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Motivated by a fresh surge in mass shootings in several U.S. cities, rallies were held across the nation Saturday as part of a renewed push for gun control.
Lillian Scott is an organizer with the Fort Worth demonstration for “March For Our Lives”, which was founded by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018.
“55 days later after we marched, there was a school shooting at Sante Fe High School,” Scott said, referring to their 2018 march. “That has continued and continued. There was a shooting in Buffalo, then Uvalde, Tulsa the other day. It just doesn’t stop.”
The marches Saturday come more than two weeks after the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were shot and killed.
“We as a country…it just happens. We mourn and then it happens again. We just have become numb to it,” she said. “Our parents remember exactly where they were on 9/11. This is the stuff we’re going to remember and tell our kids about. That’s not something we want to do. It’s devastating that now four years later, this is still a conversation but we should be looking at that and that should be inspiring us to change.”
Donna Wright of Fort Worth brought her grandchildren to the rally Saturday. They are her inspiration for change, Wright said.
“I want them to be safe going to school,” she said. “I really felt this way during Sandy Hook. I really thought our leadership and government would do something about it, but no.”
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The U.S. House voted 223-204 last week to pass the “Protecting Our Kids Act”, a wide-ranging package of gun control legislation. However, the measure is not expected to pass the Senate.
“It has not even been 24 hours since the last mass shooting,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-New York said Thursday. “Who knows when until the next one? My friends. What the hell are you waiting for?”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio debated against the measure while it was being discussed in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.
“It will hamper the rights of law-abiding citizens. It will do nothing to stop mass shootings. We need to get serious on understanding why this keeps happening,” Rep. Jordan said. “Democrats are always fixating on curtailing the rights of law-abiding citizens, rather than trying to understand why this evil happens. Until we figure out the why, we will always mourn losses without fixing the problem.”
In Fort Worth, protestors said they hoped Saturday inspired hope and change. Demonstrations were also held in Frisco, Austin, and other Texas cities. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/march-for-our-lives-rallies-held-in-north-texas-nationwide/2990370/ | 2022-06-12T03:37:03 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/march-for-our-lives-rallies-held-in-north-texas-nationwide/2990370/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/march-for-our-lives-rallies-held-in-north-texas-nationwide/2990379/ | 2022-06-12T03:37:09 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/march-for-our-lives-rallies-held-in-north-texas-nationwide/2990379/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-nonprofits-battle-heat-offer-cooling-options-for-residents/2990380/ | 2022-06-12T03:37:15 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-nonprofits-battle-heat-offer-cooling-options-for-residents/2990380/ |
MINNEAPOLIS — Inflation has now hit a 40-year high.
That's according to the latest Consumer Price Index released Friday morning.
Mark Bergen, a University of Minnesota marketing and pricing professor, says the one-year inflation rate has now hit 8.6% the highest rate since 1981.
"It's happening in all the categories,” Bergen says.
"The big sectors were the ones we've been seeing, energy, food and shelter."
The latest numbers show the food at home index rose 11.9% over the last 12 months.
In May alone, dairy went up 2.9% last month, grains and bakery products up 1.5%, meat went up 1.1% and eggs went up 5% in just one month.
Bergen says this inflation is driven by the high gas prices, supply chain issues, the fact that many countries are still dealing with COVID, and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has had a big impact on grain production in that part of Europe.
"That's the bread basket of Europe and it's a global food network we live in now,” Bergen says.
The worldwide supply has gone down for many products, but people still need to eat, so the demand hasn't changed.
Bergen says shoppers can still save money by changing their eating habits.
Some categories like fruits and vegetables are seeing smaller increases, around 0.6% last month.
"Instead of ‘what do I want to eat this week,’ it's ‘I'm going to go and look at what has gone up in price’ and then I'm going to adjust and do my meal planning and shopping around that.”
Even though these price increases are so wide spread, Bergen says shoppers can still save money by shopping around and buying in bulk when you see a good deal.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/food-prices-continue-to-rise-according-to-latest-inflation-report/89-037af215-e78b-4f74-bfca-dba7f50c7fb7 | 2022-06-12T03:46:46 | 1 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/food-prices-continue-to-rise-according-to-latest-inflation-report/89-037af215-e78b-4f74-bfca-dba7f50c7fb7 |
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Police stopped a U-haul in downtown Coeur d'Alene on Saturday afternoon and arrested 31 people who were found inside. Police said they believe the people arrested have ties to a white nationalist hate group.
"They came to riot downtown," Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said at a news conference.
Police were alerted to the group when a concerned person called police around 1:38 p.m. That person reported seeing the group loading into a U-haul that was parked at the Springhill Suites. The group had masks and shields and police said the caller told them it "looked like a little army."
Police spotted the U-haul about 10 minutes later and stopped it on Northwest Boulevard near the skate park and Paul Bunyan, not far from the area where a Coeur d'Alene Pride event was taking place. Police had stepped up their presence in the area during the event.
Police and deputies surrounded the truck and when they opened it up they found dozens of men in the back, all wearing the same clothes, including khakis, with navy blue shirts, beige hats, and a white cloth covering their faces.
Based on evidence collected at the scene and documents police found in the U-haul, Chief White said that they believe the group was planning to riot in several areas of downtown Coeur d'Alene, not just the park.
"It appears they did not come here to engage in peaceful events," Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris told our partner the Coeur d'Alene Press.
Chief White said all 31 people were arrested on charges of conspiracy to riot. Those arrested came from at least 11 states, including Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas.
The men are being booked into the Kootenai County Jail. They are expected to appear in court on Monday.
Before it was towed away, the back of the U-haul was filled with evidence bags from police. Still visible were what appeared to be a homemade riot shield and some protective equipment. Police said they also found at least one smoke grenade.
Police said it will take several days for them to book all the evidence.
31 people with ties to hate group arrested in back of U-haul in Coeur d'Alene | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/police-detain-group-found-inside-uhaul-coeur-dalene/293-aa1593a5-5fd2-4ce4-b0c1-bf8edaedcfe6 | 2022-06-12T03:46:52 | 1 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/police-detain-group-found-inside-uhaul-coeur-dalene/293-aa1593a5-5fd2-4ce4-b0c1-bf8edaedcfe6 |
TUPELO • A new king among kings was crowned in Tupelo on Saturday night.
Brooke Wright of Nashville, Tennessee, was named winner of the 2022 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition at the BancorpSouth Arena, held as part of the 24th annual Tupelo Elvis Festival.
Standing out from his competitors in a blue jumpsuit, Wright performed "I Can't Stop Loving You," ending his performance with a showcase of his vocals.
"God bless you guys. Thank you so much. This means more than I could ever say," Wright said to the audience.
Liam Hewitt of Augusta, Georgia, won second place and People's Choice, raising over $2,000. Third place was Matt King of London, England. The other competitors in the Top 5 included Mario Kombou, also of London, and Michael Cullipher.
Elvis fans started filling seats well before the show's prompt 7 p.m. showtime.
Judges included Leigh Shockey, creator of Melody Place LLC; Lowell Hays, Elvis Presley's jeweler; and Brooke Tweddell, a veteran brand strategist, advertising agency executive, and agency owner. Tupelo native Tom Brown hosted the festival for the 14th year.
Prior to the winner's announcement, 2021 Tupelo Elvis Festival UETA competition winner Alex Mitchell performed his final concert as the ultimate Elvis tribute artist, with all the theatrics that can be expected with a celebratory end to his time representing the King of Rock and Roll's hometown. He performed 11 songs and told the audience how important Tupelo was to him.
"Out of any festival, Elvis festival — in the world, in the country, to me — this one means the most because if it wasn't for Tupelo, we wouldn't be able to enjoy all the Elvis stuff in Memphis and around the world," Mitchell said.
Competitors from all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, descended on Tupelo this week to vie to the title of Tupelo Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist, a prestigious title that secures a spot at Graceland's Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition during Elvis Week.
Competitors performed a range of songs spanning the entirety of the rock and roll legend's career, including his many movies, during Friday's opening round of competition.
Ten semi-finalists went on to compete Saturday morning for a Top 5 spot in Saturday night's finals.
The 2022 Tupelo Elvis Festival precedes the June 24 premiere of Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" movie starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler.
Other Elvis Festival week events included the first and second round of Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition in addition to meet and greets with the Elvis Tribute Artists.
The traditional installment of Conversations with Tom Brown returned home to Elvis' alma mater, Milam Elementary School, this year with Mayor Todd Jordan among the many featured special guests.
This week's festivities will conclude on June 12 with a Sunday Gospel Brunch, commemorating Elvis' love for gospel music and his faith-based Tupelo roots. | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/nashvilles-brooke-wright-named-2022-ultimate-elvis-tribute-artist-in-tupelo/article_fe2a8351-664b-5d8b-b6d1-3a14983436e7.html | 2022-06-12T03:48:10 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/nashvilles-brooke-wright-named-2022-ultimate-elvis-tribute-artist-in-tupelo/article_fe2a8351-664b-5d8b-b6d1-3a14983436e7.html |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/nbc-5-forecast-dangerous-weekend-heat-2/2990361/ | 2022-06-12T03:54:07 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/nbc-5-forecast-dangerous-weekend-heat-2/2990361/ |
Under a hot Texas sun, families gathered to kick off summer at the second annual Celebrate Highland Village on the hottest day yet this year.
"We're just here for the music. Just here for the food, enjoying ourselves,” said Andy Gabbinger.
Gabbinger and his family sought refuge under umbrellas while relying heavily on a mister and a cooler full of cold drinks.
“We brought lots of water and we brought our own shade. And then, of course, God brought the wind so we’re enjoying the breeze,” he said.
With unusually high temperatures, the Highland Village Fire Department had extra paramedics on hand to make sure everyone stayed safe.
"We'll be roving around, checking on people. We have water we can give out. Just, if anyone needs a little help we can help them,” said Firefighter-Paramedic Dalton King.
Across the metroplex in Fort Worth, Medstar said it treated more than a dozen patients for heat-related illness today while operating under extreme weather response protocol.
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The latest news from around North Texas.
It was a similar situation for firefighters responding to disaster, like a multiple-alarm house fire back in Denton County.
"Where you're pulling charged hose lines, you're carrying equipment, you're working in difficult conditions, that obviously increases the stress on the body. So, it's very important we make sure everybody is rested and rehydrated,” said Flower Mound Fire Deputy Chief Brandon Barth.
That seemed to be the key for all outdoors at temperatures soared Saturday, whether they were there for work or pleasure. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texans-find-ways-to-cope-as-temperatures-soar/2990409/ | 2022-06-12T03:54:13 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texans-find-ways-to-cope-as-temperatures-soar/2990409/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texans-find-ways-to-cope-as-temperatures-soar/2990417/ | 2022-06-12T03:54:19 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texans-find-ways-to-cope-as-temperatures-soar/2990417/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/business-owners-say-south-street-shooting-has-scared-customers-away/3268367/ | 2022-06-12T04:02:29 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/business-owners-say-south-street-shooting-has-scared-customers-away/3268367/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/teen-18-shot-in-head-in-philly-double-shooting/3268366/ | 2022-06-12T04:02:41 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/teen-18-shot-in-head-in-philly-double-shooting/3268366/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. – Researchers at Oregon State University have invented a new analytical method that sheds light on an enduring mystery regarding type 2 diabetes: Why some obese patients develop the disease and others don’t.
Type 2 diabetes is a serious metabolic disease that affects roughly one in 10 Americans. Formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, it is a chronic condition affecting the way the body metabolizes glucose, a sugar that’s a key source of energy. This type of diabetes is frequently associated with obesity.
For some patients, that means their body does not properly respond to insulin – it resists the effects of insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas that opens the door for sugar to enter cells. In the later disease stages, when the pancreas is exhausted, patients don’t produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels.
In either case, sugar builds up in the bloodstream and, if left untreated, the effect impairs many major organs, sometimes to disabling or life-threatening degrees. A key risk factor for type 2 diabetes is being overweight, often a result of eating too much fat and sugar in combination with low physical activity.
Andrey Morgun and Natalia Shulzhenko of OSU and Giorgio Trinchieri of the National Cancer Institute developed a novel analytical technique, multi-organ network analysis, to explore the mechanisms behind early-stage systemic insulin resistance.
The scientists sought to learn which organs, biological pathways and genes are playing roles.
Findings, which show that a particular type of gut microbe leads to white adipose tissue containing macrophage cells – large cells that are part of the immune system – associated with insulin resistance, were published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
In the human body, white adipose tissue is the main type of fat.
“Our experiments and analysis predict that a high-fat/high-sugar diet primarily acts in white adipose tissue by driving microbiota-related damage to the energy synthesis process, leading to systemic insulin resistance,” said Morgun, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the OSU College of Pharmacy. “Treatments that modify a patient’s microbiota in ways that target insulin resistance in adipose tissue macrophage cells could be a new therapeutic strategy for type 2 diabetes.”
The human gut microbiome features more than 10 trillion microbial cells from about 1,000 different bacterial species.
Morgun and Shulzhenko, an associate professor in OSU’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, in earlier research developed a computational method, transkingdom network analysis, that predicts specific types of bacteria controlling the expression of mammalian genes connected to specific medical conditions such as diabetes.
“Type 2 diabetes is a global pandemic, and the number of diagnoses is expected to keep increasing over the next 10 years,” Shulzhenko said. “The so-called ‘western diet’ – high in saturated fats and refined sugars – is one of the primary factors. But gut bacteria have an important role to play in mediating the effects of diet.”
In the new study, the scientists relied on both transkingdom network analysis and multi-organ network analysis. They also conducted experiments in mice, looking at the intestine, liver, muscle and white adipose tissue, and examined the molecular signature – which genes were being expressed – of white adipose tissue macrophages in obese human patients.
“Diabetes induced by the western diet is characterized by microbiota-dependent mitochondrial damage,” Morgun said. “Adipose tissue has a predominant role in systemic insulin resistance, and we characterized the gene expression program and the key master regulator of adipose tissue macrophage that are associated with insulin resistance. We discovered that the Oscillibacter microbe, enriched by a western diet, causes an increase of the insulin-resistant adipose tissue macrophage.”
The researchers add, however, that Oscillibacter is likely not the only microbial regulator for expression of the key gene they identified – Mmp12 – and that the Mmp12 pathway, while clearly instrumental, is probably not the only important pathway, depending on which gut microbes are present.
“We previously showed that Romboutsia ilealis worsens glucose tolerance by inhibiting insulin levels, which may be relevant to more advanced stages of type 2 diabetes,” Shulzhenko said.
Zhipeng Li, Manoj Gurung, Jacob W. Pederson, Renee Greer, Stephany Vasquez-Perez and Hyekyoung You of the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and Richard Rodrigues, Jyothi Padiadpu, Nolan Newman, and Kaito Hioki from College of Pharmacy also participated in this research, as did scientists from the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Monash University in Australia.
The National Institutes of Health and the Oregon Medical Research Foundation supported this study. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/oregon-state-research-sheds-light-on-why-not-all-obese-patients-develop-type-2-diabetes/article_40119e34-e760-11ec-9174-af4262e3f7af.html | 2022-06-12T04:04:58 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/oregon-state-research-sheds-light-on-why-not-all-obese-patients-develop-type-2-diabetes/article_40119e34-e760-11ec-9174-af4262e3f7af.html |
OLD TOWN, Maine — Antique cars, planes, and even helicopters took over the Old Town municipal airport runways Saturday for the 2nd Annual Wings and Wheels Car Show & Fly-in. All proceeds from the event go toward Maine Veteran's Project, non-profit supporting veterans throughout the state.
"It's a beautiful day, people are here to spend their money and their time supporting this event so just really, thanks to the community that helped come together and help make this a success," Doc Goodwin, founder of Maine Veteran's Project, said.
Hundreds of people gathered on the tarmac to check out the various cars of all make and models as well as airplanes old and new, all while enjoying the food trucks and live music.
Aric and Heather Junkins traveled from the white mountains in New Hampshire to be at the event in Old Town.
"This is the first time we've traveled this far with this car," Heather said.
The couple arrived in their 1965 Volkswagen beetle. They said they purchased their buggy a few years ago.
"It came to us in pieces, no front fenders, no hoods, no tires on it, no doors on it, no engine in it, nothing," Heather said.
The Junkins said refurbishing the car became a passion project for them.
"I put seats in it, assembled everything, got it rolling, I rebuilt the engine in it," Aric said.
The Junkins love taking their buggy to car shows. It's typically popular among the kids in attendance since they get a rare chance to decorate an antique car with chalk.
When the Junkins first purchased it, they said it would've cost a fortune to fully restore it to its original look, so they came up with a new concept.
"Why not have people draw on it, why not have it be something that the people can enjoy as well," Aric said.
"We decided to bring it back to what the Volkswagen was known for as being the people's car," Heather said.
As an army veteran, Aric said he struggles with PTSD, and this hobby has become a much-needed outlet for him.
"For me to have something to do to keep my mind occupied and not think about what went on has really helped a lot," Aric said.
Meeting people at events like the car show is what keeps the Junkins' spirit going.
"Having everybody come and enjoy the car is what gives us joy," Heather said.
For more information about upcoming events for veterans and how you can show your support, click here. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/old-town-airport-hosts-2nd-annual-wings-wheels-car-show-fly-in/97-58100e1d-1e3f-4e33-9e13-1432e7e2ffee | 2022-06-12T04:11:16 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/old-town-airport-hosts-2nd-annual-wings-wheels-car-show-fly-in/97-58100e1d-1e3f-4e33-9e13-1432e7e2ffee |
DALLAS — Hundreds of thousands of people marched across Texas and the United States Saturday in support of the fifth annual March for Our Lives demonstration.
March for Our Lives is a student-led demonstration that started in Washington D.C. in 2018 with creators who are in support of gun control legislation.
Some of the cities that had demonstrations Saturday morning include Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.
Frisco's Shivani Jayaraj and Saanvi Mukkara organized their city's March For Our Lives event through Main Street.
It was a discussion between these two friends that started two days after the tragic shooting in Uvalde, where 19 students and two teachers were killed.
Speakers in Washington D.C. called on senators to act on more gun reform or face being voted out of office.
President Joe Biden, who was in California when the Washington rally began, said his message to the demonstrators was “keep marching,” adding that he is “mildly optimistic” about legislative negotiations to address gun violence. Biden recently delivered an impassioned address to the nation in which he called for several steps, including raising the age limit for buying assault-style weapons. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas-march-for-our-lives-rallies-2022/287-5c2ed0ad-3cf9-412e-ae4c-fdcf81394562 | 2022-06-12T04:13:39 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas-march-for-our-lives-rallies-2022/287-5c2ed0ad-3cf9-412e-ae4c-fdcf81394562 |
There's been a lot of focus on how inflation and supply chain issues are affecting consumers.
Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard about record gas prices or the difficulty families have had in getting formula for babies.
But consumers aren't the only ones feeling the effects of the current economic turmoil.
Businesses are seeing their costs soar, as well, while they also deal with shortages of materials and products they need.
Take Lincoln Electric System. At its May board meeting, the utility gave a presentation to board members about how inflation and supply chain issues are impacting its bottom line.
It's taking two to three times as long to receive many of the materials LES needs. According to the presentation, it took about three months to get transformer poles and pads before the pandemic, but it now takes about eight to 10 months.
Voltage cables used to take about 16 weeks to arrive, and now the lag time is 32 weeks. Things are even worse for the large trucks LES uses. It used to take about a year for the company to get truck bodies and the aerial devices attached to them. Now it takes about three years.
The price for those truck assemblies has also gone up about 30%, but that's actually tame compared to some of the other price increases the utility has seen. That includes increases of 38% for switch gear, 50-65% for transformer materials, 80% for ducting and 95% for medium voltage cable.
LES also is paying more in labor costs, with an increase of 46% for tree trimming and residential services and increases of 100-200% for daywork contracts.
Paul Crist, vice president of energy delivery, said LES has delayed some projects to maintain an acceptable inventory levels and has assigned some other projects to its own crews rather than farming them out to strategically manage low inventory items and save money.
Crist said the utility also is looking at other ways to alter its construction practices to lower costs and preserve inventory, "but at this time, certain electrical equipment has few alternatives available."
When asked whether the cost increases could lead to rate increases for its customers, Emily Koenig, vice president of financial services, was noncommittal.
Koenig said LES is just beginning the budget process for 2023 and will present its proposed budget, which will include assumptions for increased costs related to supply chain issues, to the board in September.
"It is too early to know for sure, but it is likely that these challenges could make an impact on the budget," she said.
Building boom even bigger in context
Earlier this year, I reported that 2021 was an all-time record year for building permit value in Lincoln. The $1.2 billion in permits was about $400 million more than the previous best year.
As great as that sounds, it wasn't until recently that I realized how truly impressive it is.
That's because Lincoln's total for 2021 was slightly higher than Omaha's building permit total of $1.15 billion. You figure that might happen when Lincoln has a record year and Omaha has a down year, but that's not what happened.
In fact, according to the city of Omaha’s annual Building and Development Summary, not only was it not a down year for building permits in Omaha in 2021, it was a very good year. So good, in fact, that Omaha also set an all-time record for building permit value.
Think about that. Lincoln, with less than 300,000 people, actually had a higher value of construction projects last year than Omaha, which has about 200,000 more residents.
It's a good sign for the state's economy that both cities set records, but the fact that Lincoln's record was higher than Omaha's is incredible, in my opinion.
Listing the lists
Regular readers of this column know I like to end it with a rundown of recent rankings of Lincoln and/or Nebraska in national reports. The latest:
* Fifth-best city for an affordable wedding (SmartAsset)
Best of the Buzz:
Excerpts from recent Biz Buzz posts:
* It appears Lincoln will be getting its first Crumbl Cookies location later this year.
A building permit filed last month for a space at 6005 O St. indicates it's for the Utah-based cookie bakery.
The location is in a strip mall next door to the Lincoln Public Schools headquarters building.
Officials from Crumbl did not respond to an email seeking comment, so no other details are available.
Crumbl, which is known for fresh-baked cookies and a menu of options that changes weekly, opened its first Nebraska location in April at the Lakeside Village shopping center in Omaha.
Highest-paying construction jobs in Lincoln
Highest-paying construction jobs in Lincoln
#20. Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters
#19. Construction laborers
#18. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
#17. Tile and stone setters
#16. Hazardous materials removal workers
#15. Roofers
#14. Carpenters
#13. Highway maintenance workers
#12. Cement masons and concrete finishers
#11. Drywall and ceiling tile installers
#10. Sheet metal workers
#9. Painters, construction and maintenance
#8. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
#7. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
#6. Brickmasons and blockmasons
#5. Electricians
#4. Structural iron and steel workers
#3. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
#2. Construction and building inspectors
#1. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
One of the projects, a $20 million apartment complex at 48th Street and Aylesworth Avenue, is already in the works. The other involves a building at 1005 O St. that the city wants to sell.
The owners of the former Sears building at Gateway Mall have filed a $4.5 million building permit for work to transform it into a mixed-use, multiple-tenant building.
The utility said a number of companies operating in the Lincoln area are using aggressive sales tactics and misrepresenting the benefits customers receive from installing solar panels on their homes.
A Lincoln Electric System crew heads to a job at a construction site in northeast Lincoln in 2016. The utility said it currently takes about three times as long to receive truck assembly bodies as it used to because of supply chain issues, and they cost about 30% more. | https://journalstar.com/business/local/biz-bits-les-a-good-example-of-how-supply-chain-issues-are-hitting-businesses/article_f651b6c9-edd6-5177-906c-bd64fe31092d.html | 2022-06-12T04:18:01 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/business/local/biz-bits-les-a-good-example-of-how-supply-chain-issues-are-hitting-businesses/article_f651b6c9-edd6-5177-906c-bd64fe31092d.html |
Several photo boards showcasing women that served in the military are on display next to the Texas Veterans Hall of Fame Museum at Golden Triangle Mall.
Ruth Wong gave handshakes and took several photos next to her photo board, which included the date of Wong’s service in the Army. Wong, who resides in Justin, served from 1982-2019.
Wong was one of many veterans who were a part of the women’s veterans day celebration on Saturday.
“It’s awesome to be recognized here,” Wong said. “Finally, women are getting recognized for serving.”
The event included guest speakers Dr. Lena Jackson-Lynch, Mayor Gerard Hudspeth, Flower Mound Mayor Derek France and others who spoke to the crowd about the importance of recognizing women who serve in the military.
Texas Women Veterans Day was first signed into law on June 12, 1948. Gov. Greg Abbott named June 12 as Texas Women Veterans Day on June 9, 2017. Texas has more than 180,000 female veterans.
Jackson-Lynch, who served in the Air Force from 1981-2002, read to the crowd her speech entitled, “When One Door Closes, Another One Opens.”
Lynch’s words celebrated the historical veterans that secretly served in the Revolutionary War. She spoke about Clarissa Harlowe Barton, who risked her life to bring supplies and support to soldiers in the field during the Civil War, which opened the door for Barton to create the American Red Cross in 1881.
Lynch also addressed changes to the country that have allowed women to enlist in the armed forces and serve in a broader capacity during wartime.
“My hope is that we all have a better appreciation, for honoring, celebrating and educating about women veterans’ sacrifices and experiences,” Jackson-Lynch said. “… From one woman veteran to a non-military woman attending today, the doors are opened.”
France told the crowd that there are roughly two million women veterans in the country. France said women veterans experienced a lack of recognition and said that there are barriers and challenges that women veterans have, which include health care access and other services.
“Today is such an important today,” France said. “I am very honored to be here today to remember and honor the brave women who valued our country’s welfare more than their own.”
Wong said her first duty assignment was in South Korea in 1982. Wong, who was a Korean orphan, was able to return to the old orphanage during her service. She returned to Korea in 2010 and was able to pick up her baby pictures from the orphanage.
Wong said joining the army was the best decision she made. It has led to lots of happy memories for her, such as seeing the orphanage and surprising her son after she returned home from Afghanistan.
“I’m very patriotic,” Wong said. “I love the red, white and blue and I wanted to give back to the country that allowed me to be adopted.”
Nikki Perez, who served in the Navy from 1992-99, said it was an honor to be recognized during the event and for her son to witness it. Perez said she didn’t realize how brave it was to serve her country until she was recognized for it.
“I feel validated,” Perez said. “Oftentimes women veterans are ignored. So, this is amazing. It’s a wonderful feeling. I have my son here with me and I had him when I was on active duty. So, it’s wonderful for him to be able to see me be recognized for my time of service.”
The photo boards showcasing Texas women veterans will be on display at Golden Triangle through the end of the month | https://dentonrc.com/news/local/veterans-honored-during-texas-women-veterans-day-event/article_a755a759-205b-578d-af5b-41cba80ff1ac.html | 2022-06-12T04:22:02 | 1 | https://dentonrc.com/news/local/veterans-honored-during-texas-women-veterans-day-event/article_a755a759-205b-578d-af5b-41cba80ff1ac.html |
PORTLAND, Ore. — Nationwide, thousands of people gathered on Saturday for March For Our Lives rallies in hundreds of cities across America, calling for more meaningful action when it comes to gun violence and gun control — a refrain redoubled after the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas.
There were several local demonstrations, including one rally that took place in downtown Portland on Saturday.
"Following the Uvalde and the Buffalo shootings ... that just really struck a chord with me because, especially in the Uvalde shooting, it was kids who are younger than my little brother getting shot and killed," said student organizer Athena Hsu-Chen. "When March For Our Lives called for marches nationwide, I immediately wanted to join and try and lead the Portland chapter."
Despite other events like the Grand Floral Parade happening in town Saturday morning, hundreds gathered at Portland State University Urban Plaza before marching through the streets to Pioneer Courthouse Square.
PHOTOS | March For Our Lives Portland
Several people, including Paul Kemp, got up to speak to the crowd. His brother-in-law Steve Forsyth was killed in the 2012 Clackamas Town Center shooting, just three days before the Sandy Hook mass shooting.
"We’ve passed a lot of good laws here in the state of Oregon, but they’ve been incredibly tough to get passed," he said. "I don’t understand when it’s a fairly simple and clear-as-day argument — we have to improve things because clearly what the country has been doing, what the states have been doing, isn’t enough."
Demonstrators voiced support for increasing the minimum age to buy semi-automatic weapons, spreading red-flag laws, expanding universal background checks and launching a national gun buy-back program.
"It is essential for youth to join this movement," said Hsu-Chen. "Youth leading the movement shows that we really care, and we care for our own lives. We just cannot let all of these shootings become the status quo."
Portland's march was certainly the largest, but it was not the only March For Our Lives gathering in Oregon. Events took place in Sherwood, Beaverton and Eugene, among other cities. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-metro-march-for-our-lives-rallies/283-6350bd2e-4e1c-4e01-a49d-d4becb19e1ec | 2022-06-12T04:31:04 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-metro-march-for-our-lives-rallies/283-6350bd2e-4e1c-4e01-a49d-d4becb19e1ec |
GRESHAM, Ore. — Fire officials confirmed on Saturday that federal investigators are looking into a "suspicious" fire at a pregnancy services provider in Gresham that started early Friday morning.
Firefighters responded to the Pregnancy Resource Center at 104 Northwest 11th Street around 2:30 a.m. on Friday, according to a spokesperson for the Gresham Fire Department. They saw smoke coming from the building, as well as some fire inside.
The flames were contained to one room inside the building and did not spread substantially beyond there, according to Gresham Fire. Damage to the building was moderate and likely repairable.
Some windows on the building had been broken, the spokesperson said.
The fire is being investigated by Gresham Fire, Gresham Police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Evidence is being collected at the scene and processed, Gresham Fire said.
According to the Gresham Fire spokesperson, there haven't been any similar suspected arsons in Gresham recently, and they're not aware of any other incidents targeting Gresham facilities like this one.
Pregnancy Resource Centers are operated by First Image, a Christian organization with several offices in the Portland metro area that provide services to women choosing to carry their babies to term. Unlike Planned Parenthood or the Lilith Clinic, these centers do not provide abortion care.
In a Facebook post about the Gresham fire, the group said it appeared an "incendiary device was thrown through a window." According to First Image, the Pregnancy Resource Center in Southeast Portland was also vandalized several weeks ago.
"The kind of outrage that’s being directed at us is based on a complete misunderstanding and misrepresentation of who we are and how we have served the hundreds of thousands of people that have come to us over the decade," First Image said in part. "This moment in our culture is volatile, and the spillover into violence is deeply destructive to the fabric of our communities." | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/suspicious-fire-federal-pregnancy-center-gresham-investigation/283-fe7dbe39-fc16-46c8-a743-813366360e10 | 2022-06-12T04:31:10 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/suspicious-fire-federal-pregnancy-center-gresham-investigation/283-fe7dbe39-fc16-46c8-a743-813366360e10 |
SAN ANTONIO — A weekend volleyball tournament at Area 51 Food Park is raising money for the victim families and survivors of the Uvalde mass shooting on May 24.
Emily Romero-Ellington and her friend Raeann Cruz are hosting the 3-on-3 competition with more than 20 teams playing.
"The people here they're like, 'We are here for the kids, for their families'," said Cruz.
The two women are using their love for the sport to share their heart with the small Texas town, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary.
"I knew there was something I had to do," said Romero-Ellington.
The tragedy also resonates with Romero-Ellington and her own family.
“This tragic event in Uvalde truly broke my heart, I know how much of a struggle it is to go through life with this being your first tragedy because my stepdad was in the Columbine shooting."
She said it took him years to cope with the 1999 tragedy.
"It wasn't until recently he started to learn better habits and get those resources," said Romero-Ellington.
In addition to raising money, resources are also part of the 2-day tournament. She said mental health professionals will be on site.
"It's not about staying down, it's about getting up. How do you do that? With people, with support."
The tournament continues Sunday at 5:30pm. Based on team registrations, up to $1,700 has been raised so far. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/weekend-volleyball-tournament-raising-money-for-uvalde-san-antonio/273-78aaf82e-9cd3-40e8-b60a-e29881cae044 | 2022-06-12T04:38:38 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/weekend-volleyball-tournament-raising-money-for-uvalde-san-antonio/273-78aaf82e-9cd3-40e8-b60a-e29881cae044 |
Arizona lottery numbers, June 11
Associated Press
These Arizona lotteries were drawn Saturday:
Pick 3
6-9-4
Fantasy 5
01-02-10-20-25
Estimated jackpot: $56,000
The Pick
03-17-19-23-25-39
Estimated jackpot: $1 million
Triple Twist
05-12-14-22-38-39
Estimated jackpot: $385,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $247 million
Powerball
18-20-26-53-69, Powerball: 5, Power Play: 2
Estimated jackpot: $229 million | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/11/arizona-lottery-numbers-june-11/7600954001/ | 2022-06-12T04:57:10 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/11/arizona-lottery-numbers-june-11/7600954001/ |
AMARILLO, Texas — A chupacabra? A person dressed in a costume? Sonic the Hedgehog?
The possibilities are apparently endless as people try to figure out what exactly was captured by cameras at one Texas zoo.
An image taken from Amarillo Zoo shows some sort of creature or object appearing to stand outside of a barbed fence.
The City of Amarillo took to Facebook to ask if anyone could identify the creature in the "strange image."
According to the city, the photo was captured around 1:25 a.m. on May 21.
"Do you have any ideas of what this UAO - Unidentified Amarillo Object could be?" the city wrote.
"Clearly a young werewolf... not a big deal," one person replied.
"Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy," another wrote.
What does the Amarillo Zoo think?
While the zoo didn't offer any guesses, it did respond to how popular the image has become.
"Of all the creatures at our well-loved zoo, it would be the unidentified one that would make us go viral," the zoo wrote in a Facebook post. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/amarillo-texas-zoo-strange-unidentified-creature/287-60a4d44d-1f7e-4a3d-bcbc-57abc6b2f41f | 2022-06-12T05:24:49 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/amarillo-texas-zoo-strange-unidentified-creature/287-60a4d44d-1f7e-4a3d-bcbc-57abc6b2f41f |
TIJUANA, Baja California — With the growing number of Muslim migrants in Tijuana, advocates raised money for a refugee shelter that finally opened its doors Saturday.
With the help of the Latina Muslim Foundation this is the first Muslim refugee shelter in Mexico. While Tijuana has several Mosques around the city, this is a housing shelter that also includes a place for prayers.
Its meant to accommodate 150 migrants and they can stay at the shelter for up to three months.
Living in a predominantly Catholic country where you are not familiar with the area or the language can be a scary time for any Muslim refugee living in a migrant shelter in Tijuana.
“The culture is different and the language is very different, so everything is just really hard,” said Salarzai.
Ilyas Salarzai from Afghanistan who is 21-years-old has been dealing with just that, he is Muslim and prays five times a day.
Salarzai says Mexico has been supportive, but being Muslim in this country can sometimes make it impossible for him to practice Islam.
He says it's because there are some migrants who don’t care to understand his culture and religion, making him feel unsafe to perform his daily prayers.
With the lack of resources and assistance for Muslim families, Latina Muslim Foundation have opened a mosque and refugee empowerment center.
It's in a warehouse about ten minutes away from the border and converted into a two-story shelter with offices for social workers and lawyers, a kitchen, restrooms, space for medical space, and a prayer room stocked with copies of the Quran.
This shelter will provide a place to pray while also offering housing and legal assistance.
“It came with a lot of challenges, being Muslim and a Latina in Tijuana trying to build a Muslim shelter was very difficult,” said Sonia Garcia, the president of Latina Muslim Foundation.
Every year the number of Muslim refugees living in Tijuana grows larger. Some of them live here by choice and others have either fled their country or are deportees seeking asylum.
Which is why this weekend the 8,000 square ft. shelter opened its doors and housed 30 migrants coming from Pakistan, Kenya, Afghanistan and other countries.
“It is a Muslim shelter, but anyone is invited to be in this shelter. Everyone who is looking for shelter is welcomed.” said Salarzai.
WATCH RELATED: Volunteers set up 'help area' inside Tijuana International Airport to assist Ukrainian refugees (April 2022). | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/first-muslim-refugee-shelter-in--opens/509-4ea4da04-4a5c-4da3-94da-d3eabade1be9 | 2022-06-12T05:24:56 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/first-muslim-refugee-shelter-in--opens/509-4ea4da04-4a5c-4da3-94da-d3eabade1be9 |
Community meeting
Greensboro’s Transgender Task Force will hold its monthly community meeting at 6 p.m. June 15. Participants and the public can join the meeting via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/96773126553#success, using meeting ID 967 7312 6553, or call 301-715-8592.
The task force was created with the support and direction of the human rights department to address the varying needs of the transgender communities in Greensboro. The task force examines rules, policies and procedures that create discriminatory barriers for those who identify as transgender. The success of the task force is based on community participation by those who are directly affected. For information, call 336-373-2038.
Book discussion
An outdoor discussion of “Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts” will be offered from noon to 1 p.m. June 17 at the Kathleen Clay Library, 1420 Price Park Road in Greensboro. Participants should bring seating.
People are also reading…
In this book, African American ornithologist and Clemson University professor J. Drew Lanham shares his fascination with birds as well as compelling experiences being a Black birder. Copies of the book can be loaned from the branch. If unable to attend in person, a Zoom link is available. To register, email melanie.buckingham@greensboro-nc.gov.
Seeking input
The city of High Point will host a drop-in review session for residents on June 14 at High Point City Hall to give feedback and ask questions about the proposed draft of the sign ordinance. The meeting will start at 4 p.m. with a brief presentation by city staff, and then staff will be available until 7 p.m. for residents to ask questions.
The city released the draft of the sign ordinance for public review in May. It can be reviewed on the city’s website at www.highpointnc.gov/signs. Comments and questions can be submitted to signordcomments@highpointnc.gov. Comment forms will also be available at the meeting and will be accepted until June 30.
After June 30, the comments received will be reviewed and considered prior to completing the public hearing draft, which will be presented to and considered by the planning and zoning commission and City Council. The public hearing draft will be posted on the website for review before the hearings.
For information, call 336-883-3328.
Theater auditions
Creative Greensboro, in partnership with Goodly Frame Theatre, will hold auditions for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” by William Shakespeare, from 7 to 9 p.m. June 13-14 at Greensboro Cultural Center. Auditions will be held by appointment only. Visit www.creativegreensboro.com for more information and to schedule an audition.
Creative Greensboro and Goodly Frame Theatre seek a racially diverse, multigenerational cast ages 10 and older. A short, memorized Shakespeare monologue is preferred for auditions. Those without a prepared monologue will be asked to read a scene from a script provided at the audition. Headshots and resumes are recommended but not required. In-person rehearsals will be held evenings and weekends as schedules permit, with performances Aug. 4-7. The Summer Shakespeare program is a volunteer performance opportunity.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be performed in various locations in downtown Greensboro’s Southside neighborhood. Actors and audiences will travel together to discover why “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays.
For information, call 336-373-2974.
Seeking applicants
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office is seeking qualified applicants to join its detention staff and will offer two information sessions on how to become a certified detention officer with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office at 6 p.m. June 15-16. Each session will be held at the sheriff’s administrative office, 400 W. Washington St. in Greensboro.
Guilford County is offering a $4,000 signing bonus for detention officers.
To sign up for a session, call 336-641-3387.
Bike Tour June 18
The Greensboro History Museum and community partner Bicycling in Greensboro will offer a free, family friendly guided bicycle tour highlighting some of East Greensboro’s political pioneers at noon June 18 leaving from the museum, 130 Summit Ave. Discover people and places that helped reshape what democracy looked like in Greensboro.
Learn about Zoe P. Barbee, the first woman elected as a Guilford County commissioner, Greensboro’s first Black Councilperson, Dr. William Hampton and Justice Henry Frye. The tour honors the Juneteenth holiday and coincides with the museum’s new exhibition, NC Democracy: Eleven Elections. The exhibition explores choices and change over 11 elections between 1776 and 2010. Visitors can encounter objects, images and expert takes illustrating the twists and turns of who could participate, how voters cast their ballots, and what influenced decisions that continue to shape what democracy means today.
Check-in for the ride starts at noon and the 5-mile tour departs at 12:30 p.m. Participants can expect to return to the museum by 2 p.m. Registration is required at https://bikegso.org/Pedals-and-Politics. Bring your own bike and helmets are required. A number of free or discounted Blue Duck bikes will be available by emailing Nicole.Lindahl@bikegso.org.
More activities take place after the ride, as Greensboro History Museum, Greensboro Parks & Recreation and Greensboro Public Libraries celebrate Juneteenth 2022 from 2 to 4 p.m. in and around the museum with free activities, crafts, giveaways, blacksmithing demonstrations, book recommendations and more.
For information, call 336-362-7112.
Home Run for Homelessness
In collaboration with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Partners Ending Homelessness will host its 12th annual Home Run for Homelessness event at 6:30 p.m. July 30 at First National Bank Field in Greensboro. This family friendly event is designed to increase awareness and understanding of homelessness in Guilford County.
This year’s honorees are Open Door Ministries and Leslie’s House of West End Ministries, which help shelter the homeless in Guilford County.
For information about sponsorship opportunities, call 336-553-2715, Ext. 1003 or email kentia@partnersendinghomelessness.org.
To promote this event and bring awareness of homelessness in Guilford County, a community feeding event and collection of hygiene supplies will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. June 18 at the High Point Public Library, 901 N. Main St. in High Point.
The outreach is in partnership with Acts Ministries, A Legacy of Hope and the library.
Send press releases to people@greensboro.com. | https://greensboro.com/business/local/community-briefs/article_1cc59f7e-e838-11ec-82d1-7bea2e7b452b.html | 2022-06-12T05:31:56 | 1 | https://greensboro.com/business/local/community-briefs/article_1cc59f7e-e838-11ec-82d1-7bea2e7b452b.html |
Three Rivers Ambulance Authority expects to provide some relief to county emergency medical service providers once it is fully staffed in a couple of months.
The ambulance authority, also known as TRAA, has made several changes in the past year, many of them focusing its limited number of paramedics on calls that require their advanced training. The organization has also started training medics at its Hayden Street campus, paying the students while they learn.
Joel Benz, who was a paramedic for the ambulance authority and Parkview Hospital with 20 years of experience, was appointed as TRAA’s executive director in September. The previous director, Gary Booher, retired after 32 years in the position.
Benz said the changes have made a difference, even if the effects have yet to be felt by some. County fire chiefs have demanded relief from city officials after two years of increased runs from their respective rural communities into Fort Wayne when city ambulances aren’t available.
Last year, the ambulance authority’s board approved an emergency declaration that followed several months in which its contractor, PatientCare EMS Solutions, was out of compliance for unacceptably slow response times. The first responders must arrive at top-priority emergencies within 8 1/2 minutes more than 90% of the time to remain in compliance with its contract. Priority emergencies include heart attacks and life-threatening injuries.
The last time the city medics came close to hitting that goal was in March 2021 with an 88.8% compliance rate. The compliance rate was 70% when Benz was approved to take over in September, and compliance was last reported at 77% in May, according to data from the ambulance authority.
Benz said the number of medics being trained by the ambulance authority is more reflective of the direction the organization is headed. Currently, more than 20 medics are in orientation, but the organization will be up to 75 full-time medics once they are released.
The ambulance authority will be fully staffed once it hits 80 full-time employees. Benz said he thinks that will alleviate the current strain, and he’s looking for more possible solutions to help area responders in the meantime.
“We’re, I think, going to have probably about two more months here, really, of some pretty tough times,” Benz said. “Once we get through that, I think we’re going to be in a really, really good spot.”
The factors that will contribute to the ambulance authority’s long-term success go beyond staffing, Benz said.
About a year ago, the ambulance authority went to a two-tiered system, which has allowed the agency to prioritize calls where it sends paramedics. Benz said that change was needed because of how the emergency medical services industry has changed.
When Benz started as a medic, most of the staff were paramedics with advanced training. Benz said he watched that trend move to organizations having about half of staffs with advanced training.
Now, most of the ambulance authority staff is mostly made up of medics with basic life support training. Two-thirds of the full-time staff Benz reported to the board in May were emergency medical technicians without advanced training.
The disparity was larger with the May orientation group. Only three of the 15 medics in orientation were paramedics.
The reasons people call for emergency medical services have also changed over the years, Benz said. About 60% of the ambulance authority’s runs don’t require paramedics.
Before implementing a two-tiered system, each ambulance was manned by a paramedic. Now, ambulances with medics are sent to incidents that don’t require top-priority emergency treatment, Benz said.
The ambulance authority has also adjusted how paramedics are dispatched. Paramedics can now be stationed in areas of the city where they will likely be most needed in a sports utility vehicle. When a high-level emergency is dispatched, a paramedic can meet an ambulance at the scene.
Benz used an example of having six paramedics stationed in areas around the city, allowing paramedics to be closer to emergencies than the ambulance authority’s downtown hub.
Many Fort Wayne Fire Department firefighters are also trained as paramedics. The Allen County Fire Chiefs Association has suggested that the city fire department look into getting licensed to transport patients instead of being restricted to treating them on the scene.
Fort Wayne Fire Chief Eric Lahey said this month that the department is not interested in that idea.
“It’s not how the emergency system in our community is designed,” Lahey said. “Also, having our department transport patients would pull our crews off of fire responses and lead to longer response times on the top priority of our department, which is to save lives and property in fire emergencies.”
Benz said he understands the county fire chiefs’ concerns. The county emergency workers have responded into the city when municipal ambulances weren’t available hundreds of times over the last two years.
The summer is the busiest time of year for emergency calls, and all responders are worried about conserving resources.
“It’s a no-win situation,” Benz said.
The ambulance authority board has hired a consultant to evaluate emergency medical services in Fort Wayne to see if any other actions should be taken within the city’s resources. Washko and Associates is a New York-based agency that specializes in emergency medical services and public safety.
The $80,000 price tag will be split evenly between the ambulance authority and the city.
Benz said he looks forward to hearing the consultant’s feedback, which will likely be reported in a few months.
“One thing we do not want to be in is a situation where this happens again,” Benz said. “Right?” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/city-ems-organization-expects-relief-for-other-providers-in-two-months/article_b77e554c-e8e7-11ec-a345-bf6255b58ba8.html | 2022-06-12T05:36:46 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/city-ems-organization-expects-relief-for-other-providers-in-two-months/article_b77e554c-e8e7-11ec-a345-bf6255b58ba8.html |
Economics have played a significant role in creating the dearth of lawyers for government jobs, sources said.
Andrew Cullan, director of public policy and communications for the Indiana Public Defender Commission, said that when he graduated from law school, only the top students received offers from major firms, which pay the most. People looked at government positions when they had no other offers. But now, he said, almost every law school graduate receives an offer from a significant firm and accepts it. Three years in law school is expensive.
“They are severely burdened by student loans,” Cullan said. “It’s hard to blame a graduate for feeling they’re not in a position to take a public service job.”
Allen County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Mike McAlexander said not only do government positions pay less than established firms, salaries haven’t kept up with inflation. That’s the same with most government jobs, such as in the Department of Child Services, he added.
Federal Public Defender Michelle Kraus said higher positions in government might pay well, but lawyers have to work their way up to them.
When it comes to looking for new hires, “we’re trying to be a little more aggressive,” McAlexander said.
The prosecutor’s office is attending career fairs and looking out of state. The problem with hiring attorneys from outside Indiana is that they haven’t passed Indiana’s bar exam.
Reciprocity is difficult, he said. Each state has its own bar exam, which includes detailed questions on state law.
McAlexander also isn’t willing to hire just anyone who applies to his office. When looking for employees, “we’re trying to maintain standards,” he said.
Even when prosecutors’ offices are fully staffed, the workload has increased over the years, McAlexander said. There are phone records, social media, body cams, DNA and surveillance videos to look for.
“Nowadays, just getting through all the video can take days,” he said.
Prosecuting attorneys have an ethical obligation to share evidence that could help a defendant’s case and must make sure they haven’t overlooked something that could clear a defendant.
“The damage if we don’t do our job could be significant,” McAlexander said. “And we take that responsibility very, very seriously.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/a-good-lawyer-is-hard-to-find/article_c8d42e3e-e900-11ec-bcfd-3308542b7755.html | 2022-06-12T05:36:52 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/a-good-lawyer-is-hard-to-find/article_c8d42e3e-e900-11ec-bcfd-3308542b7755.html |
Allen County, like most of the country, has a backlog of trials that were delayed by the pandemic.
Now, the courts are trying to catch up.
“Due to the COVID shutdowns in 2020 and 2021, the trial schedule is approximately six months behind,” said John McGauley, Allen Superior Court executive. When the shutdowns ended, social distancing requirements slowed the ability to conduct trials.
The delays cause problems for defendants, victims and their families, said Stacey Davis, part of the leadership team for Justice, Accountability and Victims Advocacy, also called JAVA. The local group seeks justice for all involved in the legal system.
Davis waited more than three years for the man who murdered her son, Codi McCann, to be found guilty and sentenced. Quentin Stewart went to trial in December 2019 for the December 2016 fatal shooting. He was sentenced a month later to 70 years in prison.
Continuances in the case were triggered after the first public defender resigned just before the trial’s original date then again when the replacement public defender resigned.
Such delays, she said, are frustrating and irritating.
State vs. federal
“The backlog in state court is astounding,” Federal Public Defender Michelle Kraus said. She represents defendants facing federal criminal charges.
Allen County and the surrounding counties are getting by “but just barely,” she said. Allen County, as part of Indiana’s county court system, conducts criminal trials when state charges are filed.
At the federal level, cases are not backed up, said Kraus, who serves the U.S. Northern District of Indiana. Kraus was an Allen County public defender from 1993 to 2019 and interim Allen County chief public defender for the state before transitioning to the federal system in 2020.
“In the federal system, it’s not been bad because they just stopped charging people,” Kraus said. Cases rolled over to state level.
Federal courts mostly handle cases dealing with drugs or felons with firearms, which could also be state-level offenses. Bank robbery and child pornography are often federal cases but are more rare.
During social distancing, the federal court in Fort Wayne often conducted hearings via video, as did the county. The federal court also conducted trials using a video feed, Kraus said.
U.S. District Court Judge Holly Brady resumed in-person hearings in July 2020, as soon as she was able to. Keeping federal cases moving through the courts eased any backlogs, Kraus said.
When Allen Superior Court resumed in-person trials, social distancing requirements made selecting juries difficult, McGauley said.
William Lebrato, Allen County’s chief public defender, said having to change the jury selection process contributed to the case backlog. The courts weren’t able to assemble as many prospective jurors in the same place at one time, and jurors sat spaced apart in the spectators’ seats instead of in the jury box.
The distancing meant the court could conduct only one major trial a week instead of the usual two, Lebrato said. Allen County’s courts returned to conducting two trials a week this month; however, they’ll start on different days because the courts still enforce some distancing requirements.
One judge would have jury selection Monday and the trial itself Tuesday, and another judge would have jury selection Tuesday and start Wednesday.
Allen’s advantage
Many state and federal courts are short on public defenders, which adds to the backlog. Allen County officials say that’s not been a problem here, however.
“I’ve been lucky,” Lebrato said. Although his office lost about six public defenders during the pandemic, some attorneys moved back to Allen County. Lebrato has filled the vacated positions.
Public defenders are lawyers paid for by the state or federal government to represent defendants who can’t afford to hire an attorney. This is done to meet the requirements of the U.S. Constitution’s Sixth Amendment, which addresses trial rights including assistance of counsel, and the 14th Amendment, which covers due process.
“I’ve talked to chief public defenders all across the state,” Lebrato said, adding that the problem seems worse in the larger counties.
In Indiana, public defenders are paid a flat fee monthly for the cases they handle, often while maintaining their own practice. “Some smaller counties are paying competitive wages with a much smaller caseload,” Lebrato said.
Indiana was warned about this at the state level in 2016 by the nonprofit Sixth Amendment Center. That advocacy group delivered a 228-page review, but Indiana officials haven’t adopted any of the recommendations.
“COVID hasn’t caused any problems that weren’t already there,” said Jon Mosher, deputy director of the Sixth Amendment Center. “In many jurisdictions, there are more people requiring representation than there are lawyers.”
County courts can opt out of state oversight, which means public defenders’ workloads and their time spent on each case isn’t watched, Mosher said. Indiana also pays a monthly fee for defenders who essentially work part time, which Mosher thinks is a conflict of priorities.
“The more time they put into an appointed case, the less time they have for their own practices,” he said.
Davis, from JAVA, believes a consequence is that Allen County defendants accused of lesser felonies and misdemeanors aren’t getting enough time from public defenders.
“The ones that we have are so overworked, they can’t communicate with clients,” she said.
Davis said that leads to defendants stuck in the county jail being unable to reach their lawyers and accepting plea agreements without adequate legal guidance.
Hunting unicorns
Candidates for open public defender positions are hard to find.
“There’s an overall lawyer shortage in Indiana,” said Andrew Cullan, director of public policy and communications for the Indiana Public Defender Commission.
Only four of the state’s 92 counties meet the 100% threshold of having enough attorneys to handle residents’ needs, he said. Allen County has only 50% of the necessary lawyers, according to figures from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
When a county loses a public defender, those remaining need to pick up extra cases.
“It’s clearly a domino effect if one or two public defenders are gone and cannot be replaced,” Kraus said.
County prosecutors are also having trouble finding qualified people.
“What we’re hearing anecdotally around the state is everybody’s struggling,” said Mike McAlexander, Allen County’s chief deputy prosecutor. “We’ve had difficulties meeting staff levels to what we want.”
Law schools are graduating fewer students, compared with 2008 when there was a glut, McAlexander said. Enrollments are down, and the number of Indiana law schools has decreased.
“At one point, we had five,” he said. “Now, we’re down to three.”
Valparaiso University’s law school closed when the class of 2020 graduated, and Indiana Tech Law School’s program ended in 2017 after only four years. That leaves Notre Dame and Indiana University’s schools in Indianapolis and Bloomington. And Notre Dame considers itself a national school, McAlexander said.
Law schools usually close after losing accreditation because not enough graduates pass the bar exam each year. Kraus said law schools created a surplus 10 to 15 years ago, during the recession, by lowering standards. Now they’re “upping their game” to ensure they have students who will pass the bar exam, she said.
McAlexander said that even when Valparaiso’s law school was open, many of its students looked at nearby Chicago for jobs, so that produced fewer Indiana lawyers.
Most professions have that situation in Indiana, Cullan said. People educated here leave the state for better positions. Indiana wants to retain people, but that takes funding, he said. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/still-recovering-courts-need-to-catch-up-on-cases-after-covid-19-social-distancing-caused/article_e47e17cc-e84b-11ec-b085-7f10b8e31cbe.html | 2022-06-12T05:36:58 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/still-recovering-courts-need-to-catch-up-on-cases-after-covid-19-social-distancing-caused/article_e47e17cc-e84b-11ec-b085-7f10b8e31cbe.html |
The chart lists crimes through June 6 investigated by the Fort Wayne Police Department including burglaries, robberies and thefts from vehicles. Because of the department’s reporting policies, an attempted robbery or burglary is classified as an actual robbery or burglary, respectively. The listed addresses are those where crimes were reported and are not necessarily where the crimes occurred.
Sector 1B
6/2/22 11:50 p.m. Robbery 200 E Fourth St.
Sector 4B
5/31/22 1:26 a.m. Theft from vehicle 200 W Wayne St.
5/31/22 9:35 p.m. Theft from vehicle 200 E Main St.
Sector 12
6/1/22 Midnight Theft from vehicle 1600 W Fourth St.
6/4/22 8:00 p.m. Burglary 1 600 Boone St.
Sector 13
6/6/22 11:10 p.m. Burglary 2900 Goshen Road 13
Sector 14
6/5/22 6:30 p.m. Theft from vehicle 1500 Colony Drive 14
Sector 15
6/1/22 5 p.m. Burglary 400 W. Essex Lane
6/6/22 2 a.m. Theft from vehicle 500 Stratton Road
Sector 16
5/31/22 4:29 a.m. Robbery 5900 Lima Road
Sector 18
6/5/22 1 p.m. Theft from vehicle 9800 Dupont Lakes Drive
Sector 21
5/31/22 4:51 a.m. Robbery 3100 E. State Blvd.
5/31/22 6:51 a.m. Burglary 1900 Hillside Ave.
5/31/22 5:00 p.m. Theft from vehicle 1600 Stanley Ave.
6/1/22 1:43 p.m. Theft from vehicle 1400 Lake Ave.
6/6/22 12:57 p.m. Theft from vehicle 700 E. State Blvd.
Sector 22
5/31/22 Midnight Theft from vehicle 3200 Walden Run
6/4/22 1 a.m. Burglary 4700 Heatherwind Drive
6/6/22 4 a.m. Theft from vehicle 3500 Chancellor Drive
6/6/22 8:20 a.m. Robbery 2400 N. Coliseum Blvd.
Sector 26
6/1/22 9:58 a.m. Theft from vehicle 6400 St. Joe Road
6/1/22 10 p.m. Theft from vehicle 6500 St. Joe Road
6/1/22 11 p.m. Theft from vehicle 6500 St. Joe Road
6/5/22 4 p.m. Theft from vehicle 4900 Woodford Drive
6/5/22 8:00 p.m. Theft from vehicle 4900 Woodford Drive
Sector 28
6/1/22 1 a.m. Theft from vehicle 9400 Kildare Crossing
Sector 32
5/31/22 10:00 p.m. Theft from vehicle 400 Rose Lane
Sector 33
6/3/22 4:30 p.m. Burglary 3100 Brooklyn Ave.
Sector 36
6/2/22 10:45 a.m. Burglary 900 Pointe Center Cove
Sector 41
6/1/22 2 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1100 Eliza St.
6/1/22 6:30 a.m. Burglary 800 E Lewis St.
6/5/22 10 a.m. Burglary 1400 Dubois St.
Sector 42
6/3/22 10:32 p.m. Robbery 1600 E Pontiac St.
6/5/22 Midnight Theft from vehicle 100 E. Masterson Ave.
Sector 43
6/4/22 12:55 a.m. Burglary 3100 New Haven Ave.
6/4/22 7:30 a.m. Theft from vehicle 3000 McCormick Ave.
6/4/22 11:28 a.m. Burglary 3600 New Haven Ave.
6/5/22 1 p.m. Burglary 2600 Edsall Ave.
6/5/22 5:30 p.m. Theft from vehicle 3300 Chestnut St.
Sector 44
6/5/22 7:15 p.m. Robbery 3000 Bowser Ave.
Sector 46
5/31/22 6:30 a.m. Burglary 3800 Euclid Ave.
6/3/22 4:30 p.m. Burglary 2000 Mckinnie Ave.
6/4/22 8:00 p.m. Burglary 2500 Marcy Lane
Sector 47
6/1/22 6 p.m. Theft from vehicle 8100 S Anthony Blvd.
Sector 48
6/5/22 3 a.m. Robbery 6000 Hessen Cassel Road
Sector 63
6/3/22 12:38 p.m. Burglary 3800 Sleepy Hollow Lane
Sector 64
6/1/22 2:28 p.m. Burglary 3500 Torch Lake Drive
Sector 65
6/2/22 11 p.m. Theft from vehicle 4700 Coventry Parkway | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/crime-reports/article_4fd07196-e78e-11ec-984e-ebd0ef32c960.html | 2022-06-12T05:37:04 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/crime-reports/article_4fd07196-e78e-11ec-984e-ebd0ef32c960.html |
Saturday’s Wiener Dog Nationals contest was just as fun for people watching as it was for some of the dogs racing in it, possibly more so.
“They’re so small and so cute and so wienery,” said Tessa Jones of Fort Wayne, who went to Germanfest with Kegan Mrozinski. It was the couple’s first time seeing dachshunds race.
Mrozinski said it was “definitely a good time.”
There were hundreds at Headwaters Park West watching the dachshunds run through grass high enough to tickle some of their bellies.
Melanie Anderson of Warren also saw it for the first time but came up specifically for the race. She captured a lot of the action on her phone.
“It’s cute to see all the little dogs that have awards and championships – the hardworking dogs,” Anderson said. She liked “seeing how they all react to everything.”
She even started considering getting a dachshund.
Most of the 54 wiener dogs scurried enthusiastically down the race track as soon as their owners released them. To entice the runners, someone at the finish line coaxed them with a favorite toy or treats, including cheese and beef jerky.
The dachshunds raced two at a time, down tracks about the length between Little League bases. To keep the dogs from veering into the crowd or each other, the tracks were marked off by chicken-wire fences.
Some dachshunds still wandered away at the starting line, trying to make friends with the people and dogs in the crowd, and others tried to make friends with the dogs racing next to them. Other dachshunds stopped mid-race, captivated by scents. A few turned around halfway, confused by the commotion, while a handful refused to leave their owners.
The winner was 12-year-old Rocko of Fort Wayne. This was his fourth year participating but his first win. “He’s gotten pretty close each time,” owner Emily Mead said.
The announcers noted Rocko’s intensity at the starting line. He instantly focused on Mead at the finish line.
“I was giving him ham – ham and his favorite toy,” Mead said. “He’s my best friend, so I know he’ll run fast to me.”
They had no special training routine except “he likes to run,” she said.
Rocko’s final competitor was a young challenger from New Haven, 3-year-old Henry. Henry participated in the last Wiener Dog Nationals, before COVID-19 restrictions, when he was 6 months old, owners Drew and Renate Guise said. He won only the first heat that year.
Their secret this time was the pup cup ice creams one vendor sold, one of Henry’s favorite things waiting for him at the finish line.
“We go to the New Haven Dairy Queen all the time,” Drew Guise said. “He loves that.”
Renate Guise said they entered Henry “mostly because we think he’s fast. But we’re biased.”
His practice consisted of two runs Friday. They didn’t enter Henry until 8:30 p.m. Friday, when they learned they had the day off.
Among the other handlers, Charlotte Sawyer and her daughter Megan Sawyer trained 4-year-old Winston in their Bluffton yard, racing him along a sidewalk under the clothesline. This time he won some of his heats, but last time he ran back to the starting line when the crowd cheered.
Charlotte Sawyer said they participate “just for the enjoyment. It’s fun to do.”
Some people brought their dachshunds for socializing. Lilly Barton, 14, of Wabash and her mother, Tiffany Barton, brought two of their four dachshunds – Cap’in’ Jack and Sloane – “just to get them out and used to people,” Lilly said. Some who didn’t participate this year were also seeing how their dogs reacted.
Zuzu, one of the low-slung racers, was a dabbled dachshund, black with light brown head markings similar to those of a Doberman pinschers. Some of the dogs looked like stereotypical dachshunds with short, rusty brown fur, but others had long hair. The colorings included spots and mottlings. Some competitors were in svelte shape, while others enjoyed the good life of naps and food, their owners said.
Joe Metter of Fort Wayne didn’t expect much of first-time racer, 10-year-old Bitsy.
“He’ll probably lose because he’s fat and old,” Metter said, jokingly. “As long as there’s my wife or food at the end, he’ll go as fast as he can.”
Bitsy won his first heat.
Afterward, Joy Metter teased back. “How dare you not believe in our dog,” she said. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/downtown/wiener-take-all-germanfests-wiener-dog-nationals-race-returned-for-2022/article_67b1626e-e9d9-11ec-bdc8-ffda41c20f84.html | 2022-06-12T05:37:10 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/downtown/wiener-take-all-germanfests-wiener-dog-nationals-race-returned-for-2022/article_67b1626e-e9d9-11ec-bdc8-ffda41c20f84.html |
Retiree Donna Bay remembers when.
The Yoder resident says there was a time when things were unique and cookie-cutter designs were only found in a bakery.
“You’d see a car and say, ‘there goes a ’57 Chevy,’ but it’s not like that now,” she said. “That’s why I love these homes.”
Bay and others took in distinctive designs Saturday during the Historic Harrison Hill Home & Garden Tour.
Residents were invited to visit several homes in the south Fort Wayne neighborhood that last fall gained a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Harrison Hill Historic District spans West Rudisill Boulevard to South Cornell Circle and Pasadena Drive from north to south and from South Calhoun Street to Hoagland Avenue and Webster Street from east to west.
Harrison Hill includes more than 200 homes built between 1915 and 1940, mostly by Hilgeman & Schaaf of Fort Wayne, featuring Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, American Four Square and Craftsman Bungalow architectural styles.
“Look at all of these houses,” Bay said, gesturing and gushing over a row of properties along South Cornell Circle on a sunny Saturday morning. “They’re all unique. I just love home tours, and I’ve been going to them for 40 years.”
Rick and Robin Harris bought their two-story home built in the 1930s eight years ago, and moved in Halloween.
It was scary.
“Coming from a small town, we’ve never done anything like this,” he said of owning a historic home. “There were kids outside trick-or-treating but we didn’t have any candy because we were busy moving in.”
Visitors to the Harris’ house, 343 S. Cornell Circle, raved about the two-story, light-gray homestead with more than a dozen windows and lots of natural lighting.
“It’s adorable,” one onlooker said before entering.
“It’s just quaint,” another said.
Robin Harris said she didn’t mind opening her home to “strangers.”
“One of my friends asked me that, but I don’t feel that way,” she said. “This is a chance to (showcase) the neighborhood.”
The Harrises said they bought a few pieces of furniture to get spiffy for the home tour, but the home was move-in ready when they took occupancy in 2014.
Alex and Caitlin Krouse, president and vice president of the Harrison Hill Historic District, moved into their 1918 Colonial Revival two-story six years ago.
The brick home at 3940 S. Harrison St. features original woodworking, classic windows and refurbished hardwood flooring. The house is highlighted with a portico and supporting wood columns.
Caitlin Krouse said the last Harrison Hill home tour was in 2015.
“We wanted to have one every five years, but then the pandemic hit,” she said of the event that raises money for neighborhood improvement through ticket sales and other event activities.
“This was something for people to come out and see what we have to offer.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/harrison-hill-homes-tour/article_e93e9478-e99d-11ec-9a1a-4f19fdb6c717.html | 2022-06-12T05:37:16 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/harrison-hill-homes-tour/article_e93e9478-e99d-11ec-9a1a-4f19fdb6c717.html |
Some might expect the title of mayor to come with endless perks, but Fort Wayne’s Tom Henry joked he still has to fight for a spot on the popular bench swings at Promenade Park.
Henry and city officials detailed plans for the second phase of riverfront development at a news conference Wednesday. The new construction on the north side of the St. Marys River will feature an extension of the elevated Tree Canopy Trail, boat docks for private watercraft, a universally accessible bouldering mound, a hammock grove, walking trails and landscaping.
Officials also highlighted some of the surrounding private developments, such as the $88.7 million mixed-use project across the street from Promenade Park. Henry said residents continue to be excited by all of the development along the riverfront.
“It’s no longer just trying to fight for the swings over here at Promenade Park,” Henry said.
A row of bench swings lines the river, and they have proved to be one of Promenade Park’s most popular features, he said.
“And I lose that fight most of the time,” Henry joked. “I pull the mayor’s card, and it doesn’t work at all. They don’t want to give up their swings.”
Henry joined the roar of laughter before turning back to riverfront development.
“But that tells you something,” he said. “More and more people are realizing what Promenade Park and its amenities have to offer.”
AFL-CIO’s favorites
The Indiana State AFL-CIO announced its endorsements for the 2022 general election.
The endorsements, announced last week, are based on voting records, in-person interviews and responses to a questionnaire sent to all candidates. Affiliates of the Indiana State AFL-CIO reviewed this information and voted for the candidates they think best embody the labor movement’s values.
Democratic state Rep. Phil GiaQuinta of Fort Wayne and Kyle Miller, Democratic candidate for the newly drawn House District 82 representing downtown Fort Wayne and surrounding neighborhoods, were the only local state legislative candidates to receive the AFL-CIO endorsement.
The group also backed Democrats Thomas McDermott Jr., the mayor of Hammond, for U.S. senator; Gary Snyder for 3rd District U.S. representative; Paul Steury for 2nd District U.S. representative; and Destiny Wells for secretary of state.
“Workers across the country are organizing and Indiana is no exception. We need elected leaders who share our values and are willing to protect workers’ rights,” Indiana State AFL-CIO President Brett Voorhies said.
“The Indiana labor movement has come together, studied the candidates, and made endorsements because we believe these candidates will be a voice for working Hoosier families,” he said in a statement. “We fight for candidates who fight for us, so we’ll do everything we can to ensure they’re elected this November.”
CASA support
U.S. Sen. Todd Young is a Republican from Indiana. Sen. Sherrod Brown is a Democrat from Ohio. But both have reached across the aisle, at least in this case.
Their bipartisan resolution recognizing specially trained volunteers who advocate in courtrooms and other settings on behalf of child survivors of abuse, neglect and abandonment passed the Senate at the end of May.
The CASA Volunteers’ Day Resolution honors Court Appointed Special Advocate and Guardian Ad Litem volunteers for their life-changing work with children. This resolution recognized June 6 as “CASA/GAL Volunteers” Day.
“Indiana is lucky to have CASA/GAL volunteers serving 88 Hoosier counties to give every child the opportunity to thrive,” Young said in a statement. “It’s our job to make sure these volunteers are supported so they can continue to positively change the lives of our nation’s most vulnerable children.”
Court Appointed Special Advocates and Guardians Ad Litem operate in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Their network includes 950 state and local programs that support more than 93,000 volunteers and 242,000 children.
In addition to Young and Brown, the resolution was cosponsored by Republican Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a news release said.
“Every young person deserves a safe and stable place to call home – and so many more have that home now, thanks to the work of Ohio’s CASA/GAL volunteers,” Brown said in a statement. “Even in the midst of a pandemic, volunteers in Ohio served almost 10,000 children last year and continue to play a vital role by helping protect and support foster youth every single day.”
Jim Chapman of The Journal Gazette contributed to this column. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/mayor-cant-get-a-swing-at-promenade-park/article_52b141a4-e786-11ec-9211-a338f4b542df.html | 2022-06-12T05:37:23 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/mayor-cant-get-a-swing-at-promenade-park/article_52b141a4-e786-11ec-9211-a338f4b542df.html |
Fort Wayne Community Schools didn’t rush the budgeting process for its $158 million allocation of federal emergency relief.
The Indiana Department of Education released estimates for the last round of funding last spring, but FWCS was still developing spending plans as of six months ago, said Kathy Friend, FWCS chief financial officer. Shaped by the district’s top leaders and facilities personnel, the budget includes strategies to close educational gaps and upgrade buildings to better serve FWCS should another disease outbreak happen.
Friend said FWCS intends to spend every penny.
“We have a deliberate plan on how that’s going to get done,” she said.
Indiana’s COVID-19 relief school spending dashboard now offers more insight on how districts are using federal dollars meant to help schools prevent, prepare for and respond to the disease. The online resource has included spending categories – instruction, support services, operations and facilities – since late May.
Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education, said Indiana is one of the first states to provide such a publicly available dashboard.
It reflects three rounds of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, also known as ESSER, and the federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief funding, or GEER, the Indiana Department of Education said. ESSER dollars were proportionally allocated to districts based on the federal Title I formula, the department said, while GEER grants were competitive.
Districts are reimbursed once they spend the money on approved expenses.
“Local education leaders are working hard to invest these dollars intentionally and strategically,” Jenner said in a statement. “The impactful investment of these funds continues to drive student learning, educator support, sustainable innovation, and updates to technology and infrastructure that may promote success of our Indiana students.”
Billions to use
Indiana schools received $2.8 billion in allocations, with Indianapolis Public Schools and FWCS receiving the biggest shares at $213 million and $158 million, respectively. That amounts to $9,299 per pupil in those Indianapolis schools and $5,565 per pupil at FWCS, the dashboard said. Both districts received GEER grants.
Meanwhile, $35.8 million was allocated to East Allen County Schools, which received GEER funding, and about $5 million was allocated to each Southwest Allen County Schools and Northwest Allen County Schools, which did not receive GEER dollars.
Statewide, the dashboard shows $1.2 billion is budgeted for instruction, which includes summer school, enrichment and remediation programs; $565 million for facilities; $470 million for support services; and $257 million for operations, which includes maintenance and student transportation.
Initially, Friend said, the dollars helped FWCS address critical COVID-19 needs, such as buying masks and sanitizer.
The federal grants – both GEER and ESSER – are also helping FWCS make technology purchases that otherwise would have taken the district years to achieve, Friend said. The roughly $17 million FWCS plans to spend on technology is not only making it possible for students to work remotely and equipping them with tools they can use while in school, she said, but it is also providing money to hire technology personnel, such as network technicians.
The funding comes with rules, including spending benchmarks to address learning loss. At FWCS, the dollars are supporting summer school, professional learning and additional teachers to reduce class sizes, Friend said.
Slow to spend
The spending dashboard showed the dollars remained largely unspent statewide as of Thursday, with $2 billion awaiting reimbursement. For example, the Indianapolis schools and FWCS had spent only 7% and 22%, respectively, of their allocations.
However, the dashboard doesn’t necessarily reflect actual expenditures – just reimbursement claims processed by the state education department. For example, it shows EACS has spent 16% of its $35.8 million allocation, but district spokeswoman Tamyra Kelly said it was in the process of getting about $30 million in reimbursements across the three rounds of ESSER funding as of June 1.
EACS’ federal dollars went toward items including technology, social emotional learning, personal protective equipment, plumbing upgrades and projects to improve indoor air quality, Kelly said. Like other local districts, EACS also awarded stipends to employees who worked through the 2020-21 academic year. Kelly said that totaled almost $1.4 million.
Friend, the FWCS finance official, acknowledged people might question the unspent funds. For districts such as FWCS that got substantial amounts, it takes longer to exhaust that much money, she said, and there isn’t an immediate hurry because spending deadlines stretch into 2024.
The first deadline is Sept. 30 and affects both categories of the emergency relief funding.
Of the other local districts, the dashboard showed NACS has spent the highest percentage of its share, 53%. It has depleted its first two rounds of funding, which supported various personnel costs, including salaries of people who supported and trained teachers who provided remote learning, according to a spending summary on the district’s website.
SACS – which hasn’t touched the third round of allocations – has spent 35%.
Friend expects “big movement” in FWCS’ reimbursements this summer as the district tackles facility projects.
FWCS has earmarked almost $75 million – or 47% of its total allocation – for facilities, the dashboard shows. The funds are supporting projects including classroom additions, a Nutrition Processing Center expansion to increase the district’s food-storage capacity and air-quality improvements.
With bids coming in high, FWCS also is directing COVID-19 dollars to certain aspects of referendum-funded projects, including the Wayne High School renovation. For example, Friend said, using ESSER money to pay for Wayne’s ventilation upgrades gives officials more flexibility with referendum spending. If not for this federal money, she said, FWCS might not be able to do everything it planned.
Friend used another funding source to maximize the district’s ESSER dollars. In 2020, she applied for money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for masks and sanitizer – items immediately needed to address health issues at schools.
She finally got the $722,667 check last month.
“You really had to be persistent to make that one work,” Friend said.
Although FWCS has every federal COVID-19 dollar budgeted, Friend understands plans might not work out as expected. Actual costs can differ from those budgeted, she said, and plans to hire additional employees could be hampered by a lack of candidates.
In those cases, Friend said, FWCS might have to brainstorm new ideas to get the money spent. But, she said, “I don’t think (that) will be difficult for us to do.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/fwcs-seeks-not-to-waste-federal-emergency-relief-funds/article_860054aa-e696-11ec-b105-ab17c1e26d09.html | 2022-06-12T05:37:29 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/fwcs-seeks-not-to-waste-federal-emergency-relief-funds/article_860054aa-e696-11ec-b105-ab17c1e26d09.html |
March 19, 1947 - June 8, 2022
SCHERERVILLE - Carmen Celia Delgadillo, 75, of Schererville, IN passed away peacefully on June 8, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.
Carmen is survived by a legacy of family members; husband of 54 years, Jose Delgadillo; and two children: Rene (Irma) Delgadillo and Bibi (Marc) Escobedo; grandchildren: Marc (Catherine) Escobedo, Michael (Erica) Escobedo, Christopher (Adeline) Delgadillo and Jacob Delgadillo. Beloved siblings: Maria Lopez, Milagros (Mario) Palacios, Pedro Rodriquez and Lilly (Melvin) Vega; as well as many nieces; nephews; cousins; and dear friends.
She is preceded in death by parents: Pedro and Celia Rodriguez.
Carmen was born on March 19, 1947, in Santurce, Puerto Rico and is formerly of East Chicago, IN. She was a devoted member of The Legion of Mary for 33 years. The Family would like to express a special thank you to Dr. Mohamad Kassar and the entire staff at Northwest Cancer Centers for taking such wonderful care of Carmen.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 12:00 P.M. DIRECTLY AT St. Patrick Catholic Church, 3814 Grand Blvd., East Chicago, Indiana with Rev. Diego Florez officiating. Visitation will be at the church from 10:00 A.M. until time of service. Burial to follow at Mount Mercy Cemetery in Gary, Indiana.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Patrick's Church in East Chicago.
A live stream of the service will be available at https://m.facebook.com/PastorSPat/
Solan Pruzin Funeral Home entrusted with services. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/carmen-celia-delgadillo-nee-rodriguez/article_010f8f95-84d0-57a0-a9b3-cd306d339b21.html | 2022-06-12T05:55:45 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/carmen-celia-delgadillo-nee-rodriguez/article_010f8f95-84d0-57a0-a9b3-cd306d339b21.html |
Dec. 18, 1924 - May 27, 2022
CHICAGO - Caroline Smith (December 18, 1924 - May 27, 2022) was one of the best people in the world and certainly the best mother.
A life's richness is not judged by the amount of money earned, the number of homes possessed, or even the number of prestigious titles held. It boils down to one thing: how many lives are touched. Against this standard, Caroline was richer than Elon Musk.
Caroline had many roles in life - daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, and grandmother. Each of these roles were colored and deepened by her other characteristics: strength, thoughtfulness, stoicism, nurturing, selflessness, determination, and wisdom.
As a daughter and a sister, family was everything to Caroline.
She was born on December 18, 1924 in Chicago. Just before Christmas.
Her parents were Liberty and Lucille Licata, both of whom were born in Sicily. She had three brothers: Sam, Vic, and Frank. She was the only girl until her parents adopted her sister, Carol Ann.
Caroline grew up in an Italian family where everyone loved their pasta. In fact, they ate pasta several times a week. Her dad, Papa, as he was called, always said, "Italians are always willing to feed you, but just don't ask for money."
Caroline also grew up during a time when boys went to college and girls did not. Despite being double-promoted and being smarter than her brothers, she did not attend college.
She loved her brothers fiercely. And, this is where her selflessness comes in. As a young girl, she mothered and cared for her youngest brother, Frank. She found herself doing the same for Frank as he retired and his health declined and he lost his eyesight. She would drive to his house every Sunday and take him out to lunch, help him go through his mail and organize his papers.
As she grew older, Caroline wanted a family of her own. She met Harold at a dance. Caroline was a great dancer in the years following World War II. Every week, she and her girlfriends would go to the numerous dance halls that dotted Chicago during that time. Harold had been in the Navy in World War II and moved to Chicago after the war to become a welder.
They dated for nine - yes, nine - years during an era when people got married sooner rather than later. With time ticking away and great desire to have a family of her own, Caroline's determination kicked in. She eventually agreed to get married in a civil ceremony. And she never looked back - because Caroline's true calling was to be a mother.
After graduating Harper High School in Chicago at the age of 16, Caroline went to work at Spiegel's headquarters at 1038 W. 35th Street. She worked for 20 years as an office worker until she became pregnant with her daughter, Mary. It was a time when women could not continue to work if they were pregnant. Thus, ended her office career and began her wonderous career as a mother.
This is where Caroline's wisdom kicked in. Some parents try to solve all their children's problems and fight all their battles. Not Caroline. When one of Mary's kindergarten classmates stole her coat on a rainy day, both mother and daughter exhibited their stubbornness. Mary refused to beg or cajole to get her coat returned. Mary complained to Caroline, expecting her mother to take care of the situation for her. Instead, Caroline merely put her arm around Mary and her umbrella over Mary's head and took her home from school. She did not confront the classmate's mother. A few days later, the coat was returned dry cleaned. Mary, while a little damp, learned to be independent and to fight her own battles, lessons for which she is eternally grateful to Caroline.
As Caroline entered her 40s, she thought that one child would be her destiny. But, during a visit to her doctor, she was joyfully surprised to learn that she was once again pregnant. Pamela was born, and Caroline threw herself into motherhood once again. She loved Pamela so much and was so proud of the woman and mother she became.
As a wife, Caroline worked to make her husband happy. She took care of the house, and even assisted Harold when he did manual tasks such as patching the roof. When her neighborhood friends saw her up on the roof with her husband, handing him shingles, they said, "Caroline, you are crazy". But, for Caroline, that is just what you did in a marriage.
After Harold retired, they moved to Southern Illinois where Harold was born. The city girl became a farm girl without missing a beat. After Harold succumbed to lung cancer and Caroline became a widow, her stoicism carried her through. She did not feel sorry for herself. She did not get depressed. She got a new life.
Moving back to the Chicago suburbs after losing her husband, Caroline built a new life that could not have been envisioned while she was married. She became a social butterfly with outings every day of the week. Pokeno on Tuesdays and Fridays. Senior citizen lunches on Wednesdays. Breakfasts with her friends on Saturdays.
She was able to travel with Mary and Pamela to Rome, Sicily, Paris, New Orleans, New York, and Hawaii. Her favorites were the Vatican and visiting the chapel in Assisi in Italy.
The heart of all her activities, however, was her involvement in Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPs). Caroline had struggled with her weight all her life (see pasta above). Every Thursday night was her TOPs meeting. For many years, Caroline served as leader of her TOPs chapter where she planned meetings, kept the books, and most importantly, encouraged and inspired her chapter's members. She was constantly making calls and sending handwritten notes to discouraged friends who were not losing weight. She was also able to travel with her good friend Carole to the TOPs regional and national meetings. She got to see the entire country from D.C. to Connecticut to South Dakota to Colorado. In fact, literally the day before Caroline died, her friend, Brenda, who would have quit TOPs years earlier without Caroline's encouragement, finally reached her goal weight. Caroline was helping her friends to the very end. And, years earlier, Caroline herself achieved her weight loss goal and became a "KOP."
When Caroline became a grandmother or "nana" to Pamela's daughter, Iris, she was overjoyed. She loved Iris so much and would do anything for her, from traveling cross-country by herself to be with Iris for her birthday to gamely going on an alligator tour in New Orleans because that is what her granddaughter wanted.
There was nothing more important to Caroline than family and friends. She wanted all her family and friends to know that she loved them all. We are particularly grateful to Jeanette Richardson for taking good care of Caroline for the last five years, and, for our new friend, Jamie Griffin, for taking care of her "little sugar." The family would also like to thank Caroline's neighbors, Bryan and Vicky Paliga, for all their help and kindness.
Visitation will be held Saturday, June 18, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Burns Kish Funeral Home, 8415 Calumet Ave., Munster, IN. Following visitation, a brief service will be held at 12:30 p.m. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/caroline-smith/article_5e417d76-9b2a-53e3-93c4-0adbfadc2192.html | 2022-06-12T05:55:51 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/caroline-smith/article_5e417d76-9b2a-53e3-93c4-0adbfadc2192.html |
Oct. 31, 1947 - June 7, 2022
FORT WAYNE - David Stewart Wallace, age 74, passed away on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. David was born October 31, 1947, in Union, NY to the late Onolee Jean (Harvey) Wallace and Reverend Donald Stewart Wallace. He is also preceded in death by his infant twin grandchildren.
David was a US Army Veteran and retired from US Steel after a 35 year career. He was a member of Faith Baptist Church where he and his wife, Roseann, were married and they attended as a family. David was also a member of Calumet Crank Club with his wife and Allen County Woodworkers Club. He also enjoyed building model planes and flying them with his friends. He had a passion for woodworking and would turn bowls, pens, and other crafts as well as building a log home. He also painted watercolors, wrote poems and humorous stories, and cross stitched on work breaks. He had a great sense of humor and took the good natured ribbing from his coworkers in stride. David was also a lover of nature and animals and particularly enjoyed bird watching. The family would take many camping and hiking trips and he would always be concerned to move turtles across the road.
David is survived by his wife, Roseann Lee (Lynch) Wallace; children: Jessica Skiver (Timothy), David Wallace Jr. (Lexi), and Chrishna Wallace Kasputis; sisters: Bonnie Carson (David), Diane Cullison, and Cheryl Steward (Ed); and grandchildren: Emily Skiver, Zoe Skiver, Skylar Wallace, Hannah Wallace, Willow Wallace, John Wallace, Amanda Wallace, and Jesse Wallace.
A private family remembrance gathering for David will be held. A public celebration of life will be held in the near future in Valparaiso. David will be laid to rest privately at a later date in Marion National Cemetery, Marion, IN and will always be present at his favorite trail in Turkey Run State Park.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in David's memory may be made to National Audubon Society, 225 Varick Street, 7th floor, New York, NY 10014, act.audubon.org. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mccombandsons.com for the Wallace family. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/david-stewart-wallace/article_cd20a7f7-eb2b-51f8-b559-ac6ee1950fde.html | 2022-06-12T05:55:57 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/david-stewart-wallace/article_cd20a7f7-eb2b-51f8-b559-ac6ee1950fde.html |
Aug. 20, 1951 - June 7, 2022
VALPARAISO - Deborah Elaine Will, 70, of Valparaiso, IN, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. She was born August 20, 1951, in Chicago, IL to the late Herbert and Dorothy (Miller) Diamond.
Deb had a fulfilling career as a caregiver for those with special needs. She was also a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. Deb enjoyed watching movies with her friend, Karen, traveling, and taking her dog, Molly, to the dog park. She was passionate about her beliefs, and always fought for what was right, especially for the people she served in her career. Deb will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who will be dearly missed.
Deborah is survived by her loving children: Robert (Tiffaney) Will of Las Vegas, NV, Heather (Brian) Arnold of Springfield, IL, Amanda (Richard) Cwetna of Valparaiso, IN; granddaughters: Shayla, Jazmine, Madilyn, Megan, Zoie, Macie; brother, Jay Diamond; nieces and nephews: Kimberly, Cheri, Marcy, Randy, Candy; and special friends: Karen and Jay.
She was preceded in death by her sister, Barbara Darlin; and nephew, Robert Darlin, Jr.
A visitation will be held on Friday, June 17, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 2610 N. Campbell St., Valparaiso, with a memorial service beginning at 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Deborah's name to Christ Lutheran Church. Moeller Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/deborah-elaine-will/article_ae783190-d2c6-5777-ac34-1ecd22d1592d.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:03 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/deborah-elaine-will/article_ae783190-d2c6-5777-ac34-1ecd22d1592d.html |
April 25, 1929 - Dec. 15, 2021
RICHMOND - Ideal Battle-Spellers, passed away on December 15, 2021. She was born on April 25, 1929, in Hurstboro, Alabama to Carrie and Fletcher Battle Sr. She was raised by her grandmother Sophie Battle.
Ideal was raised in East Chicago, Indiana. She worked in factories, the school system and as a nurse's aide. She attended East Chicago Washington School system, she was baptized at an early age, a member of Zion Missionary Baptist Church where she was a faithful member, awarded the mother of the Church, sang in the choir and always studied her bible. She was a collector of newspaper articles; she should have been a history teacher.
Ideal married William Spellers on July 15, 1950, to this union three children were born: Carrie (Tom) Williams, Linda Kay Spellers, who passed away at the age of three, and James Spellers; grandchildren: Lorin and Brittany Williams; brother, Fletcher (Wyona) Battle Jr., of Port Allen, Louisiana; special cousins: Hattie Spellers and Aileen Gray; longtime relative, Betty Doty; a very large host of friends from her church congregation; neighborhood friends; and a host of cousins; family; and friends.
She was preceded in death by her daughter; parents; her grandmother; uncles: Samuel Battle and Joseph Battle.
Memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Zion Missionary Baptist Church, East Chicago, Indiana 46312. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/ideal-battle-spellers/article_a86dac41-0ec4-5c50-9ee7-4e2efbdb794a.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:09 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/ideal-battle-spellers/article_a86dac41-0ec4-5c50-9ee7-4e2efbdb794a.html |
Dec. 11, 1940 - June 5, 2022
SUN CITY WEST, AZ - James "Sam" Michael Manolakis of Sun City West, AZ.; Crown Point, IN.; formerly Gary IN. Departed this life on June 5, 2022. Affectionately known as Sam to his family and friends, Sam spent his early years growing up in Gary IN, Sam graduated from Horace Mann High School in 1959 and honorably served his country in the United States Air Force, traveling the world as part of his duty. Sam spent his career in US Steel's accounting department, retiring in the early 1990's after making many lifelong friends and working alongside his beloved wife, Joan.
Beginning in leagues at the Supervisor's Club, Sam remained passionate about golf throughout his adult life, golfing regularly with friends and family. He and Joan retired in Arizona to enjoy the game and he even landed a hole-in-one in his 70's. Sam's hobbies included daily walks, caring for his dogs, traveling with Joan and visiting with family and friends. For those that knew Sam, his contagious, deep laugh and thoughtful conversation will be missed most dearly.
Sam is survived by his wife of 44 years, Joan (Amos); daughter, Michele Hayward of Michigan; stepdaughter, Boyann (Alfred) Bonjean of Crown Point; brother, R. Michael Manolakis of IN; sister, Connie Zaharias of Hebron IN; grandchildren: Nathan Hayward and Angela McNeely of Michigan, Michael Ellch (Angela Spadoni) of Chicago, IL, Daniel (Prerna) Ellch of Pflugerville, TX; and great-grandchildren: Madison McNeely, Remy, Tosca and Maximus Ellch. He also cherished his nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his parents: Michael and Gwendolyn (Molden); son, James Manolakis of Michigan; brothers: Harold and John; sister, Mary Skezas Simpson.
A celebration of life event will be held at a future time. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/james-sam-michael-manolakis/article_dbdd2f7d-d943-5014-a8ad-1a6a2e822b53.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:16 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/james-sam-michael-manolakis/article_dbdd2f7d-d943-5014-a8ad-1a6a2e822b53.html |
Jan. 3, 1937 - May 18, 2022
VALPARAISO, IN - Katalin Kallay, 85, of Valparaiso, a well-known violinist and teacher in the area died on Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
She was born January 3, 1937 in Budapest, Hungary. As a small child, she experienced the horrors of WWII, survived the Siege of Budapest, the complete destruction of her home, the oppression of Soviet occupation, and deportation by the Communist regime.
In their constant effort to suppress any semblance or suspicion of resistance and maintain absolute control, the regime forcibly removed tens of thousands of Hungarian citizens from their homes. Machine gun equipped guards transported these people, declared to be "class enemies", to remote eastern corners of Hungary with the ultimate destination to be Siberia. These were intellectuals, former land and property owners, professional people, members of the former military elite, and the aristocracy. Such "class enemies" were declared to be not members of the "socialist working order" and needed to be eliminated. Katalin and her family were among these deported people and were guarded, deprived of any livelihood or income, and anyone attempting to contact with them placed himself in mortal danger.
The death of Stalin brought some changes in government policy. Then the 1956 Hungarian Revolution happened, the mines were dug up along the border with Austria, and Katalin with her parents and the many thousands of other persecuted Hungarians made their way to the West. The family settled in Italy where Katalin was able to continue her violin studies begun in Budapest.
After obtaining a M. Mus. Degree at the famed S. Cecilia Music Conservatory in Rome, she married Dr. Ferencz P. Kallay, Professor of Geography at Valparaiso University, and together they established their home in Valparaiso. Some years later she earned a M.A. in Modern Foreign Languages from Notre Dame University and taught German and English in the Michigan City Area Schools high schools for many years. Following her husband's death, she returned to the violin and for decades played professionally with the Southwest Michigan Symphony, the LaPorte Symphony, the Whiting Festival Orchestra and some others. She had many private students in her studio and played for many years in the String Quartet Conferences of the Manhattan String Quartet. Her own string quartet was not only a private joy but also performed in various venues for the more than 15 years of its existence. In her later years, she resumed playing bridge with friends and spent many wonderful afternoons playing the game.
Katalin always felt she had an extraordinary life, touched directly by the events of history. It was a complete, rewarding, albeit often challenging life rich with contentment, joy, and accomplishments.
She leaves behind two children, four grandchildren, many friends, colleagues, as well as relatives and special friends in Budapest.
Cremation and private interment were held.
MOELLER FUNERAL HOME is entrusted with arrangements. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/katalin-kallay/article_6723882d-d3ff-5b7a-b45a-2e57adead26c.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:22 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/katalin-kallay/article_6723882d-d3ff-5b7a-b45a-2e57adead26c.html |
SISTER LAKES, MI - Kenneth C. Rahn "Smokey", age 77, of Sister Lakes, MI, formerly of Lansing, IL. Passed away suddenly Thursday, June 2, 2022.
Smokey is survived by his wife of 52 years, Sharon (Vanderhoek); his four children: Jeffery Rahn (Dawn), Kimberly Stemple, Valerie Voss (Frank), and Amy Boshears (Dave); eleven grandchildren: Alexandra, Eric, Kristina, Danielle, Kaylee, Ryan, Juliana, Luke, Jacob, Jackson and Addyson; four great-grandchildren: Anthony, Isaiah, Noah and Brielle; as well as his brother, Russ Rahn.
Friends may visit with the family on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at the Schroeder Lauer Funeral Home, 3227 Ridge Road, Lansing, IL from 3:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Funeral Service for Smokey will be held Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at 10:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Burial for Smokey will be private. He will be laid to rest at Oak Glen Lutheran Cemetery in Lansing, IL.
Smokey retired as Lieutenant from the Lansing Police Department, Smokey also drove thousands of miles with countless groups as a charter bus driver including his most favorite passengers, the Notre Dame football team. He also enjoyed 50+ years bringing joy to others as Santa. He was loved by so many and will be missed by all.
The family welcomes donations to Reflectors Ministry of Faith Church Highland (8910 Grace Street, Highland, IN) as an expression of sympathy instead of flowers. Reflectors Ministry cares for individuals with special needs, and Smokey was proud of the ministry and its work. www.schroederlauerlauer.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/kenneth-c-smokey-rahn/article_bdc9ff3d-114d-523d-bd6d-73ed2f0162fd.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:28 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/kenneth-c-smokey-rahn/article_bdc9ff3d-114d-523d-bd6d-73ed2f0162fd.html |
HAMMOND/GRIFFITH - Leroy Harris, age 84, of Hammond/Griffith, Indiana, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 4, 2022.
Leroy is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, JoAnn; four children: Mickey (Lisa) Harris, Kelly (Toby) Jamison, Scott (Jody) Harris, and Kasey (Jason) Kendall; grandchildren: Andrew (Megan), Tyler, Madison, Shannon (Mick), Ava, Dylan, and Kaiden; great-grandchildren: Landon and Jamison; sister, Lena Kraus; sister-in-law, Jeanne Cvitkovich; brother-in-law, John R. (Kathy) Cvitkovich; and numerous nieces; nephews; and cousins that adored him.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at St. James Catholic Church, Highland, IN with Father Gregory Bim-Merle officiating. Visitation will take place at 10:00 a.m. until the time of the mass at 10:30 a.m. at Church.
Leroy was born in Aiken, IL and moved to Hammond in 1944. He graduated from Hammond Tech in 1957 and then proudly served in the Indiana National Guard. Leroy and JoAnn were married in January 1961 and he became a father in December of that same year. A vital part of their marriage and family life was the consistent and sincere practicing of their Catholic faith. After 42 years in the steel industry he retired from Bethlehem Steel in 2000 and sincerely missed his "Crew of Brothers" and the work he loved. Leroy and JoAnn also shared a passion for collecting and restoring antiques. He will always be remembered for his wit and charm but his devotion to our family will be forever cherished. A special thank you to the wonderful Community Hospital 3rd Floor West/ICU staff and to the professional, caring staff at the William J. Riley Hospice Residence in Munster.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Leroy's memory are requested to Hospice of the Calumet Area, 600 Superior Ave., Munster, IN 46321 or to St. James Catholic Church, 9640 Kennedy Ave., Highland, IN 46322. To send an online condolence, logon to: www.fifefuneralhome.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/leroy-harris/article_1782f6a5-08ca-5666-8509-c4bede4bd11e.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:34 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/leroy-harris/article_1782f6a5-08ca-5666-8509-c4bede4bd11e.html |
Jan. 27, 1929 - June 9, 2022
Marilyn Jean (Miller) Lembke, age 93, passed away peacefully on June 9th, 2022 to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She was born on the 27th of January, 1929 to Paul and Cecil (Beu) Miller, the fourth of seven children. She attended Valparaiso High School, class of '47, served as class secretary and went on to work as a secretary for school superintendent King Telle and for her husband's business, Indiana Gift and Import.
On July 31, 1949, she married her loving husband of 53 years, Max Lembke who preceded her in death in 2003. Also preceding her in death are her brothers; Frederick "Fritz" (Midge) Miller, Harold "Jiggs" Miller, Martin (Barb) Miller, Robert "Bobby" Miller; and sisters: Dorothy "Dot" (Wally) McCormack and Helen "Dutch" (Robert) Zimmerman; brother and sister-in-law: Charles and Marge Lembke; son-in-law, Tim Neary; and step-granddaughter, Julie Owen.
Although Marilyn's faith in God was the guiding light in her life, family always came first. Her Christmas Eve open house and 4th of July celebrations will be forever remembered by all who attended and it gave her great joy to host all her family and friends. She will be greatly missed by her Prince of Peace Church family of which she was a charter member, President of the Ladies SMS guild and served on the alter guild. She loved to sing and used her beautiful soprano voice with the choir to praise God for all her blessings. Marilyn is survived by her children: Lisbeth Neary of Bedford, IN, Dennis Lembke of Valparaiso, Robert "Boomer" (Leslie) Lembke of Prescott, AZ; grandchildren: Christian (Crystal) Lembke of Wanatah and Caitlyn Lembke of Valparaiso: step-grandchildren: Jennifer (Tim) Kluska of LaPorte, John Neary of LaPorte and Joel Neary of Elkhart; sisters-in-law: Arlene Miller of Valparaiso and Nancy Mowbray of Rhode Island; daughter-in-law, Beth Lembke; step-grandson, Tom Owen; 16 step-great-grandchildren; nine step-great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be Monday, June 13, 2022, at Moeller Funeral Home, Valparaiso from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 234 W. Division Rd., Valparaiso, with burial to follow at Angelcrest Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Prince of Peace Altar Fund. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marilyn-jean-miller-lembke/article_5fd377e0-b243-503a-85b2-bd59c1a082bf.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:40 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marilyn-jean-miller-lembke/article_5fd377e0-b243-503a-85b2-bd59c1a082bf.html |
DYER - Mary Kilgallen Holzhall, beloved wife and mother, passed away on June 9, 2022.
Married to Vern Holzhall for over 60 years, Mary was an inspiration to her five children: Elizabeth, Cheryl, Karen, Vern and John; as well as to her five grandchildren; her extended family; and her friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and her brother, John J. Kilgallen, S.J.; and sister, Carol Kilgallen Meyer.
From an early age, Mary was an inveterate traveler, taking her family on fascinating trips, and, as a travel agent, creating wonderful adventures for her clients. She and her husband saw the world, traveling to six continents during their lifetime.
Funeral services will be held at St. Maria Goretti Church in Dyer, on June 17, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., and the family will be available beforehand.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the St. Maria Goretti Food Pantry. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/mary-kilgallen-holzhall/article_d0b6b846-5825-512f-9f74-1c9c6f13f0fe.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:47 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/mary-kilgallen-holzhall/article_d0b6b846-5825-512f-9f74-1c9c6f13f0fe.html |
Sept. 3, 1925 - June 6, 2022
MERRILLVILLE - Melvin "Kelly" Kellenberger, age 96, passed away peacefully in his home in Merrillville, IN on Monday, June 6, 2022. He is survived by his loving wife of 75 years, Shirley; his two daughters: Valerie (Brian) Grimes and Lori (Bryan) Reinhart; and his four grandchildren: Brittany, Logan, Jessica, and Max.
Kelly was born on September 3, 1925, in Monon, IN to Roy and Blanche Kellenberger. He was always a hard worker, supporting his family from the age of 10. In 1943, at just 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent most of World War II assigned to an aircraft carrier, the USS Copahee, as a signalman. Little did he know that his knowledge of Morse code would be used later in life to entertain his grandchildren by tapping out messages.
Upon discharge in 1946, Kelly received four medals for his service. But his proudest achievement was just beginning. Kelly met Shirley in August 1944 in San Francisco, California. It was love at first sight. They wrote letters to each other throughout the war and were married in 1947 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They were about to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary in August 2022.
The couple moved back to Indiana in 1950. He enrolled at Valparaiso University, with dreams of becoming the best athletic coach in Indiana. Though he never coached, his search for work led him to Budd Company, where he worked for nearly three decades. After retirement, Kelly rekindled his love for sports at Crown Point radio as the sports director in 1980. Throughout his decade-long broadcast career, he recorded play-by-plays for more than 100 high school games per year. He was a passionate advocate for women's athletics and strove to provide broadcast coverage for local girls' teams.
Kelly was a fierce friend, a devoted husband and father, and a true gentleman. He was kind, generous, funny, spirited, and full of pride for his family - until his final days. His life was full of adventure - from endless road trips with his family to owning and piloting his own plane. He passed his spirit of adventure and his love of life to his daughters who, in turn, passed it on to their own children. He loved listening to music, playing his harmonica, recording (and endlessly rewatching) home movies, and learning new things about the latest technology.
His stories and good humor, his love for life, his shining example of true love, and his animal-shaped pancakes will be deeply missed.
Services private by family.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Foundation Fighting Blindness: fightingblindness.org
Burns Funeral Home (Hobart) entrusted with arrangements. www.burnsfuneral.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/melvin-kelly-kellenberger/article_451072f9-5e00-5911-90cf-e353c44613c7.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:53 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/melvin-kelly-kellenberger/article_451072f9-5e00-5911-90cf-e353c44613c7.html |
Nov. 12, 1979 - June 6, 2022
VALPARAISO - Michael Edward Fouts, 42, of Valparaiso, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, June 6, 2022. He was born November 12, 1979 in Hammond to Edward and JoAnn (Ditter) Fouts.
Michael graduated from Valparaiso High School in 1998 and received an associate degree from Purdue North Central in Computer Technology. His love of computers started as a child and grew with him into adulthood. Michael also loved spending time listening to music, camping with friends, and fishing. He was a great swimmer and loved the water and in his younger years participated in AAU Swimming where he earned a State Swimming medal in team competition. Michael was employed by Bee Liquors in Hobart where he was loved by both co-workers and customers who he enjoyed engaging with. He was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and grandson who will be deeply missed. Michael was a kind, caring, and compassionate person to everyone and he was deeply loved by his family.
Michael is survived by his parents: Edward and JoAnn Fouts; brother, Dr. Matthew (Dr. Michelle) Fouts; nephew, Maverick Fouts; and an unborn nephew on the way; grandmother, Barbara Ditter; and many loving aunts; uncles; cousins; and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandparents: John Ditter and Harold and Elaine Fouts.
A private service was held at Moeller Funeral Home. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/michael-edward-fouts/article_aadc33db-a8e6-5d40-bdf6-95ee5f4d42af.html | 2022-06-12T05:56:59 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/michael-edward-fouts/article_aadc33db-a8e6-5d40-bdf6-95ee5f4d42af.html |
CROWN POINT - Michael James Gorman IV (Mike), age 69, passed away at his home in Crown Point, on January 19, 2022, just shy of his 70th birthday from cancer. Born in Gary to Michael James Gorman III (Jim) and Patricia Ann Gorman (Wingeard).
He is survived by his wife, Janet Ann Gorman (Novosel); daughters: Margaret Ann Gorman, and Ann Louise Gorman; son-in-law, Curt Connolly; grandson, Gavin Scott Connolly; and brothers: Kevin Patrick Gorman and Timothy Charles Gorman.
Mike grew up in Hammond, where he graduated from Gavit High School in 1970 where he met his wife of 48 years on the tennis courts in Highland. He completed his electrical apprenticeship training with IBEW Local 697 in 1973. Mike retired in 2015 after 35 years as an electrician. Later in life, Mike became a beekeeper and founded Bee Mine Honey, selling his local honey in markets around Northwest Indiana and winning prizes for his excellent honey and bee products at the Lake County Fair. An avid fisherman, he spent his summers in Bemidji, Minnesota enjoying time with his grandson.
A funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m. will be celebrated on Friday, June 17, 2022, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 509 W Division Rd, Valparaiso, IN. The family invites you to a celebration of his life at Foundation Meadows Park, 3210 N Campbell Street, Valparaiso, IN from noon to 6:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Dunes Hospice LLC (www.duneshospicellc.com), Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (cholangiocarcinoma.org), or to the Valparaiso Parks and Recreation (www.valpoparks.org) native plants and Bee Hive projects.
Cremation by Burns Funeral Home of Crown Point, IN. He will be laid to rest at the Bohemian National Cemetery, 5255 N Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL 60630.
Burns Funeral Home entrusted with arrangements. www.burnsfuneral.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/michael-james-gorman-iv/article_c0dc172d-4b93-50fb-a0b7-f971bf150256.html | 2022-06-12T05:57:05 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/michael-james-gorman-iv/article_c0dc172d-4b93-50fb-a0b7-f971bf150256.html |
SAINT JOHN - Richard "Dyke" H. Dykstra, 82, of St. John, IN, passed into eternal life on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
Rich is survived by his loving wife, Shirley; children: Rick (Joellen), Tami (late Mark) Mulder, and Steve (Dee); grandchildren: Rich (Amy) Mulder, Andy (Alli) Mulder, Dana (Mitch) Corry, LaRae (Craig) Walker, Sam (Amanda) Dykstra, Jesslyn Dykstra, Luke (Jessica) Dykstra, Ben (Becca) Dykstra, Tony Dykstra, and Matt Dykstra; and 9.9 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents: Dick and Grace Dykstra.
Rich was loved by many and will be deeply missed.
Visitation will be held on Monday, June 13, 2022, from 4:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. at Emmanuel Christian Reformed Church, 22515 Torrence Ave., Sauk Village, IL. A committal service will take place on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 9:00 A.M. at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Lansing, IL followed by a funeral service at 10:30 A.M. at Emmanuel Christian Reformed Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Illiana Christian High School (10920 Calumet Ave, Dyer, IN 46311) or Hospice of the Calumet Area (600 Superior Ave, Munster, IN 46321). For more information, please call 219-322-7300 or visit our online obituary and guestbook at www.SMITSFH.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/richard-h-dykstra/article_1eec954f-94c4-59f5-a004-7d9d065cef26.html | 2022-06-12T05:57:11 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/richard-h-dykstra/article_1eec954f-94c4-59f5-a004-7d9d065cef26.html |
GARY, IN - Willie Mae Leonard, age 105, of Gary formerly of East Chicago, passed away on Sunday, June 5, 2022, at Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus in Gary.
Survived by one daughter, Regina Chandler; one son, Walter Leonard; five grandchildren: Angelo B. (Dr. Earline) Scott, Kenneth A. (Althea) Scott, Trudie (Samuel H., V) Ingram, Bernae (Harry) Johnson and David Tyner, II; goddaughter, Loretta Pugh; and a host of great and great-great-grandchildren; nieces; nephews; and other relatives; and friends.
Preceded in death by daughters: Mary W. Scott, Barbara Tyner and Mary Evans.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Friendship Baptist, 4756 Melville Avenue, East Chicago, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. prior to the funeral service. Rev. Carlton Barnes officiating.
Interment at Evergreen Memorial Park, Hobart.
HINTON & WILLIAMS FUNERAL HOME is honored to be of service to the Leonard family during their time of loss. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/willie-mae-leonard/article_ec72f902-9dc6-5b38-9f0a-4952aa7345f9.html | 2022-06-12T05:57:18 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/willie-mae-leonard/article_ec72f902-9dc6-5b38-9f0a-4952aa7345f9.html |
BURLINGTON, N.Y. - Fire Crews made quick work of a Friday night blaze. Otsego County Sherriff's say multiple fire departments and deputies responded to a structure fire in the town of Burlington.
It happened around 9:51 p.m. Friday night on County Highway 16.
Police say a man called 911 to report his home was on fire. After attempting to put it out himself, police say deputies in the surrounding area responded to the fire to assist the homeowner and make sure no one was inside the home. Several fire departments arrived on the scene to put out the fire afterward.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/fire-crews-battle-blaze-in-burlington/article_2a6c4b1c-ea06-11ec-ac74-c3dcea998baa.html | 2022-06-12T06:07:40 | 1 | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/fire-crews-battle-blaze-in-burlington/article_2a6c4b1c-ea06-11ec-ac74-c3dcea998baa.html |
Craig A. Low
September 20, 1948-June 9, 2022
OSAGE-Craig A. Low, 73, of Osage, died Thursday June 9, 2022.
A Celebration of Craig's Life will be held Tuesday, June 14, 2022, from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Post 278 in Osage. The family requests casual attire and if you wish, wear your Minnesota Twins gear.
Craig was born September 20, 1948 in Osage, the son Lloyd and Ann (Casey) Low. He lived in Osage, graduating from Osage High School in 1968. Craig began working at a early age with a paper route. In high school he worked at Farmers Produce, where he earned enough money to buy his first car a yellow VW Bug. He then began working for George Gast at Osage Feed and Seed. In the 1980's he started selling feed at the Osage Co-Op Elevator working there as the head of the feed department until his retirement. Craig was a huge Minnesota Twins fan, either watching or listening to nearly every game. He also enjoyed socializing with everyone
Craig is survived by his brother, Mike (Helen) Low of Mason City and their children, Chris (Beth) Low and Michele (Tom) Boone.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
www.schroederfuneralhomes.com Champion Funeral Home 641-732-3706 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/craig-a-low/article_3f698886-4e3d-578f-b8d2-32f0e24c58b7.html | 2022-06-12T06:15:21 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/craig-a-low/article_3f698886-4e3d-578f-b8d2-32f0e24c58b7.html |
Bert Alden Johnson, 84, of Mason City, died Friday, June 10, 2022 at MercyOne North Iowa Hospice. Arrangements: Hogan-Bremer-Moore.
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Bert Alden Johnson, 84, of Mason City, died Friday, June 10, 2022 at MercyOne North Iowa Hospice. Arrangements: Hogan-Bremer-Moore.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/death-notices/globe-death-notices/article_11292381-fe2d-5c58-8d8c-be08a52ee8e2.html | 2022-06-12T06:15:27 | 1 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/death-notices/globe-death-notices/article_11292381-fe2d-5c58-8d8c-be08a52ee8e2.html |
Estelle Elsa (Schneider) Treloar
March 28, 1919-January 5, 2022
Estelle Elsa (Schneider) Treloar passed away January 5, 2022, at the age of 102.
In loving memory, please join the family of Estelle, (1919-2022), to celebrate a life well lived, Saturday, June 18th, 2022, from 1pm – 4pm at Maritz's E-Keg, 815 W Congress Street, Nora Springs, IA. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/estelle-elsa-schneider-treloar/article_e20be954-bd29-568a-8463-45010f238b57.html | 2022-06-12T06:15:33 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/estelle-elsa-schneider-treloar/article_e20be954-bd29-568a-8463-45010f238b57.html |
Michael J. Lerdal
August 18, 1965-May 22, 2022
THORNTON-Michael J. Lerdal, 56, of Thornton was born August 18, 1965, to Ken and Shirley Lerdal, and passed away May 22, 2022 after battling cancer. Counsell Woodley Funeral Home is serving the family.
He graduated from Meservey-Thornton High School in 1983 and worked on various construction crews. He enjoyed crosswords, fishing, gambling and was an avid Cowboys fan.
He is survived by siblings: Terry (Deb) Lerdal, Jan (Danny) Cantrell, Judy Lerdal, sister-in-law: Barb Lerdal, Thornton, nieces, nephews, and numerous other relatives and friends.
He is preceded by his parents, sister Linda and brother Roger. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/michael-j-lerdal/article_90b2e38b-3019-5366-83c8-bd1247ebde07.html | 2022-06-12T06:15:39 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/michael-j-lerdal/article_90b2e38b-3019-5366-83c8-bd1247ebde07.html |
Robert "Bob" D. Baack
August 17, 1929-June 8, 2022
Robert Baack, 92, of Britt died Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at his home.
A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m., Friday, July 15, 2022, at First Lutheran Church in Britt with Pastor Anna Wolf officiating. Inurnment will be at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Memorials may be directed to Gateway Hospice, Britt Fire Department, West Hancock Ambulance Service or First Lutheran Church. Cataldo Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. www.cataldofuneralhome.com | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/robert-bob-d-baack/article_a28db208-a067-5929-8b47-c9dcdf502a28.html | 2022-06-12T06:15:46 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/robert-bob-d-baack/article_a28db208-a067-5929-8b47-c9dcdf502a28.html |
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — The Roseville Police Department says the search is on for a suspect after a person was taken to the hospital following an assault at a water park in the 1800 block of Taylor Road in Roseville.
Public Information Officer Rob Baquera with Roseville police said the call of the assault came in just after 7 p.m. Saturday.
Baquera says the person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
"At this time, we do not believe a gun was involved in the incident," Baquera wrote in an email to ABC10. "RPD is working to identify a suspect in the incident and the details leading up to the assault."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Roseville Police Department at 916-774-5000. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/roseville/assault-at-a-water-park-in-roseville/103-149d317e-b3e4-4008-aaca-1b6dd3123e22 | 2022-06-12T06:56:06 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/roseville/assault-at-a-water-park-in-roseville/103-149d317e-b3e4-4008-aaca-1b6dd3123e22 |
Demonstrators march against gun violence in Bradenton amid rain
BRADENTON — A group of about 60 demonstrators, led by Women's Voices of Southwest Florida, rallied and marched to the Manatee County courthouse steps Saturday morning, calling on lawmakers to address the recurring gun violence in America.
Following a downpour before the start of the scheduled march, which was initially expected to draw over 200 demonstrators, organizers distributed signs to attendees during the 1.5-mile walk from Bradenton Riverwalk to the historic courthouse. Each sign had the names of the 49 victims of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando, including one local man — Eddie Sotomayor Jr.
Calls for stricter gun regulation and background checks for semi-automatic gun purchases were amplified at the rally on the courthouse steps. Other attendees brought personal signs that urged lawmakers to 'save our children,' referencing the recent school massacre in Uvalde, Texas.
Florida state House District 70 candidate Eleuterio 'Junior' Salazar addressed the few dozen attendees, expressing his thoughts on not only the gun violence but the recent legislation that he believes affects the mental health of many Floridians.
"I don't want to be the guy that gets the bad news that his baby doesn't get to come home," Salazar said.
Salzar, who has family in Texas, says that the shooting at Robb Elementary School in the southwestern Texas town of Uvalde left him at a loss for words.
"The entire state of Texas is devastated by that tragedy; we lost 19 children. Nineteen families didn't get to hug their babies, tuck them in that night or even ask them how school was. That shouldn't be the norm."
Women's Voices of Southwest Florida co-founders, who organized this march that coincided with at least two dozen in Florida and hundreds of other nationwide on Saturday, say they will continue to fight against gun violence and targeted attacks on marginalized communities. Leading up the march on Saturday, Sarah Parker said that the group is bringing awareness to a number of issues in addition to gun violence.
"We've been at a tipping point, we've been tipping since George Floyd, and it seems like there is something happening every day. Now, it's all getting to a boiling point because kids are being harmed," she said.
"It's election time we should go out and vote in droves and make sure we have some civil gun laws."
Samantha Gholar covers social justice news for the Herald-Tribune and USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at sgholar@gannett.com or on Twitter: @samanthagholar | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/manatee/2022/06/11/march-rally-against-gun-violence-organized-womens-voices-southwest-florida-call-change/7585137001/ | 2022-06-12T07:00:20 | 1 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/manatee/2022/06/11/march-rally-against-gun-violence-organized-womens-voices-southwest-florida-call-change/7585137001/ |
TUPELO • The North Mississippi chapter of the American Red Cross is rebuilding in-person connections after two years of making a digital difference.
The Tupelo office of the nonprofit disaster relief organization is settling into its new routine after reopening to the public in May. As the chapter headquarters, the new building signals a reset for the chapter overall.
The North Mississippi chapter staff includes a fundraising team, volunteer services, operations, head volunteer for service to Armed forces and state relations executive. There are two additional offices in Columbus and Greenville.
Since most of the team is spread throughout Mississippi and Alabama, the chapter frequently uses collaboration days like the one held last Wednesday morning. From a spacious conference room inside the new headquarters, Executive Director KC Grist and disaster program specialist Steven Havens hopped on a nearly 40-minute conversation focused on increasing its presence in the 31 counties the North Mississippi chapter serves.
Recruiting its disaster action team (DAT) is a key focus. Chapter leaders are working to establish volunteer leadership networks and DATs in order to have a presence in each of its counties.
“One of the things that happens right now is, say there’s a fire in a particular county, and we don’t have volunteers in that county,” Grist said. “Well, it delays the response if someone’s got to come from an hour away.”
The 2022 fiscal year was a busy one for the chapter. Fires remain the top disaster in North Mississippi, with the Red Cross responding to 517 single and multifamily fires. Overall, the chapter assisted 558 families recover from fires in their homes, providing $412,551 in direct financial assistance, according to data from July 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022.
Because of the frequency of house fires, preparedness is a big emphasis of the North Mississippi chapter, which installed 137 free smoke alarms last year.
Volunteers helped over 443 families affected by local floods, tornadoes and hurricanes and provided an additional $103,672 in emergency financial assistance.
Despite having 218 trained volunteers on paper, the number of active volunteers is lower. A portion of its volunteer base is built on retirees, who felt the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown “worse than almost anybody else,” Grist said.
“COVID really did a number on us from a volunteer standpoint,” Grist said. “A lot of our people who’ve been responding have not been able to come back yet.”
But the chapter is strengthening its network in places like Washington County, where staff met with the local United Way about re-establishing its presence in the county. Another goal is helping the Greenville office following the theft of three central air conditioning units. The office will reopen once the units are replaced.
Volunteering is more than disaster response, Grist said. Now that the Tupelo office is open, her team needs volunteers who can be office workers. The team also welcomes volunteers to help facility and vehicle upkeep or its communication.
Youth clubs have been one area of growth for the Red Cross. The organization has 10 clubs within the region, with the University of Mississippi, Mooreville and Saltillo being the three in Northeast Mississippi. The group is currently working for a teacher sponsor to establish an additional club with Tupelo High School. Clubs select their own projects. Service can overlap with other established Red Cross projects, such as its service to the armed forces.
In 2022, Red Cross assisted 334 military members and their families with 1,509 emergency services. Red Cross head service to the armed forces volunteer Carolyn Berry continued her work with the Oxford Veterans Affairs by using an annual grant to provide veterans with wishlist items.
The organization trained 3,824 people in health and safety classes during the 2022 fiscal year, but it did not encompass the full range of available training classes, such as its swimming lesson and lifeguard training, CPR, first aid, babysitting and preparing emergency kits.
With the new headquarters open, the focus naturally shifts to the chapter’s future. Grist eventually wants to offer its training classes at least once a month in the office.
“We haven’t been able to do (it) for two years,” Grist said. “I’m eager to get folks in here.” | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/new-chapter-american-red-cross-north-ms-chapter-navigates-new-re-opening-routine/article_f9ead760-117b-5a59-ba87-dfa1ab0ba3d0.html | 2022-06-12T09:14:00 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/new-chapter-american-red-cross-north-ms-chapter-navigates-new-re-opening-routine/article_f9ead760-117b-5a59-ba87-dfa1ab0ba3d0.html |
Lubbock entertainment in brief
Celebrate 'The Golden Girls'
Celebrate "The Golden Girls" with a special screening of some of the most memorable episodes from the series.
This special screening is available at Movies 16 Lubbock, 5721 58th St., at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 14.
Featured episodes include: The Competition, It’s a Miserable Life, The Sisters, Scared Straight, Sisters of the Bride, The Case of the Libertine Bell.
Tickets are $12.45 and available in advance online at www.fathomevents.com
Moonlight Musicals kicks off season with 'Hairspray'
Moonlight Musical Lubbock kicks off its 17th year with the 2022 season whose theme is, “Tell Me A Story.”
The first production is "Hairspray" scheduled for June 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at the Moonlight Musicals Amphitheater, 413 E. Broadway. All shows start at 8 p.m.
The 1950s are out, and change is in the air. "Hairspray", winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is a family-friendly musical, piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and deliriously tuneful songs.
Tickets are $18 each, including fees. and are available for purchase at selectaseatlubbock.com or by going to moonlightmusicals.com
LCT youth present 'Guys & Dolls Jr.'
Lubbock Community Theatre's Horizon School of Performing Arts will wrap up "Guys & Dolls Jr." at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the theater, 3101 35th St.
Based on the book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling, with music by Frank Loesser, the LCT production is directed by Travis Burge.
He had the horse right here, but all she wanted was his love!
Witness "Guys & Dolls Jr.", based on a true classic that many have touted as the perfect musical comedy, presented in a style that is at once fresh, new and exciting while still holding on to what makes this show great.
See good old, reliable Nathan Detroit, as he tries to find the cash to set up the biggest crap game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck. Observe with pity and pathos as his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, as she laments that they've been engaged for fourteen years without ever getting married.
Thrill with delight as Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, only for Sky to end up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown.
"Guys and Dolls Jr." takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, but everyone eventually ends up right where they belong.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students (with ID) and seniors (plus taxes and fees) and may be purchased online at www.lubbockcommunitytheatre.org
Alamo hosting 'Jurassic World: Dominion' brunch
Brunch uh ..... finds a way.
Alamo Drafthouse is hosting a special brunch screening of "Jurassic World: Dominion," at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 12.
Dinosaurs are running amok across the world, and it’s going to take three old fossils from a bygone era to set things straight – Drs. Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, and Ellie Sattler.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern (the original JURASSIC crew) are finally fighting dinosaurs together again.
Tickets for this special brunch screening are $10 and available in advance online at drafthouse.com/lubbock
Jackson to perform at Cactus
Traditional country stylist Tony Jackson will perform live at the Cactus Theater at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.
Touted as one of the most gifted singers ever to grace country music, Jackson's strong emotionally charged and engaging voice captured the hearts of millions. The former U.S. Marine is often compared to Randy Travis, the man who ushered in a new era and blew the doors off country music with his arrival.
The affable singer has been invited to perform multiple times on the Grand Ole Opry, RFD TV’s Larry’s Country Diner, TBN’s Huckabee and has appeared on NBC, CMT and USA Network’s Real Country and CMA Fest.
Reserved, advance floor and standard balcony tickets are $20 and $24 the day of the show. Balcony box seats are $40 and include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cactustheater.com
Alamo hosting 'Selena' movie party
Join Alamo Drafthouse Lubbock at a special Movie Party as we celebrate the life and music of one of America’s most beloved icons, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.
The movie party is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday, June 12.
Sure, we could just sit quietly and watch the magnificent 1997 film "Selena", starring Jennifer Lopez in a star-making performance. But we think the best way to honor Selena is to share in the joy of her music.
Whether you want to sing along or use any of the fun props we’ll have available when you arrive, you are strongly encouraged to lose yourself in all of Selena's classic songs while you enjoy the film. So throw on a rhinestone bra... oops, we mean bustier, and join us for a fun-filled night full of bidi bidi bom bom.
Tickets for this movie party are $15.15 and available in advance online at drafthouse.com/lubbock/event/movie-party-selena
Alamo presents 'A Star is Born' brunch
Alamo Drafthouse Lubbock is hosting a special brunch screening of the classic "A Star is Born" at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.
One of the four iterations of "A Star is Born" (among countless variations of the same story), George Cukor's 1954 iteration stands a cut above the rest. Such a lofty statement can only be attributed to the singular brilliance of Judy Garland's central performance.
As Esther Blodgett, Garland takes the role of the rising ingenue amidst her partner Norman Maine's (James Mason) personal and creative downfall. Levying the interpersonal drama with a cavalcade of show-stopping musical numbers, "A Star is Born" cements itself as one of the great snapshots of stardom and the history of its own making.
Tickets for this event, which features a special menu, are $10 and available online in advance at drafthouse.com/lubbock/event/a-star-is-born-1954-brunch
Movies 16 to mark 60th anniversary of 'Baby Jane'
TCM Big Screen Classics Presents "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane 60th Anniversary" at 1 and 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, and at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at Movies 16 Lubbock, 5721 58th St.
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford star as two aging sisters — both former celebrities — bound together in a psychopathic relationship by their mutual dependency, jealousy and hatred in this classic, shocking thriller.
The film won the Academy Award® for Best Costume Design and was nominated for four additional Academy Awards including best Actress (Bette Davis) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Victor Buono).
This 60th anniversary event includes exclusive insights from Turner Classic Movies.
Tickets for this special screening are $12.45 and available online in advance at www.fathomevents.com
Alamo to feature series of Carpenter films
Alamo Drafthouse Lubbock is hosting the Summer of Darkness, a retrospective on one of the greatest movie masters of horror, John Carpenter.
His oft-bleak, wry, and impeccably crafted pop gems ran through an increasingly conservative 1980s, leaving a trail of cinematic carnage in its wake. This year, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Alamo will celebrate some of his finest in grand fashion. Join us for Summer of Darkness and receive a free custom-designed letterpress poster, while supplies last.
Next in the series is the 1980 film "The Fog." In 1980, Carpenter was under pressure. Where do you go after unleashing "Halloween", the most ground-breaking horror movie since "Psycho"?
Well, you go to Stonehenge with your girlfriend and producer, Debra Hill. You see some fog. You say, "Boy, I sure do like lighthouses and ghosts. Boats, too. Let's make a movie!" And so they did. "The Fog" is set during the centennial of an isolated coastal town with an evil secret.
The movie will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, at Alamo. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in advance online at drafthouse.com/lubbock/show/the-fog
Shinyribs to play at Cactus
The rockin' swamp, pop, R&B, soul sensation group Shinyribs is scheduled to perform at the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16.
Shinyribs’ Kevin Russell is impossible to forget. Known for his outrageous outfits and antics, he’s a regular fashion icon, liable to turn up in anything from his lime-green sherbet leisure suit to a flashing LED cloak, which he donned for a soulful performance of “East Texas Rust” on the award-winning PBS show Austin City Limits
As Austin royalty, Shinyribs are one of the music world’s best-kept secrets, but not for long. The eight-piece outfit was recently named Best Austin Band for 2017, while "I Got Your Medicine" was tapped as Album of the Year at the Chronicle’s prestigious Austin Music Awards.
All floor and standard balcony tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show. Limited balcony box seats (includes concessions) are $50 in advance and $60 the day of the show.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cactustheater.com
Everclear to perform at Cook's
Everclear is bringing its 30th anniversary tour to the outdoor stage at Cook's Garage, 11002 Highway 87, on Friday, June 17, at 7:30. Doors at 6 p.m.
Special guests will be Fastball and The Nixons.
This summer, Everclear will be doing what they like to do most summers — tour as much as humanly possible, often with fellow ’90s alt rock brethren on the bill. This year, the band’s calendar features a major milestone amid a career already filled with massive achievements, as 2022 marks Everclear’s 30th anniversary as a band and with that, they plan to kick things up a notch.
Tickets for this concert are $46 (plus taxes and fees) in advance and $56 (plus taxes and fees) the day of the show. VIP ultimate package tickets are available for $319 (plus taxes and fees); VIP meet and greet tickets are $209 (plus taxes and fees); and VIP tour tickets are $109 (plus taxes and fees).
The outdoor show will happen rain or shine and there is a clear bag policy in place.
There is no re-entry and no outside food or drinks are allowed.
Chairs are allowed and there is a $10 cash-only upcharge for minors (under 21) at the door.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.eventbrite.com or cooksgarage.us
Cactus hosts tribute to ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Queen
Caldwell Entertainment presents A Tribute to ABBA, Fleetwood Mac and Queen at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, at the Cactus Theater
The Caldwell Collective team is chomping at the bit to put this show on stage.
A Tribute to ABBA, Fleetwood Mac and Queen will feature their cutting-edge vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Devin Collins, Cactus star Brandon Gwinn, the incomparable Sheena Fadeyi and her spitfire sidekicks Kassidy King and Addie Bleu, all backed by the most versatile band in the Southwest, the Caldwell Collective.
All floor and standard balcony reserved seats are $20 and balcony box seats are $40.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cactustheater.com
Uncle Kracker to perform at Cook's
Singer/songwriter Uncle Kracker will take the outdoor stage at Cook's Garage, 11002 Highway 87, on Saturday, June 18 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
His 2000 major label debut, "Double Wide", went double-platinum and yielded the No. 1 smash “Follow Me”. Its 2002 follow-up "No Stranger To Shame" reached gold status and spawned cross-format hits such as “In A Little While” and the powerful cover of Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”, which set a Billboard record for most weeks at No. 1 on any chart, topping their #1 run on the Adult Contemporary radio charts for a staggering 28 weeks.
The outdoor show will go on rain or shine and there is a clear back policy in place.
No outside food or drinks are allowed and there is no re-entry. A $10 minor upcharge at the door.
Advance tickets are $35 (plus taxes and fees) and day-of tickets are $40 (plus taxes and fees). Pit general admission tickets are $65 (plus taxes and fees). The Pit will be standing only at the front of the stage. There will be a bartender for the pit.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.eventbrite.com or cooksgarage.us
Cactus hosts Texas Blues legend
Texas Blues legend Jimmie Vaughan is set to perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the Cactus Theater.
Special guest opener for the show will be Lubbock’s own John Sprott and Ron Riley.
Last fall, to help celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the first of the "Blues, Ballads and Favourites" albums, "The Pleasure's All Mine" compiled both albums as a collection and was released alongside a Vinyl reissue of 2016's "Jimmie Vaughan Trio" featuring Mike Flanigin LIVE AT C-BOY'S release, which featured songs recorded at the venerable Austin nightspot that Vaughan and crew call home when they are in town.
In 2019, his newest release, "Baby, Please Come Home" brought him back into the spotlight with yet another Grammy nomination, and a Blues Foundation Award for Best Male Artist.
Reserved floor sets for the first 5 rows (A-E) are $45; remaining seven rows on the floor are $40; standard balcony seats are $35; and balcony box seats are $80 (box ticket includes concessions; present ticket at counter before ordering).
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cactustheater.com
Alamo hosting 'Bird Cage' brunch
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane try to play it straight in the special Alamo Drafthouse brunch screening of "The Bird Cage" at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 18.
Featuring an all-star cast, including Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest and Hank Azaria, and crafted by the brilliant comedic minds of Mike Nichols and Elaine May, this outrageous farce remains a hilarious and cherished staple of LGBTQIA cinema that has charmed audiences of all backgrounds.
Based on the riotous French play Les Cage Aux Folles, the film follows a gay cabaret owner (Robin Williams) and his drag queen partner (Nathan Lane) who pretend to be straight so that their son can comfortably introduce them to his fiancée’s moralistic parents. The mayhem that follows is as side-splitting as it is touching, resulting in a beautiful reminder that everyone deserves to be their authentic selves.
Tickets for this event, which features a special menu, are $10 and may be purchased in advance online at drafthouse.com/lubbock/event/the-birdcage-brunch
Crystal Gayle to perform at Cactus
Country sweetheart Crystal Gayle will present a Father's Day show at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 19 at the Cactus Theater.
Gayle was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry as a member in January 2017 by her sister Loretta Lynn. The Academy of Country Music recognized her with a 2016 Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award for her lifetime achievements in country music. And in 2009 Gayle was honored to receive her own star on the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Renowned for her classic recording of her timeless signature song "Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", Gayle also scored with her multi-format hits "You’ve Been Talking In Your Sleep", "When I Dream", "Half the Way" and her duet with Eddie Rabbitt, "Just You and I".
Gayle has released more than 20 No. 1 hits and has been awarded numerous times by the Grammy’s, the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, the American Music Awards, and the American Music Operators Association.
Tickets for the first three rows are $75; the remainder of floor seats are $60; standard balcony seats are $45; and balcony box seats are $120. (Note: Box ticket includes concessions)
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cactustheater.com
Alamo hosting 'Goonies' movie party
Heyyy youuuuu ggguuuyyss!!!! We're watching "The Goonies."
Alamo Drafthouse Lubbock is hosting a "Goonies" movie party at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 19.
Let’s face it, "The Goonies" never gets old (and they never say “die”). With its endearing cast of quirky kids and a plot filled with swashbuckling adventure, it serves as the ultimate fantasy for anyone who feels stuck in the mundane humdrum of everyday life.
Now it’s your chance to be a Goonie. Join us for a rollicking movie party and we’ll give you everything you need to join the gang, including a pirate eye patch, a marble bag filled with pirate treasure, a bandana, and a fun-sized Baby Ruth, of course. And don’t worry, we won’t make you do the truffle shuffle to get in.
Tickets for the movie party are $15.15 and available online in advance at drafthouse.com/lubbock/event/movie-party-the-goonies
Alamo hosts 'Indiana Jones' brunch
This time, he's bringing his dad.
Alamo Drafthouse Lubbock is hosting an "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" brunch at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 19.
If you learned anything from "Raiders of the Lost Ark", it's that Nazis are bad dudes, and, after a pulse-pounding prologue that gives us a compressed "Young Adventures of Indiana Jones", they are right back at it.
When Indy's father goes mysteriously missing, a rich art collector puts our whip-snapping, fedora-wearing hero on the case. Following in his father's footsteps, Indy reveals a sinister plot and must save his father from a Nazi kidnapping while avoiding the tempestuous allure of an extremely blue-eyed, blond-haired lady.
Tickets for this event, which features a special menu, are $10 and available online in advance at drafthouse.com/lubbock/event/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade-brunch
Glenn Miller Orchestra to perform at Cactus
The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra is scheduled to perform live at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, at the Cactus Theater.
The first Glenn Miller Orchestra did not make it at all. It was a total and absolute economic failure. But Glenn knew what he wanted, held to that dedication and relentlessly worked to succeed. He launched his second band — the one that lives on today — in March of 1938. The Glenn Miller Orchestra has been a “hit” ever since.
Miller disbanded his musical organization in 1942 at the height of its popularity to volunteer for the Army. There, he organized and led the famous Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. It went to Europe to entertain servicemen performing numerous live and radio shows. On Dec. 15, 1944, Major Miller took off in a single engine plane from Europe to precede his band to France, disappearing over the English Channel, never to be seen again. The army declared him officially dead a year later.
With the release of the major motion movie The Glenn Miller Story featuring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson in 1954, interest and popular demand led the Miller Estate to authorize the formation of the present Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Reserved seat tickets include: First four rows (A-D), $25; remainder of floor and balcony, $22.50; and balcony box (includes concessions), $45.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cactustheater.com
Keen brings final tour to Holly Hall
Robert Earl Keen brings his I'm Coming Home show to the Helen Devitt Jones Theater of Buddy Holly Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 23.
The Road Goes On Forever…until it doesn’t. Legendary Texas songwriter and entertainer Keen wraps up 41 years on the road with his 2022 Final Tour, I’m Comin’ Home: 41 Years On The Road.
With a catalog of 21 albums, his band of stellar musicians, and many thousands of shows under his belt, Pollstar ranked Keen in its Top 20 Global Concert Tours in July 2021. Keen has blazed a peer, critic, and fan-lauded trail that’s earned him living-legend status in the Americana music world.
“I’ve been blessed with a lifetime of brilliant, talented, colorful, electrical, magical folks throughout my life,” Keen said. “It’s with a mysterious concoction of joy and sadness that I want to tell you that as of Sept. 4, 2022, I will no longer tour or perform publicly.”
Tickets for this show range from $46.50 to $84.50 (plus taxes and fees), depending on seating.
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.buddyhollyhall.com | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2022/06/12/lubbock-entertainment-brief/10004657002/ | 2022-06-12T09:16:57 | 1 | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2022/06/12/lubbock-entertainment-brief/10004657002/ |
Upcoming Hub City Events
SUNDAY
• Brunch with Alissa Beyer at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 11 a.m.
• Anime Lubbock at MCM Elegante Hotel, noon
• 502 Jam Open Mic Night | Brian Findley at Two Docs Brewing Company, 6 p.m.
• Tony Jackson at Cactus Theater, 7 p.m.
MONDAY JUNE 13-FRIDAY, JUNE 17
• Summer Youth Classes at National Ranching Heritage Center, 8:30 a.m.
MONDAY
• Danny Cadra at Claraboya Scratch Kitchen+Bar | DoubleTree, 5 p.m.
• Singer/Songwriter Night | Jerry Serrano at Blue Light Live, 9 p.m.
TUESDAY
• Jerry Serrano at The Kress | Burklee Hill Vineyards, 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
• Jenni Dale Lord | High Noon Concert Series at Lubbock County Courthouse Gazebo, noon
• Brian McRae at The Kress | Burklee Hill Vineyards, 6 p.m.
• Clay Gibson Band at Blue Light Live, 9 p.m.
THURSDAY
• Trolley Tours at National Ranching Heritage Center, 10:30 a.m.
• Mariachi Mexico Lindo | Summer Showcase Concert Series at Buddy Holly Center, 5:30 p.m.
• 2022 Summer Arts in Motion | TTUHSC Stroke & Aphasia Recovery at TTU Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts | Hemmle Recital Hall, 6 p.m.
• Mark Wallney at The Kress | Burklee Hill Vineyards, 6 p.m.
• Kara Balko | Patio Nights at McPherson Cellars, 6 p.m.
• Open Mic Night at Wild Lark Books, 7 p.m.
• Lady A at Helen DeVitt Jones Theater | Buddy Holly Hall, 7 p.m.
• Chris Hudgins at Cotton Court Hotel | The Midnight Shift, 7 p.m.
• Kevin Hoes at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 7 p.m.
• Shinyribs at Cactus Theater, 7:30 p.m.
• Where Lyfe Cuts: Selected Scenes | The Edge: A Company of Fine Artists at Caviel Museum, 7:30 p.m.
• "Hairspray", Lubbock Moonlight Musicals at Moonlight Musicals Amphitheatre, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY
• Battle of the Bands | Finals at LHUCA, 6 p.m.
• Alma Duo at The Kress | Burklee Hill Vineyards, 7 p.m.
• Texas 114 at Cotton Court Hotel | The Midnight Shift, 7 p.m.
• Steven Birkenfeld at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 7 p.m.
• "Where Lyfe Cuts" at The Edge Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
• A Tribute to ABBA, Fleetwood Mac & Queen: Encore @ The Cactus Theater, 7:30 p.m.
• "Hairspray", Lubbock Moonlight Musicals at Moonlight Musicals Amphitheatre, 8 p.m.
•ZZ TEX | ZZ Top Tribute at The Garden, 8:30 p.m.
•Mike & The Moonpies | Mason & The Gin Line at The Blue Light Live, 11 p.m.
SATURDAY
•Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market, 9 a.m.
•Yoga in the Plaza | Stay Active in the Plaza Summer Series at Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza, 9 a.m.
•Living History Saturdays at National Ranching Heritage Center, 10 a.m.
•Art of Ancient Egypt with Dr. Christian Conrad at LHUCA, 11 a.m.
•Madelyn Mandry | Brunch on Broadway at The Kress | Burklee Hill Vineyards, 11 a.m.
• Erin Wolff at Claraboya Scratch Kitchen+Bar | DoubleTree, 5 p.m.
• Book Signing and Meet & Greet with author Kate Khavari at Wild Lark Books, 6 p.m.
• The Moonlight Market presents Midsommar at CASP Work Studios, 6 p.m.
• Sip & Paint at Grey Edges Studio & Art Gallery, 6 p.m.
• CASP Block pARTy @ CASP Studios, 6 p.m.
• Alissa Beyer at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 7 p.m.
• Legal Limit at Cotton Court Hotel | The Midnight Shift, 7 p.m.
• DG Flewellyn at The Kress | Burklee Hill Vineyards, 7 p.m.
• Jimmie Vaughan at Cactus Theater, 7:30 p.m.
• "Where Lyfe Cuts", The Edge Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
• "Hairspray", Lubbock Moonlight Musicals at Moonlight Musicals Amphitheatre, 8 p.m.
• Jeremy Pinnell at The Blue Light Live, 11 p.m.
SUNDAY, JUNE 19
• Erin Wolff | Brunch at Claraboya Scratch Kitchen+Bar | DoubleTree, 11 a.m.
• Brunch | Zack Chapman at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 11 a.m.
• "Where Lyfe Cuts", The Edge Theatre, 2:30 p.m.
• 502 Jam Open Mic Night | Brian Findley at Two Docs Brewing Company, 6 p.m.
• Crystal Gayle at Cactus Theater, 7 p.m.
MONDAY, JUNE 20
• Danny Cadra at Claraboya Scratch Kitchen+Bar | DoubleTree, 5 p.m.
• "Anastasia" at Helen Devitt Jones Theater | Buddy Holly Hall, 7:30 p.m.
• Singer/Songwriter Night | Jerry Serrano at Blue Light Live, 9 p.m.
TUESDAY, JUNE 21
• True Crime Book Club at Mahon Library, 6:30 p.m
• "Anastasia" at Helen Devitt Jones Theater | Buddy Holly Hall, 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22
• Gary Nix | High Noon Concert Series at Lubbock County Courthouse Gazebo, noon
• The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra at Cactus Theater, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, JUNE 23
• Trolley Tours at National Ranching Heritage Center, 10:30 a.m.
• Patricia Vonne | Summer Showcase Concert Series at Buddy Holly Center, 5:30 p.m.
• Brian Findley | Patio Nights at McPherson Cellars, 6 p.m.
• Bob Wills' Texas Playboys at Cactus Theater, 7 p.m.
• Chris Hudgins at Cotton Court Hotel | The Midnight Shift, 7 p.m.
• Kevin Hoes at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 7 p.m.
• Robert Earl Keen | I’m Comin’ Home Tour at Helen DeVitt Jones Theater | Buddy Holly Hall, 7:30 p.m.
• "Hairspray" Lubbock Moonlight Musicals at Moonlight Musicals Amphitheatre, 8 p.m.
FRIDAY, JUNE 24
• Last Friday Book Sale | Friends of the Lubbock Public Library at Mahon Library, 9 a.m.
• 8th Annual Art on the Llano Estacado at Museum of Texas Tech University, 6 p.m.
• Zack Chapman at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 7 p.m.
• "Where Lyfe Cuts", The Edge Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
• Will Banister & Friends Sing Haggard, Strait and Jones at Cactus Theater, 7:30 p.m.
• "Hairspray" Lubbock Moonlight Musicals at Moonlight Musicals Amphitheatre, 8 p.m.
• Comedy Night | Jerrod Harper Tribute Night at Two Docs Brewing Company, 9:30 p.m.
• Wynn Williams at The Blue Light Live, 11 p.m.
SATURDAY, JUNE 25
• Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market, 9 a.m.
• Last Friday Book Sale | Friends of the Lubbock Public Library at Mahon Library, 9 a.m.
• Yoga in the Plaza | Stay Active in the Plaza Summer Series at Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza, 9 a.m.
• 8th Annual Art on the Llano Estacado at Museum of Texas Tech University, 10 a.m.
• Living History Saturdays at National Ranching Heritage Center, 10 a.m.
• Black is Beautiful Festival at Two Docs Brewing Company, 11 a.m.
• Artful Family Hours at LHUCA, noon
• Wallney, Welch & Tate at Cotton Court Hotel | The Midnight Shift, 7 p.m.
• Steven Birkenfeld at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 7 p.m.
• "Where Lyfe Cuts", The Edge Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
• "Hairspray" Lubbock Moonlight Musicals at Moonlight Musicals Amphitheatre, 8 p.m.
SUNDAY, JUNE 26
• 8th Annual Art on the Llano Estacado at Museum of Texas Tech University, 10 a.m.
• Brunch | Danny Cadra at Overton Hotel and Conference Center | Pecan Grill Lounge, 11 a.m.
• Erin Wolff | Brunch at Claraboya Scratch Kitchen+Bar | DoubleTree, 11 a.m.
• "Where Lyfe Cuts", The Edge Theatre, 2:30 p.m.
• 502 Jam Open Mic Night | Brian Findley at Two Docs Brewing Company, 6 p.m. | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2022/06/12/upcoming-hub-city-events/10003249002/ | 2022-06-12T09:17:03 | 0 | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2022/06/12/upcoming-hub-city-events/10003249002/ |
In 2021, Paul Boeckman of Washington Twp. joined the surge of people retiring during the COVID-19 pandemic, part of a record-breaking number of people of all ages quitting jobs in “the Great Resignation.”
Boeckman, now 62, took an early retirement deal from Synchrony, capping his nearly four-decade career in banking and finance as senior vice president of sales.
But after a year, Boeckman realized he wasn’t ready to be done with work, and not because of the rising inflation or declines in retirement investments that are driving some other retirees back to jobs.
“I’m very lucky from a financial perspective,” said Boeckman, who in April accepted a part-time job as global business development leader at The Congruity Group in Dayton.
“It was all about being able to continue to contribute. A little bit of adding some purpose back in your days.”
The Great Resignation hit businesses hard in the Dayton region and nationwide. Local leaders say resolving the labor shortage is a top priority, and tackling that problem will “absolutely” be helped by retirees returning to the workforce, said Kettering Councilman Bruce Duke.
Duke sits on the governing board of the First Suburbs Consortium of Dayton, which last year issued a report on strategies for retaining and attracting skilled workers, a mission vital to the region’s economic well-being.
“Pre-pandemic, we were in a labor shortage, but not as drastic as it is right now,” said Doug Barry, president of BarryStaff in Dayton. “We knew the Baby Boomer thing was coming. The pandemic just accelerated it.”
Thirty-eight percent of people aged 50 and over who retired, left or considered leaving their job during the pandemic said they would not have done so were it not for the pandemic, according to a national survey by AARP released earlier this year. Twenty-one percent said they retired earlier than planned because of the pandemic.
“We have lost an awful lot of brain power with the people that have retired,” Barry said. “Knowledge has retired, and we need to get that knowledge, no matter what level it is, back.”
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Former retiree Boeckman fit the bill for The Congruity Group, bringing vast experience, wisdom and business connections to the job, said Betsy Westhafer, the company CEO who connected with Boeckman via the Silver Is Gold initiative, which matches retired professionals with companies looking for workers.
“One of the beautiful things about somebody in his position that’s been retired looking for this encore career is I would never as a small business be able to afford somebody with his experience and expertise,” Westhafer said. “It’s such a great fit for a growing company like us to have somebody like that to really elevate our company and for somebody like him that is looking for something a little less high pressure, a little less full time.”
Pandemic economic disruption hit all ages
The COVID-19 pandemic sent employment plunging for all age groups amid nationwide shutdowns in the early weeks, followed by massive economic disruptions, closed schools and child care centers and multiple COVID-19 surges.
Unemployment hit a record 14.8% early in the pandemic, and the percentage of civilians aged 16 and over working or looking for work, known as the labor force participation rate, dropped to 60.2 in April 2020, a full 3.2 percentage points below the pre-pandemic rate in February 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“What’s happened is the pandemic pushed people completely out of the labor force,” said Kevin Willardsen, associate professor of economics at Wright State University. “A larger percentage of older people have not re-entered the workforce.”
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
While unemployment has declined dramatically since the pandemic began, Willardsen said people who are older have remained out of the workforce relative to 2019 levels.
An analysis comparing retirement trends before and during the pandemic showed that “as of August 2021, there were slightly over 2.4 million excess retirements due to COVID-19, which is more than half of the 4.2 million people who left the labor force from the beginning of the pandemic to the second quarter of 2021,” according to a report by Miquel Faria-e-Castro, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
He attributed that to the particular danger COVID-19 posed to older people and the rising value of housing and stock assets that made retirement more feasible for some people.
The labor force participation rate for workers 55 and older was stable from 2012 to 2020, when it declined to 39.2. In April the rate was 38.9, even as the total number of employed people in that age group had reached pre-pandemic levels, according to an analysis of BLS data.
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
“Before the pandemic we had a lot of concern about the silver tsunami. About when will boomers all have a mass exodus from the workforce,” said Megan Gerhardt, professor of human capital management at the Miami University Farmer School of Business.
The pandemic created a new dynamic for those older workers who had perhaps planned to hold off on retiring.
“We had people who for health reasons or safety reasons felt like, ‘Well I was going to retire relatively soon, I’m just going to go ahead and do it now.’ We had people who were laid off because of downsizing and other issues like that,” Gerhardt said. “And then we had the people who, when it was time to go back to work had a moment where, not just the boomers but all of us, of saying, ‘Do I want to go back?’”
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
The top reason people surveyed by AARP gave for retiring or quitting during the pandemic was that they were close to retirement age or eligibility. Twenty-one percent gave that as their primary reason, followed by 14% who cited health problems, 10% who cited low pay or feeling undervalued and 7% who cited concerns about COVID.
Forst Elliott, a financial advisor at Edward Jones in Moraine, said at the start of the pandemic he saw more people in their late 50s deciding to retire early.
“They weren’t quite ready to draw Social Security but at the same point they didn’t want to continue in their current job. They needed a break,” he said. “They needed a mental break just to kind of deal with the pandemic and everything that was going on.”
People going back to work
As COVID-19 vaccines, testing and therapeutics became widely available, and as companies raised wages to attract workers, people of all ages returned to jobs.
People returning to work pushed the labor force participation rate to 62.3 in May, still below the February 2020 rate of 63.4, according to the BLS. The rate has recovered for people aged 25-64 but in groups over age 65 continues to lag the pre-pandemic rate.
Even so, older workers helped fuel job growth, with the total employed now surpassing 2019 for those aged 65-74 and nearly there for the 55-64 age group, according to April BLS data.
Credit: Alexis Larsen
Credit: Alexis Larsen
The latest numbers from May put the nation just 822,000 jobs short of the pre-pandemic February 2020 level. Nationally, unemployment was down to 3.6%, compared to the pre-pandemic 3.5%. In the Dayton metro area, the unemployment rate was 3.3% in April.
“So (older workers) did take a few months off during the pandemic — anywhere from three to six months — and then they went back into the workforce because they knew they were not ready to retire,” Elliott said. “They did seek employment with a different employer. I did see that a number of times.”
High inflation and stock market volatility are also giving older workers pause about retiring, he said.
“What I have seen is people have decided to delay their retirement by a year or two,” Elliott said. “They’re not retiring as soon as they had anticipated but they are exploring the possibility of a slightly later retirement.”
Inflation and quarterly losses eroding retirement funds have an impact, said Donna Kastner, a Del Mar Encore Fellow at the Dayton Foundation’s Silver Is Gold initiative.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
“I think people are now saying, ‘I retired. I thought we were going to be good. Now, if I could land a part-time flexible job that might be the chance to bolster the nest egg just a bit more,’” Kastner said. “I think if you are scrambling and you are woefully behind, a part time job will help, but it will not solve the issue.”
Some retirees are looking at getting jobs because they need money for rent or mortgages, gasoline, food, health care and prescriptions, said Vickie Carraher, senior services coordinator for the city of Kettering.
“Whenever you go into retirement you are forced typically onto a fixed income, which is the worst possible scenario you can be in during bouts of inflation,” Willardsen said. “They’re not going to be able to afford to stay unemployed, to stay retired. My expectation is that if nothing changes these people have no choice. They are going to have to go back to work.”
Those who started drawing Social Security sooner than their full retirement age, which maxes out at age 67 for people born in 1960 and after, are penalized if they earn more than $19,560 annually, said Theresa Busher, public affairs specialist for the Social Security Administration. The penalty is a reduction in the Social Security monthly check of $1 for every $2 over the limit. There is no penalty for people who do not draw Social Security after full retirement age.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Carraher said some older retirees who didn’t go to college and whose work experience includes factory, retail or food service jobs rather than an office job are having the biggest problems finding work.
“Those individuals may not physically be able to do the jobs that are really plentiful right now. They can’t do the standing (or lifting) that is required for some places,” she said.
“Jobs that allow you to sit down are few and far between for individuals who that maybe was not their career path. Those are issues that are really frustrating for a lot of people because they do need to go back into the workforce.”
Matching workers with jobs
Businesses are very concerned about the loss of Baby Boomers and Generation X employees, as well as the overall labor shortage, said Holly Allen, vice president of marketing and communications at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
“The result is that workplaces are suffering from a severe loss of institutional knowledge, and in many cases, have lost their most experienced workers, on whom they’d relied for a long time,” Allen said. “Onboarding new employees costs a lot of money and supervisor time. That’s compounding the labor shortage.”
In response, the chamber has hosted a conference and a speaker series on expanding the labor pool, best practices for attracting talent and hiring retired military veterans, Allen said.
Among the industries struggling with shortages are the region’s healthcare systems, which have been actively recruiting those who have left healthcare jobs, said Sarah Hackenbracht, president and CEO of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.
“Retirees are more likely to want to return as a volunteer instead of an employee,” she said. “However, should any retiree wish to return to the healthcare workforce, every hospital in our region would be eager to have them and will work with those candidates to guide them through the appropriate pathways.”
“I would tell somebody to stay open-minded on what it looks like and constantly seek that win-win scenario and to be open to the flexibility because I can tell you it has paid huge dividends for us at Congruity.”
Boeckman said the new job is much less stressful than his old job and that he has flexible hours that allow him to coach a high school tennis team and enjoy time with friends and family. And while he does travel for work, it isn’t anything like the 30 to 40 percent of time he spent on the road for Synchrony.
Kastner and Gerhardt said employers considering a retired applicant should try to assess what it is that person is looking for in the job. It might be just to pay bills or the person wants to fill time in the day, feel more productive by using their skills or pass on knowledge and mentor others.
“I would argue that it maybe for some people in this age group that the money isn’t the most important thing,” Gerhardt said. “(But) they want to be paid fairly. They want to be paid well.”
She said the opportunity to give back and mentor may make it worthwhile to the retiree to accept a job at a company that can’t afford to pay them what they once earned, as long as the new employer makes them feel valued.
“If you feel unfairly paid you’re just not coming at all, I don’t care how old you are,” Gerhardt said. “You can’t insult people. Because that’s not showing them respect.”
Barry said companies are offering higher pay and benefits and are increasingly willing to be flexible, doing things like forming weekend crews or allowing job-sharing, as they try to lure workers. He said it is important for hiring managers to put aside stereotypes about what older workers are able to do.
“I was talking to someone last week who said, ‘I just had two people who were in their 80s retire and I love people in their 80s. Can you find me some of those?’” Barry said.
The employer said he was impressed by the older workers’ work ethic.
“It wasn’t the money or the benefits. They’d already made their money,” Barry said. “This was just something to keep them busy, their mind going and something to look forward to every day rather than getting up, drinking coffee and wondering ‘What am I doing today?’”
Resources
State of Ohio - OhioMeansJobs.ohio.gov
Social Security Administration - https://www.ssa.gov/
Dayton Region - 888-329-5724
National toll-free - 1-800-772-1213
Silver Is Gold - SilverIsGold.org
Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley Senior Community Service Employment Program - 937-528-6540
Kettering Senior Services - 937-296-3356
In Monday’s Dayton Daily News: Financial experts weigh in with tips if you are returning to the workforce after retiring or thinking of retiring during this time of high inflation and stock market volatility.
Follow @LynnHulseyDDN on Twitter and Facebook
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/retirees-return-to-work-amid-labor-shortage-and-high-inflation/OSFY3FFCQFB6LE3UDQNGU2SYOA/ | 2022-06-12T09:56:02 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/retirees-return-to-work-amid-labor-shortage-and-high-inflation/OSFY3FFCQFB6LE3UDQNGU2SYOA/ |
COVINGTON, Ga. — Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for a 1-year-old girl who they say was abducted and is in "extreme danger."
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, along with the Newton County Sherif'fs Office, said Jaquari Bennett was taken around 11 p.m. on Saturday night by 38-year-old Darian Javaris Bennett. The relationship between the two is unknown.
They were last seen off Chandler Field Drive in Covington. They are believed to be traveling in a 2000 Black Honda Accord with Georgia tag RGK4146.
There are no photos available at the moment, but if you have any information, contact 911 or call the Newton County Sheriff's Office at 706-717-9915. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/amber-alert-covington-georgia-sunday/85-e8afae15-85fe-443a-8f9e-62fa801a59a1 | 2022-06-12T10:27:49 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/amber-alert-covington-georgia-sunday/85-e8afae15-85fe-443a-8f9e-62fa801a59a1 |
Five questions with ... Rita Oser who run Holleydale Farm
Rita Oser is the proprietor of Holleydale Farm in Jackson Township. Commuters in the area more than likely have noticed the farm stand because it always has beautiful, colorful flowers for sale along with a variety of fresh vegetables.
Oser has worked at Holleydale Farm for 33 years starting as an employee and working up to manager. She purchased the business in 2012.
"I grew up on a large farm in Canal Fulton and am the youngest of nine children," she said. "I attended and graduated from Northwest High School and R.G. Drage vocational school. I plant 15 to 22 acres of sweet corn each year and hand pick it. I do all the farm work and greenhouses myself and have five part-time employees who run the stand."
More:Five questions with ... speech and debate national winner Abreanna Blose
Oser, Critter (dog) and Dixie (cat) still live in Canal Fulton on five acres of land. She plants thousands of hardy mums each year that customers can find at the Holleydale Farm stand in the fall. In addition to the homegrown sweet corn, Holleydale sells a vast variety of homegrown vegetables, fruits, pumpkins, and gourds in the fall. She also offers fresh-cut Christmas trees and wreaths from Michigan starting the Friday after Thanksgiving until they sell out.
The stand generally opens the last Saturday of April each year with the annual open house festivities slated for the day. Holleydale Farm is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, seven days a week.
More:Five questions with ... Jackson High senior class President Jarod Matronia
What has been your career path to owning and operating a local farm market and greenhouse?
I was raised on a family farm in Canal Fulton and resided with my parents while they were still living. I worked in an office for four years after graduation but soon realized I did not like being stuck behind a desk/computer all day.
I grew up working outside alongside my dad and that is where I felt the most contentment. I liked working in the fields, driving tractors, and harvesting the crops we grew on the farm.
What do you enjoy most about farming and operating the farm market?
I just like being outdoors and like a lot of exercise. I do not mind hard work as this is how I was raised. You work till you get the job done.
Operating Holleydale Farm has enabled me to continue to be outdoors and grow my flowers in the greenhouse.
How many people do you serve each season and what are some of the bestsellers and why do you think those items sell best?
My bestseller at Holleydale is by far my flowering hanging baskets, as I work at making unique baskets that no one else grows. It is an art that has taken me many years to perfect. I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the smiles people give when they first walk in the greenhouse and see the variety of colors and flowers that are in bloom.
My homegrown supersweet sweet corn is also a bestseller. Many customers ask when my corn will be ready as they refuse to eat any other sweet corn but Holleydale's! They are generally the customers who stop daily when the corn is in season to get it first as it is picked fresh every morning.
In the fall time of the year, hardy homegrown mums become hot sellers. I plant them at my home and bring them to Holleydale to sell when they start to bloom.
Would you share some tips for keeping spring and summer flowers looking fresh throughout the summer?
To keep the container plants and hanging baskets healthy once they leave Holleydale, I suggest people apply fertilizer once a week to feed the root system of the plant.
Also, they should not be afraid to cut back plants when they become overgrown. This will promote more blooms and growth and a much fuller uniform plant.
When you have time to relax, what are some of your favorite places to visit here in Stark County or your favorite pastimes and hobbies?
I enjoy hiking and walking my dog, so it would not surprise anyone to see me walking my dog on the Ohio Erie Towpath. I also frequent the walking paths at the former Tam O' Shanter golf course after putting in a day's work in the greenhouse at Holleydale.
I also like to visit Amish country when time permits. I have many Amish friends who nicknamed me "The English Girl."
Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/rita-oser-manages-holleydale-farm-jackson-township-five-questions-with/7533011001/ | 2022-06-12T10:58:29 | 0 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/rita-oser-manages-holleydale-farm-jackson-township-five-questions-with/7533011001/ |
'Her blood still on his hands': Brockton-area families grapple with domestic violence
Larissa Barros, Jamia Maddray, Joan Demeo – these women are just a few of the many victims of domestic violence each year.
Their surviving loved ones spoke at the Love Life Now Foundation's annual Heel-A-Thon on June 4 in Brockton. Lovern Gordon, an Avon resident, is the group's founder and holds the issue of domestic violence close to her heart.
"I am a two-time survivor of domestic violence," Gordon said. "My passion for helping survivors and victims comes from my own personal experience."
A report from Respond Inc., a New England agency working against domestic violence, said: "One in four women, one in three teens and one in seven men nationwide will experience domestic violence in their lifetime."
"For trans or gender non-conforming folks, this number jumps to 54 percent (in a lifetime)."
The Heel-A-Thon event returned in-person this year after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Women and men who participated in the event wore heels and "walked a mile in survivors' shoes," literally.
Still fighting for justice:Parents fight for 'accountability' 7 years after BSU daycare sex abuse scandal
"While it's not equivalent to the pain of being physically abused, it gives people an idea of how much turmoil and pain domestic violence victims and survivors go through on a daily basis," said Gordon, referring to the discomfort of walking a shade under two miles in high heels, a visceral symbol.
Gordon moved to the U.S. in 2001 after leaving her abusive childhood home in Trinidad and Tobago.
"I started working in entry-level corporate America and was taking night classes at Suffolk University," she said. "I remember telling myself that I would never put myself through what I saw as a kid."
But then, she was trapped in a physically and verbally abusive romantic relationship for two years.
"I was knee-deep in the mentality of 'I need to do better, be better,' because that's what he kept telling me," Gordon said.
There is a lot of shame surrounding victims of domestic violence, she said, which is why Gordon started her foundation.
She said: "I think awareness is important (at) the forefront, and I want to empower folks with the information they need."
Taunton man lost his mother
Rob Demeo, a Somerville native and Taunton resident, started walking in the Heel-A-Thons three years ago. Each year, he throws on a pair of heels to support victims, including his own mother, Joan, who was killed by her boyfriend in 2018, and survivors.
"My mom was killed (by her boyfriend of 15 years) after he got drunk one night," Demeo said. "He got drunk, clubbed her with a barbell, and hid her under a blanket."
His mom and her boyfriend were living in Bradenton, Florida, at the time of her murder.
"The cops found him down the street at a bar with her blood still on his hands," he said.
In 2019, the boyfriend was charged with capital murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, Demeo said. He is being held in South Bay Correctional Facility in South Bay, Florida.
After hearing about his mother's story, Gordon reached out to Demeo, asking if he could participate in the Heel-A-Thon and other events Love Life Now organizes. She dedicated the 2019 walk to Joan.
On what motivates him to keep spreading awareness?
"I put on the heels because I use it as a statement as a man against domestic violence," he said. "By the end of the 3 (kilometers), my feet are completely destroyed, but it is nothing compared to what my mom and other victims go through on a daily basis."
"She had a great ability to love people when they could not love themselves," he said.
Joan's birthday was June 8, and she would've been 65 this year.
Larissa Barros was buried in her prom dress
Larissa Barros was 18 when her ex-boyfriend murdered her in 2017. She was just two weeks shy of her prom and high school graduation.
Michael Nunes, Larissa's cousin and a Brockton resident, spoke with The Enterprise about her story.
"My aunt moved her family down to Florida from Brockton when Larissa was 3 or 4 years old for better opportunities," he said.
Larissa had big dreams of attending Florida State University and becoming a doctor, he said.
Then, after a breakup and their son, Eli, was born, reports say the boyfriend started getting aggressive.
On the day she was killed, Barros was shot twice. "The fatal shot was in the temple," Nunes said.
At the time of the murder, Barros was holding her nephew, reports say. "Both were covered in her blood."
Her son was in daycare.
"Prior to killing her, he had done other things like slash her tires and set her car on fire," Nunes continued. "She had filed multiple injunctions against him and had begged the courts for protection against him, including a restraining order that she never got."
Now, her son is in the care of her surviving sister and mother, Nunes said. "And she was buried in her prom dress."
While Nunes was not able to attend the Heel-A-Thon, Barros' mother spoke out for the first time about her daughter. Her words were poignant and moving.
"My daughter was so close to me and now I have had to learn to live without her," she said. "Being here today ... to save one life, that's a victory."
Jamia Maddrey was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in 2019. She was 27 years old.
"She was enrolled in college, she had gotten her first apartment and first car," her older brother, Jayshawn Maddrey, a Randolph resident, said.
Jamia's biggest dream was to work with kids and to have children of her own, he continued. "But she never got the chance to do that."
She was in school for criminal justice at MassBay Community College in Framingham, according to a MetroWest Daily News article.
"At the time of her death, she was working at the Brandon School and Residential Treatment Center in Natick with kids who had troubled backgrounds," he said.
Since her death in October 2019, her family has been working to spread awareness about domestic violence, including starting their own organization, the Mimi Foundation, which is working to "tell her story and to make sure Mimi's life is remembered," her brother said.
"She was a great person and a phenomenal woman," he continued.
Empowering survivors
"Unfortunately, too often, kids who grow up in abusive homes either go on to perpetuate a cycle of violence or are victims themselves," Gordon said. "But time and time again, people go through their trauma and suffer in silence."
Societal norms often shame victims into staying with their abusers, she said.
"In my head, I wasn't what a 'victim' looks like. I was financially independent, getting an education and had my own studio apartment," Gordon said.
Gordon's own experience with her abuser has influenced her to take a stand against domestic violence and to empower people to find communities in the survivors and victims' families she works with.
"It takes a victim seven to 10 times to leave," she continued. "There are so many reasons why victims stay, so our work is in helping survivors get back on their feet."
The Love Life Now Foundations hosts quite a few events and does a lot of work annually, including donating up to $500 in domestic violence-related expenses, to spread awareness and to help survivors.
"Everybody has a part to play," she said. "Domestic violence is everybody's business."
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
Staff writer Namu Sampath can be reached at nsampath@enterprisenews.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @namusampath. Thank you, subscribers. You make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Brockton Enterprise. | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/brockton-domestic-violence-3-k-heel-a-thon-lovern-gordon-larissa-barros-jamia-maddray-joan-demeo/7553219001/ | 2022-06-12T11:24:02 | 0 | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/brockton-domestic-violence-3-k-heel-a-thon-lovern-gordon-larissa-barros-jamia-maddray-joan-demeo/7553219001/ |
"Former Bandon ship capsizes on Humboldt bar at Eureka" is the headline of the Nov. 13, 1930, story in the Western World, accompanied by a J.R. Croxall photo, which looked much like the one I am sharing today as I tell the story of the steamer Brooklyn. This photo was taken in the Bandon harbor in the early 1900s and you can see Cody Mill, which later became Moore Mill, in the background.
The story was sad. "The steamer Brooklyn, for many years one of the fleet of wooden lumber carriers that plied between Bandon and San Francisco, capsized on the Humboldt bar while crossing out with a cargo of lumber Saturday and so far only one of her crew of 18 has been found alive.
"Jergen M. Grove, first mate on the Brooklyn, was picked up at sea five miles off the bar Tuesday after he had spent three days and nights clinging to a piece of wreckage. The body of one of the sailors has since been found.
"Grove was picked up by a fishing trawler and immediately taken to Eureka. When taken to the hospital he was too weak from hunger and exposure to talk. His fingernails and toenails were torn off from clinging tenaciously to the wreckage.
"Immediately upon receipt of word that a survivor was found, government cutters, tugs and airplanes resumed search of the waters off Humboldt in the faint hope that others might be adrift.
"According to a member of the U.S. Coast Guard on lookout at Humboldt and an eye witness to the sea disaster, the Brooklyn was steaming over the bar in the face of a driving storm and heavy seas. Suddenly it stopped, its skipper apparently realizing that the ship couldn't weather the storm and decided to turn around and go back. As it was making the turn its engines stopped and it began to drift helplessly. Four short blasts sounded the distress signal and in another moment the ship was caught by a larger breaker and turned bottom side up. She sank before anyone aboard had a chance to launch or even approach a life boat."
The second photo of Capps Garage appeared in a 1929 special section in Western World introducing many Bandon businesses to the readers. The garage was owned by Ed Capps, local representative for Ford.
"Capps hardly needs any special introduction. He is known to all as he has lived in this country all of his life, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.S. Capps, being among the early pioneers who are credited with building this country to its present stage of prosperity.
"The modern structure is a real credit to the city and is conveniently located at one entrance of the Roosevelt highway and intersection of the main street. It employs 12 men."
The street to the right is what we now know as Edison Avenue, which goes past the Catholic Church and connects with First Street across from the Port's marketplace building. The building would have been located in the far western part of the large gravel parking lot."
At the time of the 1936 Bandon Fire, Ed Capps was Bandon's mayor.
I also love to feature some of old-timers from time to time, and this week I am sharing a picture of Joan DeCosta (Goodbrod) and Florence Moore (Litzenberger) probably taken in elementary school. Joan, whose parents were Bea and Joe DeCosta, and Florence, the daughter of Fred and Marjorie Moore, graduated from Bandon High School in 1950. Joan now lives in Woodland, Wash., and Florence lives in Springfield.
I received an email this week which had also been sent to City Manager Dan Chandler from Bandon native and retired teacher Carol Tucker Acklin thanking us for what has been happening in the community.
It was refreshing since Carol, who served many years on the board of the Southern Coos Hospital and Health District, understands what public service can be like .
She said: "I just finished reading the city newsletter and am very impressed with all the improvements the city is making in our town. I like the Rainy Day Fund -- excellent idea. Also glad the city is grabbing parking lots, as Old Town would not survive without more parking. I was delighted to find that the shut-off valve for the water tanks will arrive soon. That was a priority determined during meetings with the Bandon Prepares team. And that long-needed crosswalk is making the Highway 101 crossing far safer. Well done, everyone!"
Thanks Carol. Always nice to hear from someone without an axe to grind.
We received a similar letter recently from Jim Proehl, retired teacher and long-time volunteer at the Bandon history museum, thanking our crews for assisting in greenspace work.
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Having recently dodged the proverbial bullet when it comes to hiring an administrator for a hospital, as a member of the Southern Coos Hospital board, I can empathize with the Bay Area Hospital Board who recently (mid-May) announced the hiring of their new Chief Operating Officer Larry Butler Jr., previously of Baton Rouge, La. The announcement also made it into the Becker's Hospital Review, which is a nationwide publication available to anyone associated with health care.
I can imagine the horror they felt when they learned that Mr. Butler was a convicted felon with a long criminal record. In 2015, according to a press release, he was sentenced to five years in federal prison as a result of his scheme to defraud two of his former employers, Louisiana Health Cooperative, Inc., and the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. He used false credentials, false Social Security number, and other false documentation, to conceal his significant criminal history, according to the lengthy press release, easily obtainable by Googling his name. Interestingly enough, he apparently did not use a false name.
Last week, the hospital board posted on their Facebook page that Larry Butler Jr. was no longer affiliated with Bay Area Hospital. They went on to explain that they use a comprehensive background check process to vet all of its new hires. The post adds that they are confident that no sensitive information has been breached. "Nevertheless, we are conducting a thorough audit of our systems to ensure that all private data has been maintained in full and strict confidence."
I wonder if that comprehensive background check process included a Google search and a set of fingerprints? I am also curious if the board did its own search or hired a professional head-hunter (recruiter)? And if it were the latter, I would be asking for my money back.
From experience, I know how easy it is to be duped during the hiring process and that's why you need to dig as deep as possible. It's not always easy, but it can save a lot of embarrassment or way worse in the long term.
After a lengthy, thorough and sometimes "interesting" search, Southern Coos hired a new CEO, Raymond Hino, that we are proud to introduce to the South Coast.
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The Wesley Bell Ringers will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at the Bandon First Presbyterian Church, 592 Edison Ave., SW. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Admission is free and a free will offering will be collected.
This will be the fourth concert on the choir's 56th annual summer tour and will feature 20 teenaged ringers playing more than 150 handbells and hand chimes.
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I've learned that the real estate of Sweet Peas Vintage Home & Garden on Baltimore in the heart of Old Town has been listed for $729,000 by owners Chip and Jean Salmon. The sale includes the land with courtyard garden and back patio and a two-story renovated building, which previously had living quarters upstairs "that could easily return with existing full bath and upgraded kitchen infrastructure in the walls," said the Facebook post about the sale.
The Salmons also own the Loft on 2nd, a high-end boutique clothing store.
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A press release that came out this week said that "Overdose rates in the state of Oregon rose by 700 percent after voters approved a ballot measure to decriminalize all hard drugs," according to information released this week.
"Voters in the state voted to decriminalize all hard drugs in the pursuit of encouraging those struggling with drug addiction to seek medical help. The measure, referred to as Ballot Measure 110, was the first of its kind in the U.S. and went into effect in February of 2021.
"Ballot Measure 110 made it so that it was no longer a felony or misdemeanor of any kind to possess drugs in the state. At most, people carrying hard drugs are subject to a maximum fine of $100 which can be waived if the person receiving the citation calls a public hotline and receives a free health assessment.
"If a person is found to be carrying a 'personal amount' of drugs like heroin, cocaine, or meth, at most, they will receive a $100 fine. Of the $300 million that was meant to be allocated to public health resources to fight addiction, only $40 million has been dispersed.
"The Daily Mail reported that BM110 has largely had an inverse effect and has led not to more people seeking treatment but to more drug-related deaths and the proliferation of hard drug use throughout Oregon communities.
"Steve Allen, Oregon's behavioral health director, acknowledged that there has been a 'dramatic' increase in overdoses and overdose deaths, but he attributed much of these to an influx of meth laced with fentanyl."
What did these people think would happen with such a permissive drug law, and where were Governor Brown and House Speaker Tina Kotek when it came to warning Oregonians what could happen if this law passed.
Well it did pass, and we are seeing the dangerous and tragic results.
This coupled with the announcement that Bay Area Hospital is closing its mental health psych ward is disastrous news for the people of the South Coast.
Hard not to see a correlation between increased homelessness and crime ... and the availability of hard drugs. Not to mention that of Coos County's 250-bed jail only one pod (48 beds) is open! That ends with many committing crime being cited and released."
Hard to see any light at the end of this tunnel. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/as-i-see-it-bandon-harbor-claims-another-ship/article_533b525e-e894-11ec-b38b-ff618996872e.html | 2022-06-12T11:28:57 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/as-i-see-it-bandon-harbor-claims-another-ship/article_533b525e-e894-11ec-b38b-ff618996872e.html |
In its seventh year of presenting free Shakespeare plays, Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park will present the well-known Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth two consecutive weekends in June 18 and 19 and 25 and 26 - at Mingus Park, 725 N. 10th Street, Coos Bay.
In keeping with the original tradition of Shakespeare plays, the presentation will be preceded by a “green show,” featuring music and dance by the Side of the Tide Morris Dancers at 2:30 p.m., followed immediately by the play beginning at 3 p.m. in the amphitheater of the park.
Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish general who, after winning in battle, is told by witches that he will be King of Scotland. Conspiring with and encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he murders Duncan, the King, but is eventually driven mad by guilt resulting from his need to commit more murders to protect his throne. The play is an exploration of ambition unchecked by morality; the actors will present the play from the perspective of a couple who believe what they are doing is necessary and will make Scotland better by getting rid of a bad leader.
The venue is outdoors and is lawn seating so audience members should provide their own chairs or blankets and dress appropriately for the weather. There is no charge but donations will be gratefully accepted to help cover costs of scenery, costumes, etc. The actors, director, and all those who are involved in the productions are volunteers and receive no compensation. The actors come from the community, people from all different walks of life, including experienced actors and those new to the craft. They represent a wide range of ages and come from several of the local Coos Bay/North Bend theater groups including the Logos Players, Dolphin Players, and On Broadway Thespians.
“Part of our mission statement is to be able to give opportunities for those interested in Shakespeare and to make inclusive theater available for our community, especially those who couldn’t otherwise afford to attend the theater,” said Kristin Hovenkotter Greco, president of the volunteer board of directors. “Our original thought was: this is something other communities have, our communities deserve it too. And we wanted to provide a place for people from the different theater groups to come together and do outdoor performing arts for our community, to collaborate on free cultural opportunities.”
In addition to bringing members of the various local theater groups together in this effort, the group has developed a partnership with Southwestern Oregon Community College, which sponsors the group by providing indoor rehearsal space, community education classes about Shakespeare, a theater production class, and SWOC staff and students are involved in the plays.
In 2015 the group received a grant from Oregon State Parks’ Art in the Park program. The first presentation in 2016 was a compilation of scenes from several different plays performed by the different theater groups presented at Shore Acres State Park. The following year the play moved to Mingus Park, which has become home to the group, where they presented Henry V, followed in the ensuing years by Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and in 2020 a livestreamed production of King Lear. Last year’s production was The Tempest.
Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park is a 501(c)3 non-profit. In addition to individual donations, a number of area businesses and grants support their work. This year’s sponsors include Walmart, the Ford Family Foundation, the Coos Cultural Coalition, Banner Bank, Farm & Sea, Bigfoot Beverages, Seaboard Properties, 7 Devils Brewing Co, South Coast Family Dentistry, Ace Hardware, Elgin Orthodontics, Itty Bitty Inn, Brew Stop, Farr’s Hardware, Cedar Electric, and Pamela C De Jong.
For additional information, please visit www.coosbayshakespeare.com. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/shakespeare-in-the-park-announces-summer-production/article_ca0b216a-e88b-11ec-a0d1-efe6b7162c6e.html | 2022-06-12T11:29:03 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/shakespeare-in-the-park-announces-summer-production/article_ca0b216a-e88b-11ec-a0d1-efe6b7162c6e.html |
On Saturday, June 18 at 11 am, the North Bend Public Library presents Solo Camping without Tears or Fears with local solo camper, Gail Elber.
Gail enjoys solo camping as it allows her to hike at her own pace, but she admits it can be daunting the first time out. Her talk is intended to highlight the skills she finds necessary for these ventures, and the lessons she’s learned regarding planning, packing, and talking with family and friends who want to send her articles on bear attacks. She also wants to help those who are interested to gain confidence in their outdoor skills and how to be comfortable and safe in the wilderness.
This program will be live in the NBPL meeting room.
This is part of NBPL’s adult summer reading program, “Read Beyond the Beaten Path.” As the first Saturday in the program NBPL has a busy schedule: Laughter Yoga is from 9:30 to 10:15, Gail’s program at 11, and at 2 pm magician Jay Frasier will kick off the children’s summer program.
Attendance at library programs earns points for those playing the summer reading game. More information about the summer reading game will be available on the library website.
For more information about this event and other library programs, please contact the North Bend Public Library at 541-756-0400, email nbservices@northbendlibrary.org or see our website at northbendoregon.us/library | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/solo-camping-talk-at-the-north-bend-public-library/article_41ff0a52-e827-11ec-a836-a3ab75370314.html | 2022-06-12T11:29:09 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/solo-camping-talk-at-the-north-bend-public-library/article_41ff0a52-e827-11ec-a836-a3ab75370314.html |
Al Moe, known to many as the owner of Moe’s Bike Shop, was a man of many interests and impacts within this community. Over the weekend we got to join with those celebrating his life, at the Airport Terminal. There were over 200 folks there from all walks of life. Their common thread was the memories they had of Al and his impact on their lives. There was much laughter and some tears. But as a leader, in many aspects, within our community, Al’s memories in the hearts of family and friends were the common currency of a life well lived.
You don’t have to hold a position to be a leader. You are all leaders, whether it is in the family, business or community. Leaders who were faced with change and opportunity this past couple years and will see more challenges in the remainder of 2022. The main opportunity is the mutual support of our friends and neighbors. In the Chamber we call that networking. So, as we face life’s realities together, how can you help? What is your unique talent? Your Chamber has a spot where you, and only you, has the ability to make things happen.
Each person, on your team or committee or family has their strengths, issues and special interests. Those are molded into a working body which gets things done by you, their leader. Everyone has their approach to leadership which they have developed through many experiences both good and challenging. All of them are effective in their own way. Let me share the five principles I have used over the past several years:
• Respect others—treat all as you would like to be treated.
• Be decisive—listen to all sides, then make a timely decision.
• Set goals and use them—focus you efforts by using goals to reach the vision you have for tomorrow.
• Hard work—be willing to put in the time at any level to get the job done.
• Servant’s attitude—In John 13, we have the greatest example of leadership when Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. His point: true leaders are first servants. You do likewise.
So be involved, use your unique talents to make a difference for us all and make memories that are stored in the hearts of others. That is success and a life well lived.
(Timm Slater is executive director of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information on your Chamber, email timmslater@oregonsbayarea.org.) | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/the-chamber-minute-you-are-all-leaders/article_26834356-e75f-11ec-8e97-23ce9f44da9c.html | 2022-06-12T11:29:15 | 0 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/the-chamber-minute-you-are-all-leaders/article_26834356-e75f-11ec-8e97-23ce9f44da9c.html |
100 years ago
June 12, 1922: Well-known Bloomington man Moses Bierd, who was for many years employed as a city teamster, died in an accident near Taylor and Clinton streets. Bierd was thrown from his wagon after a horse got spooked; his two young sons were also in the wagon but survived the incident. A witness did not know what frightened the animal.
75 years ago
June 12, 1947: Sister Aegidia of St. Joseph's Hospital is celebrating her 50th anniversary of entering the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. Several other nuns also celebrated anniversaries. The day included a high mass, reception at the nurses' home and a moving picture that would be shown only for the sisters.
50 years ago
June 12, 1972: A McLean County grand jury found in a new report that the county jail is an "antiquated structure" inadequate in many respects. Issues include sanitary facilities, window and electric lighting, size of prisoner cells, office facilities, space available for female prisoners, fire escape routes and recreation facilities.
25 years ago
June 12, 1997: Owners of a proposed low-level nuclear waste site adjacent to Ellsworth have withdrawn the site from consideration. The 840-acre Fleming family farm was the only site offered for sale to the state for the facility. "This means we're all going to sleep at night," Mayor Shelly Hanover told The Pantagraph.
Compiled by Pantagraph staff | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/100-years-ago-bloomington-man-killed-in-runaway-wagon-accident/article_ffa1dd16-e91a-11ec-be09-6babcab5d787.html | 2022-06-12T11:36:06 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/100-years-ago-bloomington-man-killed-in-runaway-wagon-accident/article_ffa1dd16-e91a-11ec-be09-6babcab5d787.html |
Students majoring in philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University pay nearly $15,000 annually in tuition bills. But according to a recent analysis, the average graduate still earned minimum wage five years after graduation.
The analysis, which estimated the earnings for 750 school-specific majors in Virginia, found that VCU philosophy majors earned the least in the state. Other programs at the bottom include Regent University’s drama department and Mary Baldwin’s arts program.
Meanwhile, graduates of the University of Virginia’s computer science program made $110,000 annually five years after graduation, the most in the state. They were closely followed by Washington and Lee University’s computer science grads and UVA’s computer engineering alumni.
Together, the data indicates that whether college provides a positive financial return on investment depends mostly on the field of study and somewhat on the college the student attended.
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Colleges in Virginia have long debated how to weigh the intrinsic value of certain majors versus their pecuniary value. At a time when tuition costs are rising, student debt remains high and jobs are unfilled, many students in the state are choosing majors that are more likely to provide a good paycheck.
Peter Blake, the head of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, said colleges have a responsibility to make sure programs are aligned to meet employment demands as closely as possible, especially now.
A program’s return on investment, he said, is “particularly important.”
The study, which estimates earnings for bachelor’s degree programs nationwide, was published last fall by the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, a think tank described as right-of-center.
Researchers used 2017 and 2018 earnings reported to the College Scorecard, a government database that compiles wage values shortly after graduation, and Census Bureau data to project future income. The study does not address students with graduate and professional degrees.
Some majors never provide a financial return on investment. Those students would have earned more money across their lifetimes had they saved the $100,000 or so in tuition costs, started earning a paycheck four years earlier and begun climbing the wage ladder sooner.
Nearly one in four college majors in Virginia fails to provide a lifetime return on investment, according to the study. The majors least likely to provide a financial windfall are psychology, biology, fine arts, drama, English and social work. The schools that house the highest number of negative-ROI majors are Liberty University, VCU, University of Mary Washington and Radford University.
The majors that provide the highest ROI tend to focus on science, technology, engineering, math and business. Several nursing programs are near the top of the list, too.
You don’t have to go to a prestigious school or an expensive school to get a good-paying job. High-earning majors are found at VCU, Old Dominion University and for-profit schools such as ECPI University.
Some perhaps unexpected majors landed in top 100: romance languages at Washington and Lee, politics at UVA and interdisciplinary studies at UVA, indicating that graduates of the most prestigious schools are more likely to earn high-paying jobs even if they are not enrolled in a high-value major.
‘A civilized world’ needs philosophy
Though they aren’t rich, philosophy grads earned a wide range of estimated salaries five years after graduation, from $44,000 at the College of William & Mary to $17,000 at VCU.
VCU’s figure, which comes from 2017 and 2018 data, is close to minimum wage at the time.
Donald Smith, department chair for VCU philosophy, said the results do not fit with his analysis of the jobs VCU philosophy graduates earn.
“I was in disbelief,” he said.
In recent years, VCU philosophy grads have become a research analyst at OrthoVirginia, a researcher at the Economic Policy Institute and a senior analyst at Lumber Liquidators. About half of the graduates go to law school or some other postgraduate degree, he estimated.
The median estimated wage for philosophy grads nationwide is $37,000 in this study, which is a lower figure than some other studies cite. For instance, a 2021 New York Fed study on the labor market for recent college graduates found that philosophy graduates have a median wage of $39,000 early in their careers, but that it rises to a mid-career median wage of $62,000.
Because of the specificity of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity report, its sample sizes are small.
“I have no reason for thinking that VCU philosophy majors fare significantly worse with respect to ROI than what these other studies indicate,” Smith said.
Just because a major doesn’t pay well doesn’t mean it has no value, said Blake, head of the State Council of Higher Education. Return on investment is an important measure of a program’s success — average debt for a Virginia college graduate is $30,000. But it’s not the only measure.
“A civilized world needs people who are trained and educated in English, history, social work, early childhood education, art, anthropology, et cetera,” he added.
Philosophy improves reasoning skills, the ability to be open to criticism and the ability to disagree in a rational manner, Smith added. All of those skills are relevant to any career a student might pursue.
Josh Hartt, 21, graduated from VCU last month after double majoring in political science and philosophy. Philosophy hasn’t helped his job search much, but if he could do college over again, he wouldn’t change a thing.
“It taught me to think in a way most people don’t, and that was worth every single penny,” Hartt said.
Hartt doesn’t have a job yet, but he has enough money saved up to get an apartment in Richmond while he applies. He plans to apply to law school next year.
What’s helped him the most with his career are the job prospects working on political campaigns. He says the teachers and students he met in philosophy classes were some of the best at VCU.
“If you’re interested in philosophy, don’t let job prospects deter you from it,” he added.
Hartt’s sentiments match those of most students, who are largely happy with their decision to attend college. In a poll of 15,000 Virginia college graduates from the past 15 years, 88% reported feeling satisfied or very satisfied with their undergraduate experience.
A majority, 70%, say their time in college prepared them for the workplace. But only 56% said their education was worth the cost.
Ethan Hamilton broke the mold. Days after he graduated from VCU philosophy last year, he got a job offer as an ontology analyst for a consulting firm in Arlington County, building data models for computers and earning about $70,000, far more than the national average.
His employer was interested in applicants who understand logic and rules — exactly what he had learned in philosophy.
“For this field, it’s a perfect fit,” he said.
A $2 million ROI
Students in the top-paying majors typically earn six-figure salaries by age 27. Of the 25 best-paying degree programs, 17 are engineering or computer science.
Joshua Sahaya Arul, 21, took computer science as a high school class at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria and got hooked. At UVA, he chose it as his major primarily because he enjoyed the subject.
A summer internship at Capital One turned into a job offer months before he graduated from UVA. By age 21 — he finished college in three years — he was earning close to $110,000, the estimated salary for his major for graduates five to seven years older than him. He recently accepted a job at Google.
According to the study, he and other UVA computer science grads will receive a return on their college education of more than $2 million.
The State Council of Higher Education does not shut down programs that fail to deliver good jobs. Instead, it pays attention to a program’s popularity. If students stop enrolling, the program can get shut down. In essence, the state council lets the market decide.
If majors have high demand, “there must be some value students see in them,” Blake said.
For years, students have chosen majors that do not guarantee a big paycheck. Psychology is the state’s most popular major, with 5% of students enrolled, and it’s been among the most popular majors for at least 30 years.
The highest-paying psychology program is at Virginia Military Institute, where graduates earn an estimated $47,000 five years after graduation.
“Everyone has their own price point when it comes to return on investment,” Blake said.
In the survey of college graduates from the past 15 years, about one in three graduates said they went to college for reasons other than preparing for a specific job — either because they felt they were expected to, they wanted a well-rounded education, or they were trying to figure out what they wanted to do.
But not all majors have sustained the popularity of psychology. In 2010, there were 1,500 college students in Virginia studying English. By 2020, that number had cratered by 40%.
VCU has seen that trend with its new students. In the past four years, fewer incoming freshmen have chosen the College of Humanities and Sciences, which is home to such departments as biology, English and philosophy.
What’s growing are engineering, business, education and health — programs with clear job destinations, said Tomikia LeGrande, VCU’s vice president for enrollment.
The university’s goal, she said, is to make sure students can envision a career — no matter what major they choose.
(804) 649-6109
Twitter: @EricKolenich
(804) 649-6012
Twitter: @SeanMcGoey | https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.html | 2022-06-12T11:45:11 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.html |
Taunton crossing guard honored; Littlefield on 'American Ninja Warrior': Our top stories
Before we begin the new week in earnest, we're taking a look back at the week that was, and the stories that led the news with Taunton Daily Gazette readers.
Top stories included:
A Taunton mom got quite a surprise when she got some unexpected news about her pregnancy: she's expecting quadruplets. In March, Ashley Ness learned she was pregnant, unexpectedly, during a routine doctor's appointment. Two weeks later, during her first ultrasound, the surprise was revealed to be far more than she could imagine.
Some relatives are irked over the location where Taunton High School held its recent graduation ceremony: in the field house. Nearly 500 students graduated, and each of them was given four tickets for the ceremony. Some family members had to watch the ceremony on an auditorium video screen. Superintendent of Schools John Cabral said the school department has only received one complaint about the seating arrangements. Gazette Reporter Ed Baker has the story here.
These were the Top 5 stories of the past week, according to Gazette readers:
Students cheer on Taunton crossing guard who's ‘always there with a smile’
Our top story this past week was about a Taunton Public Schools crossing guard who has been keeping local students safe and smiling for 20 years.
Rick "Ricky" Spearin is at the corner of Harris and Williams streets each morning and afternoon, making sure his charges get to Elizabeth Pole Elementary School safely.
This past week, he was honored by the Mass Department of Transportation at the Safe Routes to School awards ceremony. He watched the virtual ceremony at E. Pole, and the children lined the hallways to greet him with warm wishes, applause, and hugs.
'He’s number one in our hearts':Students cheer on Taunton crossing guard who's ‘always there with a smile’
Pet of the Week loves taking trips to Dunkin
Remi, a female American Staffordshire mix who was a recent Taunton Animal Shelter Pet of the Week, certainly got some tails wagging.
She's available for adoption, and she's a bundle of energy who loves going for walks and being included in activities.
Her favorite activity?
Hopping in the car for a ride and a trip to Dunkin.
Pet of the Week:Remi is a cute, happy dog who likes going to Dunkin
'Miss American Ninja Warrior'
Former Miss Massachusetts Lyndsey Littlefield is now Miss American Ninja Warrior.
That's what it says on her competition shirt.
The Taunton native, former Miss Taunton and current science teacher at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School has been waiting a long time for this moment, and now it's finally happening for her:
Miss American Ninja Warrior:Ex-Miss Taunton chases a dream all the way to American Ninja Warrior stage
Rawkstars founder shares story on Kelly Clarkson Show
East Taunton resident Jon “JJ” Jacobs recently traveled to Universal Studios in Los Angeles to film a segment about Rawkstars, his Taunton-based non-profit which provides young music students with instruments and tuition for weekly music lessons.
His segment aired June 6 on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and he talked about his experience, as well as what it was like sharing the stage with country music stars The Chicks.
'A very music-centric episode':Taunton man flown to LA to tell Rawkstar's story on The Kelly Clarkson Show
From the science fair to Harvard
Throughout her career at Taunton High School, Kayla Parrett accumulated numerous science awards, including several first place finishes at the Massachusetts Region III Science Fair.
It all began with a seventh-grade project on food science, and now the next step of her journey is taking her to Harvard University, where she plans to study microbiology and immunology.
Following her passions:STEM-loving Taunton teen's journey takes her from science fair to Harvard
See how her hard work has brought her all the way to the Ivy League.
Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today. | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/taunton-top-stories-rick-spearin-lyndsey-littlefield-rawkstars/7585873001/ | 2022-06-12T12:11:22 | 1 | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/taunton-top-stories-rick-spearin-lyndsey-littlefield-rawkstars/7585873001/ |
Grab your cape and leap some tall buildings: It’s Superman Day! It’s also Peanut Butter Cookie Day, so before you go off and make like a superhero, indulge in a sweet treat. We like ours with those fork marks, just like grandma used to make!
The Belle City Brassworks — made up of local musicians — is performing a free “Swinging Brass” concert. 3 p.m. in Union Grove High School’s Performing Arts Theater, 3433 S. Colony Ave.
Jerry Smith Pumpkin Farm, 7150 18th St., features newborn farm animals at “Babies on the Farm,” open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. Admission is $10 and can be purchased online at smithpumpkinfarm.com or at the gate. Kids 2 and younger are free.
“Mamma Mia!” — the global hit musical crafted using songs by the Swedish pop group ABBA — continues today at the Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Ave. Tickets can be purchased by calling 262-633-4218 or online at racinetheatre.org.
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Polish Fest wraps up today at Milwaukee’s Summerfest Grounds. The festival is known for Polish food and dancing, plus vodka tastings and its Non-Stop Polka Stage. polishfest.org. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-sunday-june-12/article_dba7dc2e-e926-11ec-b1fb-239c15e375f6.html | 2022-06-12T12:38:30 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-sunday-june-12/article_dba7dc2e-e926-11ec-b1fb-239c15e375f6.html |
WGTD (91.1 FM) is owned and operated as a public service of Gateway Technical College and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio. For an updated schedule, go online to wgtd.org. WGTD 91.1-FM’s “Morning Show” airs 8:10 to 9 a.m. weekdays.
Guests this week include:
Monday: C.N. Lester, author of “Trans Like Me: Conversations for all of us.”
Tuesday: On Flag Day: Mark Clague, author of “O Say Can You Hear: A Cultural Biography of ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’”
Wednesday: Michelle Sandberg, executive director of the HOPE Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse,” and her predecessor, Guida Brown.
Thursday: Stephen Hopkins, who works with the Water Quality Bureau of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Friday: For Father’s Day: David McGlynn, author of “One Day You’ll Thank Me: Lessons from an Unexpected Fatherhood.” | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/wgtd-announces-morning-show-schedule-for-this-week/article_e4b5e22c-e92e-11ec-99e6-0fd799cc4c11.html | 2022-06-12T12:38:37 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/wgtd-announces-morning-show-schedule-for-this-week/article_e4b5e22c-e92e-11ec-99e6-0fd799cc4c11.html |
NJ Transit suspended service on the River Line service between Trenton and Bordentown Sunday morning after a train hit a car that had previously crashed on the tracks, the transit agency said.
Service was stopped shortly before 6:30 a.m., NJ Transit said on their Twitter page, but resumed two hours later.
NJ Transit told NBC10 a southbound River Line train hit the unoccupied vehicle near the Route 29 bridge in Trenton around 6:20 a.m.
The vehicle was overturned on the tracks due to a previous car crash not involving the rail line, the agency said.
The light rail train had about 40 passengers on board at the time and an operator. None of them were injured, NJ Transit said.
Passengers may see up to 30-minute delays in both directions between Waterfront Entertainment Center and Trenton stations, NJ Transit said. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/car-crash-suspends-nj-transit-river-line-between-trenton-bordentown/3268449/ | 2022-06-12T12:44:36 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/car-crash-suspends-nj-transit-river-line-between-trenton-bordentown/3268449/ |
Votes in the U.S. House
HR 6087: Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act
Voting 325 for and 83 against, the house on Tuesday passed a bill that expands the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in providing services to injured federal workers under the federal workers’ compensation program.
Yes: Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st (Bucks, parts of Montgomery and Philadelphia); Madeleine Dean, D-4th (Montgomery, parts of Berks); Susan Wild, D-7th (Lehigh, Northampton, parts of Monroe); Matt Cartwright, D-8th (most of Monroe); Dan Meuser, R-9th (Schuylkill, parts of Carbon and Berks).
S3823: Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment and Technical Corrections Act
Voting 392 for and 21 against, the House on Tuesday passed a bill that modifies provisions related to small business reorganization bankruptcies and wage earners’ bankruptcies.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7667: Food and Drug Amendments of 2022
Voting 392 for and 28 against, the House on Wednesday. This bill reauthorizes Food and Drug Administration user fee programs for certain drugs and devices, establishes requirements to increase diversity in clinical trials, and modifies requirements relating to the overall supply chain for drugs and devices.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7776: Water Resources Development Act of 2022
Voting 384 for and 37 against, the House on Wednesday. This bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out activities concerning water resources development projects, water supply and wastewater infrastructure, flood control, navigation, or ecosystem restoration, such as shoreline restoration. In addition, it modifies the process used to deauthorize certain inactive water resources development projects.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7694: Strengthening Subcontracting for Small Businesses Act of 2022
Voting 411 for and 11 against, the House on Wednesday. This bill requires federal agencies to consider when evaluating offers for contracts the extent to which, in a subcontracting plan, the offeror proposes to use small businesses as subcontractors in the performance of the contract.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7670: WOSB Program Transparency Act
Voting 402 for and 19 against, the House on Wednesday approved this bill that requires the Small Business Administration to report information about the number and total dollar amount of contracts awarded under the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting program.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7664: Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2022
Voting 399 for and 18 against, the House on Wednesday voted to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study for small business development centers and women’s business centers, and for other purposes.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7622: Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act of 2022
Voting 368 for and 52 against, the House on Wednesday voted to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to apprenticeship program assistance for small business development centers, and for other purposes.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 5879: Hubzone Price Evaluation Preference Clarification Act of 2021
Voting 359 for and 61 against, the House on Wednesday voted to revise the standards applicable to small businesses participating in the HUBZone program, a Small Business Administration program that provides federal contracting assistance to small-business concerns. Specifically, the bill revises the circumstances under which a small-business concern is granted certain price evaluation preferences.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7334: COVID–19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022
Voting 426 for and 3 against, the House on Wednesday voted to establish a 10-year statute of limitations for criminal charges and civil enforcement against a borrower who engages in fraud with respect to certain COVID-19 economic injury disaster loan programs.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7352: PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022
Voting 421 for and 0 against, the House on Wednesday voted to establish a 10-year statute of limitations for criminal charges and civil enforcement against a borrower who engages in fraud with respect to a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Meuser
HR 7910: Protecting Our Kids Act
Voting 223 for and 204 against, the House on Wednesday voted to make various changes to federal firearms laws, including to establish new criminal offenses and to expand the types of weapons and devices that are subject to regulation. Among the changes, the bill generally prohibits the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals who are under 21 years of age; establishes new federal criminal offenses for gun trafficking and related conduct; establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers); establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels; subjects bump stocks to regulation under federal firearms laws; and generally prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
Yes: Fitzpatrick, Dean, Wild, Cartwright
No: Meuser
H.R. 1153: Voting 218 for and 205 against, the House on Wednesday voted to set forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2377) to authorize the issuance of extreme risk protection orders; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 7910) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for an increased age limit on the purchase of certain firearms, prevent gun trafficking, modernize the prohibition on untraceable firearms, encourage the safe storage of firearms, and for other purposes.
Yes: Dean, Wild, Cartwright
No: Fitzpatrick
Not voting: Meuser
HR 2377: Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2021
Voting 224 for and 202 against, the House on Thursday voted to authorize and establish procedures for federal courts to issue federal extreme risk protection orders. A federal extreme risk protection order is a federal court order that prohibits a person from purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm or ammunition.
Yes: Dean, Wild, Cartwright, Fitzpatrick
No: Meuser
U.S. Senate
Alex Wagner, Department of Defense
Voting 76 for and 21 against, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Alex Wagner, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force.
Yes: Bob Casey, D
No: Pat Toomey, R
Chavonda J. Jacobs-Young, Department of Agriculture
Voting 95 for and 4 against, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Chavonda J. Jacobs-Young, of Georgia, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics.
Yes: Casey, Toomey
Kenneth L. Wainstein, Department of Homeland Security
Voting 63 for and 35 against, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kenneth L. Wainstein, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security, vice David James Glawe.
Yes: Casey, Toomey
Shalanda H. Baker, Department of Energy
Voting 54 for and 45 against, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Shalanda H. Baker, of Texas, to be Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact, Department of Energy.
Yes: Casey
No: Toomey
Amy Loyd, Department of Education
Voting 57 for and 42 against, the Senate on Wednesday confirmed Amy Loyd, of New Mexico, to be Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of Education.
Yes: Casey
No: Toomey
Todd M. Harper, National Credit Union Administration
Voting 59 for and 40 against, the Senate on Wednesday confirmed Todd M. Harper, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Credit Union Administration Board for a term expiring April 10, 2027.
Yes: Casey
No: Toomey
Nina Morrison, The Judiciary
Voting 53 for and 46 against, the Senate on Wednesday confirmed Nina Morrison, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York.
Yes: Casey
No: Toomey
Robert Steven Huie, The Judiciary
First Call
Voting 51 for and 46 against, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Robert Steven Huie, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California.
Yes: Casey
No: Toomey
Samuel R. Bagenstos, Department of Health and Human Services
Voting 49 for and 43 against, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Samuel R. Bagenstos, of Michigan, to be General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services, vice Robert Charrow.
Yes: Casey
Not voting: Toomey | https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-how-they-voted-0612-20220612-43uizf4oazhbrpekaxydw3tady-story.html | 2022-06-12T12:48:01 | 1 | https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-how-they-voted-0612-20220612-43uizf4oazhbrpekaxydw3tady-story.html |
Michael Hicks: Time to dump the Rich States, Poor States rankings
Among the more influential economic narratives in recent decades has been a publication by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), “Rich States, Poor States.” That work, now in its 15th edition, is authored by Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Jonathan Williams
This document is a ranking of states across 15 policy variables that includes the highest marginal tax rates on households and businesses, the progressivity of the income tax system, burden of all other taxes, the presence of an inherence tax, along with recent tax policy changes (efforts to reduce taxes), size of debt, number of government workers per 10,000 residents, tort environment, workers compensation rates and state minimum wage and a tax or expenditure limit.
The index is transparent in its method and data, and provides a great deal of narrative. It has been enormously influential in Indiana. The index is designed to generate policy change that leads to economic growth. The 15th (2022) edition makes clear what the purpose of the ranking is for:
“Each of these factors is influenced directly by state lawmakers through the legislative process. Generally speaking, states that spend less — especially on income transfer programs — and states that tax less — particularly on productive activities such as working or investing — experience higher growth rates than states that tax and spend more.” Laffer, Moore and Williams 2022
More from Michael Hicks:Mindless economic development strategy? No thank you
Before I review these claims, I need to be transparent about the research I’ve done on these issues. I’ve authored studies on nearly every one of these policy variables, from taxes, Right-to-Work, tort reform and minimum wage. I’ve spoken about tax reform at a conference headlined by Art Laffer, and Stephen Moore has highlighted my tax incentive research in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.
My research in these areas, broadly summarized, concludes states should be mindful of all these issues. I’m sympathetic to arguments about efficiency in government, and think some of the narratives in “Rich States, Poor States” appropriately resonate with elected leaders. In particular, I like chapter 2 in the 8th edition, which offers a clear critique of crony capitalism.
But, to put it bluntly, there’s just nothing in the extensive body of research on economic growth, migration, population dynamics or business location decisions that would suggest these primarily tax-related factors play a critical role in prosperity or growth, however it is measured.
The “Rich States, Poor States” authors cite some interesting work on the subject, year after year. Still, the peer-reviewed studies they cite don’t make anything like the claims of supply-side tax policy as a panacea growth.
In fact, about the only theory the authors propose is the Laffer Curve argument, which argues that tax rate reductions can increase revenue through higher economic growth. A fatal problem with this argument is that the Laffer Curve applies to very high marginal tax rates — in excess of 75 percent. That’s maybe six times the top marginal tax rate in California.
An even more damaging challenge to the Laffer Curve theory is that state and local taxes affect the provision of local public goods (e.g., schools, public safety, etc.). There’s an abundance of research suggesting the quality of local public goods is the major contributor to business and household location decisions, that outweighs tax rates.
Still, this discussion should best be based on empirical fact rather than theory. The best way to do this is simply to see how state rankings on the Rich States, Poor States Index compares to economic growth. I’ll compare Gross Domestic Product (GDP), personal income and net interstate migration.
First, the relationship between GDP and the Rich State, Poor State rankings is neither statistically nor economically significant. Net migration is higher in the worse-ranked states, but again, it isn’t statistically significant. The Rich States, Poor States rankings do explain about 2.4% of personal income growth over the past dozen years.
A state’s movement from last place to first would have resulted in higher income of about 2.5% over that time period. How does that compare to other variables that economists argue influence economic growth?
The change in the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher accounts for 20% of changes to personal income growth, compared to 2.4% from the Rich States, Poor States rankings. More importantly, moving just 2.0 percentage points in the bachelor’s degree share of adults leads to more income growth than moving from last to first place in the Rich States, Poor States ranking.
In terms of state differences in per capita income, the Rich States, Poor States rankings explain less than 1.0% of differences in per capita income between states. In other words, it doesn’t matter. However, the state’s share of adults with a college degree explains 68% of per capita income differences. Moving up just one place in state education rankings would boost per capita incomes more than moving from 50th to 1st place in the Rich States, Poor States rankings.
Another way to assess the rankings is to see how the historical experience of moving up or down the rankings affected economic performance. Here we have data from 2007 to 2021 to compare. The results were astonishing — across the board, the states that did worse in the Rich States, Poor States rankings did better on GDP growth, personal income growth or net migration.
It isn’t just that the Rich States, Poor States rankings don’t predict economic growth as claimed. Rather, doing better in these measures actively worsens state economic performance. I know of no influential policy prescription that has performed this badly in practice since at least the late 1920s, and that one plunged us into the Great Depression.
And, it’s not a matter of trading off short-term losses for long-term growth. The reduction in state taxes proposed by the Rich States, Poor States ranking actually reduce long-run economic prospects. The reason for this is that the better a state performs on the Rich States, Poor States measure, the slower its growth in educational attainment has been over the past decade.
This has, and will continue to prove economically damaging for states that have chosen lower taxes over better educational attainment. The argument behind ALEC’s Rich State, Poor State rankings has failed both in theory and practice. It is well past time to dump the rankings and focus on policies that actually improve economic growth in states.
Michael J. Hicks is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/michael-hicks-time-dump-rich-states-poor-states-rankings/7505685001/ | 2022-06-12T13:00:04 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/06/12/michael-hicks-time-dump-rich-states-poor-states-rankings/7505685001/ |
CROWN POINT — In the 2 1/2 years since the federal government ended its oversight of the Lake County Jail, three inmates have taken their own lives, two died from drug overdoses, one died from COVID-19 complications and one died because of a preexisting heart condition.
Attorneys for the families of four of those inmates have filed lawsuits against the county, Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. and others alleging correctional officers violated the inmates' civil rights by failing to provide adequate medical care and supervision to prevent their loved ones' deaths.
In court filings, the defendants denied allegations the Lake County Jail has a history of insufficient medical staffing, inadequate acute and chronic medical care, inadequate training relating to suicide prevention and inadequate comprehensive suicide assessments.
In a statement, Martinez said a report released in December 2021 by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics showed local jails had a mortality rate in 2019 of 16.7 per 10,000 bookings.
"Lake County Jail does approximately 10,000 bookings per year," he said. "So far this year, we have had two deaths at the jail, which is fewer than the national average."
The federal report also showed the rate of jail suicide deaths in 2019 was 4.9 per 10,000. The rate of jail deaths due to drug or alcohol intoxication was 2.6 per 10,000.
In the latest death at the Lake County Jail, a 33-year-old Lake Station man booked in April 13 was found unresponsive about 12:30 a.m. May 6 by a correctional officer conducting a routine check, the sheriff said.
Correctional officers and jail medical staff attempted life-saving procedures and called an ambulance, but the man was pronounced dead after he was transported to Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville, according to police and the Lake County coroner's office.
The man's cause of death was asphyxia by hanging, the coroner's office said.
The man was being held at the jail on a petition to revoke his probation in an August 2021 case in which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine.
Two inmates died by suicide in 2021, according to information provided by the Lake County Sheriff's Department.
A 62-year-old Lakes of the Four Seasons man, identified in U.S. District Court records as Christopher DeRisi, died from asphyxia caused by hanging March 3, 2021, records showed. He was incarcerated in March 2021 on domestic battery charges, records show.
A 23-year-old Crown Point man, identified in court records as Daniel Skonieczny, died in mid-September 2021, also from asphyxia caused by hanging.
Skonieczny was arrested Sept. 13, 2021, on several drug-related charges. His date of death was listed as Sept. 16, 2021, by the Sheriff's Department and as Sept. 17, 2021, in a lawsuit.
The men's deaths were the first suicides at the jail since Lake County, former Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez and other county boards and officials entered into a consent decree with the Department of Justice in December 2010.
The agreement was reached after federal officials investigated a series of inmate suicides, injuries and disease outbreaks and determined in 2009 that the jail had violated inmates' constitutional rights by repeatedly, deliberately and consistently disregarding known or serious risks of harm.
Under former Sheriff John Buncich, who was convicted in a bribery scheme in August 2017, the county poured money into fixing the problems, and the jail's annual operating budget swelled to more than $22 million.
That money was in addition to a $7.2 million settlement paid in 2012 to former inmates who alleged they were held for weeks or months in overcrowded holding cells, forced to sleep on a concrete floor stained with human waste and provided "nearly nonexistent" medical care.
One of Martinez's goals after taking office in 2017 was to end the federal oversight.
He conducted a nationwide search and hired former Warden Michael Zenk, a longtime corrections manager who had served as the warden of federal prisons in Pennsylvania, New York and Georgia.
Under Zenk's leadership, the Justice Department noted particular improvements in the jail's use of force and mental health standards during an October 2018 review.
At the time, Zenk said understaffing issues continued to plague the jail, but Martinez had implemented changes to address the problem.
A federal judge signed an order in December 2019 officially terminating federal supervision.
Zenk, who retired in January, was replaced by Warden Todd Wasmer, who came to Lake County after serving as warden at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in Nebraska.
Wasmer previously held a variety of roles, ranging from corrections officer to assistant warden, over a 14-year period at Florida and Arizona facilities operated by CoreCivic, a private prison operator.
1 of 93
Alexander Wilderness III
Age: 43
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2204672
Arrest Date: May 31, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/suicides-on-the-rise-at-lake-county-jail-after-end-of-federal-oversight/article_2f2bc935-fd9b-5507-9aae-ac2ba553ff70.html | 2022-06-12T13:19:20 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/suicides-on-the-rise-at-lake-county-jail-after-end-of-federal-oversight/article_2f2bc935-fd9b-5507-9aae-ac2ba553ff70.html |
CROWN POINT — Pete Land has stood in the mayor's office on many occasions — but June 3 was the first time he actually sat behind the room's large wooden desk.
"It's very exciting; I am still very humbled. It was weird walking into this office and sitting behind that chair," Land said, gesturing to the desk that was once filled with former Mayor David Uran's impressive collection of sports memorabilia.
Land was selected to replace Uran as mayor of Crown Point on June 2 during a Democratic caucus.
During his acceptance speech, Land reflected on the many Crown Point mayors he's had the opportunity to meet throughout his tenure with the city. Land grew up in Crown Point and joined the police department in 1988 after graduating from Valparaiso University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and political science.
Land said he originally planned on becoming a lawyer, but knew, even then, "that if I could, I wanted to stay in Crown Point."
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Land was appointed police chief under former Mayor James Metros in 2002. Former Mayor Dan Klein replaced him in 2004, but Uran reappointed Land as chief in 2008.
All told, he worked with the Crown Point Police Department for 34 years, even serving as chief when Uran was on the force.
"When you enter a public service position, in that same community (you grew up in), then you see the community as a whole, not just your segment of it," Land recalled.
Throughout his career Land got to know city staff, sat through countless City Council meetings and learned the intricacies of the budget — all experiences he said have helped his transition to mayor.
Though Land was aware of most of the projects Crown Point is working on, both as a city employee and resident, his first week in office has shown him how much "leg work" and collaboration goes into every city undertaking.
"The mayor (Uran) did a lot of smart things, and one of the best things he did was surround himself with a great leadership team," Land said, explaining that his first week as mayor has involved meeting with department heads and learning the ins and outs of all city projects from Crown Point Chief of Staff Greg Falkowski.
A weighty decision
Land said he does not do anything "spur of the moment."
When he first learned Uran would be resigning after being selected as the next president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, Land said he was shocked. At first, he didn't even consider declaring his candidacy to replace Uran. However, at age 55, he knew he was ready to leave the police department.
Land had thought about joining a city board or commission, then he began to look towards the mayor's office. He discussed the decision with his friends, family and ultimately Uran, who all supported him.
Land and Councilwoman Dawn Stokes, D-2nd, were the only people to declare candidacy. Twenty-one Crown Point Democratic precinct committee members cast votes during the caucus, and Land won by five votes.
Former Operations Commander Ryan Patrick is currently serving as acting police chief.
Land said he intends to run in the 2023 election.
"I would not pursue this just as a seat-filler," Land said. "I knew if I was chosen for this, I would definitely be in it for the long haul."
Land's vision for the city includes maintaining smart growth.
When Uran first took office in 2008, Crown Point's population was about 24,000. Now the city has some 34,000 residents, an increase Land said he supports "as long as the growth does not outpace your city resources." Investments in infrastructure and growing both the police and fire departments were top priorities under the Uran Administration, a legacy Land said he will continue.
Land's current infrastructure focuses include continuing repaving efforts and working on the sanitary plant proposed for the southeast side of Crown Point. The $99 million project would enable homeowners in nearby unincorporated areas to get off aging septic systems.
The stormwater retention project planned for Sauerman Woods Park will also strengthen city infrastructure. The area has had problems with flooding, an issue the large retention lake will help solve by capturing excess stormwater. Located at 1000 E. South St., the park will also be getting a new pickleball court, a skate park and additional parking.
Crown Point's many events have been a strong point for the city, Land said. He hopes to continue the success of Bulldog Park by exploring the potential of bringing symphonies or other musical acts to the venue.
"There is so much good stuff happening in Crown Point, my focus is to just keep on that path and as things develop put my own stamp to it and my own ideas," Land said. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/crown-point/watch-now-as-mayor-land-takes-the-helm-he-wants-to-keep-crown-point-on/article_36735280-2666-5856-834e-6addd07d090c.html | 2022-06-12T13:19:21 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/crown-point/watch-now-as-mayor-land-takes-the-helm-he-wants-to-keep-crown-point-on/article_36735280-2666-5856-834e-6addd07d090c.html |
ORLANDO, Fla. – A critically-acclaimed musical is returning to Orlando’s Renaissance Theatre Company for just three days to mark the remembrance of the tragic shooting at Pulse Nightclub in 2016.
“From Here,” which originally debuted at the Orlando Fringe Festival in 2019 before being cut short due to COVID-19 in March 2020, tells one person’s story of what it was like living in Orlando during the difficult times of the Pulse Nightclub shooting.
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Now, it’s soaking up the spotlight yet again with an updated script and Blake Auburn reprising his award-winning role, Passion PR Consulting said.
The musical was written by Donald Rupe with arrangements and orchestrations by Jason M. Bailey.
“The show is a love letter to Orlando,” Donald Rupe, co-founder of the Ren, said in a news release. “After premiering at Orlando Fringe to enthusiastic crowds and rave reviews and then sadly cut short by the pandemic, it’s especially meaningful for us to bring back the show as we near the six-year anniversary of the tragic shooting at Pulse Nightclub that forever impacted our community, and we hope everyone experiences this incredibly moving show.”
Check out every episode of Riff On This in the media player below:
“From Here” is one of the inspiring works that made the show’s creative team open the doors to the Renaissance Theatre Company in September 2021. They wanted to create a home in Orlando for works like “From Here” and encourage the explosion of art, theatre and humanism, according to their website.
Tickets for the show are $30 and it will be playing Friday and Saturday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Renaissance Theatre Company.
To purchase tickets and learn more about the show, visit the theatre’s website. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/09/critically-acclaimed-musical-on-pulse-aftermath-returns-to-orlando-theatre/ | 2022-06-12T13:22:20 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/09/critically-acclaimed-musical-on-pulse-aftermath-returns-to-orlando-theatre/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. – Dozens of people participated in a march through downtown Orlando to raise awareness for youth and gun violence Saturday.
Each step was taken in memory of a teenager killed earlier this year from gun violence.
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“This is the culmination of young people’s efforts, really dreams to be quite frank,” UCF assistant professor L. Trenton S. Marsh, Ph.D., said.
A dream born from devastation after a member of the Levy-Hughes branch of the Boys and Girls Club was shot and killed in January. His fellow members turned to Dr. Marsh for guidance through their pain.
“Week after week listening and more listening, there was this emanation, this idea of hope. Hope is here,” Dr. Marsh said.
The group formed the H.O.P.E. Circle, which stands for “Healing Oasis for Peace and Empowerment.” The group met with social workers, including Jasmine Haynes, Ph.D., whose work focuses on elevating and giving a platform for the youth voice.
“A lot of programs are created by adults, and we assume that we know what the youth need for their social and emotional wellbeing, but the youth know what they need as well,” Dr. Haynes said.
The group turned their tragedy into a “Day of H.O.P.E.” — dozens marched in the teen’s memory from the Boys and Girls Club to Lake Eola for a rally to raise awareness of youth and gun violence.
Orlando’s incoming police chief Eric Smith joined the group.
Participants also took a pledge, not only for themselves but for the community. It’s a promise to continue this conversation on violence, gun use, and treating people with humanity.
“A commitment to continue this dialogue. This is framed as a day of hope, but we want this to live on just beyond this day,” Dr. Marsh said. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/hope-is-here-march-held-in-orlando-to-raise-awareness-for-youth-gun-violence/ | 2022-06-12T13:22:27 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/hope-is-here-march-held-in-orlando-to-raise-awareness-for-youth-gun-violence/ |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Multiple Central Florida fire departments aided Maitland firefighters Saturday in responding to a reported structure fire close to Lake Seminary, officials said.
The fire was reported at 11:22 a.m. in the area of Mechanic Street and Oak Avenue, near U.S. 17-92 (N Orlando Avenue) and Maitland Boulevard, records show.
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Orange County Fire Rescue, the Seminole County Fire Department and the Winter Park Fire Rescue Department assisted the Maitland Fire Rescue Department at the scene, officials said.
🚒 Today at 11:30 am: Seminole County Fire Department assisting @CityofMaitland Fire along with @OCFireRescue and Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department on a commercial structure fire at
— Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) PIO Media (@scfdpio) June 11, 2022
1250 N MAITLAND AVE, MAITLAND
📸Norm Reyburn
👍🔥BC 1 TECH 1 C5 E22 14 23 29 pic.twitter.com/3gW86JYZSd
The view from Sky 6 showed flames and smoke billowing from the structure’s roof, eating away at the building as firefighters worked to douse the scene.
No other details have been released.
This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for the latest updates.
Note: This map depicts the general area of the fire and not necessarily | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/maitland-orange-county-firefighters-respond-to-structure-fire-near-us-17-92/ | 2022-06-12T13:22:33 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/maitland-orange-county-firefighters-respond-to-structure-fire-near-us-17-92/ |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A well-known pub by the University of Central Florida announced on Saturday that it soon will close for good.
In a Facebook post, The Knight’s Pub announced the pub’s “final days,” although it didn’t specify in the post an official last day.
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The pub opened in 2013.
“Although it was not our choice to close, we are happy to see the continued development of the areas surrounding UCF,” the pub said in the post. “This is what makes our community so great.” | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/the-knights-pub-near-ucf-announces-on-facebook-that-it-is-closing/ | 2022-06-12T13:22:39 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/the-knights-pub-near-ucf-announces-on-facebook-that-it-is-closing/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. – There was a light and steady crowd at the Pulse Memorial site on Saturday.
It was an emotional time for many who came to pay respects and reflect, with Sunday marking six years since the tragedy where a gunman opened fire inside the popular nightclub, killing 49 and injuring more than 50.
“I just felt like an overwhelming sadness, there is a lot of love here and you can like see it and feel it,” said Courtney Warren from Tampa.
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Justin Perez also came from Tampa.
“Almost like an anger that six years and still nothing has changed,” Perez said. “Just senseless.”
Warren and Perez made the drive from Tampa to share their support.
“Just to let them know they are not alone,” Perez said. “You know, I don’t know how long it took for my brother to come out and just make sure to know they are loved, and it’s not just their community that hurts. It’s everyone.”
That hurt was seen on the faces of everyone who visited the site on Saturday.
The faces of the souls who were lost are now displayed so they won’t be forgotten.
Warren said with everything that is happening in the world, now is the time to spread love, not hate.
“I think that people are very judgy,” she said. “I think that the world breeds that judgy behavior for people to breed hate, and I think that people just need to love one another.”
On Sunday, the city as well as LGBTQ+ community will host events to mark the observance, from the ringing of bells at First United Methodist Church in Orlando to a ceremony at the memorial to honor the 49 victims. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/visitors-to-pulse-memorial-site-pay-respects-as-6-year-anniversary-of-tragedy-approaches/ | 2022-06-12T13:22:45 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/11/visitors-to-pulse-memorial-site-pay-respects-as-6-year-anniversary-of-tragedy-approaches/ |
MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida Silver Alert was issued Sunday for a missing 77-year-old man out of Umatilla, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Rano Jr. McGowan, AKA “Reno,” was last seen Friday in the 19400 block of SE Highway 42 in Umatilla, officials said.
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McGowan has brown eyes and gray hair, is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 210 pounds, officials said. He is driving a white 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck with a truck cap and Florida tag JHWI31, deputies said.
The vehicle, pictured below, was last seen Saturday afternoon traveling northbound on US Highway 441 at its intersection with SE Sunset Harbor Road.
McGowan may be traveling to the area of Adairsville, Georgia, to visit his family, deputies said.
Anyone who sees McGowan or has knowledge of his whereabouts is urged to call FDLE, or the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 352-732-8181 or 911. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/12/florida-silver-alert-issued-for-missing-77-year-old-umatilla-man-with-dementia/ | 2022-06-12T13:22:51 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/06/12/florida-silver-alert-issued-for-missing-77-year-old-umatilla-man-with-dementia/ |
TUPELO • The North Mississippi chapter of the American Red Cross is rebuilding in-person connections after two years of making a digital difference.
The Tupelo office of the nonprofit disaster relief organization is settling into its new routine after reopening to the public in May. As the chapter headquarters, the new building signals a reset for the chapter overall.
The North Mississippi chapter staff includes a fundraising team, volunteer services, operations, head volunteer for service to Armed forces and state relations executive. There are two additional offices in Columbus and Greenville.
Since most of the team is spread throughout Mississippi and Alabama, the chapter frequently uses collaboration days like the one held last Wednesday morning. From a spacious conference room inside the new headquarters, Executive Director KC Grist and disaster program specialist Steven Havens hopped on a nearly 40-minute conversation focused on increasing its presence in the 31 counties the North Mississippi chapter serves.
Recruiting its disaster action team (DAT) is a key focus. Chapter leaders are working to establish volunteer leadership networks and DATs in order to have a presence in each of its counties.
“One of the things that happens right now is, say there’s a fire in a particular county, and we don’t have volunteers in that county,” Grist said. “Well, it delays the response if someone’s got to come from an hour away.”
The 2022 fiscal year was a busy one for the chapter. Fires remain the top disaster in North Mississippi, with the Red Cross responding to 517 single and multifamily fires. Overall, the chapter assisted 558 families recover from fires in their homes, providing $412,551 in direct financial assistance, according to data from July 1, 2021 through April 30, 2022.
Because of the frequency of house fires, preparedness is a big emphasis of the North Mississippi chapter, which installed 137 free smoke alarms last year.
Volunteers helped over 443 families affected by local floods, tornadoes and hurricanes and provided an additional $103,672 in emergency financial assistance.
Despite having 218 trained volunteers on paper, the number of active volunteers is lower. A portion of its volunteer base is built on retirees, who felt the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown “worse than almost anybody else,” Grist said.
“COVID really did a number on us from a volunteer standpoint,” Grist said. “A lot of our people who’ve been responding have not been able to come back yet.”
But the chapter is strengthening its network in places like Washington County, where staff met with the local United Way about re-establishing its presence in the county. Another goal is helping the Greenville office following the theft of three central air conditioning units. The office will reopen once the units are replaced.
Volunteering is more than disaster response, Grist said. Now that the Tupelo office is open, her team needs volunteers who can be office workers. The team also welcomes volunteers to help facility and vehicle upkeep or its communication.
Youth clubs have been one area of growth for the Red Cross. The organization has 10 clubs within the region, with the University of Mississippi, Mooreville and Saltillo being the three in Northeast Mississippi. The group is currently working for a teacher sponsor to establish an additional club with Tupelo High School. Clubs select their own projects. Service can overlap with other established Red Cross projects, such as its service to the armed forces.
In 2022, Red Cross assisted 334 military members and their families with 1,509 emergency services. Red Cross head service to the armed forces volunteer Carolyn Berry continued her work with the Oxford Veterans Affairs by using an annual grant to provide veterans with wishlist items.
The organization trained 3,824 people in health and safety classes during the 2022 fiscal year, but it did not encompass the full range of available training classes, such as its swimming lesson and lifeguard training, CPR, first aid, babysitting and preparing emergency kits.
With the new headquarters open, the focus naturally shifts to the chapter’s future. Grist eventually wants to offer its training classes at least once a month in the office.
“We haven’t been able to do (it) for two years,” Grist said. “I’m eager to get folks in here.” | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/american-red-cross-north-ms-chapter-navigates-new-re-opening-routine/article_f9ead760-117b-5a59-ba87-dfa1ab0ba3d0.html | 2022-06-12T13:25:12 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/american-red-cross-north-ms-chapter-navigates-new-re-opening-routine/article_f9ead760-117b-5a59-ba87-dfa1ab0ba3d0.html |
TUPELO • A new king among kings was crowned in Tupelo on Saturday night.
Brooke Wright of Nashville, Tennessee, was named winner of the 2022 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition at the BancorpSouth Arena, held as part of the 24th annual Tupelo Elvis Festival.
Standing out from his competitors in a blue jumpsuit, Wright performed "I Can't Stop Loving You," ending his performance with a showcase of his vocals.
"God bless you guys. Thank you so much. This means more than I could ever say," Wright said to the audience.
Liam Hewitt of Augusta, Georgia, won second place and People's Choice, raising over $2,000. Third place was Matt King of London, England. The other competitors in the Top 5 included Mario Kombou, also of London, and Michael Cullipher.
Elvis fans started filling seats well before the show's prompt 7 p.m. showtime.
Judges included Leigh Shockey, creator of Melody Place LLC; Lowell Hays, Elvis Presley's jeweler; and Brooke Tweddell, a veteran brand strategist, advertising agency executive, and agency owner. Tupelo native Tom Brown hosted the festival for the 14th year.
Prior to the winner's announcement, 2021 Tupelo Elvis Festival UETA competition winner Alex Mitchell performed his final concert as the ultimate Elvis tribute artist, with all the theatrics that can be expected with a celebratory end to his time representing the King of Rock and Roll's hometown. He performed 11 songs and told the audience how important Tupelo was to him.
"Out of any festival, Elvis festival — in the world, in the country, to me — this one means the most because if it wasn't for Tupelo, we wouldn't be able to enjoy all the Elvis stuff in Memphis and around the world," Mitchell said.
Competitors from all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia, descended on Tupelo this week to vie to the title of Tupelo Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist, a prestigious title that secures a spot at Graceland's Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition during Elvis Week.
Competitors performed a range of songs spanning the entirety of the rock and roll legend's career, including his many movies, during Friday's opening round of competition.
Ten semi-finalists went on to compete Saturday morning for a Top 5 spot in Saturday night's finals.
The 2022 Tupelo Elvis Festival precedes the June 24 premiere of Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" movie starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler.
Other Elvis Festival week events included the first and second round of Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition in addition to meet and greets with the Elvis Tribute Artists.
The traditional installment of Conversations with Tom Brown returned home to Elvis' alma mater, Milam Elementary School, this year with Mayor Todd Jordan among the many featured special guests.
This week's festivities will conclude on June 12 with a Sunday Gospel Brunch, commemorating Elvis' love for gospel music and his faith-based Tupelo roots. | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/nashvilles-brooke-wright-named-2022-tupelo-elvis-fest-ultimate-elvis-tribute-artist/article_fe2a8351-664b-5d8b-b6d1-3a14983436e7.html | 2022-06-12T13:25:14 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/nashvilles-brooke-wright-named-2022-tupelo-elvis-fest-ultimate-elvis-tribute-artist/article_fe2a8351-664b-5d8b-b6d1-3a14983436e7.html |
One of the first-ever major pickleball tournaments to take place in Flagstaff is just under a week away.
On Thursday and Friday, there will be a tourney at Northern Arizona University’s tennis courts at the Aquatic and Tennis Complex.
CJ Hoyt, the organizer of the event and a local pickleball instructor, said the tournament will be special because it’s not a one-and-done day, as players who enter get to play multiple matches on both days.
A winner will be crowned Saturday.
Hoyt said around 150 players have already entered the tournament, and he encourages locals to come watch.
The tournament will begin around 8 a.m. and finish around 3 p.m. both days. Players can enter online at pickleballtournaments.com. Entry is free for spectators.
NFHS makes NIL statement
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) put out a statement on Wednesday, supporting the use of high school athletes' ability to utilize their names, images and likenesses (NIL). Karissa Niehoff, the chief executive officer of the NFHS, said that she hopes student-athletes will use their power in a way that promote amateurism and prevent the "breakdown of amateur sports."
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"With regard to NIL, we realize that high school students can be tremendous entrepreneurs -- they already are in a number of capacities. Students have the ability to be recognized for their athletic prowess and that can be a nice opportunity for a young person," said Niehoff.
"However, the NFHS and its member associations believe high school student-athletes should not be able to benefit as professionals from something they do not own -- that is their high school uniform. The NFHS and its member state associations would not support a situation that would involve a member school and a student-athlete entering into a professional contract while representing that member school." | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/local-roundup-pickleball-tournament-coming-to-flagstaff/article_8e5cdf6c-e937-11ec-9767-97e063919466.html | 2022-06-12T13:26:30 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/local-roundup-pickleball-tournament-coming-to-flagstaff/article_8e5cdf6c-e937-11ec-9767-97e063919466.html |
SAN ANTONIO — A man was found dead on a boating ramp in Seguin in the early morning hours of Saturday, officials in Seguin say.
The Seguin Police Department responded to the boating ramp located at 2800 I-10 West Saturday morning.
A press release from the police department says a man was pronounced dead at the scene by the Justice of the Peace. An exact cause of death was not immediately known but an autopsy was ordered.
Officials say there is no threat to the community regarding this incident and police are actively working to notify the next of kin.
Below is the Facebook post from the Seguin Police Department. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/seguin-police-investigating-after-man-found-dead-on-boat-ramp-news/273-fe315a70-01e9-4eb3-bd75-432c25e764c8 | 2022-06-12T13:44:59 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/seguin-police-investigating-after-man-found-dead-on-boat-ramp-news/273-fe315a70-01e9-4eb3-bd75-432c25e764c8 |
SAN ANTONIO — Three people were taken to the hospital in critical condition following a triple shooting near North Star Mall Sunday morning, police say.
Just before 6 a.m., Castle Hills Police responded to the access road of Blanco and Loop 410 after receiving a call for a car parked in the center lane.
Police said they found a woman in the street with a gunshot wound to her head, along with two other gunshot victims in the car. There were also multiple shell casings from an AK-47 found at the scene, police said.
All three of those victims were taken to the hospital in critical condition, police say.
Officials said an investigation is underway, and they are currently looking for the shooters. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/three-injured-in-triple-shooting-near-north-star-mall-crime/273-598d2195-9035-427f-85a7-b15681f2639c | 2022-06-12T13:45:05 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/three-injured-in-triple-shooting-near-north-star-mall-crime/273-598d2195-9035-427f-85a7-b15681f2639c |
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Anne Arundel County Police Department sees true crime podcasting as a new way to revive interest in cold cases where investigators are still searching for leads.
“A lot of times, the public and citizens in general, they watch the news at night and kind of forget about it unless it personally touches them,” said Lt. Jacklyn Davis, who heads the department’s media relations office, which runs the podcast. Thrusting additional information on older cases into the public sphere could jog a witness’ memory, or provide leads from other sources, she said.
“The more time that passes, the more relationships change, loyalties change, more people are willing to come forward as time goes on,” Davis said.
In addition to renewing interest and bringing up information, the show also creates an opportunity for internet sleuths to present their own theories.
“These criminal podcasters are superhot, and people listen to them,” said Cpl. Chris Anderson, who hosted the podcast’s first episode and will continue to host alongside his colleagues in the department’s media relations section. Anderson is a 20-year veteran of the department, recently starred in HBO’s “We Own This City” as former Baltimore Police Department Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere. “They start digging in, they start looking at stuff and next thing you know, a 30-year-old cold case is getting solved by some man or woman sitting at home behind their keyboard, doing some internet sleuthing.”
He cited the release of former Mississippi death row inmate Curtis Flowers, whose murder conviction was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court after American Public Media’s “In the Dark” podcast shed light on racial bias during jury selection and the fact that multiple witnesses admitted they had lied about Flowers confessing to them in jail.
A few other police departments run podcasts on their own homicide cases, but Anne Arundel is one of only a few locally trying out the strategy.
The podcast’s first episode, which aired on major streaming platforms in May, focused on the Glen Burnie shooting death of Myra Elizabeth Cason, a 63-year-old retired Meade High School teacher who was found dead in her vehicle in 2011.
In the episode, Anderson interviews acting Southern District Sgt. Regina Collier, a former homicide detective, who gives additional facts on the cold case of the beloved teacher, whose death has puzzled police and devastated her family.
“A lot of the things we found were very strange, and they didn’t add up to her normal way of acting,” Collier said in the episode. “There was definitely something going on.”
Homicide detectives remain in touch with the families of the victims and make an effort to notify the families if an episode about their loved one is about to be released, Davis said.
The podcast hosts work closely with the homicide department to check off information that can be released without impeding an investigation and choose information that could increase solvability. Mostly, it’s “little tidbits” that weren’t released during the initial push for information.
“If somebody remembers something, but we didn’t release a detail at the time, that might be something that jogs people’s memories,” Davis said.
The department started setting up the podcast about six months ago by purchasing podcasting equipment, a few microphones, and recording software for less than $500.
In addition to cold cases dating as far back as the 1970s, future episodes will dig into current and closed cases.
The police department is hoping to release episodes about twice a month. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/police-departments-podcast-aims-to-solve-cold-cases/2022/06/12/e2976282-ea4f-11ec-9f90-79df1fb28296_story.html | 2022-06-12T14:03:39 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/police-departments-podcast-aims-to-solve-cold-cases/2022/06/12/e2976282-ea4f-11ec-9f90-79df1fb28296_story.html |
ROANOKE, Va. — Spanish language filled the Salem High School hallways as baseball players and students teamed up for a schoolwide scavenger hunt.
Two pitchers on the minor league baseball team, Miguel Suero and Reidis Sena, towered over the trio of high school students who led them around the school. They hustled to the cafeteria and found the next clue. Tossing Spanish words back and forth as if playing catch, the players moved cautiously between English and Spanish.
The scavenger hunt, developed by Salem High English learner teacher Nolan Shigley, was a way for students to practice their English while working alongside the young ballplayers, many of whom were also learning English. After taking a while to warm up, players and students were soon laughing and high-fiving each other as they searched for clues.
“They’re learning the value of learning a new language and adapting to a new culture, but also embracing their own culture and that it’s okay to be Latino in a new country,” Shigley said. “It’s OK to speak Spanish and English, you know, learning to support each other and understanding that adults have the same experiences.”
Teachers have been at the forefront of finding innovative ways to help this growing population of English learners in the Roanoke County, Salem and Roanoke school systems.
Salem’s school division since 2014 has seen a 7% growth in students eligible for English learner services. The city schools serve 142 EL students among 3,800 students enrolled.
Roanoke County Public Schools’ EL population is up 25% over the past seven years, with 617 students eligible for EL services in a division with about 13,000 students.
School systems are expanding their services not only to align with state regulations, but also to implement ideas from teachers and faculty to better meet the needs of their English learners.
Commonwealth Catholic Charities, a nonprofit that helps refugees, has resettled 199 individuals so far in the Roanoke and New River valleys in its 2021-22 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The number of refugees has more than doubled in the past three years, climbing from 92 settlements in 2019.
Katie Hedrick, bilingual support specialist for the city of Roanoke, said there are multiple reasons for the rise in refugees coming to the region.
“We’re one of only (three) cities in Virginia with refugee resettlement organizations,” Hedrick wrote in an email. “And the number of refugees admitted has grown with both the upheaval in Afghanistan and the change in federal administration.”
When one cultural or language group settles in a specific area, she added, other family members are attracted to move near their family members, giving them familiarity and a sense of community.
In Roanoke City Public Schools, the number of EL students has grown by 50% over the past nine years, with more than 1,630 English learners comprising nearly 12% of an enrollment of approximately 14,000 students.
An alphabet soup of acronyms describes people learning English who are coming from other language backgrounds. Federal, state and local programs use either English learner (EL), English Language Learner (ELL) or English as a Second Language (ESL). Virginia localities employ EL, which is the term used predominantly in this story.
Sharon Francisco saw a need and she acted on it. Years ago, she started an after-school club to help EL students in Roanoke County, where their population was climbing. Students she worked with since kindergarten see her in Mount Pleasant Elementary School hallways and say excitedly: “See you this afternoon in homework club!”
Francisco, an EL teacher in Roanoke County, said her students do not get the help they need with homework because many of their family members are non-English speakers or speak very little English.
“This was the one school where pretty much all of my parents spoke Spanish, and spoke very little English, so they were really not able to help my kids with homework,” Francisco said. “The teachers understand that. But at the same time, the kids really needed help with homework.”
She started Homework Help Club so that her English learners could keep up in school.
The kids gathered around tables in the elementary school library, to get down to business.
“Open your backpacks; let’s get busy,” Francisco said to a couple students chatting in English after a snack. The chatter grew quiet, other than the voices of students reading books or spelling vocabulary words with instructors’ help.
Francisco has worked with students at three elementary schools in the division, but saw the biggest need for additional homework help at Mount Pleasant, where she works with 14 English learner students.
“Everybody I have, except for one, was born here,” she said. ”As far as I can remember, all of them came (to school) speaking English. Except for maybe one in fourth grade.”
Even children who were born in the United States need help with English-speaking skills, Francisco said.
“They’re still living in two worlds, basically, because they still have that Spanish influence at home,” she said. “And then they hear only English at school. So they’re still processing everything twice.”
Spanish is the most frequently spoken non-English language in Roanoke County schools, followed by high numbers of Arabic, Vietnamese and Mandarin speakers, according to Cammie Williams, supervisor of English Language Learner and World Language programs with Roanoke County Public Schools.
The division has 27 schools serving grades K-12, which means English learners in the district are spread out across the county, requiring EL teachers to travel from school to school. Williams explains that navigating the teacher’s travel time and time with students is a challenge.
“Because our population is so spread out, not all teachers have had the experience of having an EL (student) in their class,” Williams said. “And I think that that is something that I just wish for every instructor, because you see a student through a different lens. I think some of the strategies that we use with our students ended up being good for all students, and learning about different cultures, I think, just enriches classroom experience, again, for all students.”
Four new positions have been added during her tenure, because of increased EL enrollment, new course offerings and changing state requirements for more teachers per EL student.
The county school system also added a family liaison to ease adjustments to new communities and schools, Williams said. Federal money from Title III of the Every Child Succeeds Act, which can be used to help immigrant students and non-English speakers, funded that position, she said.
Back at Salem High School, the scavenger hunt between EL students and ballplayers was working.
Eldin Arriaga, a junior, led the way as he and his scavenger hunt team read clues that took the students and Red Sox members to the high school gym.
“It’s just crazy how they are trying to play baseball so they can get a better future,” he said of the players, many of whom are also learning English.
Arriaga was born in Honduras and loves to play soccer. He had fun during the scavenger hunt, learning to connect with others while speaking English. He said it helped him to be less shy.
“It’s good to be able to spend time with your community,” Eldin said.
The hometown Red Sox seemed to fit right in with the EL students at Salem High School.
When Shigley, the school’s EL teacher, moved to the area from Richmond last year and went to a Salem Red Sox game, he discovered how similar the ballplayers were to his students.
He noticed more than half of the Salem Red Sox team was Latino, like the majority of his English learner students at the high school. And, like his students, the team has an English tutor for many of the players who are also learning English.
“These ballplayers are on this parallel journey with our kids here,” Shigley said. “They get moved around maybe a little bit more than my kids do. But they all have this goal of adapting to a new culture and learning to speak English and surviving. They’re doing it with baseball, my kids are doing (it) with education and work. It’s nice to let my kids know that they’re not alone, and the players know that they’re not alone in this journey.”
As the number of English learners increased in the Salem school system, the need to hire more full-time teachers dedicated to educating and caring for those students became evident, according to Megan Crew, who is in her first year as the division coordinator in Salem for English Learners and Early Childhood programs.
Before 2019, Salem had one part-time tutor who worked in three of the four elementary schools, and the middle and high schools each had a tutor, or part-time EL teaching position.
This year, the school division had three full-time EL teachers. For next year, it has hired another tutor and a fourth full-time EL teacher for the division.
Shigley, who started his position this school year, is the first full-time EL teacher at Salem High School, which previously had only a part-time position.
He began the 2021-22 school year launching a program of inclusion, to encourage English learners to participate more in high school sports and activities.
A collage of photos from activities the group did together hangs in the classroom: prom, football games, meeting the Red Sox players and other experiences the students didn’t have until this year.
After the baseball players left the school, Shigley reflected on the morning’s excitement with seven students from Honduras, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Their desks in his newcomers’ class faced the front of the room in a half-circle, flags of countries from around the world hanging in the classroom behind them.
“What is one really interesting thing about a baseball player today that you learned?” Shigley asked.
“They are personable,” one student said.
“They are tall.”
“Very young.”
“EL teachers are very much also social workers and liaisons,” Crew said. “They’re doing so much more than educating the students with academics, but they are the humans in their (students’) life that are trying their best to be culturally competent on their behalf, and be liaisons with classroom teachers.”
Other EL teachers in the division echo how important it is to advocate for their students in their classrooms.
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan began in April, and English learner teacher Nicole Salzbach sent an email to the general education teachers on behalf of her English learner students at Andrew Lewis Middle School.
“I sent out an email to the teachers letting them know what Ramadan is, that your kids might be hungry, they’re fasting, they might be tired, they’re staying up late,” Salzbach said. “And I have a lot of teachers this year and last year, email me back and say, like, ‘thank you so much. Thank you for that information.’”
During a recent Homework Help Club session in Roanoke County, calming instrumental music played along with scenes from ocean life on the learning board. A sea turtle swam by on the screen. Francisco and two other helpers worked with 13 English learners in the school library at Mount Pleasant Elementary School.
Francisco worked at a table of first-graders learning how to tell time on a clock.
“Done,” said Abigail, one of the students.
“Queen Abigail, you are an amazing leader,” Franciso said to the girl, who wore a pink crown.
They meet twice a week after school during the school year, starting in the fall.
“Psshewww! Pshewwww! Pshewwww!”
One afternoon, during homework club snack time, Francisco battled a first-grader in a light-saber duel. Andy, the little boy, received a miniature light saber from a prize box for completing his assigned reading. Francisco took a light saber of her own and the two played in an open area of the library.
School officials asked that The Roanoke Times not use the last names of these two Homework Help Club students.
“We do something silly every now and then and try to make it fun. Sometimes we’re all just tired, but we all have to work, so we have to try and rev them up a bit at the same time,” Francisco said.
Francisco, who speaks Spanish, has been a teacher for 28 years, including nine years as an EL teacher, 13 as a librarian and six as an instructional assistant.
The need for EL instruction reaches beyond the elementary school level. Roanoke County offers newcomers’ classes at the Burton Center for the Arts and Technology, where middle and high school students are bused from their base school and spend about two-and-a-half hours together every morning or every other morning, depending on their needs.
“The priority is for English acquisition lessons,” Williams said. “What that means is that they do learn social English, just by interacting. But the standards that we use actually focus on academic English. So, those are lessons that are designed to grow their English for language arts, science, social studies and math.”
Williams sees value and opportunity with the district’s growing English learner population.
“You always want to be aware of different demographics,” she said. “Is there a certain increase in population and in a certain demographic in your district that require any different services or outreach?”
She gives an example from a few years ago, when the district changed its cafeteria menu to give students more vegetarian choices, for cultural reasons. They sent menus home to families in languages they could understand.
“Our nutrition department jumped right in and was super willing to do that. It was the result of an ELL teacher noticing, and being in touch with a family,” Williams said.
As 4 p.m. approached on a Tuesday afternoon, Francisco looked for two students she was driving home. Family members and guardians are responsible for picking up children, but often can’t for a variety of reasons that include work. Francisco is happy to help out when needed. She wants to make sure her students don’t miss the opportunity to join the afterschool program.
“They’re just as smart as everybody else,” she said “They are hard workers.” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-teachers-adapt-innovate-to-help-english-learners/2022/06/12/d91a7000-ea4f-11ec-9f90-79df1fb28296_story.html | 2022-06-12T14:03:45 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-teachers-adapt-innovate-to-help-english-learners/2022/06/12/d91a7000-ea4f-11ec-9f90-79df1fb28296_story.html |
One year, many of Faces of Arizona
Roughly one year ago, The Arizona Republic started publishing something new, called Faces of Arizona.
It is "a spotlight for people who do many positive things for their community but are not recognized as they deserve," says Javier Arce, bilingual editor and reporter for La Voz and The Republic, one of the idea's originators. As part of our ongoing effort to showcase, highlight and work with Arizonans from all parts of the state, we wanted our audiences to see beyond the community leaders who are likely most often quoted in our stories.
The project has a home in our Sunday pages and online. We are proud to introduce you to your neighbors, everyday people making small, but significant impacts in the community.
"Some of the people we've featured are already well-known for their work on behalf of diverse communities, but maybe they've only ever been heard as one quote in a news story," said Kaila White, the project's original editor. "By learning about their life, we can better understand why they do what they do."
As we approach the second year of this project, we'd like to invite you to tell the newsroom who you think we should highlight. Do you have a friend or neighbor who does amazing things? We put a point of emphasis on people who provide different perspectives, whether their background is a community of color, military service or any other metric of diversity.
Tell us:Share your nominations for Faces of Arizona
'Our fellow Arizonans'
Arizona is growing and changing. Some days that change is hard, but it also means impact makers and influencers are growing, too. We asked some of our most frequent contributors what this project meant for them.
"We, as readers, get insight into communities, perspectives and lifestyles we may not have access to otherwise," said White. "Through hearing each subject's story, we get a chance to understand what we have in common, bringing us a little closer to our fellow Arizonans."
Raphael Romero Ruiz, the Republic's engagement reporter, said it has been a privilege to meet some of his subjects. It has "reignited the flame that inspires me as a storyteller."
"Being able to see yourself in the local paper is a point of pride and shows that as journalists we are grounded and involved in the same community we report on," he said.
Melina Walling said it helps her continue to center context and humans in her often complex work.
"As a bioscience reporter, my job often involves careful, precise (and fascinating!) conversations with researchers and professors about the nitty-gritty details of their work," Walling said "But to make that work accessible, timely and relevant for our readers, I try to balance the science with stories — specifically, the stories of Arizonans who are living the realities of the viruses, plants and more that I write about every day."
These stories are as much a joy to create as they are to write for our staff.
"While running the series, I often heard it was the highlight of a reporter's week or even month to get to meet, interview and write about these subjects — it is a joy to connect with a stranger, and an honor to distill and amplify their story," White said. "The news can be sad, heavy, or isolating, but Faces of Arizona is a space to highlight the positive, inspirational and uniting stories in the state."
Who we have met
To date, we have published more than 50 profiles of Arizonans all over the state. Staff reporters, editors and interns have participated in the project and many of those we profiled were suggested by those who write for us.
"I met Vanessa Tullie here, and José Muñoz and Mathurin Maoundonodji, neighbors working to make Arizona a better place for you and I, far from the light of notoriety and the flame of popularity," said Greg Burton, executive editor of the Arizona Republic. "These are the humble and talented souls who make our world better day by day. Who lift others higher than they would otherwise aspire. These Faces of Arizona are the best among us. I'm grateful they agreed to share their stories with us. We hope you agree."
We asked our staff to tell us about some of their favorite experiences, some of which we've shared below. Many of them were incredibly grateful to have an opportunity to meet such inspiring community members.
"It gives me great satisfaction to contribute to spreading the word about the great work that these people do, who even though they are not in the news daily or awarded by organizations, they sow their seed to make their community a better place to live," Arce said.
Nnedi Okorafor
KiMi Robinson, entertainment reporter, reflected on meeting Nnedi Okorafor:
"When I learned I would be speaking on the phone with author Nnedi Okorafor, I knew I’d use part of the interview to — 'selfishly,' I told her — ask about how she views her multicultural identity as a “Naijamerican” writer. Does she see straddling cultures and various identities as a strength? Or is it burdensome?
"I was desperate to know, to compare notes and reflect on my own attitudes toward being both Japanese and American. And her answer? Both. It’s a blessing and a curse being a cultural 'bridge.' Though she sometimes feels stepped on, she also is empowered by a unique perspective. When she told me that being both Nigerian and American is 'something that I've been open with myself about since I was young,' I felt relief knowing I’m not the only one who feels that this is an exhausting, internal, lifelong journey."
Jessie Ponce
Romero Ruiz reflected on his profile of Jessie Ponce, a barber and community pillar who "shows us how we depend on one another to grow and be successful."
"I will forever be grateful to Jessie and all the other folks I have written about for sharing their experiences, struggles, hopes and dreams as I know the value this knowledge has for the youth in our neighborhoods."
Maya Patel
Waling met Maya Patel, a recent medical school graduate from the University of Arizona who’s headed to Emory for her residency:
"I watched over Zoom as she and her mom carried the computer through their house so I could talk to Maya’s grandparents, who inspired her decision to pursue medicine. As I asked what it would be like when Maya, a lifelong Arizona resident, leaves for Atlanta to pursue her dream, the whole family teared up.
"Maya’s overwhelming emotion was one of appreciation for the people who’ve supported her along the way. I can’t help but feel a similar sense of gratitude for the sources who speak with me, day in and day out, often sharing the most personal moments of their lives with me, a stranger. To me, Faces of Arizona has been a space to honor the journalistic process, which, at its core, is a dialogue: a conversation that I hope brings our community a little closer together through storytelling." | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/12/one-year-many-faces-arizona/7572826001/ | 2022-06-12T14:09:57 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/12/one-year-many-faces-arizona/7572826001/ |
High schoolers at Republic-sponsored camp imagine new ways to engage with the news
Fourteen Arizona high school students are spending two weeks imagining how quality journalism might be delivered in the future.
Storytelling could take the form of podcasts or games. Immersive techniques like augmented reality and 360-degree videos will likely play a role. News delivered on your Oculus headset? Why not?
The 7-year-old camp is sponsored by The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com and Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Campers return in-person this year after a COVID-19 hiatus.
"Young people are so creative, especially if we get out of the way and let them do their thing," said Retha Hill, who leads Cronkite's Innovation Lab. "I'm happy the camp is back in person. I love seeing the light bulb go off when they come up with ideas and figure out how to make those ideas reality."
Innovation Camp 2021:Students show energy, enthusiasm for First Amendment and storytelling
An education grant from The Republic's Season for Sharing initiative makes the camp free to students, who are a mix of digitally minded and journalistically inclined juniors and seniors.
"We want the camp as accessible to as many students as possible," said Republic/azcentral executive editor Greg Burton. "Their energy and ideas are key to delivering robust local news coverage in innovative ways in the future."
Students live in ASU's downtown dorms, enjoy access to Cronkite's experts and state-of-the-art news production facilities — and enjoy outings to a Diamondbacks game, the Apple store and Wonderspaces at Scottsdale Fashion Square.
In 2019, students produced a project on Phoenix's Garfield neighborhood that was published on azcentral.com. The neighborhood near downtown struggles with gentrification issues.
The project included gaming and graphic novel aspects.
Helping out with this year's camp is Republic podcast producer Alexandra Watts, producer of azcentral's bioscience podcast The Lab. Also leading a session is Arizona Storytellers founder Megan Finnerty, a former Republic and USA Today Network journalist who now works for Vox Media.
Season for Sharing raised and gave away $1.8 million to 164 Arizona nonprofits in the most recent campaign. Grants go to organizations that boost education, help older adults and support struggling children and families.
Stacy Sullivan is The Republic's director of community relations. Reach him at 602-444-8749 or ssullivan@azcentral.com. Season for Sharing donations are accepted year-round at sharing.azcentral.com or by texting "SHARING" to 91999. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-education/2022/06/12/arizona-republic-asu-journalism-innovation-camp/7558347001/ | 2022-06-12T14:10:03 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-education/2022/06/12/arizona-republic-asu-journalism-innovation-camp/7558347001/ |
CANNONSBURG, KY (WOWK) – The Tri-State Model Flyers held their first Summer Fun Fly-In this weekend since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Flyers from young to old came out Saturday to the Coffee Industrial Park in Cannonsburg and put their skills to the test.
There was a full lineup of flying objects from aerobatic aircraft to drones and gliders. And one of the organizers says, after a few years off, it’s good to finally be back.
“We thought it would be a good idea to get them out of the house, get them doing something on account of this pandemic. We’re just out here to have fun and have people come and do what they like to do,” says Rick Hay with Tri-State Model Flyers.
Many people came out in anticipation to watch one of the youngest flyers, 13-year-old Lane Walker, put his skills on display.
“I’m very happy because everyone is out here and they’re getting to have a lot of fun,” said Walker.
He’s been flying and perfecting his skills for three years now and he says he’s happy to be back where it all started.
Another consistent comer says this event is something he looks forward to every year.
“My son got his love for flying here at the airfield. [He] started when he was 9 years old and when he was 11 years old, he taught me how to fly. My son now is flying the F-22. He just finished that and he is now in test pilot school at Edwards Airforce Base,” explained Terry Maggard.
If you missed this Fly-In event, there will be another next weekend at the Stonecrest RC Flyers Club Field.
All pilots attending must have proof of AMA membership. You can reach out to Joe Meade at 606-205-6950 for more details. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/tri-state-model-flyers-host-first-fly-in-weekend-since-covid-19/ | 2022-06-12T14:28:53 | 0 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/tri-state-model-flyers-host-first-fly-in-weekend-since-covid-19/ |
To do anything for a century is an accomplishment.
The same goes for the Kenosha Pops Concert Band.
As the City of Kenosha’s official band gets ready to kick off its landmark 100th season, Musical Director Craig Gall shared this season’s schedule.
“The 100th anniversary season of the Kenosha Pops Concert Band will take you on a weekly musical retrospective of all of the decades of the band’s existence,” Gall said.
All concerts take place at the Sesquicentennial Band Shell in Pennoyer Park beginning at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted:
Wednesday, June 15: Celebrating our Founding Years: The Roaring ‘20s
Pre-concert entertainment: The Dave Braun Trio (6:15 p.m.)
Wednesday, June 22: The Great American Songbook — The 1930s
Guest vocalist: Lou Rugani
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Pre-concert entertainment: The Hungry Five (6:15 p.m.)
Wednesday, June 29: A Salute to the Big Bands and the 1940s
Special Guests: The Hartland Community Band
Sunday, July 3: Pops A “Float” in the Kenosha Civic Veterans Parade
Monday, July 4: Independence Day Concert, starts at 4 p.m.
Pre-concert entertainment: Lighthouse Brigade Band of Racine
Wednesday, July 6: Patriotic Pops from the Shell
Wednesday, July 13: Music of the ‘50s and ‘60s
Pre-concert entertainment: Bone Appetit
Wednesday, July 20: Space: the Final Frontier, plus music of the ‘70s and ‘80s
Guest Artist: Marty Erickson, tuba
Wednesday, July 27: “Hitching our Way to Our Second Century” — The Wild West, the 1990s, and Beyond!
Wednesday, Aug. 3: Encore! Encore! — A Night of Favorites from This Season
The group of about 65 musicians, who include recent high school graduates and one player who first joined the Pops in 1945, get together each season to perform free concerts at Kenosha’s lakefront.
Key parts of the band’s continued success are the support from the city and the audience members.
“I think it is always good to remember that the City of Kenosha sponsors this band and the whole city should be thankful for this continued commitment,” said Tom Frost, a band member and president of the group’s board of directors.
“Also, playing in a concert is way more fun when there is an audience there to listen and enjoy the music being performed,” he added. “We have an incredibly loyal audience that continues to support us, and we greatly appreciate them.”
Even after 100 years, the band’s concerts are still capable of emotional moments — both on and off the stage.
“One of my favorite moments each season is playing the Carmen Dragon arrangement of ‘America the Beautiful’ outside at twilight,” said Pops member Nancy Quist. “It always gives me goose bumps.”
Here’s to another season of high notes and goose bump moments. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/watch-now-kenosha-pops-concert-band-marking-a-century-of-music/article_a592479c-e83f-11ec-86bc-0f47637bf545.html | 2022-06-12T14:31:21 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/watch-now-kenosha-pops-concert-band-marking-a-century-of-music/article_a592479c-e83f-11ec-86bc-0f47637bf545.html |
A “choose-your-own-adventure” theatrical event is looking to reshape the narrative of border towns and be part of the revitalization of downtown Nogales by telling the stories of the people who have lived there for generations.
Borderlands Theater is putting on Barrio Stories Nogales, on historic Morley Avenue in downtown Nogales, on June 17 and 18, and will include theater performances, projections of oral histories onto Morley Avenue’s historic buildings, music performances, children's activities and more.
The third installment of the Barrio Stories Project is the culmination of two years of research and community engagement, created in conjunction with Borderlands Theater ensemble and residents of Nogales.
When this project first began, before the pandemic forced it to pause, Milta Ortiz, Borderlands Theater associate artistic director, started interviewing people in Nogales to gather the city’s history. She had also done interviews in previous iterations of the project that focused on two of Tucson’s historic Mexican-American neighborhoods — Barrio Anita and the grounds of the Tucson Convention Center.
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Ortiz also worked with a class at Pierson High School, in the Nogales Unified School District, guiding the students in gathering oral histories to create a sense of place.
“A big emphasis of Barrio Stories is to celebrate and preserve the history,” she said. “So we talk to elders in the community about the way that things were to get people thinking about, why did this change, and how can we help and bring that energy back?”
Economic revitalization
Along with the Borderlands theater ensemble, the students interviewed friends and family on both sides of the border. Those oral histories were edited and put together as a sort of video collage, which will be projected onto Morley Avenue’s historic buildings during the event.
In one video a Pierson High student listens to her grandmother and great-grandmother talk about when the maquiladoras first opened in Sonora, Nogales — factories along the border that offered numerous jobs to provide cheaper labor for foreign companies, often from the U.S.
One of the women remembered leaving the Arizona side for the work that was booming in Sonora. People crossed back and forth with ease back then, but by the time the older woman wanted to return to Arizona, she was told she couldn’t.
“She never actually got her paperwork for citizenship here because she didn't need to, and then everything changed,” Ortiz said. “And now she can't really come over here and spend time with her family, because before they used to cross the border like it was nothing.”
As in this one woman’s story, residents of Nogales have seen a drastic shift in their city over the years due to changes in border security and shifts in economic drivers.
Barrio Stories Nogales is about envisioning a future where Morley Avenue and downtown Nogales are a hub for creative activity, locally driven commerce and unifying community events.
This event is part of the effort to revitalize Morley Avenue, says Marc David Pinate, who is the event’s shadow theater director and worked with the high school students to turn the oral stories they collected into plays.
One impetus for this entire project, which started four years ago, was talent flight, Pinate said, talking about the many young people who leave Nogales after high school because there’s not enough to keep them there.
As the artist with Borderlands got to better understand the Nogales community, it became apparent that many who have a stake in Morley Avenue would like to see more art events in the downtown area, as a way to revitalize the area for residents and to draw people from outside Nogales.
“This business-arts district is more aimed at the rest of Arizona, certainly Tucson and the Tucson-Nogales corridor, but even further up into Phoenix,” Pinate said. “It's an amazing culture already because it's binational and everybody is bicultural, and it's so fluid the way that everybody is bilingual and bicultural and can just go back and forth like nothing.”
Changing the narrative
A second impetus for this project is to facilitate a narrative shift about the border, away from the idea that it’s a dangerous place to be feared, Pinate said.
Apart from 17 partners on the project, including working with teens from the county’s Gear Up Program, the project also has a steering committee that meets once a month, made up of elected officials, local business owners, representatives from the arts community, local students, representatives from the local historical society and more.
Pinate asked Nogales City Councilwoman Liza Montiel, an active member of the committee, why she was so dedicated to the project, and she said the event was needed. You’re telling our story, he remembers her saying.
Pinate worked with 10 students to help them turn the stories they gathered into a giant puppet play — a teenage love story set in the tradition of the crowning of las reinas, the queens — a tradition that now only has some vestiges of the festival the elders remember.
The teens learned from their grandparents and great-grandparents that in the ’50s, the Nogales border would open for four or five days, Pinate said. There was a parade that started on the Arizona side and went into the Mexican side and back again. And the stage where las reinas were crowned was right on the border line — half the stage was in Mexico and half was in Arizona.
These are stories these kids never heard about.
“One of the great results of this process with them has been their own learning in a much deeper way about some of the history of their town and some of their traditions,” he said.
Creative placemaking
One thing Ortiz appreciates about Nogales, which she learned from doing the interviews for this event, is the “strong fronterizo culture.”
“What’s beautiful about a border is it’s a place of exchange,” she said. “People speak fluid Spanish-English like it’s one language. It’s like a fixture. It really encompasses what a border town is. That’s a really interesting culture to experience and to think about the border as being a place of intercambio, exchange, of fluidity, of mixing, like the language does there.”
There's a whole arm of theater about “creative placemaking,” Ortiz says, similar to “creative place keeping,” which Ortiz first heard coined by Roberto Bedoya, a writer and cultural activist who is a former executive director of the Tucson Pima Arts Council. This concept is about validating a place as your own, returning to it, she says.
“We had energy in this area,” Ortiz said. “We were there. We made it happen. And I don't know if it's border issues, immigration issues that killed the energy, or fear of the narcos, but it's about bringing back the energy that was once there and saying — This is a place to be. This is a good place. This is a place for us to gather. We used to gather here. Let's come back here.”
Contact reporter Danyelle Khmara at dkhmara@tucson.com or 573-4223. On Twitter: @DanyelleKhmara | https://tucson.com/news/local/border/interactive-event-in-nogales-part-of-border-city-revitalization/article_9a4f322e-e848-11ec-9971-ebf5d7b39065.html | 2022-06-12T14:39:04 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/border/interactive-event-in-nogales-part-of-border-city-revitalization/article_9a4f322e-e848-11ec-9971-ebf5d7b39065.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
A gun is a tool. It is a manufactured implement with an intended use. Tools are useless until someone employs them. Guns do not, in fact, kill people. People kill people. People kill innocents and they kill themselves — with guns — every single day in this country. It’s the American tool of choice.
I have a brand new chainsaw. I live in a rural area, and it comes in handy. I can take down dead trees, trim branches, make firewood, etc. My new saw is great, it works exactly as intended. But I feel no compulsion to join the National Chainsaw Association or Chainsaw Owners of America, which is good since those organizations don’t exist. And why would they? Why would anyone worship a tool, even if it works very well? Perhaps if it was also widely embraced as a symbol of national pride. But that’s just silly. It’s. A. Tool.
If we want to project national toughness, why not select the nail as our object of worship? No one ever says this or that guy is “tough as guns.” Sure, it’s crazy to honor the nail this way but if we’re in the market for a tough-as-nails national symbol, there it is! “You can have my nails when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.”
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Oddly enough, guns are afforded protections in this country that are not afforded to any other tool. A 2013 state law in Arizona, for instance, makes it illegal for a town to destroy guns that have been confiscated after a crime or voluntarily turned in to authorities. A 2005 federal law shields gun manufacturers from civil liability. How can that be? We allow children to be massacred by cowards who kill from a distance, but hands off those guns! Those tools have rights!! Those rights do not come from the Constitution. The Constitution endows citizens with rights, not inanimate objects. Only politicians do that.
Assault rifles and handguns are tools designed to wound and kill people. They may do so in the hands of trained soldiers defending our country and allies. They may do so in the hands of trained law enforcement trying to protect us. And they may do so in the hands of ordinary citizens in instances of self-protection, though that is exceptionally rare.
When that tool is in the hands of someone who rages, or someone who fears and hates those who are different, or someone who holds it in his hands and feels magically transformed from the average guy he truly is into Dirty Harry or Rambo, it will still do what it is designed to do. The gun does not discern those differences. It cannot detect mental instability. It’s. A. Tool. We must make those distinctions ourselves. We don’t allow toddlers to play with knives, even if they seem to have their act together. Wrong tool for the wrong user. Assault rifles and handguns in the general public? Wrong tools for the wrong users. There’s no cause to get emotional about this if we just remember that a gun is a tool. That’s all it is. It is nothing more.
These lethal tools are granted special status by politicians up to their necks in greed and cowardice. Until we outvote the extremists who support them, the gun will have rights and reverence afforded to no other tool, the daily carnage of gun homicides and gun suicides will continue, and we’ll continue to be left with only thoughts and prayers.
Our national symbol is the bald eagle. Strong, noble, courageous. Do we need a tool as well? If so, I submit the honorable crescent wrench. Useful, adaptable and wholly incapable of slaughtering dozens of children while they sit in their classrooms learning about their nation’s exceptionalism.
Mike Cohen is retired and lives in Oro Valley. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-a-gun-is-just-a-tool/article_6976f9e6-e426-11ec-9e1b-afffb82cbc08.html | 2022-06-12T14:39:16 | 1 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-a-gun-is-just-a-tool/article_6976f9e6-e426-11ec-9e1b-afffb82cbc08.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer. Allmond is a Democratic candidate for the Arizona State House of Representatives in Legislative District 17:
As a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and a mother of four children, I am more qualified to speak on the tragic events in Uvalde, Texas, than most. Military service members know the destruction an assault rifle will always inflict on a human body. We must not allow weapons of war to be sold as recreational entertainment. Their sole purpose is to kill and to kill in a devastating fashion.
The Declaration of Independence holds that we are all entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is a reason the word “life” is listed first. If you are not alive, you have no liberty. If you are dead, you cannot pursue happiness. The victims in Uvalde were slaughtered. Our children are absolutely not expendable.
The American gun lobby abuses the privilege of gun ownership. They are directly responsible for the death and maiming of American children. Consider for a moment, bullets from an AR-15 traveling three times the speed of a handgun. The shrapnel sends shock waves throughout young bodies. Bones are shattered. Organs explode. It’s a bomb going off in their bodies!
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When originally written, the U.S. Constitution did not give blanket permission for citizens to own any future weapon that could possibly be created. In the world of the Founders, their point of reference was a musket. Tragically, in the seconds it might take for the mythical “good guy with a gun” to reach for their weapon, dozens of children can be mowed down. There is no time to react, let alone protect the innocent. While the children in Robb Elementary School were screaming in their classrooms, the police cowered outside putting their personal safety first. The loudest voices in the gun debate scream about tyranny, but real tyranny is being murdered in spaces that should have been safe. Places of worship. Grocery stores. Schools. The list is too long.
Polls reveal regardless of political party affiliation, over 80% of Americans want universal background checks for gun purchases. We want restrictions on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. Require every individual buying a gun to view autopsy photos of the children slaughtered by their cluelessness.
Contrary to our shared public values, the gun lobby stomps its feet like spoiled brats while our children are forced to grow up too quickly; participating in active shooter drills and learning how to apply tourniquets to their classmates and teachers. My three youngest children have participated in active shooter drills since they were in preschool. Assault rifles are not toys and our children are not the enemy.
We demand Congress pass gun legislation now. Our children must thrive and live without fear of being gunned down. We will never stay silent!
Dana Allmond is a Marana resident, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel with more than 23 years of active duty service, a 1994 West Point graduate and a Democratic candidate for Arizona State House of Representatives in Legislative District 17. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-children-and-guns-dont-belong-in-same-sentence/article_f5019368-e426-11ec-98f1-876f82fc36da.html | 2022-06-12T14:39:23 | 1 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-children-and-guns-dont-belong-in-same-sentence/article_f5019368-e426-11ec-98f1-876f82fc36da.html |
SAN DIEGO — After two military aircraft accidents in one week, the U.S. Navy announced it will be conducting a safety pause to review risk-management practices and conduct training on threat and error-management processes.
The Navy said, "In order to maintain the readiness of our force, we must ensure the safety of our people remains one of our top priorities."
Naval units that are currently deployed will complete the safety review when they are available.
The announcement comes after five Marines were tragically killed during a training flight on June 8.
Jim Kidrick, President and CEO of the San Diego Air and Space Museum, said the safety pause also known as a, "safety stand-down," gives the military a chance to review safety protocols involved with day-to-day operations.
"One of the most common challenges we have is to ensure we never get complacent," said Kidrick. "Routine flight operations are not routine. They are very dangerous," Kidrick added.
Kidrick said this is an opportunity and a good time for the Navy to look at everything they do when it comes to safety.
"People are the most important asset that we have," Kidrick said. "It reminds us how much we care about ourselves and all of the people that work with us by our sides."
The five Marines died when their Marine Corps Osprey aircraft crashed in the Southern California desert near Glamis in Imperial County.
The Marines were identified as:
- Capt. John J. Sax, 33, of Placer, California, an MV-22B Pilot.
- Cpl. Nathan E. Carlson, 21, of Winnebago, Illinois, a Tiltrotor Crew Chief.
- Capt. Nicholas P. Losapio, 31, of Rockingham, New Hampshire, an MV-22B Pilot.
- Cpl. Seth D. Rasmuson, 21, of Johnson, Wyoming, a Tiltrotor Crew Chief.
- Lance Cpl. Evan A. Strickland, 19, of Valencia, New Mexico, a Tiltrotor Crew Chief.
All five Marines were based at Marine Corps Air Station in Camp Pendleton.
WATCH RELATED: 5 Marines killed after Osprey crash in Southern California Desert identified (June 2022). | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/navy-announces-safety-pause/509-7be57357-bb20-4ce1-81f8-dbdfa14bcc51 | 2022-06-12T14:51:56 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/navy-announces-safety-pause/509-7be57357-bb20-4ce1-81f8-dbdfa14bcc51 |
SAN DIEGO — The rules for outdoor dining are about to change in San Diego.
Restaurant owners who want to continue operating their makeshift patio spaces must apply for a new Spaces as Places permit by July 13th.
In October, the city council agreed to make the temporary outdoor dining program permanent.
Last week, letters went out to business owners reminding them they need to apply for these new permits.
According to Chris Larson, project coordinator for the program, so far the city has only received 12 applications for permanent permits. He said the number of temporary permits that were given out is around 500.
"Just because a business has a temporary outdoor operation permit, doesn’t mean their location or what they’ve constructed will qualify to meet the requirements for the Spaces as Places permit," said Larson.
He said during the pandemic, the goal was to keep restaurants open and businesses running. Now that restrictions have eased, the city will be taking a closer look at these outdoor dining structures to make sure they're up to code and are safe.
The structures will need to be wheelchair accessible.
"There’s going to be requirements to have access to the platform every ten feet. There are going to be requirements that the platforms don’t continue for half a block or a block so that there’s the ability for emergency services to move from the street to the sidewalk similar to how they would for a car," he added.
"A lot of structures built during the last couple of years have overheard roofs and electrical wiring, that will no longer be something allowed under the permanent program," he said.
Restaurant owners will also be required to pay new fees. The fees vary based on where the business is located. On average, owners could pay anywhere between $10 to $30 per square foot for one year. Larson said that doesn't include inspection fees.
The permit is a two-year permit.
WATCH RELATED: Outdoor dining in San Diego is here to stay (for now) (May 2021) | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/new-restrictions-outdoor-dining-san-diego/509-7b3a5e5d-d630-483c-9c9e-9a5533e24c6b | 2022-06-12T14:52:02 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/new-restrictions-outdoor-dining-san-diego/509-7b3a5e5d-d630-483c-9c9e-9a5533e24c6b |
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