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Church leaders unite to call for practical support during cost-of-living crisis
A joint statement said church leaders are “deeply concerned regarding the government response” in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
The leaders of the main churches in Ireland have issued a joint call for practical support to be delivered to people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis on both sides of the border.
The Church Leaders Group (Ireland), which includes the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Armagh, the Presbyterian Moderator and the Presidents of the Methodist Church and Irish Council of Churches, said they are “deeply concerned regarding the government response” in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
The church leaders said they were worried by what they are seeing on the ground concerning those who are vulnerable and living in poverty.
A joint statement said: “The unfolding cost-of-living crisis is affecting many households, across the island of Ireland, but particularly those who were already vulnerable and living in poverty.
“Projections for the autumn point to the situation worsening while too many people are already struggling to afford essentials like food and fuel and are in real danger of losing their homes, health or lives.
“As leaders of churches with a presence across the island we are deeply concerned by what we are seeing on the ground, with the increasing energy and food prices disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable, often leaving people with impossible choices to make, missing meals and falling into arrears on bills.
“We are also deeply concerned regarding the government response in both jurisdictions, in meeting immediate needs and also in relation to longer term strategy.”
The statement continued: “In Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Belfast Agreement created a statutory requirement for the Northern Ireland Executive to produce an anti-poverty strategy on the basis of objective need.
“Almost 25 years later and this has never been agreed or produced.
“Likewise, in Ireland a cross-party anti-poverty strategy is badly needed to address issues in a comprehensive and effective manner.
“We want to join our voices with many others, calling for more practical support to be delivered urgently through direct government initiatives in both jurisdictions and also via grassroots charity and community partnerships.
“This must go hand in hand with a longer term refocusing of government policies to deliver real and meaningful social justice and eliminate poverty across this island.”
The statement concluded: “Followers of Christ have always been called to serve the poor, not just through acts of charity, though these continue every day in ways large and small, but through the pursuit of justice and mercy.
“It is our shared vocation to witness to Christ and to protect the dignity of those made in God’s image, and so we are compelled to speak up in this moment, out of concern and in hope, for the good and flourishing of everyone in our communities.”
The statement was signed by Rev Andrew Foster, President of the Irish Council of Churches; Rev Dr John Kirkpatrick, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland; Rev John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of all Ireland; Fr Eamon Martin, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of all Ireland; and Rev David Nixon, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland. | https://www.theirishworld.com/church-leaders-unite-to-call-for-practical-support-during-cost-of-living-crisis/ | 2022-08-28T21:03:58Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/church-leaders-unite-to-call-for-practical-support-during-cost-of-living-crisis/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Grim forecasts as energy prices set to soar again…and again
Energy analyst Nathan Piper image: Investec
People will die this winter due to high energy prices, says Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis
See Martin Lewis’ tweet this morning (opens in a new tab)
People will die this winter because of the energy price cap rise, financial adviser and consumer campaigner Martin Lewis said today.
The cap come into effect for 24 million households in England, Scotland and Wales on default energy tariffs on 1 October, and will remain in place until 31 December, when it will go up again.
He called it a “genuine social and financial catastrophe that is putting lives at risk”.
Mr Lewis predicted a further 51 per cent rise in January.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: “I’ve been accused of catastrophising over this situation.
“Well, the reason I have catastrophised is this is a catastrophe, plain and simple.
“If we do not get further government intervention on top of what was announced in May, lives will be lost this winter.”
The average household’s yearly bill will go from £1,971 to £3,549 from October.
The 4.5 million pre-payment meter customers, who are often the most vulnerable and already in fuel poverty, will see their average annual bill rise to £3,608.
Many will pay much more, he said.
“You could easily be paying £5,000 or £10,000 a year if you have high usage.
“I worry terribly for some of those who have disabled children or disabilities themselves who need lots of electrical equipment to keep their houses warm because of medical conditions.”
Mr Lewis said prices for many will be “unaffordable” in January.
He added: “The prediction now in January is up another 51 per cent on top of where we are now and that would take a typical bill and direct debit to £5,386 a year.”
Mr Lewis said a movement to refuse to pay energy bills is “growing”, as he called on the next prime minister to spend billions on tackling the crisis.
He said: “We must hope that once we have somebody in place, they will come up with a robust strong policy that we can all get behind that feeds people and heats people so we don’t have people dying because of these price cuts these winters.
“I suspect if it isn’t in place, then people coming from the Don’t Pay movement are going to become a louder voice in this country.”
Ofgem chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, warned of hardship this winter and said “there are no easy answers” to this energy crisis.
He told Good Morning Britain: “Genuinely, there are no easy answers, but there are some big decisions that ultimately ministers will need to make.
“To be honest I never imagined when I took this role that I would have to make an announcement that we made today.”
When asked about senior people in the energy industry receiving bonuses, he urged them to “be thoughtful” about their pay and remuneration.
He said the senior Ofgem team “has given away any bonuses to charity because we recognise the situation that we are in right now.”
An expert warned that sky high energy prices here for years to come and that the “era of cheap energy is over”.
Oil and gas analyst at Investec Nathan Piper said the UK will see gas prices remain high over the next few years, even if some of the current extreme costs ease.
The UK is becoming increasingly reliant on liquified natural gas (LNG), which is transported around the world on ships, he said.
This is naturally more expensive than gas piped across continents and will mean prices stay well above the historical average.
In 2017 the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss signed off on the erlier Cameron-Osborne proposal to allow the owners of British Gas, Centrica, to shut down the UK’s gas storage capacity because this government was not prepared to subsidise it.
The Rough storage facility had provided 70 per cent of the UK’s gas storage capacity for more than 30 years.
In the 10 years before the current gas crisis, prices averaged around 50p per therm – today it is closer to £6, a 12-fold increase.
“The crazy thing is we are experiencing record UK gas prices at the moment, in the middle of summer, which just doesn’t normally happen,” Mr Piper told Press Association.
He said that if you want to buy your gas in advance for 2025 at the moment you are still going to pay several times more than in the past.
Data from the Intercontinental Exchange shows that gas prices for the winter of 2024 and 2025 is trading at nearly 420p.
“For the UK, in particular, we are going to be more and more reliant upon LNG imports to satisfy our gas demand.
“And as a consequence, we will have to get used to higher gas prices into the long term,” Mr Piper said.
“I think we have to accept that we’ll have to endure much higher gas prices than we’ve been to.
“The era of cheap energy is over.”
For households this will mean incredible pain this winter which is unlikely to subside for years to come, he said.
The sheer longevity of the increase is the perhaps the most unusual part of this crisis.
“You occasionally get gas price spikes. So, for a very short duration, because you get a cold snap, Beast from the East, whatever it is, you get short-lived spikes in gas prices, and everyone goes ‘goodness me, look at that’,” Mr Piper said.
Afterwards things used to quickly return to normal. This is not happening now.
Prices were already rising before Russia invaded Ukraine, but since then the situation has worsened.
Problems in France’s nuclear plants have also pushed up the price of electricity, a hot dry summer has reduced power production from Norway’s rivers, and low water levels on the Rhine have made it harder to transport coal in Germany.
Asked what else could go wrong, Mr Piper said that LNG terminals might break down, and Russia could cut off its remaining gas flows to Europe.
“What we’re relying upon is that all the LNG terminals are able to produce gas.
“A lot of these terminals are running almost at maximum capacity.
“And if you run anything at maximum capacity, there is the issue that it could break down.
“The other thing is that the Russians could shut off the Nord Stream 1 pipeline completely.”
Gas prices spiked earlier this week after Gazprom announced it would shut the pipe for three days of maintenance next week.
“The question mark is will they turn it back on,” Mr Piper said.
What happens next remains to be seen.
“Blackouts will be avoided by what economists call demand destruction, where businesses and people cut their usage because they can’t afford to keep it up.
“Heavy industry across Germany across Europe elsewhere, is effectively shutting down because they can’t secure gas or electricity prices at anything like a competitive level over the next two or three years,” he said.
“If it was a spike, you’d go ‘oh this is terrible, but actually we can lock in competitive prices for the next two years and we can still produce fertiliser, cement, glass, whatever, at an economic price’.”
In comparison, US manufacturers are seeing much higher prices, but still far below what Europe is seeing, making them more competitive than European counterparts. | https://www.theirishworld.com/grim-forecasts-as-energy-prices-set-to-soar-again-and-again/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:05Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/grim-forecasts-as-energy-prices-set-to-soar-again-and-again/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
How to save up to £600 a year in fuel cost
Supermarket chain Iceland has published a study of how our main cooking appliances can cost to run each year.
And the electric cooker can be the most expensive – costing £316.54 annually – but it says savings of up to £604 can be had.
Iceland carried out the survey with energy supplier Utilita, based on the average amount of time each appliance is used for per day.
The most energy intensive is the electric cooker, which can cost up to £316.54 a year to run, the microwave can cost just 8p a day, totalling £30.02 annually.
A gas cooker costs 33p a day, or £120.83 a year, and the part-electric, part-gas dual cooker costs 72p daily, or £264.03 annually.
An air fryer costs 14p a day to run – totalling £52.74 over 12-months.
The figures are based on the latest figures from Cornwall Insight on 22 August.
Icealnd, with Utilita, will next month roll out their Shop Smart, Cook Savvy campaign in-stores and online to help identify the most economical ways of cooking.
Utilita and Iceland explain the most energy-efficient appliances
The survey found batch-cooking food could save up to £158 a year, while using the right sized pan, with a lid, could cut costs by £72.
Letting water simmer rather than leaving it boil can save £68 annually.
Not overfilling the kettle could save you an extra £19 over 12 months.
The research is based on the energy consumption of 83 appliances across 24 sources, including academic research, legislation, and data collected from popular shopping websites.
It comes after research of 2,000 households found they spend approximately 43 minutes cooking each day, with 42 per cent using the oven by default for most of their cooking needs.
More than half (52 per cent) admitted they don’t know which of their cooking appliances cost more to run.
Utilita’s sustainability lead Archie Lasseter said: “The rising cost of energy is going to create seismic shifts in consumer behaviour associated with energy consumption, through a new awareness of the cost to consume.
“The impact will be far greater than any of the Government’s green initiatives ever could have achieved.
“Although cooking is said to account for 4 per cent of the average energy bill, the savings speak for themselves.
“It’s vital that consumers are given the facts they need in order to use less energy in the interest of the pocket and the planet.”
Utilita and Iceland have committed to 11 pledges – including an overhaul of Iceland’s own-product packaging to reflect more energy efficient cooking appliances and methods, and a national Cooking High 5 consumer awareness tour.
Iceland’s managing director,Richard Walker, said: “The cost-of-living crisis continues to be the biggest national issue facing consumers.
“As a private, family-run business, we’re constantly looking at both short- and long-term initiatives that can offer any support.”
- Iceland gives over-60s a 10 per cent discount on Tuesdays. | https://www.theirishworld.com/how-to-save-up-to-600-a-year-in-fuel-cost/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:13Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/how-to-save-up-to-600-a-year-in-fuel-cost/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ireland’s homeless figures reach new record high
Ireland’s Department of Housing’s latest figures says there are 10,568 adults and children in emergency accommodation across Ireland.
The number of adults and children who are homeless in Ireland – which is in the midst of a housing crisis – has reached a new record high of 10,568.
The country’s housing charities say an urgent response is needed to prevent the crisis worsening.
The previous peak for the Department of Housing’s official figures was in October 2019, when 10,514 people were recorded as being in emergency accommodation.
The department’s latest monthly figures show there are 7,431 adults and 3,137 children who are in accommodation for people who are homeless across Ireland.
This comes after a record high number of young adults were registered as homeless in April, when the number of homeless people passed the 10,000 threshold for the first time since the pandemic began.
The Government is grappling with a lack of accommodation for arriving Ukrainian refugees and with a squeeze on affordable student accommodation this autumn amid the long-running housing crisis.
Housing charity Dublin Simon Community said the homelessness crisis has “never been this bleak or urgent”, and called on the Government and other agencies to work on a crisis plan “as a matter of urgency”.
Dublin Simon Community spokeswoman Caoimhe O’Connell said: “We are extremely distressed by the ongoing rise in the number of people presenting in emergency accommodation.
“Last month, we broke a record we never wanted to reach in Dublin and now, devastatingly, the same has happened at a national level.
“In our 50 years of providing homeless services, the situation has never been this bleak or urgent.”
Chief executive of the charity Focus Ireland Pat Dennigan warned that the figures represented just a small glimpse at the scale and severity of the housing crisis.
“The real number of people who have no home is no doubt considerably higher as local authorities across the country are reporting that every emergency bed is full, and people are being asked to stay temporarily in unsuitable circumstances while new shelters are being commissioned,” he said.
“This hidden homelessness is also at record levels.”
Mr Dennigan added that the crisis is expected to get worse, as a significant number of landlords leave the market in order to sell their properties.
“Not all these households will need homeless services, and we will be working to help people find alternative homes but it is hard to see emergency homeless services being able to cope with the number of people that will need our support. This scale of escalating crisis needs a proportionate scale of emergency response.”
He asked the government to convince landlords to stay in the market in the medium-term while the supply of houses is ramped up.
This could include short-term tax relief, he said.
Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin said that since the eviction moratorium was ended by Government in April last year, homelessness “has surged to its highest level ever”.
In April 2021, there was a total of 7,991 people recorded in emergency homeless accommodation; the latest figures show that tally has since risen by 32%.
Social Democrat TD Cian O’Callaghan said that behind the statistics are “lives that have been shattered by a broken system”.
“Homelessness has increased by 30% in the past year – while child homelessness is up by 47% during the same period. These figures are proof that the Government’s plans are failing.
“The Government talks about ending homelessness by 2030, but they have no plan, no strategy, no milestones – and the numbers are going up, not down,” he said.
Reacting to the figures, Labour housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan said the political will in Government needed to change to solve the housing crisis.
“The failure of the government to put in place measures to protect renters is having enormous social consequences across the generations and we have to say enough is enough.
“There is a whole suite of measures available to the government if they would listen. A good start is the introduction of an immediate ban on evictions to stop people entering homelessness from the private market, tighter grounds for evictions, a temporary rent freeze and for tenants to be given the same rights as businesses.
“It is not rocket science.”
Reacting to the record high figures, the Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said that actions the Government had taken in an attempt to reduce homelessness had been “eroded due to a number of factors”.
“Government, local authorities and those in our NGO sectors are making every effort to reduce homelessness.
“Funding is in place to deliver 10,500 social homes this year, including 9,000 new build homes, and our pipeline into the future is strong.
“We know that improvements which had been made in the reduction of homelessness have been eroded due to a number of factors, including an increase in ‘notices to quits’ in relation to tenancies and a decline in available Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) properties,” he said.
The minister said that there have been 1,319 ‘Housing First’ tenancies this year, a policy which aims to help end long-term homelessness among those with complex health and mental health needs.
“There are 18 separate actions set out in Housing for All to help us to end homelessness, Government are working to progress each of them and we know that key to ending homelessness is the delivery of new social housing and boosting overall supply,” he added.
The department’s housing figures record the number of homeless people housed in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities during a specific count week, typically the last full week of the month. | https://www.theirishworld.com/irelands-homeless-figures-reach-new-record-high/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:20Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/irelands-homeless-figures-reach-new-record-high/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Largest jump in Ireland’s population in 14 years
Ireland has recorded its largest jump in population since 2008, figures show.
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Natural increase and migration increase population by
88,800 in the year to April.
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Republic’s population in April rose to 5,100,200 people.
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Dublin is home to 27.6 per cent of total or 1,451,000 people
The combination of a natural increase, immigration, and migration gave a population growth of 88,800 in the year to April.
This is the largest gain since 2008 when the population increased by 109,200, said Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO).
It said 120,700 immigrants arrived in Ireland in the 12 months to April.
Of those, 28,900 were returning Irish nationals, 24,300 were other EU nationals and 4,500 were UK nationals.
The remaining 63,000 were other nationals – including almost 28,000 Ukrainians.
The number of immigrants is estimated to have increased by just above 85 per cent to 120,700. Last year it was 65,200.
The number of emigrants increased over the same period – from 54,000 to 59,600.
Positive net migration was 61,100 in the year to April – five times more than last year’s 11,200.
The CSO said there were 60,700 births and 33,000 deaths in the year to April – a natural increase of 27,700 and similar to the 2020 population estimates.
CSO statistician for Population Estimates and Projections Cathal Doherty said: “Ireland’s population was estimated to be 5.10 million, increasing by 88,800 people, in the year to April 2022.
“This was the largest 12-month population increase since 2008 when the population increased by 109,200.”
The CSO said there were 768,900 people living in Ireland aged 65 and over in April – an increase since 2016 from 13.3 per cent to 15.1 per cent or 139,100 people.
The proportion of population living in Dublin increased from 27.6 per cent of the total in 2011 to 28.4 per cent. It is 1,451,000.
The resident population stands at 5,100,200 people.
There were 63,000 immigrants who were “rest of world” nationals in the year to April, with Ukrainian nationals significantly impacting the inflow in 2022.
There were 18,500 emigrants who were “rest of world” nationals, meaning just under 44,500 more arrived than the number who left.
Just under half of the total immigrants and less than half of the total emigrants were aged between 25 to 44.
The lowest proportion of migrants were in the 65 years and over age group, with less than 4 per cent of immigrants and fewer than 2 per cent of emigrants.
Related:
Record number of Irish people aged 15-64 in work | https://www.theirishworld.com/largest-jump-in-irelands-population-in-14-years/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:27Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/largest-jump-in-irelands-population-in-14-years/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mole-mapping service at Ulster Hospital first of its kind in Northern Ireland
Health Minister Robin Swann said it is a ‘significant step forward in the early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma skin cancer’.
A mole-mapping service that is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland has been launched at the Ulster Hospital.
Health Minister Robin Swann described the new service as a “significant step forward in the early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma skin cancer”.
The new service is a partnership between the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and Cancer Focus NI.
Mr Swann said it was made possible as a result of almost £160,000 funding from his department’s Cancer Charities Support Fund, adding it had been a privilege to see it operational during a visit to the Ulster Hospital on Thursday.
“I would also like to thank all of those involved in developing and bringing forward such innovative projects, and given the prevalence of skin cancer in Northern Ireland, this will undoubtedly help to improve patient outcomes,” he said.
The nurse-led, two-year pilot project will offer an advanced mole-mapping technique for specific patients identified by the clinical team as being at higher risk of developing melanoma skin cancer.
Mole mapping, or Automated Total Body Mapping, uses technology to detect malignant melanoma earlier when treatment is most effective.
The service team will also offer advice on skin cancer prevention and skin examination and this investment will improve skin cancer screening services for specific patients.
Skin cancer in Northern Ireland is increasing in prevalence with approximately 400 people diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, each year.
Patient Connor Graham, who was recently diagnosed with melanoma and who has used the mole-mapping service, said he believes it will save lives.
“It’s amazing to see the detailed inspection that can be carried out on your skin, highlighting any changes or points of concern. I felt so reassured and I have no doubt this technology will save lives,” he said. | https://www.theirishworld.com/mole-mapping-service-at-ulster-hospital-first-of-its-kind-in-northern-ireland/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:35Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/mole-mapping-service-at-ulster-hospital-first-of-its-kind-in-northern-ireland/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
People aged 50 and over in Ireland invited to come forward for next Covid vaccine booster
People aged 50 and over in Ireland have been invited to come forward for their next Covid-19 vaccine booster.
The Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) said boosters can be booked online at vaccination clinics.
The HSE said those who are more than 16 weeks pregnant are also invited to book their next booster at a vaccination centre or from participating GPs and pharmacies.
It said the HSE and Children’s Health Ireland will shortly be inviting, through their parents, children aged five to 11 who are immunocompromised and now due to have their first booster.
Those aged between 12 and 49 with long-term health conditions will be offered their second booster vaccine from next week and healthcare workers will be offered booster vaccines shortly.
HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said: “Everyone aged 50 and over can now register to get their next booster dose.
“If you haven’t had your primary vaccination, it’s not too late, you can still access the information through the HSE website and book an appointment.
“Keeping up to date with your vaccines will give you the best protection from serious illness, and increase immunity against infection from Covid-19.”
The HSE has also urged people who have not yet received a primary Covid-19 vaccine dose to consider attending one of the walk-in clinics for dose one or dose two of the vaccine, or to register for an appointment.
For more information on your next Covid-19 booster, visit www.hse.ie/covid19vaccine or call HSELive on 1800 700 700. | https://www.theirishworld.com/people-aged-50-and-over-in-ireland-invited-to-come-forward-for-next-covid-vaccine-booster/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:42Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/people-aged-50-and-over-in-ireland-invited-to-come-forward-for-next-covid-vaccine-booster/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Record number of Irish people aged 15-64 in work, says Ireland’s Central Statistics Office
The number of people aged 15-64 who were employed in the second quarter of 2022 was 73.5 per cent, up from 68.6 per cent in the same quarter last year.
This is the highest employment rate since this data series began in 1998, said the CSO.
The number of people aged 15-89 in employment increased by 8.7 per cent, or 205,500 people, to 2.55 million in the same period.
There were 119,900 people classified as unemployed by the second quarter of the year, which is an unemployment rate of 4.5 per cent for those aged 15-74.
The construction and food services sectors saw significant employment increases in the past 12 months, said the CSO, as did scientific and technical activities and human health and social work industries.
The number of absences from work, such as temporary layoffs, family leave or holidays, during the reference week when the survey was carried out was 187,200, compared to a peak of 468,500 absences recorded in the second quarter of 2020.
The figures released today (Thursday) show that in the 12 months to the second quarter of 2022, there was a 9.4 per cent rise in the collective number of hours worked per week, from 75.9 million to a high of 83 million.
CSO statistician Sam Scriven said: “Employment increased in the year to Q2 2022 across most economic sectors, with the largest increase in the accommodation and food service (+39.2 per cent or +47,300) sector.
“However, employment in this sector at 168,200 remains below the Q2 2019 level of 180,800.
“The number of absences from work (e.g. temporary layoffs from work, family leave, or holidays) during the reference week in Q2 2022 declined by 15.3 per cent to 187,200.
“This, together with an increase of 8.7 per cent in employment, resulted in an increase of 9.4 per cent or 7.1 million more hours worked per week to a record 83.0 million hours per week in Q2 2022.
“The impact on hours worked varied across the different economic sectors. The number of hours worked in Q2 2022 per week was higher than a year ago in almost all sectors.
“The 4.8 million hours worked per week in the accommodation and food services sector, while up from Q2 2020 (1.2 million) remains below the pre-pandemic (Q2 2019) figure of 5.4 million.”
The CSO’s Labour Force Survey is a nationwide survey of households in Ireland that is designed to produce quarterly estimates, including the official measure of employment and unemployment in the state.
Mr Scriven explained how the Labour Force Survey is carried out: “Randomly selected households receive introductory letters by post giving them an option to ring the interviewer or the interviewer may call to their house to ask them to take part.
“These surveys give us a picture of the economic and social situation of the citizens of Ireland in a way, and with a level of accuracy, that no-one else can gain.”
The total sample size is 32,500 households, and the survey is carried out during a specific reference week.
Related:
Largest jump in Ireland’s population in 14 years | https://www.theirishworld.com/record-number-of-irish-people-aged-15-64-in-work-says-irelands-central-statistics-office/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:49Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/record-number-of-irish-people-aged-15-64-in-work-says-irelands-central-statistics-office/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tractor Wars story explored by Patrick Kielty in new documentary
The programme about the court battle between Northern Ireland inventor Harry Ferguson and the Ford Motor Company is part of BBC NI’s autumn schedule.
The story of a bitter fall out between the Ford Motor Company and the Northern Ireland inventor of the modern-day tractor is to be retold by comedian Patrick Kielty in a new documentary.
Tractor Wars, which recounts the multimillion-dollar court battle involving Harry Ferguson and Ford, is part of BBC NI’s autumn line-up of shows.
In the late 1930s Ferguson, who developed the three-point linkage system now used in almost all tractors, struck a deal with Henry Ford to mass produce a new line of tractors.
However, this “gentleman’s agreement” would soon unravel in spectacular fashion, leading to a major lawsuit over an alleged patent infringement.
Kielty’s documentary is one of a series of shows unveiled by BBC NI for its autumn schedule.
Also in the line-up is Mini Matchmakers, a dating show that sees singletons matched up by a panel of nine-year-olds.
Irish Dance Fever is a three-part observational series that follows young dancers in two of Northern Ireland’s most successful dance schools as they train for the world championships.
Another show hoping to strike the right note with viewers is Cliona And Simon: From This Moment On, which follows country music stars Cliona Hagan and Simon Sheerin as they plan their wedding.
The popular True North series also returns with Rat Woman, which tells the story of Patricia Page who runs a family pest control business in the north west.
James Strawbridge – son of Escape To The Chateau star Dick – will host a new series about country houses in Northern Ireland.
Strawbridge Over The Drawbridge will see professional chef and sustainability advocate James explore the history of the buildings and learn how present day owners are keeping them going.
Another new series is B&B By The Sea, which is set in a Victorian guesthouse at Downhill Beach on the picturesque Antrim coast.
The show will see Great British Menu chef Alex Greene team up with celebrities such as Strictly judge Shirley Ballas and First Dates host Fred Sirieix to prepare gourmet meals using the best of local produce.
The autumn schedule also includes the return of daytime police drama Hope Street; a documentary to mark the 100th anniversary of James Joyce’s Ulysses, a four-part series follow nurses working in the region’s hospitals; and a new series of Mountain Vets.
Eddie Doyle, BBC Northern Ireland’s Head of Content Commissioning, said: “This new season of programmes across BBC Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer is a strong demonstration of our commitment to homegrown programming with an emphasis on the special people, places and produce we’re so passionate about.
“Audiences can expect high energy and punchy new commissions, with a blend of drama, comedy, arts, entertainment, documentary and lifestyle programming showcasing a broad range of perspectives, with new voices, new faces and new themes – as well as some returning famous faces.
“As the evenings start drawing in we want to keep people entertained, providing laughter, companionship and escapism.” | https://www.theirishworld.com/tractor-wars-story-explored-by-patrick-kielty-in-new-documentary/ | 2022-08-28T21:04:56Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/tractor-wars-story-explored-by-patrick-kielty-in-new-documentary/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Winnie the wallaby welcomed home
The owner of Winnie the Wallaby who went missing in Co Tyrone on Sunday is jumping for joy since it was located in the small hours of this morning (Thu).
She escaped her enclosure shortly after arrival at Glenpark Estate on Sunday evening.
She was found in nearby foliage arlier today.
Estate owner Richard Beattie was delighted.
A specialist search team took over on Wednesday night with an advanced search light and found Winnie hiding in a bush.
Mr Beattie said she is now back with her male companion in the estate and is doing well.
“We managed to find her shortly after midnight last night,” he said.
“We had sightings reported all over the country but we eventually found her amongst the foliage not far from where she went missing.
“She is back home safe now and we’re just delighted. We were filled with the worst of worry thinking about what might have happened.
“A massive thank you to everyone who helped us and sent us messages of support while this rascal went on her little adventure.
“Special thanks to Tony Smith, Derek Storey, James and Nathan O Hagan and Davy Sinnamon who were key to helping us find Winnie and bring her home late last night.
“Selina and I have been genuinely touched by the outpouring of support over the few days. There are too many people to mention, but we appreciate all of the calls and messages, and also the media interest which helped highlight our plight.” | https://www.theirishworld.com/winnie-the-wallaby-welcomed-home/ | 2022-08-28T21:05:04Z | theirishworld.com | control | https://www.theirishworld.com/winnie-the-wallaby-welcomed-home/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What happened going into turn one?
“We ran into rain in the middle of turn one and just lost it.
Is there anything that could have been done?
“Just throw the caution before the rain came. We had rain down the front. So about 10 seconds before we got into turn one, it was raining. I’m sure the fans felt it and then they watched us all pile in there.”
Are you okay after that impact?
“Just shook mostly. The hit was just massive. It was my first one in this Next Gen and it was legit.”
How was your race car today?
“We were super-fast. I thought I made the right moves at the right time and I got to the lead at the right time, but also a bad time because we were the first ones to get to the rain.”
What can be done moving forward to keep this from happening again?
“Better officiating, that’s all we can do. Like New Hampshire, we’ll learn from this for sure.”
Is there anything specific that hurts after that hit?
“No, just my whole body. My jaw hurts. I feel like my jaw is one of those boxers that gets their whole face demolished. It was certainly the first real big one I’ve had in this car and everything they’ve been telling us, all the other drivers, it’s legit.”
TRD PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72409-toyota-racing-ncs-daytona-race-quotes-denny-hamlin | 2022-08-28T21:12:51Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72409-toyota-racing-ncs-daytona-race-quotes-denny-hamlin | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Playoffs Field Due To Be Set Sunday At Daytona
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
(Editor’s note: The Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway scheduled for Saturday evening has been postpone until Sunday. The start time is schedule for 10 a.m. Eastern on CNBC).
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Thirteen winless drivers vying for one position in NASCAR’s Cup Series playoffs in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 have set the stage for one of the most chaotic races at Daytona International Speedway.
If one of the 13 drivers wins the 160-lap race, they automatically receive a berth in the playoffs with the other vacant slot going to the highest non-winner in the driver point standings. If the victory goes to a former winner this season, then the two highest non-winners in the standings move into the playoffs.
Two positions became available on Thursday when the injured Kurt Busch withdrew his medical wavier granted him by NASCAR.
“You never know what to expect here, but you know it’s going to be wild and crazy and there will be a lot of crashes,” said Martin Truex Jr., who’s still looking for a victory this season. “Rain in the area. Who knows when it could end. Does it even go the full distance?
“They brought the last regular season race here for a reason. Right? Drama and craziness and that’s what we’re going to see.”
This season’s winless drivers who own a victory at the 2.5-mile speedway are Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Justin Haley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola. Blaney enters the event third in the regular season standings, 25 points ahead of Truex in sixth. If there is a repeat winner, both will get into the playoffs, but if a non-winner visits victory lane, the lone playoff berth on points will go to Blaney. Those who could get into the playoffs with their first Daytona victory include Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, and Truex.
Wallace has finished second in the last two Daytona races and has three runner-up finishes in 10 events at the superspeedway.
Buescher won a Daytona 500 qualifying race in February and possesses the best starting position – eighth — of those seeking a playoff berth.
“There’s only one lap that matters to us here this weekend and that is the last one and being in the right spot on that last one,” Buescher said. “If you kinda cruise around in the first Stage, Stage and a half, and save your stuff, at the end of the day that does not put you in the best chance to win the race. Drivers haven’t seen you up there all day, they don’t recognize you as a car that has speed, or they just don’t respect the fact that you hung out in the back and didn’t participate for half the race.
“I think we have to race and whatever happens will happen. We’ll control what we can and be there for that last lap and be in a good spot like we were here last year.”
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on NBC. In areas where the race is preempted by a local NFL game, the race can be viewed on Peacock.
No Comment | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99205 | 2022-08-28T21:15:02Z | racintoday.com | control | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99205 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Clements Gives Big Teams A Lesson in Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jeremy Clements is no stranger to Cinderella stories.
In 2004, a driveshaft in Clements’ dirt late model came through the car and nearly ripped off his right hand. The doctors told him he would never race again. However, after a skin graft, 10 surgeries and a year absence from racing, Clements proved the doctors wrong.
In 2017, Clements shocked the motorsports community with a victory in the Johnsonville 180 at Road America. That gave him his first taste of the playoffs.
Last year, Clements gained a position in the playoffs via points.
This year he upset the Goliaths of the Xfinity Series with his family-owned, four full-time employee team to claim the Wawa 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
“I’m dumbfound. I’m shocked. I’m speechless,” an excited Clements said as he sat in Daytona’s infield media center and consumed a Busch Light during his post-race interview. “It’s just incredible. There’s no words to describe it.”
Clements’ victory came 58 years after his grandfather Crawford Clements celebrated in Daytona victory lane as A.J. Foyt’s crew chief, and more than six decades after his uncle Louis Clements served as Rex White’s crew chief when he earned the 1960 Cup Series championship.
“The Clements family has a long history in NASCAR way before I was ever thought of,” Jeremy said. “Those guys are the pioneers of the sport. They were super smart.”
Crawford died in 1996, but Jeremy points to his grandfather as the one who started him in racing.
“He started taking me when I was a kid to the dirt track with a Go-Kart,” Jeremy said. “It really made it hard (when he passed away) because I didn’t have anybody to take me. I just had to get my mom to take me and get a ride. I would find somebody to let me drive their stuff.
“I was 11 years old when he passed away. I just remember being at the shop, thinking he was super smart. He’s in heaven now. I know he’s got to be smiling. I wish he was here to share this victory with us. To win Daytona is frickin’ phenomenal.”
Based in Spartanburg, S.C., Jeremy’s Chevrolets are powered by engines constructed by his father, Tony. The team receives no help from Chevrolet, but Jeremy hopes that will change with his victory. He does whatever is needed to make sure the team gets to each race, from working on the cars, to acquiring sponsors, to booking hotel rooms, to sweeping the floors.
“It all ends with me,” Jeremy said. “I gotta make sure everything’s right and it’s a full-time job for sure. It’s a lot when you’re trying to juggle all that stuff.
“(But) we’ve been very smart over these years. We kinda cut a lot of corners, corners that cost speed. We build our own engines and that cuts down a lot of the cost. At the end of the year, we can make money and pay our guys good … and try to make our stuff better … by trying to buy newer stuff. We have no engineers. There’s definitely some things I would love to do, but we can’t do them if we’re going to keep doing this. We spend an eighth of what a big team spends for a race.”
In the wee hours of Saturday morning, the 37-year-old Jeremy snaked his way through four multi-car crashes in the closing laps to claim his second career Xfinity victory in triple overtime in the rain-delayed event that ended about 1:30 a.m. The carnage started with a seven-car crash on lap 92 of the scheduled 100-lap race. Then with two laps remaining an eight-car crash occurred on the frontstretch. That sent the race into overtime and led to a 13-car pileup on the backstretch. Next came an eight-car crash on the backstretch, sending the race into its third overtime.
“We were the ones that survived for once,” Clements said. “How we got through that big wreck on the backstretch, I don’t know. I’ve had my fair share of wrecks … so just to win is incredible. I didn’t even think we had a shot. I didn’t have a car to win if everybody had survived.
“Obviously, when we have our ducks in a row we can run pretty competitively, but to win is a tall task. It’s been a rough season for sure. We’ve been in a lot of wrecks. We’ve been in the wrong place, wrong time numerous times.”
Still, Jeremy pointed to some good performances this season. A top-five at Loudon, N.H., and good runs on the road courses.
“But we were just never able to put it together,” he continued. “I race hard, but I race clean. I don’t ruffle feathers. So, I feel good about where I’m at with my fellow competitors.”
Several drivers and team owners came into victory lane to congratulate Jeremy on his Daytona win.
“We won it legit,” he said. “There was no BS caution or rain or whatever. We won hands down so it’s pretty damn coo.”
###
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 21st Annual Wawa 250
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida
Friday, August 26, 2022
- (9) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 118.
- (37) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 118.
- (1) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 118.
- (25) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 118.
- (24) Sage Karam, Chevrolet, 118.
- (36) Ryan Vargas, Chevrolet, 118.
- (8) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 118.
- (21) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 118.
- (28) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 118.
- (32) Kyle Sieg #, Ford, 118.
- (34) Jesse Iwuji #, Chevrolet, 118.
- (22) Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 118.
- (15) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 118.
- (14) Austin Hill #, Chevrolet, 118.
- (6) Riley Herbst, Ford, 118.
- (31) Joey Gase, Ford, 116.
- (18) Blaine Perkins(i), Chevrolet, 116.
- (5) Josh Berry, Chevrolet, 115.
- (16) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, DVP, 114.
- (12) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 114.
- (29) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 113.
- (2) Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, Accident, 110.
- (10) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Accident, 110.
- (33) Matt Mills(i), Toyota, Accident, 110.
- (38) Justin Haley(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 103.
- (11) Ryan Sieg, Ford, Accident, 103.
- (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 103.
- (30) Caesar Bacarella, Chevrolet, Accident, 103.
- (35) Josh Williams, Ford, Accident, 103.
- (23) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, Accident, 103.
- (26) David Starr, Ford, Accident, 98.
- (13) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, Accident, 98.
- (27) Mason Massey, Chevrolet, Engine, 97.
- (4) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, Accident, 91.
- (19) John Hunter Nemechek(i), Toyota, Accident, 82.
- (7) Sheldon Creed #, Chevrolet, Accident, 82.
- (20) Joe Graf Jr, Ford, Accident, 82.
- (3) Sammy Smith, Toyota, Accident, 14.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 113.328 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 36 Mins, 11 Secs. Margin of Victory: Caution Seconds.
Caution Flags: 10 for 41 laps.
Lead Changes: 19 among 12 drivers.
Lap Leaders: A. Allmendinger 1-4;N. Gragson 5-16;J. Berry 17-18;R. Herbst 19;T. Gibbs 20-24;R. Herbst 25;T. Gibbs 26-31;J. Berry 32-35;B. Brown 36;A. Alfredo 37-40;J. Allgaier 41-49;A. Alfredo 50-51;J. Allgaier 52-53;A. Alfredo 54-55;N. Gragson 56-62;R. Vargas 63;N. Gragson 64-96;D. Hemric 97;A. Hill # 98-115;J. Clements 116-118.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Noah Gragson 3 times for 52 laps; Austin Hill # 1 time for 18 laps; Ty Gibbs 2 times for 11 laps; Justin Allgaier 2 times for 11 laps; Anthony Alfredo 3 times for 8 laps; Josh Berry 2 times for 6 laps; AJ Allmendinger 1 time for 4 laps; Jeremy Clements 1 time for 3 laps; Riley Herbst 2 times for 2 laps; Daniel Hemric 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Vargas 1 time for 1 lap; Brandon Brown 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 54,21,2,16,8,19,7,1,14,39
Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,23,98,1,8,26,54,7,31,39
No Comment | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99210 | 2022-08-28T21:15:08Z | racintoday.com | control | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99210 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Dillon Wins At Daytona To Set Playoff Field
By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com
Austin Dillon emerged from a tangle of smoking, spinning wrecked cars to take the lead late in Sunday’s regular-season NASCAR Cup Series race, waited out a multi-hour rain delay and was then crowned winner at Daytona International Speedway.
The victory was Dillon’s first of the season and earned him a berth in the Playoffs, which begin next weekend.
While Richard Childress Racing’s Dillon celebrated because of the weird day of rain and wrecks, Martin Truex, Jr. bummed out.
Dillon’s victory combined with an eight-place finish by Truex, shut the Joe Gibbs Racing driver out of the Playoffs based on points.
Ryan Blaney of Team Penske secured the final Playoffs spot based on points.
Tyler Reddick of RCR finished second while Penske’s Austin Cindric was third.
Blaney finished 15th and six laps off the pace after an early race wreck, but that was just enough to edge Truex in the Playoffs battle.
Joining Blaney and Dillon as competitors in the 16-driver, 10-race Playoffs which begin next weekend in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina will be:
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
A key wreck occurred late n the first stage. Involved was Blaney.
Blaney, who was plus 33 in points before the wreck, suffered big damage. He went two laps down. He returned to the track from the pits but his right front fender did not. But Blaney hung in to keeps Playoff hopes alive.
With 60 to go, it was Truex’s turn to run into trouble. He slowed to avoid a wreck in front of him while he was running fourth in the outside line and got hit from behind by Ross Chastain. Truex, too, restarted with right front fender damage but still on the lead lap.
On Lap 138, drivers at the front of the pack broke loose as wet weather quickly approached Turn 1. Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suárez, Daniel Hemric and Justin Haley began wrecking up front but Dillon swerved left and onto the apron to miss the mess to emerge with the lead.
Others involved were Kevin Harvick, Harrison Burton, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones and Todd Gilliland.
Almost immediately rain began to pour over the 2.5-mile superspeedway and the field was brought to pit road and the race was red flagged for over three hours.
It would never restart.
(This story will be updated shortly)
No Comment | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99218 | 2022-08-28T21:15:14Z | racintoday.com | control | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99218 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NPR Politics For politicians, does online popularity translate into votes? Published August 28, 2022 at 2:13 PM PDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email As the midterms draw near, candidates are sparring with one another on social media. NPR's Don Gonyea speaks with professor Jenny Stromer-Galley. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/2022-08-28/for-politicians-does-online-popularity-translate-into-votes | 2022-08-28T21:26:40Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/2022-08-28/for-politicians-does-online-popularity-translate-into-votes | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NPR's Don Gonyea talks with Gary Gillette — Chair Of The Board Of Directors at Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium -– about the efforts to restore an historic Negro League ballpark in Michigan.
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Don Gonyea talks with Gary Gillette — Chair Of The Board Of Directors at Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium -– about the efforts to restore an historic Negro League ballpark in Michigan.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-sports/2022-08-28/revitalizing-the-detroit-area-negro-league-baseball-stadium | 2022-08-28T21:26:46Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-sports/2022-08-28/revitalizing-the-detroit-area-negro-league-baseball-stadium | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UPDATE:
1:28 PM - The Trion Fire Department reported just before 1:30 p.m. that Trion Firefighters, Maintenance and Police have cleared the road.
Thomas Rd is now reopened at this time.
PREVIOUS STORY: The Trion Fire Department is asking the public to avoid Thomas Rd this afternoon.
The department shared several photos of a tree down in this area.
Stay with Local 3 as this story develops. | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/update-thomas-rd-reopens-after-crews-clear-downed-tree-in-trion/article_4cb05f78-26f2-11ed-9ee1-475322da26ea.html | 2022-08-28T21:27:23Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/update-thomas-rd-reopens-after-crews-clear-downed-tree-in-trion/article_4cb05f78-26f2-11ed-9ee1-475322da26ea.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke announced Sunday that he has been diagnosed with a "bacterial infection" and after receiving care at the hospital, he will be "resting at home," postponing events in his campaign against GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.
"After feeling ill on Friday, I went to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio where I was diagnosed with a bacterial infection," O'Rourke said in a statement. "While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the doctors' recommendations. I am sorry to have had to postpone events because of this, but promise to be back on the road as soon as I am able," he added.
He thanked the staff at Methodist Hospital. "The extraordinary team there — from custodians to nurses and doctors — gave me excellent care and attention, including IV antibiotics and rest," O'Rourke said.
The development comes at a critical point in the Texas gubernatorial contest, as O'Rourke looks to narrow Abbott's lead in the contest.
The former congressman first shot to national stardom with a near-miss Senate campaign in 2018 against GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. But his failed 2020 Democratic presidential primary run left his national brand badly dented in the eyes of many within the party.
And Republicans argue that many of the positions he took during that run, including advocating for mandatory assault weapon buybacks, will hurt him in Texas.
Still, O'Rourke remains popular among Democrats on his home turf -- building a following in Texas much larger than any other Democrat in a generation. In between his campaigns, he remained active, campaigning for state legislative candidates and activating his volunteers when the state's power grid failed in early 2021.
This story has been updated with additional information.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/beto-orourke-off-the-campaign-trail-in-texas-with-bacterial-infection/article_6fc72ac3-6bc4-57f0-8ffb-aa222ccf064f.html | 2022-08-28T21:27:35Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/beto-orourke-off-the-campaign-trail-in-texas-with-bacterial-infection/article_6fc72ac3-6bc4-57f0-8ffb-aa222ccf064f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
If Sunday’s preseason finale was a “dress rehearsal” for the Jets offense, they may want to delay opening night.
The first-team offense got their first work together in the preseason and it was not pretty. The offense had four series against mostly Giants backups and they managed three points, 94 yards — and two turnovers — on 22 plays in a 31-27 win over the Giants.
Joe Flacco, who is expected to start Week 1 against the Ravens, threw a brutal interception that was returned for a touchdown by Giants linebacker Austin Calitro. Flacco was 7-for-12 for 76 yards and the pick in his only action of the preseason.
You can’t overreact to preseason games, but the Jets surely were hoping for a better showing from their offense. The line played together for the first time in the preseason and looked shaky. Flacco faced some pressure and there was very little push in the run game.
On his final play of the day, he faced pressure from Giants linebacker Oshane Ximines and rolled to his right. Flacco then forced a pass intended for Michael Carter that landed right in Calitro’s hands and he returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.
Carter had a fumble that ended the Jets’ first drive of the game. The drive was 10 plays and it looked like it would continue as Carter caught a pass from Flacco on third down and was on his way to a first down when he was hit by Giants linebacker Michah McFadden and fumbled at the Giants’ 28. It was recovered by Calitro.
The Jets defense had a better showing. The starting defensive line abused the Giants’ second-team offensive line. Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson put a lot of pressure on Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor and then rookie Micheal Clemons knocked him out of the game. Clemons drilled Taylor, and the quarterback left the game with a back injury.
The hit by Clemons was one of several big ones delivered by the Jets. Kwon Alexander drilled running back Antonio Williams, causing a fumble the Giants recovered.
Before Taylor exited the game, the Jets pressured him into a bad throw that was intercepted by Michael Carter II.
While the starting offense scuffled, the backup offense moved the ball. Quarterback Mike White went 13-for-17 for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
Denzel Mims, who requested a trade on Thursday, had a huge game in what could be his last in a Jets uniform. He had seven catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. The question now becomes what general manager Joe Douglas does with Mims. Rosters need to be cut to 53 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. If Douglas cannot trade him by then, he will have to decide whether to keep the 2020 second-round pick on the roster or cut him. It will be tough to let him go after his performance Sunday.
The Jets had some fourth-quarter dramatics with fourth-string quarterback Chris Streveler hitting Calvin Jackson for a 5-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the game to put the Jets up 31-27. It was Streveler’s second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter. He hit Mims for a 29-yard score earlier in the quarter. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/joe-flacco-jets-first-team-offense-didnt-look-ready-for-week-1/ | 2022-08-28T21:33:03Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/joe-flacco-jets-first-team-offense-didnt-look-ready-for-week-1/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Firebrand lawmaker Lee Jae-myung was elected to lead South Korea’s main opposition party on Sunday, months after his narrow presidential defeat to conservative opponent Yoon Suk Yeol left the liberals in disarray.
Lee’s dominant win in the Democratic Party chairperson’s race ends a monthslong leadership void for the liberals, who still control a majority in the Parliament. It revives his rivalry with Yoon, a relative political novice who has seen his popularity decline since taking office in May amid a worsening economy, policy mishaps on education and other domestic issues, and mishandled Cabinet appointments.
Lee, who won nearly 78% of the votes from party members, was announced as the Democrats’ new chairperson in a convention held at a gymnastics stadium in the capital, Seoul. In his acceptance speech, Lee criticized the Yoon administration over what he described as failures to address the country’s stark economic inequalities, but also said he was willing to cooperate with Yoon and the ruling conservative party if “they take the right path for the people and country.”
He stressed that his key mission is to bring the Democrats back to power.
“Today’s convention is the start of our victorious march, including in the parliamentary elections two years later, the mayoral and gubernatorial elections four years later and the presidential election five years later,” Lee said, as his supporters cheered and chanted his name.
Yoon edged Lee by a historically narrow margin of 0.7 percentage points in the March election. Yoon’s spokesperson, Kim Eun-hye, issued a statement Sunday congratulating Lee on his win at the convention and calling for bipartisan cooperation to address the country’s problems.
The Democrats had been without a chairperson since March and the party was being run by an emergency committee after the previous leadership stepped down following Lee’s loss in the presidential election.
Lee, who called for universal basic income and engagement with nuclear-armed North Korea during the presidential campaign, is one of the most polarizing figures in South Korean politics.
Lee’s supporters appreciate his outspoken style and see him as an anti-elitist hero who could fix establishment politics, eradicate corruption and solve growing economic inequality, a decaying job market and soaring house prices.
To his detractors, the 57-year-old is seen as a dangerous populist who demonizes his conservative opponents and fails to back his ambitious vows for welfare spending with realistic funding plans.
Yoon has been off to a rocky start in office as he grapples with an economy battered by rising prices and unemployment and an increasingly aggressive North Korea, which has ramped up its missile tests to a record pace this year while threatening nuclear conflicts with South Korea and the U.S.
Yoon’s approval ratings have dipped to the 30s or below in recent weeks over unpopular policy decisions, including a poorly explained plan to have children start school earlier that triggered fierce public backlash and forced his education minister to resign this month. Yoon doesn’t have a health minister yet, following the withdrawals of two nominees over accusations of nepotism and illegal use of campaign funds.
Yoon was also criticized for his unwillingness to meet U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she visited South Korea following a trip to Taiwan earlier this month that infuriated China. Yoon, who was on vacation, talked to Pelosi by phone instead of face to face. His critics accused him of avoiding seeing her to protect relations with China. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-outspoken-lawmaker-picked-to-lead-south-korean-opposition/ | 2022-08-28T21:38:21Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-outspoken-lawmaker-picked-to-lead-south-korean-opposition/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Opposition parties in Serbia and international rights groups on Sunday denounced a decision by populist President Aleksandar Vucic to cancel next month’s pan-European LGBTQ EuroPride event because of what he said were threats from right-wing extremists.
Most of the groups said that they would ignore the ban announced Saturday by Vucic and go ahead with the Sept. 12-18 events scheduled in the capital, Belgrade.
Vucic said that a political crisis with Serbia’s former breakaway province of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, and economic problems facing the country amid Russia’s war in Ukraine were among the reasons why the Balkan nation’s authorities couldn’t handle EuroPride.
The U.N. office in Serbia said it was concerned about the announced ban, saying it would jeopardize “the right to freedom of assembly as guaranteed by the Serbian Constitution.”
“The EuroPride is also an opportunity to celebrate the foundations of a strong and progressive society based on social equity, equality of all rights, solidarity, friendship and love,” U.N. Resident Coordinator in Serbia Francoise Jacob said.
Members of the European Pride Organizers Association chose Serbia’s capital three years ago to host the annual event, hoping it would represent a major breakthrough for a Slavic country that is traditionally conservative and under a strong influence from the Orthodox Church.
Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership, but has for years been moving closer to Russia’s political orbit. The Balkan country has voted for U.N. resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow.
In a protest called before the cancellation of the pride event, thousands of right-wing church supporters marched through the Serbian capital Sunday evening in a procession they said was “to save Serbia.” They were led by the Serbian branch of the Night Wolves, the Russian biker group that is considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Civic Democratic Forum opposition party accused the Serbian president of “playing dictator” by modeling himself after Putin, and trying to ban the Belgrade pride event.
Civic Democratic leader Zoran Vuletic said in a statement that the party wanted to remind Vucic “that he cannot cancel an event that he did not schedule and that he cannot, according to the constitution, prohibit the gathering of people.”
Vucic on Saturday announced the decision to cancel the EuroPride celebration during a news conference where he also proposed extending the term of Serbia’s prime minister, Ana Brnabic, who is a lesbian.
Brnabic has been frequently accused by Serbia’s gay rights groups of doing nothing to help their status is Serbia during her first two terms in the government. She joined Vucic in supporting the cancellation of the EuroPride event.
“No matter how you turn it, from any angle you look at it, the first inviolable thing is to ensure peace and stability in the country,” Brnabic said. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-serbia-opposition-rights-groups-condemn-europride-decision/ | 2022-08-28T21:38:41Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-serbia-opposition-rights-groups-condemn-europride-decision/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Two of the four were very specific on their concerns over the falling euro:
- ECB's Kazaks says he is not happy with the lower EUR (euro)
- ECB's Rehn concerned about the falling euro: Certainly we are monitoring the exchange rate
They also had comments on what to expect at the September 8 European Central Bank meeting.
The other two, no specific EUR remarks but comments on whats coming in September and beyond:
- ECB's Schnabel says rates must be raised, even into a recession
- ECB's Villeroy de Galhau forecasts 'significant' Sept. rate hike, & to neutral by year end
-
EUR/USD has dropped under parity but has not extended lower. Yet.
Hangin' in there. | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/4-ecb-speakers-over-the-weekend-concerns-expressed-on-low-eur-sept-rate-hike-forecast-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T21:38:47Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/4-ecb-speakers-over-the-weekend-concerns-expressed-on-low-eur-sept-rate-hike-forecast-20220828/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Finnish central bank governor and member of the governing council of the European Central Bank Olli Rehn spoke over the weekend in an interview at Jackson Hole.
Like Latvian central bank governor, and fellow Governing Council member of the European Central Bank, Martins Kazaks, Rehn is concerned about the inflationary impact of the falling euro.
- “Certainly we are monitoring the exchange rate”
- “This indirect channel is important - we are monitoring it and are looking at it as one indicator"
- “It’s already a significant consideration” in setting monetary policy"
On the upcoming ECB policy meeting and rate hike:
- “The reality is that we have excessively high inflation globally, also in Europe -- that’s why it’s action time”
- “The next step will be a significant move in September, depending on the incoming data and the inflation outlook.”
Rehn also remarked on the slowing eurozone economy and energy crisis:
- “Monetary policy is now facing the dual dilemma of on the one hand maintaining inflation expectations anchored, and on the other hand avoiding that we would push the economy into a recession,”
- “We have a severe energy crisis in Europe”
- “it’s quite likely that the euro-zone economy is slowing down. It’s slowing down as we speak.”
Info via Bloomberg (Rehn spoke with Bloomberg TV) | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/ecbs-rehn-concerned-about-the-falling-euro-certainly-we-are-monitoring-the-exchange-rate-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T21:38:59Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/ecbs-rehn-concerned-about-the-falling-euro-certainly-we-are-monitoring-the-exchange-rate-20220828/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Francois Villeroy de Galhau, Governor of Banque de France, and a Governing Council member at the European Central Bank spoke at Jackson Hole over the weekend:
- ECB needs another significant interest rate hike in September
On the neutral rate (expected to be in the 1% to 2% range, but the ECBcould go higher):
- "We could be there before the end of the year, after another significant step in September"
- "Have no doubt that we at the ECB would if needed raise rates further beyond normalization: bringing inflation back to 2% is our responsibility; our will and our capacity to deliver on our mandate are unconditional"
Other ECB speakers over the weekend: | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/ecbs-villeroy-de-galhau-forecasts-significant-sept-rate-hike-to-neutral-by-year-end-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T21:39:05Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/ecbs-villeroy-de-galhau-forecasts-significant-sept-rate-hike-to-neutral-by-year-end-20220828/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BEIRUT (AP) — Satellite imagery showed widespread destruction at a giant military facility in western Syria targeted in a recent Israeli airstrike, and the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Sunday the strike targeted a depot housing hundreds of middle-range missiles for Iran-backed fighters.
Syrian state media reported after the Thursday night attack near the cities of Tartus and Hama that two people were wounded and fires were sparked in nearby forests. It added that the missiles were fired from over the Mediterranean and most of them were shot down.
Syrian opposition activists at the time said the strike targeted an arms depot and a scientific research center near the central town of Masyaf, a government stronghold. Masyaf is almost half way between the coastal city of Tartus and the central city of Hama.
The Times of Israel on Sunday published images taken by Planet Labs PBC and provided by Aurora Intel, a network that provides news and updates based on open-source intelligence.
Aurora Intel tweeted that initial analysis of satellite imagery showed that some buildings and areas sustained heavy damage from the reported airstrikes. It added that areas around the Scientific Studies and Research Center sustained “heavy fire damage due to the secondary explosions.”
The imagery showed that part of the green areas surrounding the facility had been burned.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based opposition war monitor known as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Israelis struck several positions but the main target hit was a giant arms depot housing about 1,000 precision-guided middle-range missiles. He said the explosions at the facility lasted for more than five hours after the strike.
Abdurrahman added that an underground facility to develop missiles in the area under the supervision of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was not affected by the strikes, probably because it was dug deep in the mountains. He said the strike left one Syrian army captain dead and 14 other Syrians wounded.
“The explosions were among the largest since Israel began carrying out airstrikes in Syria,” he said.
There was no official comment from Israel’s military.
Israel has made hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over the past decade of its civil war, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
It has, however, acknowledged that it targets bases of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s allies, including Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and other Iran-backed militias. Israeli military officials have said in the past that the strikes are against Iranian entrenchment in Syria.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the top U.S. Air Force officer in the Middle East, said he was “certainly aware” of reports that Israel targeted an arms depot in Syria in recent days but stressed there was “no connection” between that attack and the U.S. airstrikes that hit Iran-linked targets in Syria last week.
He said that the recent actions that the U.S. military took “are entirely disconnected from any other actors, whether the Israelis or anyone else.”
On the tit-for-tat attacks that raised tensions between the U.S. and Iran-backed militias in Syria last week, Grynkewich said he hoped “things have de-escalated and now we’ve reached a point where deterrence is once again established.” | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-war-monitor-israeli-strike-targeted-missile-depot-in-syria/ | 2022-08-28T21:39:07Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-war-monitor-israeli-strike-targeted-missile-depot-in-syria/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A reminder if you need - Monday, 29 August 2022 is a UK holiday. markets will be holidaying there also.
This will substantially thin out forex trading liquidity in the Europe/UK time zone today.
Nice day for a bike ride.
A reminder if you need - Monday, 29 August 2022 is a UK holiday. markets will be holidaying there also.
This will substantially thin out forex trading liquidity in the Europe/UK time zone today.
Nice day for a bike ride.
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Must Read | https://www.forexlive.com/news/heads-up-for-uk-market-closures-monday-29-august-2022-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T21:39:11Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/heads-up-for-uk-market-closures-monday-29-august-2022-20220828/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tristan Hamm, founder of adventure experiences company ‘Revived-Outdoors’ is on a mission to change the way people experience travels to Hawaii.
Where a world of geotagging and social media is in many ways ruining beautiful local locations, Revived Outdoors company founder Tristan Hamm is on a mission to educate and inspire the right means of travel through his various humanitarian initiatives on Oahu and beyond to various travel destinations across the United States.
Hamm collaborated with several brands that want to help recover revive people who need a trip to revive themselfves…whether on the mainland or here in Hawaii! These companies are donating to those people bringing them to Hawaii or people from Hawaii vacaying in Utah for an adventure experience All ON THE HOUSE!
HONOLULU-HI (KITV-4) Tristan Hamm, founder of the adventure experiences company ‘Revived-Outdoors’ is on a mission to change the way people experience travels to Hawaii and beyond!
Hamm is using what he learned while living in Hawaii, to impact millions of people online and across the world with his Revived Outdoors adventures.
Tristan Hamm, Revived Outdoors, “My mission is to focus on the spiritual impact that these places can have on people. Infect these people with them. Give back to these people with these trips and experiences. “ “ I believe the aloha spirit, is really essential to all our trips. It’s something that fills every single person who comes on our retreats. Whether they have a break through by integrating themselves with the animals or if they were rock climbing and overcame a fear of heights."
Hamm says, he is on a mission to change the way people experience travels to Hawaii and to other destinations. "We take people from the Mainland and bring them to Hawaii, and we educate them about the right way to experience Hawaii, any location not only Hawaii. Exploring not exploiting. Not geotagging.”
Revived Outdoors is now offering free trips to anyone who is in need of an adventure. These are 7 day retreats in Oahu and Utah; Tristan is collaborating with several brands who are sponsoring these revivals!
Hamm says, “To help people who are challenged during Covid maybe mentally, physically, financially and actually donate to those people to bring them to Hawaii bring them to Utah, give them a free adventure experience all on the house! Completely covered their flights their stay. Everything!” “What they’re brought home with is what really matters, our goal is to revive people we don’t know what people are going through we are all going through something.”
To apply, just simply enter on Tristan Hamms instagram @tristanhamm by nominating yourself or a friend who could use a revival experience. Each month he will announce a free trip winner!
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to Cyip@kitv.com
Cynthia is an award-winning journalist who returned to Hawaii as an Anchor/Reporter/MMJ from Houston. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a B.A. and M.B.A. DM her on IG @CynthiaYipTV to share stories. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/revived-outdoors-changing-the-way-people-experience-travel-to-hawaii-beyond/article_79c068de-2709-11ed-8a96-37b95da97bf7.html | 2022-08-28T21:39:24Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/revived-outdoors-changing-the-way-people-experience-travel-to-hawaii-beyond/article_79c068de-2709-11ed-8a96-37b95da97bf7.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HOUSTON (AP) — A man evicted from a Houston apartment building shot five other tenants — killing three of them — Sunday morning after setting fire to the house to lure them out, police said. Officers fatally shot the gunman.
The incident happened at about 1 a.m. Sunday in a mixed industrial-residential neighborhood in southwest Houston. Police and fire crews responded to the apartment house after reports of the fire, police Chief Troy Finner said.
The gunman opened fire, possibly with a shotgun, on the other tenants as they emerged from the house, Finner said. Two were dead at the scene, and one died at a hospital. Fire teams rescued two other wounded men, who were hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds, he said.
The man then opened fire as the firefighters battled the fire, forcing them to take cover until police officers spotted the prone gunman and shot him dead, Finner said.
No identities have been released, and Finner said no firefighters or officers were wounded.
“I’ve seen things I have not seen before in 32 years, and it has happened time and time again,” Finner said. “We just ask that the community come together.”
A neighbor, Robin Ahrens, told the Houston Chronicle that he heard what he initially thought were fireworks as he prepared for work.
“I’m just fortunate that I didn’t go outside because he probably would have shot me too,” he told the newspaper.
He said the shooter, who had colon cancer, was behind on his rent, jobless and was recently notified that he was being evicted.
“Something must have just hit him in the last couple of days really hard to where he just didn’t care,” he said. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-national-news/ap-police-houston-tenant-kills-3-others-set-fire-to-lure-them/ | 2022-08-28T21:39:27Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-national-news/ap-police-houston-tenant-kills-3-others-set-fire-to-lure-them/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cinema’s biggest stars just seem to shine a bit brighter at the Venice International Film Festival, which begins this week in the Northern Italian city.
Think of Lady Gaga, a woman who has never shied away from a grand entrance, somehow topping even herself delicately perched over the edge of a moving water taxi and vamping for the cameras like a classic screen siren. Or Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck evoking old Hollywood glamour to make their official debut as a couple just last year.
Whether you’re a celebrity gliding down the red carpet in front of hundreds of flashing cameras or an onlooker an ocean away daydreaming about Timothée Chalamet’s crystal-studded Haider Ackermann suit, or that electric moment between non-couple Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, it is the kind of occasion that ignites the imagination. And that’s all before you even step inside the theater.
For director and actor Olivia Wilde, the dream of Venice was woven into the fabric of her new film, “ Don’t Worry Darling.” Ending up at the festival became a shorthand for the type of movie she wanted to make.
“We had several studios and streamers who wanted to make this film and I sat down with all of them and I said, ‘The path that I see leads us to Venice. Which one of you understands what kind of movie were making based on that dream?’” Wilde said. “To me, a Venice film is a film that really embraces everything that is ambitious and romantic and beautiful about cinema. And this film is truly a love letter to movies.”
Wilde went with New Line and Warner Bros. and her wish came true: The stylish psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as a picture-perfect couple in an experimental postwar community will have its world debut out of competition on Sept. 5.
Styles, Pugh and Wilde are just some of the stars expected to pose on the docks outside of the opulent Hotel Excelsior and grace the red carpet outside of the Palazzo del Cinema. Their presence, alongside lifetime achievement recipient Catherine Deneuve, Hugh Jackman, Tilda Swinton, Penelope Cruz, Chalamet and many others, helps transform the Lido, the laid-back beach town across the Venetian Lagoon from St. Mark’s Square, into a bastion of glamour, fantasy and cinema on the Adriatic.
This year’s festival is stacked with highly anticipated films and performances in the main competition slate: Ana de Armas is making her debut as Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s “ Blonde ”; Brendan Fraser’s turn in Darren Aronofsky’s new film “The Whale” is already being hailed as an awards-worthy comeback; and Cate Blanchett is playing a renowned conductor in “ TÁR,” director Todd Field’s first film in over 15 years.
“Todd Field is as major a film artist as has ever been,” said Peter Kujawski, the chairman of Focus Features. “And what Cate is doing with the character, without saying too much, is just something you don’t see executed on this level very often.”
The festival, which began in 1932 and is heading into its 79th edition, officially begins Wednesday night with the premiere of Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s seminal novel “ White Noise,” starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig.
“White Noise” is one of four high-profile Netflix films hoping to make a splash at the festival, which is an important platform not just for the streaming service, but for all Oscar hopefuls. Baumbach’s last Venice film, “Marriage Story,” went on to get six Oscar nominations and win one for Laura Dern, who is also returning this year in Florian Zeller’s “The Son.” It’s the first of many fall festivals that will refine the awards conversation for the rest of the year.
Field, Baumbach, Aronofsky and Zeller are also among a slew of filmmakers with good Oscar track records who are making their first stop at Venice in competition: There’s also Martin McDonagh’s Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson friendship drama “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s comedy “Bardo, or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”; and Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal romance “ Bones and All,” which reunites the Italian director with Chalamet.
There are also two narrative debuts from documentarians Frederick Wiseman (“A Couple”) and Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”) that are among the 23 films vying for the Golden Lion. The coveted award will be decided on by a jury led by Julianne Moore and presented at the festival’s close on Sept. 10.
Participant Media CEO David Linde, a 30-year veteran of the festival, wanted Venice specifically for the debut of two high-profile documentaries: Oscar-winner Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” about photographer Nan Goldin’s fight against the Sackler family, which is playing in competition, as well as Steve James’ “A Compassionate Spy,” about nuclear physicist Ted Hall.
“The opportunity to bring people to the festival is something I treasure,” Linde said. “This is really about three great American artists coming to Venice: Laura, Nan and Steve.”
Venice may not always produce the best picture winner, though there are some like “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “The Shape of Water” and “Nomadland,” and many more nominees. But it has become a reliable launching pad for the eventual best director winner, claiming nine in the past decade alone including Silver Lion winner Jane Campion earlier this year.
The films go beyond Hollywood too, of course, with the entire slate boasting works from some 59 countries including several Oscar hopefuls, like Santiago Mitre’s “ Argentina, 1985 ” and Romain Gavras’ “ Athena.”
The festival is putting a spotlight on both the war in Ukraine, with a devoted day and the premiere of Evgeny Afineevsky’s documentary about the war, as well as plight of persecuted directors around the world, like imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panahi whose film “No Bears” is among the competition titles.
And the slate is not without some potential controversy either: They will also host the premiere of “Call of God,” from the late South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, a past Venice-winner who was also accused of sexual assault.
But after two scaled back editions, it is mostly excitement in the air. The Venice Film Festival is the kind of place that enchants whether you’re a first-timer or an industry veteran.
Maybe it’s the romanticism of Northern Italy or the sense of occasion that comes with being part of the world’s oldest film festival. It could be the desire to step it up a notch to bid farewell to the bombast of the summer movie season and welcome in the more adult fare of the fall. Or perhaps it’s the delightful unpredictability of a festival that one year awards its top prize to “Joker,” helping establish Todd Phillips’ big studio comic book film as a serious awards contender, and another year to “Happening,” a small French drama about abortion.
“You go in both with a sense of purpose and excitement for whatever film you’re bringing, but I think all of us in in the community share the other aspect of it that you also just go in giddy as a fan. Every single thing you might sit down and watch is going to be a thoughtful, meaningful, truly wonderful moviegoing experience,” Kujawski said. “That’s the magic of Venice.”
___
Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
___
For more on the Venice Film Festival, visit: www.apnews.com/VeniceFilmFestival | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-at-90-the-venice-film-festival-looks-better-than-ever/ | 2022-08-28T21:39:34Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-at-90-the-venice-film-festival-looks-better-than-ever/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONDON (AP) — The annual Notting Hill Carnival has returned to the streets of London for the first time since 2019, with more than 1 million people expected to take in the music, spectacular parades, dancing and food offerings at Europe’s largest street party on Sunday and Monday.
The carnival, which celebrates Caribbean culture at the end of August every year, had to take place online for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The carnival traces its history back to 1958, when Trinidadian human rights activist Claudia Jones began organizing a gathering to unify the community after a series of racially motivated attacks on West Indians in west London’s Notting Hill neighborhood.
The event has grown from a festival drawing several hundred people to a huge annual street party, with tens of thousands of performers in the colorful parade and more than 30 sound systems.
Celebrations began on Saturday night, as more than 1,000 people gathered to watch a steel band competition in west London.
Crowds of young children blowing whistles danced down the streets with their parents on Sunday, traditionally a more family-friendly day than Monday. Some children stood on the doorsteps of their houses waving Jamaican flags.
Pepe Francis heads the Ebony Steelband Trust, which has been performing at the carnival for decades.
“Since the band has started, I’m on my fifth generation of people and there’s been a lot of changes,” he said. “But our members look forward to carnival every year and practice takes place regularly from year to year.”
“A lot of people have been waiting for it to come back,” Francis added. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-notting-hill-carnival-returns-to-london-streets-after-hiatus/ | 2022-08-28T21:39:48Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-notting-hill-carnival-returns-to-london-streets-after-hiatus/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(WHTM) – If you haven’t already ordered your three rounds of free COVID tests from the federal government, now is the time – the test kit ordering program is set to expire soon.
According to COVID.gov, ordering through the program will be suspended on September 2 “because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests.”
Through the program, U.S. households are able to order 16 free rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits that are shipped through the United States Postal Service. Three rounds of free COVID-19 test kits have been offered through the program: the first in January offering four test kits, the second offering another four in March, and the final round in May with eight.
The tests available are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR tests, that can be taken anywhere with results available in 30 minutes. These tests from various companies can also be used whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms or are vaccinated against COVID.
Nexstar’s WHTM has reached out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for comment on the pending suspension of the program.
If you haven’t claimed all 16 of the COVID tests you’re eligible for, you have less than a week to request them.
To order your tests, go to COVIDtests.gov and select “Order Free At-Home Tests.” You’ll be taken to a form where you can enter your name and residential address. (If you’re having trouble getting the website to recognize your address, check here for common issues.)
Once you’ve completed the form, and as long as you provided your email address, you’ll receive two confirmation emails from USPS, one for each of your packages. Delivery updates will later be sent to your email.
More than 20,000 no-cost antigen and PCR COVID-19 testing sites are available to everyone in the U.S., including the uninsured, at more than 20,000 sites nationwide.
If you decide to purchase an at-home test from a pharmacy, your insurance may cover up to eight tests each month.
Find more information on free COVID testing resources by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
According to the CDC, there have been more than 93,800,000 COVID-19 cases in the United States with more than 1 million deaths. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/havent-claimed-your-free-covid-tests-from-the-federal-government-you-only-have-a-few-days-left-to-do-it/ | 2022-08-28T21:40:09Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/havent-claimed-your-free-covid-tests-from-the-federal-government-you-only-have-a-few-days-left-to-do-it/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CAIRO (AP) — Militias patrolled nearly deserted streets in Libya’s capital Sunday, a day after clashes killed over 30 people, and ended Tripoli’s monthslong stretch of relative calm.
The dead included at least 17 civilians, local authorities said. The fighting broke out early Saturday and pitted militias loyal to the Tripoli-based government against other armed groups allied with a rival administration that has for months sought to be seated in the capital.
Residents fear the fighting that capped a monthslong political deadlock could explode into a wider war and a return to the peaks of Libya’s long-running conflict.
Libya has plunged into chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s refusal to step down. In response, the country’s east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
Saturday’s fighting centered in the densely populated city center and involved heavy artillery. Hundreds were trapped and hospitals, government and residential buildings were damaged. Burned vehicles were seen littered in the clashes area.
The Health Ministry said at least 32 people were killed and 159 wounded in the clashes.
Michele Servadei, UNICEF’s representative in Libya, said a 17-year-old adolescent was among the dead, and four others as young as a 5-year old, were wounded in the clashes.
Among those killed was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. He was shot reportedly while live-streaming on social media. It was not clear whether he was targeted.
The Associated Press spoke to dozens of residents and witnesses. They recounted horrific scenes of people, including women and children, trapped in their homes, government buildings and hospitals. They also spoke of at least three motionless bodies that remained for hours in the street before an ambulance was able to reach the area. They asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal from the militias.
“We see death before our eyes and in the eyes of our children,” said a woman who was trapped along with many families in a residential apartment. “The world should protect those innocent children like they did at the time of Gadhafi.”
Militias allied with Tripoli-based Dbeibah were seen roaming the streets in the capital early Sunday. Their rivals were stationed at their positions in the outskirts of the city, according to local media.
Much of the city has suffered nightly power outages. Several businesses were closed Sunday and he state-run National Oil Corp. ordered its employees to work remotely Sunday.
Residents were still weary of potential violence and most stayed in their homes Sunday. Many rushed to supermarkets when the clashes subsided late Saturday to stock up on food and other necessities. Others were seen inspecting their damaged business, homes and vehicles.
“It could be triggered in a flash. They (the militias) are uncontrolled,” said a Tripoli school teacher who only gave a partial name, Abu Salim. “Our demand is very simple: a normal life.”
Dbeibah’s government claimed the fighting began when a member of a rival militia fired at a patrol of another militia in Tripoli’s Zawiya Street. It said the shots came amid a mobilization of Bashagha-allied groups around the capital. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
Militia clashes are not uncommon in Tripoli. Last month, at least 13 people were killed in militia fighting. In May, Bashagha attempted to install his government in Tripoli, triggering clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the city. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-libya-capital-remains-tense-a-day-after-clashes-kill-over-30/ | 2022-08-28T21:40:50Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-libya-capital-remains-tense-a-day-after-clashes-kill-over-30/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Duke volleyball player who was subjected to racial slurs during a match at BYU said Sunday that officials onsite didn’t react quickly enough when they were made aware of the behavior during play.
Nor did they adequately address the situation immediately after the game, Rachel Richardson said in a statement posted to her Twitter account.
“No athlete, regardless of their race should ever be subject to such hostile conditions,” said Richardson, the only Black starter on the Blue Devils team.
BYU banned a fan from all athletic venues on campus on Saturday, a day after the match. The fan was not a student but was sitting in the student section.
Richardson, a 19-year-old sophomore from Ellicott City, Maryland, wrote that she didn’t believe the fan’s actions were a reflection of BYU athletes, saying her opponents showed respect and sportsmanship. adding that BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe had reacted quickly once he was notified.
“This is not the first time this has happened in college athletics and sadly it likely will not be the last time,” Richardson said. “However, each time it happens we as student athletes, coaches, fans, and administrators have a chance to educate those who act in hateful ways.”
Richardson also responded to the idea that some people would have liked to see Duke’s team respond quickly, such as by refusing to continue playing in what became a 3-1 victory for BYU.
“Although the heckling eventually took a mental toll on me, I refused to allow it to stop me from doing what I love to do and what I came to BYU to do: which was to play volleyball,” Richardson said. “I refused to allow those racist bigots to feel any degree of satisfaction from thinking that their comments had ‘gotten to me,’ So, I pushed through and finished the game.
“Therefore, on behalf of my African American teammates and I, we do not want to receive pity or to be looked at as helpless. We do not feel as though we are victims of some tragic unavoidable event. We are proud to be young African American women; we are proud to be Duke student athletes, and we are proud to stand up against racism.” | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/ap-duke-volleyball-player-byu-response-slow-to-racial-slurs/ | 2022-08-28T21:41:45Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/ap-duke-volleyball-player-byu-response-slow-to-racial-slurs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sunday night: Partly cloudy. Lows:70-71 Winds: SE 6 mph
Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs: 86-90° Winds: SE 5-7 mph
Monday night: Mostly clear. Lows: 69-71°
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. A chance of showers in the evening. Highs: 91-94° Lows: 68-70°
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Highs: 87-90° Lows: 70-73°
Thursday: Sunny. Highs: 86-90° Lows: 65-70°
Friday: Sunny. Highs: 82-87° Lows: 59-71°
Saturday: Sunny. Highs: 83-87° Lows: 59-65°
Forecast Discussion:
Good Sunday evening Delmarva! It was another beautiful day. Thanks to high-pressure buildings over the area, we saw sunny to partly cloudy skies throughout the day which will continue overnight. There were a few spots that saw a brief sprinkle but most of us stayed on the dry side. Temperatures this evening will begin to fall to the low 70s.
Monday will be a warm day much like today. We will start the day with a blanket of patchy fog. We will see temperatures rise from the low 70s to the upper 80 to the low 90s once again. There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. The evening will be clear and fall to the upper 60s to low 70s.
Tuesday the morning will start in the low 70s and warm to the low 90s by the afternoon. There will be a chance of isolated showers in the afternoon and evening as a cold front sweeps through the area. We will see showers linger into Wednesday morning. High pressure will build once more and bring slightly cooler temperatures to the area for the end of the week.
The average temperature for late August is 84 degrees for a high and a low of 65 degrees. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/forecast-updated-on-sunday-august-28-2022-at-5-12-pm/article_116bcaaa-2716-11ed-920f-b3fe050bc6d0.html | 2022-08-28T22:05:31Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/forecast-updated-on-sunday-august-28-2022-at-5-12-pm/article_116bcaaa-2716-11ed-920f-b3fe050bc6d0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LOWS TONIGHT: MID-70S
HIGHS MONDAY: UPPER 80S/LOWER 90S
DISCUSSION
Most of the shower activity will diminish later on this evening.
Skies will fair out tonight.
A tropical wave in the Gulf waters will be tracking toward the Texas/Louisiana coast on Monday.
Best rain chances likely setting up across eastern Texas where the main axis will come onshore.
With that said, I expect some of that energy to spill over into Acadiana throughout the day resulting in a scattering of tropical downpours.
The day as a whole won't be a washout.
Pretty routine late August weather pattern setting up for the remainder of the week.
Plan on highs to push the upper 80s to lower 90s with scattered storm chances (maybe lower rain chances mid-week).
Have a great week, y'all!
TROPICS
Currently four areas being monitored by the NHC.
The wave in the central Atlantic has the highest likelihood of becoming #Danielle in the days ahead as it tracks north of the Caribbean islands in the short-term.
We'll monitor its progression in the days ahead...
Elsewhere, The GFS remains the only model to develop the wave currently tracking through the Caribbean (seems unlikely at this point).
Regardless, ridging bumping in from the east would likely keep it well south and west of the area. Nonetheless, we'll continue to keep an eye on it.
NO pending threats to Acadiana from any of these systems
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Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers | https://www.katc.com/news/typical-late-august-weather-four-areas-being-monitored-in-tropics | 2022-08-28T22:07:18Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/typical-late-august-weather-four-areas-being-monitored-in-tropics | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
S&P500 futures on Globex down around 0.8% and Nasdaq lower by around 1%.
Follow through after Friday's losses:
Forexlive Americas FX news wrap: 'Forceful' message from Powell sends dollar soaring
The USD is higher across the majors board also.
USD/JPY for example: | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-equity-index-futures-are-following-through-with-a-lower-open-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T22:13:36Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-equity-index-futures-are-following-through-with-a-lower-open-20220828/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
S&P500 futures on Globex down around 0.8% and Nasdaq lower by around 1%.
Follow through after Friday's losses:
Forexlive Americas FX news wrap: 'Forceful' message from Powell sends dollar soaring
The USD is higher across the majors board also.
USD/JPY for example: | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-equity-index-futures-are-following-through-with-a-lower-open-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T22:13:36Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-equity-index-futures-are-following-through-with-a-lower-open-20220828/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s new moon rocket remained on track to blast off on a crucial test flight Monday, despite a series of lightning strikes at the launch pad.
The 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket is the most powerful ever built by NASA. It’s poised to send an empty crew capsule into lunar orbit, a half-century after NASA’s Apollo program, which landed 12 astronauts on the moon.
Astronauts could return to the moon in a few years, if this six-week test flight goes well. NASA officials caution, however, that the risks are high and the flight could be cut short.
In lieu of astronauts, three test dummies are strapped into the Orion capsule to measure vibration, acceleration and radiation, one of the biggest hazards to humans in deep space. The capsule alone has more than 1,000 sensors.
Officials said Sunday that neither the rocket nor capsule suffered any damage during Saturday's thunderstorm; ground equipment also was unaffected. Five strikes were confirmed, hitting the 600-foot (183-meter) lightning-protection towers surrounding the rocket at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The strikes weren't strong enough to warrant major retesting.
“Clearly, the system worked as designed,” said Jeff Spaulding, NASA's senior test director.
More storms were expected. Although forecasters gave 80% odds of acceptable weather Monday morning, conditions were expected to deteriorate during the two-hour launch window.
On the technical side, Spaulding said the team did its best over the past several months to eliminate any lingering fuel leaks. A pair of countdown tests earlier this year prompted repairs to leaking valves and other faulty equipment; engineers won't know if all the fixes are good until just a few hours before the planned liftoff. If Monday doesn't pan out, the next launch attempt would be Friday.
After so many years of delays and setbacks, the launch team was thrilled to finally be so close to the inaugural flight of the Artemis moon-exploration program, named after Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology.
“We're within 24 hours of launch right now, which is pretty amazing for where we've been on this journey,” Spaulding told reporters.
The follow-on Artemis flight, as early as 2024, would see four astronauts flying around the moon. A landing could follow in 2025. NASA is targeting the moon's unexplored south pole, where permanently shadowed craters are believed to hold ice that could be used by future crews. | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/nasa-moon-rocket-on-track-for-launch-despite-lightning-hits/article_1a104ea8-2700-11ed-afb9-67c411e808ac.html | 2022-08-28T22:14:18Z | lockportjournal.com | control | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/nasa-moon-rocket-on-track-for-launch-despite-lightning-hits/article_1a104ea8-2700-11ed-afb9-67c411e808ac.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(WHTM) – If you haven’t already ordered your three rounds of free COVID tests from the federal government, now is the time – the test kit ordering program is set to expire soon.
According to COVID.gov, ordering through the program will be suspended on September 2 “because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests.”
Through the program, U.S. households are able to order 16 free rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits that are shipped through the United States Postal Service. Three rounds of free COVID-19 test kits have been offered through the program: the first in January offering four test kits, the second offering another four in March, and the final round in May with eight.
The tests available are rapid antigen at-home tests, not PCR tests, that can be taken anywhere with results available in 30 minutes. These tests from various companies can also be used whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms or are vaccinated against COVID.
Nexstar’s WHTM has reached out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for comment on the pending suspension of the program.
If you haven’t claimed all 16 of the COVID tests you’re eligible for, you have less than a week to request them.
To order your tests, go to COVIDtests.gov and select “Order Free At-Home Tests.” You’ll be taken to a form where you can enter your name and residential address. (If you’re having trouble getting the website to recognize your address, check here for common issues.)
Once you’ve completed the form, and as long as you provided your email address, you’ll receive two confirmation emails from USPS, one for each of your packages. Delivery updates will later be sent to your email.
More than 20,000 no-cost antigen and PCR COVID-19 testing sites are available to everyone in the U.S., including the uninsured, at more than 20,000 sites nationwide.
If you decide to purchase an at-home test from a pharmacy, your insurance may cover up to eight tests each month.
Find more information on free COVID testing resources by calling 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
According to the CDC, there have been more than 93,800,000 COVID-19 cases in the United States with more than 1 million deaths. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/havent-claimed-your-free-covid-tests-from-the-federal-government-you-only-have-a-few-days-left-to-do-it/ | 2022-08-28T22:14:45Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/havent-claimed-your-free-covid-tests-from-the-federal-government-you-only-have-a-few-days-left-to-do-it/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Illness interrupts O’Rourke campaign for Texas governor
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke said Sunday that he had cleared his campaign schedule after receiving treatment at a San Antonio hospital for an unspecified bacterial infection.
In a statement tweeted Sunday by his campaign, O’Rourke said he sought treatment at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio after feeling ill Friday.
Intravenous antibiotic infusions improved his symptoms, O’Rourke said.
“While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the doctors’ recommendations,” he said. “I am sorry to have had to postpone events because of this, but (I) promise to be back on the road as soon as I am able.”
O’Rourke continues to trail Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in opinion polls before the Nov. 8 general elections.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/28/illness-interrupts-orourke-campaign-texas-governor/ | 2022-08-28T22:18:18Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/28/illness-interrupts-orourke-campaign-texas-governor/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TORONTO — The Angels left all their troubles on the other side of the border.
After bringing a six-game losing streak into Canada, the Angels’ completed a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays with an 8-3 victory on Sunday afternoon.
It was the Angels’ first road sweep of the season, and the first time since April that they won a road series against a team with a winning record at the time.
The Angels outscored the Blue Jays 22-3, combining clutch hitting with strong pitching with steady defense.
Essentially, they did everything right this weekend that they have done wrong for most of this disappointing season.
“When things go this way for parts of a season, parts of a road trip and where we’re at in the standings, it can go sideways quick, but we’ve got a good group in there,” manager Phil Nevin said. “They know that these games are important. Important to them, first and foremost but important to the league. Important to everybody around them. It’s their job. I like the way we went about it this weekend.”
Luis Rengifo and Shohei Ohtani hit a pair of two-run homers, and Mike Trout and Kurt Suzuki added solo shots to provide most of the offense. Ohtani and Trout each hit their 28th homers of the season. Eight of the nine Angels starters had at least one hit.
Rengifo put the Angels on the board with a third-inning two-run homer, his 10th of the season.
Coincidentally, Rengifo hit the homer against right-hander Ross Stripling, who the Angels were on the verge of acquiring in a 2020 trade that would have sent Rengifo to the Dodgers. The deal ended up getting nixed by owner Arte Moreno, so the Angels held on to Rengifo and the Dodgers instead traded Stripling to the Blue Jays six months later.
At the time, Rengifo had just barely begun his big league career. He spent the next two seasons bouncing between Triple-A and the majors before finally settling in as a regular this summer.
Since June 29, Rengifo has hit .296 with seven homers and a .794 OPS.
The lead provided some cushion for Angels starter Tucker Davidson, who struggled with his control but avoided serious damage in his four-plus innings.
Davidson walked five, continuing a problem that’s been present throughout his brief big league career. He now has issued 6.1 walks per nine innings in 56 major league innings.
One of his walks was erased in the third when shortstop Andrew Velazquez and second baseman David Fletcher combined on a slick double play, with Velazquez diving to his right and Fletcher making a quick turn.
In the fourth, Davidson issued back-to-back walks and then Matt Chapman drilled a ball off the wall in left-center. Center fielder Mike Trout played the ricochet perfectly and fired the ball in, holding the Blue Jays to one run on the play. Whit Merrifield then hit a grounder up the middle, but Fletcher snagged it and threw him out at first.
The Angels turned another double play to escape a jam in the fifth inning.
“Both (Fletcher) and (Velazquez) up the middle were really really good,” Nevin said. “Got us out of some jams.”
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays could not make the plays. Center fielder George Springer had the third out in his glove on a dive in the seventh inning, but the ball popped out when he hit the ground. It went as a run-scoring double for Trout, and then Ohtani followed with a two-run homer.
Ohtani also had two other singles, just a day after he threw a season-high 109 pitches in seven scoreless innings.
“Nothing surprises me anymore with him,” Trout said of Ohtani. “He’s unbelievable.”
In the eighth, the Angels got another run when first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. simply missed a perfect throw from shortstop Bo Bichette that would have been the third out.
The Angels finished it off with a Trout homer in the ninth inning.
“It feels great, makes the flight home a lot better,” Trout said. “We had a tough, tough trip in Tampa. But we come in prepared every day and try to win. That’s the mindset. We’re working hard every day to go out there and try to finish strong.”
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The Inland Empire will bake under triple-digit heat this week, with highs reaching well over 110 degrees in the Coachella Valley, as some of the hottest temperatures of the year are expected throughout Southern California, meteorologists say.
An excessive heat watch will be in effect for Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties from Tuesday, Aug. 30, to Sunday, Sept. 4, according to the National Weather Service.
Alright everyone… let's talk about the heat coming up this week 🥵
We're looking at a pretty long duration heat wave affecting much of SoCal mid week through at least Labor Day Weekend.
Temps will likely be the hottest we've seen so far this summer. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/jaQkP7cHer
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) August 28, 2022
Palm Springs and Palm Desert will see daytime temperatures as high as 115 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, only dropping to 112 by Sunday. Coachella will reach 113 on Tuesday and Wednesday and 111 both Saturday and Sunday, according to current forecasts.
Thermal will reach highs of 113 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday. Riverside will see a high of 102 degrees Wednesday and feel the most heat on Thursday with a high of 104.
Sunday’s expected highs were 89 degrees in Riverside, 102 in Palm Springs and 91 in Hemet, according to the NWS. Temperatures are forecast to rise a few degrees on Monday before the heat wave begins on Tuesday.
Some of the highest temperatures are expected Thursday, Sept. 1, where highs should peak at 108 in San Bernardino, 104 in Ontario, 108 in Lake Elsinore and 99 in Anaheim, according to the NWS.
In Los Angeles County, most of the extreme heat is expected beginning Wednesday, Aug. 31, forecasters said. Temperatures from the coast and extending inland should range between 80 to 95 degrees and foothill areas of the Antelope Valley are likely to reach highs between 95 and 110 degrees.
Widespread and long lasting heat is expected inland from the immediate coast starting Wednesday and lasting through to next Sunday, with Thursday looking like the warmest. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/8oL21HJe41
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) August 28, 2022
The heat wave is the result of a low-pressure trough in the atmosphere being replaced by a high-pressure ridge over much of Southern California, the NWS said. The trough had been bringing a stronger onshore wind flow, a deeper marine layer and morning clouds to inland areas of Southern California, officials said.
Health officials advise residents to stay indoors with air conditioning whenever possible, drink plenty of fluids and avoid hiking or other strenuous activity in extreme heat.
Children and pets should never be left in unattended vehicles – not even for one minute.
The extreme heat and low humidity could create elevated fire weather conditions as well, the NWS said.
Cooling centers for Riverside County can be found at capriverside.org/cool-centers.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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/2022/08/28/brutal-late-summer-heat-wave-coming-to-inland-empire/ | 2022-08-28T22:24:18Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/28/brutal-late-summer-heat-wave-coming-to-inland-empire/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Pastor Rick Warren opened his final sermon at Saddleback Church on Sunday, Aug. 28 with a familiar question.
“Have I told you lately that I love you?” he asked the packed congregation at Saddleback’s main campus in Lake Forest and those watching remotely. Saddleback Church regularly draws a weekly global audience of more than 40,000 people.
It was a far larger audience than heard his first sermon with the church on Easter in 1980, with a small crowd in attendance at Laguna Hills High School.
But in his last sermon before he retires, there were callbacks to that first service and those in the following decades. He delivered the same sermon Sunday that he did on his first day, called “The Beginning of a Miracle.”
“In that first sermon, I was speaking to strangers about a church that didn’t exist,” Warren said Sunday.
Warren, 68, gave the service behind the same pulpit that he used in his first service. That pulpit was used in 79 different facilities; the church moved that frequently before it settled into its Lake Forest headquarters.
Warren announced in June 2021 that he planned to retire and step back into less “visible position as founding pastor,” but he said then he and his wife, Kay, will remain part of Saddleback into their older years.
Pastor Andy Wood was announced as Warren’s successor on June 2. In a tearful plea Sunday, Warren called on the Saddleback congregation to support Wood and his wife Stacie and commit to help carry the church forward to new generations.
Sunday’s sermon, the upcoming weekend’s celebration of the Warrens’ time with Saddleback Church and Wood’s ensuing installation will mark a huge transition for the church that had humble beginnings and now has 14 Southern California locations and reaches people across the world.
The Warrens said they committed to reach 40 years after selecting Saddleback Valley to start the church in 1980.
“Kay and I made this crazy promise when we were 25 years old that we would give 40 years to one location, that we wouldn’t move and that we wouldn’t be tempted to go to another church,” Warren said in 2019.
In his sermon Sunday, Warren delivered a message that seemed to capture his journey with Saddleback Chuch.
“Begin with the end in mind,” he said. “Know what God wants you to do.”
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/2022/08/28/pastor-rick-warren-delivers-final-saddleback-church-sermon/ | 2022-08-28T22:24:24Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/28/pastor-rick-warren-delivers-final-saddleback-church-sermon/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK — Thanks to Serena Williams, this U.S. Open will be like none other.
Whether or not it actually does turn out to be the final event of her lengthy, storied and influential playing career — and in professional tennis, perhaps more than in any other sport, goodbyes sometimes end up being see-you-agains — the two-week hard-court tournament that begins Monday at Flushing Meadows and wraps up the 2022 Grand Slam calendar will be, first and foremost, about Williams.
As long as she remains in the field, at least. Williams faces Danka Kovinic, a 27-year-old from Montenegro, in Arthur Ashe Stadium in the first round of singles Monday night and also is entered in doubles with her sister, Venus.
The focus on Williams is fitting, because so much of the past two decades, and then some, of tennis, in general, and at the U.S. Open, in particular, have been about Williams, who turns 41 next month. There is that unmistakable skill with a racket in hand and indiminishable drive to be the best that led to 23 major singles championships, the No. 1 ranking and Olympic gold medals, and that transcendent, attention-demanding quality that made her a celebrity as much as a superstar athlete.
“In my view, she revolutionized tennis,” said Chris Evert, who won 18 majors in the 1970s and 1980s. “She revolutionized the power in the game. And I feel like she really inspired women of color, because we’ve seen a lot more women of color playing the game. And I think that she’s changed the way women compete, as far as it’s OK to be ferocious and passionate and vocal out there, emotional out there on the court, and still be a woman.”
The ways in which Williams — and, to be sure, 42-year-old Venus, the owner of seven Slam singles titles herself and Serena’s partner for 14 major doubles trophies — changed the game are varied and numerous, and extend beyond the way their speedy serves and booming groundstrokes prompted, or even forced, other players to try to either match that style or figure out how to try to counter it.
“There was something inside both of them,” said Rick Macci, a tennis coach who worked with both Williams siblings in the early 1990s, starting before they were teenagers. “When we competed or did competitive drills, I just saw something I never saw. They tried so hard to get to a ball, they almost fell over. Now you can try hard; that doesn’t mean you’re going to be world champion. But it was just another level.”
Williams has said she doesn’t know how to define her legacy, but it is all around, whether embodied by players who credit her with being an inspiration, such as four-time major champion Naomi Osaka or French Open runner-up Coco Gauff, or in rules changes that clearly, or at least likely, are a product of episodes involving her.
“Her legacy is really wide, to the point where you can’t even describe it in words. She changed the sport so much. She’s introduced people that have never heard of tennis into the sport. I think I’m a product of what she’s done. I wouldn’t be here without Serena, Venus, her whole family. I’m very thankful to her,” Osaka said. “I also was trying to figure out how to sum it into words. I honestly think that she’s the biggest force in the sport.”
A line can be drawn to the decision this year by the U.S. Tennis Association to allow in-match coaching for women and men at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time from the chaotic 2018 U.S. Open final in which Williams ended up being docked a game after being warned about receiving instructions from her then-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, during a loss to Osaka.
The proliferation of electronic line-calling, to the point that there are no line judges at U.S. Open matches anymore, can be traced back to a 2004 quarterfinal match at Flushing Meadows in which multiple erroneous rulings went against Williams during a loss to Jennifer Capriati.
At the U.S. Open alone, there were other run-ins with officials (who can forget the foot-fault brouhaha in her 2009 semifinal against Kim Clijsters), groundbreaking fashion choices (a catsuit in 2002; knee-high boots two years later) and plenty of triumphs, dating all the way back to 1999, when a 17-year-old Williams beat Martina Hingis for her initial Grand Slam trophy.
So the Ashe court provides a fitting backdrop for a farewell, although Williams did not quite explicitly say that she would never compete again after the U.S. Open while telling the world via an essay in Vogue magazine that she was prepared to begin “evolving away from tennis” to focus on having a second child and pursuing her business interests.
Every time she steps on court in New York will be treated as if it might be the last time. Even her practice sessions have been attended by throngs of fans in the days prior to the tourament’s start.
“Who knows if there’s going to be another Serena again? I doubt it,” said Kovinic, who is ranked 80th this week and never has been past the third round at a major tournament. “I’m honored to have this chance to play her.”
It will be only the fifth singles match for Williams over the past 12 months, because the American was off the tour from a first-round injury at Wimbledon last year until a first-round loss there this year. Since returning from that hiatus, Williams is 1-3, including straight-set defeats against Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic and 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in her two most recent outings.
There was a time — not all that long ago, in the scheme of things — that Williams was considered the favorite in every match and at every tournament, especially at the four events that matter the most in the sport.
“I say: Don’t underestimate her,” said Evert, an ESPN analyst. “But the problem is the field. The problem is everybody else is getting better, too. … There’s a lot of good players out there now who, No. 1, aren’t intimidated by her; and No. 2, know that she’s not at her best at the moment; and No. 3, want to beat her.”
Two days before her loss to Bencic in Toronto, and a day before revealing her thoughts about retirement (a word she said she dislikes), Williams said at a news conference: “I can’t do this forever.”
That’s true, of course. No one, though, expects this to be the last the world hears of her, even if there really aren’t any matches left to play.
“At the end of the day, her biggest stage was tennis,” said Macci, the Williams’ coach from years ago, “but I think her greatest act is yet to come.”
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A school district in southwestern Missouri decided to bring back spanking as a form of discipline for students — if their parents agree — despite warnings from many public health experts that the practice is detrimental to students.
Classes resumed Tuesday in the Cassville School District for the first time since the school board in June approved bringing corporal punishment back to the 1,900-student district about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Springfield. The district had dropped the practice in 2001.
The policy states that corporal punishment will be used only when other forms of discipline, such as suspensions, have failed and then only with the superintendent's permission.
Superintendent Merlyn Johnson told The Springfield News-Leader the decision came after an anonymous survey found that parents, students and school employees were concerned about student behavior and discipline.
"We've had people actually thank us for it," he said. "Surprisingly, those on social media would probably be appalled to hear us say these things, but the majority of people that I've run into have been supportive."
Parent Khristina Harkey told The Associated Press on Friday that she is on the fence about Cassville's policy. She and her husband did not opt-in because her 6-year-old son, Anakin Modine, is autistic and would hit back if he were spanked. But she said corporal punishment worked for her when she was a "troublemaker" during her school years in California.
"There are all different types of kids," Harkey said. "Some people need a good butt-whipping. I was one of them."
Morgan Craven, national director of policy, advocacy and community engagement with the Intercultural Development Research Association, a national educational equity nonprofit, called corporal punishment a "wildly inappropriate, ineffective practice."
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1977 that corporal punishment is constitutional and left it up to states to set their own policies. Craven said 19 states, many in the South, have laws allowing it in schools. The most current data from 2017-18 shows about 70,000 children in the U.S. were hit at least once in their schools.
Students who are hit at school do not fare as well academically as their peers and suffer physical and psychological trauma, Craven said. In some cases, children are hurt so badly that they need medical attention.
"If you have a situation where a kid goes to school and they could be slapped for, you know, some minor offense, it certainly creates a really hostile, unpredictable and violent environment," Craven said. "And that's not what we want for kids in schools."
But Tess Walters, 54, the guardian of her 8-year-old granddaughter, had no qualms about signing the corporal punishment opt-in papers. She said the possibility of being spanked is a deterrent for her granddaughter, who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
"I've read some some people's responses on Facebook recently, and they're just going over the top like, 'Oh, this is abuse, and, oh, you're just going to threaten them with, you know, violence.' And I'm like, 'What? The child is getting spanked once; it's not beatings.' People are just going crazy. They're just being ridiculous," Walters said.
Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer with American Psychological Association, said decades of research shows corporal punishment will not reduce inappropriate behavior and is likely to increase aggression, rage, hostility and could lead to depression and self-esteem problems.
Prinstein said better methods for eliminating undesirable conduct including problem-solving training; rewarding positive behavior, such as with extra recess; and providing extra attention in the classroom.
"Parents are experts on what works for their own children," Prinstein said. "But it's important for parents to be educated on very substantial science literature demonstrating again that corporal punishment is not a consistently effective way of changing undesirable behavior."
Sarah Font, an associate professor of sociology and public policy at Pennsylvania State University, coauthored a 2016 study on the subject. Her research found that districts using corporal punishment are generally in poor, Republican-leaning rural areas in Southern states. Font said Black children are disproportionately subjected to it.
The disparity frustrates Ellen Reddy, of the Nollie Jenkins Family Center, which advocates on issues such as corporal punishment and special education.
"Look at the history of violence against Black and brown bodies," said Reddy, who described herself as a Black mother of sons and a grandson. "Since we've been in this country, there's been violence perpetrated against our children, our families, our foreparents. So when do we stop that kind of violence?"
Disabled students also are more likely to be subjected to corporal punishment, said Elizabeth Gershoff, a professor of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She said that led four states — Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana — to ban using it for those students.
She noted that overall, corporal punishment is on the decline, with the numbers dropping steadily since the federal government started tracking it in the late 1970s.
"Most schools are realizing, 'You know what, we can discipline children, we can guide their behavior without hitting them,'" said Gershoff, who authored the 2016 study with Font.
Cassville School District spokeswoman Mindi Artherton was out of the office Friday and a woman who answered the phone in her office suggested reading the policy. She said staff had already done interviews. "At this time, we will focus on educating our students," she added, before hanging up.
The policy says a witness from the district, which is in a county that is around 93% white, must be present and that the discipline will not be used in front of other students.
"When it becomes necessary to use corporal punishment, it shall be administered so that there can be no chance of bodily injury or harm," the policy says. "Striking a student on the head or face is not permitted."
In Missouri, periodic efforts to ban corporal punishment in schools have failed to gain traction in the Legislature. The state does not track which districts allow spanking because those decisions are made at the local level, a spokeswoman for Missouri's K-12 education department said.
U.S. Sen. Christopher Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, is pushing for a ban on the use of corporal punishment in schools that receive federal funding. He has called it a "barbaric practice" that allows teachers and administrators to physically abuse students.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-28/a-missouri-school-district-reinstated-spanking-if-parents-give-their-ok | 2022-08-28T22:31:01Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-28/a-missouri-school-district-reinstated-spanking-if-parents-give-their-ok | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Hawaii got back-to-back homers from Kekoa Payanal and Kama Angell in the first inning, sparking a 13-3 win in just four innings Sunday over Curacao in the championship of the Little League World Series.
The LLWS title is Hawaii’s fourth.
It won in 2018 and this same Honolulu team finished third last year, when COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented international teams from participating.
Hawaii starter Jaron Lancaster was dominant once again as he threw all four innings, while only allowing three runs, three hits and striking out 10 Curacao hitters. | https://www.wtxl.com/sports/hawaii-wins-little-league-title-beating-curacao | 2022-08-28T22:33:00Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/sports/hawaii-wins-little-league-title-beating-curacao | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sydney Sweeney had a calm Sunday morning here at the tail end of summer following a family celebration for her mother’s 60th birthday. Or at least she would have, had social media not been a part of it.
Last week, the Euphoria, White Lotus, and Big Time Adolescence star threw a “surprise hoedown,” as she put it, for her mother in a barn in Idaho, where the 24-year-old actress grew up. She then uploaded a series of images and videos to Instagram, in which she is wearing white leather cowgirl boots, a white Stetson, and a white button-down mini dress that is, I think it is fair to say, quite becoming. She’s also seen riding one of those mechanical bulls.
As one scrolls through, one will also see an unnamed, somewhat older individual wearing a shirt with an American flag featuring a thin blue line. This is typically worn in solidarity with the sentiment of “Blue Lives Matter,” a pro-police slogan that emerged as a counter-movement to Black Lives Matter.
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Additionally, Sydney’s brother, Trent Sweeney, uploaded a series of pics of his own. In one shot, he is seen with two people who, at first glimpse, look to be in Donald Trump-style red MAGA hats. A caption explains, however, that the caps actually read “Make Sixty Great Again.”
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This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/sydney-sweeney-defends-celebration-of-mothers-birthday | 2022-08-28T22:41:43Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/sydney-sweeney-defends-celebration-of-mothers-birthday | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Representative Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) blasted President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, saying the president is “robbing hard-working Americans to pay for Karen’s daughter’s degree in lesbian dance theory” on Fox News on Saturday.
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In a long-anticipated move, Biden announced on Wednesday that he will grant $20,000 in debt relief to Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for many others.
“Education is a ticket to a better life…That ticket has become too expensive for too many Americans," Biden said from the Roosevelt Room. "The burden is so heavy that even if you graduate, you might not have the ticket that graduating college once offered."
Boebert also took issue with Biden’s comments last week about Republicans who have adopted former president Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, when the president said: “The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security. They’re a threat to our very democracy…They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace, embrace political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.”
Boebert retorted: “How the heck can Joe Biden call America First conservatives a ‘threat to democracy’ with a straight face and a dry diaper? He’s the one who has allowed millions to invade our Southern border.”
Boebert is one of many conservative lawmakers who have criticized Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said on Newsmax that student debt relief was “unfair” and part of Democrats’ “agenda” to get votes in the November midterm elections; Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) wrote that working-class Americans were forced to “pay for other people's college degrees”; Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) tweeted “Asking plumbers and carpenters to pay off the loans of Wall Street advisors and lawyers isn’t just unfair. It’s also bad policy.”
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The White House Twitter account called out the Republicans’ hypocrisy, pointing out the amount of Paycheck Protection Program loans they had forgiven by the government. | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/rep-lauren-boebert-accuses-biden-funding-degrees-in-lesbian-dance-theory | 2022-08-28T22:41:49Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/rep-lauren-boebert-accuses-biden-funding-degrees-in-lesbian-dance-theory | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“Everything’s fucking ridiculous there,” Ozzy Osbourne said about the United States, his primary residence for decades, in an interview published on Sunday in The Observer. “I’m fed up with people getting killed every day. God knows how many people have been shot in school shootings. And there was that mass shooting in Vegas at that concert…It’s fucking crazy,” he further explained in an interview with the British newspaper.
The 73-year-old heavy metal icon and Prince of Darkness currently suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and a number of other medical woes, but his wife and manager Sharon Osbourne said the decision to leave for their property Welders House in Buckinghamshire is not due to the Black Sabbath co-founder’s health. “It’s just time. America has changed so drastically. It isn’t the United States of America at all. Nothing’s united about it. It’s a very weird place to live right now,” she said. The couple will finalize their move in February.
Ozzy continued, “I don’t want to die in America. I don’t want to be buried in fucking Forest Lawn. I’m English. I want to be back.”
But as fans of the O.G. celebrity reality series The Osbournes already know, the decision is really up to Sharon. “If my wife said we’ve got to go and live in Timbuktu, I’ll go,” he added.
He also expressed some disapproval of Southern California living when the topic of his daughter, Aimee Osbourne, being anti-vax came up. “Live in L.A. for a few years,” he said with a shrug.
Despite his feeble condition, Osbourne is still somewhat able to perform, albeit briefly and with some constraints. The Observer’s interview details how his recent appearance in Birmingham saw him elevated through a platform, clutching his microphone, and wedged into place. “Sharon had them put in a bracket at the back, to hold me up,” he explained. With Tony Iommi at his side, the pair tore through their hit “Paranoid” (after a dramatic entrance to the into of “Iron Man”) to close out the Birmingham Commonwealth Games earlier this month.
Ozzy Osbourne's work as a solo performer and as lead vocalist of Black Sabbath has sold over 100 million albums. Black Sabbath's 1970 debut album Black Sabbath (which featured the opening track “Black Sabbath”) is as good a candidate as any to be considered “the first heavy metal record.” It is the belief of this writer that nothing ever rocked harder than “Supernaut” from Black Sabbath Vol. 4, but “Mr. Crowley” from Ozzy's 5x-Platinum solo debut Blizzard of Oz might be more fun to sing along to in the shower. | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/ozzy-osbourne-is-done-with-america | 2022-08-28T22:41:55Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/ozzy-osbourne-is-done-with-america | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Conversation) – A launch window – the period during which a rocket must be launched to reach its destination – opens on August 29 for the first flight to the Moon since 1972 by a spacecraft designed to carry humans there. If all goes well, the Artemis project will be on track to meet its goal of putting humans back on the Moon in 2025.
Project Artemis, the namesake of the sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus in ancient Greek mythology, is designed to establish a long-term human presence on our nearest celestial neighbour, and to ultimately explore even further afield. Artemis 1 is the first of several missions. It consists of Nasa’s new super-heavy rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which has never been launched before, and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (or Orion MPCV), which has only flown in space once.
Unlike the Command Service Modules of the Apollo missions, which were powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the Orion MPCV is a solar-powered craft. Its distinctive X-wing style solar arrays can be swept forward or backward to reduce stress on the probe during high-thrust manoeuvres. It is capable of carrying six astronauts for up to 21 days in space. The imminent, uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, however, may last as long as 42 days.
Read more: SpaceX vs Nasa: who will get us to the Moon first? Here’s how their latest rockets compare
Also unlike Apollo, Artemis is an international project. The Orion MPCV consists of a US-built capsule for the astronauts and a European-built service module containing supplies of fuel, water, air, solar-arrays and rocket thrusters.
The reliance on the Sun for power places some restrictions on when Artemis-1 can launch as the geometry of the Earth and Moon have to be such that the Orion spacecraft is not in shadow from the Sun for over 90 minutes at any point during the flight. The earliest launch window opens at 08.33 EST on August 29, with further windows on September 2 and 5.
Pioneering flight
The SLS will put Orion into Earth orbit, where its core stage will be discarded – dropped into the ocean. Most of the energy required to fly a spacecraft to the Moon is used in this first phase of the flight, just to reach low-Earth orbit. Orion will then be pushed out of Earth orbit and onto a lunar-bound trajectory by the second stage of the SLS, called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS).
Orion will then separate from the ICPS and spend the next several days coasting to the Moon. The launch is typically one of the riskiest parts of any spaceflight, especially for a new rocket. If Artemis-1 successfully reaches Earth orbit it will be a significant milestone for the project.
During the mission, Orion will also deploy ten mini satellites known as CubeSats. One of these, BioSentinel, will contain yeast to observe how the microgravity and radiation environment on the Moon affect the growth of microorganisms. Another, NEA Scout, will deploy a solar sail and then fly to a nearby asteroid for a close-up examination. Meanwhile, IceCube will orbit the Moon and search for ice deposits on or near the surface, which may be used by future astronauts.
Entry into lunar orbit will occur just 60 miles above the lunar surface. Orion will fire its onboard thrusters to slow the spacecraft and allow the Moon’s gravity to capture it into orbit. It will orbit the Moon in an unusual, distant retrograde orbit – in the opposite direction to the Moon’s spin. This particular orbit was originally chosen to flight test Orion as part of a now-cancelled mission to learn to redirect asteroids.
During this phase, Orion will travel up to 70,000 km from the Moon and reach the furthest distance from Earth ever for a human-capable spacecraft. If astronauts were onboard, they would have a grand view of the distant Earth and the Moon.
Orion will spend between six and 23 days in lunar orbit, after which it will fire its onboard thrusters once again to accelerate out of lunar orbit and place itself on a return to Earth trajectory.
The surface of the Moon can reach 120°C during the day and drop to -170°C at night. Such large temperature changes can cause significant thermal expansion and contraction of materials, so the Orion spacecraft had to be built with materials able to withstand significant thermal stress without failing. One goal of the mission is to check this, and crucially, ensure that the breathable atmosphere inside the capsule is maintained throughout.
At the distances of the Moon, astronauts would also be outside of the Earth’s magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic radiation. Deep space radiation is a serious concern for any future human missions to the Moon. The longest Apollo mission (Apollo 17) lasted 12 and a half days – Orion will be in deep space for three to four times as long. Engineers will, therefore, also keep a close eye on the radiation environment inside the capsule.
On returning to Earth, the Orion crew capsule will separate from the service module, which will be discarded, and then enter the atmosphere protected by its heat shield. It will descend and deploy parachutes to land at sea. In fact, this is the most crucial part of the mission: to ensure that the capsule can survive the high re-entry speeds of a spacecraft returning from the Moon and then make a safe landing. To do so, the heat shield must endure temperatures of 2,750°C while Orion decelerates from 24,500 miles per hour – that’s significantly hotter than the temperatures encountered when spacecraft return from low-Earth orbit.
Assuming a successful launch on August 29, the splashdown would be on October 10.
Artemis-2, currently slated for launch in 2024, will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby some 9,000km above the Moon’s surface. The astronauts on Artemis-2 will become the record holders for the greatest distance from Earth ever reached by humans.
Nasa has also just announced a short list of landing sites near the Moon’s South Pole for the first lunar landing mission, Artemis-3, aiming to land humans there in 2025. Whether they reach that goal will ultimately depend on how things go for Artemis-1. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/heres-what-needs-to-go-right-during-the-artemis-1-maiden-flight/ | 2022-08-28T22:45:58Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/heres-what-needs-to-go-right-during-the-artemis-1-maiden-flight/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke (D) said he was pausing his campaigning on Sunday after he was hospitalized with a bacterial infection.
O’Rourke tweeted Sunday afternoon that he started to feel ill on Friday and checked into the Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, where he was diagnosed with the bacterial infection.
“While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the doctors’ recommendations,” the Democratic candidate wrote. “I am sorry to have had to postpone events because of this, but promise to be back on the road with you as soon as I am able.”
O’Rourke is seeking to knock off Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is seeking re-election.
The race is expected to be close; Abbott was leading O’Rourke by seven points in a poll released this month.
O’Rourke, who previously ran for a Texas Senate seat and narrowly lost to incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R).
Earlier this month, O’Rourke drew national headlines when he called out a heckler who laughed as the candidate discussed the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two adults dead. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/beto-orourke-pauses-campaign-after-being-hospitalized-with-bacterial-infection/ | 2022-08-28T22:46:04Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/beto-orourke-pauses-campaign-after-being-hospitalized-with-bacterial-infection/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on Sunday defended former President Trump in the wake of an FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago property but noted Trump “should have turned over all” of the classified documents authorities said he kept after he left the White House.
“I understand he turned over a lot of documents. He should have turned over all of them. I imagine he knows that very well now as well,” Blunt said on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.”
Blunt avoided answering several questions about whether Trump was right to take the sensitive material from the White House to his Palm Beach, Fla., resort before conceding that the former president should have turned the documents over to the National Archives as required by the Presidential Records Act.
“He should have turned the documents over and apparently had turned a number of documents over. … What I wonder about is why this could go on for almost two years, and less than 100 days before the election, suddenly we’re talking about this rather than the economy or inflation,” Blunt said.
Blunt questioned the timing of the investigation so close to this year’s midterms as well as why the Justice Department and the director of national intelligence hadn’t flagged the issue to the Senate Intelligence Committee, of which he is a member.
“Why hadn’t we heard anything about this, in fact, if the administration was concerned that there was a national security problem?”
The FBI seized 11 sets of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago when it executed a search warrant there earlier this month. An unsealed warrant indicates Trump is under investigation for possible violations of the Espionage Act and other laws in relation to the documents.
The affidavit justifying the FBI’s search warrant for Mar-a-Lago was released in redacted form last week.
The Missouri senator also tried to draw parallels between Trump’s case and that of Hillary Clinton, who was under FBI investigation for mishandling emails while she served as secretary of State. But he also acknowledged that sensitive government information should be handled appropriately.
“You should be careful with classified documents. I’ve had access to documents like that for a long time. I’m incredibly careful,” Blunt said. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/gop-senator-trump-should-have-turned-over-all-documents/ | 2022-08-28T22:46:11Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/gop-senator-trump-should-have-turned-over-all-documents/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – Former assistant special Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman said late Saturday that he thinks the Department of Justice (DOJ) will be closely watching the national security damage assessment reportedly underway regarding documents the FBI obtained from former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
“That’s a big issue here. In fact, I think the prosecutors will be investigating some of the same things. I mean, for example, they’re looking at the videos that were on the storage area,” Ackerman told anchor Jim Acosta on “CNN Newsroom.”
“They’re going to want to see who moved things in and out, when they did it in relation to requests that they made,” he added. “I’m sure they’re going to be fingerprinting every one of those documents to try and determine whether anybody else had access to them and who had access to them.”
Ackerman’s remarks come after the redacted FBI affidavit used to convince a judge to approve this month’s search of Trump’s Florida residence was unsealed to the public on Friday.
The 28-page affidavit indicated that authorities found up to 184 classified documents they obtained from the Mar-a-Lago residence, with 25 of those documents containing top secret information.
Ackerman also told Acosta that “the obstruction piece of this” stands out to him from the affidavit.
“The concealment that’s listed in that affidavit, I mean, that is what really triggered this search warrant in the first place because they had evidence that they were being lied to, that they were being played, and that Donald Trump and some others were basically concealing these documents, which leads to the big question why would they even want these documents in the first place, which of course, brings up this issue of what happened to these documents, who had access to them, and were any of our real major secrets blown because of the way this material was handled,” Ackerman said.
“I think from a prosecutor’s standpoint, it’s that obstruction piece that really is important here,” he added.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines reportedly sent a letter to two Democratic representatives on Friday noting that officials would assess the risk resulting from potential disclosure of the classified information in the documents.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing regarding the documents. | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/watergate-prosecutor-doj-will-be-closely-watching-national-security-damage-assessment-of-mar-a-lago-documents/ | 2022-08-28T22:46:24Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/watergate-prosecutor-doj-will-be-closely-watching-national-security-damage-assessment-of-mar-a-lago-documents/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DARLINGTON COUNTY, SC (Queen City News) – From her recliner, Kathy Hoover spent the past five years researching every word, picture, text, Facebook post – everything her son ever did with his cell phone.
She was searching for any clue that might help investigators solve the mysteries surrounding her son’s 2017 death on Franklin Street in Hartsville. Hoover admits, she might’ve entertained a few conspiracy theories along the way.
“He had a total of 15,366 CCs in, not one drop of urine,” Hoover said in May as she held a large three-ring binder marked “July 3, 2017.” Inside was hundreds of pages of medical charts created by the two separate hospitals that attended to her son that night.
Medics had rushed Hoover to a hospital in Hartsville around 2 a.m. after his girlfriend called 911 reporting that he’d hung himself from a ceiling fan with an iPhone charging cable. Hoover was unresponsive when medics arrived, but once a pulse was confirmed, he was taken to the hospital in an attempt to save his life.
Kathy Hoover, who lived more than an hour away near Columbia, said she got a call hours later that her son was taken to the hospital. Hoover found out her son was in the intensive care unit of a Florence hospital and sped to the McLeod Regional Medical Center.
Hoover, who worked as a traveling trauma nurse for 30 years, said she knew within seconds that the cell phone charging cord had little – possibly nothing — to do with the injuries that were about to take her 38-year-old son’s life.
“He’s got a Foley catheter in and there’s not a drop, not a drop of urine nowhere to be seen. There’s nothing in the Foley, there’s nothing in the tubing, there’s nothing in the meter that they dump over every hour, there’s nothing in the bag, there’s no residual – nothing. That tells me he’s in renal failure,” Hoover told Queen City News Chief Investigative Reporter Jody Barr.
“I feel his belly, it’s as hard as a brick,” Hoover said, describing how she immediately started examining her son as she had the thousands of patients she’d treated before him.
“You’re watching his vitals; you’re seeing the fluids leaving his body,” Barr asked as Hoover interrupted, “Not leaving his body. When they’re not leaving your body, they’re not being filtered and they’re being built up inside, either vascular or if that triple lumen catheter is it in like it should be in his belly. That belly is hard as a brick,” Hoover said. “What does that tell you,” Barr asked, “That something’s wrong here, there’s a swollen-up liver and it’s an injury,” Hoover said.
Jason Hoover survived about 14 hours after his girlfriend and mother of their daughter, Nikki Braddock, made the 911 call that night telling dispatchers she’d found her boyfriend with a cord tied around his neck – one end tied to the ceiling fan in their bedroom.
Hoover was pronounced dead just past 4 p.m. on July 3, 2017.
Meanwhile, Darlington County Sheriff’s Investigator Freddie Davis was busy working to figure out whether Jason Hoover really hung himself or whether someone else might’ve had a hand in his death.
MANNER OF DEATH: Suicide v. Homicide
South Carolina law grants elected county coroners the exclusive authority to determine the circumstances of a death. The categories coroners use to describe the manner of death typically follow these categorizations: undetermined, natural, accidental, suicide, and homicide.
When Investigator Freddie Davis got the call in the middle of the night to respond to Franklin Street to open an investigation, he assumed – because of the information the first deputies on the scene gave him – he was dealing with a suicide.
But he wasn’t certain that’s what he had.
“There was a cord tied to the ceiling fan,” Davis told Kathy Hoover in a phone call she recorded one week after her son’s death. “And it was dangling down touching the floor, it was about 10’ long. He was rushed on to the hospital, she(Braddock) was there, no emotions,” Davis told Hoover.
“What,” Hoover shouted into the phone, “Yeah, she didn’t have any emotions,” Davis told her. Hoover said that Braddock was “showing out” in the hospital when Hoover got there.
“Oh my God, she was trying to crawl in the bed with him. McLeod had to kick her out and it was only in front of me,” Hoover told the investigator. “She was more worried about having to buy another cord at that time than anything else, “Davis told Hoover.
“Oh, and she had to pee, that was her biggest thing,” Davis said in the recorded call.
Hoover told Davis she didn’t believe her son tied the charging cord around his neck in an attempt to commit suicide. Hoover also said in the call that she purchased the cell phone and paid for the phone line for the phone that Jason Hoover and Nikki Braddock shared. She also told the investigator that she monitored the phone over the iCloud account attached to it.
Hoover said she found out through the iCloud account that Davis never seized the phone as evidence that night and urged him to do so in the call.
“And I know you’ve got to prove it. If there’s any, any kind of evidence, you really do need to go get that phone and hook it up to a computer because Sprint says you can pull everything off that iCloud and he was saving everything,” Hoover told Freddie Davis.
“I’m pretty sure she’s gotten rid of all of that stuff by now,” Davis responded. “Nah, ah, once it’s in iCloud it stays there. Just go get the phone, hook it up and get in there and see what you can find,” Hoover ordered Davis.
“All right,” Davis said as they ended the call.
But the Jason Hoover case file we obtained through the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act shows Davis didn’t collect the phone that night. The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office evidence log shows the only thing Davis collected was the 10-foot-long charging cable. The log also shows another deputy collected Hoover’s clothes from the hospital.
Davis didn’t get a search warrant for the cell phone until August 29, 2017. The fax cover sheet shows Davis faxed the search warrant to Sprint, looking for any electronic files contained in Hoover’s cell phone, including “deleted files, internet searches, websites visited.” The warrant also included the line, “ANYTHING [sic] STORED IN THE CLOUD.”
Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee said he got the call from the hospital’s emergency department to notify him of Hoover’s death just past 4 p.m. on July 3, 2017. The notification was routine and required when a death occurs less than 24 hours after arrival. Hardee said he was immediately suspicious of the story he got about how Jason Hoover got there – and why.
“They called and told me a little bit about it, and a couple of things that they described that caught my eye,” Hardee told Queen City News during an interview in April. Hardee said he ordered an autopsy and sent Hoover’s body to the west side of Columbia to one of the state’s top pathologists.
Hardee told QCN he doesn’t order autopsies in suspected suicide cases unless his review of the body and the evidence from the scene “doesn’t add up,” the 22-year coroner of Darlington County said.
It didn’t take long for the pathologist to confirm Hardee’s suspicions.
“That’s when she said that the injuries on the body were not indicative of that of a suicide. So together, we examined the evidence and I decided it best be ruled as a homicide,” Hardee said.
That finding would soon lead to a standoff with the sheriff’s office – specifically Investigator Freddie Davis. Davis was convinced the evidence he found inside the house showed Hoover killed himself.
The coroner was about to rule the manner of Jason Hoover’s death a homicide, but the standoff with the sheriff’s office led Hardee to ask for a second opinion.
SECOND OPINION: Hoover’s injuries ‘Not those of a suicidal hanging’
Kathy Hoover maintained from the beginning that she didn’t believe her son was the victim of a hanging. She believed the injuries to her son’s body showed he was beaten, then strangled.
Hoover believed the hanging was “staged” to provide a distraction from the injuries to her son’s body. She said she spent the past five years trying to get law enforcement to listen to her. Hoover said she never got an explanation of what happened to him.
Other than her son’s death was a homicide.
“I decided that for the first time ever in my career, I decided that I was going to get a second opinion. I struggled with it a little while because I deeply trust the folks that we use for doing our autopsies,” Hardee told Barr.
The coroner called Dr. Janice Ross and nervously asked if she could have another forensic pathologist review the Hoover autopsy.
“I was a little hesitant, but I asked her, I said, ‘Dr. Ross, would it hurt your feelings, or would you get upset if I sought a second opinion?’ She said, ‘Absolutely not.’ As a matter of fact, she encouraged me to get a second opinion and I did,” Hardee said.
“It was very uncomfortable because I trust these people immensely. They are brilliant people. “I’m very trusting of their opinions. And to go back, I struggle with it, Jody, I’m going to be honest with you, I struggled with it a couple of days and finally, I just said the best way to do is just tell her. So, I did and that was the first time I’d ever asked for a second opinion, and I’ve never done it since,” Hardee told QCN.
Ross sent her autopsy report and photographs to Dr. Kimberly Collins, another forensic pathologist who – at the time – was performing autopsies at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Collins issued her findings on Sept. 5, 2017.
“The findings of Dr. Ross which are described in the autopsy report as well as depicted in the photographs are not those of a suicidal hanging,” Collins wrote in her two-page opinion.
“Mr. Hoover sustained blunt force trauma to the head, neck, chest, and torso. The blunt force trauma is premortem and consistent with having been caused around the time of death. The neck trauma is that of strangulation with incomplete occlusion of the vasculature resulting in ocular petechiae and hemorrhages of the strap muscles, and fracture of the hyoid bone. I have never seen the inferior surface of the tongue contused in a case of suicidal hanging nor have I ever read documented reports or research sighting this,” Collins wrote.
“In my opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical and scientific certainty, the traumatic findings on Jason Hoover are not those of suicidal hanging. Jason Hoover was the victim of head, neck, chest, torso blunt force trauma with an element of neck compression or chest compression creating ocular petechiae,” Collins opined.
The letter also included mention of Hoover’s previous suicide attempts and his drug addictions and that history “…can be taken into account when analyzing the fatality of the case. However, the final autopsy findings are confirmatory of blunt force trauma,” the opinion showed.
“The only way I could see this being a suicidal hanging as [sic] if he suffered the aforementioned blunt force trauma and probable strangulation before hanging himself. Based on my education and experience that is highly unlikely,” Collins wrote.
Collins’ letter underpinned Hardee’s decision to rule Hoover’s death as a homicide.
“I think, Jody, what caught my eye most is when Dr. Ross told me, she said, ‘Todd, I’ll stake my forensic career on this ruling.’ That was strong for me. That was strong because she’s had quite a nice forensic career and she’s known all over the country…and for her to stake her forensic career that means she knows something I don’t know. And I decided that I’m going to I’m going to put my eggs in that basket,” Hardee told Barr.
The coroner told Investigator Davis about the letter and that the sheriff’s office was dealing with a possible murder on Franklin Street.
“We let the folks know that were doing the investigation that that was our official ruling. And it was a homicide, then it’s been a homicide ever since. And it’s a homicide now,” Hardee said.
In the five years since her son’s death, Hoover never knew about the second opinion. She also never knew about the two forensic pathologists’ opinions showing what happened to her son is exactly what Kathy Hoover said she saw in the hospital room on July 3, 2017.
We read the second opinion to Hoover during our April 11, 2022 interview inside her home near Columbia.
“I thought, what more could I possibly tell them? What more could I give them? They have exactly what I saw, and I didn’t even have to talk to these two to say that. They had exactly what I saw. What more do you need,” Hoover said in response to learning what was in the pathologist’s letter.
“They kept telling me I was crazy, and I kept proving that I wasn’t, and I was validating what I thought was right.”
Despite the coroner’s ruling and the pathologists’ opinions, none of that caused the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office to change the direction of the sheriff’s office investigation.
INVESTIGATOR: ‘It was deemed a suicide’
“It appeared to me, from what I seen the night I went to the scene, that it was a suicide. Was it accidental? That’s very possible. Maybe he didn’t mean to kill himself, but he did,” Freddie Davis said as he looked through his crime scene photographs inside a case file he’d stored on a thumb drive.
Davis showed how the believed Hoover tied the phone charging cord to the ceiling fan, then tied it around his neck before sliding down the wall, slowly choking himself to death.
“I think he was scooting down the wall – he was easing down the wall and once he got so far and it finally tightened around his neck and he was sitting up against the wall, that’s when he passed out. His feet kind of slid out from under him and you could see where the marks were in the carpet where his feet slid, where it looks like his feet slid out from under him,” Davis said as he reenacted his theory from his couch during an interview with QCN in August.
Davis said convincing his fellow deputies of his theory wasn’t easy, “And people go, yeah but it was a phone cord,” Davis said, “Those cords are a lot more heavy duty than what people think they are. Would it hold up a 200-pound man? For a couple seconds, maybe…or shoot, a couple days. I don’t know, I didn’t test it to that extent,” Davis explained.
The investigator did test a similar cord by tying it to the back of his lawnmower and dragging two cinder blocks around his yard. Davis said that experiment didn’t break the cord. He also said the way he believed Hoover slowly killed himself by sliding down the wall with the cord tied around his neck would have never put Hoover’s 170-pound weight load onto the ceiling fan or the cord.
“We’re talking half or a third of that body weight,” Davis said.
Davis was at an evidentiary disadvantage when he walked into the home Hoover and Braddock shared on Franklin Street. Hoover wasn’t inside because medics had rushed him to the hospital. Davis was left with the ceiling fan, the phone cord, marks on the carpet, and the last person known to see Hoover alive: Nikki Braddock.
After the coroner informed Davis of the homicide ruling, the investigator met with his boss, Sheriff Tony Chavis. Chavis was sheriff from 2014 until current Sheriff James Hudson defeated Chavis in 2018.
Former Darlington County Sheriff Tony Chavis defeated previous Sheriff Wayne Byrd in 2014. Chavis was defeated after serving a single term by current Sheriff James Hudson. (Source: Darlington County Government) Darlington County Sheriff James Hudson is serving his first term as sheriff after serving as the Hartsville Police Chief. Hudson previously worked under former Sheriff Wayne Byrd before Sheriff Tony Chavis ousted Byrd in the 2014 election.
“I had to go in and explain it to the sheriff exactly what I seen that night. And I showed him, and he looked at the pictures and he agreed with me that he thought it was a suicide,” Davis said of his conversation with Chavis.
Davis said he believed the pathologist didn’t have all the information, including his theory about how Hoover used the phone cord. Hardee said he helped schedule a meeting between Davis and Dr. Ross at Ross’s pathology laboratory in Newberry, SC so that Ross could discuss the case with Davis directly. Hardee said Ross informed him that Davis did not show up for the meeting.
Davis told QCN he doesn’t remember being invited to a meeting with Ross. Davis, though, still disputes the pathologists’ findings.
“I understand that and understand her point from there. If it was a usual hanging if he was standing in a chair and dropped out of a chair, yes. I understand that. If his whole body weight was pulled down, yes, I could understand what she’s saying. But that’s not the case here. The case here is he lowered himself down a wall with this phone cord, let’s iterate that, it was a little phone cord, braided phone cord. He lowered himself down the wall with this phone cord around his neck until it tightened up and he passed out. And then he dropped and hit the floor,” Davis told Barr.
That’s the same theory Davis laid out to his sheriff in 2017.
The coroner decided he’d ask SLED in to conduct an investigation to end the standoff. The SLED case file contains a copy of the letter, submitted by Hardee’s Chief Deputy Coroner at the time, John McLeod. McLeod, who died in December 2021, spent 25 years as the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office’s Captain over the Criminal Investigations Division up until his retirement before joining the coroner’s office.
McLeod, with decades of investigative experience, also believed the evidence showed Hoover was murdered, according to Hardee.
The SLED file shows Sheriff Tony Chavis sent SLED a letter on August 17, 2017, titled, ‘Re-Investigation of a Suicide,’ asking SLED to “reexamine evidence to determine the cause of death,” in the Hoover case. “This will assist in determining if the facts and evidence gathered supports a homicide or suicide ruling,” Chavis wrote.
By the time Chavis’ letter reached SLED, 45 days had passed.
Hoover’s family would later learn that passage of time would further jeopardize the homicide investigation SLED agents and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office attempted to pursue over the next three years.
GIRLFRIEND INTERVIEWED
Investigator Freddie Davis was able to speak with Nikki Braddock after he got to the Franklin Street scene. After the 911 call, Davis said Braddock spent some time performing CPR on Hoover.
Once the first officer responded, Braddock was removed from the home and crime scene tape was stretched across the front yard in an attempt to preserve the scene for Davis.
“I spoke with her and asked her what had happened. And she explained that she had been over to the neighbor’s house and that when she came home and walked into the house that she walked in there and seen him sitting on the floor with the telephone cord around his neck,” Davis recalled of his initial interview with Braddock.
Braddock would later tell investigators that she and Hoover were sitting on the couch when she spotted her neighbor’s father walking in the middle of Franklin Street sometime around midnight that night. Hoover and Braddock had been drinking and taking pills, according to Braddock, and she got up to help the elderly man back into his home.
The man, Braddock told investigators, suffered from Alzheimer’s and would occasionally “get out” of the home.
Davis got Braddock to write a statement that night but decided because of Braddock’s condition he wouldn’t conduct a formal interview at the time, “With someone being high or intoxicated it’s not in our best interest to interview them because they may incriminate themselves, they may, I mean, there’s a lot of things that could happen or we could take their statement and then go to court and try to put them in jail for the rest of their life and they said, oh…they were high. I mean, they were talking off their head. They don’t know what they were talking about, you know.”
Davis said Braddock could “hardly stand up” when he was talking to her. “I waited until she sobered up and that’s when I went and actually really spoke to her,” Davis told QCN.
The investigator attempted to interview Braddock on July 5, but Davis said she didn’t show up to the sheriff’s office. That’s because Braddock attempted suicide after a deputy responding to a 911 call at the Franklin Street home found her “lying on the front porch with a pool of fresh blood around her right wrist area,” according to a sheriff’s office incident report contained in the documents we received through an open records request.
Davis was eventually able to interview Braddock on July 14 when she told deputies she went to help get her neighbor’s father back inside his home and when she returned Hoover was unresponsive, hanging from the ceiling fan.
SLED opened its investigation on August 18 and picked up Davis’ case file on August 21. The SLED investigative notes show agents first met with Coroner Todd Hardee at his office the same day. The report doesn’t show whether agents met with Chavis.
“Likewise, Sheriff Chavis asked that the case be review [sic] by SLED to determine if any irregularities were committed by his staff,” Special Agent Randall Truss wrote in his final investigative report about his contact with Chavis.
The investigation records provided to Queen City News by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office included two video-recorded interviews. Both recordings are of two different interviews with Nikki Braddock. One recording happened in February 2018, six months after Hoover’s death.
The other recording happened sometime after March 2022 when Braddock met with two Darlington County Sheriff’s investigators inside an interview room at the sheriff’s office. One of the deputies in the recording is Captain Neal Cusack, who leads Sheriff James Hudson’s Criminal Investigations division. We don’t know when that recording happened because Darlington County Sheriff James Hudson would not tell us, stating he couldn’t because the case is currently under investigation.
Although we already had the video recording depicting the contents of the interview.
The attorney general’s office also did not have records showing when the 2022 recording was made, how the AG’s office received it, or who provided the recording to the AG’s office, According to Attorney General Alan Wilson’s spokesman, Robert Kittle.
Kittle wouldn’t provide any of those details although the AG’s office pulled the video from its internal case file, copied the recording, and provided the recording to us under the SCFOIA.
Those recordings tell Nikki Braddock’s story of what happened that night on Franklin Street.
‘DECEPTION INDICATED’
The Hoover investigation records provided to Queen City News show Nikki Braddock – aside from one attempt by the AG’s office to question a Marlboro County man in an undated witness statement form – was the only person investigators focused on throughout the more than three-year investigation.
Braddock was the last known person to see Hoover alive.
SLED agents interviewed Braddock for the first time on Nov. 15, 2017, four months after the death. Braddock told investigators that Hoover had threatened suicide before and that in the days leading up to his death, he was afraid of going to jail over unpaid child support.
On Nov. 22, 2017, the SLED case file shows Braddock went to the SLED office in Florence and gave agents a written statement. The SLED file doesn’t show whether agents recorded that interview, and no recording was turned over to us in response to our records request.
Braddock wrote that she left Hoover on the couch around midnight when she spotted her elderly neighbor walking in the middle of Franklin Street. Hoover was sitting on the couch arguing with his mother in texts when Braddock left, according to her statement.
Hoover had only been home from a rehabilitation stint for a week, Braddock said, and he was not using drugs or drinking that week, until that night. Braddock said she and Hoover started drinking that evening and taking Hoover’s prescription pills – a Benzodiazepine known as Klonopin.
Braddock said she was at the neighbor’s home for “20 or so minutes” and when she came back to the house, she found Hoover unresponsive in their bedroom, “Jason was sitting on the bedroom floor with his legs stretched out in front of him, his head down to his chest. There was a phone cord tied around the ceiling fan and wrapped around Jason’s neck,” Braddock wrote.
On Dec. 7, Braddock went to SLED’s Polygraph Section in Columbia to take what’s commonly known as a lie detector test. The results, which are not admissible in South Carolina courtrooms, showed “Deception Indicated” on two specific questions posed to Braddock:
“Did you strangle that man?”
“Did you strangle that man last July?
The polygraph result shows Braddock answered “No” to both questions, but the polygraph examiner found indication of deception in the answers. “The examinee was advised of the results of the test. The examinee did not many any admissions,” Polygraph Examiner Caitlin McPherson-Bryant wrote in the post-test interview section of the SLED record.
SLED records show Special Agent Randy Truss and SLED Lt. Roxanne Love met with Braddock again on Feb. 27, 2018, and video recorded their interview with her. Braddock explained why she believed the polygraph result showed deception.
“I guess what we’re trying to do is trying to get a clarification on to why there was deception shown,” Truss explained to Braddock in the recording. “The only thing that I can think of, and I’m embarrassed to say this, but I thought about it, but when me and Jason sometimes when we did have sex, we did – I mean not choking each other out, but that we did do that from time to time,” Braddock explained to the agents.
“And there have been arguments where he’s choked – I mean, like, when we were arguing because we both got a CDV, where he’s put his hands on my throat and I’ve put my hands on his throat. So, I don’t know if that could be it, but as far as she (polygraph examiner) – if she would have asked, ‘Did you kill Jason,’ she didn’t come out – and I said, ‘Did you kill Jason Hoover,’ my answer would have been no, and I know there would have been no deception because I know I didn’t,” Braddock said in the recording.
Braddock denied having any physical confrontation with Hoover in the seven days he was back home in Hartsville leading up to his death.
“When was the last time you, I guess, had a situation where you choked each other,” Truss asked, “Maybe, because we didn’t argue that week, I mean, it could have been when had sex sometime during that week he was home. But as far as – we didn’t have any physical altercations, because he was only back home from Columbia for a week before he passed away. But as far as any physical altercations, or, you know, anything like that, that didn’t occur the week before he passed away,” Braddock answered.
“I had never done that until I got with Jason and that was something he kind of introduced me to, but it was never where either one of us would pass out. And it wasn’t every time when we had intercourse…nobody was turning blue or anything like that. But I mean, we would be like, right on the neck, and just kind of putting pressure. I would – I hate to say choke, but I guess essentially, that’s what you’re doing, but it’s just more like pressure,” Braddock explained.
Agents also questioned Braddock about the apparent suicide notes she delivered to the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office on August 28, 2017 – nearly two months after Hoover’s death. The sheriff’s office’s evidence log does not show the investigator collected any notebooks while inside the home during the July 3 investigation.
The notes were inside multiple spiral-bound notebooks. Braddock said her family found the notebooks inside her home. The notes detailed Hoover’s thoughts of suicide with one titled ‘Last Will and Testament.’ Most of the notes are undated.
Braddock told SLED that Hoover had threatened suicide “at least 10 different times,” during their relationship, but that he never carried an attempt out during their three years together.
Braddock urged SLED agents several times during the February 2018 interview to find those notebooks she delivered to the sheriff’s office weeks after Hoover’s death.
SLED got the notebooks from the sheriff’s office and performed a handwriting analysis, comparing the handwriting in the apparent suicide notes to handwriting samples from both Hoover and Braddock. “It is probable” (meaning a high degree of likelihood) that Nikki Braddock “did not write the hand printed portions,” the SLED forensic scientist John “Jack” Jamison wrote in a Jan. 13, 2020 report on the results of his analysis.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: ‘Bad police work’
The Hoover family waited three years and one month to find out the results of the state’s investigation into Jason Hoover’s death. On August 11, 2020, Kathy Hoover got the call she describes as “Outside of Jason’s death, it was the worst news I could have received.”
“Unfortunately, that SLED report came back and at this time we don’t think we could prosecute this case,” Assistant Attorney General Joel Kozak told Hoover in the call Hoover recorded. “The circumstances of this case, the way it was handled at the beginning, and some of the evidence that came back, and now that some of the witnesses have died, we would just be unable to prove that case,” Kozak said.
One of the key pieces of evidence was whether Jason Hoover authored the handwritten notes.
“Are you telling me that the handwriting came back, and it was his,” Hoover asked, “Yes, the handwriting came back to match his. That was the last piece of evidence we were waiting on. We were hoping that would come back not to match his handwriting. Obviously, that would give us a lot more to go on,” Kozak said.
The AG’s office explained to Hoover that the decision to close the case without recommending a charge wasn’t Kozak’s exclusive decision. His superiors – other prosecuting attorneys in the office – collaborated on the decision and agreed that with the evidence collected in the case, they “couldn’t get past a directed verdict” if they charged anyone based on what they had at the time.
Kozak went on to criticize the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of the death investigation. Hoover said she always wondered if the way the sheriff’s office conducted the investigation was intentional, “In my mind, it doesn’t appear to me to look like a cover-up more so than just bad police work,” Kozak told Hoover.
“You know more about the inner workings of Darlington than I do. But I mean, unfortunately, in smaller and smaller areas where resources are more limited, this tends to happen. Which is very unfortunate…Unfortunately for you guys and for this case, this isn’t the only time this has happened in Darlington with us,” Kozak said in the recorded call.
“I’m sure you guys know that better than anyone is, that when Darlington County came to work the case from the beginning, they worked it was a suicide rather than a homicide. There was a lot of evidence that probably wasn’t gathered,” Kozak continued. The assistant attorney general reminded Hoover the AG’s office didn’t get the case until more than a year after it happened.
“At that point, I mean, we can only work with what exists, right? We can only work with the evidence that was collected before we were on it. We can’t go back in time really and go like, look at that and go back and gather that evidence. So, just the way it was handled originally, there was probably a lot of stuff that wasn’t gathered, “Kozak said.
Investigator Freddie Davis disagreed with Kozak’s analysis of the sheriff’s office’s handling of the Hoover death investigation, “You think in this case you did everything you could do to get the best answer possible,” Barr asked Davis. “I did, yeah. From what I had at the crime scene, what I got from talking to people, what I got from talking to the neighbors, what I got talking to her (Braddock) – everything that I got that I made a conclusion, I did what I could with what I had,” Davis told QCN.
Kozak also informed Hoover another hurdle in the investigation was the death of two key witnesses: the elderly man and his son who lived across the street – the men Braddock said she was with when she returned home to find Hoover hanging from the ceiling fan.
The men died during the state’s investigation.
The attorney general’s file also shows neither the sheriff’s office nor SLED agents checked into another potential key piece of evidence: whether Hoover had a life insurance policy and whether someone cashed it in.
“This case was reinvestigated and one aspect that was not examined previously is whether or not there existed any life insurance for Jason Hoover and who the beneficiaries may be if such a policy did exist,” the AG’s office’s Special Investigator Valerie Williams wrote in a June 13, 2019 letter seeking information on claims made for any Hoover life insurance policy.
The AG’s office also criticized the sheriff’s office’s failure to collect another piece of evidence during its investigation: the suicide letters.
“The thing is that Freddie Davis didn’t find this, Nikki Braddock brought it to them,” Hoover told Kozak in the August 2020 call. “There was no investigator that found that book at that scene and he was there, but it was Nikki Braddock that brought that book into Freddie Davis,” Hoover said. “That kind of goes full circle to the poor investigation, right,” Kozak asked, “So, I mean, but the bottom line is, is that we have a suicide letter written by him. Whether she found it or not, it’s still in his handwriting,” Kozak explained.
“Now, what we had hoped was that the handwriting was going to match hers or not match his, and then we would have had something to go with…But when you have a suicide note written by a victim, it’s going to be tough to convince 12 people to not see it as a suicide. Do you understand,” Kozak asked Hoover in the call.
Hoover apologized to Kozak for “yelling” in the call as he broke the news to her.
“Well, now it sounds like if somebody needs to be murdered, take their asses on up to damn Hartsville,” Caroline Laster, Kathy Hoover’s niece said in the recording. Laster was on the line with Kozak and Hoover in a group call.
“I wish I could disagree with you. The Darlington, Hartsville, Marlboro County, Dillon circuit, we get a lot of cases out of there and they’re not always the best, unfortunately,” Kozak told the women.
‘I COULD KILL HIM’
On July 5, two days after Jason Hoover’s death, Darlington County Investigator Freddie Davis got a call from Sara Sparks. Sparks was Hoover’s second wife from a marriage that lasted nearly a decade and created two children before they divorced around 2012.
Davis’s supplemental report contained in the SLED case file shows he took a call from Sparks on July 5, “Sara Sparks called and stated that Nikki would call her when she was drunk or messed up and tell her she (Nikki) could kill him (Jason) and get away with it. Mrs. Sparks stated she has text messages between her and Nikki and that she would get me a copy of them as soon as possible,” Davis wrote in the report.
Sparks told SLED the same story in October 2017 when a SLED agent traveled to Spartanburg, SC to interview her about the call with Braddock, “I could kill him and people would think it’s a suicide,” Sparks quoted Braddock as saying in the call. Sparks wrote that quote in the Oct. 10, 2017 voluntary statement contained in the SLED case file.
“I was appalled. I actually asked her to repeat what she said. She then said, ‘Nobody would miss his ass. I could kill him, make it look like a suicide and go on with my life,’ Sparks wrote in her formal written statement.
QCN’s Jody Barr read Sparks’ statement to Davis during an August 2022 sit-down interview at his home. Davis denied ever hearing that story from Sparks during his investigation.
“What’s her name,” Davis asked Barr. “Sara Sparks,” Barr replied.
“I talked to Sara Sparks. Sara Sparks never told me that,” Davis said. “Never talked to me about that. Never. I talked to his mom, I talked to her. She never said that to me. So why would you – she’s going to tell SLED why wouldn’t she tell me that,” Davis asked rhetorically.
“The mother never, if the mother knew of that conversation, the mother never told me that. And his mother and I talked on the regular. She called me two or three times a week. “I kept telling her (Hoover) that I thought that he’d done it to himself, and we went over that, but that was never told – she, the mother or the daughter-in-law, never spoke of that to me,” Davis confirmed in the interview.
Sparks said she got a Facebook message from Nikki Braddock in February 2017, just five months before Jason Hoover’s death.
“Out of the blue, which we did not have a good communication relationship. We actually did not like each other and I found it odd because she was asking questions about how to get out of a relationship with Jason. And that’s how it started,” Sparks told QCN.
Sparks said she was suspicious of Braddock’s motivations for contacting her and started “playing her a little bit” in an effort to draw more information, “Because I didn’t trust her. Red flags were flying everywhere with her. I just didn’t feel like Jason was safe, even though me and him did not have a great relationship, I’m going to take care of my children on that. You know, that’s their father,” Sparks said in the interview with QCN in July.
After Hoover’s death, Sparks wrote posts and comments accusing Nikki Braddock of knowing more than she was saying about what happened that night. “I started working on a thing along with Jason’s mother to really kind of out her and make it known that we knew she knew something, that she was the last person with him,” Sparks said. Those comments led Braddock to message Sparks threatening to take legal action against Sparks over the comments, which Braddock maintained were untrue.
Despite the handwritten notes showing Hoover was – at least – contemplating suicide, Sparks still doubts Jason Hoover killed himself.
“He would never, never kill himself,” Sparks argued. Suicidal threats, she said, were part of a relationship with Hoover.
“He would always, like if something didn’t go his way or especially during the times when our marriage was ending, he would come to me and say, you know, I’m going to off myself, I’m going to take some pills, and I’m just done. He would literally just take like, enough, like five pills to make him sick to the point he would go to the hospital,” Sparks said.
“I always told him he was a coward or described him as a coward. He was more talk than actual doing,” she told QCN. “He would never leave his kids on this earth, to have to be raised by one parent. And because he knew they loved him and adored him. And he would just never do that to them.”
CASE REOPENED
On March 2, we aired a news investigation titled ‘The Confession,’ where we dug into the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office’s handling of the shooting death of Caleb James in May 2021. That report exposed problems with evidence collection and allegations those problems could jeopardize the criminal prosecution stemming from the shooting.
On March 21, 2022 – just 20 days after our ‘The Confession’ report aired, the Fourth Circuit Solicitor’s Office asked SLED to reopen and reinvestigate the Hoover death investigation.
The reinvestigation included another video-recorded interview with Nikki Braddock and two Darlington County Sheriff’s investigators. Neither investigator stated the date of the interview in the recording and the camera they used does not contain any identifying information showing the date.
Sheriff James Hudson would not tell QCN when the recording was made or whether his office knows when the recording was made. From information Braddock gave investigators, the interview appears to have been recorded sometime after SLED reopened the case on March 22, 2022.
“Nikki, um, what we’re doing here, and I hate to put you through this again. I know this is a rough time for you, okay? But we’re going to go back through – it’s been a while and it’s still an open case – not necessarily an open case, but there’s still some unanswered questions maybe if you can’t answer, but on Jason’s case,” the unidentified investigator tells Braddock at the start of the interview.
Braddock told investigators the same story she’s told from the start about what happened the night she left Jason Hoover on the couch and returned to find him unresponsive and hanging from the ceiling fan.
Text records provided to QCN by Kathy Hoover show an argument between her and her son that started around 12:10 a.m. – an hour and ten minutes before the 911 call to Franklin Street. “Are u [sic] going [sic] to [sic] pay on child support tomorrow?” a text from Jason Hoover’s number to Kathy Hoover’s number shows.
“I don’t think so. I spent a lot last month on tickets and food, the cable will be turned off. It would be a drop in the bucket if I do,” Kathy Hoover responded. Hoover said she’d given her son thousands of dollars over the previous months to help him pay car payments, utilities, child support, and other expenses. Kathy Hoover was living on a fixed income, relying on monthly disability payments, and she told QCN she went some months with no money trying to help her son.
Text records Kathy Hoover provided show over the next 22 minutes, the text argument continued. In one text, Hoover accused his mother of Medicaid fraud and said that Nikki Braddock was going to report her, “Nikki has the proof of the Medicaid. We will prosecute full force [sic]! Good luck…end of communication [sic],” Jason Hoover wrote in the text.
“Nikki does not have anything because I have not done anything. And I have had enough of this stupidity. Have a nice life Jason [sic]. I am done. Completely done. I am blocking you now. The only reason you have that phone is to talk to the kids. They will face to face you when they get here. I am done. Period. “At least when you go to jail you will be off drugs then. And I know for a fact, there’s no Klonopin [sic] in jail. 6 months. Maybe instead of playing games, getting f—ed up, staying there under nobody knows you are there, and sleeping all day you should be getting a job,” Kathy Hoover wrote to her son.
“But like I said, it’s time Jason [sic]. Maybe we will cross paths on the other side. But then again I’m not going to hell. Maybe I should buy a gun instead of helping you with anything. That way I will be gone for good,” Hoover wrote her son in the final texts she would ever send him.
“Then she, obviously, you know…you did it. I said, ‘Kathy if anybody did it you pushed him to do it.’ That’s just in my heart. That’s, that’s what I felt that – last thing, you know, when I see you on the other side or then again, I’m going to hell or something. I think that just, I’ve been in the point on pills and being depressed and drinking where I can see first, it could – and I know how fragile Jason was at different times. But like I said, he talked about, but I never – he never actually went through it with me,” Braddock told the pair of Darlington County Sheriff’s investigators in the 2022 interview video.
Hoover later told QCN that she always doubted that was her son on the other end of the phone that night, “I just can’t tell you who did it, I can’t tell you who’s involved, who are the people,” Hoover said in the May 2022 interview.
Toward the end of the 2022 interview with Braddock, the investigators started pressing Braddock about whether she had anything to do with Hoover’s death. Here’s the verbatim of that exchange captured on the law enforcement recording of the interview:
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “Was there anybody else in the house the night this happened?”
BRADDOCK: “No, sir. When I left it was just Jason.”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “Just him in the house?”
BRADDOCK: “Just sitting, like he was propped up on the couch, yes sir.”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “Did you do this to him?”
BRADDOCK: “No, sir.”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “Okay. Did you ever have thoughts of doing this to him?”
BRADDOCK: “No, I would rather be dead.”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “I have to ask it.”
BRADDOCK: “I’ve lost everything since he died. Because you know I told you I never – I got hooked on drugs, I lost about everything, my mom has lost everything. I’d have rather killed myself than to ever hurt Jason.”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “Don’t let this, don’t let this – what we’re talking about now dredge up some old thoughts, okay?”
BRADDOCK: “I’m not where I need to be right now, but I’m better than I was last year this time.”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “I agree.”
CAPTAIN NEAL CUSACK: “This is what we have to go through, okay?”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “Did you know anybody who wanted to do this to him?”
BRADDOCK: “Like I said, he was dealing with people that I didn’t know about. Like I said, I didn’t know about the cocaine and a lot of the pills, there was just some of that stuff I didn’t know about.”
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY: “Do you think he done this to himself?”
BRADDOCK: “Absolutely. In my heart, I know.”
We made multiple attempts to reach Nikki Braddock to offer her the chance to participate in this report. Calls and Facebook messages were never returned. We made contact with Braddock’s sister two weeks ago to ask her to pass along a message to Braddock that we wanted to interview her. Braddock’s sister said she’d inform their mother of our request to see if their mother would pass it along.
Nikki Braddock never responded.
KATHY HOOVER’S SEARCH IS OVER
Kathy Hoover’s search for evidence to show what happened to her son came to an end on June 18, 2022, just a little more than a month after her interview with Queen City News. Sometime overnight, Hoover died in her sleep.
Her daughter, Jessica Hoover, found her mother and called 911.
The Lexington County coroner’s office told Hoover the initial autopsy finding is that Hoover died of natural causes, but the final ruling won’t come until toxicology results come back, Hoover said.
“That’s me and that’s Jason and there’s mom,” Hoover said as she pointed out a picture on the mantle where her mother and brother’s ashes sit inside Hoover’s home. Jessica Hoover slid a blue cremation urn decorated with red hummingbirds as she held back tears.
“We got this because right after she died, a hummingbird came right up to me and was kissing me all over to let me know it’s going to be okay,” Hoover said as she held the urn in her hands.
Jessica had watched her mother become consumed by her brother’s death. Kathy Hoover would spend hours each day researching her brother’s medical records, and phone records, and trying to connect dots using social media accounts of people tied to Jason Hoover and Nikki Braddock.
This went on every day for the past five years. But, after we left Hoover’s home following our interview with Kathy Hoover on May 11, Jessica said her mother put her computer away and stopped the research, and started spending time with her family again.
“Oh, God she was happy. She was happy. After you left that day, she was happy that somebody finally listened to her, somebody finally believed in her and now that she’s gone, they know she knows the truth. She knows the truth now about what happened to my brother that night,” Hoover said through tears, “Does that make you feel any better,” Barr asked.
“Yes, because that’s all she really wanted to know was what happened to him that night. She worked so hard to find the truth.” Jessica Hoover admits there are questions about her brother’s death that no investigation will ever answer at this point.
“I don’t think I’ll ever know what really happened that night; who did it, why they did it, I don’t know.” | https://www.wspa.com/news/state-news/manner-of-death-mans-2017-iphone-cable-hanging-death-likely-never-to-be-solved/ | 2022-08-28T22:46:30Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/state-news/manner-of-death-mans-2017-iphone-cable-hanging-death-likely-never-to-be-solved/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Founding president, Philosophy of Education Association of Nigeria (PEAN) and first chairman, National Directorate of Employment, Professor Jim Nesin Omatseye, speaks with EBENEZER ADUROKIYA on the ongoing face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government among other sundry national issues.
ASUU has been on strike since February as a follow-up to past struggles between them and the federal government! But it now appears the union has been boxed to a wall. As an experienced academic, what’s your thought on the ongoing strike?
Before I retired, I was a member of ASUU for many years and the struggles we’ve had in the last three decades with the Nigerian university system is the lack of appreciation for what tertiary education is all about. The average Nigerian does not appreciate the work of the lecturers, professors and the university workers. A nation that does not appreciate the significance and the contribution of education towards national development is not likely to make progress; and that is precisely where we are. It is most unfortunate that the government that we’ve had in the last three decades (30 years) have really never appreciated education. The only time that we saw a government move in the direction and appreciate what tertiary education is, was during the Obasanjo era, where we were taken from the ground to a reasonable level and since then, subsequent governments after Obasanjo have not done much.
The worst of them all is the present one that we have. It is very unfortunate that for six months, these people in government have really not appreciated what to do to get ASUU back to work. Somehow, the money that ASUU is asking for is to improve the condition of learning in our universities. Salary is a small part of the ASUU demand.
When I was in service, I was teaching a course that was required by most students, sometimes I had 200-300 students in one lecture hall. Some were sitting on the ground and windows to take lectures and there were no microphones most of the time. An average Nigerian student is from a very poor home; they are not even sure of the three meals an average person should expect. Buying books is a problem, so is maintaining themselves and so, you don’t expect that these children can actually pay the fees that can sustain a university, ideally.
Universities should be a private enterprise, social service kind of thing, but because of the level of poverty in our country, we have left it to the government and they have not done enough to respond positively to the needs and aspirations of the people, so it is very unfortunate.
Somehow the money that we have in government is misused by politicians in government. Somewhere along the line, the average Nigerian senator is the highest paid in the world.
In the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom where there are legislators, they don’t make as much money as the Nigerian senators and House of Representatives members are making. So, our money is being diverted to areas where it is not as needed as the universities and education sector. That’s why the politicians, governors, presidents and so on are taking their children abroad to get good education and leave the children of the poor to suffer here.
As I speak, my last daughter has been at home for six months. I am not happy that she’s at home neither am I blaming ASUU for what they are doing. I’m not blaming ASUU, because some many years ago around the Abacha era, I had a reason to leave this country as a result of the harassment of the Abacha tyranny to go to the United States to teach. My salary before I left here was less than N1000 at that time. When I got to the US, the dollar equivalent that I was paid at Florida International University at that time, was five to six times what I was being paid in Nigeria. I looked at the money and I said: can a professor make this kind of money?
It would have been a situation, where I would have stayed back there in America and enjoyed that kind of money, but I chose to come back to serve this country. Thank God Obasanjo had improved things and things got better. But inflation and all of those things have wiped out those advantages we had before.
So, ASUU is not asking for too much and it is because the politicians don’t really care about the children of the poor in this country; because education is the bedrock of development in any country. And it should change because education is the bedrock of any development.
With the manner the FG handled the case last week after months of back and forth to the extent that the Minister of education is asking students to sue ASUU, doesn’t it appear the union is being boxed to the wall?
I don’t like the expression of ASUU being boxed to the wall. The average professor is an international person who can pick up his passport and go to Ghana, South Africa, US and find a job. But if we all leave, and I don’t think we all should leave, the university will collapse completely. And we don’t want that to happen. Not everyone can go to these countries where the pay is better. SSANU and NASU may go to work, but you need ASUU – the lecturers and the professors to be at work in order for them to have something to do. We have a proverb in Itsekiri: if your body is itching you and you scratch it too much, you’ll peel it. If we are to follow the insensitivity of the government that we have, with regard to education, and because they have little or nothing to lose, their children are not in the system, we will all continue to suffer, so will our children.
What do you suggest ASUU should do next?
My thinking at this point is that ASUU should be a little more flexible at this point. Up till this point, I don’t know any reasonable person, who is blaming the union for what they are doing. But again, when you’re right, sometimes you don’t press your case too hard, or else you would be blamed. So, I think the time has come, because, as people like Obasanjo have said about this government, this government can’t do better than they are doing now. We have to manage whatever we have and pray for a better government to come. But before then, our children have to be given the opportunity to go back to school, whatever is offered, though it may never be enough, let ASUU bend backwards and forward and sort of take it. Not because they are foolish or they are wrong, but because if you are dealing with an intransigent group of people who don’t care, you are going to lose everything and we don’t want to lose everything. That’s where I stand.
Given your experience in the US and Nigeria in academia, what are the things you think you have learnt that can be replicated here?
I honestly believe that the average ASUU person buys from the market that everybody buys from; they have children in the school and many cannot even afford to send their children abroad like the politicians do. But in terms of borrowing some ideas from abroad, it is a good thing now that private universities are coming into place. Because our government tends to mis-apply their financial priorities. As long as they take huge salaries, pay and allowances (imagine dress allowance makes no sense) that’s why it is important to flush out the current set of politicians that we have because of their insensitivity. I am not campaigning for anybody, but let people use their PVCs well to flush out these politicians and that is where we need to start.
The second thing is to pray for a government that will appreciate the contribution of education. The average American and European knows that education is very essential and it is sheer stupidity for some of our youths to even say education is a scam. Education, for God’s sake, is not a scam. Education is the basis for proper development. Those ones who have money without education are beginning to realise that today. It is not the certificate that you have that makes the difference, but it’s what you have in your head that makes all the difference. So, let us do whatever we can to put in place a government that is sensitive like the ones abroad that realise and know that education is key to national development.
There is a school of thought that believes that university education should be optional, what’s your take on this?
I agree that university is not for everyone, but it should be because the level of development where we are right now, secondary school education is no longer enough to carry you into the world of industrial technology and ICTs.
But little by little, we should be moving in the direction where university and education should be required. When you hear some of our politicians talk and behave, their level of education is a factor in the level of reasoning that goes into what they do. So, we need education.
I’m not saying that it’s only graduates that can think logically, but it’s very helpful.
University education may not be for everybody, but it should be for as many people that want to have it and it will help us a great deal. I wrote my PhD on the difference between the North and the South in terms of educational development 40 years ago. Things have not changed in 40 years in Nigeria. Because the killings that are going on in the North that is spreading to the South now, is as a result of the large number of uneducated people that have been produced in the North who are into terrorism. In the South where the situation is better, I don’t want to be tribalistic, but the Yorubas appreciate education very much.
The number of universities in the West is more than you can find anywhere and we give Awolowo the credit. Education matters and makes a difference and as much as possible, we should accept education as the bedrock of development.
The school of thought further insisted that universities should be allowed to manage themselves, do you buy this idea?
It should be a dual system. Let the private universities operate side by side with government owned universities. Only the federal government does not have universities in the United States. The states manage their own universities, but the other universities that are owned by churches and other individuals run side by side and so, the government is not 100 per cent burdened with the responsibility. Let them allow private universities to operate and the good ones will continue, and we have many good ones in Nigeria that are competing globally; so let the good ones attract people so that the burden is less on the government. But the government should not wash its hands off university education in Nigeria because of the high level of poverty that we have. That is where it should be.
It is believed that the quality of education in your time was higher than what we have now in spite of the technological advancements; can you compare education at your time with what we have now?
I don’t share the view that the quality of education then was higher than now. What the average Nigerian Senior Secondary School Student knows now compared to what the average secondary school person in our days knew, is hard to say which is better. As an educator, I’m not going to make that comparison; because with computers and technology now, you don’t go to the classroom and make statements that are not true or correct. Because students have a way of checking it out on google and the rest of information sources.
So, it is hard to say that the average Nigerian student is good, has more information and knowledge in terms of their exposure through computer and social media. It is hard to say we were better. Saying such is all mere sentiments to say that we were better in the 60s. My generation is trying to catch up with the computer, but that comparison is really not valid.
As an Itsekiri with much influence, what will be your assessment of the first year coronation anniversary of the Olu of Warri, OgiameAtuwatse III?
One year in any situation like we have in the kingdom is a short time. But within the one year that Atuwatse III has been on the throne is that he has demonstrated considerable interest in bringing needed changes in our kingdom. For many years, a lot of money came to the Itsekiri nation that went into private pockets. People made millions and billions, but the communities from where they came were left in abject poverty. The thugs, the uneducated and the wild ones who could use violence use their type of strategy to acquire money!
With that kind of thing, it is difficult for one individual to, overnight, change what people are used to doing. But this Olu is doing his best and it is an ongoing process.
The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that has been signed into law that is intended to put money into the development of various host communities is going to take money from the hands of those I described as charlatans and thugs who have been controlling the communities, and put it in the hands of reasonable and educated and more articulate people.
The battle has started because many of these so-called leaders in the communities are uneducated; they depend on violence and all of these things in order to maintain their grip on power and money coming into the kingdom. So, the Olu has a lot of work in his hands; it will take the determination of all Itsekiris to stand with him to salvage the situation and to remove these people who have millions from oil companies and gas companies in order for the money to be used well. It is unfortunate that our neighbours, the Ijaws and the Urhobos have used their resources reasonably well.
Do you think so? What do you mean?
I think so, because if you go to some Ijaw villages, they have steady light and water, but it’s not the same in some Itsekiri communities. This Olu is trying to change all these, though he’s being opposed already by these charlatans, Itsekiris must stand with him to salvage the situation from the hands of these people. Education is one of them; our neighbours have universities, but Itsekiris don’t.
So, at the end of the day, it is because a lot of our people do not appreciate the contribution that education brings. It will take a lot of convincing to get them to subscribe to the idea of using education as a way of changing our society and moving us forward. It is going to be a struggle, but we are going to do it as a people.
So, the Olu has done very well and it is a pity that he may not get the cooperation of all Itsekiris because of what the pattern has been on ground. Monies diverted, contracts awarded and not carried out, projects started are not completed and nobody is challenging them for doing what they are doing! I am an Itsekiri man; where my people are doing well I will say, but where they are not doing well and they should change, we should say.
Considering the influence the Itsekiris have, they’re well read, connected and influential; why should it take an Olu to subdue or redirect such hawks that are perpetuating poverty in the Iwereland?
It is unfortunate that it is that way. We have some well-educated Itsekiris who should have changed the situation, but the reason for not changing it is more political than anything else. These leaders would rather work with illiterates who are given to violence and enrich them in order for them to perpetuate themselves in power.
You know if you bring in an enlightened, educated person as an adviser they would tell you the truth, and so you would rather bring in an uneducated thug who will just do your bidding without giving you proper advice.
What is important is for us to begin to shift our focus to education. We were not always like this, Itsekiri used to be in the forefront. Itsekiri produced the first graduate Olu in the whole of West Africa and beyond. But today, the average Itsekiri boy wants you to believe that education is a scam and they look around those who have money around them that are stack illiterates and they would ask you if they had education before controlling the millions they are controlling.
We have no good role models, but thank God those of them who forged certificates are being called and flushed out.
The Olu’s first year coronation anniversary celebration spanned five days, which of the days did you attend and which was of most interest to you?
I was at the Thanksgiving Service which was the grand finale and it was very interesting. I saw the rest on social media; you know social media has brought everything to you (laughs). What I saw is that the Itsekiris love this king and the ordinary Itsekiri man and woman is ready to give his or her loyalty to this king and so on. We are only hoping that the elites would do so because as I said, many of them who reaped where they did not sow, are now going to be forced to rethink their strategy and ponder over how to live in a situation where they would be accountable. So, the trouble is going to come more from the elites than the ordinary Itsekiri man/woman who loves the Olu.
Have you met the Olu one-on-one and given him these pieces of advice and is he the type that listens to advice?
I have discussed all these with him. I have met him many times and he is a good listener. But don’t forget that as a leader, there are so many forces both negative and positive and how you choose who to listen to as a leader and what advice to take, makes all the difference. I know he listens to all and so far he has done very well.
What will you tell the Itsekiris home and abroad?
All that I am saying to everyone both at home and abroad is that this Olu has very good intentions and good plans for the Itsekiri people. A good plan does not automatically translate into success. It takes good people to translate good plans into a successful thing. What I am saying to the Itsekiris home and abroad is make your contributions towards the development of education, and one way of doing this is by developing education and investing in industries that will bring peace and progress and also for all to know that the time for self-centeredness is over.
Just like the whole country, people are tired of old politicians who are only concerned about themselves and so is the Itsekiris nation. Do things that will help the ordinary man and woman to live a better life. The level of begging and hunger is very very high today and it is not a comforting situation. We should do our best for people to live better and not depend on begging.
What kind of governor should we expect in Delta State come 2023?
The parties as far as I’m concerned, APC, PDP and what have you, are irrelevant. In a civilised society, parties are guided by certain ideologies. Ask the major parties what their ideology is, you would find out that they don’t have. That is why they can cross from one party to another as they wish. All APC and PDP members are all the same.
The kind of governor we should have should be well-educated and education is not all there is because there are some among them who are well-educated, but are very corrupt. Your record should speak for you; so parties are irrelevant as far as I am concerned. Identify individuals whose level of education, integrity and intelligence can make all the difference.
That’s why when I look at the current politicians, I will not drop my vote for anyone of these ones who are in power that have not done well at the state and federal level.
Education is important, but the few ones among them that kind of know what they are doing have been corrupt. Corrupt in the sense that their education does not make any difference to them. But I think the time has come when we should try new people whether at the presidential, senatorial level or state level. Let us try new people because the old guards have failed woefully.
How do you describe your ‘new’ people? Peter Obi for instance was governor for eight years?
When I say ‘new’ people, not ‘new’ in the sense that you have not been anything. If you read and see what is going on, a revolution is going on right now in this country. I don’t mean a violent one, though it has not reached the level of violence, but the young people in this country are telling my generation that we have failed. “We want to try people who are new and have a different orientation from what is going on right now. It is not age. Why would I believe that the present leadership of APC would be different from the one that is coming in when I cannot travel from here to Lagos without the fear of being killed or kidnapped on the way! It is not whether you’ve held office before or not; what does your record show in terms of integrity? Why should I believe that the incoming APC government will not be the same or worse than what we have now? It’s garbage in garbage out!
What should Nigerians do in this circumstance?
We should look at the past records of those contesting. Nigerians are not foolish; it’s only poverty and hunger that is our problem. What I am saying to Nigerians is that take their money and vote for whoever you know is not corrupt and can change this country.
When I say ‘their money,’ it’s not really their money, it is your own money that is being given back to you (laughs). I will take their money, but I will not vote for those that I know are corrupt.
What’s your take on the ‘obidient’ movement?
If you think what the young people are doing with “obidient” or whatever they call it is nonsense, a revolution is already on. What happened recently in Kenya is coming to Nigeria. The unexpected guy won. I’m not campaigning for any individual, but you know who has done what in the past among the three forefront presidential candidates. If your generation doesn’t vote for change and flush out all these rotten politicians in the coming elections, you will have yourself to blame.
I am happy that the young people of today are where they are and know what is going on and how much they have suffered. Religion and tribe do not matter, the identity of the person is what matters.
On insecurity, what do you think Nigerians should do to take back their country from insurgents and terrorists?
Let us go back to what we believe. I’m not saying what we know. We are told, whether it is true or not, that the borders of this country were thrown open to allow Fulanis from everywhere and at the end of the day, our country is flooded with people that are not even Nigerians and are being registered to vote.
Somewhere along the line, the people who are responsible for bringing in these people have candidates who are running either as vice president or president. What is the guarantee that if these people from this particular area get to power, that the trend of throwing our borders open will not continue?
I believe that those who are not from these areas, but know what the problem is and who are politically strong to stand their ground and do something to close the borders; and possibly send back those non-Nigerians that are responsible for kidnapping and killings. But do we have the political will to do that? Because if you look at our people, the people who said that the presidency must come to the South are now the ones fighting to be vice president of the Northerner. You are not going to get any relief from people like Okowa, Wike and all those in the South that want power for themselves by all means. If they tell you that they can change the situation from within, it’s a damn lie. Could Osinbajo do anything? If by the Grace of God somebody from the outside the north comes out and it’s going to be a tough battle, but he can do it. He is going to have challenges, but if he has a good sense of what to do, he can stop the inflow of foreigners into this country to come and vote and keep our system in perpetual poverty and insecurity.
Such people know what to do because what can be done cannot be primarily found within the four walls of this country. Get help wherever you can get help in order to turn this country around. That’s why those who are benefiting from the present situation are going to fight like hell in order to keep the situation the same.
In my opinion, the West, East, South South and Middle Belt have a big job ahead of them in order to change the situation.
Even though the killing is now mostly in the North, it’s coming south, because whether you call it islamisation or fulanisation, the essence is to acquire people’s land. The act is to take over the whole country. Security or no security, we know what to do. For those who think it won’t reach them, it will reach them. God forbid! The change is not going to come from a particular direction.
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Insecurity: 5,000 Nigerian Children May Die Of Starvation By October —UN
THE United Nations has raised the alarm that no fewer than 5,000 children in war-ravaged northeastern Nigeria will die of starvation in the next two months unless the world raises the necessary funds for intervention…
My London Meetings With Obasanjo, Tinubu, Atiku, Obi In Nigeria’s Interest —Wike
RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday said that his London meetings with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo were in the interest of the nation…
Bandits Stole My Chickens, Cut Off My Arms —Zamfara Man
A victim of a bandits attack, Ismail Mohammed, has explained how his life took a turn for the worse with the loss of his arms…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/asuu-fgs-defiance-killing-university-system-omatseye/ | 2022-08-28T22:48:47Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/asuu-fgs-defiance-killing-university-system-omatseye/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, arrived Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Sunday
Atiku’s arrival in the state is in anticipation of the formal defection of Kano Central Senator and former governor of the state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and his supporters to the PDP from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) on Monday.
Among those at the airport were former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido; former Foreign Affairs Minister, Aminu Wali.
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INEC REC Nominees: Lawyers Threaten To Sue Buhari
A former vice president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Ikeja Branch of the body, Dr Monday Ubani, has threatened to drag President Buhari and the Senate to court if they do not withdraw and reject the nominations of REC nominees deemed to the APC members….
Tinubu Commends Buhari Over Resolve To Support APC Candidates
All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his loyalty and commitment to the party and her victory in the February 25, 2023 elections….
Bandits Kill Soldier, Abduct Zimbabwean In Kaduna
Bandits stormed a farm in Anchau village of Kubau Local Government Area of Kaduna State and killed a soldier who was detailed to provide security in the company. It was gathered that in the process, the bandits abducted two personnel, a Zimbabwean national and a Nigerian….
Terrorists Now Use Our Men As Slaves On Their Farms, Rape Our Wives, Daughters —Katsina Elders Cry
ELDERS of rural communities in Katsina State have lamented that men in their villages now work as slaves on farms ‘owned’ by bandits, even as the hoodlums have developed a taste for constantly raping married women and teenage girls….
Put More Of Your Contents Out There, Don Jazzy Urges Young Artistes
Renowned for discovering and nurturing young music talents, Mavin Records founder and music producer, Don Jazzy has unveiled a new music, Abimbola Oladokun, otherwise known as Bayanni under the imprint of Mavin, rallying support the new signee…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/atiku-lands-in-kano-to-receive-shekarau-other-defectors-into-pdp-on-monday/ | 2022-08-28T22:49:06Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/atiku-lands-in-kano-to-receive-shekarau-other-defectors-into-pdp-on-monday/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Company cuts electricity in Niger Govt House, others over N1.3bn debt
THE Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has embarked on disconnections of electricity supply to the Government House, Minna, the state secretariat housing ministries, departments and agencies of the state government and the General Hospital, Minna, following a debt of about N1.3billion.
AEDC Public Relations Officer in the state, Adamu Dantani, informed Sunday Tribune on Friday in Minna, that the decision to embark on disconnections of public institutions including the Government House, Minna and hospitals, including private organisations and private individuals resident in Minna and its environs last Wednesday, was as a result of a task force set up by AEDC’s board.
Management, he said, saddled it with the disconnection to recover all the outstanding debts running into several billions of naira owed the company by customers in the state.
Dantani explained that a seven-day notice was issued to the state government to settle its accumulated bills, but it allegedly failed to meet its obligation.
He explained that the state House of Assembly had four months ago intervened between the company and the executive arm of government and an agreement was reached for government to settle at least about 80 per cent of the debt.
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He said: “Till date, there is no commitment from the state government. “We took the action after being pushed to the wall by the state government for not keeping its word after the intervention of the State Assembly four months ago,” said Dantani.
The AEDC image-maker, however, stated that the government had in the last three months been paying N74 million monthly out of its current bill, adding that the N1.3 billion was unpaid bills that accumulated before now.
“We don’t have any option but to disconnect their services and concentrate on our teaming loyal consumers in and outside the metropolis,” he stated.
Other public institutions affected by the disconnection include the state Water Board, schools, all General hospitals, office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Ahmed Ibrahim Matane and that of the Head of Service, among others. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/company-cuts-electricity-in-niger-govt-house-others-over-n1-3bn-debt/ | 2022-08-28T22:49:39Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/company-cuts-electricity-in-niger-govt-house-others-over-n1-3bn-debt/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Following the takeover of five electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) by banks, stakeholders have backed the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) support for the move.
This was even as they stated that the move would ensure that shares are successfully transferred to new investors as this remained a leeway for the financial and power sector in the country.
According to sector’s experts, without the action, DisCos’ indebtedness would have led to total collapse of some banks as well as the power sector.
Backed by the apex bank, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) had taken over five DisCos due to poor performance and inability to pay back loans.
The development was already putting some banks on the edge of collapse.
In what has been described as poor financial performance, Abuja, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, and Benin DisCos have been at loggerheads with the banks in a takeover move backed by the CBN, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
This is coming amidst a fresh $500 million loan by the apex bank to improve the capacity of the distribution companies and also at a time where FG’s intervention in the sector currently stands at N2.9trillion.
Adetayo Adegbemle, power sector analyst, noted that the CBN’s role was imperative stressing that the indebtedness of the power sector to the bank would have led to banks’ collapse.
“I love the fact that CBN came into the power sector, not just to save the power sector, don’t forget even though they have roles to play in the sector, they came in to save their own banking sector.
“The loans that the power sector took from the banks have become bad and if you do not do anything it is going to be on the books of the banks. So CBN backing the banks to take over the shares is a good thing for CBN,” he said.
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Similarly, a report by CSL Stockbrokers Limited, (CSLS) titled; “The continued rise of bank loans to power sector”, had last week stated that the power sector owed N836.08 billion to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs).
It said DisCos are indebted heavily despite huge stimuli from the FG and interventions from the CBN.
Prior to the takeover, CBN had directed the Deposit Money Banks to take charge of the collection of electricity bill payments.
In a circular signed by Hassan Bello, director of banking supervision, it said the move was the basis on the recommendation of the Power Sector Coordination Working Group to improve payment discipline in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Also, the Director-General of the BPE, Alex Okoh had last week disclosed that it was working with CBN to ensure that banks, which took over the DisCos exit in six-month as they were not expected to hold the shares in perpetually.
“In fact, in conjunction with the CBN, we have given them a deadline of six months within which to sell those shares to credible operators approved by the BPE and NERC and should they not be able to meet that deadline, they can be given a maximum extension of another six months. So in one-year maximum, they should be out of the DISCOs.”
That said, President of the Nigerian Consumer Protection Network, Kunle Olubiyo in his contribution, said the takeover has helped in averting massive job losses and prevented imminent collapse of the banking industry due to what he described as toxic loans.
According to him, pioneer investors in the DisCos are Nigerian, who meant well but lack the requisite technical requirements of the original financial bidding benchmarks and technical bidding benchmarks originally set out as thresholds for financial diligence.
His words: “What is most important is our ability as a nation to rally round indigenous investors with the right financial muscles, who in turn can put together an assemblage of individuals professionals with collective cognate experiences of working in the business of management of power generation, transmission and distribution value chain to apply and take over.
“I am quite sure that in the next one, the present crop of receivers managers would have learnt a lot from the multifaceted sector-wide learning curves,” he said.
Also, a partner, Nextier Power, Emeka Okpukpara, noted that the initiatives by the apex bank is reducing financial liquidity in the sector, thus introducing transparency, which enabled players in the sector to have access to information.
According to him, aside from offering visibility to the sector’s finance, the efforts ensured payment of debts as first-line charges.
Okpukpara said: “The financial discipline allows visibility of what DisCos are collecting. It allows debts such as generation, services, and other charges to be settled first before operating expenses.
“Transparency, in most cases, increases trust in a system. Therefore, I would recommend that the collection figures are made public since DisCos are custodians of market funds, rather than the owners.”
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DisCos’ takeover: How CBN saved commercial banks, power sector from collapse
Bandits Stole My Chickens, Cut Off My Arms —Zamfara Man
DisCos’ takeover: How CBN saved commercial banks, power sector from collapse
DisCos’ takeover: How CBN saved commercial banks, power sector from collapse | https://tribuneonlineng.com/discos-takeover-how-cbn-saved-commercial-banks-power-sector-from-collapse/ | 2022-08-28T22:50:05Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/discos-takeover-how-cbn-saved-commercial-banks-power-sector-from-collapse/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Emir of Funakaye, Kwairanga, dies at 45
The Emir of Funakaye in Gombe State, Alhaji Mu’azu Muhammad Kwairanga III, has died at the age of 45.
The death of the Emir was announced by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa who described it as a monumental loss not only to his Emirate but the entire state and nation.
Inuwa while reacting to the sudden death of the royal father, said that Gombe State has indeed lost one of its finest traditional rulers who worked relentlessly with other royal fathers in the state and offered counsels and fatherly guidance for the peace, unity, growth and development of the state in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
He described the late Emir as a humble, decent and down-to-earth monarch who cared for his subjects as well as the unity and progress of the state, describing his 16 months of reign as remarkably eventful.
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The governor therefore, extended his heartfelt condolences on behalf of the government and people of Gombe State, to the royal family, people of Funakaye Emirate, the Chairman of Gombe state Council of Emirs and Chiefs, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar lll as well as the entire state over the great loss, praying Almighty Allah to grant the late royal father Aljannat Firdaus.
The late Alhaji Muazu Muhammad Kwairanga who was installed as the Emir of Funakaye by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya in May, 2021 died on Saturday, 27th August, 2022 at the age of 45.
As announced by the Funakaye Local Government and the Emirate Councils, the funeral prayers will take place today, Sunday, 28th August, 2022 by 2:00 pm at the Emir’s palace in Bajoga, Funakaye Local Government Area, Gombe State as contained in a statement by Ismaila Uba Misilli, Director-General, ( Press Affairs), Government House Gombe. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/emir-of-funakaye-kwairanga-dies-at-45/ | 2022-08-28T22:50:18Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/emir-of-funakaye-kwairanga-dies-at-45/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Life is full of lessons, and most of the time, we don’t learn them until after the event. Sometimes, you realise that something went wrong and you should have done better than you did. Once we learn those lessons, we become wiser.
These lessons will change your orientation towards certain situations and will teach you to take responsibility for your actions.
1. Do not fear failure
We live in a society that is afraid of failing. We are taught that if we fail at something, we are not good enough. Use failure as motivation. Don’t let it deter you. Most successful people failed many times before they became the success they are today.
There will be moments when you feel like giving up for the fear of the unknown. You mustn’t allow the fear of failure to lead you.
2. Learn from your past mistakes
Our past choices, whether good or bad, are what created us, and no matter the mistakes we may have made along the way, we have nothing to be ashamed of.
We can always look back at our mistakes and confidently say, “I made that mistake, but I have moved on.” We can always learn from our mistakes and make better decisions today. Looking back and feeling sorry for ourselves will do us no good.
3. Be yourself
Human beings try to change themselves to fit into other people’s expectations, and while that may work sometimes, it won’t allow them to experience true happiness. To find someone who loves you for who you are, you need to love and be yourself first.
4. Stay positive
If you feel like you have nothing going for you, then look at everything you already have. It can be tempting to dwell on negative thoughts, especially when you are experiencing something difficult in your life.
Thinking negatively only makes things worse in the long run. Instead of getting bogged down by negative thoughts, stay positive and think about the good things happening in your life. No matter where you start, remember that every day is a blessing.
5. Never give up on pursuing your goals
Never give up on pursuing your goals. Sometimes, your best chance of success may be right in front of you, you just have to know where to look. Whatever goal you want to achieve. Never give up on pursuing them.
Many people believe that you shouldn’t pursue big dreams until later in life, which is not true. You shouldn’t limit yourself because you are young. Pursue your goals and never give up.
It doesn’t matter how old you are or what stage you are in life. Learning is the biggest life lesson and is essential for anyone who wants to succeed in life. You need to keep growing and evolving to live your life to the fullest.
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- ASUU: FG’s Defiance Killing University System —Omatseye | https://tribuneonlineng.com/five-crucial-lessons-you-should-learn-early-in-life/ | 2022-08-28T22:50:44Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/five-crucial-lessons-you-should-learn-early-in-life/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Children are like wet clay when they are born because they will adopt the shape you give them. You will find out that children who have more self-confidence perform better in a variety of academic and extracurricular activities.
Children who lack confidence don’t like to try new things and fall behind their more confident friends in competition.
Developing confidence in children at a young age is very crucial for their overall growth. These are a few tips you can use to encourage your kids to feel more confident about themselves.
1. Appreciate them
Kids who receive enough praise grow up to be more confident people with strong self-esteem.
You should always recognise your children’s efforts when they try something new, even if they don’t succeed. This will go a long way in helping the kid overcome their fear of doing new things in the future.
When you compliment or appreciate them, you boost their confidence and motivate them to be more eager to do or try new tasks. Appreciate them for the smallest accomplishments, such as doing house chores well, reciting a poem, or receiving high marks.
2. Avoid comparing them
Developing a sense of healthy competition in your children is good. Each child has unique talents and limitations. You should never compare your child to their siblings or friends.
When a child is being compared to others, his self-esteem suffers, which causes him to develop an inferiority complex over time. This can make the child develop emotional stress, anger, and anxiety, which could be harmful to their development.
3. Set a good example
Children frequently make an effort to mimic their parents. Their parents serve as the best role model for them because the family is the first place they can pick up habits. Whatever the parents do, is what the child will adopt.
As children learn from you quickly, try to be conscious of your habits and behavior.
4. Assign responsibilities
Nowadays, mothers don’t allow their children to work because they feel the children will make a mess of it or add to their work.
Assigning responsibilities to them will make them autonomous and responsible, and finishing each task will help build their confidence.
If you continue to do everything for them, they will not learn to work hard and they will grow up more dependent and less confident.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE | https://tribuneonlineng.com/four-simple-ways-to-develop-confidence-in-your-children/ | 2022-08-28T22:51:17Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/four-simple-ways-to-develop-confidence-in-your-children/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
INEC REC nominees: Lawyers threaten to sue Buhari
A former vice president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Ikeja Branch of the body, Dr Monday Ubani, has threatened to drag President Buhari and the Senate to court if they do not withdraw and reject the nominations of REC nominees deemed to the APC members.
Reacting to the statements by YIAGA Africa and TMG, Ubani said the 2023 elections are very key to Nigerians in terms of leadership recruitment particularly as it affects electing the next president.
He called on Nigerians to mount pressure on the National Assembly to reject such persons like they did when an aide of Buhari and known card-carrying member of APC, Loretta Onochie, was nominated as INEC national commissioner.
“We can’t afford to repeat the mistake we made in 2015. We have all seen where the country has been brought to under Buhari’s rulership. So, we can’t afford to make another mistake in 2023 in terms of electing the next president of the country.
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“This is why the people who will man the electoral body are very important. We must know who they are because the fairness of the process is important.
“If I have all the facts about those persons as we had with Onochie, I will be willing to go to court as a public interest lawyer. If I have the facts and evidence that they are questionable in their credentials as personnel that will man INEC offices,” he said.
Ubani is joined by a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State, Michael Lana, who has equally expressed readiness to approach the court to challenge the unconstitutional act by Monday or Tuesday. Lana, who doubles as the Social Democratic Party guber candidate in the state, said the integrity of the 2023 elections would be compromised ab initio if such persons were allowed to man INEC offices.
“It is unconstitutional and should not be allowed to stand. If the president refuses to withdraw their nomination and the National goes ahead to confirm them, it then means the 2023 general election is already compromised.
“If I have the details of those people, I will go to court by Monday or Tuesday,” he said.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Centre for Convention of Democratic Integrity, a United Nation-recognised body, Mr Femi Aduwo, said CCDI, among others, “vehemently condemns and opposes the nomination of Muhammad Bashir, the nominee from Sokoto State, who was a gubernatorial aspirant under the APC in the 2015 election.
“We also oppose Sylvia Agu, the nominee for Enugu State, who is believed to be the younger sister of the APC Deputy National Chairman, South-East, should not be trusted with such sensitive appointment.” | https://tribuneonlineng.com/inec-rec-nominees-lawyers-threaten-to-sue-buhari/ | 2022-08-28T22:52:09Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/inec-rec-nominees-lawyers-threaten-to-sue-buhari/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Life has been so hard, unbearable
•Victims of terrorism tell tales of woe, claim Northern govs abandon them to fate
As the world marks the International Day of Remembrance and Tributes to the Victims of Terrorism, KANGMWA GOFWEN reports on the travails of Internally Displaced Persons and how they have been surviving after fleeing from their abodes.
February 26, 2012 was a cool beautiful Sunday morning in Jos, the Plateau State capital. The sun came up shining brightly through the sparsely distributed cloud above the sky as birds sang melodiously in the trees surrounding the Boys Brigade Headquarters in Ibrahim Taiwo area of the city where this reporter lived.
The family had decided the night before to attend the first service at the COCIN headquarters which began at 8 a.m. So the usual early Sunday morning rush was in play as we were all hurrying to beat time for service. Together with other people from our neighborhood we got to church some minutes past 7 a.m. The others, including my elder sister, went on into the main church auditorium while I went down the Sunday school section with my daughter.
Just when I was about to sit down holding my then one year-old daughter, there was a very loud explosion and for a second, the clock stopped ticking, life stopped happening, dust covered the beautiful blue sky we could see moments back. There was pandemonium and all that could be heard were the cries of terrified children and parents rushing in to pick their children.
There was chaos everywhere as everyone was looking for their loved ones to ascertain their safety; I rushed to look for my sister. It was a huge relief the moment I saw her; she was covered in dust but thankfully she was unhurt. Unfortunately, the story did not end this way for some families in church that morning and for many other victims of terror attacks.
Such was a slice of what victims of terrorism endured. For those who survived the ordeal, their trauma is everyday, as they are usually left with the scars and the psychological wounds that even time might not heal.
Bitter experiences
Rukkaya Bello, a victim of terror attack who has now relocated to Ibadan where she tries to piece her life together and survives through street begging, lost her husband and seven children to Boko Haram terrorists in DoronBaga in Baga Local Government Area in Borno State about four years ago.
“I don’t have any children anymore. Boko Haram killed all my seven children and my husband,” Rukkaya, looking forlorn and hopeless, shared her horrifying experience with the dreaded terror group.
“We were moving around with our cattle when Boko Haram followed us into the bush; they killed all the men and boys, rustled our cattle and abducted my seven daughters-in-law. I don’t have anyone left; it is just me and God. I did not have female children; they were all boys and Boko Haram killed all of them.”
Rukkaya is one of the over two million people affected and displaced by insurgency in the country’s North-East. Left to wonder alone in the bush without family and loved ones, Rukkaya, just like many others, journeyed down South to find succour and fend for herself.
“I was alone and lonely, so I came here,” she said. “After they killed our husbands and male children, they left a lot of women in the bush. We couldn’t stay in the bush without our cattle, so we moved to town.”
In memory of victims who lost their lives to acts of terrorism and the resilient spirit of the survivors such as Rukkaya, August 21 was set aside annually by the United Nations as the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute of Victims of Terrorism.
The day is intended to provide an avenue for the voices of survivors and victims of terrorism to be heard as they seek justice. These acts of terrorism have left irrevocable impacts on victims, some of who find it hard to get their normal lives back. These victims, most times, feel left out and abandoned; they have to struggle to get their rights.
Obviously, acts of terrorism have left telling effects on millions of people ranging from physical to emotional traumas. Showing her bullet scar, Halimatu Sadia, another victim who relocated to Ibadan and is now begging on the street to survive, said: “I spent about three months in the hospital (after being attacked); my head was swollen.”
Halimatu has difficulty recounting exactly what had happened to her having gone through a lot at the hands of bandits in Niger State. “If you ask me any question and you see me quiet, I am trying to recollect what had happened,” she explained.
Describing the attackers, Halimatu said she is so sure they were not citizens of Nigeria because their appearance did not resemble that of any ethnic group in Nigeria.
“They were carrying Ak47 guns; very tall with their hairs plaited. I could tell they were not Nigerians because they all have piercings on their heels; there is no culture in Nigeria that allows piercing of heels.
“The bandits attacked us in the night; they killed several people. They dragged my neighbour out and butchered him in our presence. In different directions we all ran for our dear lives. I trekked from Gandi barefooted to Mokwa in Niger State. I had just N10 on me; I was haggard and tired with just my headtie. The clothes I was wearing were the only thing I was able to escape with. Thankfully, I met one woman when I got to Mokwa. God bless her. She was the one that helped me,” Halimatu narrated.
Many victims, like Halimatu and Rukkaya, have relocated to Ibadan and other parts of the South where they now beg for alms to survive. To them, the North is no longer habitable.
“The North is no longer sweet; they (bandits) do not allow us to live in peace. They have abducted our husbands and killed them; so who would you live with for God sake?” Aisha Garba, one of the victims said.
“To think that we all live in same country, yet these enemies will not allow us to live peacefully in our communities due to sheer wickedness; it is heart-breaking. They would come while everyone in the family is together – husband, wife and children and without any provocation kill our husbands, leaving us with the children. Who will give us food to feed them if we do not come to the South to beg?” Aisha queried unable to subdue the pain she felt.
“People will insult us and say all sorts of things to us because we are beggars without knowing our predicament. God will judge in this life and beyond everyone involved in this act of wickedness.
“We have no peace in the North. We are in so much trouble and pains. (I pray) God will bless us in this situation we have found ourselves. They left us with no hope and a choice except to come to the South and beg.
“We do not even know if we have security agents in the North because these evil men kill our parents, husbands and children at will every day with impunity. We are really in a terrible situation but God will judge them,” she lamented further.
Many of the victims, in separate interviews with Sunday Tribune, accused the state governments in the North of neglecting them in their poor condition, noting that if they had got any form of support they would have had no reason to relocate down South. They added that they initially had hopes in the Buhari administration to help them but it appears the government was not forthcoming and only gave empty promises.
“We were overjoyed when Buhari won the elections because we thought he’d do well but he turned out worse. We suffered to vote this government into power. I know someone who even lost his life in the process, but alas, it was all for nothing. He came in and did nothing. Now look at the life we are living. They’ve killed all our men,” a victim who would not give her name lamented.
The victims, however, praised the efforts of state governments in the South, particularly Oyo State governor, SeyiMakinde, who they noted had done more than what the governments in the North should have done for them.
A man who identified himself as Aliyu told Sunday Tribune: “The governments in the North have done nothing concerning security; they are not concerned about our safety. Look at us with our children laying waste here. The governors in the South have assisted us in more ways than the North ever did; we are thankful to the South, but never to the North.
“What the government in Oyo State did for us here in Ibadan they did not do for us in the North. The Oyo State government built a place for us at Akinyele; we have received food items from this government and we are really thankful because we do not have this kind of treatment in the North.
“The South generally has blessed us more than the North ever did. There was a pastor that once rented apartments for us, bought mattresses and mats for us here in Ibadan. Who would do such a thing for you in the North? Honestly, we are immensely thankful to the South than we are to the North.”
It is five years down the line since the day was set aside, and it appears that a lot of victims and survivors are not aware a day such as this exists. “We are not aware a day like this exists,” Abdullahi Usman, leader of the beggars at Sabo in Ibadan North Local Government Area said.
He lamented that the government has not shown much concern about them, as often, they have to struggle to be carried along in affairs of the nation. “We expect that the government should send representatives to inform us about days like this. For instance, preparations for the next general election are ongoing; the government has been announcing plans about voter registration but no one carried us along. We were not invited nor encouraged to register.
“But because we are citizens of this country and we want to participate in everything for the sake of our children, we go all out to look for these things be it voters card or any national registration that is required of citizens and we register.”
He said though he is blind, he alongside other leaders of the beggars go the extra mile to look for concerned leaders to see how they would be engaged in the affairs of the country. “Because we do not want to be left behind, we went to the secretariat here in Oyo State and we were able to meet someone that assisted us and they came here to register our wives and children during the voters’ registration.”
He expressed their desire for government to always carry them along because they have children that they as parents wish they prosper in the society. “We have been looking for avenues like this to express our yearnings to government but it has not but been possible.”
“We have children that need assistance to enable them go to school. Personally, I have three children in secondary school; I am struggling to keep them in school. I come to beg here every day in other to keep them in school,” he said.
He added that they all do not pray that their children continue as beggars on the street like them. “We do not wish that my children remain as beggars tomorrow. So I come here every day in other to get to something keep them in school, I don’t go anywhere except here to beg. So these are some of the areas we need the government to support us but it is not forth coming.”
No relief materials for IDPs
To confirm the pitiable situations victims of terrorism who chose to remain in the North face, Sunday Tribune visited some Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs’) camps in Bauchi where some of them are quartered and it was a tale of sorrow.
Those of them in Bauchi State, mostly from Borno, Zamfara, Taraba, Adamawa, Plateau, Katsina and Kaduna and Yobe states, told tales of suffering at the hands of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the course of distribution of relief materials.
The IDPs alleged that the last time they received any form of support from government was in 2017. While speaking on behalf of the IDPs in Bauchi state at Tirwun village, Bauchi, the state Chairman of the IDPs, Musa Shehu, said several representations had been made to NEMA, but they had been ignored. He then urged the state government to as a matter of urgency intervene and ensure relief material get to the IDPs.
According to him, the 56,000 IDPs in Bauchi State currently rely on the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), for succor pointing out that apart from the Commission’s intervention, no other governmental agency or NGO provides relief services to them.
He said that: “We are pleading with the federal and state government to look into our plight by providing us with food items, social amenities, sources of livelihoods for our people, as well as land, so that we can build our own houses, because many of us are living in households of host communities in the state.
“We need schools for our children as the public schools in the state do not accept them. Most of the IDPs lost their sources of livelihoods when they left their states, now most of them do menial jobs to keep body and soul together, which cannot meet all their needs.”
Speaking with Sunday Tribune, the IDP chairman, Misau Local Government Area, Idris Baba, also called on the Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, to provide IDPs in the state with plots of land so that they can build their personal houses instead of squatting with residents of the state.
Some of the victims of terrorism who spoke with Sunday Tribune expressed the desire that one day, they would love to go back to their roots; after all, an adage says ‘East or West, home is the best.’ However, while still trying to pull their lives together after the trauma of barely escaping death at the hands of terrorists, the best that government could do is to provide the basic needs of man which is food, clothe and shelter.
Additional story by Ishola Michael
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Leading Nigerian film producer and CEO of EbonyLife Group, Mo Abudu is about to see one of her cherished dreams come true.
R learnt that by end August 2022, she will direct two short films, and be in charge of the whole filmmaking process for the very first time.
Since her first full-length feature, Fifty, in 2015, she has guided the storytelling process as an executive producer and visionary, but always sought experienced directors to helm each project.
Ms. Abudu attended London Film School in 2017 and completed the course in directing, with the aim of improving her filmmaking skills. However, she enjoyed the experience so much that she decided she would direct when the time was right.
In a statement made available to Tribuneonline, Mo Abudu said, “I believe in learning and understanding any major assignment I undertake. Directing is an art form that takes years to master, so I’m beginning with baby steps. I have written two short films that I will be directing – Her Perfect Life and Iyawo Mi (My Wife), a predominantly Yoruba language film.
“Although these stories are fictional, they highlight the mental health challenges, hardly spoken about in Nigerian society, that many people deal with all over the world. Mental health issues can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, income or social class, and they are on the increase.”
As CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu oversaw the production of more than 1,000 hours of content annually. As an executive producer, she has created some of the biggest blockbusters in Nigerian cinema, including The Wedding Party, Chief Daddy, Your Excellency and The Royal Hibiscus Hotel. As part of a major deal with Netflix, her successes include Castle & Castle, Oloture and Blood Sisters.
Her Perfect Life
Onajite Johnson-Ibrahim, 39, seems to have the perfect life – a flourishing career, a growing business, a loving husband and two bright, beautiful children. Why does she want to end it all?
Iyawo Mi (My Wife)
Kunle arrives home one night to find a horror awaiting him. His wife, Eniola, seems to have gone mad; hallucinating, screaming at their children and neighbours, and threatening to kill everyone. Kunle takes matters into his own hands, with tragic consequences.
Her Perfect Life stars Pearl Thusi and Joseph Benjamin, supported by Omawunmi Dada, Uzo Osimpka, Christian Paul and Mary Lazarus. The cast of Iyawo Mi (My Wife) includes Adedimeji Lateef, Bolaji Ogunmola, Segun Arinze and Jude Chukwuka.
For both films, Mo Abudu, Bola Atta, Wale Tinubu, Shola Akinlade, Pearl Thusi and Nonos Okpala are the Executive Producers, with Heidi Uys as Supervising Producer, Inem King, Joshua Olaoluwa, Sonia Nwosu producing and Temidayo Makanjuola on production design. Director of photography Kabelo Thathe is best known for his work on Disney’s Rise. 1st AD is Mayowa Bakare. Wardrobe will be provided by longtime EbonyLife collaborator Yolanda Okereke, working with designers Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Banke Kuku and David Wej.
These projects are supported by The British High Commission and the French Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria. Sponsors of these projects include: UBA Foundation, Wale Tinubu, Artsplit Limited and Sporting Lagos.
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NYSC warns corps members against showing partisan interest in politics
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has warned corps members against publicly showing partisan interest in politics.
It was reacting to a viral campaign poster, showing some ladies in NYSC uniform purporting to be Corps Members, endorsing one of the political parties in the country.
The scheme in a statement signed by its Spokesperson, Eddy Megwa, stated that the message encapsulated in the poster was antithetical to its policy which forbids Corps Members from showing partisan interest in politics.
In addition, it said this was a direct assault on the integrity of the NYSC which is among the electoral umpires and has been in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission in the conduct of elections in Nigeria since 2008.
“Management hereby restates that the Scheme remains apolitical, and neutral without any form of attachment to any political party. The stand of the scheme runs absolutely contrary to the message fraudulently conveyed by the poster.
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“Management also wishes to use this medium to remind members of the public that Section 14 of the NYSC Act makes it an offence for any person who is not a Corps Member to wear the NYSC uniform. Such a person if found guilty is liable on conviction to six(6) months imprisonment and or a fine.
“Consequently, the general public is hereby advised to discountenance the information contained in the poster; while strongly admonishing Corps Members to abide by the policy of the Scheme that forbids them from showing partisan interest in politics,” the statement read.
Put More Of Your Contents Out There, Don Jazzy Urges Young Artistes
NYSC warns corps members against showing partisan interest in politics
Bandits Stole My Chickens, Cut Off My Arms —Zamfara Man
NYSC warns corps members against showing partisan interest in politics | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nysc-warns-corps-members-against-showing-partisan-interest-in-politics/ | 2022-08-28T22:54:00Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nysc-warns-corps-members-against-showing-partisan-interest-in-politics/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Grandpa stops rape of 5-year-old girl, punches attacker: police
Graphic content warning: This story discusses alleged crimes against children.
The grandfather of a five-year-old girl punched his daughter's fiancé after discovering him molesting the child, according to police in Middletown, Pennsylvania.
The grandfather walked past his granddaughter's bedroom on Aug. 24 and saw her sitting on the lap of Aaron Cunagin, 22, which he thought "was weird," though initially thinking nothing more of it, court documents said.
When he noticed the girl's bedroom remained "too quiet," he returned to investigate and discovered Cunagin in the corner of the room between the bed and the crib, exposing himself to the five-year-old girl, who also had her pants down, the documents further explained.
The grandfather then intervened, punching his daughter's fiancé before yelling and calling the Middletown Borough Police Department, who arrived shortly afterward and arrested Cunagin.
GEORGIA COUPLE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY PRODUCING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL
The incident woke up a woman in the apartment, who said that Cunagin told her he had "blacked out" during the incident and was sorry, according to the affidavit.
He at first reportedly told police that his pants had fallen accidentally when he stood up, but later admitted that he pulled them down when he felt "numb" after the girl pulled hers down.
"It was just going through my head if should really do it or not," he said to authorities, according to the affidavit, which also noted that the girl claimed similar incidents occurred five times before, which Cunagin denied.
Cunagin was charged with rape of a child, indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and indecent exposure, according to an Aug. 25 news release from the police.
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Cunagin was arraigned on Aug. 24 and sent to the Dauphin County Correctional Center when he was unable to post $150,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.
Read more of this story from FOX News. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/grandpa-stops-rape-of-5-year-old-girl-punches-attacker-police | 2022-08-28T22:54:28Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/grandpa-stops-rape-of-5-year-old-girl-punches-attacker-police | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Two people shot on same block in Chicago, just 13 hours apart
CHICAGO - Two people were shot on the same block in Chicago's Austin neighborhood on Sunday, just 13 hours apart.
Chicago police said that a man was found on the ground with a gunshot wound to the neck around 2 a.m. in the 4900 block of West Superior Street. He died.
Then, around 3 p.m., a 29-year-old man was standing on the sidewalk in the 4900 block of West Superior when he was shot in the leg. He was hospitalized in good condition. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/two-people-shot-on-same-block-in-chicago-just-13-hours-apart | 2022-08-28T22:54:40Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/two-people-shot-on-same-block-in-chicago-just-13-hours-apart | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Woman in crosswalk run over and killed in Chicago's Clearing neighborhood
CHICAGO - A woman was run over and killed when two cars collided in Chicago's Clearing neighborhood on Sunday.
Chicago police said that a man, 27, was driving a sedan southbound on Cicero Avenue at a "high rate of speed" when he changed lanes and collided with another car being driven by a 19-year-old woman.
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The 27-year-old man then crashed into a 40-year-old woman who was in the crosswalk. The woman was killed.
The man was cited for obstructed front windshield and failing to provide due care to a pedestrian in the roadway. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/woman-in-crosswalk-run-over-and-killed-in-chicagos-clearing-neighborhood | 2022-08-28T22:54:46Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/woman-in-crosswalk-run-over-and-killed-in-chicagos-clearing-neighborhood | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It is a new dawn for the rising career of budding music artiste, Adebowale Muiz also known as YorMe as the singer was recently unveiled by SkyTop Entertainment outfit as part of its plans to take over the music industry in a special way.
The unveiling of YorMe attracted popular faces in the music industry days back as they all expressed their joy and optimism about the career of the singer and the face his new home, SkyTop Entertainment would take his career through.
YorMe who has been making silent waves in the music industry while speaking about his career said he could not hide his joy about the great things happening around him in the last few months, praising his label for giving him the much-needed platform to show the world how much he has to offer when it comes to music.
He also stated that he will be working with some of the best brains in the music industry to bring his dream to life, adding that he will not hesitate to fly with the vision of SkyTop Entertainment as they continue to build a new legacy together.
In his statement, the outfit described its new act as someone who cares for people around him, his society and wants to give his best to what he believes in. “We are sure he has what it takes to become one of the reigning artistes on the music scene in no distant time as we are going to support him with every encouragement he needs to excel”.
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Nineteen thousand, five hundred (19,500) members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Baure Local Government Area of Katsina State, have dumped the ruling party for the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At a grand rally held at Baure town to receive the defectors, the state party chairman, Alhaji Salisu Yusuf Majigiri said their defection is significant as they hail from President Muhammadu Buhari’s zone.
He noted that the defectors include ward executives who resigned their positions and joined the PDP
Majigiri listed some of the executives including ward chairmen, Vice Chairmen, a youth leader, and aides of some ward chairmen.
“Ata Bishir is a youth leader from Baure ward and he is a Special Adviser to the ward chairman, he has dumped APC to PDP, Sa’id Ibrahim an Assistant Financial Secretary of his ward has also dumped the broom and come under the umbrella.
“Alhaji Dan Iya is a ward Vice Chairman, Lawal Dan Maimare is a ward chairman, and Dauda Yellow is also until now a serving EXCO member.
“Others include Abdulaziz Dan Kuku, a delegate, Mamman Bashar a Vice chairman, AbdulJalal Sufyanu, Salmanu Magaji, Musa Mati, Alhassan Master, they now belong to the winning team, the PDP”, Majigiri affirmed.
Also addressing the crowd, the state PDP gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Yakubu Lado said the party looks forward to receiving more defectors from the APC.
“This wave of defection from the APC to the PDP is only the tip of the iceberg, we will move to more Local Government Areas to receive more defectors from the APC to the PDP.
“We receive good news every day from various Local Government Areas where APC members decamp to our great party.
“The APC has brought backwardness, poverty and suffering to our state, they have made life too expensive for our people.
“The electorate in all parts of the state are ready to vote out the APC and vote for a great party, we will restore the state to the PDP era when there were no security challenges, we will restore peace and prosperity to the state”, Yakubu Lado said.
”We will strip the APC of all its members before the 2023 election,” Lado concluded. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/thousands-of-apc-members-defect-to-pdp-in-katsina/ | 2022-08-28T22:55:12Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/thousands-of-apc-members-defect-to-pdp-in-katsina/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Vigilante Group of Nigeria disclosed over the weekend that they lost over 1,200 personnel during the course of fighting insecurity, because there’s no legislation that allows the group to bear arms.
Speaking in Abuja, the Commandant of the group, Dr Usman Mohammed Jehu, said the group has lost many lives in the course of fighting insecurity without arms.
“You see, this work we are doing, we need government support, especially with working materials like vehicles, uniforms and equipment.
“For now, we are not allowed to carry arms, except in places where there is serious trouble. The security personnel allow us to carry arms but the authority does not authorize us to carry arms.”
The group called on the president to sign the Vigilante Group Bill in order to allow them to carry arms and effectively fight insecurity.
“The bill has been passed by the National Assembly and sent to the president over the last four years.
“There must be causalities in the course of fighting insecurity. We have lost more than 1,200 personnel in various operations and there is no welfare package for them,” he said.
Usman called on the presidency to ensure that those who fought insecurity in without necessary provisions did not fight in vain.
They urged the president to sign the Vigilante Group Bill to allow them access to quality training and arms.
The Assistant Director of Operations, Victor Azuogalaya, said: “If the group is empowered, they will perform better.”
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Bandits stormed a farm in Anchau village of Kubau Local Government Area of Kaduna State and killed a soldier who was detailed to provide security in the company. It was gathered that in the process, the bandits abducted two personnel, a Zimbabwean national and a Nigerian…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/we-lost-1200-personnel-because-we-are-not-allowed-to-bear-arms-%E2%80%95-vigilante-group/ | 2022-08-28T22:55:38Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/we-lost-1200-personnel-because-we-are-not-allowed-to-bear-arms-%E2%80%95-vigilante-group/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A civil society coalition — the State of Emergency GBV (SoGBV) movement — has called on the federal and state governments to put more effort to protect women and children at Internally Displaced (IDP) camps from perpetrators of sexual & gender-based violence.
The group made the call during a visit to the Elmiskin IDP Camp, Jere Local Government Area of Borno State, recently.
Ofim Kelechi Ofim, TechHer’s Media & Communications Officer & a member of the movement, disclosed that the sanitary and living conditions of the camp need urgent attention for the health and safety of the inhabitants, particularly the women, girls and children.
“We understand that the camps are temporary and makeshift shelters pending when it’s safe for inhabitants to return to their communities. But what we have currently is not ideal for human habitation, and we can do better.
“The government has a duty, working with aid agencies and non-governmental organisations, to ensure that basic needs and safety standards are in place.
“Most importantly, there is the need to sensitise the IDPs of the forms of GBV, response options and consequences that await perpetrators. We’ve heard the terrible news about this reality, even perpetrated by camp officials and security personnel,” he revealed.
He said the visit to the camp was part of a campaign by the movement to educate women and girls, mostly in conflict areas, about the different forms of GBV and the available options for help.
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“With support from the Global Fund for Women, we developed a comic book titled ‘Whispers About Her’. The comic is in six languages – English, Arabic, Kanuri, Hausa, Fulfulde & Pidgin. It basically tells the unique GBV experiences of women and children in IDP camps while outlining options for remedies and help for survivors.
“We hope this will complement other efforts towards mass education of citizens about GBV and in the fight against the scourge,” he said.
Another member of the group and the Executive Director of the Dorothy Njemanze Foundation, Ms Dorothy Njemanze, charged authorities and other stakeholders to intensify advocacy and sensitisation programmes beyond the IDP camps.
“Sensitization programmes against GBV must be comprehensive and all-encompassing, including those outside the IDP camps. Everyone has to take responsibility because we have to ensure that it’s safe for the displaced women and children to return to their communities when that time comes,” she said.
The group also used the opportunity of the visit to share sanitary items and clothing to women & children in the camp. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/women-children-in-idp-camps-vulnerable-to-gbv-need-protection-care-soegbv-movement/ | 2022-08-28T22:55:58Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/women-children-in-idp-camps-vulnerable-to-gbv-need-protection-care-soegbv-movement/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
More than 100 thousand Americans are currently waiting for an organ transplant. Three thousand of these patients are Tennesseans.
August is Minority Donation Awareness Month -- Cornelia Nicholson shares how one patient is encouraging others to sign up as donors.
For several years Victor Bryant battled high blood pressure and diabetes.
"A very very large percentage of minorities have those two things running together, which eventually killed my kidney."
As a social butterfly, Bryant says his condition hit him hard.
He spent seven and a half years missing work and special events because he was getting dialysis treatment three times a week.
"If you wanted to travel or do other things you had to plan a weekend trip, or you had to have special arrangements to have dialysis wherever you were so it made me miss out, so I'm just not going anywhere."
With a failed kidney, Bryant needed a transplant.
He says certain myths around organ donations stopped him from getting on the list.
He explained, "The thought that if another human's organ is inside of me it would be like the exorcist some kind of foreign thing would take over my body and have me doing foreign things for the most part."
Bryant says he also worried if the donor was a smoker or drinker - those traits would pass on to him.
He finally overcame his fears when he noticed his other dialysis buddies were getting transplants.
He contacted Tennessee Donor Services which helped guide him through the process of getting a new kidney. But Bryant says he received more than a kidney - he also got a new chance at life.
"So, now I'm able to go back to work. I'm able to travel and I'm able to basically live the life I had prior to going on dialysis."
Now he's using his new lease on life to encourage the minority community to register as donors.
"We are the largest receivers of donations and we tend to donate in much smaller numbers. I think a lot of people if they recognized that and became a little more educated and hear our stories and see how it's been able to give us that next push and say he we still have more work to do." | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/local-man-encourages-minority-donors-after-receiving-a-second-chance-at-life-with-kidney-transplant/article_cc84d702-2714-11ed-9c66-276b75a71cce.html | 2022-08-28T22:58:58Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/local-man-encourages-minority-donors-after-receiving-a-second-chance-at-life-with-kidney-transplant/article_cc84d702-2714-11ed-9c66-276b75a71cce.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke announced Sunday that he has been diagnosed with a "bacterial infection" and after receiving care at the hospital, he will be "resting at home," postponing events in his campaign against GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.
"After feeling ill on Friday, I went to Methodist Hospital in San Antonio where I was diagnosed with a bacterial infection," O'Rourke said in a statement. "While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the doctors' recommendations. I am sorry to have had to postpone events because of this, but promise to be back on the road as soon as I am able," he added.
He thanked the staff at Methodist Hospital. "The extraordinary team there — from custodians to nurses and doctors — gave me excellent care and attention, including IV antibiotics and rest," O'Rourke said.
The development comes at a critical point in the Texas gubernatorial contest, as O'Rourke looks to narrow Abbott's lead in the contest.
The former congressman first shot to national stardom with a near-miss Senate campaign in 2018 against GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. But his failed 2020 Democratic presidential primary run left his national brand badly dented in the eyes of many within the party.
And Republicans argue that many of the positions he took during that run, including advocating for mandatory assault weapon buybacks, will hurt him in Texas.
Still, O'Rourke remains popular among Democrats on his home turf -- building a following in Texas much larger than any other Democrat in a generation. In between his campaigns, he remained active, campaigning for state legislative candidates and activating his volunteers when the state's power grid failed in early 2021.
This story has been updated with additional information.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/beto-orourke-off-the-campaign-trail-in-texas-with-bacterial-infection/article_f87fac33-fef1-59d1-a97c-589c96141d6b.html | 2022-08-28T22:59:11Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/beto-orourke-off-the-campaign-trail-in-texas-with-bacterial-infection/article_f87fac33-fef1-59d1-a97c-589c96141d6b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Nearly two decades after a serial sniper spree that terrorized the Washington, DC, area and left 10 people dead, a Maryland appeals court ruled that Lee Boyd Malvo, who was convicted for his role in the shootings, must be resentenced.
Malvo was 17 years old when the crimes were committed in October 2002. He was sentenced to life without parole in both Maryland and Virginia. The Maryland Court of Appeals based its Friday ruling on the US Supreme Court's guidance on juvenile offenders.
The Supreme Court in decisions that occurred after Malvo's sentencing held that life without parole for youthful offenders is not permitted under the Eighth Amendment "if a sentencing court determines that the offender's crime was the result of transient immaturity, as opposed to permanent incorrigibility," Judge Robert McDonald wrote. It isn't clear that the sentencing judge reached the latter conclusion in Malvo's case, the judge said.
Malvo is currently in the Red Onion State Prison in Virginia, where he is serving life sentences, and the judge noted that it "may be an academic question in Mr. Malvo's case."
"(H)e would first have to be granted parole in Virginia before his consecutive life sentences in Maryland even begin," McDonald said.
"We hold only that the Eighth Amendment requires that he receive a new sentencing hearing at which the sentencing court, now cognizant of the principles elucidated by the Supreme Court, is able to consider whether or not he is constitutionally eligible for life without parole under those decisions." McDonald said.
Malvo's partner in the shootings, John Allen Muhammad, was executed in November 2009 in Virginia for his part in the shootings. He was 41 at the time of the sniper attacks.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/dc-sniper-lee-boyd-malvo-must-be-resentenced-maryland-high-court-says/article_197099f1-6fe1-5195-98ac-e0b2940c8e83.html | 2022-08-28T22:59:17Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/dc-sniper-lee-boyd-malvo-must-be-resentenced-maryland-high-court-says/article_197099f1-6fe1-5195-98ac-e0b2940c8e83.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Three people were killed and two people were injured early Sunday morning after a man dressed in all black set fire to a building and then shot at people fleeing, Houston Police chief Troy Finner said in a news conference.
The suspect was later killed by a Houston police officer, Finner said. The victims, all men, range in age from 40-60.
Police and fire personnel received multiple calls around 1:07 a.m., Finner said. One call was about "a person down," one call came in as a shooting and another call came in as a fire call.
"This suspect, unfortunately, and very sadly, and very evilly, set fire to several residents," Finner said. The suspect then "laid in wait for those residents to come out and fired upon them," he said.
The incident occurred at a multiroom rental facility near 8020 Dunlap St., Finner said. The fire department arrived at the scene first to fight the fire, but had to retreat from the gunman upon arrival, he said.
"The suspect began to fire. I don't know if he was firing in their direction, but they had to take cover," Finner said.
Shortly afterward, a Houston police officer arrived and found the suspect in a parking lot just across the street from the facility, Finner said.
The suspect, an African American male, was dressed in all black and was about 40 years old, Finner added.
An officer, a 7-year veteran, engaged in gunfire with the suspect, who is now dead, Finner said. The officer is now on administrative leave, per department protocol.
"I'm very proud of him," Finner said. "Who knows, that suspect probably would have tried to shoot somebody else."
The alleged gunman was a longtime resident at the facility, the chief said, but had recently received an eviction notice.
"That may have been a trigger point for him, I don't know," Finner said.
The district attorney's office is investigating the incident, and the Houston police department is conducting its own investigation, Finner said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/three-killed-and-2-injured-after-gunman-sets-fire-to-building-in-houston-police-chief/article_64908203-23d4-571c-8b24-1b395363c678.html | 2022-08-28T22:59:23Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/three-killed-and-2-injured-after-gunman-sets-fire-to-building-in-houston-police-chief/article_64908203-23d4-571c-8b24-1b395363c678.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The federal government is ending its free at-home Covid-19 test program this week, citing a lack of funding and efforts to preserve supply ahead of an anticipated fall surge in cases, a White House official told CNN on Sunday.
Both the White House and the website where people can claim their tests blamed Congress for failing to provide additional funding for the program, which provided up to 16 free tests per household since the beginning of the year.
"Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2 because Congress hasn't provided additional funding to replenish the nation's stockpile of tests," the Covid.gov website reads.
The administration launched the initiative, which shipped rapid tests to Americans via the United States Postal Service, in January amidst a wave in Omicron variant cases and limited testing availability. However, officials have warned for months that, absent additional funding from Congress, the administration would be forced to roll back its Covid-19 response efforts.
"We have warned that Congressional inaction would force unacceptable tradeoffs and harm our overall COVID-19 preparedness and response—and that the consequences would likely worsen over time," the White House official told CNN. "Unfortunately, because of the limited funding we have to work with, we have had to make impossible choices about which tools and programs to invest in—and which ones we must downsize, pause, or end all together."
Still, the official said the administration would "expeditiously resume distribution of free tests through COVIDTests.gov" if and when Congress allocates additional funding, but "[u]ntil then, we believe reserving the remaining tests for distribution later this year is the best course."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/us-government-to-end-free-at-home-covid-test-program-this-week/article_9e382a14-5518-593c-a7d5-51b63169609f.html | 2022-08-28T22:59:29Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/us-government-to-end-free-at-home-covid-test-program-this-week/article_9e382a14-5518-593c-a7d5-51b63169609f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WHAT DO YOU DO.. DO YOU STOP IT BEFORE IT RAINS?
“We knew the rain was coming.. it was raining next door. It was just a matter of time. Why would we wait for that.. I don’t know. Maybe I’m a little biased because I was in the front, but there’s nothing you can do. Sometimes you are running 200 mph and you’re able to turn left. And then you see a few drops hard and you’re just spinning.”
DO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE CALLED CARS TO PIT ROAD EARLIER?
“I feel like they have a lot of technology to know that the rain is very, very close. I don’t think it’s hard to not put us in that position.”
GM PR | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72408-chevrolet-ncs-at-daytona-daniel-suarez-accident-quote | 2022-08-28T23:01:34Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72408-chevrolet-ncs-at-daytona-daniel-suarez-accident-quote | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What happened going into turn one?
“We ran into rain in the middle of turn one and just lost it.
Is there anything that could have been done?
“Just throw the caution before the rain came. We had rain down the front. So about 10 seconds before we got into turn one, it was raining. I’m sure the fans felt it and then they watched us all pile in there.”
Are you okay after that impact?
“Just shook mostly. The hit was just massive. It was my first one in this Next Gen and it was legit.”
How was your race car today?
“We were super-fast. I thought I made the right moves at the right time and I got to the lead at the right time, but also a bad time because we were the first ones to get to the rain.”
What can be done moving forward to keep this from happening again?
“Better officiating, that’s all we can do. Like New Hampshire, we’ll learn from this for sure.”
Is there anything specific that hurts after that hit?
“No, just my whole body. My jaw hurts. I feel like my jaw is one of those boxers that gets their whole face demolished. It was certainly the first real big one I’ve had in this car and everything they’ve been telling us, all the other drivers, it’s legit.”
TRD PR | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72409-toyota-racing-ncs-daytona-race-quotes-denny-hamlin | 2022-08-28T23:01:34Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72409-toyota-racing-ncs-daytona-race-quotes-denny-hamlin | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Q. The 19 of Martin Truex will not make the Playoffs. Martin, you were afraid it would be slow. What did you experience out there?
MARTIN TRUEX JR.: Just not fast enough to keep up with those guys. We got the restart we need and got into a decent spot there. Just couldn't keep up. I was wide open the whole last run there. It's a shame. It stinks.
But, you know, just too much damage to have enough speed to do what we needed to do.
Q. The margin is three points. That's all it is. I know that's hard to face now.
MARTIN TRUEX JR.: Yeah, I mean, it is. Hindsight is always 20/20. We gave away plenty of points throughout the season, but it is what it is.
NASCAR PR | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72412-transcripts-martin-truex-jr-pit-road-interview-daytona-international-speedway | 2022-08-28T23:01:35Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72412-transcripts-martin-truex-jr-pit-road-interview-daytona-international-speedway | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Learning Innovation
A space for conversation and debate about learning and technology.
Title
HBO’s In-Person ‘Industry’ and the New Hybrid Academic Workplace
The new work of working in higher ed.
HBO's Industry is the best show on paid TV/streaming that you are likely not watching. Industry is among the TV genres described as "confident subcultures" in a recent Atlantic analysis of season 2.
In the case of Industry, the confident subculture is that of investment banking. The show's creators, former bankers, bring us into the language, norms, rhythms, and structures of finance and wealth management.
While watching Industry in August, my mind is mostly on what September will look like in our academic workplaces.
Unlike academic work, investment banking (at least as depicted in Industry) has near completely returned to an in-person activity. Employees are densely stacked together, meetings are face-face, and only a single employee of the fictional Pierpoint bank continues to wear a mask.
The way that the bankers work together in Industry has some familiarity with parts of pre-pandemic academic work life. (Save for the sex, the drugs, the glamour, the fancy clothing, the restaurants, the parties, and the money).
What is familiar from Industry is academic work in which the people doing the work did so mostly together in a shared physical space.
In my career, I've worked at two institutions developing online degree programs. The teams working on those mostly digital degrees did so from a physical place. Like the hedge fund traders and private wealth managers of Industry, we did our academic work office to office, desk to desk, and face to face.
The 2022-2023 academic year will, alas, not play out like an episode of Industry. Unless the showrunners who run the show make a major pivot to Zoom, the workplace depicted in Industry will little resemble our new academic workplace.
All of us, including me (especially me), will have to figure out how to do the work of higher ed across and between the physical and digital divide.
We will be on campus and on Zoom, in our office and on Slack, and in classrooms and on Canvas. The space between residential and online education will blur.
The in-person, hybrid, and remote work labels will sound anachronistic—echoes from an earlier, simpler, and clearer time of pre-pandemic academic work.
Some of us who have been doing this academic thing for a long time may wish for everything to return to what we see as "normal." Back to the days when we could count a critical mass of those employed by the university wandering around campus daily. Back to when virtual meetings were rare and when most conversations took place in physical offices, conference rooms, hallways, and quadrangles. Back to the world of Industry, where interactions between co-workers and colleagues occur almost exclusively face-to-face.
The work ahead for higher ed work is to figure out how to make our confident subculture thrive in this new era of the blended and hybrid university.
What are you watching?
Trending Stories
THE Campus
Resources for faculty and staff from our partners at Times Higher Education. | https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/hbo%E2%80%99s-person-%E2%80%98industry%E2%80%99-and-new-hybrid-academic-workplace | 2022-08-28T23:01:53Z | insidehighered.com | control | https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/learning-innovation/hbo%E2%80%99s-person-%E2%80%98industry%E2%80%99-and-new-hybrid-academic-workplace | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Q. Austin Dillon, welcome to the Playoffs. More gratifying to do it this way by racing for it versus the rain?
AUSTIN DILLON: 100%. Crazy phase. My wife was in there. She was dancing in the rain. I got upset. I said, Don't be doing that. She said, Lord, when you have faith like me, you don't have to worry about it. I was, like, Okay, okay. I got you, baby.
But Ace was back there with me. We were watching Paw Patrol, watching the Carolina Cowboys winning the PBR event. They said, Get ready.
We stayed ready. And I have to thank my teammate Tyler Reddick, Bretzri, Bass Pro Shops, everybody that makes this thing happen. Dow, who has been with me since my start. We have so many great partners. Chevrolet, Chevrolet, Chevrolet.
Man, we're in the Playoffs.
Q. Also what will be talked about is the move to get the lead. Walk me through going into turn one with Austin Cindric.
AUSTIN DILLON: There was a lot going on there. I knew that if we got to the white, I was afraid somebody would -- if I waited too long, I was afraid somebody would wreck behind us, so I wanted to go ahead and get the lead. We were able to get it.
I had a big run to him, and then I had my teammate, the 8, back there. I knew we were in good shape there to the end. He did a good job checking up any kind of run. Just a little too much push there, and got him loose. We went going.
Q. How hard was it to stay patient there? I know Pop Pop told you on the radio, Hey, don't go until the white flag lap. I knew you wanted to go earlier.
AUSTIN DILLON: I felt like I had good teammates and Chevrolet behind me. If I could get the lead, the 2 would not be able to hold onto the draft. We've done it in practice enough to know that you'll lose the tail, and it's hard to get back to it.
Q. How crazy is it that a body of work of a season, Austin, comes down to getting back on the lead lap right before a rainstorm, dodging a wreck, and then making this happen in the final 21 laps?
AUSTIN DILLON: It's crazy. You just never give up and have faith. We had some tough finishes this year, like Charlotte. I beat myself up over that. I made a good move and just didn't finish it off. Today we finished it off.
I'm so proud of these guys, and I'm glad to be going to Victory Lane.
NASCAR PR | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72414-transcripts-austin-dillon-frontstretch-interview-daytona-international-speedway | 2022-08-28T23:01:54Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72414-transcripts-austin-dillon-frontstretch-interview-daytona-international-speedway | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Q. Austin Cindric, finished third here at Daytona. Watching the move from Austin Dillon down into turn one, the bump, what happened there?
AUSTIN CINDRIC: I got hit by another race car going 190, 200 miles an hour. Glad I saved it. Glad I had a shot to come back through the field.
He is racing for a Playoff spot. Totally expect to get drove through. Just a matter of time.
Pretty bummed. I mean, we had a shot to win today. Maytag Menards Ford Mustang was obviously quick. We put ourselves in position. Not a scratch on it. Dang it.
Q. How tough was that? You were the only Ford against a sea of Chevys there. Did you know you were a sitting duck?
AUSTIN CINDRIC: I knew I was a sitting duck. I felt like I was Xfinity racing again. I was the only Ford out there. Ragan saved me and I was able to work with both the RWR cars there to get back up through. One lap longer, might have had a shot. I don't know.
Frustrating just to be that close. You know that it's just going to come down to when are they going to take the run.
I was lifting all the way into the tri-oval and trying not to get that gap that big. They were just backing up to each other working together as they should.
Kind of pissed about it, but can't be too upset. In the Playoffs and have a lot to fight for. Great opportunity.
NASCAR PR | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72415-nascar-transcripts-austin-cindric-pit-road-interview-daytona-international-speedway | 2022-08-28T23:02:00Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72415-nascar-transcripts-austin-cindric-pit-road-interview-daytona-international-speedway | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
· Entering the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway under the playoff cutline; Austin Dillon scored his first win of 2022 in the rain delayed Coke Zero Sugar 400.
· Dillon became the 15th new winner of 2022, securing a spot into the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field.
· This marks Dillon’s second NCS win at Daytona International Speedway; and his fourth career victory in 326 NASCAR Cup Series starts.
· In the 26-race NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 15 wins, recorded by eight drivers from three different Chevrolet teams.
· Becoming the eighth Chevrolet driver to win and secure a playoff spot; Chevrolet occupies 50 percent of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoff field.
· The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history; Chevrolet now has 829 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1, Race Winner Quick Quote:
Q. Austin Dillon, welcome to the Playoffs. More gratifying to do it this way by racing for it versus the rain?
“100%. Crazy faith. My wife was in there. She was dancing in the rain. I got upset. I said, ‘Don't be doing that’. She said, ‘Lord, when you have faith like me, you don't have to worry about it.’ I was like, Okay, okay. I got you, baby.
But Ace was back there with me. We were watching Paw Patrol, watching the Carolina Cowboys winning the PBR event. They said, get ready.
We stayed ready. And I have to thank my teammate Tyler Reddick, BREZTRI, Bass Pro Shops, everybody that makes this thing happen. Dow, who has been with me since my start. We have so many great partners. Chevrolet, Chevrolet, Chevrolet.
Man, we're in the Playoffs.”
Q. Also what will be talked about is the move to get the lead. Walk me through going into turn one with Austin Cindric.
“There was a lot going on there. I knew that if we got to the white; I was afraid that if I waited too long, I was afraid somebody would wreck behind us, so I wanted to go ahead and get the lead. We were able to get it.
I had a big run to him and then I had my teammate, the 8 (Tyler Reddick), back there. I knew we were in good shape there to the end. He did a good job checking up any kind of run. Just a little too much push there and got him loose.”
Q. How hard was it to stay patient there? I know Pop Pop told you on the radio, ‘Hey, don't go until the white flag lap. I knew you wanted to go earlier.’
“I felt like I had good teammates and Chevrolet behind me. If I could get the lead, the 2 would not be able to hold onto the draft. We've done it in practice enough to know that you'll lose the tail and it's hard to get back to it.”
Q. How crazy is it that a body of work of a season, Austin, comes down to getting back on the lead lap right before a rainstorm, dodging a wreck, and then making this happen in the final 21 laps?
“It's crazy. You just never give up and have faith. We had some tough finishes this year, like Charlotte. I beat myself up over that. I made a good move and just didn't finish it off. Today we finished it off.
I'm so proud of these guys and I'm glad to be going to Victory Lane.”
GM PR | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72416-austin-dillon-takes-the-win-and-a-playoff-spot-at-daytona | 2022-08-28T23:02:06Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72416-austin-dillon-takes-the-win-and-a-playoff-spot-at-daytona | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Louis-Philippe Montour was looking for more than an 11th-place finish in the “General Tire 125” event held at ICAR on Saturday night.
An ill-timed shower forced the NASCAR Pinty's Series officials to cancel the morning practice session. This caused the early-afternoon qualifying session to be turned into a shortened practice and forced the officials to create a starting grid based on 2022 driver championship points.
Since Louis-Philippe Montour has only run a partial season on road courses, he was thus pushed back on the 23-car starting grid. “We started 18th” explained the driver of the #13 Kamloop | GL Électricité-Automatisation | Gestion Or Concept car. Third gear kept dropping out, so I had to hold the shifter in place while driving, right from the start of the practice session.
The Dumoulin Competition technicians tried to fix the problem during the break between the practice session and the race, “It worked for five laps, then the problem came back! As we use third gear over 70% of the track distance, I had to drive one-handed for most of the race.” Despite that complication, Louis-Philippe Montour was able to drive his way up through the field in a methodical and intelligent manner. He had some good battles on the 1.8 km layout where it is difficult to overtake.
“I lost 3rd gear completely with 15 minutes to go in the race and had to jump between 2nd to 4th gear. We still managed to finish the race in 11th position, thanks to some great passes earlier in the race and by making the most out of the gears still working at the end.”
For Louis-Philippe Montour, this race was very important because ICAR is his home track. “My family, friends and partners were there to support me. I would like to thank them for coming. Although the result doesn't reflect our efforts, I hope I gave them a good show as I made my way up through the field!”
The driver of the #13 Kamloop | GL Électricité-Automatisation | Gestion Or Concept car will be making his fifth NASCAR Pinty's race at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park next weekend. He started his Pinty's season at this Ontario track with an impressive 5th-place finish. This time around, he is aiming for a podium position!
Dumoulin Competition can count on support from Kamloop to keep the team healthy throughout the season.
In addition to the on-track partnership, Louis-Philippe Montour and Dumoulin Competition also work together on the team's logistics. In fact, Kamloop products will allow the team to optimize the food-related processes and provide even fresher nourishment during the events. You can read the full article here.
Louis-Philippe Montour PR | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/racing-news/72410-louis-philippe-montour-in-an-incident-filled-race-at-icar | 2022-08-28T23:02:12Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/racing-news/72410-louis-philippe-montour-in-an-incident-filled-race-at-icar | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Australian dollar was slammed lower, along with other majors, as Federal Reserve Chair took a hawkish tilt in his speech at Jackson Hole:
The latest candle on the daily is a bearish outside one. I'm curious if some T/A folks didn't bother with Powell at all and instead focus solely on the techs, like this?
In the comments please. Other comments about the candle very welcome of course. Or any other t/a you've spotted.
I'm not gonna stick an arrow on the candle I'm talking about. Not necessary. | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/forex-technical-analysis-audusd-bearish-outside-candle-on-friday-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T23:10:11Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/forex-technical-analysis-audusd-bearish-outside-candle-on-friday-20220828/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke (D) said he was pausing his campaigning on Sunday after he was hospitalized with a bacterial infection.
O’Rourke tweeted Sunday afternoon that he started to feel ill on Friday and checked into the Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, where he was diagnosed with the bacterial infection.
“While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the doctors’ recommendations,” the Democratic candidate wrote. “I am sorry to have had to postpone events because of this, but promise to be back on the road with you as soon as I am able.”
O’Rourke is seeking to knock off Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is seeking re-election.
The race is expected to be close; Abbott was leading O’Rourke by seven points in a poll released this month.
O’Rourke, who previously ran for a Texas Senate seat and narrowly lost to incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R).
Earlier this month, O’Rourke drew national headlines when he called out a heckler who laughed as the candidate discussed the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two adults dead. | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/beto-orourke-pauses-campaign-after-being-hospitalized-with-bacterial-infection/ | 2022-08-28T23:18:38Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/beto-orourke-pauses-campaign-after-being-hospitalized-with-bacterial-infection/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The Biden administration is giving Ukraine another $3 billion in military aid to defend itself from Russia. The announcement comes six months into a brutal war and as diplomats struggle to get any traction for peace talks. There was more hand-wringing about that in the U.N. Security Council today, as NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has had one small victory in his diplomatic efforts. Ukrainian ships have begun to export much-needed grain as Russia eases up on its blockade. Guterres told the Security Council about his recent visit to a Ukrainian port.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ANTONIO GUTERRES: Even if in a limited way, the storied port of Odesa, which had been paralyzed for months, is slowly coming to life thanks to the initiative.
KELEMEN: Guterres says that might help reduce food prices around the world, but what's most important for Ukrainians is an end to this war.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GUTERRES: The people of Ukraine and beyond need peace, and they need peace now. It's in line with U.N. Charter. It's in line with international law.
KELEMEN: On that front, there's been little movement for months now. U.N. officials are raising concerns about Russia's treatment of prisoners of war and are trying to defuse tensions around a Ukrainian nuclear power plant seized by Russia. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield warns that Russia is also moving ahead with plans to annex parts of Ukraine, which she says should not be tolerated.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Russia's goal is as clear as ever - to dismantle Ukraine as a geopolitical entity and erase it from the world map.
KELEMEN: The big question for diplomats is whether there's any negotiated way out.
TRINE HEIMERBACK: I think that's the question we all have. Right now, I don't think we are too optimistic, unfortunately.
KELEMEN: Norwegian Ambassador Trine Heimerback says she hopes the U.N. can build on the grain deal. Her British counterpart, James Kariuki, says the onus is on Russia.
JAMES KARIUKI: Yeah, there's been a lot of diplomacy. The question from - about peace negotiations is for the Ukrainians. But the best way to end the conflict would be for Russia to withdraw its troops and end its illegal occupation.
KELEMEN: Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, recently warned that there will be no further talks with Russia if it carries out show trials of Ukrainian POWs.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KELEMEN: "Russia will cut itself off from the negotiations," he says. "There will be no more conversations. Our country has made that clear."
Today, in a video message to the Security Council, Zelenskyy said Russia must be held to account for its abuses in Ukraine. Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya tried unsuccessfully to prevent Zelenskyy from addressing the U.N. Asked about diplomacy, he said Russia wants to meet its goals first.
VASILY NEBENZYA: I would like to see all aims and targets of the military operation that had been set by the Russian leadership implemented. We have the negotiated solution that would end the conflict but provided and on the conditions that the goals that were set are implemented.
KELEMEN: African and Latin American members of the Security Council lamented the lack of real diplomacy. Kenya's Ambassador Martin Kimani put it in stark terms.
MARTIN KIMANI: Unless the Ukraine war is stopped through dialogue and negotiation, it could be the first of a series of conflicts that future historians will name the Third World War. Africa and the rest of the world would be thrown into a mirror of the Cold War.
KELEMEN: He's calling for a cessation of hostilities and respect for Ukraine sovereignty. U.S. officials say they've seen no sign that Russia is interested in that. So for now, the U.S. is focused on strengthening Ukraine's hand with a new influx of $3 billion in security assistance.
Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/npr-politics/2022-08-24/6-months-into-the-war-in-ukraine-diplomats-havent-made-much-headway-on-peace-talks | 2022-08-28T23:30:48Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/npr-politics/2022-08-24/6-months-into-the-war-in-ukraine-diplomats-havent-made-much-headway-on-peace-talks | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
One of this summer's most popular shows centers on a slimy true crime podcaster. Only Murders In the Building, on Hulu, follows three fans of a Serial-like show called All Is Not OK in Oklahoma. By the end of season two, it becomes clear the show's host, played by Tina Fey, may be a cold-blooded murderer herself.
"I need something with famous people, and blood!" she wails to an assistant. "God, I need a murder. A good one!"
Fey's character is just one example of what seems to be a new pop culture archetype.
Call them the morally dubious podcasters.
In the movie Vengeance, B.J. Novak plays a self-serving journalist pitching a podcast about the death of a woman he briefly dated.
Another morally dubious podcaster inserts herself into a crime scene (and the bed of a police officer) in the Showtime series Dexter: New Blood. And in the wry social comedy Rutherford Falls on Peacock, not one but two morally dubious podcasters run amuck, including an NPR reporter who wrecks the life of one of the main characters.
"Ah yes, the morally dubious podcaster," Nicholas Quah chuckles. He covers podcasts for Vulture and New York Magazine and recognized the archetype immediately. "My favorites were the first I ever noticed: the true crime podcasters in 2018's Halloween, who — spoilers — end up being brutally killed for chasing down Michael Myers."
But Quah remembered an even earlier example – from the 2014 Kevin Smith movie Tusk – and says there's a reason TV and movies are serving up so many morally dubious podcasters craven in their pursuit of fame and notoriety. That reason would be real life.
"Look up and down the Apple podcast charts," Quah points out. "You'll find any number of frankly morally dubious true crime shows. People, who in some cases, plagiarize other people's reporting and accessorize it and spread incomplete facts and inconsistent truths. "
Quah has written about these issues with Crime Junkie, one of the most popular podcasts in the country. And of course, the New York Times' podcast, Caliphate, had to be essentially retracted in 2020 when its sensational main subject, who claimed to be a member of ISIS, turned out to be a serial liar.
But morally dubious podcasters go beyond the genre of true crime. The Peacock show, Rutherford Falls, features a smarmy, racist podcaster who fancies himself, as he says, "in the tradition of Plato, Nietzsche and my personal podcasting hero, Mr. Joseph Rogen."
This character personifies what NPR's pop culture podcaster Linda Holmes calls "the yap and slap." People who sound off into a microphone in their basements and throw the results on the internet remind her, she says, of the early days of blogging.
"You can start a podcast tomorrow with very little equipment," she observes. "Just as you could go on the Internet and start a blog. And what you get from that, is a lot of people who are really good and really professional and some celebrities who see it as an easy way to extend their brand and control their own publicity. You have talented people who haven't been welcomed in traditional media spaces."
But you also get grifters, she adds, opportunists and people who don't "follow the rules you would want them to follow." To a certain extent, the morally dubious podcaster is the latest twist on a classic figure – the stranger in town. It's an expository device, a way to frame a story.
But right now, when numerous polls show trust in the media collapsing, the morally dubious podcaster has particular power. You don't know why she's here. Or what she may be mining from your truth.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-pop-culture/npr-pop-culture/2022-08-24/the-rise-of-the-morally-dubious-podcaster-in-pop-culture | 2022-08-28T23:31:13Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-pop-culture/npr-pop-culture/2022-08-24/the-rise-of-the-morally-dubious-podcaster-in-pop-culture | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Today was supposed to be back-to-school day in Ohio's largest school district. But just days before students were set to return to their classrooms in Columbus, Ohio, the district's teachers' union voted to strike. This came after multiple negotiations by the Board of Education and the union failed to produce a contract.
Regina Fuentes is one of those teachers striking. She has taught in Columbus City schools for more than 20 years, and she's a spokesperson for the union. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
REGINA FUENTES: Thank you for having me.
SHAPIRO: Paint a picture of the conditions that you and other teachers are working in. What made things so extreme that you decided to strike?
FUENTES: Well, you know, we have been pushing the district to fix our old buildings for a very long time. We're dealing with buildings that are way too hot in the warm months and way too cold in the cold months. And, you know, we have reported problems of bad plumbing, doors that don't lock, windows that don't shut or open. And, you know, we're just tired of waiting. We want them to be held accountable when it comes to fixing these problems and not just make empty promises.
SHAPIRO: Over the more than 20 years that you've been teaching in Columbus City schools, what kind of impact have you seen this have on students?
FUENTES: I mean, you just can't imagine, you know - and getting into class sizes - having a class full of 36 kids and it's 90 degrees inside the classroom. And, you know, they're not focused. They're going to start passing out. And, you know, they can't focus on what's happening. Or if it's too cold, you know, they're worried about wrapping up in blankets and extra coats. They're not working on the academics. And it really does take a toll on them.
SHAPIRO: All over the country, teachers have been calling attention to difficult working conditions, especially given the pressures of the pandemic - remote schooling, pressure on curriculum, teacher resignations. How does what you're experiencing in Columbus, Ohio, compare to what you're hearing from colleagues in other areas?
FUENTES: So what I think it speaks to is just the overall burnout. You know, teachers - I think we just, for forever, kind of make the situation as best as we possibly can. And, you know, we're just kind of like, throw ourselves into it. And, you know, we just - we do it for the kids. But it comes a point where the - everything boils over, and you just can't take being nonappreciated (ph) anymore. And so if we are going to save public education, we have to start making an investment in retaining teachers and taking care of these old buildings. And this not just happening in Columbus, Ohio. This is happening all over the nation.
SHAPIRO: It's also been a difficult time for parents and students. Do you fear that your decision to strike could add to the stresses on them?
FUENTES: Well, look; you know, I understand that this is a difficult situation, and we take that into consideration. But I hope that we're showing with this sacrifice - you know, of losing our pay, losing our health insurance while we're on this strike - I hope that we are demonstrating to them just how passionate we are about getting these schools fixed and, you know, getting this change. And I also hope that, you know, the parents see that we're trying to set a pathway for the future, that, you know, we're not just going to take the status quo and accept that they might get to these things. We want them to be held accountable. They hold teachers accountable. They hold students accountable. It's time for the elected officials to be held accountable to do what the public wants.
SHAPIRO: You are talking about a national problem of deprioritizing public schools and teachers. Is this something that any one labor agreement can fix?
FUENTES: You know, it could be the start. You know, I don't see us being the one thing that changes the whole nation. But you know what? If I help my kids have better situations and better working - or learning conditions, then, you know, it was all worth it. It was all worth it.
SHAPIRO: So what kind of conversations have you been having with students and parents as you walk the picket line?
FUENTES: Oh, our parents and our students, they're proud of us, you know, because we - one of the reasons why we're even, you know, pushing for this is because we watch them. We're on the front lines every day watching our students suffer in these conditions. We hear their complaints. We hear their cries. We make the - you know, we fill out the work orders to try and get things fixed and see things that never get fixed. And so, you know, we've had enough. So we never wanted to reach the point where we were striking, but striking seems to be the only thing that is getting their attention and letting them know we're serious.
SHAPIRO: People may remember back in 2018, there was a wave of teacher strikes across the country. Right now, this seems limited. Do you expect it might catch on more broadly?
FUENTES: Yes, I do. Because, you know, workers across the nation want some respect, and this economy is not getting easier to live in, you know? And we deserve that respect.
SHAPIRO: That's Regina Fuentes, a Columbus City schools teacher and spokesperson for the teachers' union. Thank you very much.
FUENTES: Thank you for having me.
SHAPIRO: And NPR reached out to the Columbus Board of Education, but did not hear back from them before airtime. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-top-stories/npr-top-stories/2022-08-24/classrooms-in-columbus-ohio-are-empty-on-1st-day-back-as-teachers-strike | 2022-08-28T23:31:25Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-top-stories/npr-top-stories/2022-08-24/classrooms-in-columbus-ohio-are-empty-on-1st-day-back-as-teachers-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Win or lose Monday night, Serena Williams will be feted by the USTA in an elaborate farewell ceremony after her first-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, according to a source.
The festivities, featuring videos and the like, will feel a lot more joyous if Williams wins.
It’s finally showtime for Serena, who faces 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic in potentially her final singles match at 7 p.m. before a sell-out crowd of 23,800.
The 40-year-old Compton legend, according to a source, will have some 100 guests on hand — family and friends — besides thousands of her frenzied fans. The USTA is truncating its usual opening-night ceremony to lavish praise on Serena after her match.
“Kovinic is better on clay,’’ ESPN’s analyst Pam Shriver told The Post. “She hasn’t won a match since the French. Anything can happen but it’s pretty good first-round draw for Serena.
“But there’ll be so much emotion, energy and buildup. You [don’t] know how either will deal with it. Serena has been great on big stages in the past, but this is different. All eyes are on the first few games.”
Soon after the women’s U.S. Open draw was released Thursday, there came this post on Instagram:
“WHAT A MOMENT. Looking forward to this”
That wasn’t a message from Williams, who has been relatively mum this week amid the tumult of her impending retirement after winning 23 Grand Slam titles — six at the Open.
It came from her first-round opponent, the 80th-ranked plugger from Montenegro, embracing the spotlight.
The 27-year-old mostly has toiled in obscurity since turning pro in 2010 and has never cracked the top 40. She’s also in a slump — a five-match losing streak — and has won two matches total in her career in Flushing.
But the hard-hitting Kovinic can forever become a sports-trivia question answer Monday night if she beats Williams and sends her into retirement.
At this juncture, turning 41 in a few weeks, after going 1-3 since her comeback at Wimbledon, Serena can lose to anybody.
This will be one of those special New York sports nights with Ashe Stadium read to rock and roll Williams into the second round.
Shriver said ESPN colleague and Williams’ new coach Rennae Stubbs has tried to lessen the pressure.
“Serena has done everything she can — she didn’t come back in great shape — while in New York to play as well as she can at almost 41 who hasn’t played much match tennis,’’ Shriver said.
“Rennae is trying to make sure Serena is enjoying the process and trying to find some lightness. It’s easier said than done with Serena’s perfectionism. But [Monday] night is nothing we’ve seen.’’
While it is a favorable first-round opponent for the unseeded Williams, Kovinic has seen her strongest results in the majors this year, getting to the third round of both the Australian Open and French Open. She took out reigning Open champion Emma Raducanu in Australia.
On Friday’s media day, Raducanu said, “I’m going to know how Danka feels in that sort of situation. I remember [Kovinic] was really, really solid, was staying with you, counterpunching. She’s happy to run, happy to rally. It’s going to be a good matchup, I think.”
Williams’ computer ranking is 413th as she missed a year with injuries before coming back for Wimbledon, losing in the first round, then losing her second match in Toronto and first match in Cincinnati — also against Raducanu.
If Williams survives, she’ll be headed for a second-round meeting with Anett Kontaviet. But either way, there will be a Serena celebration Monday night in Flushing. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/serena-williams-to-get-elaborate-ceremony-after-us-open-match/ | 2022-08-28T23:41:35Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/serena-williams-to-get-elaborate-ceremony-after-us-open-match/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Blackpink Shows Off Their Respective Personal Styles at the 2022 MTV VMAs
Blackpink has officially arrived to their first MTV Video Music Awards, adding to the tradition of great girl groups who have walked the red carpet at the award show over the years. And like any good girl group, the foursome dressed in coordinating ensembles, black looks that worked well together, while simultaneously allowing each member to show off their personal style (and their favorite respective brands).
Lisa paired her new dark locks with a Celine look, of course—a black, strapless jumpsuit, with a keyhole cutout and an attached train that started at her waist and fell to the floor. She paired the look with a long gold chain necklace and strappy black heels.
Jisoo added some pattern to the group with her Dior dress, which featured an intricate lace top and a flowing floral skirt. She also kept the accessories very minimal, wearing simple earrings and black pumps.
Next up was Jennie, who repped Chanel in the only two-piece set of the group. The artist’s top mimicked Lisa’s with a keyhole cutout of its own. On the bottom, Jennie wore a low-cut skirt with a v-shaped waistline and large pleats.
Rosé finished off the foursome in Saint Laurent. The only blonde of the group at the moment wore a turtleneck mini dress with a black rosette at the waist and fabric that draped down to her knees. The artist finished off the look with a half-up hairstyle and Tiffany & Co. jewels.
Blackpink will be performing at the show this evening, becoming the first K-Pop girl group to ever take the stage at the award show. It is expected they’ll perform their new song, “Pink Venom,” which dropped last week. They’re also nominated for two awards at the event, Group of the Year and Best Metaverse Performance. | https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/blackpink-black-red-carpet-2022-mtv-vmas | 2022-08-28T23:45:07Z | wmagazine.com | control | https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/blackpink-black-red-carpet-2022-mtv-vmas | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Truss is in the running with Sunak to be the next UK Prime Minister.
Last week Truss expressed doubts that France was an ally. Now this, planning to say China will be classed as a “threat” to national security for the first time.
- says she will reshape foreign policy if she becomes prime minister
- will reopen the integrated review, published last year, which set out British priorities in diplomacy and defence over the next decade. China was described as a “systemic competitor” but the review argued that the UK should deepen its trading relationship with Beijing
- China would be elevated to a similar status as Russia, which is defined in the review as an “acute threat” | https://www.forexlive.com/news/uk-foreign-minister-truss-will-declare-china-an-official-threat-20220828/ | 2022-08-28T23:45:07Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/uk-foreign-minister-truss-will-declare-china-an-official-threat-20220828/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MTV Video Music Awards 2022: See Every Red Carpet Look
Allegedly, the MTV Video Music Awards are held to honor the best music videos of the year. In reality, though, the night has become much more about the juicy feuds playing out live, stunts pulled on stage (who can forget Britney with that snake?), and even the pre-show, which gives the main event quite a run for its money. Oh, and that’s not even mentioning the iconic fashion that has come out of 38 years of Video Music Awards.
Considering the VMAs aren’t technically in the award show canon, many celebrities feel free to take risks on the red carpet—meaning often, the VMA arrivals are some of the best of the year. The VMA red carpet gave birth to Gwyneth Paltrow’s red velvet Gucci suit, Madonna’s “Boy Toy” look still copied every Halloween almost 40 years later, and J.Lo’s all-white Sean Jean crop-top ensemble—just to name a few. And this year has the potential for a red carpet to rival them all. With artists like Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and Harry Styles nominated, it seems like a given that this year’s award show looks will be anything but boring.
You wouldn’t want to miss a pop culture moment in the making. Check back here as we track every celebrity who arrives at the 2022 MTV VMAs.
In Fendi.
In Harris Reed.
In Schiaparelli with D'Accori shoes and Tiffany and Co. jewels.
In Zigman.
In Vivienne Westwood.
In threeASFOUR for Instacart.
In Gucci.
In Moschino.
Lisa wears Celine. Jisoo wears Christian Dior. Jennie wears Chanel. Roseé wears Saint Laurent with Tiffany & Co. jewels.
In Alexandre Vauthier.
In Jean Paul Gaultier Couture.
In Hermes.
In Louis Vuitton.
In Versace.
In Mugler.
In Atelier Cillian with Ananya jewels.
In Fendi.
In Dior.
In Tarik Ediz.
In Randi Rahm Couture.
In Niné.
In Rick Owens. | https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/mtv-vmas-2022-red-carpet-fashion-dresses | 2022-08-28T23:45:13Z | wmagazine.com | control | https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/mtv-vmas-2022-red-carpet-fashion-dresses | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PARIS (AP) — Fisticuffs in the cockpit, leaving a leaky engine running while cruising over Africa — Air France pilots are under scrutiny after recent incidents that have prompted French investigators to call for tougher safety protocols.
Two Air France pilots were suspended after physically fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight in June, an Air France official said Sunday. The flight continued and landed safely, and the dispute didn’t affect the rest of the flight, the official said, stressing the airline’s commitment to safety.
Switzerland’s La Tribune reported that the pilot and co-pilot had a dispute shortly after takeoff, and grabbed each other by their collars after one apparently hit the other. Cabin crew intervened and one crew member spent the flight in the cockpit with the pilots, the report said.
News of the fight emerged after France’s air investigation agency, BEA, issued a report Wednesday saying that some Air France pilots lack rigor in respecting procedures during safety incidents.
It focused on a fuel leak on an Air France flight from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo to Paris in December 2020, when pilots rerouted the plane but didn’t cut power to the engine or land as soon as possible, as leak procedure requires. The plane landed safely in Chad, but the BEA report warned that the engine could have caught fire.
It mentioned three similar cases between 2017 and 2022, and said some pilots are acting based on their own analysis of the situation instead of safety protocols.
Air France said it is carrying out a safety audit in response. It pledged to follow the BEA’s recommendations, which include allowing pilots to study their flights afterward and making training manuals stricter about sticking to procedure.
The airline noted that it flies thousands of flights daily and the report mentions only four such safety incidents.
Air France pilots unions have insisted that security is paramount to all pilots and defended pilot actions during emergency situations.
The BEA also investigated an incident in April involving an Air France flight from New York’s JFK airport that suffered flight control problems on approach to its landing in Paris. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-2-air-france-pilots-suspended-after-fighting-in-cockpit/ | 2022-08-28T23:46:50Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-2-air-france-pilots-suspended-after-fighting-in-cockpit/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 34 |
PARIS (AP) — Fisticuffs in the cockpit, leaving a leaky engine running while cruising over Africa — Air France pilots are under scrutiny after recent incidents that have prompted French investigators to call for tougher safety protocols.
Two Air France pilots were suspended after physically fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight in June, an Air France official said Sunday. The flight continued and landed safely, and the dispute didn’t affect the rest of the flight, the official said, stressing the airline’s commitment to safety.
Switzerland’s La Tribune reported that the pilot and co-pilot had a dispute shortly after takeoff, and grabbed each other by their collars after one apparently hit the other. Cabin crew intervened and one crew member spent the flight in the cockpit with the pilots, the report said.
News of the fight emerged after France’s air investigation agency, BEA, issued a report Wednesday saying that some Air France pilots lack rigor in respecting procedures during safety incidents.
It focused on a fuel leak on an Air France flight from Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo to Paris in December 2020, when pilots rerouted the plane but didn’t cut power to the engine or land as soon as possible, as leak procedure requires. The plane landed safely in Chad, but the BEA report warned that the engine could have caught fire.
It mentioned three similar cases between 2017 and 2022, and said some pilots are acting based on their own analysis of the situation instead of safety protocols.
Air France said it is carrying out a safety audit in response. It pledged to follow the BEA’s recommendations, which include allowing pilots to study their flights afterward and making training manuals stricter about sticking to procedure.
The airline noted that it flies thousands of flights daily and the report mentions only four such safety incidents.
Air France pilots unions have insisted that security is paramount to all pilots and defended pilot actions during emergency situations.
The BEA also investigated an incident in April involving an Air France flight from New York’s JFK airport that suffered flight control problems on approach to its landing in Paris. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-2-air-france-pilots-suspended-after-fighting-in-cockpit/ | 2022-08-28T23:46:50Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-2-air-france-pilots-suspended-after-fighting-in-cockpit/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 34 |
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Diesel and heating oil supplies in the Northeast are more than 50% below the recent average, raising concerns that an extreme weather event could cause supply disruptions, federal officials said.
Fuel supplies are lower than normal across the country for a variety of reasons, including the war in Ukraine. But it’s the worst in the Northeast.
Diesel fuel and heating oil, which comprise the distillate category, are 63% below the five-year average in New England and 58% below the same average from Maryland to New York, according to a survey by the Department of Energy. Gasoline inventories are not as bad, but are still at their lowest levels in nearly a decade along the entire East Coast, the agency said.
The Northeast is heavily dependent on heating oil to keep homes warm in the winter, while other regions rely more on natural gas and electricity. Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has projected an active hurricane season, and a powerful weather event could cause disruptions, since most fuel consumed from the Middle Atlantic states to Maine comes from Gulf Coast refineries, energy officials say.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is convening a meeting of New England governors and their energy directors after Labor Day to discuss the situation. In the meantime, she has urged governors in a letter to take whatever steps they can to shore up fuel supplies in coming weeks to prevent any problems.
The Energy Department also sent letters to seven major oil companies, asking them to hold onto their stocks to help offset low stocks.
The federal agency has been monitoring the problem and is attempting to be proactive with outreach. But there’s little incentive for buyers to stock up on high-priced fuel for storage because it is anticipated that prices will drop, said Michael Ferrante, of the Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association.
The fuel inventory concerns come against a backdrop of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine further shaking up an energy supply chain that was seeking to catch up with growing demand. The war is causing worries about the adequacy of energy supplies around the world.
In New England, the immediate concern in the late summer is diesel fuel, but the winter heating season looms not far behind.
Heating oil disruptions would hit the region hard because the percentage of homes that rely on it range from 24% in Massachusetts to more than 60% in Maine, the most heavily dependent states.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, has urged the Energy Department to expedite its meeting with governors to talk about maintaining a stable heating oil supply.
Maine is “distinctly vulnerable to the increased prices and volatility the global fossil fuel market is now experiencing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” said Anthony Ronzio, a spokesperson for the Mills administration.
Despite the concern, wholesale suppliers and retailers are working well together, and Ferrante said he anticipates inventories will increase in September and October, easing the immediate concerns.
He said he is optimistic that there will be an ample supply of heating oil.
“Suppliers and retail delivery companies are concerned about prices and inventory, but there’s not any alarm bell being rung at this time,” he said. “I don’t see a crisis at this point.”
The Energy Department created a heating oil reserve that holds 1 million barrels in terminals in the Northeast. Those could be tapped in an emergency.
___
Follow David Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-low-fuel-inventories-cause-special-concern-in-us-northeast/ | 2022-08-28T23:47:05Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-low-fuel-inventories-cause-special-concern-in-us-northeast/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 40 |
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Diesel and heating oil supplies in the Northeast are more than 50% below the recent average, raising concerns that an extreme weather event could cause supply disruptions, federal officials said.
Fuel supplies are lower than normal across the country for a variety of reasons, including the war in Ukraine. But it’s the worst in the Northeast.
Diesel fuel and heating oil, which comprise the distillate category, are 63% below the five-year average in New England and 58% below the same average from Maryland to New York, according to a survey by the Department of Energy. Gasoline inventories are not as bad, but are still at their lowest levels in nearly a decade along the entire East Coast, the agency said.
The Northeast is heavily dependent on heating oil to keep homes warm in the winter, while other regions rely more on natural gas and electricity. Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has projected an active hurricane season, and a powerful weather event could cause disruptions, since most fuel consumed from the Middle Atlantic states to Maine comes from Gulf Coast refineries, energy officials say.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is convening a meeting of New England governors and their energy directors after Labor Day to discuss the situation. In the meantime, she has urged governors in a letter to take whatever steps they can to shore up fuel supplies in coming weeks to prevent any problems.
The Energy Department also sent letters to seven major oil companies, asking them to hold onto their stocks to help offset low stocks.
The federal agency has been monitoring the problem and is attempting to be proactive with outreach. But there’s little incentive for buyers to stock up on high-priced fuel for storage because it is anticipated that prices will drop, said Michael Ferrante, of the Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association.
The fuel inventory concerns come against a backdrop of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine further shaking up an energy supply chain that was seeking to catch up with growing demand. The war is causing worries about the adequacy of energy supplies around the world.
In New England, the immediate concern in the late summer is diesel fuel, but the winter heating season looms not far behind.
Heating oil disruptions would hit the region hard because the percentage of homes that rely on it range from 24% in Massachusetts to more than 60% in Maine, the most heavily dependent states.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, has urged the Energy Department to expedite its meeting with governors to talk about maintaining a stable heating oil supply.
Maine is “distinctly vulnerable to the increased prices and volatility the global fossil fuel market is now experiencing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” said Anthony Ronzio, a spokesperson for the Mills administration.
Despite the concern, wholesale suppliers and retailers are working well together, and Ferrante said he anticipates inventories will increase in September and October, easing the immediate concerns.
He said he is optimistic that there will be an ample supply of heating oil.
“Suppliers and retail delivery companies are concerned about prices and inventory, but there’s not any alarm bell being rung at this time,” he said. “I don’t see a crisis at this point.”
The Energy Department created a heating oil reserve that holds 1 million barrels in terminals in the Northeast. Those could be tapped in an emergency.
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Follow David Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-low-fuel-inventories-cause-special-concern-in-us-northeast/ | 2022-08-28T23:47:05Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-low-fuel-inventories-cause-special-concern-in-us-northeast/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 40 |
SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine traded claims of rocket and artillery strikes at or near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant on Sunday, intensifying fears that the fighting could cause a massive radiation leak.
Ukraine’s atomic energy agency painted an ominous picture of the threat Sunday by issuing a map forecasting where radiation could spread from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russian forces have controlled since soon after the war began.
Attacks were reported over the weekend not only in Russian-controlled territory adjacent to the plant along the left bank of the Dnieper River, but along the Ukraine-controlled right bank, including the cities of Nikopol and Marhanets, each about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the facility.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Sunday that Ukrainian forces had attacked the plant twice over the past day, and that shells fell near buildings storing reactor fuel and radioactive waste.
“One projectile fell in the area of the sixth power unit, and the other five in front of the sixth unit pumping station, which provides cooling for this reactor,” Konashenkov said, adding that radiation levels were normal.
The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency also reported Sunday that radiation levels were normal, that two of the Zaporizhzhia plant’s six reactors were operating and that while no complete assessment had yet been made, recent fighting had damaged a water pipeline, since repaired.
In another apparent attack Sunday, Russian forces shot down an armed Ukrainian drone targeting one of the Zaporizhzhia plant’s spent fuel storage sites, a local official said. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed regional official, said on the Telegram messaging app that the drone crashed onto a building’s roof, not causing any significant damage or injuring anyone.
Nearby, heavy firing during the night left parts of Nikopol without electricity, said Valentyn Reznichenko, the Dnipropetrovsk region’s governor. Rocket strikes damaged a dozen residences in Marhanets, according to Yevhen Yevtushenko, the administration head for the district that includes the city of about 45,000.
The city of Zaporizhzhia, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) up the Dnieper River from the nuclear plant, also came under Russian fire, damaging dozens of apartment buildings and homes and wounding two people, city council member Anatoliy Kurtev said. Russian forces struck a Zaporizhzhia repair shop for Ukrainian air force helicopters, Konashenkov said.
Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.
Downriver from the nuclear plant, Ukrainian rockets hit the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant and adjacent city three times on Sunday, said Vladimir Leontyev, the head of the Russia-installed local administration.
The plant’s dam is a major roadway across the river and a potentially key Russian supply route. The dam forms a reservoir that provides water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
The radiation map Ukraine’s nuclear agency Energoatom issued showed that based on wind forecasts for Monday, a nuclear cloud could spread across southern Ukraine and southwestern Russia. Release of the map may have been meant to warn that if Russian forces were responsible for a radiation leak, their own country would suffer. In the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, the world’s worst atomic energy catastrophe, radiation spread from Ukraine to several neighboring countries.
Authorities last week began distributing iodine tablets to residents who live near the Zaporizhzhia plant in case of radiation exposure. Much of the concern centers on the cooling systems for the plant’s nuclear reactors. The systems require electricity, and the plant was temporarily knocked offline Thursday because of what officials said was fire damage to a transmission line. A cooling system failure could cause a nuclear meltdown.
Periodic shelling has damaged the power station’s infrastructure, Energoatom, said Saturday.
“There are risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances, and the fire hazard is high,” it said.
The IAEA has tried to work out an agreement with Ukrainian and Russian authorities to send a team to inspect and secure the plant, but it remained unclear when the visit might take place.
In eastern Ukraine, where Russian and separatist forces are trying to take control, shelling hit the large and strategically significant cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, with no casualties reported, said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Donetsk region’s governor. Konashenkov said Russian missile strikes killed 250 Ukrainian soldiers and reservists in and near Sloviansk. Ukrainian officials didn’t comment on the claim, in keeping with their policy of not discussing losses.
Sloviansk resident Kostiantyn Daineko told The Associated Press that he was falling asleep when an explosion blew out his apartment windows.
“I opened my eyes and saw how the window frame was flying over me, the frame and pieces of broken glass,” he said.
Russian and separatist forces hold much of the Donetsk region, one of two Russia has recognized as sovereign states.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed again Sunday to re-take the separatist areas.
“The invaders brought degradation and death and they believe that they are there forever,” Zelenskyy said Sunday in his nightly video address. “But it’s a temporary thing for them. Ukraine will return. For sure. Life will return.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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Andrew Katell contributed to this report from New York.
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A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the first name of the Sloviansk resident is Kostiantyn, not Konstiantyn. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-cities-near-ukrainian-nuclear-plant-shelled/ | 2022-08-28T23:48:58Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-cities-near-ukrainian-nuclear-plant-shelled/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HOUSTON (AP) — A man evicted from a Houston apartment building shot five other tenants — killing three of them — Sunday morning after setting fire to the house to lure them out, police said. Officers fatally shot the gunman.
The incident happened at about 1 a.m. Sunday in a mixed industrial-residential neighborhood in southwest Houston. Police and fire crews responded to the apartment house after reports of the fire, police Chief Troy Finner said.
The gunman opened fire, possibly with a shotgun, on the other tenants as they emerged from the house, Finner said. Two were dead at the scene, and one died at a hospital. Fire teams rescued two other wounded men, who were hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds, he said.
The man then opened fire as the firefighters battled the fire, forcing them to take cover until police officers spotted the prone gunman and shot him dead, Finner said.
No identities have been released, and Finner said no firefighters or officers were wounded.
“I’ve seen things I have not seen before in 32 years, and it has happened time and time again,” Finner said. “We just ask that the community come together.”
A neighbor, Robin Ahrens, told the Houston Chronicle that he heard what he initially thought were fireworks as he prepared for work.
“I’m just fortunate that I didn’t go outside because he probably would have shot me too,” he told the newspaper.
He said the shooter, who had colon cancer, was behind on his rent, jobless and was recently notified that he was being evicted.
“Something must have just hit him in the last couple of days really hard to where he just didn’t care,” he said. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-police-houston-tenant-kills-3-others-set-fire-to-lure-them/ | 2022-08-28T23:49:54Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-police-houston-tenant-kills-3-others-set-fire-to-lure-them/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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