text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ns, tz=UTC] | source_domain string | group string | id string | in_blocksbin int64 | in_noblocksbin int64 | tag string | minhash_count string |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This is Sandy Brown Jensen,and you’re listening to Viz City, KLCC’s art review program.
I took an afternoon last weekend and gave myself the treat of an Artist’s Date.Me, myself and I went on a mini art crawl and saw two things we might otherwise have missed. First was an investigation of what’s up in the Springfield City Library slash City Hall Art Gallery.
This show by Karen Pidgeon is a perfect example of a hidden jewel in a pocket gallery. Karen Pidgeon is a wildlife artist with a highly realistic style. The wolf, the tiger, the macaws are all so realistic they seem to jump, prowl, or fly off the wall, so bright are their eyes, so tensed are their bodies.
Karen has a good organizational principle if you are an art nerd. Her concept is the progression of her materials as she evolved as an artist. Her first stage was pen and ink. The fine pen strokes allowed her to add the long guard hairs around a tiger’s head and in its ears. This is a somewhat melancholy and inward tiger, not the aggressive, growly kind. That’s unexpected, so it slows you down for a good, long look.
Karen has eight steps in all as she grows into colored pencils, chalk pastels, acrylic paint. One of my favorites that seems to include all her techniques is two adolescent snowy owls in owl clover waiting for Mom with looks of both anxiety and calm.
The other show I stopped in to see was the Whittaker Printmaker’s Show at Maude Kerns Art Center. All the prints are the size of a large postcard and are hung on a clothesline around the room.This is a very charming display and very fun to look at. Although for some reason there isn’t any signage under each print, I understand these are prints by artists from all over the world. I enjoyed so many—especially one representing The Fool from the Tarot deck—a child setting out on the high road to adventure with only a bindlestaff and a butterfly.
Lot’s of fun, and while you’re there, take in the Mayor's Teen Art Show in the main galleries. Take yourself on an Art Date sometime soon!
This is Sandy Brown Jensen for KLCC. | https://www.klcc.org/show/viz-city/2022-09-13/tiger-on-the-wall-wildlife-artist-karen-pidgeon-at-the-springfield-city-hall-gallery | 2022-09-13T21:55:20Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/show/viz-city/2022-09-13/tiger-on-the-wall-wildlife-artist-karen-pidgeon-at-the-springfield-city-hall-gallery | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. Army Reserve soldiers assign to Alpha Company, 392nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 359th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade, prepares to head overseas to their assigned missions in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
Maj. Gen. Tina Boyd presided over the ceremony and was joined by members of the community to include Army Reserve Ambassadors COL (Ret) Edna Cummings, CW5 (Ret) Phyllis Wilson, American Legion Post 22 Towson and the Coast Guard Chief Warrant and Warrant Officers Association (CWOA).
This work, Alpha Company, 392nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion Deployment Ceremony [Image 6 of 6], by SGT Rachel Wilridge, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7415400/alpha-company-392nd-expeditionary-signal-battalion-deployment-ceremony | 2022-09-13T21:58:54Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7415400/alpha-company-392nd-expeditionary-signal-battalion-deployment-ceremony | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
California launches abortion website in bid to fortify information access
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Tuesday that the state has launched a website to help people both inside and outside of the state access information about abortions, their legal rights and where to find providers.
Why it matters: The launch comes on the heels of Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) proposal of a bill that would ban abortion nationally after 15 weeks.
Details: The website, which Newsom said will not collect personal information about visitors, will serve as a hub for people coming to California for an abortion.
- It provides information on how to pay for services and financial assistance, access wellness and emotional support and travel to the state for reproductive care.
- The site includes an interactive Find a Provider tool.
- Information is available in Spanish and will be translated into additional languages, according to Newsom.
What they're saying: "Abortion is legal, safe and accessible here in California – whether or not you live here, know that we have your back," Newsom said in a statement.
- "As Republican states continue rolling back fundamental civil rights and even try to prevent people from accessing information online or crossing state lines for care, you’re welcome here in California and we’ll continue to fight like hell for you."
The big picture: Abortion misinformation has surged in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially in Spanish-speaking communities.
- Conservative activists are pursuing efforts to limit or ban online information-sharing on the topic as tech companies struggle to moderate abortion-related content and fight misinformation. | https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/california-abortion-website-newsom | 2022-09-13T21:59:13Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/california-abortion-website-newsom | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Starbucks embarks on global reinvention and expansion
Starbucks unveiled a new strategy today to reinvent itself inside and out, and to expand around the world.
Why it matters: The coffee giant needs a bold overhaul to resolve growing tensions with some of its U.S. workers, adjust to new consumer preferences and behaviors, and rethink how it approaches its global markets.
Details: Starbucks plans to spend roughly $450 million to put new equipment in its North America locations to speed up service, cutting down on labor-intensive processes for making drinks and food.
- These new systems can cut the time it takes to make a Frappuccino by almost a third, and reduce time to cook food.
- New Clover Vertica machines can serve a freshly ground and brewed cup of coffee on demand in under 30 seconds.
The big picture: Surging demand for cold beverages, customized drinks and mobile orders have caused in-store operations to slow down over the years.
- "Our physical stores were built for a different era and we have to modernize to meet this moment,” outgoing Chief Operating Officer John Culver said during the company's investor day.
What they didn't talk about: Much about recent unionization efforts.
- “Let me be clear that we’re committed to respecting the NRLB process. We are now and will continue to bargain in good faith with the stores who have chosen to have a third party,” Culver said.
Be smart: Starbucks founder and interim CEO Howard Schultz stepped back in as CEO this year to try to right the ship.
- He'll be leaving active management a third time in April when Laxman Narasimhan formally takes over as CEO — but it's clear his strategy and vision will define Starbucks for years to come.
- Narasimhan in October will become "incoming CEO" to learn alongside Schultz.
What we're watching: Opening new stores is also a part of the plan with 3%-4% growth planned for the U.S. in the next three years (adding some delivery-only locations) and an outstanding 30% growth internationally.
- The growth would bring the company to more than 25,000 international stores — including 9,000 in China alone — and 18,000 in the U.S. by 2025.
More from Axios: | https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/starbucks-coffee-reinvention-investor-day | 2022-09-13T21:59:38Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/starbucks-coffee-reinvention-investor-day | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Altus Trophy sits on display at the Mayer Museum, San Angelo, Texas, Aug. 11, 2022. The Altus Trophy is an annual award given to a community that provides outstanding support for an Air Education and Training Command installation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ethan Sherwood)
This work, Goodfellow Airmen, missions key to AF: AETC Leadership [Image 7 of 7], by SrA Ethan Sherwood, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7415431/goodfellow-airmen-missions-key-af-aetc-leadership | 2022-09-13T22:00:28Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7415431/goodfellow-airmen-missions-key-af-aetc-leadership | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
\\Title[][]{Proteomic Investigation and Inactivation Kinetin Resistance Fact in Halocongressaphis robertsia under Strong HP Defensor (2 - Cypermethine Hydroxamide, DCPDA and CCCBA)$}$[` `]}\n{\\TitlePDFLabel { }%\n{[}` Prospect Research } } {{\\MakeUppercase{$ \\cdot p }}%\n{[ ` [Prote-omic\\ investig When the time first come. We need someone, something different, a man to represent everyone\nand lead towards peace to be united. For the sake Of man-hkind and world, there\nstared some questions raised with more question after hearing that our government has got some information. First few are some are being followed they don't understand who they is it for that\nwhy to them who was with or with who to give the message of this new government they called to some GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public School leaders plan to meet with parents and students Tuesday to discuss the future of its buildings.
It’s the first of several town hall style meetings aimed allowing community members the chance to weigh in on the district’s Facilities Master Plan.
READ: Grand Rapids Public Schools asks for public feedback in new facilities plan
In August, GRPS announced it may close some schools and other facilities amid declines in enrollment.
According to the district, there has been a 26 percent decrease in the number of students enrolled at GRPS over the past 12 years.
Due to the decline, its overall building utilization level sits around 53 percent, significantly less than the 85 percent the state recommends districts maintain.
“Often times, teachers will pair together to do professional learning,” said Dr. Leadriene Roby, GRPS superintendent, in an interview with FOX17 at the time. “If you only have one teacher in one building, who is she professional learning and doing her professional development with? It would make sense to look at two different programs, as an option, that you combine programs that allow more support for teachers, more support for scholars.”
MORE: GRPS looks to combat declining enrollment by revitalizing buildings
Tuesday’s meeting will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. at Harrison Park Academy.
Childcare and refreshments will be provided.
If you cannot attend the meeting, click here to learn more about other opportunities to participate. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/grps-leaders-families-set-to-discuss-future-of-schools-other-buildings | 2022-09-13T22:03:23Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/grps-leaders-families-set-to-discuss-future-of-schools-other-buildings | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon announced a $1 billion plan for creating a “safer state” on Tuesday. The announcement was made at a press conference outside of the Grand Rapids Police Department.
At the press conference, Dixon said that the plan would add 5,000 new local officers, 5,000 new fire and EMS personnel, 500 state troopers, and 2,000 local and state corrections officers.
Dixon also said that $700 million of the plan’s budget would be used on recruiting officers through instruction support, which includes covering tuition and retention, as well as signing bonuses.
There would also be work study programs for youths, “Move to Michigan” incentives to recruit officers from outside of the state, and grants for marketing campaigns.
$250 million of the plan’s budget would go to equip officers with body cameras and riot gear. It would also be used to train officers on de-escalation techniques, as well as providing first responders with mental health support.
$50 million of the plan would be used to address the backlog of rape kit processing in Michigan, as well as tracking down offenders.
During the press conference, Dixon said that she wants to end what she called Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s “violent crime wave.”
However, information from the Brennan Center for Justice has shown that attempts to politicize crime isn’t backed by numbers, and is a basic inaccuracy. The information also shows that crime has risen equally in red and blue cities and states, if not more in red states.
Dixon claimed that while she would be funding police officers, Governor Whitmer has done the opposite. When asked about policies created by Whitmer that defunded the police, Dixon referenced the cutting of 119 road patrol officers.
However, this never actually happened, due to backlash from state republican legislatures.
One person who approved of Dixon’s plan was Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young.
“We think it’s so important that you have the backing of the chief executive officer of the state that’s coming out and saying the police are our priority,” said LaJoye-Young. “As you saw, that’s in our constitution. We have agreed to this. The governor should be the first one there saying we have their backs. That’s the discussion we’ve had with police across the state. Saying, just that perception that the top officials in our state don’t have our back is making it difficult to do our jobs.” | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/tudor-dixon-announces-1-billion-building-a-safe-state-plan | 2022-09-13T22:03:29Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/tudor-dixon-announces-1-billion-building-a-safe-state-plan | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
‘Please do not refer to me as The Bogus Beggar’: Gary Thompson out of jail and back at it
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Gary Thompson doesn’t like talking to me anymore. To understand why, we have to go back to 2014.
“I appreciate you guys busting me,” Thompson said. “Y’all really good at it. I average about $100,000 a year doing this.”
While Lexington police held a press conference to warn people about a guy faking a mental disability act to rake in big bucks, that guy was demonstrating it right outside.
“Mm... mm... money,” Thompson stuttered, then smiled and straightened up. “I gotta go y’all, gotta make some money.”
He was jailed and chased out of places all around Kentucky and earned the nickname, “The Bogus Beggar.”
“If you can help me whenever I ask for money I won’t act mental,” Thompson said in a story that aired years ago.
He was then spotted in Louisville. He seemed to be OK when no one was looking, so I put on a hidden camera and tried to walk by.
“Please help, fell out my wheelchair today,” Thompson said. “All my coins, somebody take it. Need bus fare get back home.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“My name Gary Davis, nice to meet you,” he said.
When I pulled out a visible camera, everything changed.
“You’re really Gary Thompson,” I said. “My name is John Boel with WAVE. I’ve been watching you. You’re the bogus beggar guy who makes $100,000 a year right? You’re able to change your voice? I’ve seen all the stories on you.”
“That’s a lie,” he said.
“Gary, I know what your deal is,” I said. “Let’s be real, OK?”
“I not doing no deal here,” Thompson said. “Camera off, I don’t want to be on it.”
“Don’t you feel bad doing this when there are real people out here?” I asked.
“I’m not faking nothing,” he said.
After that report, the feds started investigating Gary Thompson. Soon, he would plead guilty to falsely representing his mental condition in order to collect $106,000 in disability and Medicaid benefits over four years.
The judge tacked on 15 more months to the plea agreement for a total of 42 months.
When he got out, guess what he went back to doing, and guess who put on a disguise and hidden camera again?
“My would like a Big Red and $2 for bus fare please,” Thompson said as he approached me.
“$2 for bus fare?” I asked.
“$1.50 there and $1.50 back,” he said. “So that makes $2 dollars right? How much that equals?”
“Three dollars,” I said.
The mental disability act changed when I pulled out another camera again.
“You’re still faking your condition, embellishing your condition,” I said.
“I’m not,” Thompson said.
“When I first walked up on you, you had your voice changed,” I said.
“Yeah I have different personalities the doctor tells me,” Thompson said.
“What do you say to people who say you didn’t learn anything in prison and you’re still faking your condition?” I asked.
“That they’re liars,” Thompson said. “I’m not faking my condition.”
“But isn’t that what you were convicted of, of faking your condition and getting government money?” I asked.
“I pled guilty, yes,” he said.
“What are you going to do next?” I asked.
“Try to get a job somewhere,” Thompson said. “Do the right thing and straighten my life up.”
But Gary Thompson didn’t straighten his life up. For all the people who’ve asked me whatever happened to “The Bogus Beggar,” I discovered he wound up jailed at Metro Corrections for most of 2022 after a stabbing melee in a 3rd Street apartment.
The police report charged him with two counts of assault notes in an argument “over some cigarettes that reminded him of an 8 ball of cocaine and $65 he lost earlier.”
Thompson “struck the victim with his fist” and “stood up from his wheelchair and attempted to stab Victim 1.”
The report stated “Victim 2 was also stabbed in the torso,” then Thompson “stabbed himself saying he wanted to die.”
After a psychiatric evaluation, Thompson was found competent for trial.
Then in July, he pleaded guilty, got probation, got back out on the streets of Louisville, and I immediately started getting complaints ranging from the same old act to an attempted jewelry theft at a local mall.
So I put on another disguise and a hidden camera and he tried to get my attention, mumbling as I walked by him on 4th Street.
“Can’t hear you, what?” I asked.
“The law is ours,” he said.
“The Lord is ours?” I asked.
“The law,” he said.
“The law is ours?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
He kept mumbling incoherently.
”The law is ours,” he said. “The Lord.”
“Huh?” I said.
“The Lord is ours,” Thompson said.
Everything changed when he figured out who I was.
“Are you John Boel?” Thompson asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“You got a hidden camera?” he asked.
When I came back with a cameraman, Thompson was perturbed.
“Do you know why people would be calling me to complain about you?” I asked.
“I may have an idea,” he said. “I’m homeless and I’m hungry, and I ask for food, and I ask for money for food, yes. Get out of my face, John.”
“Part of the complaints are that you’re doing this mentally ill thing again,” I said.
“I’m gonna show you what I’m gonna do to you, John,” Thompson said, getting up out of his wheelchair.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Show what I’m gonna do to you,” he said as he walked forward, snatched the microphone out of my hand, and threw it out in the middle of 4th Street.
The microphone was disabled. The interview was over. But the cash kept coming.
In a letter to WAVE maintaining his innocence, Thompson wrote “Please do not refer to me as the Bogus Beggar in this broadcast.”
“PS: Benjamin Franklin once quipped ‘It is better a hundred guilty persons escape, then one innocent person should suffer,’” he added.
Copyright 2022 WAVE. All rights reserved. | https://www.wave3.com/2022/09/13/please-do-not-refer-me-bogus-beggar-gary-thompson-out-jail-back-it/ | 2022-09-13T22:12:24Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/2022/09/13/please-do-not-refer-me-bogus-beggar-gary-thompson-out-jail-back-it/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SAN RAFEL, Calif., Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcohol Justice is pleased to announce its participation at Alcohol Policy-19 – a national conference on preventing and reducing alcohol-related problems using public policy strategies.
What: Alcohol Policy 19 Conference
When: September 14-16, 2022
Where: The Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, 2800 S. Potomac Ave, Arlington, VA 22202
Who:
- Dr. Timothy S. Naimi, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR), University of Victoria, AP-19 Co-Chair
- Alicia Sparks, PhD, MPH, U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, Abt Associates, AP-19 Co-Chair
- Mayra Jimenez, Senior Advocacy Manager, Alcohol Justice
- Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, MSPH, CHES, Research Director, Alcohol Justice
- Dr. David Jernigan, Boston University School of Public Health
- Marissa Esser, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Alison Douglas, Alcohol Focus Scotland
- Sally Casswell, Massey University, New Zealand
- Thomas Babor, University of Connecticut
- Additional speakers & participants
Since 1981, "…the conference has been a forum for researchers, community practitioners, and public officials to meet and exchange findings, explore evidence-based solutions, and consider adoption of policies aimed at minimizing risks associated with alcohol use. The conferences is organized by governmental, non-governmental and private organizations. AP19 is coordinated by the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, a national coalition of local and state organizations. Conference organizers can be reached by email at apconference@alcoholpolicy.org."
Alcohol Justice Research Director Carson Benowitz-Fredericks is delivering two oral presentations at the Alcohol Policy 19 conference:
1. Snacks, Ads, and Alcopops: Environmental Prevention Through Retail Reform
Thursday, September 15, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Corner, convenience, and liquor stores are one of the most commonly frequented commercial outlets for youth. For those that sell alcoholic beverages, their decisions about stock, advertising, store layout, and security measures may have a substantial impact on youth access to, attitudes towards, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol Justice and the San Rafael Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance surveyed every retail store with an off-sale liquor license to identify areas of risk, bad actors, and avenues for protection by reforming the retail environment. The survey resulted in a list of the stores most likely to be risk-conducive, as well as a focused campaign to control alcohol advertising in the areas most frequented by underage patrons.
2. Blowing the Save: Regulatory Relief and Hazardous Consumption in California
Friday, September 16, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control delivered a series of 17 "regulatory relief" notices, essentially deregulating alcohol sales. As the pandemic dragged on, first the Governor then the Legislature sought to extend many of these measures indefinitely. At the same time, alcohol harm spiked nationally, with both dangerous drinking and mortality figures suggesting these ostensibly economic measures had a mortal price.
Alcohol Justice Senior Advocacy Manager Mayra Jimenez will be participating as a facilitator and presenter at the Alcohol Policy 19 conference:
1. AP-19 Advocate Institute
Tuesday, September 13, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, September 14, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Presenting -- How the Alcohol Industry Power Consolidation and Predatory Practices has Contributed to Decreasing Health Equity: the accelerated consolidation of alcohol industry power through state deregulation 2020-2022
Facilitating Panel -- Building Power to Reduce Inequity: Commercial Tobacco Control Movement & Intersectionality for Justice and Liberation
2. Interactive Workshop: Popular Education for Policy Change
Thursday, September 15, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
It is critical to incorporate bottom-up approaches in alcohol policy advocacy to authentically engage with community in systems change work. Popular education methodology offers an active learning process that raises social awareness, stimulates critical and creative analysis, and leads to direct action for social change.
The workshop will present the model and framework of the California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) organizing strategy. Presenters will emphasize popular education and horizontal leadership integration while conceptualizing alcohol policy work as a social justice issue and exploring its intersections with historical struggles for equality. We will share lessons learned from campaigns and how class, race, gender, and historical analysis are integrated into the strategy.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Alcohol Justice | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/alcohol-justice-participate-alcohol-policy-19-evidence-action-building-framework-change/ | 2022-09-13T22:12:49Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/alcohol-justice-participate-alcohol-policy-19-evidence-action-building-framework-change/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Wichita City Council passed a city ordinance that decriminalizes the possession of fentanyl test strips and removes the city’s municipal courts from charging people with possessing marijuana.
While no one has been arrested for possessing fentanyl test strips by Wichita police officers, more than 750 cases go through the city’s courts annually for marijuana possession — adding to the caseload for the Sedgwick County district attorney’s office.
“If the goal here is to reduce the impact on the citizens, there will be someone who will just actually get a complete pass because I can’t eat... can’t take on… 750 cases,” Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said. “Whether that’s a good or bad thing, you get to decide.”
Bennett wouldn’t take an official stance on whether he would charge individuals with possession, but he said his office is more focused on violent crime.
“I have 125 cases right now set for trial on homicide level charges,” Bennett said. “That’s where my attention is right now.”
Those in favor of the ordinance said the current system through the city’s municipal courts negatively impacted younger people caught with marijuana and could hurt their future employment opportunities.
“If you go into our current system, you can pay a fee, and then … you're out the door, but you have a drug conviction,” Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said last week, “which means you'll never work for one of our top employers in the city; you'll never work even for the city.”
According to data provided to the city council, the majority of people who went through the municipal courts with marijuana possession were also people of color.
Some who spoke in public comment, including SEIU President Esau Freeman, also spoke out against the city’s current system for handling marijuana possession charges.
“Anecdotally I've seen too many friends who have found themselves in those positions of homelessness and in those positions of additional substance abuse,” Freeman said, “because the real gateway isn't the substance itself. It's the overreach of government in their own lives.”
The ordinance also removed fentanyl test strips from being defined as drug paraphernalia.
That comes as Sedgwick County is seeing a record number of overdose deaths. Sedgwick County recorded more than 200 overdose deaths in 2021 compared to 162 in 2020, according to the Regional Forensic Science Center.
“This is something that we need to give the people in the community who are trying to actually help people who are addicted, the tools to help other people in our community,” council member Mike Hoheisel said.
Council members Bryan Frye and Becky Tuttle were the only no votes against the ordinance. Both said they supported decriminalizing test strips, but wanted more public input before voting on the combined ordinance with marijuana possession.
Copyright 2022 KMUW | NPR for Wichita. To see more, visit KMUW | NPR for Wichita. | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-13/wichita-decriminalizes-fentanyl-test-strips-ditches-city-charges-for-marijuana-possession | 2022-09-13T22:16:47Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-13/wichita-decriminalizes-fentanyl-test-strips-ditches-city-charges-for-marijuana-possession | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Whoa there, pardner.
A horse rider in a small Welsh village filmed a scary confrontation she had with a driver who accused her of slowing him down, called her a “middle class t–t” and ripped her riding companion as “Miss HRT Karen.”
The incident occurred on a trail that the video maker and her fellow rider frequent a “couple of times a week” in Peterson-super-Elly, a village of less than 900 people not far from Cardiff.
“This car came towards us so we asked him to slow down,” one of the equestrians told WalesOnline.
“Drivers hate horses on the road, but we were in the middle of the countryside.”
The exchange quickly deteriorated. While the riders claimed the driver “nearly killed” them, he can be heard insisting he “didn’t come anywhere near” the horses.
He proceeded to hurl his profane “t–t” comment and other insults.
The driver can also be heard saying the rider was “talking like you’ve got b—-cks in your mouth” before claiming he didn’t need to slow down for horses by law.
“It’s a courtesy that people slow down for horses,” he jeered.
“It doesn’t matter anyway as I didn’t see you coming.”
Despite his aggressiveness, the man had false information: According to WalesOnline, Point 215 of the UK Highway Code specifically instructs motorists to slow down “to a maximum of 10 mph” when they see a horse on the road.
The video ends with the riders and the driver parting ways. While the rider who filmed the confrontation initially found it funny, she told the news outlet that she felt “intimidated” by the man.
The Welsh incident is far from the only recent instance of horsing around. Just yesterday, The Post reported on an intrepid horseman who took his horse through a McDonald’s drive-thru in East London.
“We was hungry, man,” the rider, known as “The Blessed Equestrian” on TikTok, told his viewers. | https://nypost.com/2022/09/13/welsh-driver-calls-horse-rider-middle-class-tt-for-allegedly-blocking-road/ | 2022-09-13T22:17:20Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/09/13/welsh-driver-calls-horse-rider-middle-class-tt-for-allegedly-blocking-road/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment, died Tuesday at age 76, his family said.
In 2020, he was recruited to the legal team representing President Donald Trump in the nation’s third presidential impeachment trial.
For many years, Starr’s stellar reputation as a lawyer seemed to place him on a path to the Supreme Court. At age 37, he became the youngest person ever to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia also had served. From 1989-93, Starr was the solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, arguing 25 cases before the Supreme Court.
Despite his impressive legal credentials, nothing could have prepared him for the task of investigating a sitting president.
In a probe that lasted five years, Starr looked into fraudulent real estate deals involving a long-time Clinton associate, delved into the removal of documents from the office of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster after his suicide and assembled evidence of Clinton’s sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. Each of the controversies held the potential to do serious, perhaps fatal, damage to Clinton’s presidency.
As Clinton’s legal problems worsened, the White House pilloried Starr as a right-wing fanatic doing the bidding of Republicans bent on destroying the president.
“The assaults took a toll” on the investigation, Starr told a Senate committee in 1999. “A duly authorized federal law enforcement investigation came to be characterized as yet another political game. Law became politics by other means.”
In a bitter finish to his investigation of the Lewinsky affair that engendered still more criticism, Starr filed a report, as the law required, with the U.S. House of Representatives. He concluded that Clinton lied under oath, engaged in obstruction of justice and followed a pattern of conduct that was inconsistent with the president’s constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. House Republicans used Starr’s report as a roadmap in the impeachment of the president, who was acquitted in a Senate trial.
In 2020, he was recruited to help represent Trump in the nation’s third impeachment trial. In a memorable statement to Congress during the Trump impeachment trial, Starr said “we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the ‘age of impeachment.’” He said that “like war, impeachment is hell, or at least presidential impeachment is hell.”
Clinton’s legal problems began during the 1992 presidential campaign. Questions arose over the candidate’s ties to the owner of a failed Arkansas savings and loan. The issue faded quickly. But it caught the attention of federal regulators, who began looking into whether money from the S&L had been diverted to a real estate venture called Whitewater in which Bill and Hillary Clinton and the S&L’s owner, Jim McDougal, shared a financial interest.
Bowing to intense political pressure from Republicans and some members of his own party, Clinton called for appointment of a special counsel to investigate Whitewater. A three-member appeals court for independent counsels selected Starr.
On the Whitewater front, Starr’s prosecutors investigated Mrs. Clinton’s legal work for Jim McDougal’s S&L. Both she and the president were questioned by Starr’s prosecutors and their videotaped depositions were played for juries in criminal trials of McDougal and his ex-wife Susan. Neither of the Clintons was ever charged in connection with Whitewater.
The investigation of Clinton’s intimate relationship with Lewinsky was a Washington spectacle.
In 1995, Lewinsky went to work at the White House as an intern. During the government shutdown late that year, she and Clinton had a sexual encounter in a hallway near the Oval Office, the first of 10 sexual encounters over the next year and a half. Lewinsky confided the affair to a co-worker, Linda Tripp, who tape recorded some of their conversations and brought the tapes to Starr’s prosecutors. Lewinsky was granted immunity from prosecution and became Starr’s chief witness against the president, who had denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky.
Putting the investigation behind him, Starr embarked on a career in academia, first as dean of the law school at Pepperdine University where he taught constitutional issues and civil procedures, then as president of Baylor University in his home state of Texas. He also became an author, writing “First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life.”
Born in Vernon and raised in San Antonio, Starr earned his B.A. from George Washington University in 1968, his M.A. from Brown University in 1969 and his J.D. degree from Duke University Law School in 1973. He was a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger from 1975 to 1977.
As a young attorney at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, Starr worked with William French Smith, who became attorney general in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Starr became counselor to Smith, and from there was nominated by Reagan to the federal appeals court. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/ken-starr-whose-probe-led-to-clinton-impeachment-dies/ | 2022-09-13T22:17:41Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/ken-starr-whose-probe-led-to-clinton-impeachment-dies/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The man who shot and killed John Lennon outside his Manhattan apartment building in 1980 has been denied parole for a 12th time, New York corrections officials said Monday.
Mark David Chapman, 67, appeared before a parole board at the end of August, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Chapman shot and killed Lennon on the night of Dec. 8, 1980, as Lennon and Yoko Ono were returning to their Upper West Side apartment. Lennon had signed an autograph for Chapman on a copy of his recently released album, “Double Fantasy,” earlier that day.
State officials have yet to make transcripts of Chapman’s latest board interview available, but he has repeatedly expressed remorse in previous parole hearings. Chapman called his actions “despicable” during his hearing in 2020, and said he would have “no complaint whatsoever” if they chose to leave him in prison for the rest of his life.
“I assassinated him … because he was very, very, very famous and that’s the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory. Very selfish,” Chapman said then.
Chapman is serving a 20-years-to-life sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility, north of New York City, according to online state corrections records.
He is next due to appear before the parole board in February 2024. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/john-lennons-killer-denied-parole-for-12th-time/ | 2022-09-13T22:19:49Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/john-lennons-killer-denied-parole-for-12th-time/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LE MARS, Iowa (KCAU) — A Plymouth County man on trial for the murder of his stepson has been found guilty Tuesday afternoon.
Thomas Knapp, 84, of Merrill, appeared in the Plymouth County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon where a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and willful injury causing serious injury. In a separate case, he was also found guilty of willful injury causing bodily injury and two counts of domestic assault abuse causing bodily injury.
Knapp was charged for the shooting death of his wife’s son, Kevin Juzek, 51, back in May 2020. According to reports, the shooting happened after a domestic dispute at a Merrill residence that escalated while law enforcement was heading to the scene.
Knapp pleaded not guilty in Plymouth County District Court on August 4, 2020.
A year later, he was ruled by the presiding judge to be incompetent to stand trial after the court found Knapp to be “suffering from a mental disorder which prevents the defendant from appreciating the charge, understanding the proceedings, or assisting effectively in the defense.” That was later reversed in February 2022.
Gage Teunissen assisted in writing this story. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/local-news/merrill-man-found-guilty-of-murder-of-stepson/ | 2022-09-13T22:19:55Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/local-news/merrill-man-found-guilty-of-murder-of-stepson/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Although the Piquets are new vendors at our Market this year, their family ranch, PK Land & Cattle right over the Teton River in Bates, has been part of the Valley for generations. Originally a beef cattle ranch, Morgan and Robert have since added chickens, some of which they freeze and bring to Market. As the morning flew by, I noticed their ample supply of coolers had diminished since Robert had taken the empties back to the ranch. As both time and coolers were vanishing — and with a smile and a nod from Morgan — I settled myself on a remaining cooler and began.
“When did you and Robert start with your chickens?”
“As background, Robert had ‘gotten on the Joel Salatin train’ (Joel Salatin, from Virginia, is a spearhead of holistic farming) a number of years ago, and realized ranchers and farmers can change their agricultural practices to change things for the good. Right now, agriculture is under attack – the D.C. policies continue to claim ag as a huge emitter of greenhouse gases. Well, it doesn’t have to be – if we change our practices.
“In 2017, we attended the Lost River Grazing Academy in Salmon, ID to learn the whys of good ag practices, not just the hows. Once home, we began Management Intensive Grazing — moving our cattle every day during the peak of calving season and summer to every few days at different times of the year depending on the needs of the animals and the ground. Grazing takes a lot out of the land – not only the vegetation but the ground, too, as the cattle’s hoofs and weight compact the soil making it harder for the grasses to grow. We also learned about the many different pasture grasses.
“We move our cattle depending upon many factors. Robert uses GIS and GPS on the tractor to map out our grazing pastures, and we have portable electric fencing to fence them in. It takes a lot of time and work, especially when we were first getting started. But Robert loves being out with the cattle, and we are seeing the benefits of our practice – ‘take half leave half’ – in the health of our herds and the quality of our pastures. During this time, Robert joined the Soil Conservation Board, and has become an active promoter of soil health practices in the Valley. We continue to attend the Lost River Grazing Academy, and are returning soon to present our practices and their positive results.
“In 2018, we added fifty laying hens to our ranching endeavors. We converted horse trailers into mobile chicken coops, and that fall, we started putting the hens behind the cattle. Each of our layers’ mobile coops is equipped with an automatic door so they are able to forage freely during the day and be locked up safe at night. Our dog, Reba, keeps coyotes at bay during the day — although we’ve seen hawks occasionally swoop down and carry one off!
“We get our laying hens as day-old chicks. Right away, we put them in a large tank to brood. We put shavings on the ground in the tank, and have lights overhead to keep them comfortable and warm. When the chicks feather out, we let them out in the pasture. But it’s not until they start laying that they know the routine to come in at night. Until they do, we put them in the blue shelters alongside the meat birds.”
“Please tell me more about your meat birds, Morgan…”
“Robert’s the dreamer,” she replied smiling broadly. “About a year ago, we were wondering what we could add to our ranch that wouldn’t take more space. We decided upon meat chickens, and began with fifty. We had a couple of chicken tractors to move them around the pastures, and they stay in their big blue shelters unlike the layers that are free ranging during the day. This summer, we have staggered out about four hundred and fifty meat birds. Although it doesn’t take much time with the chicken tractors – we have eight now – there is the labor of moving the shelters onto fresh ground and feeding and watering the birds twice a day.”
“What breed of chickens are your meat birds, Morgan?” I was curious.
“They’re all Cornish crosses. Cornish crosses mature quickly, have big breasts, and get to three and four pounds by about ten weeks. These are the birds we’re bringing to Market now. But next week, we’ll have some that are averaging six to seven pounds for people with bigger families, or who want to cook one bird and have leftovers. The birds will be about eleven weeks old then.”
Morgan excused herself to help a customer to a scrumptious-looking frozen chicken. “I’m so pumped!” I heard the customer exclaim as she paid Morgan.
“How do you market your meat birds?” I asked after the pleased customer had left the booth.
“I’m a horrible seller,” she replied laughing. “We started with a subscription service selling our pastured eggs. I text them all every month, keeping them up to date on what’s coming up – eggs and meat birds. Many of our egg customers are now our meat bird buyers as well as our beef buyers. We have beef available to sell by the cut in February. For the vast majority of our beef (Certified All Natural) though, we have a buyer in Idaho Falls who gives us a small premium for having gone through the certification process.
“A huge bonus is the willingness of our community to go the extra dollar to get good food. We could sell outside the Valley and make more money, but we want to keep it local, and give back to our supporters – and our land. We also want to pass down what we do to the next generation – our kids, preferably, but always keeping our land in ag, and make it better for everyone — the soil, the animals, the people, and the environment. And I love just having people driving by, and knowing they appreciate what we do.” | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/this-week-at-teton-valley-farmers-market-morgan-and-robert-piquet/article_2be86e0c-32c3-11ed-ae26-e34f9491c500.html | 2022-09-13T22:20:04Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/freeaccess/this-week-at-teton-valley-farmers-market-morgan-and-robert-piquet/article_2be86e0c-32c3-11ed-ae26-e34f9491c500.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank more than 1,000 points Tuesday as markets shuddered following Wall Street’s realization that inflation isn’t slowing as much as hoped.
The sell-off knocked the benchmark S&P 500 3.7% lower in afternoon trading, threatening to snap a four-day winning streak. Bond prices also fell sharply, sending their yields higher, after a report showed inflation decelerated only to 8.3% in August, instead of the 8.1% economists expected.
The hotter-than-expected reading has traders bracing for the Federal Reserve to ultimately raise interest rates even higher than expected to combat inflation, with all the risks for the economy that entails. Fears about higher rates sent prices dropping for everything from gold to cryptocurrencies to crude oil.
“Right now, it’s not the journey that’s a worry so much as the destination,” said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Allspring Global Investments. “If the Fed wants to hike and hold, the big question is at what level.”
The Dow lost 1,105 points, or 3.4%, to 31,274, as of 3:08 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 4.6%. Big tech stocks swooned more than the rest of the market, as all 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500 sank.
Most of Wall Street came into the day thinking the Fed would hike its key short-term rate by a hefty three-quarters of a percentage point at its meeting next week. But the hope was that inflation was in the midst of quickly falling back to more normal levels after peaking in June at 9.1%.
The thinking was that such a slowdown would let the Fed downshift the size of its rate hikes through the end of this year and then potentially hold steady through early 2023.
Tuesday’s report dashed some of those hopes. Many of the data points within it were worse than economists expected, including some the Fed pays particular attention to, such as inflation outside of food and energy prices.
Markets honed in on a 0.6% rise in such prices during August from July, double what economists expected, said Gargi Chaudhuri, head of investment strategy at iShares.
The inflation figures were so much worse than expected that traders now see a one-in-five chance for a rate hike of a full percentage point by the Fed next week. That would be quadruple the usual move, and no one in the futures market was predicting such a hike a day earlier.
Traders now see a better than 60% likelihood the Fed will pull its federal funds rate all the way up to a range of 4.25% to 4.50% by March. A day earlier, they saw less than a 17% chance of such a high rate, according to CME Group.
The Fed has already raised its benchmark interest rate four times this year, with the last two increases by three-quarters of a percentage point. The federal funds rate is currently in a range of 2.25% to 2.50%.
“The Fed can’t let inflation persist. You have to do whatever is necessary to stop prices from going up,” said Russell Evans, managing principal at Avitas Wealth Management. “This indicates the Fed still has a lot of work to do to bring inflation down.”
Higher rates hurt the economy by making it more expensive to buy a house, a car or anything else bought on credit. Mortgage rates have already hit their highest level since 2008, creating pain for the housing industry. The hope is that the Fed can pull off the tightrope walk of slowing the economy enough to snuff out high inflation, but not so much that it creates a painful recession.
Tuesday’s data puts hopes for such a “soft landing” under more threat. In the meantime, higher rates also push down on prices for stocks, bonds and other investments.
Investments seen as the most expensive or the riskiest are the ones hardest hit by higher rates. Bitcoin tumbled 7.1%.
In the stock market, all but four of the stocks in the S&P 500 fell. Technology and other high-growth companies fell more than the rest of the market because they’re seen as most at risk from higher rates.
Apple, Microsoft and Amazon all fell more than 4% and were the heaviest weights on the market. The communication services sector, which includes Google’s parent company and other internet and media companies, sank 4.8% for the largest loss out of the 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500 index.
To be sure, the losses only return the S&P 500 close to where it was before its recent winning streak. That run was built on hopes that Tuesday’s inflation report would show a more comforting slowdown. The ensuing wipeout fits what’s become a pattern on Wall Street this year: Stocks fall on worries about inflation, turn higher on hopes the Fed may ease up on rates and then fall again when data undercuts those hopes.
Tuesday’s inflation report arrived before trading began on Wall Street, but it sent a thud through markets worldwide.
Treasury yields leaped immediately on expectations for a more aggressive Fed. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which tends to track expectations for Fed actions, soared to 3.76% from 3.57% late Monday. The 10-year yield, which helps dictate where mortgages and rates for other loans are heading, rose to 3.42% from 3.36%.
Stock markets in Europe, meanwhile, shed early gains and closed broadly lower. The German DAX lost 1.6%, and the French CAC 40 fell 1.4%.
Expectations for a more aggressive Fed also helped the dollar add to its already strong gains for this year. The dollar has been surging against the euro, Japanese yen and other currencies in large part because the Fed has been hiking rates faster and by bigger margins than many other central banks.
An index measuring the value of the dollar against several major currencies rose 1.4%.
AP Business Writer Damian J. Troise contributed. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/dow-falls-1250-points-most-since-june-2020/ | 2022-09-13T22:20:10Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/dow-falls-1250-points-most-since-june-2020/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
On the evening of Monday, Sept. 12, after interviewing four candidates for the position, the Teton School District 401 Board of Trustees selected Michael Adams to finish out former Zone 2 trustee Ticia Sheets’ term.
Sheets was elected to represent Zone 2, the area east of the highway between Driggs and Victor, in 2019. She held office through the worst of the pandemic, during which the board had to make difficult decisions about the welfare of the student body and the community, and she took part in the long and sometimes contentious master contract negotiations with the Teton Education Association in 2021.
In a letter to the board this June, Sheets said she needed to prioritize her family and career, and no longer had the time to dedicate to the role.
Four candidates from Zone 2 submitted letters of interest to take the unpaid position: Michael Adams, Shane Braman, Ruby Clift, and Scott Tuttle.
On Monday night, the board asked questions of each candidate. Board chair Shannon Brooks Hamby acknowledged the possible awkwardness of being essentially interviewed for a job in the public eye.
“Not only are you courageous for being wiling to step up on behalf of your community to be a school board member; I want to thank you for your courage in engaging in a public process where we will discuss your merits,” she said. “I believe you are all great candidates, so I want to preface this process by saying it’s not personal.”
Each candidate came to the table with a range of experiences and skills, with professions from speech pathologist to special education and coaching to AV contracting. In the end, however, the school board members leaned away from people with education backgrounds and chose Adams, a general contractor, because of his business and management experience.
Adams, who lives just south of Driggs, has five children, four of whom are enrolled in the district, one in each of the four schools in Driggs. He served a mission in Venezuela and is fluent in Spanish, and, when asked about it, cited his relationship with business partner Oswaldo Chavez as a possible bridge to better representing the valley’s substantial Hispanic population.
Adams admitted ignorance about the workings of the board, saying he had never attended a meeting, but added that he felt a duty to his community to serve in some way. He said he felt strongly about local children receiving the best education possible and said he had the ability to listen and make informed decisions rather than come to meeting with preconceived opinions.
After hearing from each candidate, the trustees ranked their choices based on a rubric of governance, alignment with mission and strategy, budget and finances, and integrity/leadership. Adams came out in the top. Brooks Hamby alone gave him a low grade, saying she put more value on a background in and understanding of education.
“The expectation is that you show up and jump in and be a voice,” she said. “I didn’t get a sense of his thinking just from this process.”
Another candidate, Braman, did not have difficulty in showing his voice; he has been publicly critical of the district’s hiring practices after applying for multiple positions and not being selected. In 2021 he wrote a letter to the board as well as an op-ed to the newspaper questioning the district’s approach. His outspokenness was brought up during his interview.
Braman, who now teaches special education and PE in Jackson, told the board he wanted to bring awareness to his situation not out of disrespect but out of concern, and said he wanted to help the district improve and tighten its protocols. He received good scores from the trustees because of his extensive resume, but board member Alexie Hulme said bluntly, “I’m sorry, but I want Shane Braman in our school district as a teacher.”
After a brief deliberation, the board voted unanimously in favor of appointing Adams to the position. He was immediately sworn in and will serve through the next school board election in November of 2023. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/michael-adams-appointed-to-school-board/article_aa84281a-2edf-11ed-80eb-af149bf49632.html | 2022-09-13T22:20:10Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/news/michael-adams-appointed-to-school-board/article_aa84281a-2edf-11ed-80eb-af149bf49632.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Over the past two years, Governor Ron DeSantis has embarked on a public relations speed run aimed at boosting his national profile ahead of 2024, embracing red meat social policies and making inroads with conservative power brokers of every stripe. As part of this effort, the notoriously pugnacious governor has managed to walk a tightrope among right-wing media that few Republicans can. From traditional organs like the New York Post and the National Review to Alex Jones and other insurgent far-right darlings, just about every corner of the conservative media ecosystem has played a part in his meteoric rise.
On Fox News, DeSantis has become a favorite guest, appearing regularly on Fox & Friends, as well as on Sean Hannity’s and Dan Bongino’s shows, to attack COVID lockdowns, cancel culture, and abortion-rights protesters, whom he has likened to January 6 rioters. As reported in an extensive New York Times Magazine profile Tuesday, one Fox producer even told DeSantis’s aides that the far-right governor could host his own show. The Times story also reported that DeSantis began upping his Fox appearances in 2020 at the advice of his wife. “Casey [DeSantis] would say, ‘We have to get him on Mark Levin and Hannity once a week,’” an unnamed DeSantis aide told the paper. “‘Frequency is very important.’”
The governor’s affable relationships with the media aren’t just limited to cable news. In January, DeSantis hosted Dave Rubin, a conservative podcaster, and Benny Johnson, a once-disgraced BuzzFeed writer who now works for Newsmax, at a dinner at the governor’s mansion, per the Times. Ben Shapiro, the most popular conservative podcast host, has described himself as “a big Ron DeSantis fan” and has pushed for him to run in the next presidential cycle, even if that means squaring off with the former president. “If he chooses to run, I think he’d be an excellent candidate,” Shapiro told a listener who raised concerns that a Donald Trump-versus-DeSantis primary could hurt the GOP’s odds. “His best opportunity to run for president is likely in 2024.” Meanwhile, Christopher Rufo, a conservative activist who helped popularize the anti-LGBTQ “groomer” slur, directly advised DeSantis’s policy team on its Stop WOKE Act, which this April officially banned public schools and private workplaces from discussing racial and gender issues. (Last month a Florida US District Court judge declared the law unconstitutional.) “For years, many conservatives understood culture war as lamentation: They believed that complaining about progressive ideology and hypocrisy was a victory in itself,” Rufo told the Times. “Governor DeSantis understands culture war as public policy.”
In conservative print media, multiple industry leaders are also rooting for a DeSantis presidency—and they are far less worried about creating a rift between the GOP’s two 2024 favorites. Rod Dreher, a columnist at The American Conservative, hailed DeSantis as “America’s conservative leader” last month, writing: “While Donald Trump talks the talk, it’s the Florida governor who walks the walk. Competence beats drama every time.” And as I wrote in July, this sentiment—that DeSantis embodies Trump-esque populism but with more political know-how—is shared by the National Review. “Will conservatives look back on the last two years and longer and recognize that DeSantis was their leader even while Trump was still in office?” wrote National Review columnist Michael Brendan Dougherty in an August piece that crowned DeSantis the “leader of the opposition” to Joe Biden’s America.
Over at News Corp, Rupert Murdoch–owned publications appear increasingly ready to ditch Trump in favor of the Florida governor, as my colleague Joe Pompeo reported. The New York Post advised its readers to “Look forward!” when the time comes to choose the next GOP presidential nominee, while the Wall Street Journal editorial board declared that the former president betrayed his supporters by conning them on January 6, adding that “he is still doing it.” (DeSantis, for his part, has flirted with a baseless conspiracy theory that the FBI helped orchestrate the Capitol riot, a claim popularized by Tucker Carlson.) Incidentally, this pattern of ship-jumping has also played out on the opposite end of the conservative media spectrum. Alex Jones, a professional conspiracy theorist and one of the most influential talk radio hosts of this century, announced last month that he was officially putting his weight behind the Florida governor. “I am supporting DeSantis,” Jones told his listeners. “DeSantis has just gone from being awesome to being unbelievably good.… This is what Trump should be like. And I’ve been hammering this point, and he’s doing it now. And we have someone that is better than Trump. Way better than Trump.”
Aside from the media, DeSantis has also ingratiated himself with major Republican power centers, including the Heritage Foundation, one of the most influential right-wing think tanks; Hillsdale College, a leading conservative higher-ed institute; and Club for Growth, a fiscally libertarian group that rose to fame during the Tea Party wave. And while DeSantis’s shadow candidacy has not yet won over Never Trump conservatives like Jonah Goldberg, David French, and Charlie Sykes, they do not view him with the same singular contempt that they have for the former president.
While DeSantis continues to court all sections of the conservative media, the governor has not given an interview to a nonpartisan news outlet since the summer of 2020. The Times, which said it interviewed more than 100 sources for its DeSantis feature, including current and former aides, reported that it was shunned by the Florida governor and his office. In an appearance on The Ben Shapiro Show last year, DeSantis justified his habit of icing mainstream media outlets, saying: “Republicans have to understand—don’t try to get these people to like you.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/09/2024-ron-desantis-conservative-media | 2022-09-13T22:23:30Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/09/2024-ron-desantis-conservative-media | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A common problem facing millions of Americans at the moment is keeping track of Donald Trump’s many alleged crimes. One of the reasons is that the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago last month, in search of highly classified documents, has dominated the news, obscuring his other legal issues. Another is that, in the words of Representative Jamie Raskin, the ex-president is “a one-man crime wave,” and it’s basically a full-time job to keep tabs on them all.
Take, for instance, his attempt to overturn the 2020 election and inciting of a violent insurrection when things didn’t go his way. Those matters are still very much in the “things Trump could go to jail for” column! And if the Department of Justice’s latest actions are anything to go by, the 45th president might be taken down by a member of his inner circle.
The New York Times reports that DOJ officials have hit current and former Trump aides with a whopping 40 subpoenas, and seized the cell phones of two of his top advisers, “in a substantial escalation of the investigation into his efforts to subvert the 2020 election,” according to people familiar with the matter. As the Times notes, “the seizure of the phones, coupled with a widening effort to obtain information from those around Mr. Trump after the 2020 election, represent some of the most aggressive steps the department has taken thus far in its criminal investigation into the actions that led to the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.” Boris Epshteyn, an attorney who played a role in the “fake electors” scheme, and Mike Roman, a campaign strategist who served as the director of Election Day operations for Trump’s 2020 campaign, reportedly had their phones taken by the Feds last week through court-authorized search warrants. According to CNN, those who received subpoenas include Dan Scavino, Trump’s former social media director who remains an adviser to the ex-president; Bernie Kerik, the ex–New York City police commissioner who raised baseless claims of voter fraud alongside his pal Rudy Giuliani; Sean Dollman, who served as chief financial officer of the 2020 campaign; Amy Kremer, the chair of Women for America First, which helped organize Trump’s rally outside the White House on January 6; and Bill Stepien, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager. In taped testimony that aired during one of the January 6 committee’s public hearings, Stepien told investigators, of Trump’s attempt to overturn the election results: “I didn’t think what was happening was necessarily honest or professional at that point in time. So that led to me stepping away.”
Twitter content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Epshteyn and Roman did not respond to the Times’ request for comment; one of Scavino’s lawyers declined to comment to CNN. Stepien and Dollman did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Timothy Parlatore, Kerik’s lawyer, told the Times his client had voluntarily offered an interview.
Last month, the Times reported that the prosecutors investigating the events leading up to January 6 had issued a grand jury subpoena in May to the National Archives for “all the documents the agency provided to a parallel House select committee inquiry,” including “records from the files of Mr. Trump’s top aides, his daily schedule and phone logs, and a draft text of the president’s speech that preceded the riot.” The subpoena, the Times noted, “suggests that…prosecutors believe evidence of a crime may exist in the White House documents the archives turned over to the House panel.”
Anyway, if you’re still having trouble keeping all of the various criminal investigations and lawsuits straight, Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday accidentally, but nevertheless very helpfully, reminded his viewers. | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/09/sean-hannity-donald-trump-legal-problems | 2022-09-13T22:23:36Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/09/sean-hannity-donald-trump-legal-problems | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON — Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment, died Tuesday at age 76, his family said.
Starr died at a hospital Tuesday of complications from surgery, according to his former colleague, attorney Mark Lanier. He said Starr had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Houston for about four months.
In 2020, he was recruited to the legal team representing President Donald Trump in the nation’s third presidential impeachment trial.
For many years, Starr’s stellar reputation as a lawyer seemed to place him on a path to the Supreme Court. At age 37, he became the youngest person ever to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia also had served. From 1989-93, Starr was the solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, arguing 25 cases before the Supreme Court.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remembered Starr Tuesday as “a brilliant litigator, an impressive leader, and a devoted patriot.”
Despite his impressive legal credentials, nothing could have prepared him for the task of investigating a sitting president.
In a probe that lasted five years, Starr looked into fraudulent real estate deals involving a long-time Clinton associate, delved into the removal of documents from the office of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster after his suicide and assembled evidence of Clinton’s sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. Each of the controversies held the potential to do serious, perhaps fatal, damage to Clinton’s presidency.
As Clinton’s legal problems worsened, the White House pilloried Starr as a right-wing fanatic doing the bidding of Republicans bent on destroying the president.
“The assaults took a toll” on the investigation, Starr told a Senate committee in 1999. “A duly authorized federal law enforcement investigation came to be characterized as yet another political game. Law became politics by other means.”
In a bitter finish to his investigation of the Lewinsky affair that engendered still more criticism, Starr filed a report, as the law required, with the U.S. House of Representatives. He concluded that Clinton lied under oath, engaged in obstruction of justice and followed a pattern of conduct that was inconsistent with the president’s constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. House Republicans used Starr’s report as a roadmap in the impeachment of the president, who was acquitted in a Senate trial.
In 2020, he was recruited to help represent Trump in the nation’s third impeachment trial. In a memorable statement to Congress during the Trump impeachment trial, Starr said “we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the ‘age of impeachment.’” He said that “like war, impeachment is hell, or at least presidential impeachment is hell.”
Clinton’s legal problems began during the 1992 presidential campaign. Questions arose over the candidate’s ties to the owner of a failed Arkansas savings and loan. The issue faded quickly. But it caught the attention of federal regulators, who began looking into whether money from the S&L had been diverted to a real estate venture called Whitewater in which Bill and Hillary Clinton and the S&L’s owner, Jim McDougal, shared a financial interest.
Bowing to intense political pressure from Republicans and some members of his own party, Clinton called for appointment of a special counsel to investigate Whitewater. A three-member appeals court for independent counsels selected Starr.
On the Whitewater front, Starr’s prosecutors investigated Mrs. Clinton’s legal work for Jim McDougal’s S&L. Both she and the president were questioned by Starr’s prosecutors and their videotaped depositions were played for juries in criminal trials of McDougal and his ex-wife Susan. Neither of the Clintons was ever charged in connection with Whitewater.
The investigation of Clinton’s intimate relationship with Lewinsky was a Washington spectacle.
In 1995, Lewinsky went to work at the White House as an intern. During the government shutdown late that year, she and Clinton had a sexual encounter in a hallway near the Oval Office, the first of 10 sexual encounters over the next year and a half. Lewinsky confided the affair to a co-worker, Linda Tripp, who tape recorded some of their conversations and brought the tapes to Starr’s prosecutors. Lewinsky was granted immunity from prosecution and became Starr’s chief witness against the president, who had denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky.
Putting the investigation behind him, Starr embarked on a career in academia, first as dean of the law school at Pepperdine University where he taught constitutional issues and civil procedures, then as president of Baylor University in his home state of Texas. He also became an author, writing “First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life.”
Starr was demoted from the presidency at Baylor in 2016 amid a sex assault scandal that rocked the Big 12 school and its football program, as women alleged campus leaders at the nation’s largest Baptist school bungled or ignored their assault complaints. Baylor eventually settled with several women who filed a cascade of lawsuits, including a case where the victim of a 2015 attack accused Baylor of fostering a “hunting ground for sexual predators.”
The school’s board of regents allowed Starr to stay on as chancellor and law school professor, jobs that carried no “operational” duties at Baylor. He resigned altogether a few months later. Football coach Art Briles also was fired.
A review commissioned by the school found that under Starr, school administrators discouraged students from reporting or participating in student conduct reviews, and even contributed to or accommodated a “hostile” environment against the alleged victims.
In a statement, Starr apologized to “those victims who were not treated with the care, concern, and support they deserve.”
Born in Vernon and raised in San Antonio, Starr earned his B.A. from George Washington University in 1968, his M.A. from Brown University in 1969 and his J.D. degree from Duke University Law School in 1973. He was a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger from 1975 to 1977.
As a young attorney at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, Starr worked with William French Smith, who became attorney general in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Starr became counselor to Smith, and from there was nominated by Reagan to the federal appeals court.
to Smith, and from there was nominated by Reagan to the federal appeals court. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/ken-starr-dies-at-76/507-03e2a815-d02d-4437-9513-0fbc9a99c07b | 2022-09-13T22:26:09Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/ken-starr-dies-at-76/507-03e2a815-d02d-4437-9513-0fbc9a99c07b | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cruise, a self-driving technology company majority owned by General Motors, will expand its fledgling robotaxi service to two more U.S. cities before 2022 is out, CEO Kyle Vogt said Monday during a Goldman Sachs conference, Reuters has reported.
Cruise’s taxi service currently operates in San Francisco, where the company is headed, but will expand to Austin and Phoenix later this year, Vogt said. Phoenix is where Alphabet’s rival Waymo self-driving technology company has been operating a service for the past three years.
Vogt also said he expects Cruise to earn $1 billion in revenues as early as 2025, though that’s still about half what GM annually invests in the company, according to Reuters.
Cruise has been offering rides to the public in San Francisco since February and was granted permission to start charging for rides in June, though the service is limited to between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The taxis are also limited to 30 mph and cover only certain parts of the city. Cruise’s service will also be rolled out in a limited fashion in Austin and Phoenix, Vogt said.
Cruise has about 70 of the taxis in operation in San Francisco but is on track to double or even triple the number by the end of the year. The taxis are based on the Chevrolet Bolt EV, though Cruise plans to eventually add a dedicated vehicle known as the Origin.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Cruise. One of its taxis was involved in a crash in June, resulting in minor injuries. The company later recalled its fleet and made updates to the software.
Cruise’s self-driving system ranks at Level 4 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability, as it is limited in areas in which it operate. The final goal is Level 5, where a self-driving car is able to operate at the same level as a human. While Level 5 might be a decade or more away, companies are already offering commercial services involving Level 4 cars. The Waymo One service has been running successfully in Phoenix for the past three years and is currently testing in San Francisco, and China’s Baidu continues to expand its Apollo Go service in Chinese cities.
Related Articles
- Contract manufacturer Magna Steyr plans US EV plant
- Ineos signing US dealers for rugged Grenadier SUV
- Piech hires former bosses of Aston Martin, Genesis for electric sports car project
- Porsche, Red Bull F1 talks end without deal
- Mullen acquires Bollinger, will resurrect B1 and B2 off-roaders | https://www.wpri.com/automotive/internet-brands/cruise-robotaxi-service-to-expand-to-austin-phoenix-in-2022/ | 2022-09-13T22:30:39Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/automotive/internet-brands/cruise-robotaxi-service-to-expand-to-austin-phoenix-in-2022/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Food exports from Ukraine and Russia have increased since a July 22 grain deal, but critically needed fertilizer exports from Russia are still down despite being covered by the agreement, with financing and shipping still issues, the United Nations said Tuesday.
U.N. trade chief Rebeca Grynspan, who leads the team trying to facilitate unimpeded global access to Russian food and fertilizer, said Russia reported a 12% increase in food exports from June to July. But while there has been “important progress,” the U.N. is concerned about fertilizer exports needed by October and November, the latest for the northern hemisphere planting season, she said.
Fertilizers now are three times the price they were before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Grynspan said, adding that “the crisis of affordability that we have now will be a catastrophic crisis if we don’t solve the problem of fertilizer.”
As an example, she said the sowing season for new crops in West Africa is over and planting was down by a very high percentage because of fertilizer costs.
Grynspan told a U.N. press conference by video from Geneva that the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that food prices declined globally in August for the fifth straight month. But she expressed concern that this decrease has not been seen in domestic markets, and developing countries especially are still struggling with high food prices as well as inflation, currency devaluations and interest rate hikes.
Amir Abdulla, the United Nations coordinator for the deal to ship Ukrainian grain, said 129 fully laden ships carrying over 2.8 million tons of grain have left the three designated Ukrainian Black Sea ports for different countries.
With grain prices dropping, Abdulla said, the U.N. has seen that people who had been hoarding gran to sell at high prices are now putting it on the market in one or two countries. “Hopefully that will bring some of those local prices down” he said by video from Istanbul.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations clearing the way for the export of desperately needed grain and fertilizer, ending a wartime standoff that threatened food security around the globe.
Ukraine was one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of the country and naval blockade of its ports had halted shipments.
Some Ukrainian grain is transported through Europe by rail, road and river, but the prices of vital commodities such as wheat and barley had soared before the grain deal, which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called an unprecedented agreement between two parties engaged in a bloody conflict.
Although international sanctions against Russia did not target food exports, the war has disrupted shipments of Russian products because shipping and insurance companies did not want to deal with Russia.
Grynspan, who is secretary general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, said the U.N. has been providing clarifications to the insurance, finance and shipping industry that there are no sanctions on any Russian ships carrying food or fertilizer. She explained that this involves dealing with the private sector where “the market showed a chilling effect.” | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-un-food-exports-from-ukraine-are-up-russia-fertilizer-down/ | 2022-09-13T22:32:22Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-un-food-exports-from-ukraine-are-up-russia-fertilizer-down/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 14 |
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Food exports from Ukraine and Russia have increased since a July 22 grain deal, but critically needed fertilizer exports from Russia are still down despite being covered by the agreement, with financing and shipping still issues, the United Nations said Tuesday.
U.N. trade chief Rebeca Grynspan, who leads the team trying to facilitate unimpeded global access to Russian food and fertilizer, said Russia reported a 12% increase in food exports from June to July. But while there has been “important progress,” the U.N. is concerned about fertilizer exports needed by October and November, the latest for the northern hemisphere planting season, she said.
Fertilizers now are three times the price they were before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Grynspan said, adding that “the crisis of affordability that we have now will be a catastrophic crisis if we don’t solve the problem of fertilizer.”
As an example, she said the sowing season for new crops in West Africa is over and planting was down by a very high percentage because of fertilizer costs.
Grynspan told a U.N. press conference by video from Geneva that the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that food prices declined globally in August for the fifth straight month. But she expressed concern that this decrease has not been seen in domestic markets, and developing countries especially are still struggling with high food prices as well as inflation, currency devaluations and interest rate hikes.
Amir Abdulla, the United Nations coordinator for the deal to ship Ukrainian grain, said 129 fully laden ships carrying over 2.8 million tons of grain have left the three designated Ukrainian Black Sea ports for different countries.
With grain prices dropping, Abdulla said, the U.N. has seen that people who had been hoarding gran to sell at high prices are now putting it on the market in one or two countries. “Hopefully that will bring some of those local prices down” he said by video from Istanbul.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations clearing the way for the export of desperately needed grain and fertilizer, ending a wartime standoff that threatened food security around the globe.
Ukraine was one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of the country and naval blockade of its ports had halted shipments.
Some Ukrainian grain is transported through Europe by rail, road and river, but the prices of vital commodities such as wheat and barley had soared before the grain deal, which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called an unprecedented agreement between two parties engaged in a bloody conflict.
Although international sanctions against Russia did not target food exports, the war has disrupted shipments of Russian products because shipping and insurance companies did not want to deal with Russia.
Grynspan, who is secretary general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, said the U.N. has been providing clarifications to the insurance, finance and shipping industry that there are no sanctions on any Russian ships carrying food or fertilizer. She explained that this involves dealing with the private sector where “the market showed a chilling effect.” | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-un-food-exports-from-ukraine-are-up-russia-fertilizer-down/ | 2022-09-13T22:32:22Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/ap-un-food-exports-from-ukraine-are-up-russia-fertilizer-down/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 14 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country music as a genre has always been a melting pot of influences and cultures, often shifting and morphing to reflect popular sounds and trends. BRELAND’s debut full-length album “Cross Country” builds on that history, interpolating and sampling older songs and bringing in his background in gospel, R&B and hip-hop under the expansive umbrella of country music.
“I’ve gone on and on about cross country being the intersection of country and all these other genres,” said the 27-year-old New Jersey native. “But when you zoom out from that definition a little bit, and in practice, in reality, cross country is a movement.”
Since his breakout viral hit, “My Truck,” landed in 2019, BRELAND has quickly immersed himself in Nashville’s songwriting rooms, taking over as the king of country collabs. He’s had songs with Keith Urban, Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, Jimmie Allen, Dierks Bentley, Tennille Townes, Lauren Alaina and Chase Rice, just to name a few. With each co-writing session, he’s building on his brand of a more fluid and inclusive genre.
“We live in a world where there are a lot of different divisions,” said BRELAND. “They pop up everywhere, whether it’s political or not, people don’t really agree on a lot. And music is one of the unifiers that we have. It’s one of the only things that we have that really brings people together.”
The Georgetown University grad grew up in a very musical family, which he jokingly referred to as the Von Trapps. His parents met in a gospel choir and they have continued their musical ministry. After singing in a cappella in college, BRELAND moved to Atlanta to write songs for other artists. But his goal has always been to be a singer, and after seeing positive reaction on social media to a demo for “My Truck,” he took the leap.
He got early support from Urban, a similarly minded country artist who brought him into the studio to work on tracks for Urban’s 2020 record “Speed of Now, Pt. 1.” Since then, BRELAND has been hopping from one collaboration to the next. Those collabs also led to his first CMA nomination for musical event of the year on the Bentley No. 1 song “Beers on Me” with HARDY.
“When I’m in those types of rooms, I’m not really worried about what the outcome is going to be. I just want to try to make the best song possible,” said BRELAND. “I think musically I bring so many different sounds and possibilities on a record that if I’m on a more country-leaning song, I might be the hip-hop element as a feature. If I’m on a more hip hop-leaning song, I might be the country element.”
His album has even more features with other artists: a country trap song anchored by Urban’s banjo and vocals, a poppy duet with Ingrid Andress, a slow jam drinking song with country group Lady A and the title track with Mickey Guyton.
Together with his producers Sam Sumser and Sean Snell, BRELAND also reinterprets samples and interpolations of older country songs to bridge his music to country’s past, most notably songs by female artists. In a homage to Shania Twain, BRELAND’s “Natural” mimics the distinctive guitar riffs from “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” while the song “County Line” uses the jingly keyboard from the No. 1 crossover hit “Nobody” by Sylvia, which came out in 1982.
Co-written with Hunt and country singer-songwriter Ernest, BRELAND raps about small town characters with tongue-in-cheek lyrics over a beat built over the distinctive ’80s sounding “Nobody” melody. Ernest said that Sumser brought them the sample, and the writers immediately started vibing on its throwback sound.
“Trends come back around,” Ernest said of reworking the song. “I think we’re just all tipping our hat and paying homage to the stuff that had the sauce before us.”
BRELAND said, “Both of those songs can exist under the umbrella of historical country music.”
Given that gospel was his family’s cornerstone, BRELAND said his parents ideally would have wanted him to continue that path of religious music. But he found a different way to preach a unifying message.
“Whether or not it’s a directly religious message, I do think that there is a God message in the music, which is being positive,” said BRELAND. “I want people to feel good. I want people to be positive. I want people to love each other.”
___
Online: https://www.brelandmusic.com/
___
Follow Kristin M. Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall
___
For more AP music news, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/music | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-breland-king-of-collabs-invents-the-sound-of-cross-country/ | 2022-09-13T22:32:48Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-breland-king-of-collabs-invents-the-sound-of-cross-country/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As a kindergarten teacher on “Abbott Elementary,” she can get an unruly class to sit up and listen. And that’s exactly what Sheryl Lee Ralph did at the Emmys — capturing the attention of a packed theater and a global TV audience with a stirring acceptance speech for the ages.
It was the first Emmy (and nomination) for stage and screen veteran Ralph, at 66, and she made the most of it, delivering the ultimate feel-good moment of an Emmy show that sometimes felt flat or uneven, despite the well-known comic talents of host Kenan Thompson and the return of a pre-pandemic crowd.
It was a show that rewarded previous winners in several major categories. “Succession” and “Ted Lasso,” the big winners in drama and comedy, were repeat winners, as were a number of actors.
Still, there were new and groundbreaking wins like that of actor Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game,” the first Asian to win the award and a major breakthrough for a foreign-language show along with Hwang Dong-hyuk’s prize for directing. There was Ralph’s acting prize and Quinta Brunson’s writing award for “Abbott Elementary.” And then there was winner Lizzo, crying as she reminded her audience of the urgency of young people being able to see people who look like them represented in media and culture.
A few notable moments of the night:
A TEACHER SCHOOLS HER AUDIENCE
Sheryl Lee Ralph had already broken into tears before the show, when she’d been handed a tablet on the carpet with a recorded message of support from a beloved aunt. She declared that no matter what happened inside, she’d already won. Luckily, Ralph had more winning to do. Declared the victor for supporting actress in a comedy, she ascended the stage and sang the powerful opening to “Endangered Species” by Dianne Reeves: “I am an endangered species but I sing no victim’s song. I am a woman, I am an artist, and I know where my voice belongs.” She then admonished anyone watching who’d ever had a dream, to not give up. “This is what believing looks like,” she said. Sometimes it’s not clear early on what the big moment of an awards night will be. On this Emmy night, it was clear.
NO ‘CROWN,’ BUT A SUCCESSION
Two actresses have already won Emmys for playing the late Queen Elizabeth II on the same show, “The Crown.” Will there be a third, when Imelda Staunton takes over, after Claire Foy and Olivia Colman? In any case, “The Crown,” last year’s drama winner, was not in contention this year, and “Succession” was able to win its second prize, after winning in 2020. It was not the only repeat winner, by far. “Ted Lasso” repeated last year’s win as best comedy, as did its star, Jason Sudeikis, and supporting actor Brett Goldstein. Other repeats: Zendaya of “Euphoria,” repeating her prize from 2020, and Jean Smart, who won her second comedy actress award for “Hacks.” There had been thoughts of an “Abbott Elementary” upset in the comedy category, but it was not to be.
LIZZO’S POIGNANT REMINDER
She was visibly blown away by Ralph’s speech, but soon Lizzo was onstage for her own emotional win for her competition series, “Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls,” in which contestants vie to be her backup dancers, beating out frequent winner “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” The singer gave a compelling lesson on how crucial representation is in our pop culture. “When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media,” she said. “Someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me.” She said she eventually did, but SHE had to be that person. Lizzo gave a shout-out to her dancers up in the balcony. “This is for the big girls!” she said.
MARTIN SHORT GETS IN A DIG
There wasn’t a lot of politics mentioned in Monday night’s show, but “Only Murders in the Building” star Martin Short managed to get in a dig at a favorite target on some awards nights, Donald Trump. “Really, what an audience you are,” Short said. “I wish I could box you up and take you home, like classified White House documents.” Co-star Steve Martin decided to get things back to the main reason for the evening. “Have you or someone you love ever considered a reverse mortgage?” he quipped.
HEADING HOME
When Jerrod Carmichael won best writing for a comedy special with his “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel,” he decided to end the evening then and there on a high note, saying he was going home. “I made something that was of great personal consequence to me and this definitely contributes to the meaning of it,” he said of his very personal special. “I’m not like a sore winner, but I’m gonna go home because I can’t top this right now.”
ABOUT THOSE THANK-YOU CAPTIONS
It seemed like a good idea — leading up to the Emmys, nominees were told to send in written lists of people they’d like to thank, to be used in captioning, so their eventual speeches could be more creative, unencumbered by all those names. In reality, though, only some winners had the captioning, and even those who did proceeded to thank a long list of people anyway, making it all feel rather moot.
IF YOU’RE GONNA GET PLAYED OFF, DANCE!
Jennifer Coolidge was a sentimental favorite to win for “The White Lotus,” and when she did, regaling the audience about a lavender bath she’d taken that day that had an unforeseen effect, she quickly ran out of time with more to say. When the music wouldn’t stop despite her pleading “Wait, hold on!,” she just decided to smile and boogey along with it. The crowd roared.
OR NOT:
Matthew Macfadyen of “Succession,” winner for supporting actor in a drama, was also played off, but he didn’t dance. No, this is Tom Wambsgans, so he’s no doubt quietly humiliated and enraged and who knows what’ll happen next season.
___
For more on this year’s Emmy Awards, visit: www.apnews.com/EmmyAwards | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-emmy-moments-a-winners-joy-in-song-lifts-emmy-night/ | 2022-09-13T22:33:03Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-emmy-moments-a-winners-joy-in-song-lifts-emmy-night/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BEIRUT (AP) — The outbreak of cholera in Syria presents a serious threat to people in the war-torn country and the region, a U.N. official said Tuesday, adding that urgent action is needed to prevent further cases and deaths.
The statement by the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Imran Riza, came after health officials in the country reported at least five deaths and more than two dozen cases in different provinces.
Syria’s infrastructure has suffered severe damage since the country’s conflict began in March 2011 where residents of some areas have no access to clean water. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, many of them living in tent settlements around the country.
Riza said that based on a rapid assessment conducted by health authorities and partners, the source of infection is believed to be linked to people drinking unsafe water from the Euphrates River and using contaminated water to irrigate crops, resulting in food contamination.
“Cholera remains a global threat to public health and an indicator of inequity,” Riza said, adding that the outbreak is an indicator of severe water shortages in Syria.
The statement said chlorination activities to disinfect water are being scaled up and dosing rates are being increased in fragile and highly vulnerable communities to curb the spread of the disease.
On Monday, health officials said hospitals in the Syrian capital have been put on alert after more than two dozen cases of cholera and at least five deaths were reported.
The cases were reported in several provinces including Aleppo in the north, Latakia on the Mediterranean coast and Deir el-Zour along the border with Iraq.
The outbreak was the first since the country’s conflict began 11 years ago.
Riza said the U.N. in Syria calls on donor countries for urgent additional funding to contain the outbreak and prevent it from spreading. | https://www.wpri.com/health/ap-health/ap-un-warns-cholera-outbreak-in-syria-is-a-threat-to-the-region/ | 2022-09-13T22:35:14Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/health/ap-health/ap-un-warns-cholera-outbreak-in-syria-is-a-threat-to-the-region/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW DELHI (AP) — Just hours before news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death spread, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a fiery speech urging India to shed its colonial ties in a ceremony to rename a boulevard that once honored King George V.
Rajpath, formerly called Kingsway, was a “symbol of slavery” under the British Raj, he said. Instead, under the newly named Kartavya Path that leads to the iconic India Gate, “a new history has been created,” Modi beamed.
His speech last Thursday was the latest in a concerted drive to purge India of its colonial relics. It was also a clear sign that the country, once the largest of Britain’s colonies that endured two centuries of imperial rule, has moved on.
The renovated avenue now boasts a black granite statue of Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose, in the place where a mold of King George V, Elizabeth’s grandfather, once stood.
The queen’s death provoked sympathies to a deeply respected figure from some while for a few others, it jogged memories of a bloody history under the British crown. But among most regular Indians, the news was met with an indifferent shrug.
The British monarchy “holds precisely zero relevance to Indians today — they are of no importance,” said Kapil Komireddi, author of “Malevolent Republic: A Short History of the New India.”
British rule shaped the country in significant ways, but India has since overtaken the British economy in size.
“The country has come into its own … As a rising power, India can gain a lot from the U.K. but the U.K. can gain a whole lot more from India,” Komireddi added.
On Thursday, Modi penned a heartfelt note, calling the queen “a stalwart of our times,” while the government declared a day of mourning. But for most Indians born a generation after independence from the British in 1947, there is little attachment to the queen or the royal family.
Sankul Sonawane, 20, was at home when he heard the news, which had “no impact” on him. “We have no sense of emotional connection with the queen. She was a monarch and I don’t believe in the idea of a monarchy.”
Dhiren Singh, a 57-year-old entrepreneur in New Delhi, felt the same way. “I do not think we have any place for kings and queens in today’s world, because we are the world’s largest democratic country,” he said.
Elizabeth visited India three times during her reign and was the first monarch to tour the newly freed country, cementing the start of fresh ties with Britain. After her coronation in 1953, she arrived in the capital New Delhi in 1961, where she addressed a massive crowd and nearly a million people lined up along streets to catch a glimpse of her and her husband, Prince Philip.
Darshan Paul was 10 or 11 years old when she stood along a road in New Delhi and waved an Indian flag at the queen. “I remember her gloved hand waving back at me and was so impressed,” Paul, now 71, said.
There was abundant excitement and curiosity around her visit, Paul recalled, as she and her friends poured over newspaper photos of the queen and were dazzled by the gowns she wore.
But it was a different time then, Paul said, as she acknowledged that the traditional bond some Indians once held with the royal family has morphed dramatically since.
“To young Indians today, they seem like any other high-profile celebrity family – you might follow news of them because you want to know what is happening behind closed doors. But beyond the glamor and celebrity allure, they don’t hold any significance any more.”
If her son, who was formally proclaimed King Charles III over the weekend, were to make an official visit to India, “it will certainly not matter as much,” Paul added.
The queen’s last visit in 1997 was tinged with controversy when she traveled to a memorial dedicated to hundreds of unarmed Indians who were killed by British colonial forces in 1919, amid calls for an apology over the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
For many, the royal family remains a hallmark of a deeply painful history. Colonial rule is still remembered for the extraordinary violence and suffering it spawned, from numerous famines and economic exploitation to ultimately an unprecedented level of bloodshed in the partition of India and Pakistan.
Scrolling through social media after the news, 25-year-old Sumedha Chatterjee said the tweets in support of the queen felt almost like people had forgotten about all the “loot and plunder” the British monarchy oversaw. “They built their empire on the backs of the so-called third world,” she added.
Just hours after her death, Indian social media lit up with renewed calls for the return of the famous Koh-i-Noor, the 106-carat diamond discovered in India that is part of the British crown jewels.
“If the king is not going to wear (the) Koh-i-Noor, give it back,” quipped one user.
Ever since gaining independence, India has moved to shed its colonial ties, including changing back the names of a clutch of cities that were renamed during British rule. In the 1960s, officials removed figures of British officials and royalty from public view — the statue of King George V, which stood tall under the canopy of India Gate, was moved to Coronation Park, a graveyard or final resting place for imperial symbols in the capital.
And under Modi, there has been renewed vigor to reclaim India’s past, which has seen the government scrub away colonial-era street names, some laws and even flag symbols.
Such gestures “represent a new India” which has nothing to do with the monarchy, said Archana Ojha, a professor of history at Delhi University. She added, though, that the country’s imperial history can’t be hidden away.
“We may not need to cherish some of the legacies, but we need to preserve them to teach our future generations. We cannot just erase it completely,” she said.
___
Associated Press journalist Rishi Lekhi contributed to this report. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-anger-over-past-indifference-meets-queens-death-in-india/ | 2022-09-13T22:35:37Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-anger-over-past-indifference-meets-queens-death-in-india/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment, has died at age 76, his family said Tuesday.
Starr died at a hospital Tuesday of complications from surgery, according to his former colleague, attorney Mark Lanier. He said Starr had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Houston for about four months.
In 2020, he was recruited to the legal team representing President Donald Trump in the nation’s third presidential impeachment trial.
For many years, Starr’s stellar reputation as a lawyer seemed to place him on a path to the Supreme Court. At age 37, he became the youngest person ever to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia also had served. From 1989-93, Starr was the solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, arguing 25 cases before the Supreme Court.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remembered Starr Tuesday as “a brilliant litigator, an impressive leader, and a devoted patriot.”
Despite his impressive legal credentials, nothing could have prepared him for the task of investigating a sitting president.
In a probe that lasted five years, Starr looked into fraudulent real estate deals involving a long-time Clinton associate, delved into the removal of documents from the office of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster after his suicide and assembled evidence of Clinton’s sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. Each of the controversies held the potential to do serious, perhaps fatal, damage to Clinton’s presidency.
As Clinton’s legal problems worsened, the White House pilloried Starr as a right-wing fanatic doing the bidding of Republicans bent on destroying the president.
“The assaults took a toll” on the investigation, Starr told a Senate committee in 1999. “A duly authorized federal law enforcement investigation came to be characterized as yet another political game. Law became politics by other means.”
In a bitter finish to his investigation of the Lewinsky affair that engendered still more criticism, Starr filed a report, as the law required, with the U.S. House of Representatives. He concluded that Clinton lied under oath, engaged in obstruction of justice and followed a pattern of conduct that was inconsistent with the president’s constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. House Republicans used Starr’s report as a roadmap in the impeachment of the president, who was acquitted in a Senate trial.
In 2020, he was recruited to help represent Trump in the nation’s third impeachment trial. In a memorable statement to Congress during the Trump impeachment trial, Starr said “we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the ‘age of impeachment.’” He said that “like war, impeachment is hell, or at least presidential impeachment is hell.”
Clinton’s legal problems began during the 1992 presidential campaign. Questions arose over the candidate’s ties to the owner of a failed Arkansas savings and loan. The issue faded quickly. But it caught the attention of federal regulators, who began looking into whether money from the S&L had been diverted to a real estate venture called Whitewater in which Bill and Hillary Clinton and the S&L’s owner, Jim McDougal, shared a financial interest.
Bowing to intense political pressure from Republicans and some members of his own party, Clinton called for appointment of a special counsel to investigate Whitewater. A three-member appeals court for independent counsels selected Starr.
On the Whitewater front, Starr’s prosecutors investigated Mrs. Clinton’s legal work for Jim McDougal’s S&L. Both she and the president were questioned by Starr’s prosecutors and their videotaped depositions were played for juries in criminal trials of McDougal and his ex-wife Susan. Neither of the Clintons was ever charged in connection with Whitewater.
The investigation of Clinton’s intimate relationship with Lewinsky was a Washington spectacle.
In 1995, Lewinsky went to work at the White House as an intern. During the government shutdown late that year, she and Clinton had a sexual encounter in a hallway near the Oval Office, the first of 10 sexual encounters over the next year and a half. Lewinsky confided the affair to a co-worker, Linda Tripp, who tape recorded some of their conversations and brought the tapes to Starr’s prosecutors. Lewinsky was granted immunity from prosecution and became Starr’s chief witness against the president, who had denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky.
Putting the investigation behind him, Starr embarked on a career in academia, first as dean of the law school at Pepperdine University where he taught constitutional issues and civil procedures, then as president of Baylor University in his home state of Texas. He also became an author, writing “First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life.”
Starr was demoted from the presidency at Baylor in 2016 amid a sex assault scandal that rocked the Big 12 school and its football program, as women alleged campus leaders at the nation’s largest Baptist school bungled or ignored their assault complaints. Baylor eventually settled with several women who filed a cascade of lawsuits, including a case where the victim of a 2015 attack accused Baylor of fostering a “hunting ground for sexual predators.”
The school’s board of regents allowed Starr to stay on as chancellor and law school professor, jobs that carried no “operational” duties at Baylor. He resigned altogether a few months later. Football coach Art Briles also was fired.
A review commissioned by the school found that under Starr, school administrators discouraged students from reporting or participating in student conduct reviews, and even contributed to or accommodated a “hostile” environment against the alleged victims.
In a statement, Starr apologized to “those victims who were not treated with the care, concern, and support they deserve.”
Born in Vernon and raised in San Antonio, Starr earned his B.A. from George Washington University in 1968, his M.A. from Brown University in 1969 and his J.D. degree from Duke University Law School in 1973. He was a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger from 1975 to 1977.
As a young attorney at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, Starr worked with William French Smith, who became attorney general in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Starr became counselor to Smith, and from there was nominated by Reagan to the federal appeals court.
___
Bleiberg reported from Dallas. Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin and the late Pete Yost contributed to this report. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-ken-starr-whose-probe-led-to-clinton-impeachment-dies/ | 2022-09-13T22:36:06Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/ap-ken-starr-whose-probe-led-to-clinton-impeachment-dies/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Man’s best friend can also help save lives. TCC’s Florida Public Safety Program is hosting its 15th annual Bloodhound Seminar.
The Tallahassee Community College Florida Public Safety program is hosting a weeklong training program including seminars and field trainings. Agencies from around the country are attending including Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas totaling 28 bloodhound teams. This program is funded by both the Jimmy Rice Foundation and agencies.
Director of Florida Public Safety Steve Outlaw feels that bloodhounds are the right way to go when it comes to finding missing persons.
“It’s well established and well known that for pure tracking, you need something tracked the best candidate K-9 is a bloodhound for that," says Steve Outlaw.
What sets The Florida Public Safety Institution apart is the 1,000 acres for training but Directors say none of this would be possible without volunteers lending a helping hand. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/agencies-from-all-over-the-country-gather-for-bloodhound-seminar | 2022-09-13T22:36:34Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/agencies-from-all-over-the-country-gather-for-bloodhound-seminar | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
There's always speculation as to when Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will retire from the National Football League.
Brady retired after the 2021 season, only to reverse his decision six weeks later.
On Monday's episode of his podcast "Let's Go!" the 7-time Super Bowl champion spoke to host Jim Gray about how this year feels differently then in year's past.
"I’m feeling more than things in the past for some reason,” Brady said. “I’m just really feeling intensely, my emotions. I’ve always had that, but I think when you get close to the end..."
Brady added that he isn't exactly sure when the end will be, but he knows that he won't be playing 10 more years.
"I definitely don't have that," Brady said.
His wife Gisele Bündchen recently spoke about him returning to play which she spoke about in a recent interview with Elle magazine.
“Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she said during her interview. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again."
But the supermodel said that ultimately, a decision someone makes has to ultimately "work for them."
"He needs to follow his joy, too," she said in the magazine.
On the podcast, Brady also spoke about missing out on key moments with his family that also has him thinking of hanging it up.
"I think there comes a point in your life where you say, you know what? I had my fill and it's enough and time to go on, to move into other parts of life," Brady said. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/brady-talks-retirement-in-latest-podcast-episode | 2022-09-13T22:36:47Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/brady-talks-retirement-in-latest-podcast-episode | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ROME (AP) — The leader of Italy’s center-left campaign alliance on Tuesday cited the gains of a Swedish populist party with neo-Nazi roots as further proof that fear is propelling the far-right’s growth in Europe. He also warned that the outcome of his own country’s approaching election could determine Italy’s future role in Europe.
“Fears are today a big part of the way in which our societies are living this period,” former Premier Enrico Letta said, citing the pandemic and its economic woes, the energy crisis of soaring utility bills and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“It’s easier for the right, for the extreme right to push, to boost (itself) on these fears,” Letta, who leads the Democratic Party, told The Associated Press in an interview.
In the Swedish election last weekend, a populist, anti-immigration party, Sweden Democrats, surged in balloting to become the country’s second-largest political force. Fears of gang violence dominated Sweden’s election campaign.
“It’s a moment in which sentiments of fear are getting a foothold in Europe,″ Letta said.
The elections in Italy on Sept. 25 “are like a Brexit referendum in the U.K,.” Letta said, referring to the stunning 2016 vote that saw Britain decide to leave the European Union.
“You have just two possible solutions. The solution that the right is raising is a solution of nationalism,” Letta said. “The other solution is on our side, and our solution means Europe.”
His chief rival in Italy’s election is Giorgia Meloni, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, which has roots in neo-fascism. She hopes to become the first woman to hold the Italian premiership.
In opinion polls, Letta’s Democratic Party has been running neck-and-neck with Meloni’s party. Voter surveys indicate her party, which has called for a naval blockade of Africa’s Mediterranean coast to try to stop migrants from reaching Italy, could garner more than 20% in the upcoming balloting. In the previous election it won only a 4% share.
Because Italy’s electoral system rewards parties that join forces in campaign alliances, Meloni holds a big advantage over Letta.
She has forged alliances with the right-wing, anti-migrant League leader Matteo Salvini and former Premier Silvio Berluscon,i who heads the center-right Forza Italia party. Letta, meanwhile, has refused to ally with the 5-Star Movement — Italy’s biggest populist party in Parliament which helped collapse Premier Mario Draghi’s government in July — while his overture for a campaign alliance with two small centrist parties was rebuffed.
Should the right triumph, “it’s a danger for the future of Italy,” said Letta. ”It is a danger because Italy needs European cooperation. And without European cooperation it would be impossible to find solutions to all our problems.”
Letta in the interview ruled out any Draghi-style broad coalition government, like the one the former European Central Bank chief formed in early 2021 to help Italy’s pandemic-battered economy recover.
“There won’t be any governments of national unity,” he said.
Letta spoke during a break from campaigning across Italy in an electric bus. He chose that vehicle type to highlight a scarcity of charging stations in Italy. “The country isn’t modern,” Letta said.
His Democratic Party views the election outcome as critical for civil rights.
“Italy is years behind” on rights, Letta said. For example, Italy doesn’t allow same-sex marriage or adoption by singles. “The right proposes going backward,” he said.
He reflected on polemics over Peppa Pig, the popular cartoon character. Recently, a candidate from Meloni’s party expressed outrage that the cartoon featured a family with two female polar bears as parents and demanded that Italian state TV, funded by taxpayers, never air such an episode.
Meloni has hailed what she calls “natural” families and has denounced LGBTQ+ lobbies.
The campaign demand to censor a cartoon is “really madness,” said Letta.
“Our model is Europe, our model isn’t the Hungary of (Viktor) Orban or the Poland of (Jaroslaw) Kacynzski,” Letta said, referring to the leaders of right-wing political parties whose policies have been hostile to LGBTQ+ communities.
Some Italian women have voiced concern that Meloni might seek to abolish a law that allows abortion in the first 12 weeks, and after that if the women’s health or life is endangered.
“Meloni is very ambiguous on this topic and on this question,″ Letta said. In some regions of Italy, including the central Marche, where Brothers of Italy govern, the shortage of doctors willing to perform abortions in public hospitals has forced women to travel across Italy for the procedure.
Meloni has said that any government she leads wouldn’t change the law. But she says there should be more assistance for those who want to give birth. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-democrat-letta-fear-plays-role-in-italys-brexit-like-vote/ | 2022-09-13T22:38:07Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-democrat-letta-fear-plays-role-in-italys-brexit-like-vote/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge on Tuesday postponed the arraignment of an elected official accused of killing a Las Vegas investigative reporter who authorities say clawed and fought for his life when he was attacked outside his home.
Robert Telles stood in shackles in a Las Vegas courtroom as his lawyer requested the delay. Prosecutors did not oppose the request, and the judge rescheduled the hearing for Sept. 20.
Outside of court after the hearing, defense attorney Travis Shetler said he wanted more time to prepare.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson noted that Telles would remain jailed without bail.
Telles, whose forearms were bandaged beneath his handcuffs, had been scheduled to be formally charged with murder in the Sept. 2 killing of 69-year-old Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German. Telles did not speak during the brief court appearance.
In a criminal complaint filed Monday, prosecutors accuse Telles of “lying in wait” for German, who was stabbed seven times. His body was found the next morning.
Telles, 45, the Clark County public administrator and a Democrat, was arrested Sept. 7 after police issued a plea for public help to identify a person seen on security video wearing an orange work shirt and a wide-brim straw hat toting a shoulder bag and walking toward German’s home.
Police also released images of a distinctive SUV seen on video near German’s home, driven by a person wearing an orange shirt.
A Review-Journal photographer snapped photos Sept. 6 of Telles washing the same type of vehicle in his driveway.
A prosecutor told a judge last Thursday that Telles left his own cellphone at home and waited in a vehicle outside German’s home until the attack. It was characterized as a planned response to articles that German wrote about “turmoil and internal dissension” in the county office that handles the property of people who die without a will or family contacts.
After articles appeared in May airing claims of administrative bullying, favoritism and Telles’ relationship with a subordinate staffer, Telles lost his bid for reelection in the June primary. County lawmakers also appointed a consultant to address complaints about leadership in the office.
Telles blamed “old-timers” for exaggerating his relationship with a female staffer and falsely claiming that he mistreated them.
German, a 40-year veteran Las Vegas journalist who was widely respected for his tenacity, was working on follow-up reports about Telles and the public administrator’s office when he died, his colleagues said.
“The published articles regarding a public figure, the public administrator’s office, ruined (Telles’) political career, likely his marriage, and this was him lashing out at the cause,” Chief Deputy Clark County District Attorney Richard Scow told a judge last week.
That judge, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Elana Lee Graham, called the police report detailing the attack “chilling.” She spoke of apparent defensive wounds on German’s arms and said DNA believed to be from Telles was found under German’s fingernails.
“He was fighting for his life,” Graham said.
Wolfson has called German’s death “brutal and meaningless” and said a decision whether to seek the death penalty will be made in the coming months.
Police said a search warrant turned up items at Telles’ home including blood-stained shoes and a straw hat that had been cut up. Authorities said they did not immediately find the weapon used to kill German.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, a Republican running for governor in November, said investigators were attempting to enhance security video that he described as “distorted” but that might show the attack.
German joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun, where he was a columnist and reporter covering courts, politics, labor, government and organized crime.
Telles was a lawyer who practiced probate and estate law before he was elected public administrator in 2018, replacing a three-term predecessor.
Telles’ term in office expires Dec. 31, but Clark County officials said he is suspended and has been banned from county offices or property pending a review of his position as an elected official. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-elected-official-facing-murder-charge-in-journalist-slaying/ | 2022-09-13T22:38:15Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-elected-official-facing-murder-charge-in-journalist-slaying/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Once home to one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, Ethiopia is struggling as the war in its Tigray region has reignited and weary citizens far from the front are pleading for peace.
Ethiopians are experiencing the highest inflation in a decade, foreign exchange restrictions and mounting debt amid reports of massive government spending on the war effort. Parliament early this year reportedly approved an additional $1.7 billion budget for defense.
On Tuesday morning, a drone strike hit a university campus in Tigray’s capital, Mekele, causing an unknown number of injuries, according to a media worker there who spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn’t have authorization to speak to other outlets. He said another drone strike also destroyed the station of regional broadcaster Dimtsi Woyane.
Ethiopian officials continue to paint a rosy picture for the country of well over 110 million people. “Our economy has continued to grow amid natural and man-made problems,” the planning and development minister, Fitsum Assefa, said earlier this month.
But the Ethiopian Economic Association’s meeting this month made clear the country is hurting, while international mediators urgently seek progress on talks to end the fighting.
Because of internal conflicts, the destruction of infrastructure and uncontrolled spending are hurting the economy while ordinary Ethiopians face weakening incomes and rising poverty, economist Alemayehu Seyoum told the meeting.
Ethiopia once seared into the global consciousness with a devastating famine in the 1980s. The country has since transformed its economy with mega-projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the largest in Africa, and large-scale construction projects in Addis Ababa, Africa’s diplomatic capital.
The economy grew at an average of 11% over the past decade.
But the war in the northern Tigray region, which began in late 2020, has caused immense disruption. In June, the International Monetary Fund said growth likely fell to 3.8% for 2021-2022 because of the war and a “sharp fall in donor financing,” among other factors.
The finance ministry has declined to approve the financing of three industrial parks, symbols of Ethiopia’s China-like development, citing “budgetary pressure.”
Instead, the economy has shifted to a war focus.
The finance ministry now pleads with the public and Ethiopia’s large diaspora to contribute to a “national cause” for war reconstruction and aid. Ethiopia’s National Bank introduced changes to give the government all possible access to foreign currency, including requiring foreign residents to convert all in their possession upon entry.
Certain development works continue, including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s flagship projects like the beautification of the capital.
But some critics such as the spokesman for the outlawed Oromo Liberation Army, Odaa Tarbii, say “vanity projects” are not necessary now.
Anything seen as criticism of the war can be stifled. Last week, authorities blocked 31 local civil society groups from organizing a media briefing calling for peace.
Following criticism that its financial support was enabling the government’s war efforts, the World Bank last week said it will continue its partnership but expressed concern.
Some state-run sectors of Ethiopia’s economy continue to open to investors, as Abiy promised after taking office. The cabinet this month approved the entry of foreign banks, a significant step.
Ethiopia’s ambassador to the United States, Seleshi Bekele, said the “international community should support this initiative by helping to disarm the hostile (Tigray forces).”
U.S. special envoy Mike Hammer was again in Ethiopia last week to “discuss the urgency of immediate cessation of hostilities,” according to the State Department, which said “the Ethiopian people have suffered tremendously from this conflict.”
Ethiopia’s government was unsettled when the U.S. last year removed it from a preferential trade program over its failure to end the war in Tigray that the U.S. said led to “gross violations” of human rights. Addis Ababa is lobbying for a reversal.
Since then, global companies like PVH Corp have left Ethiopia, citing security reasons, and others are laying off thousands of employees.
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, remains one of the country’s few profitable companies but has been accused by Tigray forces of transporting troops and weapons to the war front. The airline has denied it.
Inside Tigray, millions of residents are still largely cut off from the world. Communications and banking services are severed, and their restoration has been a key demand in mediation efforts.
An agricultural survey conducted in several accessible parts of Tigray last month by Mekele University personnel, shared with The Associated Press, found many crops were failing because of the lack of fertilizer. Even traveling had become “tiresome” because of the lack of fuel, the survey said.
Other shortages are deadly. In an email to the AP, the head of the Tigray health bureau said vaccines for children ran out more than a year ago, and women don’t have family planning supplies. Humanitarian deliveries have stopped because of the renewed fighting.
“The list is very long. I just don’t want to bore you with the details,” Amanuel Haile wrote. “The above are just enough.” | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-ethiopias-economy-struggles-as-war-reignites-in-tigray/ | 2022-09-13T22:38:21Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-ethiopias-economy-struggles-as-war-reignites-in-tigray/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DENVER (AP) — Police who shot a 22-year-old Colorado man after he called 911 for roadside assistance escalated the situation, needlessly leading to his death, the man’s relatives said in a tearful news conference Tuesday in which they called for accountability.
After Christian Glass’ June 11 death in the small mountain town of Silver Plume west of Denver, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s office issued a news release saying that Glass was shot after he became “argumentative and uncooperative” and tried to stab an officer when police broke a car window to grab him.
“Christian was experiencing a crisis, and he called 911 for help,” said the parents’ attorney, Siddhartha Rathod, “and yet these officers busted out Christian’s window, shot him six times with bean bag rounds, Tased him multiple times from two Tasers, and then shot him five times.”
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation handles police shootings, including the Glass case, but the family wants prosecutors to file criminal charges, Rathod said.
Heidi McCollum, district attorney for the Fifth Judicial District that includes Clear Creek County, released a statement Tuesday saying her office is investigating the case along with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Her office plans to eventually issue a report on the shooting or present the case to a grand jury, which would decide if indictments should be issued, McCollum said.
The videos shared with The Associated Press show Glass refusing to come out of his car while also telling police he’s “terrified” and making heart shapes with his hands to officers. At one point, he also can be seen praying with folded hands and saying, “Dear Lord, please, don’t let them break the window.”
When the officers did break the window, Glass seemed to panic and grabbed a knife.
Police then shot Glass with bean bag rounds and shocked him with a stun gun before the young man twisted in his seat and thrust a knife toward an officer, the footage showed. Then one officer fired his gun, hitting Glass. The recordings then show Glass stabbing himself before he died.
The family said the videos were only edited to blur the body. The AP has requested that police provide any videos related to the case.
Rathod said Glass had no history of mental illness. When asked about Glass’s abnormal behavior, he said “unfortunately we are not ever going to know.”
Rathod released an autopsy report that found that Glass died of gunshot wounds. It said he had THC, a .01% blood alcohol concentration, and amphetamine in his system, the last of which Rathod said is likely from an ADHD prescription for Glass.
The shooting comes amid a national outcry for police reforms focused on crisis intervention, de-escalation and alternative policing programs. In Denver and New York, behavioral health specialists are sent to 911 callers facing crises that police may not be trained to address or could even exacerbate.
Police haven’t said if any behavioral health specialists were called for Glass.
Use-of-force and de-escalation experts who reviewed the footage for The Associated Press said this case is an example of when a behavioral health specialist or crisis response team — programs becoming increasingly popular across the country — may have helped de-escalate the situation and avert Glass’ death.
“There are some real red flags that suggest potential problems,” said Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and leading use-of-force expert who reviewed portions of the footage. Stoughton testified in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd.
While police officers may be justified in using force once a situation has intensified, “it’s everything that we do before that in terms of de-escalation that can make those situations go a completely different direction,” said Tamara Lynn, the executive council president for the National De-Escalation Training Center, who reviewed the footage.
In particular, both Lynn and Stoughton questioned why officers didn’t take Glass up on his offer, recorded by body camera footage, to disarm himself by throwing his knives out of his car window.
While a thrown knife can pose a threat, “officers have plenty of opportunity to maneuver themselves and put themselves in a position that’s not risky,” said Stoughton. “I am kind of astonished that they did not take advantage of what looked like a very clear opportunity to have him separate himself from the weapons.”
Similarly, Stoughton wondered why they needed to break the car window. He said police don’t have all day to spend on one call, but questioned if they needed to.
“It’s not clear to me that it should have gone that far,” he said.
Between tears on Tuesday, Christian’s mother, Sally Glass, displayed a pendant of Jesus recovered from her son’s car that is engraved with the words, “Pray for us.”
“We have to pray for us in America to make this a less violent country,” Sally Glass said. “I think a lot of people now would agree that there is a systemic problem with policing: It’s too aggressive. They escalate at every opportunity, and it looks like they are spoiling for a fight. … They should be protecting us, not attacking us.”
Glass said her son was “petrified” and “paralyzed” by fear the night he was killed.
“I have a hole in my heart, and it will be there until the day I die,” Glass said.
——
Associated Press writer Thomas Peipert contributed to this report.
___
Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Bedayn on Twitter.
___
This story has been updated to correct the age of Christian Glass and the date of his death. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-family-of-colorado-man-shot-by-police-wants-accountability/ | 2022-09-13T22:38:34Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-family-of-colorado-man-shot-by-police-wants-accountability/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BERLIN (AP) — A man in Germany was convicted of murder and given a life sentence Tuesday for fatally shooting a gas station clerk following a dispute over face masks.
The September 2021 killing in the western town of Idar-Oberstein shocked the country. The defendant also was convicted of illegal weapons possession because he didn’t have a license for the gun used in the killing, German news agency dpa reported.
Authorities have said the 50-year-old man told officers he acted “out of anger” while trying to buy beer at the gas station after the 20-year-old clerk refused to serve him without a mask.
At the time, Germany required mask use in stores to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Police said the suspect, a German citizen identified in local media as Mario N., left the gas station after the dispute but returned a half-hour later and shot the clerk in the head.
He initially fled the scene but turned himself in after police launched a large-scale manhunt.
The state court in Bad Kreuznach found the defendant’s radical right-wing stance and his enmity toward the state were the main motives for the killing, dpa reported.
It said the defendant viewed the clerk as a representative of the state and its coronavirus policy, and decided to “make an example” of him after he insisted on the mask mandate.
Defense lawyers in the trial, which lasted six months, had sought a conviction for manslaughter. They argued that there were limits to how far the suspect, who according to an expert was intoxicated when the fatal gunshot was inflicted, could be held criminally responsible for his actions.
Prosecutors had called for the court to find the defendant “seriously culpable,” which would have effectively barred him from the early release after 15 years that is typical for people in Germany given life sentences. Judges didn’t do so. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-german-man-convicted-of-murder-after-killing-over-mask-rules/ | 2022-09-13T22:38:40Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-german-man-convicted-of-murder-after-killing-over-mask-rules/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — It’s less than ten minutes walk from the Falls Road to the Shankhill Road in Northern Ireland’s capital, where Catholics and Protestants still live in segregated enclaves.
But to hear people in these adjoining neighborhoods explain their almost diametrically opposite views of the British monarchy, it might as well be 1,000 miles.
And so as King Charles III arrived in Northern Ireland for the first visit since his mother’s death elevated him to the throne, the voices of Belfast offered a sharp reminder of the country’s persistent, complicated and, at times, bloody political realities.
On the street residents call The Shankhill — center of a Protestant neighborhood with a long history of loyalty to the crown — British flags fluttered over shops and from light poles. At the foot of a giant mural of a young Elizabeth II proclaiming her “the people’s queen,” many proud to be her subjects came bearing flowers and notes of emotional farewell.
“We swore our allegiance to the queen and she stuck by us,” said Jacqueline Humphries, 58, once a soldier in the Ulster Defence Regiment, established by the British Army to police Northern Ireland during the decades of sectarian violence known as The Troubles. “I think Charles will do just as good a job. She trained him well.”
Not half a mile away on the Falls Road — the nationalist stronghold that served as base for the Irish Republican Army and its decades-long guerrilla campaign against British rule — those heading to work Tuesday brushed off any suggestion that Charles’ visit could validate the crown’s claim to Northern Ireland.
“They can believe that, but we still believe we will get a united Ireland,” said Paul Walker, 55, walking past a 3-story-high mural of Bobby Sands, an IRA militant who died while on a hunger strike in prison in 1981.
Charles is “not our king. Bobby Sands was our king here,” said 52-year-old Bobby Jones. “Queen never done nothing for us. Never did. None of the royals do.”
Walker and others said Queen Elizabeth II had earned a measure of respect, if never affection, for her decision in 2012 to shake hands with Martin McGuinness, the former IRA commander who went on to serve as Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister. But Charles is unwelcome.
“He won’t be up here much. We don’t have a place for Charles,” said a man named Christy, 61, who like others declined to provide his full name, pointing to Belfast’s fading, but brutally memorable, record of retribution on both sides.
The new king walked a delicate line Tuesday, thanking Northern Ireland officials for their condolences and praise of his mother for her efforts to foster reconciliation.
The queen, he said, “felt deeply, I know, the significance of the role she herself played in bringing together those whom history had separated, and in extending a hand to make possible the healing of long-held hurts.”
It’s not clear, though, if Charles will benefit from goodwill earned by his mother. She had decades to build a reputation as a steadfast leader even in the most difficult of times; not so, her son, who some see as aloof. And nowhere else in the lands that make up this less than United Kingdom is the divide over the crown so fierce.
Most of Ireland gained independence from Britain in 1921 after a guerrilla war. But Northern Ireland, where a Protestant majority favored Britain, remained a part of the United Kingdom.
The shaky peace exploded in August 1969 with sectarian violence after protests by the Catholic minority for civil rights. The British Army sent in forces, ostensibly to contain the violence and protect Catholics.
“Army in Control Here For At Least Four Months,” warned the front page of The Irish News, now displayed in a museum of IRA history just off the Falls Road.
Instead, The Troubles lasted nearly 30 years, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 people.
A few minutes in either neighborhood is all it takes to unearth memories of the violence and the gaping divide over the role of the British government.
“Once you saw the Brits, once you saw the police, you went running the other way because you were guilty before you innocent,” said Damian Burns, a postal worker, walking to work past the offices of Sinn Fein, the political party long affiliated with the IRA that is now the largest in Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government.
The Sinn Fein bookstore onsite sells posters with a portrait of Sands over the slogan: “England Get Out of Ireland.”
Over on the Shankill, Humphries, now a housing assistance counselor, recalled that when The Troubles started she was living in an area mixed with both Protestants and Catholics. After joining the British-allied military she received death threats from the Irish National Liberation Army, forcing a move to the loyalist neighborhood where she has lived ever since. Others on both sides also moved to be near those like them, and city became even more divided.
The royal family was not immune to the violence. In 1979, the IRA assassinated Lord Louis Mountbatten, a cousin of the queen and mentor to Charles , detonating a bomb plant aboard his fishing boat. Three others also died.
The Troubles finally ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. But all these years later, the Falls Road and the Shankhill remain divided from one another by a “Peace Line” — high walls with steel gates that are still closed each evening.
Charles, unwanted by some here and unproven to others, will have to thread his way carefully through the volatility. But it could offer valuable lessons – at least in what not to do – for the new monarch. In Scotland, where a referendum on independence from Britain was narrowly defeated in 2014, rhetoric remains heated and officials are pushing for a follow-up vote. In Wales, too, some people bridle at being kept under London’s control.
Residents of Belfast will be watching closely, regardless of their allegiances.
On the Falls Road of 25 or 30 years ago, the queen was vilified as a symbol of British oppression, said Walker, who is confident the two Irelands will eventually be united.
He won’t change his mind about that, he said, but even with a bitter past, he’s become more willing to see the queen, who was 96, as more than a foe.
She was, after all, someone’s grandmother.
“It’s always in the back of your mind who these people are,” he said, “and not just that they’re the head of military forces.”
___
AP National Writer Adam Geller is on assignment in the United Kingdom covering the queen’s death. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adgeller | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-in-northern-ireland-praise-for-monarchy-vies-with-disdain/ | 2022-09-13T22:38:48Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-in-northern-ireland-praise-for-monarchy-vies-with-disdain/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONDON (AP) — A police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man in London has been suspended from duty, the British capital’s Metropolitan Police force said.
Chris Kaba, 24, was killed in south London on Sept. 5 after police pursued his car and tried to stop it. His vehicle was hemmed in by two police cars in a narrow residential street in the Streatham Hill neighborhood, and one round was fired from a police weapon.
Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Amanda Pearson said Monday the firearms officer was suspended partly because of the “significant impact on public confidence.”
“We understand how concerned communities are, particularly Black communities, and thank those who are working closely with our local officers,” she said.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, launched a homicide investigation last week into Kaba’s death.
The office said the shooting came after the activation of an automatic number plate recognition camera, which indicated that the vehicle Kaba was driving was linked to a firearms incident in previous days. It said the car that Kaba was driving wasn’t registered to him. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-uk-police-officer-who-shot-unarmed-black-man-suspended/ | 2022-09-13T22:40:06Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-uk-police-officer-who-shot-unarmed-black-man-suspended/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military claimed Tuesday for the first time that it encountered an Iranian-supplied suicide drone used by Russia on the battlefield, showing the deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran as the Islamic Republic’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers hangs in the balance.
U.S. intelligence publicly warned back in July that Tehran planned to send hundreds of the bomb-carrying drones to Russia to aid its war on Ukraine. While Iran initially denied it, the head of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has boasted in recent days about arming the world’s top powers.
The Ukrainian military’s Strategic Communications Directorate published images of the wreckage of the drone. It resembled a triangle, or delta-shaped, drone flown by Iran known as the Shahed, or “Witness” in Farsi.
The military official and the website both said Ukrainian troops encountered the drone near Kupiansk amid Kyiv’s offensive that has punched through Russian lines around Kharkiv on the eastern front.
The image suggested the Shahed drone had been shot down by Ukrainian forces and hadn’t detonated on impact as designed, though little other information was immediately released by Kyiv. An inscription on the drone identified it as an “M214 Gran-2,” which didn’t immediately correspond to known Russian weaponry.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran has multiple version of the Shahed, which have overflown a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, been used by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, attacked oil depots in Saudi Arabia and allegedly killed two sailors aboard an oil tanker off Oman in 2021. The triangle-shaped Shahed is believed to have a range of around 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), though Iran has offered few details.
Experts refer to such bomb-carrying drones as “loitering munitions.” The drone flies to a destination, likely programmed before its flight, and either explodes in the air over the target or on impact against it.
Iran has drawn closer to Russia as it faces crushing sanctions over the collapse of the nuclear deal in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the accord. Negotiations over the deal, which saw Iran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for sanctions being lifted, again appear deadlocked.
Ukraine and Iran also have tense relations, stemming from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shooting down a Ukrainian passenger jet in 2020, killing all 176 people on board.
___
Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-ukraine-military-claims-downing-iran-drone-used-by-russia/ | 2022-09-13T22:40:12Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/ap-ukraine-military-claims-downing-iran-drone-used-by-russia/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What we learned at NYFW
A fashion week brings together designers, brands, buyers, media and fans to create an event that serves as the wind and rudder for the current and upcoming seasons. It influences trends and guides the industry to a destination that was unknown before the event. One of the biggest, most important fashion weeks in the world is New York Fashion Week.
Trends that emerged at NYFW
The focus is on the waist
This week, the focus was on the waist — particularly the belt. Some models wore broad, oversized belts that covered from the hips to the bottom of the ribs. However, there were just as many outfits that were drawing attention to the midsection with chains and glittering ropes.
Browns and pinks are in
We’re not talking about subdued pastels. The browns at this fall event were rich and chocolatey, while the pinks were a vibrant candy color.
Space dyeing is trending
Another popular trend on the runway was space dyeing. Space dyeing gives yarn a multicolored effect that’s vaguely reminiscent of tie-dye. However, the overall effect is much different because of the texture of the yarn and the random way the colors line up.
Sparkles are looking bright this season
One popular trend in this week’s clothing was reflective material. Glitter, sequins, sparkles and more — the flashier the clothing, the better.
Maxi dresses are still in
Long dresses have not gone out of style. If anything, they’re more flamboyant than ever. Looks ran the gamut, including puffy, slinky and sparkling, in hot pinks and rich browns.
Ribs and shoulders, anyone?
Tastefully revealing a little skin is a timeless fashion trend. On the runway, earth-toned, off-the-shoulder dresses were big. For those with a little more daring, tops that revealed the lower ribs were popular.
Corsets and bustiers, courtesy of ‘Bridgerton’
We don’t really know if “Bridgerton” was the inspiration, but bustiers and corsets worn as outer garments were prevalent at this fall’s event.
Tweed gets a reboot
A reboot is something normally reserved for movies and TV, but after this year, tweed will get a fresh start. Many designers repurposed the fabric, moving it from elbows to flirty, revealing tops, pants and skirts.
9 trending pieces you can buy now
Michael Michael Kors Leather Stretch Faux Snakeskin Belt
This faux snakeskin leather belt is 2.75 inches wide, making it a fashionable, attention-getting cinch that provides a stylish accent to your ensemble.
Sold by Macy’s
Steve Madden Women’s Resin Dangling Charm Chain Belt
When worn with a mocha top and bottom, this chic chain belt will give your fall look a bold pop that lets people have a glimpse of your edgy personality.
Sold by Macy’s
BCX Juniors’ Space-Dyed Tie-Hem Top
This cozy cranberry space-dyed top is perfect for family gatherings or a casual date night to an autumn event.
Sold by Macy’s
PrettyGuide Women’s Sparkly Sequin Tank Top
According to NYFW, sparkles are in. The gorgeous gold, coffee and black blend in this top is a fun and flashy option.
Sold by Amazon
Betsy and Adam Ruched Cutout Bodycon Dress
This stunning off-the-shoulder, ruched, bodycon dress would make Elle Woods envious with its monochromatic vibrant pink color.
Sold by Macy’s
Verdusa Women’s O Ring Cutout Maxi Dress
This strikingly elegant maxi dress checks all the right Fashion Week boxes. It’s long, chocolate brown and has tantalizingly tasteful cutouts just under the ribs.
Sold by Amazon
Parthea Satin Spaghetti Strap Bustier Top
If a racier look is more your style, this brown satin top has a bold bustier style that would make it perfect for an event or special night out.
Sold by Amazon
Calvin Klein Women’s Tweed Pencil Skirt
This tweed pencil skirt is smart and stylish. It pairs well with earthy tones and is appropriate for office attire or a friendly date.
Sold by Macy’s
SweatyRocks Hot Pink Tweed Mini Skirt
This hot pink tweed mini skirt is the definition of fun and flirty. You can wear it to work and head right out to happy hour without needing to change.
Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wpri.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/dresses-br/as-new-york-fashion-week-continues-here-are-9-trending-pieces-you-can-buy-now/ | 2022-09-13T22:40:47Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/dresses-br/as-new-york-fashion-week-continues-here-are-9-trending-pieces-you-can-buy-now/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
How to use smart home routines
Smart home devices are more popular than ever, but many underestimate what you can do with them. Voice assistants let you create routines that make your life easier, especially when used in tandem with other smart devices. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about smart home routines.
Everything you need to know about smart home routines
What is a smart home routine?
These routines are a series of actions that happen in response to a specific command or event. You can trigger them at a particular time or when you say a certain phrase.
In many cases, they rely on other smart home devices to carry out the actions necessary for the routine. For example, you can use smart bulbs to turn your lights on each morning.
What can you do with smart home routines?
Smart home routines often control lighting, but the sky is the limit when you have numerous smart devices in your house.
According to Vazquez, “some fun ones are specific greetings for video doorbells; when someone rings it, you can have it deliver a particular greeting message and turn on a light. If you have a smart garage door opener, it can determine your proximity, open the garage, turn on some lights and let your family know you’re home.”
If you have kids, you can create routines to help them go to bed or get ready for school. For example, you may have the lights blink or dim when it’s close to bedtime.
How to set up a smart home routine
The process varies depending on the voice assistant you use. Still, in most cases, you begin by navigating to your device’s settings and clicking on “routines.”
Most voice assistants have numerous preset routines. If you want to design your own, simply follow the on-screen prompts and select the devices you want to use, the things you’d like those devices to do and the command you’ll use to trigger the routine.
Alexa devices have several options to trigger routines; these options can be found in the “when this happens” menu. If you select the “voice” option, you can use a particular voice command to start your routine, whereas the “schedule” option starts it automatically at a specified time. You can use the schedule option to create recurring routines.
If you choose the “smart home” option, you can trigger the routine in response to one of your device’s smart sensors. For example, you can use this option to turn on a fan or air conditioner if your smart thermostat determines your home exceeds a specific temperature.
Alexa devices also have a “sound detection” option that can trigger routines in response to everyday sounds, such as a baby crying or a dog barking. This feature is ideal for notifying you when your child or pet needs you.
Which devices do you need to optimize your routines?
Smart plugs are the most versatile addition to your routines. These devices let you turn lamps, appliances and other devices on and off. If you want to incorporate your home’s lighting, you may want to consider a few smart bulbs throughout your home.
Smart thermostats can detect temperature changes in your home for routines, and Amazon’s Echo Show device can trigger routines in response to detecting a particular person.
If you incorporate your smart coffee maker into your routine, you can wake up to a hot pot of coffee every morning. Additionally, if you have a smart lock, you can use it to ensure your doors are locked after you leave for work.
Smart light strips can add ambiance to your entertainment room when you sit down to relax for the day. You can use your robot vacuum in your smart home routine to ensure you come home to a clean house.
Smart home routine FAQ
Is there a particular voice assistant that’s best for smart home routines?
A. According to Vazquez, ”they’re all good at it. In general, Alexa is the best for ease of use, Google is the best for voice recognition and Apple is the best for privacy.”
How many routines can you have on Alexa?
A. Currently, you can have up to 99 routines on your Alexa device.
Smart home devices our expert recommended
TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Four-Pack
These can be paired with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. You can group separate outlets when creating routines, making them work more efficiently. You can use the Kasa app to track each device’s power consumption.
Sold by Amazon
This features an 8-inch HD touch screen display. It has a built-in camera you can use to enhance your smart home routines. It has a cover you can use to protect your privacy when you don’t need the camera.
Sold by Amazon
MyQ Chamberlain Garage Door Sensor
Installation and setup are quick and easy. You can use this to open and close your garage door via your phone, voice command or smart home routine. It’s a great way to determine whether you’ve left your garage door open while away from home.
Sold by Amazon
You can lock and unlock your door via your smartphone or Apple HomeKit. It can use geofencing technology to unlock your door when you get home. Its discreet design doesn’t let others know you have a smart lock.
Sold by Amazon
Philips Hue Bluetooth Smart Lightstrip
These lights can produce numerous colors to create an ideal environment for entertainment, get-togethers or studying. It’s easy to set up and can be used as a night light. It’s compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and Microsoft Cortana.
Sold by Amazon
This can play videos, help your kids with homework or enable kid-centric smart home routines. It features a fun chameleon design.
Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Cody Stewart writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wpri.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/smart-home-br/how-to-design-your-first-smart-home-routine-according-to-our-tech-expert/ | 2022-09-13T22:40:54Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/smart-home-br/how-to-design-your-first-smart-home-routine-according-to-our-tech-expert/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The 49ers have almost 40 players that aren’t under contract beyond this season. Two of those players currently play the same position in Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair. So the 49ers will likely have to choose which one of those players to pay this offseason. On today’s Oh, Hey There! podcast, Jason Aponte knows which way he’d go.
“When you say things critical of players, it comes off as hating, but I have not nearly been as high on Dre Greenlaw as I have Azeez Al-Shaair... You can’t bring both back next year unless Azeez wants to take a small deal.
You have a decision to make. 49ers fans love to tell me that Dre Greenlaw is a tackling machine and never misses tackles. Absolutely false. He does miss tackles. Also, I don’t know what games people are watching but you can’t miss tackles if you’re out of position.
Dre Greenlaw is a converted safety, and everybody loves his coverage skills because of that interception he made in that overtime game in 2019 against Seattle, which they lost. He looks lost! He’s got guys running right behind him, so he’s not even doing that!
Why is it that the narrative around Dre Greenlaw has become mostly populated because of the 2019 stop against Seattle? All of these narratives have popped up that are completely false. The tackling machine idea is wrong. The coverage skills thing is wrong. I had to get that off my chest. I take a lot of slack for being an Azeez guy. I do believe that Azeez Al-Shaair is the better football player, I’m sorry.”
There’s no question about it, Sunday was a terrible day for number 57. In addition to multiple back-breaking penalties, he also performed his regular duties poorly. Of course, these aren’t the end-all-be-all, but for context, PFF had Greenlaw as one of the 49ers’ second worst defensive players at 44.9 in 58 snaps. Al-Shaair, by contrast, was in the top five for defensive players at 70.4 in 30 snaps.
Aponte continued, “I believe that 49ers fans have jumped in front of him to take any sort of darts that anyone throws because he stopped somebody in 2019 in Seattle. They just forget the rest of the stuff. Come on, man. There were games after that...Dre Greenlaw is a microcosm for the undisciplined play that we saw in this game.”
Jason did admit that one of the penalties on Greenlaw was a ticky-tack unnecessary roughness flag, but that doesn’t absolve the rest of what we saw in Chicago. With contracts looming for both he and Azeez after the season, it will be interesting to see how the 49ers divide the snaps between those two players going forward.
Other topics in today’s show
- The 49ers dominated everywhere but the scoreboard (1:53)
- Everything fell apart in the second half (4:25)
- Penalties are a trend for Kyle Shanahan’s teams (7:19)
- Dre Greenlaw was horrible (10:53)
- Talanoa Hufanga is that dude (18:42)
- Don’t take anything definitive away from this game for Trey Lance (21:09)
- We saw the growing pains everyone said we’d see (29:52)
- The offensive line’s problems were on the edges (30:39)
- Trent Williams has a tell? (34:48)
- Elijah Mitchell is out...now what? (37:25)
- Is it panic time for the 49ers? (45:56) | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/13/23351198/49ers-greenlaw-oh-hey-there | 2022-09-13T22:41:14Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/13/23351198/49ers-greenlaw-oh-hey-there | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As expected, the 49ers placed running back Elijah Mitchell on the injured reserve, as he’s expected to miss two months with a sprained MCL. His replacement will be Marlon Mack, who the team announced they signed to the practice squad.
In October of 2021, the Niners were one of four teams that put a preliminary inquiry on Mack when he was available. Mack was previously with the Texans before spending five years with the Colts.
OL Keith Ismael was signed to the practice squad. Both OL Keaton Sutherland and WR Connor Wedington were released from the Practice squad.
ESPN’s Field Yates reported the team also worked out Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, Nate McCrary, Abram Smith, La’Mical Perine, and Godwin Igwebuiki before hosting Mack.
Mack once had a promising future in the NFL before a series of injuries derailed him. Since 2018, Mack has had a Grade 2 hamstring train, a concussion, a fractured hand, and a Grade 3 torn Achilles | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/13/23351837/49ers-injury-news-mitchell-mack | 2022-09-13T22:41:20Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/9/13/23351837/49ers-injury-news-mitchell-mack | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A prehistoric human skeleton has been found in a cave system that was flooded at the end of the last ice age 8,000 years ago, according to a cave-diving archaeologist on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
Archaeologist Octavio del Rio said he and fellow diver Peter Broger saw the shattered skull and skeleton partly covered by sediment in a cave near where the Mexican government plans to build a high-speed tourist train through the jungle.
Given the distance from the cave entrance, the skeleton couldn’t have gotten there without modern diving equipment, so it must be over 8,000 years old, Del Rio said, referring to the era when rising sea levels flooded the caves.
“There it is. We don’t know if the body was deposited there or if that was where this person died,” said Del Rio. He said that the skeleton was located about 8 meters (26 feet) underwater, about a half-kilometer (one third of a mile) into the cave system.
Some of the oldest human remains in North America have been discovered in the sinkhole caves known as “cenotes” on the country’s Caribbean coast, and experts say some of those caves are threatened by the Mexican government’s Maya Train tourism project.
Del Rio, who has worked with the National Institute of Anthropology and History on projects in the past, said he had notified the institute of the discovery. The institute did not immediately respond to questions about whether it intended to explore the site.
But Del Rio said Tuesday that institute archaeologist Carmen Rojas told him that the site was registered and would be investigated by the institute’s Quintana Roo state branch Holocene Archaeology Project.
He stressed that the cave — whose location he did not reveal because of a fear the site could be looted or disturbed — was near where the government has cut down a swath of jungle to lay train tracks, and could be collapsed, contaminated or closed off by the building project and subsequent development.
“There is a lot more study that has to be done in order to correctly interpret” the find, Del Rio said, noting that “dating, some kind of photographic studies and some collection” would be needed to determine exactly how old the skeleton is.
Del Rio has been exploring the region for three decades, and in 2002, he participated in the discovery and cataloguing of remains known as The Woman of Naharon, who died around the same time, or perhaps earlier, than Naia — the nearly complete skeleton of a young woman who died around 13,000 years ago. It was discovered in a nearby cave system in 2007.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is racing to finish his Maya Train project in the remaining two years of his term over the objections of environmentalists, cave divers and archaeologists. They say his haste will allow little time to study the ancient remains.
Activists say the heavy, high-speed rail project will fragment the coastal jungle and will run often above the fragile limestone caves, which — because they’re flooded, twisty and often incredibly narrow — can take decades to explore.
Caves along part of the coast already have been damaged by construction above them, with cement pilings used to support the weight above.
The 950-mile (1,500-kilometer) Maya Train line is meant to run in a rough loop around the Yucatan Peninsula, connecting beach resorts and archaeological sites.
The most controversial stretch cuts a more than 68-mile (110-kilometer) swath through the jungle between the resorts of Cancun and Tulum.
Del Rio said the route through the jungle should be abandoned and the train should be built over the already-impacted coastal highway between Cancun and Tulum, as was originally planned.
López Obrador abandoned the highway route after hotel owners voiced objections, and cost and traffic interruptions became a concern.
“What we want is for them to change to route at this spot, because of the archaeological finds that have been made there, and their importance,” said Del Rio. “They should take the train away from there and put it where they said they were going to build before, on the highway … an area that has already been affected, devastated.” | https://www.wpri.com/science/ap-science/ap-ancient-skeleton-found-in-mexico-cave-threatened-by-train/ | 2022-09-13T22:41:22Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/science/ap-science/ap-ancient-skeleton-found-in-mexico-cave-threatened-by-train/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Jordan Kyrou to an eight-year contract extension worth $65 million, the organization’s latest move to keep its top young players in the fold long term.
General manager Doug Armstrong announced the deal Tuesday, two months to the day since the Blues extended forward Robert Thomas for the identical contract terms. Each player counts $8.125 million against the salary cap from the start of the deal in 2023 through 2031.
Kyrou set career highs with 27 goals, 48 assists and 75 points in 74 games last season. He had 47 points in his first 99 NHL regular-season games.
Thomas is 23, while Kyrou is 24. St. Louis also has top four defensemen Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, Justin Faulk and Nicky Leddy signed for at least the next four seasons, and center Brayden Schenn is under contract for six more years.
Armstrong has reshaped the Blues since they won the Stanley Cup in 2019, the first championship in franchise history. Cup-winning goaltender Jordan Binnington signed long term, while then-captain Alex Pietrangelo left in free agency in 2020.
Two big questions still face the front office with key members of that title-winning team: Top center Ryan O’Reilly and winger Vladimir Tarasenko are each set to be a free agent after this upcoming season. O’Reilly figures to be part of the long-term core, something that’s far less certain with Tarasenko, who requested a trade in the summer of 2021 but remains with St. Louis.
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-blues-sign-jordan-kyrou-to-8-year-65-million-extension/ | 2022-09-13T22:41:58Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-blues-sign-jordan-kyrou-to-8-year-65-million-extension/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are not putting quarterback Dak Prescott on injured reserve after surgery on his right thumb, leaving open the possibility that he could return within the next four games.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on the team’s flagship radio station that the team wants Prescott “to be a consideration for playing within the next four games.” That is the minimum number of games a player has to miss if placed on injured reserve.
“We feel very good after surgery, after listening to the medical people, that Dak has a real chance to be back out there throwing the ball real quick,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan.
Prescott had surgery Monday, a day after he got hurt in the fourth quarter of a season-opening 19-3 loss at home to Tampa Bay. He was following through after releasing a pass when his right hand bent awkwardly after making hard contact with the raised hands of rushing linebacker Shaq Barrett.
“We think he can come in and play. So, we don’t want to not have him out there practicing. We want him getting prepared,” Jones said. “We’ll see how he handles this thing, how it heals, mainly his strength, how he can grip the ball, what his status is. That’s not being an optimist. The proof is we got a good surgery, got good technique, and feel better about it than we did the other night.”
Cooper Rush finished the game in Prescott’s place and is expected to start Sunday’s home game against defending AFC champion Cincinnati. Jones said it was “unlikely” that the Cowboys would add a veteran quarterback, and instead would stick with backup quarterbacks Rush and Will Grier.
“Those guys know the offense well. They’ve had a lot of reps in it and consequently give us our best shot,” Jones said. “It’s unlikely that you have a veteran quarterback that could get back in here and be ready to play as well as those guys can play, even if you thought you might have a talent advantage.”
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-cowboys-wont-put-prescott-on-ir-for-possible-earlier-return/ | 2022-09-13T22:42:33Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-cowboys-wont-put-prescott-on-ir-for-possible-earlier-return/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(This is the final interview report with a panel of African writers on August 7. For the transcripts: YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=GN6IcDGTAzE
Facebook: https://fb.watch/eLOPycx-MF/)
In an earlier piece, I traced the historiography of African literature and wrote about anticipations of how the panelists at the last edition of the Toyin Falola Interviews (in conjunction with the Pan-African Writers Association) would propose ways of rethinking African literature. Today, I will be spotlighting and extrapolating the views of Cheru, the only female panelist and the Vice President (Southern Region) of the Association. Cheru had many interesting perspectives on the questions and issues raised.
There is largely an imbalance between the financial stability of critics and writers, based mainly on the fact that a higher percentage of critics are employed at universities, thus having a stable source of income compared to literary writers. In stating her perception of this imbalance and approaches to springing up a reward system that balances the financial strength of both critics and writers, Cheru started with writers’ mentality and our perception of writing—especially as a full-time job—as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to writers’ achievement of financial stability.
Passion is the key ingredient in the making of literary writers, which makes the bulk of writers venture into writing as a means of expressing themselves and connecting with their deep passion for literature and writing. However, it should be known that passion is not enough to build a successful writing career. The writer must step out from the mentality of writing as a second option and realize that it is a full-time career that passionate writers can pursue, thus approaching writing as a professional. This means that writers need to improve their writing skills and develop a career path that can help them turn a profit.
Cheru further went towards the controversial side when she stated she does not see any excuse for writers to be poor or “unable to put food on their table.” As controversial as this may seem, Cheru is not wrong because there are several opportunities out there that literary writers can tap into once they have taken writing as a professional career and not just as a hobby. Writers can earn money through the ability to market their ideas.
In reality, many African writers do not invest enough in producing, promoting, and distributing their works, which could be due to the lack of funds to invest in such. However, professionalism is required at every stage of the book creation process, from story-writing through publishing to distribution and promotion. Writers should be ready to be strategic about the stories they want to tell, the impacts they hope to make, and the people they want to engage with their stories. They should be prepared to attend events, launch their books, and promote them. They must learn to network with other writers and join the right writing communities.
Another issue relating to African literature is African writers positioning themselves for prizes, especially Western prizes. These prizes, among other things, provide writers with references and proof of their outstanding works. Some of these prizes come with substantial monetary rewards that serve as the gateway to more opportunities for several writers on a continent where success in the writing world is based largely on grit, talent, and passion, with the stark absence of access to practical writing-related degrees and writing workshops.
Notably, all the panelists at the last discussion are award-winning writers. Having won writing-related awards in the past could well have given credence to their emergence during the selection process because awards and recognition are a good means of gauging one’s impacts and qualifications across all walks of life. The question that rears its head then is: what does winning awards, or otherwise, mean for one’s career as a literary writer, African literature as a whole, and for up-and-coming writers? Prize obsession could evolve into a fast-spreading phenomenon if it has not already. Thus, is prize obsession justified, given that winning awards and prizes could contribute to a writer’s career?
For Cheru, awards and prizes should not be the focus, and she strongly advocates against them. As she said, some of these awards and prizes have the style and pattern they look for in literary works. Only writers who pander to the box created by the awarding institutions qualify for the awards and eventually win. Cheru believes that the bulk of the awarding institutions from the West, which are incidentally the institutions with substantial monetary rewards for African writers, tend to favor negative African stories or those that portray Africa as that suffering, never-to-develop continent of people who look up to and need the salvation of the West. It may seem counter-intuitive to advocate against prize obsession, as there is a need to balance the reward system for writers and raise awareness of their financial stability.
However, having many African literary works pandering toward certain narratives with the hopes of winning prizes does not augur well for the continent. Thus, African writers need not write for prizes. This is not to say writers be anti-prize or reject nominations. Cheru’s message is that writers should write for all the reasons they want to, strive to document Africa’s history, and portray Africa as a continent rich in human and natural resources. They could very well opt for writing against the ills in African society and the poor leadership that bedevils the continent. But the primary motivating factor for writing should not be the hopes that such writing will get nominated for foreign prizes. If the prizes come in the end, then writers can celebrate.
It is also important to encourage the new generation of African writers to find their voice and write without pandering to the style and narrative awarding institutions watch out for in African literature. Success for literary writers should not necessarily be measured by how many awards they win. Success can also be defined by how well one’s literary works meet the demands of one’s audiences. In defining African literature from a gender perspective, there are questions like: Should there be a special focus on writings by African women and for African women? Should we give special attention to writing by African women? Should there be dedicated support for grooming female African writers? These are sub-forms of larger questions of gender equality, equal opportunities for all, and feminism.
Cheru does not subscribe to the idea that African literary works should be segmented across gender lines. For her, some female-related African literary works are sponsored, and the sponsors have some narratives they want to foster. This puts writers under pressure to write what fits into the narrative, thus crippling their creative freedom, as the focus is placed on highlighting issues rather than writing naturally and on the basis that there is an audience that needs to be reached with the writer’s creative thought flows. Cheru also believes that there is a generalization of Africa-related cultural beliefs and values viz-a-viz the treatment and consideration of women. Of truth, several African traditional practices are flawed in their treatment and acknowledgment of the female gender. However, Cheru believes that the roots of these issues run deeper than what sponsored gender-based African literary works currently portray and that it is a multi-perspective issue that must be addressed.
There is also the need to strategically boost the visibility of African writers and African literature. All over the world, public places like airports and train stations and even hotels are good points of call for literary works; sadly, African literature is missing from the equation. There is the need to give visibility to African books in a way that shows we are ready to actively promote literature by our people. Rethinking African literature entails reforming African literary writers’ mindset, as well as the mentality toward African literature. African writers need to be more audience-aware, to better understand the trends in world literature and how to make Africa the centerpiece of those trends. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/monica-cheru-on-rethinking-african-literature/ | 2022-09-13T22:43:17Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/monica-cheru-on-rethinking-african-literature/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Activist says Chicago police covered up incident with woman being run over by squad car
CHICAGO - A video of a woman being run over by a Chicago Police SUV surfaced in 2019, and now, one activist believes the Chicago Police Department is hiding something.
Activist William Calloway spoke about a possible coverup Tuesday.
After a legal court battle, Calloway was able to get the video showing Martina Standley being run over. However, his lawyers were unsuccessful at getting emails and messages regarding the incident and was initially denied public records.
Calloway is now seeking $720,000 in civil penalties and attorney's fees.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE
"Chicago Police Department has not responded to any of our discovery requests, they're hiding something," said Calloway.
Standley died earlier this year. The cause and manner of death is still pending.
The mayor's office and Chicago Police Department declined to comment on the pending litigation. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/activist-says-chicago-police-covered-up-incident-with-woman-being-run-over-by-squad-car | 2022-09-13T22:55:19Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/activist-says-chicago-police-covered-up-incident-with-woman-being-run-over-by-squad-car | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cook County Sheriff's Office looking to hire
PALOS HILLS, Ill. - At Moraine Valley Community College, recruits are training to join the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Just like other law enforcement agencies, Cook County is dealing with the great resignation and needs recruits.
It is a physical job – no question about it.
Fourteen weeks of physical, learning tactics and lots of classes like mental health and de-escalation.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE
Cook County is looking for more hires. They are down about 300, and that’s just in the jail.
These recruits will start in the jail and become a police officer with the sheriff’s office if they have to go through even more training.
One recruit told FOX 32 Chicago they wanted to join the sheriff’s office because she grew up around the jail.
"Just having police presence around always made the community feel safer. And I feel like I could just be a really good role model for the children in my neighborhood. There's definitely other options out there besides drugs and crime, you know, something I want to let them know," said Claudette Castrejon. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cook-county-sheriffs-office-looking-to-hire | 2022-09-13T22:55:32Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cook-county-sheriffs-office-looking-to-hire | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Family of Kankakee inmate who died in custody demands answers
KANKAKEE, Ill. - An Illinois family is demanding answers, after a man died in the custody of federal agents.
Dwayne Tucker, 32, was a federal detainee transferred by U.S. Marshalls to Combs Detention Center in Kankakee.
Early reports indicate Tucker died because of extreme dehydration, which caused kidney failure and swelling on the brain.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE
Family members say they became concerned when they learned that the Kankakee County sheriff engaged in what sheriffs called a "scuffle" with Tucker, and then failed to take him to his scheduled court hearing at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on August 30.
Days later, the family was told Tucker was in Riverside Hospital. The next day, he died.
"September 8th, he was intubated, he was on life support, he was bruised, he was battered, his body was covered from head to toe with scars and scrapes and contusions," said the family's attorney, John Erickson. "He was severely dehydrated, so dehydrated in fact that it caused kidney damage. The kidney damage led to brain swelling, which ultimately resulted in his death."
The Kankakee County Sheriff's Department did not respond to FOX 32's request for comment on this story. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/family-of-kankakee-inmate-who-died-in-custody-demands-answers | 2022-09-13T22:55:38Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/family-of-kankakee-inmate-who-died-in-custody-demands-answers | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kenneth Starr, Clinton whitewater prosecutor and former federal judge, dies at 76
WASHINGTON (AP) - Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment and put Starr at the center of one of the country’s most polarizing debates of the 1990s, has died at age 76, his family said Tuesday.
Starr died at a hospital Tuesday of complications from surgery, according to his former colleague, attorney Mark Lanier. He said Starr had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Houston for about four months.
For many years, Starr’s stellar reputation as a lawyer seemed to place him on a path to the Supreme Court. At age 37, he became the youngest person ever to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia also had served. From 1989-93, Starr was the solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, arguing 25 cases before the Supreme Court.
RELATED: Linda Tripp of Clinton-Lewinsky scandal fame dead at 70
Roberts said Tuesday: "Ken loved our country and served it with dedication and distinction. He led by example, in the legal profession, public service, and the community."
American lawyer and independent counsel Ken Starr (standing, left) testifies before the House Judiciary Committee during his investigation of President Clinton, Washington DC, November 1998. (Photo by Rebecca Roth/CQ Roll Call Photograph Collection/P
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remembered Starr Tuesday as "a brilliant litigator, an impressive leader, and a devoted patriot."
Despite his impressive legal credentials, nothing could have prepared him for the task of investigating a sitting president.
In a probe that lasted five years, Starr looked into fraudulent real estate deals involving a long-time Clinton associate, delved into the removal of documents from the office of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster after his suicide and assembled evidence of Clinton’s sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. Each of the controversies held the potential to do serious, perhaps fatal, damage to Clinton’s presidency.
As Clinton’s legal problems worsened, the White House pilloried Starr as a right-wing fanatic doing the bidding of Republicans bent on destroying the president.
Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Impeachment Inquiry 19 November on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Starr is expected to testify that US President Bill Clinton misused "the machinery of government" to
"The assaults took a toll" on the investigation, Starr told a Senate committee in 1999. "A duly authorized federal law enforcement investigation came to be characterized as yet another political game. Law became politics by other means."
In a bitter finish to his investigation of the Lewinsky affair that engendered still more criticism, Starr filed a report, as the law required, with the U.S. House of Representatives. He concluded that Clinton lied under oath, engaged in obstruction of justice and followed a pattern of conduct that was inconsistent with the president’s constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. House Republicans used Starr’s report as a roadmap in the impeachment of the president, who was acquitted in a Senate trial.
In 2020, he was recruited to help represent Trump in his first impeachment trial. In a memorable statement to Congress, Starr said "we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the ‘age of impeachment.’" He said that "like war, impeachment is hell, or at least presidential impeachment is hell."
Clinton’s legal problems began during the 1992 presidential campaign. Questions arose over the candidate’s ties to the owner of a failed Arkansas savings and loan. The issue faded quickly. But it caught the attention of federal regulators, who began looking into whether money from the S&L had been diverted to a real estate venture called Whitewater in which Bill and Hillary Clinton and the S&L’s owner, Jim McDougal, shared a financial interest.
Bowing to intense political pressure from Republicans and some members of his own party, Clinton called for appointment of a special counsel to investigate Whitewater. A three-member appeals court for independent counsels selected Starr.
On the Whitewater front, Starr’s prosecutors investigated Mrs. Clinton’s legal work for Jim McDougal’s S&L. Both she and the president were questioned by Starr’s prosecutors and their videotaped depositions were played for juries in criminal trials of McDougal and his ex-wife Susan. Neither of the Clintons was ever charged in connection with Whitewater.
The investigation of Clinton’s intimate relationship with Lewinsky was a Washington spectacle.
In 1995, Lewinsky went to work at the White House as an intern. During the government shutdown late that year, she and Clinton had a sexual encounter in a hallway near the Oval Office, the first of 10 sexual encounters over the next year and a half. Lewinsky confided the affair to a co-worker, Linda Tripp, who tape-recorded some of their conversations and brought the tapes to Starr’s prosecutors. Lewinsky was granted immunity from prosecution and became Starr’s chief witness against the president, who had denied having sexual relations with her.
Putting the investigation behind him, Starr embarked on a career in academia, first as dean of the law school at Pepperdine University where he taught constitutional issues and civil procedures, then as president of Baylor University in his home state of Texas. He also became an author, writing "First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life."
Starr was demoted from the presidency at Baylor in 2016 amid a sex assault scandal that rocked the Big 12 school and its football program, as women alleged campus leaders at the nation’s largest Baptist school bungled or ignored their assault complaints. Baylor eventually settled with several women who filed a cascade of lawsuits, including a case where the victim of a 2015 attack accused Baylor of fostering a "hunting ground for sexual predators."
The school’s board of regents allowed Starr to stay on as chancellor and law school professor, jobs that carried no "operational" duties at Baylor. He resigned altogether a few months later. Football coach Art Briles also was fired.
A review commissioned by the school found that under Starr, school administrators discouraged students from reporting or participating in student conduct reviews, and even contributed to or accommodated a "hostile" environment against the alleged victims.
In a statement, Starr apologized to "those victims who were not treated with the care, concern, and support they deserve."
Starr was born in Vernon, a small Texas town near the Oklahoma state, and raised in San Antonio. He earned his B.A. from George Washington University in 1968, his M.A. from Brown University in 1969 and his J.D. degree from Duke University Law School in 1973. He was a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger from 1975 to 1977.
As a young attorney at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, Starr worked with William French Smith, who became attorney general in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Starr became counselor to Smith, and from there was nominated by Reagan to the federal appeals court.
Bleiberg reported from Dallas. Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin, Terry Wallace in Dallas and the late Pete Yost contributed to this report. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/kenneth-starr-clinton-whitewater-prosecutor-and-former-federal-judge-dies-at-76 | 2022-09-13T22:55:50Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/kenneth-starr-clinton-whitewater-prosecutor-and-former-federal-judge-dies-at-76 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New accessible, affordable housing development nearly complete in Maywood
MAYWOOD, Ill. - A new affordable and accessible housing development is nearing completion in the village of Maywood.
On Tuesday, village and state leaders gathered with developers for a delayed groundbreaking ceremony.
Construction on the Access Health and Housing Unit began this past winter.
The unit is the latest under the "Home First Program," which creates affordable, accessible scattered-site housing specifically for people with a broad range of disabilities.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE
The project is partially funded through tax dollars.
"To me, when I see projects like this come to fruition, it's because of my ‘why,'" said State Rep. and Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch. "It's important that we help people."
Over the last 10 years, more than 300 ‘Home First’ homes have been created across the state including Chicago, Berwyn, Park Forest, Bellwood and Forest Park. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/new-accessible-affordable-housing-development-nearly-complete-in-maywood | 2022-09-13T22:55:56Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/new-accessible-affordable-housing-development-nearly-complete-in-maywood | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Man in wheelchair injured in North Austin hit-and-run, 17-year-old driver charged
AUSTIN, Texas - A 17-year-old was arrested and charged after he hit a pedestrian, and left the area in North Austin.
Police said on Saturday, Sept. 3, around 9:58 a.m., officers responded to a call about a pedestrian who was hit by a vehicle in the parking lot of 9200 N. Lamar Blvd.
The pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital by EMS.
A preliminary investigation revealed the pedestrian was crossing the parking lot in his electric wheelchair when he saw a vehicle driving recklessly. He signaled the driver to slow down, police said.
At that time, the driver hit the pedestrian and left the area.
During the investigation, detectives identified the suspect vehicle and suspect as Pablo Antonio Avila-Banagas, 17.
Pablo Antonio Avila-Banagas, 17.
Avila-Banagas was taken to the Travis County Jail on Sept. 9. He was charged with Failure to Stop and Render Aid, Injury to a Disabled Person, Unlawful Carry of a Weapon, and Failure to Identify in Relation to this Case.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Highway Investigation Tip Line at 512-974-8111, utilize the Crime Stoppers tip line at 512-472-8477 (TIPS), or the Crime Stoppers app. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/north-austin-texas-wheelchair-pedestrian-hit-and-run-crash | 2022-09-13T22:56:02Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/north-austin-texas-wheelchair-pedestrian-hit-and-run-crash | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Old Copley Hospital in Aurora transformed to apartment community for people with disabilities
AURORA, Ill. - After sitting vacant for 25 years, a hospital in Aurora reopened Tuesday with a new purpose.
The old Copley Hospital Campus was revitalized with a $125 million investment.
The new development, called Weston Bridges, is a 53-unit, single-bedroom residential community.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE
It will be used as an apartment community for people with intellectual, cognitive and developmental disabilities. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/old-copley-hospital-in-aurora-transformed-to-apartment-community-for-people-with-disabilities | 2022-09-13T22:56:08Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/old-copley-hospital-in-aurora-transformed-to-apartment-community-for-people-with-disabilities | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
'The Janes' posters vandalized ahead of documentary screening in Bucktown
CHICAGO - An HBO documentary tells the story of a Chicago-based group that helped thousands get abortions before Roe V. Wade.
It's called "The Janes."
Posters promoting the event were recently vandalized with spray paint crossing out the women's faces.
Organizers say they remain committed to promoting education and activism of abortion rights.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE
A screening of the film is being held Tuesday night in Bucktown.
The screen will take place at Holstein Park at 7 p.m., and it will also feature a "Q & A" with four members of the Jane Collective, and several abortion providers and advocacy groups. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/the-janes-posters-vandalized-ahead-of-documentary-screening-in-bucktown | 2022-09-13T22:56:27Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/the-janes-posters-vandalized-ahead-of-documentary-screening-in-bucktown | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Slow but Steady Warming Trend
No real shot at rain for awhile
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Terrific weather rolled into our Tuesday! We’ll have plenty more sunshine to enjoy Wednesday after another cool, comfy overnight.
A gradual warming trend that began Tuesday will last into the weekend. Daytime highs warm back above seasonal averages with warmer overnight lows. Conditions look great for the Hot Rods playoff game vs. the Rome Braves Thursday night as well as “Over the Edge” happening in downtown BG this weekend. Skies stay fair with no significant chance for rain through at least Tuesday.
Bowling Green 3 day forecast:
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny. High 82. Low 58. Winds NE at 5 mph.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny. High 85. Low 60. Winds E at 6 mph.
FRIDAY: Sunny and warmer. High 87. Low 63. Winds SE at 7 mph.
Today’s Climate Info for Bowling Green:
Today’s High: 81
Today’s Low: 57
Normal High: 84
Normal Low: 61
Record High: 100 (1939)
Record Low: 36 (1902)
Today’s Precip: 0.00″
Monthly Precip: 2.21″ (+0.57″)
Yearly Precip: 35.46″ (-0.95″)
Today’s Snowfall: 0.0″
Monthly Snowfall: 0.0″
Seasonal Snowfall: 15.5″
Today’s Sunset: 6:56 p.m.
Tomorrow’s Sunrise: 6:27 a.m.
Health & Allergies:
Air Quality: Good (Ozone Count: 18 /Small Particulate Matter: 34)
Mold Count: Moderate (6566 - Mold Spore Count)
UV Index: High (7)
Pollen: 9.3 (High - Ragweed)
Copyright 2022 WBKO. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/09/13/slow-steady-warming-trend/ | 2022-09-13T22:57:19Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/09/13/slow-steady-warming-trend/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
San Diego, California, is preparing for what it expects to be the busiest cruise season since 2010. Officially starting September 19, the cruise port expects to welcome 140 cruises, more than 45% more than last year, and 460,000 passengers will be visiting the Southern Californian city.
San Diego’s Cruise Season About to Set Sail
The cruise industry is operating at full capacity again, something the Port of San Diego is noticing while it prepares for the start of the cruise season on the US West Coast. This year, the cruise port expects to welcome 140 cruise ships, starting on September 19 with the arrival of Windstar’s Star Breeze.
This season will be the busiest the port has been since 2010, marking a massive 45% increase compared to last year, with the ships bringing approximately 460,000 passengers.
“The Port of San Diego’s cruise business is definitely experiencing a rebound and we expect continued growth,” said Port of San Diego Chairman Dan Malcolm. “We’re pleased to be welcoming our cruise customers back to San Diego and to share how wonderful our port is to our cruise passengers. This season’s business will be a great boost to our regional economy.”
The choice for San Diego by this many ships is no surprise. The Port’s two cruise ship terminals on B Street and Broadway piers are conveniently located downtown, offering easy access to city attractions and waterfront hotels and restaurants. The terminals are also close to unique historic neighborhoods like Little Italy and the Gaslamp Quarter.
Disney Cruise Line Doubles Sailings
Although Star Breeze will open the season in San Diego on September 19, the focus will be on Disney Cruise Line sailings from San Diego this year. The company has doubled its scheduled sailings from 24 to 51 calls this cruise season. Disney Wonder will arrive on September 23 to start its Mexican Riviera sailings.
Besides Disney and Windstar, Princess Cruises will also be operating from San Diego, offering thirteen cruises in what is the first season the California-based cruise line homeports from the city.
Other cruise lines to sail from San Diego include Holland America Line with a 94-day Australia and New Zealand Cruise, Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line. Voyages from MSC Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Scenic Luxury Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and American Queen Voyages will also call in San Diego.
Due to its proximity to Mexico, the Port of San Diego is an ideal base for cruise lines to offer short cruises to the Mexican Riviera, with popular cruise ports such as Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Ensenada.
San Diego Makes Improvements for the Future
Besides preparing for the upcoming cruise seas, San Diego is also getting ready for the future. The port is California’s third busiest cruise port after Long Beach and Los Angeles but hopes to make the necessary improvements to draw more ships to the port in the future.
These include significant repairs and improvements to the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal, a project to install a new curtain wall to extend the life and long-term stability of the pier structure, and doubled shore power capacity. | https://www.cruisehive.com/california-port-prepares-for-busiest-cruise-season-since-2010/81478 | 2022-09-13T22:58:21Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/california-port-prepares-for-busiest-cruise-season-since-2010/81478 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Carnival Horizon rendered aid to a small boat adrift north of Cuba, providing supplies to the occupants and permitting the craft to continue on its way, as was the occupants’ choice.
The encounter occurred on Monday, September 12, 2022, with five refugees impacted by the cruise ship’s actions.
Refugee Encounter Near Cuba
Tracking data shows that Carnival Horizon was slowly cruising east along the north coast of Cuba when the small craft was sighted.
Reports from passengers aboard the cruise ship noted that there were five individuals in the boat, which appeared to be drifting. Carnival Horizon rendered aid, providing food and water to the refugees before they continued on their way.
The cruise ship could have brought the individuals aboard, and they would have been transferred to the proper authorities, likely the United States Coast Guard. The individuals instead opted to remain with their craft and continue on their planned journey.
The cruise ship’s captain reported to guests that the rescue was a success, as aid was appropriately offered and the small boat was deemed safe for the refugees to continue.
The encounter happened at approximately 8 a.m. on September 12, while Carnival Horizon was enjoying a day at sea on its current 6-night Western Caribbean itinerary. After a brief delay to render aid, the cruise ship continued on its route.
There has been no change to Carnival Horizon‘s schedule, and the ship is spending Wednesday, September 13, at Ocho Rios, Jamaica as planned. The vessel departed Miami on Sunday, September 11, and will visit Grand Cayman and Cozumel later this week before returning to Miami on Saturday, September 17.
Carnival Horizon is a Vista-class vessel, weighing in at 133,500 gross tons and with the capacity to host 3,960 guests at double occupancy, and up to 4,977 passengers when fully booked with all berths filled.
Rescues on the Rise
Carnival cruise ships have been involved in a number of refugee rescues near Cuba in recent weeks.
Carnival Paradise rescued six Cuban migrants from a makeshift raft in late August, just three weeks after the same vessel rescued 20 refugees from an overloaded craft on July 31.
Carnival Sunrise performed a similar rescue on July 29, while the cruise line’s flagship, Mardi Gras, has performed three such rescues this year – two in June and one in January – assisting a total of more than 30 refugees.
Other cruise ships have also been involved in similar refugee encounters in 2022, including Celebrity Apex and Norwegian Breakaway.
By law and maritime tradition, cruise ships are bound to help anyone in distress at sea, no matter what the circumstances of those to be assisted. The Safety Of Life At Sea agreements (SOLAS) and the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea states:
“Every State shall require the master of a ship flying its flag, in so far as he can do so without serious damage to the ship, the crew, or the passengers… render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost [and] to proceed with all possible speed to the rescue of persons in distress, if informed of the need of assistance, in so far as such action may reasonably be expected of him.”
During these encounters, the cruise ship’s captain and officers will determine whether a small, drifting craft is in distress, and will offer aid. That aid may be providing food, water, or other supplies, or may include refueling a small vessel.
If a drifting craft is not deemed seaworthy or water conditions are too rough or otherwise unsafe, the refugees may be taken aboard the cruise ship. At that time, they would be offered food, water, shelter, and medical care as necessary.
With each encounter, the proper authorities are notified. If the refugees have been brought aboard the cruise ship, they will be turned over to authorities at the first available opportunity, which may mean a rendezvous with a Coast Guard vessel, or authorities will meet the refugees when the ship docks.
With political and economic turmoil on the rise in many areas, it is sadly not surprising that refugee encounters are becoming more common in recent months. | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-ship-assists-drifting-boat-in-the-caribbean/81444 | 2022-09-13T22:58:27Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-ship-assists-drifting-boat-in-the-caribbean/81444 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sailing 94 days with a circumnavigation of Australia and exploration of New Zealand, Holland America Line’s Grand Australia and New Zealand voyage onboard Volendam is the newest Grand Voyage released by the Seattle-based cruise line.
Sailing roundtrip from San Diego, there will be 43 port calls while visiting the Great Barrier Reef, the natural wonders of Hawaii and the South Pacific, and the lush landscapes of New Zealand.
Volendam’s Grand Voyage
Holland America Line’s Volendam will sail on a 94-day Grand Voyages on January 3, 2024, visiting 43 ports around Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, and Asia.
The Seattle-based cruise line has been working on several longer cruises over the past period, and this epic exploration is the newest addition to the company’s portfolio. A cruise that the cruise line has been in the making for over ten years.
Beth Bodensteiner, the chief commercial officer of Holland America Line: “Australia continues to be a sought-after cruising destination, and by offering it as a Grand Voyage we’re able to take our time and feature other beautiful locales like the islands of the South Pacific, New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef.”
“It’s been more than ten years since we’ve offered this Grand Voyage itinerary, and we listened to our guests who requested that we bring it back. The San Diego departure makes it easy for our North American guests to explore this region and make it a memorable journey along the way.”
Sailing from San Diego, the cruise includes a circumnavigation of Australia, a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, the Hawaiian islands and other islands around the Pacific Ocean, the Komodo dragons in Indonesia, and the incredible landscapes of New Zealand.
After 94 days, the 60,906 gross tons, 1,432-passenger Volendam will return to San Diego, California, ensuring that guests in the US or Canada will not have to endure extensive flights to be able to see some of the remotest destinations on earth.
Holland America Line’s Volendam has been in the news recently as the Dutch government uses it to house Ukrainian refugees in the Port of Rotterdam.
Shorter Grand Voyage Options Also Available
Highlights of the voyage include 43 port calls, with 17 of those in Australia. There will be four overnight calls in Fremantle and Sydney, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; Papeete, Tahiti, and two evening departures in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Brisbane, Australia.
Guests will be able to spend two full days of scenic cruising around the Great Barrier Reef, exploring the Ribbon Reef and Far North regions. There will also be scenic cruising in the Torres Strait between Australia and New Guinea and Milford Sound in New Zealand.
For the adventurous types, there will also be a visit to Komodo Island in Indonesia, the home of the stunning but frighteningly terrifying Komodo Dragons.
Holland America will provide local cultural entertainment and notable guest headliners for those days at sea and evening entertainment. Dining will be elevated to a new level with menus that change regularly, featuring local ingredients and regional cuisine.
While 94 days onboard is undoubtedly something that not many people will say no to, there are shorter options available for those that do not want to be or can’t be onboard for such an extended time. Opportunities exist for a 58-day segment from San Diego to Sydney and a 36-day segment from Sydney to San Diego.
Other Grand Voyages released by Holland America Line include the 2022 and 2023 Grand Africa Voyage, the 2023 and 2024 Grand World Voyages, and the 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage. | https://www.cruisehive.com/holland-america-line-details-94-day-roundtrip-voyage/81462 | 2022-09-13T22:58:33Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/holland-america-line-details-94-day-roundtrip-voyage/81462 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fiscal 2022 Highlights
- Revenue grew 12% to $507.2 million, compared to $452.5 million in Fiscal 2021.
- Net income grew to $5.6 million, compared to net loss of $7.1 million in Fiscal 2021.
- Adjusted EBITDA1 increased 7% to $88.8 million, compared to $83.1 million in Fiscal 2021. Excluding one-time items in Fiscal 2021, adjusted EBITDA1 increased 23% vs the prior year.
- Cash flow provided by operating activities was $33.1 million, compared to $105.7 million Fiscal 2021.
- Free Cash Flow1 was negative $17.4 million, compared to positive Free Cash Flow1 of $31.5 million in Fiscal 2021, reflecting higher accounts receivable associated with large deals, investments for growth and working capital timing.
Q4 2022 Highlights
- Revenue was $112.0 million, consistent with $112.6 million in Q4 2021.
- Net income was $1.1 million, compared to net income of $11.4 million in Q4 2021.
- Adjusted EBITDA1 was $11.4 million, compared with $19.2 million in Q4 2021.
- Cash used in operating activities was $6.5 million, compared to $22.7 million provided by operating activities in Q4 2021.
- Free Cash Flow1 was negative $4.7 million, compared with positive Free Cash Flow1 of $13.9 million in Q4 2021.
HALIFAX, NS, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - WildBrain Ltd. ("WildBrain" or the "Company") (TSX: WILD), a global leader in kids' and family entertainment, today reported its fourth-quarter ("Q4 2022") and year-end ("Fiscal 2022") results for the periods ended June 30, 2022.
Eric Ellenbogen, WildBrain CEO, said: "Over the last three years, we've deliberately built the resources and teams needed to create a unique, 360-degree platform for the end-to-end reactivation of beloved and evergreen entertainment brands from our deep vault of IP. This strategy was central to achieving growth in revenue and EBITDA for the second year running in Fiscal 2022. As the only independent kids' and family entertainment company with a full suite of in-house capabilities spanning production, distribution and licensing, we hold a truly unique and valuable position in today's evolving media landscape.
"Looking forward, we'll continue to execute against our 360-degree strategy. We have an incredibly strong content pipeline, and we're building earnings' momentum as we launch more of our branded IP to market and line up more consumer products opportunities for incremental growth in the coming years. We'll also continue targeting new partnerships and strategic acquisitions that will cement our position as one of the foremost producers of kids' and family content in today's market. With our strong management team and deep IP portfolio, we are well positioned to drive future growth."
Aaron Ames, WildBrain CFO, added: "Our improving financial performance in Fiscal 2022 reflects initial contributions from the IP activations and large deals we're doing. We'll continue to build on the investments we're making in the business to increase monetization of our assets and provide a solid foundation for sustainable growth. Looking to Fiscal 2023, we expect adjusted EBITDA between $95 million and $105 million."
Q4 2022 Performance – Executing on Priorities
Fiscal 2022 Financial Highlights
Fiscal 2022 revenue increased 12% to $507.2 million, compared to $452.5 million in Fiscal 2021, reflecting growth across our content-driven businesses in Content Production and Distribution, Spark and Consumer Products. In Q4 2022, revenue was $112.0 million, compared with $112.6 million in the prior year, as anticipated, given early execution in prior quarters of deals originally expected to close later in the year.
Content Production and Distribution revenue grew 12% to $206.6 million in Fiscal 2022, compared to $185.1 million in Fiscal 2021. Q4 2022 revenue increased 13% to $50.3 million vs $44.6 million in Q4 2021. These increases benefited from large distribution deals through the year, including with Amazon Prime, BBC, HBO Max and Hulu, as well as from a pipeline of premium productions, including Sonic Prime, Jonny JetBoy and a robust slate of new Peanuts content for Apple TV+. In January 2022, we licensed the Degrassi library to HBO Max, which they have been streaming since March, and entered into a contract to produce a new series of Degrassi. Our production of the new series has been paused. We are currently engaged in constructive discussions with HBO Max.
Consumer Products revenue increased 16% to $203.6 million in Fiscal 2022, compared to $175.2 million in Fiscal 2021, due to the strength of the Peanuts franchise, supported by consistent output of new content and synergies of our vertically integrated licensing business. Q4 2022 revenue was $41.8 million, compared with $44.2 million in Q4 2021, driven by timing of certain Peanuts collections at retail occurring earlier than anticipated in the year.
Fiscal 2022 Spark revenue increased 21% to $55.4 million, compared to $45.8 million in Fiscal 2021, driven by advertising revenue and increasing contribution from nascent revenue streams. Q4 2022 revenue at Spark was $11.3 million vs $11.7 million in Q4 2021, reflecting industry-wide softer advertising revenue in the current quarter, offset by growth in nascent revenue from direct-ad sales, paid media and digital production. Kids continued to be highly engaged on Spark, attracting 8.3 billion views across 50.5 billion minutes of videos watched on our network in Q4 2022, up 26% and 20% respectively compared with Q4 2021.
Gross Margin1 for Fiscal 2022 remained steady at 44% vs 43% in Fiscal 2021. Q4 2022 Gross Margin1 was 38% vs 41% in Q4 2021, reflecting consistent margins in the Content Business, offset by lower TV margins.
Fiscal 2022 cash flow provided by operating activities was $33.1 million, compared to $105.7 million in Fiscal 2021. Fiscal 2022 Free Cash Flow1 was negative $17.4 million, compared to positive Free Cash Flow1 of $31.5 million in Fiscal 2021. Cash used in operating activities in Q4 2022 was $6.5 million, compared to $22.7 million provided by operating activities in Q4 2021. Free Cash Flow1 was negative $4.7 million in Q4 2022, compared with positive Free Cash Flow1 of $13.9 million in Q4 2021. Free Cash Flow1 for Fiscal 2022 and Q4 2022 reflected the significant growth in accounts receivable associated with larger deals in the current year, additional SG&A for growth initiatives and working capital timing.
Fiscal 2022 adjusted EBITDA1 increased 7% to $88.8 million, compared to $83.1 million in Fiscal 2021. Excluding other income of $4.4 million from a litigation settlement and $6.4 million in government wage subsidies in Fiscal 2021, adjusted EBITDA1 increased 23% in Fiscal 2022 vs Fiscal 2021, reflecting growth in our Content Business. Adjusted EBITDA1 was $11.4 million in Q4 2022, compared with $19.2 million in Q4 2021, driven by margin contribution from deals already concluded earlier in the year.
Fiscal 2022 net income increased to $5.6 million, compared to net loss of $7.1 million in Fiscal 2021. Q4 2022 net income was $1.1 million vs net income of $11.4 million in Q4 2021, primarily due to a non-cash, foreign exchange loss of $16.4 million in the current quarter vs a foreign exchange gain of $5.4 million in the prior year quarter.
Fiscal 2023 Outlook and Strategic Priorities
Our growth is expected to continue in Fiscal 2023 as our expanding production pipeline and new deals entered into in the prior fiscal year are reflected in our results. As a result of this visibility, we expect revenue of approximately $525 million to $575 million and adjusted EBITDA between $95 million to $105 million in Fiscal 2023.
We will continue to leverage WildBrain's 360º capabilities in content, distribution, audience delivery and licensing to maximize the profitability of our assets and IP. To that end, our Fiscal 2023 strategic priorities remain focused on activating and growing key brands to deliver sustainable growth. Refer to the Fiscal 2023 Outlook section of the Company's Fiscal 2022 MD&A for more details.
Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Appointment
Subsequent to quarter end, the Company appointed Jim Fielding to the newly created role of Chief Marketing and Brands Officer. Fielding is a highly experienced media and consumer products executive, who oversees WildBrain's teams responsible for its corporate and franchise brands. Fielding will lead the integration of our Brands and MarCom teams and will maintain strategic oversight of the group to further strengthen WildBrain's position as a world-class kids' entertainment and brands company.
Fielding has deep experience leading consumer products groups at the world's largest media companies, including Disney, DreamWorks, and Twentieth Century Fox. A former President of Disney Stores Worldwide, he has also held management roles at leading retailers including Claire's Stores, Inc., where he was CEO, as well as The Gap, Lands' End, and the J Peterman Company.
1. Free Cash Flow, Gross Margin, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA attributable to WildBrain are non-GAAP financial measures - see below for further details.
Q4 2022 Conference Call
The Company will hold a conference call on September 14, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.
To listen, call +1 (888) 394-8218 toll-free or +1 (647) 484-0475 internationally and reference conference ID 3708110. Please allow 10 minutes to be connected to the conference call. Replay will be available after the call on +1 (888) 203-1112 toll free or +1 (647) 436-0148, under passcode 3708110, until September 21, 2022.
The audio and transcript will also be archived on our website approximately two days after the event.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Relations: Kathleen Persaud - VP, Investor Relations, WildBrain
kathleen.persaud@wildbrain.com
+1 212-405-6089
Media: Shaun Smith - Sr. Director, Global Communications & Public Relations, WildBrain
shaun.smith@wildbrain.com
+1 416-977-7230
About WildBrain
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations to run wild, engaging kids and families everywhere with great content across all media. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library—one of the world's most extensive—we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Degrassi. At our 75,000-square-foot state-of-the-art animation studio in Vancouver, BC, we produce such fan-favourite series as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, Chip & Potato, Carmen Sandiego, Go, Dog. Go! and more. Our shows are enjoyed worldwide in more than 150 countries on over 500 streaming platforms and telecasters, and our AVOD business—WildBrain Spark—offers one of the largest networks of kids' channels on YouTube, garnering billions of views per month from over 245 million subscribers. Through our leading agency, WildBrain CPLG, we also license consumer products and location-based entertainment in every major territory for our own properties as well as for our clients and content partners. Our television group owns and operates four family entertainment channels that are among the most viewed in Canada. WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Please visit us at www.wildbrain.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward looking statements" under applicable securities laws with respect to WildBrain including, without limitation, statements regarding the status of the production of the new Degrassi series and ongoing discussions, WildBrain's production and content pipeline and projects in development, WildBrain's execution against its 360º strategy, content agreements of WildBrain, WildBrain's brand strategies, monetization of WildBrain's assets, partnership, acquisition, and investment opportunities and expected benefits therefrom, use of capital for investments and other growth opportunities and expected returns therefrom, the business strategies and operational activities of WildBrain, WildBrain's market positioning, the markets and industries in which WildBrain operates, and the growth and future financial and operating performance of WildBrain, including revenue and adjusted EBITDA for Fiscal 2023. Although WildBrain believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to WildBrain. Actual results or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and WildBrain assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.
Forward-looking statements are based on factors and assumptions that management believes are reasonable at the time they are made, but a number of assumptions may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions about (i) WildBrain's future operating results, (ii) the expected pace of expansion of WildBrain's operations, (iii) future general economic and market conditions, including debt and equity capital markets and the availability of financing on acceptable terms, (iv) the impact of increasing competition on WildBrain, (v) changes in laws and regulations related to the industries and markets in which WildBrain operates, (vi) consumers and consumer preferences, (vii) the ability of WildBrain to execute on investment, acquisition and other growth strategies and opportunities and realize the expected benefits therefrom, (viii) the ability of WildBrain to identify and execute production, distribution, and licensing and other revenue-generating arrangements, (ix) the availability of investment, acquisition, and other growth opportunities at acceptable valuations and the ability of WildBrain to execute on and integrate such opportunities, * the timing for commencement and completion of productions, (xi) the ability of WildBrain and its partners to execute on its brand plans and consumer products programs, (xii) changes in the markets and industries in which WildBrain operates and the ability of WildBrain to adapt to such changes, (xiii) changes to YouTube and in advertising markets, (xiv) the ability of WildBrain to commercialize consumer products related to its brands, (xv) changes in foreign exchange and interest rates, and (xvi) the current geopolitical landscape (including vis a vis the recent invasion of the Ukraine by Russia and associated political and economic repercussions).
Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. Known and unknown risk factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, the current outbreak of COVID-19 and the magnitude and length of economic disruption as a result of such outbreak, general economic and market conditions and the impact of such conditions on the industries in which WildBrain operates, competition and the potential impact of industry mergers and acquisitions, market factors, WildBrain's ability to identify and execute anticipated production, distribution, licensing and other contracts, contractual counterparty risk, the ability of WildBrain to realize the expected value of its assets, supply chain and other related disruptions, and other factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under "Risk Factors" in WildBrain's most recent Annual Information Form and Management Discussion and Analysis filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).
Non-IFRS Measures
In addition to the results reported in accordance with IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, the Company uses various non-GAAP financial measures, which are not recognized under IFRS, as supplemental indicators of our operating performance and financial position. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided to enhance the user's understanding of our historical and current financial performance and our prospects for the future. Management believes that these measures provide useful information in that they exclude amounts that are not indicative of our core operating results and ongoing operations and provide a consistent basis for comparison between periods. The following discussion explains the Company's use of certain non-GAAP financial measures, which are Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA attributable to the Shareholders of the Company, and Gross Margin.
Investors are cautioned that these non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an alternative measure to net income or loss, or other measures as determined in accordance with GAAP, or as an indicator of the Company's financial performance or a measure of liquidity and cash flows.
"Adjusted EBITDA" means earnings (loss) before net finance costs, income taxes, amortization of property & equipment and right-of-use and intangible assets, amortization of acquired and library content, equity-settled share-based compensation expense, changes in fair value of embedded derivatives, gain/loss on foreign exchange, reorganization, development and other expenses, impairment of certain investments in film and television programs/acquired and library content/P&E/intangible assets/goodwill, and also includes adjustments for other identified charges, as specified in the accompanying tables. Adjusted EBITDA is not an earnings measure recognized by GAAP and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP; accordingly, Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management believes that certain lenders, investors and analysts use Adjusted EBITDA to measure a company's ability to service debt and meet other payment obligations, and as a common valuation measurement in the media and entertainment industry. Further, certain of our debt covenants use Adjusted EBITDA in the calculation. The most comparable GAAP measure is earnings before income taxes.
"Adjusted EBITDA attributable to the Shareholders of the Company" means Adjusted EBITDA excluding the portion of Adjusted EBITDA attributable to non-controlling interests.
"Gross Margin" means revenue less direct production costs and expense of film and television produced. Gross Margin is not an earnings measure recognized by GAAP and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP; accordingly, Gross Margin may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management believes Gross Margin is a useful measure of profitability before considering operating and other expenses and can be used to assess the Company's ability to generate positive net earnings and cash flows. The most comparable GAAP measure is gross profit.
"Free Cash Flow" means operating cash flow less distributions to non-controlling interests, changes in interim production financing, cash interest paid on our long-term debt, bank indebtedness, and lease liabilities, and principal repayments on our lease liabilities. Free Cash Flow does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP; accordingly, Free Cash Flow may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Management believes Free Cash Flow is a useful measure of the Company's ability to repay debt, finance strategic business acquisitions and investments, pay dividends, and repurchase shares. The most comparable GAAP measure is cash from operating activities.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE WildBrain Ltd. | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/wildbrain-reports-full-year-q4-2022-results/ | 2022-09-13T22:58:41Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/wildbrain-reports-full-year-q4-2022-results/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
23-Year-old shot and killed in Baldwin County on Monday
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A 23-year-old woman was shot and killed in Baldwin County on Monday.
According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, September 12th, Baldwin Deputies and officers with Milledgeville PD responded to Atrium Health Baldwin in reference to a female gunshot victim. The victim, 23-year-old Shani King, was later pronounced dead at the emergency room.
Investigations led law enforcement to the residence of the victim, at 218 GA Hwy 49 W Baldwin County. It was here that the crime scene was located and secured, the GBI was requested to process the crime scene.
Investigators learned that Reco Stephens took King to the hospital. Stephens was detained, and is now being held at the Baldwin County Detention Center without bond for the charge of murder. | https://www.41nbc.com/23-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-baldwin-county-on-monday/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:11Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/23-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-baldwin-county-on-monday/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
23-Year-old shot and killed in Baldwin County on Monday
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A 23-year-old woman was shot and killed in Baldwin County on Monday.
According to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, September 12th, Baldwin Deputies and officers with Milledgeville PD responded to Atrium Health Baldwin in reference to a female gunshot victim. The victim, 23-year-old Shani King, was later pronounced dead at the emergency room.
Investigations led law enforcement to the residence of the victim, at 218 GA Hwy 49 W Baldwin County. It was here that the crime scene was located and secured, the GBI was requested to process the crime scene.
Investigators learned that Reco Stephens took King to the hospital. Stephens was detained, and is now being held at the Baldwin County Detention Center without bond for the charge of murder. | https://www.41nbc.com/23-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-baldwin-county-on-monday/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:11Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/23-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-baldwin-county-on-monday/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Alcohol license revoked at Rodeo Bar and Grill following weekend shooting
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Sheriff David Davis is revoking local night club Rodeo Bar and Grill’s license to serve alcohol.
According to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, on behalf of Sheriff David Davis, an alcohol license revocation letter was delivered to the proprietor of Rodeo Bar and Grill at 4053 Pio Nono Avenue on Tuesday, September 13th. This happens after an incident this past weekend in which a security guard was shot and killed at the business.
Saturday evening, the BCSO also served a notice for Rodeo Bar and Grill to cease all business activities because the camera system of the business was not capable of recording and storing retrievable data. The action was taken until the camera system was fixed and found to be up to the standards of the Macon-Bibb County ordinance and re-inspected by the Sheriff’s Office.
The revocation of the business’ alcohol license will take place immediately as the Sheriff’s Office and Macon-Bibb Commissioners conduct a review surrounding activities around the business. | https://www.41nbc.com/alcohol-license-revoked-at-rodeo-bar-and-grill-following-weekend-shooting/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:17Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/alcohol-license-revoked-at-rodeo-bar-and-grill-following-weekend-shooting/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Alcohol license revoked at Rodeo Bar and Grill following weekend shooting
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Sheriff David Davis is revoking local night club Rodeo Bar and Grill’s license to serve alcohol.
According to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, on behalf of Sheriff David Davis, an alcohol license revocation letter was delivered to the proprietor of Rodeo Bar and Grill at 4053 Pio Nono Avenue on Tuesday, September 13th. This happens after an incident this past weekend in which a security guard was shot and killed at the business.
Saturday evening, the BCSO also served a notice for Rodeo Bar and Grill to cease all business activities because the camera system of the business was not capable of recording and storing retrievable data. The action was taken until the camera system was fixed and found to be up to the standards of the Macon-Bibb County ordinance and re-inspected by the Sheriff’s Office.
The revocation of the business’ alcohol license will take place immediately as the Sheriff’s Office and Macon-Bibb Commissioners conduct a review surrounding activities around the business. | https://www.41nbc.com/alcohol-license-revoked-at-rodeo-bar-and-grill-following-weekend-shooting/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:17Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/alcohol-license-revoked-at-rodeo-bar-and-grill-following-weekend-shooting/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Morning Business Report: Twitter stockholders plan to vote on Musk buyout
Twitter stockholders today will vote on the buyout by Elon Musk even though it tangled up in the courts.
Amtrak is preemptively canceling trips on three of its long-distance routes due to a possible strike by two of the country’s largest rail unions.
The number of dry-cleaning establishments are falling in the U.S. due to COVID-19 and clothing trends.
Starbucks will unveil its “reinvention” today. It plans to address efficiency and improve employee turnover rates. | https://www.41nbc.com/morning-business-report-twitter-stockholders-plan-to-vote-on-musk-buyout/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:23Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/morning-business-report-twitter-stockholders-plan-to-vote-on-musk-buyout/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Morning Business Report: Twitter stockholders plan to vote on Musk buyout
Twitter stockholders today will vote on the buyout by Elon Musk even though it tangled up in the courts.
Amtrak is preemptively canceling trips on three of its long-distance routes due to a possible strike by two of the country’s largest rail unions.
The number of dry-cleaning establishments are falling in the U.S. due to COVID-19 and clothing trends.
Starbucks will unveil its “reinvention” today. It plans to address efficiency and improve employee turnover rates. | https://www.41nbc.com/morning-business-report-twitter-stockholders-plan-to-vote-on-musk-buyout/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:23Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/morning-business-report-twitter-stockholders-plan-to-vote-on-musk-buyout/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Student found with firearm in backpack at Northside Middle School
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A student at Northside Middle School came to school with a firearm on Tuesday.
According to a statement from Dustin Dykes, Principal of Northside Middle, the firearm was found during the search of a student’s backpack– the firearm was found to be unloaded.
Dykes says in the statement that all students are safe and were not in danger, and that the first priority of Northside Middle is the safety and wellbeing of students and staff.
41NBC is still gathering information concerning the incident, stay with us for more updates as information is released. | https://www.41nbc.com/student-found-with-firearm-in-backpack-at-northside-middle-school/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:35Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/student-found-with-firearm-in-backpack-at-northside-middle-school/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Student found with firearm in backpack at Northside Middle School
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A student at Northside Middle School came to school with a firearm on Tuesday.
According to a statement from Dustin Dykes, Principal of Northside Middle, the firearm was found during the search of a student’s backpack– the firearm was found to be unloaded.
Dykes says in the statement that all students are safe and were not in danger, and that the first priority of Northside Middle is the safety and wellbeing of students and staff.
41NBC is still gathering information concerning the incident, stay with us for more updates as information is released. | https://www.41nbc.com/student-found-with-firearm-in-backpack-at-northside-middle-school/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:35Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/student-found-with-firearm-in-backpack-at-northside-middle-school/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the U.S., announced today its expansion in the Israeli market making the agency one of the leading providers of PR services in the US, specifically for the Israeli tech community.
5W's Israeli client roster experience includes established global companies ironSource and SodaStream. In addition, 5W has represented dozens of high-growth companies including HiBob, JVP, PICO Partners, SparkBeyond, Kaltura, SOSA, Granulate, Kryon, BioCatch, Homeis, Ubimo, AuraAir, Dragontail Systems and MySizeID.
"Business growth in Israel is booming, especially in the tech community, which is an area we have been a leading specialist in for years," said Ronn Torossian, CEO and Founder at 5WPR. "We're proud of the impressive growth of our Israeli client roster and being the agency, our clients trust to promote their brands, not only in the North American market, but globally. Our team has done a phenomenal job of publicizing our client's often complex technologies, while simultaneously elevating their brand image and helping them through strategic moments such as funding rounds, acquisitions and customer expansion."
5W's team of experts have developed a specialty in high-growth tech communications campaigns. The teams handle major milestones, from launching products, developing strategic campaigns around mergers and acquisitions, fundraising and IPO's, through to building layered programs that bring clients into mainstream conversations.
About 5WPR
5W Public Relations is a full-service PR agency in NYC known for cutting-edge programs that engage with businesses, issues, and ideas. With more than 150 professionals serving clients in B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, Nonprofit), B2B (Corporate Communications and Reputation Management), Public Affairs, Crisis Communications and digital strategy, 5W brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold and results-driven approach to communication.
Media Contact
mcaiola@5wpr.com / 212.999.5585
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE 5W Public Relations | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/5wpr-expands-israel-practice-area/ | 2022-09-13T23:03:57Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/5wpr-expands-israel-practice-area/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Have you ever wondered if Roman Legionaries could take on crusading knights? In Battle of Kingdoms, you'll be able to take command of historical military units from different cultures and time periods, and witness their epic struggles as you lead your army to victory!
"We are big lovers of RTS and CCG games, world history, and different cultures across the world. We're building the Battle of Kingdoms to share our passion for those cultures along with the history behind them." explains Deniz Gezgin, founder and CEO of 5x5 Gaming. "Our goal is to create games for people to make social connections, compete and have lots of fun."
Battle of Kingdoms will also give players the ability to turn their most powerful units into NFTs for trade or sale on 5x5 Gaming's global marketplace. "We are huge believers of digital collectibles and true asset ownership, so all of our games starting with Battle of Kingdoms will give the players the ability to tokenize the characters and in-game items they earn." says David Demers, lead producer of Battle of Kingdoms.
Unlike most games featuring NFTs currently available, Battle of Kingdoms will have no barrier to entry, such as an upfront need to connect your crypto wallet or purchase crypto currency to be able to play the game. Players will start earning free NFT cards from the start and anyone will be able to download and play Battle of Kingdoms for free on their devices, just like any free game you can currently find on the App Stores.
5x5 Gaming is backed by games and crypto industry experts, such as Com2uS,1Up Ventures, Dialectic Capital, Lucid Blue Ventures, Co-Founders of The Sandbox and YGG,.
Travel around the world and throughout time as you take part in epic battles from history, leading units of all cultures as you learn the history of warfare from 10,000 B.C. all the way up to the 1800s.
Take part in competitive multiplayer with a variety of game modes, including team battle and free for all.
Find out your unit's strengths, weaknesses, and history as you collect more units to lead in battle!
Use unit and culture synergies to make your army even more powerful!
Watch the battle unfold in autochess style gameplay.
Build your warriors for battle, or to trade on the marketplace.
All the facts about Battle of Kingdoms
- Real warriors and events from history
- Autochess style strategy - CCG style collectability
- Competitive multiplayer
- Free to play
- Deck building
Coming Winter 2022 to Android and iOS devices
Led by CEO and founder Deniz Gezgin, 5x5 Gaming's team is composed of industry veterans from all over the world. With over 100 years of experience in game development combined, 5x5 Gaming is breaking out with "Battle of Kingdoms" a free to play strategy backed by investors from 5x5 Gaming is backed by games and crypto industry experts, such as Com2uS,1Up Ventures, Dialectic Capital Lucid Blue Ventures, Co-Founders of The Sandbox and YGG.
Press inquiries: media@5x5gaming.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE 5X5 Gaming | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/battle-kingdoms-5x5-gaming-presents-first-look-their-upcoming-historical-strategy-game-coming-soon-ios-amp-android/ | 2022-09-13T23:04:11Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/battle-kingdoms-5x5-gaming-presents-first-look-their-upcoming-historical-strategy-game-coming-soon-ios-amp-android/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
'Lifeless' bodies dumped out side Katsina town as terror sweep the Niger north, thousands are traveled and running for the security. More attacks were registered against security forces over Christmas e\nby BOLD WIBA PUBLIC LECTIONAL DEMOCRATHES NOW-AFRO SLAMOCACY\nInnocent and old were reported by Islamo terror swepping and taking peopkles into fear-state after attacks There's always speculation as to when Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will retire from the National Football League.
Brady retired after the 2021 season, only to reverse his decision six weeks later.
On Monday's episode of his podcast "Let's Go!" the 7-time Super Bowl champion spoke to host Jim Gray about how this year feels differently then in year's past.
"I’m feeling more than things in the past for some reason,” Brady said. “I’m just really feeling intensely, my emotions. I’ve always had that, but I think when you get close to the end..."
Brady added that he isn't exactly sure when the end will be, but he knows that he won't be playing 10 more years.
"I definitely don't have that," Brady said.
His wife Gisele Bündchen recently spoke about him returning to play which she spoke about in a recent interview with Elle magazine.
“Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she said during her interview. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again."
But the supermodel said that ultimately, a decision someone makes has to ultimately "work for them."
"He needs to follow his joy, too," she said in the magazine.
On the podcast, Brady also spoke about missing out on key moments with his family that also has him thinking of hanging it up.
"I think there comes a point in your life where you say, you know what? I had my fill and it's enough and time to go on, to move into other parts of life," Brady said. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/brady-talks-retirement-in-latest-podcast-episode | 2022-09-13T23:04:15Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/brady-talks-retirement-in-latest-podcast-episode | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — An FBI agent struggled to control his emotions Tuesday as he described on the witness stand seeing bodies inside Sandy Hook elementary school — a scene that the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones later claimed was staged by actors.
FBI agent William Aldenberg was the first witness to testify as a Connecticut jury began hearing statements in a trial to decide how much money Jones owes for spreading the lie that the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown didn’t happen.
Aldenberg broke down as he described being among the first law enforcement officers to enter the two classrooms where 20 children died.
“Was what you saw in that school fake?” asked attorney Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
“No,” Aldenberg said. “It’s awful. It’s awful.”
He also testified about how he and others in the community and law enforcement were targeted with threats and conspiracy theories, including one that claimed he was an actor who also pretended to be the father of a victim.
“It’s one of the worst things that ever happened, if not the worst thing that ever happened here, what happened to them,” Aldenberg said. “And people want to say this didn’t happen? And then they want to get rich off of it? That's the worst part.”
The trial in Waterbury, less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Newtown, where the children and six teachers were shot to death, was attended by more than a dozen family members of the victims, including David Wheeler, the father who conspiracy theorists had claimed was the same person as Aldenberg. Wheeler nodded his head as Aldenberg apologized for what he had to endure because of their resemblance.
The Sandy Hook families and Aldenberg say they have been confronted and harassed for years by people who believed Jones’ false claim that the shooting was staged by crisis actors as part of a plot to take away people’s guns.
Some say strangers have videotaped them and their surviving children. They’ve also endured death threats and been subjected to abusive comments on social media. And some families have moved out of Newtown to avoid harassment. They accuse Jones of causing them emotional and psychological harm.
“You know, you can say whatever you want about me. I don’t care,” Aldenberg said. “Just say what you want. I’m a frigging big boy. I can take it. But then they want to make profits, they want to make millions and millions of dollars. They want to destroy people’s lives. Their children got slaughtered. I saw it myself, and now they have to sit here and listen to me say this.”
It’s the second such trial for Jones, who was ordered by a Texas jury last month to pay nearly $50 million to the parents of one of the slain children. Jones was not at the trial Tuesday and is expected to attend next week.
A jury of three men and three women along with several alternates, will decide how much Jones should pay relatives of eight victims and Aldenberg. Judge Barbara Bellis found Jones liable without a trial last year after he failed to turn over documents to the families’ lawyers.
The judge also sanctioned Jones on Tuesday for failing to turn over analytic data related to his website and the popularity of his show. She told his lawyers that because of that failure, they will not be allowed to argue he didn’t profit from his Sandy Hook remarks.
In opening statements, Jones was described by Mattei as a bully and by his own attorney as a crank in a town square who should be ignored.
Mattei showed jurors data indicating how Jones' audience increased as he spread lies about the shooting. He also showed them photos and videos of things Jones had said, and told the panel they already had the tools from their own life experiences to decide what to do in this case.
“What your parents taught you, what your grandparents taught you to know the difference between right and wrong, to know the difference between the truth and a horrible lie, to know the importance of standing up to bullies when they prey on people who are helpless and profit from them and to know unless you stop a bully, a bully will never stop,” he said. “And when it comes to stopping Alex Jones, that will be the most important work that you do.”
Jones' attorney, Norm Pattis, argued that his client had espoused a number of conspiracy theories over the years, something he has a Constitutional right to do.
“At what point do we regard him as a crank on the village green, a person we can walk away from if we choose?” he asked.
Pattis told the jury that although Jones is liable for damages, any award should be minimal and alleged the families were overstating the harm they say Jones caused them.
On his Infowars web show on Tuesday, Jones portrayed himself as the victim of unfair show trials.
“How am I handling it? We’re at war. This is total tyranny,” he said. “I’ll tell you this, we can appeal this for years. We can beat this.”
The trial is expected to last about a month and feature testimony from both Jones and the families.
Jones, whose web show and Infowars brand are based in Austin, Texas, has been banned from YouTube, Facebook and Spotify for violating hate-speech policies.
Jones now says he believes the shooting was real. At the Texas trial, he testified that he realized what he said was irresponsible and did hurt people’s feelings and he apologized. He continues, however, to insist that his comments were protected free speech. He views the lawsuits as efforts to silence him and put him out of business.
Jones’ lawyers say he intends to appeal the judgment against him in Texas. Jones will also face a third trial in Texas involving another slain child's parents.
___
Associated Press writer Pat Eaton-Robb contributed to this story from Hartford, Connecticut. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/in-2nd-jones-trial-fbi-agent-at-sandy-hook-breaks-down | 2022-09-13T23:04:21Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/in-2nd-jones-trial-fbi-agent-at-sandy-hook-breaks-down | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
# Kozjanskajan alka kirkko\n\nThe Parish Church of SS Cosmas ad Michaelis ja Konstjitsuuu Altaš is een Luts-Hanzicu romaance kerk van alajuurola on 9 hevosvalun lintaa 7 miljoonna meelijoo-põmmeressa Kožanksog Krajju Käärijä rabažsustest lähve KALAMAZOO, Mich. — “It was a risk but I knew that God would have my back and my parents would guide me. It was just nice to know that Coach Espo who believed in me, I had a great high school coach that believed in be. It was a big lead of faith but I think it paid off,” said Western sophomore Blake Bosma.
West Ottawa graduate Blake Bosma had offers to play at a few colleges, but decided to walk-on at Western Michigan last fall.
“I recruited him really hard at North Central. We really thought we were going to get him and then he ended up walking on here so we were disappointed but that disappointment turned into a lot of excitement when I took the job here just because I knew what kind of kid he was,” said offensive coordinator, Jeff Thorne.
Blake came to practice every day and made a name for himself on the scout team, alongside quarterback Jack Salopek.
“He was making plays and we were always joking that Blake needs to be on scholarship,” said Salopek.
He earned the title of scout team player of the year and since he got to Kalamazoo, he’s put on about 50 pounds to round out his 6’3 frame.
In fall camp, projected starter at tight end Austin Hence suffered an injury and Blake was right there, waiting for his chance.
“Fall camp was a roller coaster of emotions. Getting half the reps with the threes, then all of the reps with the threes. Then moving up to the ones. It’s a big difference but Coach Wayland helped me grow and my teammates helped me. Jack gave me a nice little push and helped me when I needed help,” said Bosma.
The excitement around the start of the season came to a peak in the team meeting before the Michigan State game when Blake was asked to read a certain page in the playbook.
“It was kinda a black out moment. I don’t really remember it, it was just so amazing. I just know it was in red lettering and I read it and I was emotional. And it was really cool to see my teammates really excited for me too,” said Bosma.
For the Broncos staff, getting Blake on scholarship was a no-brainer.
“I mean everyone recognized, the defensive staff saw him all last year on the scout team and Coach Lester was talking about him even before I got here so everyone has been In the same camp as far as that goes. And once he got to the point where he was our starting tight end, starting H-back, it was kind of a no brainer for Coach Lester and as much as it was anything was making sure that he had a scholarship available. And once one became available he went ahead and pulled the trigger,” said Thorne.
Days later, Blake put on his uniform and took the field at Michigan State. He had five catches for 35 yards. And two more receptions against Ball State. Now the Broncos turn their attention to Pitt and Blake with his first home game.
“Getting the opportunity to be a Division one football player, not everyone gets those opportunities. So you have to realize that you’re a lucky percentage of people who get that opportunity so that’s how I have to go through my days and realize that I’m really blessed to be here,” said Bosma. | https://www.fox17online.com/sports/holland-native-walks-on-at-western-earns-scholarship-to-start-2022-season | 2022-09-13T23:04:27Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/sports/holland-native-walks-on-at-western-earns-scholarship-to-start-2022-season | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kyle Busch wanted to drive for a racer’s racer.
Richard Childress saw a gleam in Busch’s eye that reminded him of the late Dale Earnhardt.
At the end of a long exploration process during which Busch weighed his options for 2023 and beyond, the two men put aside past differences and arrived at a multiyear deal that will have Busch driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, starting next season.
Busch will end his 15-year tenure in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after competing for a third NASCAR Cup Series championship this season.
In RCR, he sees a team on the upswing. At the exhibition Clash at the Coliseum in early February, he took notice.
“I think it started earlier this year when we were racing at the (Los Angeles) Coliseum when the 8 car blew my doors off and was driving away,” Busch said during Tuesday morning’s announcement at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. “I certainly knew right then and there at the beginning of the season that those guys definitely had some speed.”
With Busch in a contract year in 2022, Austin Dillon, Childress’ grandson and driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, suggested making a play for the 37-year-old driver, who is tied for ninth on the all-time NASCAR Cup victory list with 60 wins—and tied with Kevin Harvick for most among active drivers.
“It just seemed that their overall culture—being around Richard, talking with Austin and having the chance to just look at the whole picture of what’s going on with RCR of late, and I felt like it was a no-brainer,” Busch added.
“When Richard and I sat down and we first had discussions of this opportunity, it was easy. It was a clear-cut choice that this was a place that you could go win races and win championships right out of the gate.”
Busch will replace fellow 2022 championship contender Tyler Reddick in the No. 8 Camaro. Reddick announced in July that he will leave RCR and drive for 23XI Racing in 2024.
Reddick remains under contract with RCR for the 2023 season. Childress said on Tuesday he plans to run three chartered Cup cars in 2023, but Reddick’s crew chief, Randall Burnett, will serve in that capacity on Busch’s team next year.
“I met with him (Tyler Reddick) about an hour ago, and I explained to him that he wasn’t going to drive the 8 car next year,” Childress said. “We’ve got a contract for him to drive for RCR next year, and I wanted to talk to him before this official announcement.”
In Busch, Childress is hiring an elite driver who has a combined 224 victories across all three NASCAR national series. Busch’s 102 NASCAR Xfinity wins and 62 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series triumphs both are series records.
“When I was up there with Kyle and we first started talking,” Childress said, “and we talked about championships and we talked about winning races, I looked at him in his eye, and I had seen that look in Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s eye that he’s hungry—we’re going to win.
“I’d seen that look before, and watching Kyle, I’ve watched his talent since he started in the Busch (now Xfinity) Series, and just how he handles the car, the car control, the way he drives the car and take-no-prisoners attitude, that’s the Dale Earnhardt style I was accustomed to racing with, and I think Kyle has that modern-day style of racing that Dale Earnhardt had in his time.”
Earnhardt, of course, won six of his seven Cup championships with RCR and was ushered into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural Class of 2010.
Though the announcement confirmed Busch’s status for next year, it left many questions unanswered, among them the source of a charter for Reddick’s 2023 ride and sponsorship for Busch’s team (though Childress said he already had commitments and would announce sponsors later).
The specifics of the Kyle Busch Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team remain unsettled, though Busch said he expects KBM to compete as a Chevrolet team next season, after serving as the flagship truck team for Toyota during his tenure at JGR.
“Obviously, there was an announcement today with RCR and Kyle Busch and KBM has not been a part of that yet,” Busch said, “although we are still working on that sort of stuff with General Motors and Chevrolet.
“Kyle Busch Motorsports intends to compete in the Truck Series as a Chevrolet-branded team next year. Whether that’s two, three, four entries, we’re not quite certain on that yet, but we’re working through those details as we can right now, and hopefully, again, we can have an announcement on that here shortly.”
To make a deal, Busch and Childress had to get past a bit of rocky history. In 2011, after Busch tangled with an RCR truck driven by Joey Coulter, Childress took of his jewelry and punched the KBM driver. The fracas became known as the “Hold My Watch” incident.
When Childress appeared at Tuesday’s press conference, he presented Busch with a “signing bonus” in the form of a new Rolex.
“We both have grown a lot over time,” Childress said. “We talked about it, and all that’s history.” | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72911-kyle-busch-to-drive-no-8-chevrolet-for-richard-childress-racing | 2022-09-13T23:05:25Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72911-kyle-busch-to-drive-no-8-chevrolet-for-richard-childress-racing | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Aric Almirola is used to having the iconic Ford blue oval on his stock car every week, but for Saturday’s annual Bristol Night Race he’s going to have more than just a decal as a full BlueOval City wrap takes up residence on his No. 10 Mustang.
Announced one year ago as a key component to Ford’s electric future, BlueOval City is located in Stanton, TN, over a six square mile area that will produce Ford’s next all-new electric truck. The $5.6 billion investment will result in one of the largest auto manufacturing campuses in U.S. history and the assembly plant will be designed to be carbon neutral from the start of production in 2025.
“Ford is enthusiastically embracing an electric future and BlueOval City is going to be at the forefront of this new era,” said Kel Kearns, Electric Vehicle Center plant manager at BlueOval City. “We know how much Tennessean’s love motorsports, so to be on Aric’s car this weekend for one of the most popular events of the season is a wonderful way to spread the message of who we are and the arrival of BlueOval City.”
Almirola, who is in his fifth season driving for Stewart-Haas Racing and 11th year overall with Ford, has three career Cup Series wins. After saying at the start of the season that this would be his final year as a full-time competitor, he announced two weeks ago that he will be returning in 2023.
“One of the things I’ve learned during my time driving in NASCAR is that when you become a Ford driver, you become part of the Ford family,” said Almirola. “We know how important electrification is to Ford’s future and after driving vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E, I can see why. I’m excited to represent BlueOval City and hope I can give them a good run on Saturday night in Bristol.”
In addition to producing electric trucks, the BlueOval City campus will also include a BlueOval SK battery plant that will produce batteries for future Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
BlueOval City is part of a larger $11.4 billion manufacturing investment by Ford and SK On to build both BlueOval City in West Tennessee and BlueOval SK Battery Park in Central Kentucky, which will create 11,000 jobs between the two campuses.
Saturday’s Bristol Night Race is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on USA Network. In addition, it can be heard on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.
To learn more about BlueOval City, please visit: BlueOval City - Tennessee (ford.com)
Ford Performance PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72912-ford-performance-nascar-aric-almirola-bringing-ford-s-blueoval-city-to-bristol | 2022-09-13T23:05:31Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72912-ford-performance-nascar-aric-almirola-bringing-ford-s-blueoval-city-to-bristol | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Notes of Interest ● History at Bristol: In 24 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol, Almirola has two top-five finishes, four top-10s, and has led three laps. ● Last weekend at Kansas: Almirola had to rally for a 21st-place finish after an engine change on Saturday forced the No. 10 team to start in the rear for Sunday’s race. After the team opted to stay on track during the first stage break, Almirola led the field to green to start the second stage but was collected in an accident not of his own doing later in the race, which ultimately created handling issues that could not be remedied. ● 2022 Season: Through 28 races this season, Almirola has earned two top-five finishes, seven top-10s, and has led six laps. His average finish of 17.4 and seven top-10s have bettered his totals for the entire 36-race 2021 season. ● Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Bristol 20th in the driver standings with 618 points. ● Almirola’s career: In 416 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has earned three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 91 top-10s, three poles, and has led 899 laps. ● BlueOval City: This weekend, Almirola will sport a brand new paint scheme that showcases one of the largest auto manufacturing facility projects in U.S. history. BlueOval City is an all-new electric vehicle and battery manufacturing campus located in West Tennessee. This $5.6 billioninvestment will be home to Ford’s next-generation electric truck and will produce batteries for future Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The site spans six square miles and will encompass vehicle assembly, battery production, and a supplier park in a vertically integrated ecosystem. Once fully operational, the assembly plant at BlueOval City will be carbon neutral, send zero waste to landfills, and meet Ford’s air emission goals. Production of the all-new electric truck will begin in 2025. In addition to the 4,100-acre property, two BlueOval SK battery plants will be built in Kentucky, creating a total of 11,000 new American jobs. These facilities reimagine how electric vehicles and batteries are designed, built and recycled – all built for America with an $11.4 billion investment by Ford and its partners. ● Back for More: Earlier this year, Almirola announced that he would step down from fulltime racing following the 2022 season.Through the course of the year, Almirola has discovered a new balance between his passion for racing and dedication to his family. His wife Janice, and kids Alex and Abby, join him on most race weekends, oftentimes enjoying once-in-a-lifetime experiences together as they travel the country. His rapport with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has flourished, and the intense pressure he had put on himself was replaced with the joy of simply being present. Not only did Almirola see a new perspective on the sport, but so did anchor partner Smithfield Foods, who broached the subject of Almirola returning to fulltime racing in 2023. On Friday, Aug. 26, Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Smithfield Foods announced his return with a multi-year agreement and the largest allotment of races since joining the team in 2018. ● Beyond the 10 YouTube Series: In 2022, Almirola is once again sharing his life beyond the No. 10 Smithfield Ford with season three of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and it gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook. ● Almirola was the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to finish in the top-10 in this year’s opening three races. He finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, sixth at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and sixth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Almirola’s top-10 streak ended with a 12th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway despite running inside the top-10 throughout the race. Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 BlueOval City Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: We’re back on the concrete surface at Bristol. Does that excite you? “Absolutely. The original Bristol is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. I know the dirt race puts on a good show for the fans, but there is nothing like Saturday-night short-track racing under the lights. You’re beating and banging the entire time and just always on edge. I’ve been looking forward to Bristol all year and our short-track program has been good this year. I hope we’ll have a shot at adding another non-playoff driver win to the scoreboard this weekend.” How cool is it to be a part of such a revolutionary project with Ford Motor Company? “One of the many great things about being a Ford driver is that you are part of a company that helped reshape America. That’s what Henry Ford did when he formed Ford Motor Company and BlueOval City will have the ability to do the same thing for this generation when it gets up and running. I’m excited to see what the future holds and hope I can give them a good run on Saturday night.” TSC PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72916-no-10-blueoval-city-ford-racing-bristol-ii-race-advance | 2022-09-13T23:05:37Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72916-no-10-blueoval-city-ford-racing-bristol-ii-race-advance | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NASCAR Cup Series -- Race No. 29 – 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile oval) – Bristol, Tenn.
Fast Facts for September 16-17, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Cup: 1 set for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 10 sets for the race
(9 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)
Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-5170; Right-side -- D-5172
Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 2,254 mm (88.74 in.); Right-side -- 2,277 mm (89.65 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front -- 16 psi; Left Rear -- 18 psi;
Right Front -- 46 psi; Right Rear -- 44 psi
Storyline – Several factors impact tires at Bristol: The NASCAR Cup Series wraps up the first round of its playoffs this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, and both teams and tires will endure a tough challenge. The concrete surface at Bristol is hard on tires and will change continually as the race goes on over 500 laps. Because of the speeds and loads, Goodyear designs the construction of its tires for Bristol to align with other speedways, not the short tracks that the half-mile length would suggest. From a tread compound standpoint, the key for Goodyear is to lay rubber on the concrete surface. That, combined with the fact that the PJ1 grip compound will be applied to the bottom several feet of the racing surface in both corners, will allow drivers to move up the track to find alternate grooves as they search for grip.
“Bristol is undoubtedly a challenge across the board,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We have done a good job with bringing a set-up that rubbers-in the track and allows for multiple racing grooves. Bristol has had a recent history of using PJ1 in the corners, so that ‘preferred’ groove takes rubber fairly quickly. The progressive banking and the search for fresh concrete will have teams moving up the track, which potentially leads to more passing and better racing.”
Notes – Cup teams on Pocono left-side and unique right-side at Bristol: Having moved to an 18-inch bead diameter tire for 2022, NASCAR Cup teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Xfinity and Truck Series at Bristol this week . . . this is the same left-side tire Cup teams ran at Pocono in July . . . this is the first time these teams have run this right-side tire code . . . in addition to the obvious construction changes to what Cup teams ran at last year’s race on the Bristol concrete, these two tire codes feature compound changes, which will give the cars more grip . . . with this 18-inch tire, and its lower profile sidewall, NASCAR Cup cars will not run inner liners in any of their tires in 2022.
Follow us on Twitter: @GoodyearRacing.
GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Race No. 26 – 300 laps / 159.9 miles
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Race No. 20 – 200 laps / 106.6 miles
Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile oval) – Bristol, Tenn.
Fast Facts for September 15-16, 2022
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 15-inch Speedway Radials
Set limits: Xfinity: 5 sets for the event;
Camping World Truck: 5 sets for the event
Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-6106; Right-side -- D-6132
Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 2,225 mm (87.60 in.); Right-side -- 2,250 mm (88.58 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front -- 20 psi; Left Rear -- 18 psi;
Right Front -- 45 psi; Right Rear -- 40 psi
Notes – Xfinity, Truck teams on popular left-side tire at Bristol: Being on 15-inch bead diameter tires, NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck teams will run a different tire set-up than those in the Cup Series at Bristol this week . . . this is the first time these teams have run this right-side tire code, though they have already run this left-side code at Darlington (both series), Dover (Xfinity only), Fontana (Xfininty only) and Pocono (both series) this season . . . Xfinity and Truck teams will have a minor compound change on both the left- and right-side tires compared to this race last year . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, Xfinity and Truck teams will not run liners in their tires at Bristol.
Follow us on Twitter: @GoodyearRacing.
Goodyear PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72918-goodyear-fast-facts-bristol | 2022-09-13T23:05:43Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72918-goodyear-fast-facts-bristol | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Aric Almirola will have a new sponsor on his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Mustang this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway as BlueOval City will be featured. BlueOval City is a 3600-acre campus covering six square miles in western Tennessee and will produce Ford’s next all-new electric truck and batteries to power future Ford and Lincoln vehicles when it opens in 2025. Kel Kearns, Electric Vehicle Center Plant Manager for BlueOval CIty, joined Almirola for a media call earlier today to discuss the partnership.
KEL KEARNS, Electric Vehicle Center Plant Manager, BlueOval City – WHAT IS BLUEOVAL CITY AND WHAT DOES THIS OPPORTUNITY MEAN TO YOU? “Ford is leading the electric revolution with strong plans to create a sustainable automotive manufacturing ecosystem at BlueOval City. We have an electric vehicle center. We have a battery plant and other suppliers that together we’ll be producing the next generation battery electric truck for Ford while creating 6,000 jobs. We’re really excited to be showcasing BlueOval City on Aric’s Ford Mustang this weekend.”
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 BlueOval City Ford Mustang – WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO HAVE NEW PARTNER ON BOARD FOR THIS WEEKEND? “It’s awesome. Obviously, Ford has been a great supporter of mine over the last 11 years. That’s the only Cup car I’ve ever driven has been a Ford, so that’s been fun over the last 11 years and then to see the progression Ford Motor Company has made over those 11 years of me driving a blue oval and to now represent them this weekend at Bristol with BlueOval City and what a phenomenal facility they’re gonna built there. I just hope that the $5.5 billion that they’ve committed to build this facility doesn’t take away from our racing program. Is that OK, Kel?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE REPRESENTING THE FUTURE OF THE COMPANY THIS WEEKEND AT SUCH AN ICONIC RACE? “It means a lot and to do it in the playoffs with a large spotlight on us, do it in Bristol, Tennessee. The new plant is gonna be in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s just a really cool weekend and a great opportunity for me, like you said. Over the last 11 years I’ve seen a lot of progression out of Ford Motor Company. I remember getting to go down in the basement of Ford World Headquarters and I had to give my cell phone to a security guard and wasn’t allowed to take my cell phone in there and I got to go see the clay model of the Ford GT when they were getting ready to come out with that. And then also got to go down there and see when they were developing the Bronco a year before anybody else even knew about it. The same thing with the electric Mustang and getting to see that, so I’ve been able to see the future and the growth of Ford Motor Company over the years through my relationship with them and it has been so much fun for me to be able to see behind the curtain. Here’s another opportunity to be involved in the future of Ford Motor Company and to be able to cast a spotlight on BlueOval City and what a phenomenal place that they’re gonna build there. They’re gonna create between there and BlueOval SK 11,000 new American jobs. It’s just incredible and it’s been really enjoyable to be along for the ride throughout the journey.”
DO YOU FEEL THESE LAST 8 RACES ARE WORKING TOWARD 2023 OR ARE THERE POTENTIALLY TOO MANY CHANGES WITH THE CAR THAT WHAT YOU’RE LEARNING ISN’T AS FOCUSED ON 2023 AS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN PREVIOUS YEARS? “No, we’re working really hard on 2023. The last six races before the playoffs we were really trying to just kind of massage on things and trying to take race cars that we felt like were capable of running seventh to 12th and like fine-tune it hoping that we would hit on that missing ingredient to get to where we needed to be to be a winning race car, and now that we’re out of the playoffs we’ve really used this opportunity as a team, the 10 team individually, we’ve used it as an opportunity to kind of swing for the fences on stuff that is way outside of the box on anything that we’ve looked at previously, and it’s also a big learning curve for our organization. We have a lot of great engineers here that have a lot of bright ideas and often times throughout the middle part of the season we would shoot them down because we’re like, ‘Man, we can’t try that. We only have 15 minutes of practice and what if it doesn’t work? If it doesn’t work, we can’t get it back out of the car.’ So we weren’t really willing to take that risk and especially in the early summer months we were right on the line for the cut off for the playoffs on points, and so we were just trying to be consistent and we couldn’t really take that risk. Now with not being in the playoffs we all kind of held hands and don’t really care about finishing 17th, 18th, 19th in points. It doesn’t really matter as much to us as much as it does to learn as much as we can going into next year so that we can go race for a championship next year. Drew and I had that conversation with our team after we missed the playoffs at Daytona. We came back to the shop and we talked and we said, ‘Hey, I remember a handful of years the 22 car missed the playoffs and came back the next year and won the championship.’ So, we’re not gonna get too upset and hang our heads. We’re just gonna look ahead and focus on getting better for next year.”
ELECTRIFICATION IS COMING DOWN THE ROAD. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THOSE KIND OF CARS? “I’ve driven the Mach-E quite a bit. The people at Ford were gracious enough to let me have one for a week and the kids loved it. We raced every single person we could from a stop light in Mooresville, Cornelius and Kannapolis, North Carolina. Everybody that was willing to race us from a stop light we raced, at least to the speed limit. So, zero to 45 or zero to 55 I don’t think there was a race we lost, so we had a lot of fun with that. It’s quite spectacular what the entire auto industry is doing, but specifically Ford. Having conversations with Jim Farley earlier this year and just his excitement and enthusiasm for where they’re headed as a company and where they’re headed with electrification is fascinating to me because I feel like we’re living in one of those eras to where you’re getting ready to see something spectacular and you’re getting ready to live through it. You think back to when we went from those big heavy muscle cars to lighter weight more aerodynamic more sophistication, more electronics, electronic fuel injection and all those things. My father and grandfather got to live through that transition, so here we are getting ready to live through the transition of seeing more electrification and what the capabilities are. I think that’s the most impressive part from my standpoint is for a guy that likes to hold the steering wheel and to mash the throttle, you want it to be an exciting experience. You want to enjoy driving the vehicle and I’ve been just amazed and fascinated with the vehicles that Ford has put out with electrification.”
KEL KEARNS CONTINUED – YOU’RE ADVERTISING A NEW MANUFACTURING PLANT. IS IT NO ACCIDENT OF THE LOCATION WHERE YOU’RE ON THE CAR? THE PLANT IS IN TENNESSEE AND YOU’LL BE ON THE CAR IN THAT STATE AS WELL. WAS THAT THE IMPETUS BEHIND DOING IT THERE? “It’s a great opportunity to showcase what’s happening in BlueOval City in Tennessee at Bristol and partner with a great event with NASCAR and Aric and his Ford Mustang. Aric really said it well. Electrification is the future. It’s the next generation. It’s exciting new technology, but that doesn’t change what Ford is. Ford is about Ford Performance and racing is part of our DNA, so that’s what we’re going to showcase this weekend as we move forward and showcase BlueOval City on the No. 10 this weekend.”
ARIC ALMIROLA CONTINUED – WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU TO HAVE A GREAT PERFORMANCE WITH THIS NEW SPONSORSHIP? “To be totally honest and transparent, that’s the goal every weekend regardless of who is on the car, but certainly when you are representing Ford Motor Company and their new campus that they’re building in Memphis, Tennessee with BlueOval City, and you’re doing it in Bristol, Tennessee, there certainly is an added bonus for running well, getting the TV coverage and the notoriety and all of those things that they deserve. So, yes, I’m excited to have that opportunity. I’m looking forward to it. Nobody really knows what to expect at Bristol, to be totally honest, because this is a very unique racetrack and we have not run there with this car on this configuration. When we ran there earlier this year it was dirt, totally different from what we’re gonna have here this weekend. It’s a bit of an unknown for all of us, but I’m excited. If history has anything to say, Bristol has been a really good racetrack for me throughout my career, so hopefully we can do it right and we can get BlueOval City all the press that they need by going to Victory Lane.”
WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR DECIDING TO COME BACK IN 2023? “That decision ultimately came down to the fact that the sponsor wanted me to stay and asked me to reconsider. The team asked me to stay and to reconsider and I talked with my wife about it, we prayed about it and we just felt like circumstances in our life had changed drastically in the last 12 months since we had previously decided that it would be it. So, for me, my desire to still race was there. I love to drive race cars, but I was willing to sacrifice doing what I love to do for my family. I felt like it was important to not miss out being the husband that I wanted to be and being the dad that I wanted to be, but things change. My kids started at a school to where Fridays were satellite work days, to where they don’t have to go to school on Friday. They can work from home online and turn their work in, and so now we could travel as a family to go to these races because we could leave on Thursday night or Friday morning to make it to the races and my kids weren’t missing school. And the other thing that changed were my kids’ activities. We found activities for them that were during the week, which for my daughter was easy. She was already doing that with theater and horseback riding during the week, but my son was playing baseball and football and those happened on the weekends. The games were on Saturdays and we ended up getting involved with a league in our community where practices are on Monday nights and games are on Tuesday and Thursday nights, so now not only am I not missing games on Saturdays, but I’m actually coaching my son’s baseball team, which has been really enjoyable for me. I feel like a normal dad. I feel like I have that ability to be there and be present and I’m not missing it. If I was gonna continue to miss it, I was totally willing to give up driving a race car. I was not willing to continue watching my son’s baseball games or football games on Facetime or my wife video texting me his at-bats. I wanted to be there. When he did good I wanted to be able to give him a high-five, and when he did something pooly I wanted to be able to talk to him about it and give him a hug, pat him on the butt and tell him to go get it next time. The same for my daughter. I want to be there and want to be present, but now with their activity schedule, their school schedule, they’ve traveled to I think 24 races already this year and they’re gonna go to four or five more before the end of the year, so we’re spending more family time together this year than we have ever in the past, and it’s been enjoyable. For those reasons, we just felt like God had manipulated some things in our lives to make it to where the opportunity was still there and the circumstances matched up to where I was able to say yes.”
IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU WOULD OWN A TEAM IN THE FUTURE OR RACE PART-TIME IN XFINITY OR TRUCK? “To own a team in the future, probably not. I would say that’s not in the cards for me. Financially, I’m not in a position to do that most likely and even the time commitment that I feel like it would need to take I don’t think I would be willing to do that going forward, but race part-time? Yes, I would love to do that. Once I step away from full-time racing in the Cup Series, I would still have a strong desire to scratch the itch and continue to drive race cars. If the opportunity presented itself to run six, eight, 10 Xfinity races and a handful of Truck races, I would love to do that to still strap in and go drive a race car.”
HOW DIFFICULT WITH IT BE TO RACE WITH THIS CAR ON THE ASPHALT AT BRISTOL? “Well, it’s concrete if we’re being totally accurate here, and I think it is going to be very, very different. I think there’s a lot of unknowns that we’ve already talked about, but some of them are very intricate unknowns, like how aggressive are the bumps gonna be on the racetrack and how low can you get your car without it getting upset from hitting those bumps, and just all those things we don’t have the answers to and we’re gonna have to try and figure it out in 15 minutes of practice. And how is the PJ1 gonna take effect and are we gonna run the bottom predominantly or are we gonna move up? We probably won’t figure that out in 15 minutes of practice because typically when we go to Bristol we practice for an hour and it takes 45 minutes of the hour of practice until we move up the racetrack, so I think even practice will be not the greatest indicator of how the race is gonna play out because I think a lot of things are gonna continue to evolve throughout the weekend.”
HAS THE DECISION TO COME BACK ALLOWED YOU TO RELAX MORE, KNOWING YOU’LL BE BACK? “No, I don’t think so. I was pretty relaxed anyway just thinking about it, not having to deal with the grind anymore to be totally honest. I was ready either way and I live in a pretty relaxed state. I don’t get too hyped up over a whole lot. I don’t get too anxious. There’s a lot of work involved. It’s certainly a grind to go throughout the 38 week stretch, but when I think about having next year honestly it adds a little bit more to the plate. I’m already sitting down thinking about photo shoots and commercial shoots with the marketing department here at the race team for next year. I had a meeting this morning with the suit manufacturer and getting re-measured for fire suits and stuff for next year, so there’s a lot of work that goes into being a race car driver behind the scenes – sponsor-related, media-related, just a lot of different stuff. The workload is pretty high and I think people underestimate that, but I have a great team around me. I have a great team of people and everybody helps to make it work and make it run smoothly.”
DO YOU THINK YOUR RETURN TO SHR HAD AN AFFECT ON THE KYLE BUSCH DECISION TODAY? “I have no idea. I can’t answer that. I was involved to a degree with the race team on trying to help them figure out what the plan was going forward and ultimately they came back and just asked me if I would be willing to reconsider and come back. The same for the sponsor. Outside of that, I don’t have a great answer to your question because I simply don’t know, but what I do know is that I’m gonna go to Bristol, Tennessee this weekend and represent BlueOval City, which I’m pretty fired up about and the reason that we’ve done this Zoom call today.”
Ford Performance PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72921-ford-performance-nascar-aric-almirola-and-kel-kearns-discuss-blueoval-city-on-no-10-mustang-at-bristol | 2022-09-13T23:05:49Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72921-ford-performance-nascar-aric-almirola-and-kel-kearns-discuss-blueoval-city-on-no-10-mustang-at-bristol | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sunday Race Info
Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 17 / 7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Track Length: 0.533 miles
Express Notes
Press Kit: Download the 2022 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
Kansas Recap: The No. 11 team continued their strong start to the 2022 playoffs with their second consecutive runner-up finish last Sunday at Kansas Speedway. After starting 25th, Hamlin patiently worked his way into the top 10. He found his way up to sixth at the end of stage two and a quick pit stop vaulted him up to third to begin the final segment. Initially, Hamlin slipped back to seventh, but he spent the remainder of the race climbing the leaderboard and ultimately finished second behind 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace.
Bristol Notes: Hamlin is a two-time winner at Bristol Motor Speedway with both victories coming in the night race (2012 and 2019). Most recently, he led 65 laps before finishing ninth when the Cup Series raced Bristol’s concrete layout last September. Hamlin leads all active drivers with four pole awards at Bristol.
Concrete Success: The FedEx Racing driver owns three career victories on concrete tracks (two at Bristol, one at Dover). In two starts on concrete tracks this season, Hamlin has shown exceptional speed. To start, he qualified second, led 67 laps and won a stage before being involved in an accident at Dover Motor Speedway in May. In June, Hamlin won the pole and led a race-high 114 laps before finishing sixth at Nashville Superspeedway.
Hamlin Statistics
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Races: 31
Wins: 2
Poles: 4
Top-5: 9
Top-10: 15
Laps Led: 894
Avg. Start: 12.9
Avg. Finish: 14.5
Hamlin Conversation – Bristol
What is your mindset heading to Bristol given the position you’re in in the playoffs?
“We’re in a good spot and we definitely feel good about how we’ve started the playoffs from a speed standpoint. We still need to clean up a few things and execute better if we’re going to have a shot to continue advancing beyond this round, but I’m confident going to Bristol this weekend. It would be nice if we can qualify up front and stay there all night to give ourselves a chance to pick up some more playoff points.”
FedEx Ground Along for the Ride at Bristol Motor Speedway: For Saturday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry TRD will feature GTWY on the b-post to recognize the FedEx Ground Gateway District in Champaign, Illinois for exceling in primary metrics and maintaining safety as a precondition this year.
JGR PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72922-fedex-racing-express-facts-bristol-motor-speedway | 2022-09-13T23:05:55Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-cup-series-news/72922-fedex-racing-express-facts-bristol-motor-speedway | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing will field three Chevy Silverados at Bristol Motor Speedway, known as The Last Great Colosseum, for the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics on Thursday night under the lights.
The MHR driver lineup includes Derek Kraus, driver of the No.19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado; Colby Howard, in the No.91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado; and Jake Garcia, driver of the No.35 Quanta Services Chevrolet Silverado.
The last time the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series raced at Bristol Motor Speedway back in April, the track was covered in dirt. This time around the series will be racing on the historic, high-banked, half-mile concrete surface.
Kraus has two series starts on Bristol’s paved track, with a best finish of 13th in last year’s event. He also competed in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races at Bristol, with a best finish of sixth in 2019. Howard registered a 15th-place finish last year, in his only Camping World Truck Series start on the paved Bristol track. Garcia has competed at Bristol in a pro late model race and in a super late model race.
Kraus attended select outreach events held by Bristol Motor Speedway and the University of Northwestern Ohio this week. On Monday, he visited Greene Technology Center in Greenville, Tennessee – which included a meet-and-greet and question-and-answer session with students and teachers, and an autograph session. Then on Tuesday, Kraus visited Tennessee High School and the Unicoi County Career & Technical Education. The MHR team had the No.19 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet show truck at the events.
Practice/Qualifying
The format for practice and qualifying at Bristol will involve a 20-minute warm-up/practice session on Thursday afternoon – followed by qualifying, with a single-truck, two-lap format.
Quote – Derek Kraus
“I am looking forward to Bristol. It’s one of the most fun tracks on the schedule and I always enjoy going there. It will be cool to have Incredible Bank on the truck as well!”
Quote – Colby Howard
“I am excited to return to Bristol. We had a solid run when we competed on dirt back in April. I am hoping to bring it to the race this Thursday!”
Quote – Jake Garcia
“I’m excited to run Bristol in the Camping World Truck Series. It’s a track where I’ve had speed in late models, and I hope that carries over into Thursday night’s race. Running this race is a great opportunity and I hope to make the most out of it.”
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event:
Race: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (200 Laps) (Race 20 of 23) Sept. 15, 2022
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn. (1/2-mile oval)
Television: FS1 on Sept. 15 at 9 p.m. ET
Derek Kraus
No. 19 NAPA AutoCare Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 21
Hometown: Stratford, Wis.
Career series stats: 69 starts, 3 poles, 4 top fives, 25 top 10s
Most recent series finish: 21st – Kansas (9/9/22)
Best career series finish: 2nd – Darlington (9/6/20)
Bristol stats: 2 series starts (Best finish – 13th on 9/16/21)
2022 series stats:
Races: 19 starts, 1 pole, 6 top 10s
Laps completed: 2,535/2,604
Laps led: 15
Series standings: 11th
Colby Howard
No. 91 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 20
Hometown: Simpsonville, S.C.
Career series stats: 24 starts, 2 top 10s
Most recent series finish: 9th – Kansas (9/9/22)
Best career series finish: 9th, twice – Mid-Ohio (7/9/22), Kansas (9/9/22)
Bristol stats: 1 series start (Finish – 15th on 9/16/21)
2022 series stats:
Races: 19 starts, 2 top 10s
Laps completed: 2,458/2,604
Laps led: 10
Series standings: 18th
Jake Garcia
No. 35 Quanta Chevrolet Silverado RST
Age: 17
Hometown: Monroe, Ga.
Career series stats: 3 starts
Most recent series finish: 20th – Richmond (8/13/22)
Best career series finish: 20th – Richmond (8/13/22)
Bristol stats: First series start at this track
MHR PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-truck-series-news/72915-mhr-drivers-return-to-the-last-great-colosseum | 2022-09-13T23:06:08Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/nascar-truck-series-news/72915-mhr-drivers-return-to-the-last-great-colosseum | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The record rainfall and subsequent flooding of late July dramatically impacted the lives of people in our own community as well as those in eastern Kentucky. Both areas suffered devastating damage and the communities are rallying together to rebound. The Raceway Gives Foundation (https://racewaygives.org/), the charitable arm of World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, is continuing to collect for the flood victims of eastern Kentucky.
While federal agencies and our local community pitched in to take care of our neighbors in the St. Louis-Metro East region, we want to remind everyone that what happened in eastern Kentucky can only be described as devastating. The tragic floods claimed 39 lives.
The eastern Kentucky area affected by the deadly flood is the hometown of several current and former members of our WWTR staff, as well as the current home of many of our special-event staff.
For those who wish to make a charitable contribution to the relief effort, Raceway Gives will provide a receipt for tax-deductible contributions. Donations may be dropped off at the WWTR ticket office at 700 Raceway Blvd. in Madison. Tax-deductible contributions may be mailed to: Raceway Gives, P.O. Box 200, Madison, Illinois 62060, memo: EKY Flood Relief Effort.
WWTR PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/speedway-news/72914-world-wide-technology-raceway-s-raceway-gives-continues-to-collect-donations-for-eastern-kentucky-flood-victims | 2022-09-13T23:06:32Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/speedway-news/72914-world-wide-technology-raceway-s-raceway-gives-continues-to-collect-donations-for-eastern-kentucky-flood-victims | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Iberia are on the scene of a two-vehicle crash in the area of Jane Street.
Very few details are available at this time, however police say two vehicles were involved and there are critical injuries.
New Iberia are on the scene of a two-vehicle crash in the area of Jane Street.
Very few details are available at this time, however police say two vehicles were involved and there are critical injuries. | https://www.katc.com/news/iberia-parish/new-iberia-police-working-serious-accident | 2022-09-13T23:13:51Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/iberia-parish/new-iberia-police-working-serious-accident | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
There's always speculation as to when Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will retire from the National Football League.
Brady retired after the 2021 season, only to reverse his decision six weeks later.
On Monday's episode of his podcast "Let's Go!" the 7-time Super Bowl champion spoke to host Jim Gray about how this year feels differently then in year's past.
"I’m feeling more than things in the past for some reason,” Brady said. “I’m just really feeling intensely, my emotions. I’ve always had that, but I think when you get close to the end..."
Brady added that he isn't exactly sure when the end will be, but he knows that he won't be playing 10 more years.
"I definitely don't have that," Brady said.
His wife Gisele Bündchen recently spoke about him returning to play which she spoke about in a recent interview with Elle magazine.
“Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she said during her interview. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again."
But the supermodel said that ultimately, a decision someone makes has to ultimately "work for them."
"He needs to follow his joy, too," she said in the magazine.
On the podcast, Brady also spoke about missing out on key moments with his family that also has him thinking of hanging it up.
"I think there comes a point in your life where you say, you know what? I had my fill and it's enough and time to go on, to move into other parts of life," Brady said. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/brady-talks-retirement-in-latest-podcast-episode | 2022-09-13T23:13:57Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/brady-talks-retirement-in-latest-podcast-episode | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — An FBI agent struggled to control his emotions Tuesday as he described on the witness stand seeing bodies inside Sandy Hook elementary school — a scene that the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones later claimed was staged by actors.
FBI agent William Aldenberg was the first witness to testify as a Connecticut jury began hearing statements in a trial to decide how much money Jones owes for spreading the lie that the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown didn’t happen.
Aldenberg broke down as he described being among the first law enforcement officers to enter the two classrooms where 20 children died.
“Was what you saw in that school fake?” asked attorney Christopher Mattei, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.
“No,” Aldenberg said. “It’s awful. It’s awful.”
He also testified about how he and others in the community and law enforcement were targeted with threats and conspiracy theories, including one that claimed he was an actor who also pretended to be the father of a victim.
“It’s one of the worst things that ever happened, if not the worst thing that ever happened here, what happened to them,” Aldenberg said. “And people want to say this didn’t happen? And then they want to get rich off of it? That's the worst part.”
The trial in Waterbury, less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Newtown, where the children and six teachers were shot to death, was attended by more than a dozen family members of the victims, including David Wheeler, the father who conspiracy theorists had claimed was the same person as Aldenberg. Wheeler nodded his head as Aldenberg apologized for what he had to endure because of their resemblance.
The Sandy Hook families and Aldenberg say they have been confronted and harassed for years by people who believed Jones’ false claim that the shooting was staged by crisis actors as part of a plot to take away people’s guns.
Some say strangers have videotaped them and their surviving children. They’ve also endured death threats and been subjected to abusive comments on social media. And some families have moved out of Newtown to avoid harassment. They accuse Jones of causing them emotional and psychological harm.
“You know, you can say whatever you want about me. I don’t care,” Aldenberg said. “Just say what you want. I’m a frigging big boy. I can take it. But then they want to make profits, they want to make millions and millions of dollars. They want to destroy people’s lives. Their children got slaughtered. I saw it myself, and now they have to sit here and listen to me say this.”
It’s the second such trial for Jones, who was ordered by a Texas jury last month to pay nearly $50 million to the parents of one of the slain children. Jones was not at the trial Tuesday and is expected to attend next week.
A jury of three men and three women along with several alternates, will decide how much Jones should pay relatives of eight victims and Aldenberg. Judge Barbara Bellis found Jones liable without a trial last year after he failed to turn over documents to the families’ lawyers.
The judge also sanctioned Jones on Tuesday for failing to turn over analytic data related to his website and the popularity of his show. She told his lawyers that because of that failure, they will not be allowed to argue he didn’t profit from his Sandy Hook remarks.
In opening statements, Jones was described by Mattei as a bully and by his own attorney as a crank in a town square who should be ignored.
Mattei showed jurors data indicating how Jones' audience increased as he spread lies about the shooting. He also showed them photos and videos of things Jones had said, and told the panel they already had the tools from their own life experiences to decide what to do in this case.
“What your parents taught you, what your grandparents taught you to know the difference between right and wrong, to know the difference between the truth and a horrible lie, to know the importance of standing up to bullies when they prey on people who are helpless and profit from them and to know unless you stop a bully, a bully will never stop,” he said. “And when it comes to stopping Alex Jones, that will be the most important work that you do.”
Jones' attorney, Norm Pattis, argued that his client had espoused a number of conspiracy theories over the years, something he has a Constitutional right to do.
“At what point do we regard him as a crank on the village green, a person we can walk away from if we choose?” he asked.
Pattis told the jury that although Jones is liable for damages, any award should be minimal and alleged the families were overstating the harm they say Jones caused them.
On his Infowars web show on Tuesday, Jones portrayed himself as the victim of unfair show trials.
“How am I handling it? We’re at war. This is total tyranny,” he said. “I’ll tell you this, we can appeal this for years. We can beat this.”
The trial is expected to last about a month and feature testimony from both Jones and the families.
Jones, whose web show and Infowars brand are based in Austin, Texas, has been banned from YouTube, Facebook and Spotify for violating hate-speech policies.
Jones now says he believes the shooting was real. At the Texas trial, he testified that he realized what he said was irresponsible and did hurt people’s feelings and he apologized. He continues, however, to insist that his comments were protected free speech. He views the lawsuits as efforts to silence him and put him out of business.
Jones’ lawyers say he intends to appeal the judgment against him in Texas. Jones will also face a third trial in Texas involving another slain child's parents.
___
Associated Press writer Pat Eaton-Robb contributed to this story from Hartford, Connecticut. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/in-2nd-jones-trial-fbi-agent-at-sandy-hook-breaks-down | 2022-09-13T23:14:03Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/in-2nd-jones-trial-fbi-agent-at-sandy-hook-breaks-down | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital
Mejia-Martinez – To Noemi Mejia and Marcos Javier Martinez of Yakima, a son, Martin Felix Martinez, 8 pounds 6 ounces, at 2:10 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2022. Grandparents are Virgilio and Carolina Mejia of Mexico and Marcos and Esther Martinez of Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico.
Alvarado Portillo-Villalto Argueta – To Veronica Yamileth Alvarado Portillo and Alexis Edenilson Villalta Argueta of Yakima, a daughter, Zoe Rebecca Villalta Alvarado, 7 pounds 4 ounces, at 3:31 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2022. Grandparents are Reina Portillo and Santos Alvarado of El Salvador and Dimia Pierce.
Lee-Wallace – To Brittnee Lee and Mike Wallace of Moxee, a son, Hudson Lee Wallace, on Sept. 7, 2022.
Yoerger – To Kaitlin Elizabeth and Michael Allen Yoerger of Selah, a daughter, Brooklyn Marie Yoerger, 7 pounds 1 ounce, at 6:27 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2022. Grandparents are Marla Garza and Kevin DeMerritt and Sherry Sutton and Allen Yoerger.
Watlamet-Martin – To Christine Lyn Watlamet and Alfonso Jesus Martin of Yakima, a son, Alfonso Gustavo Martin, 8 pounds 11.3 ounces, at 5:58 p.m. on Sept. 5, 2022. Grandparents are Ofolia Martin of Sunnyside and Alfonso Martin of Buena.
Knowles – To Josalynn Knowles of Selah, a son, Emmett River Peters, 8 pounds 1 ounce, at 6:27 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2022. Grandparents are Cynthia Peters of Selah and Robert Collier of Richland.
Dresker – To Carlie and Robert Dresker of Yakima, a son, Brooks Wayne Dresker, 6 pounds 3 ounces, at 7:03 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2022. Grandparents are Kim and Tim Gosser of Yakima and Carolyn and Rob Dresker of Yakima.
Moreno-Muniz – To Elizabeth Moreno and Juan Carlos Baltierra Muniz of Granger, a son, Juan Carlos Baltierra Moreno III, 6 pounds, at 11:58 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2022.
Hernandez – To Larissa Marie and Jose Hernandez Jr. of Yakima, a son, Gabriel Joseph Hernandez, 6 pounds 15 ounces, at 11:17 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2022.
Kosoff – To Gabrielle Anne and Daniel Richard Kosoff of Yakima, a son, Mykola Viktor Kosoff, 8 pounds 11 ounces, at 11:21 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2022.
Juarez-Garcia – To Diamond Jaylene Juarez and Erik Gabriel Garcia Arguello of Yakima, a son, Angel Abriel Garcia, 8 pounds 11.7 ounces, at 5:20 a.m. on Sept. 1, 2022.
Wallahee – To Roberta Lynn and Jim Nathan Wallahee of Wapato, a son, Jax Royce Wallahee, 8 pounds 6 ounces, at 2:43 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2022.
Wilkinson – To Amanda Paige and Riley William Wilkinson of Yakima, a son, Carter William Wilkinson, 8 pounds 12 ounces, at 6:47 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2022. Grandparents are Shane and Amy Del Vecchio of Yakima and Russ and Kate Wilkinson of Yakima.
Ramirez-Roa – To Amanda Ramirez and Nathaniel Roa of Yakima, a son, Isaiah Saint Roa, 6 pounds 7 ounces, at 9:26 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2022. Grandparents are Linda and Javier Ramirez of Yakima and Crystal and Daniel Roa of Yakima.
Doan-Campos – To Ashley Alynne Doan and Javier Vega Campos of Yakima, a son, Zayvian Javier Campos, 6 pounds 3.6 ounces, at 9:38 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2022. Grandparents are Tammie Nichols of Yakima and Yolanda Vega of Yakima.
Espinoza-Whitehawk – To Jessica Shantelle Espinoza and Jim Castilla Whitehawk of Yakima, a son, Kai Enzo Castilla, 5 pounds 13.1 ounces, at 6:59 p.m. on Aug. 28, 2022. Grandparents are Jessie Espinoza of Yakima and Tawnya Flower of Kennewick and Maria Osorio and Jim Castilla of Yakima.
Sutterlict-Martinez – To Janealle K. Sutterlict and Michael W. Martinez of Yakama Nation, a daughter, August S. Martinez, 9 pounds 2.3 ounces, at 4:33 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2022. Grandparents are Gene and Kwasa Goudy-Sutterlict of Yakama Nation and Ramon and Elizabeth Martinez of Wapato.
Benitez-Emery – To Yanelli Isabel Benitez and Isaac Joesph Emery of Yakima, a daughter, Isalli Iliani Benitz-Emery, 5 pounds, at 10:52 p.m. on Aug. 25, 2022. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/births-for-sept-18-2022/article_827eefac-33b3-11ed-a249-ff5d2fbf0978.html | 2022-09-13T23:17:13Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/births-for-sept-18-2022/article_827eefac-33b3-11ed-a249-ff5d2fbf0978.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ELLENSBURG — On a day when Western New Mexico proved to be a tougher than expected out, Central Washington had the perfect answer.
A running back that was tough to bring down.
Tre’ Henderson ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns, his third coming with 2:17 left in the game, as the Wildcats turned back the upset-minded visitors for a 24-13 victory to open the Lone Star Conference season Saturday night at Tomlinson Stadium.
A sophomore transfer from Stephen F. Austin, Henderson scored touchdowns in the second, third and fourth quarters, finished with 26 carries and also caught two passes for 37 yards.
The Wildcats, who defeated Western New Mexico 54-29 last year, trailed 13-10 at the break but held the Mustangs scoreless in the second half thanks to the defense coming up with three of its four interceptions.
Patrick Rogers got the final pick and it sealed the deal as he returned the interception 29 yards to WNM’s 12 late in the game with Central clinging to a 17-13 lead. After an unsportsmanlike penalty moved to the ball to the 6, Henderson bolted in for his third score of the game.
Daeon Hudson, Tanner Volk and Jeremy Banks had the other interceptions for CWU, which outgained the Mustangs 371-275 with 36 minutes in time of possession.
Central quarterback Quincy Glasper threw for 196 yards but was sacked four times. Davis graduate Marcus Cook caught two passes for 26 yards.
The Wildcats (1-0, 1-1) resume Lone Star play on Saturday at Simon Fraser.
W. New Mexico 3 10 0 0 — 13
Central Wash. 3 7 7 7 — 24
CWU — FG Jude Mullette 37
WNM — FG Adrian Zamudio 34
WNM — Vincent Rankin 12 pass from Devin Larsen (Zamudio kick)
CWU — Tre’ Henderson 5 run (Mullette kick)
WNM — FG Zamudio 45
CWU — Henderson 1 run (Mullette kick), 7m 3Q.
CWU — Henderson 6 run (Mullette kick), 2:17 4Q.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WNM, Maurice Smith 14-53, Eddie Tillman 1-31, Grant Patterson 6-19, Jamon Chambers 6-19, David Telles 2-8, Devin Larsen 1-3, Charles Byers 2(minus 5). CWU, Henderson 26-154, Cam McKinney 6-21, Cameron Daniels 4-10, Quincy Glasper 10-(minus 10).
PASSING — WNM, Larsen 14-35-4-141, Patterson 1-5-0-6, CWU, Glasper 14-29-1-196.
RECEIVING — WNM, Telles 5-41, Allen Ortiz 3-60, Chambers 3-7, Byers 2-25, Rankin 2-14. CWU, TJ Mizutani 6-75, Darius Morrison 3-49, Henderson 2-37, Marcus Cook 2-26, Payton Glasser 1-9. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/cwu-football-for-wednesday-print/article_7c2cb8e6-3390-11ed-b9ac-3b36a2defdf2.html | 2022-09-13T23:17:19Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/cwu-football-for-wednesday-print/article_7c2cb8e6-3390-11ed-b9ac-3b36a2defdf2.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Yakima’s Julian “Juicy J” Erosa became a UFC fan favorite by displaying a hardworking, scrappy and aggressive style he said reflects the city where he grew up.
While that’s certainly proven to be effective, most notably in a wildly entertaining three-round win over Steven Peterson last February, Erosa understood he needed something different Saturday night against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279 in Las Vegas.
A more measured approach allowed the 33-year-old Eisenhower graduate to dominate all three rounds for a unanimous decision and the biggest win of his tumultuous career.
“I’ve been trying to be a bit more technical, a bit less brawly and scrappy,” Erosa said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “You want to be a bit smarter.”
It earned him another big paycheck and an exclamation point on his three-fight win streak.
Still, Erosa admitted feeling “almost disappointed” when he went back to watch his strategic but uncharacteristically safe third round, when he mostly kept his distance and then scored a late takedown to ensure Dawodu couldn’t win by a late knockout.
The prior two rounds left little doubt Erosa only needed to survive the final five minutes, since he landed the vast majority of strikes and then controlled the fight on the ground for two minutes after an impressive takedown halfway through Round 2. He heard all the comments about how Dawodu’s striking ability gave him an advantage if both fighters stayed on their feet, but Erosa, who stands five inches taller at 6-foot-1, felt confident his unorthodox style could keep his opponent off-balance.
“The difficult thing that I’ve been really working on is using that height and that range to my advantage,” Erosa said. “I’m a tall guy that fights like short guy.”
Those efforts paid off in a big way; Erosa took home 30% of Dawodu’s pay, since he missed weight by three and a half pounds. Peterson did the same thing in February, allowing Erosa to take home all $100,000 of a Fight of the Night bonus after their bloody three-round brawl.
Erosa typically weighs around 170 pounds and then drops from about 165 down to 146. Early in his career, it made him angry to see opponents unable to cut enough, but he’s since learned to be grateful for the extra money and other advantages it brings.
“I make weight about 9, 9:30 and Dawodu missed weight at about 10:30,” Erosa said. “I’m already rehydrating and about 155 pounds by that time. I was OK with it, as long as it’s not by too much.”
These days Erosa is hardly concerned with what anyone else is doing while he’s preparing for his next opponent and trying to keep improving himself as much as possible. He said his top training partner is Jorge Alcala, a Davis graduate who moved to Las Vegas about six months after Erosa settled there in 2017.
Erosa’s regimen also includes long-distance running, something he said many fighters look down upon, due in large part to the constant pounding on their joints. But Erosa believes it’s underutilized and said a grueling 15-mile road loop in Red Rock Canyon provides significant benefits, both physically and mentally.
“Doing those long runs by myself I have to push myself and get through them with nobody watching,” Erosa said. “I feel like that’s the best time to really figure out what you’re made of.”
The results speak for themselves, and Erosa hopes to get back in the cage before the end of the year after winning five of his six UFC fights since a late scratch due to COVID-19 gave him an unexpected opportunity in June 2020. Before that, he’d lost four straight UFC fights and went back to the regional CageSport circuit, where he never lost confidence in his abilities.
Beating Peterson gave Erosa a feeling that he’d “reached the mountaintop” and gave him more leverage, allowing him to turn down unfavorable fights, such as an invite to make a long trip to London on short notice to take on Nathaniel Wood in March. He appreciated the opportunity to sign a new four-fight contract with a pay raise on Tuesday, but he’s most happy to just be able to continue pursuing his passion at the highest level.
“It’s more just the assurance and just knowing that this is where I belong,” Erosa said. “When I lost three fights in a row, I was 1-4 and I’d got cut for the second time. I thought it was the end for me.”
Instead, he’s worked his way up to No. 15 in the world, according to Tapology’s latest featherweight rankings. Erosa said he would welcome a chance to fight an opponent ranked in the UFC’s top 15, or he’d be just as happy to take on someone else who could offer a fun challenge. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/sports/mma/erosas-ufc-stock-keeps-rising-after-third-straight-win/article_35f7b1a0-3390-11ed-8d5d-cf1e3a9e90ef.html | 2022-09-13T23:17:37Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/sports/mma/erosas-ufc-stock-keeps-rising-after-third-straight-win/article_35f7b1a0-3390-11ed-8d5d-cf1e3a9e90ef.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SELAH — With five players reaching double-digit kills, West Valley battled for a five-set victory over Selah in nonleague volleyball Saturday afternoon.
Kennedy Webb and Lily Kinloch had 16 and 13 kills, respectively, and Kaitlyn Leaverton, Mia Gonzalez and Ella Ferguson collected 10 apiece for the Rams, who prevailed 25-18, 25-18, 26-28, 25-27, 15-11.
West Valley will host Ellensburg on Tuesday, Selah travels to Hanford on Thursday, and both teams will compete in Saturday’s SunDome Volleyball Festival.
West Valley highlights: Kennedy Webb 16 kills, 7 aces, 11 digs; Lily Kinloch 13 kills, 12 digs; Kaitlyn Leaverton 10 kills, 5 aces, 6 digs; Mia Gonzalez 10 kills, 2 blocks; Ella Ferguson 10 kills, 1 block; Emily Strong 18 digs; Heather Barbee 10 digs, 7 aces; Lexi Barbee 48 assists, 10 digs.
DAVIS 3, PROSSER 1: At Prosser, Sally Gargus had 19 digs and 28 perfect passes as the Pirates moved to 3-0 with a 22-25, 27-25, 29-27, 25-15 victory. Davis opens CBBN play at Sunnyside on Tuesday.
Davis highlights: Kailey Willsey 26-26 serving, 3 aces, 8 kills, 5 digs, 4 blocks, 15 assists; Shaela Allen-Greggs 13-14 serving, 10 kills, 14 digs, 1 block; Litzy Carillo 10-12 serving, 1 ace, 3 kills, 7 pp, 9 digs, 1 block; Camryn Birch 9-10 serving, 8 kills, 3 digs, 5 blocks; Kathlene Velazquez 10-11 serving, 1 ace, 7 digs, 13 assists; Sally Gargus 8-11 serving, 2 aces, 28 pp, 19 digs, 1 assist; Rose Pineda 4 digs, 2 pp; Vennesy Martinez 2 blocks.
GRANGER 3, ZILLAH 2: At Zillah, Marian Alaniz’s 16 kills and Jaylin Golob’s 32 assists with five aces on 27-of-29 serving sparked the Spartans to a 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 15-6 marathon victory.
Emma Flood had 23 digs and six aces on 24-for-26 serving for Zillah.
Granger highlights: Jaylin Golob 27-29 serving, 5 aces, 8 kills, 32 assists, 11 digs; Eliana Rios 9-11 serving, 23 digs, 44 perfect passes; Alyssa Roma 16-17 serving, 2 aces, 3 kills, 5 digs, 12 pp; Jasmin Vasquez 23-23 serving, 3 aces, 6 kills, 18 digs, 14 pp; Marian Alaniz 12-12 serving, 16 kills; Amy Torres 11-13 serving, 9 kills, 23 digs, 19 pp; Stacey Cruz 18 digs, 20 pp; Estrella Valencia 4 kills.
Zillah highlights: Alaina Garza 3 kills; Emily Greene 17-20 serving, 10 digs; Emma Flood 24-26 serving, 6 aces, 23 digs; Jacelyn Yearout 15-16 serving, 2 aces, 5 kills, 23 assists, 12 digs; Kya Gonzales 18-19 serving, 3 aces, 5 kills, 14 digs; Liz Walle 12-12 serving, 3 kills; Mia Hicks 12-14 serving, 2 aces, 13 kills, 15 digs.
TOPPENISH 3, EISENHOWER 1: At Eisenhower, the Wildcats earned a 25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 25-21 victory and will host College Place on Tuesday.
In other matches Saturday, Wapato defeated Mabton 3-1.
WHITE SALMON 3, GOLDENDALE 1: At Goldendale, the Timberwolves (2-1) fell to Columbia 25-23, 25-20, 15-25, 25-22 and will open EWAC West play on Tuesday at Cle Elum.
Goldendale highlights: Gwen Gilliam 2 aces, 17 perfect passes, 34 digs, 5 kills; Taryn Rising 11 pp, 16 digs, 9 kills, 2 blocks; Emily Tindall 3 aces, 16 digs, 27 assists; Brook Blain 4 digs, 10 kills, 5 blocks; Brylee Mulrony 2 aces, 16 pp, 15 digs; Lexi Molnar 7 digs; Ada Garner 6 kills, 3 digs; Lydia Hanning 5 kills.
FOOTBALL
NONLEAGUE
SEDRO-WOOLLEY 42, EISENHOWER 14: At Eisenhower, sophomore Moses Spurrier passed for 163 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score to lead the Cadets, who led 14-7 after the first quarter.
Sedro-Woolley quarterback Cartsen Reynolds threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 61 yards.
Eisenhower (0-2) hosts Moses Lake to open CBBN play on Friday.
In other games Saturday, Granger defeated Mabton 34-0 and Kittitas beat Manson 47-14.
Sedro-Woolley 21 0 7 14 — 42
Eisenhower 14 0 0 0 — 14
Ike — Moses Spurrier 6 run (David Aguilar kick)
Ike — Judah Oldenkamp 12 pass from Spurrier (Aguilar kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Ike, Greysen Sartain 14-38, Marcus Cunningham 8-24, Spurrier 8-22.
PASSING — Ike, Spurrier 15-28-1-163.
RECEIVING — Ike, Sartain 5-15, Nehemiah Garcia 4-98, Oldenkamp 3-34, Aaron Culler 2-19, Mark Stephens 1-(minus 3).
GIRLS SOCCER
NONLEAGUE
WEST VALLEY 2, SELAH 1: At Selah, Tiffany Stratton’s second tally early in the second half broke a 1-1 tie and the Rams leaned on their defense the rest of the way.
West Valley hosts East Valley on Tuesday while Selah opens CWAC play at Othello.
First half: 1, Selah, WV own goal; 2, WV, Tiffany Stratton, 19:30.
Second half: 2, WV, Stratton (Gigi Doucette), 45:30.
Saves: Taylor Poor (WV) 12, Selah 7.
NACHES VALLEY 3, GRANGER 0: At Naches Valley, Jayda Gooler recorded a hat trick for the Rangers, who led 1-0 at halftime. Bella Rowe assisted on two of the goals.
Granger goalkeeper Erikah Cuevas made nine saves.
OTHER SCORES: Lake Stevens 6, Eisenhower 1; Davis 0, Battle Ground 0; Grandview 12, Wapato 0; Hanford 3, Prosser 2; Cashmere 11, La Salle 2; Kalama 4, Highland 0; Stevenson 1, Goldendale 0; Quincy 4, Mabton 0.
CROSS COUNTRY
West Valley wins relaysELLENSBURG — West Valley’s Boden Alderson, Skye Stenehjem, Max Hutton, Nicole Murdock and Caden Casteel teamed up to capture the victory at Saturday’s Ellensburg’s Co-ed Relays at Carey Lakes.
The Rams’ quintet clocked 43:59 over the 1.5-mile course. Wenatchee was second (45:19) followed by Ephrata (45:21) and Ellensburg (45:30) in the 20-team field that featured 500 runners.
Boys top 10: Hayden Roberts (Eph) 7:47 (1.5 miles), Max Hutton (WV) 7:57, Caden Casteel (WV) 7:57, Chase Perez (Ell) 8:06, Boden Alderson (WV) 8:07, Ezra Week (Casc) 8:08, Emil Miller (WV) 8:13, Hayden Malone (Eph) 8:19, Charlie Naught (WV) 8:20, Elijah Krueger (WV) 8:21.
Girls top 10: Diana Camargo (Wap) 9:30 (1.5 miles), Holly Fromherz (Ell) 9:43, Brooke Miles (NV) 9:47, Haley Loewen (Wen) 9:49, Nicole Murdock (WV) 9:57, Skye Stenehjem (WV) 10:01, Kirsten Jarmin (Wen) 10:01, Alexa Laughlin (Eph) 10:03, Eloise Bolles (Wen) 10:14, Taryn Huck (NV) 10:16.
GIRLS SWIMMING
CWAC all-league meet
At Selah
Team scores: Selah 71, Ellensburg 47, Grandview 17, Prosser 15, East Valley 12, Naches Valley 8, Toppenish 4.
200 medley relay: Selah (Flowers, Young, Ozanich, Vick) 2:05.90, Grandview 2:11.29, Ellensburg 2:13.36.
200 free: Ellianna Fredrickson (Ell) 2:20.73, Joslyn Rice (Ell) 2:22.40, Ebony Mireles (G) 2:24.88.
200 IM: Macey Holloway (Ell) 2:40.93, Faithe Miller (P) 2:45.78.
50 free: Izzy Vick (S) 25.23 (school record, 2A state), Abby Advincula (NV) 28.83, Ebony Mireles (G) 29.00.
100 fly: Aubrey Sanchez (EV) 1:07.83, Faithe Miller (P) 1:12.48, Jedidia Alvarez (G) 1:12.89.
100 free: Izzy Vick (S) 57.66, Caitlin Strand (S) 1:03.93, Hannah Perkins (P) 1:05.44.
500 free: Aubrey Sanchez (EV) 6:09.88 (school record), Emily Holt (Ell) 6:28.28, Riley Goin (S) 6:28.40.
200 free relay: Ellensburg (Dick, Schoos, Rice, Holt) 1:56.44, Selah 2:02.09, Toppenish 2:31.64.
100 back: Addy Flowers (S) 1:14.55, Abby Advincula (NV) 1:16.41, Ila Child (Ell) 1:16.69.
100 breast: Gabi Young (S) 1:20.10, Jedida Alvarez (G) 1:20.63, Caitlin Strand (S) 1:22.90.
400 free relay: Ellensburg (Holloway, Fredrickson, Child, Holt) 4:16.87, Selah 4:17.36. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/valley-review-for-wednesday-print/article_d73e0a6e-3390-11ed-a717-43c8ed422def.html | 2022-09-13T23:17:43Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/valley-review-for-wednesday-print/article_d73e0a6e-3390-11ed-a717-43c8ed422def.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ALHAMBRA — A summer school history class took students and their teacher on an adventure. And now, they stand on the cusp of coming face to face with an authentic part of a city’s history.
For years, what happened to the missing murals depicting the early development of California on the walls of the Alhambra post office in the early 1940s has been a local mystery.
Three fresco murals on the south wall of the Bay State Street post office by California artist Gordon K. Grant were part of a 1930’s New Deal Works Progress Administration project. They were created during the Great Depression, designed to put people back to work while supporting arts and culture, preserving creative skills and stimulating the economy.
Muralists painted a series of images in government buildings, schools and post offices at the time.
In the Alhambra mural, the center panel, titled “El Gringo,” shows White ranch hands panning for gold. A second one, titled “El Indio,” captured the Native Americans building the missions with work tools and roof tiles in their hands. And the third, called “El Paisano,” depicts Mexicans in an agricultural setting.
The subjects in all three murals are hunched over, working hard and looking down. The image is believed to be a critical political statement by Grant about California being built on the backs of different groups of people.
Suspicions are that post office customers and employees complained about the images, and perhaps that’s the reason they were painted over. Others claimed they were still there, but painted over when the post office was remodeled in the late 60s, early 70s.
But no one can be certain why they went missing.
“There are a couple letters … written during the time period from residents of Alhambra that didn’t actually like the murals, didn’t like the depiction of how California was developed,” said Jose Sanchez, a history teacher at Alhambra High School. “They thought it was distracting them from their mail work, including the postmaster general at the time.” Sanchez said.
Students pursue the mystery
On Thursday, the Alhambra Historical Society ,in conjunction with Alhambra High School, hosted “The Mystery of the Missing WPA Murals” in the school cafeteria with a student demonstration about their report on the history of the murals, the artist and their findings in attempts to unlock the secret of what happened to the originals.
“I remember as a little girl going to the post office and seeing those murals, they were great,” said Alhambra resident Barbara Beckley. “The fact that I remember them proves the fact that I was impressed by them. They were such a part of the fabric of our life. I still look up and wonder if they are underneath there, under the paint. Whomever did it, it was a sad decision to cover them up.”
Sanchez’s telephone and internet journey to discover what happened to the tempera murals took him to New York, Washington D.C., Texas and San Luis Obispo and Ventura over a three-month period.
He connected with a history professor, national archives and researchers to confirm the murals most likely were covered over by a layer of paint.
“History is still alive and sometimes history disappears, but it’s not necessarily forgotten, and I think that as a history teacher my students taught me that this summer and this has been quite the adventure,” Sanchez said. “So glad they were involved in this and brought me along for the ride, but we were able to add a little piece of resolution to what happened to these murals.”
Timothy Pengshung, 15, a junior at Mark Keppel High School, said that when the team started the history project they didn’t realize they would be in the position to essentially uncover the murals.
“We believed they weren’t there,” Timothy said. “I’m happy the project came this far and we found more information about the murals. We’ve learned more about the history of Alhambra and it’s opened our eyes to see other public buildings.”
Wenbo “Eric” Zheng, 16, a junior at Mark Keppel High School, now wants to be part of the movement to uncover the murals.
“I think it’s interesting how the murals were painted over and now the public is trying to bring it back into people’s awareness.,” Eric said. “The public’s opinion is very strong, especially because these drawings weren’t meant to exactly target certain sets of people, they weren’t meant to anger people. They were meant to show off his drawings, to inspire others. But the public didn’t handle them very well, that’s why they were taken down.”
Recreating the murals
Sydney Nakasone, 17, a senior at Alhambra High School, was tasked with recreating the muralist’s pencil sketches on poster board as part of the unveiling of the history project. She studied the colors he used in other of his murals with hopes she got it right in the three Alhambra Post Office murals.
“Mr. Sanchez talked about this project in class, and it broke my heart that it got a lot of hatred because it depicted Alhambra’s history of labor workers and how it was, everyone is facing away, you can’t see the faces, they are facing away from the people, they are hunched back over,” Sydney said. “It really hurt when I heard it was painted over. It was an interesting process, because I never painted anything like this before. It was nice to recreate another painter’s artwork that is a part of history, a part of my town’s history.”
While Sanchez continues to figure out if the murals are still where last seen and can be restored, his students plan to make an exhibit at the Post Office with information about the frescoes along with the posterboard replicas.
“They still might be there under the paint, and now we need the resources to check if they are and possibly hire a company that might be willing to do it for free, give us a quote,” he said. “If they are still there (we are thinking) should we have a campaign to raise money to remove the paint depending on how much it costs.”
To view sketches of the Alhambra murals, visit tinyurl.comalhambramurals.
To view more of the New Deal murals, visit livingnewdeal.org.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/an-alhambra-teacher-and-his-students-want-to-uncover-missing-murals-at-post-office/ | 2022-09-13T23:20:27Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/an-alhambra-teacher-and-his-students-want-to-uncover-missing-murals-at-post-office/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“The Silver Dollar” is a one-act play written in 1979 by Rene Rodriguez Sr. and performed by his Teatro Urbano troupe ever since. How many times?
“Oh my god, I can’t even tell you,” says Rosemary Rodriguez, his widow and the troupe’s producer. It’s been seen throughout the Southwest, in Mexico City, in theaters, colleges, auditoriums, high schools, parks, “wherever we’re able to set something up,” she says.
Teatro Urbano even performed it during the 1990s at the actual Silver Dollar, the East L.A. bar where the play takes place. That must’ve been a trip. Also, thanks to the bar setting, it was a rare theater piece that had beverage service, not to mention billiards.
The last time audiences saw “The Silver Dollar” was in 2019 in Pomona at the dA Center for the Arts. “We try to do it yearly, but because of COVID we haven’t been able to,” says Rosemary.
But “The Silver Dollar” is back, and the dA will be the next place audiences can see it. It’s returning this weekend (Sept. 16-18) for three shows: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Set on Aug. 29, 1970, the play is a fictionalized version of the events of that day. A massive antiwar protest, the Chicano Moratorium, drew more than 20,000 people to march along Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. to Laguna Park.
Police declared the gathering an illegal assembly. Tear gas was dropped from sheriff’s helicopters. There was panic and rioting. A deputy fired a tear gas projectile through the curtained doorway of the Silver Dollar, striking and killing journalist Ruben Salazar, who had just sat down to sip a beer.
That’s the climax of “The Silver Dollar.” The rest of the play is a slice of life piece about the interactions among patrons at the bar: an argumentative Vietnam veteran, an undocumented worker, a married man and his girlfriend.
There’s laughter, there’s sorrow, says Rosemary, but also enlightenment.
Salazar was a prominent voice for Chicanos, first as a reporter for the L.A. Times, later as news director for Spanish-language station KMEX. Laguna Park is now Salazar Park in his memory.
This column, by the way, came out of the blue, as they sometimes do.
I was in downtown Pomona for Saturday’s monthly Art Walk, on my way to the dA to check out the “Chicano Park Muralists” exhibit, when a woman on a street corner handed me a flier for “The Silver Dollar.” This was of more interest than most fliers handed to me on street corners.
At the dA a half hour later, as I chatted with writer Romeo Guzmán, he brought up the play and pointed out Rosemary, who was walking past, and who turned out to be the woman who’d handed me the flier.
Guzmán said Rodriguez’s Teatro Urbano was a legend in El Monte and South El Monte, where the troupe was born, and that it was the subject of an essay by his wife, Carribean Fragoza, in the anthology the couple co-edited, “East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte.”
I was sold.
Teatro Urbano was founded circa 1974 by Rene Rodriguez, soon joined by Rosemary, who’d taken theater classes at El Monte High and Cal State Long Beach. The grassroots theater did “improvs, dealing with whatever issue was happening,” Rosemary says, often in public spaces, like parks.
The couple eventually left the San Gabriel Valley for Ontario and then Montclair, where Rene died in 2018 of kidney disease at age 69.
Rosemary calls “The Silver Dollar,” in performance for some 43 years, the region’s longest-running Chicano play. Does that make it the “Cats” of agitprop? She hopes to keep it going, in part because the issues remain vital, in part in memory of her husband.
“I feel it’s something he wanted us to do. As long as I’m able to,” says Rosemary, who’s 71. “It’s time to retire. But then, what am I retiring from?”
A film version was shot by Teatro Urbano in downtown Pomona in 2018 and is in the editing stage, “about 80% done,” Rosemary says. Film is another way to keep the story alive and get it in front of more people.
Rosemary acted in the play many times, usually as the barmaid, but now she says she’s just the producer. “They’ve done the play so much,” she says of the actors, “it’s self-directed.”
Her son, Rene Jr., 44, acts as the Vietnam vet. “He’s played all the male roles. He’s worked his way up to the main role,” his mother jokes. Daughter Alegria plays the barmaid and daughter Gloria is the woman whose boyfriend turns out to be married.
A back portion of the art gallery will be transformed into the bar through props and staging. If you want a drink, well, there’s a bar next door, dba256.
Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at the dA Center for the Arts, 252 S. Main St. in Pomona. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors.
Each show will be followed by a Q&A. The Q&A on Friday will be hosted by Rita Torres, a Garey High social sciences teacher; on Saturday by Tomás Summers Sandoval, an associate professor of Latinx studies at Pomona College; and on Sunday by the actors themselves.
“The first time I ever saw the play was at the actual Silver Dollar, when I was in college,” Torres tells me. “You’re a participant but you’re also a visitor at the bar. I just thought it was the most amazing thing.”
brIEfly
If you’re a longtime reader of local newspapers, the name Adriana Chavira, who was featured in a story in our newspapers Monday as a student newspaper adviser in L.A., might ring a bell. She was a reporter for, in turn, the Whittier Daily News, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the Desert Sun and The Press-Enterprise before leaving journalism for a teaching career in 2003. She’s now in hot water for backing her students’ right to publish newsworthy information. I’m thinking that, in a way, she never left journalism at all.
David Allen overstays his welcome Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, like davidallencolumnist on Facebook and follow @davidallen909 on Twitter.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/chicano-moratorium-play-silver-dollar-revived-in-pomona-by-teatro-urbano/ | 2022-09-13T23:20:33Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/chicano-moratorium-play-silver-dollar-revived-in-pomona-by-teatro-urbano/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
By Lisa Mascaro | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Upending the political debate, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a nationwide abortion ban Tuesday, sending shockwaves through both parties and igniting fresh debate on a fraught issue weeks before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
Graham’s own Republican Party leaders did not immediately embrace his abortion ban bill, which would prohibit the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy with rare exceptions, and has almost no chance of becoming law in the Democratic-held Congress. Democrats torched it as an alarming signal of where “MAGA” Republicans are headed if they win control of the House and Senate in November.
“America’s got to make some decisions,” Graham said at a news conference at the Capitol.
The South Carolina Republican said that rather than shying away from the Supreme Court’s ruling this summer overturning Roe vs. Wade’s nearly 50-year right to abortion access, Republicans are preparing to fight to make a nationwide abortion ban federal law.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, we’re going nowhere,” the senator said while flanked by female advocates from the anti-abortion movement. “We welcome the debate. We welcome the vote in the United States Senate as to what America should look like in 2022.”
Reaction was swift, fierce and unwavering from Democrats who viewed Graham’s legislation as an extreme example of the far-right’s hold on the GOP, and as a political gift of self-inflicted pain for Republican candidates now having to answer questions about an abortion ban heading toward the midterm elections.
“A nationwide abortion ban — that’s the contrast between the two parties, plain and simple,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington who is in her own fight for reelection, said Republicans “want to force” women to stay pregnant and deliver babies.
“To anyone who thought they were safe, here is the painful reality,” she said. “Republicans are coming for your rights.”
The sudden turn of events comes in a razor-tight election season as Republicans hoping to win control of Congress are struggling to recapture momentum, particularly after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision sparked deep concerns among some voters, with signs of female voters peeling away from the GOP.
In a midterm election where the party out of the White House traditionally holds an advantage, even more so this year with President Joe Biden’s lackluster approval ratings, the Democrats have regained their own momentum pushing back the GOP candidates in House and Senate races.
Tuesday’s announcement set up an immediate split screen with Biden and Democrats poised to celebrate their accomplishments in a ceremony at the White House after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and Republicans forced to answer for Graham’s proposed abortion ban.
“This bill is wildly out of step with what Americans believe,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “While President Biden and Vice President Harris are focused on the historic passage of the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, health care, and energy – and to take unprecedented action to address climate change — Republicans in Congress are focused on taking rights away from millions of women.”
Graham’s legislation has almost zero chance of becoming law, but it elevates the abortion issue at a time when other Republicans would prefer to focus on inflation, border security and Biden’s leadership.
The Republican bill would ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest or risk to the physical health of the mother. Graham said it would put the U.S. on par with many countries in Europe and around the world.
In particular, Graham’s bill would leave in place state laws that are more restrictive. That provision is notable because many Republicans have argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling leaves the abortion issue for the states to decide. But the legislation from the Republicans makes it clear states are only allowed to decide the issue if their abortion bans are more stringent.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who is one seat away from majority control, declined to embrace Graham’s legislation.
“I think every Republican senator running this year in these contested races has an answer as to how they feel about the issue,” McConnell said. He said most GOP senators prefer having the issue dealt with by the states, rather than at the federal level. “So I leave it up to our candidates who are quite capable of handling this issue to determine for them what their response is.”
The Democratic senators most at risk this fall and other Democratic candidates running for Congress appeared eager to fight against Graham’s proposed nationwide abortion ban.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, tweeted that Graham “and every other anti-choice extremist can take a hike.”
Her Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt, has during his campaign insisted that abortion is protected in the state constitution, which it may no longer be under this bill.
In Colorado, another Democrat up for reelection, Sen. Michael Bennet, tweeted: “A nationwide abortion ban is outrageous.”
Bennet pledged “to defend a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, no matter what ZIP code she lives in. We cannot afford to let the Republicans take back the Senate.”
His opponent in Colorado, Republican Joe O’Dea, who supports putting abortion access that had been guaranteed under Roe vs. Wade into law, agreed, in part: “A Republican ban is as reckless and tone deaf as is Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer’s hostility to considering any compromise on late term abortion, parental notification or conscience protections for religious hospitals.”
The races for control of Congress are tight in the split 50-50 Senate, where one seat determines majority control, and in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi can afford to lose only a few seats.
Pelosi called Graham’s bill the “clearest signal of extreme MAGA Republicans’ intent to criminalize women’s health freedom in all 50 states and arrest doctors for providing basic care. Make no mistake: if Republicans get the chance, they will work to pass laws even more draconian than this bill.”
Republican leaders on Capitol Hill tried to hold the party together amid the differences.
“I think that what it’s attempting to do is probably change the conversation a little bit,” said Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican and second-ranking party leader. “Democrats are implying that all Republicans are for a ban without exceptions, and that’s not true. There are Republicans who are in favor of restrictions. And I think this is an attempt to at least put something out there that reflects the views of a lot of Republicans who are in favor of some restrictions.”
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking in Washington and Nick Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/graham-bill-aims-to-ban-abortion-nationwide-after-15-weeks/ | 2022-09-13T23:20:39Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/graham-bill-aims-to-ban-abortion-nationwide-after-15-weeks/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Associated Press
CHICAGO — Renowned jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, whose music entertained fans over a more than 60-year career that began with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and made him one of the country’s most successful jazz musicians, has died. He was 87.
Lewis is revered in jazz circles for 1960s hits like “The ‘In’ Crowd,” “Hang on Sloopy” and “Wade in the Water.” He earned three Grammy awards and seven gold records. The trio’s first record in 1956 was “Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing.”
Lewis died Monday in his sleep at his Chicago home, according to his son, Bobby Lewis.
“He was just at peace,” Bobby Lewis told The Associated Press on Monday night. “Most people say when they met dad that he was a class act. He was that way even through his last breath.”
Ramsey Lewis described his approach to composing and performing in a 2011 interview with the AP.
“Life is a solo, and it continues,” Lewis said, sitting at the dining room table in his downtown Chicago home. “I just know that when I put my hands on the piano it’s going to flow.”
Lewis first took piano lessons at age 4. He spent his early days in Chicago using his gospel and classical roots to create his own jazz style in the many neighborhood venues that hired young jazz musicians.
“It gave us a lot of opportunity to try our ideas and learn what it means to perform in front of an audience,” Lewis said as he was named National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2007. He accepted the award from his mentor and fellow Jazz Master, pianist Billy Taylor.
During his career, Lewis performed with musical stars such as Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau and Pat Metheney. Lewis had more than 80 albums to his credit — three dozen of them with Chicago-based Chess Records. He toured around the world and performed at the 1995 state dinner that then-President Bill Clinton hosted for President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil.
“I believe that my father — his love for the piano and his passion for the piano and how he coveted this love and how he protected it — that gave him longevity,” Bobby Lewis said. “He recognized the gift God had given him.”
The Chicago native began composing large-scale musical works later in his career. His first was an eight-movement piece for Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet. He also completed a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln — “Proclamation of Hope: A Symphonic Poem by Ramsey Lewis.”
Lewis also hosted radio shows in the 1990s and 2000, including “The Ramsey Lewis Morning Show,” on WNUA-FM and the syndicated “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis.” In 2007, he hosted “Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis,” a weekly program that aired on public television stations nationwide.
The show’s creators said it was the first time jazz was featured on a weekly basis on network television in 40 years. It featured jazz greats and up-and-comers.
Lewis also spent time working on behalf of charities that brought music to young people.
“Ramsey’s passion for music was truly fueled by the love and dedication of his fans across the globe,” his wife, Janet Lewis, said in a Facebook post. “He loved touring and meeting music lovers from so many cultures and walks of life. It was our family’s great pleasure to share Ramsey in this special way with all those who admired his God-given talents.”
Brett Steele, whose Tampa, Florida-based Steele Management represented Lewis since 2011, said Lewis spent the last year of his life working on his memoirs which are completed and scheduled to be published next year.
In addition to his wife and son, Lewis also is survived by daughters Denise Jeffries and Dawn Allain; two other sons Kendall Kelly Lewis and Frayne Lewis; and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Former Associated Press writer Caryn Rousseau was the primary contributor to this report. AP writer Corey Williams contributed from Detroit.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/jazz-pianist-ramsey-lewis-dies-at-87-his-trio-had-hits-with-hang-on-sloopy-and-the-in-crowd/ | 2022-09-13T23:20:51Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/jazz-pianist-ramsey-lewis-dies-at-87-his-trio-had-hits-with-hang-on-sloopy-and-the-in-crowd/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LOS ANGELES — Linebacker Laiatu Latu’s journey has led him to UCLA to continue his football career after missing the past two seasons and having to medically retire.
The Washington transfer joined the Bruins during the offseason and returned to the field for the first time since 2019 in a season-opening win against Bowling Green on Sept. 3.
“It felt like I got my heart back,” Latu said about being cleared to play again. “I love the game so much and it feels real good to be out there and playing with these guys.”
Latu called the time away from the field a low point in his career, after he injured his neck taking a hit during practice at Washington.
“My body was still good,” Latu said. “I didn’t lose any strength or anything, but I got a neck injury. Ever since then, I haven’t stopped working out and preparing like I had a game. I been doing that for two years.”
UCLA linebacker Laiatu Latu talks about his return to the football field after missing the past two seasons and medically retiring due to a neck injury. @laiatu_latu joined the Bruins as a transfer from Washington this year. pic.twitter.com/X3x0qpK9WZ
— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) September 13, 2022
Latu credits his faith and the support of his mother, as well as UCLA assistant Ikaika Malloe and head coach Chip Kelly, for helping him overcome adversity.
“(I had appendicitis) during middle school and I had surgery and not once did I thank God, not a lot of people have God in their life or they look to something else, but I’m on a spiritual journey right now,” Latu said. “I’m thanking God for everything I’ve been through and everything I get. … I’m not perfect and I try to remind myself of that every day.”
Malloe’s hiring at UCLA made the Bruins an appealing destination for Latu when he was looking to transfer.
Kelly hired Malloe, who was not retained at Washington after six seasons, as UCLA’s outside linebackers coach and special team coordinator during the offseason.
As a four-star prospect, Latu has considered UCLA as a possible destination during his recruiting process coming out of Jesuit High in Sacramento, but committed to the Huskies, where he was coached by Malloe.
“We got to know him really well in the recruiting process the first time, and then he opted to go to Washington,” Kelly said. “Then I think his relationship with Ikaika was huge … I loved him the first time we recruited him, but for him to get another opportunity, I think he really counts his blessings.”
While Latu continues to get familiar with his new surroundings, he’s already proved to be an impact player for the Bruins (2-0).
Latu finished his second game as a Bruin with three solo tackles, a forced fumble and two sacks that resulted in a loss of 14 yards in the 45-7 victory over Alabama State.
“That was a pretty big deal,” Kelly said. “I’m really happy for Latu, but like anything in this game, you get it because you work for it and you deserve it, and he deserved what has happened to him (since joining the Bruins) and, hopefully, he’ll continue to grow from here.”
BRUIN WATCH
UCLA’s conference opener will be a road game against Colorado at 11 a.m. PT Sept. 24 on the Pac-12 Network.
The announcement Monday means the Bruins will have played four consecutive games that aired on the Pac-12 Network and away from a national audience. It’ll also be the third game this season with a start time before noon.
UCLA will have its first nationally televised game on Fox when the Bruins host Washington on Friday, Sept. 30 (7:30 p.m.) at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA’s conference finale against Cal will be broadcast nationally on Fox on Friday, Nov. 25 (1:30 p.m.).
All other games on the Bruins’ schedule do not have an announced time and channel, including key games against Utah (Oct. 8), Oregon (Oct. 22) and rival USC (Nov 19).
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/ucla-lb-laiatu-latu-grateful-to-continue-his-journey/ | 2022-09-13T23:21:15Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/09/13/ucla-lb-laiatu-latu-grateful-to-continue-his-journey/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Historic Palace Theatre will begin providing American Sign Language interpretation for some stage shows after receiving a grant from the Cullen Foundation and the state Council on the Arts.
ASL interpreters will be tapped for one performance per show run, beginning with "Pippin" on Friday night, according to Palace executive director Christopher Parada.
“Five or six shows that we have here, there will be a sign language interpreter available to sign for the show for anyone who has that need to enjoy the performance,” he said.
The Palace already implemented methods to assist the hearing impaired during movie screenings, such as captioning and hearing-impaired headsets. ASL interpretation is the first enhancement of its stage productions. The theater has one year to spend down the $5,000 Cullen Foundation grant.
ASL experts from the University of Rochester visited the Palace last week and advised the staff on how interpretation of stage productions will work. At the outset, two interpreters will be positioned in a box seat with lights shown on them so they can be seen by the audience. Monitors will also be used to help the interpreters be visible. At least two interpreters will be needed so that dialogue can be properly interpreted.
ASL interpretation is not uncommon in live theater, according to Parada. Shea’s Buffalo Theatre offers it for some shows.
“It’s as common as there’s funding for it. This is a skill and an art form for these interpreters who come and do this," Parada said. "There are many people who need this benefit for them to enjoy the show.”
Two other non-profit organizations in Lockport were awarded an Expanding Access to Arts Funding in WNY grant. The Challenger Learning Center of Orleans, Niagara and Erie counties received $2,800, which treasurer Kristen Reetz said would be used to buy LEGO sets for the center's new Exploring Architecture Through LEGO afterschool program. The Crossborder Tourism and Recreation Alliance, headed up by Kathy O'Keefe, also received a grant, according to the Cullen Foundation. | https://www.lockportjournal.com/community/palace-theater-to-offer-sign-language-interpretation/article_f8f8dea4-32dc-11ed-a70a-83b3d12135be.html | 2022-09-13T23:21:37Z | lockportjournal.com | control | https://www.lockportjournal.com/community/palace-theater-to-offer-sign-language-interpretation/article_f8f8dea4-32dc-11ed-a70a-83b3d12135be.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Charlie Sobieraski is set to become the namesake of the Outwater Park baseball diamond pending a vote by the Lockport Common Council tonight.
Sobieraski died in April of 2022, but during his life he not only served his community in the US Army for two-years and the National Guard in seven-years, he was also a 35-year veteran of the Lockport Police Department, a school board member for 20-years, as well as serving on the board for Lockport Midget Baseball League (LMBL) for 40 years.
He was 88-years old when he died and was a Lockport native.
3rd Ward Alderman Mark Devine said he knew Sobieraski throughout his life and was even coached by him when he was in a fast pitch softball league in 1994. Devine knew each of Sobieraski’s children, sons – Mike, Mark, David and Dennis – as well as his daughter, Dawn.
“All of them, all his sons, were tremendous athletes,” Devine said, noting that the family had multiple Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, which was unusual, but made it plain to see that the Sobieraski’s were focused on sportsmanship.
Mike and his brother, Mark Sobieraski, also became directors in the LMBL.
“We had this program that’s been almost 75-years in existence,” Mark Sobieraski said. “But baseball has been in slow declines, so we had trouble getting teams. There used to be a team in every ward when the city had eight wards.”
With less players to spend money on – uniforms and equipment – and still raising substantial funds, the LMBL was faced with a very tough question:
What to do with the money?
“We wanted to figure out how to get rid of some of the money,” Sobieraski continued. “So, we talked about scholarships for the guys … then I said, ‘What would it take to get Outwater Park named after my dad?’ ”
The idea was quickly taken up and preparations were made.
“The sign is going to go on the backstop in Lockport colors, blue and gold, and it’s a 16-footer and will be right on top of the backstop so people can see it sitting on the hill,” Sobieraski said. ‘It’s going to say ‘Charles Sobieraski Memorial Field’ and then on the left side there’s gong to be the Lockport Midget League symbol and on the right hand side is a big baseball.”
At the beginning of the season in April, on the condition that the idea is approved by city officials, a dedication will be made to Sobieraski’s memory and the sign will be installed. | https://www.lockportjournal.com/field-to-be-named-in-memory-of-retired-cop/article_c024db78-33b3-11ed-9193-4f38d2388704.html | 2022-09-13T23:21:43Z | lockportjournal.com | control | https://www.lockportjournal.com/field-to-be-named-in-memory-of-retired-cop/article_c024db78-33b3-11ed-9193-4f38d2388704.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Niagara County jury on Tuesday found a North Tonawanda man guilty of predatory sexual assault of multiple children.
District Attorney Brian D. Seaman announced that Nathan A. Jones was convicted of five counts of predatory sexual assault against a child and one count of first-degree sexual abuse. The jury deliberated for about an hour before returning its verdict.
"The crimes this defendant committed against these children are truly despicable," Seaman said. "This verdict should ensure that he is never able to harm another child."
Jones faces a penalty of up to 25 years-to-life in state prison on each predatory sexual assault count. Sentencing by County Court Judge John Ottaviano has been scheduled for Nov. 7.
The case against Jones was investigated by North Tonawanda Police Department and prosecuted by Second Assistant District Attorney Peter Wydysh and Special Victims Bureau Chief Cheryl Grundy. | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/crime/nt-man-found-guilty-of-predatory-sexual-assault-against-a-child/article_cb620b08-33b0-11ed-adf3-9f25c3b3663f.html | 2022-09-13T23:21:49Z | lockportjournal.com | control | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/crime/nt-man-found-guilty-of-predatory-sexual-assault-against-a-child/article_cb620b08-33b0-11ed-adf3-9f25c3b3663f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Barker Central School District administration is exploring options for a $25 million capital project in the near future.
“This goes back many months,” district superintendent Jacob Reimer said. “When we started our facilities committee this past year we came up with some things we potentially wanted to do in the district.”
Improvements under consideration include window replacement and upgrades to instructional spaces and the technology and science wings.
“Some of these places need to be renovated because they haven’t been touched in decades,” Reimer said.
The lion's share of the tab, about $20 million, would be picked up by the state in the form of building aid. The district would be on the hook for the remainder and Reimer said it would tap an existing capital reserve fund. The fund currently contains $5.3 million and administration estimated the district's share of the project would be about $4.6 million.
If the school board elects to go ahead with the pursuit, the capital project would be put up to a public referendum. Presently the timing is: If the board votes to advance the initiative at its October business meeting, the district-wide vote would take place in December.
Presently the project estimate is $25.2 million but that is not yet a firm number, Reimer said. The district has started looking for an engineering firm to manage the project.
“We’re just trying to get our ducks in a row,” Reimer said. “If the project is actually approved by the voters then we will have a team in place to help us with all the pieces we would have to take care of as part of the project.”
Reimer emphasized that the district's facilities committee, which is staffed by community members, played a big role in the project planning.
"This committee settled on all the recommendations being proposed here, in a way that won't affect local taxes," he said.
The district last undertook a capital project in 2008, when the science wing was added and the high school was renovated.
“Not a whole lot has been done over the last 20-plus years, except for these couple of little things,” Reimer said. | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/barker-district-exploring-25m-capital-project/article_2dedaee4-32d0-11ed-9465-1782618ab921.html | 2022-09-13T23:21:56Z | lockportjournal.com | control | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/barker-district-exploring-25m-capital-project/article_2dedaee4-32d0-11ed-9465-1782618ab921.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW SALEM, Mass. (WWLP) – Crews had to use the ‘Jaws of Life’ to help remove one person from a vehicle following a head on collision Monday night.
Orange firefighters were called to the accident on Route 202 in New Salem around 9:52 p.m. The accident involving two vehicles was near high tension lines and three people were involved, with one passenger stuck inside a car. New Salem, Athol and Orange crews had to use two sets of ‘Jaws of Life’ to remove the passenger from the vehicle.
Ambulance crews treated the victims and then they were taken to Athol Hospital for further treatment. The person that was trapped in the vehicle was taken by helicopter to UMass Trauma Center for their injuries. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/franklin-county/three-injured-in-two-car-accident-in-new-salem/ | 2022-09-13T23:22:39Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/franklin-county/three-injured-in-two-car-accident-in-new-salem/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Eugene woman has been charged with arson and disorderly conduct, after police responded to reports of a woman with a gun at Skinner's Butte yesterday afternoon.
Police arrived to find 39-year-old Shelly Ann Reed at the top of the butte’s west side columns, screaming and crouching in the grass. Moments later, a brush fire began where she was seen, and Reed fled.
When an EPD officer found Reed at 2nd and Lincoln, she brandished a taser and sparked it at him. Another officer arrived to assist the first, and Reed was handcuffed.
Meanwhile, a Eugene Springfield Fire crew had the brush fire under control in 25 minutes. One acre of grass was burned, and no injuries were reported.
A search of the area where Reed had been revealed a black BB gun with loadable magazine, and a butane torch.
Web extra: Drone footage of Skinner's Butte after suspected arson, Sept. 13, 2022. Video shared by Christopher Michael Catalanotto.
©2022, KLCC. | https://www.klcc.org/crime-law-justice/2022-09-13/woman-charged-with-setting-fire-on-skinners-butte | 2022-09-13T23:24:30Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/crime-law-justice/2022-09-13/woman-charged-with-setting-fire-on-skinners-butte | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Union workers with timber giant Weyerhaeuser officially went on strike at midnight today. The action affects the corporation’s locations in Oregon and Washington.
Outside International Paper in Springfield, Oregon this morning, a picket line of roughly a dozen Weyerhaeuser workers held signs and waved to traffic.
Mike Green is a union steward with Woodworkers Local 246 in Springfield. He says they haven’t had a collective bargaining agreement since the end of May.
“A good fair and, wage and benefit package," he said, when asked what he and his fellow workers wanted. "Everybody’s seen how steep inflation’s gettin’ right now, we want our wages to be not way far behind.”
Green added that typically, contracts are for four years at a time, so he hopes a deal is worked out soon. He said the strike will go on as long as needed.
“And we’re also being asked to start paying some premiums on our healthcare," said Green. "This is kinda like insult after injury, because our last contract, we gave up our premium healthcare program to go with an HSA-style healthcare benefit.
"A lot of the workers were not very happy with it.”
The strike was approved by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, which has 1200 members.
In a statement, Weyerhaeuser says while disappointed in the decision to strike, the company is prepared to continue discussions towards a contract beneficial for employees, and sustainable for Weyerhaeuser. The statement goes on to say that they'll work closely with customers and partners to minimize supply disruptions.
©2022, KLCC. | https://www.klcc.org/economy-business/2022-09-13/weyerhauser-workers-in-oregon-and-washington-go-on-strike | 2022-09-13T23:24:36Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/economy-business/2022-09-13/weyerhauser-workers-in-oregon-and-washington-go-on-strike | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Even before she stepped over the prone body of presenter Jimmy Kimmel to accept an Emmy award, Quinta Brunson had made history.
That's because as creator and star of ABC's hit comedy Abbott Elementary, her three Emmy nominations already made her the first Black woman nominated in three comedy categories in the same year, and the youngest Black woman ever nominated as an actress in comedy.
So when she walked to the Emmy stage to accept the win for best writing in a comedy, making history again as only the second Black woman to earn that honor, it felt more like an acknowledgment of success already attained. (Unfortunately, Kimmel was onstage pretending to be passed out after drinking too much as part of an early comedic bit, drawing criticism for stealing attention from her moment.)
Brunson, speaking in an interview weeks before the Emmys, said she never created Abbott Elementary expecting to win awards. She just wanted to create a cool new kind of workplace comedy set in an underfunded West Philadelphia school.
"Abbott Elementary is not a show about wish-fulfillment teaching...it's really the reality of teaching, underneath a workplace comedy," she said. "I think Abbott, weirdly, is very small. And that serves as escapism for an audience. I wanted people to fall in love with this world where it's almost as if the outside world doesn't exist....They're small, pocket stories that [you] can get lost in."
Small stories with a huge impact
But in creating a small show centered on a specific world, Brunson touched a nerve.
Abbott Elementary earned three wins total on Monday night, a surprise triumph for Brunson's co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph as best supporting actress in a comedy.
With a storied career that includes starring in the Broadway cast of Dreamgirls and the film To Sleep with Anger, Ralph was considered overdue for the recognition an Emmy win brings – and she made sure to point out that having "a Quinta Brunson in your corner" was key to her success.
On Abbott Elementary, Ralph plays Barbara Howard, an experienced teacher who winds up becoming a sometimes-reluctant mentor to Brunson's character, the inexperienced and overly enthusiastic Janine Teagues.
Earlier this year, a woman filed a lawsuit against Brunson and ABC claiming that Abbott Elementary is a knock-off of a series she created in 2018. Brunson declined to comment on the lawsuit.
But Brunson says both Janine and Barbara are based on her mother, a former kindergarten teacher in Philadelphia, now retired. In fact, the whole idea for creating a mockumentary about a struggling, urban school came from an argument Brunson had with her mother in 2017 while visiting her at work.
The two of them were at odds: Brunson wanted her mother to retire from her grueling and increasingly dangerous teaching job; her mother wanted her to quit comedy and return to Philadelphia. Then, a student's mother seeking a parent-teacher conference showed up just as they were about to leave.
"I remember I was so mad at first," Brunson said, laughing a little. "But the woman was a nurse, and she came in with her son. I just watched her son go play with blocks while my mom had this conference with this woman and it was just so moving to me. I [thought], these are all the makings of a show for me. I have the humor and the heart. I know this story very well."
That moment with her mother and a student's parent is re-created in a scene from Abbott Elementary where Janine confronts a mother who shows up late to a parent teacher conference – only to learn the woman is an emergency room nurse delayed by treating a man with a gunshot wound.
"I saw it when I was sitting at my mom's desk," said Brunson, who added she initially thought Abbott Elementary might be an animated show. "I was like, 'Oh, I want the audience to feel a part of this,' which is the beauty of mockumentary. They are in the story with you."
Creating an authentic urban school
The school Abbott Elementary depicts is fictional, named after Brunson's middle school teacher. But it's also like many real-life underfunded schools in Philadelphia. Achieving that level of authenticity, Brunson said, required lots of vigilance, including an unusual request for the show's casting director.
"I had to say something that I think a lot of people hadn't heard before, which is, like, no white children [in the cast]," she said. "I wasn't saying it to be mean or to be prejudiced. It's just that the reality of this school in West Philadelphia is...there just wouldn't be white children in the school."
Brunson says she traces her success to the support she's received – from superstar producer Shonda Rhimes, who met with Brunson early in her career when she was making videos for BuzzFeed, to Issa Rae and Robin Thede, who brought her in as a co-star on Thede's HBO's series A Black Lady Sketch Show.
Now, with Abbott Elementary starting a second season Sept. 21 and Brunson fresh off signing a new multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television, the writer/actor/producer is ready to pay it forward and support some emerging talents herself.
"I'm so fortunate in that I've never had the experience of not being helped...I always felt there were people around who wanted to see me succeed," she said. "I'm trying to do the same thing now. I see people who are good – especially young Black people – and I'm [saying], 'Yeah, come on over.' Because, why not?I love making audiences fall in love with new people."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/movies-tv/movies-tv/2022-09-13/who-is-emmy-winner-quinta-brunson-besides-the-woman-who-had-to-step-over-kimmel | 2022-09-13T23:24:49Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/movies-tv/movies-tv/2022-09-13/who-is-emmy-winner-quinta-brunson-besides-the-woman-who-had-to-step-over-kimmel | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.