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MARINE FORECAST
THURSDAY WILL TURN PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY WITH A NE WIND AT 10-15 KNOTS ON MOST AREA WATERS. WINDS WILL DIMINISH FRIDAY, WITH GOOD VISIBILITY BOTH DAYS. IT WILL NOT BE AS HUMID THURSDAY AND FRIDAY..
Atlantic Ocean:
Thursday: Small Craft Advisory. NE 10-17 knots. Seas: 4-5 ft.
Friday: NE 5-12 knots. Seas: 2-3 ft.
Chesapeake Bay:
Thursday: NE 8-14 knots. Seas: 2 ft.
Friday: NE 5-10 knots. Seas: 1-2 ft.
Delaware Bay:
Thursday: NE 8-14 knots. Seas: 2-3 ft.
Friday: NE 5-11 knots. Seas: 2 ft. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/marine-forecast/article_04499520-2ee9-11ed-8fdf-53e51698778b.html | 2022-09-07T21:57:19Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/marine-forecast/article_04499520-2ee9-11ed-8fdf-53e51698778b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Forecast updated on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, at 4:00 PM by WBOC Meteorologist Dan Satterfield (AMS-CBM).
DELMARVA FORECAST
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 65°. Wind: N 5-13 mph.
Thursday: Partly sunny and pleasant. Not as humid. High 79-80° inland with temps. near 72° on the beaches. Wind: N 7-14 mph. Winds NE 10-16 mph PM on the beaches PM.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear and a little cooler. Low 62°. Wind: N 2-8 mph.
Friday: Mainly sunny and pleasant. Not as humid. High 81° inland with temps. near 73° on the beaches. Wind: NE 5-12 mph. Winds NE 8-14 mph PM on the beaches PM.
Forecast Discussion:
Look for clearing skies tonight with a little lower humidity. Lows will dip to around 65 inland and near 72 on the beaches. Winds will be from the north at 6-12 mph.
Thursday will be partly sunny with an onshore NE wind and lower humidity. Afternoon temps. will reach near 79-80 inland but stay near 73 degrees on the coast. It will turn cooler Thursday night as a drier air mass moves into the area behind the cool front.
High pressure will build into the area on Friday with sunshine and lower humidity. Look for a light NE breeze at 6-12 mph. Afternoon high temps. well be near 80-81°, with dew points dropping to around 57-60 giving a drier feel to the air. The onshore winds will keep the beaches in the low to mid 70's all day.
In the long-range, Saturday will be mostly sunny with afternoon temps. in the low 80's and morning lows in the low 60's. This is close to the averages for early September. It will turn a little warmer Sunday with temps. near 84-85° and rising humidity. Monday will bring showers as another cool front approaches. Showers will linger into Tuesday. Temperatures Monday and Tuesday will be in the low/mid 80's with lows inn the mid 60's/ This is a bit above the average for mid September.
The average high for today is 82 degrees with an average low of 63 degrees. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/more-sun-and-lower-humidity/article_c17a00e0-2ee8-11ed-aadf-ebf2ff93a0fe.html | 2022-09-07T21:57:25Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/more-sun-and-lower-humidity/article_c17a00e0-2ee8-11ed-aadf-ebf2ff93a0fe.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The on-demand job marketplace was recognized as a company setting the standard for remote work through culture, benefits, and engagement
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wonolo, an on-demand job marketplace that has served over one million workers, was named one of Quartz's Best Companies for Remote Workers, a global research-driven program from the Best Companies Group that analyzes employer programs, benefits, and practices.
"As we moved to being 100% remote, we persistently prioritized the culture at Wonolo so that it continues to strengthen and evolve. We believe that the wellness of our employees and their work-life balance is critical," said Jennifer Shewan, Wonolo's Vice President of People. "We want to ensure we're providing the best resources for them to thrive both at their jobs and outside of work."
Based on extensive employee surveys and employer responses, Wonolo ranked in Quartz's list of medium-sized companies at the forefront of remote work. The surveys analyzed Wonolo's practices and measured employee sentiment around the company's benefits, growth and development opportunities, leadership, communication, community involvement, employee engagement, and more.
Wonolo offers comprehensive health plans, 401K, generous parental leave, paid holidays, cell phone reimbursements, and more. Wonolo prioritizes both career and personal growth opportunities that set employees up for success. Flexibility is not only at the forefront of the business model, but also at the heart of the employee experience as the company offers unlimited paid time off, flexibility to work from anywhere, company retreats, team off-sites, happy hours, among other benefits. For more information about working at Wonolo, visit https://www.wonolo.com/careers/.
Wonolo is an on-demand job marketplace that has connected over one million workers ("Wonoloers") to retail, manufacturing, hospitality, and other types of hourly jobs posted by thousands of businesses across the United States. Wonolo is on a mission to make work flexible and fulfilling for everyone, while helping businesses efficiently fill local job opportunities. For more information, visit www.wonolo.com.
Quartz is a digitally native news organization with a mission to make business better. Our journalists around the world specialize in analysis of the global economy for an audience of purpose-driven professionals. We help our readers discover new industries, new markets, and new ways of doing business that are more sustainable, innovative, and inclusive. Quartz is the top business publication for global executives ages 25-45, and we have been a pioneer in premium, mobile-first, native advertising experiences since our founding in 2012.
Contact
press@wonolo.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Wonolo Inc. | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/wonolo-named-one-quartzs-best-companies-remote-workers-2022/ | 2022-09-07T21:57:43Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/wonolo-named-one-quartzs-best-companies-remote-workers-2022/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has awarded the Marshall Operations Systems, Services, and Integration II (MOSSI II) contract to Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama.
The contract calls for providing provide the ground systems and operations services necessary to meet the requirements delegated to the Payload and Mission Operations Division within the Human Exploration Development and Operations Office at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Work will be performed on-site at Marshall and other locations as required including NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The performance-based, cost-plus-award-fee contract has a potential mission services value of $596.5 million and a maximum potential indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity value of $85 million. The contract begins about Sept. 9, 2022, with a two-year base period, followed by six one-year option periods, and a six-month option to extend services period that may be exercised at NASA's discretion.
Under the contract, Teledyne Brown Engineering will be responsible for providing International Space Station payload operations and ground systems; test, launch, flight, and ground operations for NASA's Space Launch System rocket; flight operations and ground systems for the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout CubeSat mission; and Delay Tolerant Network protocol variants definition, prototyping, and testing; as well as provide ground systems to support test, launch, and flight operations for other program and projects.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE NASA | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/nasa-awards-contract-marshalls-mission-operations/ | 2022-09-07T21:58:00Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/nasa-awards-contract-marshalls-mission-operations/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KENNEWICK, Wash.-
The Benton County Sheriff's Office is warning residents of a current scam where callers are pretending to be law enforcement officers.
Someone is calling people pretending to be Commander Lee Cantu with the BCSO and telling victims that they have been served with a subpoena, but have failed to sign it, so now they owe $2,500.
According to the BCSO, the scam is confusing and can seem legitimate because the scammer is spoofing the Sheriff's Office number onto their caller ID to make the scam call look real.
The BCSO would like to remind residents that they will never call and demand money. When in doubt on the phone do not provide any personal information and hang up. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/bcso-issues-scam-warning/article_0e6e7916-2eea-11ed-b595-3fccbd5cfc21.html | 2022-09-07T21:58:19Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/bcso-issues-scam-warning/article_0e6e7916-2eea-11ed-b595-3fccbd5cfc21.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING...
...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AGAIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 610 East Slopes of Central
Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon
Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, 690 Kittitas
Valley and 691 Lower Columbia Basin.
* WINDS...North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 15 percent.
* IMPACTS...Unstable and dry conditions with gusty winds could
cause enhanced fire weather behavior and allow existing fires
to more easily spread.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.
&&
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING...
...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AGAIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 610 East Slopes of Central
Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon
Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, 690 Kittitas
Valley and 691 Lower Columbia Basin.
* WINDS...North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 15 percent.
* IMPACTS...Unstable and dry conditions with gusty winds could
cause enhanced fire weather behavior and allow existing fires
to more easily spread.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.
&& | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/fire-closes-i-182-in-richland-near-vantage-exit/article_d32872da-2ee4-11ed-a214-c7d72f286143.html | 2022-09-07T21:58:25Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/fire-closes-i-182-in-richland-near-vantage-exit/article_d32872da-2ee4-11ed-a214-c7d72f286143.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PASCO, Wash.-
Around 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, Pasco Police responded to reports of a shooting at the Stop and Go gas station at 221 S. 10th Avenue.
According to the Pasco Police Department, officers found a victim with a gunshot wound to the face. The victim was transported to the hospital with a graze wound to the cheek.
Shortly after the shooting, a suspect was found in the 900 block of Ainsworth in Pasco. He was arrested on suspicion of assault in the first degree.
This is a developing story, which means information could change. We are working to report timely and accurate information as we get it. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/pasco-pd-responds-to-shooting-at-stop-and-go/article_c32e441a-2ee7-11ed-9343-8788bc2c4491.html | 2022-09-07T21:58:31Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/pasco-pd-responds-to-shooting-at-stop-and-go/article_c32e441a-2ee7-11ed-9343-8788bc2c4491.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING...
...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AGAIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 610 East Slopes of Central
Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon
Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, 690 Kittitas
Valley and 691 Lower Columbia Basin.
* WINDS...North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 15 percent.
* IMPACTS...Unstable and dry conditions with gusty winds could
cause enhanced fire weather behavior and allow existing fires
to more easily spread.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.
&&
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING...
...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AGAIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 610 East Slopes of Central
Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon
Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, 690 Kittitas
Valley and 691 Lower Columbia Basin.
* WINDS...North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 15 percent.
* IMPACTS...Unstable and dry conditions with gusty winds could
cause enhanced fire weather behavior and allow existing fires
to more easily spread.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.
&& | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/toxic-algae-at-mcnary-wildlife-refuge/article_7a41d940-2eee-11ed-90ba-ef2d669dac5b.html | 2022-09-07T21:58:37Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/toxic-algae-at-mcnary-wildlife-refuge/article_7a41d940-2eee-11ed-90ba-ef2d669dac5b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PA Cyber students excelled in College Board assessments and schoolwork to earn these awards, which colleges use to identify academically competitive underrepresented students.
MIDLAND, Pa., Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Two PA Cyber students have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs provide underrepresented students with the opportunity to meaningfully connect with colleges and scholarship programs, and, ultimately, to stand out in their attempts to secure admissions and scholarships. Colleges and scholarship programs identify students awarded National African American, Hispanic, Indigenous and/or Rural/Small Town Recognition through College Board's Student Search Service.
Ruchoma "Rookie" Solomon received the National Rural and Small Town Award from the College Board. A resident of Elkins Park, she is an eleventh grader who has been with PA Cyber since fifth grade.
John Shidemantle also received the National Rural and Small Town Award. He applied for the award while a sophomore at PA Cyber and is now a junior at Blackhawk High School in Chippewa Township.
"We're thrilled that our students have earned this prestigious recognition. We are very proud of them for their academic achievements both in their classes and on their College Board assessments," said PA Cyber's CEO Brian Hayden. "These great programs help students from underrepresented backgrounds stand out to colleges during admissions."
To be eligible for an award, students must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher; have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10, or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams; and be African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latinx, Indigenous, and/or attend school in a rural area or small town.
Eligible students are invited to apply during their sophomore or junior year. Winners are awarded at the beginning of the next school year, in time to include the recognition on their college and scholarship applications.
"We honor the hard work of these students through the College Board National Recognition Programs. This program creates a way for colleges and scholarship programs to connect directly with underrepresented students," said Tarlin Ray, College Board senior vice president of BigFuture. "We hope the award winners and their families celebrate this high honor as they plan for their big future."
Serving students in kindergarten through 12th grade, the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School is one of the largest, most experienced, and most successful online public schools in the nation. PA Cyber's online learning environments, personalized instructional methods, and curricula choices connect Pennsylvania students and families with state-certified and highly qualified teachers and rich academic content aligned to state standards. Founded in 2000, PA Cyber is headquartered in Midland (Beaver County) and maintains a network of support offices throughout the state. As a public school, PA Cyber is open for enrollment to any school-age child residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and does not charge tuition to students or families.
Media Contact: Jennie Harris
jennie.harris@pacyber.org
724-313-5842
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber) | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/pa-cyber-students-awarded-academic-honors-college-board-national-recognition-programs/ | 2022-09-07T21:58:40Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/07/pa-cyber-students-awarded-academic-honors-college-board-national-recognition-programs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING...
...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AGAIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 610 East Slopes of Central
Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon
Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, 690 Kittitas
Valley and 691 Lower Columbia Basin.
* WINDS...North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 15 percent.
* IMPACTS...Unstable and dry conditions with gusty winds could
cause enhanced fire weather behavior and allow existing fires
to more easily spread.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.
&&
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING...
...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AGAIN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR610, OR639, OR641, WA690, AND WA691...
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 610 East Slopes of Central
Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon
Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon, 690 Kittitas
Valley and 691 Lower Columbia Basin.
* WINDS...North 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 15 percent.
* IMPACTS...Unstable and dry conditions with gusty winds could
cause enhanced fire weather behavior and allow existing fires
to more easily spread.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.
A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.
&& | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/us-marshalls-help-pasco-pd-arrest-shooting-suspect/article_bcfc274c-2ee2-11ed-9f7c-af626fb90c57.html | 2022-09-07T21:58:43Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/us-marshalls-help-pasco-pd-arrest-shooting-suspect/article_bcfc274c-2ee2-11ed-9f7c-af626fb90c57.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ZILLAH, Wash.-
The Zillah Police Department responded to a home invasion in the 500 block of Merclyn Lane on Wednesday morning.
There was a heavy police presence in the area and Zillah schools were locked down from about 10:50 a.m. to 11:56 a.m.
The Zillah Police Chief confirmed that a K9 unit was tracking from the residence and they were looking for a male suspect.
This is a developing story, which means information could change. We are working to report timely and accurate information as we get it. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/zillah-police-looking-for-home-invasion-suspect/article_3d6feee6-2ef1-11ed-8ef9-e39d8090ff9b.html | 2022-09-07T21:58:49Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/zillah-police-looking-for-home-invasion-suspect/article_3d6feee6-2ef1-11ed-8ef9-e39d8090ff9b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONDON (AP) — Liz Truss’s new Cabinet is Britain’s most diverse ever, with women serving as prime minister and deputy prime minister and Black and South Asian politicians filling many of the top jobs.
While they come from different backgrounds, the new ministers share Truss’ small-state, free-market economic views and staunch support for Britain’s exit from the European Union.
The government’s diversity reflects years of work by the right-of-center Conservative Party to shake its “pale, male and stale” image. Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who was party leader between 2005 and 2016, made a push to draft diverse candidate shortlists for winnable seats.
The drive has transformed the upper tiers of a party whose 172,000-strong national membership remains overwhelmingly white and largely male. Among Tory legislators, 24% are women and 6% belong to ethnic minorities. The main opposition Labour Party is more diverse — and gets more support from non-white voters — but has yet to have a leader who wasn’t a white man. Truss is the third female Conservative prime minister.
Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, noted that British politics has become more diverse in terms of class and gender, but narrower in terms of class. More than 90% of Britons go to state schools, but most of Truss’s Cabinet was privately educated.
“We have seen an almost complete disappearance of people from working-class backgrounds,” Bale told the BBC.
Here’s a look at key players in Truss’s government:
CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER KWASI KWARTENG
Britain’s first Black Treasury chief is a long-time friend and ally of Truss. A decade ago they were co-authors of the political treatise “Britannia Unchained,” which notoriously included the claim that British workers are “among the worst idlers in the world.”
Born in London to Ghanaian parents, Kwarteng was educated at Eton College – the elite private school attended by multiple prime ministers including Boris Johnson – and Cambridge University. Holding a Ph.D. in economic history, Kwarteng is regarded as one of the party’s intellectual heavyweights.
He will be crucial to the government’s response to a cost-of-living crisis fueled by soaring energy prices. Truss has promised help for families and businesses struggling to pay their bills, but both she and Kwarteng favor tax cuts over direct handouts.
FOREIGN SECRETARY JAMES CLEVERLY
Cleverly, the son of a white British father and Sierra Leonean mother, is a former soldier in Britain’s military reserves who was elected to Parliament in 2015.
Widely seen as pragmatic and affable, he has held Foreign Office posts as Europe and Middle East minister and was education secretary in the final weeks of Johnson’s government. Now he has been promoted to foreign secretary, the first Black politician to serve as Britain’s top diplomat.
HOME SECRETARY SUELLA BRAVERMAN
Britain’s new interior minister, responsible for immigration and law and order, is a Cambridge-educated lawyer firmly on the right of the Conservative Party. The youngest-ever home secretary at 42, Braverman was born in London to Indian parents who moved to Britain from Kenya and Mauritius.
She supports her predecessor Priti Patel’s controversial plan to send some asylum-seekers arriving in the U.K. on a one-way trip to Rwanda. She has also called for more immigration detention centers to hold migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats.
Braverman, who served as attorney general under Johnson, has accused the courts of meddling in politics and has said Britain should leave the European Convention on Human Rights. Like several other members of the new government, she has adopted divisive “anti-woke” positions on cultural issues and has compared diversity training for civil servants to medieval witch trials.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER THERESE COFFEY
Coffey, a key Truss ally, has been appointed health secretary and deputy prime minister, the first woman in the deputy job.
She will face the vital task of shoring up Britain’s overstretched National Health Service. A practicing Catholic who has voted against liberalizing access to abortion, Coffey says she won’t seek “to undo any aspects of abortion laws” despite her own beliefs.
Other senior ministers include Iraq-born Nadhim Zahawi, who held several Cabinet jobs under Johnson and is now minister for intergovernmental relations; and Kemi Badenoch, a rising star of the party’s right whose parents are Nigerian. She has been appointed trade secretary.
Politicians carrying over from Johnson’s government include Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who keeps his key role overseeing U.K. support for Ukraine, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, an arch Brexiteer and figurehead of the party’s right wing who has been dubbed “the honorable member for the 18th century” because of his formal dress, ornate rhetoric and conservative views.
The appointment of Rees-Mogg as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has alarmed environmentalists because of his support for more North Sea oil and gas exploration and skepticism about Britain’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-new-uk-cabinet-is-diverse-in-makeup-and-solidly-on-the-right/ | 2022-09-07T21:59:15Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-new-uk-cabinet-is-diverse-in-makeup-and-solidly-on-the-right/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to completely cut energy supplies to the West if it tries to cap prices of Russian exports. He also vowed to press on with Moscow’s military action in Ukraine until it achieves its goals.
Speaking at an annual economic forum in the far-eastern port city of Vladivostok, Putin scoffed at the EU plans for a cap on Russian oil and gas prices as a “stupid” idea that “will only lead to a hike in prices.”
“An attempt to limit prices by administrative means is just ravings, it’s sheer nonsense,” Putin said. “If they try to implement that dumb decision, it will entail nothing good for those who will make it.”
He warned that such a move by the EU would represent a clear breach of the existing contracts, saying that Russia could respond by turning off the faucets.
“Will they make political decisions violating the contracts?” he said. “In that case, we will just halt supplies if it contradicts our economic interests. We won’t supply any gas, oil, diesel oil or coal.”
The Russian leader charged that Russia will easily find enough customers in Asia to shift its energy exports away from Europe. “The demand is so high on global markets that we won’t have any problem selling it,” he said.
Putin added that “those who try to force something on us aren’t in a position today to dictate their will,” pointing at protests in the West against rising energy prices.
Just hours before it was due to resume natural gas deliveries to Germany on Friday after a three-day stoppage for repairs, Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom gas giant claimed it couldn’t do so until oil leaks in turbines are fixed. German officials and engineers refuted that claim.
The Kremlin blamed the suspension of supplies on Western sanctions against Gazprom, charging that they hamper normal maintenance of the pipeline’s equipment and signaling that supplies may not resume until the restrictions are lifted. EU officials rejected the claim as a cover for a political power play.
Putin dismissed the EU’s argument that Russia was using energy as a weapon by suspending gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany, charging that the sanctions made the pipeline turbine unsafe to operate. “They have driven themselves into deadlock with sanctions,” he said.
He repeated that Moscow stands ready to start pumping gas “as early as tomorrow” through the Nord Stream 2, which has been put on hold by the German authorities.
Turning to Ukraine, Putin declared again that the main goal behind sending troops into Ukraine was protecting civilians after eight years of fighting in the country’s east.
“It wasn’t us who started the military action, we are trying to put an end to it,” Putin said, repeating his long-held argument that he ordered the military action to protect Moscow-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, which have fought Ukrainian forces in the conflict that erupted in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
“All our action has been aimed at helping people living in the Donbas, it’s our duty and we will fulfill it until the end,” he said. “In the longer run, it will help strengthen our country both domestically and internationally.”
Putin emphasized that Russia will keep protecting its sovereignty in the face of what he described as an attempt by the U.S. and its allies to preserve their global domination, saying that “the world mustn’t be founded on the diktat of one country that deemed itself the representative of the almighty or even higher and based its policies on its perceived exclusivity.”
The Russian leader acknowledged that the national economy will shrink by 2% this year, but said that the economic and financial situation in Russia has stabilized, consumer prices inflation has slowed down and unemployment has remained low.
“Russia has resisted the economic, financial and technological aggression of the West,” Putin said. “There has been a certain polarization in the world and inside the country, but I view it as a positive thing. Everything unnecessary, harmful, everything that has prevented us from going forward will be rejected.”
Commenting on scores of critical media outlets being forced to shut down after the start of the military campaign in Ukraine following the passage of a new law that criminalized any reporting on military action that differs from the official line, Putin said their reporters were happy to leave the country.
“They were always working against our country while they were here, and now they happily moved out,” he said.
Russia’s top independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, was among the outlets that were forced to shut down under official pressure. On Monday, a court in Moscow upheld a motion from Russian authorities to revoke its license.
Dmitry Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor-in-chief of the newspaper, called the ruling on Monday “political” and “not having the slightest legal basis.”
Putin sought to slight Muratov’s prize, describing it as politically driven and, in a side jab, compared it to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama while he was the U.S. president.
“We had business-like relations with President Obama, but what did they give him the Nobel prize for?” Putin said. “What did he do to help protect peace? I mean, those military operations in some regions of the world that the president conducted.”
Commenting on the European Union’s decision to make it harder for Russian citizens to enter the 27-nation bloc, Putin said that Russia won’t respond in kind and will continue to welcome visitors.
“We aren’t going to halt contacts, and those who do it, they isolate themselves and not us,” he said. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-putin-mocks-west-says-russia-will-press-on-in-ukraine/ | 2022-09-07T21:59:29Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-putin-mocks-west-says-russia-will-press-on-in-ukraine/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ukraine’s president says tons of grain from his country will arrive in the coming weeks in Somalia, where famine approaches and the global crises of food security and climate change put millions at risk.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s comment came as Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses the West of sending most of the grain from Ukraine’s reopened ports to Europe instead of poorer and hungrier parts of the world.
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok on Wednesday, Putin suggested that Russia may talk with Turkey about revising the deal that lifted Russia’s blockade on Ukrainian ports and allowed ships safe passage. Russia has alleged this before, but this is the first time Putin has echoed it.
“With the exclusion of Turkey as a mediator, practically all the grain exported from Ukraine was sent to the (European Union) nations instead of the poorest countries,” Putin said, adding: “Maybe it’s worth thinking about restricting the exports of grain and other products on that route? I will certainly discuss the issue with the president of Turkey.”
The Russian president said of 87 ships loaded with grain from Ukraine, just two have carried grain for the U.N. World Food Program — 60,000 tons out of the total of about 2 million tons.
The first of those ships docked at the port of Djibouti last week with grain that WFP said would go to drought-affected Somalia and Ethiopia. It carried 23,000 metric tons of grain, which WFP called enough to feed 1.5 million people on full rations for a month.
Somalia especially needs help. The country had sourced 90% of its wheat from Ukraine and Russia before this year. It now suffers from a shortage of food and humanitarian aid as thousands of people die and the world largely focuses on Ukraine. On Monday, the U.N. cited “concrete indications” that famine will occur in part of the country, with over 850,000 people affected.
The Ukrainian president in a tweet Tuesday night said 28,600 tons of wheat will arrive in Somalia in the coming weeks and blamed the coming famine in that country on Russia’s actions this year.
“Ukraine continues to save the world with its grain,” Zelenskyy asserted.
African nations were at the center of Western efforts to reopen Ukraine’s ports as the United States and allies accused Russia of starving the world by denying exports from Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters. African leaders also visited Russia to meet with Putin over the issue.
But now, Russia is trying to turn the food security issue question against the West. “They cheated the public and partners in Africa and other regions who acutely need food,” Putin said. “They were claiming that they were acting in the interests of developing countries, but acted entirely in their own interests.”
The Joint Coordination Center, run by the U.N., Turkey, Russia and Ukraine, in an email to The Associated Press said 100 outbound ships, almost all of them commercial vessels, have left Ukrainian ports so far carrying more than 2.3 million metric tons.
Breaking down the shipments by continent, the JCC said 47% of the cargo has been sent from Ukraine to Asia, with 20% of that to Turkey — a popular destination as a major miller of wheat. The JCC said 36% of cargo has been sent to Europe and 17% to Africa, with 10% of that amount to Egypt alone. Smaller amounts have gone to Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti.
“Ultimate destinations of vessels and their cargo is governed by commercial activity,” the JCC said. It added that a third WFP-chartered vessel was anchored at Istanbul on Wednesday with plans to collect more wheat from Ukraine.
Food security experts have said many of the shipments are deliveries on existing contracts that had been struck before Russia’s actions.
The JCC said the cargo from Ukraine breaks down as 57% corn, 22% wheat, 11% sunflower products, 7% barley and rapeseed, 1 % soya beans, and 4% “other.”
___
Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-ukraine-says-grain-coming-to-somalia-but-russia-skeptical/ | 2022-09-07T21:59:57Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-ukraine-says-grain-coming-to-somalia-but-russia-skeptical/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Former United Nations Ambassador Kelly Craft launched her long-anticipated campaign for Kentucky governor on Wednesday, saying the state’s “best days are ahead of us” as she joined a crowded lineup of Republicans competing to challenge Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear next year.
Craft quickly landed a key endorsement from U.S. Rep. James Comer, who represents a conservative western Kentucky district.
“I’m all in for her,” Comer told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “She has a work ethic that’s second to none. … And I’m pretty confident that within 30 days she’ll be at the top of the polling. And I feel like she’s got what it takes to close the deal and not just win the primary but become our next governor.”
Craft spent years cultivating connections within the GOP as she and her husband, coal magnate Joe Craft, donated millions of dollars to Republican candidates. That gives her advantages as she transitions from party activist to political candidate — she enters the fray with the ability to tap into her family’s wealth to finance her campaign and a resume from Republican Donald Trump’s presidency.
But Trump has already endorsed another GOP candidate in the race — Attorney General Daniel Cameron — and Beshear’s campaign portrayed Craft as “out-of-touch” with Kentucky’s voters while touting the governor’s economic stewardship and handling of tornado and flood disasters.
Craft pointed to her Kentucky roots in a campaign announcement that offered broad themes rather than policy positions.
“I’m running for governor because I know our best days are ahead of us,” Craft said in a news release. “This movement is for all of us who still believe that we can lead in education, that government doesn’t get a seat at our kitchen table and that our kids should grow up in safe neighborhoods.”
For more than a year, political insiders from both major parties in Kentucky had wondered if, or when, Craft would enter the hotly contested GOP primary for governor. The party votes are in May 2023 and the general election is in November 2023, but some of her GOP rivals have already secured dozens of endorsements.
While Craft is well-known in political circles, she’ll need to build name recognition with the Kentucky electorate. She began with an introductory video describing a rural upbringing that led to boardrooms and the United Nations.
“People said I was just some small-town girl, but my dad showed me that it’s where I’m from that got me to where I am today,” Craft, a veterinarian’s daughter, said in the video.
Beshear’s campaign quickly tried to shape its own narrative, casting Craft as an outsider.
“We welcome Kelly Craft to both Kentucky and to the governor’s race,” Beshear campaign strategist Eric Hyers said in a statement. “She’s an out-of-touch billionaire who … will likely spend millions and millions of dollars to try to convince Kentuckians she cares about them.”
Hyers said Craft was a leading financial backer for the campaign of Kentucky’s last Republican governor, Matt Bevin, who was narrowly ousted by Beshear in 2019.
Another GOP gubernatorial candidate, state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, didn’t name Craft in his response to her entry.
“All the candidates in this race are friends of mine and I expect a spirited primary,” Quarles said in a statement. “We are focused on building a grassroots, people-first campaign that unites Kentucky.”
Trump first appointed Craft as U.S. ambassador to Canada, where she played a role in facilitating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Trump’s long-sought revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The updated trade deal has benefited workers, farmers and businesses in Kentucky and across the country, Craft’s campaign release said Wednesday.
In 2019, Trump appointed Craft to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
But her connections with Trump, who easily carried Kentucky in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, were neutralized by the former president’s endorsement this year of Cameron’s bid for governor in the Bluegrass State. Cameron’s campaign debuted a digital ad Wednesday touting the Trump endorsement.
Other GOP candidates for governor include state Auditor Mike Harmon and state Rep. Savannah Maddox. Maddox has been endorsed by Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, who represents a northern Kentucky district.
Craft was born in Lexington — the state’s second-largest city — and was raised on her family’s farm near Glasgow in south-central Kentucky.
The Crafts have been major donors in supporting academic initiatives and institutions in the state, and she stressed her commitment to education in her campaign rollout. She pledged to direct “maximum financial resources” to support education, calling it the “most important duty” for government, while cautioning that it “has to be in partnership with parents.”
Kentucky has tilted decidedly toward the GOP in recent years, but Beshear has consistently received strong approval ratings from Kentuckians in polls.
The Democratic governor is expected to highlight his management of the state’s economy in asking voters for a second term. Kentucky has posted records for job creation and investments during his term and has recorded its lowest-ever unemployment rates.
Beshear also has won bipartisan praise for his administration’s responses to epic natural disasters — tornadoes that tore through western Kentucky last December and historic flooding that swamped parts of eastern Kentucky in late July. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/politics/ap-trump-ambassador-kelly-craft-joins-kentucky-governor-race/ | 2022-09-07T22:00:59Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/politics/ap-trump-ambassador-kelly-craft-joins-kentucky-governor-race/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A closely watched experimental drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease got an unusual second look from U.S. regulators on Wednesday, following intense pressure to approve the treatment for those with the fatal illness.
Patients and their families have rallied behind the drug from Amylyx Pharma, launching an aggressive lobbying campaign and enlisting members of Congress to push the Food and Drug Administration to grant approval.
The FDA has approved only two therapies for the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which destroys nerve cells needed for basic functions like walking, talking and swallowing. The more effective of the two drugs extends life by several months.
In a rare move, the FDA convened a second meeting of neurology advisers who narrowly voted against the company's drug in March. The panel was reviewing new statistical analyses from Amylyx and planned to vote again on whether to recommend approval. The FDA is not required to follow's the group's guidance.
An internal review by FDA scientists posted ahead of the meeting struck a negative tone, concluding that the company's updated analysis was not “persuasive” and provided “no new data.” On the other hand, the FDA's instructions to the panel stressed the need for regulatory flexibility when considering drugs for deadly diseases.
A final FDA decision is expected later this month.
Dr. Billy Dunn, FDA's neurology review director, opened the meeting by noting the “concerns and limitations” with Amylyx's data, while emphasizing the need for new options for patients.
“We are highly sensitive to the urgent need for the development of new treatments for ALS,” Dunn said. “We have not made any final decisions on the approvability of this application.”
Dunn also noted that a larger study being conducted by Amylyx could provide “more definitive results” of the drug's effectiveness by 2024.
The ALS drug review is being closely watched as an indicator of FDA's flexibility in reviewing experimental medications for the terminally ill and its ability to withstand outside pressure.
“We’re here because there’s a lot of pressure,” said Diana Zuckerman of the nonprofit National Center for Health Research, which analyzes data and conducts medical research. “FDA is going the extra mile by saying you can have another meeting, but the company responded by giving them no new data.”
Amylyx conducted one small, mid-stage trial of its drug that showed some benefit in slowing the disease, but was plagued by missing data and other problems, according to FDA reviewers.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts, company says follow-up data gathered after the study showed the drug extended life. Patients who continued taking the drug survived about 10 months longer than patients who never took the drug, according to a new company analysis.
But FDA scientists said in their review that the new approach “suffers from the same interpretability challenges” as the original study.
On Wednesday, the FDA will again hear from patients and advocacy groups, such as I AM ALS, which has lobbied for more than two years to make the drug available.
“We have a drug that the entire ALS community is behind. Patients, clinicians, researchers all support this because of what we’ve seen in data from the trial,” said I AM ALS co-founder Brian Wallach, speaking through an interpreter. “That’s not the case with every drug.”
Amylyx’s medication comes as a powder that combines two older drugs: one prescription medication for liver disorders and a dietary supplement used in traditional Chinese medicine. Wallach and some other ALS patients already take the dietary supplement.
Hanging over the review is FDA’s controversial approval of the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm last year, which was reviewed by the same agency scientists and outside advisers.
In that case, the FDA disregarded the overwhelmingly negative vote by its outside advisers, three of whom resigned over the decision. The FDA approval — which followed irregular meetings with drugmaker Biogen — is under investigation by congressional committees and federal inspectors. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/als-drug-gets-rare-second-review-at-high-stakes-fda-meeting | 2022-09-07T22:01:18Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/als-drug-gets-rare-second-review-at-high-stakes-fda-meeting | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As Dr. Kenyani Davis makes her rounds at the Community Health Center in Buffalo, New York, she is still trying to process it all, after a mass shooter murdered 10 members of the neighborhood she serves.
"It's a community that got affected, especially when you're talking about a hate crime," Dr. Davis said. "It was every emotion at once."
In the days that followed, her team got to work — something they have always done.
"If they needed us in a medical component, we were there," Dr. Davis said. "If they needed us as community leaders, we were there. If they needed us as friends, if they needed us just to create an open space, we were there."
Across the city, other organizations recognized the need for mental health services, too.
"We were in the crowd with the community in front of Tops praying, crying, just being there, an ear for them to to express themselves," said Melissa Archer, New York Project Hope program coordinator.
When it came to treatment, Archer, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, noticed people on the city's east side, made up of mostly Black residents, were hesitant to seek help.
"People want to see people that look like them so that they don't have to explain certain things they feel," Archer said.
SEE MORE: What Buffalo, NY Is Like Two Months After Tops Mass Shooting
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only one in three Black adults with mental illness receives treatment.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness say that's mostly due to socioeconomic challenges, stigma surrounding mental illness and mistrust of the medical industry. Black people are often victims of health care bias when those providing the treatment lack cultural awareness.
"I think one of these things that this event has shed light on and empower people to do is to speak the truth," Dr. Davis said. "When we were there, we had people saying, 'We are angry at White people."
For community leaders in Buffalo, that meant offering more counselors with shared experiences and cultures.
Part of the healing process means meeting people where they are, and for some mental health professionals, that meant setting up shop two minutes from where the incident took place.
The Buffalo Urban League team says the numbers have increased since moving into the neighborhood and making more Black counselors readily available, all thanks to temporary funding from FEMA through New York Project Hope.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of racial/ethnic minorities within the psychologist workforce more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, increasing 166%. However, researchers predict that increase will still be inadequate to meet the demands of minority patients.
In the meantime, doctors there say they'll continue to stand in the gap for as long as possible.
Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/buffalo-tragedy-highlights-need-for-black-mental-health-care-workers | 2022-09-07T22:01:24Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/buffalo-tragedy-highlights-need-for-black-mental-health-care-workers | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 13 |
As Dr. Kenyani Davis makes her rounds at the Community Health Center in Buffalo, New York, she is still trying to process it all, after a mass shooter murdered 10 members of the neighborhood she serves.
"It's a community that got affected, especially when you're talking about a hate crime," Dr. Davis said. "It was every emotion at once."
In the days that followed, her team got to work — something they have always done.
"If they needed us in a medical component, we were there," Dr. Davis said. "If they needed us as community leaders, we were there. If they needed us as friends, if they needed us just to create an open space, we were there."
Across the city, other organizations recognized the need for mental health services, too.
"We were in the crowd with the community in front of Tops praying, crying, just being there, an ear for them to to express themselves," said Melissa Archer, New York Project Hope program coordinator.
When it came to treatment, Archer, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, noticed people on the city's east side, made up of mostly Black residents, were hesitant to seek help.
"People want to see people that look like them so that they don't have to explain certain things they feel," Archer said.
SEE MORE: What Buffalo, NY Is Like Two Months After Tops Mass Shooting
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only one in three Black adults with mental illness receives treatment.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness say that's mostly due to socioeconomic challenges, stigma surrounding mental illness and mistrust of the medical industry. Black people are often victims of health care bias when those providing the treatment lack cultural awareness.
"I think one of these things that this event has shed light on and empower people to do is to speak the truth," Dr. Davis said. "When we were there, we had people saying, 'We are angry at White people."
For community leaders in Buffalo, that meant offering more counselors with shared experiences and cultures.
Part of the healing process means meeting people where they are, and for some mental health professionals, that meant setting up shop two minutes from where the incident took place.
The Buffalo Urban League team says the numbers have increased since moving into the neighborhood and making more Black counselors readily available, all thanks to temporary funding from FEMA through New York Project Hope.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of racial/ethnic minorities within the psychologist workforce more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, increasing 166%. However, researchers predict that increase will still be inadequate to meet the demands of minority patients.
In the meantime, doctors there say they'll continue to stand in the gap for as long as possible.
Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/buffalo-tragedy-highlights-need-for-black-mental-health-care-workers | 2022-09-07T22:01:24Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/buffalo-tragedy-highlights-need-for-black-mental-health-care-workers | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 13 |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid has offered his apology to 5-year-old Ariel Young, the girl seriously injured in an alleged DWI-related crash in last February.
On Tuesday, Reid's attorney J.R. Hobbs said in a statement provided to NBC affiliate KSHB that his client plans to enter a plea of guilty to charges of DWI causing a serious injury.
“He sincerely regrets his conduct and hopes and prays for the continued recovery of [Ariel Young],” the statement reads.
Reid, the son of Chiefs coach Andy Reid, allegedly had been drinking before he left Truman Sports Complex and caused a three-vehicle crash shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2021, on an interstate on-ramp near Arrowhead Stadium.
After the crash, Reid told police officers who arrived at the scene that he had two to three drinks, according to a KCPD search warrant. He was driving approximately 83 mph shortly before the crash, according to police.
Ariel suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash. The Chiefs later agreed to cover her medical expenses in November 2021.
"Mr. Reid sincerely apologies to AY (Ariel Young) and her family, and to his own family," Hobbs said in a statement. "He also extends his deep apologies to the Hunt family, the Chiefs organization, and Chiefs Kingdom. Mr. Reid is sorry for his actions and hopes that his plea brings some sense of justice to all those he affected."
The attorney for the family of Ariel Young also issued a statement.
"The five victims of this crime are relieved that the defendant has chosen to plead guilty and are hopeful that the defendant receives the maximum sentence allowable by law," Tom Porto, the attorney for the victims, said in the statement to KSHB.
Reid was scheduled to stand trial on the DWI charge beginning Sept. 26.
He could face up to seven years in prison. After reviewing a sentencing advisory report, a judge will decide a sentence for Reid.
In the past, Reid has spent time in jail on weapons and drug charges and had a prior DUI conviction while living in Pennsylvania.
Reid joined the Chiefs before the 2013 season after his father was hired.
The Chiefs did not renew his contract after the crash, which occurred only a few days before Kansas City played at Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV.
Reid started as a defensive quality control assistant for the Chiefs from 2013-14. He was promoted to assistant defensive line coach in 2015, became the defensive line coach from 2016-18, and served as outside linebackers coach from 2019-20. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/former-chiefs-assistant-pleads-guilty-in-dwi-case-that-injured-girl | 2022-09-07T22:01:36Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/former-chiefs-assistant-pleads-guilty-in-dwi-case-that-injured-girl | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The mystery of who killed a Michigan woman 33 years ago was solved thanks to the help of a new type of genealogy technology.
The Norton Shores Police Department said Stacey Lyn Chahorski of Norton Shores, Michigan, was reported missing by her mother in January 1989 after she last spoke to her on the phone on Sept. 15, 1988.
In a news release, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said authorities found a woman's body in Dane County on Dec. 16, 1988, near the Alabama state line on Interstate 59.
The identity of the body went unknown for years.
It wasn't until this past March that the body found in Georgia was identified as belonging to Chahorski, the police department said.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, she was able to be identified by using a new type of genealogy technology.
"Detectives with the Norton Shores Police Department were able to collect a fingerprint card in 2010 from relatives, which ultimately led to her positive identification after being contacted by authorities in Georgia," police said in a news release.
But the next question to answer was, who killed her?
On Tuesday, that question was answered.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that they identified Chahorski's killer as Henry Fredrick "Hoss" Wise through genealogy DNA.
According to the bureau, Wise, who was 34 at the time of her death in 1988, was a truck driver and stunt driver.
In the news release, the bureau said Wise died in 1999 when he burned to death after getting into a car accident at the Myrtle Beach Speedway in South Carolina.
The bureau said Wise's criminal history spanned across Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina but his arrests, which ranged from theft to assault, predated mandatory DNA testing after a felony arrest. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/killer-of-michigan-woman-missing-33-years-identified-with-genealogy-technology | 2022-09-07T22:01:42Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/killer-of-michigan-woman-missing-33-years-identified-with-genealogy-technology | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What is a healthy school lunch?
Cafeteria lunches in most schools aren’t the healthiest meals. They’re often ultra-processed and loaded with hidden sugars according to The Hill, not to mention just plain gross in the worst-case scenario. Packing your child’s lunch is the best way to ensure their health, happiness and ability to focus and succeed in class.
But what does a healthy school lunch look like? It’s easy to pack your child’s lunch bag with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some chips and a juice box, but that has all the same issues as cafeteria food. Don’t stress. It’s surprisingly straightforward to pack a healthy lunch.
The six sections of a healthy lunch
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a healthy school lunch is made up of six sections.
Proteins
Protein can come from many foods, though it chiefly comes from meats and nuts. Don’t overload the meal with protein; include just enough to be satisfying, but not enough that your child can only eat the protein and skip the rest. Some examples of healthy proteins are:
- Grilled chicken
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Unsalted mixed seeds and nuts
Grains
Grains are typically included as something to eat the other sections of the meal with. Think crackers that go with cheese and pita bread for hummus. As with proteins, grains should be limited; you want them to run out of crackers and pita before they run out of cheese and hummus.
Fruits
Think of the fruit section as the dessert of the meal; just like dessert (and grains and proteins) don’t go too crazy here. That said, it doesn’t hurt to put in some extra now and then as a treat. Don’t forget about dried fruits either. They go especially well with nuts.
Vegetables
The vegetable section is the only section where it doesn’t hurt if you include a little extra. But don’t be that parent that only includes raw vegetables. Lightly roasting veggies, such as bell peppers and broccoli, makes them taste much better and doesn’t strip them of any nutrients.
Snacks
Kids can be ravenous creatures, especially when they’re taxing their minds to the limit. They’re going to get hungry before and after lunch, so it’s always wise to include a healthy snack. Some examples of healthy snacks are:
- Popcorn — it can be lightly buttered and salted, but don’t go crazy.
- Trail mix without candy
- Granola without sugar
Drinks
The best drink is always water. But water is boring, for adults and especially for kids, so packing the odd low-fat milk bottle or small juice box once or twice a week is acceptable.
What are the best lunch bags and boxes to buy?
This is the best lunch bag thanks to its insulated lining and huge 15-liter capacity that can hold up to 24 12-ounce soda cans. Two ways of carrying it, two mesh side pockets and a zippered front pocket for utensils don’t hurt either. Sold by Amazon
This is the best budget lunch bag thanks to its roomy and insulated interior that can hold up to 16 12-ounce soda cans. It also has large, comfortable handles, a zippered front pocket for utensils and comes in five colors. Sold by Amazon
This is the best lunch box due to its special closed-cell foam insulation and Thermosnap magnetic closure that keeps food secure and safe. It also weighs only 1.1 pounds and comes in 12 colors. Sold by Amazon and Dick’s Sporting Goods
Bentgo Kids Bento-Style Lunch Box
This is not only the best budget lunch box, but also the best way to carefully portion out the foods you pack. It’s also leakproof, dishwasher-safe and has a two-year warranty. It also comes in six bright colors. Sold by Amazon, Kohl’s and Macy’s
What are the best thermoses to buy?
Stanley Classic Wide-Mouth Bottle
This is the thermos you need if it’s a cold day and you want to make sure your child has the hottest of hot chocolates. It keeps liquids hot or cold for 24 hours and the lid doubles as a serving cup. Sold by Amazon
The brand that created the term “thermos” is also among the most affordable. It has a built-in straw that’s protected by the flipping lid and it can keep foods at temperature for up to 12 hours. Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Solid foods and chunky soups need special thermoses with wide mouths to make eating easier and this is among the best. It can keep food hot or cold for up to 12 hours and comes with a foldable spoon that’s stored in the lid. Sold by Amazon
This small 9-ounce thermos is perfect for the youngest kids thanks to its leak-proof design and the sweat-free and matte exterior to keep it from slipping from their hands. If it does slip, the stainless steel body will take little to no damage. Sold by Amazon
What are the best sandwich bags to buy?
This two-pack of 4-ounce reusable bags is perfect for saving money and lessening your impact on the environment while ensuring your child has a healthy, nutritious and safely stored sandwich ready to go. Sold by Amazon, Buy Buy Baby and Kohl’s
Qinline Reusable Food Storage Bags
If you have several children or just like to keep foods individually packaged then grab this 10-pack of bags. You can grab five sandwich bags and five snack bags or four sandwich bags, four snack bags and two gallon-size bags. Sold by Amazon
Ziploc Easy-Open Sandwich Bags
Ziploc is among the most trusted brands in disposable storage bags for several reasons including the tight and stable seal, plus the extra-tough plastic that’s hard to tear. This contains 580 bags at 4 cents a pop. Sold by Amazon
Ri Pac Fold-Top Sandwich and Snack Bags
This package contains 1,000 bags that are even cheaper than the Ziplocs at only 1.8 cents per piece. Plus, the fold-top takes less effort to both seal and open, which is perfect for those with less dexterity. Sold by Amazon
What are the best food storage containers to buy?
Rubbermaid 60-Piece Food Storage Containers
Never worry about what to pack your children’s food in again with this massive set that includes six half-cup, six 1.25-cup, six 2-cup, five 3-cup, four 5-cup, two 7-cup and one 9-cup containers with matching vented lids. Sold by Amazon
Promoze 50-Pack Meal Prep Food Containers
This set of 28-ounce containers is an excellent budget purchase as they can hold just about any type of food, have leakproof lids and are reusable and dishwasher-safe. They’re also recyclable if you prefer not to wash them. Sold by Amazon
Popit! Food Storage Container Set
If you’re worried about your child’s food storage containers opening in transit, then grab these snap-sealing containers. There are eight included and each is a different size, plus they’re dishwasher-safe. Sold by Amazon
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/lunch-boxes-br/how-to-pack-a-healthy-school-lunch/ | 2022-09-07T22:02:01Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/lunch-boxes-br/how-to-pack-a-healthy-school-lunch/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Which Adidas Predator cleats are best?
If you’re shopping for new soccer cleats, you might be wondering what the difference is between traditional Adidas cleats and those in the Predator line. Predators are engineered to give players superior ball control and efficient energy transfer for powerful shots.
There are many Predator cleats, but if you’re looking for a high-quality pair, the Adidas Predator Freak .1 FG Soccer Cleats are a top choice. They boast a sockfit collar for increased ankle support and have a rubber strike zone in the toe box and instep for improved power and control.
What to know before you buy Adidas Predator cleats
Size
Any cleats you wear should be comfortable enough to wear for an entire game without experiencing any soreness or developing blisters. Some cleats are inherently more comfortable than others, but you can maximize comfort by wearing the correct size.
Ideally, your cleats should have a snug fit so you can control the ball more easily, but they shouldn’t be too tight, as they might make you feel uncomfortable and hinder your performance. Avoid wearing too-large shoes, which can cause you to trip or fall.
Types of cleats
There are three types of soccer cleats: hard-ground, firm-ground and soft-ground.
- HG cleats are the most versatile, as they can be used on various surfaces, including turf and grass. They have several rubber nubs spread across the entire outsole for traction.
- FG cleats are the most common Predator cleats and have molded rubber or hard-plastic studs. They’re great for grass fields and all kinds of weather conditions.
- SG cleats have removable hard plastic or metal studs. They’re best suited for soft grass fields and wet or muddy conditions.
Predator evolution
Predators were first released in 1994 and are considered some of the best soccer cleats, but they go through a revision annually. All are excellent, but the Predator Edge and Freak cleats are made with the latest technology and are designed to provide unmatched comfort and ball control.
What to look for in quality Adidas Predator cleats
Zone Skin
Zone Skin is an intuitive feature found on the latest Predator cleats. It’s essentially an array of rubber grips or patches along the toe box and instep. These rubber ribs are designed to give players a smoother touch and help them get more spin and swerve behind the ball on powerful shots.
Facet Frame
Facet Frame is a design in which the forefoot is weighted, providing better traction and making agile movements easier to execute. This feature is convenient for speedy players and those who play on the wings, where quick bursts of speed are needed to outrun opponents.
Laceless design
Laced cleats are great as you can adjust their fit. Some players, though, prefer using laceless cleats, as they’re easier to put on and there’s less interference when dribbling the ball and executing powerful shots. Many Adidas Predator cleats are available in both laced and laceless designs, but the latter is usually slightly more expensive.
How much you can expect to spend on Adidas Predator cleats
The most expensive Predators, made with advanced technology and premium materials, cost $150-$300. However, if you’re a casual player, you can find a pair for $75-$150.
Adidas Predator cleats FAQ
How do I determine the correct size to wear?
A. Most soccer cleats have a slim build, but generally, it’s best to go a half size under or over your regular shoe size, depending on how snugly you want them to fit.
Are cleats with removable studs better than ones with molded cleats?
A. It’s a matter of preference, but cleats with removable studs let you customize them according to field conditions. However, molded cleats are generally more comfortable and affordable.
What are the best Adidas Predator cleats to buy?
Top Adidas Predator cleats
Adidas Predator Freak. 1 FG Soccer Cleats
What you need to know: These firm-ground cleats have an ultralight construction and offer superior traction and comfort.
What you’ll love: The upper runs from heel to toe for a responsive touch, and a two-piece collar provides extra ankle support and makes them easy to slip on. The laceless design offers a secure, locked-down fit, and they have a rubber strike zone for optimal ball control.
What you should consider: They have a slim build, and some customers complained about soreness before breaking them in.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Adidas
Top Adidas Predator cleats for the money
Adidas Predator Freak .3 FG Soccer Cleats
What you need to know: These are lightweight and designed for semi-competitive play, making them ideal for beginners and intermediate players.
What you’ll love: They have a coated mesh upper for improved breathability and a 3D Demonscale texture for superior ball touch and control. The mid-cut laced collar offers extra ankle support, and the durable thermoplastic polyurethane outsole provides excellent traction on dry grass.
What you should consider: They’re not as durable as other Predator cleats, and some reviewers found them difficult to put on.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Adidas
Worth checking out
Adidas Predator Edge.2 FG Soccer Cleats
What you need to know: These cleats are durable, have a stylish design and are suitable for players of all skill levels.
What you’ll love: The upper is made with soft-touch material, and the micro-texture provides superior touch. The mid-cut collar features four-way stretch material for a secure fit, and the rubber ribs along the toe box and in-step are designed to execute shots with greater power and control.
What you should consider: They have a wide-foot construction, so players with narrow feet may find them uncomfortable.
Where to buy: Sold by Dick’s Sporting Goods and Adidas
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Kevin Luna writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/reviews/br/sports-fitness-br/soccer-br/best-adidas-predator-cleats/ | 2022-09-07T22:02:14Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/reviews/br/sports-fitness-br/soccer-br/best-adidas-predator-cleats/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — The 2022 Spokane County Interstate Fair will bring three artists to its concert lineup during the fair festivities.
The theme for the 2022 Spokane County Interstate Fair is "All Systems Go." This year's concert artists include country singer Cole Swindell, country musician Elle King and rapper Nelly.
All three concert tickets include a no-cost fair admission ticket if purchased before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 8. The gate admission ticket is no longer included with concert ticket purchase at 11:59 p.m. that day.
Here's who you can expect to see at the Spokane County Interstate Fair:
Monday, Sept. 12: Cole Swindell
Grammy-nominated country artist Cole Swindell will be one of the three artists headlining this year at the Spokane Fairgrounds.
He will be performing on Monday, Sep. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Spokane County Interstate Fair.
Ticket prices range from $30 to $75.
Swindell is a Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum rising superstar who has toured with country music superstars including Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line. He officially became a headliner on his Reason To Drink Tours in 2018.
Fans will enjoy hit songs like “You Should Be Here,” "Never Say Never," "Single Saturday Night," and "Middle of a Memory.".
Swindell has played on some of the biggest stages in the world, including the first-ever live radio and TV broadcast from the 57th-floor terrace of 4 World Trade Center, overlooking the Freedom Tower, where he performed his hit “You Should Be Here.”
Wednesday, Sept. 14: Elle King
Award-winning recording artist Elle King will perform on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Spokane Fairgrounds.
King is a multi-platinum, award-winning recording artist with more than 1.5 billion streams worldwide. King reunited with Miranda Lambert in 2021 to collaborate on the song “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” which debuted No.1 on Billboard’s Rock and Country Digital Song Sales Charts. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for best country/duo group performance in 2022.
Another one of King's hit songs includes “Ex’s & Oh’s," which has more than 169 million views on YouTube and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and Alternative Rock Song in 2016.
Fans can enjoy King's hit songs at the fair including "America's Sweetheart," "Wild Love," "Shame," "Playing for the Keeps," and "Good Girls."
Tickets can be purchased through the TicketsWest website. Tickets are also available onsite at Atomic Threads Boutique located at 1905 N Monroe St. in Spokane.
Ticket prices range from $30 to $40.
Thursday, Sept. 15: Nelly
Nelly will be one of the three artists performing this year at the Spokane Fairgrounds. He will be performing on Thursday, Sep.15 at 7 p.m.
Nelly is a Diamond Selling, multi-platinum and Grammy award-winning rap superstar. He has continually raised the bar for the entertainment industry since stepping on the scene in 2000 with his distinctive vocals.
Nelly’s "Country Grammar" album and his song “Cruise” with Florida Georgia Line both achieved Diamond status in 2016. He is touring around the globe and recently was the first artist to play in Saudi Arabia with a mixed gender/family crowd.
On Thursday, Sept. 15, fans will enjoy Nelly's hit songs including "Batter Up," "Grillz," "Ride wit Me," "My Place," "Just a Dream," and "Dilemma."
Ticket prices range from $30 to $75.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com. | https://www.krem.com/article/entertainment/events/spokane-county-fair-concerts/293-76723e4f-6e67-40e5-9a8c-15223d461cd3 | 2022-09-07T22:03:06Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/entertainment/events/spokane-county-fair-concerts/293-76723e4f-6e67-40e5-9a8c-15223d461cd3 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The high-profile seditious conspiracy trial for the leader of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group will begin this month after a judge on Wednesday rejected a last-minute bid by Stewart Rhodes to replace his lawyers and delay his case.
Rhodes said in court papers this week there had been a “breakdown” in communication between him and his two lawyers, who he claimed weren’t defending him forcefully enough in the Capitol riot case. Rhodes’ new lawyer argued that the Oath Keepers founder has not been given enough time to adequately prepare for trial and urged the judge to delay his trial at least 90 days.
But the obviously irritated judge called the claim that Rhodes is being denied a fair trial “simply false.”
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said Rhodes’ suggestion that his lawyers are not providing effective counsel appear to be “complete and utter nonsense” and questioned why concerns about his lawyers are surfacing for the first time just weeks before trial.
“The notion that you are going to create the kind of havoc that you will — and havoc is the only appropriate word I can think of — by moving Mr. Rhodes’ trial, not going to happen,” Mehta told Edward Tarpley, whom Rhodes wanted as his new lawyer.
Mehta said Tarpley is free to join Rhodes’ two other lawyers — James Lee Bright and Phillip Linder — at trial, but Mehta was not going to remove them from the case.
The case against Rhodes and four co-defendants starting Sept. 27 in federal court will be the most serious case to go to trial so far in the riot of Jan. 6, 2021, that delayed the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 president victory over Donald Trump.
It will also be a major test for the Department of Justice, which has brought rarely used and difficult-to-prove charges of seditious conspiracy against Oath Keepers members and those of another far-right extremist group, the Proud Boys.
Authorities say Rhodes was the ringleader of the Oath Keepers’ plot to violently stop the transfer of power. In the run-up to Jan. 6, authorities say the Oath Keepers recruited members, purchased weapons and set up a “quick reaction force” with guns on standby outside the capital with the goal of keeping President Donald Trump in office.
On Jan. 6, prosecutors say the Oath Keepers formed two teams, or “stacks,” that entered the Capitol. Rhodes is not accused of going inside the building, but was seen gathered outside the Capitol with several members after they did, authorities say.
Rhodes has said there was no plan to storm the Capitol and that the members who went inside the building went rogue. His lawyers have argued he believed Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act and call upon the Oath Keepers to support his bid to stay in power. When Trump did not do that, Rhodes took no action, his lawyers have said.
Three members of the Oath Keepers have already pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, are cooperating with investigators and could testify against Rhodes at trial.
Rhodes claimed that his lawyers, Bright and Linder, were not answering his calls or visiting him enough and failed to file legal papers they promised to. The defense also argued its case would be hurt by the arrest this month of the the Oath Keepers’ general counsel — Kellye SoRelle — whom the defense was expecting to call to the stand.
Bright denied not answering calls from Rhodes or failing to discuss the defense strategy with him. He called some of the new motions Rhodes wants to file “frivolous.”
—-
For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/politics/ap-judge-nixes-oath-keepers-leaders-bid-to-delay-jan-6-trial/ | 2022-09-07T22:03:16Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/politics/ap-judge-nixes-oath-keepers-leaders-bid-to-delay-jan-6-trial/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service calmed the nerves of Twitter users Wednesday amid speculation Mount Rainier was "venting" or worse, erupting. The National Park Service later confirmed it was just a cloud all along.
Multiple people began tweeting around 10:30 a.m. about what appeared to be smoke coming out of Mount Rainier.
USGS Volcanoes assured people the stratovolcano was not erupting and that a number of volcanologists were onsite installing new equipment and confirmed no abnormal activity.
The National Park Service confirmed it was a lenticular cloud that from certain angles was mistaken for venting.
The last reported seismic activity at Mount Rainier was on Saturday, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
Lenticular clouds often form when moist air is pushed up and over the top of a mountain, forming a disc-shaped cloud.
Mount Rainier has not produced a significant eruption in the past 500 years. USGS said it is potentially the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range due to its height, request earthquakes, active hydrothermal system and glacier mantle.
Washington state's Emergency Management Division said this marks a good opportunity to make sure people are prepared for an emergency and comes as National Preparedness Month kicks off.
To find more information on how best to prepare for a disaster, visit mil.wa.gov.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/mount-rainier-not-erupting-lenticular-cloud/281-478ea154-7084-4fdd-ac59-f5839b6649b1 | 2022-09-07T22:03:18Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/mount-rainier-not-erupting-lenticular-cloud/281-478ea154-7084-4fdd-ac59-f5839b6649b1 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Open enrollment for Medicare runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year. TV ads asking people who are eligible for Medicare to consider changing their plan are already starting to pop up.
In an email, VERIFY viewer JB said he recently saw an ad about some Medicare benefits he may be missing out on.
“You may be entitled to the Medicare benefit that adds money to your Social Security check every single month,” former NFL quarterback Joe Namath says in the ad.
JB wants to know if he can really get more money in his monthly Social Security check, like the ad claims.
THE QUESTION
Are Medicare ads that claim to put money back in your Social Security check true?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Medicare ads that claim to put money back in your Social Security check need context.
WHAT WE FOUND
Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people aged 65 or older in the United States. Certain individuals younger than age 65 can also qualify for Medicare, including those with disabilities and those who have permanent kidney failure, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which helps administer these benefits.
There are four parts of Medicare, and each represents a different coverage plan. The Social Security Administration automatically enrolls people who are eligible for Original Medicare, which includes hospital insurance (Part A) and medical insurance (Part B). The federal government provides and manages this type of plan.
But the SSA says there are other parts of Medicare that are regulated by the government but run by private insurance companies, such as Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigap), Medicare Advantage (previously known as Part C), and Medicare Part D.
Supplemental policies help pay Medicare out-of-pocket copayments, coinsurance and deductible expenses, according to SSA. Medicare Advantage includes all benefits and services covered under Part A and Part B as well as prescription drugs and additional benefits not included in Original Medicare, such as vision, hearing, and dental — bundled together in one plan. Medicare Part D helps cover the cost of prescription drugs.
More from VERIFY: Inflation Reduction Act only caps insulin prices for Medicare patients, not for people with private insurance
The ad JB emailed VERIFY about is trying to sell people a Medicare Advantage plan through the Medicare Coverage Helpline. The helpline is run by Benefytt Technologies, a health insurance technology company.
“The Medicare Coverage Helpline is a no-cost service that connects you with a licensed insurance agent to discuss Medicare plan options in your area,” the company says on its website. “Sales agents only offer plans from health plans contracted with the federal government.”
If a person signs up for a Medicare health plan through the Medicare Coverage Helpline, they would opt out of Original Medicare coverage and replace it with a Medicare Advantage plan offered by a private insurance company that’s contracted by the government. These plans are similar to other health insurance plans that people can get through their employer or a state healthcare exchange.
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) says some Medicare Advantage plans can potentially cost more than Original Medicare but may offer more comprehensive coverage; while others may cost less monthly but might require more out-of-pocket expenses later.
More from VERIFY: No, Congress is not considering $300 billion Medicare cut
The Medicare Coverage Helpline ad highlights Medicare Advantage plans that offer a “premium reduction benefit” and put money back into your Social Security check. Here’s how that works.
If you have Original Medicare, every month an amount is deducted from your Social Security check to pay for that plan. But if you choose a Medicare Advantage plan, it's a bit more complicated.
When you select a Medicare Advantage plan, money comes out of your Social Security check for the standard Original Medicare amount. Medicare then sends that money to your plan’s private insurance company. But, if you have a premium reduction benefit, then the private insurance company sends some of that money back to your Social Security check, meaning you’ll get a larger payment each month. The exact amount varies based on the plan.
The downside is that you may end up with a plan that has a smaller network of doctors or charges more for procedures than Original Medicare. So, while you may get more money in your Social Security check each month, it could end up costing you more in the long run, which is why the Medicare Coverage Helpline ad JB emailed our team about needs context.
It is important to consider your expected needs and financial situation when choosing whether to switch to a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare offers a comparison tool on its website to help you decide whether switching plans makes the most sense.
VERIFY reached out to the Medicare Coverage Helpline for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
More from VERIFY: Yes, Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment for 2023 is expected to be higher than average | https://www.krem.com/article/news/verify/social-security-verify/medicare-health-insurance-social-security-check-ads-medicare-advantage-plans-fact-check/536-11641b86-3962-4a23-a394-a3271c8b10a0 | 2022-09-07T22:03:31Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/verify/social-security-verify/medicare-health-insurance-social-security-check-ads-medicare-advantage-plans-fact-check/536-11641b86-3962-4a23-a394-a3271c8b10a0 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TOPEKA — Alex Tretbar scratched Lou Reed lyrics into the concrete "rhomboid exoskeleton" of an Oregon jail's solitary confinement hole, then found the strength to write about it.
"Some people work very hard," the song goes, "but still they never get it right."
Tretbar, a Wichita native and University of Kansas graduate, references the experience in "Variations on an Undisclosed Location," a poem he wrote while incarcerated for five years for his role in a drug-related shooting. PEN America announced Wednesday that Tretbar's poem was a first-place winner in the organization's annual prison writing contest.
The award is a testament to Tretbar's ability to reconcile his battle with opioid addiction through the "self-psychotherapy" of writing. He now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, after being paroled in July.
"I was like, OK, there's not really much left for me to do other than try to improve myself and get clean, and writing was just — it wasn't really like a choice. It was just what I do," Tretbar said.
He said the poem is about working out the effects of segregation on the personality, how time is perceived, and grappling with addiction and suffering and racism.
"It kind of goes all over," he said.
PEN America champions literary art and free expression through its Prison and Justice Writing program. The organization's annual awards spotlight writers "who are critically reshaping the conversation on mass incarceration, advocacy, and justice in the United States."
Robert Pollock, manager of the Prison Writing Program, said this year's anthology of winners takes its name from Tretbar's poem because it "resonated with us so deeply."
"Sometimes it doesn't really seem like me, looking back on it, but it definitely was me," Tretbar said. "I take responsibility for it."
The way Tretbar sees it, prison saved his life.
Tretbar grew up in Wichita and graduated in 2012 from KU with degrees in English and journalism. He said he was involved in the Lawrence music scene, where he played bass guitar and managed the college radio station. He also developed an addiction to oxycodone and other opioids while in school.
"I wasn't necessarily like this reclusive drug addict," he said. "To a certain extent, I was a functional addict when I was in school. And that ended up not being tenable after I graduated."
When it became difficult to find pharmaceuticals, Tretbar started using heroin. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue music and journalism — "just running and not really thinking straight" — and washed up in a hostel in Venice Beach, trying to get clean. Then it was on to Portland, Oregon, with a woman he met in L.A.
He worked at a law firm for a while, ghostwriting recommendation letters for immigrants who were trying to get green cards. He was on methadone and still chained to opioids. In 2016, he started using again and lived on the streets of Portland for about a year.
That's when he made a "horrible mistake."
Tretbar and a drug dealer went to settle a debt, which led to gunfire. Luckily, no one died. Tretbar fled the scene instead of calling 911 or attending to the victim. He was charged with first-degree attempted robbery.
"Sometimes it doesn't really seem like me, looking back on it, but it definitely was me," Tretbar said. "I take responsibility for it."
In the years that followed, "I've tried to live my life in a way that would honor not only the victim, but my family and friends who also suffered while I was in prison for my absence, and also to honor myself and honor the life that I should have been living all along."
Tretbar said he worked as a librarian and GED tutor at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution, where he met several mentors from Oregon State University who helped him work on his writing. In 2021, he won second-place PEN awards for poetry and fiction writing.
This year's award-winning poem evolved from a prompt with his mentors. It begins:
Solitary
wasn't. All of the other & inward
voices came out: my neighbor
summoned summer with his absent eye
-tooth: perfect mimic
of a lost-in-basement cricket. I carved Lou
Reed lyrics into my concrete rhomboid
exoskeleton. I found a letter toothpasted
to the ceiling claiming
I had written it.
The lyrics were from the Velvet Underground song "Beginning to See the Light."
Tretbar said he draws inspiration from the music of the Velvet Underground, the Stooges and "krautrock" artists. His writing influences include Topeka natives Ben Lerner and Michael Robbins.
He is now working remotely for an old friend at a political consulting agency in Omaha and searching for post-November writing work. He hopes to attend graduate school and work as a GTA next year.
Tretbar said he never thought about prison or mass incarceration until he was arrested.
"Five years was the right amount of time to get sober and get my head straight, and so I have a complicated relationship with prison, because I'm grateful for it," he said. "Sure, I hate and despise many aspects of incarceration — the mindless bureaucracy and the dehumanization and all of that. But for some people, it works."
Tretbar said his first impressions about people "have almost always been wrong." Similarly, other people have the wrong idea about prison.
"I struggle with coming up with a single sentence that says, 'This is how you should feel about prison.' But I would say don't make up your mind too readily about the kind of person that goes to prison and the kind of person that gets out of prison, because every single one of them is different," Tretbar said.
I seek — sought — asylum
in silos, syringes,
sickness for the sake
of getting well again.
I am a word, of or relating to
what tries to turn around but can't
stop turning, dizzy dervish.
I demand the panopticon crown
my oatmeal with an orchid.
— from "Variations on an Undisclosed Location" | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-09-07/summoning-inspiration-from-solitary-kansas-native-wins-pen-america-prison-writing-award | 2022-09-07T22:04:09Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-09-07/summoning-inspiration-from-solitary-kansas-native-wins-pen-america-prison-writing-award | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Claire Powell
Up To Date Intern | https://www.kcur.org/claire-powell | 2022-09-07T22:04:15Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/claire-powell | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This story was first published in Classical KC's "Take Note" newsletter. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox the first Wednesday of every month.
There’s nothing more pure and unfettered than improvisation, from a child’s first babblings to the wild strains of Kansas City's Charlie “Bird” Parker, a legendary jazz innovator during the 1940s and ‘50s.
But improvisation shows up in many art forms. During the 18th and 19th centuries, classical performers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Clara Schumann, or Ludwig van Beethoven would never have dreamed of performing a written out cadenza. That was an artist’s time to shine — and improvise.
Sometimes, improvisation is based on existing information, whether it's a melody or established “rules” defined by a composer or collective. Free improvisation erases those barriers, constrained only by one’s facility with an instrument (though if you’re a real go-getter, not even then).
Something transcendent happens when performers establish a trusting and responsive listening environment between each other and their audience, leaning into happy accidents and exploring new worlds of sound.
The coming months bring a range of improvised music events to Kansas City, explained by a few of the voices breaking boundaries on the daily.
Experimental
Kansas City has fostered an experimental music scene loosely tied to the UMKC Conservatory and Kansas City Art Institute for decades.
The forerunners of the current improv scene
are Black Crack Revue. Local conduits to the legacy of Sun Ra, their music combines elements of jazz, new age, electronica and poetry. The group just celebrated the ensemble’s 40th anniversary in July.
Some of those originators also founded newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble in 1993.
newEar’s current cellist is Sascha Groschang, co-host of Classical KC’s Sound Currents, and she improvises in a variety of settings, from church music to rock 'n' roll to classical.
“We often have pieces that have improv sections, or sections that are fairly loose. We might get chord changes, or we might just get written instructions that will change from performance to performance,” says Groschang.
newEar celebrates its 30th anniversary this season with 30 concerts, many featuring music by Kansas City composers. Some of those works, such as Nick Omiccioli’s “Haunted Seas,” include improvised elements.
Kansas City musicians also welcome visiting artists as collaborators. Avant-garde percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani has developed an intriguing solo improvisation style and intense gong orchestra technique. Based in New Mexico, he’s a frequent visitor to Kansas City and has established a rapport with some local aficionados. On Sept. 29, he performs with Jeff Harshbarger, Mike Stover and Shawn Hansen at The Ship.
Improvisation
Improvisation is a creative tool, especially among collaborators with a shared vision, allowing musicians to put their own creative stamp on a performance. Groschang and her Sound Currents co-host Laurel Parks use improvisation when developing work for their duo The Wires. As an instructor, Parks uses “micro-improvisation” with her fiddle students, encouraging them to alter tunes a little differently each time they play them.
For more than 10 years, composer and pianist Brad Cox facilitated the People’s Liberation Big Band. COVID-19 forced the group into a sudden hiatus, though Cox thinks of it as “an extended version of John Cage’s 4’33"."
“I think we are roughly halfway through the second movement at this point,” he says.
In the early 20th century, the budding movie industry required in-house musicians to perform during silent films. Many, including Kansas City composer and pianist Virgil Thomson, improvised to the action on screen, enhancing the emotional content.
In that vein, members of the People’s Liberation Big Band periodically created original music with a mix of written score and ensemble improvisation for classic silent films, like Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 “Battleship Potemkin” and short films by Vladislav Starevich, which were early examples of stop motion animation. (Classical KC’s Sam Wisman is a member of the ensemble.)
On Oct. 20, Cox and cohort Jeff Harshbarger will improvise to a screening of Buster Keaton’s 1924 “The Cameraman,” part of the weekend Keaton celebration at the 1900 Building. They’ll use themes from the 1924 collection “Motion Picture Moods,” for the basis of their improvisations.
The impulse of experimentation still rings at UMKC, with IMP Ensemble, a student group that creates and performs their own improvisation-based compositions. The group is currently led by composer Kwan Leung Ling.
Ling recently performed as one of the soloists for the world premiere of Tan Dun’s “The Five Muses of Dunhuang.”
“Tan Dun asked me to add some traditional Chinese wind and percussion ensemble playing technique into his melody, so that the music would go between the ancient and metaverse dimension,” says Ling.
Tan had Ling improvise on the theme of the first movement on his bili, a traditional Chinese double reed flute, to connect with the second movement. “He emphasized that 'touching' is the main goal of your improvisation — I was imagining a gigantic ancient painting painted by my bili, telling the stories behind the color to the audience.”Extemporaneous
The Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society collective was founded just a few years ago, dedicated to “improvised and experimental work in Kansas City.” Seth Andrew Davis and Evan Verploegh are the instigators, joined by a growing group of collaborators from all facets of art-making.
“I’ve always been drawn to music that felt very personal, very raw,” says Verploegh. “The best free jazz, free improvisation, experimental music, whatever you want to call it, has always simultaneously provided me with an intense feeling of physicality and forward motion, while also a deep intellectual stimulation — music equal parts for the mind and the body.”
The Society performs this fall at the Charlotte Street Foundation with the series EMAS Presents. On Sept. 26, they collaborate with poet Iris Appelquist and dancer Nora Burkitt. (Classical KC’s Brooke Knoll performs with the collective on harp on occasion.) The series continues Nov. 16 and Dec. 21.
Verploegh says they founded the group because “we had a shared view that this music is more powerful when presented as a collective. Ultimately, we want to help build Kansas City as a hub for creative improvised and experimental music and art.”
Charlotte Street Foundation serves as a launchpad for other experimental endeavors, including a concert of new work hosted by Ensemble Mother Russia Industries in 2021. Classical KC chatted with organizer Tim Harte in January 2022 about making space for experimental music.
No matter the genre, improvisation can be approached with an entry point of open curiosity and a willingness to embrace spontaneity, for performers and listeners alike.
“Leaving yourself vulnerable is when the best art is made,” says Verploegh. “The musicians, the audience, we’re all in this together. Life is improvisation.” | https://www.kcur.org/classical-kc-spotlight/2022-09-07/these-kansas-city-musicians-are-just-making-it-up-as-they-go-along-but-thats-the-plan | 2022-09-07T22:04:21Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/classical-kc-spotlight/2022-09-07/these-kansas-city-musicians-are-just-making-it-up-as-they-go-along-but-thats-the-plan | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A controversial developer’s plan to build a 251-unit apartment project is moving forward, but without the incentives it initially sought from the Port Authority of Kansas City (Port KC).
A deal between the Port KC and St. Louis developer Lux Living stalled in May after criticism of the agreement from commissioners and representatives from the housing advocacy group KC Tenants.
After months of silence on the proposed $55 million, seven-story residential building, the plan received unanimous approval from the Kansas City Plan Commission Tuesday.
Lux Living initially sought a 25-year tax exemption on the project. It complied with Kansas City’s new affordable housing ordinance that requires multifamily projects to receive incentives to lease 20% of their units at rates that meet the city’s definition of affordable housing.
But Port KC president and chief executive Jon Stephens said Lux Living recently withdrew its requests for any incentives and notified the port authority the team doesn’t intend to pursue any exemptions from the port or any other entities.
“Therefore, the project is anticipated to be a privately funded, market rate project,” Stephens said in an email.
Additionally, Port KC plans to sell the land to Lux Living instead of leasing the property, meaning the land and any improvements on it will be fully taxed.
It isn’t clear if Lux Living still plans to include affordable housing in the project. The developer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the project.
Bruce Eddy, who leads the Jackson County Community Mental Health Fund, said Lux Living’s decision to privately fund the project poses the question of whether the developer needed the incentives to build the project in the first place.
“There’s a lot of stuff that gets built without public subsidies, and I continue to be skeptical about the mantra that you need tax subsidies in order to create residential and commercial,” Eddy said. “It’s significant because you have a tacit admission that the market is working the way it ought to be.”
Eddy’s organization, which supports mental health agencies, relies on property tax revenue for its funding. The mental health fund can be affected when commercial developments receive tax breaks and often weighs in on the Port Authority’s decisions to award exemptions.
Port KC faced heated criticism from commissioners and community members at a meeting in May for considering awarding the 25-year tax exemption.
At the May meeting, Port KC Commissioner Kevin O’Neill said developer Lux Living has a “sketchy history.”
“For an out-of-town contractor to come in — and have that type of background and [want] that length of abatement of 25 years — I’m going to have a hard time supporting this,” O’Neill said.
At the same meeting, members of the KC Tenants organization criticized Lux Living’s affordable housing units and the company’s history.
“Given their track record, I don’t even know how you could consider them in the first place."Ruby Watson, KC Tenants member
“Before you all start dishing out bonds you should really do a deep dive on these companies,” Watson said.
The Midwest Newsroom published a report in May, detailing how Lux Living did not disclose Alston’s 2017 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in response to a question in Port KC’s application.
Additionally, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a story describing tenants of Lux Living’s St. Louis apartment building, The Hudson, complaining about living in unfinished apartments and maintenance and security issues.
Lux Living’s Berkley Riverfront project still needs approval from the Kansas City Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee and the city council. | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-07/berkley-riverfront-apartment-project-moves-forward-without-tax-breaks-from-port-kc | 2022-09-07T22:04:28Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-07/berkley-riverfront-apartment-project-moves-forward-without-tax-breaks-from-port-kc | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As agricultural irrigation continues to drain the crucial water supply of the Ogallala Aquifer beneath the Great Plains, Lucas Bessire — whose family spent five generations working as irrigation farmers and ranchers in western Kansas — says it's clear why the government hasn't addressed this issue.
"Part of the reason is because of the outsize influence of corporate agribusiness in the political process in Kansas," says Bessire, now an anthropologist at the University of Oklahoma.
Last year, the bipartisan Kansas House Water Committee built a proposal that would have restructured water governance in Kansas, but it was derailed at the last minute.
Bessire joined KCUR's Up To Date to talk about the state of the Ogallala Aquifer from his own perspective and to discuss his 2021 book "Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains."
- Lucas Bessire, author, University of Oklahoma anthropology professor | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-09-07/a-kansas-natives-personal-reckoning-with-the-depletion-of-the-ogallala-aquifer | 2022-09-07T22:04:34Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-09-07/a-kansas-natives-personal-reckoning-with-the-depletion-of-the-ogallala-aquifer | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Kansas City mother is thrilled after a website that harassed her transgender child lost its home on the internet.
The web security company Cloudflare announced on Saturday that it would stop protecting KiwiFarms, a notorious site known for harassing, doxing and repeatedly swatting people.
Debi Jackson’s family became a target of the site in 2016 after her child, Avery, became the first trans person to make the cover of National Geographic when Avery was just 9 years old.
“They're sitting there posting where we were born, where we were married, our wedding date information from public records, address of the house, my cell phone number,” Jackson said. “Then the conversation starts, and they start trying to dig in and paint a picture of you being a horrible person.”
The online harassment escalated into the real-world when cars were driving slowly and parking in front of their home, raising their neighbors’ concern. Jackson’s husband endured people showing up to take photos of his workplace.
Avery was initially proud of the magazine cover and the conversations it sparked between other trans people and their loved ones. But Jackson said the harassment made Avery want to pretend it had never happened.
“Avery said this has kind of ruined my life and was really angry for quite a while,” Jackson said. “Didn't want anything to do with being trans for a while, used to love to go to Pride events and have rainbow everything and started kind of hiding themselves.”
Jackson’s family turned to the FBI to deal with the harassment but what law enforcement could do to help was limited since it was difficult to determine if online comments were an “imminent threat.”
Jackson said the that laws on online harassment and bullying haven’t kept up with the growth of technology. She said laws need to change so action can be taken when online comments become intimidating or violent.
“That kind of thing tells you that they're not doing it just as a matter of free speech, that they're not out there just to laugh at people anymore, that there's something much darker going on,” Jackson said. “And I wish that alone would be enough to go in and get some of these things taken care of.”
Although many people are celebrating that the site is no longer accessible, Jackson said that she’ll be watching to make sure KiwiFarms isn’t hosted anywhere else online — and she'll be supporting other victims harassed by the site.
“I'm thrilled that the website is dying and that the torment feels like it's over,” Jackson said. “But at the same time, the people behind it aren't going to give up, they're still going to want to harass trans people, they're still going to want to bother people.” | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-09-07/kansas-city-mom-recalls-when-kiwifarms-trolled-her-trans-child | 2022-09-07T22:04:40Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-09-07/kansas-city-mom-recalls-when-kiwifarms-trolled-her-trans-child | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kansas City's Celebrate Ameri'kana Music and Arts Festival on Sept. 10 brings together national, local and young performers to celebrate the Black, Indigenous, immigrant and Latino heroes of American music.
Enrique Chi, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for Making Movies is one of the event's organizers and headliners. One of Chi's goals for the event is to create a "shift" in the Kansas City music scene.
"In Kansas City there's not been spaces where Black music and Latino music and just the general music population all intersect. Right? But there's spaces for each of those things," Chi says. "This event, we're putting it all together."
D Smoke, an American rapper and songwriter from Inglewood, California, will also be performing. He gained attention after winning the first season of the Netflix music competition show Rhythm + Flow in 2019.
Having grown up in Los Angles, D Smoke experienced the Spanish language as a domestic language and not a foreign language because he was surrounded by so many Spanish speakers.
"If you're open to it, if your mind and heart is open to it, you can and will learn Spanish just because it's here," he says. " I learned Spanish both in the streets and school."
Many of D Smoke's fans consider his incorporation of Spanish into his hip hop as one of his biggest attributes.
- Enrique Chi, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and member of Making Movies Band
- D Smoke, rapper and songwriter | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-09-07/tuesday-tunes-enrique-from-making-movies-and-d-smoke | 2022-09-07T22:04:49Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-09-07/tuesday-tunes-enrique-from-making-movies-and-d-smoke | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Hosts
Michael Stern
Dan Margolies
Program
La Creation du Monde, Op. 81
by Darius Milhaud
Live performance, May 2011
One of the interesting aspects of Milhaud’s music is his use of polytonality, or the use of more than one key simultaneously, which he deploys here to wonderful effect, along with jazz harmonies. "The bitonality helps to explain the organized chaos of this piece," Michael Stern says. In depicting the creation story, "there is this coming into being from nothingness. That idea is made manifest in the music and he does it incredibly well."
Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4
by Arnold Schoenberg
Live performance, June 2015
While you don’t quite hear the techniques in this piece that came to be associated with Schoenberg — serialism, atonality, twelve-tone music — you can see that Schoenberg is taking tonality here pretty much as far as it can go. "Verklärte Nacht is really the last hurrah of the 19th century," says Michael Stern "and yet this advanced harmonic map for the piece is pretty extraordinary to the point where [Schoenberg] was criticized for having 'broken the rules.'"
Le Boeuf sur le Toit, Op. 58
by Daris Milhaud
Live performance, April 2019
Milhaud said he composed Le Bœuf sur le Toit as “fifteen minutes of music, rapid and gay, as a background to any Charlie Chaplin silent movie.” Milhaud had spent two years in Brazil in the French diplomatic service during the First World War, and he was greatly influenced by its music.
Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88
by Antonín Dvořák
Live performance, October 2017
You can hear sounds from nature in this piece, including hunting horn calls and birdsongs played by various wind instruments. Dvořák’s biographer Hanz-Hubert Schönzeler wrote, “When one walks in those forests surrounding Dvořák’s country home on a sunny summer’s day, with the birds singing and the leaves of trees rustling in a gentle breeze, one can virtually hear the music.” Michael Stern hears an "elegiac, nostalgic wistfulness" in the work. | https://www.kcur.org/show/kansas-city-symphony/2022-09-07/celebrating-the-absurd-lyrical-and-path-breaking-music-by-milhaud-schoenberg-and-dvorak | 2022-09-07T22:04:55Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/show/kansas-city-symphony/2022-09-07/celebrating-the-absurd-lyrical-and-path-breaking-music-by-milhaud-schoenberg-and-dvorak | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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News Intern | https://www.kcur.org/zach-perez | 2022-09-07T22:05:02Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/zach-perez | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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KCUR Studios Intern | https://www.kcur.org/zack-rodgers | 2022-09-07T22:05:08Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/zack-rodgers | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BBB warns of new Medicare scam
CHICAGO - There is a new warning out from the Better Business Bureau.
The agency says scammers are luring seniors into sharing their Medicare number and other personal information, by asking if they have received their new card.
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Once the crook gets the information, they file fraudulent claims to Medicare.
It is important to note that there is "no new" Medicare card and there hasn't been since 2018. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/bbb-warns-of-new-medicare-scam | 2022-09-07T22:07:20Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/bbb-warns-of-new-medicare-scam | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
More migrants from Texas arrive in Chicago Wednesday
CHICAGO - More migrants from the Texas-Mexico border arrived in Chicago on Wednesday.
This is the third time a group of migrants has been bussed to the city from Texas.
"The City of Chicago has received another group of newly arriving migrants from the Texas border. In partnership with our colleagues from local community-based organizations, Cook County, and the State of Illinois, we are providing these individuals and families with emergency shelter and connection to needed services," Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office said in a statement.
As more migrants arrive from Texas, Mayor Lightfoot is asking for donations to help them settle in the Chicago area.
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About 50 migrants arrived Sunday night, following the arrival of about 75 others last week. It is not known yet how many migrants arrived on Wednesday.
Items on the mayor's wish list include baby items, clothing and shoes for all ages, and reusable bags like suitcases and duffel bags.
No used items will be accepted.
The city is also seeking volunteers to help welcome migrants to the city.
"We will continue to live out our values as a welcoming city and respond accordingly," the mayor's office said.
Mayor Lightfoot remains critical of how Texas has handled the bus trips, saying Governor Greg Abbot is treating these individuals no better than cargo.
"We have yet to hear from anybody in an official capacity from Texas. That's unacceptable. We're talking about human beings lives, who themselves have gone through an incredible journey just to get to the United States. I think the decent human thing to do is to cooperate and collaborate," Lightfoot said earlier this week.
If you're interested in helping, you can find more information online at Chicago.gov/support. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/more-migrants-from-texas-arrive-in-chicago-wednesday | 2022-09-07T22:07:29Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/more-migrants-from-texas-arrive-in-chicago-wednesday | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Want to see the Titanic? Company offering spots for deep-sea expedition in 2023
Space is often touted as the next boom in tourism, but how about traveling to the depths of the ocean to see the world’s most famous shipwreck?
OceanGate Expeditions sends citizen crews to the RMS Titanic with a team of dive experts, scientists, and filmmakers. After successful expeditions in 2021 and 2022, the company is now accepting applications to join its 2023 team.
Over 100 years ago, the Titanic — referred to at the time as being "unsinkable" — sideswiped an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean during its maiden voyage in 1912 and plunged into the ocean. While some managed to escape on lifeboats, nearly 1,500 people died. The wreckage wasn’t discovered until 1985, roughly 380 miles from the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Now, OceanGate is giving a small group of paying tourists the opportunity to view the Titanic during a 10-day mission, including eight days at sea, according to a tourist brochure. Guests pay $250,000 to take a five-crew submersible, called the "Titan," down about 2.5 miles to the wreckage on the ocean floor.
Only six "mission specialist" positions are available for each mission, the brochure adds.
RELATED: From deep sea to outer space, tourism is now reaching the ends of the Earth
OceanGate’s submersible was designed in collaboration with NASA to provide a safe experience at that depth. OceanGate said the air pressure inside the Titan "remains constant and equal to what we experience at sea level, eliminating the need for decompression during the ascent."
Once at the bottom, the Titan’s cameras provide a live view of the Titanic which crew members can see on a large onboard display or on their own tablets.
"With the click of a button, Mission Specialists can select a camera, monitor the sonar, or view preloaded images of deep-sea species, and the Titanic as they experience an entirely foreign world that only a handful of people have had the privilege to experience," the tourist brochure says.
The 2022 Titantic Expedition captured the first ever 8K footage of the wreckage, displaying an incredible level of detail and colors.
"We are seeing new details in this footage. For example, I had never seen the name of the anchor maker, Noah Hingley & Sons Ltd., on the portside anchor," Rory Golden, OceanGate Expeditions Titanic expert and veteran Titanic diver, said in a statement last month. "I’ve been studying the wreck for decades and have completed multiple dives, and I can't recall seeing any other image showing this level of detail."
Titanic Expedition requirements: 18+, ‘basic strength,’ and $250K
OceanGate is accepting applications from those interested in joining the 2023 Titanic Expedition as a "mission specialist."
Those who join the crew will be part of the company’s mission to conduct annual scientific surveys of the wreckage to add data and images "for the scientific record," document the condition of the ship and the marine life at the site, as well as assess changes as the shipwreck continues to decay.
Those interested must be at least 18 years old when the expedition starts and be able to board small boats on rough seas, according to the company. They must also have a valid passport and "be comfortable in dynamic environments where plans and timetables may change."
Physically, they must have basic strength, balance, mobility, and flexibility. OceanGate gives examples such as climbing a 6-foot step ladder or carrying 20 pounds.
Lastly, but most importantly, they must pay $250,000 for mission training and support.
"Happiness, joy, all the emotions," Chelsea, a mission specialist picked for the 2022 expedition, said of the chance to finally see the Titanic. "It was more incredible than I ever imagined."
After completing the application online, a representative from OceanGate will get in contact to answer questions and provide another application. From there, they’ll take part in a Skype/Zoom interview. If selected, they’ll pay and begin training.
The training covers a variety of roles such as submersible navigation and piloting, tracking and communications, and submersible maintenance and operations, according to Oceangate. The selected participants make one submersible dive and help on the surface when other teams dive.
The team departs from St. John’s, Newfoundland aboard a dive support ship, called the Horizon Arctic, at the start of the mission. Described as a "working ship," the Horizon Arctic has a mess deck, comfortable lounges, and even a workout center.
While in the submersible, the crew will spend "three to five hours" exploring the Titanic wreckage, the company said.
RELATED: How the Titanic was taken down by a mirage
This story was reported from Cincinnati. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/see-titanic-wreck-company-offering-spots-2023-expedition | 2022-09-07T22:07:36Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/see-titanic-wreck-company-offering-spots-2023-expedition | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sonar image appears to show '50-foot megalodon' shark near boat. This is what it really was
An incredible sonar image of what researchers thought was a 50-foot megalodon shark led them to believe the prehistoric beast of the seas had returned – until they realized what it really was.
In a Facebook post, the Atlantic Shark Institute – based in Rhode Island – said the stunning image was captured on their fish finder off the coast of New England.
"Does the Meg exist? On a recent shark research trip we were all amused to see this shape."
Based on the size of the shark-shaped blob, the researchers estimated that the "Meg" was about 50-feet long and weighed around 40 tons! However, their excitement was short-lived.
"We waited for one of the rods to go off. However, much to our disappointment, the shape started to transition into a large school of Atlantic mackerel that hung around the boat for about 15 minutes," The Atlantic Shark Institute explained.
TRENDING: WATCH: Bears caught ‘dancing’ in driveway of Florida home in viral video
"So close, but so far! The megalodon disappeared more than 3 million years ago and will likely stay that way, but, for a few minutes, we thought he had returned!"
Experts say megalodon's was the largest fish to ever live, measuring up to 58 feet or even larger. With a mouth nearly 10 feet wide, the apex predator may have had the most powerful bite of all time. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/sonar-image-appears-to-show-50-foot-megalodon-shark-near-boat-this-is-what-it-really-was | 2022-09-07T22:07:40Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/sonar-image-appears-to-show-50-foot-megalodon-shark-near-boat-this-is-what-it-really-was | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UPS to hire over 100,000 workers for holiday rush
UPS plans to hire more than 100,000 workers to help handle the holiday rush this season, in line with hiring the previous two years.
Holiday season volumes usually start rising in October and remain high into January. While online shopping has slowed from the height of the pandemic, it's still well above historic norms.
UPS said Wednesday that there will be job openings for full- and part-time seasonal positions, primarily package handlers, drivers and driver helpers. UPS promotes seasonal jobs as positions that can lead to year-round employment. In recent years, according to the company, roughly 35% of people hired for seasonal package-handling jobs land permanent positions.
Seasonal drivers with UPS start at $21 per hour, with tractor-trailer drivers making as much as $35 per hour. Package handler starting wages can range from $15 – $21 per hour.
The company continues to streamline its job hiring process and most hires require only 25 minutes – from filling out of an online application to receiving an offer, according to Danelle McCusker Rees, the president of human relations at UPS. That's down five minutes from last year.
RELATED: Michaels hiring 15K holiday employees ahead of busy retail season
Rees started at UPS as a seasonal worker.
The job market remains just as competitive as it was last year, said Rees in an interview this week with The Associated Press.
RELATED: Amazon to close, scrap plans for dozens of warehouses amid slowing sales growth: report
Employers added 315,000 jobs in August, about what economists had expected, down from an average 487,000 a month over the past year, according to a government report last week.
The jobless rate reached 3.7%, its highest level since February. But it increased for a healthy reason: Hundreds of thousands of people went back to the job market, and some didn’t find work right away, which boosted the government’s count of unemployed people. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/ups-hiring-100000-workers-holiday-rush | 2022-09-07T22:07:58Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/ups-hiring-100000-workers-holiday-rush | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Video: Man attacks mother with 3 small children as they walk into grocery store
NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Surveillance video from a Florida grocery store shows the moment a man followed a mother with three small children into the store and attacked her before trying to rob her.
Video shared by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in North Lauderdale, Florida, shows the mother park her vehicle in the grocery store parking lot and walk toward the store. The man who attacked her can be seen walking nearby.
As the woman and her children walk into the store, the man grabs her from behind. The sheriff’s office said he grabbed her necklace, punched her and then ran away from the store. Deputies said he arrived in the parking lot in a light-colored Nissan.
Anyone with information on the suspect’s identity is asked to call the Broward County Sheriff’s Office or submit a tip through Crime Stoppers. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/video-florida-man-attacks-mother-small-children-grocery-store-broward-county | 2022-09-07T22:08:00Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/video-florida-man-attacks-mother-small-children-grocery-store-broward-county | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Reo Hatate: Humble Celtic star on facing Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, how he is ready to dominate & that pass
In the build-up to Celtic’s opening Champions League clash against Real Madrid, manager Ange Postecoglou was bullish, captivating and inspiring as he spoke of playing their own, proactive, attacking game against their esteemed rivals, the reigning European champions.
It is one thing saying you are going to do something, however. And then actually executing it.
For 50 minutes or so, Celtic stuck to Postecoglou's word and stood shoulder to shoulder with Real Madrid. In fact, for large periods they bettered Real Madrid and made them suffer, according to Carlo Ancelotti, in an atmosphere which exploded on the first chime of the Champions League anthem then crackled in the background.
This confidence which the team is brimming with was there to see in the sixth minute. Josip Juranovic threw the ball infield in his own half. Such a move against such opponents usually requires a deep intake of breath as the heart rate increases. But the throw was to Reo Hatate. Luka Modric went to press the Japanese midfielder. Pointless from the Croatian for Hatate had already made his mind up. He met the pass on the volley at an angle, clipping it across the pitch to Jota in space.
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Modric could well have stopped, nodded and appreciated a pass which is very much in his wheelhouse. However, the diminutive midfielder didn't have time to think, he had to track Hatate who made a 40+ yard run to support the play on the edge of the box.
No Celtic player epitomised this ballsy and impressive approach to a game of such magnitude against opposition of such calibre as Hatate.
For over 45 minutes he was the best player on the park, dovetailing excellently with the increasingly authoritative Callum McGregor in a midfield two with Matt O’Riley playing closer to Giorgos Giakoumakis. Between them they recovered the ball 19 times.
Humble Hatate
Everything the 24-year-old did was so smooth. How he took the ball on the half-turn, how he invited pressure and popped off a pass, offered himself for wall passes which can be so vital in moving opponents around. All done with composure. Being surrounded by four Madrid players in his own half never fazed him, nor did facing Modric and Toni Kroos.
“I cannot express with my words what that experience was like,” he said.
“I tried a lot of things, and showed a little of what I can do, and I learned a lot of things from playing against players like that.
“I have to take as much out of this experience as I can and use that to improve as a player.”
This is a player who is starting to motor. He made an instant and indelible impact when he arrived mid-way through the season, most notably in the 3-0 thumping of Rangers. Unsurprisingly, after a full year of football in Japan, straight into action in a new country, adapting to a new culture, his influence waned.
He now appears ready to be an even more dominating force. In his appearances so far he has helped Celtic be so effective and productive down the left-hand side, linking with Greg Taylor and Jota, operating so diligently in those half spaces in the final third to create triangles.
Humble he may be but Hatate demonstrated he was a match for Modric and Kroos.
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/reo-hatate-humble-celtic-star-on-facing-luka-modric-and-toni-kroos-how-he-is-ready-to-dominate-that-pass-3834823 | 2022-09-07T22:12:29Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/reo-hatate-humble-celtic-star-on-facing-luka-modric-and-toni-kroos-how-he-is-ready-to-dominate-that-pass-3834823 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Scotland rugby star goes into business selling babies’ clothes as he prepares for Edinburgh return
Nick Haining hasn’t been idle during his long injury lay-off. The Edinburgh and Scotland forward has gone into business with his partner, Efia, designing and selling babies’ clothes online.
It seems a slightly incongruous career move for the 6ft 4in, 115kg flanker who is expected to return to action for his club in Friday’s pre-season friendly against Benetton in Treviso. But Haining says he’s always had a hankering to start his own business.
“I didn’t know what sort of capacity that was going to be, and it was during lockdown when my partner Efia was pregnant with our little one, and we spent a lot of time up at the Harlaw reservoir,” he explains.
“Efia has got a real passion for baby clothing and the like, and I really wanted to start my own business, so we put the two things together and came up with Harlaw, which is a boutique for minimalist, neutral children’s clothing.
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“We’ve been going for two and a half months now and it’s going really, really well. We’re really happy with it. We’ve got our autumn stock coming in on October 4.
“We design the majority of it, we send it off to get manufactured overseas and then bring it in to sell, so it is all custom made.”
Having been out since February, Haining has been due to return against London Scottish last week only to pick up a knee knock in training. It’s been a frustrating few months for the player who said that working on the clothes business was a welcome diversion from the slog of rehab.
“It has been really beneficial. Especially when I was injured and during lockdown, to have something to focus on during those tough periods, it has just given me something to focus on.”
Haining’s recovery with those of Edinburgh’s other back-row titans Jamie Ritchie and Bill Mata. Ritchie made his comeback from a hamstring injury in last Friday’s disappointing home defeat by London Scottish while Mata’s recovery from a knee issue is now complete.
It was shoulder problems which sidelined Haining - on both sides. He was injured while playing for Scotland against France in the Six Nations in February and then went under the knife to repair a long-standing issue on the other side.
“That was actually my good shoulder [I injured] against France, but this was something I had carried for quite a while now, but we’d missed it a few times on scans and such like,” he explained. “But it’s sorted now so it’s feeling good and I’m pretty confident with it now.”
Given the club’s surfeit of back-row resources Haining knows he faces a fight to regain his place but he’s up for the challenge and looking forward to when the competitive against begins, at home to the Dragons on Saturday week.
“We’ve got depth throughout the back-row, especially with the young lads like Connor Boyle and Ben Muncaster stepping up last season,” he said. “They have been really impressive during pre-season so I know how hard it is going to be, but that’s what you need to keep us all on our toes. When you do get your chance you know you have to perform otherwise you are not going to get that spot.”
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/scotland-rugby-star-goes-into-business-selling-babies-clothes-as-he-prepares-for-edinburgh-return-3835425 | 2022-09-07T22:13:01Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/scotland-rugby-star-goes-into-business-selling-babies-clothes-as-he-prepares-for-edinburgh-return-3835425 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday. But the delivery — six truckloads — is just a fraction of what is needed across the entire continent.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday. But the delivery — six truckloads — is just a fraction of what is needed across the entire continent.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-world-news/npr-world-news/2022-09-07/is-africa-being-held-hostage-in-the-politics-of-grain-wars | 2022-09-07T22:22:24Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-world-news/npr-world-news/2022-09-07/is-africa-being-held-hostage-in-the-politics-of-grain-wars | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Senate to vote on same-sex marriage in coming weeks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Wednesday that the Senate will vote on legislation to protect same-sex marriage “in the coming weeks” as a bipartisan group backing the bill negotiates changes to gain more Republican support.
The vote, expected by the end of the month, comes as Democrats and a small group of Republicans are moving to safeguard same-sex marriage following the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion. Lawmakers fear the court’s ruling, and a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas, indicate that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could come under threat.
“We all want to pass this quickly,” Schumer said. “I hope there will be 10 Republicans to support it.”
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, is working to round up those ten GOP votes needed to overcome a filibuster and get the legislation through the 50-50 Senate.
“I think the momentum is going in the right direction,” Baldwin said after the bipartisan group met on Wednesday.
The Senate push for the historic vote — and the openness by some Republicans to back it in an election year — reflects a seismic shift on the issue since the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing gay marriage nationwide. Some 70% of U.S. adults in a June Gallup poll said same-sex unions should be valid under the law.
The bill protecting same-sex marriage cleared the House in a July vote with the support of 47 Republicans – a larger than expected number that gave the measure a boost in the Senate.
To win over more Senate Republicans, negotiators are planning to introduce amendments aimed at addressing concerns from some about “religious liberty” – the rights of religious institutions or religious business owners to oppose same-sex marriage, for example. Supporters say such religious liberty is already enshrined in law, but new language would simply make that clear.
Another proposed tweak to the bill would make clear that a marriage is between two people, an effort to ward off some far-right criticism that the legislation could endorse polygamy.
Baldwin and two of the Republicans supporting the marriage bill, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, said Wednesday that the group was drafting the amendments to address the concerns they’ve heard from their GOP colleagues.
“There’s no harm in doing it,” Tillis said, even though some Democrats have pointed out that those rights are already protected under law.
Collins said the amendment would “make crystal clear that it does not in any way infringe religious liberties” and allow Republicans to have input on the bill.
“I’m never confident until the roll is called but we’re making good progress,” Collins said.
The legislation would repeal the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed. The new Respect for Marriage Act would also protect interracial marriages by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
So far, three Republicans have said they will vote for the legislation and are working with Baldwin and others to pass it: Collins, Tillis and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. A fourth GOP senator, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has supported same-sex marriage in the past. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who is up for reelection this year, has said he doesn’t see a “reason to oppose it” but has talked on both sides of the issue in recent weeks.
Several other Republican senators have said they are undecided or have declined to comment.
“I don’t have anything for you on that at this point,” Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey said Wednesday, when asked if he would vote for the bill.
Indicative of the political shift, many of the Republicans who are opposing the bill aren’t arguing whether same-sex marriages should be recognized by the government. They say instead that they believe the Supreme Court is unlikely to overturn Obergefell.
“I don’t think that’s a pressing matter,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is up for re-election this year. “There’s no threat to same-sex marriage in America.”
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said the effort is a “show vote” and Democrats are playing politics.
Baldwin, who is the first openly gay senator and has been working on gay rights issues since she first entered state politics in the 1980s, said she disagrees with that assessment.
“It’s not” just politics, Baldwin said. “It’s very real for a whole lot of people.”
___
Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Nomaan Merchant and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/09/07/senate-vote-same-sex-marriage-coming-weeks/ | 2022-09-07T22:22:29Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/09/07/senate-vote-same-sex-marriage-coming-weeks/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
My fingers are so crooked and my knuckles doggone sore. Arthritis has moved in, and she is running up the score.
There ain’t no use complaining I’m a product of my source. ‘Cuz you’re gonna smash some fingers when working with a horse.
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410, 411, 413, 425, AND 427... The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone 413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake River. * WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent. * IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to the red flag warning time . PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria for Southeastern Idaho: - Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain. - Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall criteria. - Other high impact events deemed critical by the National Weather Service and area fire management agencies. &&
My fingers are so crooked and my knuckles doggone sore. Arthritis has moved in, and she is running up the score.
There ain’t no use complaining I’m a product of my source. ‘Cuz you’re gonna smash some fingers when working with a horse.
I’ve broke a finger, smashed a thumb, while nailing on a shoe from a horse with attitude who stomped my fingers black and blue.
Then later on in years old Mother Nature kicks it in. She brings her friend arthritis. Makes those ouches hurt like sin.
I remember back when I was young, I’d watch my grandma walk. She used a stick that looked to me like oversized corn stalk.
Her fingers were so crooked she could barely hold her cane. She said the soreness in her hands would drive you near insane.
Well, the other day while I was napping in my easy chair, my grandson lifted up my hand. He drew a dumbstruck stare.
He gathered up his wits. He weren’t about to be discrete. Said, “Your fingers are so crooked, I wonder how you eat?”
I patted my big belly and explained no need to fuss. Though crooked fingers, I still eat enough for both of us.
But then I showed a crooked finger’s use of many wonders. It’s good for picking your nose because it gets around the corners.
And after seeing what my crooked finger does so well. My grandson’s eyes were wide and couldn’t wait for Show and Tell.
He said he’d tell his class what Grandpa’s crooked fingers do. And when they got much older theirs would do the same thing too.
I told him, “Run that past your mom. We might get in some trouble. If no one likes your Show and Tell, she’ll thump you on the noodle."
So, I heard him ask his father ‘bout the Show and Tell new plan. His father said, “Your grandpa is the craziest old man.”
My grandson never got permission from his mom that day. Was the Show and Tell, about my finger really worth the pay?
Well, Show and Tell was Tuesday and today is Saturday. I haven’t heard a word. Is trouble headed back my way?
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A receipt was sent to your email. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/community/cowboy_poetry/show-and-tell/article_cb4980aa-2d44-11ed-843c-3b0cc5652f26.html | 2022-09-07T22:25:55Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/community/cowboy_poetry/show-and-tell/article_cb4980aa-2d44-11ed-843c-3b0cc5652f26.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Veterans invited to mid-September gathering at historic building
Local veterans will celebrate a successful fundraising campaign to renovate the historic American Legion Hall in Driggs by hosting a gathering on Sept. 22.
The historic hall, which was built in 1940 by the Work Projects Administration, is the meeting place for the veterans of American Legion Post 95, and is home to the social services nonprofit Subs for Santa, local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and Sunday worship for Our Redeemer Church.
The old building on Wallace Avenue was in need of repair, and the estimated cost to replace the damaged roof and repaint the façade was around $80,000. In early 2022, Al Russo, a general contractor and the Driggs building inspector, formed a committee with help from Lauren Sompayrac to spearhead a valley-wide fundraising campaign on behalf of Post 95.
“I had veterans in my family, and I played with a band in some veterans halls when I lived in Florida, and those were Taj Mahals,” Russo remembered. “Then I came here and I said, our vets need a better hall.”
“The community came to us,” American Legion adjutant Nolan Boyle said about Russo’s efforts.
With contributions from private donors, grants from the Community Foundation of Teton Valley and the CHC Foundation, and matching funds from the Tin Cup Challenge, the committee was able to get the aging roof replaced this summer with fresh, bright blue metal panels. Happily, the wood underneath the old metal turned out to be in good shape, saving thousands of dollars in materials and time. The job took the crew from Golds North Fork Roofing four days to complete.
“The American Legion thanks him and his crew,” Commander Gary Henrie said about roofer Jeff Gold.
Not only that, but with around $95,000 in funds, there’s enough left over to repair and repaint the damaged stucco façade (which will happen either this fall or next spring, weather depending), and begin to make interior repairs. Inside the building, Russo wants to see electrical improvements, new windows for improved ventilation, and refurbished oak floors.
Post 95’s main mission is to provide full military honors at veteran funerals; just last week the members honored the late Dr. Mo Brown, an Army veteran. Post 95 also conducts the 21-gun salute at every one of the valley’s nine cemeteries on Memorial Day each year.
To commemorate the generosity of the community and to welcome local veterans who may have moved here more recently, are of a younger generation, or are unfamiliar with the American Legion, Post 95 is holding a celebratory event on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the hall, with light hors d’oeuvres. Spouses or plus-ones are also invited.
“Spouses have gone through even more than the vets have,” Boyle said, recalling the year he spent in Korea when his wife and six children were living at the Mountain Home Air Force Base. “They get drug all over the world as we do our thing.”
All veterans are encouraged to attend, Boyle added, regardless of whether they are American Legion members or not.
Only a few days later, on Sept. 24, the freshly renovated hall will host the American Legion District 7 Fall Meeting; members from around the region as well as the state commander and other “state big shots,” as Henrie put it, will meet to discuss district business.
While this year’s campaign was a complete success, Russo said he’s not done raising money. “I hope by the end of next summer that we see a big change on the inside,” he said.
Instructions on how to donate are available at savelegionbuilding.com.
“This campaign raised more than we could ever have dreamed of,” Somprayac said. “Thanks to everyone who contributed. This shows how much the people of Teton Valley value our veterans, and how grateful we are for their service to our country.” | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/community-donors-breathe-fresh-life-into-american-legion-hall/article_bc62ad9c-287a-11ed-b8e5-6be1b71896d0.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:01Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/community-donors-breathe-fresh-life-into-american-legion-hall/article_bc62ad9c-287a-11ed-b8e5-6be1b71896d0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Driggs pickleball courts are open for play
On Saturday, Aug. 27, a complex of eight new pickleball courts were officially opened to the burgeoning Teton Valley pickleball community.
Although still waiting on nets and windscreens, which will be delivered and installed sooner rather than later, the courts at Primrose Park in Driggs are already seeing action.
The courts were installed by Renner Sports Contractors, out of Denver, CO. Local USA Pickleball ambassador Ray Williams is over the moon with the new courts and the potential it brings for the sport here in Teton Valley.
“I drive around Driggs, I drive around Victor, I see tape on people’s driveways where they have pickleball at their own homes,” said Williams. “We are getting so much push for these courts. What this now allows us to do is possibly set up leagues and have pickleball tournaments. These are all things that will help the community grow.”
Mostly paid for by the efforts of a financing committee made up of Jim Maloney, Jim McCane, Dot and Joe Burns, and Alice Stevenson, the courts installed are “the highest level of court you can get,” according to player Spencer Caldwell.
“That speaks volumes about how much of their own money they are willing to commit to the entire community. It isn’t just for the pickleball players, it is the players that we hope to introduce to the sport,” said Williams.
In addition to the almost $100,000 garnered by the pickleball community, the City of Driggs pitched in around $30,000 of local option tax money and some funds from impact fees.
Doug Self took the lead in interfacing with the pickleball financing committee, with some additional involvement from past Driggs Mayor Hyrum Johnson and current Mayor August Christensen. Williams could not be more pleased with their help.
“What a wonderful gentleman,” Williams said of Self. “He has worked so hard for the pickleball community here and with his help, and the last mayor and the current mayor, they saw this thing through, it was unbelievable.”
Pickleball is touted as one of the fastest growing and most popular sports not only in the country but around the world. For those unfamiliar, the game is a ball and paddle sport that lies in between table tennis and tennis.
Besides a smooth and level playing surface, pickleballers appreciate that the new Driggs courts have fences separating each court and alleys for spectators.
“It is nice to have it level, with professional gates all around. I was playing over in Jackson yesterday and they don’t have gates between the courts. Having that alleyway between is nice so people can be watching the gates in between. This is top, A-grade stuff, so I love it,” said player Chris Dart.
Visiting player Allanah Bailey pointed out that the new courts can also increase visitation from the wider pickleball community to Driggs. Visiting players will be able to find the new courts on the USA Pickleball Places2Play app and website.
“I was in Jackson and I heard these courts were opening up Saturday, so I came here. I knew they were going to be brand new courts that had the alleys and everything. I travel around and play pickleball and this will make it more of a destination for those that play pickleball. A lot of pickleball players do that, they travel around and play pickleball and it can bring in tourism money to Driggs,” said Bailey.
Teton Valley Pickleball hosts games at Primrose Park on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5-7 p.m. and Saturday and Monday mornings from 9-11 a.m. Pickleball paddles are available to borrow. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/if-you-build-it-they-will-come/article_60d7ca74-2add-11ed-a8ce-8fc451784094.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:08Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/if-you-build-it-they-will-come/article_60d7ca74-2add-11ed-a8ce-8fc451784094.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Following an increase in suicides in Teton Valley within the past year and a half, local stakeholders have begun planning a major effort to educate and guide the public in suicide prevention and broadcast the mental health resources that are available here.
Mental Health Coalition executive director Sara McKeown White said her informal tally from the beginning of 2021 until now, of suicides that either occurred here or impacted families here because of the deceased’s local connections, totals ten people; in the past month alone Teton Valley lost two well-known community members to suicide.
“It’s a significant number, especially considering our numbers in previous years have been zero,” White said. “People don’t necessarily want to talk about it, but we have to.”
After respected orthopedist Dr. Mo Brown died by suicide in late August, Teton Valley Health CEO Keith Gnagey called up the Mental Health Coalition.
“Keith said, ‘what do you need, how can I support you,’ and we agreed that it has to be a community issue, we have to get everyone involved in planning, talking, educating, training, getting the word out about prevention resources, warning signs. It has to be a cross-agency collaboration,” White said.
The pieces quickly fell into place, and on Aug. 31 city and county officials and representatives from law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency management, probation, social and economic services, and the school district sat down to discuss mental health.
“Everyone realizes that there’s a problem and that we need to take action,” Gnagey said. “It was great attendance at the meeting.”
“The circumstances were unfortunate, it’s not why we want to be meeting, but overall, I was so encouraged to see the leaders of our community come together and engage in this conversation,” White added. “Every one of us has a role to play in preventing suicides. It gives me hope that together we can create a place that’s safe and supportive for all.”
The group invited a representative from the Idaho Lives Project, a partnership between the Idaho State Department of Education and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare that focuses on preventing and addressing youth suicide, to present on the topic.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” White said. “Idaho is fifth in the country for death by suicide. It was really important to us to bring in someone who has the pulse on what’s happening across the state, especially in rural communities, to give us guidance on what’s been successful in other places.”
The MHC, which started as a group of providers offering subsidized counseling, was founded because of a tragic suicide cluster event in 2009. White said that the recent spate of suicides has served as a reminder to her organization.
“We did a lot of really good work and we were doing well for awhile. The numbers dropped, and we didn’t necessarily keep suicide at the forefront of our messaging,” she said. “This year has been a wake-up call that we can’t stop this work. We always need to be talking about suicide, we need to make sure that education about it is an ongoing message woven across our community so that we don’t have to suffer more losses.”
In a related effort, Teton Valley Health is wrapping up data collection and analysis for its Community Health Needs Assessment, a study performed once every three years to gauge the valley’s needs that TVH uses to guide policies and services. While community respondents in 2019 listed suicide as a specific item of concern, it was not called out specifically in 2022, but, Gnagey said, mental health generally speaking has again been identified as a top concern for community members this year.
“Teton Valley Health’s role is do what the community needs and help people,” he said. “We’re not the experts in this, we are depending on the Mental Health Coalition to drive the effort, but we want to participate and push it forward. We want to continue to expand the group to more and more people who can engage and contribute to the conversation.”
Local leaders met again after press time on Sept. 6 as part of the Local Emergency Planning Committee to further address suicide prevention and education:
-A Crisis and Suicide Prevention Task Force will be formed to guide individual and community level planning. Anyone who wants to be involved should reach out to the MHC—call or text (208) 354-6198, email info@tetonvalleymentalhealth.com, or visit tetonvalleymentalhealth.com. No prior knowledge or experience is necessary.
-Agencies will have targeted, collaborative marketing and social media strategies centered around sharing resources and education opportunities.
-A Remembrance Event will be held later in September in honor of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and to commemorate those who are gone. Details will be released soon. White said she wants to see this become an annual event.
-Gatekeeper training will be offered to agencies and businesses. Several local organizations have already received training or signed up for it, including the Family Safety Network, Teton Valley Food Pantry, Community Resource Center, and Teton County department supervisors.
“Our goal is to see everyone in Teton Valley take a QPR training,” White said. QPR, meaning Question, Persuade and Refer, is like CPR for a mental health emergency, she explained. It helps people know what language to use and how to help someone in crisis.
It’s important to remember that asking someone if they are having suicidal thoughts is not harmful, White added.
“Don’t be afraid to talk about suicide,” she emphasized. “You’re not putting the idea in their head, and studies show that asking the question can save lives. And people should know they don’t have to suffer or struggle alone. Talk to the Mental Health Coalition, we’re here to help, we can pay for counseling, or call 988, the suicide prevention hotline.”
The Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline provides 24/7 free and confidential behavioral health crisis support at 988. You can call or text the hotline for yourself or for a loved one. Local mental health resources are available through the Mental Health Coalition at (208) 354-6198. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/local-leaders-collaborate-on-suicide-prevention-effort/article_a53f4da2-2ad5-11ed-93ec-2bab26332f3d.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:14Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/local-leaders-collaborate-on-suicide-prevention-effort/article_a53f4da2-2ad5-11ed-93ec-2bab26332f3d.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410,
411, 413, 425, AND 427...
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in
effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is
no longer in effect.
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River
Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial
Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone
413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle
Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and
Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River
Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake
River.
* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent.
* IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid
wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry
thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to
the red flag warning time .
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria
for Southeastern Idaho:
- Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at
least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain.
- Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall
criteria.
- Other high impact events deemed critical by the National
Weather Service and area fire management agencies.
&&
Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue collaborates with TCSO and members of the public in a missing person search early in August.
This August provided a lush and rainy reprieve from the typical dry and dusty Teton summer. Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue had another good month of training and serving the community. We kicked off August with rigging and rope rescue training. The team recently obtained two CMC Clutches. These devices simplify raising and lowering a rescue load (a rescuer and a litter with a patient). Instead of using a complex system of pulleys and prusics, the CMC clutches allow us to set up strong raising and lowering systems quickly and safely which is vital in a slope or vertical rescue situation. The community’s support of the team through donations and fundraisers like Tin Cup allows us to purchase gear like these clutches. Thank you!
On August 5th the team was called out to assist with a search for a missing person in Tetonia. The team responded with members on ATV’s, dirt bikes, on foot, with K9s., and in personal vehicles. We coordinated with the sheriff’s office and a civilian search effort, as well as Air Idaho’s helicopter based search effort. After a long search a team member located the missing person, deceased. Our condolences go out to his friends and family.
While this was not the outcome we wanted for this search, it did illustrate this community’s ability to come together in times of crisis. The outpouring of support during and after the search was compelling. One of our priorities while training is building systems and using tools that can integrate with a multitude of other agencies in situations like this to keep searches safe and keep the search well organized.
Finally, on Saturday, September 10th, the team will be holding a community thank you barbeque at our HQ at 70 West Buxton Road in Driggs (behind the Sheriff’s Office) from 2 to 4 pm. We couldn’t operate without your support, and we’re so thankful for it. We’ll have free food and drinks, and the opportunity for kids and adults to interact with the gear and tools we use to effect rescues year-round in the Tetons. We’ll also have K9 search demonstrations going on throughout the afternoon. Please come on out, have a burger or a hot dog with us, and get to know the SAR team members who serve this community.
August by the Numbers:
1 Callout
297.5 volunteer hours from TCISAR Team Members
For more information about TCISAR, or to donate, please visit: www.tcisar.org
TCISAR’s August Tip
As we move into the fall, weather in the Tetons becomes even less predictable than usual. While we’re dealing with record heat in the beginning of September, it’s not uncommon to see frost, and even snow during this month. So don’t get lured into complacency. It’s a good idea to always carry a space blanket and puffy jacket in your pack during these transitional months. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/tcisar-august-2022-update/article_9794602e-2acc-11ed-898d-639c73ac867a.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:20Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/tcisar-august-2022-update/article_9794602e-2acc-11ed-898d-639c73ac867a.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Developers kick off process with neighborhood meeting
City staff and a project development crew hosted an informal neighborhood meeting on Aug. 30 to introduce residents to a large apartment complex that may be constructed on Ross Avenue in Driggs, northeast of the school district administrative building and east of the county road and bridge facility.
According to the Flats at Teton Peaks concept plan, the phased development will have 184 units on 11.25 acres, 52 of which will be deed restricted in some way, as either low-income housing, workforce housing, or short term rental-prohibited housing.
The four-, eight-, and 12-plexes will be composed of condominiums, meaning each apartment can be individually owned. Most will be two-bedroom units, with a few single-bedroom “efficiency units” interspersed in the subdivision. The neighborhood will include a park, pickleball courts, a dog run, and a pavilion, all on the southeast side of the project so that future developments to the east could potentially add onto the public assets, explained Driggs community development director Doug Self.
In July of 2021, Driggs approved a rezone of the property from single-family to multi-family residential to allow dense housing there. Since January of this year, representatives of the owner have been working with the city to craft an application that includes some exemptions from standard subdivision requirements in exchange for deed restrictions.
Driggs does not require neighborhood meetings in the development approval process, but city planning administrator Leanne Bernstein said she’s considering bringing forward a code amendment to add meetings or informal work sessions for future large-scale developments (25-plus residential units or five-plus acres for commercial uses). She said the developers of the proposed Flats at Teton Peaks were willing to be “guinea pigs” of the process.
Led by Kurt Webb of Hemming Properties in Rexburg, a group of project engineers, architects, and contractors met with anyone who was interested in learning more on Aug. 30. Only a few adjacent property owners attended the meeting, but they said they came away with their questions answered.
Webb told the audience that he and his team wanted to “create a development that benefited the community, where the local workforce could afford to own, keeping it at a price point that’s reachable for the community but didn’t feel that it’s at the lowest quality.” He said that he expected even the non-deed restricted units to sell at a price that was attainable for local residents.
The subdivision will include stub roads that will enable the future extension of 1st Street. Bernstein explained that the development would maintain the public road grid that is laid out in the city’s transportation plan.
Because there are several large subdivisions being proposed by different entities in the area between the highway and the schools on 5th Street, five potential developers have partnered on a traffic impact study that accounts for all the new residential units being planned.
“We know that traffic is a big concern for many,” Webb acknowledged. That study had been completed but not released to the city for review, as of last week. Webb confirmed that those findings would be taken into consideration.
During discussions about the recently-adopted county land development code, which purports to encourage dense residential development within the cities instead of in the incorporated county, some opponents have voiced their concern that city infrastructure can’t accommodate dense housing; Victor needs updated lift stations, and Driggs has struggled to get its wastewater treatment plant into compliance with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and EPA.
However, Self said in response to that concern as it pertained to the large proposed development on Ross Avenue, wastewater treatment is not a finite resource like water rights.
“You can always expand a wastewater system,” he said. “When we do implement whatever solution it’ll be, it’s going to take funding, which is going to require new connections to pay for it. At the point we adopt a plan for the wastewater treatment plant, we will need more customers.”
Once the Flats at Teton Peaks project group has submitted a preliminary plat application to the city, a public hearing in front of the Driggs Planning & Zoning Commission will be noticed in the Teton Valley News and online, and members of the public will have an opportunity to submit written or spoken comment on the development. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/local_government/large-residential-project-proposed-for-ross-ave/article_a04fc346-296b-11ed-8e7c-5be516630c13.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:26Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/local_government/large-residential-project-proposed-for-ross-ave/article_a04fc346-296b-11ed-8e7c-5be516630c13.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410,
411, 413, 425, AND 427...
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in
effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is
no longer in effect.
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River
Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial
Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone
413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle
Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and
Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River
Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake
River.
* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent.
* IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid
wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry
thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to
the red flag warning time .
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria
for Southeastern Idaho:
- Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at
least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain.
- Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall
criteria.
- Other high impact events deemed critical by the National
Weather Service and area fire management agencies.
&&
1 of 4
It is necessary for Victor’s public works department to park vehicles in its maintenance bay each night due to the lack of space at its 32 Elm St. building. Since the vehicles were in use, there was no occupying vehicle at the time of this photo.
As pictured, the additions and renovations of over 40 years have made the Victor public works space at 32 Elm St. a hodgepodge of smaller structures within one building.
It is necessary for Victor’s public works department to park vehicles in its maintenance bay each night due to the lack of space at its 32 Elm St. building. Since the vehicles were in use, there was no occupying vehicle at the time of this photo.
As pictured, the additions and renovations of over 40 years have made the Victor public works space at 32 Elm St. a hodgepodge of smaller structures within one building.
The upcoming Victor City Council meeting on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. will feature a public hearing that considers the city’s intent to sell the Victor public works facilities located at 32 Elm St. and 53 Fir St.
At the end of July, city council discussed financing for its new public works facility, which it hopes to build at Sherman Park. The site is located just north of the Kotler Ice Arena and just south of the newly renovated Victor Bike Park, east of South Baseline Road.
The financing of the new public works facility is not contingent upon the sale of the old facility. During the meeting at the end of July, council discussed and decided to focus on a five-year, principal-deferred annual appropriation lease through Zion Bank for the buildout of the new facility. The city already owns the land the new facility would sit on.
However, if the 32 Elm St. facility were to be sold, the funds raised from the sale would be used to pay off the balance of the lease. The new facility would cost an estimated $1.4 million to build. The 32 Elm St. building and site are appraised at $1.8 million.
The new building “would not only accommodate our present needs but also accommodate future needs as well,” said city special projects manager Troy Butzlaff at the July 27 meeting.
The current facility has served the city for over 40 years, with long-time city employee and current Victor deputy clerk Cari Golden stating that the building has been there “as long as I can remember.”
Due to its long service as the public works facility, the building has gone through many additions, renovations, and changes. The inside of the building looks more like a group of smaller, connected structures rather than one cohesive space.
That has led public works to a hodgepodge of ad-hoc solutions to make city equipment and vehicles fit. The most representative of these make-do solutions is a freestanding wood stud (which is splitting in half) propping up the arm of a $400,000 vacuum truck since its boom is too long to fit in its current bay.
City administrator Jeremy Besbris called the solution a “precarious situation.”
By itself, the process of pulling the vehicle in and backing it out takes three individuals. One to drive, one to spot, and one to place the wooden beam.
The space also severely limits the number of vehicles it can store indoors, which leads to inefficient use of staff time and quicker depreciation of its fleet.
“If they’re spending half an hour cleaning off a vehicle that takes away a half an hour in the field being productive,” said Besbris. “When you have a $400,000 truck, it is going to deteriorate much faster when it is left out in the elements.”
The yard at the 32 Elm St. facility is also an awkward triangular shape, which makes parking and moving vehicles, and their associated attachments, complicated.
Plans for the new public works facility indicate a 10,800 square foot facility, with seven vehicle bays. The bays range from large enough to fit the vacuum truck and road graders to bays small enough to fit normal-sized pickups and skid-steer loaders.
The space is planned to have two levels of administrative space and offices. It will also have a large concrete pad and washing station, as well as a new yard for gravel piles and outdoor storage. It will be large enough to accommodate Victor’s next 20 to 30 years of public works needs. The city hopes to have renderings of the new facility at the public hearing.
More information on the proposal to sell the old public works facility will be posted on the meeting agenda at victorcityidaho.com. Comments may be submitted to victorcityadmin@victorcityidaho.com or given during the public hearing. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/local_government/victor-to-hold-public-hearing-on-public-works-facility-sale/article_b550c482-2af3-11ed-8ba7-3b59e8ecaaa4.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:32Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/local_government/victor-to-hold-public-hearing-on-public-works-facility-sale/article_b550c482-2af3-11ed-8ba7-3b59e8ecaaa4.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410,
411, 413, 425, AND 427...
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in
effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is
no longer in effect.
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River
Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial
Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone
413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle
Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and
Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River
Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake
River.
* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent.
* IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid
wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry
thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to
the red flag warning time .
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria
for Southeastern Idaho:
- Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at
least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain.
- Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall
criteria.
- Other high impact events deemed critical by the National
Weather Service and area fire management agencies.
&&
1 of 2
This month, once the sandhills flock to Teton Valley from across the Northwest, we’ll gather alongside them, ready for whatever journey lies ahead.
I didn’t see the sandhill crane, but I heard it. I was floating on the Teton River, dumbstruck by the natural beauty around me. I still am, and don’t expect that to change. Around here, when I realize my jaw has been hanging it’s because I’ve been staring at something: the Grand, or an angry cloud full of lightning, or a bull moose calmly chewing on a willow, like the one we had passed a couple of bends upstream. It’s not often a sound invokes a feeling of awe, but for me, the call of that sandhill crane hidden somewhere in the tall grass bending in the breeze did it. Even now, whenever I hear it, I stop whatever I’m doing to listen.
It’s difficult to describe a sandhill’s call. The only word that does it justice is “prehistoric.” It carries over impossibly long distances, rolling like stones down a mountainside, echoing off canyon walls. It’s distinct, and to hear it that day on the river made me feel like I had gone back in time.
I was a visitor to Teton Valley that day. I always had appreciated nature and loved spending time in Idaho but was by no means an expert on the plants or wildlife of the region. I’m still not, and may never be, but the call of sandhill cranes is unmistakable—so distinctive that there can be no confusing it. Whenever I’m with visitors, I can say with the confidence of a seasoned guide that they’ve just heard their first sandhill. If they ask me to identify another bird’s call, I change the subject and comment on the scenery. Foolproof.
But seriously, I had learned something I would never forget, which was a welcoming experience. Being able to recognize the call made me feel as if I had something in common with local residents and with transplants who had put down roots here. There was still plenty I didn’t know, but it was a start at feeling settled.
The more floats I took on the Teton River, the more moose I saw and sandhills I heard, the more comfortable I felt. Eventually, I relocated to Teton Valley and started working at the Teton Regional Land Trust, which puts on the annual Greater Yellowstone Crane Festival each September. I’ve never attended the event and had expected it to consist exclusively of informational speakers. I was surprised to discover through the people involved in it, past and present, that while the festival does have plenty of such learning opportunities, it’s really about the ways in which we are creatively inspired by cranes. Local experts lead workshops in photography, drawing, and poetry. A poster contest is held each year. Dance groups from various cultural backgrounds perform routines inspired by the cranes. “The art, the poetry, it’s all so we can relate,” I was told by Sue Tyler, the drawing workshop leader. “People want to relate to the outside world. And sadly, we’re getting less and less good at it—unless you make the effort that it takes to learn.”
Why people connect with this particular species of bird may have a different answer for everybody, but for me, it’s because they invite me to sit in silence. Of course, this could be the case with observing all wildlife in their habitat but with cranes, the silence feels more anticipatory. I’m waiting to hear that next croaking call. This gives my mind time to wander as I wait. Also, something about their size, their grace, and the relationships they have with one another inspires admiration in me. To my untrained ear, their call sounds similar when two cranes are in a field in the early morning or when just one passes by overhead, impossibly high. Yet the feelings they evoke in those instances are much different: one is a sense of contentment and ease, the other of longing and weariness.
When you’re in the presence of sandhills, waiting for a call, the silence in which you find yourself can lead to another phenomenon. Matt Daly and Ava Reynolds, who co-lead the poetry and printmaking workshop at the crane festival, discussed this recently. They said that when they think back to times of observing cranes, their lasting memories aren’t just of the birds themselves, but of the entirety of the moment. Matt told me, “I remember seeing them come in at night, seeing them gathering in a bigger group. I remember the night really well. The light on the Tetons. It’s much more about the experience than the static image of the animal. They seem almost on the verge of something: movement, or a little leap. Grace that’s almost static but not quite. Cranes are inherently beautiful, but the moment of where and when you experience them gives meaning to the place.”
In conservation work, finding ways to connect people to the cause is crucial. Kate Salomon worked to establish the crane festival with the late Joselin Matkins, who was the Land Trust’s executive director. She said that from the beginning, the artistic component of the festival was deeply rooted in an effort to interest a wide variety of people in a sincere way. Morning crane tours, led by members of the conservation team, also provide people with an opportunity to experience the sense of place within this landscape.
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and particularly the Teton Basin, provide sandhills with the perfect environment in summer and fall. “During pre-migration staging, cranes are building up their resources before their long flight south,” said Tamara Sperber, Conservation Director of the Teton Regional Land Trust. “Foraging on waste grain in agricultural fields in close proximity to their wetland night roosts helps conserve the energy they’ll need during migration. Teton Basin provides that ideal alignment of resources.”
Of course, a crane doesn’t know the difference between waste grain and a crop that a farmer plans to harvest. So the Land Trust started the Grain for Cranes Initiative, which allows donors to sponsor an acre of farmland strategically located near prime roosting territory where barley can be grown, cut, and left for the cranes. The efforts to conserve these habitats not only benefit the cranes but also preserve the unique beauty that has drawn people here and has held families for generations: the cranes, the open spaces, the stark natural landscapes.
The ability to feel connected to the land and the changing seasons is what brought me here. At the time, I didn’t realize the role cranes would play in that. “You need to be prepared for winters here,” said Sue Tyler. “Cranes tell you when you better have your firewood in and your roof fixed. They’re a compass, in a way.” Tamara Sperber agrees. “For me, cranes are a true harbinger of fall in Teton Valley,” she told me. “It’s not really even the sight of cranes that signals a changing of the seasons for me, but their call. Hearing their calls, watching them dance, and seeing their graceful silhouettes at dusk as they fly into their night roosts give me a sense that things are right with the world.”
This month, once the sandhills flock to Teton Valley from across the Northwest, we’ll gather alongside them, ready for whatever journey lies ahead. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/editorials/call-of-the-crane-a-signal-to-celebrate/article_425a4fcc-2af6-11ed-9d36-f7c07797dd1b.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:38Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/editorials/call-of-the-crane-a-signal-to-celebrate/article_425a4fcc-2af6-11ed-9d36-f7c07797dd1b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
I thought I had everything I needed onboard my pontoon boat to maximize the safety of myself and all my passengers until I discovered another item that you may not have considered either until you read this. To begin with, I’ll summarize the standard required and recommended safety equipment that most safety-minded boaters have on any boats less than 26 feet long. They include wearable life jackets that fit everyone on board, a throwable rescue device, operable navigation lights, visual distress signals, engine cut-off system, sound producing devices (i.e. horn, water-proof whistles), anchor with line, ventilation (to remove gas fumes from the hull), first-aid kit, communication devices (i.e. cell phone or VHF-FM Marine radio), and fire extinguisher. The critical item I’m now adding to my list of safety equipment is a handheld, portable, carbon-monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is not limited to boats with enclosed cabins and it has proven to be deadly on open motorboats. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless toxic gas created by gasoline-powered engines, including on-board generators that can kill you. It displaces oxygen in your blood and deprives vital organs of oxygen. Even though carbon monoxide has no odor, if you smell exhaust, carbon monoxide is present, but you don’t have to smell anything for it to kill you. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes similar symptoms to dehydration, seasickness, or alcohol intoxication. They include dizziness, weakness, nausea, voting, fatigue, seizure, chest pain, confusion, and loss of consciousness.
Wind coming from the aft or rear of a boat can increase the buildup of carbon monoxide on board. It’s best to run a boat so prevailing winds will help dissipate exhaust fumes. If you’re driving your boat at idle speeds or at a fast high-bow angle, both can draw exhaust fumes back towards your boat, especially if there’s a tail wind. This circular airflow pattern of exhaust back towards your boat is referred to as a station-wagon or back-draft effect. Children, older adults, or immune-compromised individuals are more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning from this back-draft effect.
After a long day of boating, Andy Free was only nine when he passed out and fell overboard from a docked boat. They were leaving for the day and the engine wasn’t even running at the time that he fell overboard. The Free family’s two older boys were discovered to have high levels of carbon monoxide poisoning, but they survived with medical treatment. The Free family had spent many years enjoying the water and always followed boating safety rules, but they didn’t know about the hidden danger of carbon monoxide poisoning until after their tragic loss of Andy (https://thelittledude.org/).
The family of 7-year-old Afton Taylor also suffered a tragic loss of their son to carbon monoxide poisoning. Afton was a swimmer and he had been enjoying the water since he was 6-months old. Afton fell overboard while sitting in the back of the boat as it was moving slowly in a no wake zone (https://www.lovelikeafton.com).
Carbon monoxide can also be very dangerous in the water around boats because it can accumulate near the water’s surface, especially on calm days with engines running nearby. Ally Sidloski, a 21-year-old woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning after jumping into a lake for a swim off a boat she had been on for the day. Ally was an excellent swimmer, and her parents were shocked to hear that she died in the water because they had never heard of carbon monoxide poisoning associated with boats (https://weplayfor3.com).
The Triple A’s, as the families call themselves in honor of Andy, Afton, and Ally are working together to spread the word about the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning when boating. They encourage boaters to use a marine carbon monoxide detector, seat children in the forward-most seating on a boat, avoid idling and exposure to emissions from other boats, and maintain fresh air circulation at all times. Also, seek medical attention immediately if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.
In addition to that list of tips, wearing a life jacket can help in the recovery and resuscitation of someone affected by carbon monoxide. Please wear a life jacket when boating, floating, or swimming around boats because even one breath of carbon monoxide can cause people to pass out and drown.
I’ve purchased a handheld, portable carbon monoxide detector to add to my boat’s safety equipment. My hope is that anyone who boats or swims around motorboats gets one too. Share this information with those you know who enjoy boating and playing in the water around boats so we can prevent carbon monoxide deaths and save more lives on our nation’s waterways! For more information regarding the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning when boating visit PleaseWearIt.com and https://uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/carbon-monoxide.php.
This work, Detecting Deadly Carbon Monoxide on Boats, by Pamela Doty, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/428759/detecting-deadly-carbon-monoxide-boats | 2022-09-07T22:26:39Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/428759/detecting-deadly-carbon-monoxide-boats | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410,
411, 413, 425, AND 427...
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in
effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is
no longer in effect.
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River
Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial
Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone
413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle
Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and
Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River
Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake
River.
* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent.
* IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid
wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry
thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to
the red flag warning time .
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria
for Southeastern Idaho:
- Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at
least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain.
- Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall
criteria.
- Other high impact events deemed critical by the National
Weather Service and area fire management agencies.
&&
We are all in this together. You, me and the person down the street. The news is constantly filled with difficult and sometimes scary realities. No matter your beliefs, we all want the best for our children and neighbors, and we are all in this together. Whether we choose to help or hurt is your choice, but it affects us all.
Last Friday, a couple people made a really poor choice to wave and shoot a cap gun at students while at recess. Scenarios like this, whether malicious or not, are terrifying and have real, lasting impacts. Did the kids or teachers think this was all in good fun? No, they thought it was real, so the school went into lockdown. Yes, the people were caught, but are the kids okay? Do they feel safe in their schools? How are the teachers feeling? Do they feel safe coming to work everyday? We have to raise the bar and do better. Talk to your kids. Share why this matters so much.
The school and Sheriff did everything right. They acted promptly, kept the kids safe and made all the notifications. Thank you. Thank you to our most important essential workers!
The takeaway: What seems like a prank to one is destructive or damaging to another. What’s more, the City of Driggs also has had two park bathrooms graffitied in one week. One of these bathrooms is brand new at Primrose Park, or what used to be known as Huntsman Park.
Now, I know there are lots of amazing things happening in our community worth celebrating, as well. I am hearing so many “paying it forward” stories and others about strangers helping each other. Local businesses helped residents, rescued food, and more and more. I am in awe of the many more positive comments I hear daily that far surpass the negative. Even hard conversations are met with smiles. So let’s have the hard conversations. Let’s do better and ensure we all feel safe every single day.
Can we all watch out for each other? Whether we agree with one another or not, we are all still neighbors. I want to encourage you all to start the conversations at home. And, if you see something, say something. We all live here for a reason. Thank you for playing your part in making our community a better place.
One more thing, if you or someone you know is struggling, or may be reaching out for help, please call the Mental Health Hotline at 988. Take care. -Mayor August | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/editorials/we-are-all-in-this-together/article_381e0c00-2d45-11ed-bb92-f3d265654a52.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:45Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/editorials/we-are-all-in-this-together/article_381e0c00-2d45-11ed-bb92-f3d265654a52.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410,
411, 413, 425, AND 427...
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in
effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is
no longer in effect.
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River
Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial
Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone
413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle
Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and
Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River
Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake
River.
* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent.
* IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid
wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry
thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to
the red flag warning time .
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria
for Southeastern Idaho:
- Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at
least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain.
- Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall
criteria.
- Other high impact events deemed critical by the National
Weather Service and area fire management agencies.
&&
You need to be aware that there is a Band of Angels running loose among us and I know that because they paid me a visit yesterday. They gifted me with their time and their equipment and enough new fencing materials to build a fence 192 feet long and they would not allow me to make the smallest financial contribution towards this wonderful gift.
They even brought breakfast!!
I will never be able to adequately express the gratitude I feel by being the beneficiary of such a generous gift and I do not feel worthy of so much generosity being bestowed upon me.
I know when something like this happens, people generally don't want to be recognized publicly because that isn't why they did it, but I will not allow something like this to happen without some kind of shout-out, so I will thank you by only using your first names: Thank you Deborah and Cile and Dustin and Raul and Gage and Roger and Natalie and Brian and Joe.
Even more amazing is that I hardly even knew most of you before this all happened! Each of you inspires me to be a better person and I am looking forward to keeping this sort of good will moving forward whenever and however I can.
This kind of thing only emphasizes how much I love living in such a wonderful place as this is among such outstanding human beings. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/letters_to_editor/a-band-of-angels/article_cbdf6df8-2d45-11ed-a9c0-2fb8b0edd66e.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:51Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/letters_to_editor/a-band-of-angels/article_cbdf6df8-2d45-11ed-a9c0-2fb8b0edd66e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Senate to vote on same-sex marriage in coming weeks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Wednesday that the Senate will vote on legislation to protect same-sex marriage “in the coming weeks” as a bipartisan group backing the bill negotiates changes to gain more Republican support.
The vote, expected by the end of the month, comes as Democrats and a small group of Republicans are moving to safeguard same-sex marriage following the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion. Lawmakers fear the court’s ruling, and a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas, indicate that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could come under threat.
“We all want to pass this quickly,” Schumer said. “I hope there will be 10 Republicans to support it.”
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, is working to round up those ten GOP votes needed to overcome a filibuster and get the legislation through the 50-50 Senate.
“I think the momentum is going in the right direction,” Baldwin said after the bipartisan group met on Wednesday.
The Senate push for the historic vote — and the openness by some Republicans to back it in an election year — reflects a seismic shift on the issue since the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing gay marriage nationwide. Some 70% of U.S. adults in a June Gallup poll said same-sex unions should be valid under the law.
The bill protecting same-sex marriage cleared the House in a July vote with the support of 47 Republicans – a larger than expected number that gave the measure a boost in the Senate.
To win over more Senate Republicans, negotiators are planning to introduce amendments aimed at addressing concerns from some about “religious liberty” – the rights of religious institutions or religious business owners to oppose same-sex marriage, for example. Supporters say such religious liberty is already enshrined in law, but new language would simply make that clear.
Another proposed tweak to the bill would make clear that a marriage is between two people, an effort to ward off some far-right criticism that the legislation could endorse polygamy.
Baldwin and two of the Republicans supporting the marriage bill, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, said Wednesday that the group was drafting the amendments to address the concerns they’ve heard from their GOP colleagues.
“There’s no harm in doing it,” Tillis said, even though some Democrats have pointed out that those rights are already protected under law.
Collins said the amendment would “make crystal clear that it does not in any way infringe religious liberties” and allow Republicans to have input on the bill.
“I’m never confident until the roll is called but we’re making good progress,” Collins said.
The legislation would repeal the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed. The new Respect for Marriage Act would also protect interracial marriages by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
So far, three Republicans have said they will vote for the legislation and are working with Baldwin and others to pass it: Collins, Tillis and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. A fourth GOP senator, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has supported same-sex marriage in the past. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who is up for reelection this year, has said he doesn’t see a “reason to oppose it” but has talked on both sides of the issue in recent weeks.
Several other Republican senators have said they are undecided or have declined to comment.
“I don’t have anything for you on that at this point,” Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey said Wednesday, when asked if he would vote for the bill.
Indicative of the political shift, many of the Republicans who are opposing the bill aren’t arguing whether same-sex marriages should be recognized by the government. They say instead that they believe the Supreme Court is unlikely to overturn Obergefell.
“I don’t think that’s a pressing matter,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is up for re-election this year. “There’s no threat to same-sex marriage in America.”
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said the effort is a “show vote” and Democrats are playing politics.
Baldwin, who is the first openly gay senator and has been working on gay rights issues since she first entered state politics in the 1980s, said she disagrees with that assessment.
“It’s not” just politics, Baldwin said. “It’s very real for a whole lot of people.”
___
Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Nomaan Merchant and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.witn.com/2022/09/07/senate-vote-same-sex-marriage-coming-weeks/ | 2022-09-07T22:26:51Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/2022/09/07/senate-vote-same-sex-marriage-coming-weeks/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410,
411, 413, 425, AND 427...
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in
effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is
no longer in effect.
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River
Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial
Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone
413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle
Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and
Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River
Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake
River.
* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent.
* IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid
wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry
thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to
the red flag warning time .
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria
for Southeastern Idaho:
- Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at
least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain.
- Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall
criteria.
- Other high impact events deemed critical by the National
Weather Service and area fire management agencies.
&&
I have had the privilege of holding office as a Teton County Commissioner for the past two years. I have enjoyed the responsibility and opportunity so much that I am running for re-election. It has been a pleasure to serve with two smart and hard-working colleagues on the Board, Bob Heneage and Cindy Riegel, and a joy to work with the highly professional staff at Teton County. Our team has been hard at work addressing the pressing issues our community faces. I am excited to continue this important work we have started and serve as your Commissioner for another term.
Recently I have spent a few weeks meeting with voters to learn their concerns and hopes for our County. Although we may disagree on how to get there, I’ve learned through these many conversations that most Teton County residents want the same things for our future together: affordable housing, good jobs, safe infrastructure, and protection of agriculture and nature. I firmly believe in the power of community, that by working together in civil dialogue and action, we can chart a future that we and our successors will enjoy. I will uphold these values as your County Commissioner. I respect anyone who runs for the Commission—it is a challenging job in an ever more complicated setting, so hats off to my challenger. Over the next two months I will continue to reach out to every resident I can. If I don’t get to your door, please contact me with your ideas. Together we can keep the best of Teton Valley and continue to make it better. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/letters_to_editor/lets-work-together-to-better-our-community/article_7e85c092-2c79-11ed-b200-1f428c6eec38.html | 2022-09-07T22:26:57Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/letters_to_editor/lets-work-together-to-better-our-community/article_7e85c092-2c79-11ed-b200-1f428c6eec38.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 410,
411, 413, 425, AND 427...
The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in
effect from noon to 9 PM MDT Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is
no longer in effect.
* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 410 Upper Snake River
Valley/Idaho Falls BLM, Fire Weather Zone 411 Centennial
Mountains and Snake River Range/Targhee NF, Fire Weather Zone
413 Caribou Range/Caribou NF, Fire Weather Zone 425 Middle
Snake River Valley/Twin Falls BLM north of the Snake River and
Fire Weather Zone 427 Goose Creek and Raft River
Valley/Southern Sawtooth NF/Twin Falls BLM south of the Snake
River.
* WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 percent.
* IMPACTS...Humidity and wind at these thresholds can cause rapid
wildfire spread and long range spotting by embers. Dry
thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening prior to
the red flag warning time .
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly based on these criteria
for Southeastern Idaho:
- Relative humidity at or below 15 percent and wind gusts of at
least 25 mph in the mountains, or 30 mph in the Snake Plain.
- Thunderstorm coverage of 25 percent, without specific rainfall
criteria.
- Other high impact events deemed critical by the National
Weather Service and area fire management agencies.
&&
It is campaign season for the 2022 mid term election. The issues that face our nation and state are often perceived as insurmountable from the media perspective, but in truth that is not so. To tackle our problems, we have to meet them with our boots on the ground, one issue at a time. More often than not we see a name on a signboard and that sticks in our mind so we end up voting for that person. That kind of voting is how we got ourselves into the seemingly insurmountable mess we find ourselves.
I encourage you to find out about the candidates any chance you get. Visit websites. When you see that candidates are in your area, go talk to them, ask them questions, find out what they think. Ask incumbents about their voting records. Knowing the candidates will tell you far more than sound bites you get from campaign signs.
Right now the GOP hard liners have a stranglehold on Idaho politics and they need to be held accountable. That is our job as voters. The big problems are solved at our front door one vote at a time. Educate yourself on the candidates and vote. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/letters_to_editor/voting-intelligently/article_3b7a5c76-2a04-11ed-bc0a-cf394269a877.html | 2022-09-07T22:27:03Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/opinion/letters_to_editor/voting-intelligently/article_3b7a5c76-2a04-11ed-bc0a-cf394269a877.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The Obamas were back in the White House as President Joe Biden and the First Lady hosted them on Wednesday to unveil their official White House portraits.
“There few people I’ve ever known with more integrity, decency and moral courage than Barack Obama,” Biden said. “With Barack as our president, we got up every day and went to work full of hope.”
Former President Barack Obama praised the artist for capturing him as he is, saying “presidents so often get airbrushed, even take on a mythical status.”
Obama also said the head-on portrait will help viewers feel a connection.
“What I want people to remember about Michelle and me, is that presidents and first ladies are human beings like everyone else,” Obama explained.
The portraits will be displayed in the White House alongside portraits of all former presidents and first ladies, but the Obamas’ portraits will stand out.
Michelle Obama noted “a portrait of a bi-racial kid with an unusual name and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom.”
The Obamas said they hope their portraits on the White House walls send a powerful message.
“It is so important to believe that every young kid who is doubting themselves to believe that they can too,” said Michelle Obama.
The unveiling comes after former President Trump broke with tradition during his term and declined to host the event for his immediate predecessor. | https://www.wpri.com/news/president-biden-hosts-obamas-for-official-white-house-portrait-unveiling-2/ | 2022-09-07T22:28:50Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/president-biden-hosts-obamas-for-official-white-house-portrait-unveiling-2/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
If the pundits are to be believed, then Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert could be an MVP candidate this season while directing an offense that, as someone pointed out, puts up points like a video game. A less hyperbolic view is that the Chargers will be very, very good offensively.
No matter how you choose to look at the 2022 Chargers offense, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Herbert set a franchise passing record with 5,014 yards last season, only his second in the NFL. He has a variety of targets again this season, an embarrassment of riches, really.
The Chargers’ offensive line is improved with the addition of rookie right guard Zion Johnson, a man defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko joked “was created in a lab.” At least we think Fehoko was joking after going against Johnson almost every day during training camp last month.
Here’s a look at the Chargers’ offense heading into the 2021 regular season, which opens Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium:
Quarterbacks: Justin Herbert, Easton Stick, Chase Daniel
The Chargers kept three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster because they liked the idea of Stick and Daniel providing support and counsel to Herbert. If all goes as planned, Stick and Daniel will play only in mop-up situations rather than relief of an injured Herbert this season.
After all, there is no replacing Herbert, who established himself as one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks in his record-setting 2021 season. It’s not fair to say the Chargers’ success or failure rests entirely on the broad shoulders of Herbert, but they kind of do, don’t they?
Stick and Daniel each moved the Chargers well at times during three exhibition games, but one or two minutes of watching practice and it was evident that Herbert is miles ahead of each of them in so many aspects of the game, starting and ending with that golden arm of his.
Running backs: Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, Sony Michel, Isaiah Spiller, Zander Horvath (fullback)
One of the Chargers’ goals during the offseason was to find someone to take some of the burden off of the versatile Ekeler, who was tied for the league lead with 20 touchdowns scored from scrimmage in 2021. He had 12 rushing and eight receiving TDs as perhaps the Chargers’ top weapon.
So, the Chargers drafted Spiller in the fourth round from Texas A&M, where he was fifth in the SEC in rushing with 1,011 yards last season. They also added additional depth by signing Sony Michel after the Miami Dolphins released him. Michel gained 845 yards last season with the Rams.
Wide receivers: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jalen Guyton, Joshua Palmer, DeAndre Carter
This might be the Chargers’ deepest and potentially most productive offensive position of them all, as well it should be. Allen and Williams are skilled veterans who forged strong connections with Herbert in the past two seasons, with 106 and 76 receptions, respectively, last season.
Guyton and Palmer are capable receivers, too, cycling through a rotation that doesn’t offer much relief for the opposition. Carter is expected to be the Chargers’ top kick and punt returner, but he also showed during camp he could run strong routes and catch passes, too.
Tight ends: Gerald Everett, Donald Parham Jr., Tre’ McKitty
This is a strong group of receivers and blockers, another set of targets for Herbert to pick from as he surveys the field.
Offensive line: Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley, Zion Johnson, Trey Pipkins III, Storm Norton, Will Clapp, Jamaree Salyer, Brendan Jaimes
Pipkins won a camp battle with Norton for the starting right tackle position, lining up next to Johnson, a rookie from Boston College who was the Chargers’ first-round draft pick. If there’s the slightest bit of concern about the Chargers’ offense, it’s on this side of their offensive line.
Slater was excellent as a rookie last season and, although the Chargers didn’t wish to compare them, it’s hoped Johnson follows a similar trajectory in his first season in the NFL. There are no concerns about the rest of the offensive line, considered to be one of the league’s best.
Specialists: Dustin Hopkins (kicker), JK Scott (punter/holder), Josh Harris (long snapper)
These spots were nailed down well before the players arrived at training camp.
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LOS ANGELES – Decisions will be made. Just not yet.
The Dodgers could clinch a postseason spot as early as Friday and the division as early as Sunday, leaving weeks of the regular season for some players to play their way into or out of postseason roles.
“We’re not there yet,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Wednesday’s game. “I think there’s enough season, enough games for guys to kind of find their way so I’m not even at that point yet.”
That gives Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger time to fend off the challenges to their October playing time from the emergence of Joey Gallo and Trayce Thompson as outfield options. Key players in postseasons past, Taylor and Bellinger are struggling to the finish line of sub-par seasons.
Taylor returned from a small fracture in his left foot in early August and has hit .165 (13 for 79) with 37 strikeouts since then. Roberts acknowledged there is “absolutely a chance” that Taylor’s foot injury and elbow surgery last fall are factors in his struggles.
“But we’re not going to get it from Chris,” Roberts said. “He will not divulge any semblance of an excuse.”
Bellinger, meanwhile, has been fully healthy after an injury-riddled 2021 season. Still, his average has sunk below .200 and his OPS under .650 thanks to an 8-for-64 slump over his 20 games before Wednesday.
Bellinger was given a couple days off in mid-August after he failed to run out a ball. At the time, Roberts characterized it as a “re-set” prompted by frustration he saw in Bellinger. Bellinger was not in the starting lineup Wednesday but Roberts said it’s too late now to give a struggling player “three or four days off to re-set.”
“I think the reset window has passed,” he said. “Guys have got to perform. And so with that, they’ve got to play. They want to play. But as far as the playing time, other guys deserve the opportunity to play as well. So that’s where trying to balance the playing time for everyone that’s worthy and other guys that need it to get untracked kind of comes into play.”
HUDSON RECOVERY
Veteran reliever Daniel Hudson passed the eight-week mark in his recovery from surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee this week, joining the Dodgers on this homestand as he rehabs.
“It’s really been uneventful so far – knock on wood,” Hudson said.
Hudson said his surgery was fairly simple with no complicating factors like meniscus damage or bone bruising. He has regained range of motion and is focused on strengthening the knee in the next phase.
The 35-year-old Hudson suffered the torn ACL during a game in Atlanta on June 24. He is hopeful that he will be able to start throwing off a mound sometime in January and then be ready to return during spring training.
Hudson’s one-year contract with the Dodgers this season includes a club option for 2023 at a $6.5 million salary or a $1 million buyout.
WALKED BACK
Faced with a libel suit, sports radio host Doug Gottlieb has issued an apology to agent Casey Close, retracting his report in June that Close had failed to inform his client, Freddie Freeman, about a contract offer from the Atlanta Braves before Freeman signed as a free agent with the Dodgers.
“While I always strive to report accurate information, I prematurely reported on these events and simply got it wrong,” Gottlieb said in a statement released on social media. “Upon further vetting of my sources, a review of the lawsuit filed against me in this matter and a direct conversation with Casey myself, I have learned that the conduct I alleged did not occur and that there is no credible basis for stating that it did.”
Excel Sports released a statement on Close’s behalf, saying they consider the matter closed after Gottlieb’s retraction and apology.
COMING SOON
After retiring the side in order on six pitches during his inning Tuesday night, reliever Tommy Kahnle pitched another 1-2-3 inning with two strikes for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. It was the first time Kahnle has pitched on consecutive days since going to the Injured List with a forearm injury in May.
Kahnle has made six appearances on a rehab assignment with OKC and could be ready to rejoin the Dodgers soon.
UP NEXT
The Dodgers are off Thursday.
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By KATHLEEN RONAYNE | Associated Press
SACRAMENTO — A record heat wave put California in a fossil fuel conundrum: The state has had to rely more heavily on natural gas to produce electricity and avoid power outages while Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration moves toward ending the use of oil and gas.
The heat wave that started more than a week ago has been hotter and longer than any other, and it has put unprecedented strain on power supplies. That prompted Newsom to plead with people to use less power to avoid rolling blackouts — a practice that involves cutting some people’s power to save energy so the lights can stay on for everyone else.
That effort has worked, but meeting the state’s heightened energy demand also required activating generators fueled by natural gas, which is still a major part of the state’s power picture. The governor’s calls for conservation also drew criticism about new state policies governing electric vehicles and other measures that will only increase energy demand.
“If you’re an elected official, you need to keep the lights on,” said Ken Alex, a top climate official for former California Gov. Jerry Brown.
The state might have to turn to older fossil fuel technology for the next two to three years while it builds more battery storage and other renewable resources, Alex said.
“It’s constantly this balance: We have got to get away from fossil fuels, but we also need to get there,” he said.
Tuesday’s demand for 52,000 megawatts set a record, as triple-digit temperatures blanketed much of the state. Sacramento hit a record high of 116 degrees, and normally cooler places like San Francisco and San Diego also reached sizzling temperatures.
But the demand will only climb in the years ahead. By 2045, when the state is mandated to get all of its electricity from non-carbon or renewable sources, demand is expected to be as high as 78,000 megawatts due to more electric home appliances and cars on the road, according California Energy Commission estimates.
To meet that demand, both the government and major utilities like Pacific Gas & Electric are working to scale up renewable sources such as solar and wind power, as well as large-scale batteries that can store that power for use at night. The California Public Utilities Commission last year ordered utilities to procure enough additional power for 2.5 million homes by 2026. Newsom has also pushed to keep the state’s last nuclear plant open beyond its planned closure in 2025.
The sun is typically the state’s biggest power source during the day. But as the hot weather arrived, natural gas surpassed renewables for more time over the past week, according to the California Independent System Operator, which is responsible for managing and maintaining reliability on the state’s power grid.
Gas was the primary energy source all day on Tuesday — the expected peak of the brutal temperatures.
Meanwhile, on Monday the state for the first time turned on four gas-powered generators to add more supply, enough to power 120,000 homes. It planned to rely on some diesel-powered generators as well.
But some of the state’s fossil-fuel plants have their own reliability problems. Several power plants, including aging gas-fired ones along California’s coast, partially broke down or couldn’t produce as much energy over several days, according to the ISO.
Four of the plants, which suck up ocean water to cool down their equipment, were slated to close in 2020, but the state has continually extended their lives to help stabilize the power supply. They now plan to stay open until at least 2023, but they could last even longer under legislation Newsom signed in June.
At least three plants have experienced partial outages during parts of the heat wave, according to the ISO.
The AES Corporation, which owns a few plants, has “moved swiftly to carry out needed maintenance on our older units to ensure their availability,” according to a statement from Mark Miller, AES’s Market Business Leader for California.
The company also provides power to the state through newer natural gas plants and battery storage, he said. The partial shutdowns at one of the plants in Redondo Beach were caused by a boiler tube leak and a pump problem, he said.
If the state wants to keep the old coastal gas-powered plants online beyond 2023, it needs to give the companies that own them more certainty about the future so they can decide whether spend money to maintain them, said Siva Gunda, vice chairman of the California Energy Commission, the state’s energy planning agency.
“Everything has to be moved forward at full throttle” with the “ambitious aim” that cleaner energy sources make up most of the state’s power reserves, he said.
The intensity of the heat wave only emphasizes the need for California to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible, he said.
The grid challenges, though, provided plenty of fodder for Newsom’s political critics, who have argued that Democrats’ policies to move away from oil and gas don’t add up.
The state’s new regulation aimed at ending the sale of most new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035 has drawn attention nationwide. But the state has also urged people not to charge cars or use other large appliances at night. It has not banned car charging, but instead urged people to do so during the day.
“Gavin Newsom — You have to buy an electric car. Also Gavin Newsom — But you can’t charge it,” Republican state Sen. Melissa Melendez tweeted Tuesday evening after the state sent out an emergency wireless alert urging people to reduce power use.
Environmental groups say its a failure of planning that’s led California to rely on natural gas — and even ramp up its use — during the heat wave. The state needs to set clearer goals and benchmarks to meet its clean energy targets and ensure that fossil fuels aren’t used as a backup, said Ari Eisenstadt, campaign manager for Regenerate California, a campaign aimed at ending fossil fuel use in the state.
“Folks have been talking about natural gas as a bridge for decades,” he said. “And if it were truly a bridge, we would have crossed it by now.”
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By Michelle R. Smith | Associated Press
BATAVIA, N.Y. — The crowd swayed on its feet, arms pumping, the beat of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” thumping in their chests. The people under the revival tent hooted as Michael Flynn strode across the stage, bopping and laughing, singing the refrain into his microphone and encouraging the audience to sing along to the transgressive rock anthem.
“We’ll fight the powers that be just/Don’t pick our destiny ’cause/You don’t know us, you don’t belong!”
The emcee introduced him as “America’s General,” but to those in the audience, Flynn is far more than that: martyr, hero, leader, patriot, warrior.
The retired lieutenant general, former national security adviser, onetime anti-terrorism fighter, is now focused on his next task: building a movement centered on Christian nationalist ideas, where Christianity is at the center of American life and institutions.
Flynn brought his fight — a struggle he calls both spiritual and political — last month to a church in Batavia, New York, where thousands of people paid anywhere from a few dollars to up to $500 to hear and absorb his message that the United States is facing an existential threat, and that to save the nation, his supporters must act.
Flynn, 63, has used public appearances to energize voters, along with political endorsements to build alliances and a network of nonprofit groups — one of which has projected spending $50 million — to advance the movement, an investigation by The Associated Press and the PBS series “Frontline” has found. He has drawn together election deniers, mask and vaccine opponents, insurrectionists, Proud Boys, and elected officials and leaders in state and local Republican parties. Along the way, the AP and “Frontline” documented, Flynn and his companies have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for his efforts.
This story is part of an ongoing investigation from The Associated Press and “Frontline” that includes the upcoming documentary “Michael Flynn’s Holy War,” premiering Oct. 18 on PBS and online.
The AP and “Frontline” spoke with more than 60 people, including Flynn’s family, friends, opponents, and current and former colleagues, for this story. The news organizations also reviewed campaign finance records, corporate and charity filings, social media posts and similar open-source information, and attended several public events where Flynn appeared. Reporters examined dozens of Flynn’s speeches, interviews and public appearances. Flynn himself sat down for a rare on-camera interview with what he calls the mainstream media.
“I don’t even know why I’m talking to you, honestly,” Flynn said as the interview got underway.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, Flynn made more than 60 in-person speeches in 24 states, according to a count by the AP and “Frontline.” When he speaks, the former top adviser to then-President Donald Trump spreads baseless conspiracy theories, stoking fear and fueling anger and division and grievance.
Flynn is “one of the most dangerous individuals in America today,” said Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian and expert on authoritarianism and fascism who wrote the book “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present.”
“He is spearheading the attack on our democracy, which is coming from many quarters, and he is affiliated with many of these sectors, from the military to Christian nationalism to election denial to extremist groups,” she said. “All of this comes together to present a very live threat. And he’s at the center.”
Flynn has, with mixed success, supported like-minded candidates around the country, and has said his immediate goal is to influence this year’s elections. In Sarasota, Florida, where he lives, he has worked in concert with members of the extremist group the Proud Boys to influence local politics. Their favored candidates in August won control of the county school board.
“Local action has a national impact” is his mantra.
“We need to take this country back one town at a time, one county at a time, one state at a time, if that’s what it takes,” he told a crowd in Salt Lake City.
THE ULTIMATE INSIDER
Flynn’s advocacy of falsehoods and conspiracy theories hardly makes him unique in a fact-challenged America, but his pedigree, military career and high-powered Washington contacts set him apart. He’s a retired three-star general who less than two decades ago developed wartime strategies for countering insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.
His selection as Trump’s first national security adviser made him the ultimate insider, giving him nominal control — if only for a matter of weeks — of the administration’s national security strategy. When he later found himself in legal trouble on suspicion that he had lied to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States, he cooperated with the same government establishment he now crusades against.
In the weeks after the November 2020 presidential election, Flynn picked up a presidential pardon — granted to forgive his guilty plea to lying to the FBI. He immediately became a chief promoter of the “Stop the Steal” effort and championed bogus claims about foreign interference and ballot tampering that weren’t supported by credible evidence. But for some voters, Flynn’s status as a retired general and top intelligence officer gave weight to the empty theories.
He falsely said Trump won, called the election outcome part of “a coup in progress,” suggested Trump should seize voting machines and said Trump could order up the military in some states and rerun the election. In December 2020 he even made his way into the Oval Office to push his ideas directly to Trump.
Called before a congressional committee investigating the Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, Flynn refused to say whether he believed the violence was justified or even whether he believed in the peaceful transition of power. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself.
Retired Brig. Gen. Steven M. Anderson, who served with Flynn in Iraq, called Flynn’s ideas antithetical to core values of the American military and the nation itself.
Anderson worries that Flynn is “a role model for thousands and thousands and thousands of soldiers and former soldiers,” and that his ideas can empower them to take actions that hurt the country.
“We’ve got a retired three-star, former NSA, who says we can overthrow the election, use our military,” Anderson said. The thinking goes, he said, “Well, then yes, sign me up for the Proud Boys.”
Flynn uses the three stars he earned in the military as his symbol, a shorthand that reminds people he came from the highest levels of the nation’s power structure — and that suggests he has a special knowledge of how things work in the shadowy world of Washington and global affairs.
“It’s a crying shame that essentially he has evolved into the person he is now,” said Anderson, who described his former colleague as a “subservient buffoon that unfortunately has forsaken his oath of office.”
Doug Wise, a former CIA and military officer who knew Flynn for decades and briefly served as Flynn’s deputy at the Defense Intelligence Agency, said even in the military, Flynn often pushed the envelope of what was permissible and demonstrated “extreme thinking.” He believes Flynn hasn’t transformed, he’s just become more comfortable acting on the anger that burns inside him.
“I understand the reasons why he gravitated to the right wing because as his behavior and beliefs became more bizarre, I think they were very welcoming. Because who wouldn’t want a highly respected Army three-star to join your group?” Wise said.
“I think he believed, post-government, and he was right in this … that he was too well-connected to fail,” Wise said. “And he got pardoned.”
Flynn sees conspiracies in just about every corner of American life.
He’s repeated falsehoods about Black Lives Matter and said that so-called globalists created COVID-19. He tells the tens of thousands of people who have paid to see him speak that there are 75 members of the Socialist Party in Congress, and has said the left and Democrats are trying to destroy the country. He asserts, above all else, that the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian values. The bedrock, he warns, is crumbling.
The country, Flynn often says in speeches and interviews, is in the midst of a “spiritual war,” and he goes after many of the institutions and ideas that stand as pillars of American democracy.
He has told audiences he doesn’t trust the U.S. government or government institutions that oversee the rule of law. He called the media “the No. 1 enemy” and said it has done a “horrible, horrible disservice to the country by just constantly lying and trying to deceive us.” He says elementary schools are teaching “filth” and “pornography.” He continues to assert, ignoring all evidence to the contrary, that elections can’t be trusted. He says, over and over, that some of his fellow Americans are “evil.”
“They dress like us and they talk like us, but they don’t think and act like us,” he told a podcaster recently. “And they definitely do not want what it is that we want.”
‘HEAVY ARMAMENTS’
Survey data shows many Americans believe what Flynn says — that the 2020 election was stolen — and have bought into COVID-19 misinformation and other conspiracy theories that he spreads, said Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a professor of history at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who studies the evangelical movement.
“Any of these factors alone could be considered dangerous. But all of them together and the distrust it is sowing in our democracy,” Du Mez said. “I think it’s extremely dangerous in this moment.”
She points to Flynn’s role as headliner of a multicity roadshow known as the ReAwaken America tour, an event that is a potent mix of politics, religion and commerce that has become a prime example of the Christian nationalist movement.
Flynn helped found the tour in 2021 with Clay Clark, an entrepreneur from Oklahoma who had been running business conferences before the pandemic. In his interview with the AP and “Frontline” in February, Flynn said he considered himself a “senior leader” of the team that’s running it.
The thread of Christian nationalism runs through many of Flynn’s events. At one fundraiser, a preacher prayed over him saying that America would stay a Christian nation and that Flynn was “heavy armaments” in the Lord’s quiver. At the Christian Patriot’s Rally at a church in Northern California, Flynn was presented with an assault-style rifle on stage. In Virginia in July, he said pastors “need to be talking about the Constitution from the pulpit as much as the Bible.” In Texas last November, Flynn told a crowd “this is a moment in time where this is good versus evil.”
“If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God, and one religion under God, right?” he said.
Christian nationalism seeks to merge the identity of Christians and Americans, so that to be a “true” American is to be Christian — and a certain type of Christian. The ideology pushes the idea that the United States was founded on biblical principles and has a favored relationship with a Christian God, said Samuel Perry, a sociologist at the University of Oklahoma who studies conservative Christianity and politics.
It is distinct from the practice of Christianity, and Perry’s research has found that many Americans who are inclined toward Christian nationalism don’t go to church.
“This has nothing to do with Christian orthodoxy. It has nothing to do with loving Jesus or wanting to be a good disciple or loving your neighbor or self-sacrifice or anything like that,” Perry said. “It has everything to do with Christian ethno-culture and specifically white Christian ethno-culture.”
Flynn casts himself as a victim of “the deep state” who paid a steep price for supporting Trump. Besides Trump, his supporters say, no one has been persecuted more than Flynn.
Flynn’s rhetoric — us versus them, good versus evil, the idea that God is on “our” side — has been a staple among conservative Christians for decades, and is mainstream in conservative evangelicalism, Du Mez said.
The thinking, she said, can fuel violence.
“They’re out to get us. Therefore, we need to strike first. And the threat is always dire,” Du Mez says the thinking goes. “And if the threat is dire, then the ends justify the means.””These values are not unconnected from the violence that we saw on Jan. 6,” she added.
(When the AP and “Frontline” asked Flynn in February if he is ascribes to Christian nationalist views, he dodged. He first asked what the term meant, then said he was “an Irish Catholic” then a “follower of Jesus,” before criticizing the reporter: “That was a stupid question to ask me,” he said, “because that means that you really have not studied Mike Flynn.”)
Last October, Flynn was the star attraction at the WeCANAct Liberty Conference, a gathering in Salt Lake City for Utah’s Platform Republicans PAC.
The program included dozens of speakers and exhibitors talking about a grab bag of ideas and causes that have seized and panicked the right — about vaccines, human trafficking, elections and the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Among the sponsors and exhibitors were the John Birch Society; businesses selling everything from texting services for political campaigns to food dehydrators; Ammon Bundy’s anti-government People’s Rights group; and America’s Frontline Doctors, which has spread false information about COVID-19 and promoted unproven treatments such as ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections. State lawmakers from Arizona and Utah spoke, and members of the Utah Republican Party’s governing committee were among the organizers.
The program kicked off with an invocation by a preacher who brought the crowd to its feet as he described a “prophecy” of a “Great Awakening” where “Americans are going to rise up and defeat the cabal.”
“We are in a spiritual war, and you can’t win a war without attacking,” he said.
The preacher ended by leading the crowd in what he called a “new version of the Lord’s Prayer that fits the Great Awakening.” The crowd repeated after him as he said: “Deliver us from the cabal, and from Satan’s influence. For yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory. Forever and ever and ever. Amen.”
Flynn appeared a few times throughout the day, at one point sitting in the audience. Across the Salt Palace Convention Center, people jostled their seatmates to point him out and craned their necks to see him.
That evening, he gave a meandering speech that he referred to as “an ass-chewing from a general.” He falsely declared once again that Trump had won the 2020 election, said “our government is corrupt,” and called for the FBI to be abolished, a surprising applause line in October 2021 that has now being taken up more broadly by some Republicans.
He called the left “our enemies” and said they are “godless” and “soulless.”
One of Flynn’s companies, Resilient Patriot LLC, was paid $58,000 by the conference. An AP and “Frontline” review of state and federal campaign finance filings documented nearly $300,000 in payments to Flynn and his businesses from candidates and political action committees since 2021, for things such as speaking fees, travel, book sales and campaign consulting. (Florida congressional candidate Laura Loomer reported paying his company $1,100 in May for public relations services.)
After Flynn’s keynote concluded, a podcaster helping to wrap things up for the evening came onstage and called him “one of the new founding fathers of this republic.”
99 ENDORSEMENTS
As Flynn speaks and stumps to persuade people to join his movement, he has also been busy building a network of political candidates at the federal, state and local levels.
The AP and “Frontline” found that Flynn has endorsed 99 candidates for the 2022 election cycle. (He subsequently withdrew a handful.)
The country’s most influential Republican is paying attention. Flynn’s brother Joseph told an interviewer in May that during a visit the Flynns made to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate this spring, Trump himself produced a list comparing the success of his endorsed candidates with Flynn’s.
At least 80% of Flynn’s chosen candidates have publicly spread lies or sown doubt about Trump’s 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden, or even participated in efforts to overthrow the election, the AP and “Frontline” found. Several have suggested they would use their power if elected to change the way elections are run and how people are allowed to cast their vote.
About two dozen were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 5-6, 2021.
One-third have served in the military.
At least 38 have used Christian nationalist rhetoric. Keith Self, a congressional candidate in Texas, has said he’s running for Congress ” to defend the Judeo-Christian foundations of this nation.” Christine Villaverde, a congressional candidate in North Carolina, has vowed to fight to keep America “a Christian nation.” Anthony Sabatini, a Florida state lawmaker who just lost a bid for Congress, recently posted on Facebook, “Only when Christians stand up & get loud, will we take this country back.”
Flynn’s support can be a sought-after prize. An AP and “Frontline” analysis of Facebook and Instagram ad data found ads from more than 20 candidates promoting their endorsements. Jackson Lahmeyer, an Oklahoma pastor who was defeated in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate by Sen. James Lankford, mentioned Flynn in 48 Facebook and Instagram ads, more than one-quarter of his total buy on the platforms.
Pastor Leon Benjamin, a Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia who denounced homosexuality and called gay marriages illegal in an August speech, said in an interview that Flynn’s endorsement represents “that affirmation and that understanding that we’ve got to have the right candidates in, and it’s not always popular, not always goes along with the grain.”
“If we keep doing the same things over and over again, that’s the definition of insanity,” he added. “So we got to do some different things to get different results.”
More than 40 of Flynn’s endorsements were for candidates seeking state or even local posts, the AP and “Frontline” found. Flynn endorsed two school board contenders in Camdenton, Missouri, candidates for sheriff in Florida, Nevada and Illinois and a city council candidate in North Carolina. He endorsed candidates for the state legislature in Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Florida, Texas and Missouri. In Arizona, Michigan, California and Colorado, he gave his approval to candidates for secretary of state, a position that typically involves the administration of elections.
A dozen gubernatorial candidates won Flynn’s backing, including Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee, Doug Mastriano, a state lawmaker whom Flynn introduced at his campaign launch. Mastriano, a retired U.S. Army colonel, floated a plan to undo Biden’s victory in his state, organized buses to the U.S. Capitol for Jan. 6 and was filmed walking past barricades and police lines that day. Mastriano has denied breaking the law and has not been charged with any crimes. Another Flynn endorsee, Dan Cox, who also organized buses for Jan. 6, won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Maryland.
Still, Flynn’s endorsement doesn’t guarantee a win. Josh Mandel, the Ohio U.S. Senate candidate, was defeated by JD Vance, who got a late endorsement from Trump. Some Flynn-backed candidates, including gubernatorial candidate Joey Gilbert in Nevada and Colorado secretary of state candidate Tina Peters, made baseless claims of election fraud after they lost.
Flynn and his allies have suggested he wants to get back into government, and the growing influence that flows from the network he’s building may help him get there, said Ron Filipkowski, a lawyer in Sarasota and longtime Republican activist who now tracks Flynn and other far-right figures online.
“He’s going to build this grassroots movement, local elected officials beholden to him, loyal to him,” Filipkowski said.
FINANCING ELECTION DENIAL
Flynn has expanded his influence further through well-financed groups that advocate, among other things, changes to the way elections are run, based on the false premise that there is widespread voting fraud.
Flynn and Patrick Byrne, founder of Overstock.com, last year launched The America Project, with Flynn’s brother Joseph as president. The group said it planned to spend $50 million in the 2021 budget year, according to a filing with North Carolina charity regulators. But Joseph Flynn and Byrne separately told AP that it had spent tens of millions less, though each gave different totals.
While Flynn himself is not listed among its officers, he is the face of the group, and it’s described as “General Flynn and Patrick Byrne’s America Project.” Byrne says Flynn is his closest adviser, telling the AP and “Frontline” that Flynn is his “Yoda” and “rabbi.”
In April 2021, Flynn was named chairman of America’s Future, one of the country’s oldest conservative nonprofit groups. The organization was founded in 1946 and was previously led by ultra-conservative stalwarts, including Phyllis Schlafly and retired Maj. Gen. John Singlaub. Since Flynn took over, the group hired his sister, Mary O’Neill, as executive director and appointed Joseph Flynn to its board of directors. The group had about $3 million in assets at the end of 2020, its most recent IRS filings show. Flynn told the AP and “Frontline” in February that he had raised an estimated $1.7 million for America’s Future since becoming chairman.
The two groups worked in close coordination last year, together donating more than $4.2 million for a widely criticized and misinformation-driven review of the 2020 presidential election results commissioned by Arizona Republicans.
The America Project has given about $5 million to “grassroots organizations” around the country, Joseph Flynn said in a July appearance on an online show.
Many of the groups they support back what they call “election integrity,” a term often used by election deniers to justify making it more difficult to vote based on the falsehood that American elections are corrupt.
Campaign finance records show The America Project has given more than $150,000 to Conservatives for Election Integrity, a group that has supported several secretary of state candidates who have worked to undermine trust in 2020 election results.
The America Project gave $100,000 to a Colorado group, Citizens for Election Integrity, which used it for ads and text messages attacking a Republican candidate for secretary of state who ran against Flynn’s endorsed candidate. In Michigan, The America Project gave $100,000 in May to Secure MI Vote, which has reportedly pushed to roll back voter access.
In Georgia, they just announced they’re backing an effort to challenge voter registrations for tens of thousands of people.
Joseph Flynn said during a speech in May that The America Project also funded and advised many of what he termed “audits” of elections around the country, including in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, though he did not give specifics.
In February, Flynn stood in a burger joint in Orlando, Florida, to announce The America Project’s most public initiative, “Operation Eagles Wings,” the goal of which is to mobilize and train poll watchers and precinct captains, and to drive get-out-the-vote efforts.
“I think every single person in this country, every American citizen, now has to pay attention to politics. You know, when people go, ‘I don’t get involved. I don’t do that political stuff. That’s for the politicians.’ Well, that’s exactly why we are here. OK?” Flynn told the AP and “Frontline” during a contentious interview. “So, it’s something else that you won’t write or speak about or it’ll be edited out.”
As part of Operation Eagles Wings, The America Project has created affiliate groups in at least nine states. Its Florida affiliate said in a Facebook post last month it’s seeking “America First Poll Watchers” and will train organizations for free. State affiliates in Illinois and Virginia advertised trainings in July and August on grassroots social activism, poll watching and how to get out the vote. The promotions also promise to teach attendees to “expose weaknesses,” “monitor and evaluate absentee voting” and conduct “investigative canvassing.”
The initiative has raised alarm bells with pro-democracy advocates.
“If people who tried to overturn the 2020 election, or who are fueled by election conspiracies, are trying to recruit their followers or allies to be election workers or volunteers as part of an election denial agenda, that poses real risks to fair and free elections,” said Jacek Pruski, of the nonpartisan group Protect Democracy.
‘NOT ALONE’
With his speeches, endorsements and outreach groups, Flynn has built a legion of acolytes who are listening closely to what he says and are ready to take action. They include Karen Ballash, 69, vice chair of the Summit County Republican Party in Utah, who heard Flynn speak in Salt Lake City.
“I totally believe in his message. We have to be the ones who make the change,” she said. “If we don’t do it, we won’t have a country.”
They include neophytes like Delainna Prettyman, who said she’s just become politically engaged in the past year. “That sent me deep down a rabbit hole. I don’t watch any news, any TV, anything. And I do a ton of research,” said Prettyman, who lives in the Salt Lake City suburbs.
She came to love Flynn, and believed “everything he says.”
“He’s got a lot of intel and insight about everything that’s going on. Of course, he can’t say everything,” she said. “We need more people like General Flynn.”
Under the tent in Batavia, the crowd thrilled to Flynn’s pronouncements from the stage. The general they claim as their own confirmed their feeling that the U.S. is changing, and not for the better. He validated the belief that the community they have built together is under attack.
They know many people — some of their very own friends and loved ones, and even Biden — say they are a destructive force. But inside the tent, Flynn assured them, they have found their tribe and they are in the right.
“We’re not alone in this is what I’m telling you. OK? We’re not alone in what it is that we are doing,” Flynn said. “We’re not alone. I want you to know that.”
Associated Press writers Richard Lardner, Eric Tucker, Helen Wieffering, and Aaron Kessler, photographer Carolyn Kaster, and “Frontline” producers Richard Rowley and Paul Abowd contributed to this report.
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LOS ANGELES — New year, same school and same football team for Josiah Norwood. Although his parents were supportive, a fifth year of this was pushing things.
“They’re like, ‘Ugh, another year,”’ Norwood said.
But this season, the Norwood family is seeing their son’s efforts toward UCLA football pay off. After four years of walk-on status, Norwood secured a scholarship during fall camp and has already scored a touchdown for the Bruins in their season opener against Bowling Green.
Norwood walked on to the team his freshman year as a quarterback out of Santa Margarita Catholic School before transitioning to a receiver role.
“That’s my first roommate being here,” quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson said after the Bowling Green game. “Just seeing him grow, especially as a person and an athlete being able to switch over to receiver with how athletic he is, really show off his speed there at the end, I mean you couldn’t be more happy for a guy like that.”
Norwood’s success is a result of his patience and hard work, but it can also be attributed to how UCLA treats walk-ons with dignity.
Walk-ons aren’t treated as lesser than scholarship players by the coaches or players themselves. Norwood even said that players who transfer in can have a hard time differentiating between the two groups.
“(Walk-ons are) the backbone of any really good football program,” coach Chip Kelly said.
“You get kids that might have been overlooked when they came out of high school. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be real college players. They make the decision to bet on themselves and for the kids we’ve had in our program, that’s really paid off.”
Kelly’s attitude towards walk-ons was felt by Norwood, who still has another year of eligibility, especially.
“That’s always been important to me,” he said. “Just going out there and knowing my coaches have my back. And I feel like they believed in me this whole time.”
Norwood and five other players earned scholarships toward the end of fall camp. Carson Schwesinger, a redshirt-freshman linebacker is now on all four special teams. Nicholas Barr-Mira is the starting placekicker and punter.
The walk-on lineage goes deep into previous seasons. Greg Dulcich, who now plays for the Denver Broncos, walked on at UCLA and was even roommates with Norwood at one point. Josh Kelley, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, walked on, too.
The morning that Norwood caught the touchdown pass from backup quarterback Ethan Garbers on Saturday, his best friend from high school texted him with the prediction that he would score.
The only other time his friend had done this was last season prior to a game against Utah. In that game, Norwood dropped a touchdown pass and had to live down the moment the entire offseason.
With a scholarship and a 50-yard touchdown reception to his name, Norwood has now quieted his friends in addition to giving his parents relief.
“(It was) everyone coming together and just putting it all together for one play,” Norwood said. “It worked out in a really awesome way.”
Ready for the rain
There is a 60% chance of rain in Pasadena on Saturday, according to Wednesday morning’s weather forecast. It’s a stark contrast to the 100-degree temperatures during the Bruins’ season opener a week prior.
UCLA has been preparing for possible slippery conditions against Alabama State, dousing footballs in water for use in drills.
“Coach Kelly is over there spraying the ball (with water) and then he stands over here and sprays me in the face,” offensive lineman Atonio Mafi said. “It’s fun, but obviously still work. Just in case there is rain, me and the quarterbacks will be ready.”
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We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/07/uclas-josiah-norwood-earns-scholarship-playing-time-respect-in-his-5th-season/ | 2022-09-07T22:36:51Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/07/uclas-josiah-norwood-earns-scholarship-playing-time-respect-in-his-5th-season/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Protein that helps sperm to fuse with eggs could improve fertility treatments
Named Maia, after the Greek goddess of motherhood, this protein is a key finding for the future of fertility.
Infertility is currently unexplained in more than half of people who are unable to conceive naturally, but now, a protein that could help doctors better understand fertility and develop new treatments has been discovered by researchers at the University of Sheffield.
The protein has been named MAIA after the Greek goddess of motherhood. To make the discovery, the researchers created artificial eggs using thousands of beads coated with different proteins known as peptides. These chemicals enable sperm and eggs to recognise one another - a phenomenon essential for fertilisation. But not every peptide has the effect of attracting sperm.
The team of scientists incubated the sperm with the beads and the team of scientists found only a small number of beads had sperm attached to them. In rounds, beads were removed if they didn’t have any sperm bound to them, eventually leaving the team with one protein - MAIA.
Sperm bound to all of the beads that had MAIA. The gene that corresponds to MAIA was then inserted into human culture cells, which became receptive to sperm in the same way seen during natural fertilisation.
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“What we know about fertility in humans has been severely limited by ethical concerns and the lack of eggs for research,” said prof Harry Moore, Lead Investigator of the study.
“The ingenious artificial fertilisation technique which enabled us to identify the MAIA protein will not only allow scientists to better understand the mechanisms of human fertility, but will pave the way for novel ways to treat infertility and revolutionise the design of future contraceptives.”
These findings could be used to confirm theories that some sperm may not be compatible with some eggs. The next step for the researchers is to explore whether sperm from different individuals binds to the protein differently.
“This discovery of the MAIA protein is a major step forward in how we understand the process of human fertilisation. It would have been almost impossible to discover without the use of the artificial beads to replicate the surface of human eggs as we simply wouldn’t have been able to get enough eggs to do the experiment. A classic case of thinking out of the box,” said Prof Allan Pacey, co-author of the study.
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How does a defibrillator work?
It delivers an electric current to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat.
The sinus node of the heart is its natural pacemaker. It sends an electrical impulse to make the heart muscles beat in rhythm. Cardiac arrest is usually caused by a life-threatening change in the rhythm of the heart (known as dysrhythmia).
When the rhythm of the heart goes awry in cardiac arrest, the defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current to the heart. The process is not fully understood, but this current depolarises a large amount of the heart muscle, which ends the dysrhythmia. Once this happens, the pacemaker of the heart can re-establish a normal rhythm.
If the shock delivered by the defibrillator isn’t strong enough, the heart might not completely repolarise, and the abnormal rhythm continues. Defibrillators monitor the new heartbeat and might advise the user to deliver another shock.
A common misconception is that defibrillators will restart a heart that is flatlining (known as asystole). But this isn’t true; once the heart is unable to create its own electrical pulse, a defibrillator will not work. Defibrillators do not jump-start the heart like jump-starting a car; they reset the natural pacemaker, like rebooting a computer.
They are straightforward for anyone to use, and it’s worth remembering that they don’t typically allow the user to administer a shock if a ‘shockable’ rhythm is not detected – so you can’t go far wrong, and speed is of the essence.
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Read more:
- How do the chambers of the heart work?
- How does an MRI scanner work?
- Does cryotherapy work?
- How does Viagra work?
Asked by: Felicity Brown, via email
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Dr Nish Manek is a GP in London. She completed her medical degree at Imperial College and was runner-up in the University of London Gold Medal. Manek has also developed teaching courses for Oxford Medical School, and has penned articles for The Guardian and Pulse magazine.
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BOSTON (WWLP) – An announcement was made Wednesday to distribute 3.5 million free at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to Massachusetts residents.
The tests are expected to be delivered to municipalities to make available to residents across the Commonwealth. This plan is to build on the successful distribution of over two million rapid tests to municipalities earlier this spring. In addition to tests, a request for essential PPE, such as KN95, and surgical and children’s masks can be made by municipalities.
All allocations are expected to be based on population size. Tests and PPE can be requested by municipalities through September 16. Shipments are to arrive before mid-October. Since December 2021, distributions of free tests were built upon statewide contracts. In which allows municipalities and eligible entities to order manufactured test kits that are state negotiated prices.
To reach those who are most vulnerable, 1.5 additional million rapid antigen tests are to also go food banks in the Commonwealth. Currently, 1.5 million has already been delivered.
“This distribution of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests builds on our work over the past several years to partner with municipalities to ensure residents can protect themselves from the virus,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Rapid tests, along with other resources like vaccines, boosters and treatments, provide residents with the tools they need to manage COVID-19.”
“Throughout our time in office, we have focused on collaborating with our municipal partners, and that has been especially true throughout the pandemic,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “This latest distribution of rapid tests is part of our ongoing work to provide local officials with the tools and resources they need to protect their residents and communities.”
Over 25 millions rapid antigen test have been distribute over Massachusetts since December 2021. According to a news release sent by the Baker-Polito Administration this announcement is the latest step in the Administration’s effort to provide tools needed to manage COVID-19 to Commonwealth residents.
“Testing is one critical tool for managing COVID-19, rather than COVID managing us, and we remain committed to ensuring that all Massachusetts residents have access to free tests,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders. “Taking an at-home test is part of the steps that individuals can take – including staying up to date on vaccines, staying home when sick, and wearing masks as needed – to protect themselves and reduce the spread of COVID-19.” | https://www.wwlp.com/news/3-5m-free-at-home-covid-19-tests-to-be-made-available-to-massachusetts-residents/ | 2022-09-07T22:46:35Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/3-5m-free-at-home-covid-19-tests-to-be-made-available-to-massachusetts-residents/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“Starting today, masks will be optional,” Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday — cheerily oblivious to the fact that they already were.
Only a third of the straphangers wore masks on our D train that morning; compliance has been steadily dropping since the MTA last tried to measure it in April (64%, it found).
After all, no one’s even been pretending to enforce the rule, and the pandemic has been over for months.
Not that everyone gets that. Most of the MTA’s masked haven’t even been doing it because of Hochul’s rule. Some feel it makes them safer or is somehow virtuous: A fifth to a quarter of any given NJTransit train is still masking, months after it became optional.
And never mind that most masks do next to nothing to stop COVID spread. (You need an N95 or better.)
All of which makes Hochul’s move long overdue — comically so, or perhaps tragically.
The rule was a holdover from 2020, when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was riding pandemic alarmism to fame and fortune. We’ve long since learned that most mandates do nothing to stop the spread. And New York’s last significant peak in COVID deaths was back in January; the emergency is long over.
Heck, Hochul herself admitted in July that the last remaining justification for the rule was pure theater, claiming it gave straphangers a “sense of security.” In what Bizarro World does an order for everyone to mask, which at least a third of people disobey (again, as of April, per the MTA), make anyone feel safer?
In the same alternate reality, we guess, where Hochul has already fixed the no-bail laws —and where dumping a billion bucks in taxpayer cash on building a new Buffalo Bills stadium that benefits her husband’s employer is bold leadership. And where her Penn Station plan actually renovates the station, rather than just clearing the way for a donor’s megaproject.
Heck, Hochul still wouldn’t definitively end the MTA rule, warning that officials will “continue watching the numbers.” Even when she’s finally doing the right thing, she can’t resist her trademark weaseling.
And her delays in ending mandates (she’s dithered for months before following the science every time) does real harm, feeding the fear and uncertainty that have slowed New York’s recovery and left us us well behind the rest of the nation.
It takes real principles to do the right thing at the right time, and this governor doesn’t have any. | https://nypost.com/2022/09/07/ending-the-mta-mask-mandate-another-pathetic-hochul-move/ | 2022-09-07T22:50:48Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/09/07/ending-the-mta-mask-mandate-another-pathetic-hochul-move/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A man was left partially paralyzed after inhaling nitrous oxide from canisters, often called whippets, daily over the course of two months.
The unidentified man, 32, went to the emergency room after not being able to walk for two weeks, according to a case study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He also experienced tingling in his arms and legs for six weeks before his hospitalization, the study noted.
Two months before he started exhibiting symptoms, the man had been inhaling nitrous oxide — also known as laughing gas — daily, co-authors Dr. Joseph Y. Yoon of NYC’s Mount Sinai Hospital and Dr. Joshua P. Klein of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital noted.
The term “whippets” comes from whipped cream aerosol canisters, which users crack open to inhale the nitrous oxide inside.
Last year, it became illegal in New York state to sell whipped cream canisters to anyone under 21 and stores began enforcing ID checks in late August. The law passed last year amid concern that teenagers are increasingly getting high by inhaling the nitrous oxide used as a propellant in the canisters.
Nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas,” is a dissociative anesthetic, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, that produces a “rapid rush of euphoria and feeling of floating or excitement for a short period of time” after inhaling. It also has severe side effects such as loss of blood pressure, fainting, heart attack and sudden death, with potential long-term effects including memory loss and psychosis.
Doctors also noted the unnamed man was having trouble balancing and had loss of vibratory sensation — more indicators of a problem with his nervous system.
As detailed in the study, published Sept. 1, doctors performed a Romberg test — to measure balance — which came back positive, indicating his dorsal column had been affected and he was suffering a sensory or cognitive issue.
An MRI scan showed hyperintensity in his spine and axial images showed a lesion. His vitamin B12 levels were later tested, showing a severe deficiency and he was diagnosed with subacute combined degeneration (SCD).
SCD is a progressive degeneration of the spinal cord due to vitamin B12 deficiency, and doctors associated SCD with the man’s use of nitrous oxide.
The journal said after the man stopped using nitrous oxide and received treatment with cyanocobalamin injections for two weeks, his vitamin B12 level returned to normal.
Four weeks after receiving treatment, he was able to walk independently again.
In June, a UK woman revealed she was left paralyzed after misusing the laughing gas through balloons with her friends back in 2017, only for it to damage her spinal cord and force her to receive 24-hour care from her father. | https://nypost.com/2022/09/07/man-partially-paralyzed-after-doing-too-many-whippets-study/ | 2022-09-07T22:52:02Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/09/07/man-partially-paralyzed-after-doing-too-many-whippets-study/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
President Biden Delivers Remarks at President Obama's Portrait Unveiling
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Ferrari and Lamborghini are among the most recognizable Italian automakers today, but before either existed another firm set standards for Italian engineering excellence. Now part of California’s Nethercutt Collection, this 1928 Isotta Fraschini Type 8A Landaulet is a testament to that bygone automaker. Nethercutt Vice President Cameron Richards presents the car here.
Instead of building sports cars, Milan-based Isotta Fraschini built a sterling reputation with luxury cars. The Type 8A was aimed at the American market, which at the time was already populated with luxury marques like Cadillac and Lincoln, as well as now-defunct nameplates like Duesenberg, Pierce-Arrow, and Packard.
Isotta Fraschini brought an overhead-cam 449.5-cubic-inch inline-8, which drives the rear wheels through a 3-speed manual transmission, to the fight. It made 135 hp when this car was built, and eventually topped out at 180 hp. Neither figure is much by modern standards, but it was quite powerful for the time, although Isotta was outdone by Duesenberg’s inline-8, which produced a then-stratospheric 265 hp. And Cadillac would soon field a V-16 engine, developing 180 hp.
Still, Isotta Fraschini won over some wealthy American customers, including actor Rudolph Valentino, although his car wasn’t delivered until after his death. The car featured here was delivered new to Signa Lynch, wife of Merrill Lynch co-founder Edmund Lynch. It cost $12,000 when new, at a time when a new Ford Model A started at less than $400.
Finished in an unusual tri-color paint scheme with bright green highlights, this car has laundaulet bodywork by Italian coachbuilder Castagna, with a folding roof and permanent window frames for a semi-convertible experience. This style largely fell out of fashion after the era of coachbuilt cars ended, but was briefly revived by Mercedes-Maybach for a limited-edition G-Class.
Designed to be chauffeur-driven, Isotta Fraschini didn’t bother to move the steering wheel to the left side, even though the car was developed for America. This car also has a buzzer that lets backseat passengers give instructions to the driver—such as “turn around,” “stop,” turn left or right, or “go home”—all signaled by lights and an obnoxious sound that likely inspired class warfare.
While it would have been far from the only massive luxury car prowling American roads on the eve of the Great Depression, the Type 8A would have looked out of place on the narrow roads and cramped city streets of its home country. And while Italian automakers have become known for sweet-handling sports cars, Leno describes the driving experience as “truck-like.”
Isotta Fraschini stopped making passenger cars shortly after World War II, and was absorbed in a merger in 1955. But its cars are still coveted by collectors, and are a rare sight on this side of the Atlantic. This one has spent decades in preservation, winning awards at Pebble Beach in 1976 when the collector-car hobby was still a fairly novel idea. It still gets plenty of exercise, as you’ll see in the video when Leno takes it for a drive.
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- Classic Car History Information: What You Need to Know | https://www.wpri.com/automotive/internet-brands/1928-isotta-fraschini-brings-prewar-italian-luxury-to-jay-lenos-garage/ | 2022-09-07T22:54:12Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/automotive/internet-brands/1928-isotta-fraschini-brings-prewar-italian-luxury-to-jay-lenos-garage/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Stock indexes on Wall Street closed solidly higher Wednesday, placing the market on pace to break a 3-week losing streak.
The S&P 500 rose 1.8% Wednesday, its biggest single-day gain in four weeks, with roughly 95% of the stocks in the benchmark index closing higher.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 2.1%. Smaller company stocks outgained the broader market, driving the Russell 2000 index 2.2% higher.
The indexes are now all in the green for the week, a welcome respite for traders after a slump in recent weeks that erased much of the market’s gains from a July and early August rally.
Wall Street watchers cautioned that the market is likely to see more volatility in coming weeks ahead of the next Federal Reserve interest rate policy update scheduled for Sept. 21.
“It’s good that there’s an up day, but I would caution anyone not to be too optimistic right now,” said Randy Frederick, managing director of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. “You don’t have a whole lot of reason for that.”
Stocks have been mostly losing ground in recent weeks after the Federal Reserve indicated it will not let up anytime soon on raising interest rates to bring down the highest inflation in decades.
Wall Street’s focus remains on inflation and the Fed’s attempt to rein it in with high interest rates. The central bank has already raised rates four times this year and markets expect them to deliver another jumbo-sized increase of three-quarters of a percentage point at their next meeting in two weeks.
The central bank has been clear about its determination to continue raising rates until it feels that inflation is leveling off or cooling. In June, Fed officials projected that the benchmark rate will reach a range of 3.25% to 3.5% by year’s end and roughly a half-percentage point more in 2023.
“We are in this for as long as it takes to get inflation down,” Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard said at a banking industry conference on Wednesday. “Our resolve is firm, our goals are clear, and our tools are up to the task.”
Investors have been reviewing economic data to gauge whether price increases on everything from food to clothing and gas are easing. They are also closely listening for any clues about potential changes in policy from Fed officials.
Traders clawed back some of their recent losses with Wednesday’s rally, which pushed the S&P 500 up 71.68 points to 3,979.87. The Dow rose 435.98 points to 31,581.28, and the Nasdaq gained 246.99 points to 11,791.90.
The Russell 2000 climbed 39.68 points to 1,832.
Technology stocks and retailers made solid gains. Intuit rose 3.9%. Target rose 4.4% after announcing that it is dropping the mandatory retirement age for its CEO position, allowing CEO Brian Cornell to stay on for three more years.
United Airlines rose 5.5% after raising its revenue forecast following a busy summer travel season. The encouraging update helped several competitors take flight. American Airlines rose 5.1% and Delta Air Lines added 3.3%.
Energy stocks fell broadly as U.S. crude oil prices slid 5.7%. Chevron fell 1.3%.
Bond yields fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences interest rates on mortgages and other loans, fell to 3.27% from 3.34% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which tends to track expectations for Fed action, fell to 3.45% from 3.51%.
Markets in Europe closed mostly higher, while those in Asia ended mostly lower.
___
AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed to this story. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-asian-shares-decline-on-wall-street-losses-rate-worries/ | 2022-09-07T22:55:11Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-asian-shares-decline-on-wall-street-losses-rate-worries/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 15 |
Stock indexes on Wall Street closed solidly higher Wednesday, placing the market on pace to break a 3-week losing streak.
The S&P 500 rose 1.8% Wednesday, its biggest single-day gain in four weeks, with roughly 95% of the stocks in the benchmark index closing higher.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 2.1%. Smaller company stocks outgained the broader market, driving the Russell 2000 index 2.2% higher.
The indexes are now all in the green for the week, a welcome respite for traders after a slump in recent weeks that erased much of the market’s gains from a July and early August rally.
Wall Street watchers cautioned that the market is likely to see more volatility in coming weeks ahead of the next Federal Reserve interest rate policy update scheduled for Sept. 21.
“It’s good that there’s an up day, but I would caution anyone not to be too optimistic right now,” said Randy Frederick, managing director of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. “You don’t have a whole lot of reason for that.”
Stocks have been mostly losing ground in recent weeks after the Federal Reserve indicated it will not let up anytime soon on raising interest rates to bring down the highest inflation in decades.
Wall Street’s focus remains on inflation and the Fed’s attempt to rein it in with high interest rates. The central bank has already raised rates four times this year and markets expect them to deliver another jumbo-sized increase of three-quarters of a percentage point at their next meeting in two weeks.
The central bank has been clear about its determination to continue raising rates until it feels that inflation is leveling off or cooling. In June, Fed officials projected that the benchmark rate will reach a range of 3.25% to 3.5% by year’s end and roughly a half-percentage point more in 2023.
“We are in this for as long as it takes to get inflation down,” Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard said at a banking industry conference on Wednesday. “Our resolve is firm, our goals are clear, and our tools are up to the task.”
Investors have been reviewing economic data to gauge whether price increases on everything from food to clothing and gas are easing. They are also closely listening for any clues about potential changes in policy from Fed officials.
Traders clawed back some of their recent losses with Wednesday’s rally, which pushed the S&P 500 up 71.68 points to 3,979.87. The Dow rose 435.98 points to 31,581.28, and the Nasdaq gained 246.99 points to 11,791.90.
The Russell 2000 climbed 39.68 points to 1,832.
Technology stocks and retailers made solid gains. Intuit rose 3.9%. Target rose 4.4% after announcing that it is dropping the mandatory retirement age for its CEO position, allowing CEO Brian Cornell to stay on for three more years.
United Airlines rose 5.5% after raising its revenue forecast following a busy summer travel season. The encouraging update helped several competitors take flight. American Airlines rose 5.1% and Delta Air Lines added 3.3%.
Energy stocks fell broadly as U.S. crude oil prices slid 5.7%. Chevron fell 1.3%.
Bond yields fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences interest rates on mortgages and other loans, fell to 3.27% from 3.34% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which tends to track expectations for Fed action, fell to 3.45% from 3.51%.
Markets in Europe closed mostly higher, while those in Asia ended mostly lower.
___
AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed to this story. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-asian-shares-decline-on-wall-street-losses-rate-worries/ | 2022-09-07T22:55:11Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-asian-shares-decline-on-wall-street-losses-rate-worries/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 15 |
Saying “there aren’t too many problems money can’t fix,” Mayor Tishaura Jones was joined by Treasurer Adam Layne and other officials in heralding the success of the Direct Cash Assistance (DCA) program during a City Hall press conference on Wednesday.
The DCA program was funded through the American Rescue Plan which provided a one-time payment of $500 to more than 9,000 eligible St. Louis households. Helping thousands of families who were facing economic hardships gain some financial stability to reenter the workforce.
“A lot of effort went into ensuring there were thoughtful outreach strategies to include underrepresented communities, including seniors and housing for unstable families,” said Layne, whose office conducted 18 in-person application events to increase outreach to senior homes, schools, and to those who need additional support by submitting the application digitally.
According to the DCA summary report, the first in-person application event in December of 2021 served 550 St. Louisans. Over a three-day span the event served 750 people in the city of St. Louis.
The United Way of Greater St. Louis and community partners provided assistance to the unhoused community, the undocumented community, and outside organizations who participated by assisting those with unique needs. The program received 10,000 applications.
The United Way also assisted those who submitted incomplete or incorrect applications helping more than 500 St. Louisans complete their applications to get the necessary funds they need to stay afloat.
Michelle Tucker, United Way president and CEO, says that the DCA program was an opportunity to get resources to struggling families so they wouldn’t have to decide between paying rent or buying groceries, or buying life-saving medication.
“United Way has been serving the St. Louis region for 100 years. Because of this, we have long standing relationships with local businesses, providers and government agencies and extensive knowledge of community needs, so we are uniquely positioned to partner in new and innovative ways like this program so we can get more support to individuals and families in our communities,” Tucker said.
“The St. Louis response echoed how the extra $500 highlighted the deep need for help and support,” said Mayor Jones.
8th Ward Alderwoman Ann Rice says that helping the citizens of St. Louis in this way is a dignified response to addressing poverty in our city.
“Folks here in St. Louis need a little more help to get by anything we can do to help make their lives better and we’re going to do what we can,” said Rice.
According to the summary report, north St. Louis city zip code 63106 had the highest number of recipients, with between 900 and 1,050 residents receiving funding. The report also shows downtown, JeffVanderLou, and Old North neighborhoods with some of the highest numbers of recipients
Through August, the program has served more than 9,000 households, and the city has also partnered with Missouri Jobs with Justice to survey fund recipients on their experience with the application process.
Many reported a high need for financial support and expressed they used the money for basic necessities.
“The Students in Transition team was pleased to help coordinate this distribution of DCA funds with our partners at the City and the United Way,” said Dr. Deidra Thomas-Murray, Students in Transition Coordinator.
“From our standpoint, the in-person process was seamless, and we were able to walk people through the process in a very personal way. All-in-all, it was a great opportunity to put much needed funds in the hands of more than 400 predominantly unhoused young people and families of Saint Louis Public Schools.”
The mayor’s office plans to have a final report by the end of November.
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/dca-program-proves-worthy-of-its-investment/article_1ee8f23e-2ef5-11ed-8ce2-07a6a0fa40cd.html | 2022-09-07T22:55:29Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/dca-program-proves-worthy-of-its-investment/article_1ee8f23e-2ef5-11ed-8ce2-07a6a0fa40cd.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
An economic comeback on the bity’s north side has received a financial windfall from President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislative triumph.
The St. Louis Tech Triangle is a winner of a $25 million grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
A cornerstone of several projects is construction of a 130,000 square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center (AMICSTL) in the Vandeventer neighborhood in North St. Louis, adjacent to Ranken Technical College.
“Our city cannot succeed, together, if one half is allowed to fail,” Mayor Tishaura Jones said in a statement.
“Major North St. Louis projects like AMICSTL will create good-paying jobs for families and begin reversing decades of disinvestment in our neighborhoods. [It] will further enhance St. Louis’ strong position as the technology and innovation hub of the Midwest.
St. Louis is included with 21 grant recipients nationwide that topped more than 560 applicants. Jones called the selection “a testament to the commitment and collaboration of all of our partners and demonstrates the progress we can make when we come together as a region.”
Congresswoman Cori Bush called the grant “groundbreaking.”
"This funding is more than just an investment in technology—it is an investment in people. By funding projects in historically disinvested areas of St. Louis, this grant will boost economic pandemic recovery and help rebuild our communities,” she said in a statement.
Greater St. Louis Inc., which filed the application, and the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership will co-lead and offer “guidance, governance, execution, and community engagement.”
“One voice with one plan led to a big win for St. Louis,” Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc., said in a statement.
“We can’t say this enough: When the St. Louis metro works together and speaks with one voice, we succeed. Working together as a metro is working, and it is how we will win this next decade for St. Louis.”
AMICSTL will be located within the 400-acre triangle between Ranken Technical College, Cortex, and the National Geospatial Agency.
It will serve as a hub of research, innovation, and start-ups, and is part of the St. Louis Development Corporation’s [SLDC] Equitable Economic Development Strategy Framework.
SLDC Executive Director Neal Richardson called it “a big win.”
“Investments like this reinforce the need to put our Economic Justice Action Plan to work for our community,” he said.
“The AMICSTL was the hub of the proposal and will be newly constructed in the heart of one of the [economically] hardest hit areas of North St. Louis. This grant will go a long way to boost economic pandemic recovery and drive inclusive economic growth and opportunities in St. Louis.”
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said the region should recognize and value the importance of the combined effort to win the grant.
“When we all work together - St. Louis County, St. Louis city and the region - it makes a difference for our community. This award recognizes the teamwork, potential, and spirit of St. Louis as we build our collective future,” Page said in a statement.
Rodney Crim, St. Louis Economic Development Partnership president and CEO, said the grant “illustrates the tremendous things that can happen when we bring organizations together on behalf of our community and region.”
While the grant will accelerate its development, a plan for the AMICSTL began in 2015 when the St. Louis Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnership [RAMP] was established by the STL Partnership.
In collaboration with the Department of Defense and the Office of Economic Adjustment, the region’s assets, and opportunities to build a “resilient regional manufacturing economy” were identified.
A goal of creating AMICSTL, which recently received a $5 million grant from the Boeing Company, was established. In addition to the $25 million federal grant, $16.3 million in local matching funds will go toward the effort, bringing the total investment in the metro, to date, to $41.3 million.
“This one-of-a-kind manufacturing epicenter will enable talent development, leading-edge research and development, and prototyping and production capacity that uniquely span and connect multiple high-tech industries in the region – including the aerospace, agriculture tech, automotive, biomedical, construction, energy, geospatial, and logistics sectors,” Dennis Muilenburg, AMICSTL chair said.
St. Louis will now be home to a state-of-the-art facility and expandable campus that will drive diverse and equitable economic growth and elevate St. Louis as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and technological innovation.”
Muilenburg said the project will follow a “hub-and-spokes model,” which will focus on inclusive workforce growth and training, innovation and entrepreneurship, community revitalization.
Joining Greater St Louis, Inc., St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, AMICSTL, and Ranken Technical College as spokes are Rung for Women, Southwestern Illinois College, St. Louis Community College, BioSTL, Harris-Stowe State University, WEPOWER, Small Business Empowerment Center, Cortex Innovation Community, and the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Innovation Center (APIIC).
Stacy Hollins, Anheuser-Busch School of Business at Harris-Stowe State University, said the HBCU is “honored” to be part of the coalition.
"We plan to use our funding [$2.6 million] to hire personnel who will develop training, services, and resources to foster the growth of emerging entrepreneurs and cultivate the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs from minority and under-resourced communities," Hollins said.
“More specifically, the grant money will have a high focus on personnel and go towards hiring a director, coordinator, and program guides for the Minority Entrepreneurship Collaborative Center for Advancement [MECCA] and the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.”
MECCA provides educational training and services to assist individuals pursuing entrepreneurship, establishes partnerships with local centers for entrepreneurship, provides counseling services to entrepreneurs in developing markets, hosts and sponsors workshops and educational seminars in collaboration with community partners, and assists entrepreneurs in establishing accounting and licensing procedures.
Other partners include the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, East Central College, Economic Development Council of St. Charles County, Entrepreneur Startup Business Development Corporation, Gateway Global American Youth and Business Alliance, Jefferson College, Lewis and Clark Community College, Missouri AFL-CIO, SLPS, St. Charles Community College, St. Clair County, Illinois, St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, St. Louis Makes, and the Technology Entrepreneur Center, Inc.
“We are proud to have been a part of the proposal,” said Southwestern Illinois College President Nick J. Mance.
“With funding from this grant, the Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy at SWIC will have the technology to recruit and train the manufacturing workforce of the future."
The $25 million grant won in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge will be distributed toward several projects designed to grow the advanced manufacturing regional economy, including:
AMICSTL $7M
(Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center & Ranken Tech)
Racial Equity in Innovation and Entrepreneurship $7.5M
(BioSTL, Harris-Stowe, WEPOWER, Small Business Empowerment Center)
Inclusive Cross-Cluster Economic Development $3M
(Greater St. Louis, Inc., and St. Louis Economic Development Partnership)
Preparing Women for Advanced Manufacturing Careers $1M
(Rung for Women)
Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy $2.5M
(Southwestern Illinois College)
Advanced Manufacturing Technology Training Center $3M
(St. Louis Community College)
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Innovation Center $1M
(Cortex) | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/meeting-a-challenge/article_35e672a6-2eee-11ed-b4d0-0335a3d3d71e.html | 2022-09-07T22:55:35Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/meeting-a-challenge/article_35e672a6-2eee-11ed-b4d0-0335a3d3d71e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Elon Musk will be able to include new evidence from a Twitter whistleblower as he fights to get out of his $44 billion deal to buy the social media company, but Musk won’t be able to delay a high-stakes October trial over the dispute, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick, the head judge of Delaware’s Court of Chancery, denied Musk’s request to delay the trial by four weeks. But she allowed the billionaire Tesla CEO to add evidence related to whistleblower allegations by former Twitter security chief Peiter Zatko, who is scheduled to testify to Congress next week about the company’s poor cybersecurity practices.
Twitter has sued Musk, asking the Delaware court to force him to go through with the deal he made in April to buy the company. Musk has countersued and a trial is set to start the week of Oct. 17.
Musk’s legal team has argued that the allegations made by Zatko to U.S. officials may help bolster Musk’s claims that Twitter misled him and the public about the company’s problem with fake and “spam” accounts. Zatko, a well-known cybersecurity expert known by his hacker handle “ Mudge,” said he was fired in January after raising flags about Twitter’s negligence in protecting the security and privacy of its users.
The judge’s ruling followed an hours-long hearing Tuesday at which attorneys for Musk and Twitter argued with each other about the merits of Zatko’s claims and the pace at which both sides are producing evidence ahead of the trial.
Twitter’s attorneys sought to downplay the relevance of Zatko’s allegations to the merger dispute, arguing that an initial 27-page complaint he sent to Twitter and a later retaliation clam made no mention of the “spam bot” issues that Musk has given as a reason to terminate the deal. Zatko “never said a word about spam or bots” until his July whistleblower complaint, said Twitter attorney William Savitt.
Twitter has argued for weeks that Musk’s stated reasons for backing out were just a cover for buyer’s remorse after agreeing to pay 38% above Twitter’s stock price shortly before the stock market stumbled and shares of the electric-car maker Tesla, where most of Musk’s personal wealth resides, lost more than $100 billion of their value.
McCormick, the judge, said Wednesday the newly published whistleblower complaint gave Musk’s team grounds to amend its countersuit but she declined to weigh in on the details.
“I am reticent to say more concerning the merits of the counterclaims at this posture before they have been fully litigated,” she wrote. “The world will have to wait for the post-trial decision.”
McCormick, however, sided with Twitter’s concerns that delaying the trial would make it harder for the company to get back to business.
“I am convinced that even four weeks’ delay would risk further harm to Twitter too great to justify,” she wrote.
In afternoon trading, Twitter shares added 5.5% to $40.77. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-judge-musk-can-use-twitter-whistleblower-but-not-delay-case/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:25Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-judge-musk-can-use-twitter-whistleblower-but-not-delay-case/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 33 |
Elon Musk will be able to include new evidence from a Twitter whistleblower as he fights to get out of his $44 billion deal to buy the social media company, but Musk won’t be able to delay a high-stakes October trial over the dispute, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick, the head judge of Delaware’s Court of Chancery, denied Musk’s request to delay the trial by four weeks. But she allowed the billionaire Tesla CEO to add evidence related to whistleblower allegations by former Twitter security chief Peiter Zatko, who is scheduled to testify to Congress next week about the company’s poor cybersecurity practices.
Twitter has sued Musk, asking the Delaware court to force him to go through with the deal he made in April to buy the company. Musk has countersued and a trial is set to start the week of Oct. 17.
Musk’s legal team has argued that the allegations made by Zatko to U.S. officials may help bolster Musk’s claims that Twitter misled him and the public about the company’s problem with fake and “spam” accounts. Zatko, a well-known cybersecurity expert known by his hacker handle “ Mudge,” said he was fired in January after raising flags about Twitter’s negligence in protecting the security and privacy of its users.
The judge’s ruling followed an hours-long hearing Tuesday at which attorneys for Musk and Twitter argued with each other about the merits of Zatko’s claims and the pace at which both sides are producing evidence ahead of the trial.
Twitter’s attorneys sought to downplay the relevance of Zatko’s allegations to the merger dispute, arguing that an initial 27-page complaint he sent to Twitter and a later retaliation clam made no mention of the “spam bot” issues that Musk has given as a reason to terminate the deal. Zatko “never said a word about spam or bots” until his July whistleblower complaint, said Twitter attorney William Savitt.
Twitter has argued for weeks that Musk’s stated reasons for backing out were just a cover for buyer’s remorse after agreeing to pay 38% above Twitter’s stock price shortly before the stock market stumbled and shares of the electric-car maker Tesla, where most of Musk’s personal wealth resides, lost more than $100 billion of their value.
McCormick, the judge, said Wednesday the newly published whistleblower complaint gave Musk’s team grounds to amend its countersuit but she declined to weigh in on the details.
“I am reticent to say more concerning the merits of the counterclaims at this posture before they have been fully litigated,” she wrote. “The world will have to wait for the post-trial decision.”
McCormick, however, sided with Twitter’s concerns that delaying the trial would make it harder for the company to get back to business.
“I am convinced that even four weeks’ delay would risk further harm to Twitter too great to justify,” she wrote.
In afternoon trading, Twitter shares added 5.5% to $40.77. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-judge-musk-can-use-twitter-whistleblower-but-not-delay-case/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:25Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-judge-musk-can-use-twitter-whistleblower-but-not-delay-case/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 33 |
Movie theater operator Cineworld Group LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. as it deals with billions of dollars in debt and lower-than-expected attendance at screenings.
“The pandemic was an incredibly difficult time for our business, with the enforced closure of cinemas and huge disruption to film schedules that has led us to this point,” CEO Mooky Greidinger said in a statement.
The company and its subsidiaries have commitments for an approximate $1.94 billion debtor-in-possession financing facility from existing lenders, which will help ensure Cineworld’s operations continue as usual while it undergoes a reorganization.
Last month the British company, which owns Regal Cinemas in the U.S. and operates in 10 countries, said its theaters remained “open for business as usual” as it considered options for relief from its debt load.
Cineworld had built up $4.8 billion in net debt, not including lease liabilities. The company, which has about 28,000 employees, previously said that its admissions levels have recently been below expectations. And with a “limited film slate,” it expects the lower levels to continue until November. That would mean an additional crunch to its finances.
Cineworld anticipates exiting from Chapter 11 during the first quarter of 2023. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-movie-chain-cineworld-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:33Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-movie-chain-cineworld-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 33 |
Movie theater operator Cineworld Group LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. as it deals with billions of dollars in debt and lower-than-expected attendance at screenings.
“The pandemic was an incredibly difficult time for our business, with the enforced closure of cinemas and huge disruption to film schedules that has led us to this point,” CEO Mooky Greidinger said in a statement.
The company and its subsidiaries have commitments for an approximate $1.94 billion debtor-in-possession financing facility from existing lenders, which will help ensure Cineworld’s operations continue as usual while it undergoes a reorganization.
Last month the British company, which owns Regal Cinemas in the U.S. and operates in 10 countries, said its theaters remained “open for business as usual” as it considered options for relief from its debt load.
Cineworld had built up $4.8 billion in net debt, not including lease liabilities. The company, which has about 28,000 employees, previously said that its admissions levels have recently been below expectations. And with a “limited film slate,” it expects the lower levels to continue until November. That would mean an additional crunch to its finances.
Cineworld anticipates exiting from Chapter 11 during the first quarter of 2023. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-movie-chain-cineworld-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:33Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-movie-chain-cineworld-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 33 |
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new prime minister has pledged to rebuild the economy and “ride out the storm” gathering over the country, but Liz Truss faces a daunting job.
She inherits an ailing economy on the brink of a potentially long recession, with record inflation that’s forecast to worsen in coming months and millions crying out for government help to cope with soaring energy bills.
Here’s a look at the scale of the economic challenges that Truss faces and how she is expected to tackle them:
HIGH ENERGY COSTS
At the top of Truss’ agenda is a cost-of-living crisis driven by spiraling natural gas and electricity costs. Starting in October, millions of households will see their average yearly energy bill jump to about 3,500 pounds ($4,000) — almost triple what they paid a year ago. The bills are expected to continue to climb and could exceed 4,000 pounds in January.
The sharp increases began last year, as economies worldwide recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and global demand for natural gas and oil surged. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered further volatility in wholesale gas prices, as Moscow switched off or reduced gas flows to European countries like Germany.
Britain only imports a small percentage of its gas from Russia, but the U.K. relies more on gas than its European neighbors because it has less nuclear and renewable energy. Compared with other European countries, the U.K. is much more dependent on gas to heat homes and generate electricity. The country also does not have as much capacity to store gas, forcing it to buy on the short-term spot market.
Charities and health bosses warn the crisis will hit the poorest hardest heading into winter. Hospitals say crippling energy costs will affect patient care, while scores of small businesses warn they face closure without urgent government aid.
SOARING INFLATION
It’s not just gas and electricity — other costs, such as food, have risen across the board. Inflation has crept up since last year and now stands above 10% for the first time since the oil price shocks of the 1970s and 1980s.
Worse is to come: The Bank of England predicted that the war in Ukraine could drive U.K. inflation to 13.3% next month. Some, like U.S. bank Citi, believe inflation could go as high as 18% next year before coming back down.
It’s a shock to the system for millions. Before the crisis, the U.K. had seen average inflation rates of around 2% for years.
Meanwhile, average wages, especially those in the public sector, have failed to keep pace with soaring costs. Tens of thousands of rail, port and postal workers, lawyers and garbage collectors have gone on strike this summer to demand better pay. Multiple other industries are mulling similar industrial action.
“Real wages are falling, certainly faster than they have done for at least 45 years, possibly for about as much as 100 years,” said Greg Thwaites, an economist and research director at the Resolution Foundation, a U.K. economic and social affairs think tank.
WARNINGS OF A LONG RECESSION
The Bank of England has predicted that skyrocketing energy prices will push the U.K. into recession later this year, with economic output forecast to decline in every quarter of 2023.
The International Monetary Fund says the U.K. economy is expected to have the weakest growth among the Group of Seven wealthy democracies in 2023.
“The point is that this acute living-standard crisis that we’re living through now comes on the back of 15 years of very weak growth in the U.K. economy,” Thwaites said.
Britain’s exit from the European Union didn’t help matters, he added.
WHAT IS TRUSS DOING TO HELP?
Truss is due to announce a major financial package Thursday to tackle soaring energy costs.
Her government has not released details, but British media reports suggest she will approve an immediate freeze on household energy bills and extra support for businesses.
The BBC reports that energy bills could be capped with the introduction of a government “superfund,” from which energy firms can borrow, and the cost of such aid could reach 100 million pounds ($116 billion).
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said Wednesday that such measures will likely calm inflation in the short term. But it’s not clear how Truss’ government intends to foot that huge bill, while meeting her core campaign promises to slash taxes and grow the economy.
“There’s a reasonable question about whether it should be paid for by future electricity bills or by future taxpayers or by current taxpayers,” Thwaites said. “But ultimately, somebody needs to pay.”
Hannah White, acting director of the Institute for Government, says the measures go against the prime minister’s inclinations.
“What (Truss) is being pushed into, which is way against her instincts, is a big program of government spending to support people in this situation,” White said. “She’s really got no alternative, but it goes directly counter to how she would ideally govern as prime minister.” | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-new-uk-prime-minister-liz-truss-inherits-an-economic-storm/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:47Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-new-uk-prime-minister-liz-truss-inherits-an-economic-storm/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 32 |
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s new prime minister has pledged to rebuild the economy and “ride out the storm” gathering over the country, but Liz Truss faces a daunting job.
She inherits an ailing economy on the brink of a potentially long recession, with record inflation that’s forecast to worsen in coming months and millions crying out for government help to cope with soaring energy bills.
Here’s a look at the scale of the economic challenges that Truss faces and how she is expected to tackle them:
HIGH ENERGY COSTS
At the top of Truss’ agenda is a cost-of-living crisis driven by spiraling natural gas and electricity costs. Starting in October, millions of households will see their average yearly energy bill jump to about 3,500 pounds ($4,000) — almost triple what they paid a year ago. The bills are expected to continue to climb and could exceed 4,000 pounds in January.
The sharp increases began last year, as economies worldwide recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and global demand for natural gas and oil surged. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered further volatility in wholesale gas prices, as Moscow switched off or reduced gas flows to European countries like Germany.
Britain only imports a small percentage of its gas from Russia, but the U.K. relies more on gas than its European neighbors because it has less nuclear and renewable energy. Compared with other European countries, the U.K. is much more dependent on gas to heat homes and generate electricity. The country also does not have as much capacity to store gas, forcing it to buy on the short-term spot market.
Charities and health bosses warn the crisis will hit the poorest hardest heading into winter. Hospitals say crippling energy costs will affect patient care, while scores of small businesses warn they face closure without urgent government aid.
SOARING INFLATION
It’s not just gas and electricity — other costs, such as food, have risen across the board. Inflation has crept up since last year and now stands above 10% for the first time since the oil price shocks of the 1970s and 1980s.
Worse is to come: The Bank of England predicted that the war in Ukraine could drive U.K. inflation to 13.3% next month. Some, like U.S. bank Citi, believe inflation could go as high as 18% next year before coming back down.
It’s a shock to the system for millions. Before the crisis, the U.K. had seen average inflation rates of around 2% for years.
Meanwhile, average wages, especially those in the public sector, have failed to keep pace with soaring costs. Tens of thousands of rail, port and postal workers, lawyers and garbage collectors have gone on strike this summer to demand better pay. Multiple other industries are mulling similar industrial action.
“Real wages are falling, certainly faster than they have done for at least 45 years, possibly for about as much as 100 years,” said Greg Thwaites, an economist and research director at the Resolution Foundation, a U.K. economic and social affairs think tank.
WARNINGS OF A LONG RECESSION
The Bank of England has predicted that skyrocketing energy prices will push the U.K. into recession later this year, with economic output forecast to decline in every quarter of 2023.
The International Monetary Fund says the U.K. economy is expected to have the weakest growth among the Group of Seven wealthy democracies in 2023.
“The point is that this acute living-standard crisis that we’re living through now comes on the back of 15 years of very weak growth in the U.K. economy,” Thwaites said.
Britain’s exit from the European Union didn’t help matters, he added.
WHAT IS TRUSS DOING TO HELP?
Truss is due to announce a major financial package Thursday to tackle soaring energy costs.
Her government has not released details, but British media reports suggest she will approve an immediate freeze on household energy bills and extra support for businesses.
The BBC reports that energy bills could be capped with the introduction of a government “superfund,” from which energy firms can borrow, and the cost of such aid could reach 100 million pounds ($116 billion).
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said Wednesday that such measures will likely calm inflation in the short term. But it’s not clear how Truss’ government intends to foot that huge bill, while meeting her core campaign promises to slash taxes and grow the economy.
“There’s a reasonable question about whether it should be paid for by future electricity bills or by future taxpayers or by current taxpayers,” Thwaites said. “But ultimately, somebody needs to pay.”
Hannah White, acting director of the Institute for Government, says the measures go against the prime minister’s inclinations.
“What (Truss) is being pushed into, which is way against her instincts, is a big program of government spending to support people in this situation,” White said. “She’s really got no alternative, but it goes directly counter to how she would ideally govern as prime minister.” | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-new-uk-prime-minister-liz-truss-inherits-an-economic-storm/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:47Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-new-uk-prime-minister-liz-truss-inherits-an-economic-storm/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 32 |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to completely cut energy supplies to the West if it tries to cap prices of Russian exports. He also vowed to press on with Moscow’s military action in Ukraine until it achieves its goals.
Speaking at an annual economic forum in the far-eastern port city of Vladivostok, Putin scoffed at the EU plans for a cap on Russian oil and gas prices as a “stupid” idea that “will only lead to a hike in prices.”
“An attempt to limit prices by administrative means is just ravings, it’s sheer nonsense,” Putin said. “If they try to implement that dumb decision, it will entail nothing good for those who will make it.”
He warned that such a move by the EU would represent a clear breach of the existing contracts, saying that Russia could respond by turning off the faucets.
“Will they make political decisions violating the contracts?” he said. “In that case, we will just halt supplies if it contradicts our economic interests. We won’t supply any gas, oil, diesel oil or coal.”
The Russian leader charged that Russia will easily find enough customers in Asia to shift its energy exports away from Europe. “The demand is so high on global markets that we won’t have any problem selling it,” he said.
Putin added that “those who try to force something on us aren’t in a position today to dictate their will,” pointing at protests in the West against rising energy prices.
Just hours before it was due to resume natural gas deliveries to Germany on Friday after a three-day stoppage for repairs, Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom gas giant claimed it couldn’t do so until oil leaks in turbines are fixed. German officials and engineers refuted that claim.
The Kremlin blamed the suspension of supplies on Western sanctions against Gazprom, charging that they hamper normal maintenance of the pipeline’s equipment and signaling that supplies may not resume until the restrictions are lifted. EU officials rejected the claim as a cover for a political power play.
Putin dismissed the EU’s argument that Russia was using energy as a weapon by suspending gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany, charging that the sanctions made the pipeline turbine unsafe to operate. “They have driven themselves into deadlock with sanctions,” he said.
He repeated that Moscow stands ready to start pumping gas “as early as tomorrow” through the Nord Stream 2, which has been put on hold by the German authorities.
Turning to Ukraine, Putin declared again that the main goal behind sending troops into Ukraine was protecting civilians after eight years of fighting in the country’s east.
“It wasn’t us who started the military action, we are trying to put an end to it,” Putin said, repeating his long-held argument that he ordered the military action to protect Moscow-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, which have fought Ukrainian forces in the conflict that erupted in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
“All our action has been aimed at helping people living in the Donbas, it’s our duty and we will fulfill it until the end,” he said. “In the longer run, it will help strengthen our country both domestically and internationally.”
Putin emphasized that Russia will keep protecting its sovereignty in the face of what he described as an attempt by the U.S. and its allies to preserve their global domination, saying that “the world mustn’t be founded on the diktat of one country that deemed itself the representative of the almighty or even higher and based its policies on its perceived exclusivity.”
The Russian leader acknowledged that the national economy will shrink by 2% this year, but said that the economic and financial situation in Russia has stabilized, consumer prices inflation has slowed down and unemployment has remained low.
“Russia has resisted the economic, financial and technological aggression of the West,” Putin said. “There has been a certain polarization in the world and inside the country, but I view it as a positive thing. Everything unnecessary, harmful, everything that has prevented us from going forward will be rejected.”
Commenting on scores of critical media outlets being forced to shut down after the start of the military campaign in Ukraine following the passage of a new law that criminalized any reporting on military action that differs from the official line, Putin said their reporters were happy to leave the country.
“They were always working against our country while they were here, and now they happily moved out,” he said.
Russia’s top independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, was among the outlets that were forced to shut down under official pressure. On Monday, a court in Moscow upheld a motion from Russian authorities to revoke its license.
Dmitry Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor-in-chief of the newspaper, called the ruling on Monday “political” and “not having the slightest legal basis.”
Putin sought to slight Muratov’s prize, describing it as politically driven and, in a side jab, compared it to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama while he was the U.S. president.
“We had business-like relations with President Obama, but what did they give him the Nobel prize for?” Putin said. “What did he do to help protect peace? I mean, those military operations in some regions of the world that the president conducted.”
Commenting on the European Union’s decision to make it harder for Russian citizens to enter the 27-nation bloc, Putin said that Russia won’t respond in kind and will continue to welcome visitors.
“We aren’t going to halt contacts, and those who do it, they isolate themselves and not us,” he said. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-putin-mocks-west-says-russia-will-press-on-in-ukraine/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:54Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-putin-mocks-west-says-russia-will-press-on-in-ukraine/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 46 |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to completely cut energy supplies to the West if it tries to cap prices of Russian exports. He also vowed to press on with Moscow’s military action in Ukraine until it achieves its goals.
Speaking at an annual economic forum in the far-eastern port city of Vladivostok, Putin scoffed at the EU plans for a cap on Russian oil and gas prices as a “stupid” idea that “will only lead to a hike in prices.”
“An attempt to limit prices by administrative means is just ravings, it’s sheer nonsense,” Putin said. “If they try to implement that dumb decision, it will entail nothing good for those who will make it.”
He warned that such a move by the EU would represent a clear breach of the existing contracts, saying that Russia could respond by turning off the faucets.
“Will they make political decisions violating the contracts?” he said. “In that case, we will just halt supplies if it contradicts our economic interests. We won’t supply any gas, oil, diesel oil or coal.”
The Russian leader charged that Russia will easily find enough customers in Asia to shift its energy exports away from Europe. “The demand is so high on global markets that we won’t have any problem selling it,” he said.
Putin added that “those who try to force something on us aren’t in a position today to dictate their will,” pointing at protests in the West against rising energy prices.
Just hours before it was due to resume natural gas deliveries to Germany on Friday after a three-day stoppage for repairs, Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom gas giant claimed it couldn’t do so until oil leaks in turbines are fixed. German officials and engineers refuted that claim.
The Kremlin blamed the suspension of supplies on Western sanctions against Gazprom, charging that they hamper normal maintenance of the pipeline’s equipment and signaling that supplies may not resume until the restrictions are lifted. EU officials rejected the claim as a cover for a political power play.
Putin dismissed the EU’s argument that Russia was using energy as a weapon by suspending gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany, charging that the sanctions made the pipeline turbine unsafe to operate. “They have driven themselves into deadlock with sanctions,” he said.
He repeated that Moscow stands ready to start pumping gas “as early as tomorrow” through the Nord Stream 2, which has been put on hold by the German authorities.
Turning to Ukraine, Putin declared again that the main goal behind sending troops into Ukraine was protecting civilians after eight years of fighting in the country’s east.
“It wasn’t us who started the military action, we are trying to put an end to it,” Putin said, repeating his long-held argument that he ordered the military action to protect Moscow-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, which have fought Ukrainian forces in the conflict that erupted in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
“All our action has been aimed at helping people living in the Donbas, it’s our duty and we will fulfill it until the end,” he said. “In the longer run, it will help strengthen our country both domestically and internationally.”
Putin emphasized that Russia will keep protecting its sovereignty in the face of what he described as an attempt by the U.S. and its allies to preserve their global domination, saying that “the world mustn’t be founded on the diktat of one country that deemed itself the representative of the almighty or even higher and based its policies on its perceived exclusivity.”
The Russian leader acknowledged that the national economy will shrink by 2% this year, but said that the economic and financial situation in Russia has stabilized, consumer prices inflation has slowed down and unemployment has remained low.
“Russia has resisted the economic, financial and technological aggression of the West,” Putin said. “There has been a certain polarization in the world and inside the country, but I view it as a positive thing. Everything unnecessary, harmful, everything that has prevented us from going forward will be rejected.”
Commenting on scores of critical media outlets being forced to shut down after the start of the military campaign in Ukraine following the passage of a new law that criminalized any reporting on military action that differs from the official line, Putin said their reporters were happy to leave the country.
“They were always working against our country while they were here, and now they happily moved out,” he said.
Russia’s top independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, was among the outlets that were forced to shut down under official pressure. On Monday, a court in Moscow upheld a motion from Russian authorities to revoke its license.
Dmitry Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor-in-chief of the newspaper, called the ruling on Monday “political” and “not having the slightest legal basis.”
Putin sought to slight Muratov’s prize, describing it as politically driven and, in a side jab, compared it to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama while he was the U.S. president.
“We had business-like relations with President Obama, but what did they give him the Nobel prize for?” Putin said. “What did he do to help protect peace? I mean, those military operations in some regions of the world that the president conducted.”
Commenting on the European Union’s decision to make it harder for Russian citizens to enter the 27-nation bloc, Putin said that Russia won’t respond in kind and will continue to welcome visitors.
“We aren’t going to halt contacts, and those who do it, they isolate themselves and not us,” he said. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-putin-mocks-west-says-russia-will-press-on-in-ukraine/ | 2022-09-07T22:56:54Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-putin-mocks-west-says-russia-will-press-on-in-ukraine/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 46 |
New suicide hotline set up in Fort Smith
Fort Smith dispatchers are now answering calls on a new line for people who are in a suicidal situation or a mental health crisis as part of a national program establishing 988 telephone help.
The three-digit, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, has been rolled out nationally through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
"The Fort Smith Police Department has been preparing for this day and wants citizens to be aware this is available in Fort Smith to anyone that may require this type of assistance," police report.
Police in Fort Smith are prepared to respond to calls with a crisis intervention team.
The 988 program collaborates with 911 emergency dispatchers to determine whether the crisis intervention team should respond to a situation.
Read this:'Know the signs': How the suicides of two sisters are spurring change in Arkansas and beyond
Related:Mental health unit responds to police calls
"This program, (988) is yet another facet in our commitment to addressing the mental health needs of Fort Smith," police report.
The 988 number will connect a person in crisis to a counselor trained in addressing their needs and getting them the appropriate care, police report. This program can collaborate with 911 dispatchers in our area to have teams such as the FSPD Crisis Intervention Unit respond to assist, or any other local resource that may be necessary to aid a person that is suicidal or in another state of crisis.
This year in Fort Smith, a second suicide was reported by a mother who has now lost two daughters.
In July, firefighters rescued a man who jumped into the Arkansas River off the Garrison Avenue bridge. The man survived the jump and was pulled from the water. | https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/2022/09/07/988-call-service-fort-smith-help-with-mental-crisis-situations/65474488007/ | 2022-09-07T22:57:29Z | swtimes.com | control | https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/2022/09/07/988-call-service-fort-smith-help-with-mental-crisis-situations/65474488007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sam Pittman on RB Dominique Johnson's availability vs South Carolina: 'It's up to him'
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football's Dominique Johnson is out of his green no-contact jersey in practice and could be back on the field as soon as this weekend.
The running back has been recovering from a knee injury he suffered in the Outback Bowl in January, but he could be available to play when the No. 17 Razorbacks (1-0) take on South Carolina (1-0) on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN).
Johnson ran for 575 yards and seven touchdowns last season before his injury, the third-most by an Arkansas running back. He practiced without a green jersey for the first time Tuesday, and Pittman said Wednesday the junior might return for Week 2.
"I still think it's up in the air whether we'll play him or not this week," he said. "He looked to me like he's ready to go, but we'll have to see how he feels about it. ... To be honest with you, right now, it's kind of up to him."
MORE:What Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman said about injuries to Jalen Catalon and more
MEMORY LANE:South Carolina coach Shane Beamer recalls 2007 game vs. Arkansas football, Darren McFadden
In his absence, sophomore Raheim Sanders has become Arkansas' feature back. Sanders led the team with 117 rushing yards on 20 carries in the Razorbacks' 31-24 win over Cincinnati last week. Meanwhile, sophomore AJ Green and freshman Rashod Dubinion combined for five carries.
When Johnson returns, be it against South Carolina or later, Pittman and his staff will have to decide how to distribute carries among their talented group.
"There's only so many plays you have out there, so it's going to affect all three of those guys," Pittman said. "Certainly we're going to give the carriers to Dominique when he gets back. It's just how many I don't know. Probably a lot of it (depends) how the game is going when he's in there."
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA Today Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com. | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/2022/09/07/arkansas-football-running-back-dominique-johnson-south-carolina-sam-pittman/65470946007/ | 2022-09-07T22:57:35Z | swtimes.com | control | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/2022/09/07/arkansas-football-running-back-dominique-johnson-south-carolina-sam-pittman/65470946007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fort Smith area top performers in high school sports for the week of Sept. 5
The top performers in the Fort Smith area for high school sports for the week of Sept. 5.
Tuesday
Volleyball
Fallon Houston, Clarksville: Houston had nine kills in the Panthers' loss to Farmington, 3-0
Makenzie Freeman, Hackett: Freeman had 10 aces, and nine digs as the Hornets defeated Elkins, 3-0.
Kyleigh Hill, Hackett: Hill added nine assists and five aces.
Mackenzie Mendenhall: Mendenhall had seven digs and six kills.
Alona Rothwell, Hackett: Rothwell had six aces.
Prairie Vaughn, Hackett: Vaughn led with 24 assists, six digs, and two aces.
Lilly Oxford, Hackett: two aces
Anna Davis, Lavaca: Davis had eight kills and two aces as the Golden Arrows beat Ozark Catholic 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-11).
Kaesha Mendez, Lavaca: Mendez added eight aces.
Madison Proctor, Lavaca: Proctor had nine kills, three blocks, and two aces.
Emerson Schaefer, Lavaca: Schaefer led with 12 kills.
Fast Pitch Softball
Erica Baldwin, Leflore: Baldwin was 2 for 3 with two runs scored as Leflore (11-11) defeated McCurtain, 10-2.
River Cogburn, Leflore: Cogbur was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Alyssa Waits, Leflore: Waits was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Waits earned the win with eight strikeouts, three walks, and two runs.
Amaya Duran, Muldrow: Duran was 2 for 4 with an RBI in the Bulldogs' 10-7 loss to Poteau.
Kiki Wight, Muldrow: Wight was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Kaydence Young, Muldrow: Young was 2 for 3.
Bailey Lairamore, Pocola: Lairamore was 3 for 3 with two RBIs, a double, and a triple as Pocola (21-1) defeated Chouteau-Mazie, 15-1.
Maci Maxwell, Pocola: Maxwell earned the win with four strikeouts and scattered two hits across four innings.
Allyssa Parker, Pocola: Parker had a three-run home run to start the game.
Morgan Hagen, Poteau: Hagen had a two-run home run as Poteau held off Muldrow, 10-7.
Emery Lomon, Poteau: Lomon was 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
Parker Patterson, Poteau: Patterson was 3 for 4 with an RBI.
Maggie Wheat, Poteau: Wheat had a three-run home run.
Kaylee Cannon, Red Oak: Cannon was 3 for 3 with two RBIs, a triple, a home run, and three runs scored as Red Oak (9-3) defeated Wister, 10-0.
Graciee Noggle, Red Oak: Noggle was 2 for 3.
Allie Tovar, Red Oak: Tovar was 2 for 3 with three RBIs and a home run.
Hayden White, Red Oak: White tossed a one-hitter with six strikeouts for the win.
Emily Daws, Roland: Daws was 3 for 3 in the Rangers' 5-4 loss in the first game.
Jaidyn Burrell, Roland: Burrell was 2 for 3 as the Rangers beat Kansas in the nightcap, 4-3. Burrell finished the doubleheader with five hits and two RBIs.
Kynlei Earnhart, Roland: Earnhart was 2 for 3.
Madison Green, Sallisaw: Green was 3 for 3 with two RBIs in the Black Diamonds' 7-6 loss to Stigler.
Cambree Scott, Sallisaw: Scott was 2 for 4.
D Engle, Stigler: Engle was 2 for 4 as the Panthers beat Sallisaw, 7-6.
G Powell, Stigler: Powell was 2 for 2.
Hannah Adams, Whitesboro: Adams finished the doubleheader 5 for 6 with three RBIs. The Bulldogs won the second game, 10-0.
Maura Cole, Whitesboro: Cole was 2 for 3 as the Bulldogs beat Rattan, 7-0. Whitesboro finished with 14 hits as each player recorded at least one hit in the first game.
Madi Edwards, Whitesboro: Edwards was 3 for 6 with two RBIs in the doubleheader.
Monday
Fast Pitch Softball
Ashlyn Dalton, Howe: Dalton was 2 for 3 with a solo home run as Howe held off a late Pocola rally to win, 4-3.
Kasyn Nye, Howe: Nye (2 for 2) had the eventual game-winning run in the fifth inning.
Allyssa Parker, Pocola: Parker was 2 for 4 in Pocola's 4-3 loss to Howe. | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/09/07/fort-smith-area-top-performers-for-the-week-of-sept-5-2002/65471050007/ | 2022-09-07T22:57:41Z | swtimes.com | control | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/09/07/fort-smith-area-top-performers-for-the-week-of-sept-5-2002/65471050007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Washington National Guard Soldiers with the 141st Military History Detachment, 96th Troop Command, prepare to say goodbye to family and friends during a pre-deployment ceremony on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Sept. 6, 2022. The 141st MHD will soon deploy to the Middle East to collect historically significant documents, photos, and primary source material for use by future writers of the Army's history. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Adeline Witherspoon)
This work, 141st Military History Detachment says farewell to friends and family [Image 5 of 5], by SSG Adeline Witherspoon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7403909/141st-military-history-detachment-says-farewell-friends-and-family | 2022-09-07T22:58:06Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7403909/141st-military-history-detachment-says-farewell-friends-and-family | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220907-N-VP266-1034 BALTIMORE (Sept. 07, 2022) -- The Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21), prepares to dock in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to participate in Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore 2022. Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore is the city’s celebration of the sea services with this year marking the City of Baltimore's third time hosting Navy Fleet Week.
This work, Ships Pull into Baltimore's Inner Harbor for Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover 2022 [Image 6 of 6], by PO2 Griffin Kersting, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7403921/ships-pull-into-baltimores-inner-harbor-maryland-fleet-week-and-flyover-2022 | 2022-09-07T22:58:37Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7403921/ships-pull-into-baltimores-inner-harbor-maryland-fleet-week-and-flyover-2022 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220907-N-VP266-1097 BALTIMORE (Sept. 07, 2022) -- The Danish training ship Danmark, receives assistance from a tug boat while it prepares to dock in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor to participate in Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore 2022. Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover Baltimore is the city’s celebration of the sea services with this year marking the City of Baltimore's third time hosting Navy Fleet Week.
This work, Ships Pull into Baltimore's Inner Harbor for Maryland Fleet Week and Flyover 2022 [Image 6 of 6], by PO2 Griffin Kersting, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7403924/ships-pull-into-baltimores-inner-harbor-maryland-fleet-week-and-flyover-2022 | 2022-09-07T22:58:55Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7403924/ships-pull-into-baltimores-inner-harbor-maryland-fleet-week-and-flyover-2022 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A murder-for-hire trial involving former stars of the reality TV show “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” got underway in St. Louis, where prosecutors allege that James “Tim” Norman arranged his nephew’s killing because he needed money from a life insurance policy that he took out on the victim.
Norman’s attorneys said during opening statements Tuesday that he was a successful celebrity who was concerned about the safety of his nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr., the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Norman, who is charged with murder for hire, and Montgomery both appeared on the reality TV show “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” which ran on the OWN Network for five seasons. The series was based in a St. Louis-area restaurant owned by Robbie Montgomery, Norman’s mother and the victim’s grandmother.
During opening statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll said Norman tried to a collect on a $450,000 fraudulent life insurance policy that he took out on Andre Montgomery because he was badly in need of money to support a lavish lifestyle.
Prosecutors said they will prove Norman hired an exotic dancer, Terica Ellis, to lure Montgomery to a spot near a St. Louis park where he was shot by Travell Anthony Hill on March 14, 2016.
Ellis and Norman have both pleaded guilty to their roles in the plot. Ellis said Norman paid her $10,000; Hill said he received $5,000 indirectly from Norman after the shooting.
Waiel Rebhi Yaghnam, an insurance agent who in 2002 was one of the producers of Nelly’s hit album “Nellyville,” pleaded guilty in July to helping Norman take out a fraudulent policy on Montgomery.
Norman’s attorney, Michael Leonard, contended during his opening statement that Norman took out life insurance on his nephew because he was concerned that Montgomery’s aspiring rap career would get him killed.
Leonard said Norman didn’t need the insurance payout because of the success he had after selling the script for “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” to Oprah Winfrey’s TV network.
He said Norman was looking for his nephew in the days before the shooting because he believed Montgomery had stolen at least $220,000 in cash, jewelry and other items from his grandmother in 2015.
FBI Special Agent Christopher Faber testified Tuesday that Montgomery left the St. Louis area shortly after the burglary to avoid Norman but agreed to briefly return to take a polygraph test. He was killed four days after he took that test.
Faber’s testimony also included texts from Norman to a cousin about two months before the killing that said he had been evicted from his apartment and had more than $91,000 in monthly expenses with no money coming in while the TV show was on hiatus.
The trial is expected to involve more than 100 pieces of evidence and last into next week. | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-trial-begins-in-killing-of-miss-sweetie-pies-grandson/ | 2022-09-07T22:58:55Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-trial-begins-in-killing-of-miss-sweetie-pies-grandson/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
St. Landry Crime Stoppers is asking for help in solving a shooting in the Opelousas area.
On March 13, 2022, just before 4:00 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the 100 block of Blair Street for a shooting complaint.
The investigation led detectives to the corner of Compress Road and Hwy 182 where the shooting occurred. The victim stated he was driving a white 2008 Ford Crown Victoria and was leaving a fast-food restaurant when heard someone yell at him but did not stop, according to police.
While he was driving down Compress Road, he noticed that he was being followed and then heard gunshots. The victim stated he was struck in his body and drove to Blair Street. A local business was also struck due to stray bullets but no one was injured. The vehicle was struck with 15 bullets and the male victim was hit multiple times. The victim was transported to a local hospital and recovered from his wounds.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,500 cash reward through an enhanced reward program for the arrest in this case.
Below is a list of ways to leave a tip:
- Use the QR code at the bottom of the video
- any mobile device by dialing **TIPS
- P3 app
- Call 337-948-8477
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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/community/crime-stoppers/st-landry-crime-stoppers-help-needed-in-solving-march-shooting | 2022-09-07T22:59:37Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/community/crime-stoppers/st-landry-crime-stoppers-help-needed-in-solving-march-shooting | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HAMMOND, La.— On September 2, Justin White was traveling southbound on Interstate 55 when another car T-boned him and caused his truck to spin out before it caught on fire.
White had both of his dogs with him but was able to safely get them out of the truck. However, his dog Sage ran away. Someone driving southbound on I-55 claimed to have seen her jump over the guardrail near mile marker 9 close to Ruddock, about two miles from the crash site.
Volunteers have helped search for Sage every day since the accident using their boats and drones from LaPlace to Manchac. A volunteer with Cajun Navy 2016 also did a boat search, but had no luck finding her. The Whites have searched the area thoroughly with no signs of Sage.
Sage is a 4-year-old, 80-lb. female Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and is microchipped. Outstanding features include dark-lined eyes, a purplish/pinkish belly, and a strip of fur on her back that looks like a cowlick.
“Sage is our wonderful and smart girl who has changed our lives forever from the moment we adopted her,” White’s wife Caitlin said. “We are so appreciative for all of the help and connections we have gained from this. We hope and pray that our baby is safe and being watched over and will return home to us.”
"We join the Whites in praying for a safe and quick return of Sage. We know how difficult it must be for them and Sage to be apart," says HSLA Director Jeff Dorson.
If anyone has any tips on Sage’s whereabouts, please contact the Whites at peppermanpatty97@gmail.com or 504.220.8753. An undisclosed reward is being offered for her safe return. The Humane Society has added $500 to the reward fund. | https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/family-dog-missing-after-car-wreck-on-i-55 | 2022-09-07T22:59:43Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/family-dog-missing-after-car-wreck-on-i-55 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The state Supreme Court has denied a request from Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue, our media partners at The Advocate report.
As we reported in August, an appeals court decided Lartigue did not live in the city limits of Ville Platte and thus could not run for re-election.
Today, the state supreme court refused to hear Lartigue's request to intervene in the suit and appeal that decision, the newspaper reports. To read the story, click here. | https://www.katc.com/news/evangeline-parish/supreme-court-denies-ville-platte-police-chiefs-writ | 2022-09-07T22:59:49Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/evangeline-parish/supreme-court-denies-ville-platte-police-chiefs-writ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. humanitarian chief predicted Tuesday that at least $1 billion will be needed urgently to avert famine in Somalia in the coming months and early next year when two more dry seasons are expected to compound the historic drought that has hit the Horn of Africa nation.
Martin Griffiths said in a video briefing from Somalia’s capital Mogadishu that a new report from an authoritative panel of independent experts says there will be a famine in Somalia between October and December “if we don’t manage to stave it off and avoid it as had been the case in 2016 and 2017.”
The undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs told U.N. correspondents that more than $1 billion in new funds is needed in addition to the U.N. appeal of about $1.4 billion. That appeal has been “very well-funded,” he said, thanks to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which announced a $476 million donation of humanitarian and development aid in July.
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, created by USAID, said in a report Monday that famine is projected to emerge later this year in three areas in Somalia’s southeastern Bay region, including Baidoa without urgent humanitarian aid.
Up to 7.1 million people across Somalia need urgent assistance to treat and prevent acute malnutrition and reduce the number of ongoing hunger-related deaths, according to a recent analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification or IPC, used by the network to describe the severity of food insecurity.
The Horn of Africa region has seen four straight failed rainy seasons for the first time in over half a century, endangering an estimated 20 million people in one of the world’s most impoverished and turbulent regions.
Griffiths said meteorologists have predicted the likelihood of a fifth failed rainy season from October to December, and a sixth failed rainy season from January to March next year is also likely.
“This has never happened before in Somalia,” he said. “This is unprecedented.”
“We’ve been banging the drum and rattling the trees trying to get support internationally in terms of attention, prospects, and the possibilities and the horror of famine coming to the Horn of Africa — here in Somalia maybe first, but Ethiopia and Kenya, probably they’re not far behind,” Griffiths said.
He said the U.N. World Food Program has recently been providing aid for up to 5.3 million Somalis, which is “a lot, but it’s going to get worse if famine comes.” He said 98% of the aid is given through cash distributions via telephones.
But many thousands are not getting help and hungry families in Somalia have been staggering for days or weeks through parched terrain in search of assistance.
Griffiths said a big challenge is to get aid to people before they move from their homes, to help avoid massive displacement.
Many Somalis raise livestock, which is key to their survival, but he said three million animals have died or been slaughtered because of the lack of rain.
“Continued drought, continued failure of rainy seasons, means that a generation’s way of life is under threat,” Griffiths said.
He said the international community needs to help Somalis find an alternative way of life and making a living, which will require development funding and funding to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Griffiths, a British diplomat, said the war in Ukraine has had an impact on humanitarian aid, with U.N. humanitarian appeals around the world receiving about 30% of the money needed on average.
“To those countries, which are traditionally very generous, my own included, and many others,” he said. “Please don’t forget Somalia. You didn’t in the past. You contributed wonderfully in the past. Please do so now.” | https://www.wpri.com/health/ap-health/ap-un-at-least-1-billion-needed-to-avert-famine-in-somalia/ | 2022-09-07T22:59:52Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/health/ap-health/ap-un-at-least-1-billion-needed-to-avert-famine-in-somalia/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that he wants Mississippi’s capital city to receive “its fair share” of federal money to repair a troubled water system that left homes and businesses without running water for several days.
Even with water flowing from taps and people again able to flush toilets this week, Jackson lacks safe drinking water. The city of 150,000 is in the sixth week of a boil-water advisory from the state health department because of concerns that low pressure could allow contaminants into the water.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan was in Jackson to meet with residents and state and local elected officials Wednesday. He touted the $1 trillion federal infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed in November.
Mississippi is set to receive more than $4 billion from the law, with most of the money designated for highways and bridges, the White House said. The state’s allocation includes $429 million over five years to improve water systems.
“It’s our desire that the city of Jackson gets its fair share,” Regan said during a meeting with community leaders. “It’s our desire that the city of Jackson doesn’t have to live with what you all have lived with for far too long.”
Jackson’s main water-treatment plant malfunctioned in late August after torrential rain caused flooding along the Pearl River. The influx altered the quality of the raw water entering the plant from a reservoir. That slowed the treatment process, depleted supplies in water tanks and caused a dangerous drop in pressure.
But even before the rainfall, officials said some water pumps had failed and a treatment plant was using backup pumps. A rental pump was installed last week, and the system’s water pressure is back to normal.
Groups are distributing bottled water at drive-thru sites, and restaurants are bringing tanks of clean water from suburbs.
About 25% of Jackson’s residents live in poverty, and the city’s tax base has declined with a sharp decrease in population since 1980 — a change that happened along with mostly white flight that started about a decade after public schools began integrating in 1970.
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson sat with Regan at the community meeting and toured Jackson’s main water plant with the administrator, Gov. Tate Reeves and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Other members of Mississippi’s congressional delegation also participated in meetings with them about short-term and long-term solutions for the city’s water problems.
“We do know that will require all of us working together to cut through the bureaucracy,” Regan said during a news conference at Jackson State University.
Thompson pointed out during the community meeting that Regan is from North Carolina, which also has a large Black population.
“He understands the challenges, especially (for) communities of color,” said Thompson, the only Black member of Mississippi’s congressional delegation. “Under this current administration, they have taken the fact that many of these communities have been underserved by its government and tried to right the ship.”
Jackson’s water system has been fragile for years, with officials warning that widespread loss of service was possible. A cold snap in 2021 froze pipes and some water treatment equipment, leaving tens of thousands of people without running water. Similar problems happened again early this year, on a smaller scale. The EPA also told Jackson months ago that its water system violates the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-epa-leader-jackson-needs-fair-share-of-money-to-fix-water/ | 2022-09-07T23:00:14Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-epa-leader-jackson-needs-fair-share-of-money-to-fix-water/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Africa Creative Market, in partnership with Paramount Africa (MTV Base), recently held various interactive sessions during its ‘Music Day’ with African individuals from around the world in the creative space, on the need to increase capacity and up their skills in the areas of creative interest.
In an effort to share future-proof business prototypes, procure access to trade finance, advance creative export and standards, and promote data-led understanding of creative trade; the event witnessed intensive workshops on four core areas of creative enterprise, film, music, dance and fashion.
On the other hand, the intensive and engaging workshop-led programme was hosted by distinct industry steers like Country Manager for Paramount Africa in Nigeria and Co-Founder of the ACM, Bada Akintunde-Johnson; Ernest Audu, Head of Global Business, The Bridgelight (New York); Yemisi Falaye, Entertainment Lawyer; Marc Byers, Strategic Advisor at AMP Global Technologies among others.
Speaking during an interview, Country Manager for Paramount Africa in Nigeria and Co-Founder of the ACM, Bada Akintunde-Johnson, added that ACM seeks to bolster the foundations of Africa’s creative ecosystem for profitability, sustainability, and adequate global recognition.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
“Going by the level of feedback we have gotten, we have been able to identify that people find value in what we have done this year. It is heart-lifting and also encouraging for us to want to do more in the future. For us, the future of the African Creative Market is glorious and bright. ACM is a property that does not confuse you in terms of its value. African Creatives need capacity building, the right network, and access to funding, and these are the core pillars of the African Creative Market.”
Speaking on what the future holds for ACM, Bada noted that ACM is bent on finding practical and practicable solutions to the African creative process, adding that the African creative space is embedded with great potential and talent but lacks a proper structure.
Continuing, Johnson said, “The future looks very glorious as we like to say, first off, it’s a property that doesn’t confuse you in terms of what the value is.
“A lot of leaders in the film spaces, and music spaces have identified small business ventures they would like to back. For instance, the two guys who won the film pitch on Tuesday now have mentors in Europe and America. One of the top guys in BAFTA British Film and Television Academy expressed an interest in working with these young talents and helping them develop their screenplay and that essentially is one of the core reasons why ACM has come to be. ACM is focused on finding practical solutions to some of these problems.” | https://tribuneonlineng.com/mtv-base-leads-solutions-based-conversations-at-african-creative-market-music-day/ | 2022-09-07T23:00:49Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/mtv-base-leads-solutions-based-conversations-at-african-creative-market-music-day/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Wike predicts retribution for those allegedly seeking to hijack PDP
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has predicted a time of reckoning for those who he said continue to insist that they can take everything to themselves in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He maintained that nobody can silence him from speaking against such injustice and the demand for the right thing to be done.
The governor made the statement at the inauguration of the Emohua campus of Rivers State University, and the flag-off of staff quarters, performed by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State on Wednesday.
He said such persons would definitely account for every wrong thing that they had done when the day of reckoning comes.
Wike said: “That is why I am telling the people there, look, it cannot work. You can’t take everything. If you take everything, it will purge you. So, better do the right thing now.
“Don’t sit there and think that you can muscle me and you can do everything, you can manipulate anything. You can think you have the number to make sure you take everything, but the time is coming when you will account for it.”
He insisted that the delivery of quality projects by him and his colleague governors would serve the PDP well in their respective states saying it would be erroneous for PDP states that have failed to provide good governance to solicit votes from the electorate.
“If any PDP state is not doing well, don’t think you will be voted for because APC is not doing well. If PDP state, for example, if in Rivers state we didn’t do well, then you’ll say because APC did not do well at the national, then the people will vote for us. They’ll tell you PDP you didn’t do well in Rivers State. People don’t understand that. And that is why the party should respect us and know that we are the ones campaigning for the party. Because we have what to use to campaign,” he added.
The governor explained that his administration has avoided the pitfall most governments suffer because they do not set aside the requisite budget for projects they conceptualise, and they end up littering the places with uncompleted projects.
He said the decision of his administration to establish multi campuses for the State University was strategic to increasing access to education and providing more space for effective teaching and learning adding that it was necessary to also grow the economy of rural communities in the state.
“I told the pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council they will have to establish satellite campuses so that the main campus will leverage on other facilities that have been occupied by some of these faculties.
“Secondly, it will have to bring development to these areas. I do not believe in establishing so many universities for establishment’s sake. Yes, there is a need for access to education, having created this campus, you are also creating access,” he said.
Wike pointed out that it was his administration that began the release of capital funds for all the state’s own tertiary institutions adding said his government has approved the employment of academic and non-academic staff in all tertiary institutions in the State.
He said when projects are conceptualised, his administration provides an adequate budget to complete them, which is why no project awarded by him will be abandoned.
Performing the inauguration of the campus and flag-off of the staff quarters, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde noted such multi-campus of a university promotes quality education, expands the scope of learning, and opens up access to tertiary education.
Makinde noted the endeavour by governor Wike as evidence of his vision and commitment to the good of the people of Rivers State.
“If children are doing all of these, I think what Nigeria needs are children. So my brother (Wike) you can rest assured that Nigeria appreciates you.
“Even the fight that we lost. We did not lose with our heads bowed. We stood for the truth and for what is good for the country. We will continue to fight for our space within PDP. We will fight for what is good for our people.”
On his part, Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Chinedu Mmom said Governor Wike has continued to give premium attention to the need for improvement in the quality of education by approving the recruitment of teaching staff for the various state-owned tertiary institutions in the state.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE | https://tribuneonlineng.com/wike-predicts-retribution-for-those-allegedly-seeking-to-hijack-pdp/ | 2022-09-07T23:00:56Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/wike-predicts-retribution-for-those-allegedly-seeking-to-hijack-pdp/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CAIRO (AP) — Cowering in a bare corner, the 15-year-old boy begs for mercy and holds up his arms, trying to fend off the rifle pointed at his face. “Where is the money? Where is the money?” the holder of the rifle barks, over and over.
The unseen man pulls the trigger. “Click-click-click!” The magazine is empty, it seems. The man wants to scare him, and it works. The boy flinches with each click.
“Where is the money? Where is the money?” the man keeps shouting, swatting the boy on the head with the rifle muzzle. “I swear, I don’t have,” the boy cries.
The boy, Mazen Adam, a refugee in Libya from Sudan’s conflict-torn Darfur region, was kidnapped last week by unknown gunmen demanding ransom. Hours after the video depicting this scene spread on social media, the boy’s father was taken by gunmen from his home in western Libya.
Their saga is all too common in the chaotic, war-torn Mediterranean country, where powerful militias and traffickers have for years taken advantage of the desperation of migrants fleeing wars and poverty and trying to reach Europe. But the abuse is rarely caught on-camera, and the story of the boy and his father has raised concerns among regular Libyans and rights workers.
The video has underscored how abuses, torture, sexual violence and killings of migrants are rampant in Libya, where the European Union is using fragments of the broken-down state as an out-sourced policeman to block migrants from reaching its shores, trapping them there.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country has split into many factions, each supported by rogue militias and foreign governments.
Without a functioning government for most of the past decade, the country became a hub for migrants, with thousands coming in every year from Arab nations or sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
A lucrative trafficking business has flourished and militias, most of which are on the government payroll, are involved at every stage. They sometimes receive payments from the smugglers who arrange the migrants’ journeys. Militias often kidnap migrants and torture them to extort money from them.
Militias are part of the official state forces tasked with intercepting migrants at sea, including in the coast guard. They also run state detention centers, where abuses of migrants are common. As a result, militias — some of them led by warlords the U.N. has sanctioned for abuses — benefit from millions in funds the European Union gives to Libya to stop the migrant flow to Europe.
U.N.-commissioned investigators said last year such practices may amount to crimes against humanity. The U.N.’s refugee agency has warned that Libya “isn’t a country of asylum, nor a place of safety.”
Fleeing Sudan’s Darfur, Mohamed Adam arrived in Libya with his four children in December 2017. A few months earlier, his wife died when their house was set on fire during a bout of tribal violence in Darfur.
Adam settled in Tripoli, waiting for the opportunity to reach Europe. He and his children were registered with the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, as asylum-seekers, according to a registration document shared with The Associated Press. Adam found work as a day laborer.
The AP spoke to Adam by phone. A few hours later, he was abducted by armed men in uniform, according to his 20-year-old daughter, Rehab Adam.
He described how in January, despite their recognized asylum-seeker status, the whole family was rounded up in a crackdown on migrants by Libyan authorities. They were held for over three months in a detention center in the town of Ain Zara, where guards abused them and burned their few belongings, he said.
They were released on April 25 after intervention by the UNHCR, he said. They then moved to Warshefana, a town on Tripoli’s southwestern outskirts where living expenses were cheaper.
The town is also home to militias that have been implicated in human trafficking, said Tarik Lamloum, a Libyan activist working with the Belaady Organization for Human Rights.
Mazen, the second oldest of the four siblings, worked also as a day laborer in farms and workshops to help the family survive. On Aug. 30, he left home in the morning for work as usual. But he did not return.
That afternoon, Adam received a call from another Sudanese woman in Libya, telling him that his son was likely kidnapped. The woman sent him the video of Mazen being abused, which she had seen on a WhatsApp group of Sudanese migrants. How the video made it there is unclear, but it’s highly likely that Mazen’s captors wanted it to reach his family to pressure them to send money. Migrants are regularly held for ransom inside Libya’s formal and informal detention centers, although they are usually told to contact family in a phone call.
In the video, Mazen’s captor demands 5,000 Libyan dinars, around $1,000, and tells the boy to call friends or family to get it.
“Is he still alive or dead?” his father, Adam said, speaking hours after the video emerged. “I don’t have the money to free him.”
In response to a request for comment, UNHCR said it was aware of the “distressing video … and is following up on it and in direct contact with the family.”
Lamloum, the activist, says the U.N. agency should have been able to do more to protect the family, whether providing them shelter or hurrying their resettlement abroad, arguing that Libyan authorities in practice don’t recognize the agency’s papers for asylum seekers.
The video was shared on social media by activists in Sudan and by other Libyans worried for the boy’s safety. A day after it appeared, three vehicles pulled in front of Adam’s house in Warshefana. Rehab said armed men got out and took her father away.
No group claimed responsibility for the child’s abduction nor his father’s detention. A spokesman for the Tripoli-based government did not answer phone calls or a message seeking comment.
Now Rehab and her younger sister and brother, 11-year-old Manasek and 9-year-old Mustafa, are at a U.N. refugee agency facility in Tripoli, waiting for news.
“We don’t know where our father and brother are,” she said. “God willing, we will reunite soon,” she said. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-video-of-child-refugee-in-libya-sheds-light-on-rampant-abuse/ | 2022-09-07T23:01:35Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-video-of-child-refugee-in-libya-sheds-light-on-rampant-abuse/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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