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PONTIAC — Edinger's Filling Station, 423 W. Madison St. in Pontiac, is this week's pick for Eats of the Week.
Edinger's is a casual dining American restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch. Owners Jimm and Becky Edinger opened the restaurant eight years ago.
The building's design employs a garage/car theme, an homage to U.S. Route 66. The property previously housed a restaurant, a repair station and a seed house where seed was sold to farmers.
The Edingers did a complete renovation that took several months before they opened the restaurant.
"Nothing is bought; everything is made. We try to cater to locals as well as tourists," said Becky Edinger, who also works as a teacher. "We have a mural on the side of the building that helps draw people in and a local museum helped us with some of our décor."
Jimm Edinger worked for 20 years at a Pontiac restaurant, Mary's, that was owned by his mother before she closed it for health-related reasons. The Edinger's took inspiration from her restaurant and even kept a few recipes on their menu. Jimm's mom even helps out at the restaurant a few days a week, which he said keeps him going.
The restaurant also has a banquet room that can host special events such as retirement parties and birthdays. The room even has an old fire door from when it was a repair station that the Edinger's decided to keep.
"You can take the boy out of the restaurant, but you can't take the restaurant out of the boy," Jimm Edinger said. "I think we're a popular destination in our community and the community supported us when times were tough, and we try to support the community here with school sports. We get a lot of our customer base from that."
The most popular menu items include the Cuban, Honolulu Honey, the finger-licking chicken, chicken pot pie, spaghetti, the O'Sullivanski Skillet and homemade pie, which Jimm or his mom usually make. The most popular pies are the coconut cream and seasonal offerings such as rhubarb, strawberry and peach pie.
The sloppy fries, potato salad and fried macaroni are popular sides. The restaurant also does daily lunch and breakfast specials. They offer homemade soup and classic favorites such as meatloaf.
"The food and service is good. We have good employees who are loyal and take pride in their work, and we have our regulars, which is a tradition from my mother's restaurant," Jimm Edinger said.
Becky also added that their friends don't call Edinger's by name; instead they refer to it as "the restaurant" as if it's the only option in town.
The Edinger's hope to pursue online ordering and adding more menu items in the future. The restaurant used to be open seven days a week when it first opened, but they decided to be closed on weekends to maintain a quality-of-life balance.
Edinger's Filling Station is open 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and closed Saturday and Sunday. They offer dining, carryout and delivery services.
Contact Olivia Jacobs at 309-820-3240. Follow Olivia on Twitter: @olivia___jacobs | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/watch-now-fill-up-on-breakfast-lunch-and-pie-at-edingers-filling-station/article_05aa1790-e67e-11ec-8aa3-3b06b3f398f8.html | 2022-06-07T23:16:56 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/watch-now-fill-up-on-breakfast-lunch-and-pie-at-edingers-filling-station/article_05aa1790-e67e-11ec-8aa3-3b06b3f398f8.html |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Ballad Health says it is working to resolve a water line break that occurred Tuesday morning at Johnson City Medical Center.
Ballad says water issues have prompted the hospital to go on diversion for incoming patients as of Tuesday evening, except for trauma and neonatal intensive care patients. High-risk obstetric patients will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, the hospital system announced.
According to Ballad, a leak was discovered around 11:30 a.m. in the main water line that supplies the hospital, which created low water pressure affecting all patient floors at JCMC at Niswonger Children’s Hospital.
No patient safety issues have occurred and the water line break has not impacted dietary services for patients, according to Ballad.
Visitors for admitted patients are limited to one or two immediate family members for the time being. Public restroom access is also limited.
Ballad expects services to recover later tonight. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/johnson-city-medical-center-affected-by-water-line-break/ | 2022-06-07T23:18:17 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/johnson-city-medical-center-affected-by-water-line-break/ |
TRI-CITIES, Tenn. (WJHL) – It is no secret the housing market has been tough for home buyers over the past year and buyers are not seeing any relief from rising home prices locally.
A report issued by the Northeast Tennessee Association of Realtors (NETAR) shows home sales are slowing slightly, but prices continue to hit new highs.
“Every month they are going up,” said Rick Chantry, president of NETAR.
The price tag on homes is forcing many locals out of the market. This comes as out-of-state buyers continue to move to the region at unprecedented rates, driving up the prices for Northeast Tennessee homes.
Chantry says in his 30-year career he has never seen the prices of homes rise this rapidly or witnessed this number of people moving here.
It comes down to the basic laws of supply and demand.
“We just don’t have enough houses and so people are willing to pay over what we are asking,” said Chantry.
While it is good on paper to bring more people and revenue into the region, Chantry adds it is directly impacting local buyers looking for their first home or an upgrade.
“It is hurting our local people more, and it is more difficult to find houses when they sell theirs,” said Chantry.
Even though home sales are slowing, the median listing price has increased every month this year, according to a NETAR report.
When it comes to inventory, if all homes were to sell right now there would be one month of inventory left. In a healthy market, it should be five or six months of inventory.
“People can’t find what they want. So, they are willing to pay more for it,” said Chantry.
New Again Houses, a national chain founded and based in Bristol, Tenn., reports this phenomenon is encouraging many home buyers to look instead into flipping homes or renovating an older home that needs a lot of work.
“Being able to purchase a house that you can fix up yourself could provide people access to homeownership, I think that’s a good thing,” said Matt Lavinder, founder of New Again Houses.
But, it doesn’t come without challenges. For example, the ongoing labor shortage presents a large obstacle.
“It’s expensive, and it requires a lot of skilled people. That is a big project for someone,” said Lavinder. “It’s not a reality show, you do have to add value to the house.”
To do this, Lavinder says owners should fully understand the scope of how they want to add value to the home and then budget generously for the changes they want to make.
Chantry agrees there is a market to do this successfully, but the home buyer must plan ahead.
“Do your homework and work with a professional who knows what to do and how to do it,” said Chantry. “A rule of thumb is you are probably going to spend 20% more than you guess when you bought the house because of the fact that you don’t know what you are getting into when you open that wall up.”
Lavinder and Chantry agree that home ownership is something to be proud of and provides stability.
“If you don’t own a home, you are at the mercy of rental prices that you have no control over,” said Lavinder.
For more information on the housing market in Northeast Tennessee, click here. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/local-home-prices-continue-to-hit-new-highs-sales-slow-slightly/ | 2022-06-07T23:18:23 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/local-home-prices-continue-to-hit-new-highs-sales-slow-slightly/ |
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County School District is working to resolve more than 1,000 maintenance problems at some of its high schools.
According to a district spokesperson on Tuesday, the district has identified 1,455 maintenance issues at 16 of its high schools.
Maintenance repairs at the schools include replacing lights, touching up paint, roof patching, repairing bathroom stalls and more.
"The goal is to have issues resolved by the first day of school," the spokesperson said.
There is currently not a budget for the repairs, as they're being done by DeKalb County School employees, the spokesperson said
DeKalb County Schools has been in the spotlight for several months after a group of Druid Hills High School students exposed toxic conditions including mold, crumbling ceilings and a sewage leak at the school. Last week, the DeKalb County School Board unanimously approved a resolution to renovate Druid Hills High School. The renovations are estimated at $50 million.
More DeKalb County students have come forward about the alarming conditions at their education facilities. Hundreds of pages of reports document crumbling buildings and worsening conditions after a district-wide assessment in 2020.
After video of the conditions at Druid Hills High School emerged, the state school superintendent wrote a scathing letter. A day later, a change in DeKalb County School superintendents was made.
In May, the Georgia Department of Education hired an adviser to work on the "systemic operations issues" within DeKalb County Schools. Dr. Tanzy Kilcrease is assessing the district's current operations in order to make recommendations and monitor the progress for changes. She began working with the DCSD on June 1.
DeKalb County Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Vasanne S. Tinsley previously said the district will continue to implement an "aggressive action plan to improve facilities and maintenance projects across the school system." | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/dekalb-county-high-schools-maintenance-repairs/85-a5ab208d-7332-460c-8e79-2d905b3c2e13 | 2022-06-07T23:24:55 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/dekalb-county-high-schools-maintenance-repairs/85-a5ab208d-7332-460c-8e79-2d905b3c2e13 |
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Leaders in Gwinnett County outlined their priorities on Tuesday for the future of Gwinnett Place Mall, after the county purchased it from a developer in 2020 for $23 million.
County commissioners laid out a vision of the mall as a reclaimed community hub, where the focus will be on benefiting "marginalized communities most at risk of displacement through large-scale redevelopments such as this one," as Gwinnett Commission Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson put it in a statement.
The iconic mall - a staple of 80s and 90s Gwinnett childhoods that was featured in "Stranger Things" - has long been in decline and is largely empty but for a few stores still operating, such as the Macy's.
The county has put forth a reclamation and revitalization campaign that they said would include "affordable housing, neighborhood services, incentives for existing businesses in the area, job support and a central location with regional and accessible transit."
The county commission outlined five themes based on community input for prioritization when they begin to take in development proposals:
- Housing: Ensure existing residents of the mall can remain in the area and share in the benefits of redevelopment.
- Neighborhood Services: Support existing and new Gwinnett residents as the County grows and becomes increasingly diverse.
- Small Business: Offer existing businesses in the mall area new opportunities to grow and thrive.
- Jobs: Generate jobs for Gwinnett residents that enable them to support themselves and their families.
- Cultural Activity Center: Become a vibrant, regional destination, with transit connectivity, that generates prosperity for communities and the county.
“We are doing something we’ve never done before in this region,” District 1 Commissioner Kirkland Carden said in a statement. “The plan is a thoughtful market-driven approach that reinvests in the economic engine for our county.”
A release said the county's next step will be to "evaluate themes from the Reclaim Gwinnett Place Mall Project and outcomes from the Gwinnett Place Livable Centers Initiative study and use the findings from both plans to prepare a Request for Information to solicit proposals for the redevelopment of Gwinnett Place Mall." | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gwinnett-place-mall-future-redevelopment-priorities/85-9f06cbac-1215-4bf2-88c2-aae962d755a3 | 2022-06-07T23:25:01 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gwinnett-place-mall-future-redevelopment-priorities/85-9f06cbac-1215-4bf2-88c2-aae962d755a3 |
ROSWELL, Ga. — Two pre-school teachers are in jail accused of hurting children in their classroom, the Roswell Police Department said.
The incident happened at Parker Chase Preschool's Pre-Primary B classroom last week, according to school leaders.
Authorities shared surveillance video that they said is being used as evidence in the case.
Video inside the classroom shows students sitting on a rug. One teacher leaves her seat at the head of the circle and kneels down as she approaches a student. She puts her face close to the child as the second teacher stands behind them. The second teacher knees the student on the back and walks away.
The teacher that is at eye-level with the child points her index finger in their face and then pushes the child's forehead, causing their head to bobble, the video shows. The pre-school teacher then goes back to her seat.
In a statement, school leaders said they were shocked and disappointed in the educators' choice to discipline the children in such ways.
"The teachers in question were immediately removed from the classroom and have been dismissed," a statement from the school reads.
Endeavor Schools, which owns the Parker-Chase campus in Roswell said they've reported the case to its licensing agency and Children's Protective Services.
"While we are extremely grateful that the children are well, we take this matter seriously and our investigation is ongoing," leaders said. "We expect our staff to adhere to the highest standards of care, and any failure to do so will not be tolerated."
Roswell Police Department said the two teachers are now facing cruelty to children charges. Jail records show they have been booked into the Fulton County Jail. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/roswell/roswell-pre-school-teachers-arrested/85-83ffb2da-ab72-4891-b61a-324a88331227 | 2022-06-07T23:25:07 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/roswell/roswell-pre-school-teachers-arrested/85-83ffb2da-ab72-4891-b61a-324a88331227 |
PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey and GOP legislative leaders are trying to line up the votes for a $15.1 billion spending plan that includes more money for border security than for new unrestricted operating funds for public schools.
At the same time they want to cut $1.3 billion in taxes in the next three years.
The $544 million in the border security plan includes $355 million for a state-funded fence.
That wasn't a priority of the Republican governor in January when he announced his proposed spending plan for the state. At that time he earmarked $50 million for "physical barriers.''
But the idea has proven popular among GOP lawmakers, with the Republican-led Senate voting along party lines this year to put aside $700 million to "administer and manage the construction of a new border fence.''
The Republican-led House was more reserved, approving $150 million.
House Majority Leader Ben Toma, R-Peoria, said the budget plan now proposed does not necessarily require all this to be spent on physical barriers. He said it also would permit a "virtual'' fence, monitored with technology.
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But Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said doing something remains a priority. She said an actual wall or fence makes sense, especially along 17 miles where the federal government still planned to build wall during the Trump administration, a plan abandoned after President Biden took office.
"Most of those materials are still laying around and were already paid for by the federal government,'' Fann said.
She said border security is among the top issues in Arizona, and for good reason. "There are young ladies getting raped by these coyotes (human smugglers),'' she said. "We have unaccompanied children coming across. The atrocities are absolutely horrendous. And that has got to stop.''
The border barrier is only part of the $544 million security plan. It also includes or everything from additional dollars to help local sheriffs to financial assistance for prosecutors.
But those priorities are not shared by everyone.
The biggest hurdle for Republicans remains Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale.
He points out the state has a surplus of more than $5 billion. And while some of that is being spent to pay off the debts of state retirement systems, Boyer said there should be more than enough left for what he thinks should be the top priority: public education.
'Shell game,' critic says
Boyer noted that voters approved Proposition 208 in 2020 to tax the wealthiest Arizonans to provide about $900 million more a year in school operating funds. While the Supreme Court ruled the form of the levy to be illegal, he said the state has more than enough to fund the amount out of existing revenues.
Even with adding $425 million to the state's "rainy day'' fund and cutting property taxes by $350 million a year, the state would still have a $1 billion surplus at the end of three years.
There are some additional education dollars in the GOP proposal, including $49 million to increase basic aid to schools by 2.5%. But Boyer said there's less there than meets the eye.
He pointed out that the plan reduces the money schools now get for things like higher salaries for experienced teachers. The result is some districts will end up with little, if any, new dollars, Boyer said.
"It's a shell game,'' he said, adding that it is also bad policy.
"At a time when Arizona needs teachers desperately to stay, especially experienced ones, you're getting rid of that state program,'' Boyer said.
But gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin said Ducey supports the idea of killing what is known as the teacher experience index.
"More affluent schools typically have longer-tenured teachers versus lower-income schools that have higher teacher turnover,'' he said. "So we see this issue as a matter of equity.''
It will hurt rural districts who use the funds to keep experienced teachers, said Chuck Essigs, lobbyist for the Association of School Business Officials.
There is another $100 million in additional dollars for students with special needs. But here, too, Boyer said, the plan fails to fund programs for students in poverty.
Other money for K-12 education in the plan includes $60 million in relatively unrestricted "additional assistance.''
Only thing is, that is being divided up evenly between traditional public schools and charter schools that are privately run, often for profit, even though there are far more students in traditional schools. Essigs said that translates out to $30 for each public school student — and $130 for each student in a charter school.
Another $200 million in new education funds is earmarked only for school construction and repair, with none of it available for teacher salaries, a sore point among some who cite reports showing Arizona has among the lowest-paid teachers in the nation.
And while there is $50 million being added for school safety, the dollars are restricted and can be used to hire only police officers.
Aides to the governor defended the restriction, noting that state schools chief Kathy Hoffman gave certain federal pandemic relief dollars to schools but with the limitation to use the cash solely for counselors. They said there are schools that want officers in place for protection.
Other proposals
The spending proposal also includes:
• 20% pay increases for state police and corrections officers designed to retain and keep workers. All other state employees would get a 10% raise, the first across-the-board increase in close to a decade.
• $46 million in one-time funds for the state's three universities. There also is an additional $12.5 million for "promise scholarships" for low-income students who enroll in a state university, plus $10 million for free in-state tuition for the spouses of active-duty military.
• $50 million for an accelerated program to train more nurses, with aid linked to commitments to remain in Arizona.
• A laundry list of $500 million in road-construction and repair projects that individual legislators want financed even though they are not on the priority list for the Arizona Department of Transportation.
• An additional $30 million deposited into the housing trust fund that can finance new projects and provide more immediate relief to individuals.
All GOP votes needed
Fann said if GOP leadership can't line up the votes of all the Republicans — it takes all as they have only a one-vote edge in the House and in the Senate — then she will have to look to Democrats.
There are things in the spending plan that appear to have bipartisan support, like $334 million as a down payment on a $1 proposal to obtain new water supplies, possibly through desalination projects.
The state also is increasing its funding for various programs for foster care and other social programs.
Fann said she is particularly proud the state is adding $100 million in what it pays to private entities that provide services for the developmentally disabled.
"When you have folks that are literally having to change adult diapers, having to handle extremely handicapped children and adults, they're making minimum wage,'' she said. "Yet you can go to the nearest burger joint and get hired on at $20 an hour.''
But House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, said it's going to take a lot more if Republicans are hoping for a bipartisan budget. He said the one being shopped around now is full of "misplaced priorities.''
It's not just the infusion of dollars for border security. There's also the overriding question of state support for public education, he said.
One element of the proposal would expand an existing program that provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits for individuals who donate money to help Arizona students attend private and parochial schools. In essence, for every dollar they give for those programs, they reduce their state income tax liability by an equal amount.
The proposed expansion starts with a small price tag of $2 million this coming budget year. But it is structured for automatic increases and would cost $27 million over three years, which Bolding said "takes more money out of our public tax system'' that should go into public education.
Lawmakers didn't leave themselves out, either.
Fann said she needs $5 million — on top of the current $17.8 million budget for the state Senate — for one-time upgrades for repairs and upgrades. She said much of the furniture in the Senate is "torn and shabby.''
But the House leadership also insisted on getting an identical one-time infusion of its own above its $21.4 million budget.
Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com. | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/gop-leaders-propose-arizona-budget-focused-on-border-security/article_2115d688-e677-11ec-b5fa-8728757c50fd.html | 2022-06-07T23:31:26 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/gop-leaders-propose-arizona-budget-focused-on-border-security/article_2115d688-e677-11ec-b5fa-8728757c50fd.html |
OCALA, Fla. – A 14-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the neck Monday afternoon in Ocala, according to the Ocala Police Department.
Following reports of the shooting, officers arrived at the Shadow Oaks Mobile Home Park and found the teen lying down on his living room floor, police said.
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The police department stated that two women were tending to the injury and applying chest compressions to help the boy.
A police officer took over the compressions, and the teen eventually began to take shallow breaths and look around, records show.
Police said the boy was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
According to detectives, it appears as though the shooting was an accident.
Prior to the shooting, the boy and his friend were inside the friend’s home, detectives said. They said the boy found a gun in the parent’s bedroom dresser and accidentally shot himself using the weapon.
Ocala Police Department put out a reminder to gun owners about the importance of talking to their children about gun safety and properly storing firearms.
This case is still under investigation. News 6 will provide updates as more information becomes available. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/07/ocala-14-year-old-shoots-self-in-neck-by-accident-police-say/ | 2022-06-07T23:32:46 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/07/ocala-14-year-old-shoots-self-in-neck-by-accident-police-say/ |
MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Parents are expressing concerns as the Marion County school district returns to its pre-pandemic plan for its summer lunch program.
During the height of the pandemic, the school officials implemented grab-and-go meals, but now the school board said its reverting back to a program which will require the children to eat the food at school.
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Kevin Christian, a spokesperson for Marion County Public Schools, said they had no choice but to revert back to their pre-pandemic plan.
“That’s a part of the requirement from the USDA for us to get reimbursed as a school district to participate in the program,” Christian said.
Christian added that over the last two years, the county was granted waivers that now no longer exist.
“That just doesn’t seem just very convenient in any way shape or form for parents,” said Ariel Bruns, who has two children enrolled in Marion County schools.
She told News 6 parents are fed up with how the county’s summer lunch program is being conducted.
“I was on a parent page that stated they are only having it, but you have to go to the schools, go to the cafeteria and then have your kid sit and eat it there,” Bruns said.
Christian said the school board understands parents’ concerns, but in order to keep the program, it needs to feed students in person.
“We understand the importance of a summer feeding program because may times it is the best meal of the day that these students will get, and in some cases, it is the only meal these students will get,” he said. “So we understand the importance of this, but in order for us to put on this summer feeding program, we have to be reimbursed for the expense.”
According to Marion County Public Schools, there is no exception for parents who may have a hard time getting their children to the summer feeding program due to the guidelines provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The school district said it has 200,000 meals to distribute over the course of the summer between June and July. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/07/return-to-pre-pandemic-summer-lunch-program-sparks-concerns-among-marion-parents/ | 2022-06-07T23:32:52 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/07/return-to-pre-pandemic-summer-lunch-program-sparks-concerns-among-marion-parents/ |
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WBBH) – Thousands of employees in the UK are now working four days a week with no cut to their pay.
As part of a massive pilot program, workers will receive 100% of their pay for working only 80% of their hours – as long as they maintain 100% of their productivity.
The trial involves dozens of companies of different types and more than 3,000 workers. It will last 6 months.
Amy Hanna-Eckenrode at CareerSource in Fort Myers said the pandemic has definitely changed what workers are prioritizing as they look for and maintain a job.
“A lot of people have gotten a taste of what it was like to work from home. That changed a lot of outlooks,” she told NBC2.
That has, in turn, changed the way employers have to attract workers. But Hanna-Eckenrode doesn’t know of any companies based in southwest Florida that are paying 100% for 80% of the hours.
“So far, we have not heard of anybody doing this,” she said.
Still, employers know they do have to adapt amid an ongoing labor shortage. Scotlynn, a transportation and logistics provider, recently built a new workplace that includes everything from a gym, to a cafeteria, to video games and a basketball court for employees.
“This is the workplace of the future,” Sean Rego, Scotlynn’s head of talent acquisition, told NBC2 during a tour.
At one point during the pandemic, employees had the chance to work from home or return. Rego said the majority decision was a clear one.
“Most of them came back to the office because of the way we work,” he said. “The teamwork environment. The collaboration. The collegiality. All those buzzwords that actually mean something here.”
Shaw Development, a manufacturer in Bonita Springs, said they recently made a major change for the benefit of their employees.
“One thing that we heard loud and clear about 18 months ago is the ability to have a little more flexible work schedule,” Shaw VP Kurt Schuering told NBC2. “We went to a 4-day, 10-hour shift. Allowing the team to have a 3-day weekend.”
Employees do still work their full 40 hours, but Schuering said the change has been a big draw.
“For the most part, the candidate slate has been very strong. The retention of our employees has been fantastic. The turnover is very, very low.”
Previous, smaller trials similar to the UK program have been successful. But both Rego and Schuering said they are skeptical of the strategy – specifically skeptical that employers will actually get 100% of productivity from employees working fewer hours.
“We’re going to cut down the hours and expect the same output? It didn’t make sense to me,” Rego said. “From a logic and reasoning standpoint, it doesn’t make sense.”
“My concern would be you’re gonna start burning people out,” Schuering said. “What are you going to do, ask them to work harder? Usually we want our employees to work smarter. And to be more efficient.”
It seems unlikely that what’s happening in the UK will happen soon in southwest Florida, at least on a large scale. Still, Hanna-Eckenrode said there is a clear push to make things better for employees in today’s world.
“The culture is changing. It’s a different way of thinking,” she said. “Employers really want to make a better work environment for their employees.” | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/06/07/a-4-day-workweek-trial-is-underway-in-the-uk-could-it-eventually-happen-here/ | 2022-06-07T23:39:20 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/06/07/a-4-day-workweek-trial-is-underway-in-the-uk-could-it-eventually-happen-here/ |
A wild pig and beheaded chickens were dumped behind the sign of a gated community in Cape Coral. Officers believed it was linked to Santeria, a religion using livestock in sacrificial ceremonies.
However, dumping animal remains instead of burning or burying them at least two feet underground is a second-degree misdemeanor. Officers dialed “311” for Waste Pro to pick it up.
Before crews arrived, a FWC officer pulled up wearing gloves to examine it. FWC confirmed it is now investigating and does not want to speculate a link to religion but does not believe this was Animal Cruelty.
A Waste Pro truck arrived shortly after to pick up the remains. Some neighbors were not happy with how long it took. Dan Yaple said, “It shouldn’t take longer than an hour for someone to respond to and move. I mean there’s certainly a lot of tax money being paid to do these sorts of things.”
A FWC spokesperson said, “The FWC takes these reports very seriously and encourages the public to report any sightings or any information regarding this incident to the FWC by calling the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.” | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/06/07/cape-coral-officials-believe-dead-animals-found-are-linked-to-religious-sacrifice/ | 2022-06-07T23:39:26 | 0 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/06/07/cape-coral-officials-believe-dead-animals-found-are-linked-to-religious-sacrifice/ |
Driving down Immokalee Road West, just before you reach I-75, there are several lights with road markings allowing you to decide which directions on the highway you’ll be headed. But now a recent paint job has drivers feeling confused.
Immokalee Road is known as one of the busiest roads in Collier County, often congested.
“Very busy, all the time. Even when the snowbirds are gone, there is still a lot of traffic. Its a main road here in Naples.” said Diane Chiarulli, of Naples.
“There is a lot of traffic out there, and I had an accident last week, merging onto Immokalee it was further down, so definitely an accident waiting to happen over there.”
But lately, she and others who frequent Immokalee Road have noticed a bigger problem. On Immokalee Road West towards 75, NBC2 on Tuesday found 3 different spots where a lane that should be marked 75 “South” was marked “North”
“Definitely going to cause an accident. Its going to be a major accident waiting to happen.” Chiarulli said.
Many drivers say the mislabelling has caused confusion in drivers, who will often change lanes last minute because of it.
“I’m in the far right lane heading under 75 and a car is in the left lane and went flying across the intersection to go north!” said Richard Horner of Naples.
On Tuesday, we found out that Immokalee Road is maintained by Collier County, and while FDOT said that the misabelling was a safety hazard, its up to Collier County to fix it.
We also reached out to Collier County, who says they are investigating, and that the road was painted by an independent contractor. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/06/07/mislabeled-i-75-road-marking-causes-confusion-among-collier-drivers/ | 2022-06-07T23:39:32 | 0 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/06/07/mislabeled-i-75-road-marking-causes-confusion-among-collier-drivers/ |
Samantha Kerkman has officially resigned her seat as state representative effective late Tuesday afternoon.
Kerkman, 47, who won election to a four-year term as Kenosha County executive in April announced in a news release she had turned her keys to the Wisconsin Assembly's Sergeant at Arms Tonnon Byers. She had held a dual role during the two-month transition period. Kerkman replaced County Executive Jim Kreuser, who had held the position since 2008.
“Representing the constituents of the 61st Assembly District and providing them exceptional service has been an honor and a pleasure," Kerkman said.
“During my terms in office, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to give full thought and consideration to proposals big and small, changing our laws for the betterment of Wisconsin, targeting waste, fraud and mismanagement in government, and fulfilling the legislative responsibility to be a check on the other branches of government.
“I am grateful to bring the 20-plus years of experience, knowledge, and insight I have gained in the Legislature to my service as Kenosha County Executive. It has been and continues to be, a privilege to serve.”
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The Capitol office remains staffed and constituents of the 61st Assembly District who have questions or concerns, or need help with a state agency can still obtain assistance by calling (608) 266-2530 or emailing Assembly.District61@legis.wisconsin.gov.
2022 Kenosha County Spring Election result story collection
Samantha Kerkman defeated Rebecca Matoska-Mentink in Tuesday’s Spring Election to become the next Kenosha County executive.
A major facilities referendum and a three-year operational referendum both were passed by Salem School District electors Tuesday.
Voters in the Kenosha Unified School District returned a long-time incumbent and elected two newcomers to the School Board on Tuesday night.
School districts across western Kenosha County will have new faces following Tuesday’s Spring Election.
Three Kenosha County Board races were nearly too close to call, with unofficial vote totals of less than 10 votes likely to trigger free recou…
PLEASANT PRAIRIE — Voters approved a $1.6 million referendum that would allow Pleasant Prairie to increase its tax levy by $1.6 million to hir…
There will be some turnover in city aldermanic districts, which saw at least two incumbents lose re-election bids for the Kenosha City Council…
Voters in western Kenosha County approved referendums to exceed levy limits in two school districts, one barely, on Tuesday.
Bristol School electors approved a $22.3 million facility referendum in Tuesday’s Spring Election.
Contested Village and Town Board races were decided in Tuesday’s Spring Election in western Kenosha County. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/kerkman-officially-resigns-from-wisconsin-assembly-seat/article_aefc0062-e6ae-11ec-ab01-8b278e933805.html | 2022-06-07T23:40:01 | 0 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/kerkman-officially-resigns-from-wisconsin-assembly-seat/article_aefc0062-e6ae-11ec-ab01-8b278e933805.html |
The Pringle Nature Center, located inside Bristol Woods County Park at 9800 160th Ave., is hosting a “BioBlitz” on Friday and Saturday.
The program, hosted with the Milwaukee Public Museum and Kenosha County Parks, is “is part contest, part festival, part educational event and part scientific endeavor,” organizers said.
The Milwaukee Public Museum will “bring together a group of scientists in a race against time to see how many species they can count in a 24-hour celebration of biodiversity in a Wisconsin natural area,” according to organizers.
The public is invited to attend the BioBlitz Festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (June 11). Admission is free.
At the festival, visitors will learn about the BioBlitz and have the chance to participate in nature walks and other activities.
Contact Pringle through email — naturalist@pringlenc.org — if you would like to participate in the event as a surveyor, sponsor or exhibitor.
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For more information about Pringle events, go to pringlenc.org/events. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/pringle-nature-center-hosting-bioblitz-festival-on-june-11/article_eb5ebc26-e5cc-11ec-81e8-bf7745f527ac.html | 2022-06-07T23:40:01 | 0 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/pringle-nature-center-hosting-bioblitz-festival-on-june-11/article_eb5ebc26-e5cc-11ec-81e8-bf7745f527ac.html |
TONIGHT: Scattered storms are likely at times. These are not likely to be severe, but could produce breezy winds, heavy rain, and loud thunder.
WEDNESDAY WEATHER AWARE: We could be dealing with some storms in the morning. Exact timing of storms through the day will be difficult, because we could be dealing with multiple rounds of rain and storms. By early afternoon, our primary batch of storms moves into Central Alabama, pushing southeast through the afternoon and early evening. Storms in the afternoon could produce damaging winds and hail. These summertime thunderstorms are the worst weather most Alabamians see all year, because almost everyone sees a loud storm at some point during the summer. Be sure to be prepared for these storms Wednesday, and plan to have a way to get indoors quickly if you hear thunder.
THURSDAY: We still have storms in the forecast Thursday, but they will be more isolated and are less likely to be as strong as storms on Wednesday. Still, some heavy downpours and frequent lightning will be possible where storms form Thursday.
FRIDAY WEATHER AWARE: An upper air trough and surface cold front will trigger another organized round of storms Friday afternoon into Friday night. Like Wednesday, ingredients will be in place to support damaging winds and small hail. Reminder: summertime thunderstorms are likely to be the worst weather you see all year long. These things can pack a punch so be ready!
WEEKEND OUTLOOK: Storms linger into the first half of the day Saturday, but as the rain clears out, things get cooler and more comfortable Sunday before we heat back up to start next week.
STORM TEAM 7 DAY
Be sure to follow the CBS 42 Storm Team:
Follow Us on Facebook: Chief Meteorologist Ashley Gann, Meteorologist Dave Nussbaum, Meteorologist Michael Haynes and Meteorologist Alex Puckett | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/weather-aware-wednesday-and-friday-for-strong-storms/ | 2022-06-07T23:41:40 | 1 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/weather-aware-wednesday-and-friday-for-strong-storms/ |
“God, rest our souls, ‘Cause I know I might meet you up at the crossroads.”
— Bone Thugs n Harmony
There are plenty of people better suited to write this. But over the years, Anthony Parker’s and my paths crossed many times, and I feel obliged to offer a few parting words of respect to a man I grew to admire greatly.
I first met Parker — I called him “Doc” — when we were both much younger. As he told me about dreams he had for Albany Technical College all those years ago, it was easy for me to see that this was a man of vision. That many of the things we discussed in our early meetings would come to pass — and even exceed his expectations — let me know from the beginning that this was a man of substance.
My friend Glenn Singfield — who serves on the Albany Technical College Board of Directors — knew “Doc” better than I. As we reminisced about Parker’s impact on this community, Glenn said a couple of things that stood out. He said, “I know Dr. Parker had plenty of opportunities to go to other, bigger schools — he was so respected — be he stayed here out of his love for this community.”
And, Singfield added, perhaps nailing the essence of Parker, “He was a bridge-builder.”
The longest conversation I had with the man I called Doc came a few years back. We met for lunch at — where else — the dining room at his country club. I was going to file a story after we finished our conversation. He was going to play a round of golf.
One of the primary topics of our conversation that day was surviving cancer. I had only recently been declared in remission from my bout, and he was in the recovery stages, having only recently been giving the OK to return to a “lesser level of normal” than his typical go-go-go.
We had a long, leisurely conversation that day, and while the purpose of our meeting was to discuss his career, his health and his plans for the future, he had a lot of questions for me about my cancer treatment. Our mutual therapy session stretched out over most of an afternoon ... until he realized he had a round of golf to shoot. But talking with Doc about his experiences in the hospital — about having his wife record and bring him daily reruns of his can’t-miss favorite show, “Perry Mason,” was a quaint memory.
The last few times I talked with Doc was about his push to generate interest in Albany Tech’s Adult Education program. He, Adult Ed Supervisor Linda Coston and staff in that department opened my eyes to a program that has the capacity to change Albany ... if only local citizens who feel stuck in going-nowhere jobs would take advantage of the program.
“Carlton, a person can go through one of our programs and, in a matter of weeks, get jobs that will allow them to build life-changing careers,” he told me, with the same boyish enthusiasm he had when we first met.
Then he told me about running into a student who had graduated Albany Tech and was now earning a living that puts him well above the median income in the southwest Georgia region.
“That young man said he didn’t get it at first, but that one of our programs had given him the opportunity to live a kind of life he’d never dreamed of,” Parker said. “That’s what we want the community to see ... that they can, with just a little work, do the same thing.”
I was, like many of his friends and admirers, stunned to hear of Parker’s passing on Monday. It was hard for me to imagine Albany Technical College, and indeed southwest Georgia, moving forward without him. Doc and I had talked about sitting down for one more story about the Adult Ed program, about him making one more pitch for the program. Now that won’t happen.
But if there are those out there who feel that they’re stuck in a job going nowhere, that the interruption of their education when they were younger has them trapped, consider Parker’s plea and give the Albany Tech Adult Ed program a try. You’ll be part of preserving a legacy that is worthy of such honor. | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/carlton-fletcher-anthony-parker-leaves-a-legacy-worthy-of-the-man/article_4bead7e0-e69b-11ec-b48b-ff252d428e09.html | 2022-06-07T23:44:15 | 1 | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/carlton-fletcher-anthony-parker-leaves-a-legacy-worthy-of-the-man/article_4bead7e0-e69b-11ec-b48b-ff252d428e09.html |
BOISE, Idaho — The annual Paint The Town™ event kicked off Tuesday, marking 40 years of revitalizing Boise's neighborhoods and giving residents newly-painted homes.
Every June, hundreds of volunteers join together in teams to paint houses for seniors, veterans and disabled residents in Ada County. Since 1982, thousands of volunteers with the NeighborWorks® Boise program have painted more than 3,300 homes.
The official Paint the Town day is slated for this Saturday, June 11, but volunteers will be out for the rest of the week painting homes.
Although it is too late to volunteer, there is still time for people to 'Buy a Bucket' which helps cover the cost of paint and supplies for the annual event.
Donors will be entered into a raffle to win prizes, with each bucket adding another submission to the raffle.
Prizes include a wine basket from Pro Care Landscaping, a one-night stay at Riverside Hotel from Best Western, trip to Puzzle Effect from Boise Puzzle Effect, Game Night from Game Plan, LLC, cooking class for two from Chef Christina Murry, BBW grill from Intermountain Gas, Proof sunglasses from Proof, date night for two at Watsons from Watson’s Mystery Café and Spirits.
Increased costs of paint, supplies and program operations make donations even more necessary. Visit the NeighborWorks® Boise website to donate.
To be put on the mailing list for the 2023 Paint The Town™, call 208-258-6222.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/volunteers-revitalize-boise-neighborhoods-with-annual-paint-the-town-event/277-b167541e-74d0-481c-91a2-57f74bcc7a09 | 2022-06-07T23:53:50 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/volunteers-revitalize-boise-neighborhoods-with-annual-paint-the-town-event/277-b167541e-74d0-481c-91a2-57f74bcc7a09 |
SHIRLEY — An Earlville child who died after a five-vehicle crash south of Shirley on Friday has been named by the Peoria County Coroner's Office.
Coroner Jamie Harwood said Mia Ross, 8, was pronounced brain dead at 8:22 a.m. Tuesday despite "aggressive care and resuscitative efforts."
Ross was reportedly ejected from the car she was riding in after the crash, which was 3 miles south of Shirley on southbound Interstate 55, Harwood said.
She later was flown from the scene to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, in critical condition.
The cause of death for Ross is due to multiple blunt force head and chest injuries, the coroner's office said. It is unknown if she was restrained in the vehicle at the time of the collision.
Illinois State Police said in their initial report of the incident that one person was transported from the scene by medical helicopter and pronounced dead at the hospital that day, but would not clarify on Tuesday if the victim was Ross.
A previous press statement from the McLean County Coroner's Office said Grey died from head injuries while driving a sport utility vehicle that was hit by a semitrailer truck and was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Toxicology reports are pending.
ISP continues to investigate the crash that also sent three people to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
No further information was immediately available at this time.
Photos: Brunch drag show lifts spirits Sunday in Bloomington
Austin S. Waller, 20, of Bloomington; Kerrigan T. Spencer, 18, of Normal; and Jacob S. Upton, 20, of Bloomington, are each charged with burglary (Class 2 felony).
Brandon E. Reynolds, 35, of LeRoy, pleaded guilty to one count of grooming (Class 4 felony) in March. He was sentenced to two and a half years on probation and 180 days in the McLean County Jail. | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/peoria-county-coroner-identifies-child-killed-in-i-55-crash-friday/article_c25ce9fa-e6a9-11ec-9d68-e7156195b04b.html | 2022-06-07T23:55:43 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/peoria-county-coroner-identifies-child-killed-in-i-55-crash-friday/article_c25ce9fa-e6a9-11ec-9d68-e7156195b04b.html |
One Vision in Clear Lake has been a provider of public transit over 10 counties for more than 20 years, but has decided not to renew its contract with the North Iowa Area Council of Governments (NIACOG), and relayed the reasoning to the Clear Lake City Council during its meeting Monday night.
One Vision's contract ends on June 30, 2022, and the organization is working closely with NIACOG to find a service to work through the counties in the interim.
Mark Dodd, CEO of One Vision and Mario Van Dijk, CFO, were present at the meeting to explain the decision not to renew the contract.
"Due to the pressures of increased costs of insurance and the increased difficulty in finding a carrier willing to issue a policy to us if we continue to operate those transit services. We were left with no reasonable option other than to not continue that," said Dodd.
Three years ago, One Vision faced similar issues, but decided to work through them and renew the contract. With the exacerbation of these problems due to COVID and inflation, Dodd expressed that One Vision could not work through these issues again.
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“I do hope the council understands that this was a very difficult decision for us to make and we did not make it lightly and we explored all possible options in terms of insurance coverage and options for us to continue to move forward with this and unfortunately we were not able to make that decision at this point in time,” Dodd said of the decision.
One Vision currently has a fleet of at least 60 transit vehicles working across 10 counties. The organization will continue to work with NIACOG as they find an interim service solution under a different model short-term. Clear Lake City Administrator Scott Flory expressed his gratitude to One Vision for their service:
“We’re glad for the years of service that you did. It’s unfortunate, I understand the situation. But hopefully we can figure a path forward.”
Public Works Director Jeremy Korenberg was present at the meeting to recommend buying the 2022 Western Star from Truck Center Companies in Clear Lake. Public Works has budgeted $185,000 for a new Tandem Axle Roll-Off Truck, as the old truck needs to be retired.
The estimated delivery day for the truck is set in November of 2022. The hook and roll-off will be added separately in January of 2023.
“Considering the time we’re in, getting a truck within six months is really good” said Korenberg. The purchase was approved by council.
Korenberg provided updates of two projects in Clear Lake. The 2021 Water Main and Storm Sewer Improvement Project continues on, with subcontractors installing a storm sewer by the new Clear Lake Athletics & Wellness Center. Paving is being done on 20th Street and 12th Street in phases, and should be completely by next week.
The contract completion date for this project is set for June 17, and Korenberg believes the project will be substantially completed by that date.
The 400 Block of Main Avenue Alley Project has been substantially completed according to Korenberg. Only lighting is left to be done on the project, which the City and Alliant Energy will work on. This should not impede the alley from being open.
“Thank you Jeremy for your work on the 400 main alley project. That is really a dramatic improvement from what it was” thanked Bennett Smith, councilperson.
In other news, Public Works also helped the Clear Lake Fire Department install their new dock by pouring cement. The Seawall Rehabilitation Improvement Project Project consultant has filed the Certificate of Completion for the Project.
The project's final value is $244,385. The city budgeted $250,000 for the project. A Professional Services Agreement with RDG for a feasibility study for a new hotel in the Surf District was approved.
During the Mayor's Report, Nelson Crabb celebrated recent events:
“The Tri went off very very well. I thought I stood there and was freezing. I couldn’t believe that some of those—hundreds of people of all ages were getting in the water and the water temp was 60 degrees … what a sight to see … what an event to have here. So well done, so well organized and drew an awful lot of people here.”
Crabb also applauded the spring sports athletes this year, the great success of Thursday's on Main and one of the largest turnouts Crabb has seen in years for Memorial Day.
Scott Flory indicated during the City Administrator Report that the city golf course cart shed is moving forward in repairs. Main Avenue Tree Planting is beginning and the developer has indicated intent to move forward on the South 8 Street Housing Subdivision Project. A letter of intent is expected at a future Clear Lake City Council Meeting.
The council also took under advisement a growing problem in Clear Lake. Chris Sweers of K&C Tree Service came forward during the citizens opportunity portion of the meeting to discuss emerald ash borers infesting Clear Lake.
Ash trees have been receiving treatments in Mason City in past years, but Sweers said he has found infested trees in Clear Lake.
Sweers noted an infestation about a block and a half west of City Hall, where two ash trees were killed by the pests. Sweers noted a 99% mortality rate for trees that are infested, and a 99% effectiveness rate of treatment, as long as treatment starts before infestation shows.
“You need to get out ahead of it," Sweers noted several ash trees in Clear Lake, "I just wanted to have a conversation and make you guys aware of it.”
Rae Burnette is a GA and Crime & Courts Reporter at the Globe Gazette. You can reach her by phone at 641.421.0523 or at Rae.Burnette@GlobeGazette.com | https://globegazette.com/news/local/one-vision-ends-public-transit-contract-with-niacog/article_703aa8f9-155c-576b-9cff-bd06e75983d0.html | 2022-06-07T23:57:51 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/one-vision-ends-public-transit-contract-with-niacog/article_703aa8f9-155c-576b-9cff-bd06e75983d0.html |
The potential new leader of Dallas ISD is sharing some of her goals for the district moving forward.
Stephanie Elizalde will take over for her longtime mentor Michael Hinojosa after the board approves her hire.
"I'm not going to be Michael Hinojosa, that's something else Dr. Hinojosa taught me. I have to be Stephanie Elizalde."
She's more reserved than her mentor who led DISD with flair and flash but Austin ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde says she's bringing his skill of listening to others before she acts, especially when it comes to figuring out the best ways to improve academics post-pandemic.
"I want to listen to what our teachers and staff and the community have to say. What are their thoughts about all the different variations of the calendar and so on and so forth before changes on time," said Elizalde.
You may not know her face but Dr. Elizalde was considered Dr. Hinojosa's right hand before leaving to take a job leading Austin ISD.
She's often credited with being the driving force around Dallas' ability to turn around many of its failing schools. She says the secret is giving teachers time and support.
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"We're all in existence to support the classroom teachers. It doesn't mean the other positions aren't important, it does mean at the end of the day our principals are key to whether our teachers are getting everything we need," she added.
In Austin, Elizalde created more "planning periods" especially for elementary teachers so they could have the time to build better lesson plans. She wants to do the same thing here.
"We're going to have to be creative and not ask teachers to do all this professional development outside the school day," said Elizalde.
One thing she is willing to take a position on right now is data, and testing. NBC 5 recently reported on the stress and pressure teachers say it causes. Dr. Elizalde says she gets it.
"If you don't do anything with the data, whatever it was you used to collect it, we should stop immediately," she added.
"I'm going to throw out something I think is an issue in Dallas, the number of assessments we're giving our kids, separate from even the state-required assessments, we really need to think which assessments are we giving, why are we giving them, and what are we doing with the data," Elizalde said.
Repeatedly Dr. Elizalde said she's going to listen first and make decisions together saying it's important the team all buys into the goals whatever they are.
She plans to be at the reigns of the district by July. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/new-dallas-isd-superintendent-pledges-more-support-for-teachers/2987203/ | 2022-06-08T00:02:17 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/new-dallas-isd-superintendent-pledges-more-support-for-teachers/2987203/ |
A Dallas County sheriff's deputy happened to be at the right place at the right time to help save a child's life.
Stopped at the intersection at I-35 and Camp Wisdom last month, Deputy Keith Rose was just waiting for the traffic light to change when a woman carrying her lifeless child came running to his squad car.
Mother Daniella Armijo was headed to the pharmacy to pick up some items for her sick 4-year-old when she realized the child was unresponsive.
"In that moment she started having a seizure. I thought she was playing, but she was having a seizure. I didn’t think about anything and just got out of the car and started screaming for help," said Armijo.
The squad car dash camera caught the mother running to his door.
In the video, you can hear the deputy beginning CPR on the unresponsive child.
For more than 60 seconds, you can hear the officer patting the child on the back and doing chest compressions constantly saying "Come on, baby."
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Drivers in the area also stopped to provide assistance as the officer continued CPR and called for paramedics.
Nearly two minutes into the video you can hear the child begin to whimper as the deputy yells "That's it, baby!"
A deputy with Dallas County for 35 years, Rose said he trains new officers to be prepared for anything but has never had a situation like this.
"Been in a lot of situations, but nothing like this," said Rose. "It feels good. Just been concerned with how the baby is doing. That's been my main concern."
Four-year-old Sophia is now back at home and feeling better after a short stay at Children's Medical Center. Her mother says the child suffered a seizure after battling a stomach bug that left her dehydrated and credits the deputy with saving her life.
"I'm very thankful for what he did," said Armijo. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/caught-on-camera-dallas-county-deputy-helps-save-childs-life/2987197/ | 2022-06-08T00:02:24 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/caught-on-camera-dallas-county-deputy-helps-save-childs-life/2987197/ |
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An Arizona man wrongfully accused and jailed for a crime he did not commit says American Airlines is to blame.
Michael Lowe spent 17 days in jail, lost thousands of dollars in business and was left with emotional distress after the ordeal, said attorney Scott Palmer.
Palmer filed a lawsuit claiming negligence against Fort Worth-based American Airlines on Monday in Tarrant County.
According to the lawsuit, Lowe had a layover at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on May 12, 2020. During the same time, there was a break-in at a duty-free store in DFW's Terminal D.
Court documents show DFW Airport police used surveillance video to determine the burglary suspect traveled on the same American Airlines flight Lowe was on.
DFW Airport police filed a search warrant requesting American Airlines provide passenger info for those onboard the flight. Instead, American Airlines provided only Lowe’s name and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the lawsuit.
For more than a year, Lowe lived unaware there was a warrant out for his arrest, said Palmer.
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It wasn't until July 4, 2020, while Lowe was vacationing with friends in New Mexico, that he was questioned by an officer about a disturbance at an Independence Day celebration. Officers ran his license and informed Lowe he was being arrested for an outstanding burglary warrant out of Tarrant County, Texas.
Lowe spent the next 17 days inside the Quay County Detention Center in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The lawsuit claims for more than two weeks Lowe "lived in a constant state of fear of confrontation or abuse" inside the jail.
According to the lawsuit, he did not go before a judge for eight days and did not have an attorney to explain to him what was happening. It would be another nine days before he was released.
Palmer said he's never come across a case like this before and said American Airlines is to blame for only sharing Lowe's name with police.
"He thought this would get cleared up and he was wrong," said Palmer. "Seventeen days in jail, frustration, anxiety, disbelief, getting no answers from no one. It’s unimaginable this could happen in this country at this time, but it did. It happened to him."
According to court documents, the charges against Lowe were ultimately dismissed after he was able to contact a detective at DFW Airport who compared his mug shot to the suspect in the surveillance video. It's unclear if detectives ever pursued charges against anyone else.
A spokesperson for DFW Airport declined to comment and referred questions to American Airlines.
Palmer said he still has a lot of unanswered questions about why American Airlines only released Lowe's name to police and did not provide detectives with the flight manifest.
A spokesperson for American Airlines told NBC 5 they are currently reviewing the lawsuit, but provided no other comment. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-files-lawsuit-against-american-airlines-over-wrongful-arrest/2987140/ | 2022-06-08T00:02:44 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-files-lawsuit-against-american-airlines-over-wrongful-arrest/2987140/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-musicians-travel-to-france-in-observance-of-d-day/2987301/ | 2022-06-08T00:02:50 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-musicians-travel-to-france-in-observance-of-d-day/2987301/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/parents-claim-son-attacked-by-iguana/2987269/ | 2022-06-08T00:02:57 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/parents-claim-son-attacked-by-iguana/2987269/ |
Two weeks ago in Uvalde, Alfred Garza lost his daughter Amerie Jo in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 18 other children and two adults dead. Tomorrow in Washington D.C., he will testify before Congress.
“That is a way for us parents, not all of us are going to be there obviously, but a way to get that message out to say 'Hey, we need to make change,'” Garza said.
Lawmakers on the House Committee on Oversight on Reform will also hear from the parents of Lexi Rubio, one of the 19 children killed inside Robb Elementary School. They will also hear 11-year-old survivor Miah Cerrillo, who played dead after the gunman entered her classroom.
“To sit there and look at folks that lose children, but to lose children to violence, there isn't anything worse,” said Congressman Pat Fallon, R-Rockwall.
Fallon sits on the committee where gun violence will be a topic in the hearing as both the house and the senate debate gun legislation.
Fallon said there are enough laws on the books, and the focus should now be on mental health and enhanced school security.
“One is single entry for all schools, particularly elementary schools, but have them just buzz into the office and then you have to then buzz into the school, more financing for SRO's school resource officers, police officers in the schools,” said Congressman Fallon.
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Many democrats on capitol hill, will be tuning into the hearing tomorrow.
“It is clear something must be done, “ said Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas.
Congresswoman Johnson is a member of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
She is hopeful there will be a change in gun laws, including raising the age to purchase one from 18-21, red flag laws, and expanding background checks.
“We must take the leadership, we must take the responsibility to protect our children, to protect the public, and I hope that we can see this move in the house and senate, “ said Congresswoman Johnson. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/families-of-uvalde-buffalo-victims-to-testify-before-congress/2987130/ | 2022-06-08T00:03:03 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/families-of-uvalde-buffalo-victims-to-testify-before-congress/2987130/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/video-dallas-county-deputy-saves-childs-life/2987252/ | 2022-06-08T00:03:09 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/video-dallas-county-deputy-saves-childs-life/2987252/ |
SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County says it wants to act at the local level following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary that left 19 students and 2 teachers dead.
On Tuesday, the county approved several different initiatives totaling $37 million, including $100,000 for providing gun locks and safety devices, $1 million in county education on safe gun ownership, $14.8 million on funding for mental health and violence prevention programs, and $21 million in funding for school-based mental health services.
The gun safety and education programs would be fully voluntary according to county commissioners.
“This was our attempt to do something now. The wait and see approach is unacceptable,” County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said after the meeting.
According to background documents, county leaders acknowledged the “frustration and helplessness” parents will have sending their children back to school following the shooting.
Millions would be provided to the Department of Preventive Health and Environmental Services.
According to a presentation from the county, its task force on criminal justice and behavioral health, the $14 million would go towards providing 16 inpatient beds for juveniles, expanding the adult crisis inpatient bed capacity to provide longer stays, creating a system to provide resource navigation and reduce the reliance on 911 operators.
Another item would include access to pre-crisis mental health services in the south, east and west sides of Bexar County.
The programs would be funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, which is appropriate after the US Department of Treasury said violent crime and gun violence—which they say has increased during the pandemic—has posed a “significant public health challenge.”
The ARPA dollars will also fund the expansion of mental health services in local school districts including the expansion of student behavioral health in schools, to train counselors, and work with those counselors to identify additional needs.
County Commissioners including Rebeca Clay-Flores say the funding is a step in the right direction, but additional resources are needed.
She wants to work with the Southwest Texas Crisis Collaborative to identify non-profits to collaborate with school districts.
“We want to make sure our schools, we’ve got 17 different ISD’s in Bexar County, that kids have access to some kind of counseling services…The traditional counselor at the campus level is so overworked with proctoring exams and college selections that, often times kids need someone to talk to,” Commissioner Rodriguez told KENS 5.
According to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, all county deputies usually have two or three gun locks with them that any citizen can ask for. The county’s public information office will be working on the education program for safe gun ownership, but the court has additional priorities.
Last week, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott calling for a special legislative session to address gun violence following the mass shooting.
Some of Judge Wolff’s priorities included raising the age from 18 to 21 to buy semi-automatic weapons, red flag laws, background checks and allocating state funding for school security upgrades. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/bexar-county-approves-funding-for-school-mental-health-gun-safety-programs-after-robb-elementary-shooting/273-09baed95-9fc4-4378-9b9f-43c6b7888a57 | 2022-06-08T00:04:33 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/bexar-county-approves-funding-for-school-mental-health-gun-safety-programs-after-robb-elementary-shooting/273-09baed95-9fc4-4378-9b9f-43c6b7888a57 |
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — CPS Energy's new alert system has four levels to help conserve power in the heat. That will also help lower your power bill. It looks a lot like a stop light, but with an extra color. Here are the four levels:
Green means go. Use electricity as you want. Reduce your bill on these days by setting your thermostat to 78, using fans, and closing your blinds.
Yellow is use caution. We will see this a lot this summer. It means it is a peak demand day. Reduce your bill by not using large appliances and charging electric vehicles after 10 p.m.
Orange means there is a potential grid reliability risk. Prepare to lose power. Make sure you have a plan ready if that happens. Limit your power usage as much as possible.
Red means there are rotating outages happening. If you lose power, turn off all lights, appliances, and your AC, plus keep your refrigerator door closed so food does not spoil.
The last two levels are considered the danger zone for the grid.
“Serious days would be orange or red and that’s when the state grid managed by ERCOT would be potentially at risk,” said Christine Patmon of CPS Energy.
Orange and Red alerts will only be issued if ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas that manages the grid, declares the reliability of power is at risk.
By choosing to conserve energy, we can keep the grid going.
“We’re looking at those triple degree temperatures, again, with record-breaking heat,” Patmon said. “We’re asking customers to voluntarily conserve.”
CPS Energy will post the conservation color daily on its website, social media, and billboards. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/new-cps-energy-alerts-help-save-money-and-power/273-7a060575-dce2-43d8-8bac-6576a830d66a | 2022-06-08T00:04:39 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/new-cps-energy-alerts-help-save-money-and-power/273-7a060575-dce2-43d8-8bac-6576a830d66a |
Jury selected in Justin Love murder trial
A jury of nine women and three men were selected Tuesday for the new murder trial for a man accused of killing Domanic Thrasher in 2015.
Opening arguments in Justin Michael Love's trial are expected to begin around 9 a.m. Tuesday in 30th District Court before Senior District Judge Bob Brotherton.
More:Judge denies Justin Love's request for change of venue
Love, 33, is accused of murdering Thrasher in a drug deal gone wrong in Wichita Falls.
Two others were found guilty in connection with the death of the former Rider High School football star.
The jury was selected and seated after both sides agreed late Tuesday afternoon. Two female alternates were also selected.
Love was found guilty in 2018 of engaging in organized criminal activity-murder in connection with the June 2, 2015, shooting death of the former Rider High School football star, according to court records.
Love is being retried because his 2018 murder conviction was overturned on appeal.
More:Murder trial date set as Justin Love fights for change of venue
A Fort Worth appeals court overturned it and ordered the 30th District Court to give him a new trial in a March 26, 2020, ruling.
Brotherton denied murder Love’s request for a change of venue for his trial earlier this year.
Love contended publicity from local news outlets and social media activity "has been inflammatory and provocative," according to court documents filed by the defense.
A jury found Love guilty during his first murder trial on Dec. 13, 2018, after three weeks. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison Dec. 17, 2018.
Blayne William Brooks, 27, is serving 60 years in prison for engaging in organized criminal activity-murder in Thrasher's slaying, court records show.
Whitney Mercedes O'Brien, 26, was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter in a plea bargain Jan. 18, 2019, for Thrasher's killing and was paroled Sept. 3, 2020, according to court documents.
More:Judge orders murder defendant Justin Love taken immediately into custody, no bail | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/06/07/jury-selected-justin-love-murder-trial/7546365001/ | 2022-06-08T00:09:15 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/06/07/jury-selected-justin-love-murder-trial/7546365001/ |
Crown Beer Fest returns to its original location in the Lake County Fairgrounds later this month.
Northwest Indiana's largest and longest-running craft beer festival, which was held at the new Bulldog Park in downtown Crown Point last year, will take place from 1:30 to 6 p.m. June 18.
Crown Brewing has staged the 21-and-older festival as a "celebration for all craft beer enthusiasts" for 12 years now. It will take place at 889 S. Court St. in Crown Point, with the first hour reserved for VIP ticket holders only.
Crown Brewing owner David Bryan said the beer festival will have 45 breweries and almost 200 beers this year. Crown Beer Fest also will have 10 different hard seltzers and offerings from three local coffee companies and two energy drink companies.
Attendees can enjoy games like corn hole and a giant beer pong game.
"This year the VIP guests will have a VIP Room filled with food, snacks and beverages throughout the entire fest, along with VIP bathrooms," Bryan said. "This year we also have District of Art barbershop offering free haircuts."
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Attendees can enjoy live music at the beer festival, which will be emceed by Robert Rolfe Feddersen, a frequent performer at local craft breweries who's recorded 10 albums as a solo artist and previously played with Loudmouth.
"We also have two live bands," Bryan said. "The headliner band is Strings Beyond Description, a famous bluegrass band."
This year's breweries include Crown Brewing, 3 Floyds, 18th Street Brewery, Off Square Brewing, Blockhead Beerworks, Fuzzyline Brewing, Ghost Isle Brewery, Windmill Brewing, Off Square Brewing, Maplewood, Evil Horse Brewing, Evil Czech Brewing, Byway Brewing, Shoreline Brewery, St. John Malt Brothers, Ironwood Brewing, One Trick Pony and Flossmoor Station.
Tickets cover a souvenir pint glass and unlimited sampling of the more than 200 beers on tap.
Tickets are on sale now. They are $45 for general admission, $85 for VIP and $25 for designated drivers.
For more information, visit crownbeerfest.com or call 219-663-4545. | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/crown-beer-fest-to-bring-more-than-200-beers-to-lake-county-fairgrounds/article_6fb8d586-6284-5627-9136-0869f74b1372.html | 2022-06-08T00:10:09 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/crown-beer-fest-to-bring-more-than-200-beers-to-lake-county-fairgrounds/article_6fb8d586-6284-5627-9136-0869f74b1372.html |
GARY — A 21-year-old Gary man was flown to a Chicago hospital early Tuesday after he was shot multiple times inside a gas station, police said.
Witnesses told police the man went inside the gas station in the 3200 block of West Fourth Avenue when a man got out of a Hyundai Santa Fe, opened the door to the gas station and fired multiple rounds into the store, Cmdr. Jack Hamady said.
A man in another vehicle, who was waiting for the 21-year-old, got out and started shooting at the man from the Hyundai, police said.
The man got back into the Hyundai, and its driver fled east on Fourth Avenue.
The 21-year-old's friends put him in their vehicle and dropped him off at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus, police said.
Gary patrol officers recovered the Hyundai later Tuesday morning, Hamady said. Crime scene technicians were expected to process the SUV for evidence.
A 19-year-old Portage man suffered a gunshot wound to his face in a separate shooting Saturday afternoon, police said.
Gary police were dispatched to the hospital about 3 p.m. after the man arrived seeking treatment.
He told officers he was driving when he heard gunfire, realized he'd been shot and drove himself to the hospital.
Police located a crime scene in the 600 block of Allen Street, which is in the city's Glen Ryan area, Hamady said.
Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call Detective Sgt. Mark Salazar at 219-881-1210. To remain anonymous, call 866-CRIME-GP.
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Alexander Wilderness III
Booking Number(s): 2204672
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Quiana Wilderness
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204673
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/MODERATE BODILY INJURY; STRANGULATION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
David Ramirez
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Lavert Smith
Booking Number(s): 2204687
Arrest Date: June 1, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - MODERATE BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Manuel Valente
Residence: Calumet City, IL
Booking Number(s): 2204688
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - FIREARM - ILLEGAL ALIEN W/ FIREARM
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Justin Moore
Booking Number(s): 2204679
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dayanna Majewski
Booking Number(s): 2204684
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michelle McDaniel-Burgess
Booking Number(s): 2204660
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: COMMON NUISANCE - VISITING - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tzaddi Mingo
Booking Number(s): 2204681
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Zachary Greenwood
Booking Number(s): 2204692
Arrest Date: June 1, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Rasheedah Echols
Booking Number(s): 2204693
Arrest Date: June 1, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Brandon Elzinga
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204670
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Daniel Gonzalez
Booking Number(s): 2204655
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Orlando Derrick
Booking Number(s): 2204686
Arrest Date: June 1, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Monique Bennett
Residence: Indianapolis, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204662
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Guy Blessing
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204690
Arrest Date: June 1, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Tremaine Conley
Booking Number(s): 2204664
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: ROBBERY; BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/SERIOUS BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Delores Dehler
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204695
Arrest Date: June 1, 2022
Offense Description: HEALTH - LEGEND DRUG; PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION - OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Ethan Baker
Booking Number(s): 2204691
Arrest Date: June 1, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Angel Roman
Booking Number(s): 2204644
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Stephen Rucker
Booking Number(s): 2204648
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jesus Sanchez
Booking Number(s): 2204646
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Ja Mire Wayne
Booking Number(s): 2204650
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Amber Ford
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204642
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Daryl Henderson
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204639
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/DEADLY WEAPON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Timothy Perkins Jr.
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204652
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING - INTERFERING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT DEF. USES A VEHICLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jaime Carey
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204647
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Ronald Fisher Jr.
Booking Number(s): 2204641
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Offense Description: NEGLECT OF DEPENDANT/CHILD VIOLATIONS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Elijah Bonhama
Booking Number(s): 2204653
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT - VEHICLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jason Turner
Booking Number(s): 2204617
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brandon Mills
Booking Number(s): 2204630
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Antonio Ramon
Booking Number(s): 2204636
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Martin Salinas
Booking Number(s): 2204628
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Anthony Jones
Booking Number(s): 2204616
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Viron Lewis
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204623
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Offense Description: DEALING - MARIJUANA
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Stacey Martin Jr.
Booking Number(s): 2204635
Arrest Date: May 30, 2022
Offense Description: HOMICIDE - VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kristen Meadows
Booking Number(s): 2204624
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - TOUCH W/NO INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Vanuvito Johnson Jr.
Booking Number(s): 2204629
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL; BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - BODILY WASTE - INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Joseph Smith
Booking Number(s): 2204583
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: BURGLARY - PROPERTY - RESIDENTIAL ENTRY - BREAKING AND ENTERING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Mauro Rodriguez Salinas
Residence: Calumet City, IL
Booking Number(s): 2204602
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - SEXUAL BATTERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Barbara Rose
Booking Number(s): 2204588
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST A PERSON < 14 YEARS OLD - BY ADULT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Terry Wagster
Booking Number(s): 2204595
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - W/MINOR INJURY - (SIMPLE ASSAULT)
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Josephine Olvera
Booking Number(s): 2204609
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Cheyenne Hits
Booking Number(s): 2204601
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Anthony Jones
Booking Number(s): 2204616
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Donte McFarland
Booking Number(s): 2204585
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jessie Gomez
Booking Number(s): 2204579
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Dane Grivicic
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204598
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Marc Campos
Booking Number(s): 2204593
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: FAILURE TO APPEAR
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jennifer Donelson
Booking Number(s): 2204600
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Daniel Fischer
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204606
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Shantell Alexander
Booking Number(s): 2204612
Arrest Date: May 29, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Glennard Anglemyer
Booking Number(s): 2204591
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jamie Boyd
Booking Number(s): 2204587
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Darnell Bradley
Booking Number(s): 2204597
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Ward
Booking Number(s): 2204560
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kevin Williams
Booking Number(s): 2204551
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Bryan Yepez
Booking Number(s): 2204573
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Dandre Spears
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204562
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Matthew Saragossa
Booking Number(s): 2204547
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POCKET-PICKING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tomas Quijano
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204550
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christopher Ownby
Residence: Lake Village, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204557
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - METHAMPHETAMINE; RESISTING - ESCAPE; BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL; FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Timothy Montson
Booking Number(s): 2204545
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: CHILD MOLESTATION - FORCIBLE FONDLING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Yokeca Mitchell
Booking Number(s): 2204559
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG; OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Jasean McMillon
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204578
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT - VEHICLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Shiquan Jones
Booking Number(s): 2204553
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - FIREARM - BY A FELON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Johnathan Haag
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204565
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
John Holt-Chaney
Booking Number(s): 2204554
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: FAILURE TO APPEAR
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Hillary Hutchins
Booking Number(s): 2204552
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Antonio Gutierrez
Booking Number(s): 2204575
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Lashay Funchess
Booking Number(s): 2204561
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY RESULTING IN BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Misti Franco
Booking Number(s): 2204558
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - USING A DEADLY WEAPON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Timothy Featherston
Booking Number(s): 2204549
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joseph Berlanga
Booking Number(s): 2204548
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING - ESCAPE; POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Christopher Blane
Booking Number(s): 2204566
Arrest Date: May 27, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POCKET-PICKING - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brett Burns
Booking Number(s): 2204568
Arrest Date: May 28, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Yasiel Portes Jr.
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204483
Arrest Date: May 25, 2022
Offense Description: DEALING - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michelle Ranta
Booking Number(s): 2204480
Arrest Date: May 25, 2022
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Xzaviar Rayford
Booking Number(s): 2204482
Arrest Date: May 25, 2022
Offense Description: WEAPON - ALTERATION - GUN SERIAL NUMBER
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Gabrielle Paiva
Booking Number(s): 2204472
Arrest Date: May 25, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-airlifted-to-chicago-hospital-after-shooting-police-say/article_c5beda44-a359-52b4-bd65-7cf6df1d7528.html | 2022-06-08T00:10:22 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-airlifted-to-chicago-hospital-after-shooting-police-say/article_c5beda44-a359-52b4-bd65-7cf6df1d7528.html |
AUSTIN, Texas — The company that owns Bird Scooters has avoided a lawsuit from Travis County leaders that would have resulted in some of its scooters being taken off the streets of Austin.
Bird Rides Inc. had nearly $150,000 in delinquent property taxes but, on Tuesday, the California-based company finally paid it off.
The property taxes were supposed to be paid off by January and leaders with the Travis County Tax Office said Bird had not been returning their calls for the past few months.
If Bird wouldn’t have paid off its taxes, the County would have received a court judgment to seize and auction off enough scooters to fulfill the $150,000 in property taxes.
KVUE spoke to Travis County Tax Accessor Bruce Elfant a few hours before Bird paid its taxes, and this was the result he was looking for.
“We’re certainly hopeful that we'll hear from the Bird scooter people and that we could work something out,” said Elfant. “But if not, state law requires us to litigate and seize property to satisfy the judgment.”
Bird ended up paying all its taxes following this interview, although it was four months late.
On May 18, a list was released of the “Top 10 Delinquent Property Owners” in Travis County, based off property owners who had not paid their property taxes. Bird was on that list but has now paid in full.
Elfant said the property owners on this list, predominantly commercial property owners, received their tax bills in November 2021, did not make a payment by the Jan. 31 deadline and either did not set up a payment plan or make their agreed upon payments after multiple letters and phone calls.
The following list was current on May 18 and shows which companies are in the “Top 10 Delinquent Property Owners” and how much they owed in property taxes that were unpaid for the 2021 year.
- WC 1st & Trinity LP - $718,465.44
- DJCC Development Corporation - $549,056.52
- TX Austin Manor LP – $274,722.75
- Optimist Club of North Austin - $223,978.91
- WC 2101 W Ben White LP - $163,640.04
- CCI Equipment Leasing LLC - $161,280.27
- Bird Rides Inc. - $147,195.17
- White Rocks Entertainment LLC - $141,223.01
- DM Estate LLC - $79,711.61
- Nagobich Family Revocable Trust - $76,175.79
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/bird-scooters-property-taxes/269-38649485-264a-47b5-875b-8877773f486b | 2022-06-08T00:11:36 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/bird-scooters-property-taxes/269-38649485-264a-47b5-875b-8877773f486b |
AUSTIN, Texas — In a letter written on Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott requested the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, also known as ALERRT, to bring its active shooter training program to all Texas school districts. Some of the classes ALERRT teaches include isolating and distracting an active shooter.
Though we don't know yet which classes will be offered to schools and who exactly will be getting this training, law enforcement officers have traditionally received this 16-hour training.
"We want to know what active shooter training means. We want to understand it more clearly,” said Ken Zarifis, president of Education Austin, the teachers' union for Austin ISD.
He said Education Austin wants to see three changes to gun laws in Texas: a ban on assault weapons, red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous people and raising the age to buy guns to 21.
"The Second Amendment is not an absolute 100% right," said Zarifis. "All rights have conditions to them. Freedom of speech has conditions to them."
Zarifis said in the past, active shooter drills have caused some issues at Austin ISD.
"The teacher and the kids didn't necessarily know that it was a drill, and it was traumatizing," he said.
In his letter, Gov. Abbott said the training will help law enforcement on school campuses better respond to active shooter situations.
President of the Texas American Federation of Teachers Zeph Capo said expecting active shooter training at schools before the next school year begins doesn't make sense.
"Most kids are out of school," he said. "You're on a skeleton staff in the summer."
He suggests school safety audits.
"Evaluate what kinds of locks are on doors. Are there breakaway locks so that the doors can be locked on the outside?" he said.
KVUE reached out to the office of ALERRT and it declined to speak.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/teacher-organizations-gov-abbott-active-shooter-training-plan/269-7a97e35e-a27e-4f59-910b-0c07c58aed7b | 2022-06-08T00:11:42 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/teacher-organizations-gov-abbott-active-shooter-training-plan/269-7a97e35e-a27e-4f59-910b-0c07c58aed7b |
BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — In an email to its supporters this week, The Refuge for DMST (domestic minor sex trafficking) announced it would be suspending all operations and laying off 75% of its workforce amid ongoing investigations.
This layoff brings the total job loss to 50. The Refuge also said it hopes to reopen eventually and rehire if these employees are still available.
"While we have held out hope that those in power would recognize our appropriate handling of the two episodes of employee misconduct, speak up on our behalf, and restore our license, they have remained silent as our cottages stand empty and our bank account dwindles," the email states.
In the wake of allegations, the youth have been removed from the Bastrop County facility as the investigation continues. It's been more than 130 days after reports surfaced that an entry-level employee had exploited youth in The Refuge's care, encouraging them to provide nude photos in exchange in exchange for illegal drugs.
"In the days and weeks to come, you can count on us to keep up our efforts to acquaint our elected leaders, our distracted regulators and other decision makers with the facts of the case," the email continues. "While our decision certainly feels like grim news, I can assure you that the board and I are deeply committed to the mission of The Refuge and view this as a temporary setback. We will continue to fight for the restoration of our license and resumption of our operations because the girls deserve it, our job-seeking employees deserve it, and our supporters like you deserve our best, ongoing effort."
A spokesperson for the center on Tuesday told KVUE that since the youth were removed from its care, The Refuge has been reorganizing its service model and undergoing training in preparation for getting its license back.
The Refuge has has also had to overhaul security after the Department of Family and Protective Services revealed its location, which was meant to be confidential to protect the victims.
MORE THE REFUGE HEADLINES: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/the-refuge-bastrop-layoffs/269-fae2186b-bcc9-49aa-a729-9615cfcf0d76 | 2022-06-08T00:11:48 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/the-refuge-bastrop-layoffs/269-fae2186b-bcc9-49aa-a729-9615cfcf0d76 |
Entertainment Update is a weekly listing of live performances happening in our communities. Submit entries by email to Jacob Bertram at jacobb@gorgenews.com, or call 541-296-2141 ext. 106. Entries are free of charge and are published as space permits.
Gorge Local performs modern piano
317 State St., Hood River
June 9, 7 p.m. — White Salmon local Mitchell Jett Spencer to perform the music of William Bolcom, Mason Bates, and more. No cover, donations accepted. Mask required.
The Ruins shows
13 Railroad St., Hood River
June 9, 6 p.m. — Tony Smiley to perform. $3 at the door. All ages invited, dogs not allowed.
June 14, 6 p.m. — Portland rock group Tango Alpha Tango with White Bike and Garett Brennan. $3 at the door, all ages, past 8 p.m. tickets $8 and 21-plus.
Outdoor Concert at Grateful
6650 Trout Creek Ridge Road, Mt. Hood
June 9, 4 p.m. — Grateful Vineyard hosting harmony-driven folk group Five Letter Word at outdoor venue, weather permitting. Free concert, all ages invited.
The Pines 1852
202 E. Second St., Hood River
June 10, 6 p.m. — Portland world folk rock band Chasing Ebenezer to play The Pines 1852.
Bluegrass at River City Saloon
207 Cascade Ave., Hood River
June 10, 8 p.m. — Get down with some stompgrass with The Standing at River City Saloon. No cover.
Gorge Rockfest at Bargeway Pub
1535 Bargeway Road, The Dalles
June 11, 6 p.m. — Gorge Rockfest featuring Maiden NW, Mission Rock Band featuring Brian Allan, and North of Noon. Tickets $10 and can be found online.
June 12, 1 p.m. — BB Lake Band, no cover charge, all ages.
Jazz in The Park
Jackson Park, Hood River
June 11, 7 p.m. — CGOA Jazz Collective Big Band takes the stage at Jackson Park in Hood River and performs fan favorites. The Dalles High School Jazz Band opens. Free admission.
Celilo Falls: We Were There
221 E. Second St., The Dalles
June 11, 2 p.m. — Portland Chamber Orchestra to highlight history of Celilo Falls at Granada Theater in The Dalles. Score by renowned composer Nancy Ives and storytelling by Ed Edmo. Tickets $40 for adults, $35 for ages 65 and older, $15 for students, free admission for indigenous peoples.
Working Hands live music
1021 12th St., Hood River
June 11, 7:30 p.m. — Local acoustic guitar duo The Hazelnuts to play at Working Hands Cidery. No cover charge.
Live Music at The Skamania Lodge
1131 S.W. Skamania Lodge Way, Stevenson
June 12, 2022, 7 p.m. — Acoustic guitar blues musician Terry Robb to play the lodge ballroom.
upcoming
Psychadelic band The Whags to visit River City
207 Cascade Ave, Hood River
June 17, 9 p.m. — The Whags, psychadelic-funk outfit from Seattle to play free show at River City Saloon. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/news/local/entertainment-update/article_fd16699e-e687-11ec-8693-3387d31803d8.html | 2022-06-08T00:13:05 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/news/local/entertainment-update/article_fd16699e-e687-11ec-8693-3387d31803d8.html |
The City of White Salmon is providing free access to the Hood River Pool for residents that live within the city limits. You may sign up at city hall at 100 N. Main or by sending an email to utilityclerk@ci.white-salmon.wa.us or by calling 509-493-1133. Do not try and sign up at the Hood River pool.
You will need to provide documentation that you are a resident living with the city limits. Do not send children to sign up for free access. Once you have signed up, information will be sent to the Hood River Pool and they will create an account for you noting that you have free access via the City.
You will need to check the Hood River Pool website hoodriverparksandrec.org/pool-schedule for available times.
Free access is provided from June 1 through Sept. 30. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/news/local/free-access-to-pool-for-ws-residents/article_150e6e66-e688-11ec-b20e-1fc0b7d7c61f.html | 2022-06-08T00:13:11 | 1 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/hoodriver/news/local/free-access-to-pool-for-ws-residents/article_150e6e66-e688-11ec-b20e-1fc0b7d7c61f.html |
The pouring rain didn’t stop a huge crowd from gathering to watch performances from dozens of dance students at NK STUDIOS in Bingen last Thursday.
Luckily as the show started, the rain let up, and the crowd was treated to dances from the days of disco and much more.
Nika Kermani, owner of NK STUDIOS, said Disco Skate Night, which saw dance students of all ages bring out their skates or their party best and showcase their dancing skills gained from one of the studio’s various dance classes, raised enough money to fund 15 scholarships for students to attend classes. The scholarships will fund opportunities to attend one of many classes offered by the studio and are awarded on a rolling basis, Kermani said. Scholarship eligibility extends to any person interested in attending but cannot due to financial barriers.
“It went better than I could have imagined,” she said. “I think it’s a time for them to socialize in a healthy environment with their peers around an activity that is very healthy.”
Classes participating in the performance included the adult hip hop dance class, as well as performances from the advanced, intermediate, and kids hip hop classes.
For the kids, Kermani said they benefit from dance classes by learning a new art form that blends together “so many things that are inherently positive and uplifting.” But adults greatly benefit from the classes as well by offering them a healthy environment that allows them to engage with their community and destress, she said. “The adults I think need it just as much sometimes if not more so,” she said. More photos can be found on Instagram @nkstudiosbingen. | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/local/dance-studio-hosts-block-party-to-fund-scholarships/article_5f6451e8-e687-11ec-9884-9f1fd3b6db84.html | 2022-06-08T00:13:41 | 0 | https://www.columbiagorgenews.com/news/local/dance-studio-hosts-block-party-to-fund-scholarships/article_5f6451e8-e687-11ec-9884-9f1fd3b6db84.html |
Gas prices reaching as high as $5.25 around Indiana
MUNCIE, Ind. — Just in time for your summer vacation: Gasoline prices over $5 a gallon.
Around Indiana, gas prices had jumped as high as $5.25 a gallon by Monday. The price of a gallon of gas had been as “low” as the $4.80s on Saturday.
At the gas pumps at Pay Less along McGalliard Road in Muncie, one motorist left an especially grim sales total on one pump Monday night: $92.77 for 18.7 gallons.
Gas prices jumped all over Indiana. The gas price monitor for AAA said that in Lafayette, the current average on Tuesday was $5.17, up from $4.70 a week ago. A year ago, it was $3.07.
More:US gas prices continue to rise to record highs. Expect a 'cruel summer' ahead
The average was $5.13 a gallon in Richmond, AAA said, and Indiana’s average was $5.15. The average price in Muncie was $5.17 according to AAA.
Before this, the likely highest gas price recorded in Muncie was $4.29 in May 2011.
The latest increase has left people shaking their heads.
“This is just unbelievable,” Delaware County resident Pam Reason Young posted in a Facebook comment. “I started driving in 1978, gas prices were 78.9 cents a gallon. 10 dollars would fill my big ole Chevy impala tank.”
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More than 10 states are now seeing average costs over $5 a gallon, NPR reported Monday. The national average was $4.865 per gallon. The highest cost in any state was $6.34 in California.
Gas prices are among many costs that have been driven upward by the forces of inflation, blamed on everything from corporate greed to increased costs of refining, shipping and operations. As they traditionally do, some people blame the political party in office at the time, but experts have said that whoever is in the White House has no control over gas prices.
According to AAA, the rising cost of oil and high demand for gas have pushed prices up. The cost of a barrel of oil is nearly $120, AAA noted, and demand has outpaced a tight global supply.
Economist Michael Hicks:Where are inflation and growth headed?
The increased cost has not yet caused people to change their habits, AAA spokesman Andrew Gross said in AAA’s news release.
The national average of $4.86 is 59 cents more than a month ago, AAA said, and $1.81 more than a year ago.
Indiana was among the states with the top 10 increase in price, AAA said, up 41 cents. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/06/07/gas-prices-zoom-past-5-muncie-lafayette-richmond-indiana/7542872001/ | 2022-06-08T00:15:39 | 0 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/06/07/gas-prices-zoom-past-5-muncie-lafayette-richmond-indiana/7542872001/ |
Democrats, 1 Republican on Muncie City Council kill solar development at Chevy brownfield
MUNCIE, Ind. — Muncie City Council on Monday torpedoed plans to place a solar field atop the contaminated former site of a General Motors transmission plant at 1200 W. Eighth St.
Mayor Dan Ridenour had worked for months with GM Development and Performances Services on plans build a solar array atop concrete on the 53-acre site. The solar panels would have delivered electricity to AEP and revenue for the city's general fund. An estimated $500,000 would have been delivered to the city coffers annually over the estimated life of the project. Cost to the city was estimated at $11.7 million.
Council members and other city officials, along with developers, recently met with residents of the Avondale-Thomas Park neighborhood to hear explanations of the project and listen to neighborhood reactions to this effort to develop something on the ground that has been empty since the factory was razed by 2008.
More:New law protects Hoosier property rights, makes it harder for HOAs to say no to solar
All four Democratic city council members along with Republican Troy Ingram voted down the solar field proposal.
"I was very surprised at what appeared to be a political vote to stop a project for a neighborhood that is hurting," Ridenour said after the vote.
Council President Jeff Robinson, D-Second District, said he thought the figures didn't add up favorably given all the costs of the project, considering the maintenance of the solar field would become the city's responsibility.
While money would be coming into the city general fund, money also would be coming from the city economic development income tax money for the development, he said.
Robinson said he worried that something "catastrophic" might happen and the city would be liable.
Muncie Police Chief Nathan Sloan and Fire Chief Robert Mead both came to the council to ask members to approve the project, which would have bolstered income to the general fund that provides funding to their departments.
"Trust the mayor," Sloan requested of the council before the vote. "He just put us through ethics training last week and it was not fun. He is always telling us to do the right thing … Do the right thing."
More:Cleanup manager says old Chevy site safe enough for various uses as it's readied for solar
More:City looks to buy former Chevrolet plant site to build solar farm
More:County solar study committee preps to tackle issues of big green energy and rural land use
A number of issues had developed concerning the project, including a recent statement from Bob Hare, the cleanup manager for RACER Trust, which is in charge of contamination cleanup and maintenance at the site, that the site could have been used for any number of commercial and industrial uses. Hare made the statement in an article that appeared in The Star Press on Monday.
Officials had consistently stated that there wasn't much else beyond a solar field that could be placed at the site. And the Indiana Department of Environmental Management had prepared a covenant for the city to agree to that would limit use of the property and forbid residential and agricultural use of the real estate as well as forbid use of the groundwater for human or animal consumption.
Some council members said they were concerned with Hare's comments, which included that the concrete cap could also be broken.
"It's not a Superfund site," Hare said regarding to severity of the contamination.
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Council members also expressed concerns about an FBI investigation of bribery in Hidalgo County, Texas, that has been tied to energy-related to public contracts involving Performance Services, according to press accounts. Nick Allen, business development manager with Performance Services, said the investigation involves an employee of the company but not the company itself. he said there have never been any accusations of such wrongdoing involving the company in its past.
James Heimlich, president of the Avondale-Thomas Park Neighborhood Association, said he had members of his group who were strongly in favor of or opposed to the development. He said the neighborhood has much generational poverty and he asked that however the council voted, it should be an "intentional vote."
Ridenour said the deal was now dead. The development had been locked with an interest rate of under 3% and that disappeared with the council's negative vote Monday.
David Penticuff is the local government reporter at the Star Press. Contact him at dpenticuff@gannett.com. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/06/07/muncie-city-council-nixes-plan-turn-brownfield-into-solar-field/7542506001/ | 2022-06-08T00:15:40 | 0 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/06/07/muncie-city-council-nixes-plan-turn-brownfield-into-solar-field/7542506001/ |
Battling post-COVID challenges and a worker shortage, Richmond’s transit system is launching wage hikes, bonuses and training to boost its ranks.
Greater Richmond Transit Company CEO Julie Timm said filling the positions is a priority in the fiscal 2023 budget, which starts July 1. As of late May, the department had 64 vacancies, including 42 open bus operator jobs.
“I’m pleased that we’ve passed a budget that allows us to recover our services and allows for [an] investment in our staff, so that we can work on recruitment and retention,” Timm said. “I think it’s a good plan.”
Timm has been GRTC’s chief executive since 2019, but last week the Sound Transit board of directors — which oversees transit in the Seattle area — nominated her to become CEO of that system. A vote is expected June 23.
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Still, Timm said GRTC needs to follow through on its plan for 2023, as the pool of drivers and mechanics continues to shrink.
Recruitment within the transit industry has been a longstanding issue nationwide, as evidenced by the federal government’s push to recruit drivers. The U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the Department of Transportation, in January launched a joint effort to help address the bus driver labor shortage.
The two departments helped school districts prioritize federal dollars to recruit, retain and hire additional staff. They also provided commercial driver’s license waivers so that schools could recruit drivers more readily. These strategies were a boon to places like Chesterfield County to attract drivers to the region and provide an essential service.
During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, officials in the Richmond transit system realized they would lose staff due to the increased health risks to frontline workers. Knowing they’d be unable to fill every position, GRTC went into the previous fiscal years without budgeting for them, Timm said.
With a limited budget for new staff, retirements, training barriers and a host of other compounding effects, numbers began to dwindle as did the amount of service GRTC could provide, Timm said.
The GRTC board in October approved plans to cut bus service because of a shortage of drivers and mechanics.
“Without our staff, we can’t put service on the street,” Timm said. “That’s why when we talk about our priorities, those priorities are to invest in our people. And when I say our people, I mean our staff, our riders and our community.”
As of May 24, GRTC employed 242 full-time and 23 part-time operators. To reach pre-pandemic levels of service, GRTC would need to employ 300 full-time employees.
GRTC deployed a number of incentives to attract potential employees over the course of the pandemic. The transit system used some of its federal CARES Act funding to provide sign-on bonuses of $5,000 to $8,000.
The company also implemented its own commercial driver’s license authentication program to lower the barrier of entry for new drivers.
Maurice Carter, who has worked for the transit agency for more than 30 years, hopes the company will do more to secure the safety and well-being of operators.
Carter is the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1220, which represents GRTC employees. This year, Carter and the collective bargaining unit were able to negotiate a 15% increase to the pension plan funding.
“I don’t think we’ll have 30- or 40-year employees anymore unless we get more competitive,” Carter said.
The union also secured a 4% wage increase, bringing base pay to $26.81 per hour. That puts GRTC above the industry’s mean hourly wage of $24.67, as recorded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Still, Carter said he’s lost 39 operators since January, and 26 cited poor working conditions.
“We’ve got to put our operators in a safer environment cause you know, some of our operators get verbally abused or even assaulted,” he said.
Carter pointed to a case in November in which a bus driver was suspended after being assaulted by a passenger. Timm issued a public apology about the incident, which was captured on video. The driver’s suspension was revoked, and the transit company said it was reviewing policies.
In April, GRTC recorded seven instances in which an operator was verbally assaulted and one case of physical assault.
Carter said more needs to be done.
“You’re not going to want to go to work if you’re getting verbally assaulted every day,” he said. “But if you put your operators in a safer environment, then our riders will be in a safer environment. ... A lot of people want to stay cause it’s a great job, but that all depends on how it’s being run.” | https://richmond.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/facing-staffing-crunch-grtc-boosts-wages-incentives/article_b916f2e9-7889-5b86-a74d-7177c0417775.html | 2022-06-08T00:17:41 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/facing-staffing-crunch-grtc-boosts-wages-incentives/article_b916f2e9-7889-5b86-a74d-7177c0417775.html |
SAN FRANCISCO — Two drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI after a motorcyclist went flying off a San Francisco freeway overpass and landed on top of a moving car below before being run over by another vehicle early Tuesday, authorities said.
The unidentified motorcyclist died at the scene, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement describing the extraordinary series of events that occurred at the Interstate 80/U.S. 101 interchange around 3:30 a.m.
The motorcyclist swerved to avoid a disabled Nissan sedan on an elevated connector ramp and struck a concrete wall, the highway patrol said.
The rider was ejected from the motorcycle and plummeted 50 feet (15 meters) down onto the roof of a Honda sedan traveling in lanes below, the statement said.
“The motorcyclist is believed to have been struck by at least one and possibly more vehicles after landing on the roadway surface,” the highway patrol said.
The Honda slowed to a stop and was rear-ended by a Subaru Forester.
The drivers of the Nissan and Subaru each could face charges including driving under the influence, according to the statement.
The driver of the Honda was not arrested and sustained minor injuries, officials said.
Any witnesses should contact the highway patrol office in San Francisco.
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
Watch more from ABC10: Sacramento police say "armed" person barricaded themselves in home | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/motorcyclist-flies-off-a-san-francisco-freeway/103-f5b0fbad-5acc-49e6-aed2-3e41c9928915 | 2022-06-08T00:24:37 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/motorcyclist-flies-off-a-san-francisco-freeway/103-f5b0fbad-5acc-49e6-aed2-3e41c9928915 |
PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Placer County voters are set to elect a new sheriff for the first time since retiring Placer County Sheriff Devon Bell took office in 2017.
The once-appointed and once-elected sheriff of Placer County spent more than 13 years as undersheriff before rising to the county’s top law enforcement officer position. Bell announced his retirement on Facebook in February, saying he’ll be leaving office due to a medical condition.
Competing for the open seat are two long-time officers with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office – the current Undersheriff Wayne Woo and the agency’s administrative Sergeant Brandon Bean.
ABC10 learned that election results are expected to be announced starting around 8:10 p.m.
Resources:
Election Results
For updates on the Placer County Sheriff's race, view the tracker below. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/placer-county-sheriff-election/103-ad4091a8-c701-48f0-b171-29c10a8e4db2 | 2022-06-08T00:24:43 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/placer-county-sheriff-election/103-ad4091a8-c701-48f0-b171-29c10a8e4db2 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Four candidates are running for Sacramento City Council, District 1, in the primary election on June 7.
Councilwoman Angelique Ashby, who serves as vice mayor, is not seeking re-election after holding the position for 12 years. Instead, Ashby is joining the race for California State Senate.
In the Greater Sacramento region, District 1 continues to grow in population, jumping from 55,141 in 2010 to 69,450 in 2020. That's a 25.9% change, making District 1 the fastest growing area. District 1 does not only represent Natomas. It's also welcoming more communities, including neighborhoods west of Robla, due to the slight shift in redistricting.
The four candidates vying for votes in District 1 include:
- Robert Alvis
- Lisa Kaplan
- Alyssa Lozano
- Nate Pelczar
ABC10 learned that election results are expected to be announced starting at 8:15 p.m.
Resources:
Election Results
For updates on the City Council race, view the tracker below. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento-city-council-district-1-election/103-1c5cceca-2f0e-4fa6-ad95-97bc45143daa | 2022-06-08T00:24:49 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento-city-council-district-1-election/103-1c5cceca-2f0e-4fa6-ad95-97bc45143daa |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — District 3 was the most drastically redrawn City Council district in Sacramento. Incumbent Jeff Harris’s home in River Park was drawn out, making it an open race.
Competing to represent Sacramento’s newly redrawn District 3, and underserved neighborhoods of south Natomas and Gardenland/Northgate, are the following candidates:
- Karina Talamantes - Chief of staff to councilmember Angelique Ashby
- Michael Lynch - Founder of non-profit Improve Your Tomorrow.
- Adrianne Gonzales
ABC10 learned that election results are expected to be announced starting at 8:15 p.m.
Resources:
Election Results
For the updates on the City Council race, view the tracker below. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-city-council-district-3-election/103-e81f345b-ce05-4c63-89e6-10ec09a52fba | 2022-06-08T00:24:55 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-city-council-district-3-election/103-e81f345b-ce05-4c63-89e6-10ec09a52fba |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — There are four names in the running for District 5 and they all point to the same top issues for their community.
Due to redistricting, District 5 boundaries now wrap around Oak Park, Hollywood Park, and a stretch of South Sacramento. It no longer includes Curtis Park, one of the city's wealthier neighborhoods.
The candidates are as follows:
- Caity Maple
- Chris Baker
- Kimberly Sow
- Tamiko Heim
ABC10 learned that election results are expected to be announced starting at 8:15 p.m.
Resources:
Election Results
For updates on the City Council race, view the tracker below. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-city-council-district-5-election/103-be26c167-05e3-4f86-a499-9d7e499a8027 | 2022-06-08T00:25:02 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-city-council-district-5-election/103-be26c167-05e3-4f86-a499-9d7e499a8027 |
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — The California Garlic Festival is headed to the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds in Stockton this August.
The event will be on Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14 from noon to 7 p.m.
Tony Noceti, head of the Noceti Group which puts on the annual Asparagus Festival, will also be hosting the Garlic Festival. Noceti said the new garlic festival will be at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds for at least this year, noting that the location will be reevaluated later on.
"The problem with that is it should be over in their region over there, where it came from. It's not going to be called the Gilroy Garlic Festival no more, but it is going to be a garlic festival. All those naming rights will be coming out here very shortly," Noceti previously told ABC10.
Some of the food featured at the event includes garlic fries, garlic pesto pasta, garlic mushroom and onion bread bowls will be served along with a unique sweet treat, maple brown sugar garlic ice cream.
Event Details
What: The California Garlic Festival
Where: San Joaquin County Fairgrounds
When: August 13-14 from 12 p.m. - 7 p.m.
How: Admission is $15 for adults (18-64); $10 for children (6-17); and free for seniors 65+, Military w/ ID and Children 5 & Under
"All I'm doing is trying to keep vendors and people happy," Noceti said.
The two-day festival will feature a car display with hot rods, muscle cars, and low-riders; interactive cooking demonstrations; local entertainment; the Miss California Garlic Festival Scholarship Pageant and Princess Program; monster truck rides; a petting zoo, carnival rides and more.
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
Watch more on ABC10 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/garlic-festival-san-joaquin-county-fairgrounds/103-2d3de65d-d520-43bf-b8c5-648404a91dff | 2022-06-08T00:25:08 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/garlic-festival-san-joaquin-county-fairgrounds/103-2d3de65d-d520-43bf-b8c5-648404a91dff |
A bid to override Democratic Gov. John Carney’s veto of a bill legalizing possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults for recreational use failed Tuesday in the state House, likely ending efforts this year to establish a state-run marijuana industry in Delaware.
Members of the Democrat-controlled chamber split 20-20 on the veto override, with Majority Leader Valerie Longhurst not voting. A simple majority would not have been enough, however, as a three-fifths majority was required to override Carney's veto.
Legalization would be a prerequisite for establishing a state-licensed and regulated marijuana industry, a proposal that has failed in the House twice this year.
“Unfortunately, some of my colleagues feel, you can’t regulate what’s still illegal,” said Rep. Ed Osienski, chief sponsor of both the legalization bill and the companion industry-creation legislation.
The bill legalizing possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults cleared the House on a 26-14 vote last month, and was then approved in the Democrat-led Senate on a 13-7 party line vote. Sen. Bruce Ennis of Smyrna, a retired state trooper, was the only Democrat joining Senate Republicans in opposing the bill.
“We did what a majority of Delawareans asked us to do,” said Osienski, who urged his colleagues on Tuesday to not ignore “the will of the people.”
Six of Osienski’s fellow Democrats joined Republicans in voting against the override, thwarting his plan to rescind the failed roll call on the industry creation bill.
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Osienski introduced separate legalization and industry-creation bills in late March after the House rejected broader legislation that did both. That cleared the way for passage of the legalization bill, which required only a simple majority.
The industry creation bill, meanwhile, failed last month to get the three-fifths supermajority required because it creates a new tax, in the form of a 15% levy on retail sales.
Osienski, a Newark Democrat, has argued that the industry bill would create good-paying jobs “while striking a blow against the criminal element which profits from the thriving illegal market for marijuana in our state.”
The bill calls for state officials to initially issue up to 30 retail marijuana licenses, 30 manufacturing licenses, 60 cultivation licenses and five testing licenses. It would prohibit people from growing their own plants for personal consumption.
Opponents have argued that legalization and creation of a state marijuana industry would lead to increased marijuana use among teens and young adults, expose business owners to liability, and result in more traffic deaths and injuries. They also say it would do little to eliminate illegal sales.
According to Associated Press reports, legalization has done little to discourage black market sales in California, and some licensees there are simultaneously participating in the black market in order to make a profit. The AP also has reported that analysts estimate California’s flourishing black market for marijuana is at least twice the size of the legal one.
Currently, recreational marijuana use has been legalized in 19 states and the District of Columbia. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/attempt-to-override-veto-of-marijuana-legalization-in-delaware-fails/3264036/ | 2022-06-08T00:27:11 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/attempt-to-override-veto-of-marijuana-legalization-in-delaware-fails/3264036/ |
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ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Elizabethton police are asking members of the public to be on the lookout for a missing teenager.
According to police, 17-year-old Christopher Carlos Rhodes has autism and has not been seen since he walked away from a residential center around 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Rhodes is about 6-foot tall and has a thin build and brown hair.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/elizabethton-police-searching-for-missing-17-year-old/ | 2022-06-08T00:27:51 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/elizabethton-police-searching-for-missing-17-year-old/ |
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Seeking Peace in Philly
Searching for solutions to Philadelphia's gun violence crisis | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/seeking-peace-in-philly/what-are-philly-leaders-doing-to-help-stop-the-surging-violence/3263887/ | 2022-06-08T00:28:08 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/seeking-peace-in-philly/what-are-philly-leaders-doing-to-help-stop-the-surging-violence/3263887/ |
BIDDEFORD, Maine — Maine marine biologists have activated a new tool to help find white sharks off its rocky coast and alert beach visitors in the process.
Students at the University of New England set out in two boats, along with Matthew Davis from the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources, to drop a warning buoy in the Atlantic.
The buoy will detect if a tagged shark - typically marked by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy or the Division of Marine Fisheries, both in Massachusetts - wanders within in its range.
Davis and John Mohan, a UNE shark ecology professor, chose to drop the buoy within eyesight of the Old Orchard Beach pier and the daily barrage of summer swimmers and sunbathers who visit the sand below it.
What sets this buoy apart from other research equipment in Maine is that, when a white shark triggers it, the solar-powered buoy will immediately send an alert so authorities can warn nearby swimmers of the shark's presence.
"Monitoring white sharks up here is new," Davis said. "We haven’t been monitoring them in Maine for very long."
He elaborated that he has had access to roughly one-and-a-half years of consistent white shark tracking data in Maine. In that time, however, he counted 40 sharks that pinged buoys off Maine's coast.
They've always been here, Davis said. Researchers are just beginning to get quality equipment in Maine's waters to find them.
Mohan smiled wide after he and the other researchers pushed the bright yellow buoy into the water.
“This is awesome,” he grinned. “I’m ready to detect some sharks.”
The buoy, along with another planned to be placed further north near Popham Beach within days, will be another tool for Mohan and anyone interested in tracking the prehistoric predators.
“The goal is to understand how frequently they’re moving up and down,” he said. “Are they staying in once place? Are they moving? Hopefully we’ll be able to get that information.”
Shark attacks in Maine are exceedingly rare. The first ever recorded death as a result of a shark encounter happened in 2020, when Julie Dimperio Holowach, 63, a retired New York fashion executive, was killed by a white shark in the ocean near Hallowell.
Still, they are apex predators. Alexa Cacacie is a UNE marine biology grad student who thinks Mainers can be proud of the work being done in their own state - not just for safety’s sake, but for better understanding this misunderstood species.
“The development of so much science and the care for the coastline and the species here has really, dramatically improved in the last few years,” she said.
Once we wade into the north Atlantic’s murky waters, it’s their world; we’re just swimming in it.
Now, Mainers should more easily know if one has come to check its northern territory. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/first-real-time-shark-warning-buoy-deployed-off-maines-coast-water-safety/97-7fb7f2a5-0f35-4dc7-9894-0aeda67a722e | 2022-06-08T00:31:07 | 0 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/first-real-time-shark-warning-buoy-deployed-off-maines-coast-water-safety/97-7fb7f2a5-0f35-4dc7-9894-0aeda67a722e |
Idaho Falls city officials are planning to relocate a nearly 30-year-old soccer complex to make room for future airport expansion.
The city held a public meeting Thursday with residents who live by the Old Butte Soccer Complex to discuss moving the complex. Idaho Falls Regional Airport Director Rick Cloutier said during the meeting that the land the soccer complex is on was purchased by the airport in the ’80s and ’90s with a Federal Aviation Administration grant for the purpose of further developing the airport.
“Back in the 1990s, (airport use) probably wasn’t as critical at the time, somebody decided to put some soccer fields in there,” Cloutier said. "Probably a great thing to do, but the community is growing; the airport is growing. It’s just the point when change is going to happen.”
Cloutier said the FAA has notified the city that it is out of compliance by using the land for the soccer complex instead of aeronautical development.
“You take federal money, it comes with strings,” Cloutier said.
Parks and Recreation Director PJ Holm said in 2014, the city acquired 40 acres of land just west of the soccer complex on Ernest Drive and that land can be used to build a new soccer complex to replace the current one.
The city is currently developing a master plan for the airport-owned land and replacing the soccer fields. It likely will be more than five years until the fields are replaced.
“We are working to work hand in hand with Idaho Falls Airport to make sure that this transition happens,” Holm said.
Holm said the city could build eight adult (210-by-330-foot) soccer fields, six U11 (150-by-210-foot) fields and four U8 (70-by-110-foot) fields on the proposed alternative property.
The Old Butte Soccer Complex accommodates 12 soccer fields on 76.53 acres, according to the city's website.
Thursday’s meeting was packed with nearby residents, many of whom live in The Village neighborhood, and some expressed frustration that the city had not indicated the land was to be used for airport development when they bought their homes decades ago. The Old Butte Soccer Complex is very close to several of the homes in The Village, nearly in some residents' backyards.
Larry Reinhart, a longtime developer in Idaho Falls, said he was one of the people involved with getting FAA approval for the soccer complex prior to it being built in 1996. Reinhart said the land Holm was referring to was sold by him and his partners specifically for softball and he didn’t like the city’s plan to use that land for soccer when there’s no softball fields in that area of town.
Reinhart said there’s a 74-acre property for sale nearby on Old Butte South and Broadway that would be a better alternative for a new soccer complex.
“It’s been eight years since we sold that property. At some point we’d actually like to see the city come in and build (the softball fields),” Reinhart said.
Cloutier said he’s unsure of what the airport will use the land currently occupied by the soccer complex for, but the city needs to start planning its use and will continue to provide updates of its plans. | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/idaho-falls-plans-to-move-old-butte-soccer-complex-for-airport-growth/article_eef6c891-a428-54b2-926c-df910054beee.html | 2022-06-08T00:34:18 | 1 | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/idaho-falls-plans-to-move-old-butte-soccer-complex-for-airport-growth/article_eef6c891-a428-54b2-926c-df910054beee.html |
Blackfoot Police investigate the scene of a plane crash Tuesday afternoon between McCarley Field and the southeast edge of the Blackfoot Municipal Golf Course.
A single-engine airplane rests on its top after flipping over when it hit a chain-link fence between McCarley Field and the Blackfoot Municipal Golf Course Tuesday afternoon, short of a runway at the airport.
Blackfoot Police investigate the scene of a plane crash Tuesday afternoon between McCarley Field and the southeast edge of the Blackfoot Municipal Golf Course.
A single-engine airplane rests on its top after flipping over when it hit a chain-link fence between McCarley Field and the Blackfoot Municipal Golf Course Tuesday afternoon, short of a runway at the airport.
BLACKFOOT — Two men were able to walk away Tuesday afternoon when a single-engine airplane came up short on a landing at a runway at McCarley Field, skipping off the grass at the south edge of the Blackfoot Municipal Golf Course, hitting a chain link fence and flipping over.
Preston Hafer had just finished golfing on the first hole shortly after 3 p.m. when he saw the plane coming in from the north.
"It looked low. I watched it go over the trees and thought ‘it's got to get up,’ I thought there was no way it was going to make it," Hafer said. "It bounced off the grass near the first green, ran into the fence and tipped over."
The plane came to rest about 50 yards short of the runway.
Up to a minute later, Hafer said, two men got out of the plane. He said one man got out with his face bloodied and another man got out and walked away and did not appear to be hurt.
Another witness called 911, and law enforcement, an ambulance and fire personnel responded. Hafer said the man with the bloody face was loaded into the ambulance and was transported. There was no fire reported.
Blackfoot Police said a 70-year-old male pilot and a 38-year-old male passenger were transported to the hospital for minor injuries
The Federal Aviation Administration was called in to investigate. | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/plane-crashes-near-blackfoot-golf-course-airport/article_77dcb5cc-f3ff-5f43-a14f-5c40ce610921.html | 2022-06-08T00:34:24 | 0 | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/plane-crashes-near-blackfoot-golf-course-airport/article_77dcb5cc-f3ff-5f43-a14f-5c40ce610921.html |
DALLAS, Texas — Two teens shouldering multiple tragedies are recovering and doing well after surviving a wrong-way crash that killed four on May 22, including a beloved coach the teens were with from Palestine ISD.
Now, according to family members, the teens face a tough road in terms of recovery and are raising money to help.
If you'd like to donate, visit this link.
Per investigators with the Wilmer Police Department, a mini-van driven by Francisca Fuentes collided with Michael Coyne's SUV that Sunday night on Interstate 45.
Fuentes, who police believe to be from Dallas, was driving with her two toddlers. All three died, including Coyne.
Rebecca Campa, 15, and Ruben Vasquez, 14, were hospitalized in an ICU, facing numerous surgeries.
The teens and Coach Coyne were returning from Game 3 of the Mavericks vs. Warriors playoff matchup in Dallas.
Vasquez is a big Warriors fan, and his family had just purchased his tickets to get his mind off the death of his 16-year-old brother Isaac.
Isaac died after losing control of his car and crashing on May 7 on the way to work, per family members.
Coyne agreed to take Vasquez and his cousin Campa -- since he was a Warriors fan too. Vasquez also reportedly looked up to Coyne and wanted him to go.
Beronica Rocha, the teens' aunt, told WFAA that Coyne was incredibly safe with the children and likely saved their lives at the time of the crash.
"He made sure that both of the kids were buckled in the backseat when they went to the game and returned home," Rocha said. "He didn't put anyone up front with him, and he also swerved at the time of the crash, and we're thinking that saved Rebecca and Ruben's life."
The investigation into why Fuentes was driving the wrong way on a major thoroughfare is ongoing. Investigators with Wilmer Police are still waiting on toxicology results to determine if drugs or alcohol were factors.
Rocha said Vasquez and Campa's family members struggle with the 'why.'
"It's just very heartbreaking," Rocha said. "Why would somebody drive like that? Risking her kids' lives and other people's lives?"
Once hospitalized, Campa required surgery on her spine. Vasquez had surgeries on his ankles, both of his arms, and knee surgery too.
Both will need to enter rehab, per Rocha, and right now the family is fighting with their insurance company to pay for it.
"They want us to pay for it out of pocket for Rebecca at the very least, so we're looking for an attorney," said Rocha.
Not only that, both teens contracted COVID this week while in the hospital.
Rocha said it will be weeks, likely months before the teens are even close to feeling normal.
But they're moving down this tough road together.
"Their parents, I just can't imagine what they're going through right now," Rocha said. "We just need your prayers." | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/palestine-isd-students-hospitalized-after-deadly-wrong-way-crash-out-of-icu-recovering/287-63b3c6bd-e54e-4cbe-bfde-fd0f4db62969 | 2022-06-08T00:41:35 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/palestine-isd-students-hospitalized-after-deadly-wrong-way-crash-out-of-icu-recovering/287-63b3c6bd-e54e-4cbe-bfde-fd0f4db62969 |
SHIRLEY — An Earlville child who died after a five-vehicle crash south of Shirley on Friday has been named by the Peoria County Coroner's Office.
Coroner Jamie Harwood said Mia Ross, 8, was pronounced brain dead at 8:22 a.m. Tuesday despite "aggressive care and resuscitative efforts."
Ross was reportedly ejected from the car she was riding in after the crash, which was 3 miles south of Shirley on southbound Interstate 55, Harwood said.
She later was flown from the scene to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, in critical condition.
The cause of death for Ross is due to multiple blunt force head and chest injuries, the coroner's office said. It is unknown if she was restrained in the vehicle at the time of the collision.
Illinois State Police said in their initial report of the incident that one person was transported from the scene by medical helicopter and pronounced dead at the hospital that day, but would not clarify on Tuesday if the victim was Ross.
A previous press statement from the McLean County Coroner's Office said Grey died from head injuries while driving a sport utility vehicle that was hit by a semitrailer truck and was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Toxicology reports are pending.
ISP continues to investigate the crash that also sent three people to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
No further information was immediately available at this time.
Photos: Brunch drag show lifts spirits Sunday in Bloomington
Austin S. Waller, 20, of Bloomington; Kerrigan T. Spencer, 18, of Normal; and Jacob S. Upton, 20, of Bloomington, are each charged with burglary (Class 2 felony).
Brandon E. Reynolds, 35, of LeRoy, pleaded guilty to one count of grooming (Class 4 felony) in March. He was sentenced to two and a half years on probation and 180 days in the McLean County Jail. | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/child-killed-in-i-55-crash-identified/article_c25ce9fa-e6a9-11ec-9d68-e7156195b04b.html | 2022-06-08T00:52:13 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/child-killed-in-i-55-crash-identified/article_c25ce9fa-e6a9-11ec-9d68-e7156195b04b.html |
PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey and GOP legislative leaders are trying to line up the votes for a $15.1 billion spending plan that includes more money for border security than for new unrestricted operating funds for public schools.
At the same time they want to cut $1.3 billion in taxes in the next three years.
The $544 million in the border security plan includes $355 million for a state-funded fence.
That wasn’t a priority of the Republican governor in January when he announced his proposed spending plan for the state. At that time he earmarked $50 million for “physical barriers.’’
But the idea has proven popular among GOP lawmakers, with the Republican-led Senate voting along party lines this year to put aside $700 million to “administer and manage the construction of a new border fence.’’
The Republican-led House was more reserved, approving $150 million.
House Majority Leader Ben Toma, R-Peoria, said the budget plan now proposed does not necessarily require all this to be spent on physical barriers. He said it also would permit a “virtual’’ fence, monitored with technology.
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But Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said doing something remains a priority. She said an actual wall or fence makes sense, especially along 17 miles where the federal government still planned to build wall during the Trump administration, a plan abandoned after President Joe Biden took office.
“Most of those materials are still laying around and were already paid for by the federal government,’’ Fann said.
She said border security is among the top issues in Arizona, and for good reason. “There are young ladies getting raped by these coyotes (human smugglers),’’ she said. “We have unaccompanied children coming across. The atrocities are absolutely horrendous. And that has got to stop.’’
The border barrier is only part of the $544 million security plan. It also includes everything from additional dollars to help local sheriffs to financial assistance for prosecutors.
But those priorities are not shared by everyone.
The biggest hurdle for Republicans remains Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale.
He points out the state has a surplus of more than $5 billion. And while some of that is being spent to pay off the debts of state retirement systems, Boyer said there should be more than enough left for what he thinks should be the top priority: public education.
‘Shell game,’ critic says
Boyer noted that voters approved Proposition 208 in 2020 to tax the wealthiest Arizonans to provide about $900 million more a year in school operating funds. While the Supreme Court ruled the form of the levy to be illegal, he said the state has more than enough to fund the amount out of existing revenues.
Even with adding $425 million to the state’s “rainy day’’ fund and cutting property taxes by $350 million a year, the state would still have a $1 billion surplus at the end of three years.
There are some additional education dollars in the GOP proposal, including $49 million to increase basic aid to schools by 2.5%. But Boyer said there’s less there than meets the eye.
He pointed out that the plan reduces the money schools now get for things like higher salaries for experienced teachers. The result is some districts will end up with little, if any, new dollars, Boyer said.
“It’s a shell game,’’ he said, adding that it is also bad policy.
“At a time when Arizona needs teachers desperately to stay, especially experienced ones, you’re getting rid of that state program,’’ Boyer said.
But gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin said Ducey supports the idea of killing what is known as the teacher experience index.
“More affluent schools typically have longer-tenured teachers versus lower-income schools that have higher teacher turnover,’’ he said. “So we see this issue as a matter of equity.’’
It will hurt rural districts who use the funds to keep experienced teachers, said Chuck Essigs, lobbyist for the Association of School Business Officials.
There is another $100 million in additional dollars for students with special needs. But here, too, Boyer said, the plan fails to fund programs for students in poverty.
Other money for K-12 education in the plan includes $60 million in relatively unrestricted “additional assistance.’’
Only thing is, that is being divided up evenly between traditional public schools and charter schools that are privately run, often for profit, even though there are far more students in traditional schools. Essigs said that translates out to $30 for each public school student — and $130 for each student in a charter school.
Another $200 million in new education funds is earmarked only for school construction and repair, with none of it available for teacher salaries, a sore point among some who cite reports showing Arizona has among the lowest-paid teachers in the nation.
And while there is $50 million being added for school safety, the dollars are restricted and can be used to hire only police officers.
Aides to the governor defended the restriction, noting that state schools chief Kathy Hoffman gave certain federal pandemic relief dollars to schools but with the limitation to use the cash solely for counselors. They said there are schools that want officers in place for protection.
Other proposals
The spending proposal also includes:
20% pay increases for state police and corrections officers designed to retain and keep workers. All other state employees would get a 10% raise, the first across-the-board increase in close to a decade.
$46 million in one-time funds for the state’s three universities. There also is an additional $12.5 million for “promise scholarships” for low-income students who enroll in a state university, plus $10 million for free in-state tuition for the spouses of active-duty military.
$50 million for an accelerated program to train more nurses, with aid linked to commitments to remain in Arizona.
A laundry list of $500 million in road-construction and repair projects that individual legislators want financed even though they are not on the priority list for the Arizona Department of Transportation.
An additional $30 million deposited into the housing trust fund that can finance new projects and provide more immediate relief to individuals.
All GOP votes needed
Fann said if GOP leadership can’t line up the votes of all the Republicans — it takes all as they have only a one-vote edge in the House and in the Senate — then she will have to look to Democrats.
There are things in the spending plan that appear to have bipartisan support, like $334 million as a down payment on a $1 proposal to obtain new water supplies, possibly through desalination projects.
The state also is increasing its funding for various programs for foster care and other social programs.
Fann said she is particularly proud the state is adding $100 million in what it pays to private entities that provide services for the developmentally disabled.
“When you have folks that are literally having to change adult diapers, having to handle extremely handicapped children and adults, they’re making minimum wage,’’ she said. “Yet you can go to the nearest burger joint and get hired on at $20 an hour.’’
But House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, said it’s going to take a lot more if Republicans are hoping for a bipartisan budget. He said the one being shopped around now is full of “misplaced priorities.’’
It’s not just the infusion of dollars for border security. There’s also the overriding question of state support for public education, he said.
One element of the proposal would expand an existing program that provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits for individuals who donate money to help Arizona students attend private and parochial schools. In essence, for every dollar they give for those programs, they reduce their state income tax liability by an equal amount.
The proposed expansion starts with a small price tag of $2 million this coming budget year. But it is structured for automatic increases and would cost $27 million over three years, which Bolding said “takes more money out of our public tax system’’ that should go into public education.
Lawmakers didn’t leave themselves out, either.
Fann said she needs $5 million — on top of the current $17.8 million budget for the state Senate — for one-time upgrades for repairs and upgrades. She said much of the furniture in the Senate is “torn and shabby.’’
But the House leadership also insisted on getting an identical one-time infusion of its own above its $21.4 million budget.
Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com. | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/gop-legislative-leaders-propose-arizona-budget-focused-on-border/article_2115d688-e677-11ec-b5fa-8728757c50fd.html | 2022-06-08T01:02:39 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/gop-legislative-leaders-propose-arizona-budget-focused-on-border/article_2115d688-e677-11ec-b5fa-8728757c50fd.html |
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County school district’s library supervisor explained the process behind selecting books for the shelves Tuesday night to a school board in the process of removing and reviewing some of those books.
The workshop, which detailed the process currently in place for selecting books for the library, was heated at times as it comes as four books are currently under review.
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School board members not only heard what the book selection process entails, but also what the procedure is for when a parent finds a book inappropriate and submits a request for reconsideration, which begins with the person lodging the complaint filing a form.
The discussion comes after Osceola County Schools Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace called for a committee to review the following four books:
“Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Perez
“Me, Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews
“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson
“Looking for Alaska” by John Green
The first committee meeting to discuss one of these books was held Monday. Those findings will then be presented to the board and the same process will happen with the other three books.
Some argued during Tuesday’s meeting that if a book is being evaluated at one school, the same should happen across all of the schools in the district.
No board action was taken during the meeting. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/07/osceola-library-supervisor-explains-process-behind-book-selection-to-school-board-members/ | 2022-06-08T01:04:00 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/07/osceola-library-supervisor-explains-process-behind-book-selection-to-school-board-members/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-isd-prospective-superintendent-shares-her-priorities-for-the-district/2987302/ | 2022-06-08T01:12:28 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-isd-prospective-superintendent-shares-her-priorities-for-the-district/2987302/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/families-displaced-after-irving-apartment-fire/2987308/ | 2022-06-08T01:12:35 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/families-displaced-after-irving-apartment-fire/2987308/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/families-of-mass-shooting-in-buffalo-and-uvalde-to-testify-before-congress/2987306/ | 2022-06-08T01:12:42 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/families-of-mass-shooting-in-buffalo-and-uvalde-to-testify-before-congress/2987306/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-files-lawsuit-against-american-airlines-over-wrongful-arrest/2987313/ | 2022-06-08T01:12:49 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-files-lawsuit-against-american-airlines-over-wrongful-arrest/2987313/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/search-for-teen-in-fort-worth-lake-ends-after-body-recovered/2987307/ | 2022-06-08T01:12:56 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/search-for-teen-in-fort-worth-lake-ends-after-body-recovered/2987307/ |
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — One of the most crime-ridden and dilapidated housing units in metro Atlanta now has an issue over a basic need. Power has been out since last week for several residents at the Camelot Condos, located off Old National Highway in South Fulton.
Georgia Power said someone tampered with meter connections for several units, making conditions unsafe. The company said it received nine notices and had to disconnect power in four buildings to protect the residents.
"When we become aware of unsafe electrical conditions we have to act and, to protect the safety of residents, we did disconnect power at this complex," a Georgia Power spokesperson said. "We will restore power to the affected units as quickly as possible once the complex notifies us that repairs have been made by a qualified electrician and inspections from local authorities are complete."
Asiya Abdur-Rahman has lived at Camelot for two years. From hearing rats to looking at heavy mold throughout her unit, she documented a number of issues she's dealt with since moving in.
"It is really, really bad living in these conditions," Abdur-Rahman said. "I do have chronic asthma, and I just had official surgery. I'm high-risk anyway.”
South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau moved into Camelot earlier this year to get a firsthand look at the residents' experience. He told 11Alive he plans to move out soon.
Two fires broke out at Camelot in 2020. Then, three people were killed there last year. Last month, another young woman was shot and killed at the complex. Kamau said he was among those who lost power, and he said wires got so hot, he was surprised his building didn't catch fire.
“Things here are very bad," Kamau said. "The HOA does not seem to have the money. They definitely do not have the leadership to respond to all of the issues that we see going on. It’s not a healthy environment. It’s not a safe environment.”
Kamau said inspectors from the county and law enforcement have come out since residents lost power to check on other issues that have historically plagued Camelot. Arrests have been made on those with warrants, and code violations are being addressed, Kamau said.
However, the mayor and Camelot's Homeowner's Association are at odds. HOA representative Tabitha Rowe is fighting back against accusations of mismanagement, urging residents and officials to bond together rather than bicker over an answer.
"There is no mismanagement of funds," Rowe told 11Alive. "People were put in place and did what they deemed necessary. It may not have been the right decision. Nobody is ignoring it. We’re trying to get it taken care of and get their power back on.”
Rowe said some residents have been offered hotel stays while the process to get the power restored continues. It's unclear when power may be restored, as an electrician still needs to finish making repairs on the affected buildings before county officials can perform their inspections. Rowe said some unit owners were to blame, but she wasn't specific about what consequences they may face for the poor condition of their units.
Meantime, Kamau said action could ensue if changes aren't made. Camelot could fall under receivership, where a trustee would manage the property instead of the HOA. The property could also be condemned and demolished if the buildings are found to be unsafe and unsanitary. An inspection report and bill would go to the HOA before any of those steps are followed.
Kamau said there will be a briefing to the city council on June 14 about what's happening at Camelot and how to proceed with fixing the issues. A week later, on June 21, residents will meet at Mingles on Old National Highway to hold a vote and possibly replace Camelot's HOA board.
"Our job is to make sure that all of our citizens are safe and that they're living in buildings that are structurally sound, sanitary and safe," Kamau said. “If the buildings aren’t habitable, we’re going to have to look at the options.”
For those suffering through the heat and other issues brought on by a loss of power, there are few answers as to when they might get some relief or possibly be able to move.
"It's easier said than done because right now my husband is the only one working," Abdur-Rahman said. "I'm not working. I have a job, but I'm on medical leave." | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/camelot-condos-lose-power-dangerous-conditions/85-e0b5d02d-53a4-419f-92d1-109478e44884 | 2022-06-08T01:13:35 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/camelot-condos-lose-power-dangerous-conditions/85-e0b5d02d-53a4-419f-92d1-109478e44884 |
ATLANTA — Atlanta Fire Rescue Department has evacuated a home off of Kirkwood Avenue SE due to a natural gas leak Tuesday evening.
Officials said the road is blocked off between Selman Street and Chester Avenue, not far from Cabbagetown Park.
"There are no reports of illness or injuries at this time," AFRD said.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
Also download the 11Alive News app and sign up to receive alerts for the latest on this story and other breaking news in Atlanta and north Georgia. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gas-leak-prompts-evacuation-kirkland-avenue/85-606db5a7-b700-4b77-b4a1-bdf52e7aff73 | 2022-06-08T01:13:41 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gas-leak-prompts-evacuation-kirkland-avenue/85-606db5a7-b700-4b77-b4a1-bdf52e7aff73 |
ATLANTA — A battle over unused land continues to cause a rift between Atlanta's police department and activists. On Tuesday, both showed how neither plans to back down.
The argument stems from a plot of land in DeKalb County that used to be a prison farm site. Community members want to keep Atlanta's South River Forest as a green, mixed-use space. However, the land has already been earmarked as a public safety training facility and has received its stamp of approval from the Atlanta City Council.
On Tuesday, protesters were back in the area calling on leaders to abandon the idea that they've dubbed "Cop City."
Critics of the idea say police training in the area would actually be a threat to the community. One community leader said the space will only benefit law enforcement -- and not the city as a whole.
"It’s clearly not for us, it’s not for our community and it’s going to be adverse to us and our people," Kwame Olufemi of Community Movement Builders said.
Over the past month, there has been increased tension between protestors who have decided to settle in the forest, leading to nearly a dozen people being arrested. Atlanta Police Department officials say some protesters have even thrown rocks and what was believed to be a Molotov cocktail at officers.
Protesters said their fight isn't just about the social justice impact the facility could have on the city but also about the negative environmental consequences too.
"If you know anything about ATL at (all) then you know the places that flood the most are on the south side," Olufemi said. "In destroying the forest they’re going to exasperate those issues they’ve already had with peoples town flooding."
Protesters said their goal is to continue to build a movement of resistance to the facility being built, but next, they are hoping to speak directly with companies involved with the building.
"At the same time while we’re protesting the police, the same time we’re trying to stop Cop City from being built," Olufemi said. "We’re at the same time simultaneously building up our own institutions to provide safety for our communities."
APD said it is considered trespassing for protestors and those living on the property to remain there. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/more-cop-city-protests-in-atlanta-forest/85-7da1784b-b6ef-4321-aecb-734e47d6383e | 2022-06-08T01:13:48 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/more-cop-city-protests-in-atlanta-forest/85-7da1784b-b6ef-4321-aecb-734e47d6383e |
Over 500 5th-graders from around Herkimer County are learning about a number of everyday safety issues that range from bicycle safety to live powerlines. Fire safety is an everyday concern, but maybe even more so now with the wide use of cell phones. Steve McMurray is the President of the Frankfort Fire Department, and talked about the fire hazard charging cell phones can present.
"A lot of these kids now have cell phones right, and cell phones have lithium ion batteries in them. You see studies across the country where cell phones that are charging, they become very hot, and they catch a pillow or a blanket (on fire) because a kid has it underneath a pillow. Incredibly dangerous."
Herkimer County is fairly rural, so it’s not uncommon for children to come in contact with ticks. These students are learning about what ticks are, how to identify them, and safely remove them. Sarah Thomes is the Supervising Community Health Nurse for the Herkimer County Public Health Department. She knows how important it is to show these 5th graders how small these ticks can be and how dangerous an untreated tick bite can be.
"Lyme disease is pretty prevalent in the Northeast at this moment, and it seems to be growing, and there are additionally many other tick borne illnesses that are potentially more severe than Lyme disease as well going around."
You can find ticks in tall grass, but you’ll also find 5th graders mowing that tall grass down, so Cazenovia Equipment Company's RTD Manager Erick Haas is teaching the kids all about the dangers of lawn mowing.
"You want to have safety be a muscle memory for them. Alright so when they’re getting into this, they’re learning to do it. It’s going to stick with them from a young age."
The students are being exposed to a number of safety issues, but how much of this knowledge are they really taking away? West Canada Valley Student Tucker Hopsicker learned about a tractor’s power take off device. "You should not go near a PTO because your clothing could get caught. Then you could go around and around, and then you’ll get really, really hurt."
Mt. Markham Elementary School Student Taylor Deak learned not to leave her phone charging in her bed. "You can’t put it under your pillow or under your blanket because your blanket might catch on fire, and like there’s like a low chance of getting out safely."
West Canada Elementary School 5th Grader Kimberly Carter plans on keeping all her digits. "How much damage gears can do if you get your fingers stuck in them."
Mt. Markham Elementary School Student Niala Lunny now knows how dangerous water can be. "I’ve learned about lifeguards and stuff and like pool safety."
So whether it’s dangerous plant life, or keeping ten feet from powerlines, National Grid CMS Supervisor Kurt Ackerman knows the lessons taught could last them a -longer- lifetime. "They’ve maintained that message, and that’s key, and if we could just make sure one person, you know one of these kids is safe someday, it was worth our time and energy." | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/farm-home-safety-day/article_beea53c2-e6a7-11ec-97d0-638f2147e2b2.html | 2022-06-08T01:20:34 | 0 | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/farm-home-safety-day/article_beea53c2-e6a7-11ec-97d0-638f2147e2b2.html |
HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) – The Cabell County School District held a three-day summit for teachers that started Tuesday and one topic of discussion was mental health.
This comes after the mental health of many students declined throughout COVID-19.
Discussions included the importance of building relationships and providing a comfortable environment. The summit also went into detail on what students may be experiencing and what teachers can do in various situations.
Officials with the school board say this summit is just one step the county has taken.
“We have over 10 social workers that we’ve hired within the school system, we have counselors at every school even in our elementary now,” explained the Deputy Superintendent for Cabell County, Kelly Watts.
One teacher says throughout the school year, she has watched student’s mental health decline firsthand.
“I had a number of students that showed higher anxiety rates just in the classroom like not being able to handle being around a lot of kids again, having issues with noises, the number of people,” explained Jaime Layne, a 5th grade teacher in Cabell County.
Layne also said she hopes this summit will provide insight on how to handle student’s mental health as well as providing mental health tips for teachers.
“I noticed that I dealt with it, more anxiety and things after COVID, so tools for myself and tools that I can give to students in my classroom,” explained Layne.
Organizers for the event say in addition to teachers learning about the mental health of students, she hopes this helps them mentally as well.
“Those two years have required a lot of our teachers. So, to let them be here, to reenergize, to laugh together, maybe even to cry together, I think is a really important thing,” said Ashley Stephens, the family and community engagement coordinator for Cabell County. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/cabell-county-schools-talk-students-declining-mental-health/ | 2022-06-08T01:24:13 | 0 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/cabell-county-schools-talk-students-declining-mental-health/ |
KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — A group of students from Chicago is putting on their hard hats to make a difference in Kanawha County.
“To see that we can actually make an impact,” said Kate Mccurdy with St. Michael Parish youth group. “A lot of people think they can’t do anything to change, but if everyone did something like this a lot could come out of it.”
Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, the Chicago area students made the trek to Charleston to help those in need.
“It’s heartwarming to have folks from across the United States express the concern in our community,” said Andrew Blackwood, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity. “The spirit of volunteerism really is uplifting.”
The dedicated volunteers are assisting with building five homes, developing, landscaping, and cleaning, all while learning life skills along the way.
“Sometimes they reach out for the tasks they are comfortable doing,” Blackwood said. “Other times we push them out of their comfort zones, and then they learn and expand their skills.”
While it’s a lot of hard work, volunteers say it will all be worth it when they see the final product.
“Seeing what we’ve kind of accomplished and looking at the before and after of what we’ve done,” said Jessica Lawler with St Michael Parish youth group. “I’m just looking forward to spending more time with the families and my friends.”
This group will be hard at work all week long, ready to make a difference for the future families anxiously awaiting their homes. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/chicago-youth-volunteers-make-a-difference-building-kanawha-county-homes/ | 2022-06-08T01:24:19 | 1 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/chicago-youth-volunteers-make-a-difference-building-kanawha-county-homes/ |
CLANTON, Ala. (WIAT) — After a number of starts and stops, Chilton County leaders have confirmed that the long-awaited Alabama Farm Center project will not be moving forward, at least not now.
In a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday, Commission Chairman Jimmie Hardee said the proposed $150 million center would not be built, putting an end to a project that first started in 2015. Hardee said hopes for the center were high, with the possibility of drawing up to 900,000 visitors per year to the area.
The project had its share of starts and stops over the years, particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ongoing negotiations between the commission, the city of Clanton and the Alabama Farmers Federation.
“Navigating the complexities of economic development projects is not an easy task for public officials and experience has shown that often governmental bodies invest resources and efforts in multiple projects before any one project can become a reality,” Hardee said. “It is hard and tedious work that requires diplomacy and compromise at almost every level.”
Hardee said that the negotiation for the project stalled when ALFA wanted to add a provision to the letter of intent after the completion of Farm Center for additional incentives and tax revenues committed to the center that would go toward development outside the site.
“(ALFA President) Mr. Jimmy Parnell, city of Clanton and Chilton County originally agreed that the Farm Center could keep all revenue inside of the 233 acres for debt or maintenance and would not discuss any revenue outside the Farm Center site until the completion of the project,” Hardee said. “Mayor Mims and I agreed that it would be premature to agree to any funding source 5 years from now, that would be the responsibility of the leaders and elected officials at that time.”
Hardee said not having the project move forward was disappointing, but that the commission would be seeking other opportunities.
“In many cases multiple projects must be pursued and all negotiations exhausted before a final project is landed and comes to fruition,” he said. “Your Commission will continue to work tirelessly to pursue these opportunities and help bring about growth and progress for the citizens of Chilton County.”
Parnell released the following statement to CBS 42:
“When it became apparent in December we would not reach target construction dates due to supply chain issues and regulatory hurdles, I personally negotiated in good faith with the mayor and county commission chair on an agreement to keep this project in Clanton. We agreed to transfer about half of the property back to the city and county for other development with the understanding we would revisit their involvement in helping sustain and grow the Farm Center once the project begins producing revenue. They refused to sign a nonbinding agreement to this effect.
“We remain committed to building the Farm Center and have begun evaluating other locations. The work we’ve done over the last two years has strengthened our resolve to develop a premier farm center and event complex in our state. The Federation and the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation (AFAF) have invested a tremendous amount of time and money in the Farm Center project. I wanted it to work in Chilton County. We put in a good effort to make it work, but when there isn’t cooperation among all local government officials, it’s impossible to be successful with an economic development project of this size. I am thankful for the Chilton County commissioners who did work so hard with us to try to make this happen.”
You can read Hardee’s full comments below:
Farm Center Statement by CBS 42 on Scribd | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/alabama-farm-center-project-not-moving-forward-in-chilton-county/ | 2022-06-08T01:25:56 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/alabama-farm-center-project-not-moving-forward-in-chilton-county/ |
An investigation is underway into who scorched nearly a dozen pride flags outside a home in Corsicana.
Corsicana Police Chief Robert Johnson said it happened between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. the morning of June 2.
It was hours after Terry Garner and Keith Dowler displayed them in their front yard for Pride Month, which began June 1.
The couple was vacationing with their daughter in east Texas when they got a call from the police and rushed home. There, they discovered what a neighbor had earlier in the day: 10 Pride flags laying on the ground burned.
“They had burned one at the front door, laid out in perfect form and burned it,” Garner said.
There was also a vase that had been smashed on the ground which they suspect was an attempt to wake them up.
“At first, we were kind of shocked and then we were like, no, we’re not going to be shocked. We’re going to use this as an opportunity to show we’re just like everybody else. We want to raise our child in peace,” Garner said.
The family moved to Corsicana four years ago from Dallas. They bought their current home because it resembled a New Orleans-style house, where they also previously lived.
Still, they say they never felt at home until what happened last week.
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Since then, the community’s raised more than $1,300 in reward money to catch the vandal, and some of the new replacement flags put up this week were donated from neighbors.
“It’s a little emotional,” Garner said.
“From what we first thought, until recently, the city has really blossomed to us. There’s some good people here,” Dowler said.
In addition to replacing all 10 flags, they’ve added one more sign to the yard. It reads, “Love Always Wins.” It’s a message they hope the person responsible sees.
“We want them to know that we’re unphased, and we’re unapologetic, and we’re going to continue to fly them and if they burn more, we will continue to put more out,” Garner said.
Corsicana police say detectives are following up on all leads that become available.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Corsicana police at 903-654-4900. Chief Johnson said tips can also be received via the Corsicana Police Department Facebook page Messenger App and that they may remain anonymous. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pride-flags-burned-outside-north-texas-home/2987345/ | 2022-06-08T01:37:54 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pride-flags-burned-outside-north-texas-home/2987345/ |
Originally published June 7 onKTVB.COM.A Boise Police Department lieutenant was charged with a DUI in Valley County on May 29, court documents show.
Officials with the Valley County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KTVB that deputies were in contact with 52-year-old Steve Butler in the early morning of May 29 and began an investigation.
Butler was later charged with driving under the influence and pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor.
The investigation is still ongoing, according to a public records request filed by KTVB.
BPD spokeswoman Haley Williams said the department is aware of the incident, which she said occurred in Butler’s personal vehicle.
“We take matters of this nature seriously and our internal affairs office will be doing a review of the related criminal report and investigation,” Williams said.
Once the Valley County investigation process is complete, she said, BPD’s Internal Affairs Office will determine if any policies within the department were violated.
“Details about ongoing personnel matters are not released by BPD,” Williams said.
Valley County Lieutenant Kevin Copperi said that office has no more details to share at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
“Our PA (prosecuting attorney) is prosecuting this case and we are continuing to investigate. We do not want to jeopardize our case going through the court process by giving information prior to court activity,” Copperi said in an email. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/boise-police-lieutenant-charged-with-dui/article_b92feae7-2901-5fbd-805d-9b38688b08a0.html | 2022-06-08T01:38:30 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/boise-police-lieutenant-charged-with-dui/article_b92feae7-2901-5fbd-805d-9b38688b08a0.html |
BOISE – Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo joined state officials, GOP lawmakers and national advocates Tuesday to decry national movements toward considering environmental, social and governance criteria in investing, with many saying only financial returns should be considered.
“The use of these criteria may seem innocuous on its surface, but unfortunately, many standards are subjective and grant regulators and corporations undue influence on public policy,” Crapo declared in an address by remote video to a roundtable session at the Idaho state Capitol.
“I’ve long pushed back against efforts to politicize financial decisions and create ‘bad lists’ of legal American companies,” said Crapo, the former chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. “Sadly, we’re seeing more of this.”
At the hour-long roundtable sponsored by Crapo and Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth, and at a subsequent Statehouse meeting of the Idaho Legislature’s joint Committee on Federalism on Tuesday afternoon, speaker after speaker warned that so-called ESG criteria for investing are a way “the left” is pushing its agenda.
Sen. David Nelson, D-Moscow, the sole Democratic member to participate in the federalism committee meeting, said afterward, “It’s the CRT of 2023, I guess. For a bunch of libertarians, they seem really intent on dictating how we invest and how we just even view investments.”
The concept of ESG criteria for investments has been around for decades, but has become increasingly controversial in the past year or two.
Scott Shepherd, director of the Free Enterprise Project for the National Center for Public Policy Research, a Washington, D.C. free-market think tank, told the federalism committee, “The left have been corporate activists for 40 years while we slept.” He decried corporate attempts to influence public policy, telling the lawmakers, “We want ‘em to go back to flying us around the country and making us bubbly drinks and just shut up.”
But if only financial returns should be considered in investment decisions, that would seem to contradict a bill and a resolution the Idaho Legislature enthusiastically passed this year to encourage Idaho’s state investment funds to shun any Russian investments, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. HB 728a and HCR 41 passed both houses unanimously.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, who co-sponsored both of those measures, was in the audience for Tuesday’s roundtable. “We did that when it was a true enemy of freedom and democracy – Russia on Ukraine,” Skaug said. “I’m here learning right now,” he said, adding, “I’m concerned about the things that people shared about the loss of our sovereignty as a state because of large corporate pressure.”
House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star, who also was in the audience, said, “There’s a big learning curve for me on this one. This is the process to learn what the facts are and what’s really going on.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author of the book “Woke, Inc.” also addressed the roundtable remotely, and blamed the “big three” investment firms, BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, for pushing the ESG movement by pressing vague and subjective standards. “The vagueness in the definition of what counts as ESG is not actually a bug, it is a feature for the people who created the movement,” he said.
He called the widespread use of the criteria “the single largest fiduciary breach of the 21st century.”
Ellsworth, the state treasurer, decried the idea of “picking out all these things that might make us look good or might make us look not credit-worthy.” She said, “I do not believe this helps my constituents.”
Utah state Treasurer Marlo Oaks also spoke at the roundtable, saying, “We’re talking about implementing economic sanctions to drive a political agenda, and where does this end?” He decried efforts to “get rid of traditional energy.”
Derek Kreifels, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, which includes 27 state officials from 23 states, called ESG “the left’s attempt to pass anything that they want by circumventing the democratic process.”
He said it started with climate change, but then, just last week, shareholders of corporations including Walmart presented proposals “to support reproductive rights in the name of ESG. … So I think this is where the left is going to go.” Walmart shareholders overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.
Members of the Federalism Committee had questions about PERSI, the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, but the committee’s co-chair, Sen. Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, cited PERSI documents that showed one of the things PERSI specifically doesn’t do in its investing is take into account ESG criteria.
Last year, the Idaho Legislature passed SB 1405 on straight party-line votes in both houses, and Gov. Brad Little signed it into law. It says public investment decisions in Idaho must follow the state’s prudent investor standards, and cannot override those standards in favor of ESG criteria. The bill was co-sponsored by Vick, Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, and Ellsworth.
Vick said Tuesday, “If my money is in the state retirement system, I want that money to be invested to get the best return. … I think that’s where most people are in our society, regardless of their politics, they want to see investments made in a prudent way.”
Dixon, who co-chairs the federalism committee with Vick, said, “I’m happy to see that this is coming together, and that our state constitutional officers are coming out against this and doing that work.” He said the panel will hold further hearings over the course of the summer aimed at possible additional legislation next year.
Nelson said, “I think it’s really appropriate to look at ESG ratings when I’m looking at investments. I’d like to know how much carbon Exxon is emitting, or what are the side effects of Apple’s supply chain on carbon. But that doesn’t mean that the state or an individual investor has to use that decision – that’s just information. I really object to this, where we’re really trying to block people from gathering consistent information to make their investment decisions.” | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/crapo-state-officials-decry-esg-standards-for-investments/article_90084af3-c3a5-55a0-95be-28f6926d632a.html | 2022-06-08T01:38:36 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/crapo-state-officials-decry-esg-standards-for-investments/article_90084af3-c3a5-55a0-95be-28f6926d632a.html |
Originally published June 6 on KTVB.COM.
Property values across Canyon County appreciated by 30% to 60% from the previous year, according to the Canyon County Assessor's Office.
It's creating a burden for homeowners who fear they'll have trouble affording their upcoming property tax bill.
Under current Idaho law, homeowners can exempt 50% of their primary residence's value from property taxes; however, that exemption caps at $125,000. A home valued at or above $250,000 receives the maximum exemption.
That $125,000 limit is a stagnant number, but it wasn't always that way.
"I don't have a real good answer as to why that was capped," Canyon County Assessor Brian Stender said.
The exemption was once a fluid number that drifted from year to year, according to Stender. The exemption cap would increase or decrease in proportion to the Federal Housing Finance's House Price Index.
With this fluid system, the homeowner exemption moved as follows:
2006: $75,000
2007: $75,000
2008: $100,938
2009: $100,938
2010: $101,153
2011: $101,153
2012: $83,974
2013: $83,974
2014: $83,920
2015: $83,920
2016: $94,745
In 2016, the state legislature passed House Bill 431 which froze the homeowner's exemption at $100,000. Lawmakers have since raised the exemption to $125,000 - the figure we use today.
But even at the updated $125,000 exemption cap, homeowners are shouldering a larger burden of the overall property taxes pool.
Most recently, Canyon County residential property owners paid 75% of all Canyon County property taxes. In 2016, residential property footed 64% of the same bill.
"In my career, this is a pretty substantial tax burden shifted toward the residential sector," Stender said.
Under the previous House Price Index model, the 2022 max homeowner's exemption would be $174,229, nearly $50,000 more than the current stagnant cap.
For this reason, Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, is trying to bring back an indexed exemption cap.
"We have an unfair burden as homeowners paying property taxes," Skaug said.
Skaug offered a piece of draft legislation from the 2021 legislative session to index the exemption. The draft allows homeowners to exempt 55% of their properties value. The exemption is capped at 50% of the median home sale price, according to the Idaho State Tax Commission.
Under this model, the 2022 homeowner's exemption would have capped at roughly $180,000, according to Stender.
"The (property tax burden shift) to residential - from commercial and agricultural - still would have continued, but not as drastic as it is today," Stender said.
The draft never made it out of committee despite earning 41 house co-sponsors from both ends of the political aisle.
"The chairman, for his own reasons and philosophy, didn't want to hear the bill. So, it was not heard," Skaug said. "This is one way that we can help solve people's bank accounts and help them out a lot. We need to pass it - and soon."
The legislature does not return to session until the beginning of the 2023 calendar year.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean posted a statement about the rising property taxes on Facebook on Monday afternoon. In the post, McLean stated that she has heard from locals that they are seeing "their property tax assessments and seeing increases of 10%, 25%, 35% and even more." She said the increase is unacceptable and that the city is doing everything it can to keep people in their homes.
McLean also appeared to express her disappointment with Idaho lawmakers, saying: "It is incredibly frustrating - beyond frustrating - to be doing everything we can to provide relief to residents, even adding a new circuit breaker program, while those who can provide transformational property tax relief and address rising assessments fail to do so. We'll continue to advocate for real solutions for families."
More from KTVB.COM: | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/idaho-lawmaker-suggests-adjusting-homeowner-exemption-to-combat-increasing-property-taxes/article_758d4c7a-1fae-5eed-9d60-f2ea722c97a7.html | 2022-06-08T01:38:43 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/idaho-lawmaker-suggests-adjusting-homeowner-exemption-to-combat-increasing-property-taxes/article_758d4c7a-1fae-5eed-9d60-f2ea722c97a7.html |
Officials have begun to call races in New Jersey's midterm elections, one of several states across the U.S. holding primaries on Tuesday.
Although New Jersey voters did not cast their ballots for statewide races, they did vote for Democrat and Republican candidates vying for a number of open seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
New Jersey’s primaries will help set the stage for the November election as Republicans seek to regain control of both the House and Senate.
There were 56 hopefuls fighting for votes in the state’s 12 districts, some running unopposed and others battling it out in crowded races.
Here’s a complete list of Democrat and Republican winners in New Jersey’s midterm elections, according to NBC News.
Decision 2022
District 1
Democrat – D. Norcross
Republican – C. Gustafson
District 2
Democrat – TBD
Republican – J. Van Drew
District 3
Democrat – A. Kim
Republican – TBD
District 4
Democrat – M. Jenkins
Republican – TBD
District 5
Democrat – J. Gottheimer
Republican – TBD
District 6
Democrat – F. Pallone
Republican – TBD
District 7
Democrat – T. Malinowski
Republican – TBD
District 8
Democrat – TBD
Republican – M. Arroyo
District 9
Democrat – B. Pascrell
Republican – B. Prempeh
District 10
Democrat – TBD
Republican – TBD
District 11
Democrat – M. Sherrill
Republican – TBD
District 12
Democrat – B. Watson Coleman
Republican – D. Mayfield
This list will continue to be updated as officials call races. Click here for more live elections results. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/new-jersey-primary-election-2022-results-see-who-won/3724449/ | 2022-06-08T01:38:59 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/new-jersey-primary-election-2022-results-see-who-won/3724449/ |
ALMA, Arkansas — The City of Alma says it was made aware of a little girl who is reportedly hospitalized with an illness after visiting the city water park. No link between her illness and the park has been reported by medical officials, the city says.
"[The family] stated that they had visited the Alma Water park and believed there may be other children who have attended and were also ill," the City of Alma said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
In that post, the city says it reached out to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), which has been at the Alma Aquatic Park "all morning" by the city's request and "has not discovered any potential issues."
Alma officials say the city tests its water every morning and at the closing of the waterpark with spot tests during the day.
"We never want to see a child sick or injured and will continue to monitor our facility as we always do so that our water park is a safe and fun experience for everyone," city officials said.
City officials also mentioned that no doctors or medical professionals have reached out to them "of any potential problems," and that the ADH "has not been notified of any potential problems."
5NEWS reached out to the health department who confirmed they did do an inspection Tuesday "and found everything to be in compliance."
We will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/alma-addresses-reports-of-illness-water-park-adh/527-57c844ab-8e0b-4bb9-92e8-4b90886fccdf | 2022-06-08T01:40:47 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/alma-addresses-reports-of-illness-water-park-adh/527-57c844ab-8e0b-4bb9-92e8-4b90886fccdf |
CLEVELAND — There are new developments in the investigation into Deshaun Watson.
The New York Times reports that the former Texans quarterback met with more massage therapists than previously reported.
The number they’re quoting is 66 women over the course of 17 months. They’re basing that off of the original 24 who sued him along with other women mentioned in court and through depositions, as well as independent interviews with the New York Times.
The Times report also alleges that the Texans provided Watson with a membership to a club where some of the massages took place, and that a Texans employee gave Watson a non-disclosure agreement that the former Texans QB would use in some of the appointments.
Twenty-fourth lawsuit filed
The New York Times report comes out one day after we learned of the 24th woman to file a lawsuit against Watson. Below is from the Associated Press.
The 24th woman filed a civil lawsuit Monday alleging sexual misconduct by Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is also awaiting possible discipline from the NFL.
The latest lawsuit was filed in Houston by attorney Tony Buzbee, who is representing all 24 women.
“Lost in the media frenzy surrounding Deshaun Watson is that these are twenty-four strong, courageous women who, despite ridicule, legal shenanigans, and intense media scrutiny, continue to stand firm for what is right,” Buzbee said in a statement.
Watson has been accused by massage therapists of harassing, assaulting or touching them during appointments when he was with the Houston Texans.
The latest lawsuit makes similar allegations as the woman, a massage therapist, accuses Watson of assaulting and harassing her during an August 2020 session in her apartment. The woman alleges that during the massage session, Watson exposed himself and masturbated and “offered no apology or explanation for his conduct."
The woman has quit being a massage therapist because of what happened to her and now suffers from depression and anxiety, according to the lawsuit.
Rusty Hardin, Watson’s lead attorney, said he could not immediately comment on the latest lawsuit.
“Our legal team has not had time to investigate this new filing and had not heard her name until today. Deshaun continues to deny he did anything inappropriate with any of the plaintiffs," Hardin said in a statement Monday.
Hardin has previously said Watson had consensual sexual activity with three of the women and did not force any of his accusers to have sexual contact.
The first 22 lawsuits were filed in March and April of 2021, with the latest two being filed since two of the women detailed encounters with Watson while being interviewed on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
As the 24th lawsuit was being formally announced, Watson took part in the Browns’ charity golf outing in Rocky River, Ohio. Watson did not speak to the media.
Before Watson arrived at Westwood Country Club, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was asked if the latest lawsuit causes the organization to revisit with the quarterback about his legal situation.
“With that, we’re trying to just be respectful of the process and let that take care of it,” Stefanski said.
Two separate Texas grand juries in March declined to indict Watson on criminal complaints stemming from the allegations.
But Watson could still be suspended if the NFL determines he violated the league's personal conduct policy. The three-time Pro Bowler has been interviewed by league investigators, who will present their findings to disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson. Commissioner Roger Goodell said last month the investigation was nearing a conclusion.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy said there was no update on the investigation or any timeline.
“We will decline comment as the matter remains under review,” he said in an email to The Associated Press.
Watson has maintained his innocence, saying any sexual activity was consensual.
At his introductory news conference with the Browns in March, Watson denied any wrongdoing. “I’ve never assaulted or disrespected or harassed any woman in my life,” Watson said. “I’ve never done these things people are alleging.”
Stefanski said Monday the team is prepared to handle whatever the league decides.
“I think all along we’re just going to take those things day-by-day and when we have information, then we’ll act on said information,” he said.
Watson was traded from the Texans to Cleveland in March and then signed a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract with his new team despite his ongoing legal problems.
Cleveland signed veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett to back up Watson. Baker Mayfield remains on the team, but the Browns are looking to trade the No. 1 overall pick in 2018.
Watson has been participating in the Browns’ offseason team activities, which will continue this week. The team has a mandatory minicamp scheduled from June 14-16. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/deshaun-watson-new-york-times-massage-therapists/285-48450ddf-b2a8-49a9-878c-7844bd8ec18b | 2022-06-08T01:44:37 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/deshaun-watson-new-york-times-massage-therapists/285-48450ddf-b2a8-49a9-878c-7844bd8ec18b |
The second onsite design session to discuss the future of the Thorpe Park Annex Parcel publicly is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at 192 N. Thorpe Road. The event will be hosted by the City of Flagstaff and collaborating partners Wheat Design Group and Southwest Decision Resources.
Val’s Frybread will have a food truck present. Participants will be asked to review and provide feedback on potential park designs.
Saturday’s meeting will review the results of the “Build-a-Park” exercise that community members engaged in during the previous April 30 design session. The exercise asked community members to arrange potential park amenities collaboratively within a map of the parcel boundaries. It proved contentious at times, demonstrating the various competing interests that the community hopes to see actualized in the new park design. Some of the more prominent and “controversial” amenities discussed included affordable housing, Indigenous community space and pickleball courts.
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At the end of the April 30 exercise, the park designers took photos of the collaboratively built parks as well as comments from participants and distilled that information into a limited number of designs.
“There will be three designs that will, to the best of our ability, be representing what we've heard from the community,” said Andi Rogers, senior program associate with Southwest Decision Resources.
Participants in Saturday’s event will be asked to evaluate each of the proposed designs and be provided the opportunity to submit further comments that will help park designers narrow down the design.
“My guess is that the final design will be some combination of elements from these three designs,” Rogers said, adding that the upcoming session will be about “refining” designs from community feedback received.
Those who cannot attend Saturday’s meeting will have the opportunity to review the designs and submit comments virtually through a website that will go live after the meeting. More information can be found at www.thorpecommunityinvolvement.com. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/thorpe-park-design-to-be-discussed-at-community-meeting-saturday/article_f7300192-e5e3-11ec-a6d1-939fb85448f9.html | 2022-06-08T01:47:20 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/thorpe-park-design-to-be-discussed-at-community-meeting-saturday/article_f7300192-e5e3-11ec-a6d1-939fb85448f9.html |
With a 39-22 win over Flowing Wells in the NAU Team Camp in Flagstaff on Friday, Cooper Elliott notched his first victory -- albeit a summer exhibition many months before the regular season -- as the new head coach of the Coconino Panthers boys basketball team.
The Panthers went on to reach the semifinals on Saturday before falling to Mesa, a 6A Conference foe who went on to win the tournament's championship. The camp was an overall success, starting the June team period off on a positive note. It appeared a good omen for Elliott and the new-look Panthers squad, both in its roster and coaching staff.
“I’m just super honored to be the coach of this team. There are legendary shoes to fill, but these guys are making it a little easier on me, and they’re putting their trust in me,” said Elliott, who took over the team after Mike Moran stepped down as the all-time wins leader with the Panthers.
Coconino went 16-4 in 2021-22 and was crowned the Grand Canyon Region champion.
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This season will mark the first for Elliott as a varsity high school coach. He played a heavy role as the assistant under Moran. In early June, still without the entire roster available as some were participating in other summer sports, there were still notes of the old ball coach visible in Coconino’s play.
The 4A Panthers played swarming pressure defense, forcing turnovers that led to baskets on the offensive end. And they played a quick motion offense that utilized their depth.
Such is Coconino’s goal this year. Guards litter the roster, each able to shoot and drive and play a bit above their size defensively by utilizing their lateral movement and quick hands.
“I’d be stupid to not take away some things from the way Coach Moran ran the program. But I’ve come to the realization that I’m not going to be Coach Moran. I’m Coach Elliott. And so it will be a little different, hopefully in a good way,” Elliott said.
Ivory Washington, Coconino's leading returning scorer with an average of 8.8 points per game his junior year, said things have been comfortable early in the summer ball period.
The returning players already feel a rapport with the new leader.
“Coach Cooper is someone who’s flexible and we can say what we think and he is listening,” Washington said. “It’s the same culture, but we’re just building off of it more to keep going.”
He added that the skill set of the Panthers is different, too. With all the returning guards, talent has filled the roster, and the Panthers also added Michael Chukwujigha, a 6-foot-5 forward from Utah by way of Nigeria, to the preseason roll call. After throwing down a few flashy dunks in warmups and manning the paint during games, the already solid group added a much-needed inside presence while senior Pierson Watson is playing football.
“We’re all quick, a lot of guards and shooters who can pull up or get to the hoop. And Michael’s a beast. I don’t think Coco’s had someone like him,” Washington said.
Coconino will continue offseason work in June before dispersing for club basketball and other sports until the winter. The Panthers will play in the GCU Varsity Team Camp the next two weekends in Phoenix, and will host regular practices and lifting sessions throughout the month while playing in other periodic exhibition games. | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/panthers-basketball-looks-forward-under-new-coach-elliott/article_8d190e76-e691-11ec-acc4-03c775085e54.html | 2022-06-08T01:47:26 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/panthers-basketball-looks-forward-under-new-coach-elliott/article_8d190e76-e691-11ec-acc4-03c775085e54.html |
PORTLAND, Ore. — A city audit investigation has found the Joint Office of Homeless Services, a city and county-funded program housing those facing homelessness, wasted taxpayer dollars on a property that was deteriorating.
For the past six years, the Joint Office contributed to rent for formerly homeless veterans living at Sandy Studios located on Northeast Sandy Boulevard. The city auditor’s office received a tip to their fraud hotline saying the apartment complex was “unsafe and unlivable.” The investigation showed the Joint Office wasted more than $850,000 paying for veterans to live there.
“It kind of struck us as maybe one of the worst things that can happen,” said KC Jones, director of Portland’s Audit Services, which reviews city programs and funds. Jones said this investigation was unlike any other in that it found the Joint Office spent more than $850,000 to shelter veterans in a two-story apartment complex, but allowed it to “deteriorate into unsafe, unsanitary housing that ultimately left the joint office scrambling to find shelter for the residents.”
“Eventually in the beginning of 2021, the ceiling collapsed and the building was condemned,” Jones added.
The report goes on to say last January a building inspector found a “collapsed ceiling and damaged roof that allowed water to enter the building” along with “dangerous levels of mold in nearly all the apartments caused by moisture and damage.” There is no record of repairs being made, but the Joint Office said otherwise.
“Some of the pieces were a little sensationalized,” said Shannon Singleton, interim director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services. “There were multiple times that walkthroughs happened where repairs were made.”
The report claims the Joint Office struggled to find new housing for the tenants due to COVID restrictions. The city said while the Joint Office tried to move tenants out of the unsafe building, they still moved people in.
“I think that the folks who weren’t homeless during a pandemic might disagree with that assessment. It really needs to be held in the context of this was the height of the pandemic,” said Singleton.
Joint Office policies require annual risk assessments of their properties. The report found they did not perform these assessments at Sandy Studios in 2019 or 2020.
The city auditor’s office is now recommending the Joint Office do four things:
Ensure staff are knowledgeable about contract requirements and prepared to enforce them.
To address role conflicts, separate employees charged with contract oversight and enforcement from those responsible for advocating for and supporting nonprofit providers who may be subject to enforcement.
Develop compliance checklists and guidance to ensure oversight is comprehensive and includes prompts to review high-risk areas.
Follow-up on problems identified by service providers in their quarterly performance reports and monitor action plans; document when they have been resolved.
The Joint Office is now hiring more staff to meet the recommendations.
“We know there were important pieces for us to take away and learn,” said Singleton.
The city will follow up with the Joint Office in one year to see how well their recommendations are being implemented. The property is now owned and run by a private company and people still live there. Staff told KGW on Tuesday that they’re repairing the building and working with the city to pass inspections. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/investigation-finds-homeless-services-group-wasted-thousands/283-2ba72864-6d82-4f72-be7a-51a47dc2514c | 2022-06-08T01:55:43 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/investigation-finds-homeless-services-group-wasted-thousands/283-2ba72864-6d82-4f72-be7a-51a47dc2514c |
PORTLAND, Ore. — A hit-and-run driver struck and killed a pedestrian in Northeast Portland Tuesday afternoon, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).
Portland police officers responded to the intersection of Northeast 100th Avenue and Northeast Glisan Street in the Hazelwood neighborhood around 1:30 p.m. and found the pedestrian dead at the scene.
Witnesses said the driver who struck the victim was driving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer. They said he left the scene and headed northbound on 100th Avenue.
Within a few hours of the crash, officers with PPB's North Precinct located the driver took them into custody. Police said the driver's name will be released depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Northeast Glisan Street was temporarily closed between Northeast 99th and 102nd avenues as police conducted an investigation.
RELATED: Hit-and-run driver who struck pedestrian near Eastport Plaza charged with murder, police say
This was Portland's second fatal hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian in less than 24 hours.
Around 9 p.m. Monday night, a driver hit and killed a pedestrian at the intersection of Southeast 82nd Avenue and Center Street by the Eastport Plaza shopping center.
The driver who struck him, identified by police as 40-year-old Frederick Deatric Moore, fled the scene before being arrested Tuesday morning, police said.
Moore is facing charges of second-degree murder and failure to perform the duties of a driver. He was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center.
The names of the victims in either crash have yet to be released. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/pedestrian-killed-fatal-hit-and-run-portland/283-bb8f5ac7-274e-4295-8194-9bf34a26d3c7 | 2022-06-08T01:55:50 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/pedestrian-killed-fatal-hit-and-run-portland/283-bb8f5ac7-274e-4295-8194-9bf34a26d3c7 |
VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Vancouver City Council voted on Monday to adopt an ordinance banning "targeted picketing or protesting" outside private residences, which officials described as a response to recent complaints about harassment of city officials.
The ordinance, first reported by OPB, also expands the list of noises and noise sources that can be considered public disturbances, and empowers the city to take legal action on behalf of officials or public employees who are individually targeted by protests.
"It would allow the city to do things like seek a restraining order or an anti-harassment order against an alleged perpetrator," chief assistant city attorney Nena Cook said during a public hearing at Monday's council meeting.
She said the ordinance would not ban noisemakers like fireworks and airhorns in commercial, industrial or open spaces or at permitted events — only in residential neighborhoods.
Cook cited the 1988 U.S. Supreme Court case Frisby v. Schultz, which held that a town's ordinance prohibiting picketing in residential neighborhoods was constitutional because it was limited in scope, content-neutral and served the government interest of protecting residential privacy.
Monday's council hearing drew a large audience, and Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle spoke up multiple times during the discussion to tell members of the audience not to interrupt.
Public testimony was evenly split, with several attendees condemning the ordinance as a restriction on free speech and peaceful protest, and others supporting it as a way to prevent targeted harassment and bullying, particularly by far-right groups.
Councilors Kim Harless, Erik Paulsen and Ty Stober all voiced support for the ordinance during the hearing, and the council voted unanimously to adopt it.
Paulsen said the issue of targeted speech was settled law, and that Vancouver's own rules on the matter had been "behind the times" because the city had enjoyed a "degree of civility" in the past.
"And yet here we are in a new environment, lacking that kind of civility, where we are unfortunately having to take this additional step of protecting our citizens, our staff and our elected officials — one of whom on this dais has been targeted by this kind of speech — and former colleagues who are also affected by this kind of speech, and I'm altogether certain that part of their calculus in not seeking to continue service to the public had to do with their adverse experiences with that kind of targeted speech," he said.
Vancouver has faced challenges with protests in recent years, including an incident last year in which an anti-mask protest put three Vancouver schools in lockdown, prompting a Clark County judge to grant an injunction prohibiting "disruptive protests" near campuses.
The Columbian reported on an incident in 2020 in which demonstrators protested outside the homes of two city attorneys after the city charged a business with violating Washington's pandemic stay-at-home order. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/protests/vancouver-city-council-ban-protests-private-residences/283-aef85358-d9ff-41f5-9514-834648249b56 | 2022-06-08T01:55:56 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/protests/vancouver-city-council-ban-protests-private-residences/283-aef85358-d9ff-41f5-9514-834648249b56 |
HILLSBORO, Ore. — A small plane crashed just outside the Hillsboro Airport and ended up along a busy road Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured, according to Hillsboro Fire & Rescue.
Officials said the plane crashed through a fence near the end of the airport runway and came to a stop at Northeast Evergreen Road near Northeast 25th Avenue around 4:50 p.m.
The two people on board walked away from the crash and did not require medical attention.
Both eastbound lanes of Northeast Evergreen Road were temporarily closed because of the crash. Hillsboro police said they would remain closed for several hours while the plane is removed.
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue said police were working to secure the damaged fence for the airport.
This is a developing story and may be updated as more information becomes available. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/small-plane-crashes-near-hillsboro-airport/283-52339ddf-de87-466f-835c-d8e91b48b301 | 2022-06-08T01:56:02 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/small-plane-crashes-near-hillsboro-airport/283-52339ddf-de87-466f-835c-d8e91b48b301 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — A local doctor was rescued after going into cardiac arrest during the swimming portion of a triathlon. It happened in Blue Lake Park this past weekend in Fairview, where thousands of athletes participated in this year’s PDX Triathlon.
For the last three years, Ryne Suppitt and his father Bill have been competing in the triathlons. They both trained months for this past weekend’s event, the younger Suppitt said.
On Sunday, Bill Suppitt — who has worked as a doctor for nearly 30 years at the Vancouver Clinic — went into cardiac arrest as he was swimming in Blue Lake in the middle of the triathlon.
“He started his race around eight o’clock, I was a couple of minutes after him, so I was in the water when this all happened,” said Ryne.
Ryne said it didn’t take long for people to help his father out of the water. Almost immediately, bystanders and other participants in the race were able to pull the 67-year-old out and began performing CPR on him.
“We’re just eternally grateful for everyone that was there — the EMTs, Why Racing ... and the protocols they had in place — mainly the bystanders, the civilians who just saw him and sprang into action,” said Ryne.
Since being admitted to the hospital on Sunday, his dad is still in the ICU and on a ventilator. He is opening his eyes on command, and he’s squeezing hands on command too.
While Ryne knows it’ll be a while before they’re out competing in triathlons again, he is thankful for the people who saved his dad’s life. He’s also urging everyone to become certified in CPR because it can save someone’s life. Ryne said that his dad always told people the importance of being able to perform CPR — because you never know when and where you might need to help someone. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/triathlon-rescue-doctor-cardiac-arrest/283-37c5d4d5-e376-46c7-8f25-6931d58e69ea | 2022-06-08T01:56:08 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/triathlon-rescue-doctor-cardiac-arrest/283-37c5d4d5-e376-46c7-8f25-6931d58e69ea |
When Saigon fell in 1975, sheer grit carried Thu Le Pham across the world. She fled via helicopter, aircraft carriers and warships. She once cooked for three U.S. generals and spent a decade fighting to return to her career as an educator, which eventually led Pham to teaching French in Hanover County Public Schools for more than 20 years before retiring.
But she's learning Spanish, too, as a volunteer at Bon Secours Care-a-Van, which caters to a predominantly Latino patient population.
"I know un poquito!" she said, grinning. "I like to share things because our country needs to be open to more — learning other languages. And that's what will get us open. I think it's a privilege that we can do that."
Inside North Courthouse Library in Chesterfield County on Monday night, Pham was among the four panelists who reflected on their varying immigration journeys to Virginia.
The event was organized by Chesterfield's Department of Citizen Information and Resources and the Asian American Society of Central Virginia to celebrate June being Immigrant Heritage Month.
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Former Gov. Ralph Northam issued the proclamation last year to illustrate how the state was "dedicated to creating a Virginia that is accepting, welcoming and inclusive of all who chose to call our Commonwealth home."
At least 1 in 8 Virginians are immigrants and over 180 different languages are spoken statewide, according to figures compiled by the state's Department of Social Services. More than a third are from Latin America, nearly 42% are from Asia and roughly 11% are from Africa.
Of the 1.1 million residents born outside of the U.S., more than half are citizens.
But despite Chesterfield having one of the fastest growing Latino populations in the state and Henrico County bolstering a rising refugee population, people's immigration stories have often been relegated to the shadows.
That was the motivation behind Marj Mohta speaking on Monday night and appearing alongside the other panelists in "Portraits of Immigrant Voices" — a book started by Colombia-born artist Alfonso Pérez and Richmond-based writer Joe Kutchera as a series to show the people behind the numbers.
"I want to be a voice that can be heard," she said. "I want to be a face that can be seen."
Each of the 24 portraits, accompanied by the individual's stories, wraps each person in the colors representing their country's flag. "HERE WE SPEAK" is written next to their faces with the language they speak.
Mohta's portrait says "Tagalog" with "Philippines" sketched by her shoulder. Her story begins with a nursing shortage bringing her to Florida in 1982, long before the pandemic made the health care worker shortage even worse, she said.
She's now lived longer in the U.S. than she has where she was born and has been a critical care nurse for almost 40 years.
"We are all the same even though we are different. We have a common goal, and that is to better ourselves, better our situation for our family, improve your situations in life," Mohta said. "It's a two-way street. I learn from you and they learn from me, too."
In an interview back in 2020, Pérez said the series came at a time when the presidency was marked by a stinging rhetoric against immigration. The portraits were a chance for immigrants to share their truth — to dispel lies and show that they were not powerless.
On Tuesday night, he shared how it wasn't until two to three years after he immigrated to the U.S. in 2015 that he "understood the full complexity of what it means to be an immigrant here in Virginia."
"I was feeling the narrative around immigration being problematic and just talking in terms of 'There's a problem at the border, and there's a problem with the paperwork,'" Pérez continued. "Then at the same time, there are people here living a different experience ... that was good. Positive. But nobody was talking about that."
But Khushnood Nabizada, a panelist from Afghanistan who arrived in Richmond six months ago, acknowledged that it's the bad that reminds him of why the "good" means so much.
"Afghanistan has been in war for the last 43 years now ... and all of the achievements, they're gone," he said. "Immigration is not a fantasy. It's just a struggle to escape. It is the last option."
Nabizada reminded the crowd of almost 20 people, which included Chesterfield supervisors Chris Winslow and Jim Holland and Karla Ramos — the head of Richmond's Office for Immigrant and Refugee Engagement who helped Pérez and Kutchera find locals for the series — that immigration is not only the traveling of a body.
It's the traveling of a person's soul. Culture. Livelihood.
That's why Ping Chu, another panelist who was born in China and translates academic books from English to Mandarin for fun to learn more about U.S. history, said not letting immigrant stories disappear is critical to understanding one another.
For Chi-Nam Pham, Pham's son who has lived in Chesterfield County for more than 40 years and pushed Pham to join the series, keeping these stories alive is how those who have never met his mother will learn of how incredible she is.
And for people who like him — a proud son of immigrants — he said it's a chance to finally be seen. | https://richmond.com/news/local/as-immigrant-heritage-month-begins-richmond-area-residents-reflect-on-their-path-to-virginia/article_50c6b281-3e63-50b8-a227-1dc3ed80c03e.html | 2022-06-08T01:57:39 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/as-immigrant-heritage-month-begins-richmond-area-residents-reflect-on-their-path-to-virginia/article_50c6b281-3e63-50b8-a227-1dc3ed80c03e.html |
A Greene County man accused of shooting and killing a man outside a bar in Xenia, then leading police on a pursuit before being taken into custody has been indicted on a dozen charges.
Brad Alan Stewart, 32, was indicted on aggravated murder, two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, one count of having weapons while under disability, one count of aggravated robbery, two counts of tampering with evidence, one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle and one count of receiving stolen property, all felonies, as well as one misdemeanor charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, according to Greene County court records.
Stewart’s charges stem from May 26. At 1:35 a.m., emergency crews were called to the Roundtable Bar at 306 Home Ave., where they found an unconscious man with a gunshot wound.
The man, later identified as 30-year-old Jacob S. Scoby of Xenia, was taken to Kettering Health Greene Memorial Hospital, where he died, according to police.
Police that Stewart fled the scene in a red truck after taking the keys from a witness.
At 10:40 a.m., police located Stewart in the area of Clifton Road, and he fled in a car, leading a pursuit before stopping in the 2500 block of Wilberforce-Clifton Road and surrendering, being taken into custody just five minutes after the pursuit started.
It is unclear what led to the shooting, but video footage showed Stewart and Scoby fighting just outside the door the bar. Police said that Stewart grabbed Scoby by the throat with one hand while holding the gun in the other, and when they separated, he reportedly moved the gun to his other hand and fired.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/greene-county-man-accused-of-killing-outside-xenia-bar-indicted-on-a-dozen-charges/6G2KS4UNS5GCLMUUP63T25OGJY/ | 2022-06-08T01:57:45 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/greene-county-man-accused-of-killing-outside-xenia-bar-indicted-on-a-dozen-charges/6G2KS4UNS5GCLMUUP63T25OGJY/ |
Almost 70 Arizona postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2021; USPS asks public to help keep them safe
The United States Postal Service is spreading awareness to Arizona homeowners this week on ways in which they can prevent dog attacks on mail carriers.
"We just want to let them know that if we come to their door, please restrain their dogs," said Robert McKinley, a city mail carrier and academy instructor who has been with the post office for 23 years.
Dog Bite Awareness Week began on June 5 and will last until June 11.
According to the United States Postal Service, 68 postal employees were attacked by dogs in Arizona last year. More than 5,400 postal employees were attacked by dogs nationwide in 2021.
Of a ranking of 25 cities, Phoenix placed at 14 with a total of 28 dog attacks on mail carriers recorded in 2021. Cleveland, Houston and Kansas City placed in the top three spots, according to USPS.
"Any bite, I feel, is severe. None of us want to get bit, we just want to do our job," said McKinley. "Either wait until we leave before they open the door if they have a dog or restrain the dog."
McKinley said carriers are trained to use their satchels as a buffer between themselves and a dog looking to attack them. They are also advised to carry around dog spray or a blow horn to scare dogs away.
Additionally, USPS provided the following tips for dog owners:
- Keep your family pet secure. Place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Some dogs burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors.
- Do not take mail from carriers in the presence of dogs. Children and other family members should be reminded of this too, as the dog may view the person handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
- Safety of USPS employees is a top priority. If a carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained.
- Sign up for Informed Delivery. Know when parcels are being delivered in advance of the actual delivery and take precautions to keep your carrier safe.
Reach breaking news reporter Haleigh Kochanski at hkochanski@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @HaleighKochans.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/07/usps-asks-public-help-keep-mail-carriers-safe-dog-attacks/7537784001/ | 2022-06-08T02:06:20 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/07/usps-asks-public-help-keep-mail-carriers-safe-dog-attacks/7537784001/ |
From dusty bedroom to the Getty Museum: Long-lost de Kooning painting is back on exhibit
Shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday, a worker at the J. Paul Getty Museum put the finishing touches in the gallery that showcases "Woman-Ochre."
He peeled a paper strip from the wall, revealing a quote by the painting's Dutch-American artist, Willem de Kooning:
"I don't paint for a living. I live to paint," it said.
And with that, de Kooning's now famous stolen and recovered painting was back on exhibit after being mostly hidden for the last 37 years.
A guard was never more than a few feet away.
Visitors filed past, clutching museum maps in their hands. Some swept through quickly. Others lingered, pointing to de Kooning's distinctive brush strokes and the vivid hues of yellow, turquoise and crimson.
Visitors learned about the painting's daring heist from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985 and surprising recovery three decades later in a New Mexico antique store. They also got a behind-the-scenes look at how the $100 million painting was repaired so it could go back on exhibit.
Greg Halamicek made an hour-long drive with his wife, Tina, and son, Patrick, from their home in Lancaster to see "Woman-Ochre." As their vehicle inched along in morning traffic, he said he told his family about the painting's theft and recovery.
"The story is fascinating," he said.
He wonders how many other paintings have gone missing.
For subscribers: The saga of Arizona's famous stolen de Kooning painting. New details paint picture of alleged thieves
Tina Halamicek found "Woman-Ochre" remarkable and beautiful, something she could look at for hours.
Patrick Halamicek had more practical observations about how the university will protect the painting when "Women-Ochre" returns to the art museum this fall.
"I imagine they will up the security," he said.
Some reactions were more simplistic. A guide led a group past the painting — which depicts a nude woman seated, her mouth twisted into a grimace — and asked visitors, "What is the first thing you see when you look at the painting?"
"I see boobs," a woman said.
"Woman-Ochre" is part of a series that de Kooning painted in the 1950s known as the “Women” paintings. They were dramatic, aggressive depictions of women with big mouths, wide eyes and exaggerated breasts.
In the winter of 1954-55, he made an oil painting of a nude woman, her breasts accented in yellow. He added hues of turquoise, green, crimson and orange against a neutral background. De Kooning sold the work, titled “Woman-Ochre," in 1955. Three years later, a Baltimore businessman who liked to vacation in Arizona, Edward Joseph Gallagher Jr., donated the painting to the university's art museum.
After it was stolen, "Woman-Ochre" hung in a dusty gold frame in the bedroom of Jerry and Rita Alter, a retired couple who lived in a small New Mexico town. It was only after the Alters both died that the art was recognized as stolen by three antique dealers. They immediately called the museum and returned it.
The oil-on-canvas painting couldn't go back on exhibit because it was severely damaged in the theft.
It took a team of scientists, conservators and imaging specialists at the Getty Museum and the Getty Conservation Institute to tackle the complex conservation. The project stretched for nearly three years.
The thieves used a sharp object, possibly a box cutter, to slash "Woman-Ochre" from its frame. But they were likely unaware there was a secondary canvas, attached to the main canvas by a waxy resin. The blade didn't go all the way. So the thieves ripped the painting out, creating horizontal cracks.
"There was a lot of violence to the way the canvas was pulled away from the backing canvas. The word trauma comes to mind," said Tom Learner, head of science at the Getty Conservation Institute.
The thieves further damaged the painting by rolling it up — face in — and hiding it under a winter coat so it could be smuggled out.
"It was among the most damaged paintings I've ever seen. Certainly, the most damaged painting that I have ever worked on," said Laura Rivers, associate paintings conservator at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
It's a bit like reconstructive surgery. Do too much and the painting looks over-restored. The goal is just enough to let the painting do the talking.
Rivers had to reattach lifted and flaking paint using custom tools and a microscope. She found paint fragments scattered across the surface, creating a "visual noise," that disrupted the image. Those had to be removed.
The work was slow. She might cover only an inch a day. The COVID-19 pandemic further slowed progress; at one point Rivers was limited to working in the conservation lab only one day a week.
"Woman-Ochre" had two coats of varnish that gave the painting a grayish or yellowish tint. One was applied in the 1970s when the university loaned the painting to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The other varnish was added after the painting was stolen.
Rivers used solvent mixtures to remove the varnishes. One of the varnishes was almost sticky at room temperature.
"So it had gathered up almost every fragment of dust that had floated past in Arizona or New Mexico," she said.
She described the cleaning procedure as "an extraordinary privilege."
For subscribers: $100 million de Kooning was recovered in 2017. New details paint picture of alleged thieves
Paint was also missing in places. Ulrich Birkmaier, senior conservator of paintings at the Getty Museum, filled in the losses with pigments. He used a tiny paintbrush that barely touched the surface. Pigments were only applied where paint was missing, never painted on top of de Kooning's work.
"If you liken it to a puzzle, you only fill in the pieces that are missing," said Birkmaier, in an interview with The Arizona Republic in May.
The theft is still fresh in people's minds. But in 50 or 100 years, the theft may not be the first thing people think of when they look at "Woman-Ochre," he said.
"Hopefully, there's just a painting with some slight scars (that) to the casual viewer won’t be visible really," he said.
How to see 'Woman-Ochre'
What: Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre" is an oil painting he made in the winter of 1954-55. The artwork is part of his famous Women series where the Dutch-American artist explored the female figure. The Women paintings shocked the art world because of their aggressive nature where the female form is characterized by wide eyes, big mouths and exaggerated breasts.
Painting's history: "Woman-Ochre" went on display at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York City in 1955 before being purchased by Baltimore businessman Edward Joseph Gallagher Jr. in 1957. The next year, Gallagher donated "Woman-Ochre" and other works to the University of Arizona Museum of Art. The painting was valued at $6,000 at the time.
Estimated worth: The university is no longer putting a value on the painting, but in 2015 the estimated value was up to $160 million.
In Los Angeles: "Conserving de Kooning: Theft and Recovery" is at the Getty Center from June 7 to Aug. 28. See the Getty's website for more information.
In Tucson: On exhibit at the University of Arizona Museum of Art, beginning Oct. 8. See the museum's website for more information.
Republic reporter Anne Ryman was the first journalist to break the story that "Woman-Ochre" had been recovered and has written extensively about the painting. Have a question about the painting? You can reach her at anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8072. Follow her on Twitter @anneryman.
Reach the reporter at anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8072. Follow her on Twitter @anneryman. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/08/stolen-and-recovered-de-kooning-painting-makes-big-debut-at-getty-museum/7502347001/ | 2022-06-08T02:10:46 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/08/stolen-and-recovered-de-kooning-painting-makes-big-debut-at-getty-museum/7502347001/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A small aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Hillsboro on Tuesday afternoon.
Firefighters are on the scene of the emergency landing at Northeast Evergreen Road and Northeast 25th Avenue. Authorities say the plane had crashed on the grounds of the Hillsboro Airport at the end of one of the runways in the grassy area, then went through a fence.
The plane reportedly crashed because it lost power after taking off.
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue says there were two people on board, but they were able to get out by themselves and walked away uninjured.
All eastbound lanes of NE Evergreen Road are currently blocked and will likely be for several hours while the plane is removed, according to the Hillsboro Police Department. Avoid the area if possible.
This is a developing story. | https://www.koin.com/local/washington-county/lanes-blocked-after-emergency-airplane-landing-crash-in-hillsboro-oregon/ | 2022-06-08T02:13:26 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/washington-county/lanes-blocked-after-emergency-airplane-landing-crash-in-hillsboro-oregon/ |
Great Lakes steel production fell by 20,000 tons last week, while steel capacity utilization slipped, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Steel mills remained at over 80% capacity, a key threshold they operated at for most of last year, following the latest wave of industry consolidation, imposition of blanket tariffs of 25%, strong demand and generally favorable market conditions. Imports have been rising again after steel prices soared to record highs, contributing to inflation and leading the U.S. to switch to a quota system with some trading partners.
Locally, steel mills in the Great Lakes region, clustered mainly along the south shore of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, made 577,000 tons of metal in the week that ended June 4, down from 587,000 tons the previous week.
Overall, domestic steel mills in the United States made 1.781 million tons of steel last week, down 0.9% from 1.798 million tons the previous week and down 3.2% compared to 1.84 million tons the same time a year prior.
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Nationally, steel production so far in 2022 totals 38.874 million tons, a 1.6% decrease over 39,517 million tons through the same period last year.
U.S. steel mills have run at a capacity utilization rate of 80.6% through June 4, up from 78.8% at the same point in 2021, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Steel capacity utilization, a key metric of the industry's profitability, was 81.6% last week, down from 82.1% a year earlier and down from 82.4% a week prior.
Steel production in the southern region, a wide geographic swath that encompasses many mini-mills and rivals the Great Lakes region in output, totaled 758,000 tons last week, down from 767,000 tons the week before, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Volume in the rest of the Midwest ticked up to 207,000 tons, up from 205,000 tons the week prior. | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/great-lakes-steel-production-falls-by-10-000-tons/article_4195b442-f84c-5e66-87fe-d7e4d0b2a46f.html | 2022-06-08T02:20:47 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/great-lakes-steel-production-falls-by-10-000-tons/article_4195b442-f84c-5e66-87fe-d7e4d0b2a46f.html |
State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, is inviting Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to visit the Steel City for a discussion on gun violence prevention after two people were wounded in a shooting incident Sunday following a high school graduation ceremony.
GARY — State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, is inviting Gov. Eric Holcomb to visit the Steel City and participate in a collaborative discussion on gun violence prevention after two people were wounded in a shooting incident Sunday following a high school graduation ceremony.
Melton said in a letter sent Tuesday to the Republican chief executive he has "deep concerns about the safety of my community" and he's "terrified for the lives of Gary's youth and citizens" in the wake of the shooting outside a ballpark in downtown Gary.
Two juveniles, ages 16 and 17, have been charged in Lake County with criminal recklessness and dangerous possession of a firearm in connection with the shooting, records show.
"We're at a point where families cannot even attend a graduation ceremony without nursing the legitimate fear that it will erupt in senseless gun violence," Melton said. "Thankfully no one was killed — this time."
Melton said he decided to write the governor because there seems to be little interest in addressing gun violence among members of the Republican-controlled General Assembly, and Melton said he cannot "sit back while gun violence threatens those looking to lead safe lives and work toward a better future."
"As a youth growing up in Gary, I have personally experienced gun violence, and I know the traumatic impact it can have on a family and community. I also know that communities of color across the state already see an uptick in gun violence during the summer months," Melton said.
"That’s why I'm writing to invite you to my district for a collaborative discussion about preventing the impending increase in gun violence. I know it would mean a lot to the Gary community to have you included with key stakeholders in this critical conversation."
The governor's office declined to immediately respond to Melton's invitation.
Melton's letter also requests the governor call a special session of the Indiana General Assembly to give lawmakers an opportunity to repeal the state's permitless handgun carry law that's set to take effect July 1.
He said allowing nearly all adult Hoosiers age 18 and older to carry a handgun in public without needing to obtain a state permit will lead to "senseless violence."
"I fear that the gun violence we're already working to eliminate will only increase, with young lives paying the price," Melton said.
It's unlikely the Legislature would repeal permitless carry even if convened by the governor. House Enrolled Act 1296 was approved 69-30 in the House and 30-20 by the Senate, and was signed into law by Holcomb March 21.
Nevertheless, echoing a call issued last week by all 11 Senate Democrats, Melton said Hoosier lawmakers still could enact sensible gun safety measures that enjoy wide popularity, including expanded background checks, a safe gun storage law, and a strengthened "red flag" statute to temporarily remove guns from individuals found to be a danger to themselves or others.
"I know that protecting children from gun violence is a goal we both share, and I hope that this common ground can be the launching board for a productive discussion on how we can reduce gun violence across Indiana and in my district," Melton said.
"I truly hope that you will join us in Gary as you have on several occasions to discuss economic efforts. Your presence would reassure Gary residents that their safety is just as important to your administration as economic progress."
"Thoughts and prayers are insufficient in the urgency of this moment," the letter says. "We must not wait until January to show Hoosiers we are serious about protecting families."
Gov. Eric Holcomb answered questions about abortion, state revenue, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. and Sonic during a visit Monday to Northwest Indiana.
Hoosier adults age 18 and up not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm will be entitled to carry a handgun in public without needing to obtain a state permit, beginning July 1.
"It puts our law enforcement in danger and threatens the entire fabric of our community by putting other persons' lives in danger, as well. It is crucial Governor Holcomb veto this bill."
"It's been a challenging year, frankly, to find a way forward," said Senate President Rod Bray. "Lots of contentious issues but we worked through them and found a way to resolve most of them."
It's now up to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to decide whether Indiana will become the 22nd state to allow handgun owners to carry their weapons in public without needing to obtain a state license.
State lawmakers are taking another shot at enacting legislation to allow all adult Hoosiers legally entitled to own a firearm to carry a handgun in public without obtaining a state license.
A House-approved proposal to allow all adult Hoosiers legally entitled to own a firearm to carry a handgun in public without obtaining a state license once again has failed to advance in the Senate.
A controversial plan allowing all adult Hoosiers legally entitled to own a firearm to carry a handgun in public without obtaining a state license is no more.
State police opposition last year was enough to spur Senate President Rod Bray, R-Martinsville, into stopping a similar House-approved proposal, House Bill 1369, from advancing through the Senate.
State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, is inviting Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to visit the Steel City for a discussion on gun violence prevention after two people were wounded in a shooting incident Sunday following a high school graduation ceremony. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gary-senator-invites-governor-to-steel-city-for-gun-violence-discussion/article_b087153c-f4aa-5876-9dea-73fc0c1d3d8e.html | 2022-06-08T02:20:53 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gary-senator-invites-governor-to-steel-city-for-gun-violence-discussion/article_b087153c-f4aa-5876-9dea-73fc0c1d3d8e.html |
The water department will be performing water main and valve improvements.
Times file photo
EAST CHICAGO — Water services may be temporarily interrupted in parts of the city during emergency water main and valve work Wednesday.
According to a news release from the East Chicago Water Department, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday water services may be interrupted in and around the 4800 block of Homerlee Avenue and along 148th Street from Northcote to Wegg.
The water department will be performing water main and valve improvements. Once the work is complete, the water main will be flushed to remove any iron deposits and entrapped air.
The news release said impacted residents may notice some discoloration and air in their plumbing system. The East Chicago Water Department recommended letting water run for a few minutes until it is clear.
Residents can call 219-391-8469 for more information.
Gallery: Sculptors bring sand to life
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Todd Pangborn, of Jamestown, New York, puts finishing touches on his sand sculpture Saturday at the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
A 70-ton sand sculpture pays tribute to sponsors of the inaugural Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
The back side of semi-pro sculptor Dottie Willison's creation proclaims, "Art is not a crime." Willison is from Sandusky, Michigan.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Artists who created sand sculptures at Washington Park in Michigan City this weekend signed their 70-ton joint creation, which included a replica of the lighthouse and sponsors' logos.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Sand sculptor Bruce Peck, of Sarasota, Florida, works on his elephant sculpture.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Semi-pro sculptor Scott Triplett, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, works on "Inktoxicologist."
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Semi-pro sand sculptor Bob May of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, works on a giant fish.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
A 70-ton sand sculpture pays tribute to sponsors of the inaugural Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Semi-pro sand sculptor Marcie Cowles, of Louisville, Ohio, works on a second giraffe for her Noah's Ark sculpture. Cowles credited fellow sculptor Laurie Tournoux for being a mentor.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Christy Atkinson, of Franklin, Texas, works on her sand sculpture, "I can't believe I at the whole thing!" on Saturday.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Lisa Feuless, of Ovid, Michigan, works on her "Gnome Home" sculpture.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Dottie Willison, of Sandusky, Michigan, works on her "Art is not a crime" sculpture.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Marianne van dn Brock, of Key West, Florida, works on "The Weather is Here."
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Professional sand sculptor Laurie Tournoux, of Navarre, Ohio, works on "The Little Engine That Could." She changed direction, literally, on the design when she realized the train should go uphill and not downhill.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Bruce Peck, of Sarasota, Florida, works on his "Irrelephantly Titled" sculpture.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Semi-pro sand sculptor Bob May of St. Clair Shores, Michigan, works on a giant fish.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Semi-pro sand sculptor Marcie Cowles, of Louisville, Ohio, works on a her Noah's Ark sculpture.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Professional sand sculptor Laurie Tournoux, of Navarre, Ohio, shares a laugh while talking about her creations, including "The Little Engine That Could," which she created this weekend at the inaugural Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Lisa Feuless, of Ovid, Michigan, works on her "Gnome Home" sculpture.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
A 70-ton sand sculpture greeted visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City this weekend. All the sculptures were destroyed at the end of the festival as a safety measure.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Visitors to the Singing Sands Sand Sculpting Festival at Washington Park in Michigan City were amazed at the details in the impressive sculptures.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
A sculptor creates a mouse under the watchful eyes of an owl for his "Three Not-so-blind Mice" sculture.
Doug Ross, The Times
Sculptors bring sand art to life
Marianne van den Broek, of Key West, Florida, works on an eagle sculpture.
Doug Ross, The Times
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Get local news delivered to your inbox! | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/water-service-to-be-interrupted-in-parts-of-east-chicago/article_ed6112a2-4972-5dbf-8398-042b05f68c98.html | 2022-06-08T02:20:59 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/water-service-to-be-interrupted-in-parts-of-east-chicago/article_ed6112a2-4972-5dbf-8398-042b05f68c98.html |
FORT WORTH, Texas — School resource officers, crumbling sidewalk infrastructure, illegal fireworks, overgrown lots and airport names -- it was all on the table on Tuesday as the Fort Worth City Council engaged in a wide-ranging information workshop on various topics facing the city at the moment.
Top of mind following last month's tragic Uvalde shooting was a briefing from the Fort Worth Police Department on its school resource officer program, but even seemingly less hot-button subjects like gaps in the city's sidewalk network drew impassioned comments from council members at this hours-long session.
The biggest question surrounding most of the topics on the day's docket? How to budget for their handling.
Here's a look at what the council -- and the experts they brought in to answer their questions -- discussed during Tuesday's meeting.
School resource officers
FWPD Assistant Chief Joseph Sparrow spoke with council members Tuesday about the department’s use of school resource officers, and detailed to the council how the department contracts with various school districts to provide safety and security to students and teachers.
School resource officers, Sparrow said, serve to act as a liaison between the police department and schools, and handle offenses class B or higher. (Class C misdemeanors, Sparrow said, are generally left to the school to handle.)
Sparrow said the department’s school resource officers were some of the best trained police officers on the force, thanks to various trainings these officers undergo each summer on topics such as de-escalation training and training to identify students going through crisis. The officers also go through ALERT trainings every summer; in this scenario-based training, they practice clearing schools and saving students in the event of an emergency like a mass shooting.
In many Fort Worth high schools, there are two student resource officers, Sparrow said. Each middle school the department contracts with has one officer. No elementary schools have any officers in them at the moment, Sparrow said, because it isn’t cost-effective to use them.
“I don’t know any large agency that does elementary schools,” Sparrow told the council. “We recently did a price projection of how much it would cost all Fort Worth schools -- and it’s like $80 million. It’s just not cost-effective.”
District 8 City Councilmember Chris Nettles countered that narrative and said the city can’t allow money or budget to be an issue when it comes to saving lives.
“With just the recent tragedy, it was an elementary school,” Nettles said, referring to the Uvalde shooting that saw 19 students and two teachers killed on May 24. “We’re at a state now [where] we can make a decision for a path forward. We need to consider working with school districts to make sure we can start staffing at the elementary schools.”
Responded Sparrow: “We would have to add more than 200 officers.”
Replied Nettles: “I don’t care if you have to add 500.”
Sidewalk gaps
Another hot-button issue in Tuesday's information session was sidewalks throughout the city increasingly falling into disrepair.
Transportation & Public Works Department Director William Johnson told council members that the city has more than 3,500 linear miles of sidewalks, but lacks a specific budget for sidewalk maintenance.
“Each year, as we get complaints, we go out, investigate them and may take money from other activities like road reconstruction or resurfacing to take care of severe cases,” Johnson said.
Johnson explained that one city ordinance currently requires property owners to build or fill in sidewalk gaps, and another one assigns the responsibility of sidewalk maintenance to tenants or property owners. But, Johnson said, these ordinances haven't been historically enforced.
Johnson said his department prioritizes filling gaps and maintenance as part of the city’s "Safe Routes to Schools" program in which his team meets with districts, talks about where students are walking to and from, and coordinates with them about improving amenities such as sidewalks and crossing markings at intersections.
Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens said she remains quite frustrated with how the city approaches sidewalk needs, repairs and gaps.
"There are some schools and school officials who really don’t know who to call at City Hall, and that’s because we could do better on our communication,” Bivens said. “I don’t know how you communicate with the schools. I really don’t believe your staff meets with every school -- because I see gaps in my neighborhoods."
Added Bivens: "I hate seeing kids walking in the mud."
Illegal fireworks on the fourth
Another major talking-point Tuesday involved FWPD's efforts at managing illegal fireworks displays around next month's Fourth of July holiday.
FWPD promised to staff its Joint Emergency Operations Center daily from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. between July 2 and July 4, with the primary goal being to respond to emergency and high-priority calls for service.
At the same time, FWPD said it would focus on providing adequate messaging on fireworks safety -- including the fact that fireworks are illegal in the Fort Worth city limits, and any fireworks seen in the city can be reported by calling 817-392-4444 or using the MyFW app.
Renaming Fort Worth Alliance Airport
Tuesday's meeting also feature discussion surrounding the city's plans to rename the Fort Worth Alliance Airport as Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
The request for the name change was made in February to rename the airport after the late North Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, who founded Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems.
"Through Perot's companies, the airport has grown to 1,200 acres and is home to some of the premiere global logistics companies in the world," Fort Worth Aviation Director Roger Venables said.
Lawn care complaints
Fort Worth Director of Public Health and Code Compliance Brandon Bennett also talked with council members about the city's response to overgrown grass, which he said the city pays particular attention to in the summer months.
Per state law, Bennett said, the city has to wait until grass grows to taller than 12 inches before it can mow overgrown lots themselves. The department then generates a mow schedule with the city contractor to ensure these lots are mowed all summer long.
The costs incurred by this mowing inform how the city determines the fines it charges the owners of these unkempt lots for failing to maintain their grass.
"Expect our officers this time to be going out proactively looking for that tall grass," Bennett said. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-city-council-discusses-lack-police-presence-elementary-schools/287-da4550a0-c656-486d-b380-32ee41bfc342 | 2022-06-08T02:26:45 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-city-council-discusses-lack-police-presence-elementary-schools/287-da4550a0-c656-486d-b380-32ee41bfc342 |
FRISCO, Texas — Shivani Jayaraj and Saanvi Mukkara only met only three months ago. Now, the Independence High School students from Frisco are putting their heads together to pull off a rally.
Mukkara, an 11th grader, and Jayaraj, a 10th grader, both share a passion for advocacy.
"Especially since this issue has impacted youth more than other issues have. We think it's really important we have something to say about it," said Mukkara.
They are organizing a March For Our Lives event through Main Street in Frisco on Saturday, June 11, to raise awareness of gun violence in schools. It was a discussion between friends that started two days after the tragic shooting in Uvalde, where 19 students and two teachers were killed.
"Just because I have not personally experienced something catastrophic, doesn't mean I can't understand the weight of those actions," said Mukkara.
Their focus is on schools. Jayaraj told WFAA it is a non-political event. Organizers said it is chance for the youth to say they have a voice too.
"She had tornado drills, now we have active shooter drills. The fact that that's the difference over 20 years is terrifying, " said Jayaraj, recalling a conversation about schools with a city council member.
The march in Frisco will start from city hall at 12 p.m. Saturday. Mukkara and Jayaraj expect counter-protests, and even backlash in the days leading up to the event.
"We've already gotten it. I've gotten hate from high schoolers," said Jayaraj.
They stress they're not advocating any one policy. But they are advocating for themselves and their right to be in safe schools.
"You're free to criticize us, but I'd like to see what you've done," posed Mukkara to critics.
For more information on the march, click here. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/two-frisco-high-school-students-help-organize-march-over-gun-violence/287-924a1315-3c12-4323-a957-aba6f6cc9e7f | 2022-06-08T02:26:52 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/two-frisco-high-school-students-help-organize-march-over-gun-violence/287-924a1315-3c12-4323-a957-aba6f6cc9e7f |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s 2022 primary election is being held June 7. Candidates are vying for nominations for California Governor, California Attorney General, and U.S. Senator, along with other statewide races.
In the Sacramento region, the top races include Sacramento County Sheriff and Sacramento County District Attorney. Seats on the Sacramento City Council and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors are also being decided.
Placer County voters are selecting a new Sheriff and some Board of Supervisor seats.
The U.S. 3rd Congressional district race has Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, Republican Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones and Democrat Kermit Jones vying to make it to the general election.
Use our interactive map to take a closer look at the results (use a desktop browser for optimal viewing):
WATCH MORE: Inside the Vote Count: This is what happens to your California ballot.
Key Races
Attorney General
ow voter turnout and some political gamesmanship may decide which of three challengers emerges Tuesday to take on California Attorney General Rob Bonta in the November election. Bonta is running in his first statewide election as the only Democrat in the race. He faces two Republicans: Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and former assistant U.S. attorney general endorsed by the state party, and Eric Early, legal counsel for the unsuccessful effort to recall Newsom last year. But the wildcard is Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who gave up her Republican affiliation four years ago and is running as an independent. Also running is Green Party candidate Dan Kapelovitz.
Governor
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is back on the ballot after defeating a recall attempt last year. Newsom will appear in Tuesday's primary for governor along with 25 other candidates. Newsom is expected to finish in first place with ease. Whoever finishes in second will face him in November. Polling suggests Newsom's most likely opponent will be Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle. Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla is on the ballot twice on Tuesday. Newsom appointed him to the office last year. Padilla is seeking to finish out that term and be elected to a full six-year term that begins in January.
Silicon Valley Showdown
Kansen Chu gave up the state Assembly seat he had held for six years to run for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2020 and be close to his now-deceased mother.
He lost, and now wants his old seat back.
But it's now held by Alex Lee, who at age 25 became the youngest California state lawmaker in more than eight decades.
Chu, 69, said he wants to use his life, work and government experience “to make California a better state than I found it 40-some years ago" when he immigrated from Taiwan.
Lee “is too progressive for many of the voters here,” Chu said.
Lee's experience came from working for five different lawmakers, either as a college intern or a paid aide. His first legislative internship was with Chu himself, in 2015.
“I feel like I’ve been able to accomplish more in my less than two years in office than however long he’s been in office — probably basically as long as I've been alive," said Lee, jibing that Chu's keystone accomplishment was a ballot measure aimed at making daylight saving time year-round in California.
A coalition backed by real estate agents and landlords is spending more than $1.2 million to oppose Lee, who has promoted guaranteed housing and tenant protections among other issues. One opposition mailer noted that Lee “lives with his mom.”
Also running are two other Democrats, Fremont City Councilmember Teresa Keng and former San Jose City Councilman Lan Diep.
The top vote-getting Democrat is likely to again face Republican Bob Brunton, who's been trounced repeatedly by both Chu and Lee in the safe Democratic district that includes parts of Alameda and Santa Clara counties.
It's one of two Assembly districts in California where a majority of the residents are of Asian descent, according to the California Target Book that tracks legislative contests.
Central Valley Musical Chairs
Legislative remapping drew Sen. Melissa Hurtado into the same district as Sen. Anna Caballero. Rather than duke it out with a fellow Democratic incumbent, Hurtado agreed to relocate into the new 16th Senate District that includes Kings County and parts of Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties.
But that has her butting heads with former Assemblywoman Nicole Parra and Delano Mayor Bryan Osorio, fellow Democrats who initially planned to run for Congress before bidding for the state Senate.
Things immediately turned testy, with Hurtado creating a website aimed at Parra's background and Parra firing back on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Jane Fonda's Climate PAC is backing Osorio, along with candidates in other contests, with a video decrying Big Oil's influence among unnamed Democratic state lawmakers. The winner will help represent the heart of California's petroleum production region.
Also bidding for a top-two chance to advance out of the primary election are Republicans David Shepard and Gregory Tatum. Democrats hold a 13 percentage point edge in voter registration but the Target Book puts that within Republicans' reach in the Central Valley, where voters tend to be more conservative.
Business-Labor Battle
Republicans have become a virtual non-factor in California's Capitol, often leaving business and labor to spar over which candidate is most palatable among rival Democrats.
That's happening in legislative races up and down the state, and nowhere more than in the Sacramento County district where three candidates — all Democrats — are fighting for the chance to succeed Democratic state Sen. Richard Pan, who terms out of office this year.
“There's no Republican in the race so that's going to be a Dem vs. Dem runoff,” said Rob Pyers, California Target Book research director. “But in spite of that, both sides are pounding each other relentlessly in the primary.”
Business, housing and law enforcement organizations generally are favoring Sacramento City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby, while labor is the mainstay for former Assemblyman Dave Jones. He was the state's insurance commissioner from 2011 to 2019 and is endorsed by the state Democratic Party and Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party.
Also running is union representative Rafa Garcia.
More than $1.6 million in independent spending has helped fuel the contest, which has split the party's moderate and progressive wings.
A political action committee that supports moderate Democrats, joined by housing, law enforcement, pharmaceutical and other lobbying organizations, paid for a billboard and other ads depicting Jones as a bobblehead doll. The ads urged voters not to give Jones “the nod” for senator.
Jones says he is running “to fight for people, not big corporations” and says “Big Oil” is backing Ashby through its contributions to the Democratic PAC. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/california-2022-primary-election-results/103-b20587c0-6284-466d-968f-1801ddd131d2 | 2022-06-08T02:33:35 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/california-2022-primary-election-results/103-b20587c0-6284-466d-968f-1801ddd131d2 |
HEMET, Calif. — A small plane crashed into the backyard of a Southern California home on Tuesday and the pilot was hospitalized with critical burn injuries, authorities said.
The fiery crash happened around 9:35 a.m. in the city of Hemet, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
The pilot, the plane's sole occupant, was driven to a nearby hospital and later flown to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center's burn unit in critical condition, officials said.
Eugene Barron, who lives next door, said he and another neighbor used a garden hose to douse the fire. He said the pilot was conscious and speaking after being consumed by flames.
“I just pray that he lives because he was ... covered in fire,” Barron told CBS Los Angeles.
Two people who were in the house were unharmed, Fire Chief Eddie Sell said.
The Beechcraft 77 appeared to have crashed through a cinder-block wall and into the backyard, according to TV news images.
The cause of the crash was under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/plane-crashes-in-backyard-of-southern-california-home/103-92b32df7-d2b4-4f44-8d55-92ae5e26553f | 2022-06-08T02:33:41 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/plane-crashes-in-backyard-of-southern-california-home/103-92b32df7-d2b4-4f44-8d55-92ae5e26553f |
ANAHEIM, Calif. — A Southern California man was arrested on suspicion of stealing an Olympic gold medal belonging to a member of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team, authorities said Tuesday.
Jordyn Poulter reported the medal stolen May 25 after the Olympian found her car broken into at a parking garage in Anaheim, police said in a statement.
The 31-year-old suspect is charged with residential burglary, vehicle burglary, identity theft and possession of narcotics, officials said.
“Unfortunately, Jordyn’s Olympic Gold Medal has not yet been recovered and she is offering a $1,000 reward for its safe return, no questions asked,” the police statement said.
The suspect, an Anaheim resident, has a “lengthy criminal history,” the statement said.
Poulter was part of the team that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/southern-california-man-arrested-in-theft-of-olympic-gold-medal/103-b97d328c-5a45-475e-acf8-afd363d30f38 | 2022-06-08T02:33:47 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/southern-california-man-arrested-in-theft-of-olympic-gold-medal/103-b97d328c-5a45-475e-acf8-afd363d30f38 |
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