ways to Support KLCC
Contribute Now
Sustainer Update Form
Foundation Donation Form
Gifts of Stock
Business Underwriting
Car/Vehicle Donation
Leadership Giving
Planned Giving
Matching Employers
Thank You Gifts
Amplifying Oregon Voices Campaign
© 2022 KLCC
KLCC
136 W 8th Ave
Eugene OR 97401
541-463-6000
klcc@klcc.org
Contact Us
FCC Applications
Menu
NPR for Oregonians
Show Search
Search Query
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
On Air
Now Playing
KLCC 89.7
Livestream
About
About KLCC
KLCC Stations & Translators
Contest Rules
Business Underwriters
Contact Us
KLCC Public Radio Foundation
Listener Resources
Milestones
News Awards
Public Records
Signal Status
About KLCC
KLCC Stations & Translators
Contest Rules
Business Underwriters
Contact Us
KLCC Public Radio Foundation
Listener Resources
Milestones
News Awards
Public Records
Signal Status
News
KLCC News
NPR News
Arts & Culture
Crime, Law & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Economy & Business
Education
Environment
Good Gardening
Health & Medicine
Housing & Homelessness
Military & Veterans
Politics & Government
Science & Technology
Social Justice
Sports
Transportation
Listener Resources
Weather
KLCC News
NPR News
Arts & Culture
Crime, Law & Justice
Disasters & Accidents
Economy & Business
Education
Environment
Good Gardening
Health & Medicine
Housing & Homelessness
Military & Veterans
Politics & Government
Science & Technology
Social Justice
Sports
Transportation
Listener Resources
Weather
Music
Music Programs
Arts & Culture
Events Calendars
KLCC Live Performances
NPR Music
Playlist Search
Venues / Tickets / Events
Music Programs
Arts & Culture
Events Calendars
KLCC Live Performances
NPR Music
Playlist Search
Venues / Tickets / Events
People
Authors/Reporters
Hosts
Staff
Syndicated
Volunteers
Authors/Reporters
Hosts
Staff
Syndicated
Volunteers
Programming
Daily Schedule
Weekly Schedule
Printer Friendly Schedule
Podcasts & RSS Feeds
Daily Schedule
Weekly Schedule
Printer Friendly Schedule
Podcasts & RSS Feeds
Streaming Options
Support
Ways to Support KLCC
Contribute Now
Sustainer Update Form
Foundation Donation Form
Gifts of Stock
Business Underwriting
Car/Vehicle Donation
Leadership Giving
Planned Giving
Matching Employers
Thank You Gifts
Ways to Support KLCC
Contribute Now
Sustainer Update Form
Foundation Donation Form
Gifts of Stock
Business Underwriting
Car/Vehicle Donation
Leadership Giving
Planned Giving
Matching Employers
Thank You Gifts
Amplifying Oregon Voices Campaign
Pop Culture | https://www.klcc.org/pop-culture | 2022-08-24T22:32:45Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/pop-culture | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
How to Wear 12 Fall Makeup Looks That Will Be Trending This Season
Makeup artists offer up their best tips and advice.
Ready or not, fall is right around the corner, and while some of us are reluctant to bid farewell to summer’s sunny days and balmy nights, there are a few things to look forward to during this transitional time: the return of cozy sweater weather, pumpkin spice everything, and our favorite new makeup looks.
While there's no denying we love the brighter colors and beach-inspired looks of summer, fall offers way more versatility and opportunities to get more creative with makeup. It's the perfect time of year to start diving into darker, vampier colors and to opt for matte foundations that won't inevitably become dewy at the end of the day.
To get even more excited and prepped for the season, we reached out to some of our favorite pro makeup artists and asked them about the new fall makeup looks we're going to see everywhere this season. Inspiration—from metallic '90s eyelids to shiny vinyl lips—is here, along with tips from the pros and product picks for how to re-create all of the trends. We also found out which summer makeup trends are going to stick around just a little bit longer—here's looking at you, flushed cheeks and natural, no-makeup makeup skin.
There's a lot to look forward to. Keep reading to learn more about the best fall makeup looks to try this season. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/beauty/skin-makeup/g40958750/fall-makeup-looks/ | 2022-08-24T22:33:20Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/beauty/skin-makeup/g40958750/fall-makeup-looks/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A host of NPR’s All Things Considered since 2015, Ari Shapiro has long sought to connect with others. As one of the very few Jewish kids in Fargo, North Dakota, he’d circulate among classrooms each December, menorah and dreidel in hand, educating his gentile peers on Hanukkah. That desire to mingle, to swap tales, has propelled his career as a journalist. Next March, Harper One is publishing his memoir-in-essays, The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening, which blends personal history with transfixing accounts from people he’s met across the globe. In an exclusive, Oprah Daily reveals the jacket design, a photo of the author in back of a truck parked in a desert, a stylish type overlay.
Shapiro notes that his young experiences kindled a passion for public speaking, the edifying exchange of ideas and perspectives. After his family relocated to Portland, Oregon, he came out as gay and discovered a queer underground that nurtured him during adolescence. He embraced the role of “ambassador” (his term) to LGBTQ-resistant acquaintances and communities, helping them “to break out of their bubbles.” In 2004 he vaulted into the limelight when he and his college boyfriend were “unwittingly filmed” as they married in San Francisco, just after the city’s mayor (and now California’s governor), Gavin Newsom, declared same-sex marriage legal in his jurisdiction. As a media frenzy ensued, a video clip of the couple made its way onto NBC’s Nightly News, forcing a confrontation between Shapiro’s identity and profession. “Who I am is not negotiable,” he says.
Fortunately, both marriage and career have flourished. Shapiro claims that he “models a level of vulnerability” that builds bridges across political divides. He’s a busy man: On the side, he performs in a band, Pink Martini, and tours with a cabaret show, Och and Oy, with actor Alan Cumming. His book lavishly details the hijinks and byways of his journey, but his commitment to journalism burns clear, like a blue flame. Is journalism in crisis? “Oh, yeah,” he says, but networks and consumers alike are adapting rapidly. He opines that rigorous reporting may be “less provocative, less sexy, less easy than click-and-share,” alluding to the dopamine hit of social media, but it’s more essential than ever.
More From Oprah Daily
A former book editor and the author of a memoir, This Boy's Faith, Hamilton Cain is Contributing Books Editor at Oprah Daily. As a freelance journalist, he has written for O, The Oprah Magazine, Men’s Health, The Good Men Project, and The List (Edinburgh, U.K.) and was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. He is currently a member of the National Book Critics Circle and lives with his family in Brooklyn. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a40797598/ari-shapiro-the-best-strangers-in-the-world/ | 2022-08-24T22:33:25Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a40797598/ari-shapiro-the-best-strangers-in-the-world/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In The Woman King, Viola Davis stars as General Nanisca, leader of a powerful squad of female warriors tasked with defending the African Kingdom of Dahomey. “It was a different state of mind to tap into that spirit—that bravery,” Davis told Vanity Fair of her “transformative” role, for which training involved five days a week of weights, sprinting, martial arts, and machete work. “Certainly, that’s not a mindset that I carry on a day-to-day basis. I’m someone who carries pepper spray and a little alarm on my key chain.”
Davis debuted that bold new persona in the first trailer for The Woman King, which lets viewers know that the film is “based on powerful true events,” and teases “the most exceptional female warriors to ever live.” So if you were wondering whether The Woman King was based on a true story, the answer is yes! But just what is that story, exactly?
The film is “based on powerful true events,” and teases “the most exceptional female warriors to ever live.”
If you haven’t heard of the women warriors known as the Agojie, you’re not alone. “The only thing I knew [before working on the film], literally, was that there were women somewhere in Africa that were called Amazons,” Davis told Vanity Fair, explaining that there was just one English-language book dedicated to the subject “written by a white man,” she added. “I had to cross out a lot of it because it was full of editorial comments like, ‘They looked like beasts. They were ugly. They were mannish.’ You had to sift through all of that.”
More From Oprah Daily
According to BBC Travel, King Ghezo (played by John Boyega in the film) formally assembled Dahomey’s warriors during his reign from 1818 to 1858, a time when “manpower was increasingly scarce due to the European slave trade.” But the outlet also notes a theory that suggests Hangbe, a queen who ruled in the previous century, started the group to supply her own bodyguards.
And what about the warriors themselves? In The Woman King, Davis is joined by Thuso Mbedu as Nawi—described by Deadline as “an ambitious recruit” to Nanisca’s unit. According to Smithsonian Magazine, women by these names do, in fact, appear in historical accounts of Dahomey. Nanisca, for example, is described by a French naval officer as a teenage soldier who performed her first execution with a sword, then “squeezed the blood off her weapon and swallowed it.” But this Nanisca doesn’t seem to become the powerful general Davis portrays—because according to the same officer, the young woman was killed in battle only three months later.
Nawi’s story goes on much longer, however. The magazine cites a Beninese historian who met “an extremely old woman” by that name in 1978. She said that she’d fought the French in 1892—nearly a century earlier. “Probably she was the last [of the Dahomey warriors],” per Smithsonian.
So while people named Nanisca and Nawi existed in Dahomey, their on-screen counterparts may not completely follow their historical journeys beat for beat—which is understandable, especially given how little has been written about these warriors. Of course, either way, it’s clear that The Woman King aims to shine a light on this little-known piece of global history. “We didn’t want to show them as just one thing—badass women who killed,” director Gina Prince-Bythewood told Vanity Fair. “They also laughed and loved and cried. We wanted to show their full humanity, not just the cool part that that would look good in a trailer.”
The Woman King hits theaters on September 16.
Grace Wehniainen is a freelance culture writer at Oprah Daily and a staff entertainment writer at Bustle, where she covers everything from Grey’s Anatomy to The Bachelor, the newest Marvel titles, and more. Her film and TV coverage has also appeared in Bright Wall/Dark Room, Electric Literature, and the 2019 essay collection, Mister Rogers and Philosophy:Wondering Through the Neighborhood. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a40960459/is-the-woman-king-based-on-a-true-story/ | 2022-08-24T22:33:29Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a40960459/is-the-woman-king-based-on-a-true-story/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“As far back as I can recall, my prayer has been the same: ‘Use me. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.’ I truly believe that the reason for my success and everything I have is because I let myself be fueled by what my contribution to the world could be. When you shift your focus from success to service, your work will instantly have more meaning. A grand gesture is not the only way to be of service. I’m talking about committing, every day, to a heartfelt, compassionate approach to life. Ask yourself: How will I use my gifts and talents in service to myself, my family, my community, and the world? And then start living from that intention. Shift your whole life’s paradigm to service, and you will reap success.” —Oprah
HOW TO WATCH
Come back to this page on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:00 PM EST to join Oprah, Van Jones, and Rebecca Welsh for a discussion on how seemingly simple acts of service can have a huge impact not only within the communities that you are serving, but also for your own emotional wellbeing. They will give advice on how to get started giving back (it's the top question they each get) including suggesting everyday acts anyone can do, how to weave service into the fabric of family life, and more.
Jones is an attorney, an author, and a political commentator widely known for his CNN show, The Van Jones Show. Welsh is the founder of The HALO Foundation, which provides shelter and educational opportunities such as scholarships to homeless youth. They will be joined by a select group of Oprah Daily Insiders in their discussion.
Download a Free Planner Excerpt
YOU’RE INVITED!
Every month this year, Oprah is leading a new class in which she and special guests exchange ideas about the defining principles explored in “The Life You Want” Planner. She’ll answer questions from the chat and from a select group of Oprah Daily Insiders (yes, you could be one of them!) chosen to participate in the conversation. How can you join Oprah on-screen in an upcoming event? Insiders, keep an eye out for an email inviting you to apply before each class.
CLAIM YOUR SPOT
Admission to each “The Life You Want” Class—and all Oprah Daily live events—is free for Oprah Daily Insiders. Not a member yet? Join below!
Click to Join Oprah Daily Insider
BOOKS YOU’LL WANT
Dive deeper into “The Life You Want” Classes by shopping our reading list. During our August class, Oprah and Brooks discussed finding happiness and purpose as we grow older. You'll want to pick up a copy of his book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.
In July, Oprah and Nedra Glover Tawwab discussed her book Set Boundaries, Find Peace: a Guide to Reclaiming Yourself. It provides a comprehensive look at how to stay true to yourself and focus on what is most important to you.
In May, Oprah and Jamie Kern Lima discussed her book, Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable, in which she shares how she evolved from humble beginnings to growing IT Cosmetics into a thriving brand. Oprah also referred to The Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck, which opens with the idea that life is challenging. “We’ve all gone through hard things. Why? Because life is difficult. And when we do, we have to ask ourselves, What was I supposed to learn from that?” Oprah said.
In April, Oprah and Mark Nepo explored themes from his work titled The Book of Awakening. He also discussed how being creative can help boost your authenticity and presence in the moment.
In March, Oprah, Dr. Anita Phillips, and Claudia Rankine explored many of the themes discussed in Rankine’s work Just Us: An American Conversation. In the book, Rankine uses a range of essays, poems, and images to help us connect deeply and converse on topics that are often divisive, including white privilege.
In February, Oprah and Frank Bruni discussed the theme of vulnerability and how it relates to Bruni’s powerful memoir, The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found. Bruni recounts the medical and spiritual odyssey he embarked on following a stroke that left him blind in one eye and threatened to take away his sight entirely.
Back in January, Oprah and Martha Beck took a deeper look at the themes and topics covered in Martha’s book The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self. This suggested reading can help you dig deeper into those themes and better equip you to achieve your goals for this year and beyond.
Get Our “Live Your Best Life” Drinkware
Feel inspired with every sip! Keep your favorite beverages hot or cold in a beautiful travel mug that comes with an extra serving of empowerment from Oprah Daily. Oprah chose these four Corkcicle drinkware styles as the perfect vessels to remind you to “Live Your Best Life Every Day” whenever you enjoy your daily cup of coffee, favorite herbal tea, or any other drink your heart desires.
PAST “THE LIFE YOU WANT” EVENTS
Renewal
Oprah was joined by Arthur Brooks, a bestselling author, social scientist, Harvard professor, and happiness correspondent for The Atlantic. Brooks is the author of From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, which reveals how the second half of your life can be a stage of exciting growth and power. They had a moving conversation on themes prioritizing meaningful relationships in all forms, discovering your purpose, and the importance of love.
Forgiveness
Oprah was joined by Nedra Glover Tawwab, therapist and author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace: a Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, which is a New York Times bestseller. They engaged in an enlightening conversation on understanding forgiveness, learning how to remove oneself from toxic cycles of forgiveness, and how parents can lay the groundwork for educating their children on these skills.
Compassion and Empathy
Oprah was joined by Jeff Weiner, the executive chairman of LinkedIn, who shared how to practice empathy and compassion in life and career, what sets these two emotions apart, and his work with The Compassion Project. Oprah Daily Insiders joined their discussion and asked questions using examples from their personal lives.
Resilience
Oprah was joined by Jamie Kern Lima, the founder of IT Cosmetics and author of Believe IT: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable, who shared insights on staying resilient in the face of rejection while chasing your dreams, and how "no" shouldn't throw you off course if you're living authentically. Oprah Daily Insiders joined their conversation, and shared some of their individual experiences.
Being Fully Present
Oprah was joined by Mark Nepo, who discussed how living in the moment can bring you peace, as well as how creativity can help you live a more authentic life. A group of Oprah Daily Insiders joined their thought-provoking conversation and opened up about their experiences living as their true selves, their foundational stories, and more.
The Value of Connection
Oprah was joined by Dr. Anita Phillips and Claudia Rankine, who discussed how to open your heart space and build stronger bonds. A group of Oprah Daily Insiders joined their enlightening conversation, in which they shared details from their personal experiences.
The Importance of Vulnerability
Oprah was joined by Frank Bruni to discuss vulnerability and other themes covered in The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found. Oprah Daily Insiders joined their conversation, where they shared about what happens when you truly make yourself vulnerable and the power this emotion holds in our relationships.
The Power of Integrity
Oprah was joined by Martha Beck and surprise guest Maria Shriver in our second “The Life You Want” class. A group of Oprah Daily Insiders joined the powerful conversation, in which they and viewers were guided through exercises to help understand what it means to live a life that honors your true self.
Getting Started
For our first “The Life You Want” Class, Oprah was joined by Oprah Daily Insiders as they charted a course for the series and the year ahead while working toward intentions together.
Vision Boarding
Gayle King, Adam Glassman, and Gabby Bernstein were joined by special guest Drew Barrymore and Oprah Daily Insiders as they created vision boards for 2022.
Cailey Griffin (She/Her) is the Editorial Assistant to Oprah Daily’s General Manager. In addition to assisting the GM, she also writes for Oprah Daily. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Columbia University. She has interned at 60 Minutes, NBC News, and her work has appeared in Foreign Policy magazine. Outside of Oprah Daily, she can be found running around Harlem or listening to the Wicked soundtrack on repeat. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a40809715/oprah-the-life-you-want-class-service-van-jones-rebecca-welsh/ | 2022-08-24T22:33:32Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a40809715/oprah-the-life-you-want-class-service-van-jones-rebecca-welsh/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What does Women’s Equality Day honor?
Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on August 26 and commemorates the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote. The 19th amendment states:
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
More From Oprah Daily
The 19th amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, but it actually wasn’t certified until it was signed by a government official eight days later. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the historic proclamation on August 26, 1920 (a week after its ratification) at 8 a.m. in Washington, D.C., without an audience or any fanfare.
When did it become a holiday?
On August 26, 1971, the Unites States Congress declared August 26 Women's Equality Day to honor the importance of the 19th amendment. The Joint Resolution of Congress said in part of Women's Equality Day:
“…and WHEREAS, the women of the United States have designated August 26, the anniversary date of the certification of the Nineteenth Amendment, as symbol of the continued fight for equal rights…”
It was officially passed two years later, in 1973.
Why was Women’s Equality Day established?
On August 26, 1970 (50 years after women earned the right to vote), 50,000 second-wave feminists marched down New York City’s Fifth Avenue with “linked arms, blocking the major thoroughfare during rush hour.”
Known as the “Women’s Strike for Equality March,” the march was sponsored National Organization for Women (NOW) and was conceived by women’s rights activist and author Betty Friedan. She imagined the day as a “work stoppage” where women would put down their household duties and take to the streets on the 50th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment to demand women’s rights including abortion access, better and affordable childcare, and equal access to education and employment. Thousands of women across the country staged protests, making the Women’s Strike for Equality March one of the biggest women’s rights rallies in the U.S. (FYI: The Women’s March on January 21, 2017, drew about 4.1 million across the country, making it the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.)
Who was behind making Women’s Equality Day possible?
New York congresswoman Bella Abzug (aka “Battling Bella”) championed the bill to create an official Women’s Equality Day. Abzug became a congresswoman at age 50 after an already successful career as a civil rights lawyer and activist. Her campaign slogan was the famous catchphrase: “This woman’s place is in the House…the House of Representatives!”
Through the passing of Women's Equality Day, Azbug hoped to commemorate the resilience and persistence of women while also bringing attention the ongoing struggle women face.
It is now widely understood that even though the 19th amendment was the culmination of decades of hard work and determination of so many factions of suffragettes, the reality is that women of color didn’t have full access and freedom to vote until years and decades later after laws and legislation were passed, like the Snyder Act of 1924 and the Civil Rights Act of 1965. It is also unfortunate that the rights and freedoms feminists marched for in 1970 like abortion access, affordable daycare, equal employment opportunities, and equal pay are still issues women are fighting for today.
How can we celebrate Women’s Equality Day today?
Read: Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All
Donate to: Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Visit: equalpaytoday.org to learn about pay inequity and support Black, Latinx, Native, AANHPI, and Moms Equal Pay Days
Register: To vote
Robyn Moreno is a curandera, life coach, and Emmy-nominated TV host. Her new book, Get Rooted, comes out June 7, 2022 from Hachette Go. Robyn’s favorite things are her family, being in nature, and eating tacos, not necessarily in that order. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a40950413/what-is-womens-equality-day/ | 2022-08-24T22:33:33Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a40950413/what-is-womens-equality-day/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
These 32 Gifts for Kids are Going to Earn You The Best Friend Award
The path to a child's heart is paved with toys
Kids deserve the world. The way their curious eyes are eager to touch, explore, feel, and learn is something that we wish could protect forever. But while our favorite little friends might grow out of dinosaur phases and playing dress up, we can encourage them to play their hearts out with the right interactive gifts just a little bit longer.
Whatever the occasion, be it birthdays, holidays, or graduations, it's never the wrong time to shower a kid with some extra love. And while encouraging words and a big hug might do for adults, the language of love is spoken through the art of gifting toys for children. We know you are here to win the "coolest auntie" or "best big sis" award, so allow us to help you out with a list of the 32 best gifts for kids, below. We've got everything from apparel (the back-to-school outfits need to be on point) to planetarium projectors and indoor teepee tents.
And of course, while we think of the little ones in our lives, let's not forget the strong mothers, fathers, mother figures, and father figures who lead them. Here are a bunch of thoughtful presents to gift to mothers and fathers! | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/g40959616/best-gifts-for-kids/ | 2022-08-24T22:33:40Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/g40959616/best-gifts-for-kids/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When it comes to first dates, the experience is simultaneously exhilarating and nerve-racking. There's a chance that you'll meet someone you instantly click with (cue butterflies)—yet there's equal opportunity to be sitting across from someone who shares nothing in common with you (cue crickets). Making a first-date plan can be stressful, too. There are the questions of what you'll wear (hint: try something you already feel confident in) and, more importantly, what you'll do. And once you're on the date, there's the agony over what to actually talk about.
Instead of letting you flounder and accidentally ramble for 10 minutes about what cat food you buy, we tapped the experts for their advice on first-date conversation starters. Whether you're getting back out there after divorce or a breakup, or you're just interested in meeting new people, these tips will help prevent the date from drying up before you've ordered an appetizer.
Going in with talking points is one way to decrease your first-date jitters. But: Try to avoid speaking like you've rehearsed a script or have a stack of index cards in your bag. Rapid-fire questions can make the other party feel like they're in an interview rather than on a date. Remember that these conversation starters are just that—ways to start meaningful conversation. Once you've posed a question, take the time to listen to your date's answer, discuss what they've said, and let that topic steer you in a natural direction. If things get stale or you run into a dead end, you can return to a new convo starter. Hopefully, though, the talking will flow naturally once you've hit the right topic. Who knows—you might just make this your last first date.
Start by trying to make a connection.
"Though you and your date may already overlap in areas like education or religion, it's vital to build rapport on other topics, too," says Jess Carbino, PhD, a sociologist and relationship expert who led research for Bumble and Tinder. "Try to draw parallels between their experiences and interests and your own," she adds.
Expand upon what you've learned from the initial source of connection to propel the dialogue. For example, if you matched online, refer to something in their dating profile and ask them a question about the topic, says Carbino. If a mutual friend set you up, unpack how each of you knows them—and so on.
- Where did you take those cool photos in your profile?
- Tell me more about some of the interests you have listed.
- How long have you known our mutual friend?
- How did you meet them?
State the obvious.
If you're not sure how to jump into a conversation, comment about something in your environment. For starters, you could ask them if they've ever been to the coffee shop, park, or wherever they proposed to meet, or if they spend significant time in that neighborhood, says Carbino. "You could then quickly segue into a broader conversation about the area, food, travel, or another topic, based upon the cues you pick up initially," she adds.
- Have you been to this place before?
- Do you spend a lot of time in this neighborhood?
- What are some of your favorite spots around here?
Don’t ask them what they do for a living.
"A first date is all about showing interest," says Jane Greer, PhD, a marriage and family therapist and author of What About Me?: Stop Selfishness From Ruining Your Relationship. Instead of asking the typical “What do you do?” frame the query in an open-ended way. Greer suggests trying the following: “How did you decide to go into this line of work? When did you know this was what you wanted to do?” Another way to approach this topic: “Is there anyone who inspired you to pursue your career or stick it out, though you may have faced challenges? If so, what's the story there?”
Getting your date to elaborate will reveal more about their personality and interests. "In this example, you're looking for more information about their background and line of thinking, rather than just a description of their job," says Greer.
- How did you decide to go into your line of work?
- When did you know it was what you wanted to do?
- Is there anyone who inspired you to pursue your career?
Pay attention to how they respond to you.
To determine if your person of interest is relational or self-centered, note if they inquire about you at all, recommends Henry Cloud, PhD, coauthor of Boundaries in Dating. "When you answer, do they immediately turn it into talking about themselves, or can they stay on you for any time at all?" he says. Granted, nerves might get in the way—it's often easier to ramble—but this is something still worthy of cueing into.
It's also important to listen to their actual answers; a person's responses can often show their true selves. For example, if you ask how long they've been on a dating site and what their experience has been, are they saying belittling things like “There are so many idiots out there”? Or are they more levelheaded, with responses such as “I've met some nice people and had some good experiences...and of course, some that weren't.” Cloud says focusing on conversation patterns like this is an essential tip to gauge character.
Furthermore, take note of how much they tend to blame everyone or everything else (exes, former employers, family members, etc.) for personal setbacks. Cloud suggests doing so too much is a warning sign that they'll ultimately start to blame you for their issues.
Ask them about their talents.
Your date will likely feel more comfortable talking about something they like doing, so try asking: “What are you really good at? What do you do to keep growing in…[insert area you're discussing]?” “Listen for aspects of the conversation that let you see how much responsibility they take for life,” says Cloud. “Do they see themselves as someone who's creating their own life or waiting for it to just show up?”
- What are you really good at?
- What do you do to keep growing?
Learn about their family and friends.
Begin with a simply phrased “Tell me about your family.” See what you learn. Even if it's a negative story, Cloud says, you can respond with “Wow, that sounds hard. How did you deal with that or overcome it?”
Additionally, inquire about their friends. Tune in for the existence of close and long-term friends. "If all of their 'close' friends are new, that usually is not a good sign," cautions Cloud (keeping in mind, of course, that meeting friends as an adult can be tough). And, naturally, if they went through a divorce, that could lend itself to complications in their social life.
- Tell me about your family and friends.
- Who do you consider your support system?
Unpack their idea of a “good life.”
We all have a concept of what our ideal life would be. For you, maybe it's owning a home, having a healthy family, getting out of debt, or cultivating a garden that rivals Oprah's. What is it for the person eating chips and dip across from you?
According to Cloud, one way to dig into this can be asking: “So, if we were sitting here two years from now, what would have happened in your life for you to say things are really good?” And here's an important question for you at this point: Do the things that are going to make them happy resonate with you?
A person's values are often the root of many of their choices. Cloud suggests tapping into your date's philosophical worldview to learn more. Do they have a spiritual or moral center? A true north? Is it compatible with yours? On generosity of finances or time: Do they serve anywhere or give to a cause that matters to them?
- What are some life goals of yours?
- What values are important to you?
- Are there any particular causes you support?
- Are you a pessimist or optimist? Idealist or realist?
Ask where they’re from.
You can learn a lot about a person based on where or how they grew up. Make sure to ask them where they're from. This opens a door for a conversation about shared or different cultures and exchanging deeper aspects of your upbringings. Whether you grew up in different environments or share the same cultural heritage, talking about this can reveal new insights about one another—and you may actually have more in common than you think.
- Where did you grow up?
- What was your childhood home like?
- Do you have any important family traditions?
Discuss favorite things.
Another go-to conversation starter is discussing your favorite things. This can range from favorite music genres, artists, TV shows, books, hobbies, and more. The possibilities are endless for this as you can touch on many diverse topics. Comedian Kevin Fredericks, who coauthored Marriage Be Hard with his wife, Melissa, also recommends questions like: “What food is your guilty pleasure? Which movie could you watch over and over again?”
- What TV shows are you watching right now?
- What is your all-time favorite book?
- Do you have any unique hobbies?
Bring up travel.
Some people have had an underlying passion to travel the world in the back of their head their entire life, and others prefer to stay near family and friends and build their forever home there. Whichever it may be, find out your date's preference. This question can also help you determine compatibility. If you're both interested in traveling, you can see if they prefer an outdoors adventure or a city visit instead.
- What kind of trips are your favorite?
- Do you have a dream destination?
- Which is the most interesting place you've traveled?
Find out their most memorable experience.
One bonus question you can always ask as an icebreaker: “What's the most amazing adventure you've been on or the most amazing experience you remember?” This is a seemingly simple and random question, but hearing your date explain something that meant so much to them or brought them so much joy allows you to meet another side of them. It also can lead to unexpected but interesting conversations.
- What is the best adventure you've had?
- What's the most incredible experience you can remember?
Address dealbreakers.
We're not talking about surface-level dealbreakers like a preference for brunettes. But if you're looking for a long-term, serious relationship, some things might not be negotiable, like wanting to have kids or needing to live in a particular region. "If you're super religious and you know that's important to you, for instance, ask about that," says Fredericks. "Anything you know that's a nonstarter for you should be brought up early," he adds. Of course, you can ease into it throughout the conversation so you're not hitting them with these big life questions right away, but better to know sooner rather than later.
- Is religion an important part of your life?
- Are you interested in raising kids someday?
- Do you want to continue living here, or do you plan to move elsewhere?
Be curious.
An inherent trait of any effective reporter is inquisitiveness. Though your date isn't an interview, you are trying to learn parts of who this person is and their story. Do so by asking questions they've likely seldom or never answered, says Fredericks, like: “What's your fondest memory of elementary school? If you could get away with a crime, what would you do? What's on your bucket list?” “This will make you seem interesting,” he adds. Of course, try to ease these in naturally, or else you'll sound like you just read...this article.
"Really show your curiosity and encourage them to tell you more. This will not only make for an engaging and fun first date, but it will also help you discover if you have common interests or life goals to help you decide if you'd like to see the person again," says Greer.
- What's your fondest memory of elementary school?
- If you could get away with a crime, what would you do?
- What's on your bucket list?
- What does an ideal day look like to you?
- What's the best meal you've ever had?
And have fun with it.
Try to keep in mind that your goal is learning whether or not you enjoy this person's company. While it's important to make sure your core values align—especially if you're looking to start a serious relationship—it's also necessary to recognize that simply getting to know someone new can be delightful...if you let it be. "Life should be fun, especially dating," says Cloud. The first date doesn't need to make wedding bells ring; it can actually be about whether this person makes you smile, if you're attracted to them, and if you get along on a surface level. Deepening the connection can come during later dates. Try asking some sillier questions to see if your sense of humor is compatible.
- What's something weird or embarrassing you did as a kid?
- What's the funniest gift you've ever given or received?
- What's something strange that you're afraid of?
Remember, you can always leave.
Don't forget to check in on yourself as well. Do you like being there? Is this person amusing? Your time (and theirs) is valuable. Sometimes there's just no spark, even after warming up to each other during a drink or meal. If this is the case, Carbino says you can free up your future by saying something like: “It was so great to meet you. I really appreciate you taking the time to come out with me. I have another engagement (hello, Netflix and leftovers). Let's get the check.” The date doesn’t have to drag on over any self-imposed sense of obligation. The only thing you owe your date is respect, and there's always a way to exit a situation gracefully.
- I promised my friend I'd call them tonight. Are you ready to get the check?
- I've got an early morning tomorrow. Can we split the bill?
- It was great meeting you. I have to get going; let's get the check.
But you can also test the waters for a second date.
Ending the night can get awkward even if the date is seemingly going well, too. Try gauging their calendar by asking what they're up to next weekend and then slyly suggesting that you'll be free on Friday. Or, if you'd like to be more direct, mention a restaurant, bar, or experience you've been wanting to try, and if they show interest, ask if they'd like to go with you. It may seem scary, but the worst they can do is say no.
- Are you doing anything fun next weekend?
- Have you heard of this new restaurant?
For more stories like this, sign up for our newsletter.
Stephanie L. King has had an obsession with words since she was seven and chronicled her life in a red and blue Bugs Bunny diary. She’s a poet who wrote for The Wall Street Journal and The Patriot News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before transitioning careers to become an English Language Arts teacher to talented urban middle schoolers. She’s also the brand new mom to a baby girl named Ella Grace and considers the sweetest fruit of her life her husband, Lionel. The reason for the slob on her pants? Her English bulldog, Ice. She lives in New Jersey, where she’s grateful for parking—but she will always be a New Yorker at heart. | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/relationships-love/a28496770/first-date-conversation-starters/ | 2022-08-24T22:33:51Z | oprahdaily.com | control | https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/relationships-love/a28496770/first-date-conversation-starters/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board during the ‘90’s gave us some insight on what an investigation into a crash like this looks like.
Jim Hall, from Signal Mountain, told Local 3 an investigation like this is a very detailed and lengthy process. The preliminary report could come out in as soon as a week, but the final report will likely not be available for at least six months - maybe even a year.
Hall was the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1993-2001. He has overseen a number of investigations involving aviation crashes.
Hall says the NTSB will be working with the FAA on the Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter that crashed into power lines in Marion County Tuesday.
"The investigator from the NTSB that will be coming here will be one who is also versed in rotorcraft accidents, which is what this is,” Hall told us.
Hall has worked closely with the THP in his career and understands a lot about their operations in the air.
“Flew on many of their helicopters and marijuana eradications programs and other law enforcement programs,” Hall said.
Marion County Sheriff Bo Burnette confirms the assignment of the helicopter that crashed was for a marijuana eradication.
The NTSB will be conducting a full investigation in cooperation with all agencies involved.
"They'll look clearly at everything -- from the engine performance, to the fuselage, to the human performance issues in regard to the flight,” Hall said.
Hall also says there are existing regulations in regards to power lines, and they will have to see if those have been adhered to.
The board has done a number of investigations across the country involving rotorcraft and power lines, which will play a role in their investigation.
"Look at past experience as well as looking at the great details of the maintenance history of the aircraft,” he told us. | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/former-ntsb-chairman-shares-insight-into-helicopter-crash-investigations/article_39c2dc94-23ee-11ed-ac4a-734b4c205b95.html | 2022-08-24T22:34:13Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/former-ntsb-chairman-shares-insight-into-helicopter-crash-investigations/article_39c2dc94-23ee-11ed-ac4a-734b4c205b95.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TDOT marked the completion of the US 64 bridge replacement project in Polk County with a ribbon cutting Wednesday.
Representative Dan Howell, Senator Mike Bell, as well as TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley joined the celebration.
Earlier today, @TDOTCommish joined federal, state and local officials for a ribbon cutting to mark the completion of the US 64 bridge replacement project in Polk County. A big thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us! @myTDOT @DanHowell10 @SenMikeBell #myTDOT pic.twitter.com/4ojun4PeDy
— Rae Anne Bradley (@RaeAnneTDOT) August 24, 2022
The project began in September of 2020 and intended to improve the safety and operation of the bridge while allowing for future expansion.
The replacement project expanded the bridge to add wider shoulders and a center turn lane, and added visually appealing standards to the structure.
She’s a beaut!!!! 🤩🤩🤩
— Rae Anne Bradley (@RaeAnneTDOT) August 24, 2022
Check out our newly completed US 64 bridge in Polk County! @myTDOT #WorkingWednesday #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/GiRzuSLCpQ
The original bridge was built in 1937. | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/us-64-bridge-project-completed-in-polk-county/article_925fd27a-23f4-11ed-871f-23baded417b2.html | 2022-08-24T22:34:19Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/us-64-bridge-project-completed-in-polk-county/article_925fd27a-23f4-11ed-871f-23baded417b2.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he's appointing Kimberly Cheatle to be the next director of the United States Secret Service, a selection that comes at what administration officials acknowledge is a critical time for the federal law enforcement agency.
Cheatle worked for the Secret Service for more than 25 years in numerous roles, including as part of the Vice Presidential Protective Division during Biden's time as vice president. She left the agency as the assistant director of the Office of Protective Operations and is currently a senior director at PepsiCo North America.
"Jill and I know firsthand Kim's commitment to her job and to the Secret Service's people and mission. When Kim served on my security detail when I was Vice President, we came to trust her judgment and counsel," Biden wrote in the statement. "She is a distinguished law enforcement professional with exceptional leadership skills, and was easily the best choice to lead the agency at a critical moment for the Secret Service. She has my complete trust, and I look forward to working with her."
Cheatle, who will succeed James Murray in the director role, is the second woman to ever be appointed to lead the agency.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas commended Cheatle's appointment.
"I am confident that her skillset, combined with her fresh perspective, will ensure the Secret Service builds on its strong foundation to grow and evolve into an even more effective agency," Mayorkas, whose agency oversees the Secret Service, said in a statement. "I thank Director Cheatle for heeding the call to return to public service and I look forward to working together to champion the work of the US Secret Service."
Cheatle's appointment comes after Murray announced in July that he would delay his planned retirement from the service as the agency faced inquiries from Congress and elsewhere over its deletion of text messages around January 6, 2021.
CNN previously reported that the US Secret Service erased text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021 -- the day before and the day of the insurrection in Washington. The text messages at issue may have been deleted when the agency conducted a data migration of phones that began January 27, 2021.
Personal cell phone numbers of US Secret Service agents have been provided to oversight bodies looking into the insurrection.
Multiple oversight bodies, including the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, the National Archives and the House January 6 committee, are either investigating or requesting more information about the USSS text messages. It's not immediately clear whether these personal cell phone numbers from agents are related to those inquiries.
And earlier this month, the professional association that advocates for federal law enforcement agents warned Secret Service members that their personal phone numbers the agency recently released "will likely be used" in a criminal investigation.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/biden-appoints-kimberly-cheatle-to-lead-the-secret-service/article_8d45c299-126f-50ee-96bb-4a41b028c30f.html | 2022-08-24T22:34:25Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/biden-appoints-kimberly-cheatle-to-lead-the-secret-service/article_8d45c299-126f-50ee-96bb-4a41b028c30f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Question: What are the laws or rules when it comes to drivers who tailgate? What can a person do to keep them from putting lives in danger? I haven’t heard or read anything for a long time about the three second rule, is that still a recommendation?
Answer: Great questions, I believe following too closely is an underreported factor in many preventable crashes. The law states that vehicles pulling trailers must maintain a minimum following distance of 500 feet. This includes trucks as well as semi-truck tractors with trailers. The law also states that you shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the conditions of the highway.
While the law does not state a specific distance for vehicles not pulling trailers, the Minnesota Driver’s License Manual and Minnesota Safety Council talk about the “three-second rule.”
Applying the “three-second rule’’ is a way to help keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you. This rule pertains to standard-length vehicles driving in ideal conditions. Choose a fixed reference point on the side of the road ahead, such as a telephone pole, signpost, tree, or bridge. When the vehicle ahead of you passes the reference point, begin counting: “One-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three.” If you pass the reference point before you are through counting, you are following too closely. Gradually slow down until you have reached a safe following distance and speed. When road conditions are poor, or if you are driving a vehicle that is longer than the standard length, increase your following distance to a four or five-second count.
If the vehicle behind you is following too closely, slow down slightly and allow it to pass. It’s best to treat someone following too closely similar to an aggressive driver.
• Get out of their way; disengage.
• Stay calm — reaching your destination safely is your goal.
A portion of state statutes were used with permission from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Trp. Jesse Grabow – Minnesota State Patrol at 1000 Highway 10 West, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501-2205. (You can follow him on Twitter @MSPPIO_NW or reach him at, jesse.grabow@state.mn.us).
Discuss the news on NABUR, a place to have local conversations The Neighborhood Alliance for Better Understanding and Respect ✔ A site just for our local community ✔ Focused on facts, not misinformation ✔ Free for everyone | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/following-too-closely/article_bc19dfb2-2245-11ed-b371-2363f4332883.html | 2022-08-24T22:39:40Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/following-too-closely/article_bc19dfb2-2245-11ed-b371-2363f4332883.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
While Minnesota is home to a vast swath of beneficial insects, it is also home to a variety of pests and destructive invasive species such as the introduced emerald ash borer.
Minnesota is home to hundreds of species of insects. Many of these creatures serve to pollinate crops and flowers and even keep other insect populations in check, however a certain collection of them are unwanted pests that may end up in one’s home.
Certain flying insects that cause issues include the mud dauber, box elder bug and mosquitos, however there are many more that are undesirable.
Caroline Kirby of Plunkett’s Pest Control discusses a few species that end up causing headaches for many homeowners.
“The best time to start treating and preventing them is right now, near the end of August,” Kirby explains. “They’re looking for a nice place to overwinter, so you want to treat areas such as eaves and doors and windows before they make their way inside.”
Kirby recommends sealing any cracks one quarter inch or larger to help and keep rodents out and ensuring window and door seals and tight and secure to prevent any insect ingress.
While box elder bugs are seen in greater numbers midsummer, they can also be an issue as fall approaches along with many of species seeking out warmth as the temperatures begin to cool.
“We’ve had a lot of reports of strawberry root weevils coming in this time of year as well,” Kirby mentions.
Kirby explains that protecting a home from various pests always begins with a thorough inspection of the building and the property to assess the needs and challenges unique to the site, “Take a good look to see where those pests may be coming in – the best way to keep them out is excluding them.”
While certain stigmas exist surrounding pesticides and their use, Kirby notes that commercial chemicals for pest control undergo rigorous vetting and regular retesting through the Environmental Protection Agency; labels should always be reviewed and followed carefully so they remain safe for the user and the surrounding environment they’re applied within.
For those seeking natural solutions, gardeners and homeowners can purchase parasitoid wasps to help and control a variety of pests. These wasps lay eggs on nuisance species such as certain moths and aphids and when the eggs hatch the pupae feed on the host until emerging as young wasps, eventually maturing and feeding on mainly the pollen and nectar of flowers.
These wasps have even been released in certain areas in Minnesota to control the destructive emerald ash borer and have been found to reduce the exotic beetle’s numbers.
Discuss the news on NABUR, a place to have local conversations The Neighborhood Alliance for Better Understanding and Respect ✔ A site just for our local community ✔ Focused on facts, not misinformation ✔ Free for everyone | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/late-august-provides-great-time-for-pest-control/article_602476ca-1f81-11ed-9e93-6744e40a992f.html | 2022-08-24T22:39:41Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/late-august-provides-great-time-for-pest-control/article_602476ca-1f81-11ed-9e93-6744e40a992f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
We’ve all heard about “Minnesota nice,” the stereotype of Midwesterners (not necessarily just from Minnesota) that holds implications of unusual levels of reservation, courtesy, mild-manneredness and ... passive-aggressiveness.
I didn’t make that up, I promise!
When I first heard Minnesota nice, it was spouted with an air of pride — “Of course we stopped to help her change her flat tire, we are Minnesota nice, after all!”
As time goes on, I have seen people make “finger quotes” around Minnesota nice when telling their stories, which are often a good deed accompanied by backhanded comments or passive aggressive statements.
Recently, I heard the term Minne-sorta nice and I couldn’t help but chuckle because, if someone were to lump the whole population of the state together, it does ring true.
Minnesotans generally lack the ability to be direct or face conflict head-on. This is perplexing to most of the rest of the world. This creates issues when trying to resolve issues, or do (almost anything) quickly.
For instance, take the Minnesota goodbye — it takes forever! As a guest, you can expect to start your goodbye at least 10-15 minutes prior to when you actually want to leave, but you have to be flexible. As a host, you don’t feel like you can ask people to leave because ... well ... it “isn’t nice.”
Enter, a guest from anywhere but here — if they need to leave, their expectation is to say goodbye and be gone. If this occurs, the host perceives them as rude. If the host continues to suck them into the Minnesota goodbye, they are potentially interfering with a schedule or making the guest uncomfortable or feeling confused.
Let’s say the non-Minnesota goodbye party is the host. Once a goodbye is uttered, the guest is expected to leave — not hang around for awhile longer shooting the breeze. If a gathering is stated to be over at 8 p.m., the guests are expected to depart at 8 p.m. Again — dragging out the departure and goodbye creates confusion and, at times, discomfort.
Now, I’m not about to say that a long goodbye isn’t nice (mean) — but it isn’t always as expected and convenient as us Minnesotans like to think.
I am not a fan of the Minnesota goodbye because oftentimes there are things I need to do and places I need to be and an open-ended goodbye or disregard for an end time throw a wrench into my plans.
There have been times where I have offended people because I cannot accommodate the Minnesota goodbye.
In one instance, I was asked to simply come pick something up. I made it quite clear that I had a meeting to get to and I wouldn’t be able to stick around, but could swing over to pick it up. I did so, I did not participate in a Minnesota goodbye and simply offered my thanks and departed. That interaction was met with a passive aggressive social media post about how they had done “someone” (me) a favor and I wouldn’t even take the time to stop and talk for a while ...
That is a good example of being Minne-sorta nice. Yes, it was nice of them to provide me with what I needed. Yes, I was grateful. Regardless, of my intentions and communication that I could not stay, the passive aggressive offense radiated.
The situation was remedied with a direct conversation. Yes, I confronted the other individual in a polite and respectful way. Did this make them uncomfortable? Yes, but only for a moment as I wasn’t rude about it. All’s well that ends well.
I am certain you have experienced Minne-sorta nice. After all, we all live here and it’s a daily occurrence.
What are your Minne-sorta nice stories?
Heather Kantrud is the managing editor at Daily Journal Media and can be contacted at heather.kantrud@fergusfallsjournal.com. | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/minne-sorta-nice/article_a533abdc-1fef-11ed-9828-0b8d2913e10d.html | 2022-08-24T22:39:42Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/minne-sorta-nice/article_a533abdc-1fef-11ed-9828-0b8d2913e10d.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
I recently finished doing the paperwork for a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program, Conservation Stewardship Program. The program has some of the typical USDA projects that you would expect; fencing that is wildlife-friendly, water pipeline and water tank installation to entice cows out of the bottom of the creek and rotational grazing. We applied and received an EQIP cost share about 15 years ago that was for fencing and water pipeline projects.
However, CSP has some interesting projects that I have not seen in other programs. We will be planting multiple types of plants that are good for pollinators. The goal is to have plants that are flowering during spring through fall. Over the past few years, I have read stories concerning issues with bees and colony collapse disorder. My wife and I feel that adding more plant species to our property that promote bees and other pollinators is a good idea. One thing I do know is that without pollinators, growing crops to feed both people and animals would be impossible.
We will also plan to include different tree species for wildlife on the edge of one of our hayfields. This will hopefully create better habitat for wildlife, especially upland game birds. This will include about three acres of various tree and shrub species. We will also fence off a small section of a creek and plant other shrubs to enhance the creek bed while shading it during the summer. Once the shrub species have established themselves we will remove the electric fence and let the cows utilize the shade.
We will also cut a small hayfield differently. We will leave one-third of the field standing for birds. This may sound counterproductive, but I think it will benefit us in the long run. Last year we had a bad drought and only got a third of a hay crop from our fields. This year seemed worse because we only got about a quarter of a crop. What we did notice is that some of the fields we left standing in 2021 had a better stand this year, not great, but better than most of the rest of our fields. I think it was due to the residual stand catching more snow than the cut areas. We will be excited to see if this practice will help our crops as well as the bird population.
I know not every USDA program is a fit for everybody. If my wife did not push CSP, I probably would not have applied for it on my own. We are dealing with a second bad year of drought and we worry about our pasture conditions, which is why we reduced our herd by a third. This will be our second year of not keeping heifers. Our feeling is that when nature pushes your farm hard, you have to make some changes to keep your land productive. Maybe we will learn that only cutting two-thirds of our hay field nets you more hay over time due to more snow capture. We will find out. I am glad that USDA is thinking a little differently and doing some testing with farmers and ranchers through programs like CSP. It is nice to know we are trying to change as nature changes.
Discuss the news on NABUR, a place to have local conversations The Neighborhood Alliance for Better Understanding and Respect ✔ A site just for our local community ✔ Focused on facts, not misinformation ✔ Free for everyone | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/new-program-on-the-rise/article_6e27be6a-223a-11ed-a64d-3b949ef44cf0.html | 2022-08-24T22:39:43Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/new-program-on-the-rise/article_6e27be6a-223a-11ed-a64d-3b949ef44cf0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The most beautiful things I have seen are in nature.
The deep garnet and scarlet of ripening sumac, the chalky blue film of big bluestem and the soft pinks and greys of yearling swans are just a few of the most wonderful colors I could never explain in words or writing.
Feathers encapsulate so many of nature’s creations I’m entranced with; wood ducks are so gaudy yet subdued and the head of a bull canvasback is a burnt crimson that’s so soft you have to confirm you’re touching it through sight.
Turkeys are one of the most beautiful animals I’ve ever seen and if that sounds odd chances are you’ve never held one.
I’m in the midst of researching small home options for a local property we have. One of my firm requirements for this structure is its relationship with nature, both in how it functions and crucially, how it appears on the landscape.
On a recent trip to California I traveled through the breathtaking valleys of Montana and discovered an architectural aesthetic I have since fallen in love with.
The style termed as Montana modern blends patinated steel with pleasing combinations of wood and stone – the houses and other structures I observed in these shockingly beautiful meadows and foothills did not detract from nature, but augmented it.
The lines were not gentle but far from harsh and the weatherworn facades conveyed living spaces that instead of conquering the elements had survived them and been granted a continued existence within its realm, at least for a time.
It is my vision to bring this merging of earth and dwelling to our parcel in Otter Tail County, creating my own space of Minnesota modern that is hard to leave and a joy to come home to.
A barn already exists at the site and that is another project I’m truly excited about. The roof has been redone in steel in recent years and it presents a stunning canvas for ideas that will be challenging yet highly rewarding.
Any thoughts or suggestions are more than welcome. I’m far from a carpenter or skilled tradesman, but these are excellent projects to learn these skills. I look forward to sharing the process and journey that will result in not a house, but a home.
Discuss the news on NABUR, a place to have local conversations The Neighborhood Alliance for Better Understanding and Respect ✔ A site just for our local community ✔ Focused on facts, not misinformation ✔ Free for everyone | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/outdoor-aesthetics/article_ae8e175a-1f0c-11ed-861f-ff9cc3f7ea06.html | 2022-08-24T22:39:44Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/opinion/outdoor-aesthetics/article_ae8e175a-1f0c-11ed-861f-ff9cc3f7ea06.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In the first home matches of the season, on Aug. 23, the Fergus Falls Otters girls tennis squad picked up a pair of victories of Park Rapids (4-3) and Morris (7-0).
First up for the Otters was Park Rapids. They had previously seen the Park Rapids squad last weekend at their invitational tournament and knew they’d have some tight matches on their hands. Four of the matches involved tie-breaks and there was great tennis on all of the courts. At the top of the singles line-up this fall you'll find junior captain Isabella Abrahams. Abrahams has had a fantastic start to the season with a couple of wins and some great all-around matches. She played a great match against PR, but came up just short of the victory, dropping the match 7-6, 7-5 to a very steady and versatile Morgan Kippelman. Freshman Ruby Ellison debuted at second singles with a fairly routine straight set win 6-2, 6-2. Ellison is showing great court coverage and improved control in her game. She's effective in both singles and doubles and it will be fun to watch her continue to improve day in and day out. Senior captain Leila Nasri and freshman Ashtyn Lill rounded out the singles lineup against Park Rapids, both earning huge 3-set victories for the Otters. Nasri had a great weekend of singles in Park Rapids, taking second in her tournament, while Lill played her first singles match of the season. Both girls showed steady determination to earn their wins in super tie-breakers.
Juniors Hannah Anderson and Clara Stephan teamed up for the first time this season at first doubles. They were met with a tall task in a very athletic senior duo from Park Rapids that controlled the match. Otter seniors Karley Braeger and Cyntreya Lockett fell just short in a 3-set nailbiter, dropping the final set 13-11. Freshman Hattie Fullhart and senior Kezi Hartwell showed great control in their match, dropping just two games while winning 6-1, 6-1.
The second match of the day for the Otters was against Morris. Fergus threw out a different lineup in the second match and found great success with it, earning a 7-0 sweep of the young Morris team. Abrahams, Nasri, Stephan and eighth grader Kaia Ness cruised to straight set victories, dropping no more than three games in any match. For this match, Ellison and Ashtyn Lill teamed up on top of the doubles lineup for the first time and found success, winning 6-4, 6-3. Lockett and Braeger paired again and found great success against a very heavy hitting duo and won their match 6-1, 6-3. Anderson and Fullhart made quick work at third doubles, dropping only one game on the day.
The Otters travel to Moorhead on Aug. 24, for a dual with the Spuds.
FF vs. PR
Singles:
1. Morgan Kippleman (PR) defeated Isabella Abrahams (FF) 7-6(4), 7-5.
2. Ruby Ellison (FF) defeated Shailyn Hayes (PR) 6-2, 6-2.
3. Leila Nasri (FF) defeated Ella Ehler (PR) 4-6, 6-2, 10-4.
4. Ashtyn Lill (FF) defeated Kate Dravis (PR) 6-3, 2-6, 10-6.
Doubles:
1. Macy Goochey/Mickey Clark (PR) defeated Hannah Anderson/Clara Stephan (FF) 6-0, 6-0.
2. Emmy Goochy/Abby Runyan (PR) defeated Karley Braeger/Cyntreya Lockett (FF) 2-6, 7-6(5), 13-11.
3. Kezi Hartwell/Hattie Fullhart (FF) defeated Rachel Ulvin/Nora Bolton (PR) 6-1, 6-1.
FF vs. Morris
Singles:
1. Isabella Abrahams (FF) defeated Claire Stark (M) 6-2, 6-0.
2. Leila Nasri (FF) defeated Chloe Zimmel (M) 6-0, 6-1.
3. Clara Stephan (FF) defeated Elizabeth Pollard (M) 6-2, 6-1.
4. Kaia Ness (FF) defeated Ellen Reed (M) 6-1, 6-0.
Doubles:
1. Ruby Ellison/Ashtyn Lill (FF) defeated Karlie Bruns/Ashley Koehl (M) 6-4, 6-3.
2. Karley Braeger/Cyntreya Lockett (FF) defeated Nora Meek/Lydia Synboh (M) 6-1, 6-3.
3. Hannah Anderson/Hattie Fullhart (FF) defeated Grace Hauglie/Izzy Hoffman (M) 6-0. 6-1. | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/sports/otters-pick-up-two-wins-on-the-tennis-court/article_4d604cc8-23c6-11ed-a304-ef29c1ea513e.html | 2022-08-24T22:40:00Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/sports/otters-pick-up-two-wins-on-the-tennis-court/article_4d604cc8-23c6-11ed-a304-ef29c1ea513e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Actor Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton and Dascha Polanco team up as mother and son in the new action fantasy Samaritan alongside Sylvester Stallon. Faced with living in a neighborhood of crime and the accompanying lack of hope, the two find a former hero who they think can help. Samaritan debuts on Prime Video on Aug. 26. | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/24/actor-javon-wanna-walton-and-dascha-polanco-believe-heros-exist-in-samaritan/ | 2022-08-24T22:45:43Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/24/actor-javon-wanna-walton-and-dascha-polanco-believe-heros-exist-in-samaritan/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tokyo: HS Prannoy stunned second seed Kento Momota in straight games to record a sensational win while reigning Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen also sailed into the men's singles pre-quarterfinals of the World Championships here on Wednesday.
Unseeded Prannoy rose above expectations to shut the door on crowd favourite and two-time former world champion Momota 21-17 21-16 in a second round tie.
Incidentally, it was Prannoy's first win over Momota in eight matches. In their previous clashes, the Indian won only one game against his higher-rated Japanese rival.
Earlier in he day, reigning Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen sailed into the pre-quarterfinals with a straight game win over Spain's Luis Penalver.
The young Indian badminton ace Sen won his second round contest 21-17 21-10, taking 36 minutes to complete the formality.
Prannoy and Sen will face each other in an all-Indian last 16 clash on Thursday.
However, last edition's runner-up Kidambi Srikanth crashed out after a straight game defeat to world number 32 Zhao Jun Peng.
Srikanth went down against his Chinese counterpart 18-21, 17-21 in a match lasting only 34 minutes.
The 29-year-old was out of sorts in the opening game as it took only 12 minutes for Zhao to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Indian, already on the back foot, tried to up the ante in the second game and led 16-14 but too many unforced errors helped Zhao secure the victory.
The young Indian badminton ace Sen won his second round contest 21-17 21-10, taking 72 minutes to complete the formality.
After trailing 3-4, the ninth seeded Sen grabbed a six-point lead to be 13-7. The Indian continued to stay ahead before comfortably wrapping up the first game.
Sen, a world championship bronze medallist, then maintained his stranglehold over the Spanish shuttler and won the second game by a bigger margin.
In the second game, the first six points were shared between the two players, but the 21-year-old Indian pulled ahead riding on his superior play.
Enjoying a massive nine-point lead at one stage of the second game, it was only a matter of time before Sen completed the job.
Earlier, the Indian men's doubles pair of M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila moved to the pre-quarterfinals but Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy made a second round exit from the prestigious tournament.
The unseeded Arjun and Kapila upstaged eighth seeds and last edition's bronze medallists Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark 21-17 21-16 in their second round match.
They will face Hee Yong Kai Terry and Loh Kean Hean of Singapore next.
Ponnappa and Sikki, on the other hand, were handed a 15-21 10-21 loss by top seeds Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan of China in 42 minutes.
The other women's doubles pairing of Pooja Dandu and Sanjana Santosh's also crashed out of the tournament, going down to third seeds Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan of Korea 15-21 7-21.
The eighth seeded men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy thrashed Guatemala's Solis Jonathan and Anibal Marroquin 21-8 21-10 to storm into Round of 16, where the duo will be up against Denmark's Jeppe Bay and Lasse Molhede. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/24/lakshya-sen-enters-pre-quarters-bwf-world-championships.amp.html | 2022-08-24T22:48:17Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/24/lakshya-sen-enters-pre-quarters-bwf-world-championships.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As part of the upcoming National Sports Day celebrations, the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence in Alappuzha is organising a unique competition for the public -- country-boat race.
SAI said the idea was to create an "awareness of watersports in the local community and uphold the passion it has for its tradition and also for identifying possible raw talents from participants". The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29, traditionally as a tribute to Hockey legend Dhyan Chand.
"People from all walks of life are invited to take part in the competition," SAI said in a press release.
Competitions in three categories -- single paddle, double paddle and quadruple paddle -- will be held at Punnamada Lake.
The first prizes in single, double and quadruple paddle events are Rs 5,000, Rs. 7,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. Second and third prizes will also be given, informed SAI.
According to SAI, "exceptional talents under 18 years would be considered for further screening as part of Khelo India protocols". | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/25/national-sports-day-country-boat-races-punnamada-lake-sports-authority-india.amp.html | 2022-08-24T22:48:23Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/25/national-sports-day-country-boat-races-punnamada-lake-sports-authority-india.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cook County continues to see increase in opioid-related deaths: 'It's time for us to wake up'
COOK COUNTY, Ill. - America's fentanyl epidemic has gotten so bad that some morgues could soon run out of room.
In Chicago, the Cook County Medical Examiner needed more room and more resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, COVID deaths have dropped, but the morgue still needs extra space due to deaths from fentanyl.
Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, the Cook County Chief Medical Examiner, said the most common non-natural death is opioids.
Opioid-related deaths in Cook County have nearly tripled from 675 in 2017 to nearly 2,000 deaths last year.
"Most of them were related to fentanyl," said Dr. Arunkumar.
Nationally — it's even worse.
Deaths rose from 6,000 in 2015 to over 63,000 last year.
Fentanyl is the biggest factor, and coroners across the country are saying its tough to keep up with the amount of deaths.
Dr. Arunkumar says these deaths are all preventable.
In 2016, Kathy Zander said her son ingested drugs that contained fentanyl, which ultimately killed him.
He was buried on what would have been his 23rd birthday.
"These choices that they're making, they're not able to learn from their mistakes because they're dying," said Zander.
Zander says fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction.
"It's time for us to wake up and to get this stuff off the street," said Zander.
Caitlin Strebing's 35-year-old brother accidentally overdosed on fentanyl last year. She now advocates for substance abuse disorders and fentanyl awareness.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE CONTENT
"Fentanyl is the leading cause of death in the U.S. right now for ages 18 to 45, and I think that alone speaks for itself," said Strebing.
So far, there is no sign of stopping.
Cook County's morgue has brought in refrigerated trailers. The medical examiner says they can't handle all the bodies — at least for now.
Many coroners' offices are saying the uptick in drug-related deaths is putting a big strain on their resources and staff, causing some to increase their budget to address the problem. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cook-county-continues-to-see-increase-in-opioid-related-deaths | 2022-08-24T22:49:05Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cook-county-continues-to-see-increase-in-opioid-related-deaths | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Grandson of Gaelic football star playing for Northwestern in Ireland this weekend
EVANSTON, Ill. - This weekend, the Northwestern football team will be taking on Nebraska in Dublin, Ireland, and it's a homecoming of sorts for one local player.
His grandfather was a star player in Ireland in the 1950s. On Saturday, that grandfather will be watching his grandson play on TV from his home in Beverly.
"I enjoy American football. I don't know the ins and outs of it, but I enjoy it," said 89-year-old Paddy Carr.
Paddy may not be an expert on college football, but when it comes to Gaelic football, he knows a thing or two.
"Gaelic football is, you have the shirt and pants, first of all, and that's all. No protective equipment, except your shoulder," he said.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE
Paddy was a star player when he was a young man in Ireland, and along with two of his brothers helped the Warrenpoint Gaelic Football Club win a National Championship in 1953.
"My grandpa, he just turned 89. He's my best friend," said Declan Carr, the grandson of Paddy.
Now, Paddy's grandson, Declan Carr, a linebacker at Northwestern University, will be playing football in Dublin this Saturday as Northwestern takes on Nebraska.
"I just think it's really cool that he went over to America around my age and now I get to go back to Ireland and play football. And he came to America to play Gaelic football and now I get to go to Ireland and play American football," Declan said.
About 50 members of the Carr family — from Chicago and Ireland — will be in attendance for Saturday’s game, including Paddy's son and Declan’s dad.
"The family's so happy he's got this opportunity, and not only that but going back to Ireland where it all began, where his family came from, his Papa Carr," said Pat Carr, Declan’s father.
While Paddy will have to watch the game this weekend on TV, he is heading to Ireland in September to meet with family and friends. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/grandson-of-gaelic-football-star-playing-for-northwestern-in-ireland-this-weekend | 2022-08-24T22:49:17Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/grandson-of-gaelic-football-star-playing-for-northwestern-in-ireland-this-weekend | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Man stabbed to death near Chicago's Mag Mile identified, his girlfriend speaks out
CHICAGO - A murder along Chicago's Michigan Avenue apparently followed a road rage incident Tuesday night.
The victim has been identified as 36-year-old Jeremy Walker. His long-time girlfriend says he was in route to pick her up from work.
Walker was well known for his mobile detailing business and special love for his 12-year-old son Jaylin.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE
Around 730 p.m. on Tuesday, Walker apparently had gotten into a fight with another driver near Dearborn and Ohio. He reportedly questioned the driver about honking his horn.
Police say Walker was eventually stabbed in the neck.
Witnesses say there were three men in the second vehicle involved, which immediately left the scene after the stabbing.
After being stabbed, Walker drove five blocks to Michigan and Ontario seeking help from police parked nearby.
Unfortunately, the 36-year-old later died at Northwestern Hospital.
Walker’s girlfriend said he lived a simple life.
"But he don't bother nobody. That man go to work and he come home, and he take care of his son. And some random person just took him. Like if y'all were fighting or if whatever happened and he had the upper hand – like just – but to pull out a knife. That's crazy," said Jessica Evans.
According to sources, police have recovered the vehicle the three suspects were riding in.
Still, the perpetrators remain at large.
Police were also reviewing POD camera footage and surveillance video from nearby businesses. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/man-stabbed-to-death-near-chicagos-mag-mile-identified-his-girlfriend-speaks-out | 2022-08-24T22:49:23Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/man-stabbed-to-death-near-chicagos-mag-mile-identified-his-girlfriend-speaks-out | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Monkeypox cases in Chicago start to plateau, city's top doctor says
CHICAGO - Chicago's top doctor said she's optimistic about the city's health as monkeypox cases start to plateau.
As of Wednesday morning, there have been 793 monkeypox cases in Chicago since the outbreak began in June.
Last week, 113 new cases were reported in the city compared to 138 cases the week before.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE
Dr. Allison Arwady said that's a good thing, but stopped short of calling the decreased a "trend."
She said that's because it’s just, "too early to know for sure." | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/monkeypox-cases-in-chicago-start-to-plateau-citys-top-doctor-says | 2022-08-24T22:49:29Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/monkeypox-cases-in-chicago-start-to-plateau-citys-top-doctor-says | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Waukegan cop fatally shoots man armed with knife, hammer and gas can: police
WAUKEGAN, Ill. - A Waukegan police officer shot and killed a man who allegedly came at him with a knife, hammer and gas can taped to his chest Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m. in the 1000 block of Glen Court.
According to police, Waukegan police were called to the area for a reported neighbor dispute. Police were told a neighbor was trying to start a chainsaw and had gasoline.
When the officer arrived at the scene, police say a wooden fence separating the two properties in question was on fire. The officer then went back to his squad car to get a fire extinguisher.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE
As the officer returned to the fence to try to extinguish the fire, police say a man armed with a knife, hammer and gas can taped to his chest advanced toward the officer.
The man refused the officer's verbal commands and was fatally shot, police said.
The man has not been identified, but is a Waukegan resident in his 20s.
The officer involved in the shooting is a 15-year police veteran in his 30s.
The investigation is ongoing. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/waukegan-cop-fatally-shoots-man-armed-with-knife-hammer-and-gas-can-police | 2022-08-24T22:49:47Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/waukegan-cop-fatally-shoots-man-armed-with-knife-hammer-and-gas-can-police | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Latest Videos
More Videos-
Cleveland: Pera knocks out No.1 seed Krejcikova in R2
2022 Cleveland -
Granby: Top seed Kasatkina wins 2-day match with Frech to make QF
2022 Granby -
Cleveland: Kenin beats 2021 finalist Begu to make 2nd QF of season
2022 Cleveland -
Cleveland: Cornet shows off rally skills in R2 win over Tauson
2022 Cleveland | https://www.wtatennis.com/videos/2759094/granby-top-seed-kasatkina-wins-2-day-match-with-frech-to-make-qf | 2022-08-24T22:52:17Z | wtatennis.com | control | https://www.wtatennis.com/videos/2759094/granby-top-seed-kasatkina-wins-2-day-match-with-frech-to-make-qf | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Latest Videos
More Videos-
Cleveland: Pera knocks out No.1 seed Krejcikova in R2
2022 Cleveland -
Granby: Top seed Kasatkina wins 2-day match with Frech to make QF
2022 Granby -
Cleveland: Kenin beats 2021 finalist Begu to make 2nd QF of season
2022 Cleveland -
Cleveland: Cornet shows off rally skills in R2 win over Tauson
2022 Cleveland | https://www.wtatennis.com/videos/2759129/cleveland-pera-knocks-out-no-1-seed-krejcikova-in-r2 | 2022-08-24T22:52:23Z | wtatennis.com | control | https://www.wtatennis.com/videos/2759129/cleveland-pera-knocks-out-no-1-seed-krejcikova-in-r2 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UofL students approve of student debt relief
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - On University of Louisville’s campus, there seems to be no limit to positive reactions to President Biden’s plan to forgive a portion of college debt for students.
The plan will be limited to individuals making less than $125,000 per year, but students didn’t seem to mind.
“Financially, it’s freeing me from from whenever I want enter the workforce, and I have a lot of other bills I have to pay,” student Zane Phelps said. “I have rent, utilities, just all sorts of bills. This is going to be really, really helpful.”
“I mean some of my professors have student loans from decades ago that they’re still paying off,” student Eric Miracke said. “It’s just a huge burden. I think it’s going to be really good for them not to have such a huge burden. He’s not taking away everything, but he’s taking away some of it. It’s enough to make an impact, I think.”
Most borrowers will be impacted with $10,000 in debt relief.
According to university estimates, the UofL class of 2022 graduated in the spring with an average student debt load between $22-23,000.
The Biden plan also cancels up to $20,000 for recipients of Pell Grants. It also delivers options for people like Sim Nanda, who want to go to grad school.
He predicts loan forgiveness will eliminate four to five years of debt payments.
“So think about the money I would save in order to do that,” Nanda said. “You know, paying for my undergrad and my masters program. That would really help.”
Others see it as an opportunity to build more wealth.
“I believe that gives you a better chance to excel in your career,” student Desmond Newkirk said, “due to the fact that you won’t have to worry about paying back such a great amount of student loans out of your pocket, out of your checks. That could go towards something better.”
Copyright 2022 WAVE. All rights reserved. | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/24/uofl-students-approve-student-debt-relief/ | 2022-08-24T22:52:53Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/24/uofl-students-approve-student-debt-relief/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. Air Force Col. Michael P. Richard, 35th Fighter Wing commander, greets students walking to class in front of an Edgren Middle High School sign during the first day of school at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Aug. 22, 2022. In 2021, the school underwent a $33-million renovation, combining former Misawa High School, Edgren Middle School and sixth graders from Sollars Elementary School into one institution. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Leon Redfern)
This work, School is in Session [Image 6 of 6], by SrA Leon Redfern, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7386879/school-session | 2022-08-24T22:54:19Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7386879/school-session | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Pennsylvania woman suing former Saturday Night Live cast member Horatio Sanz for allegedly sexually assaulting and grooming her when she was underage has requested that Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels, and Tracy Morgan be added to the suit as defendants. She claims that they enabled Sanz’s behavior, as first reported by Variety. The complaint, which was originally filed by plaintiff Jane Doe in August 2021, also names parent company NBCUniversal as a defendant. Vanity Fair has reached out to representatives for Fallon, Michaels, and Morgan for comment.
In the suit, Doe claims that Sanz began “grooming” her after they met online when she was a 15-year-old SNL fan. She alleges that Sanz was “flirtatious and physically affectionate” with her after show tapings in 2000. She also claims that in 2001 and 2002, she attended SNL parties, after-parties, and “after-after-parties” while underage, accusing Sanz of groping and sexually assaulting her during and after an event in May 2002, when she was 17. The suit claims that Morgan rented out the space for that party.
According to the suit, Fallon and Sanz would allegedly drink with the defendant at parties. Doe claims Fallon once asked her about her age, to which she responded that she was a junior in high school. Doe alleges that she met Michaels at another party and that the SNL head offered her advice on her writing career. When the suit was first filed last summer, it alleged that 18 NBCU employees had or should have had knowledge of Sanz’s alleged misconduct, including Fallon, Michaels, and Morgan.
Sanz’s lawyer, Andrew Brettler, has denied the allegations. “This individual’s claims about Horatio Sanz are categorically false,” he said in a statement last August. “However often she repeats her ludicrous allegations or tries to rope in other high-profile names to generate media attention, they will always be false. Before filing this lawsuit anonymously, she demanded $7.5 million in exchange for her silence. We, of course, refused and will vigorously contest these totally meritless claims.” In regard to the $7.5 million claim, Doe’s newly hired lawyer, Susan Crumiller, told Vanity Fair, “Jane’s settlement demand was made at the insistence of defense counsel and had nothing to do with a promise of silence. His efforts to now turn around and cry ‘extortion’ are ludicrous and false.”
NBCUniversal filed a motion to dismiss the suit in April 2022. “Employers owe no general duty to protect third-persons from the possibility of sexual abuse by their employees,” attorneys for the company said at the time. Of the most recent filing, an NBC spokesperson told Vanity Fair: “Regardless of Jane Doe’s changing narratives, NBC intends to renew its motion to dismiss.”
Doe filed her suit under a state law that contains a two-year “lookback window” permitting victims of child sex abuse to sue on claims that would have otherwise been prohibited by the statute of limitations. Crumiller is requesting a September 8 hearing to get permission to file the updated complaint with Fallon, Michaels, and Morgan as defendants. | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/horatio-sanz-accuser-lists-jimmy-fallon-tracy-morgan-lorne-michaels-in-sexual-assault-suit | 2022-08-24T23:00:59Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/horatio-sanz-accuser-lists-jimmy-fallon-tracy-morgan-lorne-michaels-in-sexual-assault-suit | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
FOXBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — There are 7.7 billion people on Earth.
329.5 million Americans.
4.2 million of those play soccer.
More than 800,000 of those play high school soccer.
About 45,000 play college soccer.
And only about 12,000 will play either Division I or Division II.
It’s safe to say getting to the pinnacle of college athletics is very difficult. So the odds are minuscule to be recruited twice by the same coach to two top programs.
Except for Tommy McNamara. That was his reality.
“There are not too many players I recruited twice, and I recruited him twice,” Clemson men’s soccer head coach Mike Noonan said. “He’s a special man and I’m happy I have the relationship.”
Born and raised in New York, McNamara comes from a very athletic background. A four-year varsity letterman at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, McNamara chose to accept an offer to play at Brown University in 2009.
The Bears, coached by Noonan at the time, were coming off a 9-7-1 season and were looking for players to help them get back into the NCAA tournament after failing to qualify that season.
While the promise of Division I soccer is already appealing enough, the offer of earning an Ivy League education along the way is a mouth watering prospect for any high schooler.
“Soccer (is) for four years, your education’s for forty years. Which one do you choose?” Noonan said in his recruiting pitch to McNamara.
McNamara stayed in Providence for four years and instantly fell in love with the diverse city.
In his first two seasons, McNamara made 38 appearances scoring eight goals and tallying four assists. He was poised to have another stellar season.
“We had the first two games of the season, so I played those first two games,” McNamara said. “We hosted a tournament and I won the MVP of the tournament and the team did great.”
He continued: “I played really well, but over the course of the first game into the second, I had a back issue. I probably shouldn’t have [played] looking back, but I made it significantly worse and that was it for the season.”
The midfielder was ultimately shut down and sat out the rest of the season.
It was difficult for McNamara to sit on the sidelines. He was a reigning Second Team All-Ivy league selection.
But his dream to play professionally was the main reason he fought his way back.
“It kind of felt like there was no other option,” McNamara said. “I have to make this work and I’m going to do everything in order to make this work.”
The back injury meant McNamara was not on the radar of many MLS teams. With one final year of eligibility, he decided to play as a graduate student.
At the time, Ivy League schools did not allow graduate students to participate in athletics. McNamara was forced to find another team. Yet his decision was rather simple.
He committed to Clemson and Noonan, his former head coach on the East Side.
In one season in South Carolina, McNamara became an All-American. Instantly, he attracted the attention of teams across the MLS.
“It immediately just improved my position professionally,” he recalled.
“I went from the year before if I left Brown to go on trial and a team not really owing me anything, to being the 20th pick by playing one more year of college soccer.”
As a top draft pick, there were many expectations to succeed for his new club, Chivas USA. Just six games into his stint, he suffered another season ending injury, this time it was to his ACL.
McNamara was back to square one. Following a brief stint with DC United, he landed at newly formed NYCFC. Still a fresh face to professional soccer, he found himself playing alongside superstar midfielders Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo.
“They treated every day as work and as a job.”
Under their guidance, McNamara became a club legend where he resided from 2015-2018.
After his time in the Big Apple came to an end, McNamara took a pitstop in Houston and eventually came back to New England, the place where McNamara’s career took off.
“To be back in New England, it feels like a second home to me,” McNamara said. “For me when you’re comfortable and happy off the field, you feel better and can express yourself more on the field.”
“He can play up front in the attack. He can score goals,” Noonan said. “He can play in the field in an attacking role. He can play as a six as a defending midfielder.
“That’s the best part about Tom is that he’s got such a good soccer brain.”
McNamara’s versatility is a contributing factor to his longevity.
“Whatever the coach asks of me, whatever it may be. Starting whatever position, that is if it’s on the bench or if it’ll be coming into that game winning, losing, defending, attacking,” he said.
“Whatever it may be I’m willing to do whatever it takes in order to make the team successful.” | https://www.wpri.com/revolution-soccer/brown-product-tommy-mcnamara-thriving-again-in-new-england/ | 2022-08-24T23:01:00Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/revolution-soccer/brown-product-tommy-mcnamara-thriving-again-in-new-england/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Every day, John Boyega would shave his head, slip on a gray hoodie, and put on a nondescript pair of wire-rimmed glasses, quietly fading into character on the set of his latest film, Breaking. “It felt like a ritual,” Boyega recalls over lunch at the 1 Hotel in Dumbo, Brooklyn. “There was this unrecognizable thing going on.” The actor would cease being himself—a charismatic Brit known the world over for playing Finn in Star Wars—and transform into Brian Easley, a polite and soft-spoken former lance corporal in the Marine Corps dealing with severe mental and physical health issues. After the Department of Veterans Affairs stops sending him disability checks and ignores all his reasonable attempts to get what he is owed, Easley walks into a bank, claiming to have a bomb in his backpack. His short and increasingly dangerous life has backed him into a corner, and he’s ready to blow it all away.
The first time Boyega saw the script for Breaking, based on a devastating true story, he couldn’t sit still. “It gave me that thrill,” he says. He stood up and started reading it aloud, acting out the scenes page by page. “If my skillset’s starting to activate,” he says, “then I probably want to do it.”
Originally, Jonathan Majors was cast to play Brian in the film, directed by Abi Damaris Corbin and co-written by Corbin and Kwame Kwei-Armah. When he left the project due to a scheduling conflict, Boyega quickly jumped on board, excited to do something that had piqued Majors’s interest. “Jonathan [does] some of the most versatile work,” he says of the Lovecraft County star. Breaking, which Boyega also executive produced, offered the kind of versatility the actor had been seeking—a chance to shake off his natural extroversion and climb inward.
In person, the British Nigerian actor is an exuberant and supremely confident force, bounding into the hotel’s café with a smile on his face and a diamond chain with a large key pendant glittering around his neck. “It’s a replica of the keychain Eren wears in Attack on Titan,” he explains proudly, referencing the beloved post-apocalyptic anime series. He’s a longtime anime obsessive (there’s Dragon Ball manga in his suitcase as we speak), and he had the key made himself.
He is, in many ways, the polar opposite of Brian, who was perhaps the gentlest man to ever hold up a bank. When we meet him in Breaking, the former Marine, who was honorably discharged in 2005, has been deeply neglected by the VA. His mental health is also deteriorating, estranging him from his family, though he tries his best to stay connected to his exhausted ex-wife, Jessica, and their daughter. But after losing his disability checks, Brian finds himself on the brink of homelessness. Out of desperation, he decides to hold up the bank and keep its tellers hostage so he can finally get the attention of the VA and the local media.
The film is an excellent showcase for Boyega, who plays Brian with a quiet and dignified sadness. Breaking, which debuted at Sundance, has already been compared to Dog Day Afternoon—a classic in the genre of righteous bank heists—and John Q, the Denzel Washington melodrama about a man holding up a hospital so doctors can perform life-saving heart surgery on his son.
It seems like a purposeful move, a way for Boyega to align himself with some of the greatest actors of all time. But the actor swears neither film crossed his mind when he read the script for Breaking. (Even though Breaking also has a direct tie to Denzel: His daughter, actor Olivia Washington, plays Brian’s wife.) “I get it,” he says now. Boyega’s also planning to align himself with Denzel in a more tangible way: by starring in a prequel to one of the Oscar-winning actor’s films. Boyega declines to say which one (except that it’s not Training Day).
Though Olivia plays Brian’s wife, Boyega’s main scene partner in Breaking is Nicole Beharie, who plays one of the steely tellers to extraordinary effect. Boyega can’t say enough good things about the Miss Juneteenth actor. He references her performances in Sleepy Hollow and Black Mirror, particularly that one scene that regularly goes viral on Twitter. “She comes with a nuance,” he says, running through a shortlist of micro acting choices she makes—from the way she carefully glanced in one scene, to the way she sloooowly turned her body in another. “Not a lot of people can do what she does.”
The late Michael K. Williams, who plays Eli, the good-hearted negotiator trying to coax Brian into surrender, was another vital partner for Boyega, though all their scenes together are through phone conversations. Boyega was a huge fan of Williams’s work in The Wire, finding the HBO drama to be an extra source of inspiration after he realized cast members like Idris Elba were British. “I was like, What?!” he says, recalling a time he watched an interview with Elba. “You’re British?! That in itself was inspirational. That was the show you watched if you want to make that transition to the States.”
Williams quickly boarded the indie. “It was kind of him to come up and join us for the two dollars and fifty cents that we paid him,” Boyega quips. He and the late actor bonded over activism as well as their work. Like millions of others, Williams had been moved by the spontaneous and emotional speech Boyega made at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020, more impressed with that than with the young actor’s Star Wars clout. “You were about us,” Williams told him. “You care about us.” Boyega still has a bottle of cologne that Williams gifted him, which he used almost daily. “It’s weird, having it run out,” he reflects. He still has it, saving it for special occasions.
Breaking is the first of three films Boyega has out this year, soon to be followed by The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Viola Davis, and They Cloned Tyrone, a Netflix drama costarring Jamie Foxx. This triplicate was intentionally designed by Boyega after his run in the billion-dollar Star Wars trilogy, which he followed up with a handful of less blockbuster-y roles like an Emmy-nominated turn in the excellent series Small Axe. He went to his team and posed a question: “If I were to make a trilogy, what stories would I tell?” he recalls. The answer: “I’d make a trilogy of films that have nothing to do with each other. Just stories, Black Mirror–style.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/john-boyega-breaking-interview | 2022-08-24T23:01:05Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/john-boyega-breaking-interview | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
After breaking out as the adult version of Chiron in the Oscar-winning Moonlight, Trevante Rhodes was waiting and plotting. He stayed busy with supporting turns in The Predator, Bird Box, and The United States vs. Billie Holiday—but the 32-year-old actor wanted to be “intentional” when it came time for his first opportunity as a leading man, and he felt like a boxing project could be the winning ticket. But he never would have guessed that he’d somehow end up playing the one and only Mike Tyson.
“I didn’t pursue it,” Rhodes says of his new Hulu limited series, Mike, which promises a no-holds-barred look at the infamous life of Tyson. “I was pursuing a boxing piece because I like the aesthetic. I wanted to utilize it to understand and to develop a better understanding of the sport. Boxing is specific; it’s the same thing [as acting] because you’re putting on a show.”
Beginning with his first memories of Tyson—including the headline-making rivalry between the fighter and Evander Holyfield, as well as the ear bite seen around the world—Rhodes says Tyson’s “aura was very influential” for him. Maybe that’s why he believes that he’s the Tyson of his peer group. “I understand him. I relate in every way,” Rhodes explains. “So that was the reason why I was the right person for the piece—it was a spirit thing.”
Mike hails from writer Steven Rogers, director Craig Gillespie, and producer Margot Robbie, the team behind another unconventional sports biopic: 2017’s I, Tonya. Much of Mike is narrated by Rhodes as Tyson onstage in front of an audience. “There’s no one like me,” he declares early in episode one. “There’s no one can match me.” The line also speaks to the challenge Rhodes faced: transforming into one of the most singular figures in contemporary sports, from the voice to the body to the tattoo. Yet Rhodes says he never felt intimidated by the task at hand. He credits his “mastery of my inherent intelligence” for his being able to channel Tyson, the man. But Tyson, the boxer, took more than brains—it took training, despite Rhodes’s background as a college track star.
“The most challenging aspect was how fearless the process was,” Rhodes says. Former world boxing champ Ann Wolfe trained him for the part, playing a pivotal role in his process. “She was incredibly instrumental. I mean, we trained today.” It helps, he says, that he and Tyson have similar builds. “I’m a little faster, I think. So I moved more. But for the show, she was just helping me understand his movement. It’s just emulating that style. And everybody who boxes wants to be Mike Tyson, so it’s an honor…It was really an emotional shoot. We had a lot to do, but in that regard, I kind of related it to a Tyson fight.”
Of course, there’s much more to Tyson’s life than what he did in the ring, both good and bad. Showrunner Karin Gist previously told Entertainment Weekly that “the show is not meant to glorify his life,” arguing that it’s not trying to say if this “complicated” figure—who was found guilty of rape in 1992, ultimately serving three years of a six-year sentence—is a hero or villain. One episode in particular is sure to reignite the conversation about Tyson’s troubled past and the violence he inflicted on his then wife, Robin Givens, who is played by Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Laura Harrier.
“Part of being a creative is empathy and sympathy and having that for not just the piece, but the people in this particular situation that you’re making a piece about,” Rhodes says. “So at the level that we are, we all understand the weight of what we’re doing. And so you take that, and then you do what you do to best acclimate yourself and the world to the situation.”
Another situation to which Rhodes has had to acclimate himself is Tyson continuing to throw forceful punches at Mike and Hulu. When the series was first announced in February 2021, Tyson criticized Hulu’s “corporate greed” and “tone-deaf cultural misappropriation” of his life story. Shortly thereafter, Tyson was revealed to be an executive producer on a rival series about his life, which is set to be directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua and feature Oscar winner Jamie Foxx as Tyson. The boxer has since doubled down on his Mike comments, sharing a photo earlier this month on Instagram that read: “Don’t let Hulu fool you. I don’t support their story about my life. It’s not 1822. It’s 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me. To Hulu executives I’m just a n****r they can sell on the auction block.”
Speaking to Vanity Fair ahead of Tyson’s latest remarks, Rhodes seems unenthused when asked about the disapproval from the man he’s playing. “I mean, that’s Mike Tyson, so it was apt,” says the actor. He still hopes Tyson gives the project a shot. “I reached out. I tried to make some type of connection via Instagram, and it didn’t work. But, you know, you try. I did my best…I’m sure I’ll see him, hopefully.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/mike-tyson-show-trevante-rhodes | 2022-08-24T23:01:11Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/mike-tyson-show-trevante-rhodes | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Tor where I grew up in the heart of Dartmoor, Devon. Imagine the windswept English landscape of Wuthering Heights combined with overgrown bracken, bright yellow buttercups, and the occasional wild pony. A landscape steeped in magical myths and fairy tales. We were always told to keep our hands in our pockets as soon as the fog started rolling in, or else the pixies would lead us astray! Whenever I need to recharge, reset, or be reinspired I come back here.
Every Sunday night without fail, my boyfriend and I will close our eyes and choose an angel card at random, and that word given to us will be our mantra for the week. A sweet tradition following on from my Granny, and one that I want to continue when I have children. This week mine was Acceptance.
My grandfather played a big role in my decision to study History of Art at university. My childhood was spent visiting exhibitions around London and learning the meaning behind all sorts of beautiful creations. Upa (my great grandparents were German Jews so the tradition of carrying on using the word “Opa” for grandfather stuck), has a small Rodin sculpture called “Dancer” in his office—which is a cabinet of curiosities in itself. This sculpture always fascinated me, not only because of Rodin’s beautiful portrayal of ballet dancers and movement, but his use of the “lost wax technique”, which I now use to cast and make my jewellery. I love that the same process used in 1906 is still being used today.
I have a deep-rooted love for traditional tattoos and their symbolism. Specifically old school sailor tattoos, as they are steeped in history and meaning. The swallow, for example, represents the freedom of long miles travelled but also the importance of always returning home. An anchor symbolising stability and a successful voyage, or a nautical star meaning guidance and luck. This plays a big role in my jewellery designing.
The Victoria & Albert Museum is my absolute favourite space to visit in London. The jewellery department is a treasure trove of inspiration, I’m always drawn to the frosted gold Byzantine rings or Victorian “memento mori” skulls and enamel brooches. | https://www.vanityfair.com/london/2022/08/cece-fein-hughes-shares-her-inspirations | 2022-08-24T23:01:17Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/london/2022/08/cece-fein-hughes-shares-her-inspirations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Expectations were sky high when V.F. arrived at La Residencia, Belmond’s universally adored Mallorcan property. Whenever you tell someone you’re staying there, you’re met with a wistful sigh and reassurance that you’re going to love it. Believe the hype.
One of the best things about Mallorca is the ease with which you can get from place to place. Once you’ve landed, spend a night in the capital, Palma, and be sure to book a table at El Camino (the heavenly Mallorcan restaurant by Eddie Hart, of the Hart brothers behind Barrafina) for sensational tapas and fresh seafood at the trademark L-shaped bar. Just 45 minutes away by car is La Residencia, in the rocky hillside town of Deia. The hotel feels like part of the town, set as it is into the craggy face of the hill, just above the town and spread over a number of different buildings, which are designed to seamlessly meld into one another.
This is somewhere where the phrase “home from home” is, for once, justified. Charming General Manager Thomas Moons hosts weekly cocktail parties for all guests in the sculpture garden (you’ll be invited by a chic notecard slipped under your bedroom door) with an abundance of ice cold cava and delicious canapés. There are resident donkeys that roam the rocky hillside—we were told that they once escaped from the grounds and were seen trotting around the town of Deia, meaning the hotel had to apologise to the Mayor. There’s heaps to do: one of the oldest staff members was a Pétanque champion and now runs weekly masterclasses on the front lawn; there are weekly tours of Deia with Cecile Sheridan, the legendary curator of the hotel’s celebrated art collection; and Friday morning yoga classes are the perfect way to unwind on your holiday. A vast proportion of the guests have been coming here for years and years and are welcomed as old friends by the staff. A couple we spoke to came for their honeymoon 20 years ago and have returned every year since. It has that effect on you.
The picturesque coastal town of Deia has long been a magnet for artists, writers and creatives, most notably the poet Robert Graves. La Residencia has incorporated this into its DNA with resident artists; visit talented and ebullient Alan Hydes for a chat in his studio (ask him to tell you the story of when he met Leonardo di Caprio) or book into a sculpture class with sculptor Juan Waelder. There are an impressive 800 pieces of art dotted around the site, not only in the gallery and sculpture garden but in hallways, corridors and restaurants. | https://www.vanityfair.com/london/2022/08/grand-detours-belmond-la-residencia-deia-mallorca | 2022-08-24T23:01:23Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/london/2022/08/grand-detours-belmond-la-residencia-deia-mallorca | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A single race can only tell you so much. But if there’s something to be learned from this late summer primary season, it’s that the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs ruling appears to be galvanizing voters. First, there was Kansas, where voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed amendment earlier this month that would have eliminated abortion protections in the state. Then, in New York on Tuesday, Democrat Pat Ryan trounced Republican Marc Molinaro in a swing district special election that Ryan repeatedly framed as a battle over reproductive freedom. Ryan's upset victory did not happen in a vacuum, as CNN reported Wednesday: Before the rescission of Roe, Democrats performed worse in special elections than Joe Biden did in 2020 presidential election. But in four special elections since, they’ve outperformed him by a five-point margin.
The 2022 map and political climate remain perilous for the Democrats, despite the party's recent momentum as well as intra-GOP dysfunction. But the apparent potency of abortion should be a lesson for Democrats: After years of mostly running away from the issue, effectively allowing anti-abortion extremists to define the limits of the debate, they must run on preserving and expanding reproductive rights.
“Choice was on the ballot,” Ryan said in a statement after his special election win Tuesday night. “Freedom was on the ballot, and tonight choice and freedom won.”
It goes without saying that, on the ground, freedom is not winning. As The Washington Post reported Monday, one in three women in America have lost access to abortion since the Dobbs ruling two months ago, and that number is only going to grow as additional trigger laws take effect in Texas, Tennessee, and Idaho this week. In other words, a great deal of damage has already been done at the state level, and merely translating voter outrage into a few Democratic victories might not provide much comfort to the millions of Americans who have or will be impacted by the Supreme Court's decision—especially if Republicans can continue using state legislatures as petri dishes for abhorrent antidemocratic policy.
But if Democrats can find a way to buck the historical midterm trends—and overcome Biden’s still-lagging approval ratings—they could find themselves positioned to preserve reproductive freedom by enshrining it into federal law. Doing so would require them to not only keep their majority, but to expand it—a challenging prospect, particularly during off-year elections. It’s probably unlikely they'll pull it off—but not quite as unlikely as it seemed just a couple months ago, when the party's agenda was stalled, when Biden seemed like a liability, and when the GOP was playing on Americans’ (understandable) economic anxieties. But now, Democrats seem to have gotten a second wind: They’ve scored a string of substantial legislative victories; polling suggests Biden’s unpopularity may not be a major deciding factor in November; and issues like abortion and the future of American democracy may be overtaking inflation at the top of voters' minds.
Over the past few weeks, Democrats have made abortion access an ideological centerpiece in various campaigns across the country, including in gubernatorial races that could determine whether a state allows or forbids the procedure. Much of that effort has played out over the airwaves, with dozens of Democratic candidates hammering their right-wing opponents in attack ads for taking hardline stances on the abortion post-Dobbs. “Rarely has an issue been handed on a silver platter to Democrats that is so clear-cut,” as Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg told The New York Times. “It took an election that was going to be mostly about inflation and immigration and made it also about abortion.”
But Dobbs didn’t just shift the ideological landscape; it may also have changed the Democrats' electoral outlook too. This week in Florida, former U.S. representative Charlie Crist, a staunch pro-choice advocate, was chosen as the state's Democratic gubernatorial nominee to challenge Ron DeSantis, who has spearheaded a sweeping crackdown on abortion access all throughout the Sunshine State. "On Day One of my administration, I will sign an executive order protecting a woman’s right to choose,” Crist vowed during his Tuesday night victory speech. And in Pennsylvania, the bellwether state where Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro has likewise made clear that he'll protect abortion rights, women have driven a surge in new voter registrations. "The next governor is going to get a bill on his desk to ban abortion,” Shapiro recently told Vanity Fair.
Since the reversal of Roe, nearly two-thirds of women to register in Pennsylvania have done so as Democrats. “A lot of people, they heard abortion was punted to the state and then people run and go look at their state and they’re like, ‘Oh…I’m in one of the bad ones,” Jamie Perrapato, executive director of Turn PA Blue, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. Those “bad ones,” where reproductive rights have been eliminated or dramatically scaled back, appear to have even “more pronounced” gender gaps among new registrants, according to Tom Bonier, CEO of Target Smart, a Democratic polling firm.
Twitter content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Again, that doesn’t mean Democrats are at some kind of advantage in November, nor does it do much to ease the pain of the Supreme Court’s decision. But it does offer the party, perhaps finally ready to act with around the issue, a potential roadmap for November and beyond. “We voted like our democracy was on the line because it is,” Ryan said in his statement after defeating Molinaro in upstate New York. “We upended everything we thought we knew about politics and did it together.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/democrats-focus-on-abortion-fight-in-midterms | 2022-08-24T23:01:29Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/democrats-focus-on-abortion-fight-in-midterms | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
On Wednesday, Joe Biden took to Twitter to announce that the government will cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for millions of borrowers, and up to $20,000 for Pell grant recipients, with the forgiveness applying to Americans earning less than $125,000 a year individually or married couples earning less than $250,000 combined. According to the White House, almost 90% of the relief will go to those making less than $75,000 annually, i.e., the middle class. Naturally, Republicans are blind with rage.
Suggesting that only “elites” attend university and grad school, Rep. Jim Jordan, who has a bachelor’s, a master’s, and a law degree, tweeted: “Student loan ‘forgiveness’ will benefit the wealthy elites. Once again, Joe Biden forgets about Real America.” Senator Tom Cotton, who likes to pretend he didn’t go to Harvard for both undergrad and law school—and is just so in touch with the working man—wrote: “Biden owes Americans an explanation on why a truck driver who didn’t go to college is now responsible for the student loans of a rich lawyer.” Senator Rick Scott, last seen vacationing on a yacht in Italy, whined that the plan is a “burden on taxpayers.” Mitch McConnell, who’s never met a corporation or billionaire whose taxes he didn’t want to cut, called the move “student loan socialism” and “a slap in the face to working Americans who sacrificed to pay their debt or made different career choices to avoid debt. A wildly unfair redistribution of wealth toward higher-earning people.” Fox News dubbed debt forgiveness a “handout,” to which they shockingly didn’t add “for bums,” but give it time.
Twitter content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Obviously, all of these takes are hypocritical, misleading nonsense, starting with the idea that the forgiveness plan is an affront to hardworking/middle-class/“real” Americans. For one thing, as previously stated, the program is expected to overwhelmingly benefit the middle class. For another, while Republicans like to pretend that only members of the 1 percent attend college and grad school, that is clearly not the case. Then there’s the uncomfortable fact that the GOP absolutely loves “handouts” when they’re being handed out to the ultra wealthy and corporate America; as a reminder, Republicans couldn’t get enough of Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which, per the Economic Policy Institute, “overwhelmingly benefited the rich and corporations” and “failed to boost US workers’ wages or deliver broad prosperity for low-income communities or communities of color.” (Our personal favorite stat: The average US worker’s bonus fell 22 cents between December 2017 and December 2018, while the average bonus for 2018 was just one cent higher than in 2017.” As in, it grew by a cent.)
Twitter content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/joe-biden-student-loan-forgiveness-gop-socialism | 2022-08-24T23:01:35Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/joe-biden-student-loan-forgiveness-gop-socialism | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Despite taking what might’ve otherwise been apolitical postings several years ago, Biden administration officials have increasingly found themselves in the crosshairs of Donald Trump and the right-wing media apparatus. Even as the country nears the two-year mark of Trump’s election loss, the former president has continued to successfully sic his supporters on Washington bureaucrats from afar, ginning up anger toward various agencies over actions he deems politically motivated. As of late, Trump has galvanized his base against the administrative heads he himself appointed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service.
In 2017, Trump tapped Christopher Wray to lead the FBI, citing his clean reputation and knack for staying out of politics. “He is an impeccably qualified individual,” Trump said of Wray at the time, “and I know that he will again serve his country as a fierce guardian of the law and model of integrity once the Senate confirms him to lead the FBI.” Following the FBI’s recent search of Mar-a-Lago, however, those remarks might appear laughable, as Republican lawmakers and conservative pundits have gone so far as to demand that the FBI be dissolved entirely. Trump, for his part, has condemned the lawfully conducted search as a corrupt “sneak attack” and suggested that FBI agents may have planted evidence to frame him.
After Trump condemned the FBI, the agency was besieged by an “unprecedented” number of threats, as CNN reported, causing heightened security concerns for thousands of staffers. And three days after the Mar-a-Lago raid, one armed Trump supporter attempted to breach an FBI field office in Cincinnati, resulting in police killing the man after an hours-long standoff. The day of the attack, Wray assured his staff in a bureau-wide memo, seen by news outlets, that their safety was his “primary concern right now,” adding that the FBI must “maintain the trust and confidence of the American people” by refusing to take part in political debates. “Our focus must remain, as always, on our mission and on doing the right thing, in the right way, no matter how loud the noise gets.” While Trump has continued to tar the Mar-a-Lago search as a political hit job, he has directed his latest attacks specifically at the bureau’s leadership, in an apparent attempt to sow division within the agency. As Trump claimed in a recent Truth Social post, rank-and-file FBI agents actually “love” him and are “furious at FBI leadership” for ordering the search of his home. “They don’t like being ’used’ by people they do not agree with, or respect,” the former president added.
Meanwhile, the IRS, led by Trump-appointee Charles Rettig, is also facing threats stemming from a baseless right-wing conspiracy theory alleging that the agency is attempting to disenfranchise ordinary taxpayers. The claim first arose last week as Joe Biden rubber-stamped the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, allocates nearly $80 billion to the IRS over the next 10 years. Leading up to the bill’s signing, Republicans began suggesting, without evidence, that a fleet of armed IRS agents will accost average Americans door-by-door and bilk them out of their hard-earned money. “They have 80,000 employees. You know what the IRS also has? 4,600 guns. 5 million rounds of ammunition,” said House minority leader Kevin McCarthy in a floor speech earlier this month. “Why? Democrats want to double its already massive size,” he added. “With this new power, the IRS will snoop around in your bank account, your Venmo, your small business. Then the government will shake you down for every last cent.”
The IRS, for its part, has attempted to dispel such theories as the agency’s staffers have raised concerns of being attacked at their workplace, as The Washington Post reported. “In recent days, there has been an abundance of misinformation and false social media postings, some of them with threats directed at the IRS and its employees,” Rettig wrote in an internal memo, obtained by news outlets, that informed staff of plans for a “comprehensive” security review. “I’ll continue to make every effort to dispel any lingering misperceptions about our work. And I will continue to advocate for your safety in every venue where I have an audience.”
Trump’s effort to delegitimize the administrative state, which might appear to be a new phenomenon, spans back as early his own term. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of public health officials, including Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, faced a wave of threats after receiving rhetorical broadsides from Trump and conservative talking heads for promoting common sense health precautions. In an interview with Reuters this week, Fauci reflected on what it means to be a public official in such a “divisive society,” and announced that he plans to retire in December. “I don’t like the idea that I have to have armed federal agents with me,” said Fauci. “That’s not a happy feeling. It’s reality. And you’ve got to deal with reality.”
As for Trump’s rhetoric, it does not appear to be cooling down anytime soon, even as he readily acknowledges that the country is reaching a tipping point. “There is tremendous anger—like I’ve never seen before,” the former president told Fox News one week after the Mar-a-Lago search. “The temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn’t, terrible things are going to happen.” In what some interpreted as a veiled threat, Trump capped off his remarks by noting that the American people “are not going to stand for another scam.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/trump-appointees-maga-machine | 2022-08-24T23:01:41Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/trump-appointees-maga-machine | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Lourdes Leon, Madonna’s eldest daughter and her only one with Cuban-born fitness instructor Carlos Leon, has released a single along with a music video. It’s her first under the moniker Lolahol.
“I am so proud of you Lola!” Madonna wrote on her Instagram Stories.
For Interview, Leon recently told Debi Mazar, her mother’s longtime friend, that she doesn’t have one single creative niche. “Honestly, actors really annoy me and I can’t be around them. As for music, I can sing. I just don’t care about it. Maybe it’s too close to home,” she said. Madge’s daughter smartly didn’t expect anyone to hold her to it, and has finally made her way to music.
A child of New York, Leon shot the video in various boroughs in the city (and between them. There’s a nerve-racking few shots out of a car window on what looks like Cuomo Bridge, formerly the Tappan Zee). Leon is currently a Bushwick resident and attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts alongside Timothée Chalamet and Ansel Elgort. Of the former, she told Vanity Fair last year, “I respect him a lot, we were a little item. My first boyfriend.” And of the latter? “A terrible DJ.”
The singer/model/dancer/face of Marc Jacobs also attended a dance conservatory at SUNY Purchase, and her grasp of movement, flexibility, and presence all make an appearance, especially toward the end of the video when she does splits and backbends on a beach. “You think that your body is not capable of something until you just have to do it,” she told V.F. of her dance training. | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/madonna-daughter-lourdes-leon-single-music-video | 2022-08-24T23:01:47Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/madonna-daughter-lourdes-leon-single-music-video | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Two of Paul Newman’s five daughters are suing their family’s foundation after its board of directors cut in half the amount of money they are each meant to receive annually for charitable donations.
Elinor “Nell” Newman and Susan Newman filed a lawsuit against the Newman’s Own Foundation on Tuesday in Connecticut state court. According to court documents obtained by the New York Post, they claim that their father’s legacy is “under assault” by the foundation and that the board of directors is ignoring his final wishes by reducing how much money they are given to donate to charity. The lawsuit states: “Mr. Newman granted to Newman’s Own Foundation the rights to his name, image and likeness and other publicity and intellectual property rights, but not unconditionally. Instead, Mr. Newman made that grant on the condition that Newman’s Own Foundation allocate $400,000 each year to each of his ‘Daughters’ Foundations,’ for them to donate to charities identified by his daughters pursuant to specific rules that he established.” The documents state that the yearly amount Nell, Susan, and the other daughters individually receive has been reduced from $400,000 to $200,000.
The suit alleges that “the years since Mr. Newman’s death consist of a long and consistent pattern of disregard, by those in control, of Mr. Newman’s specific intentions and direction, coupled with mismanagement, scandal, and questionable practices.” The lawsuit also claims that Newman’s legacy is now under attack by the “very organization he founded in an effort to preserve and expand” it. The legendary star launched his foundation just three years prior to his death in 2008. It also controls and operates the food company Newman’s Own Inc., which funds the foundation via its after-tax profits.
Andy Lee, a lawyer for Nell and Susan, added in a statement, “This lawsuit does not seek personal compensation for Mr. Newman’s daughters, but simply seeks to hold Newman’s Own Foundation accountable to the charities they have shortchanged in recent years.” The women are seeking $1.6 million in damages that will then be donated to their selected charities. They are also asking for a judgment that requires the foundation to adhere to their father’s original wishes. The late actor’s widow, Joanne Woodward, and his three other daughters are not participating in this lawsuit against the foundation.
A spokesperson for the Newman’s Own Foundation told the Post in a statement that “a meritless lawsuit based on this faulty wish would only divert money away from those who benefit from Paul Newman’s generosity.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/paul-newman-daughters-sue-newman-own-foundation-attack-father-legacy | 2022-08-24T23:01:53Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/paul-newman-daughters-sue-newman-own-foundation-attack-father-legacy | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin decided to end their relationship after 25 years of marriage.
Flavin officially filed for divorce on Friday at a court in Palm Beach County, Florida. According to Closer Weekly, who first reported the split, the former model is requesting exclusive use of their Palm Beach home while the divorce is finalized by the court and is asking that their joint business ventures be dealt with at a later time. She also accused Stallone of hiding marital assets, as the documents state that, “the Husband has engaged in the intentional dissipation, depletion and/or waste of marital assets which has had an adverse economic impact on the marital estate. Pursuant to Section 61.075, Florida Statues, equity dictates that the Wife be compensated and made whole by receiving an unequal distribution of the marital assets in her favor. Moreover, the Husband should be enjoined from, selling, transferring, assigning, encumbering, or dissipating any assets during the pendency of proceedings.” Stallone released a statement via his representative that read, “I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues.”
This announcement comes just a couple of days after Stallone was spotted covering up a tattoo of his estranged wife's face on this right bicep with a new tattoo of a bullmastiff, Butkus, the dog from the Rocky films. The actor originally had a detailed portrait of Flavin's face surrounded by greenery, flowers, and a tiger's head on his upper arm. At the time, however, the actor's representative insisted that the cover-up had nothing to do with his feelings towards his wife. “Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer however the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable,” they said. “As a result, he had to cover the original image with a tattoo of his dog from Rocky, Butkus. Mr. Stallone loves his family. The Stallones are presently filming a reality show together which will debut on Paramount+.”
Stallone and Flavin first met in 1988 at a restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. Stallone had already been divorced twice at the time, having first been married to Sasha Czack from 1974 to 1985 and then actress Brigitte Nielsen from 1985 to 1987. He also already had one son from his first marriage, Seargeoh, and another older son, Sage, from a prior relationship with Starlin Wright. Sage died, however, in 2012. Stallone and Flavin welcomed their first daughter Sophia Rose in 1996, marrying the following year. In 1998, they would give birth to their second daughter, Sistine Rose, and in 2002, their family was completed with the arrival of their third daughter, Scarlet Rose.
The announcement of their divorce comes just three months after the couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Stallone wrote on Instagram at the time, “Happy 25th anniversary to my amazing wife. There is not enough words to describe what this incredibly selfless dedicated, patient, woman has meant to our lives and I only wish they could be another 25! Thank you sweetheart!” Flavin added, “Happy 25th wedding anniversary to us! Thank you for always keeping me laughing, loving and protecting our beautiful family! Our marriage keeps getting better every year! I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together!” Her Instagram post has since been deleted. | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/sylvester-stallone-divorce-jennifer-flavin-25-year-marriage-moving-marital-assets-sold-home | 2022-08-24T23:02:00Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/sylvester-stallone-divorce-jennifer-flavin-25-year-marriage-moving-marital-assets-sold-home | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SALISBURY, Md. -- The National Folk Festival is returning to Salisbury for the fifth consecutive year. The festival will begin on Friday, August 26th and run through Sunday, August 28th. It will feature live music, dancing, and plenty of food, drinks, and other fun activities. Most of the tents and stages are already set up, which is a good sign that the festival is right around the corner, and people of Salisbury are thrilled.
"The last couple years it has been awesome, I can't wait to hear the great music, see the dancing, and I am very excited about them bringing back the family area," said Untia Bigelow.
Another Salisbury resident shares Bigelow's enthusiasm.
"I'm extremely excited for the folk festival," said Demyra Harvey. "I'm happy that we got this one more year, because we lost that year during the pandemic."
Speaking of that lost year, it's the exact reason why the folk festival has stayed in Salisbury for so long. Mayor Jake Day is not one to complain, though.
"The National Council for the Traditional Arts came to us and said, 'do you wanna keep it for next year', and we said 'yeah, absolutely," said Mayor Day.
This year will also be one of, if not the biggest Folk Festival in Salisbury to date.
"This year, we've had a full year of planning," said Mayor Day. "We're back to full scale, 7 performance areas, a full market place, the family area, the stages, the dance pavilion, all of that is back."
Gates will open at 6pm on Friday, and admission will be free for everybody. | https://www.wboc.com/news/final-preparations-are-being-made-for-the-national-folk-festival/article_4718d020-23fc-11ed-bb3c-7359e3cb5cd9.html | 2022-08-24T23:03:20Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/final-preparations-are-being-made-for-the-national-folk-festival/article_4718d020-23fc-11ed-bb3c-7359e3cb5cd9.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia regulators say they will consider additional arguments about whether Dominion Energy Virginia’s plans to build a massive offshore wind farm should include a ratepayer protection. The utility has said the protection will kill the project. The State Corporation Commission issued an order Wednesday granting reconsideration in the offshore wind case. It temporarily suspends an order issued earlier this month approving the wind farm. Dominion has taken issue with part of that earlier order, saying a performance requirement it contains will cause the company to terminate the project. The commission has asked participants in the proceeding to file additional briefs addressing the matter.
Trending Now
-
Two New Vehicles Linked to Deadly Tokyo Steakhouse Hit and Run
-
Officials: Delaware Trooper Disciplined for Sharing Info with Friend
-
'Destroy Them Wherever You Find Them': Spotted Lanternfly Population Spreading Across Md.
-
Delaware's Public Health Emergency Extended Another 30 Days
-
Ocean City Store Sells $250K Maryland Lottery Scratch-off Ticket | https://www.wboc.com/news/scc-to-hear-more-arguments-on-wind-farm-ratepayer-protection/article_e8613940-23f7-11ed-90bc-2f5d7437f22e.html | 2022-08-24T23:03:26Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/scc-to-hear-more-arguments-on-wind-farm-ratepayer-protection/article_e8613940-23f7-11ed-90bc-2f5d7437f22e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Forecast updated on Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at 6:35 PM by WBOC Meteorologist Dan Satterfield (AMS-CBM).
DELMARVA FORECAST
Tonight: Fair and humid. Low 68-70°. Wind: SW 0-4 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny and very warm. Isolated PM Showers. Rain chance under 12% at any one spot. High 89-90° inland with temps. near 80° on the beaches. Wind: NW 1-6 mph. Winds E 5-10 mph PM on the beaches.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, and humid. Low 69°. Wind: W 0-3 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny and very warm. Isolated PM Showers. Rain chance under 12% at any one spot. High 89-90° inland with temps. near 78° on the beaches. Wind: SW 7-14 mph. Winds SE 6-12 mph PM on the beaches.
Forecast Discussion:
Look for generally fair skies tonight, as a weak high-pressure area remains over the area. Winds will be light with lows near 68-70 degrees.
Thursday looks warm and sunny with afternoon temps. around 89-90° over inland areas with light winds. Only some very isolated showers are expected in the afternoon hours. A weak sea breeze will cool the beaches to the upper 70's in the afternoon as winds turn to the east. Winds will be light from the west except for an easterly sea breeze near the beaches.
Friday looks much the same with a south wind increasing to 7-14 mph. Some widely scattered afternoon showers will pop up but rain chances at any one spot will stay below 20%. A coastal sea breeze will drop the beach temperatures to around 80 in the afternoon hours.
In the long-range, it will stay quite warm and humid into next week. Look for only some isolated pop-up showers in the afternoon with rather light winds. The showers are a bit more possible Saturday afternoon as a weak trough approaches Delmarva. Inland temperatures will top out near 88-90° from Saturday through Tuesday. A weak sea breeze will drop coastal temperatures to the mid to upper 70's to near 80 in the afternoon hours. Lows will stay near 68-70 but closer to the mid 70's near the Chesapeake Bay.
The average high for today is 85 degrees with an average low of 65 degrees. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/warm-and-sunny/article_ab065052-23fd-11ed-8e10-ab8d396df9b1.html | 2022-08-24T23:03:32Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/warm-and-sunny/article_ab065052-23fd-11ed-8e10-ab8d396df9b1.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AFAR is the award-winning travel media brand that makes a positive impact on the world through high-quality storytelling that inspires, empowers, and enriches travelers who care. We believe in the power of travel to make the world a better place through experiences that enrich the traveler personally, support the communities visited, and are sensitive to the effects on our planet. We believe in the importance of arriving in new places with humility and a desire to learn from others.
AFAR is a purpose-driven public benefit company, and our ever-growing audience consists of travelers who care: conscientious and discerning global travelers who seek out experiences that reflect their values.
Where to read
Our print magazine, published since 2009, is available on newsstands and by subscription. Our website, afar.com, features the full contents of the print magazine, in addition to daily digital articles.
We empower travelers with the latest travel news, and our best-in-class intel helps readers travel smarter (These Airlines Still Require Masks Onboard) or with greater ease and a lighter footprint (The Sustainable Travel Gear We Can’t Get Enough Of). We meet travelers at every step of their travel-planning journey, from dreaming to booking, through our detailed and insightful destination coverage written by local experts (A Barbecue-and-Brewery Tour of Kansas City).
In our feature stories and essays, we inspire our readers to consider places previously unknown to them, and ask questions—of themselves, and of others—about how to travel with greater purpose, intention, and joy (Hawai‘i Is Not Our Playground, The Texas Riding Club Keeping Black Cowboy Culture Alive).
Editorial independence
AFAR is an independently owned and operated magazine that follows the standards for editorial integrity set by the American Society of Magazine Editors.
Affiliate disclosure
AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site. Products we recommend are independently vetted and tested by our editors. These product recommendations are driven by editorial standards, not by advertising relationships. This helps support our independent publication.
Privacy policy
We take the privacy of our readers seriously. Read more about our privacy policy.
Get in touch
Email us at notification@afar.com with any questions or concerns. For questions related to your print magazine subscription, you can access customer service through our online portal or by calling 1-888-403-9001 at any time.
If you are a writer or photographer with an idea, please read our pitch guidelines. If you are a travel advisor, sign up for our AFAR Advisor newsletter, the go-to resource for luxury advisors booking fulfilling and sustainable travel. For sales and marketing inquiries, please consult our media kit.
Newsletter
Sign up for our newsletters to get the best of AFAR in your inbox.
Social media
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Podcast
Subscribe to Unpacked for the skinny on ethical travel, and download Travel Tales for first-person inspiration from the road.
AFAR believes that travel can change the world. | https://www.afar.com/about/editorial-standards-and-team | 2022-08-24T23:10:52Z | afar.com | control | https://www.afar.com/about/editorial-standards-and-team | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Jane L. Levere is a New York–based freelance writer, contributing to The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and The Art Newspaper, among many publications.
Jane L. Levere is a New York–based freelance writer, contributing to The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and The Art Newspaper, among many publications. | https://www.afar.com/authors/jane-l-levere | 2022-08-24T23:10:59Z | afar.com | control | https://www.afar.com/authors/jane-l-levere | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
More than two years into a pandemic that forced humans indoors, emptied out downtowns, and decreased rates of travel, it’s not a surprise that the planet, and its cities, became markedly quieter during this time. The hush reached deep into the Earth’s crust: Scientists in 2020 noted a drop in seismic noise due to reduced vibrations above. As dramatic as the pandemic pause has been, it proved something that urbanists have always known: that cities are highly responsive and adaptable. Here’s what the future holds for some of our planet’s most dynamic urban centers.
Investing in the hyperlocal
The benefits of the 15-minute city—where residents enjoy a range of essential services within a short walk of their homes—became more evident during the last two years, when many commutes were eliminated and daily routines took place in a tighter perimeter. With the future of in-office work still up in the air, some cities are pouring resources into specific neighborhoods. “The question is how can we reinvest into not the monumental spaces, but the daily spaces,” says Alexa Bush, a program officer at the Kresge Foundation, which expands opportunities in U.S. cities through grants and investments. In Detroit, multipurpose spaces have multiplied. Many are supported through the Motor City Match program, and most of them are minority- or women-owned. They have become neighborhood anchors as well as new destinations for travelers. On any given night at Spot Lite, you can find a diverse, vibrant crowd dancing to a world-class DJ. During the day, the airy warehouse building functions as a coffee bar, local art gallery, and place to work. At the music space Paramita Sound, travelers can dig through rare LPs while enjoying a glass of local Michigan wine.
Elsewhere, cities are investing in outdoor spaces. San Francisco is spending $150 million to develop India Basin Waterfront Park in the Bayview–Hunters Point neighborhood. Located in one of the city’s lowest-income areas, the park construction is accompanied by an Equitable Development Plan to preserve the culture and identity of the historic district.
In Tainan City, Taiwan, the Tainan Spring project reimagined the shell of an obsolete shopping mall as the frame for a new public pool and, eventually, a sunken park with wading pools and tropical greenery. And Freetown, Sierra Leone, has embarked on a campaign to increase tree cover by 50 percent by the end of 2022, using an open-source app and financial incentives for Sierra Leoneans to tend to the saplings.
How can travelers better plug in to wider expanses of cities than they may see represented in travel brochures and on social media?
Expanding cultural hubs
The world’s greatest cities are mosaics of cultures, languages, and people, yet too often immigrants and nonwhite racial groups are omitted from the common narrative. How can travelers better plug in to wider expanses of cities than they may see represented in travel brochures and on social media?
The stereotypical postcard image of Paris might include graceful cathedrals and stately museums, a fluffy croissant, and a café au lait at the corner bistro. That vision doesn’t reflect the Paris that French Cameroonian entrepreneur Jacqueline Ngo Mpii knows and loves—a city shaped by Afro-French people and culture. Ngo Mpii founded Little Africa, a cultural and tour agency, and has helped turn the neighborhood of La Goutte d’Or, located a mile east of Montmartre, into a vibrant, newly trendy slice of Paris. Locals and visitors can dine on jerk chicken at Mama Kossa or a traditional tagine at the Institut des Cultures d’Islam. Also in La Goutte d’Or: Little Africa Paris Village, a concept store that highlights African designers, artists, and entrepreneurs.
In Seattle, the Central District—historically one of the city’s redlined neighborhoods—has become a locus of gentrification and displacement. In the 1970s, more than 70 percent of its residents were Black; today, the figure has sunk below 18 percent. In the face of this shift, the Africatown Community Land Trust has been acquiring and developing land in the district over the last two decades to foster a cultural and economic home for the African diaspora in the Seattle metro region. As a result, visitors to the Central District can find a number of flourishing Black-owned businesses, including Melo Cafe; Ethiopian coffee shop and roaster Cafe Avole; and the restaurant Communion, which serves what some call the best catfish this side of the Mississippi.
Getting around town
Some cities are working to transform the long-standing dominance of car culture. For a while, this meant sidewalks clogged with tangles of timed-out scooters. But many cities have strategically paired investments in “micromobility”—that is, transportation over short distances by lightweight, usually single-person vehicles such as bicycles or electric scooters—with more permanent infrastructure.
Atlanta’s BeltLine development is a prime example. A network of public parks, multi-use trails, transit, and affordable housing partly along a 22-mile railroad corridor, the BeltLine is also home to Ponce City Market, where travelers can get their fill of vegan cheesesteak, chicken tikka rolls, tonkotsu ramen, and more. Then, with the aid of an electric scooter or bicycle, folks can easily access other parts of town.
Many cities have been doubling down on better bicycling infrastructure. As part of its Transportation 2040 plan, Vancouver launched a citywide strategy to create new bike paths and upgrade existing ones, with the goal of having bike travel account for 12 percent of all trips by 2040. To date, the city’s efforts have nearly doubled the number of bike commuters since 2011, and the network of bike lanes makes it easy for travelers to explore Vancouver at their own speed. (Cycle City Vancouver offers bike rentals, maps, and guided tours.)
La Paz’s transformative investment in mass transportation, Mi Teleférico, is the world’s largest cable-car system. Launched in 2014, the system traverses the La Paz–El Alto metropolitan region, with 26 stations across 10 lines, offering 360-degree views over the world’s highest capital city. Mi Teleférico does more than reduce lengthy land-based commutes: It connects residents and visitors across class and geography. | https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-future-of-cities | 2022-08-24T23:11:05Z | afar.com | control | https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-future-of-cities | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Changes in Retail Sales are used as an indicator of consumer spending. Q2 data (April, May and June) should continue to reflect the easing of coronavirus restrictions in NZ. Inflation impacts have weighed on sales volumes.
- -2.3% q/q (prior -0.5%)
- -3.7% y/y (prior +2.3%)
---
These results are unlikely to have much, if any, impact on Reserve Bank of New Zealand decision-making at its next meeting. Another rate hike is expected.
Next meeting is October 5. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/nzd-data-new-zealand-q2-retail-sales-23-qq-prior-05-20220824/ | 2022-08-24T23:11:56Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/nzd-data-new-zealand-q2-retail-sales-23-qq-prior-05-20220824/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Greensboro Fire Department Receives Agency Accreditation
GREENSBORO, NC (August 24, 2022) –The Greensboro Fire Department has received Accredited Agency status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program. The Greensboro Fire Department is one of more than 300 agencies to achieve Internationally Accredited Agency status with the CFAI and the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. (CPSE)
This is the sixth consecutive occasion that the Greensboro Fire Department has received this honor dating back to 1997. Greensboro is one of only three fire departments in the nation to receive the Center for Public Safety Excellence Accreditation (CPSE) status six consecutive times.
Members of the Greensboro Fire Department, including Fire Chief Jim Robinson, sat before the commission board in Denver, CO to answer questions about the continuous improvement plans for the agency. City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba also accompanied fire department personnel to Denver to show his support for the Greensboro Fire Department.
Accreditation is a comprehensive self-assessment and quality improvement model that enables organizations to examine past, current, and future service levels and internal performance and compare them to current research and industry best practices. This process leads to a more efficient and effective emergency service organization. | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/greensboro-fire-department-receives-agency-accreditation/article_a9c63d14-23d6-11ed-aa40-4774ee5c1762.html | 2022-08-24T23:14:30Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/greensboro-fire-department-receives-agency-accreditation/article_a9c63d14-23d6-11ed-aa40-4774ee5c1762.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Nationally renowned artist to create mural on High Point’s Main Street
HIGH POINT, N.C. (August 24, 2022) — Fowler & Fowler, REALTORS has commissioned renowned Muralist Brian Lewis (aka JEKS) to install a signature art piece on the side of their building at 1301 N Main St, High Point, NC. The mural will be of John Coltrane and will be prominently seen by drivers along Main Street.
Fowler & Fowler, REALTORS has been an institution in High Point since it was started in 1977 by B.C. Fowler. His granddaughter, Amy Hedgecock is now running the family business.
"My grandfather was a musician at heart. He led the BC Fowler Rhythm Masters Orchestra in the 1930s. I grew up listening to Coltrane with him,” says Hedgecock. “This is a testament not only to John Coltrane and the legacy he left in High Point, but also for my grandfather and his love of music."
Previous murals at Fowler & Fowler, REALTORS have been popular social media spots, and Hedgecock believes that creating this particular mural in one of High Point’s most bustling and growing areas will add to the rich visual narrative of the area and educate residents and visitors alike about one of our most extraordinary High Pointers.
JEKS is a graffiti/mural artist from Greensboro, NC. Over the past 4 years, he has carved out a spot in the street art scene as one of the top in large format portraiture and hyperrealism. Self-taught from painting graffiti since the late 90’s, the spray can is his medium.
JEKS has painted hundreds of multi-story murals all over the US and as far as Canada and Colombia, South America. He is a contract Monster Energy artist as of late 2021 and has worked with many high-profile clients recently such as Spotify, PBR, Optimo, Warner Media, Bleacher Report, and United Way. Many of his murals have become viral social media hotspots and beloved landmarks in the cities where they are installed.
###
About Fowler & Fowler, REALTORS:
Fowler & Fowler, REALTORS® has been in business since 1977 and, in that time, we’ve seen it all. We’ve experienced the soaring heights that the real estate industry is known for. At the same time, we’ve also experienced those trying “down” periods and have learned a significant amount in the process. As Certified Property Managers, our friendly, knowledgeable staff is ready to take all the experience that we’ve had and all the lessons that we’ve learned and use it for the benefit of every one of our clients.
About Visit High Point:
Visit High Point is the official destination management and marketing organization that positions High Point as a vibrant destination that visitors will enjoy, and locals will want to promote. Our vision is to leverage High Point’s reputation as the Home Furnishings Capital of the WorldTM and the home of a world-class University to further the evolution of High Point as a unique destination. While the focus is to increase economic impact by providing first-class service to our visitors and meeting planners, Visit High Point also works to develop our city as a year-round destination that is competitive in the marketplace, generating more brand ambassadors and fans. We want each visitor to make yourself at home in High Point, NC. Established by state legislation in 1984, Visit High Point, a non-profit 501 c 6 organization is funded by a self-imposed three percent room occupancy tax on local hotels. No taxpayer funds – city, county, or state – are used to fund Visit High Point. The Regional Visitors Center is located at 1634 N. Main St., Suite 102, High Point, N.C. For more information, visit www.visithighpoint.com. | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/nationally-renowned-artist-to-create-mural-on-high-point-s-main-street/article_c0c34a54-23c0-11ed-85a4-c3f3a2b168a4.html | 2022-08-24T23:14:36Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/nationally-renowned-artist-to-create-mural-on-high-point-s-main-street/article_c0c34a54-23c0-11ed-85a4-c3f3a2b168a4.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New PBS Series 'My Music With Rhiannon Giddens' Receives Grant From The Community Foundation of Henderson County
Hendersonville, NC (August 23, 2022) – The Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation has been awarded a $15,000 grant by the Community Foundation of Henderson County to help fund My Music with Rhiannon Giddens, a new series to be broadcast nationwide by PBS beginning in May 2023.
“We’re proud to have a local partner like the Community Foundation on this North Carolina- based project that will have a national audience,” said Will McIntyre, series producer and chairman of the Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation, which is based in Henderson County.
Series host Rhiannon Giddens is a native of Greensboro. A founder of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, she was named a 2017 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow for her work to increase understanding of America’s rich musical heritage. She has sung at the White House, she played Hallie Jordan on the CMT series Nashville, and she will perform a series of concerts for Carnegie Hall’s 2022-2023 season. Her opera “Omar” premiered at the 2022 Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston. She also serves as artistic director of the cross-cultural music organization Silkroad, founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
The first season of My Music with Rhiannon Giddens will feature performances by, as Giddens says, “women of color who are changing the face of music.” Guest artists include Robeson County, NC native Charly Lowry as well as Joy Clark, Rissi Palmer, Allison Russell, and Adia Victoria. The season also features visits with Rhiannon’s current musical partners Francesco Turrisi and Jason Sypher and guest appearances by longtime collaborators Justin Robinson (a co-founder of the Chocolate Drops), Laurelyn Dossett, and Lalenja Harrington.
Rhiannon Giddens says “I’m so excited about this new project because it’s something my heart has been in for a very long time. I want to highlight some of the voices that have always been in American music, but have been unacknowledged or undervalued.”
Will and Deni McIntyre previously produced six seasons of David Holt's State of Music, which is currently airing on PBS affiliate stations in all fifty states. Its format, a half hour of music and conversation shot on location at places bearing significance to each featured artist, provided the template for the new series.
“We’re sharing music that has deep roots in the land and local culture of the places where we film” says director Deni McIntyre. “Rhiannon feels those connections deeply, so she’s enthusiastic about placing each episode in unique surroundings.”
Filming for the first season includes locations in Durham, Pembroke, Spindale, Tryon, and Westfield, North Carolina and in Nashville, Tennessee.
My Music with Rhiannon Giddens will premiere on PBS in May 2023.
In addition to the latest grant, the Community Foundation of Henderson County and its component Perry N. Rudnick Endowment Fund supported the production of David Holt’s State of Music since its inception through previous grants to the Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation totaling more than $100,000.
The Community Foundation of Henderson County is a nonprofit, public charity that helps people who care make lasting contributions to causes that matter by building permanent endowments and other philanthropic funds and by being strong stewards of donors’ gifts.
The Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation is a 501(c)(3), charitable nonprofit that was established in 2009 to raise the profile of the arts and educational organizations through the creation of videos, books and photography for websites and related media. It is the prime fundraising entity for My Music with Rhiannon Giddens.
Find out when you can watch My Music with Rhiannon Giddens by checking your local PBS station’s schedule. The series will also be streamed at PBS.org.
To help celebrate and preserve the traditional and modern musical heritage of Appalachia, please consider supporting the production of My Music with Rhiannon Giddens by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation at WillandDeni.org. | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/new-pbs-series-my-music-with-rhiannon-giddens-receives-grant-from-the-community-foundation-of/article_c89ec2b8-23c4-11ed-82e8-f739fb2c895e.html | 2022-08-24T23:14:42Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/new-pbs-series-my-music-with-rhiannon-giddens-receives-grant-from-the-community-foundation-of/article_c89ec2b8-23c4-11ed-82e8-f739fb2c895e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WSPR Fund Exceeds $1M in Investment to Local Startups
The Winston-Salem Partners Roundtable (WSPR) Fund, a Winston-Salem based angel group with over 70 members, has closed two new investments bringing its total investment to $1.04 million since launching in July 2021.
DHN Solutions, a digital health company, and Jenni Earle, a consumer goods company, join WSPR as its fifth and sixth portfolio companies .The WSPR Fund has also invested in BEAM Dynamics, Nvolve, Smoodi, and Village Juice & Kitchen.
Dr. David Miller, Co-Founder of DHN Solutions, says the investment will allow the company to expand its digital health products and benefit more patients. “In a peer-reviewed clinical trial, DHN Solution’s mPATH™ program doubled the number of people who got screened for cancer, saving lives. But up until now, mPATH™ has lived within the walls of Wake Forest University School of Medicine. WSPR’s investment gave us the capital we needed to transfer mPATH™ from the research setting to our cloud-based environment where we can make it available to other healthcare organizations.”
Increasing access to capital for local startups is a key component of Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.’s economic development efforts, which include Technology and High Growth Entrepreneurship as a key industry sector for growth. WSPR LLC was launched in 2021 by general partners Steve Lineberger, Hal Eason, and Todd Johnson with the operational support of and collaboration with Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.
“We are excited to reach this milestone of $1 million invested through the WSPR Fund into local startups,” says Mark Owens, President and CEO of Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. “Winston-Salem has strategically developed an ecosystem focused on developing and attracting startups. We know that providing access to capital is critical to the entrepreneurial ecosystem - and the WSPR Fund helps fill that need.”
The WSPR Fund accepts applications from early-stage companies seeking funding on an ongoing basis. To learn more, visit wsprfund.com. To access additional information about Winston-Salem’s resources for startups and early-stage companies, visit winstonsalem.com/entrepreneurial-ecosystem.
DHN Solutions
Co-Founders: Dave Miller, MD, MS, Ajay Dharod, MD
DHN Solutions increases healthcare quality and efficiency by empowering patients to manage their care. The company’s flagship product is mPATH™, a cloud-based digital health navigator that identifies individuals who need a preventive service, educates them about their options, and connects them with care.
Jenni Earle
Founder: Jenni Earle Hopkins
Jenni Earle is a Consumer Goods Brand created to inspire authenticity and encourage bravery and adventure for the wearer. The artisan small-batch products are made in Winston-Salem, NC with regionally grown cotton. Their foundational products are mantra-based bandanas. The company was started by Jenni Earle Hopkins who was inspired by the love of her grandfather who always carried a bandana in his pocket and her belief that we are the best version of ourselves when we act from a place of bravery and authenticity. | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/wspr-fund-exceeds-1m-in-investment-to-local-startups/article_ca061c2c-23e8-11ed-9d7d-0708a28b4a80.html | 2022-08-24T23:14:49Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/wspr-fund-exceeds-1m-in-investment-to-local-startups/article_ca061c2c-23e8-11ed-9d7d-0708a28b4a80.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Announces the Retirement of Executive Director Maurice "Mo" Green
Green has served as executive director since 2016
Winston-Salem, NC (Aug. 24, 2022) – The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation announces the retirement of its Executive Director Maurice "Mo" Green. Green will stay on until March 31, 2023, to assist the Foundation and the Board of Trustees as they conduct a search and hire the next Executive Director.
During Green's nearly 6.5-year tenure with ZSR, the Foundation launched All For NC, its current Framework for Grantmaking and Learning. This Framework has enhanced the Foundation's efforts to improve the quality of life for all North Carolinians. Through the Framework's State-Level Systemic Change Strategy, the Foundation continued to support efforts to strengthen democracy, advance public education, foster a healthy and sustainable environment, and promote social and economic justice. Through the Framework’s two other major strategies, namely the Community Based Strategy and the Exploratory, Visionary Ideas Strategy, the Foundation implemented several new initiatives including the Community Progress Fund, the Collaborative Problem Solving Approach in five communities, the All For NC Fellowship, and the Inclusive Public Art initiative.
“The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Board of Trustees and staff want to thank Mo for his dedication to and passion for the work of the Foundation over his six plus years of service,” said Foundation President W. Noah Reynolds. “During this time, he launched our All for NC strategy, led the Foundation through a difficult pandemic, and worked with the Trustees to reposition the Foundation for the future. We wish Mo and his family, wife Stephanie and children, Isaiah and Brianna, all the best during his retirement.”
"It has been an incredible joy, honor, privilege and blessing to serve the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, its grantees, and the State of North Carolina," said Green. "I am confident that the Foundation, with its passionate Trustees and wonderful staff, will continue to help create a better North Carolina for all of its residents during the next several months and long after I retire."
###
ABOUT THE Z. SMITH REYNOLDS FOUNDATION
The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) is committed to improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians. ZSR is a statewide, private, family foundation that has been a catalyst for positive change in North Carolina for more than 80 years. In June 2018, the Foundation announced All For NC: Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation’s Framework for Grantmaking and Learning. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, the Foundation has invested more than $627 million into North Carolina. To learn more about ZSR and its Framework, visit www.zsr.org. | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/z-smith-reynolds-foundation-announces-the-retirement-of-executive-director-maurice-mo-green/article_0ba64416-23c8-11ed-8f25-abb9eb2da4bf.html | 2022-08-24T23:14:55Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/business/z-smith-reynolds-foundation-announces-the-retirement-of-executive-director-maurice-mo-green/article_0ba64416-23c8-11ed-8f25-abb9eb2da4bf.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Five Recent GCS Graduates Awarded Full-Tuition shift_ed Scholarships to HPU
HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 24, 2022 – High Point University and shift_ed are pleased to announce five Guilford County Schools graduates have been awarded shift_ed scholarships, which will cover tuition, fees and books at HPU beginning this fall. Two of the scholarships are dedicated each year to students who represent the first generation in their family to go to college.
Each student will also join the Bonner Leader Program at HPU. HPU Bonners are servant leaders who connect fellow students to projects in the community. These outstanding students displayed excellence in the classroom and leadership in the community. Since partnering with shift_ed, HPU has committed more than $2.2 million to First Generation and shift_ed scholars.
“Our partnership with shift_ed positively impacts our growing and transforming city,” says HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. “We are thankful for the many HPU students who dedicate their time and service to the community through programs like the Bonner Leaders.”
Wendy Poteat, shift_ed CEO, says the HPU partnership drives community success with a focus on individual achievement.
“Each of these students has potential beyond what we can even imagine,” says Poteat. “Eliminating barriers and providing opportunities for them to explore and innovate will propel not only their futures, but also our communities.”
These five First Generation and shift_ed Scholars began classes this fall as part of HPU’s Class of 2026:
Ashley Bowman,T. Wingate Andrews High School: Bowman is excited to be part of the HPU family. She says sports helped her become who she is today, and she wants to help others enjoy moving as much as she does. She dreams of working as a physical therapist after college.
“I want to help athletes stay in the game, help older people be active and give back to my family and my community,” says Bowman.
Keonna Elliott, Early Middle College at GTCC Greensboro: In middle school, Elliott knew she wanted to walk HPU’s campus as a student. The aspiring actor was hooked the moment she walked on stage in the Pauline Theatre.
“There was a bit of light coming down from the rafters, and I could see the seats,” says Elliott. “I could just imagine myself on that stage performing for everyone.”
Darelsalam Karama, High Point Central: Family is a number one priority for Karama. She moved from Sudan to the United States with her parents, brother and three sisters just six years ago, and she begins her freshman year as the first in her family to go to college.
“I am planning to become a family medicine doctor,” says Karama. “I want to help my family and help others.”
Nhu Ngo, The Middle College at GTCC High Point: HPU was Ngo’s top college choice, but she didn’t think she would be able to afford the tuition, until a teacher told her about the shift_ed scholarship. Now she’s looking forward to starting her journey to becoming a pharmacist in HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy.
“It really means a lot to have this scholarship,” says Ngo. “I’m thankful it worked out so perfectly.”
Jeremy Otero-Carrion, The Middle College at GTCC High Point: The middle of three children, Otero-Carrion is a born caretaker. His father is a pastor, and Otero-Carrion always helped as they built churches, and stocked food pantries and clothing banks. He dreams of a career in real estate where he can still help his family and support his church.
“My dad would always say one of his children is going to go to HPU,” says Otero-Carrion. “This is a dream come true.”
High Point University partners with shift_ed to provide five scholarships for full tuition and fees available to qualifying students with a family income below $75,000. There are also five shift_ed Choice Grants (a $5,000 award) available to qualifying students with a family income above $75,000.
Since its inception in 2015, shift_ed has awarded more than $12.6 million to GCS graduates. The organization provides thousands of hours of tutoring, college prep and financial aid workshops, and career counseling to students. | https://www.yesweekly.com/education/five-recent-gcs-graduates-awarded-full-tuition-shift-ed-scholarships-to-hpu/article_4575ace2-23e9-11ed-b46e-67e23b8f31c9.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:01Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/education/five-recent-gcs-graduates-awarded-full-tuition-shift-ed-scholarships-to-hpu/article_4575ace2-23e9-11ed-b46e-67e23b8f31c9.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Jurassic World Dominion, the sixth overall and the third of recent sequels to Universal’s enormous sci-fi franchise, is jam-packed with characters (too many), subplots (ditto), special effects (not surprisingly), and spectacle (undeniably). It is also a mess, the least impactful of the lot, and a clear indication that — boffo box-office notwithstanding — a period of hibernation may well be in order. The dinosaurs deliver, but the rest of the film isn’t up to their level.
Set a few years after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2017), the film finds dinosaurs dotting the landscape of Earth. The ongoing debate is whether dinosaurs and humans can co-exist peacefully. After six films, the answer should be obvious. But more to the point, do we care?
Dinosaur wrangler and, perhaps, “dinosaur whisperer” Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and scientist Claire Deering (Bryce Dallas Howard) are living in seclusion and off-the-grid with their surrogate daughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon), herself a product of the genetic tinkering that resurrected those dinosaurs in the first place. But it’s not long before they’re drawn back into the fold when the operatives of BioSyn abduct Maisie to continue experimenting on her.
Perhaps more worrisome is that swarms of prehistoric locusts are laying waste to the world’s crops — at least those not treated with BioSyn chemicals. Might there be a connection? Scientist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) certainly thinks so and enlists the help of former colleague Alan Grant (Sam Neill) to investigate. An ecological discourse and a depiction of corporate corruption may be the last things anyone wants to see in a Jurassic Park movie, yet here they are — taking full precedence at the expense of simple entertainment value.
It’s nice to see the “old guard” — Dern, Neill, Jeff Goldblum (as Dr. Ian Malcolm), and even B.D. Wong (as Dr. Henry Wu) — back in the fold, even if they’ve been wedged into the narrative to add some star power and nostalgia value, and reliable Campbell Scott adds some welcome quirks to the stock role of Lewis Dodgson, the tycoon behind the nefarious goings-on. (Cameron Thor played Dodgson in the original 1993 Jurassic Park, but subsequent legal problems — and a stint in prison as a result — understandably precluded his involvement here.)
Then there is the matter of giving everybody something pivotal to do, while the other characters stand around waiting for their turn. As a result, there’s little suspense wondering who will survive and who won’t. As has long been a staple of the series, the dinosaurs tend to be discriminating in their victims — specifically targeting bad guys as opposed to good guys.
The special effects are fine (although we’d expect nothing less) and the action scenes well handled, but where Dominion takes a dip is in the screenplay, co-written by Emily Carmichael and executive producer/director Colin Trevorrow, who also co-wrote the story with Derek Connolly. It’s cluttered and jumbled, exhibiting desperation as it traverses the globe and incorporates flashy action scenes more akin to a James Bond film or a Die Hard sequel (“Dino Hard”?).
At times, Jurassic World Dominion plays like a carnival funhouse — or, if you prefer, a Jurassic Park theme-park attraction (which actually exists at Universal Studios Florida), replete with close scrapes and narrow escapes. It’s as if the filmmakers realized, rather belatedly, that the novelty of living dinosaurs in the 21st century has become threadbare.
Judging by the results here, it most certainly has.
- Jurassic World Dominion is playing in theaters and is available in an extended edition from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on DVD ($34.98 retail), DVD/Blu-ray combo ($39.98 retail), and 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.98 retail), each boasting bonus features. | https://www.yesweekly.com/film/dino-sore-the-latest-and-least-jurassic-park/article_630e7c58-23ca-11ed-a04e-c7c51e662e37.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:07Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/film/dino-sore-the-latest-and-least-jurassic-park/article_630e7c58-23ca-11ed-a04e-c7c51e662e37.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PICK OF THE WEEK
PATHS OF GLORY (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): This superb 1957 anti-war drama firmly established Stanley Kubrick among the front rank of filmmakers – a position he essentially held for the rest of his life -- and remains one of the best (and shortest!) films he ever made.
Adapted from Humphrey Cobb’s fact-based novel by no less a triumvirate than Kubrick, Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson, the setting is France during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Col. Dax, the commanding officer of a platoon ordered to undertake a suicide mission against the Germans. The result is a slaughter, and Dax’s men refuse to continue. Col. Mireau (George Macready), who ordered the mission, is determined to court-martial 100 soldiers, yet only three – Cpl. Paris (Ralph Meeker), Pvt. Ferol (Timothy Carey), and Pvt. Arnaud (Joe Turkel, who died in June) – are tried.
The trial, not surprisingly, is a sham, designed to deflect the blame from Mireau, and Dax – who represents the defendants – is utterly outraged. Not that it matters. It was always fun to watch Kirk Douglas in hair-trigger mode, and he had plenty of opportunity to do so here, as he castigates his superiors for their corruption and cowardice allowing three innocent men to be executed.
The parallels to the Hollywood Blacklist (at the time) and corruption (in general) remain timely and all-too-believable, and Kubrick’s resolutely unsentimental approach to the story lends it a cold-blooded but compelling impact. The cast, which also includes Adolphe Menjou (himself an outspoken supporter of the Blacklist), Richard Anderson, Wayne Morris, Emile Meyer and Bert Freed, could hardly be better. Paths of Glory is essentially a perfect movie, and has lost none of its power over the years.
The 4K Ultra HD combo ($39.95 retail) includes audio commentary and theatrical trailer. ****
ALSO AVAILABLE
ALI & AVA (Greenwich Entertainment/Kino Lorber): Writer/director Clio Barnard’s award-winning drama focuses on the unlikely relationship that develops between its titular characters, an unhappily married Pakistani immigrant (Adeel Akhtar) and a recently widowed tutor (Claire Rushbook), which is complicated by the biases of those around them. Simple yet sincere, with the two leads in terrific form, and a fine depiction of the working-class milieu in contemporary England, available on DVD ($19.95 retail). ***
BABY ASSASSINS (Well Go USA Entertainment): Yugo Sakamoto wrote, directed, and edited this award-winning action extravaganza (originally titled Beibi warukyure) stars Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa as the title characters, a pair of highly skilled teen-aged assassins and roommates whose skills are put to the test when they clash with the Japanese Yakuza and spark an all-out gang war. In Japanese with English subtitles, available on DVD ($19.99 retail) and Blu-ray ($29.98 retail).
CANDYMAN (Scream Factory/Shout! Factory): Director Bernard Rose’s award-winning 1992 adaptation of executive producer Clive Barker’s short story The Forbidden stars Virginia Madsen as a graduate student investigating urban legends who unwittingly conjures up the title character (an iconic turn by Tony Todd), a murdered 19th-century slave who exacts bloody retribution. The urban setting, exemplified by Chicago’s Cabrini Green apartments, meshes well with the story’s darker historical aspects, but despite a superb Philip Glass score and some terrific jolts this continually lapses back into exploitation territory. Nevertheless, it became a cult classic, spawned a franchise, and offers a solid cast including Xander Berkeley (as Madsen’s unfaithful, disbelieving husband), Vanessa A. Williams, Ted Raimi, Rose himself, and Kasi Lemmons (a real scene-stealer as Madsen’s predictably ill-fated best friend), available in a 4K Ultra HD combo ($39.98 retail) boasting such bonus features as the original unrated director’s cut and R-rated theatrical version, multiple audio commentaries, retrospective interviews, theatrical trailer, and more. **½
“HARRY WILD”: SERIES 1 (Acorn/RLJ Entertainment): Jane Seymour (also a co-executive producer) essays the title role of retired literature professor Harriet “Harry” Wild, whose restlessness manifests itself when she begins to assist her policeman son Charlie (Kevin Ryan) with his investigations – whether he likes it or not – in all eight episodes from the inaugural 2022 season of the light-hearted mystery series created by executive producer David Logan, with Rohan Nedd, Amy Huberman, Stuart Graham, and Paul Tylak rounding out the regular cast, available in a three-DVD collection ($49.99 retail), replete with bonus features.
KILL A DRAGON (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Taking its “inspiration” from Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), this slick but predictable 1967 action opus (originally titled Nitro) stars Jack Palance as a mercenary hired by Chinese villagers to rid them of sadistic smuggler Fernando Lamas and his minions, with Aldo Ray, Alizia Gur, Don Knight (in his feature debut), and Kam Tong (in his final feature) caught in the crossfire, available on Blu-ray ($24.95 retail). *½
LITTLE MAN, WHAT NOW? (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): The Blu-ray bow ($24.95 retail) of director Frank Borzage’s 1934 adaptation of Hans Fallada’s novel Kleiner Mann – was nun? with Margaret Sullavan and Douglass Montgomery as an impoverished couple who move to Berlin to seek their fortune, only to encounter the Third Reich in its inexorable rise to power. Lots of familiar folk on hand: Alan Hale, Mae Marsh, George Meeker, Fred Kohler, Paul Fix, Alan Mowbray, Frank Reicher, and Hedda Hopper. Bonus features include audio commentary and trailers.
MURDER AT YELLOWSTONE CITY (RLJE Films): Producer/director Robert Gray’s well-made but ponderous Western whodunit details the murder of prospector Zach McGowan in the titular town, and how it affects the local population. Too much talk, not enough action. Gabriel Byrne plays the local lawman, executive producer Thomas Jane the local minister, and Isaiah Mustafa (very good) as the prime suspect, with Richard Dreyfuss (also an executive producer), Anna Camp, Aimee Garcia, Nat Wolff, Lew Temple, John Ales, and Isabella Ruby (in her feature debut) on hand, available on DVD ($29.96 retail) and Blu-ray ($27.97 retail), each replete with bonus features including audio commentary, deleted scenes, and more. **
SNIPER: ROGUE MISSION (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment): Oliver Thompson, who wrote and co-produced 2020’s Sniper: Assassin’s End, wrote and directed the latest, R-rated installment of the long-running action franchise, with Chad Michael Collins encoring as a highly skilled CIA sniper who goes rogue to demolish a sex-trafficking ring aided by Ryan Robbins and Sayaka Akimoto (also returning from Assassin’s End, with Josh Brener, Brendan Sexton III, and Dennis Haysbert caught in the crossfire, available on DVD ($19.99 retail) and Blu-ray ($25.99 retail).
TERROR OUT OF THE SKY (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): With Irwin Allen’s big-budget The Swarm poised to hit theaters (where it promptly bombed), Lee H. Katzin directed this watchable if predictable 1978 CBS-TV sequel to the 1976 NBC-TV movie The Savage Bees (one of the better killer-bee movies), with Tovah Feldshuh (replacing Gretchen Corbett from the earlier film) as a heroic scientist determined to vanquish a swarm of killer bees, backed by a star-studded cast including Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dan Haggerty, Richard Herd, Lonny Chapman, Steve Franken, Philip Baker Hall, and Charles Hallahan (in his TV-movie debut), available on Blu-ray ($24.95 retail), replete with audio commentary and trailers. **
TEY (Kino Lorber): Alain Gomis scripted and directed this award-winning 2012 drama (originally titled Aujourd’ hui and also released as Today) is a superb showcase for leading man Saul Williams, in a soulful turn as a resident of modern-day Dakar who awakens one day knowing it will be his last day alive, then embarks on a journey of self-discovery as he is celebrated by the community and attempts to atone for his past misdeeds. A colorful, occasionally satirical examination of Senegalese customs and culture, as well as a successful character study. In French and Wolof with English subtitles, available on DVD ($19.95 retail). ***
THEY WENT THAT-A-WAY AND THAT-A-WAY (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Tim Conway scripted and stars in this flimsy 1978 farce in which he and former kiddie host Chuck McCann play bumbling cops working undercover in a maximum-security prison – with the expected slapstick results. Such familiar folk as Dub Taylor, Richard Kiel, Reni Santoni, Grace Zabriskie, Joe Dorsey, Hank Worden, Lenny Montana, and Dukes of Hazzard veterans Sonny Shroyer and Ben Jones join in the silly shenanigans, available on Blu-ray ($24.95 retail). Rated PG. *½
WHEN TOMORROW COMES (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Hot off Love Affair (1939), Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer were immediately reteamed in director John M. Stahl’s 1939 adaptation of James M. Cain’s A Modern Cinderella, detailing the tentative relationship between concert pianist Boyer and middle-class waitress Dunne, who is unaware that he is already married (to Barbara O’Neil). Cain was so incensed by the film that he instituted legal action against Universal Pictures for copyright infringement, but it did win the Academy Award for Best Sound Recording. The Blu-ray ($24.95 retail) includes audio commentary and trailers.
WHITE ELEPHANT (RLJE Films): Writer/director Jesse V. Johnson’s competent but routine shoot-‘em-up affords reliable Michael Rooker a rare big-screen lead as a disillusioned mob enforcer who turns against his boss (Bruce Willis) when he decides to help endangered detective Olga Kurylenko. John Malkovich picks up an easy check as a corrupt attorney, Kurylenko manages to overcome the limitations of her stock role, Willis (in one of his last films before his self-imposed retirement) is more engaged than he has been in other recent B movies, and for sure the film doesn’t skimp on violence, available on DVD ($29.96 retail) and Blu-ray ($29.97 retail). **
(Copyright 2022, Mark Burger) | https://www.yesweekly.com/film/video-vault---august-24-2022/article_f569f430-23c8-11ed-ac0e-6f464fd2c44f.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:13Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/film/video-vault---august-24-2022/article_f569f430-23c8-11ed-ac0e-6f464fd2c44f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Central Carolina Fair returning to Coliseum Complex
(GREENSBORO, NC) - The annual Central Carolina Fair will once again light up the sky around the Greensboro Coliseum Complex this fall. Featuring spectacular rides, carnival food and games and attractions for all ages, the 2022 Central Carolina Fair begins Friday, Sept. 9.
ADMISSION & PROMOTIONS
Regular admission - $6. Children under 42”, seniors, valid college and military ID – free.
Dollar Days (Sept. 14 & 15)
From 5-10 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14 and Thursday, Sept. 15, 'Dollar Days' will be in effect at the Fair with $1 admission, $1 per ride, $1 select food items and $1 parking.
Everyone’s a Kid on Saturdays (Sept. 10 & 17)
From 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., everyone pays one price! Come on out for $15 admission and unlimited ride wristband (please note ride band valid until 5 p.m.).
RIDES & GAMES
The 2022 Central Carolina Fair will midway will feature an exciting assortment of rides, games and attractions to entertain all ages! From the hair-raising thrill rides to a selection of classic kiddie rides, more than 25 rides will light up the midway courtesy of Michael's Amusements.
ATTRACTIONS
Roaring Metal Rage
Combining top freestyle motocross and BMX Riders for a one-of-a-kind show like no other! Spinning and Flipping on and off their bikes to entertain you over 40 feet in the air! Go to www.roaringmetalrage.com for more information. Free performances daily included with Fair admission.
Animal Exhibit
The annual animal exhibit from Wilkie Farms will once again be one of the highlights on the midway. Featuring exotic and traditional farm animals and pony rides, the animal exhibit is always one of the most popular attractions for fairgoers young and old.
FAIR FOOD
A mouth-watering variety of delicious and unique food items await fairgoers. From traditional Fair favorites such as corn dogs, candy apples and funnel cakes to Italian sausages, turkey legs and pizza, Central Carolina Fair food vendors will have a wide selection of food and beverage items to choose from.
Please visit CentralCarolinFair.com for more information. | https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/central-carolina-fair-returning-to-coliseum-complex/article_69742b68-23c7-11ed-b893-2ffb2e37c1a8.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:19Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/central-carolina-fair-returning-to-coliseum-complex/article_69742b68-23c7-11ed-b893-2ffb2e37c1a8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ROAR is a unique concept, incorporating casual as well as fine dining, several bars, recreational venues, and entertainment/concert space, in a reconstructed historic building.
Joseph Correll is operating partner. Simon Burgess is the principal developer. Correll has lived in Winston-Salem all his life. Burgess, a Brit, is now a resident of Winston-Salem, having relocated after helming hotel and other projects in different countries.
After extensive redesign and construction, ROAR began operations in January. Opening of the final dining installment took place last week. Valet parking facilitates access.
On the street level, Fords Food Hall is named after the building’s original resident, Twin City Motor Company. The space started as a showroom for the Model A. The hall houses several restaurant windows, a large bar, a performance stage, and a beverage wall.
To access the beverage wall, you register with the wall host, then draw your own using the provided ID. Place food orders at the window(s) you select. You get a text when your food is ready. Pick up and settle down in the open space and have dinner before moving to entertainment on one of the other floors. (This arrangement also facilitates takeout.) Several more formally decorated private lounges on this level can be reserved for a fee.
Joey Correll’s American Street Food serves wings, burgers, chicken sandwiches, a vegetarian bean burger, plus French fries and hotdogs, as well as seafood. Correll’s seafood selection is Pawley’s Island Grouper Bites. These are bite-sized chunks of grouper- tender and fresh-tasting, lightly breaded and fried, augmented with tartar sauce. I would definitely get them again, and I would add a compliment regarding the accompanying French fries- they taste fresh cut, like real potato! I found the Chili here appealing as well- pleasantly meaty, robust in flavor, not too many beans.
At Blue Crab Seafood Bar, the menu offers She Crab Soup, Fish Tacos, Fried Soft Shell Crabs, Calabash Shrimp, and fried flounder or whiting, plus several grilled fish. The latter come with a choice of several enhancements, plus two sides. I ordered Grilled Salmon with chimichurri. The fish was nicely marked from the grill, cooked rather well done. A side of Street Corn is served on the cob, decorated with cotija cheese, lime, and cilantro. Jalapeno Ranch Cole Slaw is just a little spicy-hot, not overpowering, with fairly big chunks of cabbage leaves and stalk.
From Dragon Fruit Asian Fare, Garlic Noodles with Shrimp proved a wise choice. The noodles are appropriately firm, the shrimp tender and fresh. The garlic is assertive, but not overpowering. This is sprinkled with red pepper flakes, spicing things up a bit. Other interesting selections include Pork Belly Bao Buns, Sweet Potato Crab Rangoon, and several fried rice concoctions.
Centenario is the Mexican station. Sharables include Stuffed Shrimp- filled with cheese and wrapped in bacon- and Chicharrones- pork rinds with pickled onions and salsa verde. Tacos are available with fish, chicken, beef, or vegetarian “soy meat.” The Plates section of the menu includes Fajitas; Huaraches (refried pinto beans); a seafood assembly of octopus, shrimp, and cod; and Carne Asada- my selection. This is flank steak, appropriately firm for the cut, tossed with grilled onions, corn salsa, and fried potatoes. The combination of ingredients yields a complex and really tasty result. Beans come in a separate container.
Zero Sei (06 is the telephone code for Rome) specializes in piadinas, an Italian flatbread made without yeast. Simone Conosciani, a native of Rome, Italy, is the chef. He came to the United States when he was 18 years old, working in food service most of his life. He was formerly sous-chef at Sir Winston Wine Loft and Restaurant (developed by the same team as ROAR), and also worked at Harvest Table, the food provider for Wake Forest University, as well as Vinnie’s Pizzeria.
Conosciani believes that no one else in this area is serving flatbreads made this way. I tried The Sea piadina, which encloses smoked salmon, fresh mozzarella cheese, avocado basil spread, and yogurt sauce. (Cucumbers are usually included, but my wife is allergic to them, so we requested a preparation that left them off. The kitchen had no problem accommodating the request. Everything is made to order.) All ingredients bespoke quality, making me look forward to another visit to sample other versions, especially the ones based on Italian sausage, speck ham, prosciutto di Parma, and soppressatta salami.
Chef Conosciani also operates Est! Est!! Est!!! Italian, one of two full-service restaurants at ROAR. It is located on the same level as Fords Food Hall, but in its own separate enclosed seating area.
Whoever set up this wine list knew what they were doing. A large percentage of the selections are Italian, and thus not likely to be familiar to many guests. But small tastes are easily acquired, and by-the-glass pours are generous. My wife and I liked everything we tried.
The meal starts auspiciously with a freshly baked round of Italian whole wheat bread. Be careful. This tastes really good. Two people could easily fill up before food arrives.
We started with Sautee’ Cozze e Vongole- clams and mussels, in a light but richly flavored tomato sauce made with white wine, enhanced with cooked cherry tomatoes and garlic. Crusty toasted slices of that whole wheat bread surround the presentation and provide a mechanism for soaking up the sauce, which you should absolutely do. (Although the restaurant is casual in ambiance, plate licking might go too far.)
In Salmone alla Siciliana, a perfectly cooked strip of fish is surrounded by kalamata olives and cooked cherry tomatoes, sharpened with capers, plus garlic, all simmered in white wine. The effect is robust, while allowing the natural flavor of the salmon to come through clearly. Firm, fresh asparagus is the well-chosen vegetable accompaniment. Bolognese uses wide, flat noodles, cooked al dente, blessed with a supremely rich ground meat and tomato sauce. This ranks in the top echelon of Triad pasta dishes.
In fact, my initial impression places Est Est Est in the top echelon among all Triad Italian restaurants. Multiple return visits will be necessary to validate that perception, and I’m looking forward to them!
JL Casper’s, on the second floor, is the other full-service restaurant. This is a steak house, designed to be reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties. It opened last Thursday. Hard surfaces make this a high-energy, high-volume venue, especially when live bands are performing. (The one on opening night was really good!)
The restaurant is named in honor of JL Casper. He made liquor in Winston-Salem around the time this building was functioning in its original incarnation. He went to jail during Prohibition, moved his operation to Mexico after he got out, but eventually returned to Winston-Salem. Original jugs from The Casper Company (“Lowest Priced Whiskey House, write for confidential list”) decorate the bar.
I consider the menu very well-conceived. The price range (main courses $19-$42) allows you to control costs. Steaks (Certified Angus Beef) lead the entrées, of course, joined by several attractive seafood selections, as well as Joyce Farms chicken. (This is a Winston-Salem purveyor of exceptional quality fowl.) The wine list is noteworthy for both quality and value. You can’t make a mistake here.
My wife ordered a Shrimp Cocktail, which fits this concept perfectly. And it’s a solid rendition of this perennially popular starter. Lightly dressed spinach leaves hosted my Fried Oyster Salad. The oysters themselves bore an unusually crisp crust. Big chunks of blue cheese occupy center stage, the whole assembly scattered with sliced figs. Another winner.
For her main course, my wife tried the Kobe Burger. This is based on a half-pound of superior quality ground beef, enhanced with horse radish truffle mayonnaise, applewood smoked cheddar cheese, and caramelized onions, hosted on a brioche bun. The accompanying Pommes Frites are among the best I’ve had- crisp, bursting with real potato flavor, enhanced with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese.
I got the Pork Chop. The meat- about an inch thick- bespoke quality in flavor and texture, presented over cheese grits, surrounded by tasso ham gravy, topped with fried sage leaves. Braised mustard greens, lightly touched with vinegar, complete the presentation. This is a great combination. I’ve never had better.
Jon Willis, previously the executive chef at Ryan’s Steakhouse, is corporate chef. He oversees all of ROAR’s dining venues.
The Mayfair Club, named for the developers’ company, is a bar and entertainment venue, also on the top floor. The first thing you see when you get off the elevator is a meticulously restored, polished Model A Ford auto. In addition to regular bar seating/standing, several reserve sections can be rented for larger parties. Patrons can play simulated golf or reserve a bowling lane up here. Concerts, dance, and event spaces are available as well.
Roar is not simply a new restaurant. This is a new experience, quite beyond anything I have ever seen in the Triad (or anywhere else, for that matter) before. Five ROAR concepts are underway in other states. Winston-Salem’s is the first to open. | https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/chow-down-with-john-batchelor-at-roar/article_9c7645f0-23bd-11ed-88b5-e7eddfc5b8f6.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:25Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/chow-down-with-john-batchelor-at-roar/article_9c7645f0-23bd-11ed-88b5-e7eddfc5b8f6.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The North Carolina Folk Festival Releases Official Schedule and Map as Festival Weekend Approaches
Greensboro, N.C., August 23, 2022 — Today the North Carolina Folk Festival released the official 2022 Festival schedule and site map. The map includes parking options, as well as ride-share pick-up and drop-off locations, to easily coordinate travel.
The North Carolina Folk Festival will take place September 9-11 in downtown Greensboro, and feature a diverse tapestry of not just music, but food and other cultural activities as well. Festival attendees can shop for a wide variety of handcrafted creations from NC vendors, including pottery, jewelry, clothing, and more.
Festival goers can also choose from a long list of cuisines at one of our Festival food courts, including Mediterranean, Jamaican, Salvadoran, Indian, and so many more.
It is thanks to the North Carolina Folk Festival’s sponsors, media partners, and donors, including LeBauer Park Stage Sponsor, Cone Health, that Festival organizers are able to successfully execute such a special and memorable three-day weekend for its community each year.
“Cone Health believes in the power of art to heal and to inspire,” says Chuck Wallington, Ph.D., chief marketing and communications officer, Cone Health. “That is why we support the work of local artists through displaying their works in our hospitals and clinics and why we are enthusiastic supporters of events, such as the NC Folk Festival, that showcase exceptional talent. We are thrilled to partner with the NC Folk Festival again and are proud to be the LeBauer Stage Sponsors for the 2022 festival.”
To access the Festival map, schedule, and a complete list of vendors, please visit ncfolkfestival.com
About the North Carolina Folk Festival: The North Carolina Folk Festival’s mission is to honor, celebrate, and share the meaningful ways communities express their creativity and cultural traditions through music, dance, food, crafts and other folk arts to enhance appreciation of diverse traditions and contribute to community vibrancy and inclusivity. Our signature event, the annual North Carolina Folk Festival, is one of the fastest-growing destination events in the Southeast, attracting people from across the U.S. to downtown Greensboro each September. The festival is a FREE admission, three-day event featuring performing groups representing a diverse array of cultural traditions from around the world on multiple stages, including continuous music and dance performances, a makers marketplace, regional and ethnic foods, festival merchandise and more. The 2022 North Carolina Folk Festival will take place in downtown Greensboro September 9 through 11. Additional information is available at www.ncfolkfestival.com. | https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/the-north-carolina-folk-festival-releases-official-schedule-and-map-as-festival-weekend-approaches/article_f6b1819a-23d8-11ed-8ba3-cf4dc915ec12.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:31Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/the-north-carolina-folk-festival-releases-official-schedule-and-map-as-festival-weekend-approaches/article_f6b1819a-23d8-11ed-8ba3-cf4dc915ec12.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ride NC By Train to Carolina Panthers Games
- Updated
- 0
Tags
- Nc State Wolfpack Football
- North Carolina Tar Heels Football
- Ride
- Sports In The United States
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- Atlantic Coast Conference
- Victory Bell
- Nc State–wake Forest Rivalry
- Piedmont
- Amtrak Station
- Denver Broncos
- Raleigh
- Bank Of America Stadium
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Charlotte
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Football
- North Carolina
- Cleveland Browns
Post a comment as
Report
Watch this discussion. Stop watching this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
e-Edition
Click here to read our PDF flip version
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Latest News
- Brass and Jazz: The John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival brings soul to the Triad
- Political prisoner turned playwright wants to bring others out of The BOX
- Withdrew keeps truckin’
- Chow Down With John Batchelor At ROAR
- Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway and Wayne Henderson & Herb Key play Sept. 3 at Blue Ridge Music Center
Most Popular
Articles
- Thousands of Dogs To Compete in Greensboro at The Carolina Cluster Dog Shows
- Reynolda Village Welcomes Theodore’s Bar and Market
- The Greensboro Food Truck Festival is back August 28, 3-9pm
- City Lake dam project to impact Jamestown residents
- The NC Folk Festival Finalizes the 2022 Lineup with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic
- Big C Waffles Expanding Into Kernersville
- Gone girl: The wicked woods of Winston-Salem
- JD Financial Group and Associates, Inc. Returns to Greensboro
- Black Magnolia goes brick & mortar
- 24 Extraordinary High Point Educators to be Honored
Images
Videos
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
In the summer of 1970, I was the public address announcer for Ernie Shore Field. It was a dr…
- Updated
Acting can be dangerous. Just ask Clu Gulager.
- Updated
Legacy is an overused word. A great athlete, for example, may claim that hitting lots of hom… | https://www.yesweekly.com/kids_family/ride-nc-by-train-to-carolina-panthers-games/article_63de3e56-23b7-11ed-9d50-8fa5e9fa8178.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:37Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/kids_family/ride-nc-by-train-to-carolina-panthers-games/article_63de3e56-23b7-11ed-9d50-8fa5e9fa8178.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
"Lovett skillfully weaves together fact and fiction to deliver an immensely satisfying and thoroughly absorbing tale that explores the power of stories to irrevocably shape their readers.”—Anne Bogel, creator of Modern Mrs. Darcy and author of I’d Rather BeReading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life on EscapingDreamland
“Lovett navigates skillfully between centuries while exploring interwoven themes of regret, unrequited love, loyalty, and ambition.”—Liza Nash Taylor, author of Etiquette for Runaways and In All GoodFaith on Escaping Dreamland
Blackstone Publishing is proud to announce the forthcoming release ofThe Enigma Affair [Blackstone Publishing; September 6, 2022;hardcover, e-book, audiobook], the new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Charlie Lovett. When a librarian and a professional assassin team up to solve a seventy-five-year-old Nazi mystery, they just might change the world.
New York Times bestselling author of Escaping Dreamland
When small-town librarian Patton Harcourt comes under fire one morning while making profiteroles, she has no choice but to trust the mysterious assassin, Nemo, who shows up in her kitchen. Fleeing a pair of German thugs, the two form an unlikely alliance as they try to decipher a seventy-five-year-old message encoded by Nazis on an Enigma machine. Traveling to Bletchley Park in England, they enlist the aid ofPatton’s old flame, Ruthie Drinkwater, an expert on Enigma. The trio soon finds themselves on the run, pursued by both the police and Ingrid Weiss,a white supremacist trying to unlock the secret of Heinrich Himmler’s research into alchemy. If Patton, Nemo, and their cohorts can survive a host of dangers—from trained killers to explosions to imprisonment—they might be able to prevent Weiss from acquiring untold wealth to promote her racist agenda.
In this fast-paced thriller with a thoroughly researched World War II background, a mismatched cadre of heroes, including an art historian, a museum docent, and a collector of Nazi artifacts, must work together to stop a ruthless and resourceful opponent. Racing across Europe,attempting to outfox Weiss and her associates at every turn, Patton and her team mount a complex operation. But can they withstand double crosses and dark secrets from Patton’s military past to defeat IngridWeiss and discover the secret of Project Alchemie?
Charlie Lovett is the New York Times best selling author of four previous novels, including TheBookman’s Tale and Escaping Dreamland. His academic writings include Lewis Carroll Formed by Faith and for children he has written TheBook of the Seven Spells and twenty plays that have been seen in over five thousand productions worldwide. A former antiquarian bookseller and avid collector, he and his wife, Janice, live in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and (when the pandemic allows) in the village of Kingham in England.
Charlie has several events in NC this fall:
September 6, 2022 7 p.m.
Book Launch for The Enigma Affair
Bookmarks, 634 W. 4th Street, Winston-Salem, NC.
September 24, 2022
Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors, Winston-Salem, NC
September 28, 2022 6:30 p.m.
Book Launch for The Book of the Seven Spells
Summit School, 2100 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC.
October 6, 2022 6:30 p.m.
High Point Library
901 N. Main St. High Point, NC | https://www.yesweekly.com/literature/winston-salem-based-author-schedules-triad-book-signings-the-enigma-affair/article_6e14a68c-23e7-11ed-8d9e-9bbb90ae9b89.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:43Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/literature/winston-salem-based-author-schedules-triad-book-signings-the-enigma-affair/article_6e14a68c-23e7-11ed-8d9e-9bbb90ae9b89.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Auditions for ‘The Invisible Dragon’ Are September 6-7
GREENSBORO, NC (August 24, 2022) – Creative Greensboro, in partnership with Scrapmettle Blueprints, will hold auditions for an upcoming children’s drama production of “The Invisible Dragon.”
Auditions will beheld by appointment at 6 pm Tues., Sept. 6 and Wed., Sept. 7 in Studio 108 in the Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St. To register for an audition, visit www.creativegreensboro.com.
“The Invisible Dragon” isa fun and lighthearted play by Patricia Clapp with an important lesson about what happens when you put others first. Creative Greensboro and Scrapmettle Blueprints seek a racially diverse cast ages 7-15 for ensemble and solo roles for all genders. No prior experience is required. Auditions will consist of readings from the script. Scripts are available prior to auditions by emailing Performing Arts Coordinator Todd Fisher at todd.fisher@greensboro-nc.gov. In-person rehearsals will be held on evenings and weekends as schedules permit, with performances on October 20-24.
Scrapmettle Entertainment is a Greensboro-based network of writers, directors and performing artists who honor theater tradition and create new performances. The company’s work seeks to reveal what’s beneath the surface of the human experience and use it as a learning tool through realistic scenes on stage. Scrapmettle Blueprints is the arts education initiative of Scrapmettle Entertainment. It gives young people in grades K-12 real world experiences in the arts and entertainment industry that support their academic learning.
Founded in 2019, Creative Greensboro provides support for, ensures access to and drives awareness of the Greensboro creative community. Through a range of programs, services and partnerships, Creative Greensboro supports the development of a vibrant city. To learn more about Creative Greensboro, visit its website. | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/auditions-for-the-invisible-dragon-are-september-6-7/article_6d5b93ac-23c1-11ed-867c-eb4fd07df0c1.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:50Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/auditions-for-the-invisible-dragon-are-september-6-7/article_6d5b93ac-23c1-11ed-867c-eb4fd07df0c1.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Labor Day weekend brings friends, food, and fellowship but in the Triad area that also comes with the smooth and melodic sounds of jazz.
The 11th annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival will be held at High Point’s Oak Hollow Festival Park, located at 1841 Eastchester Drive, on September 3-4, 2002.
The late Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, in 1926. He grew up in High Point having graduated from William Penn High School (now Penn Griffin School of the Arts) at the age of 16. He first learned to play the saxophone there, influenced by Lester Young and Johnny Hodges. After graduation, he would move to Philadelphia, where he would continue to study his craft and eventually go on to become the pioneer of the free jazz movement.
Coltrane would die from liver disease on July 17, 1967.
Festival organizer Joe Williams said that while the year has been trying, many people are looking for relief in various forms.
“We hope that we can do our little part with something called the Coltrane Jazz and Blues Festival. It brings people together from all parts of the country and they come and share one common interest — music,” he said.
According to Williams, the cost of inflation on the heels of COVID has hit the entertainment industry pretty hard. While ticket sales have gone well, things seem to cost more.
“In some cases, things have doubled the price. We are fortunate to have some state support this year and that has been a tremendous help.”
Having attracted thousands of people and hundreds of vendors each year, the lakeside concert continues to grow, bringing big names in the world of Jazz and Blues to the area.
“We’ve had superb talent at the festival for years, some more popular than the others, but equally talented,” he said.
This year is no different.
Saturday night’s festival will is headlined by musical legend Patti LaBelle. The Grammy-award-winning singer has been on the music scene for more than 60 years, having led nationally recognized groups The Bluebelles and LaBelle before launching her solo career in the 80s.
Dubbed “The Godmother of Soul,” LaBelle has belted out international tunes such as “If Only You Knew,” “Love, Need and Want You,” and “New Attitude.” She would go on to win awards for her 1991 album Burnin’, an album that featured “Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)”, “Feels Like Another One”, and “When You’ve Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)”. She also experienced success in the field of acting with roles in A Different World, A Soldier’s Story, American Horror Story: Freak Show, Dancing with the Stars, her own sitcom Out All Night, and a lifestyle TV show, Living It Up with Patti LaBelle. She has also found success with her own cookbooks, shoe line, and food products. Her latest music venture is the jazz album “Bel Hommage,” released on her label, GPE Records.
“There’s been excitement to have Patti. There’s been excitement for the overall show,” Williams said. “I’ve been hearing wonderful comments about the variety, diversity, and overall look of the lineup. We have Patti on Saturday and Chris Botti, which could not make it last year and desperately wanted to get back this year. This festival is exciting. People are more relaxed and have a desire to want to get out and mingle.”
Performances that night will also include Christian McBride with Inside Straight, Christ Botti, and Kirk Whalum with Keiko Matsui.
McBride is co-headling with his band, Inside Straight. They will be performing mainstream jazz. Members of Inside Straight are pianist Peter Martin, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, saxophonist Steve Wilson, and drummer Carl Allen. Six musicians play as the Masters of Smooth ensemble. Soprano saxophonist Marion Meadows, pianist-composer Alex Bugnon, celebrated six-string bass player Gerald Veasley, saxophonist Jessy J, Poogie Bell on the drums, and Karyn White, who recorded the smash hit female anthem “Superwoman.”
Puerto Rican-born pianist and composer Marlow Rosado will be joined by Cuban vocalist and songwriter Aymée Nuviola to add a distinguishing facet to the festivals musical offering.
Puerto Rican-born pianist and composer Marlow Rosado will be joined by Cuban vocalist and songwriter Aymée Nuviola to add Latin Jazz to the lineup.
Sunday’s show will be headlined by Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti. He is known for high-energy shows and playing everything from jazz to pop to rock.
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum and pianist Keiko Matsui will perform together blending Whalum’s elements of gospel, blues, and jazz with Matsui. Larry McCray will perform on Sunday, bringing his sound of blues, rock, and soul to the stage. Cindy Blackman Santana, wife of acclaimed musician Carlos Santana, will also grace the stage. She has toured the globe with Pharoah Sanders and Lenny Kravitz.
The organization also gives out instruments to future musicians in middle and high schools across the state through its John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF) Student Essay Contest.
Students are asked to submit a video or a written essay explaining their music aspirations, affinities, and needs. Winners receive a free, brand-new instrument of their choosing. Winners are introduced by festival hosts, on stage, “with their prizes made possible by Bill Banks, Joe Williams, and KHS America, Inc., an instrument manufacturer along with local sponsors,” according to its website.
“We’ve contacted all the instrument winners and they all plan on attending. The excitement you feel when you call and hear the screams of joy is great. Not only from the winner but the parents who are equally excited because some are dealing with limited funds because of inflation.”
Williams said that he and the organization consider it a blessing to be able to help while sharing the mission.
"How do we grow music? It starts with an instrument,” he explained. “Yes, you can have the desire but without an instrument, you can’t take it any further.”
According to a release, JCIJBF has awarded over 100 instruments to aspiring students at a retail value of over $160,000.
For ticket information and festival details, visit www.coltranejazzfest.com. | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/brass-and-jazz-the-john-coltrane-international-jazz-and-blues-festival-brings-soul-to-the/article_d1c06b5a-23c7-11ed-88e3-7ff785644e49.html | 2022-08-24T23:15:56Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/brass-and-jazz-the-john-coltrane-international-jazz-and-blues-festival-brings-soul-to-the/article_d1c06b5a-23c7-11ed-88e3-7ff785644e49.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Season finale showcases virtuosic guitar picking and award-winning bluegrass
The Blue Ridge Music Center is excited to present Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway and Wayne Henderson & Herb Key in the spacious outdoor amphitheater for an evening of stellar guitar-picking and award-winning bluegrass at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3. The concert is the finale of this year’s summer series at the venue. The Music Center is located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Galax and 30 minutes from Sparta and Mount Airy, N.C.
One of the most compelling new voices in the roots music world, Molly Tuttle is a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter with a lifelong love of bluegrass. The Northern California-bred artist first discovered the genre thanks to her father (a music teacher and multi-instrumentalist) and grandfather (a banjo player, who she visited often at his Illinois farm).
A four-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award–winner, Tuttle was the first female winner of Guitar Player of the Year, and is nominated in five categories for the 2022 IBMA awards: Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Guitar Player of the Year, and Instrumental Group of the Year.
Golden Highway includes mandolinist Dominick Leslie, banjo player Kyle Tuttle, fiddle player Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and bassist Shelby Means. Keith-Hynes has been nominated for IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year.
Opening the show is Wayne Henderson, a top-notch fingerpicking guitarist and storyteller. He has toured nationally and internationally, and hosts a festival and guitar competition at Grayson Highlands State Park each summer. Henderson is a guitar and mandolin builder of great renown, and received the National Heritage Award presented by the National Endowment for the Arts for his work as a luthier.
Henderson’s performance is part of the National Treasures in National Parks series of performances by National Heritage award winners at park sites across the country.
Herb Key, who performs with Henderson, grew up in a musical family in Wilkes County. Key plays bass and guitar. He has played music for most of his life and has spent more than 30 years making, repairing, and restoring instruments.
This concert is sponsored by T2PM Project Management.
Advance tickets are $25 in advance and are available at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org. Tickets can be purchased for $30 on the evening of the show at the admission gates.
Parking opens at 5:15 p.m. and is free. Admission to the amphitheater begins at 5:45 p.m.
The Galax Smokehouse will offer barbecue, home-style sides, and beverages for purchase during the concert. | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/molly-tuttle-golden-highway-and-wayne-henderson-herb-key-play-sept-3-at-blue-ridge/article_723270ee-23da-11ed-906b-9fd117801e25.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:02Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/molly-tuttle-golden-highway-and-wayne-henderson-herb-key-play-sept-3-at-blue-ridge/article_723270ee-23da-11ed-906b-9fd117801e25.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Headed down the road of a simple summer jangle, Withdrew keeps truckin’ with a new single, “Any Other Direction,” an upcoming album, and a show at Monstercade on August 26.
Led by Drew Taylor, the indie outfit of Winstoners offer an almost nostalgic sort of psychedelic pop — Hammond organs and a guitar twang fans of Caleb Caudle might find familiar, from Taylor’s time in that lineup.
Withdrew exists as a part-reunion, part-Taylor’s extension under an umbrella of bands between lifelong friends including the Myspace-era’d Terrance and the Tallboys; Brooklyn-based KDH (with drummer, Lee Hinshaw) and the current Leonard Cottage (with bassist, Josh Deaton).
“I met Josh at ‘Jam Night,’” Taylor explained of the music endeavor they now call “Church.” “We just improvise and have musical conversations; then sometimes make those jams into proper songs. Everything in the room is mic’d at all times, and we never play without hitting ‘record’.”
Reflecting on his relationship with Hinshaw, “I’ve been playing music with Lee since we were 16,” Taylor said. “And even when we lived in different places we always stayed in touch and sent each other demos,” Taylor added, referencing his eight-year stint in New York City (after graduating from the classical guitar program at the UNC-School of the Arts high school.) “Lee and I are very competitive in the best way, there’s a healthy creative friction in our process that makes the songs work.”
Childhood friction helped introduce Taylor to guitarist Jonathan Massa. “I’ve known Jonathan since I was about 5 years old,” he said. “I would stare at him down in the cafeteria seething with jealousy over his Krusty the Clown t-shirt because my parents wouldn’t let me watch the Simpsons for some reason.” The two ended up as friends who studied guitar with the same teacher as teenagers.
Together, Withdrew resonates a particular intimacy across washed-out indie vibes and “cosmic American” music that flows through the 2021 album, “Wistful For The Mystik.”
“We recorded this during that thing that happened in 2020,” Taylor noted, recalling the production as therapeutic for himself and Hinshaw. “Despite the fact that Jonathan and Josh had to record their parts separately because of all the distancing and scares …etc,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of the way it turned out and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.”
Personal touches abound. Cassettes were packaged with individual Polaroids, with photos and artistic designs from Taylor’s wife, Hotaru Katagiri. “She’s a brilliant photographer who I’m lucky as hell to be married to as well,” he explained. “I just wanted the packaging to be special and handmade and I knew that they would be in the hands of friends and family around the country that I love and miss dearly.“
The cover itself features Taylor’s late-father years ago, taken in his mother’s apartment kitchen, awash in the brown-and-yellow heyday of the early-1980s. “He passed away in 2018, I know wherever he is he’s tickled that he’s on an album cover. He also looks cooler than I ever have in that photo, so that helps.”
Gearing up for a new album, the latest single, “Any Other Direction,” maintains retro sensibilities across eras. “The harmonies and chiming guitars are very 1960s, but it’s also got the deadbeat work dodger tempo of the 1990s,” he said.
Both the song, and accompanying music video, mesh a jangly effervescence over an almost downer lyric base. Directed by Milo Wein, a native Berliner and second-year film student at NCSA, the video follows ”four young guns chasing their dreams down,” Taylor said. “It’s just carrying on with your buds on a beautiful spring day on the south side of Winston-Salem.”
Professing love for the medium, “we all grew up maybe being the last generation to get MTV that showed music videos most of the day,” he said. “I’ve gotten into shooting Super 8 film and also found a lot of old standard 8mm reels from the 1950s and 1960s that my great-grandparents shot.”
Currently transferring the reels into digital formats, Taylor is teaching himself to edit in the process. “Though I may give up and get someone else to do it,” he admitted. “This is getting way ahead of ourselves, but we’ve pretty much got another album’s worth of songs arranged.”
The album, “Holding Court,” is set for release later in the year — with a vinyl component Taylor hopes to have out by February. “I can’t give a definitive date because of how backed up the pressing plants are these days,” he lamented, with a positive turn and praise for recording engineer Doug Williams and his ElectroMagnetic Radiation Recorders studio.
“I really can’t stress enough how good Doug is at recording,” Taylor said, “and how easy he is to work with. He’s got a crazy diverse collection of gear you won’t find anywhere else and a lot of it he’s repaired, modified and maintains diligently. Doug is the first person I’ve worked with who knows how to coax you into delivering your best performance by creating a relaxing, unpretentious environment.”
Extending to Monstercade, Taylor reinforced the open environments in which they thrive. “It’s pretty much one of the only judgment-free places that I know of in Winston,” he said. “We feel completely at ease there — and that usually lends to a truthful and unhindered performance.”
The latest single from Withdrew, “Any Other Direction,” is out now. They’ll be at Monstercade with Swansgate and Lofield on Aug 26. | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/withdrew-keeps-truckin/article_066bc516-23c3-11ed-b0f3-83b8626173ab.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:08Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/music/withdrew-keeps-truckin/article_066bc516-23c3-11ed-b0f3-83b8626173ab.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
High Point to purchase Jamestown property for dam project
On Aug. 15, the High Point City Council unanimously approved the purchase of 203, 203R1 and 205 Knollwood Dr. to be used for access and construction. The undeveloped property labeled 203RI is lakefront and is behind the other properties. The owner of all the properties, Ruth Newby, is interested in selling.
No decision has been made whether to repair or construct a new dam. The current dam does not meet today’s state safety requirements for stability or spillway capacity and has several other safety-related deficiencies.
Robby Stone, High Point Public Services director, does not believe the dam is in immediate danger of failure but it is something that needs to be addressed.
Music in the Park
Get ready to rock during Jamestown’s September Music in the Park. The event will be held at Wrenn Miller Park on Sept. 2 from 6-10 p.m.
Radio Revolver is the featured entertainment. Based in Greensboro, the four-member group is comprised of veteran musicians from diverse backgrounds. Their eclectic catalog includes timeless and modern hits, from Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” to more fan favorites such as Prince’s “Purple Rain” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
Four Saints Brewing will be serving craft beer. Food trucks include: Martys BBQ #2, Boho Berries, Gunny Smittys Hot Dogs, Baconessence and Kona Ice. Also available will be desserts created by Cakes By B.
Bypass opens on High Point side
Weather permitting, the High Point section of the Jamestown Bypass opened Aug. 20. The section was to have opened July 26 but it was found that a water line needed to be moved first.
The shift to the 0.2-mile segment will be from Enterprise Drive/Spencer Street, just east of I-74 near Bojangles, to a new traffic signal at what will become an extension of Lindale Drive.
Until the entire bypass opens in the fall of 2023, travelers to Jamestown must turn left at the signal and merge back onto Greensboro Road, beside Dunbar and Smith, Inc. The original section of Greensboro Road will still be accessible but will no longer be the main route to Jamestown.
Spencer Street will be closed to traffic Aug. 22 until late September to tie into the bypass. Detour signs will aid motorists during this period. | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/jamestown_news/about-town-8-24-22/article_e2d8c190-23cb-11ed-b03a-97a11cf46b2b.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:14Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/jamestown_news/about-town-8-24-22/article_e2d8c190-23cb-11ed-b03a-97a11cf46b2b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Jamestown Council had a rare short meeting on Aug. 16, only 32 minutes, including approximately 12 minutes in closed session.
The Council awarded $54,000 to the Jamestown Public Library for the library services contract. The contract calls for quarterly payments of $13,500 throughout the 2022-23 fiscal year. Included in the contract are adult and children’s literacy programs, cultural programs and the ability to borrow items from the Library’s collections of books, magazines and other literary materials in both paper and electronic formats.
The Historic Jamestown Society received $10,500, primarily for new historical markers and display cases, fulfilling the agreement to provide cultural and historical programming to Jamestown residents. The amount is the total amount budgeted for historical and cultural services. Planned historical markers include Jamestown Female Academy, Nathan Mendenhall home site, Iddings House, and Tellmont Law School.
“We believe these are all allowable costs in providing historical services to the Town,” said Finance Director Judy Gallman.
Both of the contracts were unanimously approved.
Gallman noted that at one time, the Town offered grants to groups like the Library and HJS. However, a North Carolina statute changed, so the Town had to change its methods as well. It now offers contracts for services to Jamestown residents that the Town could provide if it had the time and labor available.
Public Services Director Paul Blanchard presented the Draft Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. He said that the Town received a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant from NCDOT in September 2021. Since then, a Bicycle and Pedestrian Steering Committee was formed and provided input on community needs, priority projects, as well as spreading the word about public outreach events and opportunities.
As of July 2022, there have been several steering committee meetings, two open houses for the public, one event at Music in the Park, and a public survey administered online and in person. The input collected from these engagement events guided the development of the vision and goals for Jamestown as a safe and accessible Town for bicyclists and pedestrians. Input is being analyzed to guide the development of a prioritization process, network map, and projects. Six priority projects within the network are being identified that will have a significant impact in creating safe, connected, and accessible routes for people to walk, bicycle, and roll around Jamestown. Recommendations for partnerships, programs, policies, and funding sources to incorporate during plan implementation are also being identified.
Since this is a draft, public input is crucial. A survey the draft plan are available at https://www.jamestown-nc.gov/pages/view/JamestownBikePedestrian. The survey is open until Aug. 26. Once all comments are in, the draft will be revised before being submitted to NCDOT for formal review.
“[The survey] is made of two parts,” said Town Planner Anna Hawryluk. “Part 1 provides a ‘high level’ overview of key sections with levels of support for each section. Part 2 is an optional section for people who want to take a ‘deep dive.’ It provides a hyperlink to the full draft and an area to leave detailed comments with associated page numbers.
There was no action by the Council on the draft but it is expected to be included on the Sept. 20 Council agenda.
The Council continued discussion on the disposal agreement for solid waste with Republic Services until the Sept. 20 meeting. The Town contacted Republic at the request of Councilmember Lawrence Straughn. The disposal cost of $42 per ton with Republic is less expensive than the current rate of $44 paid by the Town.
The major advantage of using Republic is that trucks will be emptied into a transfer facility instead of driving through an active dumpsite at the Kersey Valley Landfill to empty the trucks. This should save time and have less impact to equipment.
In his report, Town Manager Matthew Johnson noted the Parks & Recreation Committee met Aug. 1 and offered support for the Accessibility for Parks grant. The N.C. General Assembly has approved a one-time fund of $10 million to provide matching grants to park facilities for children and veterans with disabilities. If approved, the grant will go toward updating the playground facilities at Jamestown Park.
Following the regular session, the Council went into closed session regarding the situation at 2216 Guilford College Road. (See related story.)
No further business was conducted when the regular session resumed. | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/jamestown_news/council-awards-54-000-to-the-library/article_47f7385e-23cc-11ed-aea8-6736fe0c1f71.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:20Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/jamestown_news/council-awards-54-000-to-the-library/article_47f7385e-23cc-11ed-aea8-6736fe0c1f71.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
If you ever thought you did not have what it takes to be a hero, think again. The establishment of the Heart Heroes Law (HB126) in October 2019 makes it easier than ever to become a hero to someone desperately needing an organ or tissue transplant.
The law was an amendment to the existing Heart Prevails Law that only covered organ and eye donations. North Carolina residents can agree to become donors by registering online or at the DMV. A small red heart is placed on their driving license or state-issued ID card to indicate their intentions. N.C. was one of the last states in the nation to include tissue for transplantation in the first-person authorization at the DMV. The Heart Heroes legislation streamlined the donation process.
Most people are aware of how organ transplants can save lives but donated tissue is also important. One person can save the lives of up to eight people with organ donations and 75 with tissue donations. Tissue helps patients with severe burns, defective heart valves, bone cancer, breast reconstruction and torn ligaments or tendons. It is used in many daily surgical applications to restore mobility, strength and hope.
HonorBridge, formerly known as Carolina Donor Services, coordinates all donations in the Guilford County area. The federally designated non-profit organ procurement organization serves 7.5 million people in 77 counties in North Carolina and Pittsylvania County in Virginia. LifeShare of the Carolinas, a similar organization, serves the other 23 North Carolina counties.
HonorBridge is on track to have a record-breaking year of organ and tissue donations. At mid-year, the group has overseen more donations than ever.
Through June 30, HonorBridge had 161 deceased organ donors resulting in 432 organ transplants. This is up 8 percent from 149 donors during the same period in 2021. In comparison to 2020, HonorBridge’s previous best year, the number of donors has increased by almost 11 percent.
This year, the organization also has coordinated a record 1,458 tissue donations, exceeding the 1,355 tissues recovered during the same period last year, and a 4.2 percent increase in comparison to 2020.
Each transplant marks a life saved thanks to the decisions of heroic donors and their families.
Designated donors must be 18 or older for the heart insignia on their licenses or IDs to be considered a legal binding document. Sixteen year olds can indicate their desire to donate, but to be legal their next of kin would have to make the final decision.
“When people register to become an organ and tissue donor they are showing a willingness to help any way they can, allowing the use of whatever can be used in a transplant,” said Beth Hinesley, HonorBridge Community Relations Coordinator. “You don’t have to worry about surgeries or procedures you have had. Just register. Doctors will look at the organs and tissue to see if they can be used.
“If a family says no to an organ or tissue donation, they are really saying no to the death of their loved one, not to any decision the deceased had made.”
Hinesley noted that it is extremely important that people wishing to be an organ/tissue donor share that decision with their family. But if anyone is not registered to be a donor, families can make that determination.
HonorBridge serves as the connection between the donor, the donor’s family and the recipient. The organization cares about all involved and strives to build the links that save and heal lives.
In addition to the four transplant hospitals in the state, a new facility that can make recoveries was begun in Chapel Hill in August 2021. The building is expected to be completed by January 2023.
“We thought getting the new building was a good time to create a name that better designates what we do,” Hinesley said. “Many organizations have the name Carolina in them. We honor donors and bridge the gap between them and those waiting for a transplant, and now our name shows that.”
In North Carolina, nearly 3,000 people are currently waiting for organ transplants, and nationally approximately 115,000 people are on the organ waiting list. The rate of North Carolinians who have registered as donors, however, is 52.5 percent, below the national average of nearly 60 percent.
“More registered donors means more hope, less time waiting, and more lives saved,” Hinesley said.
HonorBridge is dedicated to helping reach the national goal of 50,000 annual organ transplants in 2026. Becoming a hero is as simple as signing up at RegisterMe.org/NC or saying “yes” to being a donor at the DMV.
Every state has it own laws about organ and tissue donations. If a donor moves to a different state it is best to see what that state requires and register there.
“Unfortunately the waiting list for transplants is still growing,” Hinesley said. “Our hope is that more people will think about it, talk about it and register.”
For more information, visit HonorBridge.org or call 1-800-200-2672. | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/jamestown_news/everyone-can-be-a-hero/article_614e0d42-23cb-11ed-9583-abb98c003465.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:26Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/jamestown_news/everyone-can-be-a-hero/article_614e0d42-23cb-11ed-9583-abb98c003465.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“The U.S. is by far the biggest abuser of the practice of solitary confinement,” said award-winning investigative journalist Sarah Shourd to YES! Weekly.
“We hold more people in solitary for longer periods than any other country, and where many use it as a last result, for us, it’s routinely a control mechanism. And we incarcerate so many people that are dealing with addiction issues and mental illness. Without any of the infrastructure or support that they need, solitary confinement obviously becomes their de facto mental health treatment.”
Unlike some who criticize the abuses of the U.S. Penal System, Shourd has experienced incarceration in another country. After she was captured near the Syrian border in 2009, the Iranian government held her in solitary confinement for 410 days as a political prisoner. After her release and return to the U.S., she worked through her trauma by reaching out to people who have survived or are experiencing solitary confinement here.
Their trauma informs her play The BOX, based on the two-year investigation she conducted of Solitary Watch and UC Berkeley’s Center for Law and Society, in which she conducted interviews with over 75 prisoners kept in isolation across the U.S.
The BOX premiered at Z Space in San Francisco in 2016, where it was directed by Cuban playwright Michael John Garcés, and was performed on Alcatraz Island in 2019. Now, a new production, co-directed by Shourd (who also plays a corrections officer), is coming to the Ramkat in Winston-Salem on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as part of the End of Isolation Tour presented by the Pulitzer Center and Art for Justice, with the Ramkat performances held in partnership with MUSE Winston-Salem, the NC Justice Center, and Disability Rights NC.
“We have been on the road since July 11,” said Shourd, “and Winston-Salem is the ninth of the ten cities we are visiting. We are going to cities that are on the front lines of changing policies, so it’s legislative theater. We are going to places where there is a movement, often one led by formerly incarcerated people, and our goal is to elevate their efforts and the movement. Half of our cast are survivors of solitary confinement.”
Shourd said that, along with the testimony of survivors, her play is based on the California prisoner hunger strike of 2013, organized by inmates held in indefinite long-term solitary at Pelican Bay State Prison. It lasted for two months, by which time it had spread to 29,000 maximum-security inmates across the state, and ended after lawmakers agreed to hold hearings on the practice of solitary confinement. It also resulted in a lawsuit alleging that long-term solitary confinement violated the constitutional prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The 2015 settlement officially ended indeterminate solitary confinement in California, but allegations of constitutional violations continue.
Shourd described her own experiences as a survivor.
“I was working as a journalist and living in Syria in 2009, when I was held political hostage by the Iranian government. I was captured near an unmarked border and kept in solitary confinement for 410 days. I and two other hikers were captured behind a tour site that was in Iraqi Kurdistan. This was before ISIS, and no American had ever been captured or killed there, but we hiked too far, and fell into their hands.”
The arrest of Shourd and her friends Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal led to a campaign by Amnesty International for their release, which only occurred after payment of $465,000 was arranged by the Sultan of Oman.
“I reached out to prisoners in the U.S., in an attempt to understand what had happened to me. A lot of people around me cared about me very much, but weren’t formerly incarcerated and had never been tortured in confinement. Those letters or correspondence led to an investigation, a series of articles, and my anthology Hell is a Very Small Place. And then someone suggested I adapt those stories into a play, and so that’s what I did, and wrote The BOX.”
Shourd described her play as “a story of resistance to solitary confinement, which shows both the horror of the practice and the deep end of our prison system, as well as the humanity of the people subjected to it.”
When asked why she responded to her confinement abroad by writing about others confined here, she called the conditions exactly the same.
“I was in solitary for 23 hours a day and then taken into a slightly larger area they call an open-air cell, which in this country is called the dog run. I had a window really high up from I couldn’t see anything but the sky. A lot of people don’t have a window at all.”
She stressed that prisoners are subjected to solitary confinement in the U.S. for exactly the same reason she was in Iran.
“It was designed for the same purpose, to crush and disappear and intimidate people. It was used against me to silence my voice because I had a certain level of power inside that prison because I was a valuable political hostage. And it’s often used for that same purpose here, to disappear organizers, people who are standing up for human rights, people that have more dignity and strength than the guards can tolerate. It’s also used just to get people that guards can’t handle, or don’t have the resources to treat or care for, out of sight and out of mind.”
Her play challenges the dominant narrative of who ends up in solitary confinement and why.
“People think it’s the mass murderers and the most violent, but most often, it’s the most vulnerable population, who shouldn’t be in prison in the first place. The mentally ill, LGBTQ, juveniles, pregnant women, and people that are victims of violence, are put in solitary confinement for their own protection, and these conditions make anyone with pre-existing conditions of mental illness or trauma far, far worse. People decompensate and end up acting out and resorting to self-harm. They get longer sentences in the hole, and are often just dumped back into the streets.”
This, she said, demonstrates the failure of the U.S. prison system, which she believes has completely given up on the idea of rehabilitation.
“It’s based on the completely false belief that if you punish people harshly, they will reform. There is just no evidence of that. People say, what’s the alternative to solitary confinement? That’s like saying what’s the alternative to beating your children. You shouldn’t do it, period. The alternative is a meaningful way to fill their time and build a better future and heal and be accountable for whatever harm they’ve done. Studies show that solitary confinement increases violence in the prison overall. It’s not doing what it’s supposed to do; it’s making an already broken system worse.”
The play’s title refers to a solitary confinement pod containing three veteran prisoners who’ve been inside for years or decades. “And then a new kid comes in acting tough, and the prisoner that is an elder, an OG former Black Panther, mentors the young guy and tries to help him have hope and keep him from decompensating and getting desperate. The guys band together and decide to protest their condition.”
She said that one of the many people whose experiences shaped her work is Rafael Cacique, on whom she based the character of Victor Santiago, played by Gabriel Montoya in this production.
“I corresponded with Victor for a year, and visited him at State Pelican Bay. I also got to know his daughter Reyna very well, and one of the characters in the play has a daughter, and there are visitation scenes between them.”
She said she and her partners organized this tour in response to the waning of the pandemic.
“We’re asking people to remember that we’re all coming out of isolation, and for a lot of us, our fundamental views have shifted towards understanding our interdependence, and also the harmful effects of isolation. But for prisoners, the isolation has gotten far worse. Solitary confinement increased, at one point by 500%, and is still far higher than it was before the pandemic began. And so, people understand, through their own experience of being separated from loved ones, how harmful isolation is, and how necessary human contact is, but our policies remain the same. So, this tour is looking at the legislation that needs to be passed, that’s already written and ready to be voted on.” | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/political-prisoner-turned-playwright-wants-to-bring-others-out-of-the-box/article_72d61b0a-23c5-11ed-bc75-eb7b60929f7c.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:32Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/political-prisoner-turned-playwright-wants-to-bring-others-out-of-the-box/article_72d61b0a-23c5-11ed-bc75-eb7b60929f7c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Herron loses pig appeal
Lori Herron has lost her most recent appeal to keep pot-bellied pigs at her home at 2216 Guilford College Road.
Herron's case was heard in Guilford County Superior Court April 27, 2021. Following the court's denial, she appealed to the N.C. Court of Appeals April 26, 2022, and the case was heard Aug. 15.
The Court of Appeals decision states, "This appeal asks us whether potbellied pigs kept as pets, and not for commercial use, are exempt from a local ordinance prohibiting residents from keeping livestock, including swine."
The petition goes on to state that Herron was appealing an order of the trial court, the Guilford County Superior Court, affirming the Jamestown Board of Adjustment's decision that the keeping of the pigs on her residential property violated zoning ordinances.
The decision continues, "She propounds three issues on appeal: (1) the trial court failed to acknowledge the ambiguity of the term 'livestock' in the Town’s ordinances; (2) the trial court failed to consider that the Town sought to prohibit only 'agricultural production' activities within the residential district; and (3) the trial court failed to consider that her land use could have been permitted as an existing non-conforming use. After careful review of the applicable ordinances, the record, and our caselaw, we affirm the trial court."
Timeline of events
Herron purchased the home on Guilford College Road early in 2000. She told the Board of Adjustment that prior to the purchase, she checked with the town planner at the time to confirm they could keep a pig in the house. She was told there was no problem. As this was a telephone call, there is no record of the conversation.
Over the years, neighbors began to complain about the pigs as well as debris in the yard. Several notices of violation were sent to Herron. None mentioned pigs. Town Manager Matthew Johnson, then Jamestown's Planning Director, testified he drove by the property in 2013 but did not see any pigs.
2017
Guilford County Animal Control received a complaint in December 2017 regarding unsanitary living conditions for the pigs. Animal Control officers visited but found the conditions satisfactory.
2019
An anonymous complaint came to the Town Feb. 26, 2019, protesting the debris in the yard and odors on the property. Johnson visited the property to investigate and found the debris, which included plumbing fixtures, water heaters and trash. He also discovered nine pigs in the yard and knew they were not allowed in the Land Development Ordinance under Limited Agriculture. Agricultural production is not allowed in zoning for residential single-family homes.
Johnson later stated that if he had seen the pigs from the street, he would have issued a notice of code violation.
"I consulted the ordinance," he said. "The first thing I would have done would have looked at the Permitted Uses table."
Johnson sent Herron a letter on Feb. 27, 2019, notifying her that she was in violation of the town ordinance. The letter asked her to relocate the pigs from the property within 30 days. She was granted an extension to May 27, 2019, to find a new home for the pigs.
However, the pigs remained at Herron's home and she applied for an amendment to the ordinance to change the definition of Limited Agriculture to state that miniature or potbellied pigs be excluded if they are pets. On Aug. 20, 2019, the Town Council denied the application.
Herron was given until Oct. 4 to remove the pigs. She did not comply.
On Oct. 22, Town Attorney Beth Koonce sent an email to Herron and her husband, Michael Young, stating, "The Town of Jamestown is moving forward with enforcement of the code violation against you. The next steps will involve financial penalties and the seeking of an injunction from Superior Court enforcing the provisions of the Town's Ordinance against keeping pigs in residentially-zoned areas."
Under the Jamestown Land Development Ordinance, the initial penalty is $100, with an additional $100 per day for each day the violation continued. The penalties were "stayed" while the case was considered by the Board of Adjustment.
The Town sent a Notice of Civil Penalties due for "Failure to Correct Zoning Violation" to Herron on Nov. 18. She appealed the decision to the Jamestown Planning Board.
2020
The Jamestown Board of Adjustment, which is made up of members of the Planning Board, met Jan. 13, 2020 and Feb. 4, 2020, denying her appeal to remove the civil penalties assessed the previous October. Herron was not permitted to appeal the original zoning violation regarding keeping of swine on her property that she received Feb. 27, 2019, from Johnson because the 30-day timeframe for filing an appeal had expired.
After the ruling, Johnson said the Town intended to file a request for an injunction with the Guilford County Superior Court to remove the pigs.
"If Herron also appeals, the Court will probably stay the injunction until they hear the appeal and then consider the injunction," he said.
Herron was allowed to keep the pigs during any upcoming proceedings and the Town could not remove them.
One week after the Board's decision, Herron filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy relief. That case was later dismissed for failure to make planned payment.
Herron then sued the Town of Jamestown in Guilford County Superior Court, seeking "declaratory judgment and an injunction against the enforcement of the ordinances." That case was dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.
On March 19, Herron filed a writ of certiorari with the Superior Court, appealing the Board's decision.
By February 2020, the pig menagerie had grown to 10, all treated as pets and considered by Herron as emotional-support animals. Herron has seizures and says the pigs can sense when she is on the verge of a seizure and will alert her or her husband.
2021
On April 27, 2021, the Superior Court also denied her appeal of notices of violations. The court said she failed to comply with ordinances in a residential area and ordered her to remove and relocate the pigs by May 23.
With the pigs still living at her residence, Herron appealed that decision to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. The Town asked to dismiss her appeal because she had not timely served the proposed record on appeal in violation of the Rules of Appellate Procedure. However, the trial court denied the Town’s motion.
2022
On Aug. 15, the Court of Appeals denied Herron's appeal.
"We are pleased that the Court of Appeals ruled in the Town's favor and will continue to work towards enforcement of the Town's ordinances and laws," said Town Manager Matthew Johnson.
Herron could not be reached for comment. She continues to keep the pigs at her home. If she so chooses, her next option would be to appeal to the North Carolina Supreme Court or the United States Supreme Court.
Definitions
When you file a Chapter 13 bankruptcy an automatic stay goes into effect immediately upon the filing of your case. The Automatic Stay prevents creditors from taking any further action against you without authorization from the Bankruptcy Court. In most cases, the Debtor is required to make payments to their secured creditors outside the Plan. When these payments are not made, a secured creditor can file a Motion for Relief seeking relief from the Automatic Stay so they can take action against the collateral. A creditor may also file a Motion for Relief because the debtor has failed to make payments on a property the debtor was intending to keep.
In a writ of certiorari, an appellate court may review a case at its discretion to be more fully informed. A writ of certiorari orders a lower court to deliver its record in a case so that the higher court may review it. | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/woman-loses-appeal-to-keep-pot-bellied-pigs/article_d2ea7c96-23b3-11ed-98d8-2feedd109ec4.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:38Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/news/woman-loses-appeal-to-keep-pot-bellied-pigs/article_d2ea7c96-23b3-11ed-98d8-2feedd109ec4.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In the summer of 1970, I was the public address announcer for Ernie Shore Field. It was a dream job for a high school kid who loved baseball because I got to be around and get to know all of the players on what was then the Winston-Salem Red Sox. That year the Sox won the Carolina League championship, and during every home game, I occupied a seat in the press box next to the legendary sports journalist Frank Spencer. Actually, it wasn’t much of a press box. What it was, was a small, rickety wooden shack that sat atop the stadium, and legend has it that sometime after my tenure, a strong wind blew the shack off its perch, and onto the ground below. Years later the Sox became the DASH and moved into a new stadium overlooking I-40. Ernie Shore Field, meanwhile, was renovated and became the home of Wake Forest University baseball. I mention all of this because I know a little something about why stadiums sometimes need to be upgraded, and because last week we learned that Major League Baseball (MLB) gave the DASH an ultimatum: either spend $5 million dollars to renovate Truist Field or else lose the franchise.
Keep in mind that, unlike Ernie Shore Field, which was built in the dark ages, the new DASH stadium didn’t open until 2010, so there’s no rickety press shack to replace. In fact, the twelve-year-old facility is in great shape, but MLB likes to throw its weight around these days, and given the number of minor league teams it has already closed down, the City of Winston-Salem has no choice but to comply.
So exactly what improvements is MLB demanding to be made? For one, the league wants clubhouse areas to be renovated for both home and visiting teams. The Winston-Salem Journal also reports that MLB wants improvements made to laundry and commissary areas, plus private locker rooms for female staff, coaches and umpires. They also want a second hitting and pitching tunnel that is protected from the elements, along with changes to the field, including adjusting the bullpen mounds, and a higher wall in the right field corner. No doubt the improvements will be a welcome sight to players and coaches, and they will increase the value of the stadium. But the improvements are not essential, nor will they enhance the fan experience. Speaking of fans, they’re the ones paying for the renovation, and that leads me to an insulting sticking point about this saga.
The $5 million dollars worth of upgrades to Truist stadium are being paid for through limited obligation bonds, which means the expenditure doesn’t have to be approved by voters. So much for democracy and transparency. And this isn’t the first time local taxpayers have been railroaded because of the same baseball park. Years ago, residents got stuck with paying $48 million dollars for construction of the stadium after private developers walked away from the project before it was completed. In a perfect world, the DASH stadium should have been built with private money, as was the beautiful Greensboro Grasshopper’s facility. In a perfect world, residents of Winston-Salem should have had a say about cost overruns and projected renovations from the get-go. But we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world where a greedy baseball league can bully, threaten, and extort our elected officials, and where residents have to pony up another cut of their meager wages, or else face having to maintain a vacated facility.
Fifty-two years ago, Winston-Salem’s minor league baseball team played in a well-worn stadium with smelly old locker rooms and no fancy area for pitchers to warm up in. And 52 years ago, I announced the proceedings from inside a rickety wooden press shack that teetered high atop the stands. Yet somehow a record number of fans attended our games, and the team brought home a championship trophy. Major League Baseball didn’t threaten us back then, and nobody worried about obligation bonds. Now as then, baseball owners depend upon cities like Winston-Salem to nurture future stars that will help keep big league coffers overflowing. In that sense, we’re more important to their bottom line than they are to ours. It’s something to think about the next time we receive an ultimatum from a bunch of rich guys. | https://www.yesweekly.com/opinion/mlb-commits-an-error/article_a58bb69a-23cf-11ed-b3ca-9b22eb746fa6.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:44Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/opinion/mlb-commits-an-error/article_a58bb69a-23cf-11ed-b3ca-9b22eb746fa6.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Three alumni of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) School of Music were feted by the Rosen-Schaffel Competition for Young and Emerging Artists, which took place July 24th at Appalachian State University.
Bassoonist Winfred Felton (BM ’22), hailing from Greenville, NC, won first prize, while Rio-born violinist Luca Kevorkian (BM ’22) won second prize. They were among six finalists who competed for the top prizes. Undergraduate pianist Ashley May DePaola, who hails from Fayetteville, NC, advanced to the first round of the competition.
This marked the first year that the Rosen-Schaffel Competition was open to students outside of North Carolina, yet that didn’t prevent the UNCSA students from once again dominating the competition, as they have done in previous years.
“Even with the expanded eligibility this year, our students continued to dominate the competition winning first and second prizes,” said Saxton Rose, dean of UNCSA’s School of Music. “I think this highlights the exceptional talent in the UNCSA School of Music.”
Felton studied bassoon performance with Rose at UNCSA and is also a former student of multiple Grammy Award-nominated bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann at the Lamont School of Music in Denver, CO. Felton performed Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s Grand Concerto in F Major. Kevorkian, who performed the Subelius Violin Concerto, studied violin performance with Kevin Lawrence at UNCSA, recently performed with the Carolina String Quartet in Winston-Salem, and DePaola, who will be graduating from UNCSA next year, currently studies piano under Dmitri Vorobiev.
The Rosen-Schaffel Competition, which has been held at Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music in conjunction with An Appalachian Summer Festival for nine of its 11 years, with 19 UNCSA students and alumni having placed in the annual competition. First-pace winners receive a cash prize of $2,500 and an invitation to perform a complete concerto with an orchestra during festival season following the competition. Second-place winners receive a cash prize of $2,000, third-place winners a cash prize of $1,500, the Audience Choice Award winner receives a cash prize of $1,000, and all other finalists a cash prize of $500.
The UNCSA School of Filmmaking has also been recognized for its academic programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently ranked the school at number 10 on its list of the 25 top film schools in America, up from 11th place in last year’s survey. In addition, MovieMaker magazine also lauded the School of Filmmaking in its list of the best film schools in the United States and Canada.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that film schools on its annual list “offered the best chance of navigating Hollywood’s changing terrain,” and specifically mentioned School of Filmmaking dean Deborah LaVine and UNCSA’s newly minted Anthology Production Lab that focuses on the development of episodic series. MovieMaker emphasized UNCSA’s graduate Creative Producing program, stating that “storytelling meets entrepreneurship in UNCSA’s MFA in Creative Producing program … (which) teaches students about every aspect of the story development process, from concept to draft, with workshops to develop familiarity with the script-to-screen process. Students also learn copyright law as it pertains to movie acquisitions, writing business plans, distribution, and exhibition.”
“I am once again thrilled to see UNCSA get the recognition it deserves from these respected industry publications,” said LaVine. “I am particularly happy to see our excellent graduate programs getting noticed, as well as the diversification of our curriculum. In today’s ever-changing landscape, it is more important than ever to prepare students for a range of work — and to do so in a way that positions them stronger financially as they graduate. I am proud that UNCSA is able to finance all student thesis films and to provide world-class training from our experienced faculty at less than half of the tuition of peer programs.”
The official UNCSA website is https://www.uncsa.edu/. | https://www.yesweekly.com/thearts/a-talented-trio-of-uncsa-school-of-music-alumni-scores-awards/article_e2741fe4-23d8-11ed-8824-97c2b04b0a0b.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:51Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/thearts/a-talented-trio-of-uncsa-school-of-music-alumni-scores-awards/article_e2741fe4-23d8-11ed-8824-97c2b04b0a0b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Imagine the thrill of opening sheet music to your favorite song, placing your fingers on the piano keys, and bringing the music to life, in an instant!
This phenomenal skill — “sight reading” — seems like magic. Great sight readers can look at the dots and squiggles penned by composers from long ago, or the pixelated piano versions of today’s hit songs, and make music on the spot. Thanks to this ability, these musical “magicians” enjoy many professional opportunities, and can say “Yes!” to last-minute song requests.
Unfortunately, the process of learning how to sight read can feel less than magical, and more like trying to pull a rabbit out of an ordinary hat. Aspiring sight readers receive this well-intentioned advice: “Don’t stop!” Essentially, play hundreds of notes at just the right time, without having practiced the piece. Is it any wonder why so many students dread sight reading?
When I first moved to Winston-Salem in 2011, I knew that I wanted to improve my capabilities as a pianist and teacher. After over a decade studying piano, I still couldn’t sight read well. Finally, the major turning point came in 2015. I donned a black “cape” backwards, and was initiated into the magic…
My graduate professor at Salem College, Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink, wrapped a barber’s bib around my neck and draped it over the keys, hiding them from view, and asked me to sight read a simple piece. She had already helped me to play great works by Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms. Suddenly, as I reached out to play a little “Minuet”, I was lost — and thrilled. Finally, I knew exactly why I couldn’t sight read: I didn’t have a sight reader’s feel for the keyboard.
Remember learning how to type? At first, every keystroke was a “hunt and peck” effort. Thanks to the bumps on the F and J keys, you gradually got a feel for the “home row”, and then the neighboring keys. Today, your fingers fly on the keyboard, and you rarely need to look down. The piano keyboard also has bumps: the black keys. Great sight readers have developed a strong feel for the keys, so they don’t need to look down often. By keeping their eyes on the music, they enter a flow state: seeing notes, feeling keys, and listening to the music.
After the barber’s bib breakthrough, I temporarily ignored the advice, “Don’t stop!”, and took time to feel the keys while gazing at the notes on the page. Over time, thanks to feedback from my private students in Winston-Salem, we developed fun exercises that train every aspect of the skill.
Learning to read music should be as accessible — and inevitable — as learning to read words. If you play piano but struggle with sight reading, I invite you to join me for my six-week course, “Sight Reading Spark,” which begins on September 14. To enroll or learn more, visit www.sightreadingspark.com.
Arts Council is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative offerings throughout our region. We acknowledge that it takes every voice, every talent, and every story to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Arts Council is committed to serving as a facilitator, organizer, and promoter of conversations that are authentic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. There are over 800,000 art experiences taking place in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County annually. To learn more about upcoming arts and culture events happening in our community, visit cityofthearts.com. | https://www.yesweekly.com/thearts/feel-the-music-demystifying-the-magic-of-piano-sight-reading/article_0b5d28ec-23ca-11ed-9b3f-73de840466be.html | 2022-08-24T23:16:51Z | yesweekly.com | control | https://www.yesweekly.com/thearts/feel-the-music-demystifying-the-magic-of-piano-sight-reading/article_0b5d28ec-23ca-11ed-9b3f-73de840466be.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fanwood woman charged with stealing $900K from former employer
FANWOOD – A borough woman is accused of stealing more than $900,000 from a pharmaceutical company where she formerly worked as the human resources and payroll manager, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
Jennifer Grambor, 50, was charged with three counts of second-degree theft and one count of third-degree forgery, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced.
Grambor was arrested without incident and processed by the Union County Sheriff's Office with her first court appearance scheduled for Aug. 31, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
The charges follow a yearlong investigation by Detective Alex Lopez of the Prosecutor's Office Special Prosecutions Unit.
In August 2021, a local pharmaceutical company notified the Union County Prosecutor’s Office that its former human resources and payroll manager had allegedly stolen a large amount of company funds, according to the Prosecutor’s Office. The company’s forensic accountant discovered that between 2016 and 2021, Grambor allegedly stole more than $900,000 through various unlawful means, the Prosecutor’s Office said.
An investigation by Detective Lopez determined Grambor, as payroll manager, had exclusive access to company finances and used her position to unlawfully issue payroll checks to herself and family members, the Prosecutor’s Office said.This investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Lopez at 908-527-4933.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/24/fanwood-woman-charged-stealing-money-former-employer/65418043007/ | 2022-08-24T23:19:44Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/24/fanwood-woman-charged-stealing-money-former-employer/65418043007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The highly anticipated new Carnival Luminosa is now open for bookings, offering sailings first in Australia before moving to Seattle in spring 2023 for the Alaska season. The ship is transferring from Costa Cruises to Carnival Cruise Line in November, bringing a new Italian influence to the Fun Ship experience.
Carnival Luminosa Itineraries Revealed
As bookings open, the itineraries for the new addition to Carnival Cruise Line have been revealed.
Carnival Luminosa will first debut from Brisbane, Australia, offering a variety of itineraries from November 6, 2022 through April 13, 2023.
Sailings will range from 3-11 nights, calling on popular ports in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and New Zealand, as well as opportunities to explore the Great Barrier Reef and other amazing sites.
This great variety of sailings of different lengths will bring highly-anticipated cruise vacation options to Australian travelers, where cruising only restarted in May.
When the ship repositions for the 2023 Alaska season, she will sail an incredible Carnival Journeys transpacific itinerary, departing Brisbane on April 13, 2023. The 22-night itinerary will visit ports in New Caledonia, Fiji, Tahiti, and Hawaii, arriving in Seattle on May 4, 2023.
“We couldn’t be prouder to welcome Carnival Luminosa to our fleet and to start our highly anticipated sailings from Brisbane followed by unique bucket-list itineraries in Alaska,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
During the summer months, Carnival Luminosa will offer 6-, 7-, and 8-night sailings to favorite Last Frontier destinations such as Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, and Icy Strait Point, along with scenic cruising of Tracy Arm Fjord to see incredible glaciers.
After her season in Alaska, Carnival Luminosa will sail another transpacific voyage back to Brisbane, stopping in exotic, first-time-for-Carnival destinations, including ports in Japan and the Philippines.
That 30-night sailing will depart Seattle on September 14, 2023, visiting Alaska before traveling south through Asia en route to Australia.
From Costa to Carnival – Changes Aboard Carnival Luminosa
While cruise ships have been shifted between related cruise lines or sold to different cruise lines in the past, this ship’s transformation from the Italian-inspired Costa Luminosa to the Fun Ship experience of Carnival Luminosa is a new feat that was first announced in June 2022.
“To truly make Luminosa feel part of the Carnival Cruise Line family, we are adding our beautiful new livery to her hull, of course, and are keeping her throwback funnel design that once adorned some of our most iconic earlier vessels,” Duffy said.
The new red, white, and blue livery first debuted aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s flagship, Mardi Gras, in 2021, and has gradually been rolled out to other ships in the fleet as they enter into scheduled dry docks.
Other changes are planned to Carnival Luminosa to bring the ship in line with the Carnival experience, but she will not lose all her Costa Cruises features, such as the signature amazing service from the ship’s 1,050 crew members.
“We’ll be adding some Carnival features in the upcoming dry dock and adapting some existing features to align with Carnival’s casual style, but ultimately, our crew will make everyone feel right at home as soon as they join the ship,” Duffy said.
Guest favorites that will be part of Carnival Luminosa‘s offerings include high energy Playlist Productions, The Punchliner Comedy Club, Piano Bar 88, Alchemy Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, the outstanding Chef’s Table dining experience, Bonsai Sushi Express, the relaxing Serenity Adult-Only Retreat and Cloud 9 Spa, and more.
Carnival Luminosa is a Spirit-class vessel, sister ship to the popular Carnival Spirit, Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Miracle.
The class is a favorite for many cruise passengers, frequently receiving rave reviews and inspiring repeat sailings. The ship can host 2,260 guests at double occupancy and up to 2,826 passengers when fully booked. | https://www.cruisehive.com/bookings-open-for-carnival-luminosa-sailings/79716 | 2022-08-24T23:20:54Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/bookings-open-for-carnival-luminosa-sailings/79716 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With travel restrictions around the world continuing to ease for different cruise destinations, Carnival Cruise Line has updated its testing protocols once again.
The new update, clarified by the cruise line’s brand ambassador John Heald, discusses the use of at-home self tests, which do not require a health professional to monitor the test and results.
Self Tests for Upcoming Cruises
All unvaccinated cruise passengers setting sail with Carnival Cruise Line on Monday, September 6, 2022 or later still need to present a negative COVID-19 test result to be cleared for embarkation, but the type of test can vary depending on the cruise destination.
For most destinations, Carnival will begin permitting guests to use self tests, which can be administered at home and do not require oversight from a doctor, pharmacist, or telehealth visit.
Monitored tests or those done in a clinical setting are still acceptable, of course, but the option for self testing opens up more options for cruise travelers, making pre-cruise testing more convenient and less burdensome when dealing with last-minute travel preparations.
Self tests are only acceptable for sailings of 15 nights or shorter. Guests should also note that some destinations will not permit self testing.
“Certain destinations do not accept unsupervised pre-cruise self-testing, including Bermuda, Canada, Greece, and Spain,” Heald explained. “If used for visiting these destinations, self-testing must be supervised by a medical professional, or an online monitored or proctored test.”
Regardless of the type of test taken – whether a self test, a home monitored test, or a laboratory test – unvaccinated guests will be required to present their negative test results as part of embarkation. Carnival Cruise Line encourages guests to use the free VeriFLY app for a smoother and faster embarkation, but advises the printed test results can also be presented.
Prospective passengers may want to bring along printed test results even if they have used the VeriFLY app, just in case of connectivity challenges at the cruise port.
Difficult to Keep Up With Changes
It can be difficult for booked passengers to keep up with all the recent changes in testing and vaccination requirements.
These changes are being made to stay aligned with protocols from different cruise destinations, bearing in mind that a single cruise may visit several countries in one sailing – countries that could all have different health and safety guidelines.
“These changes are consistent with what local destinations have advised will be acceptable for arriving cruise guests, and we will continue to work closely with local destinations to protect the health of our guests, crew and the communities we visit,” Heald said.
For example, Carnival Cruise Line also just changed protocols for specific sailings aboard Carnival Pride and Carnival Celebration in Europe, including the definition of fully vaccinated and what pre-cruise tests are acceptable.
Similarly, protocols were released last week for a 23-day repositioning cruise aboard Carnival Splendor, which will move the Concordia-class ship from its summer season in Alaska to Australia for the southern hemisphere summer season.
Those two regions have dramatically different protocols, and guests aboard the epic repositioning cruise need to comply with guidelines for both regions.
Guests booked on any cruise vacation for the next several weeks, whether with Carnival Cruise Line or any other cruise line, should stay in close contact with their cruise line or travel agent via email and text message so they will receive alerts about any changes to protocols for their sailing.
It is also helpful to regularly check the cruise line’s health and safety website, such as Carnival’s Have Fun. Be Safe. page to note changes as they are confirmed. It is important to be updated and accurate with pre-cruise preparations, as guests who are unable to meet the guidelines will not be permitted to board their cruise. | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-expands-acceptable-pre-cruise-testing/79688 | 2022-08-24T23:20:54Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-expands-acceptable-pre-cruise-testing/79688 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Carnival Cruise Line has made some amendments to cruises sailing in Europe, specifically for cruises onboard Carnival Pride and the maiden transatlantic crossing from Southampton onboard Carnival Celebration later this year.
The cruise line has sent a letter to guests and travel agents informing them of the new requirements, which include updates to testing and vaccination protocols, such as the addition of self-administered tests being allowed. Cruises that include Greece and Spain will continue to see stricter guidelines than those sailing in the rest of Europe.
Carnival Cruise Line Provides Updates to Europe Cruises
In a letter sent to guests booked onboard a cruise sailing in or from Europe this year, Carnival Crusie Line has provided some updated health and safety measures that guests will need to comply with.
The changes are for Carnival Pride, which is sailing several cruises in the United Kingdom, Western and Northern Europe, and in the Mediterranean through November. The new protocols also apply to Carnival Celebration, which is sailing her maiden transatlantic voyage and first cruise ever from Southampton, UK, on November 6.
For all cruises, except those visiting Greece and Spain, all unvaccinated guests ages five and older should provide a negative result of a lab-administered or supervised (by a medical professional), self-administered PCR, or antigen COVID test taken up to 3 days before embarkation.
Cruises sailing to Greece
For cruises that visit Greece, all guests five years old and above must have a negative result of a PCR test taken within three days before sailing or an antigen test within two days before sailing. This is especially relevant for those sailing onboard Carnival Pride.
If guests are fully vaccinated but have not yet received their booster shots if eligible, Carnival Cruise Line will consider those guests as being unvaccinated. This means they will be subject to additional testing on board which will be provided on a complimentary basis by Carnival.
Guests are not allowed to present a document of recovery for cruises that visit Greece. All guests must comply with the vaccination and testing guidelines.
Self-tests that have not been medically observed are not valid for cruises to Greece.
Cruises visiting Spain
For cruises that visit Spain, which includes both Carnival Celebration and Carnival Pride, all unvaccinated guests, 12 years and older, must present the negative results of a PCR test taken within three days before sailing or an antigen test within two days of sailing.
As is the case with sailings to Greece, if a self-test is not supervised by a medical professional, it is not acceptable to travel to Spain.
Although European countries have been relatively quick with easing requirements for cruise ships, there are still significant differences between all nations. This means that guests must be cautious when traveling to Europe and not assume that protocols for one destination are necessarily the same for all destinations.
In the last weeks, cruise lines and destinations have been extremely quick to change protocols and procedures on a near-constant basis. This has already led to the Bahamas releasing plans to drop most requirements and most cruise line’s dropping vaccination requirements in the US and most destinations worldwide. | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-updates-requirements-for-two-ships/79689 | 2022-08-24T23:20:55Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-updates-requirements-for-two-ships/79689 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Carnival Paradise came to the rescue of a makeshift raft in the Florida Strait, just three weeks since the cruise ship performed a rescue operation for another refugee boat.
Reports from US Officials that the Cuban refugee crisis is worsening seems to be confirmed by an increase in rescue operations by cruise ships in the last couple of months.
Carnival Paradise Rescues Six Refugees
For the second time in less than a month and the next in a series of rescues performed by cruise ships, Carnival Paradise rescued six refugees from a makeshift raft in the Gulf of Mexico last Friday.
The 1998-built Carnival Paradise sailed from Tampa, Florida, on a voyage to Cozumel, Mexico, on August 18. During the sea day on August 19, the ship encountered a makeshift raft constructed out of styrofoam and plywood with six Cuban refugees onboard. The Captain announced the vessel would be slowing down and checking on the refugees.
One passenger, Pat Messier, commented to WFLA News Channel 8: “The captain came over the loudspeaker and said we were going to be slowing down, that they had a boat out there to make sure they weren’t in any distress,”
Once the raft was alongside, it became clear to the Captain and crew that it was not seaworthy at all, and Carnival Paradise took the six refugees onboard.
Besides being dehydrated from spending significant time out in the hot sun without proper supplies, the refugees were in good health, according to Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman Matt Lupoli. The migrants were welcomed on board and received a medical check-up, food, and clothes.
Once the 71,925-gross-ton Carnival Paradise reached its first port of call, Cozumel in Mexico, on August 20, the six refugees were handed over to the Mexican authorities. Whether they will be sent back to Cuba is unknown.
Refugees Taking Huge Risks
While not uncommon for cruise ships to encounter rafts and boats with refugees in the Florida Straits and the Gulf of Mexico, the number of rescues this year is already significantly higher than in previous years. With the return of cruising from Florida and the downturn in Cuba on the economy that was already struggling at best, refugees seem to be favoring their chances.
And this comes with huge risks. Earlier this month, the US coast guard reported that two people drowned and five went missing after their raft overturned in the Florida Straits.
US Coast Guard Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson said this: “This situation highlights the risks these migrants face as they attempt to enter the United States illegally by sea. The Florida Straits and its approaches can be hazardous for even the best trained and equipped mariners,”
“For people illegally migrating aboard unseaworthy or overloaded boats and homemade rafts, who lack basic lifesaving equipment like life jackets, those risks can often prove deadly,”
Cruise ships are seeing increased activity as well. Just three weeks ago, Carnival Paradise encountered a similar situation, where 20 people were rescued from a small, overloaded boat on July 31.
Carnival Sunrise rescued 12 Cuban refugees that were adrift south of Key West on July 29.
Mardi Gras, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship, has also performed several rescues this year, including rescuing twenty Cuban people during two separate events and supplying fuel, food, and water to another boat in January of this year. | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-ship-rescues-six-migrants-from-makeshift-raft/79679 | 2022-08-24T23:21:01Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-ship-rescues-six-migrants-from-makeshift-raft/79679 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
At the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire France, on Wednesday, ceremonial coins were welded in Celebrity’s new ship, the Edge Series Celebrity Ascent.
The coins were placed on a foundational part of the ship’s keel by Jason Liberty, the President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group and the General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Laurent Castaing.
Coin Ceremony for Celebrity Ascent
A coin ceremony has just occurred, August 24, 2022, celebrating a construction milestone for the anticipated Celebrity Ascent, the fourth ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Series.
As the ceremonial coins were welded to a massive steel docking block on the formation of the ship’s keel, the ship kept to the tradition of coin laying, meant to bless and bestow good fortune on the ship.
During the maritime ceremony Jason Liberty (President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises) and Laurent Castaing (General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique) honorably placed the coins, marking the beginning of the ship’s construction.
President Jason Liberty stated, “Today, we celebrate the incredible Celebrity Ascent, a ship name that fittingly represents the climb, the rise and, ultimately, the upward trajectory of both Celebrity Cruises and the Royal Caribbean Group.”
“It’s exciting to have our entire fleet back in the water, again, and moments like this reaffirm our bright future. We are grateful to all who have and will continue to lend their creativity and craftsmanship to this ship, as we work together to reach new heights in our industry,” he added.
Read Also: 10 Must-Know Things About the Celebrity Apex Cruise Ship
The date of the ceremony was welded onto one of the coins, along with the ship’s name (Celebrity Ascent), “M34”, and the shipyard location, Saint-Nazaire.
Celebrity Cruises’ President and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said, “Bringing another magnificent Celebrity Edge Series ship to life is absolutely thrilling for me and another wonderFULL development for our guests.”
“While exploring the wonders of the world, our guests will be surrounded by the wonders of our Celebrity world – forward-thinking design, culinary excellence, thoughtful well-being experiences, and our uniquely intuitive service. Celebrity Ascent will be the epitome of a relaxed luxury resort at sea,” she added.
As one of the world leaders of highly complex ships and offshore installations, Chantiers de l’Atlantique builds some of the largest passenger ships in the world and designs and manufactures innovative, complex civil and military naval ships.
Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s Laurent Castaing stated, “This new ship will be another great success in the continuity of the previous ships of the Celebrity Class built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.”
“We know our respective teams have been giving each other enough proofs of mutual confidence so that they can work smoothly on this new project.”
Celebrity Ascent
As the fourth ship in the Edge Series, Celebrity Ascent will begin her inaugural Caribbean season from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, setting sail on her maiden voyage on December 3, 2023.
The 140,600 gross ton ship, with a 3,260-guest capacity, will sail her inaugural voyage to ports including Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Puerto Plata.
Read Also: Steel Cut as Construction Begins on Celebrity Ascent
With sister ships Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, and Celebrity Beyond, the newest ship to the series will feature 17 decks tall and 20 meters longer than the original Celebrity Edge, with more space and more luxury onboard.
She will sail alternating seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, departing from Celebrity Cruises’ Port Everglades Terminal 25, designed specifically for Edge-class ships. | https://www.cruisehive.com/fourth-edge-class-celebrity-cruise-ship-reaches-construction-milestone/79681 | 2022-08-24T23:21:08Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/fourth-edge-class-celebrity-cruise-ship-reaches-construction-milestone/79681 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New 2023-2024 itineraries have been announced by Royal Caribbean, including five- to 12-night cruises on Spectrum of the Seas sailing to destinations such as Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Spectrum of the Seas will continue to sail its popular three- and four-night getaways, recently launched this July, visiting Penang, Malaysia and Thailand.
New Spectrum of the Seas Cruises
Royal Caribbean has now revealed next season’s year-round holiday lineup on Asia’s largest and most innovative ship, Spectrum of the Seas, with increased sail options and longer durations from Singapore.
The itinerary additions will include a blend of longer cruises that are five-, seven-, night- and 12-night sail options, visiting destinations such as Bangkok, Thailand; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Manila, Philippines.
In addition to the new longer sailings, the line will continue to sail its shorter three- and four-night itineraries that were released in July, visiting scenic destinations in Malaysia and Thailand.
Angie Stephen, Asia-Pacific Vice President and Managing Director of Royal Caribbean International, stated, “During Royal Caribbean’s first year-round season in Singapore, we’ve continued to see travellers return for more. Being able to visit international shores again has only increased that demand.”
“People want to cruise with us, and now they can set their sights on new adventures for next year. Today’s holidaymakers seek unique experiences and a fuss-free vacation – they want to have a fun holiday without having to worry about confusing travel requirements and restrictions – and Spectrum of the Seas delivers exactly that.”
Read Also: Things to Know About Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas
“The combination of Asian-themed experiences and signature favourites on board with the opportunities to explore Asia’s energetic cities, traditional architecture and exotic landscapes makes for the perfect way to embark on the revenge travel vacationers are seeking today,” she added.
Two additional 12-night sailings have been added and can be enjoyed in concession, back-to-back, allowing guests to visit a new destination about every day for the full 24-night duration. These combined itineraries would take guests to as many as seven destinations across three countries, all in one holiday.
The combination of these longer sails would venture to ten destinations, unique to only this experience, including Hong Kong; Tokyo, Osaka and Mount Fuji, Japan; and Nha Trang and Hue/Danang, Vietnam.
Read Also: Spectrum of the Seas Arrives in Singapore to Cruise With International Guests
A variety of off-ship excursion options will be available to voyagers on these sails, ranging from visits to sacred landmarks, such as the 19th-century Long Son Pagoda in Nha Trang, to exploring the majesty of Mount Fuji.
Spectrum of the Seas Sailing Since June 2022
Royal Caribbean began its itineraries to Asia in December 2020 and has since continued to offer its three- and four-day itineraries out of Singapore, operating under the government’s strict COVID-19 measures.
Spectrum of the Seas has been sailing from Singapore, its homeport, since June 2022. Previously the cruise line only sailed Ocean Getaway “seacations” with no destinations and for Singapore residents only, and has since been sailing 3-night and 4-night itineraries to ports-of-call in Malaysia.
The Quantum-Ultra-class ship, Spectrum of the Seas, constructed at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, was delivered in early 2019 and had a christening ceremony that occurred in China later that year.
With a gross tonnage of 169,379, the 1,139-foot ship has 18 separate decks, with 16 accessible to passengers. At maximum capacity, the ship holds 4,905 passengers as the fifth-largest ship among the Royal Caribbean fleet. | https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-details-year-round-cruises-from-singapore-in-2023-24/79717 | 2022-08-24T23:21:14Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-details-year-round-cruises-from-singapore-in-2023-24/79717 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
City to spray for mosquitoes in northeast Fort Collins after first West Nile cases
The city of Fort Collins will spray for mosquitoes in the northeast part of town next week after high levels of West Nile virus-infected Culex mosquitoes were detected.
Spraying will take place on Thursday and Sunday in some portions of the city east of College Avenue and north of Drake Road. The north boundary is Country Club Road, while the east boundary zigs down Turnberry Road to Mountain Vista Drive and Timberline Road before following Mulberry Street all the way to Interstate 25.
Spraying will begin at 8 p.m. each night and will continue until about 2 a.m. the following morning.
It is recommended that residents in these areas stay indoors, bring pets inside, and keep doors and windows closed for 30 to 60 minutes after spraying to minimize pesticide exposure. Gardens, ponds and other water features can also be covered with a sheet or tarp if you wish to further minimize exposure to the spray.
The city has contracted with Vector Disease Control International, a company that uses a permethrin-based product applied in a fine mist using fogging trucks. You can follow the trucks' fogging at www.fcgov.com/westnile.
West Nile was first detected for the summer in mosquitoes in late July in the southeast and southwest parts of the city, according to the Larimer County health department. The city sprayed for mosquitoes in the southeast part of the city on July 28.
The first human cases of West Nile in Larimer County were detected Tuesday. The individuals who tested positive live in Berthoud and Fort Collins, according to the county health department.
Symptoms range from none to severe, with things like fever, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, aches, rash and headaches appearing three to 14 days after infection, the health department said.
Health newsMonkeypox vaccine now available in Larimer County
Molly Bohannon covers city government for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/24/city-to-spray-for-mosquitos-west-nile-in-northeast-fort-collins/65417004007/ | 2022-08-24T23:23:03Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/24/city-to-spray-for-mosquitos-west-nile-in-northeast-fort-collins/65417004007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Timnath voters will decide town's election timing, future of redistricting in November
Potential changes to Timnath’s election process will be on the November ballot despite opposition voiced at a public hearing Tuesday.
Town Council voted 4-1 to send two charter amendments to the Nov. 8 ballot. One would put a hold on planned redistricting of council seats until there are more registered voters living in Timnath. The other asks voters to change the date of its municipal elections from April to November beginning in 2028.
Councilmember Lisa Laake was the lone vote against putting the charter amendment changes on the ballot.
About 20 residents attended the public hearing. None spoke against a vote to change the date of elections. Several residents did object to the potential delay in redistricting.
Currently, the mayor and four councilmembers are elected at large. The town is due to redistrict, dividing Timnath into three geographic voting districts and adding two new council members once it hits 8,000 registered voters, which it expects to happen in 2024. Each district would elect one representative. The remaining three council members and the mayor would still be elected at large, or by the entire voting population.
Town Council wants to delay redistricting until it hits 15,000 registered voters to beef up the potential number of candidates running for office every election cycle.
Mayor Mark Soukup said putting the issue to a vote is the most democratic way to handle the potential change. The town already has trouble finding candidates to run for council seats and redistricting would only exacerbate the problem, he said.
Some residents, especially those living in Old Town Timnath, said Tuesday they are being disenfranchised.
Coming to Timnath?Timnath hopes to woo Topgolf to build venue at Interstate 25, Harmony Road gateway
Tim McDonald, who moved to Timnath in July, said creating voting districts allows newcomers more opportunities to get involved in town government and engage with the community.
"We want to put down roots and grow with this community and engage with the community both inside and outside the town apparatus ... to help shape the town." he said. "Voting districts are an excellent tool to do that. There is no need to kick this down the road."
In a letter sent to council following the meeting, McDonald said he's discouraged with its decision and will "commit his time and energy to campaigning against the ballot measure along with other residents who showed up in opposition."
Wade Fickler said redistricting would ensure broader representation on council, make campaigns cheaper and easier to manage, especially for newcomers, since they would only need to campaign in their district rather than at large.
After hearing public comment, Laake said there was no rush to get the issue on the November ballot.
All council members said they have always worked to represent all of Timnath and not just the neighborhoods in which they live.
"I have always considered myself a resident of Timnath, not a resident of Timnath Ranch," said councilmember Luke Wagner.
"I'm concerned Old Town residents feel we have turned our backs on them," he said, encouraging all residents to get involved on town boards and commissions and "make their voice heard."
Also in Timnath:Timnath Middle-High School students kick off the year
Every council member said they would be happy no matter which way the vote went.
The town also wants to align its municipal elections with the November general elections, which tend to have greater voter turnout and would share the cost of elections with the county and other municipalities. Timnath has about 6,100 registered voters, according to the Larimer County Elections Office.
Only about 24% of Timnath’s voters cast ballots in April's town board election. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/24/timnath-voters-will-decide-election-timing-redistricting-in-november/65415650007/ | 2022-08-24T23:23:09Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/24/timnath-voters-will-decide-election-timing-redistricting-in-november/65415650007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Soon after the Russian invasion, the hoaxes began. Ukrainian refugees were taking jobs, committing crimes and abusing handouts. The misinformation spread rapidly online throughout Eastern Europe, sometimes pushed by Moscow in an effort to destabilize its neighbors.
It's the kind of swift spread of falsehoods that has been blamed in many countries for increased polarization and an erosion of trust in democratic institutions, journalism and science.
But countering or stopping misinformation has proven elusive.
New findings from university researchers and Google, however, reveal that one of the most promising responses to misinformation may also be one of the simplest.
In a paper published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, the researchers detail how short online videos that teach basic critical thinking skills can make people better able to resist misinformation.
The researchers created a series of videos similar to a public service announcement that focused on specific misinformation techniques — characteristics seen in many common false claims that include emotionally charged language, personal attacks or false comparisons between two unrelated items.
Researchers then gave people a series of claims and found that those who watched the videos were significantly better at distinguishing false information from accurate information.
It's an approach called “pre-bunking” and it builds on years of research into an idea known as inoculation theory that suggests exposing people to how misinformation works, using harmless, fictional examples, can boost their defenses to false claims.
With the findings in hand, Google plans to roll out a series of pre-bunking videos soon in Eastern Europe focused on scapegoating, which can be seen in much of the misinformation about Ukrainian refugees. That focus was chosen by Jigsaw, a division of Google that works to find new ways to address misinformation and extremism.
“We have spent quite a bit of time and energy studying the problem,” said Beth Goldberg, Jigsaw's head of research and one of the authors of the paper. “We started thinking: How can we make the users, the people online, more resilient to misinformation?"
The two-minute clips then demonstrate how these tactics can show up in headlines, or social media posts, to make a person believe something that isn't true.
They're surprisingly effective. Subjects who viewed the videos were found to be significantly better at distinguishing false claims from accurate information when tested by the researchers. The same positive results occurred when the experiment was replicated on YouTube, where nearly 1 million people viewed the videos.
Researchers are now investigating how long the effects last, and whether “booster” videos can help sustain the benefits. | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/pre-bunking-shows-promise-in-fight-against-misinformation/article_b681811a-23f6-11ed-ab75-0b451560db14.html | 2022-08-24T23:23:13Z | lockportjournal.com | control | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/pre-bunking-shows-promise-in-fight-against-misinformation/article_b681811a-23f6-11ed-ab75-0b451560db14.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Are snow days over? Not quite, but here's what PSD's new remote learning flexibility means
The days of missing multiple days of school thanks to a major snow storm are likely over in Poudre School District.
The PSD Board of Education voted Tuesday to approve a resolution allowing the district to have schoolwide or districtwide remote learning days in the event of inclement weather, COVID-19 outbreaks or any event that would make in-school attendance unsafe.
Superintendent Brian Kingsley spoke directly on the resolution, saying he wanted to provide clear context for why the board wants to adopt this policy — and make one point about the occasional snow day clear.
"We've learned a lot through the global pandemic on how to leverage technologies in a creative way," Kingsley said. "We want to leverage this policy to have flexibility. I want to be really clear, we're not intending to move our district to remote learning, this is not to send panic and this is not a cancellation of snow days."
Here's why that flexibility matters: The district has a set number of instructional hours it must provide each year, dictated by the Colorado Department of Education. For the 2022-23 school year, districts across the state are required to provide students at least 1,080 hours of instruction.
According to Kingsley, this leaves the district with roughly three days where it can be flexible on its instructional hours. The temporary remote learning option would allow the district or individual schools to stay on track in the event of a major closure like a multiday snow storm or a COVID-19 outbreak — which would keep students from having to go to school well into the summer to make up missed hours.
School history:As shiny new Wellington, Timnath schools open, grads go back in time to bygone era
Board member DJ Anderson said the policy came as a recommendation from the state in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board had little discussion on the topic before approving the resolution 7-0. Board member Nate Donovan asked for clarification on what's included under "emergency closure," saying that it was not clearly defined in the policy.
What counts as an emergency closure under the new policy?
Examples for emergency closure outlined in the policy include things like inclement weather, excessive snow, flooding or a nearby wildfire. Kingsley said the spirit of the policy is to include "anything that could potentially make attendance at school unsafe."
Donovan asked if the board had considered including "heat days" in the list of emergency closures. Kingsley agreed that would be something considered under inclement weather, noting it as "a very real issue" for the community since 33 of PSD's 55 schools do not have air conditioning.
Since the board passed the resolution, it will apply to the 2022-23 school year, meaning parents, teachers and students in the PSD district could likely see the first remote learning day under the new policy later this year. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/2022/08/24/poudre-school-district-approves-flexible-remote-learning-days-for-snow-days-covid-19-closures/65418020007/ | 2022-08-24T23:23:15Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/local/2022/08/24/poudre-school-district-approves-flexible-remote-learning-days-for-snow-days-covid-19-closures/65418020007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Coloradoan Sports and Brady Hull team up for second season of 'Rams Weekly' on KFKA
It's a new season, but more importantly, a new era for Colorado State football.
And Coloradoan sports reporters will be back on the air every week to chronicle all things Rams, starting with Jay Norvell's first season as the new CSU football coach.
For a second straight year, sports editor Chris Abshire and CSU sports reporter Kevin Lytle will join Brady Hull (host of the Hull Show, noon to 2 p.m. weekdays) on KFKA from 5 to 6 p.m. every Thursday through March to talk CSU football and basketball.
You can listen to Rams Weekly on the air at 103.1 FM and 1310 AM or online at 1310kfka.com. A recording of the show will also be available online after the original airing.
During the show we'll preview each weekend's game with a thorough look at opponents, key players for CSU and what the game means in the big picture.
But we'll also keep it fun and the banter loose with guest interviews, on-the-record predictions and fan-focused analysis of CSU, the Mountain West and beyond. Lytle will bring his insider knowledge from the Rams beat as we dive into every aspect of the program.
More:Colorado State football 2022 depth chart projection with opener approaching
The Coloradoan Sports team is again thrilled to partner with Hull, who covers everything that Northern Colorado sports fans care about — from preps to CSU to University of Northern Colorado and Denver pro teams — on his daily show.
We know many CSU fans are hungry for more Rams talk on the radio, especially with the excitement of the Norvell era and given that Denver sports stations rarely spend much time talking about our Northern Colorado teams.
So consider Rams Weekly your one-stop shop for everything Rams this season.
And it won't just stop with football. We'll dive right into basketball season come November and roll right on through March Madness. What will the post-David Roddy era look like for Niko Medved and the Rams?
For now, on the football side, there's plenty to talk about with CSU's trip to Michigan. Then there's a road game at Pac-12 foe Washington State, Norvell's return to Nevada, the trophy games against Front Range rivals Air Force/Wyoming and the siren call of the Rams' Air Raid offense all season long.
CSU fans, we're just as excited as you are to see this new era of CSU football. Join us every Thursday at 5 p.m. this season and let's have some fun sharing that passion for the Rams.
LyellNew Colorado State football coach Jay Norvell embraces and energizes fan base
Chris Abshire is the sports and stats content coach at the Coloradoan. Contact him at ChrisAbshire@coloradoan.com. Support his work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/2022/08/24/coloradoan-brady-hull-join-rams-weekly-colorado-state-sports-kfka/65418064007/ | 2022-08-24T23:23:21Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/2022/08/24/coloradoan-brady-hull-join-rams-weekly-colorado-state-sports-kfka/65418064007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CSU has built a top Mountain West recruiting class in Jay Norvell's first year. Here's how
The Colorado State football program is recruiting a caliber of high school prospect not seen at the school in a long time.
Recruiting is a slow burn, and the value of a class often isn’t known for years. But all signs right now point in a positive direction for CSU, even before new head coach Jay Norvell has coached his first game in Fort Collins.
NCAA rules prohibit coaches from discussing specific recruits until they sign a national letter of intent. The Class of 2023 can’t do that until December at the earliest, but CSU recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach Chad Savage broke down the philosophy Norvell and staff use with the Coloradoan.
Those broad strokes are highlighted in the current commit list for the ’23 group, which is one of the best-ranked classes among NCAA football's Group of 5 programs.
Here’s a look at CSU’s plan and how it is playing out.
How CSU football builds its 'big board'
There are roughly 1 million athletes playing high school football in a given year. A college football team will sign about 20-25 per season. How do you pare down the huge number of eligible athletes to a small group to pursue?
It’s all about using contacts through the game to make the “big board” of prospects CSU is recruiting.
“Coach Norvell has a philosophy on what he wants to recruit and we do our due diligence as a staff on what we’re looking for and every position has different intangibles of what we’re looking for,” Savage said.
“We rank our players, it comes down to a grade 1 through 100% where we break down their athletic ability, their character, academics and then if they have any injury history. We rank all that stuff, then it comes down to a cumulative score and we’ll rank our board. We don’t want to leave any rock unturned.”
Rams coaches focus on key traits, versatility
What type of player is CSU trying to find? Norvell broke a lot of it down early in his tenure. Quarterbacks will be tall and strong-armed. Receivers will be tall and athletic. CSU wants big offensive linemen, fast linebackers and defensive backs who are used to having the ball in their hand.
Another common trend? Multisport athletes.
“At the end of the day, we want guys that aren’t just slotted into one position," Savage said. "Defensive guys, we want guys that play on offense. Offense, I want a guy that plays two ways. At the receiver position, I want a multisport athlete."
“Basketball is going to show hand-eye ability, it’s going to show change of direction, it’s going to show that one-cut ability, it’s going to show losing a man in space. Baseball, hand-eye coordination. Track and field is going to show speed. That’s what we’re looking for. We want multisport athletes.”
How it’s been put in play: CSU’s current class of ’23 commits is filled with multisport athletes. Big O-lineman Chris Maxey is a basketball player. Defensive end Whitefield Powell is a sprint star. Linebacker Buom Jock is a double-digit scorer in basketball. Defensive lineman Kennedy McDowell is a star in the hurdles. Kenyon Agurs is just now starting his high school football career after focusing on basketball and track so far.
The list goes on. Most of CSU’s commits not only play multiple sports, but also both sides of the ball in high school football.
Recruiting never ends
Recruiting never sleeps, but it’s the lifeblood of a program. Recruiting for the 2023 class will go until signing day (the first one is in December), but as the calendar moves to September, the class of 2024 is “live” and the Rams will be building the big board for that class.
Inside the '23 class: Meet the commitsInside the '23 class: Meet the commits in CSU's 2023 recruiting class
On Fridays, once recruiting in-person is live again, staff will travel far and wide to watch games and visit recruits. Savage says any time not spent coaching has to be used with early morning, late night and lunchtime work on recruiting. Connecting with coaches, players or families is nonstop.
It’s also a group effort. Each coach has an a region to focus on, but all must work together. Director of player personnel Lucas Gauthier, who was recently ranked as one of the rising stars in the recruiting world, and his team work closely with the coaching staff to keep messaging the same across the board.
“It’s all about communication. I can’t stress that enough. We’ve all got to be on the same page because, for example, if Lucas tells somebody something I want to be able to relay the same thing,” Savage said. “We don’t want to be on two different pages. It’s all about communication. Lucas and his staff do a great job, all the coaches do a great job, but really it’s because Coach Norvell stresses recruiting so much.”
Recruiting to signing day
Yes, CSU has more than 20 commits right now. Those are just verbal commitments. They don’t bind the athlete to CSU or vice versa. Either side can have a change of heart.
The staff gets weekly updates on each player and how they and their high school team fared that week. They text the players “good luck” graphics before games and soon will watch many in person. There’s a lot of effort to turn a commitment into a signing.
Where CSU recruiting ranks
So far, so good. Norvell said in his introductory press conference that he and his staff would be able to recruit a high-level athlete to CSU and right now it’s looking true.
The 2023 class is on track to be one of the best for the Rams in the “modern” era of recruiting (early 2000s on) and is ranked tops in the Mountain West right now by 247Sports, On3 Sports and Rivals.
Five players recruited by Norvell are in the top 20 all-time commits to the Rams based on 247’s historical rankings.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/football/2022/08/24/csu-built-a-top-recruiting-class-in-jay-norvells-first-year-heres-how/65416859007/ | 2022-08-24T23:23:27Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/football/2022/08/24/csu-built-a-top-recruiting-class-in-jay-norvells-first-year-heres-how/65416859007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – Reality-star-turned-criminal-reform-advocate Kim Kardashian bested Hillary Clinton in a legal knowledge trivia contest during filming for “Gutsy,” Clinton’s forthcoming documentary series on women with her daughter Chelsea Clinton, People reports.
The mother-daughter-duo sat down with Kardashian, who in December announced she had passed her first “baby bar” exam, to discuss her criminal justice work, which the former Democratic presidential nominee and secretary of State called “impressive.”
“She’s very self-aware that her celebrity can make a difference positively, and where it may make a negative difference,” Clinton said of the mogul.
Clinton added, “She never wants to make a negative difference, so being judicious and thoughtful about when and where and how she engages was really impressive to us. I want, even beyond this series, to do whatever I can to help her in that work.”
Kardashian showcased her “impressive” knowledge by winning the trivia contest, which consisted of questions on topics such as use of deadly force, 11-4.
Clinton, who has a law degree from Yale, jokingly said her loss was more than just humbling.
“Oh, it was heartbreaking!” she told People.
Chelsea Clinton defended her mother, saying her loss appeared to be a result of reaction time.
“Sometimes, I could see my mom knew what the answer was, but she wouldn’t hit the buzzer in time,” the writer and global health advocate said in a video clip published by People.
Clinton said she was also intrigued by how well Kardashian performed.
“Mom, you made a good effort,” Chelsea said.
Kardashian has used her celebrity status to bring attention to several cases, including pushing for the jailed father of a Uvalde, Texas, school shooting victim to be allowed to attend his child’s funeral in June.
“Gusty,” based on the Clintons’ 2019 book “The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience,” is set to premiere Sept. 9. on Apple TV+. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/kim-kardashian-beats-hillary-clinton-in-legal-knowledge-trivia-quiz/ | 2022-08-24T23:27:03Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/kim-kardashian-beats-hillary-clinton-in-legal-knowledge-trivia-quiz/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(NEXSTAR) – Following months of anticipation, and just a week before payments were set to begin again, President Joe Biden has extended the student loan payment pause.
Former President Trump first enacted the temporary pause on scheduled payments and stopped interest from accruing on federal student loans at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The pause essentially froze $1.6 trillion in debt for the roughly 40 million Americans with federal student loans.
Trump and Biden have since extended the pause seven times, meaning regular payments haven’t been made on those loans and interest hasn’t accrued (except for those borrowers who decided to opt-out of the pause) in nearly two and a half years.
Now, following Biden’s extension announced Wednesday, the payment freeze will remain in effect through the end of December.
Biden said Wednesday this is the last time payments will be put on pause.
When payments do resume on January 1, your payment could be smaller than it currently is, and not just because you may receive debt relief.
The Department of Education has proposed a new income-driven repayment plan to cap monthly payments on loans used for undergraduate education at 5% of your discretionary income (the amount of money you have left over after paying necessary expenses), down from the 10% mark currently in place.
To protect borrowers with less discretionary income, the plan states that anyone making roughly the equivalent of $15 an hour or less won’t have to make a monthly payment.
The proposed rule could also forgive student loan balances for borrowers who had an original balance of $12,000 or less after 10 years. The Education Department says the plan would also prevent interest from growing on a borrower’s balance as long as they are making their monthly payments, even if their payment is $0.
The Biden administration is currently proposing a rule to allow the Education Department to create this income-driven repayment plan. It’s unclear when it could take effect. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/student-loan-payment-pause-will-officially-end-when-will-repayment-resume/ | 2022-08-24T23:27:03Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/student-loan-payment-pause-will-officially-end-when-will-repayment-resume/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Big student loan forgiveness plan announced by Biden
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his long-awaited plan to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with new measures to lower the burden of repayment for their remaining federal student debt.
Borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or families earning less than $250,000, would be eligible for the $10,000 loan forgiveness, Biden announced in a tweet. For recipients of Pell Grants, which are reserved for undergraduates with the most significant financial need, the federal government would cancel up to an additional $10,000 in federal loan debt.
Biden is also extending a pause on federal student loan payments for what he called the “final time” through the end of 2022. He was set to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon at the White House to unveil his proposal to the public.
If his plan survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, it could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall’s midterm elections. More than 43 million people have federal student debt, with an average balance of $37,667, according to federal data. Nearly a third of borrowers owe less than $10,000, and about half owe less than $20,000. The White House estimates that Biden’s announcement would erase the federal student debt of about 20 million people.
Proponents say cancellation will narrow the racial wealth gap — Black students are more likely to borrow federal student loans and at higher amounts than others. Four years after earning bachelor’s degrees, Black borrowers owe an average of nearly $25,000 more than their white peers, according to a Brookings Institution study.
Still, the action is unlikely to thrill any of the factions that have been jostling for influence as Biden weighs how much to cancel and for whom.
Biden has faced pressure from liberals to provide broader relief to hard-hit borrowers, and from moderates and Republicans questioning the fairness of any widespread forgiveness. The delay in Biden’s decision only heightened the anticipation for what his own aides acknowledge represents a political no-win situation. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s intended announcement ahead of time.
The White House emphasized that no one in the top 5% of incomes would see any loan relief.
The continuation of the coronavirus pandemic-era payment freeze comes just days before millions of Americans were set to find out when their next student loan bills will be due. This is the closest the administration has come to hitting the end of the payment freeze extension, with the current pause set to end Aug. 31.
Details of the plan have been kept closely guarded as Biden weighed his options. The administration said Wednesday the Education Department will release information in the coming weeks for eligible borrowers to sign up for debt relief. Cancellation for some would be automatic, if the department has access to to their income information, but others would need to fill out a form.
Current students would only be eligible for relief if their loans were originated before July 1, 2022. Biden is also proposing capping the amount that borrowers must pay monthly on undergraduate loans at 5% of their earnings. The Education Department is to post a proposed rule to that effect, which would also cover the unpaid monthly interest for borrowers who remain current with their monthly payments — even when the payments are $0 because their incomes are low.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was initially skeptical of student loan debt cancellation as he faced off against more progressive candidates for the Democratic nomination. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had proposed cancellations of $50,000 or more.
As he tried to shore up support among younger voters and prepare for a general election battle against President Donald Trump, Biden unveiled his initial proposal for debt cancellation of $10,000 per borrower, with no mention of an income cap.
Biden narrowed his campaign promise in recent months by embracing the income limit as soaring inflation took a political toll and as he aimed to head off political attacks that the cancellation would benefit those with higher take-home pay. But Democrats, from members of congressional leadership to those facing tough reelection bids this November, have pushed the administration to go as broad as possible on debt relief, seeing it in part as a galvanizing issue, particularly for Black and young voters this fall.
“The positive impacts of this move will be felt by families across the country, particularly in minority communities, and is the single most effective action that the President can take on his own to help working families and the economy,” said Warren on Wednesday in a joint statement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Although Biden’s plan is changed from he initially proposed during the campaign, “he’ll get a lot of credit for following through on something that he was committed to,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked with Biden during the 2020 election.
A survey of 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics in March found that 59% of those polled favored debt cancellation of some sort — whether for all borrowers or those most in need — although student loans did not rank high among issues that most concerned people in that age group.
Some advocates say Biden’s plan still falls short.
“If the rumors are true, we’ve got a problem,” Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, which has aggressively lobbied Biden to take bolder action, said Tuesday.
“President Biden’s decision on student debt cannot become the latest example of a policy that has left Black people — especially Black women — behind,” he said. “This is not how you treat Black voters who turned out in record numbers and provided 90% of their vote to once again save democracy in 2020.”
Republicans, meanwhile, see a political upside if Biden pursues a large-scale cancellation of student debt ahead of the November midterms, anticipating backlash for Democrats — particularly in states where there are large numbers of working-class voters without college degrees. Critics of broad student debt forgiveness also believe it will open the White House to lawsuits, on the grounds that Congress has never given the president the explicit authority to cancel debt on his own.
The Republican National Committee on Tuesday blasted Biden’s expected announcement as a “handout to the rich,” claiming it would unfairly burden lower-income taxpayers and those who have already paid off their student loans with covering the costs of higher education for the wealthy.
Biden’s long deliberations have led to grumbling among federal loan servicers, who had been instructed to hold back billing statements while Biden weighed a decision.
Industry groups had complained that the delayed decision left them with just days to notify borrowers, retrain customer service workers and update websites and digital payment systems, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance.
It increases the risk that some borrowers will inadvertently be told they need to make payments, he said.
“At this late stage I think that’s the risk we’re running,” he said. “You can’t just turn on a dime with 35 million borrowers who all have different loan types and statuses.” | https://www.41nbc.com/big-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-announced-by-biden/ | 2022-08-24T23:27:25Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/big-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-announced-by-biden/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 20 |
Big student loan forgiveness plan announced by Biden
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his long-awaited plan to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with new measures to lower the burden of repayment for their remaining federal student debt.
Borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or families earning less than $250,000, would be eligible for the $10,000 loan forgiveness, Biden announced in a tweet. For recipients of Pell Grants, which are reserved for undergraduates with the most significant financial need, the federal government would cancel up to an additional $10,000 in federal loan debt.
Biden is also extending a pause on federal student loan payments for what he called the “final time” through the end of 2022. He was set to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon at the White House to unveil his proposal to the public.
If his plan survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, it could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall’s midterm elections. More than 43 million people have federal student debt, with an average balance of $37,667, according to federal data. Nearly a third of borrowers owe less than $10,000, and about half owe less than $20,000. The White House estimates that Biden’s announcement would erase the federal student debt of about 20 million people.
Proponents say cancellation will narrow the racial wealth gap — Black students are more likely to borrow federal student loans and at higher amounts than others. Four years after earning bachelor’s degrees, Black borrowers owe an average of nearly $25,000 more than their white peers, according to a Brookings Institution study.
Still, the action is unlikely to thrill any of the factions that have been jostling for influence as Biden weighs how much to cancel and for whom.
Biden has faced pressure from liberals to provide broader relief to hard-hit borrowers, and from moderates and Republicans questioning the fairness of any widespread forgiveness. The delay in Biden’s decision only heightened the anticipation for what his own aides acknowledge represents a political no-win situation. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s intended announcement ahead of time.
The White House emphasized that no one in the top 5% of incomes would see any loan relief.
The continuation of the coronavirus pandemic-era payment freeze comes just days before millions of Americans were set to find out when their next student loan bills will be due. This is the closest the administration has come to hitting the end of the payment freeze extension, with the current pause set to end Aug. 31.
Details of the plan have been kept closely guarded as Biden weighed his options. The administration said Wednesday the Education Department will release information in the coming weeks for eligible borrowers to sign up for debt relief. Cancellation for some would be automatic, if the department has access to to their income information, but others would need to fill out a form.
Current students would only be eligible for relief if their loans were originated before July 1, 2022. Biden is also proposing capping the amount that borrowers must pay monthly on undergraduate loans at 5% of their earnings. The Education Department is to post a proposed rule to that effect, which would also cover the unpaid monthly interest for borrowers who remain current with their monthly payments — even when the payments are $0 because their incomes are low.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was initially skeptical of student loan debt cancellation as he faced off against more progressive candidates for the Democratic nomination. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had proposed cancellations of $50,000 or more.
As he tried to shore up support among younger voters and prepare for a general election battle against President Donald Trump, Biden unveiled his initial proposal for debt cancellation of $10,000 per borrower, with no mention of an income cap.
Biden narrowed his campaign promise in recent months by embracing the income limit as soaring inflation took a political toll and as he aimed to head off political attacks that the cancellation would benefit those with higher take-home pay. But Democrats, from members of congressional leadership to those facing tough reelection bids this November, have pushed the administration to go as broad as possible on debt relief, seeing it in part as a galvanizing issue, particularly for Black and young voters this fall.
“The positive impacts of this move will be felt by families across the country, particularly in minority communities, and is the single most effective action that the President can take on his own to help working families and the economy,” said Warren on Wednesday in a joint statement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Although Biden’s plan is changed from he initially proposed during the campaign, “he’ll get a lot of credit for following through on something that he was committed to,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked with Biden during the 2020 election.
A survey of 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics in March found that 59% of those polled favored debt cancellation of some sort — whether for all borrowers or those most in need — although student loans did not rank high among issues that most concerned people in that age group.
Some advocates say Biden’s plan still falls short.
“If the rumors are true, we’ve got a problem,” Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, which has aggressively lobbied Biden to take bolder action, said Tuesday.
“President Biden’s decision on student debt cannot become the latest example of a policy that has left Black people — especially Black women — behind,” he said. “This is not how you treat Black voters who turned out in record numbers and provided 90% of their vote to once again save democracy in 2020.”
Republicans, meanwhile, see a political upside if Biden pursues a large-scale cancellation of student debt ahead of the November midterms, anticipating backlash for Democrats — particularly in states where there are large numbers of working-class voters without college degrees. Critics of broad student debt forgiveness also believe it will open the White House to lawsuits, on the grounds that Congress has never given the president the explicit authority to cancel debt on his own.
The Republican National Committee on Tuesday blasted Biden’s expected announcement as a “handout to the rich,” claiming it would unfairly burden lower-income taxpayers and those who have already paid off their student loans with covering the costs of higher education for the wealthy.
Biden’s long deliberations have led to grumbling among federal loan servicers, who had been instructed to hold back billing statements while Biden weighed a decision.
Industry groups had complained that the delayed decision left them with just days to notify borrowers, retrain customer service workers and update websites and digital payment systems, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance.
It increases the risk that some borrowers will inadvertently be told they need to make payments, he said.
“At this late stage I think that’s the risk we’re running,” he said. “You can’t just turn on a dime with 35 million borrowers who all have different loan types and statuses.” | https://www.41nbc.com/big-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-announced-by-biden/ | 2022-08-24T23:27:25Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/big-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-announced-by-biden/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 20 |
BS Report: August 24th – The Dawgs Defense
After losing so many players from last years remarkable defensive squad, can Georgia maintain their edge on that side of the ball?
After losing so many players from last years remarkable defensive squad, can Georgia maintain their edge on that side of the ball? Bill Shanks is defending the Dawgs defense this week, and points out some younger players that now have a chance to shine. | https://www.41nbc.com/bs-report-august-24th-the-dawgs-defense/ | 2022-08-24T23:27:31Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/bs-report-august-24th-the-dawgs-defense/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BS Report: August 24th – The Dawgs Defense
After losing so many players from last years remarkable defensive squad, can Georgia maintain their edge on that side of the ball?
After losing so many players from last years remarkable defensive squad, can Georgia maintain their edge on that side of the ball? Bill Shanks is defending the Dawgs defense this week, and points out some younger players that now have a chance to shine. | https://www.41nbc.com/bs-report-august-24th-the-dawgs-defense/ | 2022-08-24T23:27:31Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/bs-report-august-24th-the-dawgs-defense/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Gloomy conditions continue Wednesday
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Overcast skies, light showers, and isolated thunderstorms will stick around Middle Georgia Wednesday.
Today
We saw a number of small scattered showers around Middle Georgia during the early morning hours today, however many of them began to weaken and fade out as the sun rose. We are still seeing a handful of light showers as we push into the later morning hours, and one or two of them may stick around into the afternoon hours. The early rain along with cloudy conditions are once again keeping high temperatures on the cooler side around Middle Georgia as highs peak in the low to mid 80s. Ambient winds for today will blow out of the southwest at approximately 5 mph.
Later this afternoon a few isolated storms are likely to fire up, however much of Middle Georgia will likely stay dry. Any storms that do form, however, can bring heavy rain, frequent cloud to ground lightning, strong wind gusts, or some small hail. Storm activity will likely be limited to the afternoon and evening hours, and we should see them taper off shortly after sunset.
Overnight conditions will just be cloudy early on (once the evening storms have subsided), however rain will remain in the forecast. After midnight models are hinting at the potential for widespread stratiform rainfall to move into Middle Georgia between 2am and 4am ET Thursday morning. This rain will likely still be hanging around for many parts of Middle Georgia by the time the sunrise arrives in the region. There is, however, the off chance we get missed by all of this rain. Last Thursday morning we were forecast to receive an inch or more of rainfall across much of the region, but instead the widespread rain missed Middle Georgia to the south. Low temperatures will be in the lower 70s and upper 60s regardless of whether or not the widespread rain hits or misses the region.
Tomorrow
Following the heavy rain (or not) tomorrow morning, more rain is likely to continue ahead of lunchtime. This likely hinges on whether or not the first mass of rain impacts Middle Georgia. If the first mass of storms misses, more than likely the second one will too, resulting in just a cloudy and humid start to the day. Whether or not the rain arrives tomorrow will also impact our high temperatures. Early rain will keep things cooler, leading to highs mainly in the lower 80s with some in the upper 70s. If the rain misses, highs will be in the low to mid 80s.
Regardless of early rain or not isolated thunderstorms will be possible tomorrow afternoon. Similar to today any storm can bring heavy rain, hail, strong winds, or frequent lightning. Those who do not see storms in the afternoon or evening will continue to observe overcast skies.
Overcast skies will persist into tomorrow night, and a couple of isolated showers may hang around the area as well. Overnight rain activity should not be anywhere close to what comes through overnight Wednesday into Thursday, unless, of course, the mass of moderate to heavy rain misses the region once again. Lows will mainly be in the lower 70s.
Friday and Beyond
Friday should see the return of a few pockets of sunshine in the afternoon, however clouds will still dominate. Early showers and the abundant cloud cover will once again limit high temperatures to the mid 80s. Scattered storms will be likely throughout the afternoon and evening hours, however we shouldn’t see much rain overnight as the stationary front that has been over the southeastern US all week breaks down.
Saturday we will see a pretty even split of sun and clouds with a slight edge likely still going towards the clouds. Highs will warm into the upper 80s, and some isolated storms will populate the afternoon and evening skies. A handful of clouds will stick around into the overnight hours as well.
Sunday should also see a relatively even split of sun and clouds, however the edge should finally go to the sunshine, resulting in high temperatures reaching back above the 90° mark. Again a few isolated storms will be possible in the afternoon and evening.
Next week we will begin to see a lot more sunshine sticking around the area, bringing the summer heat back to Middle Georgia as highs stick in the upper 80s and lower 90s. Rain chances look to be pretty low as well, at least early on in the next work week.
The tropics are continuing to heat up as the NHC is watching a pair of potential threats. The first one is a disorganized cluster of showers off to the east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles and has a 20% chance for development in the next 5 days. The second one is a tropical wave coming off of the western coast of Africa and shows a bit more organization at this time. Still, the NHC is only giving it a 20% chance for development in the next 5 days at this time.
Follow Meteorologist Aaron Lowery on Facebook (Aaron Lowery 41NBC) and Twitter (@ALowWX) for weather updates throughout the day. Also, you can watch his forecasts Monday through Friday on 41NBC News at Daybreak (6-7 a.m.) and 41Today (11 a.m). | https://www.41nbc.com/gloomy-conditions-continue-wednesday/ | 2022-08-24T23:27:37Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/gloomy-conditions-continue-wednesday/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.