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ST. MICHAELS, Md. - Three cars stolen in three months, in St. Michaels.
Chief Anthony Smith of the St. Michaels Police Department says this is could be related to the number of car break-ins in Seaford, Del. Smith also said it could be referred to as a car theft ring.
"It's a quaint little town, but we do have issues here. It's very few times we have cars stolen. What we think, is going on right now, is a combination of a group of juveniles and adults that are going around and they are crimes of opportunity. They are looking for cars to steal and they're finding them," says Smith.
What leads police to think the crimes are related is, "all of the people know each other. They are in that surrounding area. Seaford, Milford, Del., Oxford, St. Michaels, Easton, and Cambridge, that whole geographical area," says Smith.
Those in St. Michaels, like Marie Teat, who have lived in here since 1975 say this is uncommon for this area. She understands it might be worrisome or uncomfortable to some. Teat says, "Certainly not here. I think it makes a lot of people here uncomfortable. I mean some folks here don't even lock their doors. So now, you are double checking locks, making sure you are locking your cars, and you don't leave valuables in there."
Smith added they are working with other police forces to develop a sort of task force. They are adding more officers to patrol at night and educating those in the community about these thefts. Smith says, "That's the message I want to get across. Can folks help us out and secure their property and secure their cars? Take the keys out, don't leave them on the seat, don't leave them in the ignition, because folks will come around and steal your car."
Smith says, one of the cars stolen, a Jeep, was recovered after it was involved in a three car accident in Seaford, Del. It was stolen about two weeks ago, and had been driven over 9,000 miles. | https://www.wboc.com/news/car-theft-in-st-michaels/article_a7c018d8-258d-11ed-badb-87640dbe49e5.html | 2022-08-27T00:15:27Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/car-theft-in-st-michaels/article_a7c018d8-258d-11ed-badb-87640dbe49e5.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Driven by moral outrage over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, U.S. governors and other top state officials made it clear: They wanted to cut their financial ties with Russia.
A few states quickly followed through. Idaho sold $300,000 of bonds in a Russian oil company in early March. A day before the invasion, the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System sold its shares in the Russian bank Sberbank.
But those examples are outliers. Six months into a war that has killed thousands of Ukrainians and displaced over 12 million more, most of the pledges to drop Russian investments — some made with great fanfare during news conferences — have gone unfulfilled, according to an Associated Press review, state retirement administrators and firms that invest state funds.
Swift global reaction has cut off much of Russia’s economy from the rest of the world. That has made it nearly impossible for divestment by state pension funds, university endowments and other public-sector holdings — as well as private investments such as those in 401(k) accounts.
“These pension funds want to get out, but it’s just not realistic to sell everything in the current environment,” said Keith Brainard, research director at the National Association of State Retirement Administrators.
Benjamin Smith, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island treasury, said the factors that make it hard to divest also show that a worldwide effort to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin is working.
“This is good news because it means that pressure from investors across the world, including Rhode Island, is succeeding in exacting a toll on the Russian economy, making it more difficult for Putin to fund his military operation, state-owned companies, and corrupt network of oligarchs,” he said in an email, noting that Rhode Island’s pension plan exposure in Russia never exceeded 0.3% of its assets.
Any pre-war investments in Russia are now worthless, or nearly so. That’s raising questions from some officials and fund managers about whether divesting is even necessary.
In Hawaii, one of a handful of states where top administration officials did not pledge to divest, Gov. David Ige said at a May 5 news conference that the state’s employee pension system had “very little to almost nothing” invested in Russia.
“The few remaining investments are quite small, and so I didn’t feel compelled to just make a statement for political reasons that we would be divesting,” he said.
Before Russia’s invasion in late February, many government-controlled investments had only small holdings — a fraction of 1% in every reported case — in Russian investments. But even that could amount to millions of dollars.
The largest U.S. public-sector retirement fund, California’s CalPERS, said just 17 cents of every $100 of its portfolio was in Russian investments as the war broke out. Even so, that translated into $765 million worth of stocks, real estate and private equity.
By the end of June, the value had shrunk to $194 million. The entire loss was because the holdings dropped in value; none had been sold.
There is no way to know how much state government entities in the U.S. have invested in Russia or companies based there, but collectively they were worth billions of dollars before the war. Much of the money was invested in Russian government bonds, oil and coal companies as part of emerging-markets index funds.
Quick to condemn the invasion, state officials said they could put pressure on Putin by dumping their Russian investments.
“Our moral imperative before these atrocities demand that you act to address Russia’s aggressions and immediately restrict Russian access to California’s capital and investments,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a letter Feb. 28 to the boards overseeing the massive pension funds that serve teachers, state and local government workers and university employees.
Across the country, governors and other top officials made similar statements.
Just after the invasion began, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order calling for divestment “to the extent possible,” while Arizona’s Board of Regents voted to exit any Russian investments.
The treasurers for 36 states plus the District of Columbia and U.S. Virgin Islands signed a joint letter in March advocating divestment of publicly controlled funds from Russia. They noted a financial reason for doing so: “The current crisis also constitutes a substantial risk for states’ investments and our economic security.”
A major chunk of the government holdings in Russia are in the form of index funds that investors use to mimic overall stock market performance. Russian stocks were commonly part of funds specializing in emerging markets. MCSI and other firms that decide which stocks should be in the funds quickly dropped Russian securities.
But the companies that sell investment products based on those indexes were left in the lurch, still leaving pieces of Russian stocks in their investors’ portfolios.
As part of the sanctions, stock markets in the U.S. and elsewhere stopped the trading of Russian stocks. And the Moscow Stock Exchange was closed for nearly a month, reopening with tight controls that keep U.S. investors from selling.
The assets sank in value amid the invasion, though the precise value isn’t always clear.
Maryland said that as of the beginning of February, $197 million of its state retirement and pension system funds were invested in Russian assets. A month later, the state estimated the value had plunged and amounted to just $32 million. The state has been unable to unload its investments.
For the handful of states in which top officials have not endorsed divestment, eroding values like that are a main reason.
Shortly after the invasion, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said the amount of state investments in Russia was “miniscule” and noted that the value was about to “shrink to almost nothing as the Russian economy is being virtually shut off from the world.”
In Florida, Lamar Taylor, the interim executive director of the agency that oversees investments of pension funds, said during a cabinet meeting that some investment managers might seek to unload Russian assets as soon as they’re able, while others could hold on in case they’re worth more later.
At the meeting, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the State Board of Administration has a legal responsibility to try to make money for the retirement system.
“That would violate your fiduciary duty, if you liquidated at massive losses for political reasons rather than for the best interests of the beneficiaries,” he said.
But DeSantis said there was a way to make it easier: Lawmakers passing a bill banning investment in Russia.
“If the Legislature could speak clearly, that would be something we’d welcome here, just to make sure we’re not furthering investments in parts of the world that are not reflective of our interests or values,” he said.
Hank Kim, executive director of the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems, said he has told member pension funds that taking steps to divest is important even if it can’t be completed right away.
“The public has a right to know that it was debated in a serious manner,” he said.
___ Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press writers Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Amy B. Hanson in Helena, Montana; Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee; and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-russia-divestment-promises-by-us-states-largely-unfulfilled/ | 2022-08-27T00:15:31Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-russia-divestment-promises-by-us-states-largely-unfulfilled/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia is currently on a path toward adopting California’s new, stringent rules for transitioning to zero-emission vehicles because of 2021 legislation that involved adopting the West Coast state’s emissions standards. That's according to attorneys and state officials who weighed in after California regulators adopted the new rules Thursday. Last year's legislation was a key priority of environmental advocates. House Republicans opposed it at the time. They now control the chamber and said Friday they would make a second push next year to unlink Virginia’s standards from California's. Environmental attorneys said updating Virginia's standards would be a win for consumers and clean air.
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Attempted Murder/Home Invasion Investigation in Wicomico County | https://www.wboc.com/news/gop-leaders-want-to-untie-virginia-from-california-ev-rule/article_3848cb4a-258c-11ed-8251-472d34006f9c.html | 2022-08-27T00:15:33Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/gop-leaders-want-to-untie-virginia-from-california-ev-rule/article_3848cb4a-258c-11ed-8251-472d34006f9c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CAMBRIDGE, Md. - On Leonard Lane across from the public works garage in Cambridge sits a six-acre empty lot.
The lot currently hosts overgrown grass, dirt piles, and plenty of insects in an underserved part of the Cambridge community.
However, this land has been targeted to be the home of a new community park.
"Oh, it will be nice," said Edward Lee Horsey, a Leonard Lane neighbor. "It'll be nice to take the little kids somewhere they can go and play, and it ain't too far from where they stay at, like in this community. It'll be nice, that's what I think."
The community has been hit hard in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic with a increase in crime.
"Breaking in people's apartments, doing all sorts of stuff," were some of the crimes that neighbor Valerie Pharrah recounted.
Pharrah lives nearby and believes that the new park, which will feature basketball courts, bike paths, and a memorial to neighborhood victims of violent crimes, will help the community come back together.
"On this side of town we do need a place. We do need a place for the people to come and relax," Pharrah said.
Current estimates for the cost of the park are about $1.2 million.
With the help of Senator Ben Cardin, the project is expected to receive $389,000 in federal funds through a Congressionally Directed Spending Bill, which President Joe Biden is expected to sign later this year.
Cambridge has also applied for more than $600,000 in grants from the National Park Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Horsey was happy to hear about the grant money.
"Oh, that's nice. That'll be nice because people around here ain't got it," Horsey said. | https://www.wboc.com/news/new-park-proposed-for-west-cambridge/article_7c97a0de-258a-11ed-9782-07a969c43fd3.html | 2022-08-27T00:15:39Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/new-park-proposed-for-west-cambridge/article_7c97a0de-258a-11ed-9782-07a969c43fd3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Forecast updated on Friday, August 26, 2022, at 4:35 PM by WBOC Meteorologist Dan Satterfield (AMS-CBM).
DELMARVA FORECAST
Tonight: Mostly clear, and more humid. Low 71-72°. Wind: SW 1-5 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny and very warm. Widely scattered PM Showers. Rain chance under 25% at any one spot. High 91-92° inland with temps. near 80° PM on the beaches. Wind: W 2-7 mph. Winds E 3-9 mph PM on the beaches.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy to fair, warm and humid. Low 70°. Wind: East 2-7 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny and not quite as hot. High 88-89° inland with temps. near 77° on the beaches. Wind: E 3-8 mph. Winds E 6-11 mph PM on the beaches.
Forecast Discussion:
Look for partly cloudy skies tonight, as a weak high pressure area remains over the area. Winds will be light with lows near 71 degrees.
Saturday looks much the same with a light west wind. Some SPOTTY afternoon showers and an isolated thundershower will be a bit more likely. The rain chances at any one spot will stay around 20%. A coastal sea breeze will drop the beach temperatures to around 80 in the afternoon hours. Thunderstorms may develop around 12-2 PM Saturday near the Maryland beaches as the sea breeze moves inland.
Sunday will not be quite as hot as winds turn to the east behind a weak low pressure trough. The onshore wind flow will keep inland temps. around 88-89 degrees while the beaches will stay around 77°. Rainfall will be very spotty but a coastal shower is possible with very isolated inland showers about in the afternoon hours.
In the long-range, temps. will stay near 90-92° on Monday and Tuesday with rather high humidity. A cool front will bring scattered thundershowers Wednesday and temps. will drop back to the mid 80's with lower humidity for Thursday and Friday.
The average high for today is 84 degrees with an average low of 65 degrees. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/hot-saturday-passing-shower/article_c0d98bac-257d-11ed-a71d-df368a533c8a.html | 2022-08-27T00:15:45Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/hot-saturday-passing-shower/article_c0d98bac-257d-11ed-a71d-df368a533c8a.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s leader on Friday said China and Russia are “disrupting and threatening the world order” with Beijing’s recent large-scale military exercises near the island and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Tsai Ing-wen was speaking during a meeting in Taipei with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is on the second visit by members of Congress since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip earlier this month. That visit prompted China to launch military exercises in which it fired numerous missiles and sent dozens of warplanes and naval ships to virtually surround the island. Some ships crossed the center line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been a buffer between the sides.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Beijing has also boosted its relations with Russia and is seen as tacitly supporting Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.
“These developments demonstrate how authoritarian countries are disrupting and threatening the world order,” Tsai said.
Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, reaffirmed shared values between the two governments and said she “looked forward to continuing to support Taiwan as they push forward as an independent nation.”
In later remarks at the Foreign Ministry’s Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs, Blackburn criticized leaders she did not identify for failing to take the threat from authoritarian regimes seriously enough.
Xi Jinping, China’s president and leader of the ruling Communist Party, “will not stop threatening the safety and security of Taiwan simply because it would be in everyone’s best interest to do so,” she said. “He is not a normal leader. And he has no interest in normal reactions or normal relations with the rest of the world.”
In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it deplores Blackburn’s visit and urges her to cease all forms of official communication with Taiwan, saying it sends the wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces.
China sees high-level foreign visits to Taiwan as interference in its affairs and a de facto recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty. China’s recent military drills were seen by some as a rehearsal of future military action against the island, which U.S. military leaders say could come within the next few years.
Along with staging the exercises, China cut off contacts with the United States on vital issues, including military matters and crucial climate cooperation, raising concerns over a more aggressive approach by Beijing. It also called in U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns to formally complain. He later said China was overreacting in order to manufacture a crisis.
Due to the separation of powers in the U.S. government, the executive branch has no authority to prevent legislators from making such foreign visits and Taiwan benefits from strong bipartisan support in Washington. China, where the Communist Party wields total control over the country’s politics, refuses to acknowledge that fundamental principle.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said members of Congress and elected officials “have gone to Taiwan for decades and will continue to do so,” and that it was in line with U.S. policy to only maintain formal diplomatic ties with Beijing.
“We’re going to continue to take calm and resolute steps to uphold peace and stability in the region and to support Taiwan in line with our longstanding policy,” Patel said at a briefing Thursday.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told reporters Friday that “China’s motivation is to destroy the Taiwan Straits’ status quo, and after this they want to cut down on Taiwan’s defensive space.”
Taiwan is seeking stepped-up defense cooperation and additional weaponry from the U.S., along with closer economic ties.
In their meeting, Tsai and Blackburn underscored the importance of economic links, especially in the semiconductor sector, where Taiwan is a world leader and the U.S. is seeking greater investment at home.
Blackburn arrived in Taipei late Thursday after visiting Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea as part of a U.S. push to “expand our diplomatic footprint in the area,” her office said in a statement.
“The Indo-Pacific region is the next frontier for the new axis of evil,” Blackburn, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, was quoted as saying. “We must stand against the Chinese Communist Party.”
China has been making inroads in the western Pacific, signing a broad security agreement with the Solomon Islands that the U.S. and allies such as Australia see as an attempt to overthrow the traditional security order in the region.
Pelosi was the highest-level member of the U.S. government to visit Taiwan in 25 years. China’s response was to announce six zones surrounding the island for military exercises that included firing missiles over the island, some of which landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Following Pelosi’s trip, a delegation of House and Senate members visited. This week, Indiana’s governor made a visit focused on business and academic cooperation. U.S politicians have called their visits a show of support for the island.
Blackburn, whose visit is to last three days, also met with Foreign Minister Wu and Secretary General of the National Security Council Wellington Koo, along with members of the American business community.
Washington has no official diplomatic ties with Taipei in deference to China, but remains the island’s biggest security guarantor, with U.S. law requiring it ensure Taiwan has the means to defend itself and to regard threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.”
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations but are bound by billions of dollars of trade and investment.
China has increased its pressure on Taiwan since it elected independence-leaning Tsai as its president. When Tsai refused to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation, China cut off contact with the Taiwanese government.
U.S. congressional visits to the island have stepped up in frequency in the past year. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-taiwan-china-russia-disrupting-threatening-world-order/ | 2022-08-27T00:15:45Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-taiwan-china-russia-disrupting-threatening-world-order/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Banks stocks have stood the test of time, with some of the names sustaining for centuries now. The big question is how they will fare this time with recession fears around the corner. With the help of the TipRanks Stock Comparison tool, we compared JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America, and Wells Fargo to see which is the better bank stock.
JPMorgan Chase (JPM)
Based in New York, JPMorgan Chase is a multinational investment bank and financial services holding company. With around $3.3 trillion in total assets, JPMorgan is the largest bank in the United States. Further, with a current market capitalization of $336 billion, it is also the world’s largest bank by market capitalization.
JPM stock hit its all-time high of $172.96 in October of last year but is down significantly from those levels, trading near $115.
For the month of July, the bank reported lower charge-offs, at 1.02% compared to 1.18% in June and 1.14% in the prior-year period.
The delinquency rate came in at 0.66% in July, the same as June but higher than 0.64% reported in the same period last year.
However, there was a dip in lending activity, as principal receivables declined to $9.15 billion in July compared to $10.6 billion reported in June.
Further, provisions for loan losses are also increasing as the company prepares itself against a difficult macro outlook and recessionary fears.
Despite the looming macro concerns, last month, Berenberg analyst Peter Richardson upgraded JPMorgan from Sell to Hold, with a price target of $120.00.
Richardson believes that shares are trading at a ~20% discount to their historical long-term average.
He stated, “While our estimates are c5% below consensus, we believe these risks are now more adequately reflected in the share price and upgrade JPMorgan to Hold.”
Is JPM Stock a Buy or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts are cautiously optimistic about the stock, giving it a Moderate Buy consensus rating, which is based on nine Buys, seven Holds, and one Sell. JPMorgan Chase’s average price forecast of $137.35 implies 19.8% upside potential.
In addition to this, hedge funds have a very positive outlook regarding JPM stock. They collectively increased their JPM holdings by 8.4 million shares in the last quarter.
Bank of America (BAC)
Being the world’s second-largest bank by market capitalization ($273 billion), second to JPMorgan, Bank of America is more than a century old. It provides banking and non-bank financial services. The banking major has lost almost a fourth of its market capitalization year-to-date.
According to Wells Fargo analyst Mike Mayo, the overall banking industry is bound to benefit from the ongoing rise in interest rates by the Federal Reserve.
Predicting the federal funds rate to reach 4%, he emphasizes that the level of interest rates is “far more important to bank net interest margins (high correlation) than the shape of the yield curve (no correlation) based on 50-60 years of data.”
As a result, he expects banks like bank of America to benefit and report higher net interest margins.
Last week, Bank of America announced that its eligible customers would get free access to Grubhub’s popular subscription service, which could benefit both companies.
Also, last month, the bank hiked its quarterly dividend by 4.8% to $0.22 per share. The dividend is payable on September 30 to shareholders of record on September 2, 2022.
Following the quarterly earnings released last month, Jefferies analyst Ken Usdin increased his Bank of America price target to $34 from $33 and reiterated a Hold rating. Further, Usdin revised his full-year 2022-23 estimates upward due to lower expected provisions.
What is the Target Price for BAC Stock?
Currently, analysts are slightly bullish on BAC stock. Based on 11 Buys and five holds, the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus rating, as per TipRanks. BAC’s average price target of $42.40 presents upside potential potential of 24.6% from the current levels.
Further, BAC boasts an 8 out of 10 on TipRanks’ Smart score rating system, implying that the stock has solid potential to outperform the market, going forward.
Wells Fargo (WFC)
Based in California, Wells Fargo is a diversified financial services company that provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgages, and more. It currently has a current market capitalization of about $167 billion.
Interestingly, Wells Fargo has decided to slash the size of its mortgage lending business. Having been the #1 mortgage lender for years, the change comes with the new CEO, Charlie Scharf, at the helm, who is making strategic efforts to improve the company’s regulatory score.
WFC generated over $200 billion in new loans last year but has now decided to sever its ties with its partner mortgage firms.
Like Bank of America, Wells Fargo also increased its quarterly dividend by 20% to $0.30 per share.
Is Wells Fargo Stock a Buy or Sell?
Analysts are unanimously optimistic about Wells Fargo’s prospects. The stock commands a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 11 Buys and two Holds. Also, WFC’s average price forecast of $53.54 suggests 21.8% upside potential.
Moreover, financial bloggers are 79% Bullish on WFC stock versus the sector average of 68%.
Conclusion: Analysts are Most Bullish on BAC and WFC
With impending recession fears, banking stocks are in a tricky spot. Nonetheless, Wall Street analysts estimate a higher upside potential in BAC and WFC compared to JPM stock. However, all three stocks look attractive at current levels. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/jpm-bac-or-wfc-which-bank-stock-is-the-best | 2022-08-27T00:17:18Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/jpm-bac-or-wfc-which-bank-stock-is-the-best | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BAGHDAD (AP) — A small homemade explosive detonated on Friday near Baghdad’s Green Zone as an Australian diplomatic convoy made its way into the area, two security officials told The Associated Press.
No injuries were reported.
The blast happened amid Australia’s diplomatic mission’s efforts to mediate between influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and an Iran-backed faction of rival Shiite parties, according to the security officials, to end one of Iraq’s worst political crises in recent years.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has been unsuccessful in trying to bring the quarreling groups to a settlement. Al-Sadr’s party declined to attend a meeting Al-Kadhimi held last week.
Despite the explosion, the Australian convoy was able to enter the Green Zone.
The followers al-Sadr and his political rivals, a coalition of Iran-backed Shiite groups called the Coordination Framework, have been at odds since after last year’s parliamentary elections.
Al-Sadr won the largest share of seats in the October vote but failed to form a majority government, leading to what has become one of the worst political crises in Iraq in recent years. His supporters in late July stormed the parliament and have held frequent protests there.
The firebrand clerics supporters have regularly protested, demanding the dissolution of parliament and early elections.
On Tuesday, Al-Sadr’s supporters pitched tents and protested outside the Supreme Judicial Council, accusing them of being politicized in favor of their Iran-backed allies. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-explosive-detonates-in-baghdad-targets-australian-diplomats/ | 2022-08-27T00:17:42Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-explosive-detonates-in-baghdad-targets-australian-diplomats/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities began distributing iodine tablets to residents near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Friday in case of a radiation leak, amid mounting fears that the fighting around the complex could trigger a catastrophe.
The move came a day after the plant was temporarily knocked offline because of what officials said was fire damage to a transmission line. The incident heightened dread of a nuclear disaster in a country still haunted by the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl.
Continued shelling was reported in the area overnight, and satellite images from Planet Labs showed fires burning around the complex — Europe’s biggest nuclear plant — over the last several days.
Iodine tablets, which help block the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland in a nuclear accident, were issued in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 45 kilometers (27 miles) from the plant. A woman and her small daughter were among those receiving the pills.
The U.N.’s atomic energy agency has been trying to send a team in to inspect and help secure the plant. Officials said preparations for the trip were underway, but it remained unclear when it might take place.
The Zaporizhzhia plant has been occupied by Russian forces and run by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the 6-month-old war. The two sides have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the site.
In Thursday’s incident, Ukraine and Russia blamed one another for the transmission-line damage that knocked the plant off the power grid.
Exactly what went wrong was not clear, but Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said the plant’s emergency backup diesel generators had to be activated to supply electricity to operate the complex.
The plant requires power to run the reactors’ vital cooling systems. A loss of cooling could lead to a nuclear meltdown.
Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s transmission system operator, reported Friday that two damaged main lines supplying the plant with electricity had resumed operation, ensuring a stable power supply.
The country’s nuclear power agency, Energoatom, said the plant had been reconnected to the grid and was producing electricity “for Ukraine’s needs.”
“The nuclear workers of Zaporizhzhia power plant are real heroes! They tirelessly and firmly uphold the nuclear and radiation safety of Ukraine and the whole of Europe on their shoulders,” the agency said in a statement.
Russia-installed officials in the Zaporizhzhia region, however, said that the plant was supplying electricity only to Russia-controlled areas of the country and not the rest of Ukraine.
Concerns about the site have reverberated across Europe.
French President Emmanuel Macron said a visit by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency should be allowed to take place “very quickly,” warning: “Civilian nuclear power must not be an instrument of war.”
Lana Zerkal, an adviser to Ukraine’s energy minister, told Ukrainian media that the logistics for an IAEA visit were still being worked out. Zerkal accused Russia of trying to sabotage the visit.
Ukraine has claimed Russia is using the plant as a shield by storing weapons there and launching attacks from around it. Moscow, for its part, accuses Ukraine of recklessly firing on the place.
Zaporizhzhia’s reactors are protected by thick, reinforced concrete containment domes that experts say can withstand an errant artillery shell. Many of the fears center instead on a possible loss of the cooling system, and also the risk that an attack on the cooling ponds where spent fuel rods are kept could scatter radioactive material.
Continued Russian shelling of Nikopol, a city across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia plant, damaged 10 houses, a school and a health care facility but caused no injuries, Dnipropetrovsk Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko said.
___
Follow AP coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-iaea-mission-seeks-to-visit-zaporizhzhia-plant-amid-concerns/ | 2022-08-27T00:18:04Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-iaea-mission-seeks-to-visit-zaporizhzhia-plant-amid-concerns/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif asked Friday for international help battling deadly flood damage in the impoverished Islamic nation.
His request on Twitter came amid exceptionally heavy rain that continued lashing Pakistan, raising the overall death toll from mid-June to 937.
Sharif said he met with foreign diplomats in the capital, Islamabad, on damages caused by the floods.
“The ongoing rain spell has caused devastation across the country,” he tweeted, thanking other countries and groups for their support. “Together we will build back better.”
The flooding from rains, melting glaciers and cloudbursts affected over 3 million people.
Floods have damaged 170,000 homes, washed away roads and destroyed nearly 150 bridges, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Although floodwater receded in some areas, the situation worsened in Sindh province, where rescue workers were using boats to evacuate marooned people. Thousands of flood-affected people were living in makeshift homes and tents.
The crisis forced Sharif’s government to declare a state of emergency.
A United Nations statement on Thursday said it has allocated $ 3 million for U.N. aid agencies and its partners in Pakistan to respond to the floods. “This will be used for health, nutrition, food security, and water and sanitation services in flood-affected areas, focusing on the most vulnerable,” it said.
Monsoon rains in Pakistan typically begin in July. But this year, heavy downpours started lashing the country in June, triggering floods. Scientists say climate change is a major factor behind the unusually severe weather, which has made life miserable for millions of people.
According to Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, right now the real challenge was saving lives and arranging tents and food for homeless people.
“This is a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions, thousands are without shelter, many are without food and people are stranded,” Rehman said. “We need to ask not just the provinces and Islamabad, it is beyond the capacity of any one administration or government to rehabilitate and even manage the rescue and relief.” | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-pakistan-seeks-international-help-for-flood-victims/ | 2022-08-27T00:19:01Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-pakistan-seeks-international-help-for-flood-victims/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MORAG, Poland (AP) — Poland sealed a deal with South Korea on Friday to purchase $5.8 billion worth of tanks, howitzers and ammunition as the European country steps up its defense and deterrence capabilities in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, who is the defense minister, signed the contracts to confirm them and handed them to the head of South Korea’s defense acquisition program administration, Minister Eom Dong-hwan, at a military base in the northern Poland town of Morag.
“It is most important that the first tanks and cannon howitzers will be available to Poland’s army this year,” Blaszczak said during the ceremony. “We are strengthening Poland’s defenses.”
Speaking through an interpreter, the Korean minister stressed the good relations and trust that the two countries have developed in their business, social and cultural ties.
Also attending the ceremony were the heads of the Korean plants involved in the contracts as well as Polish tank crews who will go to Korea for training in October.
Poland’s conservative government has worked to strengthen the country’s armed forces in response to neighboring Russia’s aggression.
Poland, like other European nations and the United States, has sent military equipment to Ukraine during the 6-month war. The Polish government is seeking to replace of that equipment, including with U.S.-made Abrams tanks.
Under the deal with South Korea, Poland is purchasing 180 K2 Black Panther tanks made by Hyundai Rotem and worth $3.4 billion, along with 212 K9 Thunder howitzers made by Hanhwa Defense, worth $2.4 billion. The deal includes training, logistics and ammunition.
All of the items are expected to arrive by the end of 2025.
Poland and South Korea also plan to sign a deal this year for the purchase of 12 FA-50 planes, a light training and combat aircraft made jointly by Korea Aerospace and Lockheed Martin, according to Blaszczak.
Poland is also seeking a technology transfer so it can launch production domestically.
___
Follow all AP developments related to the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-poland-and-south-korea-seal-5-8-billion-military-deal/ | 2022-08-27T00:19:14Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-poland-and-south-korea-seal-5-8-billion-military-deal/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fire crews from multiple agencies responded to a brush fire Friday afternoon in the 1600 block of Medicine Valley Road near White Swan, according to a post on the Yakima County Fire District 5 Facebook page.
As of 4:40 p.m., the wind-driven fire was about 1,000 acres, the fire district said.
Level 3 (go now) evacuation orders were issue for: West White Swan Road north to Branch Road and everything west of Wesley Road/
Level 2 (get set) evacuation notices were in effect for: Fort Simcoe Road north to West White Swan Road and west of Signal Peak Road, including the community of White Swan.
Level 2 evacuations indicate there is a significant risk to the area and the fire (or other danger) is moving closer. A mandatory evacuation order may be issued at any time. Residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the area, or, be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
The cause of the fire was unknown. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/lower_valley/brush-fire-breaks-out-friday-afternoon-near-white-swan-evacuations-ordered/article_f910310c-2595-11ed-b21b-c3ab757d85f3.html | 2022-08-27T00:19:48Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/lower_valley/brush-fire-breaks-out-friday-afternoon-near-white-swan-evacuations-ordered/article_f910310c-2595-11ed-b21b-c3ab757d85f3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — In 2016, responding to the fatal police shootings of two Black men just a day apart, Serena Williams joined a small chorus of top Black athletes in speaking out. “I won’t be silent!” she vowed.
“Have we not gone through enough, opened so many doors, impacted billions of lives?” Williams asked in a Facebook post in the wake of the back-to-back killings of Philando Castile just outside St. Paul, Minnesota, and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“I realized we must stride on — for it’s not how far we have come but how much further still we have to go,” she wrote.
That wasn’t the only time Williams would wade into the politically thorny topic. It’s an outspokenness for which other Black athletes, from Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick, have paid a steep professional price.
After nearly three decades in the public eye, few can match Williams’ array of accomplishments, medals and awards. Through it all, the 23-time Grand Slam title winner hasn’t let the public forget that she’s a Black American woman who embraces her responsibility as a beacon for her people.
From the outset of her professional career, Williams was othered because of her unconventional rise in the predominantly white sport — a Black girl who honed her formidable skills on the public tennis courts of Compton, California, far from the privileged private clubs that nurtured most U.S. players. Even as a teenager, her response to the racism, hostility and undermining by the establishment made her a role model for Black Americans.
Now that Williams, 40, has indicated she is getting ready to hang up her tennis racket for good, perhaps even right after the U.S. Open, which starts Monday, sports analysts will take stock of her reign as one of the greatest athletes of all time. But no matter how her swan song plays out, Williams’ icon status on and off the court, as well as her impact on the Black community, are indelible.
“Most Black folks, they understand the sacrifices,” said Elle Duncan, an anchor for ESPN’s SportsCenter. “If they can’t pull apart your game, they will find other reasons: your braids, your hair, your attitude, your body type, the clothes that you wear.”
“It was always about that with Serena, because it was never about her tennis,” Duncan said.
When Black women and girls were berated for wearing beads in their braids in the workplace, classroom or while competing in sports, they could see Williams and her sister, Venus, swinging tennis rackets as their beads click-clacked in all their bright and colorful glory.
Some of Williams’ competitors, daunted by the task of beating her, turned to speaking disparagingly about her physical build and allure. Her response? A dignified, seemingly unbothered Williams brushed off press questions about it. In other moments, a more joyous Williams was seen “Crip walking” on the tennis court after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics, a nod to her roots in Compton.
Even as a top athlete who amassed wealth and influence, Williams has remained grounded in the grim realities of the times. After she won the championship at Wimbledon in 2016, Williams was asked what should be done to address underlying issues after the fatal ambush of several Dallas police officers gunned down by a sniper to protest the shooting of Black men by police.
“I don’t think that the answer is to continue to shoot our young Black men in the United States … or just Black people in general,” she said. “Also, obviously, violence is not the answer of solving it. The shooting in Dallas was very sad. No one deserves to lose their life — doesn’t matter what color they are, where they’re from. We’re all human.”
After gun violence touched their own family, Serena and Venus Williams opened a community center in Compton in 2016 to offer counseling and therapy to residents affected by violence. The Yetunde Price Resource Center is named for their half-sister, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003.
Martin Blackman, a former professional tennis player, said the Williams sisters’ journey through the sport inspired Black Americans like himself who’d seen few top Black contenders in the arena.
“The way people could connect with not having to be wealthy to play the game, not having to go through the traditional pathway to make it,” said Blackman, now the general manager for player and coach development at the U.S. Tennis Association.
“They weren’t insiders,” he said of Serena and Venus.
Serena Williams’ temperament off the court had just as much impact as her dominance in matches, Blackman added.
“Just the poise in being able to maintain a balance between being a fierce competitor, a strong Black woman who was comfortable in her own skin,” he said. “Someone who was always respectful, always polite, never lost her composure in press conferences. She’s not just a role model, but she’s kind of a template for what you can do without compromising who you are.”
At a pivotal point in her career, Williams chose to stay away from the Indian Wells tournament in California for many years after she and her father said they heard racist taunts from fans upset by Venus defaulting before a head-to-head match with Serena.
The slights to Serena Williams didn’t end there, especially in moments when her conduct was deemed by some as unsportsmanlike.
During her loss to Naomi Osaka in the final of the 2018 U.S. Open, Williams shouted angrily in response to what she felt was unfair treatment by the chair umpire. An Australian newspaper lampooned Williams in a cartoon, depicting her with exaggerated physical characteristics strikingly similar to racist caricatures of Black people from the Reconstruction era.
Black Americans’ participation in tennis dates to just before the turn of the 20th century. However, Black players were barred from the former U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association and made to play in segregated tennis clubs, until Althea Gibson broke barriers 72 years ago this month.
Gibson became the first Black player on the U.S. tour in the 1950s and notched multiple Grand Slam titles. It’s a point of pride for the American Tennis Association, founded in 1916 to nurture young Black tennis talent, that it trained the likes of Gibson and Arthur Ashe.
But Williams’ success boosted interest in the sport beyond what the organization had previously seen, said ATA President Roxanne Aaron.
“You don’t have to walk in the same shoes as other people,” Aaron said of the lessons Williams’ career teaches up-and-coming players. “You can even identify your own path, and that’s the path you should walk no matter what.”
Players who have emerged after Williams, like Osaka and Coco Gauff, are among the talents who cite the Williams sisters as inspirations in a sport still predominantly white.
Osaka, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, and moved to the U.S. when she was 3, has called Serena “the main reason why I started playing tennis.”
The same influence hasn’t been seen in other diversity-starved sports, ESPN’s Duncan said.
“With Tiger Woods, we kept hearing about how he was inspiring this new generation of Black and brown kids to golf,” she said. “Have you seen it? I don’t see it. We see it with Serena.”
“Will she go down as one of the greatest athletes of all time?” Duncan asked. “Yes. But I think more than anything, she’s one of the greatest influencers of all time.”
“She is playing against the very girls that were inspired by her, those chocolate girls that said, ‘This is a tennis club sport. But God, if Serena and Venus can dominate, why can’t I?’”
___
AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this report.
___
Aaron Morrison is a New York-based member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-serenas-example-tennis-icons-impact-felt-in-black-america/ | 2022-08-27T00:19:51Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-serenas-example-tennis-icons-impact-felt-in-black-america/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A new DeLorean EV recently broke cover and plans for sales are brewing—but in the meantime, a pristine example of the original 1983 DeLorean DMC-12 is for sale through Podium Auto Sales in Pompano Beach, Florida, with a $98,000 asking price.
First spotted by Carscoops, the dealership says this DMC-12 was put in climate-controlled storage in 1986 with 5,397 miles on the odometer and stayed there until now. So while it’s not one of the “Back to the Future” movie cars, it is a time traveler of sorts.
While it boasts low mileage, this car’s long period in storage meant certain items, including the fuel pump, spark plugs, oil filter, and fuel lines, needed to be replaced to recommission it. The seller also noted that the fuel tank was flushed, the brake calipers were rebuilt, and struts for the gullwing doors and luggage compartment were replaced. However, the car still has its 1981 Goodyear tires, which would also need to be replaced to drive it.
It’s unclear how pleasant driving this DMC-12 would actually be, given that it’s motivated by an underwhelming 2.8-liter V-6 that only makes about 130 hp. The main attraction is really the stainless steel bodywork penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro in his angular-design heyday.
The DMC-12 was only produced from 1981 to 1983, making this one of the last cars made. The rollercoaster rise and fall of the company under namesake and former General Motors executive John DeLorean is a classic tale of automotive intrigue that ended in the FBI charging DeLorean with cocaine trafficking (he was found not guilty). The DMC-12’s star turn in “Back to the Future” came too late to save the company.
Fast forward to today, and DeLorean is making a comeback with the Alpha5, which reimagines the brand for an all-electric era. The revived DeLorean is planning additional models as well, but it remains to be seen whether these new electric DeLoreans will have the staying power of the 1980s original.
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Genesis is ready to start deliveries of the electric G80.
On Thursday, the South Korean automaker announced the 2023 Electrified Genesis G80 costs $80,920 and is now available in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York but only at select dealerships.
Genesis added that the Electrified G80 will go on sale in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Washington in September. Again, the company noted it will only be available at select dealerships.
Available only in one fully loaded version, the luxury sedan will feature all-wheel drive thanks to a dual-motor powertrain with 136-kw electric motors attached to each axle delivering a combined 365 hp. An 87.2-kwh lithium-ion battery pack feeds the motors and Genesis said it will deliver 282 miles of range. Official EPA ratings haven’t been released yet.
Genesis said the Electrified G80 can recharge from 10% to 80% in 22 minutes when hooked to a 350-kw charging station. The automaker has partnered with Electrify America and will offer buyers three years of complimentary 30-minute fast charging sessions.
It’ll take a keen eye to spot the Electrified G80 as it looks nearly identical to its gas-powered sibling. The grille has been closed off and is one solid piece, though the charge port is hidden within the grille on the driver side with a diamond-shaped door that pops open. Model-specific 19-inch wheels and the available Matira Blue exterior paint will be the easiest ways to spot the electric version of the luxury sedan.
Inside, the Electrified G80 looks the same as the gas-powered model, but the electric model can be optioned with a new dark Dark Lagoon Green and Glacier White color scheme.
Every Electrified G80 will feature automatic emergency braking, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, and automatic high beams.
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Which cat digestive supplement is best?
These days, people think nothing of taking supplements to address a wide variety of health concerns. For everything from adding a little extra nutrition to easing digestive distress, supplements can help. The same is true for our feline companions. Taken as a regular maintenance solution for digestion or as a treatment for stomach upset, a cat digestive supplement can keep your furry friend happy and healthy.
For households focused on digestive health for both cats and dogs, NWC Naturals Total Biotics And Probiotics is a great choice.
What to know before you buy a cat digestive supplement
Age of the cat
Digestive upset occurs at any age, but in some cases it is normal. Consider kittens that move from mother’s milk to wet and then dry cat food. Their bellies will naturally be upset as they process the new food. The same is the case if you are transitioning an adult cat from one food to another.
In both cases, adding cat digestive supplements can make the transition more comfortable.
Type of supplements
There are different types of supplements for digestion.
- Natural: Herbal supplements help ease an upset stomach and decrease unpleasant symptoms. However, it is difficult to know if the amount of herbs on the bottle is actually what is in the supplement. These can also be expensive, and it can take a while to figure out which one works best for your cat.
- Probiotics: Probiotics use live bacteria cultures to regulate the digestive process. These are similar to probiotics in human supplements. It’s critical that they contain a large dose of colony forming units, or CFUs, to be effective. These can have a taste that cats turn their nose up at.
- Nutritional supplements: If your cat’s digestive woes are related to a nutritional deficiency, consider adding that vitamin or mineral back into the cat’s diet with a supplement. This usually requires a visit to the vet to determine exactly what is missing.
Form of supplement
The form of digestive supplement that works best depends on how well your cat takes vitamins. Forms include:
- Pills
- Powders
- Treats
- Food
What to look for in a quality cat digestive supplement
Palatability
A supplement only works if you can get your cat to eat it. Since kitties are notoriously picky eaters, it is critical that you find one that is palatable to your feline.
Safety
The last thing you want is to create a problem where there wasn’t one. Testing by a third party reduce the chances of negative reactions and minimizes the likelihood of unfounded claims of efficacy.
No fillers or artificial ingredients
If the supplement you’re considering contains lots of fillers, keep looking. This means there is very little of the beneficial nutrients you are looking for.
In addition to seeking out supplements with lots of active ingredients, you want to make sure that they don’t include artificial ingredients such as flavoring, coloring or preservatives. Not only do these not help your kitty, but they can do harm if your cat has a reaction to those ingredients.
How much you can expect to spend on a cat digestive supplement
This depends on the type of supplement and the quantity in the package. Expect to spend $20-$40 for a 30-day supply of most digestive supplements.
Cat digestive supplement FAQ
Why might your cat need a supplement?
A. In addition to digestive issues, pet owners might want to consider a cat supplement to treat things such as:
- Frequent hairballs
- Lack of nutrition
- Joint pain
- Diabetes
- Feline lower urinary tract diseases
Other supplements are available to help senior cats stay healthy. These include supplements for:
- Eyes
- Joints
- Skin and fur
- Immune support
What are the signs that your cat could use a digestive supplement?
A. In most cases, it is true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Most cats could benefit from adding a digestive supplement to their diet.
However, there are some clear signs when supplementation is needed to assist with digestion. These include:
- Changes to behavior including listlessness and aggression
- Dry hair and skin
- Eating more but losing weight
- Changes in the litterbox, including diarrhea or constipation
- Vomiting
If you notice these signs and are concerned about your cat’s health, the first step is getting in touch with your veterinarian. They may recommend adding a digestive supplement to address the symptoms of an upset stomach and poor digestion.
What’s the best cat digestive supplement to buy?
Top cat digestive supplement
NWC Naturals Total-Biotics Powder
What you need to know: If you have both cats and dogs, this formula works for both.
What you’ll love: This contains 14 species of probiotic bacteria, with 1 billion CFUs per scoop. It absorbs well and is palatable for both cats and dogs. It’s available in two sizes.
What you should consider: It comes with a tiny scoop that’s easy to lose in the tub of powder.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
Top cat digestive supplement for the money
Tomlyn Pre and Probiotic Powder
What you need to know: The individual packets make determining serving sizes easy.
What you’ll love: Each packet has 4 billion CFUs. It is water-soluble and easy to mix into wet food. The powder has no taste or odor. It has five probiotic strains and also contains prebiotics for better digestion.
What you should consider: Even though it is tasteless and odorless, some cats refuse to eat or drink food and water that contain it.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
Worth checking out
Green Foods Corporation Barley Cat Grass Juice Powder
What you need to know: If your kitty naturally heads toward grass to aid digestion, this brings the grass to the cat.
What you’ll love: It has digestive enzymes, plus vitamins A, C and E, and eliminates the potential for your cat to ingest harmful chemicals or pesticides from grass. It improves nutrient absorption in your cat’s stomach.
What you should consider: It’s expensive, and some cats may not like the flavor.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Suzannah Kolbeck writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wpri.com/reviews/br/pets-br/treats-br/best-cat-digestive-supplement/ | 2022-08-27T00:21:39Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/reviews/br/pets-br/treats-br/best-cat-digestive-supplement/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONDON (AP) — Jennifer Jones keeps feeding money into her energy meter, but it never seems to be enough. And when she can’t pay, she feels the impact immediately.
The power in her London home has gone off suddenly three times recently, once when her partner was cooking an egg.
Like millions of people, Jones, 54, is struggling to cope as energy and food prices skyrocket during Britain’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. The former school supervisor has health problems and relies on government benefits to get by, but her welfare payments are nowhere near enough to cover her sharply rising bills.
“I’ve always struggled, but not as much,” she said. “Everything is going up. I can’t even pay my rent, my council tax, I can’t afford to do anything. … I keep asking myself, what am I supposed to do?”
And things are getting worse. U.K. residents will see an 80% increase in their annual household energy bills, the country’s energy regulator announced Friday, following a record 54% spike in April. That will bring costs for the average customer from 1,971 pounds ($2,332) a year to 3,549 pounds.
The latest price cap — the maximum amount that gas suppliers can charge customers per unit of energy — will take effect Oct. 1, just as the cold months set in. And bills are expected to rise again in January to 4,000 pounds.
To blame for the increase is the soaring price of wholesale natural gas triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is driving up consumer prices and roiling economies across Europe that rely on the fuel for heating homes and generating electricity.
That includes the United Kingdom, which has the highest inflation rate among the Group of Seven wealthiest democracies and seen disruptive strikes for months as workers push for pay to keep pace with the increasingly expensive cost of living.
The energy increases, together with rapidly rising food costs, are expected to push inflation above the 40-year high of 10.1% recorded in July and trigger a recession later this year, the Bank of England has predicted. Charities, public health leaders and even energy firms warn of catastrophic effects on poorer people already struggling to afford essentials as wages lag behind.
Jon Taylor, who helps Jones and others at debt counseling charity Christians Against Poverty, said growing numbers of people who have never had debt problems are turning to the group’s helpline.
“What I’m seeing a lot of at the moment is personal tragedies, losing loved ones, emotional health problems,” he said. “The pressure of not knowing how to pay the next bill or having enough food to survive just accentuates whatever they’re already going through.”
About 1 million low-income households have had to take on new or extra debt to cover an essential bill, according to a May study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on U.K. poverty.
The drop in living standards is “of a scale we haven’t seen for many decades,” said Rebecca McDonald, the charity’s chief economist. “It really warrants big and creative national policy interventions in order to prevent what is a difficult year becoming essentially a catastrophe for many low-income families.”
Britain’s Conservative government is under heavy pressure to do more to help people and businesses — and fast. Authorities have said they’re sending around 1,200 pounds to low-income people. Every household, no matter their financial situation, will get 400 pounds off their energy bills this winter.
Many say that financial support needs to be doubled — at least —and some have called for an immediate freeze on the amount that suppliers can charge for energy. The opposition Labour Party has called for an extension of the government’s temporary tax on the windfall profits of oil and gas companies to help pay for relief.
But the government has said no further measures will be announced until the Conservative Party announces a new leader to replace Boris Johnson on Sept. 5. Neither Liz Truss nor Rishi Sunak, the two politicians vying to become the next prime minister, appear to support taxing energy giants.
Treasury chief Nadhim Zahawi acknowledged that the increase in the energy price cap would cause “stress and anxiety.” But he insisted the government was ready to develop more options to support households.
“While (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is driving up energy prices in revenge for our support of Ukraine’s brave struggle for freedom, I am working flat out to develop options for further support,” he said. “This will mean the incoming prime minister can hit the ground running and deliver support to those who need it most, as soon as possible.”
Unions across multiple key sectors have reacted by going on strike to demand pay raises that keep pace with inflation. A series of national rail strikes brought the U.K. train network to a standstill during peak travel days this summer, and postal and port workers, garbage collectors and lawyers have all staged walkouts over pay disputes.
Meanwhile, a grassroots movement called “Don’t Pay” is campaigning to gather 1 million people who will commit to not paying their energy bills on Oct. 1 if the price hike goes ahead. The group is hoping that mass nonpayment will force energy firms to end the crisis.
“Everyone we speak to thinks that the price increases we’ve seen and are going to be seeing on Oct. 1 are beyond a joke and will push people to the edge,” said Jeffrey James, one of the campaign’s organizers.
“We are being forced into poverty, whilst others who are already in poverty will be forced into a life-or-death situation this winter,” he added. “That is the level of discontent and despair we are talking about.”
___
AP reporter Danica Kirka contributed from London. | https://www.wwlp.com/business/ap-business/ap-britain-to-see-80-spike-in-energy-bills-as-crisis-worsens/ | 2022-08-27T00:21:40Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/business/ap-business/ap-britain-to-see-80-spike-in-energy-bills-as-crisis-worsens/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ST. LOUIS (AP) — In many cities, no one knows where the lead pipes lie underground. That’s important because lead pipes contaminate drinking water. After the lead crisis in Flint, officials in Michigan accelerated efforts to locate their pipes, a first step toward removal.
But other places are moving more slowly.
That means as billions of dollars in new federal funding becomes available to address the problem, some places are in a better position than others to quickly apply for funds and start digging.
Those that wait are at risk of being left behind.
“The issue right now is we want to reduce the time that vulnerable folks are living with lead exposure,” said Eric Schwartz, co-CEO of BlueConduit, which uses computer modeling to help communities predict where their lead pipes are.
In Iowa, for example, only a handful of cities have located their lead water lines and so far only one – Dubuque – has asked for newly-available federal funds to remove them. State officials still expressed confidence they will find their lead lines by the federal government’s 2024 deadline and communities will have time to apply for funds.
Lead in the body can lower IQ, stunt development and cause behavior problems in children. Lead pipes can leach into drinking water. Removing them eliminates the threat.
There are millions of lead pipes in the ground, installed decades ago, that carry tap water to homes and businesses. They are concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast but are present across much of the country. Scattershot record keeping means many cities don’t know which of their water pipes are made of lead versus PVC or copper.
Some places like Madison and Green Bay, Wisconsin, have managed to remove theirs. But it’s an expensive problem and historically there’s been little federal funding to address it.
“The lack of resources has been a huge issue,” said Radhika Fox, head of the Environmental Protection Agency office of water.
President Joe Biden signed an infrastructure bill last year that finally provided a big boost, allocating $15 billion over five years to assist communities with lead pipes. It’s not enough to solve the problem, but will help.
Communities that avoid the issue or wait too long may not be eligible.
“If you don’t get your act together and you don’t submit an application, you’re not going to get the money,” said Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Local officials can start replacement work before they complete a detailed inventory, but it helps to have an estimate of where lead pipes are, said Eric Oswald, director of Michigan’s drinking water division.
“We need to know that they have identified the lead service lines before we’re going to fund the removal process,” he said.
SCANDAL AFTER SCANDAL
Lead pipes have caused harm for decades. In recent years, residents in Newark, New Jersey, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, were forced to use bottled water for basic needs like cooking and drinking, after tests revealed elevated levels of lead. Flint, a majority-Black community where officials initially denied there were lead problems, focused national attention on the health crisis. Public trust in tap water fell afterwards, especially in Black and Hispanic communities.
Sri Vedachalam, director of water equity and climate resilience at Environmental Consulting & Technology Inc., said he hopes communities are replacing pipes for residents’ benefit.
“But realistically, if it is to avoid embarrassment, that’s still a win,” he said.
There is some indication that embarrassment has been a motivator. Michigan and New Jersey passed tough measures to combat lead in drinking water, including speeding up the mapping process, after downplaying high lead levels. But things are moving more slowly in some other states like Iowa and Missouri that haven’t experienced similar headline-grabbing crises.
Earlier in August, the EPA instructed communities how to document their pipes. Money will flow according to the needs of each state, Fox said. There is technical assistance available and also easier terms for disadvantaged communities.
Water testing in Hamtramck, a city of nearly 30,000 surrounded by Detroit, has periodically revealed worrisome levels of lead. The city assumes most of its pipes are made of the problem metal and work is underway to replace them.
“We’ve been doing street after street,” said city manager Max Garbarino.
Pipe replacement is so sought after in Michigan that communities have applied for more funds than will be immediately available.
EQUITY CONCERNS
EPA distributed early funds using a formula that doesn’t consider the number of lead pipes in each state. So some states received far more money per lead pipe than others. The agency is working to correct that for future years. Michigan is hopeful that if states don’t spend their money, it will eventually flow to them.
Schwartz of BlueConduit said officials should be sure not to skip pipe inspections in poor neighborhoods, to ensure inventories are accurate. Otherwise if there is better documentation in wealthy areas, they might receive replacement funding more quickly even if they don’t need it as much.
Dubuque, a city of about 58,000 on the Mississippi River, wants more than $48 million to replace roughly 5,500 of its pipes that contain lead. Mapping work started years ago and previous officials ensured that it was properly updated, anticipating it would one day be a federal requirement. They were right.
Christopher Lester, manager of the city’s water department, said those past efforts made applying for funds easy.
“We’re fortunate to have the inventory developed. We don’t need to try and play catch up,” Lester said.
___
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment | https://www.wpri.com/science/ap-science/ap-some-cities-could-be-left-behind-on-lead-pipe-replacements/ | 2022-08-27T00:22:07Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/science/ap-science/ap-some-cities-could-be-left-behind-on-lead-pipe-replacements/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City-owned golf course managed by former President Donald Trump’s business is expected to host a Saudi Arabia-supported women’s tournament in October, city officials said Friday.
The plan to host the Aramco Team Series at the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx comes after New York City’s attempt to cancel Trump’s contract to run the course was thrown out by a judge in April.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio said shortly after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that he was canceling Trump’s contracts to run the golf course and several Central Park concessions. The Democratic mayor said the city had the legal right terminate a contract with a company whose leaders are engaged in criminal activity such as inciting an insurrection.
Manhattan state court Judge Debra James ruled that city’s claim that the Trump Organization had breached the contracts lacked any legal foundation.
The Aramco Team Series, first played in 2020 as the Saudi Ladies Team International, is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The Saudi fund is also backing the LIV Golf tour, set up as a rival to the PGA Tour, which played a tournament at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey course last month.
Some family members of Sept. 11 victims who blame Saudi Arabia for the 2001 terror attacks criticized Trump for hosting the Saudi-backed tour.
The Saudi government has denied any involvement in the attacks.
Messages seeking comment about Aramco’s Oct. 13-15 tournament in New York City were sent to the Trump Organization and the Aramco Team Series.
Nick Paolucci, a spokesperson for the city law department, said, “As the decision in the previous administration’s court case displayed, contractually, the city is obligated to follow the terms of the Trump Ferry license agreement and cannot unreasonably withhold approval of this tournament.” | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-trumps-nyc-golf-course-to-host-saudi-backed-womens-event/ | 2022-08-27T00:23:12Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-trumps-nyc-golf-course-to-host-saudi-backed-womens-event/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LUANDA, Angola (AP) — Angola’s President Joao Lourenco appeared set to win a second term and his MPLA party was close to extending its 47-year rule over the country as final election votes were tallied Friday.
With 97% of ballots from Wednesday’s election counted, the ruling Peoples Movement for the Liberation of Angola, known as the MPLA, had 51% of the vote, according to the National Electoral Commission.
The longtime opposition party, the Union for the Total Independence of Angola, known as UNITA, secured 44% of the vote. Smaller parties took the remaining votes.
Turnout was low, with just 45.7% of registered voters casting their ballots.
The ruling party was poised to have a smaller majority in the central African country’s legislature with 124 of the 220 seats in the National Assembly. UNITA was likely to increase its presence in the legislature to 90 representatives. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-angolas-president-and-ruling-party-poised-for-election-win/ | 2022-08-27T00:23:48Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-angolas-president-and-ruling-party-poised-for-election-win/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — As Friday’s end to a four-week conference to review the landmark U.N. treaty aimed at curbing the spread of nuclear weapons neared, delegates scrambled to reach agreement on a final document with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and takeover of Europe’s largest nuclear power a key obstacle.
Argentine Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen, president of the conference reviewing the 50-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which is considered the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament, circulated a revised 36-page draft final document that aimed to address some of China’s concerns. But it still made the same four references to Russia’s occupation of Europe’s biggest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine — though without naming Russia.
Any document must be approved by all 191 countries that are parties to the treaty, and the closing plenary meeting to consider the revised draft was delayed while delegates met behind closed doors to try to get all countries on board.
Earlier this week, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council that the Biden administration is seeking a consensus final document that strengthens the nuclear treaty and acknowledges “the manner in which Russia’s war and irresponsible actions in Ukraine seriously undermine the NPT’s main purpose.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States and its allies at that council meeting of “politicizing the work on the final document, putting their geopolitical interests in punishing Russia above their collective needs in strengthening global security.”
“Against the backdrop of the actual sabotage by the collective West of the global security architecture, Russia continues to do everything possible to keep at least its key, vital elements afloat,” Nebenzia said.
The four references to Zaporizhzhia, where Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling, would have the parties to the NPT express “grave concern for the military activities” at or near the facility and other nuclear plants, recognize Ukraine’s loss of control and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inability to ensure its nuclear material is safeguarded.
The parties would also support IAEA efforts to visit Zaporizhzhia to ensure there is no diversion of its nuclear materials which the agency’s director is hoping to organize in the coming day. And it would express “grave concern” at the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, in particular Zaporizhzia, and stress “the paramount importance of ensuring control by Ukraine’s competent authorities.”
The NPT review conference is supposed to be held every five years but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last one in 2015 ended without an agreement because of serious differences over establishing a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction.
Those differences haven’t gone away but are being discussed, and both draft documents obtained by The Associated Press would reaffirm the importance of establishing a nuclear-free Mideast zone. So, this is not viewed as a major stumbling block this year.
The issue that has changed the dynamics of the conference is Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s warning that Russia is a “potent” nuclear power and any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen,” and his decision soon after to put Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert.
Putin has since rolled back, saying that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” a message reiterated by a senior Russian official on the opening day of the NPT conference on Aug. 2. But the Russian leader’s initial threat and the occupation of Zaporizhzhia by Russian forces soon after the invasion as well as their takeover of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, renewed global fears of another nuclear emergency.
Under the NPT’s provisions, the five original nuclear powers — the United States, China, Russia (then the Soviet Union), Britain and France — agreed to negotiate toward eliminating their arsenals someday and nations without nuclear weapons promised not to acquire nuclear weapons in exchange for a guarantee to be able to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
India and Pakistan, which didn’t join the NPT, went on to get the bomb. So did North Korea, which ratified the pact but later announced it was withdrawing. Non-signatory Israel, which is believed to have a nuclear arsenal but neither confirms nor denies it, has been an obstacle in discussions of a Mideast zone free of weapons of mass destruction.
Nonetheless, the treaty has been credited with limiting the number of nuclear newcomers (U.S. President John F. Kennedy once foresaw as many as 20 nuclear-armed nations) as a framework for international cooperation on disarmament.
The draft final document would express deep concern “that the threat of nuclear weapons use today is higher than at any time since the heights of the Cold War and at the deteriorated international security environment.” It would also commit the 191 parties to the treaty “to making every effort to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again.”
The parties would call on India, Israel and Pakistan to join the NPT “as non-nuclear-weapon states” and on South Sudan to become a party as soon as possible. It would call on North Korea to return to the treaty at an early date and immediately cease its nuclear activities.
Diplomats and nuclear experts monitoring the closed-door negotiations cited differences between China and the West that could have blocked agreement on a final document but appear to have been resolved in the final draft.
China wanted the document to mention the U.S.-UK-Australia deal to provide Australia with a nuclear-powered submarine, and the final draft notes that parties to the NPT are interested in “the topic of naval nuclear propulsion” and the importance of a transparent and open dialogue on it.
Of the five nuclear powers, China is the only one still producing fissile material — either uranium or plutonium — needed to produce nuclear weapons, and several Western nations wanted to pressure Beijing to halt production.
The original draft included a call to the five nuclear weapon states “to declare or maintain existing moratoria on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and other explosive devices.” This was eliminated in the final draft which calls for the immediate start of negotiations on a treaty banning production of fissile material.
The final draft document barely mentions the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, saying only that it was adopted in July 2017, entered into force in January 2021, and held its first meeting of states parties in June 2022. Some Western countries maintain that calls for immediate nuclear disarmament are totally unrealistic in the current highly polarized and chaotic world. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-nuclear-treaty-conference-near-end-with-ukraine-in-spotlight/ | 2022-08-27T00:24:32Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-nuclear-treaty-conference-near-end-with-ukraine-in-spotlight/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Six of the 43 college students “disappeared” in 2014 were allegedly kept alive in a warehouse for days then turned over to the local army commander who ordered them killed, the Mexican government official leading a Truth Commission said Friday.
Interior Undersecretary Alejandro Encinas’ surprise comment was the first time an official has directly tied the military to one of Mexico’s worst human rights scandals, and it came with little fanfare as he made a lengthy defense of the commission’s report released a week earlier.
Last week, despite declaring the abudctions and disappearances a “state crime” and saying that the army watched it happen without intervening, Encinas made no mention of six students being turned over to Col. José Rodríguez Pérez.
On Friday, Encinas said authorities were closely monitoring the students from the radical teachers’ college at Ayotzinapa from the time they left their campus through their abduction by local police in the town of Iguala that night. A soldier who had infiltrated the school was among the abducted students, and Encinas asserted the army did not follow its own protocols and try to rescue him.
“There is also information corroborated with emergency 089 telephone calls where allegedly six of the 43 disappeared students were held during several days and alive in what they call the old warehouse and from there were turned over to the colonel,” Encinas said. “Allegedly the six students were alive for as many as four days after the events and were killed and disappeared on orders of the colonel, allegedly the then Col. José Rodríguez Pérez.”
The defense department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the allegations Friday.
The role of the army in the students’ disappearance has long been a source of tension between the families and the government. From the beginning, there were questions about the military’s knowledge of what happened and its possible involvement. The students’ parents demanded for years that they be allowed to search the army base in Iguala. It was not until 2019 that they were given access along with Encinas and the Truth Commission.
The commission report says the army registered an anonymous emergency call on Sept. 30, 2014, four days after the students’ abduction. The caller reportedly said the students were being held in a large concrete warehouse in a location described as “Pueblo Viejo.” The caller proceeded to describe the location.
That entry was followed by several pages of redacted material, but that section of the report concluded with the following: “As can be seen, obvious collusion existed between agents of the Mexican state with the criminal group Guerreros Unidos that tolerated, allowed and participated in events of violence and disappearance of the students, as well as the government’s attempt to hide the truth about the events.”
Later, in a summary of how the commission’s report differed from the original investigation’s conclusions, there is mention of a colonel.
“On Sept. 30 ‘the colonel’ mentions that they will take care of cleaning everything up and that they had already taken charge of the six students who had remained alive,” the report said.
In a witness statement provided to federal investigators in December 2014, Capt. José Martínez Crespo, who was stationed at the base in Iguala, said the base commander for the 27th Infantry Battalion at the time was Col. José Rodriguez Pérez.
On Sept. 26, 2014, local police took the students off buses they had commandeered in Iguala. The motive for the police action remains unclear eight years later. Their bodies have never been found, though fragments of burned bone have been matched to three of the students.
Last week, federal agents arrested former Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam, who oversaw the original investigation. On Wednesday, a judge ordered that he stand trial for forced disappearance, not reporting torture and official misconduct. Prosecutors allege Murillo Karam created a false narrative about what happened to the students to quickly appear to resolve the case.
Authorities also said last week that arrest warrants were issued for 20 soldiers and officers, five local officials, 33 local police officers and 11 state police officers as well as 14 gang members. Neither the army nor prosecutors have said how many of those suspects are in custody.
It was also not immediately clear if Rodríguez Pérez was among those sought.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has given Mexico’s military enormous responsibility. The armed forces are not only at the center of his security strategy, but they have taken over administration of the seaports and been given responsibility for building a new airport for the capital and a tourist train on the Yucatan Peninsula.
The president has said often that the army and navy are the least corrupt institutions and have his confidence. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-official-6-of-43-missing-mexican-students-given-to-army/ | 2022-08-27T00:24:39Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-official-6-of-43-missing-mexican-students-given-to-army/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s leader on Friday said China and Russia are “disrupting and threatening the world order” with Beijing’s recent large-scale military exercises near the island and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Tsai Ing-wen was speaking during a meeting in Taipei with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is on the second visit by members of Congress since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip earlier this month. That visit prompted China to launch military exercises in which it fired numerous missiles and sent dozens of warplanes and naval ships to virtually surround the island. Some ships crossed the center line in the Taiwan Strait that has long been a buffer between the sides.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Beijing has also boosted its relations with Russia and is seen as tacitly supporting Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.
“These developments demonstrate how authoritarian countries are disrupting and threatening the world order,” Tsai said.
Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, reaffirmed shared values between the two governments and said she “looked forward to continuing to support Taiwan as they push forward as an independent nation.”
In later remarks at the Foreign Ministry’s Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs, Blackburn criticized leaders she did not identify for failing to take the threat from authoritarian regimes seriously enough.
Xi Jinping, China’s president and leader of the ruling Communist Party, “will not stop threatening the safety and security of Taiwan simply because it would be in everyone’s best interest to do so,” she said. “He is not a normal leader. And he has no interest in normal reactions or normal relations with the rest of the world.”
In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it deplores Blackburn’s visit and urges her to cease all forms of official communication with Taiwan, saying it sends the wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces.
China sees high-level foreign visits to Taiwan as interference in its affairs and a de facto recognition of Taiwanese sovereignty. China’s recent military drills were seen by some as a rehearsal of future military action against the island, which U.S. military leaders say could come within the next few years.
Along with staging the exercises, China cut off contacts with the United States on vital issues, including military matters and crucial climate cooperation, raising concerns over a more aggressive approach by Beijing. It also called in U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns to formally complain. He later said China was overreacting in order to manufacture a crisis.
Due to the separation of powers in the U.S. government, the executive branch has no authority to prevent legislators from making such foreign visits and Taiwan benefits from strong bipartisan support in Washington. China, where the Communist Party wields total control over the country’s politics, refuses to acknowledge that fundamental principle.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said members of Congress and elected officials “have gone to Taiwan for decades and will continue to do so,” and that it was in line with U.S. policy to only maintain formal diplomatic ties with Beijing.
“We’re going to continue to take calm and resolute steps to uphold peace and stability in the region and to support Taiwan in line with our longstanding policy,” Patel said at a briefing Thursday.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told reporters Friday that “China’s motivation is to destroy the Taiwan Straits’ status quo, and after this they want to cut down on Taiwan’s defensive space.”
Taiwan is seeking stepped-up defense cooperation and additional weaponry from the U.S., along with closer economic ties.
In their meeting, Tsai and Blackburn underscored the importance of economic links, especially in the semiconductor sector, where Taiwan is a world leader and the U.S. is seeking greater investment at home.
Blackburn arrived in Taipei late Thursday after visiting Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea as part of a U.S. push to “expand our diplomatic footprint in the area,” her office said in a statement.
“The Indo-Pacific region is the next frontier for the new axis of evil,” Blackburn, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, was quoted as saying. “We must stand against the Chinese Communist Party.”
China has been making inroads in the western Pacific, signing a broad security agreement with the Solomon Islands that the U.S. and allies such as Australia see as an attempt to overthrow the traditional security order in the region.
Pelosi was the highest-level member of the U.S. government to visit Taiwan in 25 years. China’s response was to announce six zones surrounding the island for military exercises that included firing missiles over the island, some of which landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Following Pelosi’s trip, a delegation of House and Senate members visited. This week, Indiana’s governor made a visit focused on business and academic cooperation. U.S politicians have called their visits a show of support for the island.
Blackburn, whose visit is to last three days, also met with Foreign Minister Wu and Secretary General of the National Security Council Wellington Koo, along with members of the American business community.
Washington has no official diplomatic ties with Taipei in deference to China, but remains the island’s biggest security guarantor, with U.S. law requiring it ensure Taiwan has the means to defend itself and to regard threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.”
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations but are bound by billions of dollars of trade and investment.
China has increased its pressure on Taiwan since it elected independence-leaning Tsai as its president. When Tsai refused to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation, China cut off contact with the Taiwanese government.
U.S. congressional visits to the island have stepped up in frequency in the past year. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-taiwan-china-russia-disrupting-threatening-world-order/ | 2022-08-27T00:25:14Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-taiwan-china-russia-disrupting-threatening-world-order/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PROVIDENCE (WPRI) – Central is coming off a Division I Super Bowl appearance last season. The Knights lost to eventual champion North Kingstown, but they are ready for a comeback in 2022.
The Knights run a high-tempo offense led by a solid offensive line, which looks to give opponents trouble. Central opens its season against East Greenwich on Sept. 9. | https://www.wpri.com/sports/2022-hs-fb-preview-central-knights/ | 2022-08-27T00:25:41Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/sports/2022-hs-fb-preview-central-knights/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — With Prince’s “Raspberry Beret” blaring in the background, about 20 New Hampshire educators grabbed wooden sticks and began pounding their tables to the beat.
Emily Daniels, who was leading a two-day workshop on burnout, encouraged the group including teachers, school counselors, occupational therapists and social workers to stand up inside a hotel conference room. Before long, the group was banging on walls and whatever else they could find. Laughter filled the air. A few started dancing.
“Rhythm making offers the body a different kind of predictability that you can do every single day,” said Daniels, a former school counselor who created The Regulated Classroom which trains teachers on how to manage their own nervous system and, in turn, reduce stress in the classroom.
The training session is part of a growing and, some would say long overdue, effort to address the strains on educators’ mental health.
Addressing the mental health challenges of students coming out of the pandemic has emerged as a priority for schools nationwide. Many districts, facing hiring challenges, see tending to the educators as a way to help them help students and to retain them, amid stressors that range from behavioral problems to fears of shootings.
School districts have provided increased mental health training for staff, classroom support as well as resources and systems aimed at identifying burned out teachers and getting instructors connected to help.
Karen Bowden-Gurley, a fifth grade teacher, said she attended the New Hampshire training because of teacher burnout, but she also feels student burnout.
“The demands on all of us were really high and we were trying to make up for lost time for the couple of years that they fell back on their curriculum. But we forgot that they haven’t been in school for a couple of years so they missed that social-emotional piece. We are dealing with that in the classroom.”
In a survey by the Rand Corporation, twice as many principals and teachers reported frequent job-related stress as other working adults. A study from a coalition of mental health organizations of New Orleans found educators working during the pandemic reported rates of emotional distress similar to health care workers — 36% screened positive for anxiety, 35% for depression and 19% for post-traumatic stress syndrome.
“It’s all pretty bad,” said Leigh McLean, the primary investigator at the Teacher Emotions, Characteristics, and Health Lab at the University of Delaware School of Education, who has found levels of depression, anxiety and emotional exhaustion among elementary school teachers that are 100% to 400% higher than before the pandemic.
She saw those issues increasing the most among early career teachers and teachers of color.
“So it seems like the patterns among teachers are mirroring inequities that we’re seeing in the general population with underrepresented groups being hit the hardest, which is really unfortunate,” she said.
Some districts have or are planning to invest federal COVID-19 relief money in teacher mental health, seeing it as a way to also improve the classroom environment, boost retention and ultimately benefit the students themselves. Among the states singling out teacher mental health as priorities are Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
The Atlanta school district launched a service with Emory University using federal funds to provide mental health services. Dubbed Urgent Behavioral Health Response, it funds 11 clinicians from Emory who provide emotional and behavioral assistance during school hours for struggling school employees.
A Delaware district, meanwhile, hired two social and emotional learning coaches who work to address problems teachers are having in the classroom.
“If you can imagine a teacher has a classroom where students are engaged, they are helping each other and there is a positive supportive culture, their job satisfaction is likely to be higher,” Jon Cooper, the director of the Colonial School District’s health and wellness division. “They are less likely to leave the profession, and in turn, that supports their well being.”
Houston, which started building calming rooms where students can go to decompress, is hoping to do the same for teachers, according to Sean Ricks, the Houston Independent School District’s senior manager of crisis intervention, noting that he has seen a “significant rise in teachers that were in distress.”
The rooms would be different from the traditional teacher break rooms and a place where teachers could go during time off to “calm down and chill out,” Ricks said, adding they could have “could have some aromatherapy, maybe some soft music.”
“We want them to be able to understand that we have to take mindfulness breaks and self-care breaks during the academic day sometimes,” Ricks said.
An elementary school in Indiana starts the week with Mindful Mondays, where teachers guide their classes in deep breathing techniques. There are also Thoughtful Thursdays, where a student is called on to write a letter to a staff member to show appreciation, and Friday Focus, when students and teachers talk about self-care.
“My teachers know when they need to take breaks throughout the day I want them to take those breaks,” said Allison Allen-Lenzo, the principal at O’Bannon Elementary School.
A growing number of groups offer training that incorporates breathing exercises, yoga, gentle movements and meditation.
One of these is Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education or CARE. In studies of its use among 224 New York City teachers, researchers found statistically significant improvements including reductions in emotional psychological distress, stress that comes from not having enough time as well as improvements in quality classroom interactions. Researchers also found that it extended to the students who showed increased engagement.
“Your stress level can rise without you even realizing it because your attention is so outwardly directed at everything else that’s going on around you,” said Tish Jennings, a University of Virginia education professor who led the team that developed CARE and was the lead researcher studying the program. “So what these practices do is build the capacity to be more aware of how you’re feeling at any given moment, so that you can be proactive.”
Back in New Hampshire, the educators pushed aside the tables and were mastering a series of stretching movements known as qigong. Then, they gathered in a circle for an exercise that aims to synchronizing their nervous system. Known as collective rhythm making, they began clapping their hands and snapping their fingers in unison.
The educators at The Regulated Classroom training believe these new tools — though on first glance a little unorthodox — invigorated them. Bowden-Gurley felt they allowed her to “train her brain to think differently” and planned to use them in the classroom to build a better sense of community and more confidence with her students.
Kelly Hurd, a kindergarten teacher, said the training gave her a sense of what is possible going into the new school year.
“I love teaching and I love the kids but it’s also hard,” Hurd, who experienced burnout before the pandemic and was part of the New Hampshire training, said. “The pandemic was so hard and so impactful and so stressful. I feel a sense of renewal and excitement and I do feel like I’ve been given permission to have more fun and focus on joy in school.”
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Associated Press writer Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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For more back-to-school coverage, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/back-to-school.
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The Associated Press education team receives support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-national-news/ap-school-districts-move-to-ease-teacher-stress-burnout/ | 2022-08-27T00:26:36Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-national-news/ap-school-districts-move-to-ease-teacher-stress-burnout/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Elton John and Britney Spears have collaborated for the first time, creating the slinky, club-ready single “Hold Me Closer” that sees the pop icons take old sounds and fashion something new.
The funky, piano-driven single uses John’s 1971 hit “Tiny Dancer” as the skeleton and adds elements from his songs “The One” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” all with Spears voice soaring and fluttering.
While John has been releasing new music in the past few years — including the 16-track 2021 album “The Lockdown Sessions” — the song represents Spear’s first new music since her 2016 album “Glory” and her first offering since the ending of her contentious conservatorship.
“She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars and she sounds amazing on this record. I love her dearly and am delighted with what we’ve created together,” John said in a statement. Spears, in her statement, told John it was an honor to be asked: ”I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to work with you and your legendary mind.”
The track is produced by Andrew Watt, who has worked with such acts as Ed Sheeran, Eddie Vedder, Ozzy Osbourne, Justin Bieber, Post Malone and Miley Cyrus.
The song begins with both stars singing the opening lyrics of “The One” — “I saw you dancing out the ocean/Running fast along the sand/A spirit born of earth and water/Fire flying from your hands.” It then seamlessly moves to ”Tiny Dancer”: “Hold me closer, tiny dancer/Count the headlights on the highway/Lay me down in sheets of linen/You had a busy day today.”
The track calls to mind last year’s hit “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix),” which melded John’s songs “Kiss the Bride,” “Rocket Man,” “Where’s the Shoorah?” and “Sacrifice” into a dance bop featuring vocals by Dua Lipa.
John and Spears first met in 2014 at an Oscar viewing party and she later tweeted her love of “Tiny Dancer,” sowing the seeds for the latest collaboration. John is in the midst of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-elton-john-and-britney-spears-unite-on-a-new-dance-single/ | 2022-08-27T00:27:05Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-elton-john-and-britney-spears-unite-on-a-new-dance-single/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(NBC) — Friday on “Dateline,” Chacey Poynter calls 911 to report her husband, Bob, has been shot on a country road in Texas and the dramatic police footage from the scene could end up being key in the investigation.
Here is a preview of Josh Mankiewicz’s report:
Bob married young and had two kids. After 19 years, that marriage fell apart, expensively. Then Bob met Chacey Morman who was much younger.
CANDY HABERSACK: I think it was an infatuation and he thought it was somebody 22 years old, you know, li– liking him and he’s in his 40s, you know. And–
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: A fling.
CANDY HABERSACK: A fling, basically, yeah.
It wasn’t a fling. Bob married Chacey.
ASHLEY: I mean, she just had a heart of gold. I mean, she loved everybody.
Ashley met Chacey in middle school. Ashley got to know Chacey’s husband — Bob.
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: What’d she say about Robert?
ASHLEY: He was never there. He always worked.
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: Well, he was a fire captain.
ASHLEY: Right.
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: And he worked a lotta shifts.
ASHLEY: Yes, he did.
JOSH MANKIEWICZ: That was a problem.
ASHLEY: Yes.
You can watch “Dateline: Out of the Darkness” on NBC4 Friday at 10 p.m.
About ‘Dateline’
“Dateline NBC” is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 30th season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Natalie Morales, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy.
Dateline is the #1 Friday newsmagazine and reaches more than 17 million people every week through its broadcast, and millions more through its social media platforms and podcasts.
The stories range from compelling mysteries to powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. When major news breaks, they go to the scene, putting the pieces together to bring the viewer the full picture. And in every story they tell, they help the real people who lived the events share their journeys with the viewer. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/mysterious-murder-of-robert-poynter-on-dateline/ | 2022-08-27T00:28:04Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/mysterious-murder-of-robert-poynter-on-dateline/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thousands of châteaux across France have set a certain storybook aesthetic for centuries. Many of these sprawling estates were once reserved for nobility, with gilded interiors (Hall of Mirrors, anyone?) and turreted roofs, but today you don’t need royal lineage to experience a beautiful château. Simply clear your schedule, fork over 20 euros, and indulge in the regal luxury and history.
Here are six of the best French châteaux to visit for those special “pinch me” moments.
1. Château de Versailles
Where: Versailles, France
When to visit: Operating hours are 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m; palace is open year-round except Mondays and May 1
Visit: Palace tickets start at €18, chateauversailles.fr
What King Louis XIII built as a hunting lodge 10 miles southwest of Paris, his successor, Louis XIV, and Queen Marie Antoinette transformed into a glittering, 721,182-square-foot palace—and symbol of French power: Château de Versailles. Today, visitors can tour magnificent rooms like the Hall of Mirrors, admire thousands of paintings and pieces of furniture, and wander the vast manicured gardens for a look at royal indulgence.
Versailles is open all year (except on Mondays and May 1), but the gardens are especially attractive on summer evenings when the fountains are illuminated. Save yourself the anguish that comes with seeing the hordes of people at the golden gates and book a skip-the-line ticket in advance.
2. Château du Clos Lucé
Where: Amboise, France
When: Operating hours vary depending on the month; open year-round except December 25 and January 1
Visit: Tickets start at €18, vinci-closluce.com
This stately brick manor house is famous for being the official and final residence of Leonardo da Vinci; it is located a quarter mile from the beautiful Château Royal d’Amboise, where the artist’s tomb lies. Besides an ornate interior with more than 800 years behind it, the château also has a 15-acre park that showcases 20 models of da Vinci’s inventions.
3. Château d’Azay-le-Rideau
Where: Azay-le-Rideau, France
When to visit: Operating hours vary depending on the month; open year-round except January 1, May 1, and December 25
Visit: Full-price tickets are €11.50; tickets.monuments-nationaux.fr
The UNESCO-recognized Loire Valley is home to striking buildings and castles, including the two-story Château d’Azay-le-Rideau. Constructed in the 1500s, this château’s sharp roofs, turrets, and other features showcase early French Renaissance design and architecture. The château was originally built on an island in the Indre River by Gilles Berthelot, treasurer of France and advisor to King Louis XII.
While the stone-carved details (look for the salamander and ermine motifs, which symbolize King Francois I and Queen Claude, respectively) and open loggia staircase are captivating enough, take a step back to appreciate the building as a whole. A moat surrounds it, offering a mirror-like reflection of the château in the water.
4. Château de Valençay
Where: Valençay, France
When to visit: Opening times vary depending on month; open year-round except December 25 and January 1
Visit: Tickets are €14.50; chateau-valencay.fr
With its L-shaped layout, the Château de Valençay’s two wings demonstrate the main architectural influences—Renaissance and classical—on its design. The d’Estampes family created the foundation for the Château de Valençay in the 1500s with a very Renaissance flavor (thanks in part to the influence of the Great Italian Wars). In the 1700s, the west wing was modified in the classical style, as seen by details like its Ionic capitals.
Since the château’s creation, it’s changed hands with many different owners from the upper echelon—most famously Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, who was the foreign minister to Napoleon. Many of the interior relics you can see come from Talleyrand’s collection of swords, medals, and other treasures.
5. Château d’Ussé
Where: Rigny-Ussé, France
When to visit: Opening hours depend on the month; open from February 13 to November 13
Visit: Adult tickets are €14; www.chateaudusse.fr
While many châteaux have a storybook appeal, the Château d’Ussé has a special claim to fame as the inspiration for the original Sleeping Beauty tale. From the intricately designed ceiling of the guard room to the 16th-century tapestries decorating the walls, the fun is in the very ornate details. Visitors (particularly children) will delight in the mannequins displayed through its various rooms re-enacting scenes from the classic story.
Even if you’re not a fan of the fairy tale, there’s plenty to enjoy here—walk through the ramparts of the château’s towers, and you can reimagine a time when the building was used as a strategic fortress circa 1000 C.E.
6. Château de Blois
Where: Blois, France
When to visit: Opening hours vary depending on the month; open year-round, except December 25 and January 1
Visit: Chateau + Sound and Light Show tickets are €20; chateaudeblois.fr
Unlike many châteaux, the Château de Blois isn’t a shining example of a particular architectural era or influence. Instead, this Loire Valley palace is recognized for being a hodgepodge of medieval, Gothic, Renaissance, and classical architecture, due to it frequently being torn down and renovated. As a result, each part of the exterior serves as a marker for the popular architectural style during a renovation, including the château’s iteration as a 13th-century fortress and the Renaissance-style home of King Louis XII.
From April through September, the château’s exterior becomes the backdrop of a sound and light show portraying its complex history, offering a modern way to experience the chateau’s past.
This article was originally published in April 2019 and was updated in August 2022. Kimberley Lovato contributed reporting. | https://www.afar.com/magazine/chateaux-in-france-you-can-visit | 2022-08-27T00:28:16Z | afar.com | control | https://www.afar.com/magazine/chateaux-in-france-you-can-visit | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It’s been nearly one month since a lucky Illinois lottery player won the $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot — yet no one has come forth to claim the winnings, the Illinois Lottery said.
The player purchased the single ticket in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines and matched all six numbers in the July 29 drawing with white balls 13, 36, 45, 57 and 67, and the gold Mega Ball 14.
Meghan Powers, director of communications for the Illinois Lottery, told NBC News on Friday that the identity of the winner remains a mystery.
"For a prize of this magnitude, it’s not unusual for a winner to take a little bit longer to claim the prize as they may want to seek professional, legal and financial advice prior to claiming,” she said.
She said the state lottery will support the winner through the prize claim process to ensure “a great winning experience and support any requests for anonymity.”
The unclaimed windfall is the largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois and the third largest jackpot in U.S. history.
“I’m sure they’re going through a range of emotions,” Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays said of the winner about a week after the draw.
"We don’t know whether or not they’re aware they’ve won this incredible prize," Mays said a day after the historic draw. "So we’re telling all of our players — check your tickets.”
Winners in Illinois have up to 12 months from the draw date to claim their prize and winners of over $250,000 can opt to remain anonymous.
The ticket was sold at a Speedway gas station, which will receive a bonus of $500,000 for selling the winning ticket.
Michael Browning, the Regional Director for Speedway, was ecstatic one of its customers won the historic jackpot.
“Nothing makes us happier than bringing a little bit of joy to our customers’ lives — or in this case, a whole lot of joy!" he said. "We’re thrilled to play a part in this customer’s winning journey and hope many others in the community can experience the same luck from this special store." | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/national/1-34-billion-mega-millions-winner-in-illinois-still-hasn-t-claimed-prize-one-month/article_e28d168c-2592-11ed-b37e-f7b6ebe8eeb5.html | 2022-08-27T00:28:16Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/national/1-34-billion-mega-millions-winner-in-illinois-still-hasn-t-claimed-prize-one-month/article_e28d168c-2592-11ed-b37e-f7b6ebe8eeb5.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State health officials in New York are warning of expanding “community spread” of the polio virus after it was found in wastewater samples from another upstate county.
The state Department of Health said Friday the polio virus was detected in four samples from Sullivan County, two each in July and August. Sullivan County is several dozen miles northwest of Rockland County, where officials on July 21 announced the first case of polio in the United States in nearly a decade. The unidentified young adult was unvaccinated.
The Sullivan County samples are genetically-linked to the case of paralytic polio in Rockland County.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett again urged residents to make sure they are immunized, saying “one New Yorker paralyzed by polio is already too many.”
“The polio in New York today is an imminent threat to all adults and children who are unvaccinated or not up to date with their polio immunizations,” Bassett said in a prepared release.
The virus has now been identified in wastewater samples in three contiguous counties north of New York City: Rockland, Orange and Sullivan. The polio virus also has been found in New York City sewage.
Officials have said that it is possible that hundreds of people in the state have gotten polio and don’t know it. Most people infected with polio have no symptoms but can still give the virus to others for days or weeks.
Polio was once one of the nation’s most feared diseases, with annual outbreaks causing thousands of cases of paralysis. The disease mostly affects children. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/ap-health/ap-more-polio-virus-detected-in-upstate-new-york-wastewater/ | 2022-08-27T00:28:17Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/ap-health/ap-more-polio-virus-detected-in-upstate-new-york-wastewater/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Wash. - The fifth round of the Working Washington Grant for small businesses is open and could help businesses that weren't able to get financial help with the previous rounds of the grant.
This grant is offered by the Washington State Department of Commerce and is based off 2019-2020 revenues for businesses. This means businesses that opened during the pandemic can apply for help this time around as long as the business opened before January 1, 2021.
To qualify, you have to show your business revenue was impacted in some way by the pandemic. The Yakima County Development Association is helping businesses with the application. The Bilingual Small Business Specialist Yani Cisneros said this could help a lot of small businesses.
"We're still living in anything that's still COVID affected," Cisneros said. "There's also different costs now, inflation, that potentially businesses haven't looked at their finances to see if they are going to be able to sustain that."
For help with the application you can call the Yakima County Development Association to get in contact with Cisneros.
A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is required for this grant. That is a federal number that you can get by creating an account on Sam.gov. It is required to get your payment. Tribal member-owned businesses may be able to give a different identifier like a license or registration with a tribe.
The deadline to apply for this grant is September 9. You can apply HERE. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/applications-for-fifth-round-of-working-washington-grant-available-to-small-businesses/article_056500f4-258c-11ed-a173-a7be9d68f9c3.html | 2022-08-27T00:28:22Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/applications-for-fifth-round-of-working-washington-grant-available-to-small-businesses/article_056500f4-258c-11ed-a173-a7be9d68f9c3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SALEM, Ore. — Governor Kate Brown has ordered all public institutions in Oregon to lower their flags to half-staff on Monday, August 29, from sunrise to sunset. The order is in honor of 25-year-old wildland firefighter Logan Taylor, who died August 18 while fighting the Rum Creek Fire.
“My heart breaks for the family, friends, and crew of Logan Taylor,” said Brown. “He will be remembered for his bravery, courage, and commitment to protecting Oregonians from wildfire. Dan and I send our sincerest condolences.”
Taylor’s memorial service is August 29 in Medford and is open to the public. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/gov-brown-orders-flags-to-half-staff/article_43c2f03c-2590-11ed-89c9-9b3dd77c8a24.html | 2022-08-27T00:28:29Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/gov-brown-orders-flags-to-half-staff/article_43c2f03c-2590-11ed-89c9-9b3dd77c8a24.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WAPATO, Wash. - According to the Washington State Fruit Commission, Little Cherry Disease affects other stone fruit trees besides cherries. This year the disease played its role in decreasing the peach harvest.
The late spring frost and the disease together decreased the harvest by about 50%. The Vice President of Marketing for WSFC James Michael said that includes some farms in Wapato.
The commission has seen several changes in the peach harvest over the last 10 years including the types of peaches produced and a gradual decrease over time due to climate and disease.
"That's just farming," Michael said.
The weather has always been something farmers have had to work around, but smaller harvest can affect them when the costs to produce it are the same.
Michael said there's a national team working on different things to try to make stone fruit trees more resistant to the disease, but some farmers are taking their own action.
"You're seeing switching some acreage and some varieties and fruits just from people being cautious rather than trying to continue to fight out a war of attrition with it until we get a better handle on the disease," Michael said.
He said they've known about the disease for about 10 years and have learned more about it over time. Right now, the only known way to get rid of the disease is to remove the tree. If several trees are affected, you have to remove the orchard and let it sit for a few years.
On the other hand, the peach harvest is said to be sweeter this year because of the late bloom and trees having a lot to give.
Michael said the WSFC also expects the apple harvest to be impacted by the late spring frost this year, however, Little Cherry Disease does not affect apple trees to their knowledge. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/little-cherry-disease-affects-peach-harvest/article_d41f3a14-2590-11ed-912d-6f79b8d414fd.html | 2022-08-27T00:28:35Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/little-cherry-disease-affects-peach-harvest/article_d41f3a14-2590-11ed-912d-6f79b8d414fd.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. —
UPDATE: 4:43 p.m.
Yakima County Fire District 5 has updated the fire is now close to 1,000 acres and is still being spread by the wind.
Level 3 evacuations have been ordered for West White Swan Road, north to Branch Road and everything west of Wesley Road.
Level 2 evacuations have been ordered for Fort Simcoe Road, north to West White Swan Road and West of Signal Peak Road, including White Swan.
AUGUST 26, 2022 4:12 p.m.
A brush fire outside of White Swan has reached around 180 acres as crews from Yakima County Fire District 5 respond. The fire is around the 1600 block of Medicine Valley Road and is being pushed by the wind.
The fire was reported shortly after 3 p.m. on August 26 and is currently moving toward Hawk Road. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-level-2-evacuations-ordered-in-white-swan-as-fire-nears-1000-acres/article_91d80d76-2594-11ed-847d-138f7cbfd3f8.html | 2022-08-27T00:28:41Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-level-2-evacuations-ordered-in-white-swan-as-fire-nears-1000-acres/article_91d80d76-2594-11ed-847d-138f7cbfd3f8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(NEXSTAR) – The ever-growing list of states where people can legally buy recreational marijuana could get a little longer this fall.
Recreational marijuana is already legal in 19 states, and legalization proposals are on the ballot this fall in South Dakota, Missouri and Maryland.
Supporters are also trying to get measures on the ballot in Arkansas, North Dakota and Oklahoma.
Backers of the Missouri ballot proposal are highlighting a provision that would erase past marijuana-related convictions for nonviolent offenders and those whose conviction didn’t include selling to minors or driving while high.
Despite 60% of Americans supporting the legalization of recreational marijuana in a 2021 Pew Research poll – and over 90% saying either medical or recreational pot should be legal – it doesn’t appear that federal law will be changing any time soon.
In July, Senators Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker and Ron Wyden released a bill to legalize marijuana, but the legislation appears unlikely to have the 60 votes it would need to pass.
Recreational marijuana is currently legal in the following states:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/recreational-marijuana-could-soon-be-legal-in-these-states/ | 2022-08-27T00:28:45Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/recreational-marijuana-could-soon-be-legal-in-these-states/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – In this day and age, convenience is king. Two local nurses are taking that philosophy into your living room with a new in-home take on healthcare.
“You worry about exposure to other people, and very often you go into a doctor‘s waiting room and there are sick people in there and if you’re feeling vulnerable, it’s much nicer to have them come into your home,” says patient Colleen Morris.
Alison Joseph and John Brown are the co-founders of JBA Concierge Medicine. They say theirs will be the only private practice in the Capital Region offering both in-home and basic telemedicine. They say after years working in hospitals and traditional doctors’ offices, they couldn’t help feeling a piece was missing from the puzzle.
“In the traditional environment, a lot of the time primary care providers are overwhelmed,” Joseph explains to NEWS10’s Mikhaela Singleton. “People have a lot of difficulty getting into a provider’s office within a reasonable period of time. It can take upwards of three months just to see a primary care provider, so you have people going to urgent care for primary care or emergency rooms which is not a good option for the facility or for the patient.”
“We’ve seen patients in our previous work environments, and they miss their appointments or they’re 20 minutes late because of buses or cabs. We want to change that dynamic, so now that will never be a problem because we’re coming to you,” Brown further adds.
Starting September 1, JBA will be able to offer physicals, well-woman checkups, COVID testing and other preventative care essentials to patients in need. Joseph and Brown both say they want to fill a service gap for the marginalized in society.
“People often don’t realize that the marginalized aren’t always the poor or who lack services. There are many people in many walks of life that are marginalized just because they’re not sure how to navigate the system,” Joseph says.
“For instance, I’ve had mothers who are not able to get out of the house, busy with the children, who can’t take care of themselves or patients who are caretakers for elder parents and they let their own health go. Some people are homebound, so we want to provide care for them. Some people would just rather be more comfortable in the house. Others are healthy and have minimal issues or urgent care issues and feel telemedicine is enough for what they need in that moment,” she goes on to explain.
“Medically, I’ve experienced ageism where people don’t listen, you know? They just put you in a category and each of us is unique,” Morris says. “In my home, it’s easier for me to think of things in the context of my life that I want to talk about. I need someone to be a good listener, and I seem to need it more now that I’m older and don’t understand all the things that are happening.”
Joseph and Brown are committed to being those good listeners and add they want to bring compassion back to healthcare.
“Taking the time to look at each patient and individualize each patient and say to them, okay I understand what you’re going through,” Brown says.
Click here for more information about JBA Concierge Medicine, telemedicine and in-home treatments provided, and insurance or self-pay options. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ny-nurses-to-provide-accessible-healthcare-with-in-home-telemedicine-startup/ | 2022-08-27T00:28:57Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ny-nurses-to-provide-accessible-healthcare-with-in-home-telemedicine-startup/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(WSPA) – It’s the second week of high school football in the Carolinas!
We will have live scores from games across the Upstate and Western North Carolina.
Several games have been delayed due to lightning.
And be sure to tune in tonight to see highlights from all of the games on the High School Red Zone on 7News at 11 p.m. and on the CW62 at 11:35 p.m. | https://www.wspa.com/sports/high-school-football/scores-high-school-red-zone-week-2-3/ | 2022-08-27T00:28:57Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/high-school-football/scores-high-school-red-zone-week-2-3/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency moved Friday to designate two “forever chemicals” used in cookware, carpets and firefighting foams as hazardous substances, a step that would clear the way for quicker cleanup of the toxic compounds, which have been linked to cancer and other health problems.
Designation as a hazardous substance under the so-called Superfund law doesn’t ban the chemicals. But it requires that releases of PFOA and PFOS into soil or water be reported to federal, state or tribal officials if they meet or exceed certain levels. The EPA could then require cleanups to protect public health and recover cleanup costs.
PFOA and PFOS have been voluntarily phased out by U.S. manufacturers but are still in limited use and remain in the environment because they do not degrade over time. The compounds are part of a larger cluster of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS that have been used in consumer products and industry since the 1940s. The term is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which have been used in nonstick frying pans, water-repellent sports gear, stain-resistant rugs, cosmetics and countless other consumer products.
The chemicals can accumulate and persist in the human body for long periods of time, and evidence from animal and human studies indicates that exposure to PFOA or PFOS may lead to cancer or other health problems.
“Communities have suffered far too long from exposure to these forever chemicals,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement Friday. “The action announced today will improve transparency and advance EPA’s aggressive efforts to confront this pollution.”
Under the proposed rule, “EPA will both help protect communities from PFAS pollution and seek to hold polluters accountable for their actions,” Regan said. The rule is expected to become final next year.
The Superfund law allows the EPA to clean up contaminated sites and forces parties responsible for the contamination to either perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanup work. When no responsible party can be identified, Superfund gives EPA money and authority to clean up contaminated sites.
The EPA’s action follows a recent report by the National Academies of Science that calls PFAS a serious public health threat in the U.S. and worldwide. It comes after an EPA announcement in June that PFOA and PFOS are more dangerous than previously thought and pose health risks even at levels so low they cannot currently be detected.
The agency issued nonbinding health advisories that set health risk thresholds for PFOA and PFOS to near zero, replacing 2016 guidelines that had set them at 70 parts per trillion. The chemicals are found in products including cardboard packaging, carpets and firefighting foam and increasingly found in drinking water.
The EPA said in a statement that it is focused on holding responsible companies that manufactured and released significant amounts of PFOA and PFOS into the environment and will not target individual landowners or farmers “who may have been inadvertently impacted by the contamination.” The agency also said it is committed to further outreach and engagement to hear from communities affected by PFAS pollution.
Erik Olson, a health and food expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the announcement an important step to clean up hundreds of contaminated sites across the country and protect millions of families exposed to the toxic chemicals.
“Listing PFOA and PFOS as hazardous under Superfund law should allow EPA to hold polluters responsible for that contamination,” he said. “Ratepayers and public utilities should not be footing the bill for industry’s decades of wonton use of these dangerous chemicals.”
Attorney Rob Bilott, an anti-PFAS advocate, said the EPA’s proposal “sends a loud and clear message to the entire world that the United States is finally acknowledging and accepting the now overwhelming evidence that these man-made poisons present substantial danger to the public health and the environment.”
Bilott, whose work to uncover the widespread presence of PFAS chemicals in the environment and in human blood was highlighted in the 2019 film “Dark Waters,” said the EPA must work to ensure that costs of cleaning up the toxins are borne by PFAS manufacturers that caused the contamination — “not the innocent victims of this pollution who didn’t create the toxins and were never warned any of this was ever happening.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she supports strong action to address PFAS contamination in West Virginia and across the country but was concerned about “the unintended consequences that today’s proposal could have.”
If finalized, “property owners, farmers, employers, essential utilities and individuals may be liable for unknowingly having PFAS on their land, even if it was there years or even generations prior to ownership and came from an unknown source,” Capito said.
She urged the EPA to develop an enforceable drinking water standard to promote the health and safety of all Americans.
The American Chemistry Council, which represents major chemical companies, called the EPA’s proposal “an expensive, ineffective and unworkable means to achieve remediation for these chemicals.”
Listing the chemicals under Superfund could harm local fire departments, water utilities, small businesses, airports and farmers, the group said. “The proposed (Superfund) designation would impose tremendous costs on these parties without defined cleanup standards,” the council said in a statement.
The EPA said it expects to propose national drinking water regulations for PFOA and PFOS later this year, with a final rule expected in 2023.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the Environmental Protection Agency at https://apnews.com/hub/us-environmental-protection-agency. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/ap-epa-to-designate-forever-chemicals-as-hazardous-substances/ | 2022-08-27T00:29:24Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/ap-epa-to-designate-forever-chemicals-as-hazardous-substances/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge refused Friday to require that Arizona officials count ballots by hand in November, dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Republican nominees for governor and secretary of state based on false claims of problems with vote-counting machines.
Kari Lake, who is running for governor, and Mark Finchem, a secretary of state candidate, won their GOP primaries after aggressively promoting the narrative that the 2020 election was marred by fraud or widespread irregularities.
Their lawsuit repeated unfounded allegations about the security of machines that count votes. They relied in part on testimony from Donald Trump supporters who led a discredited review of the election in Maricopa County, including Doug Logan, the CEO of Cyber Ninjas, who oversaw the effort described by supporters as a “forensic audit.”
U.S. District Judge John Tuchi ruled that Lake and Finchem failed to show any realistic likelihood of harm and that their lawsuit must be brought in state, not federal, court. He also ruled that it is too close to the election to upend the process.
“The 2022 Midterm Elections are set to take place on November 8,” Tuchi wrote. “In the meantime, Plaintiffs request a complete overhaul of Arizona’s election procedures.”
Finchem and a spokesman for Lake, Ross Trumble, said in text messages that they hadn’t seen the ruling and weren’t prepared to comment.
The lawsuit was filed against Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor, and the elected supervisors of Maricopa and Pima counties, who oversee elections in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.
Lawyers for Lake and Finchem said hand counts are the most efficient method for totaling election results. They said the lawsuit wasn’t about undoing the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona, but rather about the upcoming election.
Election administrators testified that hand counting dozens of races on millions of ballots would require an extraordinary amount of time, space and manpower, and would be less accurate. They said extensive reviews have confirmed that vote-counting machines in Maricopa County are not connected to the internet and haven’t been hacked.
Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. Trump’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges he appointed. A hand recount led by Cyber Ninjas in Maricopa County found no proof of a stolen election and concluded Joe Biden’s margin of victory was larger than the official count.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which is controlled 4-1 by Republicans, asked the court to sanction attorneys for Lake and Finchem and force them to pay the county’s legal fees. The attorneys should have known their complaint was based on frivolous information, wrote Emily Craiger, a lawyer for the county.
Lake, Finchem and their lawyers used the court “to further a disinformation campaign and false narrative concerning the integrity of the election process,” she wrote.
The lawyers for Lake and Finchem responded that their claims are “legally sound and supported by strong evidence.” Their brief was signed by attorneys Andrew Parker of Minneapolis, Kurt Olsen of Washington and Alan Dershowitz, a well-known former Harvard Law School professor.
The judge did not rule on the request for sanctions. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/ap-judge-declines-to-require-hand-count-of-arizona-ballots/ | 2022-08-27T00:29:39Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/ap-judge-declines-to-require-hand-count-of-arizona-ballots/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican-led states continue to ban nearly all abortions, President Joe Biden said Friday that such restrictions were “beyond the pale.”
Biden and Democrats are trying to harness outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide, in this year’s midterm elections.
“You’re going to hear women roar on this issue, and it’s going to be consequential,” he said.
Biden made the comments at a White House meeting of state and local officials to talk about ways to expand access to abortion and to mark Women’s Equality Day.
Biden reiterated his desire for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade into law, but “we’re short a handful of votes,” he said.
Democrats would need 10 Republican votes to overcome a filibuster and get a bill through the 50-50 Senate, but only two GOP senators have publicly backed abortion rights. And even though they narrowly control the Senate, Democrats don’t have enough votes to sidestep the filibuster.
“The only way it’s going to happen if the American people make it happen in November,” Biden said.
In the meantime, Biden has been looking for ways to protect abortion access. But his options are limited.
Idaho, Tennessee and Texas are the latest Republican-led states to tighten their restrictions. They’ve been implementing so-called “trigger laws” that were put on the books to severely limit abortions if Roe was overturned, which happened in June.
Lina Hidalgo, the county judge from Harris County, Texas, called her state’s law a “slap in the face.”
“I think you speak for the majority of the American people,” Biden responded. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-biden-calls-abortion-restrictions-beyond-the-pale/ | 2022-08-27T00:30:44Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-biden-calls-abortion-restrictions-beyond-the-pale/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a stark warning Friday about the Fed’s determination to fight inflation with more sharp interest rate hikes: It will likely cause pain for Americans in the form of a weaker economy and job losses.
The message landed with a thud on Wall Street, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average down more than 1,000 points for the day.
“These are the unfortunate costs of reducing inflation,” Powell said in a high-profile speech at the Fed’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole. “But a failure to restore price stability would mean far greater pain.”
Investors had been hoping for a signal from Powell that the Fed might soon moderate its rate increases later this year if inflation were to show further signs of easing. But the Fed chair indicated that that time may not be near, and stocks tumbled in response.
Runaway price increases have soured most Americans on the economy, even as the unemployment rate has fallen to a half-century low of 3.5%. It has also created political risks for President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats in this fall’s elections, with Republicans denouncing Biden’s $1.9 trillion financial support package, approved last year, as having fueled inflation.
The Dow Jones average finished down 3% on Friday, its worst day in three months. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite shed nearly 4%. Shorter-term Treasury yields climbed as traders built up bets for the Fed to stay aggressive with rates.
Some on Wall Street expect the economy to fall into recession later this year or early next year, after which they expect the Fed to reverse itself and reduce rates.
A number of Fed officials, though, have pushed back against that notion. Powell’s remarks suggested that the Fed is aiming to raise its benchmark rate — to about 3.75% to 4% by next year — yet not so high as to tank the economy, in hopes of slowing growth long enough to conquer high inflation.
“The idea they are trying to hammer into the market’s head is that their approach makes a rapid pivot to (rate cuts) unlikely,” said Eric Winograd, an economist at asset manager AllianceBernstein. “They are going to stay tight even when it hurts.”
After raising its key short-term rate by a steep three-quarters of a point at each of its past two meetings — part of the Fed’s fastest series of hikes since the early 1980s — Powell said the Fed might ease up on that pace “at some point,” suggesting that any such slowing isn’t near.
Powell said the size of the Fed’s rate increase at its next meeting in late September — whether one-half or three-quarters of a percentage point — will depend on inflation and jobs data. An increase of either size, though, would exceed the Fed’s traditional quarter-point hike, a reflection of how severe inflation has become.
The Fed chair said that while lower inflation readings that have been reported for July have been “welcome,” he added that, “a single month’s improvement falls far short of what (Fed policymakers) will need to see before we are confident that inflation is moving down.”
On Friday, an inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Fed showed that prices actually declined 0.1% from June to July. Though prices did jump 6.3% in July from 12 months earlier, that was down from a 6.8% year-over-year jump in June, which had been the highest since 1982. The drop largely reflected lower gas prices.
In his speech Friday, Powell noted that the history of high inflation in the 1970s, when the central bank sought to counter high prices with only intermittent rate hikes, shows that the Fed must stay focused.
“The historical record cautions strongly against prematurely” lowering interest rates, he said. “We must keep at it until the job is done.”
What particularly worries Powell and other Fed officials is the prospect that inflation would become entrenched, leading consumers and businesses to change their behavior in ways that would perpetuate higher prices. If, for example, workers began demanding higher pay to match higher inflation, many employers would then pass on those higher labor costs to consumers in the form of higher prices.
Many analysts speculate that Fed officials want to see roughly six months or so of lower monthly inflation readings, similar to July’s, before stopping their rate hikes.
Powell’s speech was the marquee event of the the Fed’s annual economic symposium at Jackson Hole, the first time the conference of central bankers is being held in person since 2019, after it went virtual for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since March, the Fed has implemented its fastest pace of rate increases in decades to try to curb inflation, which has punished households with soaring costs for food, gas, rent and other necessities. The central bank has lifted its benchmark rate by 2 full percentage points in just four meetings, to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%.
Those hikes have led to higher costs for mortgages, car loans and other consumer and business borrowing. Home sales have been plunging since the Fed first signaled it would raise borrowing costs.
In June, the Fed’s policymakers signaled that they expected their key rate to end 2022 in a range of 3.25% to 3.5% and then to rise further next year to between 3.75% and 4%. If rates reached their projected level at the end of this year, they would be at the highest point since 2008.
Powell is betting that he can engineer a high-risk outcome: Slow the economy enough to ease inflation pressures yet not so much as to trigger a recession.
His task has been complicated by the economy’s cloudy picture: On Thursday, the government said the economy shrank at a 0.6% annual rate in the April-June period, the second straight quarter of contraction. Yet employers are still hiring rapidly, and the number of people seeking unemployment aid, a measure of layoffs, remains relatively low.
At its meeting in July, Fed policymakers expressed two competing concerns that highlighted their delicate task.
According to minutes from that meeting, the officials — who aren’t identified by name — have prioritized their inflation fight. Still, some officials said there was a risk that the Fed would raise borrowing costs more than necessary, risking a recession. If inflation were to fall closer to the Fed’s 2% target and the economy weakened further, those diverging views could become hard to reconcile.
At last year’s Jackson Hole symposium, Powell listed five reasons why he thought inflation would be “transitory.” Yet instead it has persisted, and many economists have noted that those remarks haven’t aged well.
Powell indirectly acknowledged that history at the outset of his remarks Friday, when he said that, “at past Jackson Hole conferences, I have discussed broad topics such as the ever-changing structure of the economy and the challenges of conducting monetary policy.”
“Today,” he said, “my remarks will be shorter, my focus narrower and my message more direct.” | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-powell-fed-could-keep-lifting-rates-sharply-for-some-time/ | 2022-08-27T00:31:43Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-powell-fed-could-keep-lifting-rates-sharply-for-some-time/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Which wall map is best?
Wall maps are great ways to see things on a grand scale. People can see where they’ve been, where they want to go and places they’ve only dreamed of. Wall maps also often have themes, making them great ways to learn more than geography. You’ll find wall maps that focus on such things as topography, ocean currents and much more.
Maps are also things of beauty. When framed in ways that complement your map and home, they become works of art. If you are looking for a special foil map made to keep track of places you’ve been, take a look at the Maps International Scratch the World Travel Map.
What to know before you buy a wall map
Scale
- World: World maps show the entire planet Earth. Their goal is to provide a broad overview with little detail. The big problem with world maps is that the world is round and the map is flat. Map makers continue to refine global proportions with the precise measurements of global positioning satellites.
- Nation: Maps that focus on a single country provide detail down to small towns and surrounding rural areas. Maps of nations also show where they are situated relative to other countries and what constitutes their borders.
- City: Maps that focus on a single city provide the greatest level of detail about it, to the exclusion of the surrounding areas. Highways, roads and streets are clearly labeled.
- Region: Regional maps can be an entire continent or an area such as the Rocky Mountains or the Finger Lakes region.
- Interactive: From push pin and dry-erase maps to scratch maps, also called foil maps, some maps are meant to used actively.
- Specialty maps: There are choices for people who want maps that show the location of state parks, campsites, caves and more. Maps of tourist areas that highlight their attractions are popular as souvenirs people frame, mat and turn into artwork to place on your wall.
Size
The bigger the map, the more detail that can be included.
- Small wall maps measure about 18 by 24 inches. They look good in small spaces but are overwhelmed if placed on a large wall.
- Mid-size maps are those in the neighborhood of 24 by 36 inches.
- Large maps start at 32 by 55 inches and some are as big as 8 feet across. Large wall maps need a lot of space and can easily dominate a room.
What to look for in a quality wall map
Information
How comprehensive do you want your wall map to be? Are geographical boundaries enough, or do you want to know about things like topography, terrain and landscapes? What about climates and ocean currents? Choose a wall map that highlights the themes that interest you most.
Details
Maps that show us the terrain beneath the oceans let us see how ridges formed on the seabed, continents were shoved around on tectonic plates and volcanoes grew so tall they became tiny islands at their very tips.
Design
Choose only wall maps with designs that inspire you. The Earth can be displayed in many ways using many perspectives. Choose a wall map that interests you enough to look at every day.
Scratch maps
These wall maps are interactive. Like scratch-off lottery tickets, they are covered in foil that you scratch off to reveal the map beneath, indicating the places you have traveled to or the countries your company ships to.
How much you can expect to spend on a wall map
Wall maps cost from $10-$200, depending on the materials used, the accuracy of the information and the quality of the design.
Wall map FAQ
What is a map scale?
A. A scale is a measurement method used to shrink something in size while maintaining the same proportions. A city map might have a scale where one inch on the map equals one mile in the real, full-sized city. The world is 25,000 miles around, so to fit it onto a wall map, each inch would have to represent hundreds or thousands of miles.
How do world maps show a round globe on a flat piece of paper?
A. The answer is in how the Earth is divided into longitudes and latitudes. These dimensions are measured in degrees from zero to 360 like the arcs of the full circles they are. But the longitudes aren’t completely parallel — they come together at the poles, forming segments that taper to points at the ends.
When longitudes are printed as parallel lines on paper, the curvature of the Earth is lost. The result is that the farther you get from the center, the greater the distortion. This is why Greenland and Antarctica look bigger than they really are on most world maps.
What’s the best wall map to buy?
Top wall map
Maps International Scratch the World Travel Map
What you need to know: This 23- by 33-inch map is interactive, made so world travelers can scratch off the places they have been.
What you’ll love: This classic scratch map comes rolled in a cardboard tube that protects it from creasing. Along its bottom are facts and figures about some of the cities and countries around the world.
What you should consider: The size and proportions do not fit a standard frame.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top wall map for the money
Swiftmaps 24- by 36-inch World and USA Two-Wall Mat Set
What you need to know: You get two maps for the price of one.
What you’ll love: Both maps are drawn in a style that emphasizes terrain, printed on heavy 100-pound paper and laminated so you can draw on them with dry ink. The USA map includes parts of Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
What you should consider: Some buyers wished there was more detail.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Star Builders Solar System and Beyond Wall Map
What you need to know: This 20- by 55-inch poster-size laminated paper map is full of fascinating detail.
What you’ll love: All the planets are portrayed, of course, but so are their axial tilt, orbit inclination, surface temperature, rotation period and all the known moons. The Earth is not only shown from the outside, but also all the way down to its inner core
What you should consider: This map can easily overwhelm its surroundings.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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David Allan Van writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wwlp.com/reviews/br/home-br/decor-br/best-wall-map/ | 2022-08-27T00:33:36Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/reviews/br/home-br/decor-br/best-wall-map/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Which dog dental chew is best?
Good oral hygiene is central to the overall health in your dog. A lack of proper dental care can lead to problems with teeth and gums that spread to the rest of the body, resulting in painful, costly and potentially fatal consequences.
Fortunately, dog dental chews are an easy, effective way to aid in teeth and gum care. The best dental treats, like these Greenies Original Dental Dog Treats, help clean teeth while also freshening breath.
What to know before you buy a dog dental chew
Dental care importance
Cleaning your dog’s teeth and gums goes beyond simply improving breath. Just like humans, poor oral care can lead to a number of ailments, including chipped, rotting or broken teeth as well as sore and bleeding gums.
Bacteria residing in the mouth can travel to other parts of the body via the bloodstream, disrupting other organs and leading to serious and potentially deadly illnesses. At this point, solutions are likely costly and invasive, sometimes requiring surgery. Older dogs in particular may not be suited for such intense procedures.
It’s important to prevent such situations through regular teeth cleaning and maintenance.
How dental chews work
Dental chews are a type of dental supplement designed to maintain and improve oral health. They do this through the continuous chewing action that helps break up plaque from a dog’s teeth. Chews are made to take a while to break apart to increase effectiveness, brushing up against teeth and gums to disturb the surface.
Natural vs. synthetic chews
There are two types of dog dental chews: natural and synthetic.
- Natural chews are made from natural animal products, such as cowhides and bones. While they lack common allergens and tend to be high in nutritional value, they can break apart in ways that can cause obstruction in your dog’s digestive tract. It’s important that your dog chew thoroughly to break the chews into small, manageable pieces.
- Synthetic chews meanwhile, are constructed with a slightly ridged texture to help increase brushing against teeth. They are often infused with enticing aromas and supplemented with vitamins and minerals. These tend to cost more money, and some dog’s aren’t interested in the manufactured look, taste and smell. They may also contain ingredients some dogs are allergic to.
What to look for in a quality dog dental chew
Flavor
Both natural and synthetic dog chews may come in flavors to increase your dog’s interest or improve their breath. For example, bacon or peanut butter chews are more attractive to your dog, and they will likely associate the chew as a reward. Other flavors, such as mint, will improve breath.
Hardness
Some chews are soft and easy to break down while others, such as bully sticks, are harder and require more intensive chewing. Consider your dog’s age and the current quality of their teeth and gums. For older dogs or those with sensitivity, you should opt for softer chews to avoid hurting their mouths. Younger and stronger dogs will be well served by more challenging and engaging chews.
Size
The size of the chew should match the size of the dog in order to be effective. A chew that’s too small may be quickly eaten and swallowed, resulting in no brushing against the teeth. A chew that’s too large, however, may be harder to enjoy could cause obstructions if not fully broken down before consumed.
VOHC seal
The Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) tests products for their efficacy. A VOHC seal on a dental chew affirms it reduces tartar buildup by at least 10%.
How much you can expect to spend on dog dental chews
Quality dental chews cost $15-$30 depending on the size and number included.
Dog dental chew FAQ
What’s the difference between plaque and tartar?
A. Plaque is what will first appear on teeth. Plaque is characterized by a yellow film; while it’s unattractive, it can be removed by disturbing it through brushing. However, if plaque sits for too long, it can build into tartar, which is darker in color and more difficult to remove. Tartar may be on the teeth but it can also form below the gum line and lead to serious health problems.
Are dental chews enough to keep teeth and gums healthy?
A. While dental chews are useful in an oral hygiene regimen, they should not be the only means to keep your dog’s mouth and gums healthy. Dental chews should be paired with daily brushing. Dog-specific toothpaste helps keep teeth healthy; while some dogs won’t like brushing at first, they can grow accustomed to it by practicing regularly and rewarding them afterwards. Additional supplements such as pills, powders or liquids may also be worth investing in.
What’s the best dog dental chew to buy?
Top dog dental chew
Greenies Original Dental Dog Treats
What you need to know: These popular and tasty treats clean teeth while improving breath.
What you’ll love: This brand is beloved by owners and dogs alike, as these soft, toothbrush-shaped treats freshen breath and fight plaque. Greenies are offered in different sizes and are suitable for dogs of all ages and lifestyles.
What you should consider: With one recommended per day, you’ll go through these pricey treats quickly.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
Top dog dental chew for the money
What you need to know: These flavorful and aromatic treats disturb plaque while freshening breath in strong adult dogs.
What you’ll love: The hard, textured treats in this value bag disrupt plaque and clean to the gum line. They are offered in bacon, chicken or beef flavors and contain no added sugars or fillers.
What you should consider: The chews are designed for large, adult dogs.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
Worth checking out
Virbac C.E.T. Oral Hygiene Chews
What you need to know: These rawhides feature a patented Dual Enzyme System to improve effectiveness at reducing plaque and improving breath.
What you’ll love: These hard chews are coated with chlorhexidine to reduce plaque and even tartar. A rigid texture helps clean teeth and prevent dogs from breaking down the treat too quickly. Different sizes are available to match your dog’s needs.
What you should consider: These treats are expensive and not suitable for dogs with weak teeth.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
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Anthony Marcusa writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wwlp.com/reviews/br/pets-br/health-br/best-dog-dental-chew/ | 2022-08-27T00:33:50Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/reviews/br/pets-br/health-br/best-dog-dental-chew/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun scattering millions of packets of oral rabies vaccine from helicopters and planes over 13 states from Maine to Alabama.
The major aim is to keep raccoons from spreading their strain of the deadly virus to states where it hasn’t been found or isn’t widespread, said field trial coordinator Jordona Kirby.
The USDA is also continuing tests of a vaccine approved in Canada to immunize skunks as well as raccoons, said Kirby of Wildlife Services, which is part of the agriculture department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Rabies is spread through an infected animal’s saliva, usually through bites. However, saliva that gets into the eyes, nose or mouth can also infect someone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thirteen people in South Carolina were considered potentially exposed in March because they had bottle-fed or given medicine to a sick calf that turned out to have rabies, said Dr. Michael Neault, the state veterinarian.
Globally, the virus kills 60,000 people a year, most bitten by dogs, the World Health Organization states.
That’s about the same number that get shots to prevent rabies in the U.S. after being bitten or scratched by an infected or possibly infected animal, according to the CDC.
State and local pet vaccination laws mean the virus is mostly spread by wildlife in the U.S.
The national rabies control program started in 1997 in Texas, where coyotes were spreading the canine variant of the virus, Kirby said.
She said vaccine drops eliminated that variant in 2004. Three years later, the CDC declared the nation free of canine rabies.
That doesn’t mean unvaccinated pets are safe. Canine rabies is among more than 20 variants — seven found in terrestrial mammals and more than 13 in species of bats, said rabies control program coordinator Richard Chipman.
A bite from an animal infected with any variant can make any other mammal sick. Scratches occasionally do so, since animals lick their paws.
A three-year program in Arizona and New Mexico eliminated a bat rabies strain in foxes, Kirby said. And Texas, with help from USDA, dropped 1.1 million baits along the Mexican border in January to keep coyotes from bringing the canine variant back.
Raccoons are the main rabies reservoir in 18 states along and near the East Coast and skunks in 21 others, according to data from 2020, the latest year available.
Bats made up 31% of the nearly 4,500 animals found with rabies in 2020. But since nearly all of the 40-plus bat species found in the U.S. eat insects and the rest drink nectar or eat fruit, oral vaccines would be much trickier.
Some scientists have speculated that bats could be vaccinated during hibernation, perhaps with a fine mist or with a gel that could be transferred from bat to bat, Chipman said. Early research is testing the idea in vampire bats, which live in Mexico and Central and South America and might spread such a vaccine within a colony by grooming each other.
Rabid wildlife isn’t just a rural problem. A rabid fox on Capitol Hill was caught less than 24 hours after the first report in April. By then, about a half-dozen people had reported bites or nips to U.S. Capitol Police, but others may have gone to other agencies, a Capitol Police spokesperson said by email.
Raccoon rabies campaigns started in August in parts of northern Maine, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. The 348,000 Raboral V-RG baits in Maine and 535,000 in the three other states are being dropped from planes in rural areas and from vehicles in urban and suburban areas.
In all, about 3.75 million packets — coated with a fishmeal attractant or encased in 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) fish meal cubes — will be distributed in nine states, ending when 1.1 million are dropped in Alabama in October.
The vaccine has been found safe for more than 60 kinds of animals including domestic dogs and cats. Eating a large number of vaccine packets might give dogs an upset stomach but wouldn’t cause any permanent problem, APHIS says.
About 3.5 million doses of the experimental vaccine Onrab are being distributed in parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Tennessee — which also are getting the approved vaccine — plus four other states.
Onrab comes in blister packs with green, marshmallow-flavored coating. Wildlife Services hopes it may be approved next year in spite of lingering pandemic-related delays.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wwlp.com/science/ap-science/ap-usda-scattering-rabies-vaccines-for-wildlife-in-13-states/ | 2022-08-27T00:34:11Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/science/ap-science/ap-usda-scattering-rabies-vaccines-for-wildlife-in-13-states/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — From the very first pitch, it was pretty painful to watch the major league debut of New York Yankees reliever Greg Weissert.
Painful for Oakland hitters, too.
He plunked a batter with his first offering. Then he balked. Then he nailed a guy with his second pitch, prompting the A’s hitter to slam down his bat.
Didn’t get much better from there, either, for the new right-hander wearing No. 85.
And after a pair of one-out walks, with Weissert’s last pitch going to the backstop, it was over. Pulled by manager Aaron Boone with the Yankees ahead 13-2 in the seventh inning, Weissert made the exceedingly long trudge from the mound to the dugout at the Coliseum.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Weissert became the first player in the expansion era (since 1961) to hit batters with his first two pitchers in the majors.
Every pitcher’s worst debut nightmare. At least he’s now a big leaguer forever — and the AL East-leading Yankees still coasted to a 13-4 win.
“Only up from here,” Boone said after the game. “That’s a rough one. I think it sped up on him. He acknowledged that.”
Disconsolate after his wild outing, the 27-year-old Weissert banged his glove on the bench and took a seat all by himself at the end of the dugout, looking down.
He wasn’t alone for long.
One by one, his teammates started to wander over to offer words and taps of encouragement. Pitcher Domingo German, coach Luis Rojas and his catcher, All-Star Jose Trevino. By the end of the inning, slugger Aaron Judge was sitting next Weissert, getting the rookie to relax.
“Just say, ‘Hey, take a deep breath, just play catch,’ that’s what it’s about,” said 12-year veteran Josh Donaldson, who got three hits and scored four runs.
“We’ve all had that big league moment where it starts speeding up on us and it’s OK. It’s going to happen. But to be able to move past that the next time he gets his opportunity will be important,” the 2015 AL MVP said.
Weissert wasn’t available for comment.
Picked by the Yankees in the 18th round of the 2016 draft out of Fordham in the Bronx, the Long Island product got his big chance Thursday after All-Star starter Nestor Cortes was put on the injured list.
With a fastball in the mid-90s mph and a slider with a lot of movement, Weissert had excelled at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season — a 1.76 ERA in 40 games, with 67 strikeouts in 46 innings.
Boone praised him before the game, saying, “he’s going to get some opportunities. He’ll be in the mix, we really like him.”
Boone added: “He has kind of rocketed through our system the last couple years, got to Triple-A last year after having a great year, has had a phenomenal year down there this year.”
Hours later, Weissert’s opportunity came.
It turned out be a unbelievably forgettable — not that he’ll ever be able to forget it.
With his first pitch, he hit Jonah Bride in the leg. Weissert then seemed to lose focus and moved while on the rubber, resulting in a balk. His next pitch was a slider that hit Skye Bolt around the knee — Bolt threw his bat to the ground.
After retiring Nick Allen on a flyball, Weissert walked Tony Kemp on four pitches. On a full count, a slider to Vimael Machin went to the backstop for a bases-loaded walk.
Of his 15 pitches, only five were strikes. He was charged with three runs, leaving him with an 81.00 ERA for now.
Boone said Weissert will be out on the mound again.
“Look, it doesn’t change what we think about him,” Boone said. “Get that one out of the way.”
___
AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker contributed.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/ap-wild-mlb-debut-by-yankees-weissert-hbps-on-1st-2-pitches/ | 2022-08-27T00:35:13Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/ap-wild-mlb-debut-by-yankees-weissert-hbps-on-1st-2-pitches/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation) — The Justice Department on Friday made public a heavily redacted version of the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate.
Despite being redacted, the affidavit contains details about an ongoing criminal investigation into classified documents being stored at Trump’s Palm Beach property after he left the White House.
Trump called the search of Mar-a-Lago a “weaponization” of the Justice Department and likened it to a “political attack on our country” during an appearance on “The Great America Show with Lou Dobbs.”
“They weaponize at a level that nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said on the podcast, which was released Friday. “They go after political opponents at a level that nobody’s ever seen before with a raid (on) an ex-president, and a popular ex president.”
According to the affidavit, investigators believed additional classified documents were being held at Mar-a-Lago and that there was “probable cause” to believe that obstruction of evidence — somebody trying either to hide or destroy the documents — would be found.
The affidavit states that 14 of the 15 boxes recovered from Mar-a-Lago earlier this year contained documents with classification markings.
It details “184 unique documents (sic) bearing classification markings, including 67 documents marked as CONFIDENTIAL, 92 documents marked as SECRET, and 25 documents marked as TOP SECRET.”
Trump asserted he had done nothing wrong “from day one” during his interview with Dobbs.
“Everything was absolutely perfect. It was a perfect, it was perfectly handled,” Trump said. “And they could have come in, and they could have talked to us and they could have taken whatever they needed.”
The former president went on to reinforce the anger his supporters have directed at the FBI and Justice Department in wake of the Mar-a-Lago search, saying “they are furious. I’ve never seen anger like it.”
He also, once again, made a false claim he won the 2020 presidential election.
“They love the country more than they ever have, because they see what we’ve lost,” Trump said. “We’ve lost our country, in my opinion. If this continues, I think just horrible things will happen. And that’s not said as a threat. That said, as somebody that just feels it. I feel it, I think horrible things. They are destroying our country. They’re destroying our system. And they lost an election. They lost an election and they lost it big.”
Investigators believed documents were being kept in a storage room, the first lady’s residential suite, Pine Hall, the “45 Office” and other spaces on the premises not authorized for storage of classified information or national defense information.
According to the affidavit, several of the documents also contained what appeared to be the former president’s “handwritten notes.”
The Justice Department redacted, or blacked out, the information they want to keep secret to protect details about witnesses and the scope of the investigation.
It was expected that large chunks of the text would be redacted as the DOJ had tried to keep the affidavit sealed, saying the investigation is currently ongoing and releasing it could hamper investigators’ efforts.
View the redacted Mar-a-Lago search affidavit below:
Redacted Mar-a-Lago Search Document by NewsNation Digital on Scribd
Trump reacted to the release of the affidavit on his social media platform Truth Social, saying, “Affidavit heavily redacted!!! Nothing mentioned on “Nuclear,” a total public relations subterfuge by the FBI & DOJ.”
Trump again called the FBI search a “Break-In of my home” and was critical of the judge who signed off on the search warrant.
“Judge Bruce Reinhart should never have allowed the break-in of my home,” Trump said.
The affidavit shows that the DOJ’s investigation began after the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requested help with “serious concerns” in recovering missing documents.
NARA first requested specific missing documents from Trump lawyers back in May of 2021.
It wasn’t until January that NARA said it recovered more than 100 documents bearing classified markings, totaling more than 700 pages, from an initial batch of 15 boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago, according to government correspondence with the Trump legal team newly made public.
What they ended up finding in those boxes were “newspapers, magazines, printed news articles, photos, miscellaneous print-outs, notes, presidential correspondence, personal and post-presidential records, and ‘a lot of classified records.'”
There was speculation that the DOJ may not have been intending to charge anybody with a crime and that they just wanted to get the documents back.
However, the affidavit states that the FBI was opening a criminal investigation to determine how these documents left the White House and who’s responsible.
In May of 2022, it became a criminal matter and the affidavit describes repeated attempts by the government to secure additional materials stored at Mar-a-Lago.
Documents already made public as part of the investigation show that the FBI retrieved from the property 11 sets of classified documents, including information marked at the top secret level.
It is not specifically known what the details of those documents are.
The Aug. 12 release of the search warrant in the investigation helped paint a picture of the possible crimes authorities believe Trump may have committed, including violating the Espionage Act.
Trump has urged the release of the full unredacted affidavit and has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government following what he calls an “un-American break-in.”
Trump and his legal team claim all of the documents were declassified and rightfully in his possession. The affidavit offered some insight into the claim.
It includes a letter from Trump lawyer M. Evan Corcoran in which he asserts that a president has “absolute authority” to declassify documents and that “presidential actions involving classified documents are not subject to criminal sanction.”
In the letter, Corcoran asks that the DOJ investigation into the “leader of the Republican Party” not “involve politics.”
He then says the boxes of classified documents were “unknowingly included among the boxes brought to Mar-a-Lago by the movers.”
The release of the redacted affidavit comes as a new NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll found that most Americans approve of the FBI’s search of Trump’s estate. More than 93% of Democrats and 61% of independents surveyed said they somewhat or strongly approve of the FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida home, compared to just 30% of Republicans who said the same.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates | https://www.wwlp.com/news/trump-fbi-probe-an-attack-on-our-country-affidavit-released/ | 2022-08-27T00:38:16Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/trump-fbi-probe-an-attack-on-our-country-affidavit-released/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Qualifying rainout puts Kyle Larson on pole for Daytona Cup race
Kyle Larson will start on the pole for Saturday’s all-important Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race after rain at Daytona International Speedway on Friday forced cancellation of qualifying for the final regular-season race.
Larson won last Sunday at Watkins Glen and topped the Daytona field according to metrics, which by rule are used to order the field in case of a cancellation.
Regular-season champion Chase Elliott will start beside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate on the front row. Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez will take the green flag from the third and fourth positions.
Given the withdrawal of Kurt Busch from Playoff competition because of lingering concussion symptoms, there are now two Playoff spots available in the final regular-season race. Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. currently hold positions 15 and 16 on points, with Blaney maintaining a 25-point edge entering Saturday’s race.
Truex will start 12th in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and Blaney 15th. But it’s not as if those drivers don’t have something to worry about. Any one of 13 drivers below them in the standings could steal one of the remaining Playoff spots with a victory.
Seven of those 13 competitors—Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, Justin Haley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell and Austin Dillon—have Daytona victories on their resumes.
Also part of the group of 13 is 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Kurt Busch’s teammate. Wallace has three runner-up finishes in 10 Daytona starts, including the last two races at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Chris Buescher doesn’t have a points win at Daytona, but he and teammate Keselowski won their respective Duel 150-mile qualifying races at the track in February. Buescher starts eighth—closest to the front among eligible drivers below the Playoff cut line.
“I guess I can’t say I’m shocked by the way this weekend is starting,” Buescher said. “We definitely knew today was pretty rough on radar. I guess with that it does give us a pretty good starting spot for Daytona, but if there’s any race that’s not track-position sensitive, this is it.
“That being said. It’s good to have a good spot. I know we’re going to have a fast race car… We’ve got to be smart about it, we’ve got to be clean and take the speed that we know we’ll have and make something out of it.”
Martin Truex Jr. faces his most important race of 2022
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. could only smile and acknowledge that Saturday night’s regular-season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, was poised to be the biggest race of the season for the 42-year old former NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Truex goes into the race trailing Penske Racing driver Ryan Blaney by 25 points with two positions in the 16-driver Playoff field still to be determined. If either driver wins the race, the other should get in on points. If there is a first-time season winner, then Truex must make up the 25-point deficit to Blaney to qualify for the Playoffs.
“Obviously it’s not been the season we’ve wanted,’’ said the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion, who has three top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes and sits sixth in overall points earned—but is still winless.
“It would have been nice to be locked in. You never want to come here to Daytona and not be locked in and having to make something happen. So that’s why, we’ll just go race tomorrow night, see what happens and really (try) not to think about it either way, to be honest with you.’’
Truex has never won a race in 34 previous starts at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. He does have a runner-up finish in the summer race here in 2018 and was runner-up in the 2016 Daytona 500.
He comes to Daytona ranked sixth in the championship standings. However, 14 other drivers earned wins to take automatic bids into the Playoffs, which begin next week in Darlington, S.C.
Kurt Busch won a race at Kansas this summer—and therefore was Playoff eligible—but he announced this week that he was still not medically cleared to race after an accident in qualifying at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in July. Consequently, two driver Playoff positions will be decided Saturday night.
“I think we had a really strong car here in February,’’ Truex said. ”Led a ton of laps, won two stages. Then we got kind of banged up and then finished kind of tore-up, so you didn’t have the speed at the end of the race.
“But I had a really strong day going and Talladega went good as well, so I feel like our car is really fast here. And hopefully we can take advantage of that. Would be a fun way to win one here with everything on the line.’’
Three-time runner-up Bubba Wallace craves a visit to Daytona Victory Lane
In 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace’s five-year full-time NASCAR Cup Series career, he has four runner-up finishes. Three of them have come at Daytona International Speedway. He has finished second in the last two races at the historic track, and he was runner-up in his first ever Daytona 500 in 2018.
However, Wallace doesn’t necessarily consider his past success at the track a true indicator of his chances going forward.
“Like maybe five years ago, it would be like, ‘Man, we deserve a win here.’” Wallace said. “Five years to work on that. Now, it’s like you don’t deserve anything. Let’s go out and earn it. No matter if you finish second, how many times we’ve done it, we can still blow up or we could still break something. You don’t know. And so for us it’s just (important) to not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s focus on what we need to do.
“It’s just making sure you’re there for the last—I always say five laps, but we may wreck 10 times in five laps—so just make sure you’re there for the last two laps and set yourself up for being one of the first four cars,’’ Wallace added. “That’s what we need to focus on. Let’s get up that point.”
Wallace comes to Daytona ranked 20th in the standings, and his only shot at advancing to the 2022 Playoffs is to win Saturday night. The 28-year old has earned four Top-10 finishes in just the last six weeks, including a runner-up at Michigan.
Craftsman to return as entitlement sponsor for NASCAR Truck Series
Craftsman Tools, whose early sponsorship of the NASCAR Truck Series helped spur its growth and popularity, will return as the entitlement sponsor for the series in 2023.
“It doesn’t matter who you are—an auto enthusiast, a home builder, a homeowner—you can relate to the genuine edge that is the Truck Series,” said Doug Redpath of Stanley Black & Decker, Craftsman’s parent company, during Friday’s announcement at Daytona International Speedway.
“It has something different, and that’s what Craftsman has—a lot of heritage, we a lot of history together that everybody’s excited about and everybody can relate to. I think that’s what makes this relationship so exciting. It’s a new beginning, it’s a bright future and it’s an exciting future for all of us.”
Craftsman was the title sponsor of the Truck Series from its inception in 1995 until 2008. The return of the brand will take place when the trucks race at Daytona on Feb. 17, 2023.
Friday’s press conference also included an announcement that Stanley Black & Decker has been named Official Tools Partner of NASCAR.
Aric Almirola will continue to bring home the bacon with Stewart-Haas Racing
Aric Almirola announced Friday that he will be back competing for Stewart-Haas Racing next year and that team sponsor Smithfield Foods has re-signed for a multi-year deal. Almirola said the formal agreement to continue driving the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was only finalized this week, despite reports otherwise.
Almirola has carried Smithfield branding every season of his 12-year NASCAR Cup Series career—no matter which team he drove for or who was CEO leading the Smithfield corporation at the time.
“I know that doesn’t come as a surprise to many of you, but I put a lot of thought and a lot of discussing it with (wife) Janice and the kids and ultimately, the subject continued to get broached from the race team and Smithfield,” Almirola said.
“And through all of that dialogue, mainly with the race team and Smithfield, it was very evident that not only did they want me back, but that Smithfield wanted to increase their marketing campaign around NASCAR and around me.’’
Almirola, who scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win in the 2014 Daytona summer race, originally announced he would retire from full-time competition following the 2022 season. But he says Smithfield lured him back, hoping to continue their longstanding partnership at the SHR team.
While the brand has a long-term deal with the team, Almirola said he has yet to determine how long he will commit to racing fulltime, however, he said his children—nine-year Alex and eight-year old Abby—were elated at the news that dad was going to continue driving the race car.
And Almirola said he’s learned to balance his job as a race car driver, as a sponsor spokesman and as a husband and father—even coaching his son’s baseball games during the week.
Essentially, the situation just all worked out. “Smithfield has been the primary sponsor on my race car my entire Cup career and so to continue to have their support and their backing is just an awesome feeling to be their guy and to be wanted,” Almirola said.
Longtime Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Greg Ives to step aside
Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and a longtime member of the organization announced Friday that at the end of the 2022 season he will be stepping away from his crew chief duties and instead, taking a new role at the Hendrick team shop.
“After 17 seasons on the road and making countless memories, I’ve decided to step away,’’ Ives said in a statement released on social media, noting that he wanted to be home more with his wife and his children as they are growing up instead of maintaining the heavy travel schedule required in the crew chief position.
“Leading the #48 has been one of the great privileges of my life, and I’m excited to go into the playoffs and chase a championship with Alex [Bowman] and this incredible group of people. I’m also looking forward to the next step in my career, which will be here with my Hendrick Motorsports family.’’
Phoenix Raceway president Julie Giese is Chicago-bound in new executive role
Newly-named Chicago track president Julie Giese met with the national media for the first time since being named to the new position last week. She moves to the new role after serving as the Phoenix Raceway president for the past five years - overseeing the massive renovation at the track, which began hosting the NASCAR Championship Weekend two years ago.
A Wisconsin native, Giese said she intends to move to Chicago immediately and is looking forward to the track’s July 1-2, 2023 debut on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule—the first true street course event.
“I want to be in the community,’’ Giese said of her impending move back to her Midwestern roots, acknowledging that her presence is important in demonstrating the commitment NASCAR has to the community and to this event.
The Chicago NASCAR weekend will also include an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race as well as concerts and food trucks in the downtown Chicago track area, anchored by famous Grant Park. Giese said the idea is to give the event a “festival” feel in a market not currently hosting a NASCAR race. And, she says, a crowd of approximately 50,000 is expected each day.
Certainly, Giese’s experience overseeing the massive Phoenix track project, along with welcoming and overseeing successful NASCAR’s high-profile Championship Weekends, gives her a leg up on managing the new Chicaco race.
“I’m a detail person, and it will take a lot of detail,’’ said Giese, who said she has actually been working on the Chicago race for months behind the scenes and considers herself equipped with a good running start.
“This is another opportunity to bring NASCAR To a new set of fans,” Giese added | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72378-friday-daytona-notebook | 2022-08-27T00:44:21Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72378-friday-daytona-notebook | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As California adopts the nation’s strictest law to transition to zero-emissions vehicles in the next decade, Oregon officials say they’re set to follow suit.
The California law bans the sale of new gasoline-powered cars, trucks and SUVs in the state by 2035 as a way to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions. It also requires car manufacturers to produce more hydrogen- or electric-powered vehicles.
The landmark law is already having ripple effects, with Washington set to adopt a version of California’s rules by the end of the year. Other states are taking note, including Oregon.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality released a statement saying it’s already in the process of creating its own Advanced Clean Cars II Rules. Currently, Oregon requires auto manufacturers to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles available for sale in the state, beginning with the 2025 model year.
The proposed rule would transition all new light-duty vehicles sales in Oregon to zero-emissions by 2035. It would also update the program to ensure it matches California’s standards.
Susan Mills, a DEQ spokesperson, said the proposed rule is vital to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and support public health.
“The regulation will lead to the production of high-quality electric vehicles and ensure long-lasting emissions benefits,” she said in an emailed statement. “It will also support the development of a robust used zero-emission vehicle market, which will help to advance equitable access to clean mobility solutions and related emissions reductions in low-income and frontline communities.”
According to an agency report, Oregon’s transportation sector accounts for 40% of total greenhouse gas emissions – the largest single source in the state.
A DEQ advisory committee is set to convene its first meeting on the rules next week. A public comment period will open in the fall and the rules could be up for vote by the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission by the end of the year.
Charles Boyle, deputy communications director for Gov. Kate Brown, said Oregon has taken a comprehensive approach toward a clean energy future.
“Reducing emissions from the transportation sector is a significant component of that plan, and Oregon has already established goals for electric vehicle adoption with a focus on making EVs accessible for people living in rural communities, people of color, and people with low incomes,” he said in an emailed statement.
To generate more demand, Oregon has two electric vehicle rebates, which combined can total up to $7,500 for a new electric vehicle. With the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act investing $369 billion in clean energy and climate action, households with low-to-moderate income can now get up to $7,500 in federal tax credits for a new electric vehicle or $4,000 for a used one. That means qualifying Oregonians can get up to a total of $15,000 in rebates for a new electric vehicle.
To date, $55.5 million has been awarded through the state’s rebate programs with $14 million awarded this year. It’s contributing to Gov. Brown’s goal of having at least 250,000 registered electric vehicles in the state by 2025. There are now more than 50,000.
The state also plans to invest $100 million in building fast-charging stations along major roadways, with a focus on serving disadvantaged communities and rural communities over the next five years.
Copyright 2022 Oregon Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit Oregon Public Broadcasting. | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-26/following-californias-lead-oregon-exploring-ban-on-gas-powered-vehicles | 2022-08-27T00:45:32Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-26/following-californias-lead-oregon-exploring-ban-on-gas-powered-vehicles | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Police in Florida say a man was arrested during a prostitution sting while on his honeymoon as his new wife slept.
The 34-year-old allegedly thought he was going to meet someone to pay for sex, but instead, was met by an undercover police officer and arrested, police said.
According to the Hillsborough County Sherrif's Office, which operates in an area that includes Tampa, Florida, the man was part of over 170 arrests made by the department's "Human Trafficking Squad," the Miami Herald reported.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said most of those apprehended in the sting face charges related to solicitation of prostitution, sometimes with minors, police alleged.
During an Aug. 25 news conference, Sheriff Chronister walked out onto a stage with easels holding up enlarged displays with a grid of mug shots of arrested people. It was unclear if any of the people in the mug shots on display had been to trial or had retained a lawyer who could state their defense.
A call was placed to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office, but details about the cases weren't immediately available for release, citing ongoing proceedings.
Sheriff Chronister displayed the name, mug shot, and alleged details of the man arrested on his honeymoon in full screen on the department's press conference streamed and posted on Facebook.
Chronister, at one point during the press conference, spoke in a stern tone and said, "if you want to traffic another for sex, if you want to purchase another individual for sex, or you want to prey on the children of our community: Go to another county. Because the odds are against you that your photo is going to be on one of these boards," he said, gesturing to the visual displays showing mug shots on the stage.
The department's "Human Trafficking Squad" was formed on June 14, 2021. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/police-man-arrested-during-prostitution-sting-snuck-away-from-sleeping-wife-on-honeymoon | 2022-08-27T00:46:23Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/police-man-arrested-during-prostitution-sting-snuck-away-from-sleeping-wife-on-honeymoon | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ATLANTA (AP) — The prosecutor investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 election in Georgia is seeking information about the alleged involvement of a Trump ally in the breach of voting equipment at a county roughly 200 miles south of her Atlanta office.
The widening of the probe highlights the latest instance in which unauthorized people appear to have gained access to voting equipment since the 2020 election, primarily in battleground states lost by Trump. Election experts have raised concerns that sensitive information shared online about the equipment may have exposed vulnerabilities that could be exploited by people intent on disrupting future elections.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking to have attorney Sidney Powell, who tried persistently to overturn Trump's loss, testify before a special grand jury seated for the investigation into possible illegal election interference. In her court petition filed Thursday, Willis said Powell is "known to be affiliated" with Trump and the Trump campaign and has unique knowledge about her communications with them and others "involved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere."
The scope of Willis' criminal investigation has expanded considerably since it began, prompted by a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump suggested Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could "find" the votes needed to overturn Trump's narrow election loss in the state. Among other things, Willis wrote that she wants to ask Powell about rural Coffee County, where Trump beat President Joe Biden by nearly 40 percentage points.
Emails and other records first reported this month by The Washington Post and also obtained by The Associated Press show that Powell was involved in arranging for a team from data solutions company SullivanStrickler to travel to the county's elections office.
The records were produced in response to subpoenas issued by plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit that alleges Georgia's voting machines, which are manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems, are vulnerable to attack. The plaintiffs want the machines replaced by a system that uses hand-marked paper ballots.
The lawsuit filed by the Coalition for Good Governance and individual voters long predates and is unrelated to false allegations of widespread election fraud pushed by Trump and his allies.
Dominion has filed defamation lawsuits against high-profile Trump supporters, including Powell, who made false claims about Dominion voting machines being used to steal the 2020 election.
In an email sent to Powell on Jan. 7, 2021, SullivanStrickler COO Paul Maggio said he and his team were "on our way to Coffee County Georgia to collect what we can from the Election/Voting machines and systems." He included an invoice for an "initial retainer" of $26,000 to pay for a team of four people for one day. The subject of the invoice is "Voting Machines Analysis."
"Everything went smoothly yesterday with the Coffee County collection. Everyone involved was extremely helpful," Maggio wrote in an email the next day. "We are consolidating all of the data collected and will be uploading it to our secure site for access by your team."
A document listing the contents of Maggio's hard drive shows that it includes forensic images of an election management system server, a precinct tabulator, compact flash cards and thumb drives used to program tabulators and touchscreen voting machines, a computer used to check in voters and a laptop computer supplied by Dominion. It also includes scanned images of paper ballots from the January 2021 U.S. Senate runoff election.
The company defended its actions in a statement sent by its attorney, Amanda Clark Palmer.
"SullivanStrickler was retained by and took direction from licensed, practicing attorneys to preserve and forensically copy the Dominion Voting Machines used in the 2020 election," the statement said. "The firm had no reason to believe that, as officers of the court, these attorneys would ask or direct SullivanStrickler to do anything either improper or illegal."
The attorneys told the firm to contact county election officials to access certain data and then to distribute it to certain other people, the statement said. The company maintains that "at the time they engaged in that work, they were operating under the good faith belief that their client was authorized to access the voting machines and servers."
"With the benefit of hindsight, and knowing everything they know now, they would not take on any further work of this kind," the statement said, adding that the company intends to fully cooperate with any investigation.
Willis noted that there also is "evidence in the public record" that Powell was involved in similar efforts in Michigan and Nevada around the same time. A lawyer representing Powell didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Ryan Germany, general counsel for the Georgia secretary of state's office, said in a declaration filed in court on Aug. 2 that the office opened an investigation in mid-March and brought in an expert to perform a forensic inspection of the Coffee County election server. The next steps, he said, are to complete the forensic investigation and interview witnesses.
The secretary of state's office requested help earlier this month from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which on Aug. 15 opened "a computer trespass investigation of a Coffee County elections server," spokesperson Nelly Miles said in an email.
The Coffee County case appears similar to breaches of voting equipment elsewhere. In addition to Georgia, these include local election offices in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Colorado.
During an event last summer held by Trump ally Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO who has sought to prove voting machines are being manipulated, copies of voting systems from Mesa County, Colorado, and Antrim County, Michigan, were distributed and made available online.
A month earlier, Pennsylvania election officials decertified voting equipment used in one county — also named Fulton — after officials there allowed an outside firm access to "certain key components of its certified system, including the county's election database, results files, and Windows systems logs." The firm also was allowed to make copies of voting system hard drives.
In Mesa County, Colorado, Clerk Tina Peters and her deputy were indicted in connection with a May 2021 security breach at the election office. Prosecutors allege the pair were part of a "deceptive scheme" to provide access to their voting system technology to unauthorized individuals.
This week, the deputy clerk, Belinda Knisley, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Peters, who has denied wrongdoing and claimed she had an obligation to investigate.
Also in Colorado, state election officials have been investigating a potential breach in Elbert County, where they say the clerk made two copies of the county's voting system and provided them to two attorneys not authorized to have them.
In Antrim County, Michigan, a judge had allowed a forensic exam of voting equipment after a brief mix-up of 2020 election results led to a lawsuit alleging fraud. The lawsuit was dismissed, but somehow a copy of the voting system ended up being distributed publicly at the Lindell event, according to attendees.
Michigan authorities also are investigating security breaches at four local election offices that are alleged to have occurred between March and late June 2021. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/trump-election-probe-in-georgia-cites-voting-system-breach | 2022-08-27T00:46:29Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/trump-election-probe-in-georgia-cites-voting-system-breach | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
If you've been on a plane lately, it's likely you've had a rough experience. Staffing shortages, lost luggage, overcrowded airports and canceled flights are just a few factors that contribute to Americans' traveling woes.
Airlines were caught short-handed after the pandemic and added more flights than they can staff if there are problems such as weather, said David Schaper, who covers transportation for NPR.
"There's people that haven't been able to see family in a couple of years because of the pandemic. We're talking about missing graduations, we're talking about missed weddings, we're talking about missed family reunions and things like that," said Schaper.
The airline industry and members of Congress have made a few proposals that have raised questions. One was to raise the retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67 to curb the national pilot shortage.
Schaper said this could help short-term but doesn't think it's a long term solution.
"The CEO of United Airlines said something to the effect of I think 30 or 40% of their pilots who are already age 64 do not meet the medical requirements to to keep flying," Schaper states. "So therefore they are on medical leave and they're not able to fly either temporarily or fully."
But there might be some light at the end of the road. According to Hopper, an online travel agency and app that tracks the cost of airline tickets, car rentals and hotel rooms, predicts travel prices will drop 40% in the early weeks of fall.
- David Schaper, who covers transportation for NPR and is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-08-26/traveling-is-troublesome-and-its-not-due-to-the-coronavirus | 2022-08-27T00:48:51Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-08-26/traveling-is-troublesome-and-its-not-due-to-the-coronavirus | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It take a village to make a radio show, and Sound Currents is no exception!
In the second half of a two-part retrospective, Sascha and Laurel thank those that helped make season one possible.
Hosts
Sascha Groschang
Laurel Parks
Program
Blue Calx
by Aphex Twin, arr. by Caleb Burhans
Alarm Will Sound
First Trombone Quartet
by Saskia Apon
New Trombone Collective
Murmurations of Starlings
by Anders Jormin
Jonas Simonson - flute, Anders Jormin - double bass, Karin Nelson - organ
Fire in my mouth - III. Protest
by Julia Wolfe
Jaap van Zweden with the New York Philharmonic, The Crossing, Young People's Chorus of New York City
Metamorphosis One, Moderate
by Philip Glass
Lavinia Meijer - harp | https://www.kcur.org/show/sound-currents/2022-08-26/get-ready-for-season-two-of-sound-currents | 2022-08-27T00:48:57Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/show/sound-currents/2022-08-26/get-ready-for-season-two-of-sound-currents | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cicero police recover heroin, cannabis after responding to call of shots fired
CICERO, Ill. - The Cicero Police Department announced a major drug bust Friday.
Ismael Castilla has been charged with four felony drug charges.
The bust stemmed from a report of shots fired in the 4800 block of 23rd Street.
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Officers recovered 2 kilograms of heroin and 33 pounds of cannabis.
Several guns were also recovered, authorities said. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cicero-police-recover-heroin-cannabis-after-responding-to-call-of-shots-fired | 2022-08-27T00:50:26Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cicero-police-recover-heroin-cannabis-after-responding-to-call-of-shots-fired | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Anti-Cruelty Society waiving adoption fees this weekend
CHICAGO - You could bring home your new best friend this weekend!
The Anti-Cruelty Society is holding an adoption event Saturday.
This is part of the "Clear the Shelters" promotion.
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All pet adoption fees will be waived.
You can adopt from the River North or South Loop adoption centers, and a number of Petsmart locations around the area | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/river-north-south-loop-pet-adoption-centers-waiving-fees | 2022-08-27T00:50:39Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/river-north-south-loop-pet-adoption-centers-waiving-fees | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This is how much money you need to raise a child in the US
How much does it cost to raise a kid in America?
The average American household’s median income is nearly $80,000 as of 2021, according to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That’s an increase over the 2020 median income, which was $78,500.
Despite the increase, historically high inflation rates have impacted the cost of everyday items and services many families have come to depend on, putting huge financial stress on many Americans.
RELATED: This is how much money you need for a wedding in 2022
The cost of raising a child is going up
A recent analysis by the Brookings Institute found that the cost of raising a child has risen upward of $300,000 due to soaring inflation.
A married, middle-income couple with a child born in 2015 will spend an estimated $310,605 from birth until the child turns 17, according to Brookings.
Separately, LendingTree researchers estimated that basic costs for raising a child in the U.S. equal $20,152 annually according to data collected in 2021 and those numbers are unsurprisingly also trending upward.
"And that’s not counting the expenses for sports teams, summer camps, birthday parties and more," according to LendingTree.
Top 10 most expensive states to raise children
- Washington, D.C.: $28,785
- Hawaii: $25,828
- Maryland: $25,156
- Connecticut: $24,111
- Colorado: $23,981
- California: $23,586
- Minnesota: $23,283
- Virginia: $23,029
- Washington state: $22,679
- Massachusetts: $22,677
RELATED: 5 strategic ways to save for your child’s college tuition
Top 10 cheapest states to raise children
- Idaho: $16,519
- Montana: $16,473
- North Carolina: $16,444
- Michigan: $16,203
- Georgia: $16,165
- West Virginia: $15,759
- Arkansas: $15,203
- Kentucky: $15,157
- Alabama: $14,614
- Mississippi: $13,596
LendingTree’s data was based on two-couple earners who only had one child.
Average cost of raising a child by category
FILE - A mother cooks while her daughter learns at the table. (Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images)
When breaking down the cost of essential needs for a child or children in the U.S., each cent and dollar noticeably adds up, whether or not you have a tight or loose budget.
According to data examined by the Health Care Cost Institute, the average cost of childbirth in the U.S. in 2020 for couples who had insurance cost $13,393. The average price for a cesarean section was $17,103 and the average price for vaginal delivery was $11,453.
And once that baby comes home, on average, that baby will go through about 6,000 diapers during their first two years of life, according to data collected by Realdiapers.org. Disposable diapers for a single baby will cost around $70 a month and $840 a year.
Food to feed your family is an essential and sometimes non-negotiable purchase when it comes to budgeting. Data collected and adjusted for current inflation by Investopedia found that families who adhere to a lower budget were spending about $10,261 a year on food. Families with a more flexible budget spent just a little over $17,000 per year.
The average cost of clothing per year was about $779 for a middle-class family from birth through the age of 17, according to data collected by the USDA.
In addition, families who require child care will shell out thousands and will invest more to ensure their children have quality care. Using an interactive budget calculator from Costofchildcare.org, families with babies would need to spend nearly $16,000 a year to cover the cost of child care, according to the Center for American Progress.
Prices are decreasing, but inflation is still high
Falling prices for gas, airline tickets and clothes gave Americans a little bit of relief in May 2022, though overall inflation is still running at close to its highest level in four decades.
Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with a year earlier, the government said, down from a 9.1% year-over-year increase in June. On a monthly basis, prices were unchanged from June to July, the first time that has happened after 25 months of increases.
The reprieve offered no certainty that prices would stay on the decline. Inflation has slowed in the recent past only to re-accelerate in subsequent months. And even if price increases continue to weaken, they are a long way from the Fed’s 2% annual target.
"There’s good reason to think inflation will continue to slow," said Michael Pugliese, an economist at Wells Fargo. "What I think gets lost in that discussion is, slow by how much?"
Even if it were to fall to 4% — less than half its current level — Pugliese suggested that the Federal Reserve would need to keep raising interest rates or at least keep them high.
All told, the July figures raised hope that inflation may have peaked after more than a year of relentless increases that have strained household finances, soured Americans on the economy, led the Federal Reserve to raise borrowing rates aggressively and diminished President Joe Biden’s public approval ratings.
The Associated Press and FOX Business contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/this-is-how-much-money-you-need-to-raise-a-child-in-the-us | 2022-08-27T00:50:45Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/this-is-how-much-money-you-need-to-raise-a-child-in-the-us | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
32 mins ago - Health
Data shows racial gaps in monkeypox vaccinations
While the U.S. has given "nearly all" of those most at-risk for monkeypox a dose of the vaccine, evidence of disparities are emerging.
The big picture: Black men account for about one-third of monkeypox cases in the U.S. while having received about 10% of vaccine doses, AP reports.
- The gaps at a national level are similar to those seen in data from Georgia, North Carolina, New York City and Washington, D.C., according to AP.
By the numbers: The CDC released data Friday on about 208,000 administered vaccine doses out of more than 1 million that have been dispersed.
- Nearly half of the recipients were white and almost 25% were Hispanic, while about 10% were Black and 10% were Asian.
- More than 50% were 25-39 years old.
- A vast majority, about 94%, identified as male.
Be smart: The disparities echo trends seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Black and Hispanic Americans saw higher coronavirus case rates than white Americans and their vaccination rates lagged.
Of note: Monkeypox infections are seen overwhelmingly among men who have sex with men.
- Around 50% of surveyed men reported having reduced their number of sex partners and their one-time sexual encounters, and avoided some virtual and real spaces associated with increased monkeypox exposure risk as recommended by the CDC, officials said Friday. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/27/data-shows-racial-gaps-monkeypox-vaccinations | 2022-08-27T00:53:08Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/27/data-shows-racial-gaps-monkeypox-vaccinations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
World Champion Magnus Carlsen returns to Saint Louis, MO
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The seventh edition of the Grand Chess Tour (GCT), a series of five elite chess tournaments held across the globe, will return to America's Chess Capital at the Saint Louis Chess Club from August 25 - 30, 2022. The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz will kick off the festivities with 10 of the world's best chess players competing for $175,000 in prize money. The 2022 Grand Chess Tour will conclude with the prestigious Sinquefield Cup from September 1 - 12, 2022; it will be the second classical tournament on the tour, bookending the three rapid & blitz events. The reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen will headline the Sinquefield Cup as the wildcard player, where he will be joined by the nine full tour GCT players competing for the $350,000 total prize fund. The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz and Sinquefield Cup tournaments are sponsored by the Saint Louis Chess Club.
"The Sinquefield Cup is one of the longest running international chess tournaments to be held in the United States," said Tony Rich, Executive Director of Saint Louis Chess Club. "We are proud to once again host the final leg of the 2022 Grand Chess Tour at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Our fans are sure to be thrilled to watch their favorite chess grandmasters compete in over 14 days of exhilarating rapid, blitz and classical chess."
The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz will host 10 of the top players from around the world including World Number 3, Alireza Firouzja and the 2022 Superbet Chess Classic winner, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The tournament will showcase eight GCT full tour players and two wildcards, American favorites Hikaru Nakamura and Sam Shankland. The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz will be played as a rapid round robin and blitz double round robin format. This will be the fourth stop on the 2022 Grand Chess Tour.
The Sinquefield Cup will be the last event played on the Grand Chess Tour this season. The nine full-tour players will be joined by World Champion Magnus Carlsen in a 10-player classical round robin.
The top three finishers in this year's Tour automatically qualify to play in the 2023 Grand Chess Tour. If a playoff is required to determine 1st, 2nd and 3rd places of the 2022 Grand Chess Tour, it will occur on Monday, September 12th at 1:00pm CT. The top three finishers are also competing for the $150,000 in GCT bonus prizes.
This year, the Sinquefield Cup Opening ceremony date also falls on the 50th anniversary of the American Bobby Fischer's historic win over the Russian Boris Spassky in the legendary 1972 World Chess Championship, ending 24 years of Soviet dominance in the sport. The Sinquefield Cup Opening Ceremony will be held on September 1st from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park and will be open to the public. Learn more and purchase tickets.
Due to local COVID-19 restrictions live spectators will not be allowed in the tournament hall but fans can watch the full broadcast online or at the Saint Louis Chess Club featuring a Grandmaster commentary team of Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila and Peter Svidler for the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz and Yasswer Seirawan, Alejandro Ramirez and Peter Svidler for the Sinquefield Cup. Watch all the rounds daily at 12:50 p.m. CT exclusively on grandchesstour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club's YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
About the Grand Chess Tour
The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. All Grand Chess Tour 2022 events will comply with local and regional COVID-19 restrictions. For more information about the tour, please visit grandchesstour.org.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org.
About the Superbet Foundation
Founded in 2019, Superbet Foundation is a nonprofit organization. Its role is to coordinate Superbet Group's CSR activities and to connect with civil society organizations and the general public. Through its activity, the Foundation strives for a better world, with healthy and educated people and by supporting various projects it wants to inspire people to hold unbreakable moral values. It supports projects in domains like education, health, culture, performance in sport and, most notably, in chess. Since 2019, chess has become one of the backbones of Superbet Foundation by organizing its first tournament of the Grand Chess Tour in Bucharest. The Foundation is committed to turning GCT tournaments into a tradition for the Romanian and Polish chess communities. For more information, visit superchess.ro.
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SOURCE Saint Louis Chess Club | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/26/worlds-best-chess-players-return-saint-louis-saint-louis-rapid-amp-blitz-sinquefield-cup-tournaments-august-25-september-12/ | 2022-08-27T00:54:18Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/26/worlds-best-chess-players-return-saint-louis-saint-louis-rapid-amp-blitz-sinquefield-cup-tournaments-august-25-september-12/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The UK’s second Excellence-class cruise ship, and the sistership to Iona, will enter one of the final stages of her construction on Saturday as she will be floated out of the dock. P&O Cruises’ Arvia is under construction at the world-famous Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.
The float-out procedure will start at around 09:00 AM and marks the start of the interior outfitting stage and when the shipyard will be able to fit the masts and the funnel to the P&O Cruises cruise ship.
Arvia to Float Out August 24
The UK’s second mega cruise ship, P&O Cruises Arvia, will enter one of the last stages of her construction tomorrow, Saturday, August 24, as she will be floated out. Starting at 09:00 AM, the vessel will be towed out of the massive construction terminal in Papenburg.
Arvia will then be moored at the outfitting pier in the shipyard harbor, where the masts and funnel will be lifted onto the ship by crane. Workers will also be able to start the process of interior outfitting, which will be done partly at the yard in Germany.
The majority of the interior outfitting will be done at the Eemshaven shipyard in the Netherlands. However, before workers can start their work in earnest, Arvia will need to perform the conveyance down the river Ems, an important and well-known tradition for ships built at Meyer Werft.
Like her sister Iona, which entered service last year, Arvia measures just over 180,000 gross tons. She is part of the same class of ships as Carnival’s Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, Costa Toscana, AIDAnova, and others which are all powered by environmentally friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Arvia to Sail in Warm Climates Starting December 2022
At 344 meters long, Arvia has space for 5,200 passengers. Although identical in most ways to her sister Iona, there are some differences. Iona was constructed to operate in cold weather, while Arvia was built with the sun in mind. She will be operating in the Caribbean and southern Europe.
Her first cruise will set sail on December 9, 2022. Sailing from Southampton in the United Kingdom, Arvia will be visiting several ports in Southern Europe. Stops include Funchal, Madeira; Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Arrecife, Canary Islands; Cadiz, Spain; and Lisbon, Portugal. From January, she will sail a series of Caribbean fly-cruises from homeport Barbados.
Arvia Makes Space for Carnival Jubilee
With Arvia being floated out from the dock, the Meyer Weft shipyard is creating space for the next construction stage for Carnival Jubilee. With the room that will open up in the construction hall, shipbuilders will be able to fit the floating engine room module (FERU) for Carnival Jubilee.
This important piece of equipment arrived in the shipyard last week. The FERU was built at Neptun Werft in Rostock, Germany, and was transferred to Papenburg a week ago. It will be maneuvered into place in the coming days and then fitted to the front part of the vessel.
Carnival Jubilee will enter service in 2023. From Galveston, Texas, she will operate seven-day cruises to the Western Caribbean starting November 18, 2023. | https://www.cruisehive.com/the-uks-next-new-mega-cruise-ship-to-float-out/79873 | 2022-08-27T00:54:39Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/the-uks-next-new-mega-cruise-ship-to-float-out/79873 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Illinois law will eliminate cash bail starting Jan. 1
GRUNDY COUNTY, Ill. - The Grundy County Sheriff's Office and State's Attorney gave the public a heads-up about a law change come Jan. 1.
The law will eliminate cash bail, which will make it more difficult for prosecutors to hold defendants in jail before trial.
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"If I commit my tenth offense, DUI, I'm not a threat to a specific identified person, I'm only a threat to society at large. So we cannot file a verified petition to detain that individual," said Jason Helland, Grundy County State's Attorney.
The Grundy County sheriff said that class B and C misdemeanors will no longer be arrestable offenses under the new law — for example, trespassing and assault. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/new-illinois-law-will-eliminate-cash-bail-starting-jan-1 | 2022-08-27T00:54:41Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/new-illinois-law-will-eliminate-cash-bail-starting-jan-1 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When the two candidates vying for the open seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors squared off in a debate in the San Fernando Valley Friday, they espoused only minor variations on the issues, choosing instead to accentuate differences in style.
State Sen. Bob Hertzberg, 67, D-Van Nuys, and West Hollywood Council Member Lindsey Horvath, 40, running for the District 3 seat to replace the retiring Sheila Kuehl, took off the gloves toward the end of the hour when asked indirectly about their age difference, attracting young voters and governing styles.
The sharp barbs flew when Richard Fisk, moderator from the United Chambers of Commerce/San Fernando Valley Region, the group hosting the event, asked if Hertzberg was “too old-school” to attract younger voters.
Hertzberg described his time away from his political career, when he pursued business interests in clean energy projects, saying any person working on solutions to climate change is cutting edge. “I am an entrepreneur. I am pushing the envelope. I am not yesterday’s news,” he answered.
Horvath, who began her political career in 2015 when elected to the West Hollywood City Council, has been on the front lines of women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ issues. She discussed her city’s efforts to address homelessness, crime and transportation, emphasizing collaboration.
“People want change,” she began. “They want new solutions, 21st century solutions for 21st century problems. They want practical solutions, not politics” — veiled references to Hertzberg’s tenure in the legislature, where he rose to its powerful post as Senate Majority Leader, as a liability in a world where experienced politicians sometimes lose to younger candidates.
The style-over-substance debate continued at the Porter Valley Country Club in front of about 150 people, with Horvath emphasizing her grassroots efforts in her Westside city and Hertzberg turning that around as a lack of experience.
“There are 4,753 square miles in Los Angeles County. Her city of West Hollywood is 1.9 square miles,” Hertzberg said, adding that she works with council members who are all Democrats. He added that Horvath has been endorsed by four of the five supervisors, including Kuehl, and Supervisors Hilda Solis, Holly Mitchell and Janice Hahn. “There is no change. She will support all four of their policies.”
Hertzberg, endorsed by Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the lone Republican on the board, who also represents the San Fernando Valley, said he would work to change many policies implemented by the county Board of Supervisors.
Horvath is backed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAUSD Board President Kelly Gonez while Hertzberg is backed by public safety unions including the Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014 and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS), as well as Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, both from the San Fernando Valley.
“Campaigning is one thing. But governing is another. And I know how to govern,” Hertzberg said.
Horvath countered, implying that Hertzberg’s stance as a person who gets things done is not practical for 2022 and is based on Sacramento politics.
“We need to work collaboratively. No one is a single answer,” she said. “I am a bridge builder and a coalition builder.”
Kuehl is stepping down, creating the only empty seat on the powerful five-person Board of Supervisors which manages a county budget of $38.5 billion. Kuehl was a child actor in radio and early television and after earning her law degree from Harvard Law School served in the state Assembly and state Senate before joining the board in 2014.
Some see the race as a contest between the Valley and the Westside. The vast, 431-square mile Third District stretches from Malibu and Santa Monica into the eastern and northeastern San Fernando Valley. The dual-region district divide is further emphasized by the fact that Hertzberg is from the San Fernando Valley and Horvath is from the Westside.
Since all county supervisors also serve on the L.A. Metro board, Hertzberg emphasized that the Valley has not received its fair share of rail lines in comparison to other parts of L.A. County.
“We have had no voice on L.A. Metro in the San Fernando Valley,” Hertzberg said, noting that he would change that if elected to the Board of Supervisors in November.
Horvath said the issue of Valley versus Westside is a false choice, saying, “It is not about one ZIP code over another. You have to bring everyone together.”
Both agreed that the solution to increasing Metro’s ridership and getting cars off the crowded freeways was to provide safer, cleaner rides.
“With Metro, we need to stop treating our transportation system as a de facto homeless shelter,” Horvath said, a line she has used in other media reports.
Both frowned upon Metro’s recent forays into building apartments near train lines and recent articles in the Los Angeles Daily News about its attempts at land-banking. Hertzberg said the agency’s ownership of land makes it a player in the housing market. Horvath said: “I don’t think Metro should be in the housing business.”
Horvath responded to tough questions about a perception that West Hollywood cut back on Sheriff’s Department services. Horvath said the city never cut its law enforcement budget but added “security ambassadors” to be the eyes and ears of commercial and residential districts, similar to a Metro program.
When it comes to the ballot measure aimed for November that will ask voters to give the Board of Supervisors the power to fire the elected sheriff, both shied away from supporting it.
Hertzberg called it “a knee-jerk political reaction” but he supports having a police commission as in the city of L.A. Horvath said she’d like to see the sheriff’s position appointed by the Board of Supervisors, but said that is not what the ballot measure will do.
She wanted the two sides come together on law enforcement issues, while Hertzberg emphasized a need to address the smash and grab crimes in places such as shopping centers.
Both candidates saw the county’s response to homelessness as a failure and pledged to work hard on county solutions, if elected.
At a glance
The District: Spans 431 square miles from West Hollywood and Beverly Hills to Santa Monica and Malibu, to the San Fernando Valley. Population = 1.2 million.
The Candidates: Lindsey Horvath, 40, West Hollywood City Council member; Bob Hertzberg, 67, state senator. In June primary, Hertzberg received 105,923 votes (31%). Horvath received 94,528 votes (28%).
The Election: Nov. 8, 2022
The Issues: Law enforcement, jails, Sheriff’s Department, homelessness, affordable housing, public health, LA Metro, transportation, safe streets, Aliso Canyon, open space, environment.
One thing to know about this race: Supervisor Sheila Kuehl is not running, making this an open seat. Voters will be electing a new supervisor to sit on the five-member board.
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Another 20 COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Los Angeles County on Friday, Aug. 26, while the number of virus-positive patients in local hospitals ticked up slightly.
The 20 new deaths lifted the county’s cumulative virus-related death toll to 33,096, according to the county Department of Public Health.
According to state figures, there were 827 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Friday, up from 802 on Thursday. Of those patients, 101 were being treated in intensive care, down from 124 a day earlier.
County officials have said that roughly 43% of the COVID-positive patients were actually admitted for virus-related illness, while the others were admitted for other reasons, with some only learning they were infected when they were tested at the hospital.
The county reported another 3,694 COVID infections Friday, raising the overall total from throughout the pandemic to 3,396,657. The county-reported case figures are believed to under-count the actual number of infections, since many people now rely on at-home tests, the results of which are often not relayed to county health officials.
The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 8.5% as of Friday.
County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer encouraged residents Friday to take advantage of available COVID medications if they are infected with the virus, saying they can prevent patients from becoming seriously ill.
“An important part of Public Health’s work is to partner with healthcare providers to make it as easy as possible to access these free medications for those that need them,” Ferrer said in a statement. “These medications are all currently available for free, whether you have insurance or not. Note that in some cases, healthcare providers may charge for their medical assessment.
“Anyone with COVID who has risk factors for severe disease is encouraged to always consult with their own primary healthcare provider first, if you have one. Your own healthcare provider will always know your health best. If you don’t have a healthcare provider, call 2-1-1.”
The county this week expanded the availability of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to everyone aged 12 and over, the public health officer said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an emergency use authorization last week for the vaccine in people aged 12-17, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off this week. The vaccine had previously been restricted to people aged 18 and over.
Health officials have expressed hope that the Novavax vaccine would be more widely accepted by vaccine-hesitant residents, since it is based on more traditional protein-based technology used in other medications for decades — rather than the mRNA process employed by the Pfizer and Moderna COVID shots.
Novavax is also a two-shot regimen, with the doses administered three to eight weeks apart. Booster shots are not currently recommended for those who receive the Novavax vaccine.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/26/la-county-reports-20-more-covid-deaths-hospitalizations-up-slightly/ | 2022-08-27T00:59:31Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/26/la-county-reports-20-more-covid-deaths-hospitalizations-up-slightly/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Former City Manager Cynthia Kurtz received a text 10 months ago that unexpectedly pulled her out of retirement and into Pasadena’s Council Chambers for a second time in her career.
This week, Kurtz bid farewell to the Interim City Manager title she assumed in October 2021, almost 10 months before the city welcomed recently named City Manager Miguel Márquez.
City leaders described Kurtz as “instrumental in many of the city’s achievements over the last 10 months,” in a tweet that commemorated her final day on the job Thursday, Aug. 25.
Today is Interim City Manager Cynthia Kurtz's last day on the job. She's been instrumental in many of the City's achievements over the last 10 months & we can't thank her enough for her steadfast leadership. Cynthia, there will always be a cookie @ City Hall w/ your name on it🍪 pic.twitter.com/6HYhP9Hrv4
— City of Pasadena (@PasadenaGov) August 25, 2022
Kurtz received the call to return to public service mere hours after former City Manager Steve Mermell submitted a resignation letter to City Council ahead of a closed session meeting on Sept. 20.
She said she accepted because Pasadena has never been far from her heart, and she recognizes the need for steady leadership.
“I was surprised to get the call,” Kurtz said, detailing in an earlier interview how a text asking what she’s doing for the next six months eventually led to discussions about her temporarily assuming the reins of a city that was set to lose a police chief and a number of other leadership positions only a few months after she would be hired.
“I thought they were reaching out for a suggestion on who they might talk to about being our interim city manager,” Kurtz added. “I never thought I would be in consideration but I am very honored.”
Mayor Victor Gordo said Friday, Aug. 26, the decision to bring Kurtz aboard as an interim was the best decision he’s made in his tenure as mayor.
“And together with residents of Pasadena, I am deeply grateful for having stepped in at a time when it would have been easy to say no,” Gordo said, “and provide the stability and leadership in the office of city manager when we as individuals and, collectively, as a community needed most.”
Márquez, the new city manager who is set to start Monday, Aug. 29, was informally introduced to the community Monday, July 11.
Like Kurtz, Gordo believes the experiences and well-rounded verse of knowledge that Márquez brings to the table will serve Pasadena well.
Márquez noted during a press conference in July that the city and its community — “with its amazing diversity, its sophistication, its charm, its style, its resources, its people,” he said — are the key to ensuring Pasadena’s future is as bright as the galaxy studied by the scientists at the nearby Jet Propulsion Lab.
“There’s no limit to what we can, and what we will accomplish together,” Márquez said.
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We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/26/pasadena-city-hall-bids-farewell-to-interim-city-manager-and-welcomes-new-permanent-one/ | 2022-08-27T00:59:43Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/26/pasadena-city-hall-bids-farewell-to-interim-city-manager-and-welcomes-new-permanent-one/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The city of Fergus Falls is in the process of upgrading to a newer digital water model calibration.
In the process of building this new system, beginning Aug. 31, Fergus Falls will begin a hydrant pressure and flow testing program in several locations throughout its water distribution system.
City engineer Brian Yavarow said the program will consist of installing hydrant pressure recorders and conducting hydrant flow tests throughout the distribution system.
“What we’re doing next Wednesday and Thursday more so with the hydrants, is that we’re going to open hydrants and basically flush them, but we’re going to have testing equipment on them too, to measure certain criteria of all the hydrants around the city. We’re doing field calibration basically to compare with our digital model that we’re developing,” said Yavarow.
The program is being undertaken as part of a water distribution system analysis to enable the highest quality product to its customers.
On Sept 1., between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., residents may notice periods of decreased water pressure or discoloration of their water due to the hydrant pressure and flow testing being performed by City Staff.
Water discoloration results from temporary disturbances in the water distribution system due to a rapid increase in velocity of water in the pipes when flow testing fire hydrants. These short-term disturbances can stir up naturally occurring minerals and sediment that have settled over time within the water mains.
One may ask, why now? Is there an issue with pressure? Absolutely not, says Yavarow.
“The impetus of this is we’re doing a city wide water system analysis. That’s part of basically developing a digital model of our modeling system that can help us determine a lot of things with our water system as far as needs, flow requirements, pressure, all kinds of things of that nature,” added Yavarow.
Customers should refrain from laundering clothes or using hot water during testing times. If water does become discolored or cloudy, residents should run cold water from one or more faucets for approximately five minutes, or until the water appears clear.
Yavarow said the Fergus Falls Fire Department already does separate testing to ensure good pressure flow.
“Our fire department does similar testing for the ISO rating, but what we’re doing now is not quite like that we’re just building a digital monitor for the whole entire network, from all the records, plans, GIS information we have and get actual to help build the digital module with this water model calibration,” said Yavarow.
If you residents have questions regarding the hydrant pressure and flow testing program, contact water plant supervisor Chad Lindgren at 218-736-2936. | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/city-of-fergus-analyzing-water-distribution-system/article_f17ae542-2570-11ed-bb42-9fd503608330.html | 2022-08-27T01:01:34Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/city-of-fergus-analyzing-water-distribution-system/article_f17ae542-2570-11ed-bb42-9fd503608330.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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NDAWN weather units like this one, located outside of the sheriff's in Ottertail City, provided valuable information pertaining to many different categories.
The North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network consists of a network of over 150 stations distributed across North Dakota and border regions in surroundings states. Each site is carefully chosen, allowing for extremely accurate weather condition monitoring of a 20-mile radius.
NDAWN was established through a grant from the High Plains Climate Center, in Lincoln, Neb., by John Enz and initially consisted of six stations with a vision to provide current and historical weather data necessary for the development of more effective agricultural technologies. The program has since proved invaluable for entities outside of the agricultural industry and resulting data are part of the North Dakota Climate Archive and are used for any and all climatological studies.
Since the system’s implementation in 1989, each node of the network has been crucial for gathering weather data across much of Minnesota-North Dakota border region. Individual stations provide daily summaries that consist of maximum and minimum air temperature, wind speed and various other relevant meteorological data that are wirelessly uploaded every five minutes.
In a recent evolution of the NDAWN network, the Otter Tail & Grant County Corn and Soybean Growers spearheaded fundraising efforts totaling $90,000 to bring five stations to the surrounding area.
“These NDAWN stations have the potential to save farmers thousands of dollars each year by providing them with data that allows them to make informed decisions,” said Rick Swenson, Otter Tail & Grant County Corn and Soybean Grower board member. “Thanks to the generous donations from businesses around the community, our area can take advantage of these state-of-the-art stations.”
The new stations will be placed near the towns of Rothsay, Fergus Falls, Underwood, Elbow Lake and Herman.
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/new-weather-units-coming-to-the-area-thanks-to-fundraising/article_c04d7000-248c-11ed-9957-c7fefb9ff804.html | 2022-08-27T01:01:46Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/new-weather-units-coming-to-the-area-thanks-to-fundraising/article_c04d7000-248c-11ed-9957-c7fefb9ff804.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A property acquired by the city of Fergus Falls, in 1941, that is now part of Adams Park on Grotto Lake, may be sold to a local law firm for new offices.
A letter of intent from J.J. Cline, the president of Fergus Falls Law, LLC, was accepted by city administrator Andrew Bremseth on Apr. 13, of this year.
A recent resolution approved by the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners, at the Aug. 23 regular meeting, paves the way for what is being described as a “small sliver of land” in the park in a parcel directly north of AMP Insurance. The resolution, which was approved, removed a restriction on the tax forfeited property which was originally acquired by the city in 1941.
All of lots 2, 3 and 4, except street/highway, block 1, waters 4th addition to the city of Fergus Falls would be included in the proposed purchase.
The lots are currently restricted to park and recreation purposes through a deed restriction from the State of Minnesota and an easement for Otter Tail Power Company.
According to Fergus Falls City Council minutes from a Committee of the Whole meeting on Mar. 30, the law firm is willing to work towards the removal of these restrictions and cleaning up the easement concerns.
In addition, Fergus Falls Law, LLC at the time stated that they would have the property appraised and would propose a purchase price if they were successful in removing the restrictions and easement.
Bremseth said he is not sure of the status of the easement concerns.
“The way we left it as a city, it is the responsibility of the law firm to get everything removed, have a clean title and then we would sell the property to them,” said Bremseth.
Part of those restrictions were lifted by the Otter Tail County Commission.
Further indicated in council notes from March, is that the parcel is being maintained by the city, but it is not serving as value to the city’s park or recreation needs.
At the Mar. 30 meeting, a motion and second were made to recommend the council to enter into a letter of intent with Fergus Falls Law, LLC to purchase the lots located on the edge of Adams Park with the caveat that all efforts would be made to save as many trees as possible in the proposed project area.
As per the letter of intent, Fergus Falls Law, LLC would hire an appraisal to be done and a purchase price would be negotiated since the restriction from the county’s end is resolved.
However, it is unknown at this time if the appraisal has gone forward or where the easement concerns with OTP are at this point.
Adams Park on Grotto Lake was founded in 1938 with 20 acres of land that was donated to the city. It was named after the family who donated the land. It has also been referred to as Grotto Park, because Grotto Lake is located in the center. | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/part-of-adams-park-may-be-sold-local-law-firm-inquiring-about-land/article_2509975c-2542-11ed-9f5c-0b708245397b.html | 2022-08-27T01:01:52Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/part-of-adams-park-may-be-sold-local-law-firm-inquiring-about-land/article_2509975c-2542-11ed-9f5c-0b708245397b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A proposed CO2 pipeline project that would go through Otter Tail County that is being built by Summit Carbon Solutions, based out of Ames, Iowa, has responded to recent criticism from environmental groups and others, countering that some of the information they are putting out is simply not true or accurate.
Director of public affairs at Summit Carbon Solutions, Jesse Harris, said a lot of what has been said is not correct. The first and biggest inaccuracy he says is that it is actually a $4.5 billion proposed project, not $2 billion.
“The accounting firm Ernst & Young did an economic analysis of our project, investments by stage, how much labor income is going to each state, the property tax benefits,” said Harris.
Harris said the company has also been working with landowners to secure permission to conduct surveys and have done so with virtually all landowners along the proposed route in both Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties.
“Summit Carbon Solutions has secured easement agreements with landowners totaling 38% of the proposed route in Wilkin County and 24% of the proposed route in Otter Tail County with more being signed every day. Although we remain in the early stages of this project, we are encouraged by these numbers and look forward to continuing to work directly with landowners, answer their questions and negotiate additional agreements,” added Harris.
In total, the company states that they have partnered with 1,600 landowners to sign 2,500 total easement agreements so far.
Harris also says negotiations with landowners are unique for each easement. Each agreement will naturally be a little different based on what is negotiated. Harris highlighted the compensation aspect as well.
“When it comes to potential impacts to existing crops, we will pay 100% for any crops taken out of production in the first year, 80% the second year, and 60% the third year. That is based on reputable third-party data on commodity prices in the community and that is on top of the payment to the landowner for the easement itself,” emphasized Harris.
In responding to criticism that what is being proposed has not been done before and the safety aspect of it, Harris said that is simply not the case.
“All three major components of our system, carbon capture, transportation and storage utilizes longstanding technologies that are proven and reliable. Currently, there are 40 ethanol plants that today utilize carbon capture,” said Harris.
He also stated that commercial scale capture and compression has been in use since the 1990’s.
According to Summit Carbon Solutions, the infrastructure for delivering C02 is already in place and is not a new technology and states that there are already 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines in active service in the U.S., not to mention 173,000 miles of total pipelines already in service in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.
In addition, Harris says the process of sequestration has been researched for years and supported by a wide range of stakeholders across the political spectrum at the federal and state level, along with engineers and scientists.
In response to the landowner who stated they had concerns over land being tied up with an easement for future generations as far as farming or tiling, Harris states that their company and Ellingson, a Minnesota based company, is the primary drain tile vendor who be responsible for any and all drain tile repairs resulting from the construction throughout the entire life of the project.
Essentially, Harris states that this means the company will pay the entirety of these repairs after construction and at any point while the system is operating and the costs associated with this type of work will never be the responsibility of the landowner.
“We have filed our Agriculture Impact Mitigation Plan as part of our regulatory process in Iowa and that provides details on how we will ensure the land where the project is located will be returned to the condition we found it or better,” said Harris.
Harris says the biggest aspect of the project as a whole, is the economic impact for the state and Otter Tail County due to its association with Green Plains Inc. ethanol plant.
Green Plains is one of the companies that Summit Carbon Solutions is partnering with, along with five other Minnesota based ethanol plants.
Harris states the project will allow the ethanol these plants produce, to be sold at a premium in the growing number of markets that pay more for low carbon fuels.
“This is particularly important for farmers since half of all the corn grown in the US is purchased by an ethanol plant. Keeping ethanol strong by accessing these markets will help maintain strong commodity prices and land values,” said Harris. | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/summit-carbon-solutions-responds-to-criticism/article_e8a6571e-254b-11ed-8def-8b87b53dbfb1.html | 2022-08-27T01:01:59Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/summit-carbon-solutions-responds-to-criticism/article_e8a6571e-254b-11ed-8def-8b87b53dbfb1.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
James “Jim” Madison 89 of Dalton died Sunday, August 14th 2022 at Edgewood Healthcare in Alexandria.
James “Jim” Charles Madison was born to Annette (Miklovich) and Lawrence Madison on January 24th, 1933 at home in Calumet City, Illinois. He was baptized in a German Lutheran Church in Calumet City. He attended elementary school in Calumet City through the 6th grade. His family moved to a farm south of Ten Mile Lake by Dalton, Minnesota. He went to country school District 139 (on Ten Mile Lake) through the 8th grade, then finished his schooling at the Elbow Lake High school where he graduated. After graduation he joined the navy and attended boot camp in Illinois. Then was stationed in Georgia, Kansas and Texas where he got his pilot’s license and was an air traffic controller until his assignment was up at the age of 21 and he was discharged. He bought a plane while in Texas and flew it back to the family farm in Minnesota.
He traveled working in various places, selling magazines, marathon paper company and the Institute of Paper Chemistry both in Wisconsin. Then back to Dalton, Minnesota to farm and using the G.I. Bill to get an agricultural farm training. He started farming with his father and uncle in 1955. In the winter months he stayed with family and worked in the Steel Mills in Illinois saving money to buy farm equipment.
He married Kathleen (Kathy) Dohan on August 31st, 1961 in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Jim and Kathy had three children that they raised on the family farm south of Ten Mile Lake. While farming and raising his family he was a member of the Dalton Enterprise Corporation which oversaw the building of an 8-plex apartment building and a 17-unit trailer court. He was also involved in a variety of businesses in Dalton, including a lumber yard and the 1st State Bank of Dalton which is now Midwest Bank. He served as an assessor for 29 years and was on the board of Midland Oil for 15 years.
He retired from farming in 1999. But didn’t give up his love for growing things. He had always had a vegetable garden but it became larger as he grew even more sweet corn and tomatoes among other vegetables that he often gave away to neighbors. He volunteered with the Red Cross the Salvation Army. He was involved in his grandchildren’s lives attending their various sporting activities and performing arts performances.
Family was the most important thing to him.
Three years ago, Jim and Kathy moved to Edgewood Healthcare in Alexandria. Jim cared for Kathy as she suffered from the effects of dementia, they celebrated 60 years of marriage last August. The last year and half, Jim moved into the memory care unit as well. During this time Jim accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. He had made peace with God and claimed that his new relationship with God was more important than any other achievement he accomplished in his life.
There are many staff members from Edgewood we would like to thank for their dedication and care for Jim. They were caring and supportive during his stay with them.
Jim is preceded in death by his wife, Kathy; his son, Peter; his father, Lawrence; mother, Annette; brother and sister-in-law, Larry (Mary) Madison; brother-in-law, John Carlson, and nephew, Steve Carlson.
He is survived by his daughters, Jane (Jeff) Way of Garfield and Karen (Brian) Springer of Alexandria; grandchildren, Ariel Way of Dalton, Megen (Reece) Haggerty of Alexandria, Gabrielle Way of Alexandria, Angie (Rob)Teaser of Alexandria, Jamie (Nick) Kleve of Sauk Centre; great-grandchildren, Peyton, Patrick, Jasmine, Mason, Bennett, Autumn, Caiden, and Jade; one great-great-grandchild, Maycee and another on the way; sister, Roberta Carlson of Appleton WI, and nieces and nephews.
Celebration of Life: 11:00 a.m. Thursday, September 8, 2022 at Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls, with visitation one-hour prior to the service.
Clergy: Officiant Brian Springer.
Arrangements provided by Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls.
Online condolences may be sent to www.olsonfuneralhome.com. | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/obituaries/james-madison-1933-2022/article_254b03ec-256d-11ed-8af4-2f32c8ae964e.html | 2022-08-27T01:02:05Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/obituaries/james-madison-1933-2022/article_254b03ec-256d-11ed-8af4-2f32c8ae964e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Marcia Pederson, 92, of Fergus Falls, died Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at LB Woodland Lodge in Fergus Falls.
Marcia Ann Eide was born August 19, 1930, in Carlisle Township, MN to Halvor and Anna (Thompson) Eide. She attended Carlisle Country School and Fergus Falls High School, graduating in 1947.
On August 27, 1948, Marcia married Orlyn Pederson at Hedemarken Lutheran Church in rural Carlisle.
She worked at Welander Jewelry and also Orlyn Pederson Company as a bookkeeper from 1954-1987.
Marcia was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Bethlehem Ladies Aide, Quilter’s, Bible study and Circle. She helped with cooking rommegrot for Syttende Mai. For over 40-years she was a member of the Bethlehem Church Choir. She was part of a local Homemaker’s group for over 50-years.
She enjoyed gardening, sewing, quilting, baking, fishing, cross-country skiing, and camping.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Halvor and Anna Eide; sisters, Sally Knold, Ardis Johnson, and Elda Mae Stanghelle; brother, Howard Eide; husband, Orlyn Pederson, and grandchildren, Alex Christianson and Dan Geyen.
Marcia is survived by her children, Claire (Dick) Geyen of Bloomington, Betsey (Mark) Petersen of Fergus Falls, Amy (Charlie) Kampa of Fergus Falls, and Kris (Dave) Christianson of Fergus Falls; grandchildren, Josh (Carolyn) Paetow, Desiree Pasko, Blake (Mandy) Geyen, Erin (Rick) Swenson, Samantha (Chris) Pratt, Sister Rita Marie Kampa, Lydia Christianson, Sadie (Andrew) Leinen; great-grandchildren, Finn, Will, David, Van, Barrett, Regan, Gunner, Colten, Leland, Henry, and Joseph; sister, Jean Prochnow of Stevens Point, WI, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Service: 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 29, 2022 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, with visitation one-hour prior to the service at the church.
Clergy: Reverends Nancy Eldredge-Hess and Christopher Eldredge.
Interment: Bethlehem Cemetery, Fergus Falls.
Arrangements provided by Olson Funeral Home in Fergus Falls.
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/obituaries/marcia-pederson-1930-2022/article_8f1175c4-256b-11ed-8d76-b3a0a4d5abac.html | 2022-08-27T01:02:11Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/obituaries/marcia-pederson-1930-2022/article_8f1175c4-256b-11ed-8d76-b3a0a4d5abac.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Terry Kambel passed away on August 24, 2022, at Serenity Assisted Living in Dilworth, MN, at the age of 89 years.
Terry Eugene was born on August 13, 1933, to Bernard and Agnes (Ryan) Kambel in Hitchcock, South Dakota. Terry grew up in Hitchcock and after graduating high school, he served in the Army for two years. Terry then returned to Hitchcock, marrying his high school sweetheart, LaVonne, at St. Martins Church in Huron, SD on November 19, 1955.
Terry and LaVonne celebrated 66 years of marriage. They had two children, Kerry and Kim, and lived in Redfield, SD, relocating to Long Prairie, MN in 1973. They also lived in Hinckley, Battle Lake, and eventually, Dilworth, MN. The majority of Terry’s career consisted of managing a lumber company, but he also managed a motel while living in Hinckley. Terry semi-retired when he and LaVonne moved to Battle Lake in 1995. Terry was very involved in the community, staying active with the Lions, Knights of Columbus and at Our Lady of The Lake Catholic Church.
Terry enjoyed hunting, fishing, and was an avid pinochle player. He also enjoyed trips to the casino, playing bingo, times spent with friends at the Battle Lake Senior Center, and enjoyed watching the MN Twins and Vikings.
Family was important to Terry and he loved getting together for any occasion. Terry was quite the jokester, always good natured, teasing and laughing. One never knew what he was going to come up with.
He is survived by his wife, LaVonne Kambel of Dilworth, MN; son, Kerry (Teri) Kambel of Moorhead, MN; daughter, Kim (Steve) Seufert of Battle Lake, MN; five grandchildren, Michelle (Chris), Jenny (Justin), Jessy (Ethan), Matthew (Kaitlyn Varberg), and Mitchell; six great grandchildren, Riley, Leslie, Aubrey, Sadie, Avery and Owen along with numerous relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Agnes; a brother, Donovan Kambel and sister, Rosemary Norton.
The family would like to express their gratitude to all the caregivers at the Battle Lake Good Samaritan Center, Serenity Assisted Living, and Hospice of the Red River Valley. These caregivers exceeded all expectations and we will be forever grateful for the skilled and compassionate care they provided to Terry.
Memorials preferred to Our Lady of Lake Catholic Church in Battle Lake, the Battle Lake Good Samaritan Society, or Serenity Assisted Living in Dilworth, MN.
Mass of Christian Burial: 11 a.m., Tuesday, August 30, 2022, Our Lady of The Lake Catholic Church in Battle Lake, with a visitation one hour prior to the service at the church.
Clergy: Fr. LeRoy Schik.
Interment: Our Lady of The Lake Catholic Cemetery, Battle Lake, MN.
Funeral arrangements are with the Glende-Nilson Funeral Home of Battle Lake for Terry Kambel. | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/obituaries/terry-kambel-1933-2022/article_d1cdf168-256a-11ed-bb40-8300fb3cf63a.html | 2022-08-27T01:02:17Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/obituaries/terry-kambel-1933-2022/article_d1cdf168-256a-11ed-bb40-8300fb3cf63a.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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With a road matchup against Detroit Lakes, on Aug. 25, the Fergus Falls Otters girls tennis team picked up a tight 4-3 win over the Lakers.
On the singles side of things, Isabella Abrahams and Ruby Ellison both found themselves in a dog fight. Both matches were back and forth the entire way with a high level of play. Ellison ended up getting the edge in her match, while Abrahams fell by just one break each set. Leila Nasri continues to play great singles so far this season with an easy win at third singles.
The first and third doubles teams both went the distance tonight. In their first time as a pair this year, Ashtyn Lill and Cyntreya Lockett showed some great variety at first doubles. This match included a lot of good serving and lobs, as well as finishing points at the net. The Otters ended up dropping this match in the third set tiebreaker 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3). Kezi Hartwell and Hattie Fullhart also went a full three sets at third doubles. This match came down to the wire. With the team match score tied at 3-3, Hartwell and Fullhart held strong down the stretch to earn the third and deciding set 6-3 and earn the Otters a 4-3 team victory. Karley Braeger and Hannah Anderson teamed up as the second doubles team and the duo did a great job of playing consistent tennis as they made fairly routine work of their opponents 6-3, 6-2.
“We had great matches all around tonight. We're still toying with our lineup a bit to find what works best for us,” mentioned Otters coach Jamie Lill. “The matchups combinations on the doubles side of our lineup worked out well. We have so many capable doubles players and it's fun to see how different combinations jive together.”
Fergus is set to host Willmar, on Aug. 30.
Singles:
1. Anna Askelson (DL) defeated Isabella Abrahams (FF) 6-4, 6-4.
2. Ruby Ellison (FF) defeated Ari Leitheiser (DL) 7-5, 6-4.
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/sports/road-win-for-otters-tennis/article_1ce5fa8a-2578-11ed-a155-33782d96b5c3.html | 2022-08-27T01:02:42Z | fergusfallsjournal.com | control | https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/sports/road-win-for-otters-tennis/article_1ce5fa8a-2578-11ed-a155-33782d96b5c3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A top tech CEO and former Desert Storm vet is re-imagining NFTs with a new set of tokens that make a solid investment in the well-being of America's service members past and present.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Can the high-energy excitement of the crypto-token investment space be a force for good? That's the idea driving development of the new Devil Dogs NFT series—a crypto token project crafted to support America's service members.
The first-of-its-kind project aims to leverage Web3 technology to achieve both real-world and virtual benefits, with opportunity to purchase unique and tradeable "everyday hero" tokens. Proceeds will be directed to crucial veteran services.
In its initial release, Devil Dogs (DVL.DGS) is offering 1775 unique and inspiring bulldog tokens, commemorating service in the U.S. Marine Corps, with a mint date planned for this fall.
The DVL.DGS NFT initiative is headed by Dave Grannan, a Silicon Valley tech CEO & Gulf War veteran. "Our Devil Dogs NFT project sits at the intersection of two issues I care deeply about," says Grannan. "As a Gulf War veteran, I know firsthand how our veteran healthcare system is falling short. And, as tech executive, I'm very bullish on the future of crypto, blockchain and most things Web3."
As the project grows, DVL.DGS plans to donate over 90% of revenues to vital veteran's charities. Specifically, the project aims to amplify the impact of organizations focusing on core veteran's issues, including access to health care, suicide prevention and homelessness. Devil Dogs also plans to support education and financial literacy programs that help veterans better re-integrate into civilian life.
The campaign's current beneficiaries include the Marines' Memorial Association & Foundation, The 38 Challenge, Irreverent Warriors and The San Diego Veterans Coalition.
The DVL.DGS campaign features two ways to give: investors can purchase an NFT to support wellness initiatives and/or donate an NFT directly to an active-duty service member. Grannan and his team are targeting this fall for a first official minting. But donation NFTs can be purchased right now at the project's website, devildogs.io.
Grannan believes the project will speak to a lot of people who understand the challenges faced by veterans, as well as both crypto curious and seasoned investors ready for more purpose-driven NFT holdings. "If you're crypto-curious, this project can be your safe on-ramp to the crypto world," says Grannan. "And if you're a crypto native, I ask, 'Don't you want a warrior in your collection who's truly metaverse ready?'"
DVL.DGS was founded by Dave Grannan as a cause-driven NFT project dedicated to the well-being of all United States service members, Veterans and their families. He joined the Marine Corps in 1988 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1989. Soon after he was sent with his Platoon to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. After leaving the Corps, Grannan attended UC-Berkeley's Haas School of Business, earning an MBA. He went on to run several tech start-ups on the East Coast and in Silicon Valley. At Devil Dogs, Dave is guided by his determination to encourage better support for those who serve.
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SOURCE Devil Dogs | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/27/new-devil-dogs-nft-release-supports-service-members-with-crypto-investment-feel-good-about/ | 2022-08-27T01:04:05Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/27/new-devil-dogs-nft-release-supports-service-members-with-crypto-investment-feel-good-about/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Ring doorbell camera captured the attempted abduction of a 6-year-old girl from the front of her house Tuesday in Hamilton, Ohio, according to court documents and the security camera footage obtained by CNN.
The video shows the girl standing next to a garbage can at the curb of a front yard, when a man, identified in court records as 33-year-old Deric McPherson, walks toward her and appears to touch her before turning back and dragging her down the sidewalk by her arm before she runs away.
Mandie Miller, the girl's mother, told CNN Friday her daughter was taking out the garbage, as she's done many times before, when McPherson reached out and groped her daughter.
Miller said McPherson let go after her daughter screamed, which is heard on the video recording.
"She came in with a blood-curling scream, she ran into the living room she said, 'mommy someone tried to take me, he touched my private parts,'" Miller said. "I went outside and saw him walking down the sidewalk."
Miller said she and her husband both tried to chase McPherson down the street by foot before her husband got in his car and followed McPherson until he was ultimately apprehended by Hamilton Police.
Miller said she's already seeking counseling for her daughter and the family is looking into moving, which Miller said is at her daughter's request.
McPherson is currently being held in Butler County Jail on a 5th degree felony abduction charge.
It is unclear when McPherson will next appear in court.
CNN has reached out to McPherson's attorney for comment.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/mom-of-6-year-old-girl-thankful-doorbell-camera-captured-alleged-attempted-abduction/article_9e577774-15d5-5a7e-a41b-d79872a0b882.html | 2022-08-27T01:06:01Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/mom-of-6-year-old-girl-thankful-doorbell-camera-captured-alleged-attempted-abduction/article_9e577774-15d5-5a7e-a41b-d79872a0b882.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
'God knows I am not guilty': Bound Brook man gets 50 years for murder
SOMERVILLE – Ryan Keogh, found guilty by a jury in April of murdering Terrence C. Coulanges on Jan. 9, 2019 in Bound Brook, was sentenced on Friday to 50 years in state prison without parole by Superior Court Judge Peter Tober.
"I am not a cold, calculated killer," Keogh told the judge before he was sentenced. "God knows I am not guilty."
The sentencing came after the judge turned down a request by Keogh's lawyers to overturn the verdict and order a new trial because of testimony in the 25-day trial by a jailhouse informant, Barrick Wesley.
Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor Frank Kolodzieski told the judge that even without Wesley's testimony, the jury would have found Keogh guilty.
The jury did not accept Keogh's defense that he shot Coulanges, an Old Bridge resident, in self-defense.
Jonathan Petty, who with his partner William Fetky represented Keogh, said he would appeal the verdict.
In addition to the 50-year sentence on the murder charge, Keogh was given an additional three years on a charge of endangering a victim for not calling 911 immediately after the shooting. Prosecutors had said that 911 was not called until almost two hours after Keogh shot Coulanges twice on the front porch of his family's Farm Lane home.
Related:Court rules Bound Brook parents' statements can be used against them in trial
Keogh faced a maximum sentence of life in prison, which in New Jersey is defined as 75 years.
The investigation began at 7:36 p.m. Jan. 9, 2019, when the Middlesex Borough Police Department received a 911 call reporting shots fired at a Farm Lane home in Bound Brook.
Bound Brook police went to the scene and found Coulanges outside the home with gunshot wounds to the right thigh and left chest.
Police and medical personnel started life-saving measures. Coulanges was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he was pronounced dead.
But detectives interviewed neighbors who said they heard gunshots around 5:45 p.m. that day.
The investigation found that Keogh, along with his parents, left the home after the shooting. A 911 call was placed at 7:36 p.m., an hour and 51 minutes after Coulanges was shot.
'The Keoghs stole my son from me'
The sentencing followed a tense and emotional court session where relatives of both Coulanges and Keogh spoke.
Lisa Myrick, Coulanges' mother, called Keogh "a monster" and said that neither he nor his parents have shown any remorse.
"The Keoghs stole my son from me," she said.
Myrick berated the Keoghs for not immediately calling 911.
"Even a 6-year-old knows to call 911 in an emergency," she said.
Myrick said her son, "who was too trusting of people," was "treated like disposable waste."
"I as a mother should not have to bury my children," she said.
"Imagine if they had called 911," she said.
Members of Coulanges' family sobbed as Kolodzieski showed a two-and-half-minute video of Coulanges, who had been a motivational speaker, singing and delivering a spiritual message
But Keogh's parents maintained the killing was in self-defense.
"My son is guilty of killing someone he considered a brother in self-defense," Ryan's mother Cindy said. "By no means was this murder. He was put in a position where he felt had to defend himself and his family from someone who had been threatening all of us numerous times, both in person and on social media."
"We are not monsters," she said.
Keogh’s father David told the judge that the trial was a "travesty of justice" and that "his son does not have a violent or malicious bone in his body."
David Keogh said he was looking forward "to the unwarranted verdict being overturned."
Kolodzieski, who asked Tober to give Keogh a life sentence, said Keogh has not shown remorse for the killing. He also said that Keogh had lied to police when he said Coulanges had come to the house with a gun, but testimony revealed Coulanges was unarmed, and Keogh had a gun.
Kolodzieski said Wesley testified that while at the Somerset County Jail, he heard Keogh trying to develop a strategy for a self-defense case.
Wesley was sentenced Aug. 9 by Tober to four years in state prison on a theft charge.
Tober said that on Thursday another jail inmate, who appeared in his court on a motion to drop his attorney, told the judge that Wesley told him to tell a story in court, "whether or not it is true," to get a better deal from the prosecutor.
The other inmate also said that Wesley told him that he had mental health issues.
In asking for an overturned verdict and a new trial, Petty called Wesley "the least credible person on the face of the Earth" and has a "career of lying in court."
In one instance, Petty said, Wesley had acted as a jailhouse informant and later recanted his testimony, leading to the state attorney general issuing new directives to meet a set of standards when relying upon jailhouse informants.
Petty said Wesley's "credibility is the whole case."
Before the sentencing, Keogh told the judge, "I was framed."
"I did not mean to kill him," he said, adding that Coulanges had come to the house "looking for a fight."
Keogh and Coulanges had known each other since they were teenagers. At one time they had both been aspiring rappers, and Coulanges had lived with the Keoghs for two years before they had a falling out in 2017.
Coulanges’ parents told police that their son still had a laptop and some clothes at the Bound Brook house.
Keogh told Tober that he had helped Coulanges in a number of ways, including giving him money.
"I am not a murderer," he said. "I am a protector. I kept him out of trouble."
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital a | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/26/bound-brook-nj-murder-sentencing-ryan-keogh/65458608007/ | 2022-08-27T01:06:43Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/26/bound-brook-nj-murder-sentencing-ryan-keogh/65458608007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Plainfield man sentenced to jail again for Route 22 McDonald's robbery
ELIZABETH – A Plainfield man was sentenced to nine years in state prison following his conviction, for the second time, of the robbery of a Scotch Plains McDonald’s where he formerly worked.
Thomas H. Outland, 54, was sentenced Friday by Union County Superior Court Judge Robert A. Kirsch, announced Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel.
Outland must serve a minimum of 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole under New Jersey's No Early Release Act. His nine-year prison sentence is to run consecutively to a previous 16-year sentence in an April 2014 unrelated robbery, Daniel said.
Around 12:30 a.m. Sept. 4, 2015, Outland and an unidentified co-conspirator, both of whom were wearing masks and brandishing firearms, entered an unlocked door at the McDonald’s on Route 22 in Scotch Plains, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutors Aran McNerney and Marilyn Muller, who handled the case.
The unidentified suspect then began demanding the cellphones of some of the employees who were cleaning the restaurant at the end of their shift while Outland, a former employee of the restaurant, began walking toward the manager’s office, where the safe was located. Outland was met by one of the store employees, who loudly announced that Outland’s weapon was fake and suggested Outland could get killed.
Outland removed his mask, lowered his imitation firearm and announced to the restaurant workers that he was just pulling a joke, according to the prosecutor’s office. He and the second suspect, who never removed his mask, then returned the employees’ cellphones and left the area, the prosecutor's office said.
Following an investigation by the Scotch Plains Police Department, Outland was arrested in January 2016 and indicted a month later.
In June 2017, Outland was found guilty by a Union County jury of conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of an imitation firearm, but that conviction was overturned in March 2021 by the New Jersey Supreme Court on the grounds Outland was improperly denied the right to represent himself at trial. Outland chose not to represent himself at the second trial that lasted six days earlier this year. He was again convicted on the same charges.
The 2015 Scotch Plains robbery took place when Outland was free on bail in connection with an unrelated robbery that took place in April 2014. A jury convicted Outland on multiple charges associated with that crime in May of 2016 and he was sentenced to an extended term of 16 years in state prison for the robbery charges.
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/2022/08/26/plainfield-scotch-plains-nj-mcdonalds-robbery/65459175007/ | 2022-08-27T01:06:44Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/crime/2022/08/26/plainfield-scotch-plains-nj-mcdonalds-robbery/65459175007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
FURNAS COUNTY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in Nebraska are trying to determine who released 16 million gallons of water by opening a dam on an irrigation channel one night this month — and why.
The puzzling water release from the Cambridge Canal reduced the flow to some 18,000 acres of crops and jeopardized expensive irrigation equipment, according to Brad Edgerton, the general manager of the Frenchman Cambridge Irrigation District that runs the nearly 48-mile-long waterway.
The canal was flowing at its normal rate of 150 cubic feet per second when Edgerton checked on his computer on the night of Aug. 13, but by the following morning the flow had been cut in half. Something had happened at the canal’s dam near the town of Cambridge, about 200 miles west of Lincoln.
Edgerton drove there and discovered that someone had wrenched open the dam’s two 10-foot sluice gates, sending the precious water down the Republican River. He estimates that about 50-acre-feet of water was lost during the roughly eight hours that the gates were open, and that the water was worth around $2,600 based on the $52-per-acre-foot price that farmers pay.
“It was an unfortunate situation. In the scheme of things, it wasn’t a lot of water, but it was an inconvenience,” he said.
Edgerton scrambled to notify farmers downstream about the problem, called the sheriff and contacted the Bureau of Reclamation to get more water released from the Harry Strunk Reservoir to replenish the canal.
Furnas County Sheriff Doug Brown told the Lincoln Journal Star that he could only guess why someone would release the water.
“There are a lot of different scenarios and theories,” he said. “But there is no evidence to lean one way or another, so all theories are still viable.”
Edgerton said he thinks the sheriff is following up on every rumor he hears but so far is stumped.
“I don’t believe they’re any closer to solving it,” he said Thursday.
It’s not clear if any state law governs the act of releasing canal water back into a river — or provides penalties — but Furnas County Attorney Patrick Calkins said he’ll try to find one if the sheriff does find out who grabbed the hand crank wheel from where it hung nearby and used it to open the gates.
“If we get information on who did this, I’d look at charging that person with something,” Calkins said. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/nebraska-news/nebraska-authorities-baffled-by-missing-canal-water-mystery/ | 2022-08-27T01:10:33Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/nebraska-news/nebraska-authorities-baffled-by-missing-canal-water-mystery/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – As states across the country move to restrict abortion access, the White House is working to protect it.
President Joe Biden held a roundtable discussion on Friday with local leaders to talk about what comes next. During the discussion, leaders from across the country got to share their thoughts on reproductive rights with the president and his team.
White House Gender Policy Council official Jen Klein says getting to hear from them is an important part of the administration’s work.
“We’re hearing from state and local officials about what they’re seeing and the challenges that they’re facing and how the administration can help them,” Klein said.
Local leaders also say the conversations are critical as they partner with the Biden administration and each other to try to find creative ways to protect access to abortion in their states.
President Biden has already issued executive orders meant to ensure women can travel to receive and have privacy around reproductive health care.
Judge Lina Hidalgo from Harris County, Texas wants to see more federal action.
“My message to the president is we need help. We’re the last line of defense and right now we need support,” Hidalgo said. “In terms of funding for contraceptive care, in terms of support transporting women who need abortion out of state, fighting these laws in court.”
Durham, North Carolina Mayor Elaine O’Neal says cooperation with the federal government is crucial.
“It really has to be a coordinated effort,” O’Neal said.
Mount Vernon, New York Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard says states with abortion access have an important role in helping women in other states.
“We must provide a safe haven for them. We have to increase the access that’s available for those who have to cross state lines,” Patterson-Howard said.
Kansas State Sen. Dinah Sykes hopes her state’s recent vote to keep abortion rights in the Kansas Constitution serves as a powerful example.
“It’s going to take everyday citizens engaging so that we can right this ship,” Sykes said.
Ultimately, the president says the real solution is for voters to elect representatives that will pass federal abortion protections. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/washington/washington-dc/white-house-leans-on-local-leaders-in-fight-for-abortion-access/ | 2022-08-27T01:10:41Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/washington/washington-dc/white-house-leans-on-local-leaders-in-fight-for-abortion-access/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WALHALLA, S.C. (WSPA) – Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested a Pickens County man on charges involving sexual conduct with a minor.
Deputies said Joseph Henry Nix, 37, was booked into Oconee County Detention Center on August, 25 for Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor – 3rd Degree.
Nix, was taken into custody by law enforcement in Pickens County and later taken by the Oconee County deputies, they said.
Deputies said the investigation began in June after they received a report which stated Nix had inappropriately touched a child in the Seneca area.
Deputies said the investigation confirmed Nix touched one child between September 2021 through June 2022.
Nix is in jail and was denied bond, said deputies, he will appear in court at a later time.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Department said it is continuing its investigation at this time. | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/pickens-co-man-arrested-for-sexual-conduct-with-a-child/ | 2022-08-27T01:12:10Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/pickens-co-man-arrested-for-sexual-conduct-with-a-child/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Matt Shakman Officially Steps Down as the Director of Star Trek 4
Earlier today, word got out that Matt Shakman is in talks to replace Jon Watts as the director of Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot. But as expected, it’s going to cost him another high-profile directing gig. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Shakman is departing Paramount’s Star Trek 4, which clears enough room in his schedule for him to concentrate on Marvel’s First Family.
Shakman previously signed on to direct Star Trek 4 last summer. Unfortunately, the sequel’s development has been fraught with complications. During February’s ViacomCBS Investor Day presentation, Paramount announced that the film would start shooting in late 2022 with the Kelvin timeline cast back in play. But this reportedly came as a surprise to the actors themselves, who (as far as we know) still haven’t officially signed on to return. And the last we heard, none of them had even seen a completed script.
In any case, Star Trek 4 would have to start production by the end of this year in order to hit theaters on December 22, 2023 as planned. But with Shakman vacating the director’s chair, this seems unlikely to happen. It also would have been extremely difficult for Shakman to jump from the Star Trek sequel to Fantastic Four without enough time to handle post-production from the former and pre-production for the latter. Presumably Shakman needs to start filming Fantastic Four by early next year if it is going to be ready by its November 2024 release date. Shakman is also directing the first two episodes of Legendary’s MonsterVerse series for Apple TV+, which began shooting in June.
RELATED: Matt Shakman In Negotiations To Direct Marvel’s Fantastic Four Reboot
“Matt Shakman is an incredibly talented filmmaker, and we regret the timing didn’t align for him to direct our upcoming Star Trek film,” said Paramount in a new statement. “We are grateful for his many contributions, are excited about the creative vision of this next chapter and look forward to bringing it to audiences all around world.”
THR’s earlier story confirming Shakman’s Fantastic Four involvement revealed that Marvel was also considering Reid Carolin (Dog) and Michael Matthews (Love and Monsters) to direct the reboot. Apparently, Matthews and Shakman were the two finalists. But given Marvel’s prior relationship with Shakman for directing the WandaVision series, the studio picked him.
How do you feel about Shakman leaving Star Trek 4? Who should Paramount hire to replace him? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Star Trek Book: Strange New Worlds Boldly Explained (Big Ideas Simply Explained)
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. | https://www.superherohype.com/movies/518421-matt-shakman-officially-steps-down-as-the-director-of-star-trek-4 | 2022-08-27T01:20:38Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/movies/518421-matt-shakman-officially-steps-down-as-the-director-of-star-trek-4 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ATLANTA (AP) — The prosecutor investigating whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 election in Georgia is seeking information about the alleged involvement of a Trump ally in the breach of voting equipment at a county roughly 200 miles south of her Atlanta office.
The widening of the probe highlights the latest instance in which unauthorized people appear to have gained access to voting equipment since the 2020 election, primarily in battleground states lost by Trump. Election experts have raised concerns that sensitive information shared online about the equipment may have exposed vulnerabilities that could be exploited by people intent on disrupting future elections.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking to have attorney Sidney Powell, who tried persistently to overturn Trump's loss, testify before a special grand jury seated for the investigation into possible illegal election interference. In her court petition filed Thursday, Willis said Powell is "known to be affiliated" with Trump and the Trump campaign and has unique knowledge about her communications with them and others "involved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere."
The scope of Willis' criminal investigation has expanded considerably since it began, prompted by a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump suggested Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could "find" the votes needed to overturn Trump's narrow election loss in the state. Among other things, Willis wrote that she wants to ask Powell about rural Coffee County, where Trump beat President Joe Biden by nearly 40 percentage points.
Emails and other records first reported this month by The Washington Post and also obtained by The Associated Press show that Powell was involved in arranging for a team from data solutions company SullivanStrickler to travel to the county's elections office.
The records were produced in response to subpoenas issued by plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit that alleges Georgia's voting machines, which are manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems, are vulnerable to attack. The plaintiffs want the machines replaced by a system that uses hand-marked paper ballots.
The lawsuit filed by the Coalition for Good Governance and individual voters long predates and is unrelated to false allegations of widespread election fraud pushed by Trump and his allies.
Dominion has filed defamation lawsuits against high-profile Trump supporters, including Powell, who made false claims about Dominion voting machines being used to steal the 2020 election.
In an email sent to Powell on Jan. 7, 2021, SullivanStrickler COO Paul Maggio said he and his team were "on our way to Coffee County Georgia to collect what we can from the Election/Voting machines and systems." He included an invoice for an "initial retainer" of $26,000 to pay for a team of four people for one day. The subject of the invoice is "Voting Machines Analysis."
"Everything went smoothly yesterday with the Coffee County collection. Everyone involved was extremely helpful," Maggio wrote in an email the next day. "We are consolidating all of the data collected and will be uploading it to our secure site for access by your team."
A document listing the contents of Maggio's hard drive shows that it includes forensic images of an election management system server, a precinct tabulator, compact flash cards and thumb drives used to program tabulators and touchscreen voting machines, a computer used to check in voters and a laptop computer supplied by Dominion. It also includes scanned images of paper ballots from the January 2021 U.S. Senate runoff election.
The company defended its actions in a statement sent by its attorney, Amanda Clark Palmer.
"SullivanStrickler was retained by and took direction from licensed, practicing attorneys to preserve and forensically copy the Dominion Voting Machines used in the 2020 election," the statement said. "The firm had no reason to believe that, as officers of the court, these attorneys would ask or direct SullivanStrickler to do anything either improper or illegal."
The attorneys told the firm to contact county election officials to access certain data and then to distribute it to certain other people, the statement said. The company maintains that "at the time they engaged in that work, they were operating under the good faith belief that their client was authorized to access the voting machines and servers."
"With the benefit of hindsight, and knowing everything they know now, they would not take on any further work of this kind," the statement said, adding that the company intends to fully cooperate with any investigation.
Willis noted that there also is "evidence in the public record" that Powell was involved in similar efforts in Michigan and Nevada around the same time. A lawyer representing Powell didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Ryan Germany, general counsel for the Georgia secretary of state's office, said in a declaration filed in court on Aug. 2 that the office opened an investigation in mid-March and brought in an expert to perform a forensic inspection of the Coffee County election server. The next steps, he said, are to complete the forensic investigation and interview witnesses.
The secretary of state's office requested help earlier this month from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which on Aug. 15 opened "a computer trespass investigation of a Coffee County elections server," spokesperson Nelly Miles said in an email.
The Coffee County case appears similar to breaches of voting equipment elsewhere. In addition to Georgia, these include local election offices in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Colorado.
During an event last summer held by Trump ally Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO who has sought to prove voting machines are being manipulated, copies of voting systems from Mesa County, Colorado, and Antrim County, Michigan, were distributed and made available online.
A month earlier, Pennsylvania election officials decertified voting equipment used in one county — also named Fulton — after officials there allowed an outside firm access to "certain key components of its certified system, including the county's election database, results files, and Windows systems logs." The firm also was allowed to make copies of voting system hard drives.
In Mesa County, Colorado, Clerk Tina Peters and her deputy were indicted in connection with a May 2021 security breach at the election office. Prosecutors allege the pair were part of a "deceptive scheme" to provide access to their voting system technology to unauthorized individuals.
This week, the deputy clerk, Belinda Knisley, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Peters, who has denied wrongdoing and claimed she had an obligation to investigate.
Also in Colorado, state election officials have been investigating a potential breach in Elbert County, where they say the clerk made two copies of the county's voting system and provided them to two attorneys not authorized to have them.
In Antrim County, Michigan, a judge had allowed a forensic exam of voting equipment after a brief mix-up of 2020 election results led to a lawsuit alleging fraud. The lawsuit was dismissed, but somehow a copy of the voting system ended up being distributed publicly at the Lindell event, according to attendees.
Michigan authorities also are investigating security breaches at four local election offices that are alleged to have occurred between March and late June 2021. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/trump-election-probe-in-georgia-cites-voting-system-breach | 2022-08-27T01:23:24Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/trump-election-probe-in-georgia-cites-voting-system-breach | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Police: Mother arrested after child found outside in heat, covered in feces
SURPRISE, Ariz. (Arizona’s Family/Gray News) - A mother in Arizona has been arrested after her son was found reportedly living in deplorable conditions.
Arizona’s Family reports 29-year-old Cheyenne Fenney was taken into custody on Thursday on a count of child abuse after police found her 2-year-old son outside, alone and covered in animal feces.
Police said they were called to the neighborhood regarding reports of a child walking outside unattended on a sidewalk.
Arriving officers said they found a 2-year-old boy, wearing only a diaper and pants, outside in temperatures that were about 102 degrees. Authorities noted that the boy was covered in what appeared to be animal feces from head to toe.
Witnesses told police the child was wandering around for over an hour before the boy’s mother came outside looking for him.
According to officers, they went to Fenney’s home to make contact with her when they found feces and urine throughout the house from five dogs and two cats living there.
Investigators said Fenney’s other child, an adult who also lives at the home, told them that Fenney leaves the boy to care for himself as she stays in her room all day until he comes home.
Police said the child was evaluated and given medical attention before being turned over to the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
Copyright 2022 Arizona's Family via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/27/police-mother-arrested-after-child-found-outside-heat-covered-feces/ | 2022-08-27T01:23:37Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/27/police-mother-arrested-after-child-found-outside-heat-covered-feces/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Community comes together for clothing and food drive
Bob Fickling and the Macon Housing Moving to Success organization are hosting a “Pop Up Dress Up” clothing and food drive Saturday.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Bob Fickling and the Macon Housing Moving to Success organization are hosting a “Pop Up Dress Up” clothing and food drive Saturday.
The drive will offer free formal clothes and groceries, including canned goods, chicken and fresh produce.
Rick Douglas, the owner of the Community Closet which is helping provide free suits, says a suit can change someone’s mentality.
“Sometimes we have guys that have never had a suit in their life, and they’ll be like 30, 40, 50 years old,” he said. “A good suit will change your whole attitude about your appearance.”
The food donations are made possible by a $35,000 Food Distribution Grant approved by Macon-Bibb Commissioners in March.
The clothing drive will be held in the Northeast High School and new Appling Middle School parking lot Saturday. It starts at 11 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. | https://www.41nbc.com/community-comes-together-for-clothing-and-food-drive/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:26Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/community-comes-together-for-clothing-and-food-drive/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Community comes together for clothing and food drive
Bob Fickling and the Macon Housing Moving to Success organization are hosting a “Pop Up Dress Up” clothing and food drive Saturday.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Bob Fickling and the Macon Housing Moving to Success organization are hosting a “Pop Up Dress Up” clothing and food drive Saturday.
The drive will offer free formal clothes and groceries, including canned goods, chicken and fresh produce.
Rick Douglas, the owner of the Community Closet which is helping provide free suits, says a suit can change someone’s mentality.
“Sometimes we have guys that have never had a suit in their life, and they’ll be like 30, 40, 50 years old,” he said. “A good suit will change your whole attitude about your appearance.”
The food donations are made possible by a $35,000 Food Distribution Grant approved by Macon-Bibb Commissioners in March.
The clothing drive will be held in the Northeast High School and new Appling Middle School parking lot Saturday. It starts at 11 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m. | https://www.41nbc.com/community-comes-together-for-clothing-and-food-drive/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:26Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/community-comes-together-for-clothing-and-food-drive/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Fort Valley State University receives grant to continue McNair Program
Fort Valley State University will continue giving students an opportunity to pursue a doctorate degrees.
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Fort Valley State University will continue giving students an opportunity to pursue a doctorate degrees.
This is thanks to a $1.3 million grant for its McNair Program.
Each year, the program helps 25 income eligible students conduct research. It also gives them the opportunity to attend seminars and summer internships and helps with financial assistance for enrollment.
One of the students in the program, Kha’Mya Moore, says she heard about the program through her family. Moore says the program is a benefit to her and other students.
“I was kind of afraid thinking that I probably wouldn’t be able to, but now that I’m in the McNair Program and I had this opportunity, I’m not afraid to go on and continue my work,” she said.
Funding for the program will last until 2027. | https://www.41nbc.com/fort-valley-state-university-receives-grant-to-continue-mcnair-program/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:32Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/fort-valley-state-university-receives-grant-to-continue-mcnair-program/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fort Valley State University receives grant to continue McNair Program
Fort Valley State University will continue giving students an opportunity to pursue a doctorate degrees.
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Fort Valley State University will continue giving students an opportunity to pursue a doctorate degrees.
This is thanks to a $1.3 million grant for its McNair Program.
Each year, the program helps 25 income eligible students conduct research. It also gives them the opportunity to attend seminars and summer internships and helps with financial assistance for enrollment.
One of the students in the program, Kha’Mya Moore, says she heard about the program through her family. Moore says the program is a benefit to her and other students.
“I was kind of afraid thinking that I probably wouldn’t be able to, but now that I’m in the McNair Program and I had this opportunity, I’m not afraid to go on and continue my work,” she said.
Funding for the program will last until 2027. | https://www.41nbc.com/fort-valley-state-university-receives-grant-to-continue-mcnair-program/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:32Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/fort-valley-state-university-receives-grant-to-continue-mcnair-program/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Peach County High School implements new security measures at athletic events
Peach County High School is taking precautionary measures to make sure its fans are safe during athletic events.
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Peach County High School is taking precautionary measures to make sure its fans are safe during athletic events.
If you’re planning to attend a PCHS sports event, you’ll now have to go through a metal detector.
It’s just one of the safety measures athletics director Greg Ellison says are now in place.
“We know what’s going on around the nation, around the state, so we want to get ahead of it and have some precautions put in place,” he said.
If you plan to attend a game, you should know there’s now a clear bag policy.
You also won’t be allowed to gather at the concession stands.
Gates will now open open an hour and half earlier to help with the metal detector process.
It’s a change Ellison says is a benefit.
“Fans will know they can come to Peach County High School, to the football field or basketball, baseball, and feel safe” he said. “They can bring their families out. Kids can be in a safe environment without the fear of something happening.”
The changes are making football players like Christian Martin look forward to seeing his friends and family cheering him on during football games.
“I just want everybody to be safe and be able to have great games and win,” he said.
Prior to these security measures, the school had none in place Although the games may look a little different this year, there will be one feeling that stays the same.
“We want everybody cheering on Peach County High School,” Ellison said. “We’re going to need all the cheers we can get, so that’s all we ask.”
You can see the full list of security measures on the Peach County School District’s website. | https://www.41nbc.com/peach-county-high-school-implements-new-security-measures-at-athletic-events/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:38Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/peach-county-high-school-implements-new-security-measures-at-athletic-events/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Peach County High School implements new security measures at athletic events
Peach County High School is taking precautionary measures to make sure its fans are safe during athletic events.
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Peach County High School is taking precautionary measures to make sure its fans are safe during athletic events.
If you’re planning to attend a PCHS sports event, you’ll now have to go through a metal detector.
It’s just one of the safety measures athletics director Greg Ellison says are now in place.
“We know what’s going on around the nation, around the state, so we want to get ahead of it and have some precautions put in place,” he said.
If you plan to attend a game, you should know there’s now a clear bag policy.
You also won’t be allowed to gather at the concession stands.
Gates will now open open an hour and half earlier to help with the metal detector process.
It’s a change Ellison says is a benefit.
“Fans will know they can come to Peach County High School, to the football field or basketball, baseball, and feel safe” he said. “They can bring their families out. Kids can be in a safe environment without the fear of something happening.”
The changes are making football players like Christian Martin look forward to seeing his friends and family cheering him on during football games.
“I just want everybody to be safe and be able to have great games and win,” he said.
Prior to these security measures, the school had none in place Although the games may look a little different this year, there will be one feeling that stays the same.
“We want everybody cheering on Peach County High School,” Ellison said. “We’re going to need all the cheers we can get, so that’s all we ask.”
You can see the full list of security measures on the Peach County School District’s website. | https://www.41nbc.com/peach-county-high-school-implements-new-security-measures-at-athletic-events/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:38Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/peach-county-high-school-implements-new-security-measures-at-athletic-events/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
THE END ZONE SCOREBOARD: Scores from Week 2 of high school football
Here are Middle Georgia's high school football scores from Week 2.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Here are Middle Georgia’s high school football scores from Week 2.
Games featured on The End Zone:
Perry , Houston County
Northside , Peach County
Howard , Central
Westside , Southwest
Stratford , Westfield
***For highlights to the games featured on The End Zone, click here.***
Other scores:
Pacelli , Tattnall
Mount de Sales , Brentwood
Spalding , Mary Persons
Sawinsboro , Washington County
Bleckley County , Wilcox County
Rutland , Hawkinsville
Macon County , Clinch County
Taylor County , Crawford County
Veterans , Griffin
Jones County , Dacula
Baldwin , Putnam County
West Laurens , Dodge County | https://www.41nbc.com/the-end-zone-scoreboard-scores-from-week-2-of-high-school-football-2/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:44Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/the-end-zone-scoreboard-scores-from-week-2-of-high-school-football-2/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
THE END ZONE SCOREBOARD: Scores from Week 2 of high school football
Here are Middle Georgia's high school football scores from Week 2.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Here are Middle Georgia’s high school football scores from Week 2.
Games featured on The End Zone:
Perry , Houston County
Northside , Peach County
Howard , Central
Westside , Southwest
Stratford , Westfield
***For highlights to the games featured on The End Zone, click here.***
Other scores:
Pacelli , Tattnall
Mount de Sales , Brentwood
Spalding , Mary Persons
Sawinsboro , Washington County
Bleckley County , Wilcox County
Rutland , Hawkinsville
Macon County , Clinch County
Taylor County , Crawford County
Veterans , Griffin
Jones County , Dacula
Baldwin , Putnam County
West Laurens , Dodge County | https://www.41nbc.com/the-end-zone-scoreboard-scores-from-week-2-of-high-school-football-2/ | 2022-08-27T01:24:44Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/the-end-zone-scoreboard-scores-from-week-2-of-high-school-football-2/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Lausanne: Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Friday scripted yet another historic feat as he became the first Indian to clinch a Diamond League Meet title by winning the Lausanne leg here.
The 24-year-old Chopra, who had pulled out of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games due to a "minor" groin injury he had suffered while winning a silver during the World Championships last month, hurled the spear to 89.08m in his first attempt to seal the win in style.
Chopra rested and rehabilitated for a month but it looked like the injury had not happened at all as he continued his vintage form. The 89.08m throw was his third career-best effort. His second throw measured 85.18m before passing on his third attempt.
His fourth throw was a foul while he again passed his fifth attempt before coming up with 80.04m in the sixth and last round. Only the top three after the fifth round get the sixth throw.
The youngster from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana became the first Indian to win a Diamond League crown.
Before Chopra, discus thrower Vikas Gowda is the only Indian to have finished in top-three in a Diamond League Meet. Gowda had finished second twice -- in New York in 2012 and in Doha in 2014 -- and third on two occasions -- Shanghai and Eugene in 2015.
Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch finished second with a best throw of 85.88m while Curtis Thompson of USA was third with a best effort of 83.72m.
Chopra also qualified for the Diamond League Finals in Zurich on September 7 and 8. He also became the first Indian to do so. He also qualified for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary by breaching the 85.20m qualifying mark.
Chopra had finished second in the Stockholm leg of the prestigious event behind world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada with a national record throw of 89.94m, just 6cm short of the 90m mark, the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.
Peters is recovering from an injury after he was assaulted inside a boat in his country earlier this month.
In the World Championships in Eugene, USA, he was not in the medal position till the third round but here Chopra was leading from the first throw till the end though the eight-man field was not so strong. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/26/neeraj-chopra-lausanne-diamond-league-javelin-throw.amp.html | 2022-08-27T01:27:31Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/26/neeraj-chopra-lausanne-diamond-league-javelin-throw.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Delhi: India's Linthoi Chanambam claimed a historic gold at the World Cadet Judo Championship in Sarajevo, becoming the first from the country to win a medal in the tournament across any age-group.
The 15-year-old from Manipur prevailed over Brazil's Bianca Reis in the final to finish on top of the podium in the women's 57kg contest at the Arena Hotel Hills.
"I really don't have the words and cannot explain how I am feeling right now. I only know that I'm very happy with this victory, and I hope to build on this," said Linthoi, after her feat.
In July, she won a gold and opened India's medal account on the third day of the Asian Cadet & Junior Judo Championship 2022 at Bangkok.
Linthoi claimed her gold medal in the 63kg category of the cadet event.
One of India's brightest prospects on the Judo mat, Linthoi first showed glimpses of her talent when she won gold at the Sub-junior National Championships in 2018.
A part of the IIS' judo programme since 2017, she has been on several exposure trips under the guidance of head coach Mamuka Kizilashvili, including camps at the University of Tsukuba, in Japan, Georgia and most recently in Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of the World Cadet Championships.
In November last year, Linthoi struck gold at the National Championships in Chandigarh, followed by another at the Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championships, in Bangkok, in July.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) took note of the young athlete's remarkable achievement on Friday.
"LINTHOI WINS's 1st EVER GOLD AT WORLDS. Reigning Asian Champion Linthoi Chanambam (W-57kg) defeat's Bianca Reis 1-0 to win at Cadet World C'ships 2022. She scripts history to become Champion by winning 1st ever medal for India at the Worlds across any age-group," the SAI tweeted. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/27/indian-linthoi-chanambam-wins-historic-judo-gold-world-cadet-championship.amp.html | 2022-08-27T01:27:44Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/27/indian-linthoi-chanambam-wins-historic-judo-gold-world-cadet-championship.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:
Actor Aubrey Plaza has a knack for playing brooding characters with deadpan comedy, like her big breakout role, April in the NBC sitcom "Parks And Recreation."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "PARKS AND RECREATION")
AUBREY PLAZA: (As April Ludgate) I think I may have found a project I'd actually enjoy doing - helping these cats and dogs. They should be rewarded for not being people. I hate people.
ESTRIN: Her newest film, though, is all brooding and no comedy. It's called "Emily The Criminal," and Aubrey Plaza plays Emily, an art school dropout who turns to credit card fraud. Aubrey Plaza, welcome.
PLAZA: Thank you for having me, Daniel.
ESTRIN: Thank you for being here. Who is Emily? She's a very compelling character. Talk about Emily.
PLAZA: OK. Emily Benetto is a woman from New Jersey who finds herself in Los Angeles after attending art school and taking out all kinds of student loans - also, after having a criminal record. So she finds herself in Los Angeles kind of trying to navigate the world of trying to get a job as someone with a criminal record and someone that's drowning in debt. And she's, you know, having a really hard time. And she gets tipped off by a co-worker about a very, very kind of small, petty crime operation involving credit card fraud.
ESTRIN: What drew you to her character when you read the script?
PLAZA: Well, first of all, the script is an awesome read. I love the character because she is an unapologetic antihero, which is a protagonist that we don't get to see females play that much in films - we see a lot of male antiheroes - and I love how flawed she is, and I love the grind that she's in and how she - the movie starts off, and she's already had enough.
ESTRIN: There's this great moment in the film where Emily is finally being interviewed for a job at an ad agency. It's finally a legit job. She has a chance at it. And then she realizes it's not quite what she expected. It's actually an unpaid internship.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "EMILY THE CRIMINAL")
GINA GERSHON: (As Alice) You do realize this is a very competitive position?
PLAZA: (As Emily Benetto) Yeah, sure. I understand that. What I don't understand is how you feel so comfortable asking someone to work without pay.
GERSHON: (As Alice) You know, when I was your age, they told me all I could be was a secretary.
PLAZA: (As Emily Benetto) OK, but secretaries get paid.
GERSHON: (As Alice) That's not the point.
PLAZA: (As Emily Benetto) Well, when you were my age, did you have $60,000 of debt?
GERSHON: (As Alice) How about this? When I was your age, I was the only woman in a room full of men.
PLAZA: (As Emily Benetto) But you had a job.
ESTRIN: Talk to me about that scene. It's - she doesn't let anyone push her around. What is it about that moment that speaks to you?
PLAZA: OK. Well, this scene in the film is one of the reasons why I wanted to do this movie because it's such a great scene. It's so nuanced. There's so many left turns that you don't expect, you know? And it's kind of in the middle of the film, and it's a real turning point for her character because she's confronted by this businesswoman, this boss. She can see herself in this woman, and she can see that this woman has played the game and made it up the corporate ladder and has found herself in a powerful position. And I think it's just - for me, it's cathartic to watch someone actually ask the questions and air out their frustrations that we all have about how insane it is that so many people coming out of college are just so overqualified and so underpaid, and it's just so hard to navigate this economy and this broken system that we have found ourselves in.
ESTRIN: I mean, it seems like there's a message that can appeal to a young generation today - people in their 20s after college trying to get a job in the thing that they studied and the thing that they love, but they're saddled with student debt. Do you have friends who have faced that? Is that something that resonates with you?
PLAZA: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the writer/director, John Patton Ford, I mean, he's writing from his own personal experience. And yeah, I mean, I went to film school. So, you know, so many of my friends are in that position. And yeah, I mean, it's an entire generation - young people that are in that position.
ESTRIN: Yeah. You know, a lot of the characters you portray - tell me if I'm right - are grounded in this kind of subdued rage across a lot of the film and TV that you've done. Sometimes there's comedy there. Sometimes there's not, like in this film. Most of the time, there is comedy. Where does that come from you?
PLAZA: Subdued rage - you know, that's something that I'm going to talk to my therapist about in an hour. I'm going to write that down.
ESTRIN: Good. Good.
PLAZA: I think definitely there are times when my characters have subdued rage, for sure. I wonder if it's a different feeling that's being subdued - something is being subdued. I don't know. I think I am drawn to characters that have a real high-stakes need and want in the film. And I think most of the stories that I end up finding myself in, it's about a character trying to get their power back. And I think, you know, for me to access that feeling and that drive and be able to kind of try out, you know, how a character would attempt to do that, I think that it does - yeah, you need to have an underlying rage or whatever you want to call it.
ESTRIN: Maybe it's more like self-indignation or just that feeling of unfairness in the world.
PLAZA: Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I feel misunderstood. I really relate to that feeling. And I think a lot of the characters that I play are misunderstood, and they want to be loved or they want to be understood or they want to not have people walk all over them. I relate to that.
ESTRIN: A lot of high-stakes scenes we see in this movie involving you, your character, Emily, going into stores with a fake credit card or a credit card with a stolen number, trying to buy a TV. Maybe it'll work. Maybe it won't. While I'm on the line of probing questions, have you ever stolen anything?
PLAZA: No, I don't think so - not on purpose. I have too much Catholic guilt, and I grew up, you know, with the wrath of God kind of floating around in my psyche, so no.
ESTRIN: Actor and producer Aubrey Plaza - her new film, "Emily The Criminal," is in theaters now. Thanks for being here.
PLAZA: Thank you for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/movies-tv/movies-tv/2022-08-13/aubrey-plaza-goes-from-art-school-to-fraudster-in-emily-the-criminal | 2022-08-27T01:32:26Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/movies-tv/movies-tv/2022-08-13/aubrey-plaza-goes-from-art-school-to-fraudster-in-emily-the-criminal | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Councilmember Michael Cathcart is preparing to send a letter to Secretary Lisa Brown of the Washington State Department of Commerce regarding the siting of homeless services in West Spokane.
The draft letter was found in the City's public safety and community health agendas for 2022. It centers around the Trent homeless shelter that Council approved city administration negotiating a purchase for last month.
City Council says they continue to hear from neighborhoods that were not included in previous discussions regarding siting homeless services in the area.
"From a Spokane community perspective, reopening the discussions to allow for full City Council input, neighborhood representation, and an opportunity for all providers to be at the same table which creates a community-focused approach to seeking solutions while addressing current public concerns," Cathcart said in the letter.
Cathcart went on to say that the population of the large homeless camp near I-90 and Freya comes from across the region. Therefore, the solution must be a regional one.
"We represent the interests of many individuals, families and businesses who understand and support the need for housing options and are encouraged by the Department of Commerce's willingness to provide the Spokane community with funding resources; however, they also desire community engagement and a seat at the table. The overarching goal is to create a plan that advances our community's vision for inclusive progress," Cathcart said.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
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HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/homeless/spokane-trent-homeless-center-city-council/293-0b4fc230-607b-4631-bbcf-79032083337e | 2022-08-27T01:34:54Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/homeless/spokane-trent-homeless-center-city-council/293-0b4fc230-607b-4631-bbcf-79032083337e | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LAKEWOOD — A strong second-half effort by the Lakewood defense and quarterback Brayden Downen helped the Lancers earn their first win of the football season, as they beat visiting San Dimas 16-7 in a nonleague contest Thursday.
The game was a tale of two defenses that refused to budge for most of the night.
Downen, a senior, managed to break through the Saints’ defense to strike twice in the second half. He scored on a 30-yard run to give Lakewood the lead and then added a 70-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Cayden Clark to extend the lead to 16-7 with 8:13 left in the fourth quarter.
Following tonight’s game I had the opportunity to talk with Lancer QB @brayden_downen pic.twitter.com/41WKrnUgCP
— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) August 26, 2022
Downen threw for 132 yards and one touchdown and had one rushing TD.
The Saints (1-1), who won their season opener last week against Fullerton, were shut out in the second half by the Lancers (1-1).
San Dimas scored the first touchdown of the game when running back Brian Jackson was able to break free on a punt return.
Jackson was a key piece for the Saints as he also led the team in rushing with 66 yards.
In the second quarter, Lakewood got on the scoreboard with a 31-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Andrew Heang.
At halftime, the Saints led 7-3.
Lakewood had seven penalties in the first half, but just one in the second half, a sign of its sharper effort in the final two quarters.
Coming into the game, Lakewood coach Justin Utupo said his team’s defense was going to play a big role in the outcome.
“The trenches is where this game is going to be won,” Utupo said. “So we’re gonna fly around in the box and we’re gonna lean on our guys up front to get the job done.”
Pre game interview tonight with Lakewood Lancers head coach Justin Utupo for their game against San Dimas@JustinUtupo @LKWDFOOTBALL @LWoodAthletics @presstelegram @BeachVarsity #CIF #Highschoolfootball #Thursdaynightlights pic.twitter.com/f4nRKYK7hL
— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) August 26, 2022
Late in the third quarter, Downen gave his team its first lead of the game with a 30-yard touchdown run to make the score 10-7.
“I saw the linebacker flat out as my read, and then everybody just shifted over there,” Downen said. “I cut it back left and I just went down the sideline.”
He used his arm to extend the Lancers’ lead, as he connected on a 70-yard touchdown pass to Clark to put the Lancers ahead 16-7.
Downen said Clark’s experience as a basketball player helped him race through the Saints defense.
“He’s got it built in him with the shiftiness,” Downen said.
Lakewood’s rushing attack produced 298 yards. The Lancers were led by Clark, who had 116 yards on the ground.
San Dimas coach Mark Coleman spoke before game about his expectations for his team.
“We’re just going to try to stay true to ourselves,” Coleman said. “Just stay super sharp, super-efficient, and just protect the football as best as we can.”
San Dimas head coach Mark Holman said he believes playing on the shortened week will help his team as they are looking to carry over momentum from their victory over Fullerton into tonight’s game @SaintsFB @BeachVarsity @presstelegram pic.twitter.com/PLoi4GqRqo
— Thomas Murray (@Thomas_L_Murray) August 26, 2022
Lakewood will play at Laguna Hills next week.
San Dimas will be on the road next week against Santa Fe Springs.
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TOKYO (AP) — The brazen assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a handmade gun shocked a nation unused to high-profile political violence.
But there has been another surprise in the weeks since the murder as details have emerged about an alleged assassin who was well-off until his mother's huge donations to the controversial Unification Church left him poor, neglected and filled with rage.
Some Japanese have expressed understanding, even sympathy, for the 41-year-old suspect, especially those of a similar age who may feel pangs of recognition linked to their own suffering during three decades of economic malaise and social turmoil.
There have been suggestions on social media that care packages should be sent to suspect Tetsuya Yamagami's detention center to cheer him up. And more than 7,000 people have signed a petition requesting prosecutorial leniency for Yamagami, who told police that he killed Abe, one of Japan's most powerful and divisive politicians, because of his ties to an unnamed religious group widely believed to be the Unification Church.
Experts say the case has also illuminated the plight of thousands of other children of church adherents who have faced abuse and neglect.
"If he hadn't allegedly committed the crime, Mr. Yamagami would deserve much sympathy. There are many others who also suffer" because of their parents' faith, said Kimiaki Nishida, a Rissho University psychology professor and expert in cult studies.
There also have been serious political implications for Japan's governing party, which has kept cozy ties with the church despite controversies and a string of legal disputes.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's popularity has plunged since the killing, and he has shuffled his Cabinet to purge members with ties to the religious group. On Thursday, the national police agency chief submitted his resignation to take responsibility over Abe's assassination.
Yamagami, who is being detained for mental evaluation until late November, has previously expressed on social media a hatred for the Unification Church, which was founded in South Korea in 1954 and has, since the 1980s, faced accusations of devious recruitment practices and brainwashing of adherents into making huge donations.
In a letter seen by The Associated Press and tweets believed to be his, Yamagami said his family and life were destroyed by the church because of his mother's huge donations. Police confirmed that a draft of Yamagami's letter was found in a computer confiscated from his one-room apartment.
"After my mother joined the church (in the 1990s), my entire teenage years were gone, with some 100 million yen ($735,000) wasted," he wrote in the typed letter, which he sent to a blogger in western Japan the day before he allegedly assassinated Abe during a campaign speech on July 8 in Nara, western Japan. "It's not an exaggeration to say my experience during that time has kept distorting my entire life."
Yamagami was 4 when his father, an executive of a company founded by the suspect's grandfather, killed himself. After his mother joined the Unification Church, she began making big donations that bankrupted the family and shattered Yamagami's hope of going to college. His brother later committed suicide. After a three-year stint in the navy, Yamagami was most recently a factory worker.
Yamagami's uncle, in media interviews, said Yamagami's mother donated 60 million yen ($440,000) within months of joining the church. When her father died in the late 1990s, she sold company property worth 40 million yen ($293,000), bankrupting the family in 2002. The uncle said he had to stop giving money for food and school to the Yamagami children because the mother gave it to the church, not her children.
When Yamagami tried to kill himself in 2005, his mother did not return from a trip to South Korea, where the church was founded, his uncle said.
Yamagami's mother reportedly told prosecutors that she was sorry for troubling the church over her son's alleged crime. His uncle said she seemed devastated but remained a church follower. The authorities and the local bar association refused to comment. Repeated attempts to contact Yamagami, his mother, his uncle and their lawyers were unsuccessful.
Beginning in October 2019, Yamagami, who is widely reported to have tweeted under the name "Silent Hill 333," wrote about the church, his painful past and political issues.
In December 2019, he tweeted that his grandfather blamed Yamagami's mother for the family's troubles and even tried to kill her. "What's most hopeless is that my grandfather was right. But I wanted to believe my mother."
Part of the reason Yamagami's case has struck a chord is because he's a member of what the Japanese media have called a "lost generation" that's been stuck with low-paying contract jobs. He graduated from high school in 1999 during "the employment ice age" that followed the implosion of the country's 1980s bubble economy.
Despite being the world's third-largest economy, Japan has faced three decades of economic turmoil and social disparity, and many of those who grew up in these years are unmarried and are stuck with unstable jobs and feelings of isolation and unease.
Some high-profile crimes in recent years, such as mass killings in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district in 2008 and a fatal arson attack on Kyoto Animation in 2016, reportedly involved "lost generation" attackers with troubled family and work histories.
Yamagami's case also has shed light on the children of Unification Church adherents. Many are neglected, experts say, and there's been little help because government and school officials tend to resist interference on religious freedom grounds.
"If our society had paid more attention to the problems over the past few decades, (Yamagami's) attack could have been prevented," said Mafumi Usui, a Niigata Seiryo University social psychology professor and cult expert.
More than 55,000 people have joined a petition calling for legal protection for "second generation" followers who say they were forced to join the church.
Abe, in a September 2021 video message, praised the church's work for peace on the Korean Peninsula and its focus on family values. His video appearance possibly motivated Yamagami, said Nishida, the psychology professor.
Yamagami reportedly told police he had planned to kill the church founder's wife, Hak Ja Han Moon, who has led the church since Moon's 2012 death, but switched targets because it was unlikely she'd visit Japan during the pandemic.
"Though I feel bitter, Abe is not my true enemy. He is only one of the Unification Church's most influential sympathizers," Yamagami wrote in his letter. "I've already lost the mental space to think about political meanings or the consequences Abe's death will bring."
The case has drawn attention to ties between the church, which came to Japan in 1964, and the governing Liberal Democratic Party that has almost uninterruptedly ruled post-World War II Japan.
A governing lawmaker, Shigeharu Aoyama, last month said a party faction leader told him how church votes could help candidates that lack organizational backing.
Tomihiro Tanaka, head of the church's Japan branch, denied "political interference" with any particular party, but said the church has developed closer ties with governing party lawmakers than with others because of their shared anti-communist stance.
Members of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which for decades has provided legal assistance for people with financial disputes with the church, say they've received 34,000 complaints involving lost money exceeding a total of 120 billion yen ($900 million).
Tanaka accused the lawyers and the media of "persecuting" church followers.
A former adherent in her 40s said at a recent news conference that she and two sisters were forced to join the church when she was in high school after their mother became a follower.
After two failed marriages arranged by the church, she said she awoke from "mind-control" and returned to Japan in 2013.
As a second-generation victim "who had my life destroyed by the church, I can understand (Yamagami's) pain, though what he did was wrong," she said. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/japanese-prime-minister-murder-suspect-says-life-destroyed-by-mothers-religion | 2022-08-27T01:43:17Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/japanese-prime-minister-murder-suspect-says-life-destroyed-by-mothers-religion | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan provided injury updates Friday afternoon on a conference call after Thursday’s preseason finale. Defensive tackle Akeem Spence is in the concussion protocol. Linebacker Curtis Robinson has a high-ankle sprain. Linebacker Oren Burks suffered a knee sprain, but he’s expected to return in Week 1.
Shanahan said Thursday’s game wasn’t as bad as it felt, but only because it couldn’t have felt worse. He ended his opening comments by saying, “We have to clean that stuff up and make some decisions this week to help it.” That came off as someone who isn’t going to tolerate penalties or sloppy play any longer.
Malik Turner has been a pleasant surprise for most of us, but he’s been consistent all camp, according to Shanahan:
“What you guys see in these three games, that’s what we see every day in practice. I mean that guy has more output and yards ran and energy used on the GPSs. He goes as hard as he can on offense and special teams. And it’s cool when he gets in these games and all the work that he does every day, just how deliberate he is in all the drills and everything. You can see it carryover to the game. So a guy I’ve been happy for and he’s really shown a good example of how to be a pro to a number of these guys.”
Turner caught three of his five targets Thursday for 32 yards. Two of those went for first downs, although Turner did fumble once. In his previous two games, Turner caught three passes for 34 yards.
Turner’s special team ability and effort have caught the coach’s attention. Turner feels like a safe bet to make the roster.
Trey Sermon has taken strides in Shanahan’s eyes:
“I think definitely still. They didn’t have much opportunities and much room. I thought he had a real good play on a, I think it was a third-and-one or second-and-one where we had an unblocked guy in the hole that he made miss and almost made a big play when nothing was there. But Trey’s come a long way here this year. And he’s someone we can count on and it’s not just him, it’s the whole group. So all these guys I think are good enough to help us. We just have to figure out which direction we’re going to go.”
Here’s the third down play Kyle referenced:
Kyle Shanahan just praised Trey Sermon for this run on 3rd & 1 for winning 1-on-1 against an unblocked linebacker.
— KP (@KP_Show) August 26, 2022
Shanahan said, “he almost had a big run,” and “Trey came a long way here in a year. He’s someone we can count on.” pic.twitter.com/idsHaCzFe7
The best running backs create for themselves. That’s Sermon’s best rep I’ve seen from him in the NFL. Falling forward is the name of the game. Kudos to Sermon.
Finally, Aaron Banks. We know the offensive line didn’t put their best foot forward. But Shanahan liked what he saw from Banks while reminding us it’s a team sport:
“I thought he had a better game this week than verse Minnesota. So I know there was definitely a couple that he missed, but I also thought it was a full offense there. There was a couple I thought we could have got rid of the ball a lot sooner. And there was a couple that the quarterback didn’t have a chance on, so as a whole, it wasn’t good enough. When you ask him in particular, I thought he did improve from the week before.”
Banks had a rough go at it against the Vikings. He looks like he’s still getting used to the speed of the NFL. We’re going to have to be patient with the offense. There are kids everywhere.
Between Trey Lance, Banks, and Spencer Burford, not to mention the youth at wideout, the product we saw yesterday, and probably through September, will be night and day from what we see come December. | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/26/23324045/49ers-shanahan-turner-sermon-banks | 2022-08-27T01:43:28Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/26/23324045/49ers-shanahan-turner-sermon-banks | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TOKYO (AP) — The brazen assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a handmade gun shocked a nation unused to high-profile political violence.
But there has been another surprise in the weeks since the murder as details have emerged about an alleged assassin who was well-off until his mother's huge donations to the controversial Unification Church left him poor, neglected and filled with rage.
Some Japanese have expressed understanding, even sympathy, for the 41-year-old suspect, especially those of a similar age who may feel pangs of recognition linked to their own suffering during three decades of economic malaise and social turmoil.
There have been suggestions on social media that care packages should be sent to suspect Tetsuya Yamagami's detention center to cheer him up. And more than 7,000 people have signed a petition requesting prosecutorial leniency for Yamagami, who told police that he killed Abe, one of Japan's most powerful and divisive politicians, because of his ties to an unnamed religious group widely believed to be the Unification Church.
Experts say the case has also illuminated the plight of thousands of other children of church adherents who have faced abuse and neglect.
"If he hadn't allegedly committed the crime, Mr. Yamagami would deserve much sympathy. There are many others who also suffer" because of their parents' faith, said Kimiaki Nishida, a Rissho University psychology professor and expert in cult studies.
There also have been serious political implications for Japan's governing party, which has kept cozy ties with the church despite controversies and a string of legal disputes.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's popularity has plunged since the killing, and he has shuffled his Cabinet to purge members with ties to the religious group. On Thursday, the national police agency chief submitted his resignation to take responsibility over Abe's assassination.
Yamagami, who is being detained for mental evaluation until late November, has previously expressed on social media a hatred for the Unification Church, which was founded in South Korea in 1954 and has, since the 1980s, faced accusations of devious recruitment practices and brainwashing of adherents into making huge donations.
In a letter seen by The Associated Press and tweets believed to be his, Yamagami said his family and life were destroyed by the church because of his mother's huge donations. Police confirmed that a draft of Yamagami's letter was found in a computer confiscated from his one-room apartment.
"After my mother joined the church (in the 1990s), my entire teenage years were gone, with some 100 million yen ($735,000) wasted," he wrote in the typed letter, which he sent to a blogger in western Japan the day before he allegedly assassinated Abe during a campaign speech on July 8 in Nara, western Japan. "It's not an exaggeration to say my experience during that time has kept distorting my entire life."
Yamagami was 4 when his father, an executive of a company founded by the suspect's grandfather, killed himself. After his mother joined the Unification Church, she began making big donations that bankrupted the family and shattered Yamagami's hope of going to college. His brother later committed suicide. After a three-year stint in the navy, Yamagami was most recently a factory worker.
Yamagami's uncle, in media interviews, said Yamagami's mother donated 60 million yen ($440,000) within months of joining the church. When her father died in the late 1990s, she sold company property worth 40 million yen ($293,000), bankrupting the family in 2002. The uncle said he had to stop giving money for food and school to the Yamagami children because the mother gave it to the church, not her children.
When Yamagami tried to kill himself in 2005, his mother did not return from a trip to South Korea, where the church was founded, his uncle said.
Yamagami's mother reportedly told prosecutors that she was sorry for troubling the church over her son's alleged crime. His uncle said she seemed devastated but remained a church follower. The authorities and the local bar association refused to comment. Repeated attempts to contact Yamagami, his mother, his uncle and their lawyers were unsuccessful.
Beginning in October 2019, Yamagami, who is widely reported to have tweeted under the name "Silent Hill 333," wrote about the church, his painful past and political issues.
In December 2019, he tweeted that his grandfather blamed Yamagami's mother for the family's troubles and even tried to kill her. "What's most hopeless is that my grandfather was right. But I wanted to believe my mother."
Part of the reason Yamagami's case has struck a chord is because he's a member of what the Japanese media have called a "lost generation" that's been stuck with low-paying contract jobs. He graduated from high school in 1999 during "the employment ice age" that followed the implosion of the country's 1980s bubble economy.
Despite being the world's third-largest economy, Japan has faced three decades of economic turmoil and social disparity, and many of those who grew up in these years are unmarried and are stuck with unstable jobs and feelings of isolation and unease.
Some high-profile crimes in recent years, such as mass killings in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district in 2008 and a fatal arson attack on Kyoto Animation in 2016, reportedly involved "lost generation" attackers with troubled family and work histories.
Yamagami's case also has shed light on the children of Unification Church adherents. Many are neglected, experts say, and there's been little help because government and school officials tend to resist interference on religious freedom grounds.
"If our society had paid more attention to the problems over the past few decades, (Yamagami's) attack could have been prevented," said Mafumi Usui, a Niigata Seiryo University social psychology professor and cult expert.
More than 55,000 people have joined a petition calling for legal protection for "second generation" followers who say they were forced to join the church.
Abe, in a September 2021 video message, praised the church's work for peace on the Korean Peninsula and its focus on family values. His video appearance possibly motivated Yamagami, said Nishida, the psychology professor.
Yamagami reportedly told police he had planned to kill the church founder's wife, Hak Ja Han Moon, who has led the church since Moon's 2012 death, but switched targets because it was unlikely she'd visit Japan during the pandemic.
"Though I feel bitter, Abe is not my true enemy. He is only one of the Unification Church's most influential sympathizers," Yamagami wrote in his letter. "I've already lost the mental space to think about political meanings or the consequences Abe's death will bring."
The case has drawn attention to ties between the church, which came to Japan in 1964, and the governing Liberal Democratic Party that has almost uninterruptedly ruled post-World War II Japan.
A governing lawmaker, Shigeharu Aoyama, last month said a party faction leader told him how church votes could help candidates that lack organizational backing.
Tomihiro Tanaka, head of the church's Japan branch, denied "political interference" with any particular party, but said the church has developed closer ties with governing party lawmakers than with others because of their shared anti-communist stance.
Members of the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales, which for decades has provided legal assistance for people with financial disputes with the church, say they've received 34,000 complaints involving lost money exceeding a total of 120 billion yen ($900 million).
Tanaka accused the lawyers and the media of "persecuting" church followers.
A former adherent in her 40s said at a recent news conference that she and two sisters were forced to join the church when she was in high school after their mother became a follower.
After two failed marriages arranged by the church, she said she awoke from "mind-control" and returned to Japan in 2013.
As a second-generation victim "who had my life destroyed by the church, I can understand (Yamagami's) pain, though what he did was wrong," she said. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/japanese-prime-minister-murder-suspect-says-life-destroyed-by-mothers-religion | 2022-08-27T01:45:02Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/japanese-prime-minister-murder-suspect-says-life-destroyed-by-mothers-religion | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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