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Dogs seized in Tiverton have many hygiene, health problems
Dogs seized in Tiverton plagued by health, hygiene problems, some 'might not make it'
TIVERTON – The odor of urine and feces outside the Tiverton house told investigators they had a problem even before they stepped through the door.
Inside, they found more than 30 dogs, many of them with matted fur, overgrown nails caked with feces, skin burns from lying in urine.
"We discovered the 34 dogs living in deplorable conditions, accumulated feces and urine, dogs all confined in cages that were too small for them," said Earl Newman, senior special agent for the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Acting on an anonymous tip, the RISPCA, state Department of Environmental Management and Tiverton police and animal control went to the house at 16 Roseland Terrace on Wednesday morning. The dogs and two cats were removed. The house was "found to be uninhabitable" after an inspection by the Tiverton code officer, and the three residents were told to relocate until the home can be cleaned and repaired, the Tiverton police said.
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Big seizures burden shelter agencies already at capacity
The seizure, the third major case in two weeks, puts additional pressure on the RISPCA and other areas shelters which have been dealing with a high number of pet surrenders and abandonments in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The RISPCA announced it would have to close down Thursday and Friday and probably over the weekend so staff members can check and tend to the seized dogs.
"We're beyond full," said RISPCA President and General Agent Wayne Kezirian.
Several other rescue agencies took in some of the dogs seized in Tiverton, but the RISPCA kept 12. "Our folks are all in the kennels tending to the dogs, which all need attention," Kezirian said Thursday. The dogs have fleas, worms, and some have wounds of unknown origin, he said, adding, "Two of the 12 we have might not make it."
According to the police, a resident of the house told investigators she was fostering the dogs for animal rescuers out of Texas, but an investigation showed she doesn't have a license from the state Department of Environmental Management to operate a rescue.
Efforts by The Journal to reach the woman were unsuccessful, but information online indicates she was associated with an animal rescue. She has not been charged, according to Newman, but the investigation is continuing.
Newman said he spoke with two agencies in Texas that acknowledged sending the dogs to Rhode Island. Such transfers are regulated for the health and safety of the animals, he said. Among the regulations is one requiring that the facility accepting the dogs be licensed, he said.
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'I think she became overwhelmed'
The Tiverton woman may have felt pressured to take the dogs to save them from being killed in Texas, Newman said. She did manage to place some dogs in homes, he said.
"I think her intentions, at least initially, were good," Newman said. "I don't think she wanted to put these dogs in this position. I think she became overwhelmed."
It's not unusual for people in states with high shelter kill rates to try moving them to states like Rhode Island, according to Kezirian. Sometimes they'll use the prospect of euthanasia to get people to accept the dogs, Newman said.
"I don't in any way doubt these dogs would have been targeted for euthanasia if somebody hadn't taken them," Kezirian said.
It's been a busy few weeks for the RISPCA and other Rhode Island animal rescue agencies. In Warwick on April 20, the RISPCA helped Warwick Animal Control seize 13 cats and two dogs as part of an investigation into a pair of dogs, initially mistaken for coyotes, running loose in the city. That led to the seizure Monday of some 40 dogs, cats and guinea pigs living in "deplorable" conditions in Central Falls, Newman said.
The RISPCA is so full it had to double up some small dogs in kennels, according to Kezirian. He's looking forward to the opening of the RISPCA's new headquarters in Warwick, scheduled for July. It will double the RISPCA's capacity to house animals in need, as the agency will keep its East Providence rescue center open. | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/dogs-seized-in-tiverton-kept-in-deplorable-conditions/70183160007/ | 2023-05-04T21:59:02 | 1 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/dogs-seized-in-tiverton-kept-in-deplorable-conditions/70183160007/ |
Upcoming construction on Rt. 10 and Rt. 6 will cause delays - What to know
Traffic affected three weekends in a row
PROVIDENCE − The areas around the Route 10 and Route 6 interchange in Providence will be partially closed for the first three weekends in May.
A fourth closure is planned for June but the exact date has not been set.
"People may run into some delays, so they could choose to take an alternate route, either on local roads or staying on [Interstate] 95," said Department of Transportation Spokesman Charles St. Martin.
The closures are needed to pave and smooth out the highway. Work will take place on weekends since there's less traffic than on weekdays.
A final pavement layer will be laid down later in the year.
Route 10 North down to one lane May 5-8
May 5 to 8: Route 10 North will be down to one lane for a little less than a mile starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 5, and ending at 5 a.m. on Monday, May 8, between Union Avenue and the bridge at Harris Avenue and Tobey Street.
The right lane of Route 6 East will also be closed from the Plainfield Street on-ramp to the Broadway off-ramp.
Broadway off ramp on Route 6 east closed for 24 hours between May 12-13
May 12 to 13: The Broadway off ramp on Route 6 East will be closed for 24 hours, from 7 p.m. on Friday, May 12 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 13.
Suggested detours are on Hartford Avenue or Dean Street.
Route 10 North down to one lane around Westminster Street overpass, May 19 to 22
May 19 to 22: Route 10 North will be reduced to one lane around the Westminster Street overpass.
At the same time, Route 6 East will be reduced to one lane from the Plainfield Street on-ramp to the Broadway off-ramp.
The lane closure is for work crews to lower the road under the overpass.
Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Providence Journal subscription. Here's our latest offer.
Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter. | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/providence-road-construction-lane-closures-on-rt-10-rt-6-in-may/70183700007/ | 2023-05-04T21:59:08 | 0 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/providence-road-construction-lane-closures-on-rt-10-rt-6-in-may/70183700007/ |
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15-year-old arrested months after Tucson party turned deadly
A 15-year-old was arrested by Tucson police on Wednesday in connection to an early February shooting that killed 19-year-old Eduardo Salazar and injured three more teens.
At around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, police were called to the area of East Valencia Road and South Alvernon Way for reports of a loud party underway.
At 3:15 a.m., officers alongside Tucson fire crews were called back to the same address after more 9-1-1 calls reporting a shooting. When officers arrived, they found four people, Salazar and three 16-year-olds, suffering from gunshot wounds.
Salazar was pronounced dead at the scene, while the three teens were taken to hospitals, with one in critical condition. As of Thursday, police did not have an update on the three teens' conditions.
As detectives continued their investigation, they were later able to identify 15-year-old Fabian Velarde as the suspect.
According to a police statement on Thursday, officers located Velarde on May 3 in Tucson's Southside, where they collected additional evidence and completed interviews.
Velarde was ultimately booked into jail and is being charged with second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, prohibited possessor and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
No other information was released. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/05/04/15-year-old-suspected-of-shooting-killing-teen-at-tucson-party/70185111007/ | 2023-05-04T22:03:10 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/05/04/15-year-old-suspected-of-shooting-killing-teen-at-tucson-party/70185111007/ |
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A 13-year-old Deltona boy was arrested following a series of car break-ins after his mother reported finding a stolen firearm hidden in her house, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the break-ins were reported between March 27 and April 11 on several streets along Elkcam Boulevard in Deltona.
Investigators said they were able to use surveillance video to identify a suspect — “a thin male suspect wearing a hoodie and riding a bicycle.”
According to a release from the sheriff’s office, detectives responded to a report on Wednesday about a stolen firearm that had been found in a nearby home.
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The woman living at the home said she’d been noticing behavioral issues with her 13-year-old son, as she had been searching her property for money he’d allegedly stolen from her, the release shows. During her search, she found a 9 mm pistol near an air-conditioning unit at the side of her house, deputies said.
However, when the woman called law enforcement, her son packed a bag and ran away, according to investigators.
Detectives said the boy’s description matched that of the person seen on surveillance video. The boy was also seen in video from a neighbor’s surveillance camera, which showed him leaving the house on the night of the burglaries and wearing the same clothes, deputies said.
The release states that the boy was later found at his great-grandmother’s home, and he admitted to the break-ins, taking the gun from a pickup truck near his home, and a separate package theft, deputies said.
The teen faces charges of armed burglary, grand theft of a firearm, four counts of burglary and four counts of petit theft.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/13-year-old-found-with-stolen-gun-after-string-of-deltona-car-break-ins-deputies-say/ | 2023-05-04T22:03:44 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/13-year-old-found-with-stolen-gun-after-string-of-deltona-car-break-ins-deputies-say/ |
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – It’s been seven months since Hurricane Ian hit Central Florida, and a Kissimmee family is still struggling to get on their feet while waiting for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The house that Eddie Davis and his family were living in was flooded in the middle of the storm, and they were forced to leave immediately.
About half of the homes in the Dellwood Park community were flooded during Ian. Some people eventually had to be rescued by airboat and then brought to dry land.
News 6 was reporting live near the neighborhood when it started, and we captured many families who had to escape their homes.
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“It’s been a rough last seven months,” Davis told News 6. “I’ve been bouncing around working and going to different hotels and staying with family members and friends.”
Davis, along with his mother and brother, has been living in a studio apartment for the last several days.
“It’s just been crazy. I lost my cars, the house — everything,” he said.
When Ian hit, Davis and his family were sharing a home on Poinciana Drive with another tenant.
Davis said the lease was in that tenant’s name, and it has impacted their ability to get help from FEMA.
“I’ve just been waiting on them to help me, and they haven’t,” Davis said.
He said he’s submitted multiple applications to FEMA, all of which have been denied.
The main reason: FEMA said Davis has not provided proper documentation to prove that the damaged home was where they lived for a major portion of the calendar year, according to their denial notice.
However, Davis said he has submitted the documentation.
“They just keep saying that we need to have proof of residency,” he told News 6.
The family said they also lost their car in the storm because the engine was waterlogged.
Meanwhile, Davis said he is trying his best to stay positive, but it’s difficult.
His mother has asthma and sometimes needs a nebulizer, and they found out this week that they must leave the place they’re living in now.
“If you ask what the storm did to me: it did a lot. It did a lot,” he said.
News 6 called the Salvation Army for Davis.
The Salvation Army did offer the family a spot at their shelters, but so far, the family has declined that.
FEMA told News 6 that officials are still working with the family. Officials are now connecting them with the Individual Assistance branch for follow-up, according to a spokesperson.
FEMA officials explained that a lack of documentation is the No. 1 reason why people who actually have damage end up ineligible for assistance.
If you get a denial letter from FEMA, it will also have directions on how to appeal.
If you have questions, you can call FEMA’s helpline at 800-621-3362.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/kissimmee-family-still-seeks-help-months-after-hurricane-ian/ | 2023-05-04T22:03:50 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/kissimmee-family-still-seeks-help-months-after-hurricane-ian/ |
MIMS, Fla. – In a Mims neighborhood west of Interstate 95 called Hog Valley, Diane Judd said she remembers the emergency response back on April 18 when the Brevard Sheriff’s Office said Alice McClure accidentally shot her friend as the 36-year-old failed to handle a loaded gun safely.
“We thought that there was an accident on 95 because we heard all these sirens going off,” Judd said.
An arrest warrant reads the shooting happened in the living room of McClure’s home at the end of Cinnamon Teal Drive.
Dispatch recordings reveal investigators recovered the gun.
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Further details are limited because records show a five-page arrest affidavit still isn’t public.
Records available Thursday showed McClure walked out of jail on Wednesday on a $15,000 bond.
“She should still be in jail,” Judd said. “What judge gave her a bond?”
As a condition of her release, McClure can’t have any guns.
Judd said neighbors hadn’t heard anything new about the investigation since the shooting.
“Oh, it’s terrible news,” she said. “We don’t know if it was an accident, or somebody shot her.”
The sheriff’s office still hasn’t identified the victim in this manslaughter investigation.
This is a developing story.
Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/mims-manslaughter-suspect-accidentally-shot-friend-sheriffs-office-says/ | 2023-05-04T22:03:56 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/mims-manslaughter-suspect-accidentally-shot-friend-sheriffs-office-says/ |
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Small little blue balloon-type animals are washing ashore in Volusia County and while the Portuguese man o’ war may be beautiful they can pack a pretty serious sting.
Deputy Chief Tamra Malphurs with Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue joined News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells on Talk to Tom to discuss the wildlife stinging people in Volusia County.
Why are they here?
“The man o’ war are at the mercy of the winds and the currents. So, if we get a strong onshore wind for a few days in a row, we’ll start seeing those man o’ war. Typically, we usually see those in the spring and the wintertime when we have those onshore winds that stay with us for a while,” Malphurs said.
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Man o’ war vs. jellyfish
Malphurs told Sorrells man-of-war and jellyfish are not the same.
“Man o’ war are beautiful, they have a blueish-purple color. They have a little balloon that sticks up out of the water that you can see a lot better than you can see a jellyfish in the water. A lot of times jellyfish are pretty clear and they’re floating just under the surface. But those man o’ war, a lot of times you could see them because of that balloon-type bubble that sticks out of the water,” she said.
How do they sting you?
“Tentacles are the things that sting you. And it’s a very powerful sting, it can hurt pretty bad. It’s a very painful sting. Most of the time, it’s just a lot of pain. And it’s not anything really to worry about. They’re not life-threatening unless you have like an allergic reaction or something like that, which is pretty rare,” Malphurs said.
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How to treat it
Malphurs said it’s important to know that you could get stung at any time and to always swim in front of a lifeguard stand. That way, if it does happen, you can get out of the water and go straight to the lifeguard tower.
When you get there, she said a lifeguard will likely treat it with plain white vinegar and make sure the tentacles are not still embedded in your skin. She said if they don’t get them out, the tentacles will continue to irritate you. Malphurs said the vinegar likely won’t help with the pain and if it persists you may want to seek medical attention like she did.
“The two times that I’ve been stung, I had to go seek medical care, just because the sting was so bad,” she said.
Malphurs said you will likely know if you need further medical treatment in the first 15 minutes. If you are allergic she said you may experience trouble breathing. She said lifeguards may also advise you to get further care if your skin is extremely irritated noting, everybody reacts differently.
Dead man o’ war can sting
Even if they are dead Malphurs told Sorrells man o’ war can still sting you.
“If you ever come across one and you are on the beach and it’s washed up on shore, don’t think that it can’t sting you, because the tentacles are still there, and they can still pack a powerful sting,” she said. “We tell people not to pick them up, not to play with them. When kids come across them, they are extremely beautiful, so people, especially kids, do want to play with them, do want to pick them up, but we tell people not to do that, they can still sting you pretty bad.”
They deteriorate naturally
Malphurs told Sorrells, officials do not pick the man o’ war up off the beach.
“We let them deteriorate naturally,” she said. “They get eaten by birds and other wildlife, it’s just a natural thing and we don’t pick them up.”
So, if you are walking along the beach be careful not to step on a man o’ war.
To learn more about the sea creatures washing ashore in Volusia County check out Talk to Tom. You can catch the show every Thursday on News 6 at 5:30 p.m. or anytime on News 6+.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/top-5-facts-about-man-o-war/ | 2023-05-04T22:04:02 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/top-5-facts-about-man-o-war/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon City Public Library is gearing up for the 10th annual Star Wars Day celebration on Thursday night.
The event, which runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., includes family-friendly activities from pool noodle lightsaber battles, a scavenger hunt, an arts and crafts station and readings of Star Wars stories.
The library is also giving away a couple prizes including an X-Wing Starfighter Lego set and a Saberforge lightsaber.
Watch the video above to learn more. | https://www.koin.com/local/oregon-city-public-library-gears-up-for-star-wars-day-festivities/ | 2023-05-04T22:08:59 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/oregon-city-public-library-gears-up-for-star-wars-day-festivities/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland may be closer to Canada than it is to the U.S.-Mexico border, but that doesn’t mean the area is lacking in quality Mexican markets stocked with pan dulce, horchata and the jefe of marinated skirt steak: carne asada.
Being savory, tangy, salty, smoky and sweet, carne asada is a crowd favorite for backyard barbecues in the U.S., especially on Cinco de Mayo. Commonly confused with Mexico’s Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the outnumbered and outgunned Mexican troops who defeated invading French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. ¡Viva México!
Those looking to grill up some expertly marinated carne asada in honor of Mexico’s historic victory can find the sometimes-elusive steak at various markets around the Portland area.
Here’s a list of Yelp’s top 10 Mexican markets for carne asada in the Portland area:
- Supermercados Mexico
- La Tapatia Market
- Tienda Santa Cruz
- San Francisco Carniceria
- Mercado Latino
- Tienda Santa Cruz
- Taqueria Market Portland
- Top Choice Meat Market
- Salsa Market
- Supermercados Mexico
Before planning a backyard barbecue, check the latest, local weather with KOIN 6’s daily forecast. | https://www.koin.com/local/yelps-top-10-spots-for-carne-asada-in-the-portland-area/ | 2023-05-04T22:09:08 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/yelps-top-10-spots-for-carne-asada-in-the-portland-area/ |
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine band David Young & The Interstate Kings stopped by the 207 studio for the first time since 2019 to share their new single and preview an upcoming show.
The band is made up of David Young, his brother Devon Young, and their friend Seth Martin. They all grew up in Raymond and got their start in music together back in 2015. David moved to Nashville, Tennessee four years ago to continue pursuing music and said the rest of the band plans to join him there by the end of the year.
Last summer, David released his solo album "Can Am," which featured his bandmates on some of the tracks. According to the bands' website, the success of that album led to the trio recently recording a new untitled album at the Hidden Creek Music Studio in Nashville. It features 10 tracks, and David said they plan to release them in the coming weeks as singles.
The first single will be released Friday, May 5, and is titled "Boston-Portland Line."
"It's a song about coming home, getting back to your roots, and keeping that home place in your heart while you're out doing your thing in the world," David Young said.
If you would like to see the band live, they will be taking over the music stage at the Auburn Lobster Festival from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Check out the full 207 segment above to hear their newest single. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/207-music/maine-band-david-young-and-the-interstate-kings-shares-new-single-in-207-studio-music-entertainment/97-90bc7b27-8620-449c-884c-795caf7992c4 | 2023-05-04T22:09:47 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/207-music/maine-band-david-young-and-the-interstate-kings-shares-new-single-in-207-studio-music-entertainment/97-90bc7b27-8620-449c-884c-795caf7992c4 |
PORTLAND, Maine — Getting people to attend an opera performance is a tough sell. For folks who aren’t opera enthusiasts, it may require an … incentive.
Opera in the Pines, an organization in Maine that wants to bring more people into its orbit, is up to the task.
In describing its upcoming production, it says, "Think 'Rent,' with 'Friends' vibes, and a dash of L.L.Bean.” Even that description leaves out a key element.
What Opera in the Pines is doing is taking the classic opera “La boheme” and transforming it into "Bar Crawl Boheme."
Over three nights it will present "Bar Crawl Boheme" at three venues. First at Maine Beer Company in Freeport, then at Three of Strong Spirits in Portland, and finally at Oyster River Winegrowers in Warren.
You get the idea: this is a fun and unstuffy entertainment, one that hopes to cheerily sweep aside whatever preconceptions you have about classical opera.
The performance will run for 50 minutes, and the performers—every one of them from Maine—will sing in English. Some of them will be performing professionally for the first time in their home state. It takes place at the three venues on May 10, 11, and 12.
Opera in the Pines General Director Lauren Yokabaskas, Director Sable Strout, and Soprano Mary Johnston Letellier joined us on 207 to talk—with great enthusiasm—about “Bar Crawl Boheme.” Watch our conversation to learn more. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/how-do-you-get-people-to-attend-opera-a-maine-company-just-might-have-the-answer-entertainment/97-99896330-2ce0-4338-87b5-4b03585e0579 | 2023-05-04T22:10:00 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/how-do-you-get-people-to-attend-opera-a-maine-company-just-might-have-the-answer-entertainment/97-99896330-2ce0-4338-87b5-4b03585e0579 |
BUTLER COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — Two people were seriously injured in a crash northeast of Wichita Wednesday morning.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP), a 64-year-old man from Wichita was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado eastbound on Kansas Highway 254. A 21-year-old woman from Derby was driving a 2018 Nissan Versa north on Southwest Butler Road.
The KHP says she did not stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Kansas Highway 254 and Southwest Butler Road, and her car was hit on the driver’s side by the Chevrolet Silverado.
The KHP says both drivers were taken with suspected serious injuries to a local medical center. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/two-seriously-injured-in-crash-northeast-of-wichita/ | 2023-05-04T22:10:04 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/two-seriously-injured-in-crash-northeast-of-wichita/ |
ROCKPORT, Maine — While much of the world will be watching British royalty at Saturday’s coronation ceremony, there will be some kids and parents in Maine happily greeting local celebrities: the newest crop of calves at Aldemere Farm.
The annual Calf Unveiling Day is an eagerly awaited event. This year, 13 Belted Galloway calves, like debutantes at a society ball, will be introduced to the public.
Those calves, each black with a distinctive white stripe or "belt" around their middle, are the new generation of a herd of beef cattle that began in Rockport 70 years ago.
Over time, partly because of their visibility in the busy Rockport/Camden tourist area, the Belted Galloways have become another image of Maine, almost as familiar as the lobster, gull, and moose.
"They love driving by and seeing them," Heidi Baker said, farm preserve director for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which now owns the farm and the herd.
"The kids like it, they have this really eye-appealing look and for me, it allows us to get people’s attention and start talking and teaching about agriculture. Other breeds can’t do that as well."
The herd began around 1953, when farm owner Albert Chatfield brought a few animals from Pennsylvania, and then imported more from the breed’s native Scotland. Heidi’s grandfather became farm manager in 1960 and helped Chatfield build and expand the herd, which in turn became the foundation for Belted Galloways in the U.S.
"And we are the longest-running Belted Galloway herd in North America at this point, and much of the genetics of the cattle you see all over the U.S. come directly from here," Baker said.
Chatfield gave the property and the animals to Maine Coast Heritage Trust in 1999. Baker’s grandfather stayed on to help the conservation group, then Heidi Baker’s father returned to Rockport from a corporate job, and he took over as farm manager. Baker said she came to the farm in 2010 to manage the herd and now oversees the entire operation.
The focus, she said, is twofold: preserving and promoting the farm and the breed, and educating young people and the general public in agriculture.
That work happens through events at the farm and through the involvement of kids in several ongoing programs where they work with the animals, such as 4-H.
Elizabeth Eaton of Hope said she began at Aldemere as a 10-year-old.
"I struggled in school and it was a great experience to be with the cows," she said.
And working with the animals appealed to her. Eaton said she convinced her parents to let her buy cows of her own. She eventually went to Ohio State and earned a degree in agricultural science.
Now she works part-time jobs at Aldemere and another farm and tends to her own herd of 19 Belted Galloways.
Stories like that are what Heidi Baker points to as the work of Aldemere Farm. Helping build up kids, and with luck, build future farmers.
“In middle school, there isn’t a lot kids have control over at that age, yet they want it and really need it. So they have responsibilities here, and when people talk about when we were all farm kids, that was an important piece. They get that here. They have an animal that’s theirs and they have to take care of it and manage it and make decisions."
For the adults, the decisions include raising money to keep the farm going. Baker says the $400,000 annual budget comes from donations. They sell some hay and some animals as well to grow and expand the breed. She said they used to sell beef, but with the growth of three other local commercial farm herds, Aldemere has decided not to compete with those farms in the beef market. Instead, the farm gives beef to local food pantries.
They also are still in the midst of a major $3.2 million fund drive to pay for a large new barn that’s under construction. On Saturday, Baker said they will update progress on the fund drive as people gather next to the new barn to admire the new calves.
Despite everything else, the calves remain the stars of this show. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/visiting-the-maine-farm-with-historical-roots-in-belted-galloway-cattle-agriculture-cows/97-a44d001b-7670-47a0-9380-6a00205f93a4 | 2023-05-04T22:10:06 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/visiting-the-maine-farm-with-historical-roots-in-belted-galloway-cattle-agriculture-cows/97-a44d001b-7670-47a0-9380-6a00205f93a4 |
LEWISTON, Maine — A Lewiston Middle School student went to the hospital Wednesday after being hit by a box truck.
Police responded to the incident at the Russell Street and Central Avenue intersection around 2:12 p.m.
The student was transported to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston with what police called injuries not considered life-threatening but significant enough that he needed hospital care.
Lewiston police spokesman Lt. Derrick St. Laurent said their initial investigation found the box truck driver was not paying attention when he hit the student but did stop to help him.
The truck’s driver, Wade Gould, 41, of Lisbon Falls, was cited for a traffic violation. St. Laurent said it is unclear who owns the vehicle, but believed it was a rental.
St. Laurent said a passerby may have captured some video on their dashboard camera.
The intersection is 0.4 miles from Lewiston Middle School. St. Laurent said there are crosswalks at that intersection but did not know if the student was in the crosswalk at the time.
Lewiston Public Schools superintendent Jake Langlais said the incident is still under investigation, and could not provide any confirmed details. Langlais said in an e-mail, "We have heard numerous variations of what may have happened but not being there, we will need to wait to see further detail." | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/lewiston-middle-school-student-injured-after-being-hit-by-box-truck-maine-investigation/97-d164a6c9-2f8d-44b9-a498-2f8ef2bdf7c0 | 2023-05-04T22:10:12 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/lewiston-middle-school-student-injured-after-being-hit-by-box-truck-maine-investigation/97-d164a6c9-2f8d-44b9-a498-2f8ef2bdf7c0 |
PORTLAND, Maine — Editor's note: The video attached to this story was published May 3.
Heavy rainfall in Maine caused damage to railroad tracks, which crews and contractors were in the process of cleaning up on Thursday.
The state was the site of heavy rainfall Sunday. The rainfall caused damage to state infrastructure, necessitating replacements of culverts and repairs to state-owned rail track, according to Paul Merrill, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Transportation.
The transportation department is also aware of a track washout on privately owned tracks in Belgrade that was caused by the Sunday storm, Merrill said. Track owner CSX was also in the process of repairing that damage.
The state and another railway owner, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, said last month that a washout led to a train derailment in the northern part of the state. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/maine-railroad-tracks-railways-damage-washouts-heavy-rain/97-e11a4b3b-a9e5-4b97-a033-3695d1c8eca6 | 2023-05-04T22:10:18 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/maine-railroad-tracks-railways-damage-washouts-heavy-rain/97-e11a4b3b-a9e5-4b97-a033-3695d1c8eca6 |
ROCKLAND, Maine — Every Monday for about four hours, Anne Cogger of St. George comes to Area Interfaith Outreach Food and Energy Assistance in Rockland to volunteer. Cogger is a retired social worker, so the desire to help others isn't an unfamiliar one. And she said she could no longer watch from the sidelines, after seeing how the current cost of everyday life has affected people.
"You find people coming who would not come before," Cogger said.
Cogger said that's likely because of the rising costs of electricity, heating, and housing over the past couple of years.
"It’s so easy to be in your own part of the community and not realize the need that’s out there," Cogger said.
Joe Ryan, the executive director of AIO, said AIO is Knox County's largest food pantry. It began more than 30 years ago, when local churches came together to figure out a way to address hunger. AIO serves residents throughout the area and also helps other smaller local pantries support their clients. Ryan said with pandemic-era assistance programs winding to an end, they've been serving about 300 families per week.
"The emergency food assistance is cutting back," Ryan said. "Recent reductions in the SNAP program have been significant."
Ryan said AIO is set up like a grocery store. Members collect a ticket to limit overcrowding and then scan a member card when it's their turn to shop. They can use one of the grocery carts available in the pantry to feel like they're shopping at a grocery store or market.
"Very often, this pantry is full of laughter and chatter and children talking and playing, which is not what you would typically find in a traditional food pantry," Ryan said, later adding, "Rather than [us] packing food into a box and handing it to somebody, people can come choose the food that’s right for them, that’s right for their family."
AIO's administrative assistant Keisha Beal has had experience doing that. She grew up in a household that was food insecure and said she relied on AIO both as a child and as a mother with children of her own.
"If it weren’t for the food pantry, we would’ve gone hungry on several occasions," Beal said.
She said she wants people to know they shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed if they need to ask for help.
"It should not be stigmatized to be hungry," Beal said.
AIO buys all of its food from Good Shepherd Food Bank. You can donate to NEWS CENTER Maine's 2023 Feed Maine telethon to support GSFB here. You can also directly support AIO here. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/outreach/feed-maine/area-interfaith-outreach-food-and-energy-assistance-rockland-nonprofit-addresses-hunger-in-diginified-manner/97-bdfb244b-865d-4a70-a86a-bc8d59a42f39 | 2023-05-04T22:10:24 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/outreach/feed-maine/area-interfaith-outreach-food-and-energy-assistance-rockland-nonprofit-addresses-hunger-in-diginified-manner/97-bdfb244b-865d-4a70-a86a-bc8d59a42f39 |
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — The Good Shepherd Food Bank and its community partners anticipate distributing more than 24 million meals in Maine this year. Much of that distribution happens at local food pantries in communities throughout the state.
"I will tell you right here from the grassroots, the need is increasing," Dwayne Hopkins, executive director of the South Portland Food Cupboard said.
An hour before the South Portland Food Cupboard opened up for distribution on Tuesday, more than a dozen cars were lining the street outside.
"It's real. It's real and it's hitting us hard in our local communities, your neighbors need your help," Hopkins said.
On Tuesday, the cupboard provided meals for 77 families, which is the most they have ever served in a day. According to Hopkins, since the beginning of the year, the cupboard has seen a 92 percent increase in the number of families it's serving.
"Nutrition is just the foundation for what they need to have to live a quality life," Hopkins said.
As the need for healthy meals continues to rise in South Portland, another local pantry in that community is noticing it too.
"I have friends that I didn't necessarily expect to be in need of that. They had jobs, room here on campus, but they still need our support from the captain's cupboard," Haden Buzzell said.
Buzzell is a student volunteer at Captain's Cupboard, a student-run food pantry on campus at Southern Maine Community College. With such a wide variety of students studying at SMCC, students volunteering at Captain's Cupboard say they've seen an increased need in recent months, and that everyone can face food insecurity.
"Every day through that door, all sorts of people, every type of different person comes in. We have people who can be as old as sixty, and people who can be as young as 18 come into the cupboard. And all sorts of backgrounds enter through these doors. And I think it's important all of them have their needs attended to," Buzzell said.
NEWS CENTER Maine is partnering with Good Shepherd Food Bank to help put meals on the table for Mainers in need.
Donate to NEWS CENTER Maine's Feed Maine Telethon here.
You can also call 855-875-4328. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/outreach/feed-maine/food-pantries-in-south-portland-see-rising-need-feed-maine-good-shepherd-food-bank/97-524332f7-1c9e-4cde-9231-5e74ac3efb20 | 2023-05-04T22:10:30 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/outreach/feed-maine/food-pantries-in-south-portland-see-rising-need-feed-maine-good-shepherd-food-bank/97-524332f7-1c9e-4cde-9231-5e74ac3efb20 |
PALMYRA, Maine — A man from St. Albans has died following a head-on collision Thursday in Palmyra with a tractor-trailer owned by the Maine Department of Transportation.
Robert Sylvia, 67, was traveling south on Ell Hill Road when he reportedly crossed the centerline shortly before 11:30 a.m., striking head on an oncoming tractor-trailer owned by MDOT, Chief Deputy Michael Mitchell of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office said Thursday in a news release.
Sylvia was pronounced dead at the scene. A juvenile passenger who was traveling with Sylvia was brought by ambulance to Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to the release. The minor and Sylvia were the only occupants of the vehicle.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured in the crash and declined being taken to the hospital for evaluation, Mitchell told NEWS CENTER Maine.
As of 3 p.m. Thursday, the road remained closed while crews worked to remove the tractor-trailer. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area and seek other routes.
Officials with the Somerset County Sheriff's Office were aided by the Pittsfield Fire Department and Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital Ambulance services.
An investigation is ongoing and will be reviewed by the Somerset County District Attorney's Office upon completion.
Maine State Police was reconstructing the crash. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/st-albans-man-dies-in-crash-mdot-tractor-trailer-head-on/97-94cf86d5-cbf1-45e3-853c-160e44c92800 | 2023-05-04T22:10:36 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/st-albans-man-dies-in-crash-mdot-tractor-trailer-head-on/97-94cf86d5-cbf1-45e3-853c-160e44c92800 |
A 19-year-old man is hospitalized and a Bismarck police officer is on administrative leave following a shooting in north Bismarck.
Officers responded about 12:45 p.m. Thursday to a report that a man had pulled a gun on another man at a residence in the 4100 block of Arlington Drive, according to Lt. Luke Gardiner. The men involved know each other but the nature of their relationship is unclear, the lieutenant said.
Police were notified about 2:20 p.m. that the 19-year-old was at the U-Haul storage center near Interstate Loop. At about 2:30 p.m. he left the building with a weapon and was shot by an officer, Gardiner said.
The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting, the lieutenant said. Placement of an officer on administrative leave is standard practice in officer-involved shootings.
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Gardiner said the 19-year-old is "known to police," and is the subject of an ongoing investigation that started before the Thursday incident.
Police did not have information about the suspect's condition. No officers were injured.
Authorities did not immediately identify either the suspect or the officer placed on leave. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/suspect-wounded-in-officer-involved-shooting-in-north-bismarck-suspect-hospitalized-officer-on-leave/article_28ee271e-eabf-11ed-ba5e-a3404bfdbe6c.html | 2023-05-04T22:16:20 | 1 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/suspect-wounded-in-officer-involved-shooting-in-north-bismarck-suspect-hospitalized-officer-on-leave/article_28ee271e-eabf-11ed-ba5e-a3404bfdbe6c.html |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Note: The video is from March 2022.
The former head of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force will serve eight to 22 years in prison for stealing $140,000 from the agency over a six-year span between 2014 and 2020, Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Thursday.
In addition to his prison sentence, John Burkhart was also ordered to pay back the $140,000 in restitution and serve four years of probation, Henry said.
Burkhart was taken into custody after the sentencing hearing in Lancaster County Court. He will serve the prison term in Adams County, Henry said in a press release.
Burkhart pleaded guilty in March to charges of Theft by Deception and Theft by Failure to Make Required Disposition of Funds.
The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners issued the following statement in response to Burkhart's sentencing:
"This is a sad day in the history of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force. The criminal justice system is largely built around the proposition that police officers are telling the truth. Telling the truth in their reports. Telling the truth when they testify. And telling the truth when they speak to the public.
Fortunately, the vast, vast majority of police do tell the truth. But this case strikes at the heart of that trust that society places in police officers. Mr. Burkhart stole a large amount of money from the citizens of Lancaster County. He did this at the same time that he was also calling for more and more money for the Drug Task Force, opposing any attempts at transparency over the Drug Task Force finances, and blaming the County Commissioners for not providing enough funds to the Drug Task Force.
Moreover, he enlisted other officials in this scheme. His theft and his lies have caused great damage to the Lancaster County law enforcement community, County government, and the rule of law in Lancaster County. It is a serious matter."
Investigators from the Office of Attorney General determined that Burkhart stole seized cash and failed to deposit funds during the civil asset forfeiture process in criminal cases investigated by the Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
“Mr. Burkhart took an oath to serve and protect, but instead used his position of authority to steal funds that could have gone toward treatment initiatives and enforcement of drug trafficking laws,” Henry said. “I hope today’s sentence is a stern reminder that our office is committed to holding those accountable who break the law – regardless of their occupation or position of authority.”
The Office of Attorney General assumed jurisdiction over the case in April 2020 following a conflict referral from the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
On March 4, 2022, the Forty-Ninth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury issued a presentment outlining that Burkhart repeatedly stole money that had been seized during drug investigations.
Burkhart stole cash from the Lancaster County Drug Task Force safe where seized money was stored before it was formally forfeited and placed into the Lancaster County general fund bank account.
The Grand Jury learned that Burkhart had nearly exclusive control of the safe and its contents.
During the investigation, it was discovered that evidence envelopes containing seized cash were missing, which included funds seized from bank accounts. Funds seized were turned over to the county by the bank, and the county controller’s office would provide a check to the Drug Task Force in care of John Burkhart. Burkhart was solely responsible for cashing those checks and placing the money into the safe until they were forfeited by court order.
The Grand Jury also found that Burkhart was also solely responsible for recording and delivering cash deposits from the Drug Task Force to the county treasurer after the seized assets were forfeited by court order.
"My office is glad this has come to an end," Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said in a statement. "This type of conduct by a colleague and supervisor could have impacted morale and performance but the members of that unit came together under interim leadership and continued to do the work they are enlisted to do – I give them a lot of credit for that.
"We’ve since hired a highly qualified sergeant to lead that unit and added two corporal positions to ensure the appropriate level of supervision and accountability in such an important unit."
The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Zarallo and Senior Deputy Attorney General Megan Madaffari. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/john-burkhart-sentencing-theft-lancaster-county-drug-task-force/521-d8f0ff38-326a-442a-9d3a-8fa7420743f8 | 2023-05-04T22:21:59 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/john-burkhart-sentencing-theft-lancaster-county-drug-task-force/521-d8f0ff38-326a-442a-9d3a-8fa7420743f8 |
LANCASTER, Pa. — A family-owned Lego store is holding a building competition in celebration of May the Fourth. BRICKHEADS in Lancaster County is inviting builders of all ages to their monthly build competition.
“We have a build competition every first Friday of the month, it happens to fall on the week of May the Fourth so we are doing May The Force Be With You as the theme. The stuff that these kids come up with is amazing,” said Ashley Daggett, the co-owner of BRICKHEADS, a small Lego reseller shop in Lancaster County off Lititz Pike.
Ashley and her husband's store hold a monthly competition to encourage their customers to be creative and think outside the box.
“We like to see kids come in and try and see their skills progress and that’s pretty much the basic idea of it is to have them come in every single month and have them get better at building, and they really do,” Daggett said.
Builders dig through a table of pieces and build at their own pace during store hours.
The only limit is their imagination.
“We do see a lot of regulars that come in and build too which is really cool, because you see their building progressing every time they come in so it’s pretty exciting,” Daggett said.
But a building competition isn’t the only way BRICKHEADS celebrate Star Wars week. Customers can also find new and used sets on the shelves, including some vintage pieces in their original boxes. Customers can also bring in their new or used sets to trade or sell.
Daggett says the Lego brand is universal and can be used to bring people together.
“It’s something that I think every age category, every denomination, and every race can share and enjoy that and I think that it kind of makes it very community-like and that’s why I’m glad we’re here,” Daggett said.
Their competition ends May 6. The winner will receive a $25 gift card. All pieces will remain on display in the store until their next building competition. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/starwars-may-lego-competition-family-children/521-3e73a8ba-7fdc-4cc5-b975-46d0b8b93c5f | 2023-05-04T22:22:05 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/starwars-may-lego-competition-family-children/521-3e73a8ba-7fdc-4cc5-b975-46d0b8b93c5f |
CAPE MAY — From the Cove to the Coast Guard Training Center, dunes line the beaches of Cape May, offering storm protection, scenery and habitat to local and migrating animals.
They also are home to some kinds of plants the city would rather not be there, consultant Peter Lomax told City Council on Tuesday. He was there to unveil a new dune management plan that would include prioritizing which plants should be gone.
Some, such as poison ivy and some thorny species, are fine deep in the dunes, but the city should try to keep them away from the beach paths, Lomax said. Other plants should not be there at all. Some invasive plants can push out native species.
It sounds like the Japanese black pine is a major offender, from Lomax’s presentation to council.
In the forests of Japan, Korea and northwestern China, the evergreens can grow up to 100 feet tall. On the dunes, they will be far smaller, but they are still disliked by many property owners near the beach. That is not why they may be removed from the dunes, Lomax told council.
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“They’re not inconvenient trees,” he said. “They’re not trees that inconveniently block a view. They are trees that should not have been there in the first place.”
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At one point, he said, the trees were seen as a fast-growing option by many landscapers, but they proved to be very aggressive.
Lomax outlined other issues, including unauthorized public access to the city’s dunes and areas where damage to bulkheads or other fencing has led to sand entering the street.
Council unanimously approved adopting the proposed dune vegetation management plan. Lomax said the next step will be to send it on to the state Department of Environmental Protection for review.
The idea is for the city to be able to undertake projects outlined in the plan without the need for additional permits from the DEP, which would usually be required for any work involving dunes. The work would need local review, including from the city Shade Tree Commission and the local environmental commission.
That could allow work to be completed by city employees, an outside contractor or by residents, if it is included in the plan, Lomax told council. The report also outlined areas of immediate concern, including the dunes at the east end of town, closest to the Coast Guard base and at the Cove section at the other end of the city’s beaches, which is adjacent to a nature preserve.
“Your dune system is an incredibly unique coastal resource,” Lomax said. They include plants that have adapted to the harsh seaside environment, with roots in nutrient-poor sand, little fresh water and salty winds. The plants help sequester carbon, Lomax said, as well as providing food and shelter to migrating birds and other species, while their roots stabilize the dunes.
CAPE MAY — Some city workers were told to stay home on Monday, after a mold remediation proj…
State officials see dunes as an important element of shore protection from erosion and storms.
“It doesn’t just protect you when the coastal storms arrive. It is a sand bank. It is a reserve of sand, that when that storm passes is then available to redeploy onto the beach,” Lomax said. “That is a natural process.”
Where non-native plants are removed, they would need to be replaced with native plants under the management plan.
“The intent is to leave everything in economically better condition than how we found it,” Lomax said. That would include removing the seedling trees spread from the exiting trees.
“Where you have a mature Japanese black pine, you also have a whole host of progeny,” Lomax said.
City resident Stacy Sheehan had questions about cost. A former council member, she said she recalled an estimate of about $100,000 per block, or for a couple of blocks.
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“There will be a financial cost to this,” said Council member Loraine Baldwin. She described it as a daunting undertaking, with no real end, as new plants will continue to grow. Sheehan asked how much dune maintenance currently costs the city.
Not much has been done for some time, Baldwin answered.
“I think that’s why we find ourselves in this situation,” she said.
While many towns have dune grass or some other vegetation, in some areas, Cape May’s dunes are densely grown with tall shrubs and trees.
City attorney Christopher Gillin-Schwartz said the city already has rules for dune protection, which would remain in place, preventing residents from cutting back vegetation on the dunes.
“No one should be doing anything in the dunes without the city’s say-so,” he said.
While the plan outlines projects, that does not mean the city has to undertake them, Mayor Zack Mullock said. Work could be performed a little at a time.
“This doesn’t stick up to any financial obligation,” he said.
“At the end of the day, it’s important to recognize you can do as much or as little with this document. It doesn’t obligate you to do anything,” Lomax said. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/cape-may-adopts-plan-to-cut-back-invasive-plants-on-dunes/article_6a43b5ea-eab4-11ed-b4db-d7ce45cb27a5.html | 2023-05-04T22:22:32 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/cape-may-adopts-plan-to-cut-back-invasive-plants-on-dunes/article_6a43b5ea-eab4-11ed-b4db-d7ce45cb27a5.html |
ATLANTIC CITY — For fans of Ventnor's Cardinal Bistro, which closed in 2019, waiting five months after owner Michael Brennan made the announcement that a new Cardinal restaurant would open in the Orange Loop was exciting.
City resident Sam Barbey is a supporter of Brennan, who doubles as the executive chef of Cardinal. He said the new restaurant was something that people have been excited about for a long time.
"I've had the pleasure to watch Chef Michael Brennan for many years. I remember the start of Cardinal Bistro in Ventnor and the conception of the Cardinal Dinner Club," said Barbey about Brennan's first restaurant, which opened in 2016. "Watching him move on to become the head chef at Josie Kelly's in Northfield and grow their menu into something that patrons from all around would talk about, and continue to talk about, proves his culinary expertise has been amazing."
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The new Cardinal opened April 26, but a small ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Wednesday's drizzles so others in the community, like Barbey, could welcome the restaurant. Others in attendance included Cardinal co-owners Evan Sanchez and Zenith Shah, real estate developer Pat Fasano and Mayor Marty Small Sr.
"We’re proud to join our fellow businesses in the Orange Loop and become an active part of the community here," said Brennan, who has partnered with city nonprofits like the C.R.O.P.S. farmers market and the Atlantic City Arts Foundation to allow local artists to beautify the Cardinal site. "The support from the city has been strong, from Mayor Small to Councilman Shabazz to police Chief Sarkos, we’re all about partnerships and contributing to the city’s ongoing rebirth.”
The former Ventnor bistro housed 40 seats and was BYOB, but the new Cardinal at 201 S. New York Ave. seats more than 125 guests inside with more seating outside, two bars, a lounge area and more.
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Cardinal is located at the site of the former Cajun cuisine bar and restaurant Bourre. Brennan said he plans to use the outdoor stage for live music and entertainment once they expand the restaurant to include outdoor seating in their patio and garden areas.
The inside houses plenty of greenery, wood and plants, complementing the restaurant's open, modern vibes. The natural aesthetic of Cardinal also pairs with Brennan's goal to use seasonal, sustainable and responsibly sourced ingredients from the surrounding area and the state.
Barbey said after sampling what Cardinal had to offer customers, he thinks it will prove to other chefs and restaurateurs that opening a restaurant in Atlantic City that isn't in a casino is not only safe, but a wise choice.
Brennan said he's committed to raising the bar for hospitality and fine dining in Atlantic City, but doing so in a casual, welcoming setting.
“Opening Cardinal in the Orange Loop feels like a dream come true," said Brennan. "We’re making good on a pledge to our community to create an essential place to dine, enjoy quality food and drink, and experience fun, elevated hospitality."
Cardinal is open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Its bar and lounge are open from 5 p.m. to midnight those same nights. Call 609-246-6670 or visit cardinal-ac.com for more information. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/four-years-after-ventnor-closing-cardinal-finds-new-home-in-atlantic-citys-orange-loop/article_00342492-e9d2-11ed-a42b-eb3a03fde6b4.html | 2023-05-04T22:22:38 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/four-years-after-ventnor-closing-cardinal-finds-new-home-in-atlantic-citys-orange-loop/article_00342492-e9d2-11ed-a42b-eb3a03fde6b4.html |
Tucson-area small businesses unable to get traditional commercial loans can tap a new source of capital, thanks to two local nonprofit organizations.
The Tucson-based Community Investment Corporation and Startup Tucson, have partnered with the national community-based economic development group Common Future to offer a total of $500,000 in alternative loans.
Launched this week, the Success Through Alternative Capital (STAC) program aims to help businesses without adequate collateral or assets to qualify for traditional loans.
Interested businesses should contact Community Investment Corporation online at cictucson.org/stac.
California-based Common Future is investing $250,000 in the pilot program through its in-house investment entity, Community Credit Lab, while the CIC is matching with $250,000 of its own funds. Startup Tucson is providing business and entrepreneurial education to support local business owners who access STAC funding.
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The program uses revenue-based financing, allowing small businesses to pledge future revenues for an advance of financial capital, with payments varying depending on how well a business is doing and its gross revenues.
The STAC program is expected to fund 25 local businesses over the next year, the CIC said.
Payments are higher when the businesses are generating more revenues, and lower when they are generating less revenues — an especially helpful arrangement for seasonal businesses, CIC said.
The program will use Ned, an online revenue-based lending platform, to streamline applications, qualification and disbursement activities, and to automate revenue-based repayments, the CIC said.
CIC Executive Director Danny Knee said the economy works well for those who have assets to pledge as loan collateral.
“But the over-reliance on asset-based lending without complementary alternatives makes it nearly impossible for many small businesses, and especially those run by entrepreneurs of color, to get the financial capital they need to grow and succeed,” Knee said.
Liz Pocock, CEO of Startup Tucson, said the program is an effort to make the local economy more inclusive.
“We believe revenue-based financing is a way to support emerging entrepreneurs, including entrepreneurs of color,” Pocock said in prepared remarks.
Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/new-tucson-program-offers-small-business-loans-without-collateral/article_62c1642a-eaaa-11ed-95a9-6f80c9a03c11.html | 2023-05-04T22:25:06 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/new-tucson-program-offers-small-business-loans-without-collateral/article_62c1642a-eaaa-11ed-95a9-6f80c9a03c11.html |
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in the killing of a 19-year-old man at a house party in February, Tucson police say.
Fabian Velarde has been arrested in the killing of Eduardo Salazar during a party on Feb. 5 at a house in the 4000 block of East Agate Knoll Drive, near East Valencia Road and South Alvernon Way, a news release said.
The Star is identifying Velarde because of the seriousness of the allegations.
Neighbors had called police several times to complain about the party being too loud.
At some point a fight broke out in the house. Salazar was killed and three 16-year-old boys were injured in the shooting, the news release said.
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Velarde was found on Wednesday and arrested on suspicion of second degree murder, attempted first degree murder, prohibited possessor and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police said.
Bond was set at $1 million.
Jamie Donnelly covers breaking news for the Arizona Daily Star. Contact her via e-mail at jdonnelly@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/tucson-police-15-year-old-boy-arrested-in-deadly-shooting/article_8b6f3e0e-eab6-11ed-a79c-9bcf69732200.html | 2023-05-04T22:25:09 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/tucson-police-15-year-old-boy-arrested-in-deadly-shooting/article_8b6f3e0e-eab6-11ed-a79c-9bcf69732200.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writers:
A national public emergency, the opioid crisis is also devastating local lives at an alarming rate. More than five people in Arizona die each day from opioid overdose, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. To address the crisis, state administrators, behavioral health providers, prevention specialists, educators and researchers have made remarkable progress. We highlight just a few successes here:
In 2017, the state government declared the opioid epidemic a public health crisis, which initiated a coordinated effort across public health, state Medicaid and the Governor's Office. The Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act was signed in 2018, providing $10 million in funding to support uninsured and underinsured Arizonans in need of treatment. The state has also developed the Arizona Pain and Addiction Curriculum to support clinical workforce development.
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The State Opioid Response (SOR) II provided $63.2 million over two years for medication-assisted treatment and recovery support services. SOR III is set to provide resources to increase medication access, support prevention initiatives and enhance the Opioid Services Locator tool. A significant portion of these SOR funds were used to increase the availability of medications for opioid-use disorder (MOUD) to those in need of treatment.
While MOUD is the gold standard of care for people suffering from OUDs, the majority of states are lacking treatment facilities that offer this modality of treatment. From 2017 to present, the number of opioid-treatment programs (OTPs), like Community Medical Services, offering methadone treatment, increased from 33 programs to 67 programs. Furthermore, SOR grants funded the first ever 24/7 OTP intake centers in the country.
Community-based harm reduction has also been effective in reducing overdose deaths in Arizona. Sonoran Prevention Works (SPW) has been a key player in this area since 2010, providing syringe access and naloxone since 2011 and 2014, respectively. SPW has recently expanded their services to include a mobile service van and RV in Maricopa and Cochise counties, which offer HIV and Hepatitis C testing rooms, syringe and supply services, counseling services and a heat respite area.
Hushabye Nursery has been providing prenatal and postnatal education in Phoenix since 2017. Their mission is to provide compassionate, evidence-based care to substance-exposed infants and their caregivers. In November 2020, Hushabye Nursery opened an innovative and trauma-informed medical care model to treat Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). As an inpatient detox nursery, Hushabye Nursery provides intensive outpatient family services as part of prenatal and postnatal continuous care.
Healthcare providers are encouraged to utilize opioids as a last resort, at the lowest effective dose and for the shortest amount of time possible. The Arizona Prescription Monitoring Program has seen rapid adoption among healthcare providers, allowing for more accurate medication management and a safer treatment environment.
Arizona State University has demonstrated leadership by establishing a Medical Advisory Board related to opioid initiatives, which has produced and disseminated concise information guides related to MOUD, which are widely distributed to treatment providers and patients across the state. ASU has also shaped workforce development in more direct ways. Natasha Mendoza developed the Interdisciplinary Training Academy for Integrated Substance/Opioid Use Disorder Prevention and Healthcare, a federally-funded program that provided holistic training for new behavioral health practitioners. Another important program is ASU's Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) for MOUD, designed to increase the capacity and confidence of providers to effectively practice using MOUD.
Arizona-based researchers including Raminta Daniulaityte, Rolf Halden, Beth Myerson, and Michael D. White have provided valuable insights to inform policy and understand opioid use trends across the state. ASU's Substance Use and Addiction Translational Research Network (SATRN) is a group of researchers, community practitioners and policy-makers in Arizona working to reduce death and distress caused by substance use disorder. SATRN promotes communication and collaboration, provides access to evidence-based programming and resources, supports interdisciplinary learning and collaboration and conducts innovative research to improve outcomes related to substance use.
Overall, Arizona's treatment providers, prevention and harm reduction methods and researchers have made significant strides in addressing the opioid crisis. Collaboration, systemic coordination and translational science will be essential to building momentum for continued progress in the foreseeable future. While there is still work to be done, these efforts demonstrate that progress is possible and that continued collaboration and innovation are necessary to combat the opioid crisis.
Natasha Mendoza, M.S.W., Ph.D. is the Associate Professor, School of Social Work at Arizona State University.
Contributing writers include:
Nika Hernandez, M.S.W. is a researcher, Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center at Arizona State University.
Darwyn Chern, M.D., FAPA, FASAM, is the Chief Medical Officer of Copa Health.
Melissa Kelsey, D.O. is an attending Physician and Clinical Associate Professor with Dignity Health.
Nick Stavros is Chief Executive Officer of Community Medical Services.
Randy Gelow, M.D. is a Physician with Banner Health
Tara Sundem APRN NNP-BC MS is Executive Director of Hushabye Nursery. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/arizona-opinion-arizona-makes-significant-strides-in-combating-opioid-crisis/article_0c1b78ac-eac5-11ed-a1bf-479747543d78.html | 2023-05-04T22:25:22 | 1 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/arizona-opinion-arizona-makes-significant-strides-in-combating-opioid-crisis/article_0c1b78ac-eac5-11ed-a1bf-479747543d78.html |
BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Idaho Chief Deputy Attorney General David Dewhirst has left the office, a spokesperson for the office confirmed Thursday.
Dewhirst's LinkedIn profile shows that, as of this month, he is a senior advisor to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced in November that Dewhirst would serve in the top staff position in the office. Dewhirst assumed the post Jan. 2.
Office Spokesperson Beth Cahill wrote in a texted comment, "David led the transition efforts for our office, helping guide the Office of Attorney General through the first leadership change in twenty years. The Dewhirst family relocated to be near aging relatives. We wish him well in his new endeavor.”
Prior to coming to Idaho, Dewhirst served as Montana's solicitor general, an office that he created for the first time in the state's history. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen appointed him to that position in 2021.
Dewhirst also previously clerked for 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Lawrence VanDyke, after serving as a senior counsel to the U.S. secretary of commerce, a position he started in 2018 under the Trump administration, the Idaho Press previously reported.
Dewhirst had previously operated a public interest litigation group at the Freedom Foundation, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University and a law degree from The George Washington University Law School.
DeSantis is expected to soon announce that he will run for president in the 2024 election.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
Watch more Idaho politics:
See all of our latest political coverage in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-press/idaho-deputy-attorney-general-dewhirst-leaves-office-to-work-with-florida-gov-ron-desantis/277-0df2bebc-aa60-4d19-a9ba-2ade2e993d46 | 2023-05-04T22:25:49 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-press/idaho-deputy-attorney-general-dewhirst-leaves-office-to-work-with-florida-gov-ron-desantis/277-0df2bebc-aa60-4d19-a9ba-2ade2e993d46 |
Idaho Today Idaho Today: Boise Spring Parade of Homes 2023 May 6 - May 21, 2023 More Videos Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video Sponsored by the Building Contractors Association of Southwestern Idaho. Learn more here: https://boiseparadeofhomes.com/ | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-boise-spring-parade-of-homes-2023/277-b4144c70-d48e-44c3-b5a5-e9d9f1985e11 | 2023-05-04T22:25:55 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-boise-spring-parade-of-homes-2023/277-b4144c70-d48e-44c3-b5a5-e9d9f1985e11 |
Idaho Today Idaho Today: Idaho Gives - Idaho Botanical Garden Idaho Gives ends today! Donate to a local nonprofit. More Videos Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video Donate here: https://www.idahogives.org/ | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-idaho-gives-idaho-botanical-garden/277-62b84f6d-b774-494b-bb1f-00d4c72c185a | 2023-05-04T22:26:01 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-idaho-gives-idaho-botanical-garden/277-62b84f6d-b774-494b-bb1f-00d4c72c185a |
Check out what's coming up at the Morrison Center and don't forget to purchase your season tickets at: https://www.morrisoncenter.com/
Idaho Today: This season at the Morrison Center
Season tickets go on sale on May 10, 2023!
Check out what's coming up at the Morrison Center and don't forget to purchase your season tickets at: https://www.morrisoncenter.com/ | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-this-season-at-the-morrison-center/277-493d3a33-60d5-4495-8a14-ef60440f87f8 | 2023-05-04T22:26:08 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-today/idaho-today-this-season-at-the-morrison-center/277-493d3a33-60d5-4495-8a14-ef60440f87f8 |
POST FALLS, Idaho — A popular fishing pond in North Idaho has closed for the 2023 season after getting infested with an invasive snail species.
The Post Falls Parks and Recreation Department and Avista are working together to remove the invasive snail species, commonly known as the Chinese mystery snail, from the Falls Park Pond. The infestation means the pond won't be fishable or stocked with rainbow trout during the spring and summer.
Chinese mystery snails are originally from Asia and make their way to the U.S. through the pet trade. When their populations are left unchecked, they can clog water intakes, and transmit diseases and parasites to fish and wildlife.
According to the Idaho Fish and Game Department (IDFG), the mystery snails were illegally introduced to the pond, most likely by people emptying their aquariums. Abandoned pets and plants in ponds significantly negatively impact native species and the use of facilities.
As a result, people will not be able to fish in Falls Park this season as the pond will not be stocked with catchable rainbow trout during the spring and summer of this year.
IDFG said some of the measures to remove and control the snails at the pond include a range of mechanical, chemical and physical removal techniques during the remainder of 2023. When the project is complete, the pond will be stocked with fish next year.
The non-native snails compete with native snail populations for food and resources and negatively affect the availability and flow of nutrients and food in the water bodies they occupy.
IDFG wants to remind residents that it is illegal to introduce fish and other aquatic animals to local waters. Even if well-intentioned, these actions often result in negative outcomes.
People who want to fish in North Idaho can do it at other nearby fishing spots including Fernan Lake, Hauser Lake and Kelso Lake. For other fishing spots, visit the Idaho Fishing Planner.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho/post-falls-park-pond-north-idaho-closes-for-the-season-due-to-chinese-mystery-snails-infestation/293-b7193bc5-cac8-479a-ac72-2a47e0391a9e | 2023-05-04T22:26:14 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho/post-falls-park-pond-north-idaho-closes-for-the-season-due-to-chinese-mystery-snails-infestation/293-b7193bc5-cac8-479a-ac72-2a47e0391a9e |
The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday on a civil asset forfeiture case involving a Fort Wayne man convicted of drug dealing earlier this year.
Alucious Kizer’s lawyer argued to the state's highest court that Kizer has a right to a civil jury trial over the $2,435 seized during his arrest on Sept. 20, 2021, and the state’s attorney argued he doesn’t have that right.
During the arrest, Fort Wayne police seized $1,410 from Kizer and another $1,025 from his car, according to court documents.
The state later made a routine filing asking for forfeiture of that money in Allen Circuit Court, but Kizer requested a jury trial.
Then-Judge Wendy Davis initially rejected the jury trial request but reconsidered it and granted one in January 2022, citing Article 1, Section 20 of the Indiana constitution. The section states that “in all civil cases, the right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate.”
The Indiana Court of Appeals court sided with the state in September, reversing Davis’ decision.
“It is well-settled that the State’s civil forfeiture complaints are outside of Article 1, Section 20, and are instead equitable claims to be tried by the court,” wrote appellate Judge Paul Mathias, a former judge of the Allen Superior Court.
Sam Gedge, Kizer’s attorney, argued that Article 1, Section 20 guarantees “a right that predates Indiana itself, the right to a civil jury trial.”
Chief Justice Loretta Rush pointed out that more than a dozen states allow for jury trials in similar cases. But the state’s lawyer, Andrew Kobe, said the money could be seen as contraband or an instrument used to buy more drugs.
Kobe also said the forfeiture is a form of disgorgement, or taking ill-gotten gains made through illegal activity.
Gedge countered that the forfeiture is not disgorgement or restitution because it goes to the state, not to any victims.
“Money isn’t contraband,” Gedge said. “We can all possess money legally, so it’s not contraband.”
No timeline was given for when the court's decision is expected. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/indiana-supreme-court-hears-fort-wayne-forfeiture-case/article_de7dd72e-eabe-11ed-a390-abc7279d10df.html | 2023-05-04T22:33:43 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/indiana-supreme-court-hears-fort-wayne-forfeiture-case/article_de7dd72e-eabe-11ed-a390-abc7279d10df.html |
A man accused of stabbing a pregnant woman almost 50 times rejected a plea agreement offered to him Thursday morning.
Brandon K. Williams, 42, shook his head at his defense attorney, public defender Marcia Linksy, when she tried to hand him the plea agreement he was offered. Instead of scheduling a sentencing hearing as planned, Allen Superior Court Magistrate Keirns took note that a trial is scheduled for early June.
Ahead of the hearing, Linksy could be heard from the gallery speaking to her client about the agreement after he refused to look at it.
“What do you think you can do that’s better than this?” she asked.
Because Williams did not accept the plea, information about the offer is not available.
Williams was initially charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, two counts of domestic battery, strangulation and intimidation of a woman pregnant with his child in August. Two 911 calls July 31 led police to an apartment where they found Williams and the woman, both covered in blood.
The first call came from the woman's cousin. A second call came from a downstairs neighbor who heard the couple arguing followed by the victim shouting for help.
Police entered the apartment when they heard the woman yelling for help, gasping and moaning, according to a probable cause affidavit written by Fort Wayne officer Christopher McBride. The woman later told police Williams looked her in her eyes and whispered “you’re gonna die this time” as officers knocked on the door.
When police got inside, they saw Williams with his arms and clothes covered in blood and the woman on the floor, rolling around and gasping for air.
She was unrecognizable, according to the report, due to the amount of blood and swelling. The woman pleaded with officers to save her.
“Tell everyone I love them,” the woman told police, saying she was going to die.
Police later found that the woman had been stabbed at least 48 times, sustained multiple fractures and was choked multiple times, causing her to having difficulties swallowing.
Williams will appear Friday for a pretrial conference ahead of his trial set to begin June 6. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/man-accused-of-attempted-murder-rejects-plea-deal-thursday-trial-set-for-june/article_9f3d9cc2-ea8a-11ed-9793-53e9814f450f.html | 2023-05-04T22:33:49 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/man-accused-of-attempted-murder-rejects-plea-deal-thursday-trial-set-for-june/article_9f3d9cc2-ea8a-11ed-9793-53e9814f450f.html |
Pontiac Street between South Anthony Boulevard and the roundabout at Wayne Trace will be restricted from Tuesday to May 23 while crews mill and repave the roadway, the city of Fort Wayne said today.
For questions or to report problems, contact the city's right of way department at 427-6155. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/pontiac-street-portion-limited-for-2-weeks/article_6f32265a-eab8-11ed-8be3-0f0af3c56246.html | 2023-05-04T22:33:55 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/pontiac-street-portion-limited-for-2-weeks/article_6f32265a-eab8-11ed-8be3-0f0af3c56246.html |
A multimillion-dollar educational space for such trades as welding and plumbing will soon be accessible to Southwest Allen County Schools students.
"We think it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it took five years to create," Superintendent Park Ginder told the board Wednesday.
The board unanimously approved an agreement that makes half-day programming available to SACS students at the plumbers and steamfitters union's Ludwig Road facility. It takes effect July 1.
SACS plans to split the $110,000 annual cost with Northwest Allen County Schools, meaning each district would pay $55,000. The districts would also share the costs of materials, licenses, certifications and other supplies.
The NACS board is expected to consider the agreement Monday.
"We would open an opportunity for our kids on the west Allen (County) end of things to go to Local 166, receive training that will lead toward certifications in manufacturing maintenance," Ginder said.
The arrangement was inspired by a Homestead High School graduate's experience with welding and HVAC – heating, ventilation and air conditioning – at the Fort Wayne Community Schools Career Academy, Ginder said.
"We wanted to expand this program," he said, adding the Ludwig Road facility is fantastic. "It's a multimillion dollar learning space designed just for welding, HVAC and plumbing."
The agreement indicates Local 166 will provide instruction to students by trained, licensed personnel on topics including safe work habits, basic plumbing, basic electricity and introduction to HVAC and refrigeration.
High school juniors who complete the program quickly enough could intern with companies their senior year for pay, Ginder said.
"We should be able to see, in two years, our students working half days while working on further certification," he said. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/agreement-with-trades-union-to-bring-opportunities-to-southwest-allen-county-schools-students/article_8246115c-ea9f-11ed-85f2-2f8bd754b448.html | 2023-05-04T22:34:02 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/agreement-with-trades-union-to-bring-opportunities-to-southwest-allen-county-schools-students/article_8246115c-ea9f-11ed-85f2-2f8bd754b448.html |
Carroll High School students will put on their own production of a play featuring LGBTQ+ characters after it was canceled by the school earlier this year.
In partnership with Fort Wayne Pride, the students plan to perform “Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood” at Foellinger Outdoor Theatre at 7 p.m. on May 20.
The independent production will be directed by Blane Pressler, a North Side High School graduate who lives in New York and serves as artistic director at the Ozark Actors Theatre in Rolla, Missouri.
The students and Fort Wayne Pride are hoping to raise $50,000 to support the production, including paying for venue rental, insurance, sets and costumes.
As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the production had already received almost $5,000 from more than 80 donors. According to the GoFundMe page, donations are tax-deductible and help cover the production costs.
Rehearsals are underway and tickets will go on sale soon, according to the production’s website, marianlives.org.
Principal Cleve Million decided to replace the school play with a different one in late February. Northwest Allen County Schools Superintendent said at the time that Million’s decision was about concern for students’ well-being, not exclusion.
But many students didn’t agree and circulated a petition against cancellation of the play, which a same-sex couple and a nonbinary character.
Kaitlyn Gulley, a senior at Carroll and president of the school's Gay-Straight Alliance, said in a video released Tuesday that LGBTQ+ students at Carroll were devastated after the play’s cancellation, particularly those in the theater department. Gulley said the performance is important and will send a message to those parents, teachers, administrators and others who didn't want the play to be performed.
“We’re still here,” Gulley said. "And we’re going to do it, no matter what they say.”
Carroll senior and actor Tristan Wasserman said that canceling the play “kicks dirt in the eyes of everyone who wanted to go and tell that story.”
“As young adults in the community, we have much greater impact than I think most people realize,” Wasserman said. “It’s important for us to be able to learn and grow and just be ourselves.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/carroll-students-plan-independent-production-of-canceled-play/article_a02ae606-eab9-11ed-9f86-e3590284975c.html | 2023-05-04T22:34:08 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/carroll-students-plan-independent-production-of-canceled-play/article_a02ae606-eab9-11ed-9f86-e3590284975c.html |
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Inspectors from the Marion County Public Health Department returned to the Speedway Kroger Wednesday after posts on social media and reports from Speedway city officials about mouse droppings in the candy boxes of a checkout aisle.
A customer told 13News he took photos Monday morning in the self-checkout lane which show droppings in boxes of M&M’s and Milky Way candy bars. He said he reported the droppings to the cashier.
Two days later, an inspector found no evidence of rodents by the candy display. The only violation was old mice droppings found in the cheese aisle after a display case was moved for extensive cleaning. That issue was corrected on the spot.
The health department investigated three complaints about mice in the store between Feb. 27 and April 13. Multiple areas of the store were ordered closed for a few days April 13 until the store passed reinspection.
This week's inspection says Kroger is power washing the building every morning, with pest control treatments every other day, and structural repairs have been completed to prevent further mice problems.
The health department says they will continue to monitor the situation and respond to any new complaints. The Speedway Kroger undergoes a recheck inspection May 10. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/speedway-indiana-kroger-inspected-for-mice-again/531-a54694ad-d7cd-42b4-b124-05f698a5c9e2 | 2023-05-04T22:38:09 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/speedway-indiana-kroger-inspected-for-mice-again/531-a54694ad-d7cd-42b4-b124-05f698a5c9e2 |
LOCAL
Live: Brevard County Zoning Meeting today at 5 p.m.
Rob Landers
Florida Today
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The Brevard County Zoning Meeting will be held at 5 p.m. today.
Rob Landers is a veteran multimedia journalist for the USA Today Network of Florida. Contact Landers at 321-242-3627 or rlanders@gannett.com. Instagram: @ByRobLanders Youtube: @florida_today | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/live-brevard-county-zoning-meeting-today-at-5-p-m/70170486007/ | 2023-05-04T22:39:38 | 1 | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/live-brevard-county-zoning-meeting-today-at-5-p-m/70170486007/ |
VERONA, Miss. (WTVA) — Lee County has reopened a bridge in Verona that was closed for repairs.
The bridge is on Palmetto Road, down the street from Papa V’s Pizza.
The bridge reopened Thursday at 3 p.m.
The county closed the bridge in late April.
VERONA, Miss. (WTVA) — Lee County has reopened a bridge in Verona that was closed for repairs.
The bridge is on Palmetto Road, down the street from Papa V’s Pizza.
The bridge reopened Thursday at 3 p.m.
The county closed the bridge in late April. | https://www.wtva.com/news/local/verona-bridge-reopened-after-repairs/article_2613f498-eab9-11ed-b675-f3c47cc5a5ad.html | 2023-05-04T22:42:37 | 0 | https://www.wtva.com/news/local/verona-bridge-reopened-after-repairs/article_2613f498-eab9-11ed-b675-f3c47cc5a5ad.html |
HAMPTON, Tenn. (WJHL)- The Carter County Sheriff’s Office found the remains of missing John David Hudson on Wednesday after he was reported missing on Saturday, April 29.
Sheriff Mike Fraley spoke with News Channel 11 about the ongoing investigation.
“Last night, at about 6:30 [p.m.], our department was notified that a body had been found in the Morton Road area,” said Fraley. “And when officers arrived, we found the body. He was off the road just a little ways in a slightly wooded area.”
Fraley said the body appeared to have been in the location for a couple of days.
A neighbor who lives in the area and did not wish to speak on camera told News Channel 11 Hudson’s body was found in the area pictured below:
The cause of death in the investigation is still to be determined.
“We don’t know (the cause of death) until we get the results of the autopsy,” said Fraley. “But we’ve had a lot of different stories coming in, and we’re going to work off the facts that come in, right now we don’t know. The minute that we have results of the autopsy, we will release the information and the outcome.”
If you have any information about Hudson’s death, contact the Carter County Sheriff’s Office at 423-542-1896. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/carter-co-sheriff-weighs-in-on-discovery-of-missing-mans-body/ | 2023-05-04T22:47:09 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/carter-co-sheriff-weighs-in-on-discovery-of-missing-mans-body/ |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)- As Cinco de Mayo quickly approaches, you might be making plans to celebrate the occasion at your favorite Mexican restaurant or out on the town at an event like the Cinco de Mayo Crawl in Bristol.
But, if you’re looking to enjoy the holiday at home or with some friends, Ole’s Guacamoles in Johnson City has you covered with a Cinco de Mayo meal and beverage that’s sure to impress.
Grecia Grajeda and Matthew Green stopped by First at Four Thursday to show us how to make a Fresca Margarita and chicken fajitas.
Chicken Fajitas
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 yellow squash
- 1 jumbo onion
- 1 large chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon margarine or butter
- seasoning salt to taste
Season chicken (or any preferred protein) to taste, cook in a heated skillet, add vegetables and continue to cook until desired tenderness. Serve with corn or flour tortillas, desired toppings and rice and beans.
Fresca Margarita
- 1.25 oz. Tequila
- .75 oz. Triple Sec
- .5 oz. Agave
- .5 oz. orange juice
- 1/2 freshly squeezed lime
- 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
Shake and strain over ice. Top with Sprite and garnish with a lime and orange.
If you’d rather go out and enjoy Cinco de Mayo at Ole’s Guacamoles, it’s located at 1000 S. Roan Street in Johnson City. They’re open from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday.
The restaurant will be moving to a new location in the Roan Centre on N. Roan Street by the end of the month. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/first-at-four/get-ready-for-cinco-de-mayo-with-oles-guacamoles/ | 2023-05-04T22:47:15 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/first-at-four/get-ready-for-cinco-de-mayo-with-oles-guacamoles/ |
As temperatures finally seem to be on the rise, so does the pressure on local pool managers and recreation directors to make sure their facilities are ready to go for the summer.
Brian Pauly, Mason City superintendent of recreation, said things are moving along toward a tentative May 30 opening day.
"Obviously, it's an aging facility so when you look at the facility we look at everything," Pauly said. "We turn on the water to make sure there are no leaks and all the piping is in place."
Pauly said his department will clean both pool basins with a fire house along with un-winterizing the playground and shallow pool. He said not a whole lot is new this year compared with past years. No new swim, slide or dive equipment has been purchased. The lane lines and crosses will be repainted.
"We're just having a typical summer," Pauly said. "It's the same old, same old. We do have special activities throughout the year."
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He mentioned a Father's Day swim and working with DJ Joe Malone of STAR 106 to help with the End of the Year Bash.
Pauly said he's comfortable with how staffing is going, always a concern at Iowa pools.
"We could always use more staff. I don't think you could find a pool in the state of Iowa that says they have enough lifeguards," he said. "But, if staffing goes as planned, we'll be okay this summer."
Pauly added that if people are still interested in working at the pool, especially as lifeguards, he'll be happy to take them.
The Clear Lake Aquatic Center will have to contend with the addition of the Everybody Plays Inclusive Park and Playground directly north of the pool and splashpad construction to the east when it tentatively opens May 27.
"That's going to kind of put a damper on things," said Adam Long, Clear Lake superintendent of recreation. "We're trying in the next week to put up netting around the north side of the fencing to try to keep some of that dirt out."
He expects construction on the playground to begin in a week or two. Long said the aquatic center didn't make any major purchases this off season, but did get new chairs for the party patio and revamped the concession stand. He added that the usual tasks were taken care of as well.
"The typical maintenance stuff," Long said. "We had to change out some water heaters. The parks and maintenance guys do a great job of getting all the mechanical stuff going."
Long, like Pauly, said he's comfortable with his staffing level. He said his biggest concern is getting the kids to get their offer sheets signed and returned.
"Staffing is looking really good," he said. "It's kind of nice now being in a situation where I've got a couple years under my belt and I know some of these kids. We're trying to create a good culture over there."
Area Pool Info
Mason City: Tentative open May 30. Free swim noon-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Lap swim 11 a.m. to noon daily. Lessons in mornings and evenings.
Daily rates: 3 and under $2, 4 and up $6, lap sessions $2. Season passes from $90 to $210 depending on family size.
Clear Lake: Tentative open May 27. Monday-Thursday 1-6 p.m., Friday 1-7 p.m. Weekends noon-7 p.m.
Daily rates: 3 and up $4, non-swimmers $3, lap swim $3. Season passes from $65 to $210 depending on family size.
Rockwell: Tentative open May 27. Open 1-8 p.m. (check Facebook for changes).
Daily rates: 3 and up $5, non-swimmers $1, after 6 p.m. $2. Season passes range from $90 to $180 depending on family size.
Manly: Opening date not decided. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. noon-7 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday noon-6 p.m.
Check Facebook to find pricing, opening date and possible hour changes.
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Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/area-pools-ready-to-make-a-splash/article_b5ba75e4-ba95-5997-9c46-05abe1a991aa.html | 2023-05-04T22:50:34 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/area-pools-ready-to-make-a-splash/article_b5ba75e4-ba95-5997-9c46-05abe1a991aa.html |
Funeral services set in Detroit for Marcus Garvey Academy pupil, 6, who died after illness
Funeral services for a 6-year-old Marcus Garvey Academy pupil who died last week are Friday in Detroit.
Jimari Aiden Williams died on April 26, two days after his birthday. His funeral is at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at Wings of Love Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, according to an obituary posted on jameshcole.com funeral home.
The results of an autopsy by the Wayne County medical examiner are pending, said Phil Van Hulle, a Wayne State University spokesman. WSU manages the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office.
The school Jimari attended, Marcus Garvey Academy, remains closed until next week following his death and amid a wave of illnesses reported there, school officials said Wednesday.
The Detroit Health Department sent a team to the school to help with evaluation and monitoring protocols for disinfecting the school, officials said in a statement Wednesday.
"As a precautionary measure, DPSCD has informed parents/caregivers of students, and the school closed today and will remain closed through the remainder of the school week to allow for a deep cleaning," according to the health department.
The building is slated to remain closed until Monday "to allow families to monitor their children's symptoms" in addition to the cleansing, the district said.
The academy on the city's east side serves students in pre-K through eighth grades and "offers a high-performing, African-Centered Learning Environment that places an emphasis on cultural awareness, global learning and community service," according to its website.
On Thursday, state health officials said they have been consulting on the investigation steps and providing resources and help to Detroit Health Department, but have not directly been involved in the investigation or discussions with the school.
jchambers@detroitnews.com
. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/05/04/funeral-services-set-in-detroit-for-marcus-garvey-academy-pupil-6-who-died-after-illness/70185479007/ | 2023-05-04T22:56:09 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/05/04/funeral-services-set-in-detroit-for-marcus-garvey-academy-pupil-6-who-died-after-illness/70185479007/ |
Hawthorn Center unannounced active shooter drill left patients, staff traumatized, lawsuit says
Six employees and parents of two children at the Hawthorn Center in Northville Township are suing the state and top administrators at the psychiatric children's hospital after they said an unannounced active-shooter drill in December left them traumatized.
Hospital director Victoria Petti allegedly directed a front desk clerical worker to make an announcement over the PA system at 10 a.m. saying there were active intruders in the building and to sound genuinely afraid, according to the lawsuit. A second announcement followed, identifying the intruders as two men armed with AR-15s who had fired shots.
The announcements led children and employees into a panic, believing an active shooter was on the premises, according to the lawsuit. Adults barricaded themselves into places with no windows, stacked heavy furniture against the doors and armed themselves and the children with whatever they could find. Employees texted or called friends and family members, afraid they were going to die to tell them they loved them.
Some called 911, but dispatchers did not know it was a drill and scores of police arrived at the center with tacticalweapons and body armor. Seeing the large police presence only confirmed employees' fears that the situation was real.
Lynn Suftin, a representative for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the center, said the department understand that patients, staff and the community were affected by the drill.
"We commend our staff who worked quickly to engage law enforcement partners and the responding agencies who worked to resolve the situation," Suftin said in an email. "The Joint Commission requires the state psychiatric hospitals conduct a hazard vulnerability analysis at least every two years to identify potential emergencies, including active shooter drills.
"MDHHS is working with township law enforcement and the Michigan State Police on an improved active intruder training and drill process as part of updating its emergency operations policy."
In the past, employees were given information and advanced warning about active-shooter drills in order to prepare the children, many of whom are vulnerable and sensitive to traumatic stimuli, according to the lawsuit. The center also previously had told law enforcement and first responders about a drill so there'd be no confusion that it was a real emergency.
Children and staff stayed barricaded for nearly an hour, in fear for their lives, the lawsuit said. An announcement came over the PA at about 11 a.m. informing the center it was a drill.
Petti told staff in an email later that day how "deeply sorry I am that this occurred and for the stress it’s caused," according to the lawsuit.
Since December, patients have engaged in self harm, regressed in their physical and mental symptoms and have engaged in disruptive behavior because of the trauma from the drill, according to the lawsuit. Many of the adults working at Hawthorn also have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and said the state responded with "callous indifference" to their medical needs, according to the lawsuit.
Hawthorn Center denied worker's compensation coverage and medical leave for those at the center that day, the suit said.
An 11-year-old boy, the son of plaintiffs David Horein and Kortni Horein, was in the TV room with several other children and six employees, including plaintiff Jason Smith, according to the lawsuit. Smith began to barricade the door and told the children they would need to fight if the intruders came in. The boy was given soap and shampoo to throw at the intruders.
They barricaded the doors with mattresses and heavy chairs, and decided they would throw their coffee at the shooters and fight to take away their guns if they came into the room, according to the lawsuit. They armed the kids with combs, brushes and other items they could use to fight.
A 14-year-old girl, daughter of plaintiffs Mollie Bonter and Brent Bonter, was terrified and too afraid to cry, according to the lawsuit. She wanted to text her mother but could not manage to send the message. She is afraid of guns, the suit said, and seeing armed police outside had an immediate and long-term effect on her.
Both children began to act out more after the drill, becoming more physically aggressive with staff and other patients, according to the lawsuit.
Smith used most of his sick leave and paid time off and began working at a facility with a longer commute because he was afraid to go back to work, the lawsuit said. He was diagnosed with PTSD and said he will never be the same as a result of the drill.
"After the horrifying drill ended, Mr. Smith and his colleagues were expected to continue their work with the children as if nothing had happened," according to the lawsuit.
Some accounts of the plaintiffs:
--Naquana Jones locked the door to her office and hid under her desk. She texted her supervisor and called 911, but hung up when her supervisor told her it was a drill. She called back, however, once she heard the second announcement, again fearing it was real.
She resigned from her position as a result of the drill and has been paying out-of-pocket for therapy because she hasn't been able to find a therapist in her insurance network.
--Jennifer Vance was working with two children and four other colleagues when the drill started. They stacked chairs against the door to barricade themselves in and armed the kids with anything they could find to throw at intruders. Vance thought she was going to die and texted her loved ones.
Her patients were crying and scratching themselves because they didn't know how to cope with the fear; Vance said in the lawsuit that she tried to console them, even though she was still in shock. She did not have enough paid time off to recover and couldn't afford unpaid leave. She didn't file for worker's compensation because she believed it would have been denied, and she learned several weeks later others had done so and were denied. She continues to experience stress, anxiety, nightmares and emotional distress.
--Kai Mason, a clinical social worker, had just wrapped up a staff meeting and returned to her office when the first announcement came, according to the lawsuit. She barricaded herself in her office and hid under the table, but soon realized the blinds to the glass wall of her office weren't drawn and she was in clear view of the hallway. She was too scared to risk being seen if she lowered the blinds.
Mason had previously survived a workplace shooting that left a colleague dead, so the drill at Hawthorn "terrorized and retraumatized her," according to the lawsuit. She began getting severe headaches at work and her blood pressure spiked. She had to transfer to a new job to resolve the physical health issues.
--Annette Padula, a housekeeper, went into a room with other employees and children when she heard the announcement. An 11-year-old child clung to her, even though Padula was panicking herself. Her great-nephew had been injured in the Oxford High School shooting in November 2021, and her family was traumatized by it, according to the lawsuit.
She still works at Hawthorn, but now when she hears the PA system, she feels "like my heart stops."
The lawsuits were filed in the Michigan Court of Claims and Wayne County Circuit Court.
The Court of Claims lawsuit asks for a mental health compensation fund to be established, monetary damages, an order banning the state from conducting unannounced drills and an order directing MDHHS to review possible discipline or firing for several administrators.
The state lawsuit asks for an order banning retaliation, compensation from administrators and payment of attorney fees and litigation costs.
kberg@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2023/05/04/hawthorn-center-unannounced-active-shooter-drill-left-patients-staff-traumatized-lawsuit-says/70184996007/ | 2023-05-04T22:56:15 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2023/05/04/hawthorn-center-unannounced-active-shooter-drill-left-patients-staff-traumatized-lawsuit-says/70184996007/ |
A new online reporting tool allows Twin Falls residents to notify police about property crimes without having to speak to an officer.
It was launched this week and gives people another option to report crimes such as vandalism, thefts or lost property within Twin Falls city limits. In addition, it is expected to help free up time for dispatchers and community service officers, who are designated to talk to victims and fill out reports.
At times, the community service officers, who serve as non-sworn employees of the department, get overloaded with their workloads and the report-taking process consequently falls behind, Twin Falls Police Lt. Craig Stotts said.
The new reporting process is not for emergencies. Call 911 for that, city spokesman Josh Palmer said. It's also for cases involving less than a $1,000 loss, below the felony level, and without known suspects. Crimes must also have been committed within Twin Falls city limits and people submitting reports need a valid email address.
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Victims can find a QR code on the city’s website or go to twinfallspdid.policetocitizen.com/Home. Once they submit a report, it will be given a confirmation number and be examined by someone at the Twin Falls records office.
The victim may be contacted if further information is required, although people are encouraged to clearly describe what happened in the report and to include all important information.
The reporting system requires mandatory information to be input before proceeding to the next page, said Candy Reynolds, police department records supervisor.
Once approved, the report will become an official police report and be assigned a case number.
And although submitting reports might be easier for city residents, Reynolds reminds them that submitting a false report is a crime.
"We are anxious to see how this rollout unfolds," Stotts said. He encourages people who have had things stolen to file a police report because there is a chance that police might later recover the items.
Stotts said he hadn't received any reports from the new system as of Thursday afternoon.
Palmer hopes the tool becomes widely used. The city implemented a SeeFixClick app several ago that allowed residents to snap a photo of problems such as graffiti or potholes, and the information was sent to the city.
It never caught on and was discontinued.
“People we talked to said they didn’t want to download an app and didn’t want to snap a photo,” Palmer said. In addition, the city was also required to pay $100,000 a year to the company that ran the app.
The city won’t be paying an annual fee for the new reporting tool, Palmer said, as it uses in-house software and software it purchased in order to ensure security of the reports.
“This is something we built, so it is ours,” Palmer said, “It isn’t going away.”
He said the city will regularly remind residents of the reporting system. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/twin-falls-residents-can-now-fill-out-police-reports-online/article_cb4a9bfa-eab0-11ed-bb2f-bfa28cabf7bf.html | 2023-05-04T22:59:47 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/twin-falls-residents-can-now-fill-out-police-reports-online/article_cb4a9bfa-eab0-11ed-bb2f-bfa28cabf7bf.html |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — In honor of Historic Preservation Month, the City of Birmingham’s Department of Planning, Engineering, and Permits is hosting a series of free activities for the public.
All of the following events begin at noon.
Historic Walking Tours
- May 2: Historic Walking Tour of the Civil Rights District central core. Meet at the center of Kelly Ingram Park. (In the event of rain, the alternate date will be May 26.)
- May 3: Historic Walking Tour of Government Square. Meet at the fountain at the center of Linn Park. (In the event of rain, the alternate date will be May 31.)
Special Event
- May 8: A Salute to Birmingham’s Unsung Heroes of Historic Preservation at Boutwell Auditorium.
Historic Preservation Education Lecture Series
- May 9: “The National Register of Historic Places.” Boutwell Auditorium.
- May 16: “How to Conduct Historic Building Research & How to Obtain a Historical Marker.” Birmingham Public Library, Arrington Auditorium (Enter through the main library, 3rd-floor skywalk)
- May 23: “Historic Preservation Tax Incentives.” Boutwell Auditorium.
- May 30: “Birmingham’s New Adaptive Reuse Incentive for Historic Buildings.” Birmingham Public Library, Arrington Auditorium (Enter through the main library, 3rd-floor skywalk)
For more information, contact Hannah Garmon, Historic Preservation Manager, at 205-254-2424 or Hannah.Garmon@birminghamal.gov. You can also reach Karla Calvert, Urban Design Administrator, at 205-254-2479 or Karla.Calvert@birminghamal.gov. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/city-of-birmingham-hosts-event-series-in-honor-of-historic-preservation-month/ | 2023-05-04T23:04:23 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/city-of-birmingham-hosts-event-series-in-honor-of-historic-preservation-month/ |
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Contact Us | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/woman-honored-for-being-a-good-samaritan-who-saved-a-3-year-olds-life/3560008/ | 2023-05-04T23:04:29 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/woman-honored-for-being-a-good-samaritan-who-saved-a-3-year-olds-life/3560008/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke Valley’s largest private animal shelter is getting an upgrade. After over four years, staff from Angels of Assisi said construction on a new pet center is near completion.
Angels of Assisi Director of Community Engagement Dayna Reynolds said they expect to move into the building by the end of the year.
“Having a bigger space is just going to be life-changing for so many animals and people in this community,” Reynolds said.
Over four years ago, they were given the property by a donor, but they’ve faced some challenges.
“The construction process did start right before COVID,” Reynolds said. “Which had us facing a few obstacles, getting supplies and things like that. So we’ve been working on it, but we are now kind of in our home stretch, and we’re just very excited about that.”
Their current building is about 100 years old. Staff are looking forward to the newer, and the bigger area.
“Going from two exam rooms to six exam rooms, our surgical space is going to be even larger,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to have even more kennels. We’re going to have more play areas so we can have more enrichment for the animals.”
It’s an around $3 million project funded by donors, sponsorships and grants.
“As always, it wouldn’t be possible to do this without the support of our wonderful community, so we’d like to thank them,” Reynolds said. “The community has really stepped forward to help us with this endeavor.” | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/angels-of-assisi-new-pet-center-slated-to-open-by-the-end-of-the-year/ | 2023-05-04T23:06:14 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/angels-of-assisi-new-pet-center-slated-to-open-by-the-end-of-the-year/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – If you’re looking for a sweet, energetic puppy to call your own, Starla might be the one for you!
Julie Rickmond, Marketing and Communications Director for the Roanoke Valley SPCA said she’s three months old, and is an active and playful pup.
Julie says she loves to meet new people, and would do great in a variety of homes.
Roanoke Valley SPCA says Starla is spayed, vaccinated, and microchipped. If you’re interested in adopting Starla, you can head to the Roanoke Valley SPCA’s website to find more information about her, as well as the adoption process, here. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/meet-starla-10-news-pet-of-the-week/ | 2023-05-04T23:06:20 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/meet-starla-10-news-pet-of-the-week/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke Police Department has three new four-legged officers joining the force.
K-9 Magnum is a Dutch Shepherd, K-9 Knox is a German Shepherd and K-9 Vader is a Belgian Malinois.
All three of the K-9s will be trained in narcotics detection and patrol apprehension.
The department says all three dogs are less than two-years-old and will be in training with their handlers for the next two months.
With these three additions, RPD now has seven K-9 officers. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/roanoke-police-department-welcomes-three-new-k-9-officers/ | 2023-05-04T23:06:26 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/roanoke-police-department-welcomes-three-new-k-9-officers/ |
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Healthy Roanoke Valley and United Way are leading the charge to spread awareness throughout our community.
They’re encouraging the community to show those around them why mental health is important.
They say 90% of caregivers have seen an increase in mental and behavioral health issues in children since June 2020.
But parents are struggling to meet the mental health needs of their children.
“We hope to be able to really just start the conversation about normalizing mental health in our area,” Director of Family Health Strategies Leslie Clark said.
They are encouraging the community to wear a green ribbon this month to show your support for mental health awareness. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/united-way-of-roanoke-valley-hosts-mental-health-awareness-month-event/ | 2023-05-04T23:06:32 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/united-way-of-roanoke-valley-hosts-mental-health-awareness-month-event/ |
DANVILLE, Va. – The WSLS Shred returns this weekend for the first time in nearly four years!
It is your chance to have sensitive documents shredded to help you keep your information secure.
“They get junk mail, credit card applications, all kinds of stuff that doesn’t need to go into the trash and end up in the dumpster where somebody can get it,” Nick Clark, Director of Business Development for Commonwealth Document Management said.
Materials shredded on site are taken to Commonwealth Document Management’s facility in Danville. They are then processed through CDM’s system and formed into 1,500-pound bales of shredded paper.
To prepare for Saturday’s event, 10 News talked with Clark about what people can and cannot bring.
“The big no-no’s are batteries,” Clark said. “Those are the big no-no’s because they start a fire.”
Clark added that heavy metals are also a no-no.
You can bring up to three bags or boxes of documents. You don’t need to remove any staples or paper clips. Credit cards can be shredded. Hard drives can also be shredded, but make sure to separate them from your papers and let the crew know. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes will be returned to you.
“Most people love to empty their drawer into a box or a bag and bring it to us, where they can just see it disappear in about a couple of seconds,” Clark said.
Once you arrive at the WSLS Shred, you won’t have to get out of your car. Someone will come to your vehicle, grab the documents you want shredded and you won’t have to do anything.
With so many threats to your identity, people know the importance of staying vigilant.
“Whether it’s something for the Social Security Administration, whether it’s your light bill, your cable bill, and it has your information, your account number and it’s an old bill, shred that stuff,” Relisa Farmer of Milton, North Carolina said.
Not only will the WSLS Shred protect you, it also helps the environment through recycling.
“It all goes back to the paper mill to be made into tissue paper,” Clark said.
The WSLS Shred is Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Schewels Home on Ferncliff Avenue in Roanoke. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/wsls-gears-up-for-first-shred-since-2019/ | 2023-05-04T23:06:38 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/04/wsls-gears-up-for-first-shred-since-2019/ |
Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast to retire in June
Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast will retire at the end of June, a year and a half before his elected term is set to expire.
Kast announced his plans to retire at Wednesday's Marion County Board of Commissioners meeting. His last day will be June 30.
"I have been honored to work alongside every person I have had the opportunity to work with, regardless of what rank or position I have been in," Kast said in a statement announcing his retirement.
Kast was appointed sheriff in 2019 to fill the remainder of a term after Jason Meyers retired. He won the election for the position in 2020.
Kast has worked at the Marion County Sheriff's Office for 27 years and has been in law enforcement for 31 years, according to a news release.
"I am going to miss this job and profession, but mostly I will miss the women and men of the Sheriff’s Office and their dedication to serving our community," Kast said.
The Marion County Board of Commissioners will appoint a person to serve the remainder of Kast's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2024. | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/marion-county-sheriff-joe-kast-retire-june-salme-oregon/70185768007/ | 2023-05-04T23:08:38 | 1 | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/04/marion-county-sheriff-joe-kast-retire-june-salme-oregon/70185768007/ |
Honoring those workers injured or killed
Kingston coal ash spill workers honored, remembered
Area worker justice groups held an observance of Workers Memorial Day in the pavilion at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville on April 29 and honored workers injured or killed as a result of doing their jobs. Among those honored or remembered were the workers who cleaned up following the 2008 coal ash spill at TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant.
Workers Memorial Day is officially April 28, the anniversary of the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1970.
The observance focuses on naming and honoring workers in East Tennessee who died in 2022 from accidents or exposures at work. Thomas Mitchell, who was engulfed in a pile of coal at the Cemex cement plant in Knoxville in November, is one of the workers who was honored, according to a post on the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Central Labor Council's Facebook page. The council sponsored the event, along with Jobs with Justice East Tenneessee and the Interfaith Worker Justice.
Mitchell, a 21-year-old from Blaine, Tennessee, was killed in the incident, according to WATE-TV Channel 6.
Some family members of Kingston coal ash cleanup workers told stories of workers sick and dying after working for years on the coal ash spill.
Teamster Marty Hinch spoke about health and safety hazards, and state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville read the names of fallen workers. | https://www.oakridger.com/story/news/local/2023/05/03/honoring-those-workers-injured-or-killed/70171840007/ | 2023-05-04T23:13:29 | 0 | https://www.oakridger.com/story/news/local/2023/05/03/honoring-those-workers-injured-or-killed/70171840007/ |
In a major court victory for drugmakers last year, a California judge ruled against some local governments in their case against pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson, Endo International and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.
Some of those drugmakers — Johnson & Johnson, Allergan and Teva — are now on trial in West Virginia.
But companies have largely been settling suits.
Mallinckrodt, which was a leading producer of generic oxycodone, also used bankruptcy court to reach a settlement, agreeing to a $1.6 billion nationwide deal in 2020.
Johnson & Johnson has agreed to a $5 billion nationwide settlement. It was announced alongside a separate settlement involving the three biggest drug wholesalers. The company's Janssen subsidiary stopped selling its fentanyl patches and pain pills in the U.S. in 2020. J&J was also the first drugmaker to be held liable for the opioid crisis in a trial, though the Oklahoma Supreme Court later overturned the ruling.
Endo made the opioid Opana, which was eventually removed from the market. The company has been reaching individual settlements with states. Deals since last year with Florida, New York, Texas, West Virginia and some district attorneys in Tennessee have totaled well over $200 million.
Late last year, a New York jury found Teva partly responsible for the state's opioid crisis through its marketing of the fentanyl drugs Actiq and Fentora. Most of the other companies the state and two counties sued settled before or during a trial last year. A separate trial is to be held to determine damages.
Since the New York trial, Teva has reached settlements with Texas, Florida and Rhode Island totaling more than $250 million. It will also provide drugs to reverse overdoses and treat addictions.
Allergan, now a subsidiary of AbbVie, has been settling suits involving the extended-release morphine pill Kadian. It reached one major settlement with New York last year. Since then, it has been part of the multi-company settlements in Florida and Rhode Island.
Executives from drugmaker Insys were convicted in 2019 of bribing doctors across the U.S. to prescribe their sublingual fentanyl spray Subsys. Company founder John Kapoor was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in federal prison.
The company also paid $225 million to resolve federal investigations into allegations that it paid kickbacks and used other illegal marketing tactics. | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bloomington-man-gets-probation-for-cocaine-delivery-charge/article_e4eaa9e4-eaa9-11ed-bb16-3341660c8f95.html | 2023-05-04T23:13:46 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bloomington-man-gets-probation-for-cocaine-delivery-charge/article_e4eaa9e4-eaa9-11ed-bb16-3341660c8f95.html |
PHOENIX — The Arizona Supreme Court has ordered Kari Lake's lawyer to pay $2,000 for making false statements during the Republican's legal attempts to challenge the 2022 election results.
One of the claims Lake made after losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs in Arizona's gubernatorial race is that over 35,000 ballots were "injected" into the vote count. Hobbs beat Lake by about 17,000 votes.
In an order released Thursday, the Supreme Court stated that this assertion about injected ballots was "unsupported" by the record.
"Because Lake’s attorney has made false factual statements to the Court, we conclude that the extraordinary remedy of a sanction... is appropriate," the court order states.
The state court ordered Lake's attorney to pay $2,000 within the next 10 days. The court ordered the lower courts to proceed with litigating the remaining unrelated issue in Lake's election challenge.
In March, the Supreme Court declined to hear most of the claims in Lake's appeal. But the high court did revive a previously-dismissed claim about signature verification procedures and sent it back to the lower court.
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12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/court-issues-2000-sanction-against-kari-lakes-attorney-katie-hobbs-supreme/75-2620d8ad-17a3-4433-a31a-ba89195fbf92 | 2023-05-04T23:14:49 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/court-issues-2000-sanction-against-kari-lakes-attorney-katie-hobbs-supreme/75-2620d8ad-17a3-4433-a31a-ba89195fbf92 |
COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. — Organizers of an effort to remove a rural Arizona county supervisor for skepticism over the results of last year's election announced that they have fallen short of the legal requirement to proceed with a recall effort that would have given voters the option of removing him from office.
The campaign to recall Tom Crosby in rural Cochise County Wednesday night that it fell short of collecting the 4,865 signatures required to place the recall on the ballot for voters later this year.
Crosby is one of two Republican supervisors on the three-member board who refused to certify the 2022 election in the county.
They pushed for hand counting ballots instead of relying on more accurate voting machines and gave oversight of elections to the county’s elected Republican recorder instead of nonpartisan staff. The recorder then hired a new election director who shared memes echoing former President Donald Trump's false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
“This will not be the end,” said recall organizer Eric Suchodolski in a statement. “We will just continue in a different way, and it will take a bit longer.”
Crosby did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He had previously scoffed at the recall's seriousness.
Conservative Cochise County has become an epicenter of election conspiracy theories in a state where Republicans lost top races last year in part because their nominees embraced those theories.
Crosby and the other Republican on the board, Peggy Judd, pushed for a hand count over the objection of the county's election director, Lisa Marra, only to be stopped by a judge. They then refused to certify the results of the election, only again to be stopped by a judge.
Marra resigned earlier this year and sued the county, contending she was exposed to threats and harassment because of the supervisors' decisions. Crosby and Judd then gave oversight of elections to Recorder David Stevens, who'd supported their hand count effort. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, sued to block the move, but a judge allowed it to proceed.
Last month, Crosby and Judd voted to hire Bob Bartelsmeyer, who had run elections in a smaller Arizona county and shared memes repeating disproven claims of voter fraud, as the county's new election director.
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Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/recall-effort-against-arizona-election-denier-tom-crosby-fails/75-06e0d7c8-f53e-4b8f-bb68-c66af463d8ec | 2023-05-04T23:14:55 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/recall-effort-against-arizona-election-denier-tom-crosby-fails/75-06e0d7c8-f53e-4b8f-bb68-c66af463d8ec |
PHOENIX — Several times every summer hikers are rescued off of the Valley’s hiking trails after becoming injured or overheated.
Often those rescues could have been prevented.
“There's so many people, no water at all, they have like flip flops on,” Mike Faustich, park manager for the City of Phoenix, said of some hikers that show up to hike one of the hardest trails in the city: Echo Canyon on Camelback Mountain.
Even Thursday, frequent Camelback Mountain hiker Kevin Gordon came across one woman who wasn’t prepared.
“She just said that she underestimated that and she’s coming back down, and I encouraged her,” Gordon said. “She didn’t have water. I said, ‘How’s the saying go? You know, live to hike another day.’”
Start early, be prepared
To hike in the summer, Faustich recommends people start early.
“As soon as the sun rises, that’s when you want to be out in the summer,” Faustich said.
He also recommends hikers show up prepared to hike in the desert, saying the biggest mistake he sees is people not bringing enough water.
“Be prepared with plenty of water, wear sunscreen, wear a hat, wear proper clothing, proper shoes, hike with a buddy, have a cell phone just in case,” Faustich said.
The City of Phoenix does have recommendations online for hikers to help them hike safer in the heat.
Faustich adds too, hikers should turn around when they’re halfway out of water.
“Once your water is half gone, you turn back because you're going to need just as much water coming back as you did on the way,” Faustich said.
Trails to close in excessive heat
As Faustich notes it’s often those who are not used to Arizona’s heat that are getting rescued off of the trails.
“We’re really concerned about the ones that are from out of town or tourists that don't know what they're doing. That's the ones that get rescued,” Faustich said.
Dogs aren’t allowed on any Phoenix trails when the temperature is 100 degrees or higher. They also aren’t allowed on Camelback’s Echo Canyon and Cholla Trails and the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail year-round.
Just like in recent summers, this year when an excessive heat warning is issued, Camelback Mountain’s Echo and Cholla trails as well as trails connected to Piestewa Peak Trailhead and the Phoenix Mountain Preserve will close.
Other trail options
One question Faustich does hear often is what other places there are to hike that are easier and less busy, recommending people asses before they start a hike whether it’s going to be too difficult for them.
“Don’t do things beyond your ability, just kind of know your own fitness level and know what you can handle. Don’t try and push yourself too far,” Faustich said.
To help find a trail within your ability, there is a list of City of Phoenix trails that include descriptions and information. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/heatbeat/planning-hike-valley-summer-park-manager-provides-safety-tips/75-69016f05-8375-4daa-9019-628d9340df76 | 2023-05-04T23:15:01 | 1 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/heatbeat/planning-hike-valley-summer-park-manager-provides-safety-tips/75-69016f05-8375-4daa-9019-628d9340df76 |
Grant Elementary students took storytime outside on a sunny Wednesday as each class had the opportunity to explore the school’s first story walk.
The story walk was comprised of signs depicting pages of the book “The Magical Yet” by Angela DiTerlizzi. Parents or volunteers from Fresenius Kabi, a local pharmaceutical distribution center, read each sign, which told the story of a girl who learns to do things she didn’t think she could do.
“It’s so wonderful to be back in person having a family oriented event at school that incorporates education and fun,” said Rachael Malsack, Grant Elementary administrative specialist. “Any time we can involve parents in a student’s education we absolutely welcome it and invite them to participate.”
After the story walk, students were led to the gym where they picked a free book, which featured a stamp noting the book belongs to them. Library Media Specialist Mary Totin, who received a grant for the free books and the signs from DonorsChoose, said the enthusiasm around reading, “Is what I live for.”
People are also reading…
“One of my favorite parts of being a librarian is seeing them get excited about a book they read, which we do even in the regular library program,” Totin said. “When it comes to choosing books, we give them a lot of freedom because we want them to read the books they checkout.”
Totin had always wanted to try hosting a storry walk. She received help from school staff in expanding the event.
“I sent out an email and asked for help, and Rachael Masak took it and ran with it as far as organizing volunteers, lunch, etc.,” Totin said. “My amazing library clerk (Diane Katt) took care of designing all the signage and she came up with the idea for an object on the upcoming page to look for (on the signs).”
Katt said events like the story walk are important because “it’s another way to bring reading in their lives.”
“Because they may not want to sit at a chair and read a book,” Katt said. “But we’re reading a book and doing it in a different way.”
This year’s story walk included a picnic outside in the afternoon, which organizers hope to include in the future.
“All I see are happy faces and kids having a great time reading,” Katt said. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/grant-elementary-students-stroll-through-inaugural-story-walk-at-school/article_40e39fd4-e9d9-11ed-ba8e-ffebf183eb63.html | 2023-05-04T23:15:08 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/grant-elementary-students-stroll-through-inaugural-story-walk-at-school/article_40e39fd4-e9d9-11ed-ba8e-ffebf183eb63.html |
MILWAUKEE — Officials at the Wisconsin Humane Society and Safe Harbor Humane Society, also known as the Kenosha County Humane Society, announced a merger between the two organizations in a press conference on Wednesday.
The boards of both organizations voted unanimously in April to approve the acquisition of Safe Harbor by Wisconsin Humane Society, pending final stages of due diligence, including agreements with municipalities as well as satisfactory title reports on real estate. Wisconsin Humane Society hopes to close the transaction as early as May 31.
“Nonprofit animal shelters operate with limited resources, and it is even more difficult because every organization is separate and has to individually fund their overhead costs,” said Alison Fotsch Kleibor, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Humane Society. “By consolidating both organizations’ experience and resources, we can not only strengthen our efforts, but also provide a better return on investment for the communities that support this critical work for animals.”
People are also reading…
Wisconsin Humane Society was approached in the fall of 2022 by leadership at Safe Harbor for ways to ensure the continuation of animal sheltering and other services in the Kenosha community. Safe Harbor faced economic challenges that threatened the future of their work.
The organizations are working jointly to make the transition as smooth as possible for their dedicated staff and volunteers. Amanda Cutler will serve as the shelter director of what will soon be called the Wisconsin Humane Society Kenosha Campus; she is the current Executive Director of Safe Harbor and has been with the organization for 11 years.
Wisconsin Humane Society will also be hiring new positions to support the expanded work. As was in the case with all Wisconsin Humane Society’s prior acquisitions, there are no plans to lay off staff or reduce pay.
“This is truly the best thing that could have happened for the Safe Harbor Humane Society,” said Bill Bohlman, Safe Harbor’s board president. “In the end, the animals win, the staff win, the community wins. The resources and stability that WHS can bring to the region will strengthen our ability to serve animals in need.”
Wisconsin Humane Society will bring efficiencies and innovative approaches to ensure that service to animals and families continues uninterrupted in the Kenosha community. The two organizations have worked together over the past several months to solidify plans for the acquisition.
“We have so much to look forward to – a partner that can offer everything from best practices in shelter medicine, to health insurance and benefits for our staff, to innovative approaches to adoption,” Cutler said.
Service to new communities is not foreign to Wisconsin Humane Society. This acquisition marks the fifth organization that has approached the Milwaukee-based organization to explore a merger. In 2004, Wisconsin Humane Society acquired the Ozaukee Humane Society, and in 2013, it acquired the Countryside Humane Society in Racine. Both the Bay Area Humane Society in Green Bay and the Door County Humane Society became part of the Wisconsin Humane Society in 2018.
“As Wisconsin’s oldest animal welfare organization, Wisconsin Humane Society has always worked to identify and respond to the most pressing needs of animals,” Fotsch Kleibor said. “Today, the fragmentation of animal welfare into so many different organizations has created a new need: the need to support vital work for animals with strong, simple infrastructure. We’ve seen first-hand how local organizations face significant risks to sustainability when each one is a separate silo that must reinvent every wheel.”
Both Wisconsin Humane Society and Safe Harbor were already committed to finding a home for every treatable and safe animal, no matter how long it takes, and this approach will continue under the new partnership. In addition, the organizations expect that this acquisition will bring more resources for medical and behavioral care to animals in Kenosha County.
“We are incredibly grateful for the vital work Safe Harbor does for 3,000 animals and their families every year in Kenosha County,” said Fotsch Kleibor, “and we are excited to pool our resources to sustain lifesaving services for animals and the people who love them.” | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/safe-harbor-humane-society-merges-operations-with-wisconsin-humane-society/article_1ff9f8ea-e9de-11ed-9fa3-278ba789ca31.html | 2023-05-04T23:15:14 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/safe-harbor-humane-society-merges-operations-with-wisconsin-humane-society/article_1ff9f8ea-e9de-11ed-9fa3-278ba789ca31.html |
DUNKERTON — Two mobile homes were heavily damaged in a fire that broke out near Dunkerton Thursday afternoon.
One dog is believed to have perished in the blaze on Woodland Drive in the Woodland Estates mobile home park north of Dunkerton.
What started as a brush fire between two mobile homes quickly spread, engulfing a mobile home where the resident was away at work. The flames spread to the second, where a woman was sleeping. She escaped without injury, authorities said.
Firefighters from Dunkerton, Jesup and Readlyn responded to the fire. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/fire-damages-two-residences-in-dunkerton-mobile-home-park/article_b41b4eee-cec6-5cb4-99b5-c94c5ffafbcb.html | 2023-05-04T23:17:06 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/fire-damages-two-residences-in-dunkerton-mobile-home-park/article_b41b4eee-cec6-5cb4-99b5-c94c5ffafbcb.html |
A man died and a woman was "badly injured" in an overnight shooting in Eagle.
The man who died was Matthew Rissell, co-founder of Eagle company TSheets. He was 46. The Ada County Coroner's Office on Thursday ruled his death a suicide.
...The National Weather Service in Boise ID has issued a Flood Watch for the following rivers in Idaho... Weiser River Near Weiser affecting Lower Treasure Valley ID and Upper Weiser River zones. For the Weiser River...near Weiser, flooding is possible. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Residents and those with interests near the river should monitor rising water levels and be prepared for possible flood warnings. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. The next statement will be issued Friday afternoon at 345 PM MDT. && ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE... * WHAT...Flooding is possible. * WHERE...Weiser River Near Weiser. * WHEN...From Friday afternoon until further notice. * IMPACTS...At 9.5 feet, Minor flooding of fields and agricultural land near Weiser is possible. Water will begin backing up under the Cove Road bridge into the slough and adjacent farmland. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 9:00 AM MDT Thursday the stage was 8.0 feet. - Forecast...Flood stage may be reached late Friday evening. - Flood stage is 9.5 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood &&
A man died and a woman was "badly injured" in an overnight shooting in Eagle.
The man who died was Matthew Rissell, co-founder of Eagle company TSheets. He was 46. The Ada County Coroner's Office on Thursday ruled his death a suicide.
According to an Ada County Sheriff's Office news release, initial information and evidence indicates Rissell shot the woman and then himself. The woman was hospitalized with "what appear to be life-threatening injuries," the release said.
Rissell was pronounced dead at 4:20 a.m. at a home on South Pasa Tiempo Way in Eagle. Rissell owns a home on that street, according to the Ada County Assessor's office.
No one else was injured and there is no threat to the public, the sheriff's office said.
Rissell co-founded TSheets, a time tracking software company, in Eagle in 2006. Intuit, the software giant that owns QuickBooks and TurboTax, bought TSheets for $340 million in 2018, according to previous Idaho Press reporting.
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A receipt was sent to your email. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/eagle-business-co-founder-dead-in-shooting/article_828f73b2-ea93-11ed-9c2e-07463f314f0e.html | 2023-05-04T23:18:46 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/eagle-business-co-founder-dead-in-shooting/article_828f73b2-ea93-11ed-9c2e-07463f314f0e.html |
...The National Weather Service in Boise ID has issued a Flood Watch
for the following rivers in Idaho...
Weiser River Near Weiser affecting Lower Treasure Valley ID and
Upper Weiser River zones.
For the Weiser River...near Weiser, flooding is possible.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Residents and those with interests near the river should monitor
rising water levels and be prepared for possible flood warnings.
Additional information is available at www.weather.gov.
The next statement will be issued Friday afternoon at 345 PM MDT.
&&
...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...
* WHAT...Flooding is possible.
* WHERE...Weiser River Near Weiser.
* WHEN...From Friday afternoon until further notice.
* IMPACTS...At 9.5 feet, Minor flooding of fields and agricultural
land near Weiser is possible. Water will begin backing up under
the Cove Road bridge into the slough and adjacent farmland.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 9:00 AM MDT Thursday the stage was 8.0 feet.
- Forecast...Flood stage may be reached late Friday evening.
- Flood stage is 9.5 feet.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
&&
Dr. Nick Swayne, North Idaho College president, attends a North Idaho College Board of Trustee meeting at the Coeur d’Alene college, Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
A judge on Wednesday denied a request by North Idaho College Board of Trustees to reconsider an order forcing the college to reinstate its president.
Kootenai County District Court Judge Cynthia Meyer upheld her March 3 preliminary injunction requiring NIC to keep Nick Swayne as president for the remainder of his lawsuit.
Swayne is suing NIC for placing him on administrative leave without cause in December.
The NIC board majority suspended Swayne while NIC attorney Art Macomber initiated an investigation into the terms of his contract and the circumstances of his hiring.
“This was an attempted de facto termination of Dr. Swayne, and it was not done in good faith,” Meyer wrote in Wednesday’s decision. The investigation “is pretext for getting Dr. Swayne out of the way. It is a sham.”
Macomber’s investigation lasted more than four months and resulted in a report alleging open meeting violations by former board members.
In response, the board last month voted to undo the June 2022 board decision to hire Swayne to fix the open meetings violations alleged by Macomber.
Swayne, however, remains in his role as “acting president.”
After the board nullified Swayne’s contract, Swayne’s attorney filed a motion for contempt. A hearing is scheduled for June 2.
Meyer wrote that even if an open meeting violation occurred during the formation of Swayne’s contract, any effort to nullify his employment agreement is time-barred under Idaho law.
The intended conclusion of Macomber’s investigation was evident from the beginning, Meyer said. Thus, the board had 14 days to act after recognizing the open meeting violation on Dec. 8.
“It is unfathomable,” Meyer wrote, “why it would take months for the college attorney to determine whether, in his view, there was an open meeting law violation in the June 2022 timeframe regarding the selection of college president. It took days for the same attorney to determine there was an Open Meeting Law violation at the December 2022 board meeting when Dr. Swayne was first put on administrative leave.”
The board fixed the December violation later that month by voting a second time in public to place Swayne on leave.
Meyer wrote that Swayne likely will prevail on the merits of this lawsuit.
After Meyer ordered in March for Swayne to be reinstated, the NIC board placed the previous interim president, Greg South, on paid administrative leave.
A new majority took control of the board in the November elections. The previous majority supported Swayne. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/judge-upholds-order-forcing-north-idaho-college-to-reinstate-president/article_6ffee714-eaa2-11ed-9877-e3bf2ef589b4.html | 2023-05-04T23:18:52 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/judge-upholds-order-forcing-north-idaho-college-to-reinstate-president/article_6ffee714-eaa2-11ed-9877-e3bf2ef589b4.html |
Originally published May 3 on KTVB.COM.
Attorneys for St. Luke's have filed a motion for contempt against Diego Rodriguez and his Freedom Man Press over continued harassment of witnesses in St. Luke's' defamation case against him, Ammon Bundy and their organizations.
Erik Stidham, an attorney representing the hospital, said St. Luke's is very concerned about the prospect of violence from Rodriguez, Bundy and their followers. Rodriguez is Bundy's political acolyte, and the grandfather of the infant at the center of the situation.
Bundy, Rodriguez, and their organizations organized days of protests at the hospital, as previously reported. They claimed Rodriguez's infant grandson was "medically kidnapped" by doctors and Child Protective Services (CPS).
The continuing legal action stems from a defamation lawsuit that followed disruptive protests outside St. Luke's in downtown Boise and, the hospital claims, continued harassment and doxxing of its employees.
The "Baby Cyrus" protests led to the hospital having to go into lockdown for nearly two hours on March 15, 2022. The hospital had to divert patients to other providers and prohibit visitors.
"Mr. Bundy is running a cynical grift and playing with the safety of his targets and his followers. St. Luke’s is concerned that at some point Mr. Bundy’s grift is going to get somebody killed. It won’t be Mr. Bundy. He will be safe somewhere," Stidham told KTVB on Wednesday. "The ones who will suffer the violent consequences will likely be his followers who think they are on a religious mission, his enemies who are wrongly targeted, and the police officers who are just trying to protect and serve."
The motion for contempt against Rodriguez was filed on Tuesday and claims that Rodriguez has "never stopped using his website to defame, harass, and intimidate witnesses."
Attorneys for St. Luke's also claim that Rodriguez is currently violating five different court orders — however, they are only asking for contempt sanctions regarding two fee orders and the protective order that was issued.
The protective order was to stop his harassment of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit — according to them, it hasn't stopped.
Rodriguez has continually harassed, doxxed and threatened several plaintiffs and others, according to affidavits filed Tuesday. The affidavits claim that Rodriguez has also called them names like "pedophile," "child trafficker," "child molester" and more. Many of the plaintiffs involved in the suit said that they do not feel safe.
"The doxing and false accusations by Rodriguez of and about me have impacted my ability to do my job by causing distrust by clients, parents, and/or guardians I work with," social worker Kelly Shoplock stated in her affidavit.
She added she continues to deal with the specific accusation that she is a "child trafficker."
Both the CEO of St. Luke's and the Child Welfare Chief stated that, even after the state entered the protective order, Rodriguez has kept false statements about them on his website.
Two other affidavits from specialists were also part of the motion that was filed Tuesday — Devin Burghart, the president and executive director of the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights, and former Boise police captain Spencer Fomby, who stated that Rodriguez, Bundy and their followers are dangerous.
Burghart said that his organization has been following the People's Rights Network since 2020. He claims it has over 60,000 followers and Rodriguez is a recognized leader within the organization.
Fomby, who was a police officer for 22 years, stated that, in his opinion, extremist groups like the People's Right Network have a playbook and it involves the intentional use of misinformation.
"Rodriguez will continue to use intentional disinformation and misinformation and doxing unless there are real consequences for his behavior. These personal attacks create a serious life-threatening danger to the targets," Fomby stated in his affidavit.
Stidham said that if the judge determines there is a cause to determine Rodriguez is in contempt of her orders and he refuses to appear again, the judge can issue a warrant of attachment, which is a civil arrest warrant, similar to what happened with Bundy on April 19. This is where the civil case crosses the line into a criminal issue.
"Bundy created People's Rights Network to be his on-demand militia and online intimidators," Stidham said. "He continues to use them as his pawns. He feeds them misinformation and false conspiracies, mixes those lies with a supposed religious mandate, and then directs his followers to harass his enemies."
More from KTVB.COM: | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/st-lukes-files-motion-for-contempt-against-diego-rodriguez/article_6bd0caa8-eabc-11ed-b7a7-73dc5e0ee24c.html | 2023-05-04T23:18:58 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/st-lukes-files-motion-for-contempt-against-diego-rodriguez/article_6bd0caa8-eabc-11ed-b7a7-73dc5e0ee24c.html |
The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously confirmed the nomination of Judge Amanda Brailsford as the new federal District judge for Idaho.
She will replace Judge Lynn Winmill, who took senior status in August.
...The National Weather Service in Boise ID has issued a Flood Watch for the following rivers in Idaho... Weiser River Near Weiser affecting Lower Treasure Valley ID and Upper Weiser River zones. For the Weiser River...near Weiser, flooding is possible. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Residents and those with interests near the river should monitor rising water levels and be prepared for possible flood warnings. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov. The next statement will be issued Friday afternoon at 345 PM MDT. && ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE... * WHAT...Flooding is possible. * WHERE...Weiser River Near Weiser. * WHEN...From Friday afternoon until further notice. * IMPACTS...At 9.5 feet, Minor flooding of fields and agricultural land near Weiser is possible. Water will begin backing up under the Cove Road bridge into the slough and adjacent farmland. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 9:00 AM MDT Thursday the stage was 8.0 feet. - Forecast...Flood stage may be reached late Friday evening. - Flood stage is 9.5 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood &&
The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously confirmed the nomination of Judge Amanda Brailsford as the new federal District judge for Idaho.
She will replace Judge Lynn Winmill, who took senior status in August.
On April 27, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously supported her nomination in a voice vote, which is rare for judicial nominations, according to University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias, who tracks federal judge appointments. During a voice vote, senators all say either aye or nay at the same time, and it's most often used for votes that are expected to have broad consensus.
"This is a tribute to the nominee, who possesses much relevant experience as a judge and practitioner and was a consensus nominee," Tobias said in an email. "Both Idaho senators cooperated with the White House to find someone whom the GOP and Democrats could support."
The Senate also confirmed her in a voice vote in another rare move. Tobias said none of Biden's 32 appellate appointees received a voice vote and just three out of 93 district nominees had voice votes.
Brailsford, an Idaho native, has served on the state Court of Appeals since 2019. President Joe Biden nominated her and Idaho’s senators supported her approval.
“Judge Brailsford is an excellent choice to serve on the U.S. District Court in Idaho. Her credentials, and sound principles and judgement, make her a great fit for the Gem State,” Sen. Jim Risch said in a statement. “I appreciate the Senate’s expeditious approval of her nomination and look forward to seeing her serve on the bench soon.”
With strong bipartisan support, Brailsford's confirmation leapfrogged about 15 or so nominees who had been tapped before her, some over a year ago, Tobias said.
Sen. Mike Crapo called the confirmation "historic."
"She will serve our state well, and Idahoans everywhere should be proud," Crapo wrote in a statement.
Idaho was one of two states that had never had a woman serve as a federal district court judge; North Dakota is the other.
Brailsford received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho in 1989 and her law degree from the UI College of Law in 1993, according to her biography. She served as a law clerk for Judge Thomas G. Nelson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1993 to 1995.
She worked at the law firm Holland & Hart LLP as an associate until 2002 and as a partner from 2003 to 2013. Brailsford was a founding partner at Andersen Banducci PLLC in Boise from 2013 to 2017.
Laura Guido is the Statehouse reporter and covers Idaho politics. You can follow her on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido, email her at lguido@idahopress.com and sign up for the Eye on Boise newsletter online.
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A receipt was sent to your email. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/us-senate-confirms-first-female-us-district-judge-in-idaho/article_894b6e48-eab8-11ed-a1c3-abc920e479ef.html | 2023-05-04T23:19:05 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/us-senate-confirms-first-female-us-district-judge-in-idaho/article_894b6e48-eab8-11ed-a1c3-abc920e479ef.html |
...The National Weather Service in Boise ID has issued a Flood Watch
for the following rivers in Idaho...
Weiser River Near Weiser affecting Lower Treasure Valley ID and
Upper Weiser River zones.
For the Weiser River...near Weiser, flooding is possible.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Residents and those with interests near the river should monitor
rising water levels and be prepared for possible flood warnings.
Additional information is available at www.weather.gov.
The next statement will be issued Friday afternoon at 345 PM MDT.
&&
...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...
* WHAT...Flooding is possible.
* WHERE...Weiser River Near Weiser.
* WHEN...From Friday afternoon until further notice.
* IMPACTS...At 9.5 feet, Minor flooding of fields and agricultural
land near Weiser is possible. Water will begin backing up under
the Cove Road bridge into the slough and adjacent farmland.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 9:00 AM MDT Thursday the stage was 8.0 feet.
- Forecast...Flood stage may be reached late Friday evening.
- Flood stage is 9.5 feet.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
&&
This courtroom sketch, from left, depicts Madison County prosecutor Rob Wood, Lori Vallow and defense attorney Jim Archibald during opening statements of Vallow's murder trial in Boise, Monday, April 10, 2023.
BOISE — Ian Pawlowski faced cross examination, Tammy’s life insurance was discussed and a Kauai detective walked the courtroom through the search warrants he executed on Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell’s persons, rental car and condo during Thursday’s proceedings of the high-profile murder trial taking place at the Ada County Courthouse.
Vallow is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and grand theft in connection with the deaths of her children Tylee Ryan, 16, and J.J. Vallow, 7, and of Tammy Daybell, the late wife of her husband, Chad Daybell.
Ian, the husband of Lori’s niece Melani Pawlowski, said he had recorded conversations with Melani, Chad and Lori for two weeks without their knowledge, as previously reported. He agreed to cooperate with the investigation after going to law enforcement because he feared for the safety of his family after Melani "shared her fears" with him. He said one thing that stood out about one of his conversations with Chad and Lori was Lori said she was able to cast Satan out by folding him up into the shape of a taco and locking him in a box in Antarctica.
Ian told defense attorney John Thomas that he felt Lori had manipulated his wife, who he married after 10 days of dating.
"More than anything I feel like Melani was manipulated and taken advantage of during one of the most difficult and dark times of her life,” Ian said.
Any time there was any sort of negativity, Lori and Chad would offer up blessings, Ian said.
“Blessings were flying around like flies,” Ian said. He said looking back, it feels manipulative to him.
Another thing he found strange was Chad and Lori told Melani something bad would happen on Dec. 12, 2019. This ended up being the day Alex Cox, Lori’s brother, died. Ian said he knew they didn’t plan it but it felt strange that they were able to call it like that.
TAMMY’S LIFE INSURANCE
Angela Yancey, who handles Human Resources and insurance benefits for the Sugar-Salem School District, testified about helping Chad Daybell file his beneficiary claim for Tammy’s life insurance.
Yancey said she had gone through this process about 15 times and it was unusual how quickly Chad showed up to make his claim. Tammy died on Saturday, Oct. 19, and by Monday Chad was at her desk asking to file.
She informed Chad that he would need Tammy's death certificate before filing the beneficiary claim. He replied, “That’s OK, I've already ordered eight of them.” Yancey said people normally order three death certificates at the most.
KAUAI SEARCH WARRANTS
But eight copies of a death certificate wasn’t the largest amount of death certificates the couple had.
Detective Colin Nesbitt, who conducted the search warrant of Chad and Lori’s rental vehicle in Hawaii in January 2020, said 14-15 death certificates for Charles Vallow, Lori's fourth husband who'd been killed by Cox, were found in the black car. Also found were Tylee and J.J.’s Social Security cards, Tylee’s BBVA Compass bankcard, "several" copies of J.J.'s birth certificates and multiple Apple products — including a tablet with J.J.’s initials on the case.
Nesbitt said law enforcement found no evidence of children when they searched Lori and Chad’s condo.
The body camera footage that was taken the day Lori was served with the court order to produce her children also was played for the courtroom.
In the video, Lori and Chad were shown lounging at the pool of a condominium in their swimsuits. After Lori is served the papers, she reviews them and doesn’t say anything. Chad leans over to get a look.
She said she didn’t have any questions, and the officers walked away telling her to have a nice day.
Upon cross-examination, Thomas asked Nesbitt if he took trace evidence from the car. Nesbitt said no. Thomas pointed to some blonde hair in the car. He asked if they were looking for children if the hair would be something they’d want to collect. Nesbitt said yes.
CONCERNING ALEX COX
Officer Ryan Pillar from the Gilbert, Arizona, Police Department took the stand at the end of the day to discuss the attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux, Melani Pawlowski's ex-husband, on Oct. 2, 2019. He said GPS data placed a device associated with Alex Cox in the area at the time of the attempted shooting. Camera data also showed a gray Jeep driving from Idaho to Arizona on Oct. 1, 2019, and then back to Idaho on Oct. 3, 2019.
After the gray Jeep belonging to Tylee Ryan was seized by police, chemicals typically associated with gunshot residue was collected from the back of the vehicle.
Court ended early on Thursday as Judge Boyce had a status conference hearing for Chad Daybell at 3:45 p.m.
The court will reconvene on Friday morning.
Sydney Kidd covers Kuna, Melba and Meridian for the Idaho Press. She is the supervising editor of the Kuna Melba News and Meridian Press. Send her an email at skidd@idahopress.com and follow her on Twitter @Syd__Kidd.
Sydney Kidd oversees and reports for the Kuna Melba News and Meridian Press weeklies, in addition to her reporting and editing duties for the Idaho Press. She is a graduate of Utah State University and holds a degree in journalism. Previously, Kidd completed internships with Boise Weekly and Deseret News. A true Boise girl, she is happy to be working for a newspaper that serves the area she grew up in. In her free time, Kidd enjoys water and snow sports, discovering new food joints with her husband and occasionally running away to the ocean. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/vallow-trial-tammy-daybells-life-insurance-and-searching-loris-kauai-rental-car/article_7d35d990-eabd-11ed-a23e-1b18941d937e.html | 2023-05-04T23:19:14 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/vallow-trial-tammy-daybells-life-insurance-and-searching-loris-kauai-rental-car/article_7d35d990-eabd-11ed-a23e-1b18941d937e.html |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Officials with Freedom Hall Civic Center and ETSU’s Martin Center for the Arts say the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions has helped bring bigger attractions to Johnson City.
The city of Johnson City owns and operates Freedom Hall and has taken steps to improve the venue.
“My mandate basically from the city was to get things going here and see if we can put a positive spin on Freedom Hall,” said Freedom Hall General Manger Mark Stone. “It’d been kind of subdued over the COVID years and a little bit before.”
Stone said a city-led interior renovation project and allowing alcohol sales have made the venue more attractive to guests.
Bigger names came to perform this season with some sold-out shows.
“We’ve done Jelly Roll, Tyler Childers, and Lee Brice,” said Stone. “Two of them have sold out. The other did really well, it just didn’t sell out.”
Stone said the way they advertise shows has changed with a focus on the facility’s billboard, Facebook page, and website, which saves them money, but agrees this may not be enough.
“[We’re] probably not getting everybody we could get,” said Stone. “Obviously written, TV, and radio helps.”
He added that they do have radio connections that they use.
With the lifting of COVID restrictions, the ETSU Martin Center booked bigger acts with Broadway shows being extremely popular.
“I think people have been itching for Broadway, to have these world-class performers come here and be right here in Johnson City,” said Executive Director Jennifer Clements.
The facility hosted nearly 8,500 guests during last season’s Broadway shows.
“We had sold out show, after sold out show, after sold out show…and so…next season we are going to be adding additional nights so hopefully that will open up more tickets and more availability for folks to come and see the performances here,” Clements said.
Freedom Hall officials are already working on next year’s lineup along with the facility’s 50th-anniversary celebration.
The Martin Center has shows lined up for this summer and will be announcing its next season later this summer. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/johnson-city-venues-working-to-attract-big-acts-post-pandemic/ | 2023-05-04T23:21:31 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/johnson-city-venues-working-to-attract-big-acts-post-pandemic/ |
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — A popular service will not make a return after stopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of Kingsport will officially end its curbside recycling pickup program after halting the service in 2020.
Kingsport Deputy City Manager Ryan McReynolds said the city brought on an outside consultant to review the city’s services. He said that the results suggested pivoting from curbside pickup to various drop-off locations around the city.
“The value there is when you drop stuff off, you’ve segmented it into its different category ways,” McReynolds said.
Another big change could be coming to residents who live outside of Kingsport city limits.
City officials are proposing an increase in fees for sanitation services for non-city residents.
Voluntary customers, which are those who have other garbage collection options, could see the price for garbage pickup rise by roughly 25%.
“The intent there is to stay competitive, to stay attractive,” McReynolds said.
The increase in sanitation fees is not yet official. McReynolds said the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will vote on the proposal in the summer.
McReynolds said the city will begin notifying residents that they plan to start collecting blue recycling carts from residents this summer. He said that it’ll likely take months to collect them all.
The plan is to repurpose the carts for a different use.
“They will become part of our inventory for carts that need to be replaced in our garbage collection,” McReynolds said.
Longtime Kingsport resident Mike Baker said he frequently used the city’s curbside program. He said that it’s a valuable service that he’ll hate to see go away for good.
“I have missed the convenience of having the curbside recycling,” Baker said. “That was a nice amenity, and we made full advantage of it.”
Baker said that a drop-off location is near his home. He said that he plans to continue recycling whenever he can.
“We’re going to try to continue to make the effort,” Baker said. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/kingsport-curbside-recycling-will-not-return/ | 2023-05-04T23:21:37 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/kingsport-curbside-recycling-will-not-return/ |
STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Wearing a crown fit for a king, it only makes sense, Salvatore Callace is wearing one inside the kitchen of his restaurant on Main Street.
In his kitchen, there is a common product found in every dish, chicken cutlets, and for Salvatore, his followers on social media have dubbed him the Chicken Cutlet King.
"We only do chicken. We don't do pork, we don't do beef, we don't do seafood," said Callace.
Salvatore and his family have lived in the Poconos for the past six years.
Before opening the Chicken Cutlet King, the family used to have a deli in New York.
But it closed during the pandemic, and that's when Salvatore and his wife, Jennifer started making videos on social media.
And the idea for the Chicken Cutley King Restaurant was born.
"We were home, we were bored, so I told him let's start a TikTok, and he tells me what the hell are we going to do on TikTok, and I said I don't know, we just post random things," said Jennifer Callace, the co-owner.
"At first, I wanted nothing to do with it. You know I said get the camera out of my face. This is not me. You know, by the time we grew a platform and what I started doing was started making chicken cutlets online, you know, online and just people interacting with me and wanting to know the recipe," Salvatore said.
"And our followers were like, 'Oh, the chicken cutlet king.' So he said one day we're going to bring the chicken cutlet king to the Poconos," Jennifer said.
Three years after making TikTok videos, the Chicken Cutlet King opened. The owners say they owe it all to their followers on social media.
"It was a dream. Social media helped us out in reference to finances wise of us being able to invest and open a business," Salvatore said.
With more than two million followers on TikTok, the Callaces say since opening, their fans, who they also call family, come every weekend to try the Chicken Cutlet King.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/monroe-county/social-media-followers-help-open-restaurants-in-the-poconos-chicken-cutlet-king-wnep-stroudsburg-pa/523-480362c1-5096-4fa0-866d-b72e42111bfa | 2023-05-04T23:26:21 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/monroe-county/social-media-followers-help-open-restaurants-in-the-poconos-chicken-cutlet-king-wnep-stroudsburg-pa/523-480362c1-5096-4fa0-866d-b72e42111bfa |
FORT WORTH, Texas — Editor's note: The video above is from a report on Nov. 29, 2022.
Police in Fort Worth, Texas, are hoping a recent DNA test will provide closure to a family who had been missing their daughter for more than 51 years.
Melissa Highsmith's disappearance had been one of the country's oldest missing persons case after she was handed to a babysitter at just 21 months old and was never seen again.
The lives of Highsmith and her biological parents changed forever in November 2022 when a 23andMe DNA test linked them together.
At the time, the Fort Worth Police Department said it would conduct its own official DNA testing.
And now, several months later, police said the test confirmed Highsmith's identity.
While the statute of limitations expired 20 years after Highsmith's 18th birthday, police said they still are seeking any information on her abduction from over 51 years ago.
Back in November 2022, Highsmith and her parents spoke with WFAA about the reunion.
"I feel like I am dreaming, and I keep having to pinch myself to make sure I'm awake," Highsmith said.
"I’m just elated, I can't describe my feelings. I'm so happy to see my daughter that I didn't think I would ever see her again," said Alta Apantenco, Melissa’s mother.
"She's alive... I cried like a baby," said Jeffrie Highsmith, Melissa's father.
The case
Melissa Highsmith's disappearance dates back to Aug. 23, 1971 at an apartment building on East Seminary in Fort Worth.
Apantenco had advertised for a babysitter and ended up speaking with a person by the name of Ruth Johnson, who agreed to pick up 21-month-old Melissa from the apartment.
On that day, Apantenco had to be at work, so her roommate at the time handed the child to Johnson, who was described as being well-dressed and wearing white gloves.
Johnson never returned with Highsmith and could not be reached.
The missing persons case involved Fort Worth police and the FBI but searches came up empty-handed. At the time, police said they did not have any evidence that Highsmith was harmed.
When Highsmith spoke to WFAA in November 2022, she said she thought the woman who raised her was her mother but that she ended up running away from home in her teens due an abusive stepfather.
She also added that she had been living under the name Melanie.
"I didn't feel loved as a child. It was abusive, and I ran away at 15 years old. I went to the streets. I did what I had to do to get by... I worked the streets," Highsmith said.
Highsmith had also contacted a woman believed to be the one who raised her.
"The mother confessed, I bought you for $500 on the street, she said in 1972. Melissa thinks she's the one that kidnapped her from the Spanish Gate apartment in Fort Worth, Texas," Jeffrie Highsmith told WFAA.
It turns out Melissa Highsmith had been living just 20 minutes away from her biological mother, Alta Apantenco, in Fort Worth.
While the family was reunited, her parents said they're still trying to seek some sort of justice for the abduction.
"She stole 51 years of my joy with my family. Justice needs to be served," Jeffrie Highsmith said.
Melissa Highsmith told WFAA she wanted to speak face-to-face with the woman who raised her. "I don't want charges pressed. I would like answers," she said. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-texas-police-confirm-identity-woman-reunited-with-family-missing-51-years-ago/287-ee2eea31-0e6c-4f41-af8a-3da2bdd244fc | 2023-05-04T23:27:41 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-texas-police-confirm-identity-woman-reunited-with-family-missing-51-years-ago/287-ee2eea31-0e6c-4f41-af8a-3da2bdd244fc |
SAN ANGELO, Texas — One in every five children has a learning disability, with dyslexia being especially prominent.
This statistic comes from Maryann Cochran, executive director of JPW Learning in San Angelo.
"It takes three parts of your brain when you learn to read, the front lobe and the back," Cochran said. "In the brain of a child with dyslexia, only one part of that brain lights up whenever it is reading so that one part of the brain is working three times as hard as everybody else's brain."
JPW is a training center for teachers and students to help them better navigate dyslexia.
From 6-9 p.m. May 16, this organization is hosting its annual Cook Book Gala fundraiser and silent auction in an effort to continue the program.
For $125 a ticket, attendees can experience a four-course meal cooked by chef Ali De La Fuente at Bentwood Country Club, 2111 Club House Ln.
The chef will be preparing Mexican recipes from Yvette Marquez Sharpnack's book "Muy Bueno Fiestas," including a jalapeño mandarin margarita, guacamole with pomegranate, spring fruit salad with tajin, tequila and lime carne asada and elote and tres leche bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
"We'll have a different wine for every course that will accompany this," Cochran said.
Libations will be provided by 1900 Vineyard and attendees will also have the chance to purchase full bottles.
Sharpnack herself will also be speaking at the event, sharing details about her family recipes which will be on sale while supplies last.
Regarding those with dyslexia, Cochran said, "It's not their fault, you know, it's hereditary."
Go to jpwlearningcenter to learn more or purchase a ticket. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/mexican-recipes-to-be-featured-at-jpw-learning-center-2023-cook-book-gala/504-98239ccd-22a3-4fde-83f2-906d04408adc | 2023-05-04T23:27:47 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/mexican-recipes-to-be-featured-at-jpw-learning-center-2023-cook-book-gala/504-98239ccd-22a3-4fde-83f2-906d04408adc |
DALLAS — A North Texas fitness influencer has settled with the state of Texas after the state claimed she scammed thousands of customers by not delivering fitness and nutrition plans.
It is not known the conditions or for what amount of money the influencer, Brittany Dawn Davis, settled the case. A letter from the Texas Attorney General's Office states that a hearing on a motion for entry of judgment will be filed in the next two weeks and asking that the trial date, previously set for May 15, be vacated.
A letter from Cecilia H. Morgan, an arbitrator for the case, told the judge in the case, Monica Purdy, the parties and counsel in the case had a mediation session on April 25 and had successfully resolved their dispute.
The state had asked for up to $1 million in its initial suit. The details of the settlement are not yet publicly available. A final hearing has been schedule for June 2.
Davis has close to 500,000 Instagram followers and 1.3 million on TikTok. She built her following by posting fitness and health content and sharing how she overcame an eating disorder.
By 2019, though, thousands of people had complained that Dawn wasn’t delivering them the customized plans they’d paid for. Davis went on Good Morning America to apologize.
“Jumped into an industry that had no instructional manual,” she said in 2019. “I’m basically going through uncharted territory.”
Then, a year ago, the attorney general’s office filed a deceptive trade practices act lawsuit. They said the plans ranged from $92 to $300 and charged for shipping fees even though the plans were entirely digital.
Davis has continued to post on social media and has even gained half a million TikTok followers in the year since the state filed its suit, according to SocialBlade.
She’s pivoted to posting about Christianity now under the brand "She Lives Freed," and is instead selling tickets to spirituality retreats. Last April, a one-day event in Fort Worth was charging $125 per person.
“Fitness and health are no longer my identity,” she shared in a 2019 YouTube video. “My identity is in Christ.” | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/north-texas-fitness-influencer-allegedly-scammed-customers-settles-state/287-8d7973da-7389-4fd9-ad17-855c284609d0 | 2023-05-04T23:27:54 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/north-texas-fitness-influencer-allegedly-scammed-customers-settles-state/287-8d7973da-7389-4fd9-ad17-855c284609d0 |
Bolt for the Heart recently donated 40 automatic external defibrillators to LaPorte County first responders in the hope of saving lives.
The nonprofit, which supplies AEDs to police departments around the state, raised funds with Franciscan Health at the Bolt for the Heart Hallowrun race at Washington Park at the Lake Michigan lakefront in Michigan City last fall to buy the defibrillators for the Michigan City Police Department, LaPorte Police Department and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office.
The American Heart Association estimates at least 40,000 lives could be saved every year if a responder to a heart attack knew CPR and applied an AED within five minutes. It's estimated cardiac arrest kills 335,000 people a year in the United States, roughly 95% of whom die because they were treated too late.
Bolt from the Heart was founded 2010 by Pierre Twer to ensure responding police officers were equipped to save lives. It's raised more than $1.1 million through its annual races and donated more than 700 AEDs in Central Indiana alone thus far.
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Michigan City Mayor Duane Parry, Play for Jake Foundation Founder Julie West, LaPorte Mayor Tom Dermody and Franciscan Health Michigan City President and CEO Dean Mazzoni recently presented the AEDs at Franciscan Beacon Hospital in LaPorte to the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan City Police Department and LaPorte Police Department.
They've aimed to provide an AED for every patrol car in each department's fleet to ensure every officer is able to defibrillate a heart attach victim in a health emergency.
For more information, visit www.boltfortheheart.com. | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/bolt-from-the-heart-distributes-defibrillators-to-first-responders/article_4c52ca6a-e480-11ed-b25b-4f916396481e.html | 2023-05-04T23:28:09 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/bolt-from-the-heart-distributes-defibrillators-to-first-responders/article_4c52ca6a-e480-11ed-b25b-4f916396481e.html |
A Lowell farm is about to become a Jurassic Park again.
And this fall, it will become a wonderland of unicorns.
Harvest Tyme Family Farm at 17904 Grant St. in Lowell is bringing back its popular prehistoric Dino Tyme dinosaur attraction Saturday. People can marvel at 14-foot-tall Brachiosauruses and Tyrannosaurus Rexes. Kids can ride on dinosaurs, gape at an erupting volcano and see a live stage show that takes place several times throughout the day.
The animatronic dinosaurs from the Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic eras breathe, roar and move their heads and tails. More than 20 dinosaurs will be on display at the 45-acre family farm that hosts attractions like a pumpkin patch and winter lights throughout the year.
Harvest Tyme also will have a butterfly encounter, a fossil dig and 10 amusement attractions. Kids can ride on a tilt-a-whirl, kiddie coaster, banana squadron, jumping pillow, Spinning Monkey Barrels, swings, slides, the Pirate’s Revenge, Corn Twister and a carousel.
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"So last year was our first year with the dinosaurs," owner Melissa Sickinger said. "We had delays with the dinosaurs getting shipped over, but it was amazing. Everyone had such positive feedback and experience we decided to bring it back again a little earlier in the season. We had it in August when it was supper hot, so now we'll bring it back this spring. Dinosaurs don't actually hibernate but I say they've come out of hibernation."
The agritourism industry has been growing in recent years with attractions like Fair Oaks Farms, Broken Wagon Bison and County Line Orchard in Northwest Indiana. Grand View Research estimates it reached nearly $6 billion in 2021 and should grow by a compound annual growth rate of 11.4% through 2030.
Dino Tyme will run at Harvest Tyme for four weekends through June 11.
"We did a lot of improvements on the farm this year," she said. "We spread things out on the property to hold to more guests. It was very busy during our first season. It was like a bunch of sardines crammed into a can."
Harvest Tyme, a working family farm that doubles as an agritourist attraction, also is adding a brand new Unicorn Tyme experience in August and September.
"It will be very similar to the dinosaur experience," Sickinger said. "It will be animatronic unicorns, unicorns they can ride on and amusement ride. It will be more feminine and geared toward little girls. The unicorns will all have different hair colors, make sounds, move around and that kind of thing. They make noises and move their eyes, which open and shut. It's very exciting."
More than 25 unicorns will be on display from Aug. 26 through Sept. 24. They're often horse-sized, an estimated six feet from head to hoof, though some are smaller.
"They will be staged in vignettes for photo opportunities," she said. "There will be a dig in the sand feature, butterfly garden and other touches around the farm. It's one admission price for everything."
No one in Northwest Indiana offers anything like it, she said.
"We were in our winter season reflecting on the previous year," she said. "We were looking at different images, mythological creates like Pegasus. Whether with dinosaurs or unicorns, we want to be a destination for Northwest Indiana. It's something you can spend half a day at or the whole day. It's a family experience to bring the kids to."
Harvest Tyme also hosts Sunflower Festival, Halloween Pumpkin Glow Trail, Fall Festival and Christmas Drive-Thru Lights.
"We started as just a pumpkin patch," she said. "We've grown and expanded into a destination."
Harvest Tyme keeps adding to its attractions, Sickinger said.
"We're adding fresh touches and new additions, looking at extra things for guests like a lot of photo opportunities and food vendors," she said. We try to keep it fresh for our guests. We hope this is going to be our best season yet."
For more information or tickets, visit harvesttymefun.com or call 219-440-2386. | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/lowell-farm-bringing-back-massive-dinosaurs-debuting-unicorn-attraction/article_285e2a98-ea28-11ed-a2fa-3b42a8887e45.html | 2023-05-04T23:28:15 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/lowell-farm-bringing-back-massive-dinosaurs-debuting-unicorn-attraction/article_285e2a98-ea28-11ed-a2fa-3b42a8887e45.html |
CROWN POINT — The Lake County Sheriff's Department is getting close to launching a "real-time operations center" focused on identifying and responding to threats and incidents at all public, charter and private schools throughout the county.
County Police Chief Vincent Balbo told the Lake County Council Thursday that construction of the center in the department's former radio room is about 90% complete, with the final technological components due to installed next month.
Once finished, two school safety analysts will spend their days monitoring camera and intelligence systems associated with approximately 150 Lake County school buildings.
They'll also be in a position to remotely access cameras inside local schools in the event of a school shooting or similar incident to better direct first responders to the exact location of the perpetrator or victims.
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"It's about a unified command. This isn't just about police. It's about police, it's about fire, EMS, and this is about, frankly, public works coming in and helping us to block streets in the event that some type of disaster takes place. So we're really taking a holistic approach about this thing and involving all these particular agencies," Balbo said.
The chief explained the sheriff's department will not routinely be monitoring cameras inside Lake County schools. He said the analysts only will access school video feeds in the event of a significant public safety incident, and only in schools that have consented to share video in response to an incident.
Balbo also said he's been working with municipal police chiefs to develop individual emergency response plans for each school in the county, so first responders from different agencies know exactly where to go, where to stage equipment, and how to address other logistical details following a school shooting or similar disaster.
"I've pretty much, this last month, met with every chief in the county to talk to them about their interactions with the schools," Balbo said.
That's actually old hat for Balbo who previously served as the sheriff's director of school safety and security prior to becoming police chief.
Though Balbo still participates in quarterly meetings of Lake County's safe schools committee that brings together law enforcement, school safety directors, school superintendents and administrators to discuss school safety issues, as well as processes and procedures for protecting students.
Balbo's vacant former position and its $77,460 annual salary is being split to establish the two school safety analyst positions, each paying $38,730 a year, for which county council approval is expected Tuesday.
"This is an excellent idea. I like it a lot," said Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-Cedar Lake.
Council Vice President Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, agreed: "Sounds great," she said.
Balbo said depending on how well real-time monitoring of Lake County schools goes, the system potentially could be expanded in the future to cover other Lake County locations like convenience stores, gas stations, shopping malls and similar venues subject to threats.
Porter County has operated an active event warning system, including emergency access by the sheriff's department to in-school cameras, since 2015.
In 2019, an inadvertent test of Jasper County's active event warning system, due to a fifth-grade student setting off a false alarm, saw two law enforcement officers arrive at the school within three minutes, and more than 100 shortly thereafter, including a police helicopter from Lake County.
State lawmakers were so impressed with the response they enacted House Enrolled Act 1225 (2019) permitting county sheriffs and local school corporations to request grants from the Indiana Secured School Fund to set up active event warning systems modeled on the Porter County system. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lake-county-sheriff-preparing-operations-center-for-school-safety-incidents/article_aa5208ee-eaa0-11ed-a276-930d5383438e.html | 2023-05-04T23:28:47 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lake-county-sheriff-preparing-operations-center-for-school-safety-incidents/article_aa5208ee-eaa0-11ed-a276-930d5383438e.html |
WESTVILLE — A prison officer is accused of trying to bring marijuana hidden in a Cheetos bag to an inmate at Westville Correctional Facility.
Adeja Cunningham, 24, of Calumet City, Illinois, is charged with Level 5 felony trafficking with an inmate.
According to court documents, authorities at the state prison discovered that Cunningham and the offender had been chatting with each other on Instagram. In one of the messages, prison authorities said, the two "talked about picking up something and that it would be in the chips.”
While Cunningham was reporting for duty April 30, authorities at the prison found her to be in possession of two snack food bags, according to court documents. Marijuana was in one, an 8.5-ounce bag of XXTRA Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, prison officials said.
The alleged marijuana weighed about three-quarters of an ounce.
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Cunningham offered no response to the drug-related actions. Court records show that she was released Wednesday from the LaPorte County Jail after posting $1,500 bond.
A trial date will be set at her next hearing, scheduled for June 30 in LaPorte Superior Court 2.
Cunningham could face one to six years in prison if convicted. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prison-guard-charged-with-trafficking-drugs-using-cheetos-bag/article_d2c95684-eabd-11ed-ade6-8b51a7c84ea1.html | 2023-05-04T23:28:53 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prison-guard-charged-with-trafficking-drugs-using-cheetos-bag/article_d2c95684-eabd-11ed-ade6-8b51a7c84ea1.html |
BALTIMORE — Baltimore Police say they've arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with the fatal shooting death of a Canton T-Mobile store worker.
The suspect, Arthur McCaden, was arrested in the 5200 block of St. Charles Street without incident.
McCaden has been charged with first-degree murder.
On April 23, Fabian Sanchez Gonzalez, 23, was shot was while working in the T-Mobile store in the 2500 block of Boston Street.
He was shot as a result of a robbery gone bad. He died two days later from his injuries.
RELATED: Employee shot, killed during armed robbery at T-Mobile store in Canton
His family has since set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his funeral expenses.
RELATED: Fabian Alberto Sanchez Gonzalez, T-Mobile store worker shot during robbery dies | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/arrest-made-in-the-shooting-death-of-t-mobile-store-worker | 2023-05-04T23:31:50 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/arrest-made-in-the-shooting-death-of-t-mobile-store-worker |
ORISKANY, N.Y. -- Wednesday night, three inmates and an officer became overcome, officials believe, after being exposed to an unknown substance at the Oneida County Jail. They went to the hospital for evaluation. Last night wasn't the end of it.
"Today was a repeat. We had one officer that showed some symptoms of nausea and vomiting and things like that," said Sheriff Robert Maciol.
No one lost consciousness, so they didn't have to administer Narcan, but the Sheriff is relatively certain it's some sort of contraband, which is brought into the jail all kinds of different ways.
"One of the most common ways is during visitation, New York is the only state left in the country where upon visitation, it's mandated that we allow kissing on the lips with the visitor and the inmate, so many times, contraband is passed during a kiss then it's either cheeked-held in the mouth-or, it's held obviously inside their body and it's retrieved at a later date or time," said Sheriff Maciol.
Visitation on Thursday was shut down at the jail, as officers searched for the source of the sickness.
"We had to redeploy staff, so we could secure the jail temporarily, move inmates from the particular unit where this incident occurred. They had to be moved to another part of the jail that could accept them, where we had room to move them and now methodically you go cell by cell and the officers with PPE on, the protective equipment, go through methodically searching each cell," said Maciol.
The sheriff's hope is that they'll identify the substance and charge whoever brought it into the jail. | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/unknown-substance-sickens-officers-inmates-at-oneida-county-jail/article_f90dd60a-eabb-11ed-a5b2-0ba4ff79061f.html | 2023-05-04T23:32:38 | 1 | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/unknown-substance-sickens-officers-inmates-at-oneida-county-jail/article_f90dd60a-eabb-11ed-a5b2-0ba4ff79061f.html |
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is receiving one of its largest cash infusions in history as part of a joint venture with the federal government to promote local food production across the region.
Headed by Rural Prosperity Nebraska, a UNL organization tasked with connecting communities across Nebraska with university resources, a coalition of organizations will work to develop the Heartland Regional Foods Center, an online platform that will "connect and strengthen locally grown food systems" according to a news release from UNL.
"You have all these different entities working with local foods — producers, grocery stores, local distributors, nonprofits, business developers, the Center for Rural Affairs, meat processing plants ... these are all puzzle pieces," said Mary Emery, the executive director for Rural Prosperity Nebraska. "What we want to do with this project is put the puzzle together and see the picture of how regional food systems work."
The project will be subsidized by a $25 million cooperative agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which the coalition will work with to develop the platform to serve communities in Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. UNL said the award is among the largest it has ever received.
It will be one of 12 such centers that the USDA is establishing across the country, all of which are intended to target "historically underinvested communities" in their respective regions. On a local level, the release said the Heartland Regional Foods platform will help Nebraska to be more self-sufficient in its food production, while also benefitting the health of its residents.
"It's like two sides of the same coin," Emery said. "How do we get people to eat healthier if they can never access fresh, healthy food (and) how do we get people more interested in producing fresh, healthy food that they can take to market?"
The broader program was brought about in part by disruptions to long-range supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting difficulties led to a need to rethink how to strengthen local and regional food supply lines, especially in rural areas, according to Emery.
Just as important to their mission of promoting food security is the messaging the group conveys to those on both ends of the market, Emery said.
"We want to get the message out to producers (that) there are resources out there for you, and we're going to make it easier for you to find them," Emery said. "To food consumers, we want to say we're going to help you find more and better local, healthy foods."
Photos: Customers flock to Lincoln's first Farmers Market of the season | https://journalstar.com/news/local/unl-awarded-25-million-to-build-online-food-management-platform/article_111a9a40-e9fd-11ed-b1c3-0f772946de89.html | 2023-05-04T23:34:29 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/unl-awarded-25-million-to-build-online-food-management-platform/article_111a9a40-e9fd-11ed-b1c3-0f772946de89.html |
EUSTIS, Fla. – May is Mental Health Awareness month and this week’s Getting Results Award winner is making a difference for kids dealing with trauma following this past hurricane season in Florida.
Camp Boggy Creek near Eustis normally hosts kids with serious medical illnesses, but new leadership hopes to open the 232-acre property to more children in need, starting with a focus on mental health.
Located just off Highway 44 near the Seminole Forest Wildlife Management Area, Camp Boggy Creek is set among a forest of old growth trees.
On a typical weekday afternoon, the only sounds you’re likely to hear are birds singing and the wind blowing through longleaf pines.
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The quiet afternoon seems out of place for new Camp Boggy Creek President and CEO Dan Jurman.
“This space isn’t designed to be this quiet and peaceful. It calls for laughter and silly songs and kids cheering,” said Jurman, as he stood near the boat dock on Lake Jordan. “That’s what it sounds like on retreat weekends all summer long.”
Jurman would like to hear those sounds more often.
“When I was applying for the job one of the things the search committee kept saying is that, ‘We’re one of the best kept secrets in Florida,” Jurman recalled. “I think we’ve got to work hard to make sure that’s not the case anymore.”
Jurman started a program he calls Innovation Station, an initiative to expand beyond the 15 diagnosis groups the camp currently hosts.
“We’re going to challenge ourselves every single year to work with a new diagnosis group,” Jurman said. “This year we focused on children’s mental health. That’s a crisis across the nation right now.”
Jurman and the staff at Camp Boggy Creek began working on the project last September, just as Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s Southwest coast.
“It kind of gave us an easy answer for what our first pilot group needed to be,” Jurman said. “Children who had been traumatized by that hurricane and who were experiencing behavioral health symptoms as a result.”
Last month, families were invited up to Central Florida for a weekend away from their community, which is still recovering.
Jennifer Downes lives in North Fort Myers. Her home was flooded under two feet of water. She and her family were out of their home for 158 days.
“We literally lost everything,” Downes said. “Everything my boys have known since they were born, they had to witness taking everything to the curb. Their toys, their pillows and blankets. I mean everything.”
She traveled with her two boys, 7-year-old Brad and 9-year-old Josh to the camp in Eustis.
“Just getting into an area where they’re not seeing destruction and they can simply be kids,” Downes said. “They could simply get out and play. Their focus was simply play and heal. I think it came at the perfect time.”
Jurman said the camp leaders didn’t have to change what they do much with this new population of people coming in.
“It looked like a typical camp weekend, instead of adding volunteer cardiologists or oncologists to supplement our existing medical team, we brought in behavioral health professionals as volunteers,” he said.
Downes said her boys took advantage of the therapy dogs.
“The therapy dogs were there at the same time as the counselor, so they chose the dogs,” Downes said with a laugh.
Downes added that she and her family are finally back in their home but their roof still needs repairs. She said her boys have already asked when they can go back to Camp Boggy Creek.
“We know that there are other kids struggling with other illnesses who don’t get to have the experience that the kids we’ve been serving get to have,” Jurman said. “This was our way of saying, ‘We’re never satisfied. We’re always going to push ourselves to serve more children who need us.’” | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/camp-offers-relief-to-florida-families-dealing-with-trauma-of-2022-hurricane-season/ | 2023-05-04T23:34:58 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/camp-offers-relief-to-florida-families-dealing-with-trauma-of-2022-hurricane-season/ |
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A Flagler County man, who is a convicted sex offender, was arrested Thursday after witnesses reported him “swinging around” a rifle and stumbling along a road, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said they responded near Mahogany Boulevard in Mondex after receiving the reports.
Upon arrival, they found Manuel Almeida, 72, who refused to comply with deputies’ commands, a release from the sheriff’s office reveals.
The release states that Almeida instead fired a shot from his rifle into the air before fleeing into the woods nearby.
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However, deputies were able to track Almeida down and de-escalate the situation, ultimately bringing Almeida into custody, body camera footage shows. Deputies said they found a .22 caliber rifle near where Almeida was arrested, and a shell casing had been jammed in the rifle from the shot he fired.
[Click in the media player below to watch body camera footage of the arrest. WARNING: video contains explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.]
Almeida faces charges of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm in public, openly carrying a firearm and resisting arrest without violence.
State records show that Almeida was previously convicted in 1998 for a sexual battery and burglary the year prior.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/flagler-sex-offender-arrested-after-swinging-around-rifle-deputies-say/ | 2023-05-04T23:35:05 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/flagler-sex-offender-arrested-after-swinging-around-rifle-deputies-say/ |
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A first grader accidentally brought a backpack with a loaded gun to school Wednesday, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they responded to Meadowbrook Elementary School, located at 11525 NW 39th Ave. in Gainesville, around 1 p.m. after a first grade teacher located the handgun in the backpack of one of his students.
The school resource deputy responded to the front office and the firearm was immediately made safe and stored in a secure location away from the school.
According to sheriff’s officials, it was learned the student with the firearm had not brought a backpack to school in months so their teacher made a request to the parent that they bring a bag so that materials could be sent home with them.
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The mother of the student told the first grader to go into the trunk of their vehicle Wednesday and get an old and tattered backpack, not knowing her firearm was in there, deputies said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the mother typically stores the firearm in the glovebox or under the driver’s seat of the vehicle. She later lent the vehicle to another family member, who was uncomfortable with the firearm in the vehicle and placed it in the backpack in the trunk without telling the mother, deputies said.
Deputies added the family member didn’t think that the backpack belonged to the child because they were known to have newer and nicer backpacks at home. That was the backpack the student later brought into school Wednesday, deputies said.
Based on the investigation, no criminal charges are being filed and the Department of Children and Family Services was contacted for further follow-up.
“Sheriff (Clovis Watson Jr.) wants to thank the observant teacher and school administrators who identified a serious situation and immediately enacted the notification of law enforcement to ensure the safety of everyone at the school,” the post reads. “While this situation appears to be a terrible accident, we want to impress upon our community the desperate need for safe and responsible gun ownership, as this incident could have had a far worse outcome.”
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/florida-1st-grader-accidentally-brings-loaded-gun-to-school-deputies-say/ | 2023-05-04T23:35:11 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/florida-1st-grader-accidentally-brings-loaded-gun-to-school-deputies-say/ |
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A Kissimmee man has bonded out of jail after deputies said he hit an umpire in the head after a playoff baseball game at Liberty High School.
Jorge Aponte-Gonzalez was arrested on Wednesday after deputies said he hit Reinaldo Mora in the head at a playoff baseball game between Liberty High School and Harmony High School. Mora officiated that game.
“All of a sudden, I felt something here in my temple, knocked me down,” Mora said. “I don’t know.”
The incident happened on April 18. Surveillance video shows who is believed to be Aponte-Gonzalez come up behind Mora and hit him in the head.
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“I don’t know him,” Mora said. “I don’t even know his face.”
Mora said he initially did not know who hit him until other people told him. He said he issued Gonzalez’s son an unsportsmanlike warning and believes the two events are connected.
“It has to be,” Mora said. “There was nothing else during the game.”
Mora isn’t alone when it comes to incidents like this.
According to a survey of 17,000 officiants conducted by the National Association of Sports Officials, nearly 47% of those who responded said they felt unsafe or feared for their safety because of spectators, coaches, players or administrator behavior.
Nearly 60% said sportsmanship is getting worse.
Despite the alleged assault, Mora is a ready to continue officiating.
“Actually, I’m relaxed and I go into every game with the mentality of, ‘Have fun,’” Mora said. “If you stop having fun, sell your equipment and go fishing.”
Mora said he is all about accountability, whether it’s on the side of the officiant or the side of the players, spectators or coaches.
Gonzalez is facing charges for battery on a sports official and disruption of a school function.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/knocked-me-down-umpire-sucker-punched-at-osceola-high-school-baseball-game-shares-story/ | 2023-05-04T23:35:17 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/knocked-me-down-umpire-sucker-punched-at-osceola-high-school-baseball-game-shares-story/ |
TAMPA, Fla. – The wife of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett and mother of the 2-year-old Arrayah, who drowned in a swimming pool at the family’s home last week, broke her silence on social media on Thursday.
Jordanna Barrett took to Instagram to thank everyone for the messages, flowers, thoughts and prayers and to pay tribute to her youngest daughter, who had fallen into the pool in their Beach Park neighborhood and was taken to the hospital, where she later died, on Sunday.
“Our world will never be the same. Arrayah was the apple of my eye, and my heart will forever be with hers. I love you so much my baby. I am so so sorry. Until we see each other again, please watch over your siblings and momma and dada. We love you forever and ever and always,” Barrett’s message read, in part.
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She went on to say she can’t wait to see her daughter’s precious smile again and hug her so close.
“There is no Barrett 6 without you, and we will forever hold your place down here, until we all meet again in heaven. I love you forever and always,” Barrett said.
She also included a link to Arrayah’s obituary, which described her joyous and infectious smile, sweet and sassy voice and unmatched energy.
“Everybody knew that Arrayah had her daddy wrapped around her finger and was the sunshine in her mama’s eyes,” the obituary read.
The family said she was kind and magnetic, with a sparkle in her eye that drew attention, and loved cartoons, “Cocomelon,” “Trolls” and “Baby Shark.”
Her funeral is scheduled for Friday and the family asked in lieu of donations that everyone wear bright colors in honor of Arrayah.
To read more and to donate flowers to Arrayah’s funeral service, click here.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/tampa-bay-buccaneers-players-wife-pays-tribute-to-daughter-2-who-drowned-in-family-pool/ | 2023-05-04T23:35:23 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/04/tampa-bay-buccaneers-players-wife-pays-tribute-to-daughter-2-who-drowned-in-family-pool/ |
ATLANTA — A woman is dead and four others have been hospitalized after being shot inside Northside Hospital Medical Midtown on Wednesday, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
It was a scene that unfolded in minutes, with the suspected gunman, Deion Patterson, making it down 11 floors of the medical building, stealing a car, and launching a manhunt that stretched to Cobb County.
The hours-long search came to an end by Wednesday evening, but a lot had happened since the first shot was fired.
Midtown Atlanta shooting timeline
Story continues after the video below.
Around 12 p.m. - First shot was fired
Atlanta Police Department investigators said Patterson, 24, was at Northside Hospital Medical Midtown along West Peachtree St. NW with his mother.
The first shot was fired around noon.
12:08 p.m. - Police response
APD said they got the active shooter call by 12:08 p.m.
Officers learned five people were shot inside a waiting room on the 11th floor. Amy St. Pierre, 39, did not survive.
Between 12:08 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. - Gas station stop
Police said Patterson was at the medical center for two minutes.
Not long after the shooting, police said Patterson went to a Shell gas station by 14th Street NW and Williams Street NW near the Whole Foods Market.
At the gas station, Patterson hopped into a white pick-up truck that was running and drove off, according to investigators.
12:30 p.m.- Spotted on GDOT camera
A Georgia Department of Transportation camera spotted Patterson on a traffic camera at 12:30 p.m.
GDOT's camera showed Patterson was in the area of Windy Ridge Parkway and Heritage Court, not far from Truist Park.
2:30 p.m. - Cobb County Police search begins
Cobb County Police Department investigators joined the search as they were tipped off about Patterson being within the area– two hours after the last visual confirmation.
They received many calls about him potentially being in the area but did not receive any witness accounts.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. - Truck found
The pick-up truck police said Patterson stole from the Midtown gas station was found in a parking deck near The Battery and Truist Park.
Before 8 p.m. - Patterson arrested
In collaboration with nearly a dozen agencies, Cobb County Police narrowed down the search to a residential area.
Patterson was taken into custody Wednesday night on Killarney Drive in the Waterford Place Condos.
He is now facing four counts of aggravated assault and is accused of murder, jail records show. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/midtown-atlanta-shooting-timeline/85-8dc6c910-e26e-4f18-879f-ca90455adb43 | 2023-05-04T23:39:11 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/midtown-atlanta-shooting-timeline/85-8dc6c910-e26e-4f18-879f-ca90455adb43 |
ATLANTA — One day after a fatal mass shooting at a Midtown medical center led to a manhunt that crossed county lines, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum is sharing more details into the suspected gunman and the bravery of those who helped bring him into custody.
While Atlanta Police can’t share details that could compromise the case, they did confirm that Deion Patterson had an appointment at the office where the shooting took place, but the 24-year-old was running late.
Furthermore, Schierbaum explained that Patterson is not cooperating with APD investigators.
“Yesterday, at this very moment, was a time of uncertainty and fear in our city,” Schierbaum said.
The city is still healing less than 24 hours after Patterson was arrested for allegedly shooting five women at the 11th floor of Northside Medical Midtown at 1110 West Peachtree St. NW. One woman died from her injuries.
“The citizens of this city want answers, America wants answers, our officers our investigators are working to get the accurate picture of what would motivate someone to do what they did yesterday,” Schierbaum said.
Schierbaum believes metro Atlanta area is lucky more people weren’t shot and potentially killed, explaining that this situation could have been significantly worse. He credits the several agencies working together as a reason they were able to arrest the suspect before more people were hurt.
Schierbaum called it a "capable, competent and brave response" by law enforcement in a Wednesday evening press conference.
“You saw a lot of patches on the scene, you saw one focus, one mission of everyone that took the same oath to stop a very dangerous individual,” he said.
While the Midtown scene around the shooting is open like normal just one day later, those in the city will see more police there and throughout the city.
“You’ll see officers on patrol in vehicles, on foot, on bikes, just reassuring citizens," Schierbaum said.
The chief said besides police, the 911 operators, dispatch, firefighters and EMS personnel are the unsung heroes of the day -- and all were crucial in what led to the capture of Patterson without incident.
Still, with every active shooter situation there are lessons learned, so Chief Schierbaum said everyone from 911 operators to crime scene investigators are being asked to make notes on what worked and what could have been done better.
They will all turn that in for a debrief next week for further evaluation.
Schierbaum explained that there are three things you need to know to do to survive an active shooter.
“One, try to separate yourself as quickly as possible, effectively as possible by getting out of the building. If you can’t do that, shelter in place, barricade the door, and if that isn’t safe, you attack the person carrying out the attack,” he said.
During Wednesday's fatal shooting, Schierbaum said those who had the time to react did the right things.
“We had citizens that fled the scene, individuals that had taken shelter. [They] barricaded themselves in closets, in rooms, patient care areas, had fridges against the door, anything they’ve been trained to do,” Schierbaum said.
Schierbaum concluded by saying Atlanta is a much safer place today now that Patterson is off the streets.
Multiple police agencies and private companies offer active shooter training. For more information on what APD offers, click here. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/midtown-shooting-suspect-running-late-appointment-not-cooperating-with-police-atlanta/85-05a5dc6b-5673-4b78-8f67-f5fa249b191a | 2023-05-04T23:39:12 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/midtown-shooting-suspect-running-late-appointment-not-cooperating-with-police-atlanta/85-05a5dc6b-5673-4b78-8f67-f5fa249b191a |
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For 38 years, Raissa Marking struggled with a mental health diagnosis.
The deaths of three family members sent her spiraling. Marking’s depression was so deep she isolated herself from her family.
In late 2020, she sought recovery at the San Antonio Clubhouse, a nonprofit that helps adults diagnosed with mental illness. Today, she’s on the San Antonio Clubhouse board of directors.
“They helped me immensely,” Marking, 59, said. “The sense of community there was amazing. My life turned around because of that.”
Now, Marking is offering her experience as a team member of Divine Women, a new nonprofit on the East Side at 847 E. Drexel Ave. The team serves marginalized women who are survivors of sex trafficking, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health issues.
READ MORE: Personal growth as well as leafy greens thrive in San Antonio nonprofit’s new hydroponic farm
Divine Women falls under Form Communities, an umbrella organization that provides targeted resources, outreach programs and support services across the state.
Eric Estrada, executive director of Form Communities, said the program is an example of focusing on mental health outcomes. He said funds from Methodist Health Care Ministries and the city of San Antonio that support women and younger adults are funneled to the Divine Women program.
“The need is great across all sectors, and the approaches that we take are universal,” Estrada said. “There’s no limit to that. I believe that a lot of work we’re doing in the community is going to be based on the way that Divine Women is created. We’re trying to see how this kind of program can be re-used and re-designed for other communities as well.”
Members share their experiences with visitors, things they’ve overcome in a private space. The program is open to women of all ages Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mark Stoelje, peer specialist and consultant, said the concept is similar to services provided by the Clubhouse. Divine Women is one of the Clubhouse’s harbor sites that serve different populations in the city, such as the homeless and seniors.
“It’s about relationships and working together for a common purpose,” Stoelje said. “This is something that we can all benefit from.”
Angelina Guajardo, program director, and team member Sabrina Grijalva, 25, are trained as mental health peer support specialists. Grijalva said she’s also suffered from depression and can relate to women who may have anxieties. She said peer support is a way to share her story.
“The moment they hear you say, ‘I’ve been through that as well,’ it opens their eyes,” Grijalva said. “It’s making them feel that they matter in this world, to be seen and understood. They have a seat at the table. This is how we create change.”
Guajardo said she’s been through a relationship that involved domestic violence. She looks forward to helping others going through the same trauma.
“A lot of times, we forget about ourselves as women, that we’re people,” Guajardo said. “It’s a good thing to have other women going through the same things that you are going through.”
READ MORE: Commentary: Getting mental health treatment is more complicated than you think
Guajardo said a key point is that self-care is vital. She said they’re people like anyone else, women supporting women.
The program director said they’re creating a safe space where women can learn tools on stressful days. Even if women aren’t grappling with an issue, the staff welcomes them to help those who are struggling.
“Every one of us has been through something,” Guajardo said. “No one glides through life without problems. If I can change my life, anyone can.”
For more information about Divine Women, call 210-879-7209.
vtdavis@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/divine-women-east-side-san-antonio-17918402.php | 2023-05-04T23:40:50 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/divine-women-east-side-san-antonio-17918402.php |
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Architectural mockups are typically built to be seen, not touched.
But architecture students at the University of Texas at San Antonio created 3-D and floor plan models that were fingered, stroked and caressed by leaders of the local blind and visually impaired community — a group not normally afforded such consideration when it comes to building design.
“I was kind of surprised that they were focusing specifically on sight loss. Because that’s not something we generally come across,” said Wendy Walker, local chapter president of the National Federation of the Blind, which estimates more than 700,000 Texans are visually disabled.
READ MORE: UTSA gets green light for new downtown building
Walker, who has retinitis pigmentosa and gradually lost her eyesight starting when she was a teenager, advised 10 students on their conceptual designs for a theoretical health care campus near the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River, close to the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired.
The students also collaborated with the local American Institute of Architects chapter and disABILITYsa, a nonprofit advocacy group. They developed seven projects, individually or in pairs, and presented them this week at AIA’s downtown offices.
Neda Norouzi, assistant professor at UTSA’s School of Architecture and Planning, has led design courses since 2017 that center on special needs, including people who are deaf or autistic.
“But this is the first class that is solely focused on visual impairment,” she said. “These models are designed and built to be touched. We wanted to make sure individuals who are blind could touch them and then could understand them and tell us if we’ve done them correctly or if we need to change something.”
Justin Joyce, a senior, used foil for windows in his models, plus silk for a projection screen, wood for walls, chipboard for sidewalks and plastic for the nearby river, so people could literally feel their way through his design.
He conceptualized a “sharkfin” textured wall covering with a vibrating handrail in a two-building campus equipped with light and heat sensors and noise and vibratory devices to help with way-finding. Some of the features would connect with smartphone apps for the visually impaired.
“Say you’re a foot away from a doorway or a point of collision or a turning point, you’d get a little soft buzz on your hand to tell you something’s going to happen,” said Joyce, 32.
In previous projects, students worked through basic functions and aesthetics of designing a house or commercial structure. This one forced them to research specific needs of the blind and visually impaired and develop designs for a one-stop health center offering labs and clinics for services such as eye exams, checkups, occupational therapy and living skills.
“This is the first time we’ve had to kind of flip everything we’ve learned and think about the experience itself, versus the aesthetic appeal to kind of an ocular-centered world we live in,” Joyce said.
A more rounded design was produced by Chris Feyen, 33, a senior, and Cynthia Cuauro, 20, a junior. It had a central atrium providing an indoor-outdoor environment and adjustable lighting for the rooms without windows.
One challenge, they said, was imagining a building that serves a community with a broad spectrum of issues, including colorblindness and sensitivity to light as a result of brain injury.
“Everybody’s different. So the solution that fits one person isn’t necessarily going to fit another person,” Feyen said. “We thought, if we closed our eyes and we were walking into a room, maybe we would want it to turn gradually. So that’s where we came up with the circles. But to other people, that might disorient them, and they could get lost. So it was a game of trying to figure out what we believed would work the best way possible.”
“We really tried to think about all kinds of people, and how can we make this building help everyone with different kinds of problems,” Cuauro said.
“We really focused on that research, and I feel like it really showed in our building.”
READ MORE: UTSA students considering 'philosophy of space exploration'
Norouzi, who will grade the students' projects, said she hopes the course has taught them about design approaches for all ages and ranges of mobility.
“When you practice good design, it’s easy and useful for everyone,” she said.
Melanie Cawthon, co-founder and executive director of disABILITYsa, said it was encouraging that the students “dug down into the research” and could be part of a new generation of architects who will address a current shortage in accessible housing and structures.
“We’re looking at who are we going to include in the next hundred years in our community, and architecture really determines where people get to live,” Cawthon said. “Instead of adapting buildings after the fact, projects like this help to create environments where more of our community can participate.”
shuddleston@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/utsa-architecture-blind-18074392.php | 2023-05-04T23:40:56 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/utsa-architecture-blind-18074392.php |
Members of the legislature and participants put their helmets on Thursday as the Bicycle Coalition of Maine hosted its annual Bike Day outside at the State House.
The event helps raise awareness and concerns in legislation for those who walk and bike in Maine.
The event featured electric bike rides around the Capitol Building and the Kennebec River.
Members of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and the Department of Transportation also spoke on efforts related to bike and pedestrian safety, as well as infrastructure within the state.
Bicycle Coalition of Maine's community organizer Anne Marisic highlights the importance of safety measures for those who prefer bicycle as their primary mode of transportation.
"Getting the face time, really getting to talk one-on-one, giving people a good understanding of what is an e-bike, what work does the Bicycle Coalition do, how are we making roads safer. Showing people the educational component of things, letting them know what laws are out there and how they can be involved," said Marisic.
There are currently dozens of pedestrian and bicycle-related bills currently being debated by Maine Legislation, including age-appropriate traffic safety education, adding electric bikes to the efficiency Maine Trust Rebate Program and regulations on micromobility devices. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/bicycle-coalition-of-maine-hosts-annual-bike-day/article_24b70224-eace-11ed-aa65-73078d167753.html | 2023-05-04T23:41:01 | 0 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/bicycle-coalition-of-maine-hosts-annual-bike-day/article_24b70224-eace-11ed-aa65-73078d167753.html |
ELLSWORTH -- A former gubernatorial candidate charged with possession of images depicting child sexual abuse was sentenced today after changing his plea.
"I am embarrassed, ashamed, and deeply, deeply, sorry," said former gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler.
On May 4, Eliot Cutler pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of sexually explicit material of a child under 12 -- as part of a plea deal with the Hancock County District Attorney's Office.
Cutler will serve nine months in jail.
"This crime is not all of who I am, nor all of who I have been and will be. I will devote the rest of my years to making amends as best I can," said Cutler.
The 76-year-old former gubernatorial candidate will report to the Hancock County Jail on June 1.
Cutler ran for governor twice as an independent -- using his own personal wealth to finance both campaigns. He lost by less than two percentage points to republican Paul LePage in 2010 during a multi-candidate race.
Last year, Maine State Police say they found more than 80,000 sexually explicit files at Cutler's Brooklin residence.
He is sentenced to four years with all but nine months suspended -- not including time subtracted for good behavior.
"With the backlog of cases it's very unlikely this case would have been reached," said Robert Granger, prosecuting attorney. "I'd rather get the convictions on the four counts that we got today and the sentence we got today rather than never reaching this case."
After his release, Cutler will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life -- rather than the 10 years outlined in the draft sentencing agreement.
He will also be on probation for six years.
Additionally, he will pay the maximum $5,000 fine to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/former-maine-gubernatorial-candidate-eliot-cutler-gets-9-months-in-jail-in-guilty-plea-deal/article_e806ff2a-eac6-11ed-8371-a75ddca8afcc.html | 2023-05-04T23:41:07 | 1 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/former-maine-gubernatorial-candidate-eliot-cutler-gets-9-months-in-jail-in-guilty-plea-deal/article_e806ff2a-eac6-11ed-8371-a75ddca8afcc.html |
AUGUSTA -- "I ask the legislators, please don't do this to us," said Kris Doody, who is in favor of L.D. 1639
"Their interests are in money and shareholders, our interests as nurses at the bedside are in nurses and patients," said Mary Kate O'Sullivan, who supports L.D. 1639.
Nurses in favor and opposition of the proposed bill expressed their thoughts on it aiming to require a maximum patient-to-staff ratio of one-to-three.
Opponents say the rules are too rigid for some health care facilities and their staffing levels.
"We're very concerned about the inflexibility of that bill. Safe staffing is about so much more than ratio and numbers. We have to have the ability to flex up and down. We have to have the ability to access the environment. Nurses have to have that decision-making ability," said Mikele Neal, Associate Vice President of Patient Care Services for Women and Children's Services at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center
Nurses in favor say it would mean less strain on them.
"We don't have any say if we take on additional patients to our unit," said Kelli Brennan, a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center.
The language of the bill also says it "establishes a minimum direct-care registered nurse staffing requirements based on patient care unit and patient needs, specifies the method to calculate a health care facilities compliance with the staffing requirements, protects direct-care registered nurses from retaliation and includes notice, record-keeping and enforcement requirements."
At the rally ahead of the hearing, Northern Light Mayo Hospital E.R. Nursing Director Brent Watson explained why he is against the proposal.
"We want to stay flexible and we want provide the optimal care for our patients that are arriving through our doors and making sure we have the ability for nurses to critically think and make judgment calls to protect our community," said Watson."
O'Sullivan says this would help provide the best care for patients.
"It would be a dream for us to know that we're not going to be forced into situations that are unsafe where we have too many patients to take care of, patients that are too sick for us to adequately deliver care, the care these patients need," said O'Sullivan. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/nurses-gather-at-state-house-for-bill-to-mandate-staff-to-patient-ratios/article_74699bdc-eaca-11ed-8dde-ab13dd6e02ac.html | 2023-05-04T23:41:14 | 1 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/nurses-gather-at-state-house-for-bill-to-mandate-staff-to-patient-ratios/article_74699bdc-eaca-11ed-8dde-ab13dd6e02ac.html |
Arizona gas prices remain steady while other states see significant decrease
Gas prices have remained steady in Arizona, unlike the national trend where some states have seen an up to 12-cent decrease.
Arizona's gas price average remained at $4.70 per gallon as of Thursday, the same as last week's average, according to data from AAA. The state is only 14 cents away from surpassing California's gas prices, which are the highest in the nation.
A month ago, however, Arizona gas prices sat at an average of $4.30 a gallon, so the rise has been a significant increase for commuters across the state.
What is the national average gas price?
The U.S. national average gas price is $3.57 per gallon, about a 6-cent drop since last week. Arizona's prices topple a full dollar and some change over that.
The West Coast leads the nation with the most expensive gas prices, especially California at $4.84 a gallon. Following shortly behind Arizona is Washington in third place at $4.59 per gallon, a 13-cent increase since last week, according to AAA.
What is the average gas price in Arizona?
The average gas price for Arizona is $4.70 per gallon, according to data from AAA.
This time last year, the state's gas price average was at $4.58 per gallon, not far behind this week's average.
Where is the least expensive gas in Arizona?
The most expensive gas statewide can be found in Maricopa County with an average of $5.04.
Residents of Phoenix, Mesa, the West Valley and the East Valley can expect to pay that amount. The least expensive area within Maricopa County is Phoenix-Mesa, where residents can expect to pay $5 at the pump. Scottsdale is the most expensive, coming in at an average of $5.10 per gallon.
Prices begin to decrease outside of the Phoenix area. Pima County is right behind the high cost of gas in Maricopa County with an average of $4.74. Flagstaff's average is $4.34 and Tucson sits at an average of $4.73.
Gas within Cochise County averages at $3.92 per gallon, making it the least expensive area to get gas in the state. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/05/04/gas-prices-remain-steady-in-arizona-unlike-national-trend/70185300007/ | 2023-05-04T23:43:32 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/05/04/gas-prices-remain-steady-in-arizona-unlike-national-trend/70185300007/ |
$50K Powerball ticket purchased in Phoenix; jackpot increases to $87M
A $50,000 winning Powerball ticket remains unclaimed in Arizona after Wednesday night's drawing.
Arizona Lottery officials said the ticket, purchased from a Phoenix QuikTrip at 4015 E. Cottonwood Lane, hit four of the five numbers as well as the Powerball, narrowly missing the then $71 million jackpot.
The winning numbers for Wednesday's draw were: 21, 26, 30, 45, 47 with a Powerball of 23. The Power Play was 3x.
When is the next Powerball drawing?
The next Powerball drawing will be held on Saturday, May 6 with an $87 million pot up for grabs.
How to play Powerball and win a prize
In order to win a prize, you only need to match one number, but it has to be the winning Powerball worth $4.
Each ticket costs $2 to enter the drawing. If you add the Power Play option for an additional $1 you can win up to 5 times the amount of your non-jackpot winnings.
The Arizona Lottery has a "Where to Play" map that folks interested in participating can use to find the nearest store to purchase tickets.
What is the Powerball cut-off time in Arizona?
You can buy a ticket for the Powerball up until 6:59 p.m. Arizona time on draw nights, from the second Sunday in March to the first Saturday in November. That changes to 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on draw nights from the first Sunday in November through the second Saturday in March.
This is due to daylight saving time, which other states participating in the Powerball observe, unlike Arizona.
Reporter Raphael Romero Ruiz contributed to this article. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/05/04/50k-powerball-ticket-purchased-at-phoenix-quicktrip/70185705007/ | 2023-05-04T23:43:38 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/05/04/50k-powerball-ticket-purchased-at-phoenix-quicktrip/70185705007/ |
Three players to watch in Eddy County during the state baseball and softball championships
The Carlsbad Cavemen and Cavegirls and the Artesia Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs host first round of the 5A and 4A state baseball and softball playoffs this weekend.
Here are three players who could have key roles during the postseason.
Faith Aragon, Carlsbad Cavegirls pitcher
Senior Faith Aragon could be considered one of the cornerstones of the Cavegirls softball team who hosts Rio Rancho Cleveland Friday night. Aragon has a 12-1 pitching record with an earned run average of 0.79.
She has pitched 71.1 innings and has walked 17 batters and struck out 137 during the regular season.
Aragon is also a threat at home plate she has a .671 batting average with 11 homeruns and 47 runs batted in.
More:Faith Aragon's pitching and hitting leads Cavegirls softball past Artesia Tuesday night
Haiven Schoolcraft, Carlsbad Cavegirls pitcher
Senior pitcher Haiven Schoolcraft compliments Aragon in the pitching circle and at bat.
Schoolcraft is 10-1 with an earned run average of 2.53 in 58 innings pitched. She has walked 35 hitters and struck out 85, as a hitter Schoolcraft has a .397 average with six homeruns and 34 runs batted in.
Hannah Martinez, Carlsbad Cavegirls shortstop
The senior has a strong defensive game with an .864 fielding average and has only committed six errors in 26 games.
As a hitter Martinez has a .527 batting average with nine homeruns and 39 runs batted in.
Mack Mabrey, Carlsbad Cavemen pitcher, infielder and outfielder
The senior is a double threat for the Cavemen in the playoffs. As a pitcher Mabrey is 4-2 with a 4.08 earned run average. He has pitched 34.1 innings with 34 walks and 62 strikeouts.
As a hitter, he has a .362 batting average with six homeruns and 26 runs batted in.
Dylan Salcido, Carlsbad Cavemen pitcher and infielder
The senior has four appearances on the pitching mound this year with a 1-0 record.
Salcido has an earned run average of 1.97 with seven walks and 11 strikeouts.
As a hitter Salcido has a .462 batting average with one homerun and 17 runs batted in.
Tristen Thomas, Carlsbad Cavemen pitcher and outfielder
As a pitcher the senior is undefeated with a 9-0 record and a 2.09 earned run average. Thomas has walked 25 hitters and 87 strikeouts.
As a hitter, Thomas has a .381 batting average with two homeruns and 34 runs batted in.
More:Artesia Bulldogs defeat Carlsbad in final non-district baseball game for both teams
Davian Molina, Artesia Bulldogs pitcher and outfielder
As a pitcher, he has a 5-1 record with a 2.92 earned run average. This season Molina has walked 14 batters and struck out 59.
As a hitter Molina leads the team in hits with 31. He has a .397 batting average with three homeruns and 23 runs batted in.
Jack Byers, Artesia Bulldogs pitcher
The freshman has had an impact on the Bulldog baseball team this season with a 5-1 record and a 1.92 earned run average. He has walked 24 hitters and struck out 61.
Diego Samora, Artesia Bulldogs infielder
The senior leads the Bulldogs in runs scored with 23. He has a .292 batting average with 10 runs batted in.
Jenna Whitmire, Lady Bulldogs outfielder
The freshman leads the team in batting average at .489 and she leads the team in on base percentage at .540. She has three homeruns and 18 runs batted in.
Kayden Apodaca, Lady Bulldogs pitcher
The freshman has an 8-3 record with a 2.38 earned run average. She has walked 17 hitters and struck out 32.
As a hitter, Apodaca has a .440 batting average with eight homeruns and 32 runs batted in.
Perseis Aguilar, Lady Bulldogs catcher and infielder
The junior has eight homeruns for the Lady Bulldogs this season. She has a .427 batting average and drove in 35 runs.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter. | https://www.currentargus.com/story/sports/local/2023/05/04/three-eddy-county-baseball-softball-players-to-watch-during-playoffs-high-highschool-sports/70171926007/ | 2023-05-04T23:47:07 | 0 | https://www.currentargus.com/story/sports/local/2023/05/04/three-eddy-county-baseball-softball-players-to-watch-during-playoffs-high-highschool-sports/70171926007/ |
‘Hazmat situation’ shuts down I-40 westbound lanes at Arizona-California state line
Westbound Interstate 40 was closed at the Arizona-California state line due to a "hazmat situation" in the Golden State.
It wasn't immediately clear what the hazmat situation consisted of, but the Arizona Department of Transportation said it closed the westbound section on the Arizona side to help mitigate traffic headed into the closure in California.
"Depending on where motorists are coming from, they can take westbound SR 68 and get into California via Nevada. Or they can get into California via SR 95 in Parker," ADOT told The Arizona Republic.
The eastbound lanes were unaffected according to ADOT, but there was no estimated time to reopen the westbound lanes.
The Arizona Republic reached out to Caltrans for details on the hazmat situation, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
Traffic conditions can always be checked at az511.gov to stay up to date.
No other information was released.
This is a developing story. Check back to azcentral for updates. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-traffic/2023/05/04/hazmat-situation-shuts-down-interstate-40-at-arizona-california-state-line/70185878007/ | 2023-05-04T23:52:27 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-traffic/2023/05/04/hazmat-situation-shuts-down-interstate-40-at-arizona-california-state-line/70185878007/ |
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa City Council voted unanimously late Thursday morning to spend $100,000 on purchasing a historic Black cemetery from an investor who outbid the city for the land in an online foreclosure auction.
Council members approved an agreement to purchase Memorial Park Cemetery from Alexis Arteaga of 2714 West Sligh LLC, whose winning bid of $18,000 plus about $12,000 in additional fees made him the rightful owner of the property with thousands of graves.
"It never should have happened, and we need to find ways to never allow this again," said Michelle Patty, a local radio host and community activist who spoke before Thursday's vote.
"It's straight-up extortion what has taken place. The monies is really more than what should be paid, but we have to give people a piece of mind about their loved ones that is out there, those lost souls," she said.
The cemetery went to auction after the city of Tampa foreclosed following the owner's death in 2019. Mayor Jane Castor told 10 Investigates the estate was not interested in deeding the property to the city, so foreclosing was the only way to take ownership.
The foreclosure triggered a January auction that lasted less than four minutes.
Records show the city placed a blind bid of about $9,800, but Mayor Castor said it appears no one was monitoring the auction.
"We could have gone higher, clearly not knowing that there were other individuals bidding on that," she told 10 Investigates earlier this year.
For months, negotiations between the city and Arteaga stalled. He said the city was offering what he paid for the property, but he believed it was worth more.
Arteaga initially told 10 Investigates he considered rejecting the city's offer, "No, I probably won't accept it."
He said he would like to get a third-party appraisal of the site before further considering an offer.
The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser had a $100 assessed value of the cemetery. A spokesperson said it looks at the percentage sold versus the percentage vacant, and if there is still vacant land, then there is still value. However, the land for the cemetery was "sold out" in 2010, meaning there is no more vacant land or inventory to increase value.
Ray Nugent, principal of Tampa-based ValuePros, said there is a strong argument for it not having a higher assessed value.
"The property really can't be used for anything else," he said. "I don't know an appraiser that would even take this on."
Arteaga told 10 Investigates he did not initially know the land was a cemetery when he placed his online bid. He said he only looked at the acreage.
Hillsborough County's foreclosure sale site warns bidders it is their responsibility to research the properties they want to buy. Properties are posted weeks in advance of the sale so that there is enough time for bidders to do their due diligence.
“This is the final resting place for many of Tampa’s forefathers and foremothers, so the City of Tampa needed to do whatever we could to ensure this property receives the care, maintenance, and dignity that it deserves,” Mayor Jane Castor said in a statement on Thursday.
“It was always protected from development, but City ownership should ease people’s concerns about a real estate speculator owning it. I appreciate the City Council’s vote, and I know the community does too.”
Emerald Morrow is an investigative reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. You can also email her at emorrow@10TampaBay.com. To read more about the search for lost African American burial grounds in the Tampa Bay area, head to wtsp.com/erased. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/city-of-tampa-reaches-agreement-to-buy-memorial-park-cemetery/67-d92cdb61-13a7-418b-a37e-843cc5145354 | 2023-05-04T23:59:17 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/city-of-tampa-reaches-agreement-to-buy-memorial-park-cemetery/67-d92cdb61-13a7-418b-a37e-843cc5145354 |
RUSKIN, Fla. — Hillsborough County deputies have arrested a man they say killed a man whose body was found burning in an open field last month in Ruskin.
The investigation began just after 8 a.m. on April 15, when a 911 caller said they drove by what looked like a mannequin with an arrow in its back burning in an empty field off of 14th Avenue.
Once fire rescue crews put out the blaze, investigators determined that the "mannequin" was actually a dead body with a "large, bladed weapon" in his back.
The sheriff's office said the man was so badly burned, he was not able to be immediately identified. But a paystub with his name on it was found close by.
Medical examiners later found what appeared to be tape around the man's right arm and a belt around his ankles. These findings, along with the knife in the back, led the sheriff's office to determine this was a homicide.
Detectives spoke to multiple witnesses, including the man's wife who reportedly said her husband had left for work the previous morning, Friday, April 14, and did not return home, which was not normal.
They also interviewed three other men who worked with the victim and were out drinking with him that Friday night, an arrest affidavit says. According to the document, investigators spotted the men on surveillance footage between 2:30 and 3 a.m. on Saturday in the victim's truck at multiple Hillsborough County gas stations.
On April 21, detectives interviewed 20-year-old Christian Alvarez, who told them he, the victim and another man went to a bar on the night of April 14.
Alvarez said he witnessed the other man kill the victim, tape the body up, pour gasoline on it and light in on fire in the field, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit says after Alvarez was read his Miranda rights, he admitted to hitting the victim at least three times in the stomach and helping load the body into the truck to be moved to the field.
Alvarez was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence relating to a capital felony. He is being held in the Hillsborough County Jail on Falkenburg Road on a $600,000 bond. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/body-burning-ruskin-field-murder-homicide-arrest-investigation/67-1d596f48-e429-4541-86ff-8906cf963a45 | 2023-05-04T23:59:23 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/body-burning-ruskin-field-murder-homicide-arrest-investigation/67-1d596f48-e429-4541-86ff-8906cf963a45 |
MYAKKA CITY, Fla. — Over the years, it has been a challenge for Manatee County law enforcement agents to access outdoor training opportunities nearby.
But now, the county will soon have its own law enforcement training ground and shooting range.
Local leaders broke ground on what they said would be a state-of-the-art facility. They also said it would save officers and deputies from spending their own money on self-improvement training.
"When it comes right down to it, what police officers do all day long is drive which creates a huge liability for the agencies," Law Enforcement Academy director at Manatee Technical College Jay Romine said.
The Law Enforcement Academy at Manatee Technical College entered a partnership with the Bradenton Police Department to build the state-of-the-art facility outdoor firing range and driving pad.
"We're going to have a driving pad, firing range, and a shoot house which will have movable walls on the inside so we can do simulation training in the building, searches, building clearing," Romine said.
Currently, Manatee County's law enforcement agents have to use private facilities for training, or go to Pinellas or Sarasota counties, to utilize the designated law enforcement ranges.
"Not only are our new recruits going to be able to get that in the Police Academy right in their own backyard, but so will we," Bradenton police chief Melanie Bevan said.
The facility will serve agencies like Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Holmes Beach and Palmetto Police Department, as well as, state and federal law enforcement.
"You're going to have police officers out there serving and protecting you that have better training," Bevan said. "They don't have to travel hours upon hours to go to different adjoining counties to get the kind of training that should be offered in our region because we're big enough."
The 35-acre land on Taylor Road in Myakka City was donated by the city of Bradenton. The land was initially purchased for wastewater treatment uses that ended up not happening.
"This facility will give them training that they might not get easily instead of on the job which sometimes we know that's when they have to make a life and death decision," Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said.
The State of Florida provided $2 million in grants towards the project while the School District of Manatee County contributed $2 million also.
Aside from basic training opportunities, the facility will also have spaces to simulate de-escalation techniques. The timeline for completing the project is expected to last 18 months. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/manateecounty/manatee-county-new-training-ground-for-law-enforcement/67-4a851047-56ba-4b84-a57e-c197bca7890f | 2023-05-04T23:59:29 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/manateecounty/manatee-county-new-training-ground-for-law-enforcement/67-4a851047-56ba-4b84-a57e-c197bca7890f |
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — A 22-year-old Wesley Chapel man was arrested Tuesday for making threats to "shoot up" his former university, according to a news release from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The university says Jonathan Andrew Zheng was arrested at his Pasco County home after allegedly posting on a Reddit message board that he planned to “shoot up the school.”
Campus authorities were alerted about the message around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, the university says.
The message, which was posted by Zheng using an anonymous username, contained additional threats but has since been removed from Reddit.
The news release says the arrest resulted from coordination between the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and the University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD).
"UIPD quickly obtained digital evidence associated with the post and determined that it originated in Pasco County, Florida. UIPD coordinated with PSO, and PSO deputies made contact with Zheng at his Florida home," the news release reads.
The Pasco Sheriff's office says Zheng told deputies that he wrote the post.
Accoridng to the university, Zheng was previously dismissed from the school, yet the reason behind the dismissal is unknown. The school says his student record cannot be made available.
“There were a lot of moving parts to this investigation in a very quick timeframe,” said U. of I. Police Chief Alice Cary. “For one thing, we had an observant community member who immediately reported alarming social media content.”
The university says community members are the first line of defense against violence.
“Police investigators acted quickly to identify the person responsible, and law enforcement cooperation extended beyond state lines,” Cary said. “Everyone involved recognized the seriousness of this threat and acted immediately to keep our campus community safe.” | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pascocounty/pasco-man-threatens-school-shooting/67-16a70036-8fad-4ee3-bd6a-f6505f2dcc79 | 2023-05-04T23:59:35 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pascocounty/pasco-man-threatens-school-shooting/67-16a70036-8fad-4ee3-bd6a-f6505f2dcc79 |
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