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A National Grid worker was injured by an electric shock while working in Dolgeville yesterday.
It happened at the intersection of East Spofford and South Main streets around 10:15 a.m.
National Grid spokesperson, Jared Paventi, sent NewsChannel 2 the following statement:
“...there was an incident at a company worksite that resulted in one of our employees being injured. Our focus and thoughts are on the well-being of our colleague. The safety of our employees continues to be our top priority and we will be conducting a review of the incident.”
The worker is expected to recover. | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/national-grid-employee-injured-while-working-in-dolgeville/article_e6779850-f0d3-11ed-a54d-57a9056f08f6.html | 2023-05-12T16:11:53 | 0 | https://www.wktv.com/news/local/national-grid-employee-injured-while-working-in-dolgeville/article_e6779850-f0d3-11ed-a54d-57a9056f08f6.html |
Construction has begun on Mission94, described as an indoor firearms education center, on the Pritzker Military Archives campus in Somers, with a groundbreaking ceremony held Thursday morning.
The facility, located at 1487 120th Ave., will be 21,650 square feet, with 15 firing lanes including 10 pistol range lanes at 25 yards, and five rifle range lanes at 50 yards.
Mission94 will have soundproofing and a modern air filtration system.
According to planning documents, all lead bullets will be mined annually and treated as recycled waste.
Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2024, weather permitting.
Local officials gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking Thursday which featured comments by Jennifer Pritzker, founder and chair of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. A retired lieutenant colonel, she emphasized the importance of firearm education, both to better understand military history and to increase gun safety.
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“This one-of-a-kind facility will be dedicated to educating everyone, from first-time owners to those who use firearms daily in their profession,” Pritzker said.
Although Mission94 sits on the same land as the Pritzker Military Archives Center, it is not the same company as the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. However, the two organizations share similar missions around history and education.
“We’re going to have a close relationship with Mission94,” Pritzker said. “You want to be a member of both.”
Chris Meters, development facilitator for Misssion94, spoke about the projects broader goals.
"This is not simply a groundbreaking for the Mission94 firearm education center, but we hope a groundbreaking for the future of the entire firearms industry and our community as a whole," Meter said.
Beyond being an indoor firearm training and education facility, Pritzker discussed the historical aspect of Mission94. The facility will offer patrons the opportunity to fire historical replicas and modern military firearms, including black powder firearms.
“With a military museum, it’s extremely useful, even essential, to study the implements of warfare,” Pritzker said. “What was it like for the minutemen to fire a flintlock rifle? We’ll have a replica. When you handle an actual weapon, you understand it.”
Pritzker’s own interest in firearms and military history go back to her childhood, spending countless hours learning about weapons.
When she first learned to fire weapons, Pritzker said she learned the importance of following proper procedures, and her understanding of weapons and firearms would only grow during her time in the military.
The archive and Mission94 follow both her interests and the lessons she learned during her lifetime researching and working with firearms and military equipment.
Somers Village President George Stoner said the project was one of the reasons he chose to run again for president. He said he pushed for an emphasis on gun education for the project.
“This is amazing, totally amazing,” Stoner said. “I’m hoping this is going to be a destination in Somers.”
Construction on the nearby Pritzker Military Archives is ongoing, with previous estimates predicting completion by late 2023 or early 2024.
The archives center, designed by the architectural firm Jahn, will provide space to restore, preserve and store collections of books, artifacts and other historical materials. The center will also feature a 9,400-square-foot gallery. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/construction-begins-on-firearm-training-and-education-facility-mission94-in-somers/article_3fefdb44-f026-11ed-80d4-5b025e4a5322.html | 2023-05-12T16:16:02 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/construction-begins-on-firearm-training-and-education-facility-mission94-in-somers/article_3fefdb44-f026-11ed-80d4-5b025e4a5322.html |
Gas prices have been headed down across the country in recent weeks, but they have barely budged in Arizona, where filling up will cost you more than $1 more per gallon than the national average.
So, what gives?
Industry analysts say a confluence of factors, including the annual shift to summer gas blends, tight pipeline capacity and refinery shutdowns, have contributed to Arizona’s stubbornly high gas prices of late.
The average price of regular unleaded gas across Arizona was $4.68 per gallon on Thursday, down about 3 cents in a week but still up 26 cents from a month earlier, according to AAA data.
In contrast, the national average gas price on Thursday was $3.54 per gallon, down about 3 cents in a week and about 7 cents less than a month earlier.
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The difference is even more stark in Tucson — which before the recent run-up typically had the cheapest gas in the state.
The average gas price in the Old Pueblo on Thursday was $4.70 per gallon, down about 3 cents in a week but about 44 cents higher than the prior month.
Statewide, gas prices in Arizona are now a couple cents more than a year ago, when gas prices were spiking in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Nationally, a recent decline in the price of crude oil — which represents about 60% of the retail cost of gasoline — has helped tamp down prices.
But beyond oil prices, regional factors including fuel supply chains and demand have much to do with what motorists pay at the pump.
Capacity crimp
In Arizona, a combination of factors — some long-term, some short-term — have kept gas prices higher than the nation recently, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for the online gas-price tracking site GasBuddy.
First, the two major fuel pipelines serving Arizona — one from the west connecting refineries in California to Phoenix and Tucson, and an eastern pipeline bringing products from refineries in New Mexico and Texas — are reaching their capacity limits because of increased demand driven by rapid population growth, De Haan said.
“Pipelines have not been able to keep up with the increase in population, so there's not enough pipeline capacity to bring the gasoline in to the number of people, in Phoenix especially,” he said.
Maricopa County led the nation in numerical population growth in 2022, adding nearly 57,000 residents for an increase of 1.3% as of July 1, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Pima County added about 12,600 residents in 2022, up about 1.2%.
That tight pipeline capacity only exacerbates problems when supplies are disrupted through things like refinery shutdowns.
Refinery repairs
Right now, part of the problem is that two refineries that supply Arizona with fuels from the East have been shut down at the same time for maintenance, further crimping supplies.
Except when down for maintenance, oil refineries run 24 hours a day, every day. Arizona has no operating oil refineries.
AAA Arizona spokesman Julian Paredes cited the maintenance closures of refineries in El Paso, Texas, and Artesia, New Mexico, as a major factor in Arizona's gas-price surge.
“That affected the supply of gas across the entire state, and especially for the Pima County area, but the state average has at least stabilized and isn't creeping higher for now,” Paredes said.
Refinery outages in California were blamed for a rapid run-up in Arizona gas prices last fall, creating wide disparities in prices even across Tucson as some stations sold off fuel purchased at a lower cost and others were forced to raise prices.
De Haan said refineries nationwide typically shut down in the spring for maintenance, but the eastern refinery shutdowns come as supplies from California have been limited.
“Most refineries do maintenance ahead of the start of the summer driving season, to make sure they're they're ready for summer,” he said. “The problem is then, with the lack of refineries from the east, an inability to ship more product from the west.”
Compounding the problem is the fact that many refineries put off maintenance last year amid low pipeline capacity, making this year’s maintenance work more extensive, De Haan said.
“Many deferred last year's maintenance to this year, and this is the price,” he said. “There's just not much you can do about it, grin and bear the price.”
Blends dilemma
Making matters worse, De Haan said, is that the supply issues are coming as Arizona and California shift to summer gasoline blends with ethanol required under environmental laws to reduce air pollution, particularly in Maricopa County.
In the winter months, gas retailers in a designated area including Maricopa County and small parts of Pinal and Yavapai counties must sell a special “Cleaner Burning Gasoline” or CBG blend specified by the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Tucson and the rest of the state are not subject to those requirements and so non-CBG may be sold there.
In the summer months — from the end May to the end of September — the Maricopa County area gets a different required CBG blend, while another designated area comprised of sections of Pinal County including Casa Grande gets its own state-required blend.
Meanwhile, California switches to an entirely different blend, which also affects the regional market, De Haan said.
The transition generally starts in March, De Haan explained, as temperatures warm and pipeline operators are purging their pipelines of winter gas, since pipelines can only carry one formulation at a time.
“The complexity is that as the transition is starting, there are several different requirements in use across the state,” De Haan said, noting that the changeover to different formulas is generally done in steps.
“But when you lack pipeline capacity from the West, and then refineries go down that supply the market from the East, and then you have all the fragmented rules on what types of gasoline (is required), that can lead to an explosive environment, which is exactly what we saw across Arizona,” De Haan said.
Some relief seen
Motorists should see some relief in the near term as the refineries resume production, De Haan said.
“The transition to summer gasoline is basically behind us, so that that simplifies the situation and that's why we are starting to see prices ease a little bit,” he said. “The price of oil has gone down somewhat, so there's been other factors that have helped to tip the scales, and now we are starting to see slight price improvements.”
AAA’s Paredes said any price break may be short-lived.
“When the Texas and New Mexico refineries come back online, which is expected soon, and normal supply lines return, you can expect Arizona gas prices to be more in line with the national average,” Paredes said. “However, this comes just before Memorial Day travel, which marks when gas prices go up anyway.”
Looking ahead
De Haan said Arizona could face similar supply issues next spring, though it’s somewhat unusual for two major refineries in the same region to be shut down for maintenance at the same time.
“This is a problem that could repeat itself, this run up, in the spring because the ingredients are still going to be there next year for the same problem,” he said.
Meanwhile, a longer-term solution to Arizona’s fuel-capacity issue may be in the works.
Kinder Morgan, which operates the fuel pipelines serving Arizona, is considering a major expansion to its pipeline leading from El Paso to Tucson to boost capacity, De Haan noted.
In April, the Houston-based pipeline company began soliciting comments and commitments from fuel shippers in support of the proposed expansion, which it says will be scaled according to demand.
De Haan said policymakers also could ease the supply situation by standardizing CBG requirements.
As it is, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets and enforces clean-gas standards except in a dozen states — including California and Arizona — that have regulations that are more stringent than federal rules.
Policymakers could help consumers save money by standardizing clean-burning gas formulas nationwide, or at least among states that share supply pipelines like California and Arizona, which would save consumers money, De Haan said.
“This would save motorists nationwide, if there was one standard, it doesn't matter where it's produced or where it goes, it can be used interchangeably,” he said. “This fragmentation between types of gasoline even in Arizona is just the dumbest idea we've ever had — politicians have no idea of that complexity they're introducing."
“When there's enough pipeline capacity, nobody notices it because the system's running, but when things break, then suddenly we realize the complexity of the system that has been created,” De Haan said.
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/subscriber/heres-why-gas-prices-in-tucson-and-across-arizona-remain-high/article_1726daa6-eea4-11ed-b49e-9fe7ab5d7a8e.html | 2023-05-12T16:18:37 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/heres-why-gas-prices-in-tucson-and-across-arizona-remain-high/article_1726daa6-eea4-11ed-b49e-9fe7ab5d7a8e.html |
Calvin Hoang has always had dreams of opening a boba shop in Tucson.
"One of the main reasons I am so passionate about opening a boba shop is because my family has always loved it," Hoang said in a message to #ThisIsTucson. "I grew up enjoying boba with my family and it has been a beloved drink among all of us."
Last month, Hoang opened Miss Dessert in midtown Tucson — a small chain born in the Phoenix area known for its Hong Kong-style desserts and boba drinks.
Hoang, who is also the local owner behind two Tucson locations of the buzzy Two Hands Corn Dogs, is Miss Dessert's first franchisee. Find Miss Dessert
at 1800 E. Fort Lowell Road, just down the street from Hoang's first Two Hands location.
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The menu has 17 drinks to choose from — milk tea with purple sticky rice, brown sugar lattes, a shake blended with avocado and Greek yogurt, and teas blended with fruit or prepared with cheese cream on top. There are nearly as many toppings as there are drinks, from crystal boba to coconut jelly.
"I want to share this love and appreciation for boba with others in the community," Hoang says.
What really makes the menu stand apart, though, are the desserts — all 17 of them.
There's soft and creamy shaved ice snow topped with sticky rice and green tea ice cream, or bowls with fruit, jellies and colorful little spheres that taste slightly like mini mochi. You can also opt for crepe pancakes in mango or durian flavors.
Hoang's favorite is the Mondo Mango with its sticky rice and chunks of mango swimming in vanilla snow. The customer favorite so far has been the Mojo Mix, which comes with fresh fruit and sticky rice pellets.
Hong Kong desserts also shine across the menu of dessert shop Nomico, 595 E. Wetmore Road — an international chain whose first U.S. location was in Tucson. Steps away from Nomico is The 81 Hong Kong Cafe, 625 E. Wetmore Road, known for its staples like dumplings and sesame chicken. The local eatery also has a menu of desserts — think sticky rice with mango pudding or tofu pudding served with red bean and taro pastes atop.
Miss Dessert is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. For more information, visit their Instagram page. | https://tucson.com/news/local/this-new-spot-serves-hong-kong-desserts-and-lots-of-boba/article_9ad081d6-ee8b-11ed-b5ce-cb165322e9a7.html | 2023-05-12T16:18:38 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/this-new-spot-serves-hong-kong-desserts-and-lots-of-boba/article_9ad081d6-ee8b-11ed-b5ce-cb165322e9a7.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writers:
With finals approaching quickly and summer following behind it, the dramatic ebbs and flows of the stressful school year are never more apparent than in May. The semester seems slow and grueling at times, yet once the ink has dried on a final paper, it seems like it only just started. Along with the rapid learning pace of the school year come intermittent breaks, holidays and lapses in time that every student looks forward to.
It is obvious to students that stress comes and goes in predictable cycles. Start and end of semester, spring break, fall break, summer, finals, midterms, they all represent a peak or a valley. Many universities, the University of Arizona included, have begun to take steps to address times of increased stress, especially following unforeseen events on campus, but what about the predictable events?
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Research into this area is noticeably lacking, making the job on campus mental health services that much more difficult. They are essentially flying blind and attempting to render care where needed; however, this does not have to be the case. Campuses around the country and the world are perfect environments to test and learn about cyclical forms of stress, how it manifests, the impact on individuals, and how to address it.
Efforts of implementing a strong support foundation for the students will display great impact. In fact, meaningful resources put towards answering these questions would greatly reduce resource loss on campus. Mental health resources could be planned out in advance and rolled out in a timely fashion to meet excess demand. Complaints and excuses that would typically go to professors or deans might be avoided or reduced, lessening the burden on teaching faculty.
It is extremely present in that with high stress comes low performance and inadequate care for oneself. Students should be properly supported during the times when their academic performance impacts their lives and futures the most, empowering them to perform better on tests and projects. Even the faculty and research labs on campus would benefit by opening up a new frontier of research and potential studies with accessible study populations and straightforward study design.
While school and college are particularly salient examples (Arizona is home to more than half a million college students), there are plenty of other professions and populations that would benefit from added support at particular times of the year. Family care physicians can expect an influx of patients during flu season, firefighters can expect more work in the hotter months, those working in popular tourist destinations experience serious peaks and valleys in tourism throughout the year, those in the business sector have quarterly deadlines and the stock market schedule to consider, the list goes on and on.
Employee retention and satisfaction from a base of knowledge about acute cyclical stress can be improved from the business side but the biggest winners by far will be individuals.
About 1,099,000 adults in Arizona are experiencing a mental illness while 619,000 of those are not receiving treatment for their mental illness. There is a stigma on discussing mental health issues in the workplace and even in the academic environment which causes a negative impression and seen as a weak trait to be on those talking about their mental health.
That said, people tend to internally deal with their stress which increases harm to their well-being. That’s why mental health days should be offered in professions and for students. Arizona lawmakers are currently attempting to implement mental health days for students.
As the population of collegiate student bodies grows and the pressures of newfound innovative endeavors within college environments expands, the need for expanded counseling and mental health services cannot be understated. Lawmakers and community leaders should continue to fight for access to services and perhaps educate the populace on the concerns related to improper treatment of mental health issues.
Jonah Vega-Reid, Kavina Kamkhanthee, Jack Picton, Ty Coen, and Anne Miller are MPH students at the University of Arizona Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-acute-cyclical-stress-where-is-the-research/article_7795582c-ee9a-11ed-9de2-ffcf6f777d35.html | 2023-05-12T16:18:39 | 1 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-acute-cyclical-stress-where-is-the-research/article_7795582c-ee9a-11ed-9de2-ffcf6f777d35.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Republican politicians who take absolute positions on three issues — abortion, gun control and election denial — are turning off voters. This is the one of three opinion pieces, each exploring one issue that has made Republicans vulnerable.
Tragedy upon tragedy in our country has not kept gun rights from being a winner for Republican politicians who adhere to an absolutist interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Yet even on this most solid of issues for Republicans, support is ebbing:
A Gallup poll released in February showed a record 63% of U.S. residents dissatisfied with gun laws, wanting them stricter. The satisfaction number was 34%, which was tied for the lowest on record.
Even Republicans are losing zeal for no limits on guns: 54% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were very or somewhat satisfied with gun laws, down from a record 70% in 2019 and 59% last year in Gallup’s annual polling on the issue.
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Support for absolutism is eroding, even as Republican politicians cling to it, exemplified in Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett’s comment after the March 27 Nashville school shooting that killed six.
“It’s a horrible, horrible situation, and we’re not going to fix it,” Burchett said.
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, where mass shootings in the towns of Uvalde, Cleveland and Allen have stunned the nation, said no gun law changes were planned.
Why? Why won’t they act for the growing numbers of Americans sickened and fearful at what a wide-open interpretation of the right to bear arms has brought us?
Conservative journalist Charlie Sykes, editor-in-chief of The Bulwark website and former talk-show host, explains:
“For years, Republicans have effectively outsourced their thought leadership to the loudmouths at the end of the bar. But perhaps the most extreme example of that trend has been the issue of guns, where the party has ceded control to a gun lobby that has built its brand on absolutism.”
Absolutely, it’s absolutism. It still works in many places, but even in conservative Tennessee, a recognition that something needs to give has come about. Sort of.
After Republicans in the state House could no longer tolerate being called out for their inaction in the wake of the Nashville school shooting, they settled it — or thought so — by expelling two African-American Democratic legislators.
The fallout included accusations of authoritarianism, racism and backlash votes in Nashville and Memphis to return the evictees to their rightful seats.
Then, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he would sign an order strengthening background checks, and he called on legislators to draft an “order of protection” law to keep guns away from people judged to be threats to themselves or others.
Alas, Republicans stopped it by deciding, in a combination of cowardice and legerdemain, that they would end their session early. It’s typical of what politicians will do to protect political power and gun rights.
In Arizona, no such shenanigans have occurred. Rather, Republican legislators have bulldozed bills allowing people with permits to carry loaded guns on college campuses and other school grounds; legalizing silencers; barring cities from prohibiting gun shows; banning banks from not doing business with firearms entities; and requiring public schools to provide firearm safety training.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed all of those bills, something her two most recent predecessors, both Republicans, would not do when the GOP-controlled Legislature pushed its gun-rights-at-all-costs bills.
Responding to one veto, the National Rifle Association said: “This veto highlights how defending the Second Amendment is a never-ending task. Law-abiding gun owners must remain vigilant and continue to work to elect officials who will uphold their rights.”
That statement, in turn, highlights the absolutism of the gun lobby and the never-ending task of opposing its and the current Supreme Court’s Wild West interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Given the recurring tragedies and resultant decline in gun rights support, Republican politicians may soon face a reckoning over their stance as they continue seeking election.
Michael A. Chihak is a retired newsman. He lives in Tucson. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-gun-rights-could-take-down-republicans/article_e8e8b50e-ef63-11ed-a00d-dfb401038919.html | 2023-05-12T16:18:39 | 0 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-gun-rights-could-take-down-republicans/article_e8e8b50e-ef63-11ed-a00d-dfb401038919.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
In the Red States, it appears that good old-fashioned Republicans have been (or are about to be?) cast aside, thrown out with the trash. In his article on May 5, Jonah Goldberg explained that the MAGA party has no use for GOP Republicans. This appears to be emerging as a war between the two parties grows. The recent rise of the MAGA party evidences this. This party has a very different set of values and priorities than traditional Republicans.
This has caused a growing divide between the two parties, and many traditional Republicans are beginning to feel increasingly sidelined and left out of the conversation. Sane, experienced GOP members are overlooked (except Lindsey Graham — the Faust of American politics) by the media for words from Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert or Jim Jordan. This helps to get their message through while stifling saner, wiser minds. As Americans who follow politics and believe in democracy, we often feel frustrated.
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The conflict is over long-established, definitive political protocols, negotiations and compromise (GOP) and radical “my way or the highway-isms” (MAGA). During his four years as president, No. 45 introduced the latter. Their autocratic inciter does nothing but rant, rage and insult any and every person, concept of governance or idea, which he hates because he didn’t think of it first. He has no ideas. He does not know how to lead.
In four years, his most significant achievements were a tax cut for the wealthy and allowing COVID-19 to move forward in the way it did. The “best defense is a great offense.” All No. 45 says is, “That’s a scare tactic by the radical left.” His supplicants fall to their knees, forgetting this man has done nothing he promised or claims he’s accomplished for the “people.”
He performs his antics to make more money personally. Fundraisers are well-known as where he “earns his salary.” So, first, he raises millions for a nonexistent “Legal Defense Team.” Then, he stiffs attorneys who assist him, each naively believing they’re the ones who will be paid (including attorneys who help him from paying previous lawyers who helped him).
The radical right worships him because he’s an outlandish comical character, comparable to Superman’s “Mr. Mxyzptlk.” No substance, just mischief leading to catastrophe, including a battle that almost kills the entire Universe. Hey, it’s a comic. No. 45 is real and wants to complete his mission.
With a society used to the problems of the world being handled by a single “hero” on TV, in “Marvel” or “Mission Impossible” movies, comic books and video games and with the “characters” in both Houses of Congress, it’s difficult to remember — this is real.
Sheldon is a long-time Tucson resident. He is a history and politics researcher and writer. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-maga-party-members-are-not-republicans/article_f8d16a46-ef69-11ed-acc4-0fb8a68ac90b.html | 2023-05-12T16:18:57 | 0 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-maga-party-members-are-not-republicans/article_f8d16a46-ef69-11ed-acc4-0fb8a68ac90b.html |
VALPARAISO — A 49-year-old Valparaiso man was sentenced to 10 years behind bars and labeled a sexually violent predator after pleading guilty to repeatedly molesting an 8-year-old Jackson Township girl, who came forward about the abuse as a result of a body awareness lesson in school, records show.
Kevin Herbert is also required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and have no further contact with the girl during his sentencing period, according to the order issued by Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary DeBoer.
Police said in January 2022 that the girl leveled the accusations against Herbert, who was a visiting family member.
Herbert, of Mokena, Illinois, initially denied the claims, saying he thought the girl was making the accusations for attention, according to charging documents.
"He stated that he felt for Victim 1 because she is the forgotten child," police said.
Herbert was charged with three felony counts of child molesting and one count of felony vicarious sexual gratification, court records show. One of the molestation charges, which alleges that Herbert penetrated the girl, carried a potential prison sentence of 20 to 40 years.
He pleaded guilty to one of the felony counts of child molesting in return for prosecutors dismissing the remaining counts, records show.
The abuse occurred between Aug. 6, 2021 and Nov. 29, 2021, official said.
The girl told investigators one incident occurred as she was under a blanket with Herbert while watching a movie in the living room of a house, police said. Herbert had claimed he was cold and put a blanket over them even though the girl did not think he was cold.
"Kevin did not speak about it when this was happening," the girl reportedly told investigators. "After the movie was over, Kevin pretended like nothing ever happened."
"John stated he was more worried about the damage to his vehicle and bonding his son out of jail."
The girl further accused Herbert of touching her inappropriately and having her touch him when they were in a pool and hot tub, a charging document states.
She described another incident when she was molested by Herbert while watching a movie in the home, police said.
When interviewed by county police, Herbert reportedly told them he would have his arm around the girl while watching movies and may have touched her bare stomach or her side.
Herbert was unwilling to call the girl a liar and when asked if he touched the girl as alleged, he said, "Not like that," police said. When asked if he could have unintentionally touched the girl as accused, he reportedly said, "Anything is possible."
"Kevin denied intentionally doing it, if he did," a charging document states.
When asked if he thought the girl was making up the allegations, Herbert responded, "It certainly as hell does not sound like she is making things up," police said.
"Kevin advised he wants Victim 1 to be OK, he wants to be OK, and he wants to 'put this behind us,'" Herbert reportedly told police. "He indicated that he doesn't know what to say."
Gallery: Recent arrests booked into the Porter County Jail
Porter/LaPorte County Courts and Social Justice Reporter
Bob is a 23-year veteran of The Times. He covers county government and courts in Porter County, federal courts, police news and regional issues. He also created the Vegan in the Region blog, is an Indiana University grad and lifelong region resident. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/valpo-man-given-10-years-labeled-violent-predator-for-repeatedly-molesting-8-year-old-records/article_139d3700-f0c9-11ed-ba10-77f97a0a0182.html | 2023-05-12T16:27:44 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/valpo-man-given-10-years-labeled-violent-predator-for-repeatedly-molesting-8-year-old-records/article_139d3700-f0c9-11ed-ba10-77f97a0a0182.html |
GREENSBORO — A staff member was injured in an altercation Thursday at Southwest Guilford High, according to Guilford County Schools.
"An altercation at Southwest Guilford High between three individuals resulted in a threat being made by a student and a staff member was injured," a district spokeswoman said in a written statement.
"The individual who made the threat has been identified and will face appropriate consequences."
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Extra High Point Police officers came to the campus to assist with the investigation and remained through dismissal. The school is at 4364 Barrow Road in High Point.
Other details of the incident were not immediately available.
This is a developing story. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/education/southwest-guilford-high-school-fight-altercation-threat-injured-hurt-guilford-county-schools/article_e26e14e8-f0db-11ed-8c51-4b85357969ef.html | 2023-05-12T16:32:19 | 1 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/education/southwest-guilford-high-school-fight-altercation-threat-injured-hurt-guilford-county-schools/article_e26e14e8-f0db-11ed-8c51-4b85357969ef.html |
SEATTLE — The warm weather this weekend doesn’t mean the water is warm in western Washington. From lakes to rivers, the temperatures are frigid and can cause cold water shock.
The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Marine Rescue Unit said there have already been drowning deaths this year.
The cold temperatures restrict breathing and lower your blood pressure. If a person is not wearing a life jacket they can then drown quickly.
“It causes you to gasp and panic a little. So that's a risk," KCSO deputy Matthew Martin said.
Martin said the cold temperatures can be dangerous for even the best swimmers.
Water advocates said now is the time to pull out the life vests to check if they’re ready to go. That checklist includes making sure they fit and checking that there are no holes in them.
"It should be as synonymous as putting on a seatbelt,” the founder of the water safety organization No More Under Chezik Tsunoda said. “When you get in a car you buckle your seat belt. When you're headed to the water, particularly open water, you put on your life jacket."
It is also important to ensure accessories are ready to go. For example, check that you have a leash for your paddleboard.
Tsunoda said 13 people on boats died from drowning in Washington in 2022. Just under 80% of the victims were not wearing life jackets. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/safety-advocates-warn-cold-water-shock-warm-weekend-western-washington/281-358a01f6-5ea5-4bd4-8144-1bec2b455516 | 2023-05-12T16:37:23 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/safety-advocates-warn-cold-water-shock-warm-weekend-western-washington/281-358a01f6-5ea5-4bd4-8144-1bec2b455516 |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A group called Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) says Kansas casino workers are fighting to end smoking inside casinos.
CEASE says the Kansas employees are worried about their health. So they will work to close the loophole in Kansas laws that allows smoking in casinos.
“We are joining our peers from across the country and launching CEASE Kansas to demand a clean and safe working environment for the thousands of workers who are the backbone of the gaming industry,” Joe Hafley, founder of CEASE Kansas, said in a news release.
Hafley is a casino security officer.
“Even if I’m not stuck on a gaming table like some of my coworkers, I’m still forced to breathe secondhand smoke throughout my shift and go home smelling like cigarettes,” he said.
He said CEASE Kansas has already been successful in getting several lawmakers to cosponsor legislation to close the casino smoking loophole, and it passed the Kansas Senate in April.
According to CEASE, Kansas is one of about a dozen states still allowing smoking in casinos.
“Casino workers all over the country are sick and tired of risking our health over the false perception that casinos will make more money by allowing the outdated practice of indoor smoking,” Pete Naccarelli, a co-founder of CEASE, said in the news release. “We shouldn’t have to endure dangerous secondhand smoke, putting our lives on the line every day simply to make a paycheck and support our families. No casino in America should have indoor smoking, period.”
CEASE cites a report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming that found that adopting smoke-free policies no longer causes a dramatic drop in gaming revenue.
“Non-smoking properties appear to be performing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking,” the C3 Gaming report says.
CEASE says that engineers who design ventilation systems do not believe the systems significantly reduce the health risks of smoking.
We have reached out to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to get its response to CEASE Kansas. We will update this story if we hear from the commission. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/kansas-casino-workers-want-ban-on-smoking-in-casinos/ | 2023-05-12T16:37:26 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/kansas-casino-workers-want-ban-on-smoking-in-casinos/ |
TACOMA, Wash. — At least one teenager has been hospitalized after an early-morning house fire in Tacoma.
The teenager was transported to Harborview Medical Center (HMC), but no information was available on their condition or gender. HMC is the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center and verified burn center in the state of Washington. A public information officer from HMC later confirmed to KING 5 that the teen is in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit.
One other teenager was transported to an area hospital, but KING 5 has not confirmed their condition or where they were taken to.
11 people were in the house at the time of the fire along with one dog.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-house-fire-2-teens-hospitalized/281-aa33f800-1c5a-4c76-badf-073552e80ba6 | 2023-05-12T16:37:29 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-house-fire-2-teens-hospitalized/281-aa33f800-1c5a-4c76-badf-073552e80ba6 |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A 33-year-old Wichita man died after his motorcycle crashed in a work zone in west Wichita.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said Ryan Tholen was driving his bike “at a high rate of speed” on Interstate 235 around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.
Troopers say Tholen was southbound in the left lane as he approached a 50 mph construction zone south of the I-235 and Kellogg interchange. There has been nighttime construction in that area.
According to the KHP, the motorcycle swerved into the closed right lane and struck a cut-out section. Troopers say Tholen lost control, and the bike struck another cut-out section at milepost six.
Tholen was thrown from the bike. He was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/motorcyclist-dies-in-west-wichita-crash/ | 2023-05-12T16:37:32 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/motorcyclist-dies-in-west-wichita-crash/ |
AUBURN, Wash. — A driver going the wrong way on State Route 18 late Thursday night struck and killed another driver, the Washington State Patrol said in a memo on Friday morning.
The collision occurred just before midnight, as one vehicle was traveling westbound on SR 18 in the eastbound lanes just east of 312th Street. That vehicle struck another head-on, causing the victim's car to strike a barrier and come to rest in a lane.
A third vehicle drove over debris and punctured a tire. The driver of the third vehicle was not injured.
The roadway was blocked for just under four-and-a-half hours while crews tended to the scene.
The driver of the vehicle causing the collision, a 38-year-old Bellevue man, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.
The 27-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene. WSP identified the person who died as Karl R. Ortiz of Gig Harbor.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/wrong-way-driver-fatal-collision-sr-18/281-9e48ff7e-ac30-4941-90ac-9883a27d1e6d | 2023-05-12T16:37:35 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/wrong-way-driver-fatal-collision-sr-18/281-9e48ff7e-ac30-4941-90ac-9883a27d1e6d |
Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, sending nine workers to a hospital and causing a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.
Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m. at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. The city of Deer Park said in an advisory that there was no shelter-in-place order for residents.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said earlier in the day that five contracted employees were hospitalized for precautionary reasons, adding that they were not burned. He said they were taken to a hospital due to heat exhaustion and proximity to the fire.
Shell Deer Park officials said on Twitter Friday night that they were continuing to respond to the fire, all workers were accounted for and nine workers had been released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations.
Nothing exploded, Gonzalez said, although the sheriff's office initially responded to emergency calls saying there was an explosion.
As of Friday evening, the fire was still burning but had died down and was contained, Gonzalez said.
The cause of the blaze was still being investigated. The fire started while the olefins unit was undergoing routine maintenance. Air monitoring for any impact from the fire was ongoing, and had not detected any harmful levels of chemicals, Shell Deer Park said.
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"There is no danger to the nearby community," the post said.
The fire started at about 2:56 p.m. in the facility's olefins unit. The product that ignited includes cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline, Shell Deer Park said.
“The cause of the fire will be the subject of a future investigation, and our immediate priorities remain the safety of people and the environment,” facility officials said.
Shell was conducting its own air quality monitoring, but the city has yet to receive an update, said Kaitlyn Bluejacket, a spokesperson for Deer Park.
The city was advised by Shell that there was no need at the time to shelter in place, but that the city would update residents if that changed, Bluejacket said.
Fire crews from the Deer Park facility and nearby plants responded.
Wind conditions were favorable for fighting the blaze, although temperatures soared to near 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) in the Houston area, but high humidity made it feeler hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius.)
Harris County Fire Marshal Captain James Singleton said his office would be in Deer Park through the weekend investigating.
“You’re looking at a large number of people that need to be interviewed,” Singleton said. “Everyone who was at the unit at the time of the fire, the controllers, management, anybody that called 911."
Houston meteorologists said the smoke plumes were visible from space via satellite.
Facility fires are not uncommon in the area, with the strong presence of the petrochemical industry. In March, an explosion and a fire erupted at a facility owned by INEOS Phenol in nearby Pasadena, Texas, leaving one injured.
A fire in 2019 at a facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company burned for days and though it caused no injuries, it triggered air quality warnings. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/9-hospitalized-after-fire-at-shell-chemical-plant-near-houston-sheriff/3251838/ | 2023-05-12T16:38:52 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/9-hospitalized-after-fire-at-shell-chemical-plant-near-houston-sheriff/3251838/ |
A North Texas father-daughter duo used a popular DNA testing kit to unlock a medical mystery.
They learned he was switched at birth more than 70 years ago.
Andy Perkins credits his daughter, Candi Summers, for rooting out a medical mix-up that changed the course of his life. She had given gave him an ancestry DNA testing kit for his 70th birthday as part of her years-long project to map out the Perkins family tree.
When her father's results came in, there was not a single reference to any other Perkins, not even his own parents. As she continued digging for answers into her father's roots, the last name "Robinson" started appearing.
"I was comparing that to my Perkins family tree and these families were living in a lot of the same geographic areas at the same time, but I could not find a connection," said Summers.
"I had no surnames in common with any of those family trees and I was like, 'that's impossible,'" she added.
She had finally gathered enough evidence, including DNA test results from various family members, to conclude that her father wasn't biologically related to anyone with the last name of Perkins, not even the couple who raised him.
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"It was really scary because I didn't know what it meant. Also, just having that information that doesn't tell you how it happened, who his biological family is, what's even going on. It's just more questions," said Summers.
In search of answers, Candi referred back to a copy of her father's birth announcement from 1950, printed in a local newspaper.
Two babies were born one day a part in that small New York hospital. Those two babies were named Andy Perkins and Phillip Robinson.
"At that moment, it really snapped for me because all of a sudden, I was like, 'he was accidentally switched to birth in the hospital.' That was the light bulb," said Summers. "I absolutely knew I needed to tell my dad."
Perkins said he didn't believe his daughter at first.
However, she had researched his biological mother and was about to find a picture of her to show to her father.
"I cried the instant I saw that picture. I knew she was my mother," said Perkins. "I had her hair and her profile. She was my mom. It was really special. It still gets me. It was one of the most special moments of my life," he said.
Perkins says he had always felt there was something different about him growing up.
"I never felt like I belonged. I used to joke with people and show them a picture of my family and say, 'who doesn't look like the other?' said Perkins.
He has blue eyes and light colored hair, compared to the rest of his family, whose features included brown eyes and dark hair.
He also said his interests and characteristics were different than his siblings.
"I have been in therapy many times over my identity and as I look back, I had the same identity problems that many adopted children have, except I knew I wasn't adopted," he added.
Never could he have imagined he was switched at birth.
Both he and Summers believe it was a pure accident but the revelation meant they had an entirely different family, who had no clue of their existence.
That was about to change.
Ready to meet their new family, Summers made and shared a video with some of the Robinsons whom she had contacted during her detective work.
Word quickly got to Andy Perkin's biological sister Sally Holley in Colorado.
"It was absolutely shocking to me," said Holley about receiving the news.
She says her brother Phillip, the other baby born the same time as Perkins, had died of cancer when he was just 6 years old.
Perkin's biological parents had also passed away a few years back.
Holley was the first blood relative to meet her long-lost brother.
"It was the most bizarre, crazy, exciting thing to see this brother, who reminded me of my mother, reminded me of my father, was about the same size as one of my brothers. It was just a wild feeling, and emotional," said Holley.
Perkins has now met all of his siblings.
In fact, the Perkins and Robinsons have begun annual family reunions.
Perhaps the other most challenging part of the revelation was sharing the news with Shirley Perkins, the mother who raised him.
"We told her everything that was going on, showed her pictures. She just, she had dabbed her eyes a few times and she said, 'well, isn't God good?' That was her reaction," said Perkins.
Her reaction, he said, added to the sense of peace Perkins now feels about the accidental mix-up at birth.
"I have two huge, wonderful families. I'm just so blessed," said Perkins.
Historians say incidents of babies being switched at birth were likely more common than most think, but it's impossible to know how often it happened. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/after-70th-birthday-grand-prairie-man-discovers-he-was-switched-at-birth/3251912/ | 2023-05-12T16:39:05 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/after-70th-birthday-grand-prairie-man-discovers-he-was-switched-at-birth/3251912/ |
The Arlington Independent School District Board of Trustees, at its May 4, 2023 meeting, voted unanimously to name Dr. Michelle Cavazos from Gregory-Portland ISD, as their finalist for superintendent.
Dr. Michelle Cavazos is slated to replace retiring Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos.
The current superintendent and the finalist for the superintendent position have no relation to each other.
"We are excited to welcome Dr. Michelle Cavazos to Arlington ISD," said Arlington ISD Board President Melody Fowler. "She will bring her unique vision, creative new ideas and leadership strategies to our district and the community."
Before being named Superintendent for Gregory-Portland ISD in July 2020, Michelle Cavazos served as chief officer of school leadership and academics in the Austin ISD, director of secondary education in Shertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD, and has 16 years of experience serving as principal at elementary, middle and high school grade levels.
She attended the University of Northern Iowa and received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and another in Spanish Teaching. She earned a master's degree from the University of Houston in Administration and Supervision and her doctoral degree from Texas State University in School Improvement.
"I am thrilled and honored to join the Arlington ISD family to support and extend the district's tradition of excellence and innovation. I look forward to getting to know everyone while working collaboratively with our committed Board of Trustees, staff, families, and the community to further advance our district for our students.
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"My husband and I are looking forward to making Arlington our new home."
Dr. Michelle Cavazos has a son and daughter in Austin and another son in college in New York.
The Board is scheduled to vote to offer Cavazos a contract to become superintendent after the 21-day waiting period.
CENTER TO BE NAMED FOR DR. MARCELO CAVAZOS
Earlier Thursday, the board approved the naming of the Center for Visual and Performing Arts as the Dr. Marcelo Cavazos Center for Visual and Performing Arts.
The new name was unveiled at the retirement celebration for Cavazos Tuesday night at the CVPA by board president Melody Fowler.
“This facility is available for students at any of our schools, but it’s also open for the community to enjoy professional art exhibits, theater shows and performances here in the concert hall,” Fowler said. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/arlington-isd-names-finalist-for-superintendent/3251184/ | 2023-05-12T16:39:18 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/arlington-isd-names-finalist-for-superintendent/3251184/ |
You have to be smart to take AP classes in high school. Oforitsenere Bodunrin is that smart. The Arlington Martin High School senior is getting ready to graduate at the top of her class, but she stands out for more than her grades.
"I'm 14," Bodunrin said smiling. "I don't really like to be like, 'Hey I'm 14! This is amazing! This is great!' I just like to talk to people normally and if they find out, they find out."
"I think that says a lot about how she carries herself," Arlington Martin High School AP Art History teacher Elizabeth Osbourne said. "The way she behaves and acts, she's very mature for 14."
Bodunrin's fast track is remarkable; everywhere but in her own family.
"Because my sister did it, like, 4 years ago," Bodunrin said.
Older sister Fifehanmi graduated from the same high school at the same age. Now 18 years old, she's getting ready to graduate from LeTourneau University this year.
"I kind of, like, look at her as inspiration to really see, so I can kind of visualize, like, how it's going to be for me," Bodunrin said. "I really just want to travel a lot and see the world."
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"I love the fact that she says she wants to travel, 'cause I'm like, 'Yes! Go experience the world,'" Osbourne said. "You're young. Literally!"
Bodunrin isn't just academically driven. She is also president of the Key Club, editor for Martin School News, historian for the Black Student Union, and has a second-degree black belt in the martial art of Tang Soo Do; just to name a few.
"Surround yourself with people that encourage you and, like, surround yourself with people that have similar goals to you," Bodunrin said. "But also, like, don't shut people out just because you don't think that they fit your criteria."
Bodunrin has plans to attend UT Arlington in the fall to study computer science and aviation. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/arlington-martin-high-school-senior-set-to-graduate-at-14-years-old/3251829/ | 2023-05-12T16:39:25 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/arlington-martin-high-school-senior-set-to-graduate-at-14-years-old/3251829/ |
Carter In The ClassroomFocusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/north-texas-classroom-learns-vocabulary-on-a-different-level-2/3251883/ | 2023-05-12T16:39:31 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/north-texas-classroom-learns-vocabulary-on-a-different-level-2/3251883/ |
Carter In The ClassroomFocusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/north-texas-classroom-learns-vocabulary-on-a-different-level/3251812/ | 2023-05-12T16:39:38 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/north-texas-classroom-learns-vocabulary-on-a-different-level/3251812/ |
There's a lot of edification in Jana Fulbright's classroom at Spring Creek Elementary in the Richardson ISD.
Students are using their iPads to go on virtual field trips around the world and work on their knowledge of different types of butterflies and how they grow.
"This butterfly is indigenous to Florida, so it's native to Florida," said Fulbright.
But butterflies are not why we're here today. It's more about the discussion around them. While this looks like a second-grade classroom, it sure doesn't sound like one. You see, Fulbright slips in big words into her lesson whenever she can.
"You need to be meticulous with that," she told her second graders.
"I'll start using a bigger word and by the time I'm using it as an SAT vocab word, they already have it in their schema, so they already have an idea of what it is and how to pronounce it," she said.
And if you think this is some kind of gimmick or it's just her thing? Well, let's have a colloquy, or conversation, with the students about their favorite vocabulary words.
Carter In The Classroom
Focusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed.
"Don't be ambiguous. Ambiguous means unclear," said one student.
"Our desks aren't so catawampus," said another. Catawampus means off-center.
Student Kiera Cretcher told us learning new vocabulary words is one of her favorite things to do.
"You can surprise grownups like at our houses and they're so surprised to know such high vocabulary," said Cretcher.
Big words, math, and entomology (the study of insects), Fulbright mixes it all in there. The kids love it but try hard not to be too loquacious. It means talkative.
It's just another way teachers plant seeds and cultivate learning, goodness knows, anyone can learn in this classroom full of perspicacious pupils. Perspicacious means having insight or understanding. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/when-second-grade-sounds-like-senior-high-school/3251715/ | 2023-05-12T16:39:44 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/when-second-grade-sounds-like-senior-high-school/3251715/ |
Some services and websites were still crippled Friday in the third day of a ransomware attack on the Dallas City Government.
No one has publicly revealed the ransom that’s being demanded to end the attack or whether any ransom has been paid. Experts said the demand could be very expensive.
Computer dispatch was still down in the Dallas 911 call center. Police and firefighters were sent to calls by radio using paper and pencil for addresses.
Code enforcement and other non-emergency response to 311 calls were delayed.
City water bill payments were impacted. Disconnections were canceled.
The city website offered some information about meetings but little more.
“According to this government alert a few months ago, this group asked their victims for between one and ten million dollars in bitcoin,” said Kevin Collier, an NBC News reporter on cyber security issues.
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Southern Methodist University cyber security expert Mitch Thornton agreed the ransom demand could be that large.
“It certainly is within the range of what I’ve heard from these ransoms,” Thornton said.
City officials have said the attack is from a group called Royal. In a statement late Friday, the city said city information technology employees and vendors have worked to contain the virus and restore service. The statement said progress has been made but recovery is ongoing.
Outside experts said the Royal ransomware has been evolving as defense efforts worked to stop it.
Training warns employees not to click on suspicious emails that could unleash ransomware.
Thornton said corrupt online ads can now be a culprit in a scheme called “malvertising.”
“There’s increasingly better screening in our email readers so these threat actors can get around that by placing these ads on web pages when you are browsing around,” he said. “I’m not saying that’s what happened here but there have been cases of the Royal ransomware being distributed through these malvertisments.”
“Ransomware is becoming really big amongst hackers because it works; because people really do pay the ransoms,” said Paul Bischoff with the cyber security website Comparitech.com.
His site published a list of $70 billion worth of U-S government ransomware payments reported between 2018 and 2022.
“Our estimates are probably a lot lower than what is really happening because people are not reporting it to the FBI,” Bischoff said.
The extortion threat could be public release of seized confidential information or stopping service delivery, which has occurred in Dallas.
“Ransomware actors are using multiple extortion types,” Thornton said.
According to NBC 5's media partner The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Central Appraisal District paid over $170,000 to end a Royal ransomware attack that lasted for months, crippling the organization's public access website.
“Cyber criminals are likely based in Russia. If they were based in the United States we could put handcuffs on them quickly, but they’re not. We have no access to them so it’s much more difficult to shut them down,” Collier said. “It’s largely Russian organized crime extorting Americans essentially daily and there’s not a ton of recourse.”
The Dallas City Council Public Safety Committee is due to receive a report on the attack Monday but since it is an ongoing investigation that may include ransom negotiations, much of it will likely occur in a closed-door executive session.
The agenda for that meeting was available online Friday.
Here is additional information the City of Dallas released about the attack Friday:
911 and 311 calls are being answered and Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue are being timely dispatched by radio.
For residents with non-emergency needs, 311 is still taking service requests by phone but the OurDallas app and online portal are temporarily unavailable. Another option is service in person at City facilities during regular business hours.
Sanitation collection remains on schedule and disposal sites are operational during regular business hours. If service is missed, please call 311.
Dallas Water Utilities service is unaffected, and disconnections are discontinued until the outage is resolved. Statements may be paid by mail; however, for those who prefer to pay in-person or online, late fees will not be charged for payments that cannot be processed until service is restored. DWU autopay will draft when service is restored. If you have questions or need assistance, please call (214) 651-1441 or walk into the water lobby at City Hall Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Office of Community Care clinics for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) are open and providing benefits. Vital Statistics is issuing records, but to ensure any records sought are available before you arrive, please call 214-670-3092.
Dallas Public Library branches are open, operational, and can check out media to residents with a library card; however, residents with media due to be returned are asked to hang on to it a little longer. There will be no late fees charged for materials due during the service outage. Digital media is also available via Hoopla and Overdrive. Internet-connected computers may be limited, so users in need of online device access should call ahead to their respective branch.
Dallas Animal Services continues handling adoptions, fosters, rescues, and returns to owners in-person on a case-by-case basis at 1818 N. Westmoreland Road, 75212.
Code Compliance is issuing garage sale permits only in-person at their headquarters at 3112 Canton Street, 75226.
While pages on the City’s website are being restored, Special Events permit requests may be submitted through the following direct links:
- Special Event, Commercial Promoter, and Fair Park Parking License Application
- Street Pole Banner Application
- Commercial Filming
- Neighborhood Market
Development Services can review paper plans for walk-ins at 320 E. Jefferson Blvd., 75203 during regular business hours. However, while Permitting, Public Works, and Zoning application and payment systems are offline, submissions cannot be received or approved. This is a dynamic situation, and patience is appreciated while we focus on expediting full-service restoration.
Municipal Court remains closed Monday, May 8. There will be no court hearings and no trials. Cases scheduled during this outage will be reset, and updates will be mailed. Citation payments and documents due while Municipal Court is closed will be accepted after service is restored.
Please note, no one from the City of Dallas will reach out to members of the public to ask for payment in person or by phone. Never give out your password or payment information by phone or through an email link.
To protect against cyber threats please install the Dallas Secure app on your iOS or Android device. If you are contacted by someone seeking payment who claims to be from a City of Dallas department, please take note of the number they are calling from and the number they reached you on, then hang up and call the City of Dallas department they claim to be from to report this potential impersonation. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/city-of-dallas-continues-battling-ransomware-attack-for-third-day/3251877/ | 2023-05-12T16:39:51 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/city-of-dallas-continues-battling-ransomware-attack-for-third-day/3251877/ |
The building lights in downtown Dallas will glow red Friday in observance of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, a day calling attention to the high rates of homicides and violence toward American Indian and Alaska Native women.
Organizers say red is the color chosen to memorialize those who are no longer with us.
At least eight buildings in the Dallas skyline will take part, joining observances around the country, including at the White House, on May 5. Dallas buildings participating include the Omni, 17 McKinney, One Arts Plaza, KPMG Plaza, 1900 Pearl, Lincoln Tower, Bank of America, and AT&T Building.
The National Crime Information Center reports that, in 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls, though the US Department of Justice's federal missing person database only logged 116 cases. MMIW is an international grassroots movement that was started to bring awareness to the alarming rate at which Indigenous women and girls go missing and are murdered and the lack of police response when it occurs.
The day of observance, according to the DOJ, is also to shine a light on other forms of violence, including sex trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault, affecting Native communities throughout the United States.
May 2023 will be the third consecutive year that MMIW-TX Rematriate has worked with businesses and buildings to Turn the Sky Red in Dallas.
"I think about how red is sacred and that in those moments of viewing the red, we are close to those who are no longer with us and that I hope we continue to honor them in all the work we do." Jodi Yellowfish, Chairman of MMIW-TX Rematriate. We invite everyone to venture out on the evening of May 5 2023 to view the Skyline. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-skyline-turns-red-friday-for-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women/3251752/ | 2023-05-12T16:40:16 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-skyline-turns-red-friday-for-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women/3251752/ |
Airports are good places to people watch. That was especially true Thursday, May 4, at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's Terminal D.
"Who's here?" Tai Vu asked a fellow passenger with her iPhone poised to snap a photo. "Darth Vader," she replied. "Is he a rapper?" Vu asked. "No. He's from Star Wars," the woman said.
"Pretty amazing when you see the look on their faces," Rebecca Price said. Price is North Texas Squad Leader of the 501st Legion, the cosplay Storm Troopers who accompanied Darth Vader on his stroll through Terminal D.
"May the 4th, oh my gosh," DFW traveler Janell Haynes said as she realized the date. "May the Fourth be with you! That's why everyone is in that!"
The airport arranged the surprise visit for Star Wars Day to spread a little sunshine on what was a cloudy day.
"It's just nice to see people be surprised and light up and smile," DFW Airport Media Relations Manager Cynthia Vega said. "It really is what we're all about."
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Darth Vader and an army of Storm Troopers stopped to pose for photos with fans along the way.
"It's actually pretty fun to see something like that in the airport," Haynes said. "Something different. Not mundane airport."
That was DFW International Airport's goal. "Mission accomplished," Vega said.
Before Darth Vader and the 501st Legion left, they helped guide an incoming American Airlines flight to the jetway, with passengers' faces pressed to the windows.
"Spread a little Star Wars joy," Price said. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dfw-airport-celebrates-star-wars-day-with-storm-troopers-and-more/3251082/ | 2023-05-12T16:40:22 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dfw-airport-celebrates-star-wars-day-with-storm-troopers-and-more/3251082/ |
MODESTO, Calif. — A person was killed in a solo vehicle crash Friday morning in Modesto.
It happened around 1 a.m. on the L Street off-ramp from southbound SR-99. The person was driving a 1995 Toyota sedan when they lost control and rolled over striking a tree. California Highway Patrol says the vehicle then caught fire.
The passenger, identified as 30-year-old Kevin Nakhiengchanh of Modesto, was able to exit the vehicle with moderate to major injuries and was taken to a hospital.
The driver was trapped inside the vehicle and ultimately died from their injuries. They have not been identified yet, but CHP says they believe the driver was a woman.
According to CHP, neither the driver nor passenger were wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The crash is still under investigation and it is unknown at this time if alcohol or drugs are a factor.
Watch more from ABC10: Study: Small cars lack good protection for rear-seat passengers | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/1-killed-in-rollover-crash-modesto/103-fb09a19b-50a5-4217-a717-addcb0d30662 | 2023-05-12T16:40:42 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/1-killed-in-rollover-crash-modesto/103-fb09a19b-50a5-4217-a717-addcb0d30662 |
STOCKTON, Calif. — The Stockton Police Department is investigating after a 13-year-old boy was shot and killed early Friday morning.
According to a news release, it happened around 2 a.m. in the 800 block of Flint Avenue.
Police arrived at the scene and found a 13-year-old boy with gunshot wounds. He died from his injuries.
It is being investigated as a homicide and no suspect information is available yet.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Congressman calls for FBI help amid increase in San Joaquin County copper wire thefts | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/13-year-old-killed-in-stockton/103-83cdfd0c-5d80-440b-a1a3-00eea6365f90 | 2023-05-12T16:40:48 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/13-year-old-killed-in-stockton/103-83cdfd0c-5d80-440b-a1a3-00eea6365f90 |
A man's body was found inside a storage unit as firefighters battled a fire at a storage facility Thursday night, according to the Denton Fire Department.
Firefighters were called to the Storage Zone in the 600 block of South Mayhill Road just before 8 p.m. and found heavy smoke. They had to cut into several units to find the source of the fire. Firefighters say the extensive amount of stored contents made fighting the fire extremely difficult.
Crews also reported hearing explosions while fighting the fire according to the Denton Fire Department.
While firefighters worked to contain the fire, a man's body was found inside one of the units.
Flames gutted at least eight units at the storage facility.
Denton fire investigators along with Denton Police and the Denton County Fire Marshal's Office continue to investigate. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/firefighters-find-mans-body-inside-denton-storage-unit-during-fire-fight/3251405/ | 2023-05-12T16:40:49 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/firefighters-find-mans-body-inside-denton-storage-unit-during-fire-fight/3251405/ |
A little girl from North Texas is recovering after being run over by an apparent getaway driver during an attempted carjacking at a gas station in Louisiana.
According to statements shared by the family online, a father and his three daughters were driving from Red Oak to Orlando, Florida for a national cheerleading competition when they stopped in Minden, Louisiana for gas.
The family said as the father and youngest daughter walked back to the car, someone had climbed into their vehicle and tried to drive off with the older two girls in the vehicle. As the girls' father ran to help, someone in a second vehicle started driving toward the youngest girl, Shelby, who had been walking with her father.
Shelby was hurt and was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Shreveport where she received treatment for a head injury and broken bones before being discharged Thursday, according to a post by her mother.
In a message shared online, the family said the man who got in the family's car had trouble disabling the emergency brake and wasn't able to take the car. The two girls who were in the vehicle were not physically harmed.
Police arrested two teenagers connected to the case, but further information about them or what charges they'll face has not yet been confirmed. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/girl-run-over-during-attempted-carjacking-en-route-to-cheer-competition/3251656/ | 2023-05-12T16:40:55 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/girl-run-over-during-attempted-carjacking-en-route-to-cheer-competition/3251656/ |
McKinney Police are investigating a fatal shooting at a motel involving a police officer and a man they say was armed with a machete early Friday morning.
Carla Marion Reeves, public information officer for the McKinney Police Department, said they received several 911 calls beginning at about 5:17 a.m. regarding a person with a weapon at the American Inn along the 200 block of W. University Drive.
Officers arrived a short time later and found a man with a machete.
Reeves said officers ordered the man to drop the machete but that he refused and advanced toward them. That's when at least one officer opened fire, shooting the man.
The man was hospitalized and later died of his injuries. The man's identity will be released after his family has been notified of his death.
At least two areas outside the motel were cordoned off with crime scene tape, an area near the front door and near an upstairs stairwell. The scene is still active and under investigation, Reeves said.
The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting since it involves a police officer.
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Sign up for our Breaking Newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-armed-with-a-machete-killed-by-mckinney-officer-police-say/3251487/ | 2023-05-12T16:41:23 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-armed-with-a-machete-killed-by-mckinney-officer-police-say/3251487/ |
Murphy Police have charged a man with capital murder for his role in an apparent double murder-suicide that took place at a Collin County home last month.
Nearly a month after 57-year-old Tracy Kay Cantu and her husband Federico Cantu Jr were killed at their home, Murphy Police arrested 28-year-old Cristian Andres Bocanegra, an associate of Federico's son, and charged him with capital murder of multiple persons.
Murphy Chief of Police Chris Chandler said last month that officers were dispatched just after 6 p.m. on April 10 to a shooting in the 400 block of Whisperfield Drive in the Rolling Ridge neighborhood.
When officers arrived they found two deceased people with multiple gunshot wounds, later identified as Tracy Cantu, who was found in the driveway, and Federico Cantu who was found inside the home. A third person, identified as Vincent Cantu, was found alive in the backyard but with a gunshot wound to his head.
Vincent, who later died at Medical Center Plano, was Federico's son and Tracy's stepson. Police said he did not live at the home and that he arrived at about 6 p.m. with another person, identified Friday as Bocanegra, and attacked his father and stepmother with several weapons before turning the gun on himself.
Murphy Police said last month that the other individual, whose name was not released at the time, was cooperating in the investigation. On Friday afternoon, nearly a month after the slayings, Murphy Police identified that man as Bocanegra and said he'd been arrested and charged with capital murder of multiple persons for his role in the couple's deaths.
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Murphy Police said after countless hours of investigative work they uncovered additional information that led to Bocanegra's arrest however they did not say what that information was or reveal any motive for the murders.
Bocanegra is currently being held in the Collin County Jail on a $1 million bond. It's not clear if he's obtained an attorney for his defense. If convicted of capital murder in Texas, a person faces either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
Murphy Police said the investigation into the homicides is ongoing and that they were unable to share any further information at this time. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-faces-capital-murder-charge-in-murphy-double-murder-suicide/3251824/ | 2023-05-12T16:41:36 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/man-faces-capital-murder-charge-in-murphy-double-murder-suicide/3251824/ |
The body of a 22-year-old man last seen swimming in Joe Pool Lake has been recovered.
According to the Grand Prairie Fire Department, they were notified of a possible drowning in the lake just before 6 p.m. Thursday. A witness reported a swimmer last seen near marker LC11 hadn't resurfaced.
The department's dive team conducted a search and found the body of a man who was not wearing a life vest.
Only the man's age has been confirmed. His identity will be released after his family has been notified of his death.
"As the lake season continues, GPFD strongly encourages the public to wear a life vest or an appropriate personal flotation device while near or in the water," the fire department said in a statement.
The drowning is the first of the year at the lake. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/mans-body-recovered-after-drowning-in-joe-pool-lake-thursday/3251788/ | 2023-05-12T16:41:49 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/mans-body-recovered-after-drowning-in-joe-pool-lake-thursday/3251788/ |
In just two weeks, Andrew Onorato and Thuong Nguyen will say “I do.” But over the last couple of months, the excitement surrounding their nuptials has been overshadowed by the reality that Nguyen’s parents won’t be there.
“Of course, having my dad walk me is my only wish, but I’m going to walk by myself,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen, who came to the U.S. from Vietnam on a student visa six years ago, said her parents have been denied not once, but twice for visitor visas to attend the wedding.
“I thought there was no way they would deny parents coming to the U.S. for a wedding. And then the first time they were denied, I thought OK, maybe the paperwork wasn’t right, or we didn’t have a roundtrip ticket yet,” said Onorato.
That was in early March. In April, Nguyen’s parents applied again.
This time, the couple purchased roundtrip airfare to DFW. They also verified all of the paperwork before Nguyen’s parents made the seven-hour roundtrip journey to the American consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
Between the two applications, they paid more than $600 in fees.
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Still, their application was denied.
When NBC 5 reached out to the State Department about the rejections, a spokesperson responded saying, it couldn’t discuss Nguyen’s parents’ case as visa records are confidential.
They added:
"Whenever an individual applies for a U.S. visa, a consular officer reviews the facts of the case and determines whether the applicant is eligible for that visa based on U.S. law.
Consular officers deny visa applications if an applicant is found ineligible under the INA or other provisions of U.S. law, and the applicant is generally provided a reason for the denial at the time of the interview."
But according to Nguyen, her parents didn’t receive a reason for either denial.
According to immigration attorney Pallavi Ahluwalia, that’s not uncommon.
“Oftentimes, it’s very disappointing for people because they just apply for a visa and they’re denied and there are no reasons given. Sometimes it just may say 214(b), and that just means you haven’t met the criteria they have set up in that one second time they meet with you,” said Ahluwalia.
Throughout this process, Aluwhalia said the burden is on the person applying to prove their financial and emotional ties to their homeland along with their reason for traveling, essentially proving they have a need to return home.
Nguyen said her parents tried, documenting four other children who remain in Vietnam, a parent with Alzheimer’s, whom they care for, and a farm they run.
She said it’s information that was seemingly ignored.
“I understand what they’re doing. But the thing is, we’re not lying. You know, they come here for a reason, and they come back,” said Nguyen.
Onorato said calls to his congressman along with the consulate haven’t opened any doors.
Rather than apply again, the couple is altering their wedding plans.
That includes canceling a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony in which Nguyen hoped to thank her parents for all they’ve sacrificed for her.
“That’s what I really want to do, but we’re not going to do that,” she said.
And though they’re making plans to visit Nguyen’s family on Vietnamese soil, the couple’s left wondering if her parents will ever see the life she’s building here in North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-bride-to-walk-down-aisle-alone-after-u-s-denies-parents-visitor-visas/3251914/ | 2023-05-12T16:42:01 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-bride-to-walk-down-aisle-alone-after-u-s-denies-parents-visitor-visas/3251914/ |
North Texas school leaders on Thursday got a preview of some of the security enhancements the Texas Education Agency is requiring in schools statewide.
The TEA is requiring glass doors and large windows to be reinforced with a window film. The standard thickness set by the state is 8 mil. (A mil is the unit of measurement describing the thickness of the product and 1 mil is equal to one-thousandth of an inch or .001 inch).
The entry-resistant film would be placed on glass entries that are large enough to allow someone to enter if broken.
Districts can apply for $400,000 as part of the Texas State Legislature's approved budget to replace or upgrade doors, windows, fencing, communications and other safety measures to get compliant with the new Texas school safety standards established in November of 2022.
With funding now on the table, school districts explore the resources needed for their campuses.
“If we can put preventative measures in place that can stop it or prevent it from, then that's what we need to do,” said Lynelle Sparks, the executive director of the Texas Association of School Resource Officers and school resource officer coordinator sergeant for the Hillsboro Independent School District.
On Thursday, she and other school representatives met in Dallas as part of their research for bids and requests for proposals to enhance safety measures.
Spark wanted to consider a film thicker than the state’s standard. She said a more durable film could give law enforcement a better chance to stop the intruder.
“Laminate can protect them, give them that extra time because we know that school shootings happen very quickly and most of those tragedies are within three minutes,” Sparks said. “It's three minutes for law enforcement that are not in there. So, if there's only one of us, it's still three more minutes. So, why not give that extra, protect it, and have laminate that can give us more time, more resources process to get there, to be able to protect them.”
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The Arizona-based company Safe Haven Defense traveled to Dallas to showcase its product, which offers a range of thicknesses from 15 to 30 mil.
“Our window films can be applied to glass, any type of glass, whether it's single pane, quarter inch door open, quarter inch, 3/8 glass or half-inch thick glass,” said Steven Johnson, creator of Safe Haven Defense. “We also have a wall paneling for the inside of the front desks. The other window films in the market either require glass replacement; window frame replacement, but they cannot utilize the existing quarter-inch glass.”
School districts have until August of this year to submit a final plan and choose a contractor in order to meet the new TEA standards. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-law-enforcement-school-leaders-shown-school-safety-enhancements/3250930/ | 2023-05-12T16:42:08 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-law-enforcement-school-leaders-shown-school-safety-enhancements/3250930/ |
A North Texas woman is organizing a demonstration to raise awareness of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has forced thousands to evacuate the African nation.
Douha Abbasher is finishing her first year of graduate school in Denton. For Abbasher, the fighting in Sudan is deeply personal. She lived there for a year as a child and has spent multiple summers in Sudan with her family.
“My grandmother, my aunts, my uncles, cousins. Almost everybody is in Sudan,” Abbasher said. “I think a lot of people kind of feel stunned. Still, there is an emotional shock that this is happening because nothing like this on this scale has ever happened in our country.”
Abbasher said most of her family has fled to safer locations in neighboring cities and countries over the past two weeks. Communication has been limited, she said.
“It’s been really difficult because our cousins and families are sending us voice memos when we can and they’re like, ‘I don’t know if you guys can hear the guns firing outside. They’ve been non-stop,’” she told NBC 5 Friday. “Having to hear that my baby cousins are having to put cotton in the ears, so they don’t hear the gunfire at night so they can sleep, that’s really common that’s been happening in the country these days.”
Abbasher is organizing a peaceful protest at the Irving Convention Center on Saturday at 11 a.m. in hopes of promoting solidarity and community.
“I think that it will be very empowering. We’re doing all we can to raise voices. We’re expecting a lot of Sudanese and not Sudanese people to come out and support,” she said.
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Prior to the violence breaking out, there were roughly 16,000 American citizens in Sudan. Hundreds of American citizens left Sudan by land, sea and air last week, according to the State Department.
NBC News reports over 420 people have been killed in the violence, including at least two Americans since the fighting erupted in April. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-woman-organizes-demonstration-to-raise-awareness-on-sudan-conflict/3251910/ | 2023-05-12T16:42:14 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-woman-organizes-demonstration-to-raise-awareness-on-sudan-conflict/3251910/ |
The Fort Worth Police Department says they have completed official DNA testing confirming the identity of a woman who was reunited with her family last year after being abducted as a toddler more than five decades ago.
Melissa Highsmith went missing in 1971 when, at just 22 months old, she was allegedly taken from her parents' Fort Worth home by a babysitter. More than 50 years later, the Highsmith family found Melissa through DNA testing shared on genealogy sites.
Since Melissa was reunited with her family late last year, the Fort Worth Police Department has been working to complete their DNA testing. On Thursday, they confirmed that testing verified Highsmith's identity.
"It is our hope that this test result will offer additional closure for the Highsmith family," police said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
The Highsmith family shared their reunion story with NBC 5 in November 2022.
The family said a genealogist recommended they share DNA with Ancestry and 23andMe and see if it returned any matches. The family said their mother was hesitant since she had done DNA tests with six different women throughout the years, and they all came back negative.
"Every time my mother got her hopes up. After 51 years, she didn't want to submit another DNA test. She was tired and she was hurt and guilty from carrying this all these years," said Victoria Highsmith, Melissa's sister. "I'm thankful that we got her to agree to submit her DNA … It is because of that, and my dad submitting, that we were able to find Melissa."
Victoria said they didn't find Melissa through her own DNA sample but through her children's DNA and that the match came back quickly after both of her parents submitted their samples.
"Within three weeks we found my sister. It was like, 'Boom, boom, boom,' we found her," said Victoria Highsmith.
Victoria also said she is so happy that her mother can now feel vindicated after being accused by police when she had nothing to do with Melissa's disappearance.
"She has carried this pain and this guilt for 51 years, and I have watched her cry for three days of joy. I have never seen my mother so happy," said Victoria Highsmith.
Melissa said she didn't have a good life and she ran away from home at the age of 15. She also confirmed that she will be changing her name from Melanie and back to her birth name.
Fort Worth Police said they are still looking into the case and encouraged anyone with information to step forward.
"Although the criminal statute of limitations expired 20 years after Melissa's 18th birthday, the Fort Worth Police Department Major Case Unit continues to ask for the public's assistance with any additional information concerning Melissa's abduction that occurred over 51 years ago. Our Major Case Unit can be reached by calling 817-392-4439," police said. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/police-confirm-id-of-melissa-highsmith-a-woman-reunited-with-her-family-51-years-after-her-abduction/3251036/ | 2023-05-12T16:42:21 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/police-confirm-id-of-melissa-highsmith-a-woman-reunited-with-her-family-51-years-after-her-abduction/3251036/ |
While on assignment in South Grand Prairie Wednesday, NBC 5/Telemundo 39 photojournalist Sergio Alvarado shot a video of a rare squirrel.
The squirrel, with white hair, can be seen scampering across a lawn before playfully sprinting up a tree near Great Southwest Parkway and Interstate 20.
It's not clear whether the squirrel was a white squirrel or the rare true albino because it's hard to make out the animal's eye color. The true albino squirrel is all white and has red eyes due to a lack of pigment, while a white squirrel will still have brown eyes and could have splotches of colored hair on its head.
Unlike albinism, the white squirrel is actually a genetic anomaly due to a mutated gene from the common Eastern Gray Squirrel, according to Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory. It is called leucism, which is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals caused by a recessive allele.
White or albino squirrels aren't new to North Texas, or Texas for that matter. A true albino fox squirrel, dubbed Lucky, was a celebrity of sorts on the campus of the University of North Texas until his untimely demise in 2016. UNTs "Lucky" was believed to be one of several white squirrels who have called the campus home over the last few decades (a fox squirrel's life span is typically six to seven years).
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, albino animals tend to have a tougher time with survival. Albino animals generally have poorer vision and are very sensitive to light. They also are disadvantaged when it comes to blending into their environment.
"This creates quite a problem for the albino predator trying to sneak up on lunch, or the albino prey trying to hide from its enemies. As you would expect, the white predator often starves and the white prey quickly is found and eaten," the parks department said in an online article.
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The parks department estimates true albinism happens only very rarely in the wild -- once every 100,000 births. Others say it could be 10 times as rare, happening once out of every million births.
In either case, if you see a white or albino squirrel, consider yourself at least a little lucky. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/rare-white-albino-squirrel-spotted-in-grand-prairie/3250904/ | 2023-05-12T16:42:36 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/rare-white-albino-squirrel-spotted-in-grand-prairie/3250904/ |
Remains found late last year in rural Rains County have been identified as a retired Dallas firefighter who disappeared more than six years ago, authorities said Friday.
Michael Chambers, 70, was last seen leaving a Quinlan Walmart near his home in Hunt County on March 10, 2017. Extensive searches around the area turned up no sign of him.
Presumed human remains were discovered in late November of last year in a wooded area off U.S. 287 east of the city of East Tawakoni. The Texas Rangers and the Rains County and Hunt County sheriff’s offices recovered the remains which were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification in Fort Worth.
"Since the recovery of the remains investigators have awaited the results of the examination, the process of obtaining a DNA profile and process of identifying the DNA profile," read a statement from the Hunt County Sheriff's Office in the Greenville Herald-Banner. "The Hunt County Sheriff’s Office recently obtained those results and have been in contact with family members of the identified person."
“I ask for the continued prayers for the Chambers family. Mr. Chambers family have waited for answers for a long time, and I hope this brings some closure to the Chambers family. This remains an open investigation and my office will continue to diligently investigate this case," Hunt County Sheriff Terry Jones said in a statement to the newspaper.
The sheriff's office said the investigation is ongoing. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/remains-idd-as-retired-dallas-firefighter-who-disappeared-in-2017/3251903/ | 2023-05-12T16:42:50 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/remains-idd-as-retired-dallas-firefighter-who-disappeared-in-2017/3251903/ |
Every morning, NBC 5 Today is dedicated to delivering you positive local stories of people doing good, giving back and making a real change in our community. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/something-good/community-partners-of-dallas-ceo-retires/3251386/ | 2023-05-12T16:43:09 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/something-good/community-partners-of-dallas-ceo-retires/3251386/ |
Community Partners of Dallas is celebrating a bittersweet milestone. Their leader, Paige McDaniel, is retiring from the North Texas organization after 21 years of service.
“Paige has led Community Partners of Dallas with organizational efficiency and tremendous joy and her gifts are responsible for the dramatic success of the agency,” one of her colleagues said. “During her tenure, the number of children served has increased 400% and the agency’s budget and staff have grown substantially.”
Community Partners of Dallas’ mission is to believe that every child should be valued and loved. The organization provides for the urgent needs of these children and supports the Child Protective Services caseworkers who help them.
In 2002, McDaniel was hired as the CEO of CPD, where she worked in partnership with Dallas County Child Protective Services to ensure the safety and restored dignity and hope to abused and neglected children by providing resources and support. At that time, she was the only employee of the agency.
“The same organization she helped to push forward, has grown to a staff of 15 people, a larger budget, and most importantly CPD empowers far more abused and neglected children to take their first steps to healing,” said another colleague.
McDaniel’s most gratifying accomplishment was creating the vision and plan for the agency’s 48,000-square-foot headquarters, which included finding and purchasing the property, leading and completing a capital campaign, and fully renovating the facility.
At the recent Community Parents of Dallas “ChickLit” luncheon, McDaniel was honored for her service. The event was headlined by McDaniel's retirement and a conversation with BRAVO reality TV star, Lisa Vanderpump. That conversation was moderated by NBC 5's Laura Harris.
It was at the luncheon McDaniel found out that CPD’s annual Partners for Children Award would be renamed the Paige McDaniel Partners for Children Award. As she accepted, she humbly gave most of the credit to her team. People like Vice President of Development and Communications, Joanna Clarke.
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“Because of Paige - hundreds of thousands of abused and neglected children Dallas County are safer,” Clarke said at the luncheon.
Clarke will succeed McDaniel as CEO in June.
This year’s luncheon helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the organization. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/something-good/longtime-leader-of-dallas-nonprofit-helping-thousands-of-children-celebrating-retirement/3250835/ | 2023-05-12T16:43:15 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/something-good/longtime-leader-of-dallas-nonprofit-helping-thousands-of-children-celebrating-retirement/3250835/ |
The 15-year-old accused in the murder of a Lamar High School student appeared in court on Friday.
A Tarrant County judge has officially set a date of June 14 to finally determine whether the teen will be tried as an adult for capital murder or remain in the juvenile system.
Police say the teen – who is not being named due to his age – shot and killed 16-year-old Ja’Shawn Poirier with a shotgun outside Lamar High School in Arlington before class on March 20. The shooter was also charged with aggravated assault because a teen girl was hit with shrapnel.
On Friday, lawyers and the judge discussed a psychological evaluation that was conducted on the teen. Those results led to a request for a psychiatric evaluation.
Judge Alex Kim also went over some minor infractions and behavioral issues happening in custody, which could impact the outcome of his case.
“You have to understand, I'm watching everything. Given the nature of this case and how serious it is, even the minor things might get magnified in your situation. You definitely have my attention,” the judge told the teen in court on Friday.
Only his great aunt has been attending the mandatory hearings that happen every 10 days. His mother is in Louisiana and his father is incarcerated for a federal weapons charge.
The teen's lawyers say if he's tried as an adult, he could face life in prison with parole.
"Or if he goes through juvenile court, he faces a maximum of 40 years in prison,” said Lisa Herrick, the teen's defense attorney.
In that case, he could be released earlier if the courts believe he is rehabilitated.
"The punishment availability here in the juvenile court, a lot of the time the focus is on how we want to treat these kids and rehabilitate these kids. That's a goal of the juvenile justice system,” Herrick explained. “But when it becomes necessary, there is a mechanism for genuine punishment. And that's written into the law."
His lawyers added they know the motive behind the shooting but have not shared those details.
Meantime, Poirier's family celebrated what would have been his 17th birthday just days ago, gathering outside of Lamar HS to remember his life. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/teen-accused-of-shooting-fellow-lamar-hs-student-appears-in-court/3251837/ | 2023-05-12T16:43:43 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/teen-accused-of-shooting-fellow-lamar-hs-student-appears-in-court/3251837/ |
A mass shooting that killed five people, including a 9-year-old boy, at a home in a rural Texas community has left a trail of anguish and sorrow that extends to Honduras and includes two newly orphaned children.
A manhunt for the gunman culminated in the arrest of 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza on five pending counts of murder Tuesday. His partner was arrested Wednesday on allegations she hindered police.
Oropeza had been shooting rounds on his property in Cleveland, Texas, north of Houston, and the attack occurred after neighbors asked him to shoot farther away because the gunfire was keeping a baby awake, police say.
Adult victims of the shooting ranged in age from 18 to 31. Two were slain while shielding a baby and a toddler from gunfire. All were originally from the Central American nation of Honduras. Here are details that have emerged about the lives of the victims:
DANIEL ENRIQUE LASO
The 9-year-old boy attended Northside Elementary in Cleveland where students assembled memorial offerings that included flowers, stuffed animals and a soccer ball.
Laso loved soccer, and his third grade classmates all signed the ball. The school’s principal said Laso had a contagious smile.
The boy’s mother also died in the attack, while his father and other close relatives survived.
Wilson Garcia, Laso’s father, was one of the people who had talked with Oropeza about the gunfire noise before the attack.
SONIA ARGENTINA GUZMÁN
Laso’s 25-year-old mother was at the front door as the gunman approached and was the first to die.
Friends were staying with her at the home to attend a religious retreat. Occupants tried to shield themselves and children as the gunman walked up to the home and began firing.
Wilson Garcia said he urged his wife to retreat but that she “told me to go inside because ‘He won’t fire at me. I’m a woman.’”
Argentina Guzmán is among four victims of the shooting whose remains will be repatriated to Honduras.
Her relatives in the Honduran village of La Misión already are in mourning.
“Like any immigrant, she went looking for a better future, because here in Honduras there is no work,” Germán Guzmán said of his sister.
DIANA VELÁSQUEZ ALVARADO
The 21-year-old was the mother of two children in the U.S. She left Honduras when she was still a teenager in search of opportunity, interrupting school studies.
Velásquez Alvarado’s father, Osmán, said his daughter’s departure from Honduras seemed reasonable at the time and that she recently received residency status in the United States.
“But I never imagined it would be just for this,” he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott drew wide backlash for initially calling the victims “illegal immigrants” and later apologized for the partially false statement.
Honduran authorities said Velásquez Alvarado will be buried in the United States at the request of her husband and sister.
JULISA MOLINA RIVERA
The death of Molina Rivera, 31, left two children without parents, according to officials in Honduras. Custody arrangements were being made.
Witnesses to the deadly shooting said Molina Rivera and Velásquez Alvarado used their bodies to shield a baby and a 2-year-old girl from gunfire during the attack.
JOSÉ JONATHAN CASAREZ
Little information has emerged about the 18-year-old native of Honduras. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/9-year-old-who-loved-soccer-among-victims-in-texas-mass-shooting/3251428/ | 2023-05-12T16:43:56 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/9-year-old-who-loved-soccer-among-victims-in-texas-mass-shooting/3251428/ |
A man suspected of killing five of his neighbors in Texas after they asked him to stop shooting his gun near their house hid out just miles away from the slayings while he and his domestic partner plotted his escape to Mexico, authorities said Wednesday.
Francisco Oropeza showered and slept at the house outside the city of Conroe on Tuesday while Divimara Lamar Nava got him donuts from a nearby store, a prosecutor said. Lamar Nava also acknowledged delivering a message from Oropeza to his cousins in the area asking them to help him get out of the country, the prosecutor said at Lamar Nava’s probable cause hearing. The cousins refused to help.
Authorities believe Lamar Nava was talking to investigators at the same time she was trying to help Oropeza, San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon said at a news conference. She initially told authorities she didn’t know where Oropeza was, but later told a federal agent that he showed up at the house about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to the prosecutor at the probable cause hearing.
Oropeza, 38, was arrested there on Tuesday evening, just 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the city of Cleveland, where the shootings took place. Acting on a tip, authorities found him hiding under a pile of laundry in a closet after a four-day manhunt. Lamar Nava, 53, was arrested at the house on Wednesday.
Authorities identified Lamar Nava as Oropeza’s wife, though jail records list her as not being married but sharing a home address with him.
The slayings Friday sent shudders through a nation already dealing with a wave of shootings that have put the U.S. on a torrid pace for mass killings this year.
Outside the Conroe-area home, yellow police tape could be seen Wednesday in both the front and back, although the officers were gone. Neighbor Angel Lozano recalled looking up from unloading tools from his truck Tuesday night to see unmarked law enforcement vehicles streaming onto his normally quiet street.
“A bunch of people got out with guns and they went straight to the house and surrounded the area,” Lozano, 39, said Wednesday, estimating that at least 50 officers surrounded the home two doors down from his. “It was a really fast job they did. They got him without people getting hurt or another shooting.”
Several others have also been arrested, authorities said, although they only shared details about one of them. Domingo Castilla, a friend of Oropeza, was arrested on Tuesday in the Trail’s End neighborhood where the victims were shot, Dillon said. Castilla was charged with marijuana possession but authorities also expect to charge him with obstructing Oropeza’s apprehension, Dillon said.
At a news conference Wednesday, San Jacinto County Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Kean said he couldn’t go into details about the other people who were arrested, including how many.
Oropeza was charged Wednesday with five counts of first-degree murder during a court hearing in jail, said San Jacinto County Justice of the Peace Judge Randy Ellisor. Bond is set at $1.5 million per count, for a total of $7.5 million, Ellisor said. Lamar Nava is being held at the Montgomery County jail on a felony charge of hindering the apprehension or prosecution of a known felon. Her bail has been set at $250,000. Bond for Castilla was set at $5,000, Ellisor said.
Oropeza is a Mexican national who has been deported four times between 2009 and 2016, according to U.S. immigration officials.
Police had previously spotted him on Monday afternoon in Montgomery County, prompting several schools to lock down, Kean said at a news conference outside the county jail Wednesday.
“We did confirm that was him on foot, running, but we lost track of him,” Kean said.
Kean declined to comment on the tip that led authorities to the Conroe home, which he said was one that had not been previously checked by authorities.
The arrest came after authorities set up a widening dragnet of more than 250 people, drones and search dogs from multiple jurisdictions and offered $80,000 in reward money. The tip that finally ended the chase came at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. A little more than an hour later, Oropeza was in custody, said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul.
Lozano said he hadn’t known the residents of the home where Oropeza was arrested but would sometimes say hi to them if they were walking by his house. “We never thought he was going to be right next door,” he said.
The victims have been identified as Diana Velásquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, all from Honduras. Velásquez Alvarado’s father, Osmán Velásquez, said she had recently obtained legal residency in the U.S.
Argentina Guzman’s husband, Wilson Garcia, survived the shooting. He said friends and family in the home tried to hide and shield the children after Oropeza walked up to the home and began firing, killing his wife first at the front door.
When offering a reward for Oropeza’s capture, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the victims “illegal immigrants,” which drew widespread backlash. His office apologized on Monday.
A government official in Honduras said the remains of four of the victims would be repatriated. Velásquez Alvarado will be buried in the United States at the request of her sister and her husband, said Wilson Paz, general director of Honduras’ migrant protection service.
Osmán Velásquez said his daughter had traveled to the United States without documents eight years ago with the help of a sister who was already living there.
“Her sister convinced me to let her take my daughter. She told me the United States is a country of opportunities and that’s true,” he said. “But I never imagined it was just for this.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/cousins-refused-to-help-suspected-texas-gunman-escape-to-mexico-prosecutor/3250817/ | 2023-05-12T16:44:03 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/cousins-refused-to-help-suspected-texas-gunman-escape-to-mexico-prosecutor/3250817/ |
The death of a woman, who authorities say was sleeping in her suburban Houston apartment when she was killed by a stray bullet fired by a neighbor shooting at people breaking into vehicles, was called a “senseless crime” by her family Thursday.
Authorities said Bethany Mefford’s boyfriend found her unresponsive in their bed at around 6 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators allege that Mefford, 29, had been shot in the head by a bullet that had been fired hours earlier by Darius Lewis. He lived in a nearby building in the same apartment complex in the Houston suburb of Humble, said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
“It is a horrible thing to have happened to someone that’s laying in their bed, not causing anybody any problems because Bethany never would,” said Lana Higinbotham, Mefford’s aunt. “And to just be taken in your sleep, taken away from your family that loves you more than life, it’s a senseless crime.”
At around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Lewis saw several people breaking into various vehicles at the complex and fired his gun at them, Gonzalez said.
Lewis told officers he fired once into the ground to get the car thieves away from his vehicle. When they “were not moving fast enough for him,” he fired more times into the ground, according to a probable cause affidavit read at a court hearing early Thursday morning.
Prosecutors allege Lewis also fired across a parking lot at the complex and that the bullet went through the wall of Mefford’s apartment, killing her. Lewis has been charged with manslaughter.
Court records did not list an attorney for Lewis, 28, who could speak on his behalf. He was set to have another court appearance Friday.
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Higinbotham said Mefford was a mother of three young boys who was originally from southwestern Pennsylvania and had moved to the Houston area several years ago. She had come with her mother and stepfather, who had both received job transfers to Texas, and had just recently been hired by the same oil drilling company where her mother worked.
“It was a great opportunity for them,” Higinbotham said about the family moving to Texas. “They took it with open arms. As for now it’s been wonderful, until this.”
Gonzalez said Mefford’s death was tragic.
“It’s a heartbreaking situation,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve seen situations where people have fired indiscriminately or just fired at others.”
In February 2022, a 9-year-old Houston girl died after she was shot by a man who had opened fire when he was robbed at an ATM. A grand jury later declined to indict the man. Last month, a Houston man was charged with murder after authorities accused him of fatally shooting a man who had posed as a parking attendant and scammed him out of $40.
The use and role of guns in Texas has been under scrutiny recently amid changes in state law and two recent mass shootings in which 13 people were killed.
In 2021, Texas lawmakers approved legislation allowing people to carry handguns without a license, as well as the background check and training that had gone with it.
Higinbotham said she believes that people “have their right to bear arms” but that her niece’s death has highlighted the need for people to be more responsible with their guns.
“Everybody that I know is very self-conscious and very careful with their weapons,” she said. “I live in Pennsylvania, which is a far cry from Texas. Like it just seems that down there they’re a little less caring as to where they’re pointing or where they’re not even aiming and then just pulling the trigger.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/senseless-crime-texas-woman-killed-by-stray-bullet-fired-by-neighbor-authorities-say/3256743/ | 2023-05-12T16:44:10 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/senseless-crime-texas-woman-killed-by-stray-bullet-fired-by-neighbor-authorities-say/3256743/ |
A Texas judge on Wednesday denied a request for a new trial for an Army sergeant convicted of killing an armed protester during a Black Lives Matter march and set a May 9 sentencing in a case where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will seek a pardon.
Sgt. Daniel Perry faces up to life in prison for the 2020 fatal shooting of 28-year-old Garrett Foster, who was legally carrying an AK-47 rifle through downtown Austin during a summer of nationwide unrest over police killings and racial injustice.
Perry sought a retrial in part over claims of improper jury behavior during trial and deliberations. State District Judge Clifford Brown, who presided over the original trial, denied the request after a brief hearing.
A jury unanimously voted to convict Perry on April 7. The verdict prompted outrage from prominent conservatives including former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who called the shooting an act of self-defense and criticized Abbott on the air after he didn't come on his show.
Abbott, a former judge who has not ruled out a 2024 presidential run, tweeted the next day that "Texas has one of the strongest 'Stand Your Ground' laws" and that he looked forward to signing a pardon once a recommendation hits his desk.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has already begun what legal experts say is a highly unusual and immediate review of the case on the orders of Abbott, who appoints the panel.
The governor has not said publicly how he came to his conclusion. It is not clear when the parole board will reach a decision on Perry's case.
Perry attorney Clinton Broden declined to comment on the judge's rejection of a retrial and the potential pardon.
Perry served in the military for more than a decade and was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Austin. He was working as a ride-share driver the night of the shooting and had just dropped off a customer when he turned onto a street full of protesters.
Perry claimed he acted in self-defense while attempting to get past the crowd blocking the street and said Foster pointed a rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.
After the trial, the court unsealed dozens of pages of text messages and social media posts that showed Perry having hostile views toward Black Lives Matter protests. In a comment on Facebook a month before the shooting, Perry allegedly wrote, "It is official I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo." | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/soldier-who-gov-abbott-pushed-to-pardon-denied-retrial/3250960/ | 2023-05-12T16:44:16 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/soldier-who-gov-abbott-pushed-to-pardon-denied-retrial/3250960/ |
At least 100 people gathered near the Kaufman County Detention Center Thursday evening in a rally calling for justice three days after a man was fatally shot.
Around 12:20 p.m. Monday, authorities with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting on the 9800 block of Neal Road just northeast of Forney. When they arrived, they found the victim Aaron Martinez, 35, fatally shot in his truck.
Martinez’s wife Priscilla said the shooting happened one day after his birthday, which they share.
‘We’re wishing each other happy birthday one day. The next day, I have to post “rest in heaven” to my husband? That’s not right. I should not have to be a 35-year-old widow,” she said.
Authorities have arrested 30-year-old Trevor McEuen on a count of murder. According to the sheriff’s office, McEuen was seen driving away as deputies approached the location. Deputies followed the car until stopped and the driver refused to get out. A standoff involving SWAT teams from the sheriff’s office and Forney police lasted less than an hour before McEuen was taken into custody, the sheriff’s office said.
At the rally Thursday, community members called for more charges to be added. Community activist Carlos Quintanilla said they want to send a message to the city and Kaufman County.
“The crime committed by this individual, the murder of Aaron Martinez, is not just a murder. It is a hate crime,” Quintanilla said.
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NBC 5 reached out to the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office ahead of the rally. A spokesperson confirmed they were aware of the calls for an investigation into potential hate crimes. When asked for a comment, we were told the investigation was ongoing.
Martinez’s 14-year-old daughter April spoke before the crowd of supporters.
“My quinceanera is in two months. Me and my dad were so excited to dance together at my quince. Now, I don’t have him. I can’t dance with him. He [suspect] took that away from me,” she said.
As of Thursday night, online records show McEuen remains in the Kaufman County jail. It is not clear whether he has an attorney. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/vigil-rally-held-for-man-fatally-shot-in-kaufman-county/3251223/ | 2023-05-12T16:44:22 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/vigil-rally-held-for-man-fatally-shot-in-kaufman-county/3251223/ |
SAN ANTONIO — It's beginning to feel a lot like summer, and that means it's time go swimming!
To help keep folks cool while it heats up, the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department is opening eleven pre-season pools beginning this Saturday, May 13.
The pools will be open every weekend both on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. and the best part about it is that there's no charge! That's right, it's free to get in.
Bathing suits are required and kids under the age of 10 must be with an adult.
The pools regular season will start on June 17.
More details will be shared soon on the Parks and Recreation’s website at saparksandrec.com.
Here are the pools that will be open:
- Concepcion - 600 E. Theo Pkwy.
- Cuellar - 502 S.W. 36th St.
- Dellview - 500 Basswood
- Elmendorf - 235 Shore Dr.
- Fairchild - 1214 E. Crockett St.
- Garza - 5800 Hemphill
- Heritage - 1423 S. Ellison Dr.
- Lady Bird Johnson - 10700 Nacogdoches Road
- Southside Lions - 3100 Hiawatha
- Spring Time - 6571 Spring Time
- Woodlawn - 221 Alexander Ave.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/free-fun-in-the-water-11-area-pools-to-open-on-weekends-starting-saturday-swimming-swim-parks-recreation-water-san-antonio-texas/273-aad0c830-d39e-4806-8f26-56cd22c6ef4b | 2023-05-12T16:54:39 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/free-fun-in-the-water-11-area-pools-to-open-on-weekends-starting-saturday-swimming-swim-parks-recreation-water-san-antonio-texas/273-aad0c830-d39e-4806-8f26-56cd22c6ef4b |
GAS TRACKER: Average in Minnesota $3.44, Iowa at $3.36 May 12, 2023 May 12, 2023 Updated 2 hrs ago 0 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Here's the latest as of May 12. Gas prices IA/MN Infogram Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save More From KIMT News 3 News $100,000 lottery prize goes to North Springs man Dec 6, 2022 News Early Saint Patrick's Day celebration held at 125 LIVE Updated Mar 3, 2023 News Second guilty plea from Minnesota man for passing phony checks in North Iowa Apr 10, 2023 Iowa Peak alert issued by North Iowa and SE Minnesota co-ops Updated Dec 2, 2021 News Mason City man to be sentenced for meth and a gun Sep 26, 2022 Top Stories Strike Averted: Workers at Rochester's Kemps Ice Cream plant accept new labor contract May 15, 2022 Recommended for you
Top Stories Strike Averted: Workers at Rochester's Kemps Ice Cream plant accept new labor contract May 15, 2022 | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/gas-tracker-average-in-minnesota-3-44-iowa-at-3-36/article_e182e648-14d2-11ed-9744-c791856883d2.html | 2023-05-12T17:01:54 | 1 | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/gas-tracker-average-in-minnesota-3-44-iowa-at-3-36/article_e182e648-14d2-11ed-9744-c791856883d2.html |
CAPE CORAL, Fla. — 15 of Cape Coral’s brightest young people have been awarded the Cape Coral Mayor’s Scholarship.
At the scholarship dinner at Palmetto Pines Country Club, scholarship recipients met with local leaders, including Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter, as well as several city councils and Lee County school board members.
The winning high school seniors received four-year scholarships, and the students who were selected from technical and vocational programs were awarded two-year scholarships.
Here’s a list of this year’s winners and the schools where they attend, as well as their future majors:
- Makayla Ashley – NFM – Education
- Berk Aydogmus – Mariner – Engineering
- Alexandria DeCamp – Cape – Business
- Eric Feichthaler, Jr – Oasis – Environmental Eng.
- Jennifer Gongora Caruncho – Cape -Engineering
- Lucas Habash – Cape -Architecture
- Abby Malloy – Cape – Communications
- Madeline Osinski – Oasis – Engineering
- Sofija Valancius – Canterbury – Finance
- Lindsey Zajdowicz – Ida Baker – Nursing
- Kalene Perez – CCTC – Nursing
- Cameron Abela – CCTC – Medical Coder/Billing
- Kelsey Marion – CCTC – Dental Assistant
- Devan Stevens – FMTC – Marine Service Tech
- Jahmil Vega – PSA – Law Enforcement | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/12/cape-coral-mayors-scholarship-awarded-to-15-high-school-seniors/ | 2023-05-12T17:03:29 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/12/cape-coral-mayors-scholarship-awarded-to-15-high-school-seniors/ |
LOWER TOWNSHIP — A small plane crashed off the runway at the Cape May County Airport on Thursday evening during takeoff.
The single-engine plane, a Piper PA-28, was carrying three people when it crashed at the airfield about 7:15 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Police Capt. Donald Vanaman on Friday said no injuries were reported, adding the three occupants declined medical assistance. The plane suffered minor damage, Vanaman said.
Dan Robinson, a local drone photographer, was delivering for DoorDash, he said, when he saw the crash as first responders arrived. Robinson recorded video and photos of the accident, he said.
"The scene was scary, but I was happy that there were no injuries," said Robinson, 47, of Wildwood.
The plane is registered to John Smith, of the township's Cold Spring section. It was unclear whether Smith was on board at the time of the crash.
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Police arrived shortly after receiving a call about the incident about 7:10 p.m. They found the aircraft in the northern section of the runways.
The aircraft was still at the crash site off Runway 19 on Friday, Delaware River and Bay Authority spokesperson James Salmon said. The runway would be reopened once FAA inspectors finish their work and the plane is removed, Salmon said.
Salmon said he was informed that a student pilot was flying the plane with an instructor and a third occupant when the crash happened. The student was practicing an engine failure situation, Salmon said.
The crash's cause remained under investigation, officials said.
No airport equipment was damaged by the crash, Salmon said.
Responding agencies included Lower Township police, Middle Township police, the Cape May County Sheriff's Office, Delaware River and Bay Authority and local fire and rescue crews, police said. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/plane-crash-cape-may-county/article_8e63cde0-f0c5-11ed-81b0-bf4449db158c.html | 2023-05-12T17:03:39 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/plane-crash-cape-may-county/article_8e63cde0-f0c5-11ed-81b0-bf4449db158c.html |
BRIDGETON — A city woman has been charged in a hit-and-run crash that injured a 10-year-old girl crossing a street earlier this week.
Sierra A. Thomas, 28, of Birch Street, was charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with serious bodily injury and endangering an injured victim. She was released on a summons pending court, police said in a news release.
Thomas was arrested Thursday, one day after she allegedly hit a girl crossing East Broad Street near a Wawa and left the scene before police arrived about 7 p.m.
The girl was listed in critical condition Wednesday and taken to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden.
Police did not provide an update on the girl's condition in announcing Thomas' charges.
Police did not say when Thomas will appear in court.
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A spokesperson for the Administrative Office of the Courts did not immediately return a request for comment. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bridgeton-woman-charged-in-pedestrian-crash-that-injured-girl-10/article_dd6fa838-f0d8-11ed-aa03-0f657577a58c.html | 2023-05-12T17:03:45 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/bridgeton-woman-charged-in-pedestrian-crash-that-injured-girl-10/article_dd6fa838-f0d8-11ed-aa03-0f657577a58c.html |
NORTH WILDWOOD — Seaport Pier on the Boardwalk faces $2 million in fines and must make changes to the site under an agreement reached with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
“Following a positive and productive meeting on May 4, 2023, BG Capital, LLC, redeveloper of Seaport Pier, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection have reached an agreement to resolve the notices of violations issued to BG Capital,” reads a notification sent this week by the law firm of Monzo, Catanese, DeLollis, representing Seaport Pier. “Through the collaborative effort of DEP and BG Capital, all of DEP’s concerns have or will be addressed in the coming months.”
Originally built as a fishing pier in the 1920s, the pier at 22nd Avenue had been designated by the city as an area in need of redevelopment. According to a timeline included with the settlement agreement, released by the DEP, the city acquired the property in 1955. It was rebuilt and widened in the 1980s and operated as “Seaport Shoppers Village,” but was shut down as unsafe in 2005.
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By 2017, the city and BG Capital reached a deal to reopen the property with a restaurant, concert venue and entertainment center, including retail shops and a pool club. According to the DEP documents, most of the new construction was to take place outside the city’s sewer area, and the issued permits stated there would be no bathrooms included in the expanded pier.
The statement from BG Capital said the firm is committed to providing the community with amenities that create the tourism needed to sustain Jersey Shore communities.
“There has to be a balance between preservation of our coastal resources, including the beaches which drive visitors to North Wildwood, and giving those same visitors access to restaurants, entertainment, other amusements, and restroom facilities,” Joseph Byrne of BG Capital staid in the statement. It described Seaport Pier as North Wildwood’s only beachfront family-friendly restaurant, live music venue and swim club.
For three years, Mayor Patrick Rosenello has led the city of North Wildwood in a slow motion…
“The Pier also employs hundreds of people, including many year-round residents,” reads the settlement announcement. Seaport Pier is set to open this weekend for the summer.
The company declined to answer questions about the settlement, including whether there were any fines imposed.
“My client doesn’t have any further comment at this time,” responded Lyndsy M. Newcomb, an attorney with the firm.
DEP spokesperson Larry Hajna said the department had no comment on the settlement but provided a copy of the administrative consent order signed with the company, which became final May 10.
The consent order outlines the history of the pier and of the citations from the DEP, which began in 2020 with an inspection that, according to the agreement, found several structures built without the needed state authorizations.
There are multiple state regulations covering construction in the beach and dune zone. In this instance, that includes limits on expanding the sewer systems.
Watch the tram car, please!
On Jan. 26, the state assessed a fine of more than $2.9 million, with an additional order issued the next day with a $1.2 million fine and an order to correct all site violations.
The signed agreement calls for Seaport Pier’s owners to submit surveys from an engineer showing the sewer connections and apply for permits. It also calls for the removal of a food trailer and a limit of about 478 users each day, and verification that less than 8,000 gallons of water will be used each day.
The agreement also calls for some of the wastewater pipes to be reconfigured.
There is no guarantee that the state will approve permits for the structures that are already built, the agreement states.
“However, DEP anticipates issuing all necessary permits subject receipt of administratively/technically complete applications that meet all necessary statutory and regulatory standards,” the agreement states. “DEP acknowledges that the project will be reviewed as an existing amusement pier with the city of North Wildwood as the owner and co-applicant, and as such the project is a municipal development project.”
The settlement also includes $2 million in fines, to be paid in 14 installments. If payments fall behind, the agreement states, BG Capital will owe a total of just over $4 million immediately.
The city has had its own high-profile fight with the DEP over work on its dunes. The battle has been brewing for years, but over the winter included lawsuits and countersuits. The city has asked for $20 million in damages, and the state has accused the city of risking increased erosion with unauthorized projects. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/north-wildwood-state-settle-dispute-over-seaport-pier/article_d91fd5a6-f0dc-11ed-b741-1fea0519ca52.html | 2023-05-12T17:03:52 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/north-wildwood-state-settle-dispute-over-seaport-pier/article_d91fd5a6-f0dc-11ed-b741-1fea0519ca52.html |
VENTNOR — Two police officers delivered a baby boy after his mother went into labor inside her home.
Police were called to the home at 3:55 p.m. Thursday for a report of a woman in labor. Officers reached the home to find the woman, 34, in "active labor," police said.
Officer Blake Ballin and Sgt. Marco Franco Jr. helped deliver the infant, police said. Both the mother and child were transported to a nearby hospital by city firefighters.
“It’s not every day our officers get to be a part of such a special moment. The dedication and ability to stay calm in an extraordinary situation speaks volumes of Patrolman Ballin and Sgt. Franco Jr.," police Chief Joseph Fussner said on the Police Department's Facebook page. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/ventnor-police-deliver-baby-boy-inside-home/article_6e1cd206-f0da-11ed-9a7c-cf14119605fa.html | 2023-05-12T17:03:58 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/ventnor-police-deliver-baby-boy-inside-home/article_6e1cd206-f0da-11ed-9a7c-cf14119605fa.html |
Lancaster County's chief deputy sheriff struck a 9-year-old cyclist while driving his Dodge Ram pickup truck in northwest Lincoln on Wednesday night, according to police.
Ben Houchin, who has worked for the sheriff's office since 1993 and was named the chief deputy in 2020, told Lincoln Police investigators he looked down for a "split second" to change his radio station at around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, when he crashed into the girl, according to the crash report filed in the incident.
Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews took the 9-year-old to a local hospital with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries, Lincoln Police Investigator Nicholas Vest said in the crash report. Her status was unclear Friday morning.
Houchin was driving his Ram 1500 eastbound on West Jennifer Street when he glanced down at his radio as he proceeded through the road's intersection with Northwest Eighth Street on Wednesday, crashing into the girl, who was riding her bike south on Eighth Street, according to the crash report.
There are no stop signs on either side of the three-way intersection.
The chief deputy told investigators the girl came out of nowhere and that he never saw her, Vest said in the report.
Police don't suspect drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, Lincoln Police Chief Teresa Ewins said Friday. Investigators did not test Houchin for either drugs or alcohol, according to the crash report.
Houchin, who was off-duty and driving his personal truck, told investigators he was driving around 20 mph in the moments before the crash. The posted speed limit on West Jennifer is 25 mph.
Police have not cited the chief deputy, Ewins said. The Police Department is investigating the crash and the sheriff's office has launched an internal investigation into Houchin, the police chief said.
Both Houchin and the girl live in the neighborhood, according to the crash report. The report also said the girl was not wearing a helmet.
Houchin did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
A Kansas City, Missouri, native, Andrew Wegley joined the Journal Star as breaking news reporter after graduating from Northwest Missouri State University in May 2021.
A diagram of Wednesday's crash that involved Ben Houchin, Lancaster County's chief deputy sheriff, who struck a 9-year-old bicyclist while driving eastbound on West Jennifer Street at around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to police. The diagram was included in the Lincoln Police Department's crash report. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/9-year-old-bicyclist-hospitalized-after-being-hit-by-lancaster-county-chief-deputy-sheriff-police/article_6bfc9e22-f0d3-11ed-ab9e-5f32e9339410.html | 2023-05-12T17:07:44 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/9-year-old-bicyclist-hospitalized-after-being-hit-by-lancaster-county-chief-deputy-sheriff-police/article_6bfc9e22-f0d3-11ed-ab9e-5f32e9339410.html |
CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A multi-vehicle crash happened at the intersection of Cape Coral Parkway East at Pelican Boulevard Friday morning.
Firefighters extricated the driver of a red Volkswagen, as well as a dark gray Toyota Corolla.
The crash left both cars with serious damage.
Cape Coral Parkway West is shut down to one lane, and all northbound lanes are closed as authorities investigate.
The Traffic Homicide Unit is on scene, according to the Cape Coral Police Department.
The crash remains under investigation.
This is a developing story. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/12/multiple-people-extricated-after-serious-crash-in-cape-coral/amp/ | 2023-05-12T17:12:04 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/12/multiple-people-extricated-after-serious-crash-in-cape-coral/amp/ |
DANVILLE, Va. – A Danville man won a $150,000 prize playing Powerball through the Virginia Lottery.
At first, Wayne Bosman thought he won $50,000.
“I forgot about the Power Play!” he told Virginia Lottery officials as he claimed his prize.
Bosman bought the winning ticket at Juniors Convenience Store at 2980 West Main Street in Danville for the April 19 drawing.
His winning ticket was one of three he bought that day, and matched four winning numbers plus the Powerball number, which would normally win $50,000. But, he spent an extra dollar for Power Play, tripling his winnings to $150,000.
The winning numbers were 4-11-21-38-64, and the Powerball number was 11.
Bosman, who is retired from the U.S. Army, said he plans to use his winnings to pay bills and maybe take a vacation.
Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
Lottery officials said the odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, and the overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/12/danville-man-triples-powerball-prize-to-win-150000/ | 2023-05-12T17:13:28 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/12/danville-man-triples-powerball-prize-to-win-150000/ |
On May 11, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., the Coos County Sheriff’s Office (Capt. Sanborn & Sgt. Moore) assisted the Coquille Valley Elementary School students and staff with an A.L.I.C.E. drill. A.L.I.C.E. is an easy-to-remember acronym for
A-Alert
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On May 11, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., the Coos County Sheriff’s Office (Capt. Sanborn & Sgt. Moore) assisted the Coquille Valley Elementary School students and staff with an A.L.I.C.E. drill. A.L.I.C.E. is an easy-to-remember acronym for
A-Alert
L-Lockdown
I-Inform
C-Counter
E-Evacuate.
A.L.I.C.E drills are occurring throughout the county over the next few weeks to ensure students, staff, and law enforcement are familiar with the established evacuation routes and safe meet locations in an emergency.
The Sheriff’s Office is happy to be a part of the Coquille School District and feel honored to be asked to assist in this vital drill for both students and staff.
View our 5-12-23 E-edition right here!
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Error! There was an error processing your request. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/ccso-office-members-assist-coquille-valley-elementary-with-the-a-l-i-c-e-drill/article_891e2274-f0d2-11ed-a441-dbdfbfe0c45f.html | 2023-05-12T17:15:50 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/ccso-office-members-assist-coquille-valley-elementary-with-the-a-l-i-c-e-drill/article_891e2274-f0d2-11ed-a441-dbdfbfe0c45f.html |
Another school year is coming to an end. As we emerge from these COVID times, promoting education has been a challenge for teachers, parents and children. Can you imagine having to face all those needed changes at school, in the past couple years, to simply be able to learn? Kids are resilient.
One rainy Saturday afternoon my wife was standing in line at a local grocery store with three little, blonde haired, blue lipped girls behind her. They were very concerned about how much their groceries were going to cost. They had two packs of hot dogs and a half gallon of chocolate mint ice cream. They continued to ask the checker how much this would be. He said, “Girls, I believe you’ll get eighteen cents back.” My wife asked, “Girls, are you having a party?” “Nope”, replied the oldest. “Our mom’s been sick so we decided to make her supper. We’ll have hot dogs and ice cream.” They had spent the afternoon washing windows and picking up cans to pay for their dinner.
Despite what you read or hear, there is nothing wrong with the basic fiber of today’s kids. It’s our responsibility to help that spirit grow and blossom. We do that by providing them guidance. They face many more pathways in life than we did and we need to help them understand where each path leads. We can spur our children’s growth by providing an example, an example of service. When we volunteer in whatever capacity we chose to serve, it shows them that caring for others is important, simply because it’s the right thing to do. Also we can love them. As they grow up they then will return that love to their families and community.
We are blessed to live in this place at this time. We all have different talents which, when used, make this an even better place. I invite you to join your friends and neighbors at the Chamber working the many opportunities that will continue to make this the best place to live and grow a future.
Remember our business is helping your business. And like us on Facebook. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/the-chamber-minute-kids-are-resilient/article_284bd14c-f0d9-11ed-83be-dbe44f7dc2b4.html | 2023-05-12T17:15:51 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/the-chamber-minute-kids-are-resilient/article_284bd14c-f0d9-11ed-83be-dbe44f7dc2b4.html |
SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A vehicle fire slowed traffic in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 26 early Friday afternoon.
The vehicle is located near the Eastern Star Road exit (Exit 10). As of 12:15 p.m., the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) SmartWay Traffic Map shows traffic backed up into the I-26/I-81 interchange.
A Johnson City spokesperson said that as of 12:15 p.m., the scene had been cleared by emergency personnel and TDOT crews were still at the site. Traffic was clearing up as of 12:40 p.m.
The Johnson City Fire Department was on the scene of the fire.
A spokesperson for Johnson City said they were not aware of any reported injuries. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/vehicle-fire-impacting-traffic-on-i-26-east-near-interchange/ | 2023-05-12T17:19:50 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/vehicle-fire-impacting-traffic-on-i-26-east-near-interchange/ |
PERRYVILLE, Ark. — An Arkansas jail officer was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a prisoner, authorities said Thursday.
In a statement posted online, the Perry County Sheriff’s Office said deputies opened an internal investigation after allegations surfaced that a detention officer had an “inappropriate relationship” with a prisoner at the Perry County Detention Center in Perryville, Arkansas, about 44 miles (70.81 kilometers) from Little Rock.
Investigators interviewed the detention officer and obtained a recorded statement from him. He was then fired, arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree sexual assault. He was booked into the Perry County Detention Center and moved to another facility where he is awaiting a bond hearing, the statement said.
Deputies said an investigation into the case is still open and offered no further information Thursday.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/arkansas-jail-officer-charged-sexually-assaulting-prisoner-perry/527-2ebcaa72-07b2-428a-9d83-7ec7f715c097 | 2023-05-12T17:22:51 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/arkansas-jail-officer-charged-sexually-assaulting-prisoner-perry/527-2ebcaa72-07b2-428a-9d83-7ec7f715c097 |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Many bills received attention during the 2023 Arkansas regular session, including ones focused on obscenities in libraries. Executive Director of the Central Arkansas Library System, Nate Coulter, explained that it's been frustrating for him.
"I like the great things a library is able to do," Coulter said. "To be targeted and vilified and have the suggestion that somehow we're a part of a threat to your child is offensive, frankly, it's unwarranted."
Coulter said they curate selections for all— and while there may be some that he or others disagree with, it's a choice that they operate on.
"I don't like the authors, I don't like the content, I don't like the viewpoint particularly, but that's not my job," Coulter said.
However, newly signed legislation will change that idea. Act 372 changes how content is classified and even creates punishments if someone were to be caught "furnishing a harmful item to a minor."
"Frankly, harmful to our system of government, harmful to democracy to let the government wade into an issue and decide some things we won't let you see," Coulter described.
Because of that, Coulter said CALS is in the process of getting a lawsuit ready to file. That lawsuit could be approved to file after the next CALS board meeting on May 25.
We reached out to State Senator Dan Sullivan, the bill's sponsor, for comment.
He told us he didn't want to comment until the lawsuit was filed, but did express that CALS is within their right to file one if they'd like.
Coulter said they don't want to have to file a lawsuit, but currently, they feel as if it's their only choice.
"Oftentimes, it's the only way," he said. "In this case, because the legislative process would end up like it did, and because the statute says you don't get any other option, you let the city board or the county quorum court, there's no, that's final. We believe a court should look at that." | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/cals-s-lawsuit-library-bills/91-c1ead687-0f2b-47cb-8769-86ddd88ff8d9 | 2023-05-12T17:22:57 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/cals-s-lawsuit-library-bills/91-c1ead687-0f2b-47cb-8769-86ddd88ff8d9 |
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In recent Arkansas legislative sessions many bills, especially those focused on obscenities in libraries, were proposed.
One of those bills, now Act 372, changes how content is classified and even creates punishments if someone were to be caught "furnishing a harmful item to a minor."
Executive Director of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) Nate Coulter explained that the new bills have been frustrating for him.
"I like the great things a library is able to do," Coulter said in a interview with 5NEWS affiliate THV11. " To be targeted and vilified and have the suggestion that somehow we're a part of a threat to your child is offensive, frankly, it's unwarranted."
Because of that, Coulter said CALS is in the process of getting a lawsuit ready to file. That lawsuit could be approved to file after the next CALS board meeting on May 25.
Following the CALS board meeting, the Fayetteville Public Library (FPL) board voted to approve a motion to join the potential lawsuit, according to FPL Communications Director Samantha Herrera.
“As an organization, we are concerned about the constitutionality of the impending law, as well as the undue burden on libraries to implement it. We are proud to stand in solidarity with all public libraries in Arkansas by being part of a possible lawsuit” said David Johnson, executive director of Fayetteville Public Library.
The FPL board's vote to join the lawsuit was unanimous.
Coulter says that CALS curates selections for all — and while there may be some that he or others disagree with, it's a choice that they operate on.
"I don't like the authors, I don't like the content, I don't like the viewpoint particularly, but that's not my job," Coulter said.
Our affiliate, THV11, reached out to State Senator Dan Sullivan, the bill's sponsor, for comment. Sen. Sullivan stated that he did not want to comment until the lawsuit was filed but did express that CALS is within their right to file one if they'd like.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/fayetteville-public-library-proposed-lawsuit-library-laws/527-cd80da81-3755-44e8-b92b-af0885a3d6ee | 2023-05-12T17:23:10 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/fayetteville-public-library-proposed-lawsuit-library-laws/527-cd80da81-3755-44e8-b92b-af0885a3d6ee |
The 29th Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is set for Saturday.
The effort is sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers in partnership with the Missouri Slope Areawide United Way.
Letter carriers will be collecting nonperishable food items for local food aid agencies and United Way’s Backpack Program. Donations can be placed next to mailboxes.
“Inventory at food pantries is typically low this time of year, so Stamp Out Hunger helps get food to families in need right here in our own community,” MSA United Way Executive Director Jena Gullo said.
People can volunteer to help mail carriers sort the food at the post office on Airport Road. To volunteer contact United Way at 701-255-3601 or email admin2msaunitedway.org. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/stamp-out-hunger-food-drive-set-saturday/article_fbeffea4-f0d6-11ed-ba6e-eb8c2bc61b17.html | 2023-05-12T17:23:51 | 0 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/stamp-out-hunger-food-drive-set-saturday/article_fbeffea4-f0d6-11ed-ba6e-eb8c2bc61b17.html |
ATLANTA — Atlanta Police are investigating after a security guard was grazed by a bullet near Allure Gentleman's Club Thursday night.
At around 11:44 p.m., officers were called to the club off Cheshire Bridge for one person shot. When officers arrived, they found a security guard grazed by a bullet.
Police said he was alert and refused medical treatment.
Investigators believe the security guard was shot at while confronting a man in a parking lot off Alco Street, not far from the club.
The security guard told police the man was breaking into vehicles in the parking lot. When the security guard encountered the man, he shot at him while leaving the parking lot, according to a release.
Police are still investigating the shooting. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/club-allure-security-guard-grazed-bullet-man-seen-breaking-in-vehicles-atlanta-police/85-a1a93330-a9af-4183-917c-2d2ba00cf6cb | 2023-05-12T17:24:46 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/club-allure-security-guard-grazed-bullet-man-seen-breaking-in-vehicles-atlanta-police/85-a1a93330-a9af-4183-917c-2d2ba00cf6cb |
ATLANTA — The pandemic is over, but thousands of people say they’re still struggling with injuries from the COVID-19 vaccine and other treatments.
Nearly 12,000 people have filed a claim with the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program, or CICP, asking to be reimbursed for medical expenses and lost wages.
The CICP posts its claim data online. It indicates 706 claims have been processed so far, most denied. Twenty-two claims were approved, but only three people have received compensation so far.
That means people like Allen Storey are left to wait. Storey is recovering two years later from a cascade of health problems after receiving the vaccine. As the medical bills mount, he has no idea if his claim will be approved.
“They keep asking for more. And it’s just roadblock after roadblock; it seems like,” Storey said.
For months, 11Alive Investigates has been trying to get answers on why the process is taking so long. In response, lawmakers across the country have responded with their own questions.
Congressman Mike Collins demanded to meet with leadership at the CICP. He said the program’s director told him part of the problem is technology.
“They did not even have a computer system in place, a software system to handle people making requests or even inquiring about what their status was, which was what you were talking about in y'all's reporting,” Collins said.
The CICP has recently created an online portal to track claims and is asking Congress for 15 million dollars to “enhance communication” and “substantially increase its capacity to review at least 2,000 claims.” But with the current caseload, at that rate, it would take more than five years to get through them.
“A third of the federal employees have been working from home. And that's just doesn't work very well,” Collins said.
The budget request asks to hire 42 full-time employees and claims 34 positions were funded last year. But to date, the CICP has not answered our fundamental question – how many people are actually working?
“You're asking the same questions that we ask,” Collins said. “They don't know how many people they employ; the federal government, these departments, they don't know. And so that's one of the big issues that we have. You're right. Do you have enough people who are inefficient, or do you not have enough people?”
The Storeys said they have a box full of receipts and haven’t even started to add them up. The average payout so far is $1,500, and they know that wouldn’t even come close to reimbursing them for what they’ve spent.
“His prescription last week was 600… out of pocket. Upfront. And you couldn’t get it if you didn’t have $600,” said Allen’s wife, Bee.
While it may take years to get a response, people who feel they’ve been injured only have one year to file a claim. Allen hopes sharing his story will lead to improvements in the process. But he also hopes it will raise awareness about the program overall.
According to the CICP data online, 269 applications were denied because they missed the deadline.
“I don’t think most people know this program exists. You can probably walk down and 10 out of 10 people don’t know about it. I don’t know how they would find out about it if they weren’t specifically looking for this program. Most doctors don’t even know about it,” said Allen Storey.
If you feel you have had a serious adverse reaction or have been injured by the COVID-19 vaccine or any other medicine or treatment used to fight COVID-19, you can learn more about the CICP by clicking here. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/program-pay-covid-vaccine-injuries-15-million-fix-problems/85-4947974e-ecb4-483a-b8cf-bada7a6db47d | 2023-05-12T17:24:52 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/program-pay-covid-vaccine-injuries-15-million-fix-problems/85-4947974e-ecb4-483a-b8cf-bada7a6db47d |
DUBLIN, Georgia — A semi-truck crashed into the Dublin federal courthouse overnight, according to Chief of Police Keith Moon.
Moon says the driver fell asleep at the wheel and drove through a set of barricades before hitting the J Roy Rowland Federal Courthouse in Dublin.
The driver was not injured in the crash but it is unknown at this time how badly the courthouse was damaged.
But photos from the scene show damage to at least one of the columns at the front of the courthouse.
13WMAZ will provide an update on the damages as soon as additional information is available. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/semi-truck-crashes-into-dublin-federal-courthouse/93-69f882bc-b124-4b86-bdc7-c6becbd6cc9a | 2023-05-12T17:24:58 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/semi-truck-crashes-into-dublin-federal-courthouse/93-69f882bc-b124-4b86-bdc7-c6becbd6cc9a |
ATLANTA — Vice President Kamala Harris is returning to Atlanta Friday, according to White House officials.
She will be headlining the Democratic Party of Georgia's Spring Soiree fundraiser. VP Harris will also be in the Peach State for the Democratic National Convention finance event, White House officials said.
This will be the vice president's third visit to Georgia, with her most recent visit being in Dalton, promoting the Qcells solar deal. Prior to that, the vice president visited twice to speak on the Biden administration's push for climate change.
In one of her February visits, she sat down with Georgia Tech scholars to discuss how to address climate change in metro Atlanta communities.
In her time away from Georgia, Harris has been busing making history. The vice president recently spoke at the West Point commencement ceremony, being the first woman to do so, according to the Associated Press.
Traffic implications
Based on White House guidance, it appears there will be a big traffic implication this evening in Atlanta.
Here's a rundown:
Arrival
According to information released by the White House, the vice president is due to land at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport a little before 2 p.m. It has not been released where she will first be appearing, so we only know that sometime in the afternoon there may be a traffic disruption as she travels to her first location.
Departure
Vice President Harris is due to give remarks at the Democratic Party of Georgia's Spring Soiree fundraiser event sometime after 6 p.m.
She is due to depart Atlanta from Hartsfield-Jackson at 7:35 p.m.
That means sometime between 6-7:35 p.m., as she travels back to the airport they'll close down the Downtown Connector during a high-traffic Friday night travel time.
If you have plans in Midtown or Downtown Atlanta for Friday night around this time, just assume you'll need to avoid I-75/85.
11Alive will also monitor live traffic conditions this evening with updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this article. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/vice-president-kamala-harris-to-visit-atlanta-third-trip-georgia/85-ab409b19-186b-456b-a9fd-a5d8922db08b | 2023-05-12T17:25:04 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/vice-president-kamala-harris-to-visit-atlanta-third-trip-georgia/85-ab409b19-186b-456b-a9fd-a5d8922db08b |
DULUTH — A Hermantown man who was found guilty in 2021 of sexually abusing a child has been charged with assaulting a second victim several years ago.
Robert Lee Stahlman, 39, was arraigned Thursday in State District Court on counts of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. A criminal complaint states that the child, who is known to the defendant, told police Stahlman had raped her multiple times when she was approximately 5-7 years old.
Stahlman remains on probation after a Duluth jury convicted him of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in a case that was reported to have occurred around the same time. That matter involved a teenager who said she was inappropriately touched by Stahlman, according to court documents.
Judge Leslie Beiers stayed a four-year prison term in favor of seven years of supervised probation, in accordance with state guidelines. However, the sentence also required Stahlman to serve one year at the Northeast Regional Corrections Center and participate in the facility's Sex Offender Program.
Records indicate that another girl also testified in the 2021 trial regarding two incidents years apart in which she said she was touched sexually by Stahlman. The testimony did not pertain directly to the case but was admitted as evidence of other bad acts that tend to show a "motive, intent and plan."
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Stahlman remains under supervision until October 2028. However, a conviction on the new case could amount to significant prison time. Guidelines recommend at least 12 years in prison for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, with lengthier terms expected based on criminal history.
Court records show that Stahlman has a handful of other prior convictions, including violations of predatory offender registration requirements and synthetic drug possession.
Bail was set at $100,000, with Stahlman's next appearance on June 6. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/hermantown-man-charged-with-child-sexual-abuse | 2023-05-12T17:25:25 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/hermantown-man-charged-with-child-sexual-abuse |
VIRGINIA — The verdict came on what should have been Frank Gerald Meyer’s 51st birthday.
It was not a joyous occasion, but rather the culmination of more than a week of hearing every graphic detail of how the Makinen man was shot, beaten and suffocated at his own home.
As family members explained Friday, they know how Meyer was killed. They know who did it. But they’ll never receive a satisfactory reason for why it happened.
“Once evil has entered your life, it never leaves,” his sister-in-law, Marleen Meyer, said in a statement on behalf of the family. “Every holiday, every celebration, it is with you.”
Meyer’s convicted killer, J Nicholas Cramer, wasn’t about to offer an explanation. The 56-year-old stayed silent as Judge Robert Friday sentenced him to more than 36 ½ years in prison.
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“Mr. Cramer chose to inflict the maximum amount of pain and suffering on Mr. Meyer,” St. Louis County prosecutor Bonnie Norlander said, “so Mr. Cramer deserves the maximum amount of time under the law.”
The Virginia jury on April 18 found Cramer guilty of intentional second-degree murder in Meyer’s Oct. 2, 2019, killing. The panel, however, acquitted him of premeditated first-degree murder, which would have resulted in a life sentence without parole.
Cramer, of Mora, Minnesota, had been staying with his wife in a camper on Meyer's property, 3316 Curt Lane, and prosecutors presented evidence of an escalating feud in the days leading up to the murder.
Meyer had ordered the couple to leave his property and questioned J Cramer about a window that had been shot out on a vehicle, according to court documents and testimony.
A neighbor eventually became concerned after not hearing from Meyer for roughly a week, twice contacting authorities. A St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office deputy then found his body Oct. 8 under a pile of insulation and other objects in his garage.
Cellphone data helped pinpoint Meyer’s time of death to roughly 8 p.m. Oct. 2, and surveillance footage showed the Cramers leaving the area around that time. DNA and firearm evidence also tied J Cramer to the killing.
Meyer’s last communication a short time before his death was a text message to his 11-year-old daughter, Arianna. It simply read: “Love you.”
Now 14, she tearfully told the judge it’s “hard to wake up every day knowing he is gone.” She said she still finds herself checking his Facebook page and calling or texting his phone.
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“He was my best friend,” Arianna said. “He was my everything. He was the best dad anyone could ask for.”
Meyer grew up in Angora and graduated in 1990 from Cook High School, where he played trumpet in the band and participated in football and track. He hoped to teach the instrument to his daughter, and also enjoyed hunting, fishing, waterskiing and making snow sculptures.
Meyer worked as an industrial painter before starting his own auto body repair and painting business. He formerly lived in Eveleth, purchasing the Makinen property just a year before his death in order to further pursue his career.
“Frank had a crazy sense of humor and a heart of gold,” close friend Michelle Saari said. “I can think of countless examples of him dropping everything to help someone, even at his own expense.”
Saari said she was fulfilling a promise she long ago made to Meyer: to always be there to look out for Arianna, even as she got older.
“I don’t hate Mr. Cramer,” she added. “I hate what he did.”
Cramer has multiple prior convictions, including a federal drug distribution case. Defense attorney J.D. Schmid requested the presumptive guideline term of 30 ½ years, noting the jury acquitted his client of premeditated murder and saying he should not be punished for maintaining his innocence and exercising his right to a trial.
But Norlander called the slaying “cruel and brutal.” Meyer was shot four times, bound with rope and duct tape, had rags shoved down his throat and was bludgeoned with a pipe — any of which would have been enough to kill him, according to a medical examiner.
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Meyer’s elderly parents, George and Kathleen, attended the trial and sentencing, as did numerous other family members. Frank was dubbed “Middle Meyer,” as he had two older brothers and two younger brothers.
“This is one of the deepest, most gut-wrenching pains a parent could experience,” said the statement read by Marleen Meyer. “How dare Mr. Cramer decide he is God and take a life.”
Judge Friday said the court lacked the ability to impose a sentence that would restore what was taken or provide any rehabilitation. The 439-month term, he said, is purely punitive.
“As much as the court would love to have the power to give true justice, it just doesn’t have that power,” Friday said. “Frank still being with us would be true justice.”
With credit for time served, Cramer would first be eligible for supervised release in November 2044, when he is 77. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/man-sentenced-to-more-than-36-years-for-iron-range-murder | 2023-05-12T17:25:35 | 0 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/man-sentenced-to-more-than-36-years-for-iron-range-murder |
Hoosiers can snag favorite bites, see live music at these county fairs around Indianapolis
While thousands flock to the Indiana State Fair each year in Indianapolis, many prefer the quaint intimacy of their local county fair.
Home to "world famous" sprawling pork tenderloins, glammed country royalty and every farm animal one can think of, check out the county fairs in and around Indianapolis.
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Marion County
The Marion County Fair will corral cattle, beauty queens and elephant ear enthusiasts alike June 30 through July 9 at the county fairgrounds, located at 7300 E. Troy Ave. in Indianapolis.
Pre-sale $7 tickets ends June 1, and prices will be raised a dollar thereafter. Kids 5 and younger are free.
Parking is free across the street from the main entrance off Fisher Road at Gate 4. Closer parking is available for $10 off of East Troy Avenue at Gate 1.
Tickets and preferred parking can be purchased online at the county fair's website.
Boone County
The Boone County 4-H Fair will be July 15-21 at the fairgrounds, 1300 E. 100 S. in Lebanon.
People can enjoy free entertainment on Saturday through Tuesday nights. All 4-H and fair events, like hot air balloon rides and games with former Colts punter Hunter Smith, are listed on the county fair website.
Tickets for special events can be found online.
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Hamilton County
The HamCo fair will be July 20-24 at the Noblesville fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St.
Some information is available online for this year's upcoming fair.
Hancock County
From June 23-30, the Hancock County 4-H Fair will be home to pig races, Silly Safari shows and wrestling entertainment. The fairgrounds can be found at 620 Apple St. in Greenfield.
The current schedule is available on the county fair's website.
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Hendricks County
Those looking for family fun July 16-22 can find it at the Hendricks County fairgrounds, 1900 E. Main St. in Danville.
What's on the menu, who's performing and when the shows can all be found on the Hendricks County 4-H Fair website.
Day passes are available for purchase online as well as in-person. Early birds can snag a ticket at $3 until June 1 after which it becomes more expensive. Gate admission is $5. Children 9 and younger are free.
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Johnson County
Another fair happening July 16-22 is the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair at 250 Fairground St. in Franklin.
Tickets are free, but parking will cost fairgoers $5 a day or $20 for a week pass.
Morgan County
Morgan County will host its annual fair from July 7-15 at 1749 Hospital Drive in Martinsville.
Ticket prices for specialty events like the pre-fair concert, tractor pulls and dirt bike races at the grandstands can be found on the fair's website.
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Shelby County
From July 23-29, the Shelby County fairgrounds will bring free and ticketed entertainment to Hoosiers. The fair will be at 500 Frank St. in Shelbyville.
Ticket prices are available on the county fair website. The schedule has not yet been updated.
Contact IndyStar Pulliam Fellow Cate Charron at ccharron@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @catecharron. | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2023/05/12/when-are-the-county-fair-in-and-around-indianapolis-in-2023/70194501007/ | 2023-05-12T17:32:10 | 0 | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2023/05/12/when-are-the-county-fair-in-and-around-indianapolis-in-2023/70194501007/ |
MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Melbourne Police Department has filed charges with the state attorney’s office against a physical education teacher at Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School accused of encouraging students to fight.
Melbourne police said they were contacted about a fight on April 21 involving two students in the boy’s locker room during a gym class.
According to a news release, video shows a group of students watching the fight — along with the class’ teacher, Paul Eller, 58.
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One of the students was injured during the fight, causing it to stop, police said. However, police said that while some of the spectators were talking about the injury, Ellis “could be heard making a noise to encourage the participants to begin fighting again.”
After that, the two students continued fighting, and Eller only stepped in to break up the fight after a third student jumped into the fray, police said.
The department said it has filed with the state attorney’s office charges of neglect of a child, culpable negligence and disruption of school function.
The school announced earlier this month that a teacher was under investigation for allowing students to fight on campus, though no information has been provided about whether that teacher was Eller.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/11/melbourne-gym-teacher-faces-charges-after-encouraging-students-to-fight-police-say/ | 2023-05-12T17:32:22 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/11/melbourne-gym-teacher-faces-charges-after-encouraging-students-to-fight-police-say/ |
🎸Win 2 passes to Welcome to Rockville concert series
Headliners include Tool, Slipknot, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Evanescence and more
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Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/12/win-2-passes-to-welcome-to-rockville-concert-series/ | 2023-05-12T17:32:28 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/12/win-2-passes-to-welcome-to-rockville-concert-series/ |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Hodding Carter III, a Mississippi journalist and civil rights activist who updated Americans on the Iran hostage crisis as U.S. State Department spokesman and won awards for his televised documentaries, has died. He was 88.
Before moving to Washington in 1977, Carter was editor and publisher of his family’s newspaper, the Delta Democrat-Times, in Greenville, Mississippi.
Carter had been co-chair of the Loyalist Democrats, a racially diverse group that won a credentials fight at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, unseating the all-white delegation by Mississippi’s governor, John Bell Williams.
Carter’s campaign work in 1976 for Jimmy Carter, no relation, helped secure him a job as assistant secretary of state for public affairs. It was in this role that he was seen on television news during the 444 days that Iran held 52 Americans hostage.
When Ronald Reagan was elected to the White House in 1980, Carter returned to journalism as president of MainStreet, a television production company specializing in public affairs programs that earned him four national Emmy Awards and the Edward R. Murrow Award for documentaries.
Carter appeared as a panelist, moderator or news anchor at ABC, BBC, NBC, CNN and PBS. He also wrote op-ed columns for the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. He served twice on the steering committee of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
Carter later was named the John S. Knight Professor of Public Affairs Journalism at the University of Maryland. In 1998 he became president of the John S. Knight and James L. Knight Foundation, based in Miami, Florida.
After leaving the foundation, he began teaching leadership and public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006. He wrote two books, “The Reagan Years” and “The South Strikes Back.”
Carter, an ex-Marine who exercised regularly, underwent surgery in 2012 to have a pacemaker installed to help control an irregular heart rhythm.
Progressive politics ran in his family. William Hodding Carter III was born April 7, 1935, in New Orleans, to William Hodding Carter Jr. and Betty Werlein Carter. They moved to Greenville, Mississippi, recruited by a group of community leaders to start a weekly newspaper that evolved into the Delta Democrat-Times.
His father’s editorials about social and economic intolerance earned him a national reputation and undying enmity and threats from white supremacists. He also won the Pulitzer Prize, in 1946, for a series of editorials critical of U.S. treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
His mother, from a prominent New Orleans family, was a feature writer and editor who recalled sitting at home with a shotgun across her lap after receiving threats from the Ku Klux Klan.
Carter was the oldest of three sons. His brother Philip Dutarte Carter, reported for Newsweek and served as publisher of the Delta Democrat-Times and Vieux Carré Courier as well as financier of Gambit, a New Orleans weekly. Another brother, Thomas Hennen Carter, killed himself playing Russian roulette.
Hodding Carter III attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before graduating from Greenville High School in 1953. He graduated from Princeton University in 1953 and married Margaret Ainsworth Wolfe. They had four children before divorcing in 1978.
Carter later married Patricia M. Derian, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement who sought to transform U.S. foreign policy as President Carter’s assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs.
After she died in 2016, Carter married again, in November 2019, to journalist and author Patricia Ann O’Brien after the two connected during a reunion at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2023/05/12/hodding-carter-state-department-spokesman-iran-hostage/30c15e68-f0e9-11ed-b67d-a219ec5dfd30_story.html | 2023-05-12T17:39:22 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2023/05/12/hodding-carter-state-department-spokesman-iran-hostage/30c15e68-f0e9-11ed-b67d-a219ec5dfd30_story.html |
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — An Anne Arundel County Police officer was struck by a vehicle early Friday morning.
The officer was struck while he was standing outside of his patrol vehicle.
According to a spokesperson for Anne Arundel County, the officer was taken to Shock Trauma and later released.
Two arrests have been made and detectives are continuing their investigation. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/officer-struck-by-vehicle-early-friday-morning-in-anne-arundel-county | 2023-05-12T17:39:47 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/officer-struck-by-vehicle-early-friday-morning-in-anne-arundel-county |
The Midland Police Department is searching for a 21-year-old woman who was last seen on Wednesday in south Midland.
Madeline Molina Pantoja was last seen at 11:00 p.m. at 1711 West Francis Avenue. MPD did not provide any clothing description. Her vehicle and phone were found at her apartment, according to MPD.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts is encouraged to call MPD at 432-685-7108. | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/midland-police-searching-missing-woman-last-seen-18096101.php | 2023-05-12T17:39:48 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/midland-police-searching-missing-woman-last-seen-18096101.php |
MARIAVILLE -- The Maine State Fire Marshal's Office says human remains were found after a camper fire in Mariaville Thursday morning.
The fire was reported around 5:30A.M. at 28 Freedom Ridge Road.
Officials say the camper was recently put on the property by the property owner.
The remains have not been identified yet, but officials believe they are of 34-year-old Tyler Anderson, who was staying in the camper.
Officials say they do not suspect foul play at this time. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/human-remains-found-following-camper-fire/article_534b83bc-f0e1-11ed-b70a-5b4419c2ac00.html | 2023-05-12T17:40:25 | 0 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/human-remains-found-following-camper-fire/article_534b83bc-f0e1-11ed-b70a-5b4419c2ac00.html |
Be prepared drivers. These metro Phoenix freeways will be closed this weekend
The Arizona Department of Transportation is back with another round of closures and restrictions slated for Valley highways this weekend.
Notable closures will be seen along stretches of Interstate 10, Intersetate 17 and Loop 202 Santan Freeway.
The transportation department advised drivers to allow for extra time and plan alternate routes. Drivers should be prepared to slow down and merge safely when venturing through work zones.
Travel and roadway conditions can be checked at az511.gov.
Eastbound I-10 closed between US 60 and Loop 202
Details: Eastbound Interstate 10 will be closed between US 60 (Superstition Freeway) and Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) as part of the ongoing I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project.
The following ramps will be closed:
- Westbound US 60 ramp to eastbound I-10.
- Westbound US 60 HOV ramp to westbound I-10.
- Westbound US 60 off and on-ramps at Mill Avenue.
- Eastbound I-10 on-ramp at Broadway Road.
When: 10 p.m. Friday, May 12 to 4 a.m. Monday, May 15.
Alternate Routes: Drivers can use eastbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) at the SR 51 Mini-Stack to southbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and westbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) in Chandler to reach I-10 past the closure.
Those driving from the I-10 in the West Valley can use south or eastbound Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway) to reach I-10 past the closure.
Southbound I-17 closed between Greenway Road and Northern Avenue
Details: Southbound Interstate 17 will be closed between Greenway Road and Northern Avenue for pavement improvement.
The southbound I-17 on-ramps at Union Hills Drive and Bell Road will be closed.
When: 9 p.m. Friday, May 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 15.
Alternate Route: Eastbound Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) to southbound SR 51 can be used as an alternate freeway route to reach downtown Phoenix. Southbound I-17 drivers can exit ahead of the closure and use southbound 19th or 35th avenues.
East, northbound Loop 202 closed between Val Vista Drive and US 60
Details: East and northbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) will be closed between Val Vista Drive and US 60 for pavement sealing.
The westbound SR 24 (Gateway Freeway) ramp to east and northbound Loop 202 will be closed.
When: 10 p.m. Friday, May 12 to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 13.
Alternate Routes: Eastbound US 60 can be used as an alternate freeway route, but drivers can also use local streets - northbound Ellsworth or Power Roads, northbound Val Vista Drive, or eastbound Germann Road if south of Loop 202.
ADOT says crews plan on reopening Loop 202 in sections as work progresses on Saturday.
Westbound US 60 narrowed between Power and Greenfield roads
Details: Westbound U.S. 60 (Superstition Freeway) will be narrowed to three lanes, with the left lanes closed, between Power and Greenfield roads for pavement improvement.
When: 9 p.m. Friday, May 12 to 5 a.m. Sunday, May 14.
Westbound I-10 narrowed to 1 lane between Watson Road and SR 85
Details: Westbound I-10 will be narrowed to one lane between Watson Road and SR 85 for a widening project.
When: 10 p.m. Friday, May 12 to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 13.
Eastbound I-10 narrowed to one lane between SR 85 and Watson Road
Details: Eastbound I-10 will be narrowed to one lane between SR 85 and Watson Road.
The following ramps will be closed:
- East and westbound on-ramps at Verrado Way at times on Sunday.
- Ramp closures connecting both I-10 and SR 85 at times during the weekend.
When: 10 p.m. Friday, May 12 to 11 p.m. Sunday, May 14. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-traffic/2023/05/12/metro-phoenix-freeway-closures-this-weekend/70211882007/ | 2023-05-12T17:42:02 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-traffic/2023/05/12/metro-phoenix-freeway-closures-this-weekend/70211882007/ |
INDIANAPOLIS – State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box, who oversaw Indiana's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will retire at month's end after more than five years in the post, officials said Friday.
Gov. Eric Holcomb's office said Box had notified the governor that she was will retire May 31. Holcomb has appointed Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer of the Indiana Department of Health, as the state's next health commissioner and she will assume that role June 1, his office said.
Holcomb said he and Box "began discussing this inevitability nearly a year ago" and he's grateful she agreed to stay on as health commissioner until now. Holcomb appointed Box health commissioner in October 2017, replacing Dr. Jerome Adams, who left the post to become then-President Donald Trump's surgeon general.
Holcomb's office said that among the challenges Box faced during her tenure was leading Indiana's response to COVID-19 pandemic, calling it "the most significant public health event in a century."
"Through coordination efforts with local, state and federal agencies and health partners, countless lives were saved," the governor's office said in a news release.
Box said the last five and a half years "have been filled with challenges and opportunities unlike any that public health has ever encountered." She said Indiana's public health workforce "met those challenges with a heart and determination that have inspired me every day." | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/state-health-commissioner-box-who-led-indianas-response-to-covid-19-to-retire/article_2d16a2e0-f0e0-11ed-8e8d-576d24383ec9.html | 2023-05-12T17:42:02 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/state-health-commissioner-box-who-led-indianas-response-to-covid-19-to-retire/article_2d16a2e0-f0e0-11ed-8e8d-576d24383ec9.html |
The small child who died Tuesday after being hit by a SUV backing out of a driveway has been identified by the Allen County coroner's office today.
One-year-old Wayne G. Merritt of Fort Wayne was taken to a hospital and later died. The boy died from blunt force injuries and his death has been ruled an accident, the coroner said.
Police arrived at a northwest side home in the 4500 block of Bass Road about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officers said an adult backing out of a driveway in an SUV struck Merritt who was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
He is the 16th motor vehicle fatality in Allen County this year. The incident remains under investigation. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/child-named-in-fort-wayne-driveway-death/article_27d2834c-f0d8-11ed-b8c7-8b0b17566cb4.html | 2023-05-12T17:42:03 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/child-named-in-fort-wayne-driveway-death/article_27d2834c-f0d8-11ed-b8c7-8b0b17566cb4.html |
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Zion William Teasley ID'd as suspect in murder of Lauren HeikePhoenix police arrest suspect in Lauren Heike murder caseStarlink satellite train lights seen above PhoenixSuspect wanted for questioning in Molino 2 FireChandler police shoot man after he advances with knife in hand | https://www.azcentral.com/videos/news/local/arizona-people/2023/05/12/migrantes-de-nicaragua-hablan-sobre-su-llegada-arizona/11853412002/ | 2023-05-12T17:42:04 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/videos/news/local/arizona-people/2023/05/12/migrantes-de-nicaragua-hablan-sobre-su-llegada-arizona/11853412002/ |
A 56-year-old Ohio man died last week in an industrial accident at a Decatur company, the Allen County coroner’s office said today.
Brian S. Conley of Convoy was killed at Prestress Services Industries, 7855 Winchester Road. The victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead on May 3. The coroner said Conley died from blunt impact injuries and ruled his death an accident.
No further information was provided. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/ohio-man-idd-in-industrial-death/article_113d9cf6-f0d4-11ed-9706-b3f11d856de1.html | 2023-05-12T17:42:04 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/ohio-man-idd-in-industrial-death/article_113d9cf6-f0d4-11ed-9706-b3f11d856de1.html |
Man, 21, accused of throwing chair through Detroit bar's window charged
A 21-year-old St. Clair County man accused of vandalizing popular downtown Detroit bar Cafe D'Mongo's Sunday has been charged, officials said.
Jaden Alex Geck, of Ira, was charged Thursday in 36th District Court in Detroit with malicious destruction of property worth $1,000 or more but less than $20,000, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.
A magistrate set Geck's bond at $50,000 and scheduled his next court date for May 24.
If convicted of the felony charge, Geck faces up to five years in prison.
Authorities accuse Geck of throwing a chair through a window of Cafe D'Mongo's Speakeasy on Griswold early Sunday morning. The incident was captured on video by a nearby surveillance camera and showed a suspect walking on a sidewalk near the business, stopping, then grabbing a chair and tossing it into a window. He then runs away.
On Wednesday, police said they had arrested a suspect. The announcement came a day after a $250 reward for tips on the suspect was offered.
"It is critically important that the public is able to enjoy everything, everywhere that southeastern Michigan has to offer — especially in the state’s largest and most diverse city," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. "Café D’Mongo’s is a place where people come from all over for an enjoyable experience. The alleged actions of this defendant are criminal and upset that balance."
cramirez@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @CharlesERamirez | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/05/12/man-21-accused-of-throwing-chair-through-detroit-bars-window-charged/70211583007/ | 2023-05-12T17:43:18 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/05/12/man-21-accused-of-throwing-chair-through-detroit-bars-window-charged/70211583007/ |
Chesterfield Twp. police arrest suspect in hit-and-run of 7-year-old girl
A 28-year-old New Haven man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run last month in Chesterfield Township that left a seven-year-old girl with significant injuries.
They also said they impounded the Kia K5 believed to be the vehicle involved in the crash.
Detectives said the suspect is cooperating and they plan to submit their findings to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office next week.
Officials said the victim is at home with her family and expected to recover.
Chesterfield Township police were called at about 9 p.m. on April 27 to an area on Gratiot Avenue just north of 23 Mile Road for a report of a hit-and-run crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian, they said.
Police and medics arrived and found the girl with significant injuries. The girl was taken to a hospital where she is listed in critical but stable condition, officials said.
A preliminary investigation showed the 7-year-old and her older sister were crossing the street when she was struck by a vehicle, possibly a white or black Kia Optima sedan. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop and fled north on Gratiot.
Anyone with information about the incident or the suspected driver should call Chesterfield Township Police at (586) 949-3426.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @CharlesERamirez | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2023/05/12/chesterfield-twp-police-arrest-suspect-in-april-hit-and-run-of-7-year-old-girl/70211758007/ | 2023-05-12T17:43:24 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2023/05/12/chesterfield-twp-police-arrest-suspect-in-april-hit-and-run-of-7-year-old-girl/70211758007/ |
A1 Minute! May 11, 2023: Timmons Group new headquarters; Virginia ranked among safest states; VMI grad profiled
Commonwealth Commercial Partners LLC reports the following transactions:
Commonwealth Blinds & Shades Inc. leased 8,128 square feet at 10438 Lakeridge Parkway in Hanover.
Community Futures Foundation dba Community Brain Injury Services leased 2,975 square feet at 9211 Arboretum Parkway in Chesterfield.
Patient First Corp. renewed its lease of 94,349 square feet at 5000-5500 Cox Road in Henrico.
Jettie Z. Norfleet and Brett C. Welch leased 1,500 square feet at 2303 N. Parham Road in Henrico.
RVA Wealth Management LLC leased 4,575 square feet at 4510 Cox Road in Henrico.
Porter Realty Co. Inc. reports the following transaction:
Reefology RVA LLC leased 1,800 square feet of warehouse space at 10380 Wood Park Court in Hanover.
Taylor Long Properties reports the following transactions:
A&J Residential Services leased 1,128 square feet at 798 Southpark Blvd., Colonial Heights.
Higher Ground Recovery LLC leased 2,625 square feet at 2821 N. Parham Road, Henrico.
Kilwins Ice Cream leased 1,201 square feet at Route 288 and Genito Road in Midlothian.
Club Pilates leased 2,400 square feet at 1523 N. Parham Road in the Ridge Shopping Center, Henrico.
Commonwealth Commercial Partners LLC reports the following transaction:
Macay LLC purchased 7,184 square feet at 1651 N. Parham Road in Henrico from Fargo Associates LLC for $1.5 million. Colton Konvicka and Tucker Dowdy represented the seller, and Nash Warren represented the purchaser.
Cushman & Wakefield — Thalhimer reports the following transactions:
JRA Real Estate Inc. purchased approximately 10.24 acres at 11801 Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield from Moore’s Lake Apts Phase IV LLC for $1.2 million and plans to develop a national indoor shooting range. David M. Smith handled the negotiations on behalf of the seller; Alicia Brown represented the purchaser.
Prudent Growth Partners LLC purchased the Wistar Center, a three-building, leased flex industrial and retail portfolio at 8101-8157 Staples Mill Road in Henrico from Fernau LeBlanc Investment Partners for $7.2 million. Sale negotiations were handled by Bo McKown, Catharine Spangler and Eric Robison.
Have Site Will Travel and The Man with Square Feet reports the following transaction:
1911 Bishop LLC purchased 2,220 square feet at 1911 Bishop Road in Henrico for $325,000 from the Bridge Center. John Jay Schwartz represented the seller.
Porter Realty Co. Inc. reports the following transactions:
Peapunk Properties LLC sold a 3,384-square-foot office building on 11505 Allecingie Parkway to The Julies Realty LLC located in Chesterfield for $305,000. Robert Porter III represented the buyer.
TMC LLC sold 3.1 acres at 16014 Binns Road to MRS TES Investments LLC located in Hanover for $225,000. Kevin Cox represented the seller.
Taylor Long Properties reports the following transaction:
S & K Leasing LLC purchased a 19,251-square-foot building on 1.29 acres at 2401 Richmond Highway in Richmond for $910,000 from James River Center LLC. Ellen Long and Wanda Garrett represented the seller.
Richmond-area business expansions, openings and closings
88 Street Food
Popular drinks, including matcha milk tea, fruit tea and Vietnamese coffee are also on the menu.
Eva Russo
Urban Myth Street Food
A rice bowl with bulgogi beef and chicken skewers are among the offerings of Buskey Cider's new food truck, Urban Myth Street Food.
Buskey Cider
Revel Market & Bar
Revel Market & Bar from Julep’s rolls into North Side at 6223 Lakeside Ave. with tapas and craft cocktails.
Revel Market & Bar
Rams House Bar + Kitchen
Rams House Bar + Kitchen from the Lindsey Food Group is headed to 2035 W. Broad St. in Fan this summer.
Rams House
Stanley's
Stanley's, a Philly-inspired hoagie spot, recently opened in the former home of Robin Inn at 2601 Park Ave.
Eva Russo, Times-Dispatch
Popshelf
Popshelf, Goodwill, Chipotle headed to Shops at Stratford Hills
P.T. Hastings Seafood
P.T. Hastings Seafood, founded more than a century ago, is closing permanently following a severe brain injury suffered by its owner.
Kathlyn Hastings
Killa Dillas
Killa Dillas is a new quesadilla and nacho spot at 6114 Lakeside Ave., next to the Lakeside Farmers Market.
Mike Kropf/TIMES-DISPATCH
Genova’s Pizza Station & Take Out Kitchen
Genova's Pizza Station & Take Out Kitchen opened at 723 Buford Road in Bon Air on April 19, 2023. This is the newest venture from the owners of Casa Italiana and Pizza Express, over 4 years in the making.
Eva Russo
The Veil Brewing Co.'s new taproom
The Veil's new taproom, located in Scott’s Addition at 1509 Belleville St., will be three times the size of its current space, with a patio, an event space and a new in-house food concept, Nokoribi, from the owners of Longoven.
Daniel Sangjib Min/TIMES-DISPATCH
Luxe New American Bar & Grill
Luxe New American Bar & Grill, a new fine dining concept, is set to open at 1331 E. Cary St., next door to Siné Irish Pub in Shockoe Slip.
Daniel Sangjib Min, TIMES-DISPATCH
Wok This Way
Wok This Way Asian street food is now open at 13 W. Broad St.
Matt Pochily, VVN
Eggs Up Grill
Eggs Up Grill will open a new location at 12050 Southshore Pointe Drive in the Southshore Shops off Hull Street Road in Midlothian in May 2023.
Eggs Up Grill
Mayu Sushi & Thai
Thai Diner Too, the Carytown mainstay at 3028 W. Cary St., has rebranded at Mayu Sushi & Thai.
Colleen Curran, Times-Dispatch
Max’s on Broad
Max’s on Broad restaurant is closing, will relaunch as new concept.
Eva Russo, Times-Dispatch
RICH Nail Lounge
RICH Nail Lounge has opened at 1106 Hull St. in Manchester. — April 2023
Sycamore Jewelers, Midlothian
Sycamore Jewelers at 4676 Commonwealth Centre Parkway in Midlothian was set to close in April 2023. Terry Sprankle and Joe Cheslock opened the business in 1998. The business previously had locations in Sycamore Square in Midlothian and Chesterfield Meadows. — April 2023
Mi Casita Restaurant
Mi Casita Restaurant opened at 2606B Broad Rock Blvd.
Ironclad Coffee
Ironclad Coffee opened three locations at Richmond International Airport, including this pre-security café in the atrium. — March 2023
Matthew Brazier
Grit Coffee
Grit Coffee Roasting Co. will open its second Richmond location in Scott's Addition on April 17. — March 2023
Grit Coffee
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
Storefront for a Rockler Woodworking and Hardware location. The brand is opening a new store in Short Pump by the end of March 2023.
Lauren Sauer
Boiling Crab Richmond
The Boiling Crab Richmond is now to open at 2053 W. Broad St., Richmond, in March 2023. The Orange County, California-based chain has 25 locations in the U.S., as well as Australia, China, and Saudi Arabia. The Richmond location was previously Cornerstone Cigar Bar.
Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.
Blue Cow Ice Cream Co. opened its second Richmond-area location in Short Pump in the Greengate Shopping Center, 12171-C W. Broad St.
AARON SPICER
Suzy Sno
Suzy Sno's new location in Carytown at 3423 W. Cary St. is now open.
Colleen Curran, RTD
Diablo Doughnuts RVA
Diablo Doughnuts RVA, located at 1090 Virginia Center Parkway, Suite 105, in Glen Allen, hosted its grand opening Feb. 11.
Eva Russo, Times-Dispatch
The Brass Tap
The Brass Tap opened in Libbie Mill at 4901 Libbie Mill E Blvd Suite 100. It has a focus on beer with 60 beers on tap, plus 20 bottled beverages.
Eva Russo
Graybo's Sports Cards
Graybo's Sports Cards has opened at 214 E. Grace St. in Richmond. The business sells baseball, football and basketball cards.
Blue Ridge Cyclery
Full-service bike store Blue Ridge Cyclery to open at Libbie Mill-Midtown
Blue Ridge Cyclery
BigWife's
BigWife’s Mac n’ Cheese brick-and-mortar shop is now open at 1017A N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard in Scott's Addition.
BigWife’s
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni’s Ice Cream in Carytown at 3500 W. Cary St. in Richmond.
SHABAN ATHUMAN, TIMES-DISPATCH
CarLotz
The CarLotz brand is exiting the Richmond area. The remaining CarLotz locations will be rebranded as Shift.
PROVIDED BY CARLOTZ
Acacia Midtown
Aline Reitzer of Acacia Midtown came up with the idea for Richmond Restaurant Week. The new location of Acacia at Libbie Mill Mid-town will be participating in Richmond Restaurant Week.
Daniel Sangjib Min, TIMES-DISPATCH
Zoom Room Richmond
Zoom Room has opened its first Richmond area franchise 3450 B Lauderdale Drive in Short Pump.
Zoom Room
Torchy's Tacos
Torchy’s Tacos has opened two fast-casual restaurants in the Richmond area: one in Short Pump and the second in Carytown. A third is on the way for Chesterfield.
times-dispatch
Planet Fitness
A Planet Fitness location is expected to open this winter at Stony Point Village shopping center in Richmond.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers
The fast-food restaurant chain Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is planning to open two Richmond-area locations in fall 2022.
Locations are planned at 12721 Jefferson Davis Highway in Chester and 1321 Huguenot Road in Midlothian. The company currently has a location at 805 W. Grace St. in Richmond.
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company has nearly 700 locations in 35 states and Guam. The chain was founded in 1996.
— Sept. 1, 2022
Three Notch'd Brewing
Three Notch’d Brewing has expanded its Scott’s Addition location at 2930 W. Broad St . The group acquired a former wine shop on Broad Street and pizza kitchen next door, which will be combined. Muralist Nico Cathcart was hired to design and paint two new pieces inside the space.
Three Notch’d, founded in 2013, operates five venues throughout Virginia.
— August 2022
Daniel Sangjib Min/TIMES-DISPATCH
Retail or Resell
Footwear business Retail or Resell has signed a lease in Short Pump’s Towne Center West Shopping Center.
— Aug. 9, 2022
Marshalls
A Marshalls location is planned in Staples Mill Square at 9041 Staples Mill Road in Henrico.
The chain dates to 1956 and includes more than 1,000 stores. — July 21, 2022
Charles Krupa, Associated Press
Raising Cane's
Raising Cane's is planning a location in the 6900 block of Lake Harbor Drive in Chesterfield County, Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer announced.
The office represented the company in the sale.
Founded by Todd Graves in 1996, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has more than 530 restaurants in 28 states and other countries.
The 1.9-acre Chesterfield plot sold for $2.5 million. A 2023 opening is planned.
— June 22, 2022
ASSOCIATED PRESS
My Favorite Muffin
My Favorite Muffin has opened at 10174 W. Broad St. in Glen Allen. The local owners/operators are Sam and Suzanne Makarem. — June 7, 2022
Mattress King
After more than 40 years of carrying the moniker of Mattress King, business owner Anil “Neil” Gulati, 72, said he’s ready to retire this year. Read more here.
2012, ALEXA WELCH EDLUND/Times-Dispatch
Anthony's on the Hill
Anthony's on the Hill in Church Hill announced that it is permanently closing. — March 2023
Joe Mahoney, Times-Dispatch
The Mill on MacArthur
The Mill on MacArthur closed Feb. 26. — February 2023 | https://richmond.com/business/local/commercial-real-estate-highlights-indoor-shooting-range-in-the-works-for-chesterfield/article_6c9f0ac0-f012-11ed-a3b4-ff312fc6464c.html | 2023-05-12T17:43:30 | 1 | https://richmond.com/business/local/commercial-real-estate-highlights-indoor-shooting-range-in-the-works-for-chesterfield/article_6c9f0ac0-f012-11ed-a3b4-ff312fc6464c.html |
Alpena Co. girl fought off kidnapper, brother shot him with slingshot, police say
An eight-year-old Alpena County girl fought off her would-be kidnapper Wednesday and her older brother shot the suspect with a slingshot, police said.
Michigan State Police troopers with the Alpena Post were called Wednesday to a home in Alpena Township for a report of an attempted child abduction, they said.
According to their preliminary investigation, a seven-year-old girl was hunting for mushrooms in her home's backyard when an unknown man came out of the woods and tried to kidnap her. The man held the girl's mouth shut and a struggle ensued. The girl managed to break free, officials said.
Her 13-year-old brother saw the incident in the backyard and shot the suspect in the head and chest with a slingshot, police said.
After police broadcast a description of the suspect, one of the girl's family members saw a man who matched it running from the area.
Troopers canvassed the area and found the suspect hiding at a nearby gas station, officials said.
After he was arrested, police identified the suspect as a 17-year-old from Alpena. Investigator said the suspect displayed signs of injuries on his head and chest where he was struck by slingshot projectiles.
During questioning, the suspect told police he planned to severely beat the girl. Police took the suspect to the Alpena County Jail to await charges.
On Thursday, the suspect was arraigned in 88th District Court on charges of attempted kidnapping, attempted assault with intent to do great bodily harm-less than murder and assault and battery. A judge set his bond at $150,000 and scheduled his next court date for Wednesday.
Police said the suspect is being charged as an adult but they are not releasing his identity at this time.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @CharlesERamirez | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/05/12/alpena-co-girl-fought-off-kidnapper-brother-shot-him-with-slingshot/70211851007/ | 2023-05-12T17:43:30 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/05/12/alpena-co-girl-fought-off-kidnapper-brother-shot-him-with-slingshot/70211851007/ |
It is late spring in Richmond, and like usual, the pollen seems inescapable. As frequent rain showers wash away the yellowish hue, I think of another form of seasonal cleansing that’s more visual.
The dreariness of the winter months is challenging. So, I set out to capture this year’s flower blooms with one camera and a macro lens. Perusing local gardens and parks, I searched for wonders that might lift everyone’s spirits made heavy by any given day’s news coverage.
My intention this week was to get close, and then push past the point where the subject is the focus, beyond what we might notice with a simple glance.
I was looking for more abstract compositions with particular lines, shapes, colors, creatures and the tiniest unremarkable details that would escape the average human eye.
What I found was complete beauty all around, plus a feeling of serenity. | https://richmond.com/news/local/through-our-lens-seeing-beauty-all-around/article_65959390-f02e-11ed-b5db-a7794f1413f2.html | 2023-05-12T17:43:36 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/through-our-lens-seeing-beauty-all-around/article_65959390-f02e-11ed-b5db-a7794f1413f2.html |
2 in deadly March 22 hit-and-run in Walled Lake charged
Two teens have been charged in connection with a March hit-and-run crash that killed a 13-year-old Commerce Township girl and injured several others, officials said.
The 15-year-old driver of the vehicle that investigators believe caused the crash has been charged Friday with first-degree fleeing from a police officer, two counts of second-degree fleeing from a police officer and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, a misdemeanor, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said.
Officials said the teen, who is from West Bloomfield, is not being named because he is a juvenile. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for the first-degree fleeing charge.
His co-defendant, Gavin Anthony Kassab, 19, of Commerce Township, was also arraigned Friday in 52-1 District Court in Novi on the same charges. A magistrate set Kassab's bond at $250,000 and scheduled his next court date for May 24. If he posts bond, he must wear a GPS tether, submit to alcohol and random drug testing, and have no contact with the victim’s family or any witnesses in the case.
The crash happened at about 7:45 p.m. on March 22 near Maple and Decker in Walled Lake. A 2023 Jeep Gladiator ran a red light during a pursuit by police and collided with two vehicles.
The two people in the Jeep got out of the SUV and ran, officials said.
Walled Lake police officials requested the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office investigate the incident. Detectives identified the two people in the Jeep as the 15-year-old and Kassab.
On Friday, investigators said Kassab recorded the police chase with his cellphone held outside of the passenger window. They also said statements captured on the recording suggest Kassab encouraged the juvenile to flee.
One of the vehicles struck was a 2010 Honda Fit driven by a 51-year-old Commerce Township woman. Her two daughters, ages 10 and 13, were passengers in the vehicle.
Police said Friday the woman and the 10-year-old girl have been released from the hospital and are recovering at home.
The 13-year-old in the Honda was removed from the vehicle by paramedics and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. Her sister was ejected from the vehicle and was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, the Sheriff's Office said. The mother was hospitalized in serious condition.
A 2020 Chevrolet Equinox was also struck in the crash. The Chevy was driven by a 43-year-old Commerce Township resident who had a 10-year-old passenger. Both wore seat belts and were treated and released.
And a fourth vehicle, a 2023 Cadillac STX, was stopped at the traffic light when struck by the Honda as it spun, police said. The driver, a 58-year-old Commerce Township woman, was treated and released.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @CharlesERamirez | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/12/2-in-deadly-march-22-hit-and-run-in-walled-lake-charged/70211998007/ | 2023-05-12T17:43:36 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/12/2-in-deadly-march-22-hit-and-run-in-walled-lake-charged/70211998007/ |
Federal judge allows some Oxford High School shooting lawsuits to move forward
A federal judge ruled on Friday that civil claims against an Oxford High school counselor and dean stemming from the 2021 deadly school attack can proceed, while claims against other six school officials are dismissed.
The mixed ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith means Shawn Hopkins, a counselor at the school, and Nicholas Ejak, the high school's dean of students, continue to face "state-created danger claims" made by multiple Oxford families and survivors of the Nov. 30, 2021 attack at the school that killed four students and injured seven others.
Goldsmith wrote in his opinion, "Based on their allegations, plaintiffs are entitled to proceed to discovery to learn what evidence supports their contention that Ejak and Hopkins’s failure to immediately address a known risk of danger rose to the level of conscience-shocking."
"There may be 'some cases in which a court could determine that a state actor's actions did not shock the conscience at the motion-to-dismiss stage,' however, 'this is not that case,'" Goldsmith wrote.
Claims against Oxford Community Schools also remain, Goldsmith said.
The ruling also means that claims are dropped against Pam Fine, the school district's restorative practices coordinator; teachers Jackie Kubina, Allison Karpinski and Becky Morgan; former superintendent Tim Throne; and former OHS principal Steven Wolf.
Within the last hour, a U.S. federal judge made a momentous decision in a civil lawsuit regarding the Oxford High School shooting by denying the defense’s motion to dismiss Oxford Community Schools and two employees as defendants.
U.S. Federal Judge Mark Goldsmith gave his opinion that the federal case against Oakland Community Schools as well as Dean of Students Nicholas Ejak and counselor Shawn Hopkins will continue, as they failed to search shooter Ethan Crumbley's backpack before he was sent back to class.
Attorney Ven Johnson, who represents several families and victims in this case, released a statement Friday praising the judge's decision to allow the case to move forward.
"This is monumental win for our clients who suffered unspeakable losses following the preventable and tragic shooting at Oxford High School," Johnson said. "We're one step closer to holding OCS and its employees accountable and proving in court they could have prevented this nightmare. This is also a significant victory in our fight against governmental immunity, and we'll continue to fight fiercely for our clients and the entire Oxford community."
Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 criminal charges in the shooting deaths of four Oxford High School students and the wounding of six other students and a teacher.
The ruling comes in response to 10 lawsuits alleging the district failed to protect students and downplayed the threat Crumbley posed to the school.
Oxford students and their families allege in their lawsuits that the district took actions that created or increased the danger Crumbley posed to students and teachers.
Goldsmith said: "Plaintiffs allege that Hopkins and Ejak pushed E.C. closer to violent action by threatening to report his parents to CPS in the immediate future in E.C.'s presence. On the face of Plaintiffs' pleadings, the dean and counselor 'added fuel to the fire' by stating in front of E.C. that E.C.'s parent must comply with the school's directives at once, or else risk the serious consequences of being reported to law enforcement and potentially seeing their family broken apart."
"It is a 'reasonable inference' that statements made to family members in the intimate setting of a counselor's office on a sensitive subject like proper parental care could be emotionally charged enough to affect the participants' future actions," Goldsmith wrote.
"Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that Hopkins and Ejak increased the risk that a mentally unstable teenager— suspected of harboring violent thoughts — would harm others when they threatened his parents with this imminent ultimatum in that teenager's presence," Goldsmith said.
Jennifer and James Crumbley are charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter each. A three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in March that there was enough evidence to send the parents to trial.
Oakland County Circuit Judge Mary Ellen Brennan in early March dismissed all Oxford governmental employees and entities from the civil lawsuits related to the shooting. Brennan determined the district and its employees had governmental immunity and could not be sued. Even if they were negligent, Brennan said legal precedent dictated that "no reasonable trier of fact could conclude that any of the conduct of any of the individual Oxford Defendants was 'the one most immediate, efficient, and direct cause of the injury or damage' to the Plaintiffs."
jchambers@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/12/federal-judge-ruling-civil-claims-oxford-shooting-case/70211609007/ | 2023-05-12T17:43:42 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/12/federal-judge-ruling-civil-claims-oxford-shooting-case/70211609007/ |
A man and woman died as flames tore through a Montgomery County home Friday morning.
There were people reported trapped in the fire along Washington Lane, near Truman Drive, in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.
Firefighters arrived to find flames in front of the house and on the porch, investigators said. They knocked down the flames and then went inside.
Firefighters pulled a man and woman from separate bedrooms, investigators said. They were both unconscious and would later die.
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At least one other adult was being treated for injuries, investigators said.
The homeowner told investigators the residents of the home were sleeping when the fire began.
As SkyForce10 hovered overhead after 9 a.m., all the flames appeared to be out.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The fire marshal on the scene told NBC10's Deanna Durante that they were working on figuring out a cause for the deadly blaze.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/hatfield-deadly-fire/3565390/ | 2023-05-12T17:47:47 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/hatfield-deadly-fire/3565390/ |
Hood Industries is rebuilding its plywood plant after 2022 tornado, creating 265 new jobs
Hood Industries announced it is building a new laminated plywood facility in Beaumont a little more than a year after an EF-2 tornado ripped through the town, destroying the plywood manufacturing plant that had operated there for 40 years.
After months of considering all the possible options, Hood Industries made the final decision to reinvest in Beaumont where it all began for the company, Hood Industries President Jay Galloway said in a news release.
“Perry County and Beaumont are both very special to Hood Industries,” he said. “Even after we surveyed the damage of last year’s tornado, we wanted to rebuild where it all started. We are part of this community, and they are part of us.”
Company officials decided to invest more than $200 million to build a new state-of-the-art facility that will create 265 new jobs, they said at a groundbreaking ceremony May 4 in Beaumont.
“The mill has been one of the cornerstones of our company because of the support received from the community of Beaumont, Perry County and surrounding areas and the hard work of our excellent employees," said Warren Hood of Hattiesburg, owner and CEO of Hood Industries. "We are excited to be able to rebuild the facility into one of the most modern plywood plants in North America."
The new manufacturing facility is expected to operate at twice the capacity of the former plywood plant. Construction is expected to begin this summer.
Hood officials are expecting to begin plant operations in early 2025. The 265 new jobs will be filled over the next four years.
Assisting Hood Industries in rebuilding the plant include:
- Mississippi Development Authority, which is providing assistance for infrastructure improvements and site development
- AccelerateMS, which is providing a Mississippi Works grant to support the training needs of Hood Industries. AccelerateMS also will support the company’s long-term workforce goals and objectives for the Beaumont project.
- Perry County and the town of Beaumont also are providing assistance with the project.
- Area Development Partnership, the economic development organization for Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties.
“It is a great day for Beaumont and Perry County," said Perry County Board of Supervisors President Richard Lott. "We are very excited that Hood Industries chose Beaumont for the location of their new facility."
Hood Industries manufactures and distributes plywood, lumber and 15 specialty wood products from facilities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.
“Hood has been a staple of our community for decades, and we look forward to many years of growth for both the company and the town," Beaumont Mayor Scott Daily said. "Mr. Hood and his company are the model for hard work, commitment and dedication, and the town is excited to have this plant building back to full operation."
Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge. | https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2023/05/11/hood-industries-of-hattiesburg-rebuilds-plywood-plant-265-new-jobs/70195471007/ | 2023-05-12T17:47:48 | 0 | https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2023/05/11/hood-industries-of-hattiesburg-rebuilds-plywood-plant-265-new-jobs/70195471007/ |
Former Travelers Rest officer accused of sexual assault denied bond reduction
A former Travelers Rest police officer was denied a bond reduction Friday morning after he was previously charged with criminal sexual conduct and misconduct in office.
Gerald James Hildebrandt, 42, was charged by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in April for a sexual assault that occurred at Travelers Rest High School in July 2022. The assault occurred while Hildebrandt was on duty.
At the bond hearing Friday, assistant solicitor, Shannon Odom, said Hildebrandt responded to a call involving the victim who was reported as intoxicated. Odom said Hildebrandt persuaded her to drive to an abandoned area “instead of arresting her” for driving under the influence.
Arrest warrants released by SLED state Hildebrandt forced the victim to perform oral sex and forced her into other sexual conduct. Warrants noted evidence for the arrest was based on body camera footage, physical evidence and statements from the victim and witnesses.
According to termination documents reviewed from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, Hildebrandt admitted to having oral sex on duty but claimed the sex was consensual.
During the hearing, Odom said Hildebrandt was not considered a flight risk. However, because he was in a position of authority during the commission of the crime, Odom argued he should be considered a danger to the community and denied a bond reduction.
“He’s part of the reason trust in law enforcement has gone down,” Odom said.
Hildebrandt remains held at the Greenville County Detention Center on a $150,000 surety bond.
Bakari Sellers, attorney with Strom Law Firm representing the victim, said he will be filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against Hildebrandt and the Travelers Rest Police Department.
“He violated this woman's trust,” Sellers said. “He took her to a dark area and raped her.”
Sellers said he encourages other potential victims of Hildebrandt to come forward.
Former Travelers Rest officer previously terminated in Laurens County
Hildebrandt was previously terminated from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office in 2021 after an excessive use of force violation. Documents from CJA state Hildebrandt “grabbed the neck of an arrested individual that was handcuffed behind his back with an open hand obstructing the individual’s airflow.”
“We hope that some of these smaller departments look at their hiring practices,” Sellers said. "How he got hired in another city is beyond me.”
Travelers Rest Police Chief, Benjamin Ford, told the Greenville News in April that his office was notified of the incident the afternoon of July 3 and terminated Hildebrandt within four hours after speaking with him and the victim. Ford said he called SLED shortly after to investigate the criminal conduct, but also conducted an internal investigation related to department policies.
"Obviously, I don’t tolerate that type of conduct and that shows from me terminating him in four hours," Chief Ford said. "We don’t tolerate that type of conduct in the city of Travelers Rest."
The victim was not a student or employee of Greenville County Schools and the incident did not occur during school hours, according to GCS spokesperson, Tim Waller.
Kathryn Casteel is an investigative reporter with The Greenville News and can be reached at KCasteel@gannett.com or on Twitter @kathryncasteel | https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/12/former-travelers-rest-officer-accused-of-sexual-assault-denied-bond-reduction/70211938007/ | 2023-05-12T17:48:29 | 0 | https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/12/former-travelers-rest-officer-accused-of-sexual-assault-denied-bond-reduction/70211938007/ |
Two dead, two injured after vehicle collision following police chase in Greenville
Two teenagers killed after a single-vehicle collision following a police chase Thursday night have been identified.
Dekiyas Antione Workman Jr., 16, of Piedmont, was pronounced dead on scene. Jaedan Demone Pitts-Johnson, 14, of Greenville, was taken to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital and later died. Two more individuals were taken to the hospital.
Around 9:37 p.m., officers with the Greenville Police Department located a stolen vehicle in the area of Easley Bridge Road and Andrews Street, according to an email from Sgt. Johnathan Bragg. The vehicle, which had four occupants, failed to stop for officers and a pursuit ensued, Bragg said.
"While on Old Piedmont Highway, the stolen vehicle started to travel at a high rate of speed, and the officers that were pursuing it lost sight of the vehicle and deactivated their equipment," Bragg said. "Shortly after, the vehicle was involved in a collision on Grove Road near White Horse Road."
Bragg said Friday morning the vehicle collided with a concrete barrier and a fence. He could not specify exactly how fast the car was traveling.
The final occupant fled from the vehicle but was later located, Bragg confirmed Friday morning. Deputy Shelton England with the Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed that the individual who fled was taken to the hospital.
The two surviving occupants have been identified by authorities, but their names and medical statuses have not been made public.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the scene along with the coroner's office.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/12/two-dead-two-injured-after-vehicle-collision-following-police-chase/70211020007/ | 2023-05-12T17:48:35 | 0 | https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/12/two-dead-two-injured-after-vehicle-collision-following-police-chase/70211020007/ |
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Two K9 officers from the Tri-State who were killed in the line of duty in 2022 were honored Thursday at a memorial service in Washington D.C.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund hosted the 5th Annual Police K9 Memorial Service as part of National Police Week to honor the 25 K9s across the country killed in the line of duty in 2022. Two of the fallen K9s honored were Floyd County Sheriff’s Office K9 Drago and Charleston Police Department K9 Axel.
Deputy Dusty Newsome, K9 handler for the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office attended the ceremony, laying a rose on the memorial in Drago’s honor. Drago was killed on June 30, 2022 in Allen, Kentucky, during an ambush-style shootout with a suspect. Floyd County Deputy William Petry and Prestonsburg Police Captain Ralph Frasure were also killed during the shooting, and Prestonsburg Police Officer Jacob Chaffins died of his injuries the following day.
“FCSO is proud of our K9 handler Deputy Dusty Newsome for attending today’s ceremony in Washington DC and honoring our beloved K9 “Drago,” the FCSO said in a Facebook post. “Drago was one of twenty-five police K9s killed in 2022 and was honored today by having their name and end of watch inscribed in stone and will forever be on display at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington DC.”
Charleston PD Axel was shot and killed in the line of duty on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, saving his partner, Patrolman Clendenin, and Patrolman Childress while chasing an armed suspect. The suspect fired his gun, striking and killing Axel. Officers then returned fire at the suspect, who later died at the hospital.
A CPD officer also attended the ceremony, laying a rose on the memorial as Axel’s name was read.
The ceremony also included laying a wreath at the memorial to honor all of the K9s killed in the line of duty followed by a moment of silence. You can watch the full ceremony on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s Facebook page here. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/2-fallen-k9s-from-tri-state-honored-in-washington-dc/ | 2023-05-12T17:55:07 | 0 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/2-fallen-k9s-from-tri-state-honored-in-washington-dc/ |
RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – A man has been arrested for allegedly concealing the body of a missing person.
According to a criminal complaint from Raleigh County Magistrate Court, Timmy Lee Powers, 34, is charged with a felony county of concealing a dead body.
The complaint states that a missing persons report was made by Crystal Collins sister on March 23, 2023. In the report, Collins’ sister said the last time she had heard from Collins was in early February. The complaint further states that authorities questioned Powers regarding Collins disappearance on April 17, 2023.
Authorities say Powers told them he had last seen Collins in early February, and that she was passed out in the back bedroom of an abandoned home in Fairdale, West Virginia. The complaint states authorities then executed a search warrant on the abandoned house, where they found a body “in a back bedroom in the closet, buried under some broken sheet rock and tires.”
According to the complaint, Powers admitted later that week that another individual came to his home, which is near the abandoned home, and told him Collins was passed out and would not wake up. He then allegedly stated he had gone to the abandoned home where he saw Collins, and allegedly attempted lifesaving measures, which were not successful. The complaint states Powers claimed he went back to his home and got a Christmas tree bag and a sleeping back, then allegedly with the help of two other individuals, wrapped her in them and buried her in the closet under the sheet rock and tires.
The complaint states Powers claimed he did not call 911 due to fear because he was wanted by law enforcement. Powers in the Southern Regional Jail on this charge, a misdemeanor charge from Raleigh County, and a felony charge from Fayette County. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/man-charged-for-concealing-body-in-raleigh-county/ | 2023-05-12T17:55:13 | 0 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/man-charged-for-concealing-body-in-raleigh-county/ |
BLOOMINGTON — The Cogs and Corsets steampunk festival will be back in Bloomington for its sixth year starting June 2.
The annual festival serves as a chance to celebrate the artistry and inclusivity of steampunk, a subgenre of science fiction that combines futuristic technology with aesthetics from 19th century steam-powered machinery.
“We are really excited about partnering with the BCPA this year, which is a gorgeous backdrop for the steampunk aesthetic,” event organizer Melanie Shellito said in a news release. “This year is the biggest festival yet, with such a wide variety of performers — there’s truly something fun for everyone, even if you just come to look at the fabulous costumes."
The celebration kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday, June 2, in downtown Bloomington. There will be a 6:30 p.m. promenade running from the McLean County Museum of History to the BCPA building, where there will be a contra dance. Several downtown businesses and galleries also will be hosting their own steampunk-themed activities and exhibits that day.
Free family activities will be available throughout the weekend, including workshops and panels, photo ops with a restored 1925 Willys-Knight touring car, a fashion show and costume contest, Nerf dueling, parasol dueling, teapot races, a steampunk market vendor area featuring more than 35 artists and other entertainment on the BCPA lawn.
Music headliner John Sprocket of the steampunk musical act The Cog is Dead will perform Saturday, June 3. Sprocket's music has been lauded for its mix of musical genres, storytelling and theatrics.
There will be a late night light show and dance for adults aged 21 and up featuring Bloomington's own DJ Doomsday.
On Sunday, June 4, attendees can taste teas from around the world or take part in a psychic reading at the McLean County Arts Center.
Carrie Thomas, left, and her sister-in-law Kathy Benson, both of Albia, Iowa, laugh before their Nerf duel Friday, June 7, 2019, during Cogs and Corsets: A Steampunk Happening in downtown Bloomington. The event brings together veteran steampunkers and newcomers with elements of history, science, technology, artistry, costumes and performance. Cogs and Corsets will return to Bloomington this year from June 2-4. | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/bloomington-welcomes-cogs-and-corsets-steampunk-fest-for-sixth-year/article_99655b5c-f0d2-11ed-b059-a7e0a1d684ba.html | 2023-05-12T17:56:00 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/bloomington-welcomes-cogs-and-corsets-steampunk-fest-for-sixth-year/article_99655b5c-f0d2-11ed-b059-a7e0a1d684ba.html |
BLOOMINGTON — A McLean County jury is weighing the outcome of Michael Bakana’s murder trial.
Closing arguments were made Friday morning in the case against 44-year-old Bakana, who is accused of first-degree murder in the 2021 shooting death of Mariah Petracca, 22, attempted murder in the shooting of another woman, and aggravated battery. Bakana has pleaded not guilty.
He failed to appear for the fifth day, after authorities said he cut off his GPS monitor Monday just as the trial was due to begin. A no-bond warrant for his arrest was issued Monday.
Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Horve told the jury that they can take his absence into consideration when they deliberate.
“He’s not even here for his murder trial. You can take that back to the jury room as consciousness of guilt,” he said.
In his closing, Horve described this as a case of “revenge and retribution,” a phrase he repeated throughout.
“This is a straightforward case,” he said, describing the events of that night that were captured on a Bloomington Police Department public safety camera.
The video shows Bakana and the two women arguing, which attorneys on both sides said was because one of the women cut in line to get into Daddios Bar, 527 N. Main St. in Bloomington after she realized she had left her phone and wallet inside after getting kicked out for dancing on a stage.
“It’s hard to believe someone is dead over this,” Horve said.
On the video, which was played for the jury several times throughout the trial, Bakana is seen walking across the street and away from the bar during the argument. He leaves the view of the camera and within one minute, he is seen walking back to the women and continuing to argue down the street as they walk away.
Horve said he went to get a gun from his car, and “he came back armed and then confronted, chased, went after, pursued two drunk, defenseless girls.”
Petracca is seen shoving Bakana into the wall outside the bar. Both women turn and walk away. It then appears that the defendant reacts by pulling a gun from his back waistband and firing multiple shots at the women.
Ten shots were fired. One shot missed; four struck Petracca — three of those in her back. The other shots hit the other woman, including two after she was already on the ground. The surviving victim, Bibianna Cornejo, testified during the trial and showed the jury the scarring that remains on her arm and side from the gunshot wounds she suffered.
Bakana’s attorney Clyde Guilamo argued Bakana acted in self-defense, noting a bruise that formed on Bakana’s face after he hit the wall.
He asked the jury to find Bakana not guilty. Of his absence, Guilamo said “So what if Mr. Bakana isn’t here? He doesn’t have to come here and explain any of this stuff” as legally the defendant is not required to prove his innocence.
Guilamo argued the women initiated the violence and that Cornejo insulted and spit on Bakana during the argument. With an insult to Bakana’s late father, “she starts striking a nerve and she wants to keep on pushing it.
“She’s inviting violence to Michael,” Guilamo said. “... That’s what she’s doing; she’s threatening him.”
The attorney played an interview between Bakana and Bloomington officers in which he told them he was “a weak man” who had “already been beaten by women.” Guilamo said fear was an element of his self-defense.
While “we wish Mike would have just left” when the women tried to walk away, Guilamo said Bakana had “no duty to attempt to escape.”
Horve said that included in the jury instructions in an explanation of self-defense that says, “A person is justified in the use of force if he reasonably believes it necessary to protect himself or another against the imminent use of unlawful force. … And if you are going to use deadly force, you can only respond to prevent imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.”
“Their whole self-defense breaks down when he chose to act, when he follows them,” said Assistant State’s Attorney David Fitt, in his rebuttal to the defense’s closing. “... This is rage; this isn’t fear.”
He said there was no threat of “imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.”
“Never once was he even close to being threatened with imminent danger of death or great bodily harm,” Fitt said.
The state rested its case Thursday afternoon and the defense rested without calling any witnesses, concluding the second day of evidence. | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/mclean-county-jury-weighs-bakana-murder-trial/article_d8f86eb0-f0e8-11ed-982e-7f06199d9a27.html | 2023-05-12T17:56:06 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/mclean-county-jury-weighs-bakana-murder-trial/article_d8f86eb0-f0e8-11ed-982e-7f06199d9a27.html |
Amory Career and Technical Center student Keith Byars is recognized as a finalist in the north district student of the year competition by MCEF area director Lane Bell.
PEARL ― Keith Byars, a metal fabrication student at Amory Career and Technical Center, has been recognized as one of the state’s top-performing career and technical education students by the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation.
Byars was named student of the month for MCEF’s north region last September, automatically qualifying as a contender for student of the year along with six other monthly district winners for the 2022-23 school year. He was honored as a finalist at MCEF’s awards day program on May 5.
“Our annual awards program is an opportunity to recognize Mississippi’s best and brightest students and to honor the hard work and dedication they’ve demonstrated in preparing for their futures,” said Brent Bean, MCEF president. “These outstanding students also are helping ensure that Mississippi has a highly skilled workforce to support the state’s growing construction and manufacturing industries.”
Instructor nominations for student of the month are based on grades, attendance, class discipline, outstanding achievements, leadership abilities and post-graduation plans. During the annual celebration, MCEF named three students of the year from a field of 21 district students of the month. Winners received $500 cash prizes.
As part of its annual awards program, MCEF also presented $500 scholarships to winners of the MCEF and Mississippi State Board of Contractors scholarship program.
The mission of the non-profit MCEF is to promote careers, recruit capable individuals and train a quality workforce for the construction and manufacturing industries in the state of Mississippi. MCEF also offers workforce training and credentialing in construction, industrial maintenance and manufacturing trades.
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Error! There was an error processing your request. | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/amory-technical-education-student-recognized-by-mississippi-construction-education-foundation/article_5a6abd12-f0d6-11ed-af41-137a9cb20065.html | 2023-05-12T17:59:38 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/amory-technical-education-student-recognized-by-mississippi-construction-education-foundation/article_5a6abd12-f0d6-11ed-af41-137a9cb20065.html |
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Kenosha police are investigating the shooting of a 3-year-old following an incident Friday morning.
Just before 11 a.m. Friday Kenosha police were notified that a 3-year-old had been shot, according to Kenosha Police Lt. Joseph Nosalik.
The incident happened in the 5100 block of 29th Avenue inside a residence. It is unknown at this point if it was accidental or intentional.
Officers located a 3-year-old victim with a gunshot wound and administered immediate first aid while securing a shooting scene. The child was taken to a local hospital and will be transported via Flight for Life to Children’s hospital.
The investigation is very early and ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back later for additional details at www.kenoshanews.com. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-police-investigate-shooting-of-3-year-old-friday-morning/article_a0f08f1e-f0e5-11ed-9090-bf0c5bd8f64f.html | 2023-05-12T18:04:53 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-police-investigate-shooting-of-3-year-old-friday-morning/article_a0f08f1e-f0e5-11ed-9090-bf0c5bd8f64f.html |
INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD is asking for the public's help in finding a man who was last seen on the city's east side.
Police said 60-year-old Paul Harlan was last seen Wednesday, May 5 in the 4500 block of East Washington Street, near Emerson Avenue.
Harlan is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, and has red hair and blue eyes.
Police said Harlan has been diagnosed with several medical conditions and might need medical attention.
According to police, Harlan may be lost and not know how to return home on his own.
Anyone with information on Harlan's whereabouts is asked to call 911, IMPD Missing Persons Det. J. Burton at 317-327-6160, or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
Amber Alert vs. Silver Alert: What's the difference?
There are specific standards a person's disappearance must meet in order for police to declare an Amber Alert or a Silver Alert.
Amber Alerts are for children under the age of 18 who are believed to have been abducted and in danger. Police also need to have information about a suspect and their car to issue an Amber Alert.
Silver Alerts are for missing and endangered adults or children. They are much more common for missing people. It was not until last year when the standards for Silver Alerts were expanded to include children.
In both situations, these alerts must be issued by police. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/missing-indianapolis-man-east-side-paul-harlan/531-d77a077d-2463-45fd-9838-9c03c77e3404 | 2023-05-12T18:07:06 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/missing-indianapolis-man-east-side-paul-harlan/531-d77a077d-2463-45fd-9838-9c03c77e3404 |
AUSTIN, Texas — Popular Austin eatery Bird Bird Biscuit has decided to go cashless after its Manor Road location was broken into Wednesday night.
The person who broke into the brick-and-mortar smashed the order window and stole the cash box that had a few hundred dollars in it. With security issues in the area and because a majority of the restaurant's customers already order online, the owners decided to switch to a fully cashless system for a while to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
“We want to just make sure that we don't incentivize if the same person has come in again, we just want them to know, hey, look, we don't have any cash here,” said Brian Batch, co-owner of Bird Bird Biscuit.
Batch explained that it's not just Bird Bird Biscuit that has been broken in to recently.
“My business partner owns a few businesses on the street and like, you know, his other businesses have also been hit,” Batch said. “People should be vigilant, you know, and if anybody has cameras, you know, make sure you're watching them because there is it seems like somebody's doing something on the street.”
Bird Bird Biscuit explained that although the business has security cameras, it didn't catch much of the incident. The eatery is currently in talks about increasing security and adding more cameras.
But Batch remains positive after the incident and hopes the person stops breaking into places.
“I hope the person who's going through what they're going through, I hope that they like heal up,” Batch said. “They stop breaking into people's houses like that. That's my real hope.”
Melia Masumoto on social media: Twitter | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/bird-bird-biscuit-going-cashless/269-4cff6786-fb88-4993-8fab-4ad380ca340b | 2023-05-12T18:07:40 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/bird-bird-biscuit-going-cashless/269-4cff6786-fb88-4993-8fab-4ad380ca340b |
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